Emma

  
 * Red Kayak****, Priscilla Cummings** (Summer Reading)

For me, the Red Kayak had a great story line and plot. The idea was great, but I think that it could have been written better. I found the book to be boring at times, but interesting at others. I think that the book didn’t have a long enough story to fill two hundred pages. I wish that the book could have been a little shorter, rather than dragging all the information out. Brady’s thoughts became a little repetitive, and very uninteresting, although, some parts of the book would not allow me to stop reading. There were times when I literally at to have the book pried from my hands. Overall, it is not a book I would ever read again, but I would probably recommend it for certain people that I think would like it. The Red Kayak had a lot of emotion in it. At times, I was very sad, especially when Ben died. It was very depressing how it looked like Ben would live, and then didn’t. I also felt bad for J.T. and Digger at the end of the book. I feel that Brady had a big part in the whole thing, and deserved a punishment as well. It made me frustrated. I was certainly not on Brady’s side of the situation, and I did not like how much credit he got for saving Ben. Brady helped cause his drowning in the first place, so why should he get rewarded for that? I felt like Brady was throwing his friends under the bus by telling on them. If I was Brady, I would have turned all of us in. I would give this book three stars. It’s hard to read a book, that you know could have been better. I would only recommend this to a person I think is patient enough to want to finish it. To read this book, you have to be able to read through several chapters that boring and repetitive. I would not recommend this book for people who like books that move fast, and are action packed. I would also not recommend this to people who like happy and upbeat books. I would recommend this to people who like sad books, that don’t move too fast. Personally, I like fast moving books that are a little happier.

  http://www.amazon.com/Red-Kayak-Priscilla-Cummings/dp/0142405736/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285079762&sr=8-1

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead ** (Summer Reading) <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“When you Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead is a mystery novel about a young girl and her adventures around New York City. The girl, Miranda, is confused when she gets a mysterious note from an unknown writer. Meanwhile her mother is preparing to be part of an upcoming game show. Her mother and her mother’s boyfriend practice every day, hoping for a chance to win money for a better life. While Miranda’s mom is at home preparing, Miranda is roaming around the city searching for answers. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The book takes place in New York City in 1979 I found myself confused when they were referring to <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//tomorrow’s date as March third, 1979// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> When I flipped around through the book, I found a paragraph where it said the date. I had to read through the paragraph several times till it was clear to me. I had no idea which year the book was taking place in. That one small detail that wasn’t clear caused a whole section of the book to be confusing, too; although, the plot of the book was very interesting and brilliant. Every chapter was a new exciting twist, except the twist at the end. At the end of the book, the whole theme of the book changed to science fiction. It happened so quick and abruptly that it left you stunned, and not in a positive way. It seemed like the author got tired of writing and threw some words in to finish the last chapter. I had a feeling who was writing the letters the whole time, and I was right, but everything else was completely unpredictable and sudden. I wish that the ending could have been more believable and simple. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The main character in the story kept referring to the book “a Wrinkle in Time.” I read that book a few years back, and hope to pick it up again soon. Knowing the book made it a little easier for me to keep things straight. The main character, Miranda, loved to read. Her and her best friend, Sal, used to talk about books when they walked to school together in the morning. That all changed after an event. Sal and Miranda stopped talking to each other. In fact Sal didn’t talk to many people at all, but Sal had a big change in character at the end of the book. He really matured, but sadly, was never became close to Miranda again. Miranda found new friends, though; so many that I can’t keep track of their names or personalities. There were so many characters, with so many weird names that I didn’t know who was who. It would have been easier comprehend if there were fewer characters, and less complicated names. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Overall I would give the book three and a half stars. If I had been asked half way through the book, it probably would have been four and a half. The ending was very frustrating and caused me to think of the whole book badly. Even though the ending was not good, I would still recommend the book for people with a little bit of creativity and patience. I would not recommend this book for someone who likes simple books or someone who isn’t a fan of mystery books. I would read this book again, and maybe it would make more sense the second time around. I hope I can have an opportunity to recommend this book to someone who I think will really enjoy it, because I know this book would perfect for some people!

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Reach-Rebecca-Stead/dp/0385737424/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285080113&sr=8-1

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**A Break With Charity, Eight Grade First Trimester Book Review** Ann Rinaldi

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Break With Charity is a historical fiction novel, placed in the 1600’s in the town of Salem. The author tells the story of Susanna English, and her part in the Salem witch trials. Susanna had watched many girls her age go to the Putnam’s house, to hear the stories of Tituba. Once the girls had left one day, Susanna went inside to speak with Tituba. Ann Putnam, one of the girls who visited Tituba, brought in Susanna to have a talk with her. She explained that their stories and fortune telling with Tituba was forbidden in their strict town. Susanna knew the consequences of being caught, s she kept quiet. Days later, talk around town was that Tituba had been accused of witchcraft. Ann Putnam, and a few of the other girls, had staged fits and claimed that Tituba was possessing them. Tituba was guilty, and thrown in jail for being a witch. The thoughts of Tituba in jail traumatized Susanna, but what was coming next was even more horrifying. The author wrote from the point of view Susanna English. It would have been interesting to hear the story from Ann Putnam’s perspective. Ann Putnam’s character really stood out to me. She seemed like the enemy in the story, especially during her speech at the very end. Ann’s personality frustrated me while I was reading the book. Susanna was very tolerant of her, even when Ann tore apart her family. All of the characters in A Break With Charity had their own personalities. Some books I have read have very similar characters, that are easy to mix up. In this novel, even the characters with the same name were distinctive, giving the book a better review from my point of view. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I found that the book was a little hard to get into in the beginning. The first few chapters didn’t interest me, or make me want to keep reading. Once I got to the first trial, it became more interesting, and was too good to put down. With such a good story line and theme, I expected the book to be impossible to stop reading. I thought I would get through it in one night. The poor beginning, and spots of constant dialogue left me unamused. It was difficult to read such an inconsistent book. Overall, I would give A Break With Charity three stars. I liked the story line and characters, although I wish the book would have been written better. I was very pleased with the last chapter, and the ending of the book. I would recommend this book to a person who enjoys reading historical fiction, and who are interested in history. Anyone who does not like history would struggle, and find no interest at all in the book. My interest in history is what got me through the book. I would read A Break With Charity again, and I hope I will get the chance to. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding-right: 10px;">[]  <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">


