Saturday, February 28, 2015

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner


This is the fifth book I read for literature studies in fourth grade.

This story is about a boy named Little Willy who, one day, finds his grandfather who won't get out of bed.  Little Willy calls the doctor and the doctor said that his grandfather was very healthy and could live to an old age, but had given up on life.  He finds out the reason his grandfather has given up is that he owed $500 to the tax people.  Little Willy had to find a way to get the money.  He realizes that there is a dog sled race and the prize money is $500.  Little Willy enters the race with his dog, Searchlight.  The question of the book is "Can they win the race?"

This was a short book that was easy for me to read.  I thought it was a good story and I liked that there was dogs in it, but the ending was very sad.  I thought Little Willy was a brave, confident character because he was sure that he could win the race and entered it against some of the fastest racers around.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo


This was the fourth book I read for literature studies in fourth grade.

This book is about a mouse named Despereaux who was born different than all the other mice. He had a small body but large ears.  His brothers and sisters tried to teach him how to be a mouse, but Despereaux didn't want to.  He really loved adventure.  One day, while he was adventuring, he heard music.  He followed the music until he came to Princess Pea's bedroom.  He then met the princess and the king, and he talked to the princess.  His brother saw him and told his dad.  His dad called a council meeting.  At the meeting, for breaking mouse rules and talking to a human, Despereaux was sent to the dungeon to be eaten by rats.  And then his adventure began!

I thought this was a cool story, because it wasn't about a human but about an animal, and that it was a mouse that falls in love with a princess. I thought this was a really adventurous book because it went from the castle to the dungeon, back and forth.  My favorite character in the book was probably Despereaux because he kept on trying until he succeeded and that he was born different than all the others.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Alien Invasion in My Backyard by Ruben Bolling


Alien Invasion in My Backyard (An EMU Club Adventure) is a preview copy from NetGalley!

This book is about a boy named Stuart, his friend Brian, and his little sister Violet.  They find out that their dog is a robot sending messages to aliens that the Earth has not been destroyed, but his computer is broken.  The aliens come and the kids have to protect Earth from the aliens, but the aliens look like cats.  Then the war starts!

I thought this book was really funny and cool that the aliens were cats.  My favorite part was when they used water guns to fight the alien cats.   I liked that the dog was a robot but he risked his life to save Stuart.  I think kids who like funny adventure stories would really like this book.   I am really excited that it is a series and there will be another book.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Big Nate: Say Good-bye to Dork City by Lincoln Peirce


This is a preview of the new Big Nate book that I got through Net Galley.

Big Nate: Say Good-bye to Dork City is about a kid named Nate.  With help from his friends, Teddy and Francis, he succeeds and fails in life.  He's is not really popular but he thinks he is.

I think the Big Nate series is really funny because it's not just one big story, it's multiple little tiny stories that go about the same subject.  It's also really funny because Nate thinks he is really really cool but everybody else thinks he is a big dork.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

The Joker's Dozen by Laurie S. Sutton


The Joker's Dozen is a Net Galley review.  This is a pick-your-path style book with 12 different endings to your story.

The main story is where the Joker uses a bunch of laughing gas on the people of Gotham to make them look like Jokers and commit.  Batman has to figure out how to help the people and you have to choose if he goes to the water plant, the gem museum, or tracks down hostages.  After you make your first choice, you make more choices to continue the story.  You have to make wise choices because the Joker always has more tricks up his sleeve!!!

I really like the you-choose books because you get to choose your adventure instead of an adventure already planned out.  I read them lots of times to try out the different choices.  I love that this book was about Batman and the Joker and I hope they come out with another one with a different villain next time!

My Grandma's a Ninja by Todd Tarpley


My Grandma's a Ninja is another NetGalley review!  It is a picture book, not a chapter book, but I thought it looked kind of cool and I wanted to read it.

My Grandma's a Ninja is about a kid whose grandma is a ninja.  His grandma ziplines him to school and teaches him karate moves.  But when he is a soccer practice, she deflates the ball and they can't play soccer.  All of his friends don't like his grandma anymore.  He asks his grandma to stop being a ninja, but something special happens at the big soccer game.

