Timmy

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 3rd Trimester Book Review By Tim Maguire For my third trimester reading log book, I read the book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy , by Douglas Adams. The book is quite comedic, and the storyline is not really a major part of the book. However, the story is about a man named Arthur Dent. He wakes up one morning to see bulldozers outside his house, and people who want to knock his house down. He leaves to talk with his friend Ford Prefect, and his house is knocked down. However, when he is yelling at the people, a bunch of huge yellow “things” appear in the sky. These are ships from the Vogon constructor fleet, who have come to destroy Earth. Ford, being actually from Betelgeuse, a different planet, rescues them both by hitchhiking into one of the ships.

The characters continue on their journey as they are kicked from the Vogon ship, into space. A passing ship, the new Starship Heart of Gold, rescues them, captained by Ford’s friend, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and a girl named Trillian, who Arthur once new. They continue through space for a while, and find a planet called Magrathea, which used to be a place where planets were made. They find that the Earth Mark II is being made, with the Earth being destroyed now. When they leave the planet, they go to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, and the story ends.

This story had me cracking up at every turn. I really commend the author for creating such a comedic book. I think the storyline was, in the end, a little random, and very unexpected, but that was not what made the whole book. Things that made the book so good were the funny parts, such as random remarks that didn’t make sense, and tons of other random things. I ended up reading the rest of the series, because of how good this book was.

I would give this book 5 stars, no doubt. I could read it over and over, and still find it funny. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ANY sense of humor. I would think the book is mostly aimed toward kids, however, because of the way the book is written, and the humor involved. Overall, a very humorous and random book. Amazon Link: [] Picture: Nation 2nd Trimester Book Review By Tim Maguire

For my second trimester book, I chose Nation, by Terry Pratchett. The book is about a boy named Mau who lives on an island, called the Nation. He goes to another island, where he will become a man. On his way back to the Nation, a giant wave comes and destroys the Nation. Mau has to start all over. People arrive on the island, and they begin to rebuild the Nation. This book has suspense, and can surprise you at every turn. I really liked the storyline, even though at times it was very sad. It keeps you reading, always wanting to see the next page. Suspense is very common in this book, and it draws you in and makes you keep going. At some points, it can also be amazing, being able to see in your head what the characters can see, because the author is descriptive, especially when it really matters. I think it was a masterpiece of a story. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes adventure stories. Also, it is a bit mythological, talking about the residents of the Nation’s gods, and how the characters interact with them at times. I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars, because I thought it was a truly great story. I think it also has many great lessons, such as be grateful for what you have, as it may be taken away at any moment. Also, I think it is an inspiring story of confidence, and how Mau dealt with the losses of all his family and honored them by rebuilding the Nation. I hope that many people can read this book, as it has a balance of lessons and storyline! Amazon Link: [] Cover Picture:  12 Angry Men 1st Trimester Book Review By Tim Maguire