 * A Child Called It, Eight Grade Second Trimester Book Review**

Dave Pelzer

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer was a tragedy about a young boy who was abused by his alcoholic mother. The author, who was the young boy, talked about his life, and his struggle to survive. He mentioned stories about the horrible life he lived, and how he made it through the years of torture. Something that surprised me was that he named all of the horrible things his mother did to him. That showed that he never forget. He had to live his whole life with the horrible memories of his childhood. He was abused to the point where he could barely go on. He would go days without food or water. The only thing that kept him alive was his strong attitude, and his perseverance. He grew up and watched all of his brothers eat and play like a normal kid, but he would be starved and beaten. He was the unloved child, the one his mother called “it”.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to have the life David did. When reading this book I felt his pain. Many times I was brought to tears by the way the book was written. I would read the book for long stretches, and never wanted to put it down. I will never understand what he went through. It made me realize how lucky I am, and how lucky everyone around me is as well. There was no one there to defend him, or help him in any way. He was completely on his own. Even his own father stood by and watched. He even abandoned him, and left David to fight alone. David’s courage and intelligence was unforgettable.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This book was full of unfortunate, negative surprises. Just when you thought his life would turn around, it would be back to the nightmare he had been living in. Most of the story took place inside his house. It was the place where he watched his family eat dinner together, and open presents on Christmas. But David was not part of the family. David’s mother was a horrible character. The way the author described her look and personality was very scary. I could visualize the anger and hatred in her eyes. Luckily, she was put in her place in the end. David was a wonderful, strong character, and an inspiration I look up to.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would only recommend this book to someone who wants to read an incredibly tragic novel. The was the most emotionally difficult book I have ever read. It was so powerful, and deep. I would give this book five stars. It was one of the best books I have ever read. I would reread this book one hundred times. My only wish is that it didn’t begin with a miracle. I wish that it could have ended that way. I am happy that he was alright though, even though I know that there is another horrible story following. I will read the sequel, and there are many people I will recommend this to. I hope that the next book will be just as powerful and strong as “A Child Called It”. <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">

[]


 * So B. It, Eight Grade Third Trimester Book Review**

Sarah Weeks

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“There are some things in life a person just can’t know.” For my book review, I read <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//So B. It// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Sarah Weeks. It was about a 12 year old girl named Heidi. She lived with her mother, who suffered from severe mental disabilities, and their neighbor Bernadette, who had taken the family under her wing when Heidi was only an infant. After finding pictures from an old camera of her mother’s, Heidi wanted to go to the mental institution where the pictures were taken to see if she could learn about her father, and her mother’s condition. Since Bernadette was afraid to step outdoors, Heidi traveled all the way to New York by herself to learn about her past, and more about her mother’s life.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would categorize <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//So B. It// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in adventure, because of the long journey Heidi experienced on the way to New York. The book was very interesting all of the way through. It took place mainly in Bernadette’s apartment in Nevada, however the setting changed constantly about three quarters of the way into the book when Heidi began her adventure to New York. Personally, my favorite character would be Mama. I thought that her personality was very vivid even though her part was minor, and she only spoke a few words. Her character was involved in the twist during the last few pages of the book which left me completely stunned, however I thought that it was a great way to change the story line, and to make the ending more interesting and unexpected.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unlike many books that I have read, <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//So B. It// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was very unpredictable. Before I had even finished the book, I had thought up the ending, and I was convinced that it would end exactly how I predicted. The ending had a big twist which threw my theory off, and actually it was way better than what I expected it to be. I didn’t notice until the end that most of the chapters were single words that were in Mama’s vocabulary like “no” and “soof”. The word “soof” played a big role in the book. In the end, it didn’t mean what I expected it to mean, and the name “So B. It “didn’t mean anything to me until the end. At the end of the book, they never explained why Mama called herself So B. It, but I assumed that that was her way of pronouncing “Sophia”.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall, I would give this book 4 stars out of 5. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes simple and easy books. I consider <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//So B. It// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to be a good book, that could be read over and over again. I could have easily started it over the second I finished. The book had a great plot and it left me wondering what was to come for Heidi and Bernadette. I feel like a sequel wouldn’t fit, and that there wouldn’t be as good a story line. I really enjoyed reading the book, and I think it may have been my favorite weblog book of my eight-grade year.

http://www.amazon.com/So-B-Sarah-Weeks/dp/0064410471/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305505297&sr=8-1