This book would be great for kids to read because it was easy to read and it had a funny story.  I think it was a cool idea that the grandma was a ninja and could do all those tricks with ziplines and karate.  I also thought the end was really funny and I didn't guess that it would happen.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Fluffy Bunnies 2:The Schnoz of Doom by Andrea Beaty


Fluffy Bunnies 2: The Schnoz of Doom is NetGalley review.  You can buy this book starting on March 17, 2015.

Fluffy Bunnies is about two kids named Joules and Kevin who get abducted by bunny rabbit aliens.  In the bunnies' missions, the principal, the gym teacher, and the science teacher are eaten and their forms are taken by the evil fluffy bunnies.  It is Kevin and Joules' mission to stop the bunnies.  They have different plans--some of them will succeed and some of them will fail.

I really liked this book because the bunnies looked cute but they were really evil.  I thought that it was weird because they tried to use an old plan against different bunnies but it didn't work out.  I like how every time they smelled something stinky, the bunnies got bigger.  I really liked the how the pictures were cool and looked like comic-style drawings.  Now I want to read the first one too!

Sunday, February 15, 2015

The G-Man Super Journal: Awesome Origins by Chris Giarrusso


This is another NetGalley review!  This is a comic book and novel combination.  This is my favorite style of book.

The G-Man Super Journal: Awesome Origins is about a boy named Michael who wants to have superpowers.  Every day, new kids come to school with superpowers.  Michael gets jealous and wants to fly. He checks out a book that he thinks is about how to make wings, but it is really about how to fly.  He reads it and sees that in order to fly, you need a magic cape.  Michael has to find a magic cape so he can learn fly and become a superhero too!

I loved how this book was a combination of a chapter book and a graphic novel.  I liked how every day, when Michael went to school, there would be a new superpower.  I also like how when Michael tries to become a sun trooper, he failed because of an annoying kid.  His adventures are really cool.  This is going to be a series and I can't wait to read the next one!!!

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Angry Birds Comics Volume 2: When Pigs Fly by Paul Tobin and Isa Python


This is a NetGalley preview. It is a comic book/graphic novel with several stories about the Angry Birds and Bad Piggies.

One of the stories is about where the three minion pigs find a trampoline.  Then Cpl. Piggie says that they have found something to destroy the birds with.  They start to train on the trampoline but they keep failing.  Cpl. Piggie gives them items to help them fly.  Then they are finally ready and launch themselves, but they hit King Piggie's castle instead.  There are lots more other stories in this book too.

I thought this book was really funny because the pigs keep failing at what they try to do.  When the birds fail, they can fix it, but when the pigs fail, they can't.  The graphics were great!

Friday, February 13, 2015

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters by Erik Burnham


This is my very first NetGalley review!  It is a comic book/graphic novel with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Ghostbusters.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles get teleported into another dimension.  In the new dimension, they release a god-ghost.  Then they meet the Ghostbusters.  Together, the Turtles and the Ghostbusters team up to rescue Casey Jones and defeat the god-ghost.

I think this book was a cool crossover because each one of the characters from the Turtles and each character from the Ghostbusters seemed to be alike.  I think it was action-packed and the graphics were great.  I would like to read more books like this!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Herbert's Wormhole by Peter Nelson


Herbert's Wormhole is a book about a kid who makes a deal that he will only play one video game all summer, and he won't play any other games after he beats this one.  When he finally wins the game, his mom and dad have a surprise for him.  The surprise is a kiddie playground place.  His mom invites a kid named Herbert to come play.  At the playground, they put on special suits and are sucked into a wormhole to the future!  They have a big adventure in the future.

I thought this book was really cool because of the time travel adventures and that they can only travel through one place.  I thought it was funny, especially that the aliens look really weird and have mustaches and unibrows.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Spy School by Stuart Gibbs


Spy School is about a kid named Ben who is really good at mathematics and gets invited to a CIA school for kids. At this school, he learns how to fight, how to defuse a bomb, and how to shoot a gun.   He learns all this so that later in life, he can become a great spy.  He has an adventure trying to catch a mole from a secret agency called SPYDER.  The mole is trying to get Ben to join SPYDER.  Ben also has to stop a bomb from killing the highest ranked CIA agents!

