The Fellowship of the Ring

I'm sure this is one you're all familiar with, a classic.

Have you ever read a book that you cannot put down?  I’m reading one right now called The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.  It is a wonderful book filled with many wonderful things, but a few of them stand out.  In the beginning, Frodo, the main character, is sent on an epic quest to destroy the Master Ring.  He goes through many towns and travels on many paths, trying to evade the terrible Black Riders from catching him.  If they caught him, they would return the ring to its master, and the world would be plunged in chaos!  Another reason that I cannot put this book down is that Frodo meets many friends along the way who help him on his quest.  Frodo’s first friend has been his friend for a while, but in this adventure Gandalf will be a big helper. He has other friends that start with him as well as Gandalf, but not as important.  Along the way Frodo meets many new friends including strange humans, wise elves, and stout dwarves.  Finally, I can’t wait to see what happens in the end of The Fellowship of the Ring!  I am not sure if they succeed, but I sure hope they do!  I believe that there will be an exciting battle where they just manage to win and cast the ring into the fire that can destroy it.  Clearly, if you want to read an amazing book, take my advice and read The Fellowship of the Ring!

Triss

     One of my favorite things to do in life is to read a good book.  I just read an amazing one called Triss by Brian Jacques.  Triss is a wonderful book in the Redwall series, twenty related books about mice, otters, “vermin”, and many other woodland creatures, both peaceful and deadly ones.  The books center around a grand place called Redwall Abbey, where peaceful creatures come and go.  Another main place in the series is Salamandastron, a dormant volcano full of badger lords and regiments of fighting hares!  All of the series is great, but I especially like Triss.
     Triss starts off with three runaway slaves escaping from a place far away from Redwall called Riftgard.  I enjoy this part because it is full of action and fast pace chases that make your heart start to pound!  The slaves escape on the boat made for the prince and princess, so they get really, really angry.  Kurdah and Bladd (the prince and princess) take a freebooter’s ship to chase after them.  This is where the excitement really gets started!
     In the next part, Triss, Shogg, and Welfo (the runaway slaves) find a mysterious island full of friendly hedgehogs who help them in their journey to freedom and Redwall Abbey.  Little do they know that Bladd and Kurdah are right behind them!  This part is really interesting because you are not sure if the slaves are going to escape or not.  I won’t spoil what happens for you, but I will say they continue on their long journey to Redwall Abbey with a few complications.  I hope you will read Triss to find out what happens.
     In the end, they make it to Redwall Abbey, only to find it under attack by the same vermin who were chasing them!  Kurdah finds a secret underground hiding place that was used by badgers of old, called Brockhall.  She found Riftgard’s sacred pawring and crown in Brockhall, which rightfully made her queen of Riftgard!  I think she should have gone home then, but she was too greedy and had a lust for power.  She kept attacking Redwall with her remaining force, to finally end in an astonishing conclusion you will definitely want to read.
     I really love to read, and Triss is a great book for you if you want like to read as well.  Buy it soon from the Amazon link below.  Clearly, Triss is a great book for you to read if you like fantasy and wonderful books about amazing creatures.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I really enjoy reading a good novel, but sometimes I like other books, too. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is a big book, but don’t be intimidated by its size; it is really mostly a picture book. It is not a complete picture book, otherwise known as a graphic novel, because it has tons of writing on most pages. I think it has the perfect combination of pictures and writing to be an amazing book.

The artistic designs in this book are the first reason I enjoy it. They are in black and white, but that does not affect the amazing design and artistic style of the pictures. The pictures look like they have been made with dots instead of a smooth stroke. It makes the pages look so cool! The other thing I think is cool is the way the artist uses light strokes and dark strokes to make each object stand out and look different compared to the other objects.

Another reason I enjoy this book so much is the layout. The pictures are evenly spaced after each exciting part. One of my favorite parts of this book has a few pages of pictures after it, so I can really see that scene in my mind. The book is filled with lots of suspense because when you want to know what happens next, the pictures do a review of what just happened. The pictures happen just when things get confusing, so they really help with understanding the book.

Finally, the actual story line is great, too. The 11 year old boy, Hugo, is in a great mystery about his dad, a mysterious automation (a robot kind of thing), and a thought-to-be-dead filmmaker! I won’t give away the story, but I will tell you a little bit about the book. Hugo starts off really happy, but then his dad dies in a mysterious fire at a museum. After his uncle takes him in, he disappears! Hugo then meets a small toy-stall owner and his amazing adventure begins!

Clearly, it would be easy to mistake The Invention of Hugo Cabret as a boring, baby picture book, but that is not the case at all! In it, you will find amazing illustrations and a wonderful story about a young boy named Hugo. Click the link below to get a copy of this magnificent book and enjoy it for yourself.


Thomas Lee, Waccamaw Intermediate

Abduction

My friend Jake wrote a book report on chapter 26 of Abduction. Good review, Jake.