The book 12 Angry Men  by Reginald Rose is about twelve jurors deciding on the fate of a man accused of murdering his father. At first, all of them agree on guilty except for one. This one juror, number eight, goes on to convince the other jurors that the man is not guilty. He makes them all see it in a different way, a way without personal views or assumption. The case seems perfectly obvious that the man is guilty at first, but juror eight presents it in a way that makes it seem like the “witnesses” weren’t quite correct. Exciting moments keep happening, like other jurors switching to “not guilty,” or juror eight figuring out something new about the case, like how something could not have happened. The plot is very well planned out, and the story pulls you in and keeps you reading. I was really surprised to find that I really liked this book a lot. I liked how the eighth juror found so many crucial things that proved that the defendant was most likely not guilty. I think it was really good for him to be the only one to not vote “guilty” right away, along with everyone else. I think it required a lot of courage to do that, and he definitely had that courage. He just wasn’t sure either way, and decided not to send a man to die without thinking about the case. It was really inspiring, and I thought that moment at the beginning, where the eighth juror stood up for the boy, was unbelievable. I would give this book a five out of five stars. It was a completely amazing story, and it really blew me away, because I didn’t really expect to enjoy it very much. Also, when I saw it was in play form, and about 80 pages long, I wasn’t expecting much. However, the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” came into play here. It also could be used to describe the moral of this story - 11 of the 12 jurors just assumed that since all of what the witnesses said seemed to be correct then the boy was “guilty,” yet when juror eight pulled away the cover, and let the real facts shine through - the ones without prejudice in them - they all realized their mistakes and changed their verdict to “not guilty.” It was a really good example of how people these days just assume things by the ways they seem to be, or the way they want them to be, letting their personal views get in the way. I would recommend this book to everyone. The moral of this story is a good one for this current generation and even people of future or past generations. It teaches about how humans can just be plain ignorant, and how you can stand up to those people, and do something positive. This book shows that the most ordinary person can make a big impact on the world, and do something like save someone's life from something they may not have done. I hope that everyone gets a chance to read this really good book, and I think it is a perfect model of making a positive difference in the world. When I read this book, it made me think of a famous quote by Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Overall, this is an outstanding book, and one of the best I have read in a while.

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Unwind Book Review (Summer Reading) By Tim Maguire The book Unwind by Neal Shusterman is about three people running away from being “unwound,” where their organs are taken out of their bodies to be given to other people who need them. The main characters, Connor, Risa, and Lev, were all signed off by their parents to be unwound. It is a very good book with lots of action and suspense. I always wanted to keep reading it, and I could hardly put it down. The book has a pretty familiar theme – a few people that escape being killed and save others from it, too. However, one of them wants to be killed in the beginning, because he was taught his whole life that It was the right thing to do. Unwind takes place in the future, after the Second Civil War. This war ended with the Bill of Life, which stated that parents could have their children “unwound” from the ages of 13-18. Connor was too much trouble for his parents, Risa was not talented enough, and Lev was raised to be unwound. All three run away and reach a place that keeps runaway “unwinds” until they are 18, to save them. Throughout the whole story, each character changes in some way. Connor becomes smarter in his decisions, Risa becomes less spoiled, and Lev starts to want to live and not be unwound. Unwind is a very interesting and exciting book that always keeps you on the edge of your seat. There is a lot of suspense, and there are many times where the story changes direction. The story is told from multiple points of view, which makes it a little difficult to follow, but also makes it more interesting. It is a great book and I would give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. I would only give it less than 5 because it is somewhat weird in some parts, and describes the process of unwinding in one part. I would recommend this book for people who wouldn’t mind the details of someone’s body being taken apart; however, it is not too graphic and is a great book overall. Red Kayak Book Review (Summer Reading) By Tim Maguire The book Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings is a bit of a mystery and a bit of an action story about a boy named Brady and his two friends, J.T. and Digger. A wealthy family moved in to their neighborhood and bought Digger’s grandfather’s land. This made the three friends mad, so Brady got the idea to drill holes in the family’s canoe. A few days later, the mother and child of the wealthy family went missing while they were in their red kayak. The mother was alive, but the child, Ben, died. Brady blames himself for the accident until he discovers something later in the book that changes everything. The story takes place on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the present. I feel like I understood the story more than someone else may have, because my grandparents have a house on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. I also felt that it really could have been a true story. The author made it more realistic by putting in real events that happen and that could happen. The way the story was told, it always seemed like Brady was confused and had a hard time deciding on things. However, he ended up making the right decision at the end of the book. Red Kayak was a good book, and I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. The story was definitely a page-turner, and it would build up on suspense when Brady had to make decisions. It makes you want to choose what you would do, and then you figure out what he does, and compare the two. I would recommend this book to people of all ages who like mysteries and are good at figuring things out and making the right decisions. Also, the story is sad at the beginning because of the little boy that drowns. Overall, Red Kayak is a good book with a lot of meaning behind it, and it teaches about making the right decisions, which is a great thing to know and learn for everyone.