I thought this was a cool, adventurous book, because Ben goes on multiple adventures.  My favorite part of the book was when Ben tries to stop the mole.  I also like that Ben makes up a thing called "Pinwheel" which is mathematical code that he created all by himself.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Undead Pets by Sam Hay


Undead Pets is a series about a boy named Joe who gets a scary Egyptian amulet and makes a wish that he can have a pet.  His wish comes true and he is now the protector of the undead pets!  Joe now has to help the pets so that they can pass over to the afterlife.

Return of the Hungry Hamster - Joe needs to help a hamster make sure that his kid isn't lonely without him.

Revenge of the Phantom Furball - Joe helps a cat teach a dog a lesson to protect her sister-cat from being run over by a car.

Night of the Howling Hound - Joe has to help a dog show his owner that it wasn't his owner's fault the dog chased a squirrel off a cliff.

Goldfish from Beyond the Grave - Joe must help a fish find out who flushed him down the toilet.

Rise of the Zombie Rabbit - Joe helps a rabbit help her former owner so she doesn't get into trouble for losing a necklace.

The Undead Pets website has games, activities, and a trailer you can watch!

I really like this series and can't wait to read the last three.  They are creepy in a cool sort of way, because all the pets are only sort of alive and sort of dead, but they're still funny!

Thursday, February 5, 2015

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden


The Cricket in Times Square is the third book I read for literature studies in 4th grade.

The Cricket in Times Square is about a cricket named Chester, a mouse named Tucker, and a cat named Harry. Tucker and Harry are good friends and live in the Times Square Subway Station.  One day, they hear a chirping noise and a small boy named Mario goes and finds Chester.  Mario then cleans off the cricket and makes him a little bed out of a matchbox and tissues.  He feeds the cricket some chocolate and ask his parents if he can keep him.  His parents say yes.

Mario takes Chester to get a small cage at the Chinese store and puts him in the newsstand.  That night, Chester meets Tucker and Harry.  They become friends.  One month later, they have a party.  Chester plays music and Tucker likes it so much he starts dancing.  He dances so much that he knocks over a box of matches.  The newsstand lights on fire and Chester jumps and sets off the alarm clock.  People open the newsstand.  The three animals jump out and the people put out the fire.  Mario's parents come and say that Mario must get rid of Chester.  They try to sell as many papers as possible while Chester plays Mama's favorite song.  Mama Bellini then says that anybody who can play her favorite song that well can stay.  Chester becomes a star because of his music but retires when it puts too much pressure on him.  He then gets ready to go home.

I liked this book because it had a lot of adventure in it, especially when Chester turned from a regular cricket into an awesome musical animal.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Stuart Little by E.B. White


Stuart Little is the second book I read for my 4th Grade Literature study.

Stuart Little is about a mouse who is born to a human family.  When he gets older, he meets a friend named Margalo who is a bird.  Margalo and Stuart become really good friends.  One time, Margalo even saves Stuart from being towed away in a garbage boat.

One day, Snowbell the cat thinks of a plan to kill Margalo, so Margalo runs away.  Stuart is sad that Margalo ran away, so he goes after her.  A nice man he met during a boat race lends him a car to go after Margalo.  He meets many nice people and has many great adventures on his journey to find Margalo.

I think this was a nice book because Stuart goes on a journey and gets to do lots of things, not just the the one thing he went on the journey for.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

James & the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl


James and the Giant Peach is the first book I read for literature in 4th grade.

James and the Giant Peach is about a boy who loses his parents and has to go live with his mean aunts who don't treat him correctly.  He talks to a man who gives him a sack of jumping, glowing green beans, but he loses them in the ground near his peach tree.  The peach tree never grew any peaches.  But then, one day, it grew a peach, and that peach kept getting bigger and bigger.  It finally got as big as a shed! The ants thought they could make some money off of it and a bunch of people came to see the peach.

James got stuck cleaning up after all the people.  While he was cleaning up, he was really hungry, so he took a bite out of the peach.  Eventually, he bit himself a tunnel, right to the center of the giant peach.  He then pushed at the pit and a door in the pit opened.  He walked out and met some new bug friends.  The next day, while the ants were selling tickets to see the peach, Centipede broke through the stem of the peach.  The peach started rolling and it squashed James' aunts!  It rolled all the way through the town and into the ocean.  And then the real adventure began!

I really liked the book because it seemed like the group would get into trouble, but they always found a way out of it.