In the chapter I read, the main character, Matt who had been previously kidnapped was forced by the kidnapper to change his name, hair color, and wear sunglasses. Matt and the kidnapper went to a baseball game where his sister saw him pulling on his earlobe and his sister knew that was one of his habits when he was anxious. So she recognized him and she went to talk to him and the kidnapper snatched her too. The family dog, Pookie, who had been left by the kidnapper tied to a pole in the park, was returned by a 74-year old couple to the family’s house. Matt and his sister were forced to go on a ferry boat with the kidnapper where the kidnapper planned to get rid of his sister, who threatened to tell everyone on the ferry. The police got on the ferry at the next dock and arrested the kidnapper and Matt and his sister were able to go home.This chapter in the book was the most exciting because not just Matt was kidnapped but his sister too. I can’t imagine being kidnapped from school by anyone. I am sure Matt and his sister were terrified. I know I would have been.

Jake Hoffman

Veterans Park Elementary School

The English Roses: Ready, Set, Vote!

This report was written by our first guest blogger, Bella Cervini! Awesome review, Bella!

I just read a great book called The English Roses: Ready, Set, Vote! by Madonna. I really like this book because it is a good book for girls to read and shows how to stand up for yourself. First, girls can really relate to the situations that happen throughout the book. Nicole, one of the main characters, she wants to run for class president. Her friend Grace, another one of the main characters, is Nicole’s campaign manager, but takes it too far by treating it like one of her football matches, intent only on winning. Second, this book really showed me how to stand up for myself. For example, the school bully was also running for class president and Nicole and Grace worked together to stand up to her and finally become class president. In the end, a lot of people voted for her because she stood up for herself by being intelligent, having enthusiasm, and not being a bully. Obviously, a lot of girls would love to read this book and would be really inspired by it.


by Bella Cervini, Waccamaw Elementary, third grade

I Hate Reading

        I Hate Reading by Arthur and Henry Bacon is about kids who hate to read but have to for 20 minutes every day.  Arthur and Henry, who by the way, are friends of mine, give you clues about how to pretend that you are reading, or how to read without really trying.  One example they give is to tell your parents that you have to go to the bathroom and you take your book with you!  Tell your parents that you were in there reading!  If you want to read a really funny book, then I suggest trying I Hate Reading.  You’ll be tricked into reading for at least 10 minutes!

by Anna Ross Lee
2nd grade, Waccamaw Elementary

The Lost Hero

Again, one of my earlier book reviews.  I really enjoyed this book.

If you liked Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief, you’ll really like The Lost Hero, too, because they are really similar.  First of all, both of them involve Greek gods.  One thing that is different is that The Lost Hero involves Roman gods as well as Greek gods. Another way they are alike is that they both have some of the same characters and places. The Lost Hero has most of the same cool characters that are in The Lightning Thief, although they are not main characters in The Lost Hero. Finally, both books have main plots that are mostly the same.  Even though The Lost Hero is really similar to The Lightning Thief, it is still fun to read.  Without a doubt, you should read The Lost Hero if you like Rick Riordan. 

Boy

    In the autobiography, Boy by Roald Dahl, Dahl travels to Norway on a vacation.  He experiences fabulous things including great places, nice people, and wacky foods.  I would really enjoy this vacation because he describes this vacation so well that it makes me feel like I’m really there with him.  I think all of the experiences he has would be wonderful for anyone to enjoy as well. 

            First, he visits wonderful places in Norway.  He starts at his home and travels to London in a taxi.  Then, he travels to Newcastle on a train.  That would be amazing to see London and Newcastle on the way to Norway.  Next, he travels to the capital of Norway, Oslo, by boat and visits his Bestemama and Bestepapa.  I have never been to Oslo so I would like to go there someday!  After breakfast the next morning, they travel to the small island of Tjöme by boat and their final vacation spot.  That would be awesome to have a little private island to stay on for a while.

            Second, he visits lots of amazing people.  He visits his Grandparents in Oslo by boat.  The ship he travels on had a very kindly steward who helped them with their seasickness.  He calls his grandparents Bestemama and Bestepapa.  That would be cool to have family in Norway and visit them every summer.  Then they travel on a small boat to many villages on their way to their island.  They meet many locals in little rowboats on their way to their island where is a small hotel with a nice manager who does all the work and keeps the hotel running smoothly.  That would be amazing to go and meet these nice people on a cozy little island.

            Finally, on Dahl’s trip, he eats tons of amazing and weird food that is only found in Norway.  He has lots of fish throughout his trip because that is the main meat of the Norwegian diet.  His first meal, as you can imagine, was a large poached flounder with hollandaise sauce.  With that he had some boiled new potatoes and that was it.  Boy that must have been delicious.  I would love to have that meal.  Afterwards, his grandparents brought out a great big bowl of homemade toffee ice cream!  That would be delicious, too!  At the hotel where they go to next, they were served a huge breakfast of milk, cold beef, veal, ham, and pork.  There is also tons of fish, hot boiled eggs, and so much more.

            Clearly, going on this vacation would have been full of friends, amazing sights, and wonderful food.  I would definitely go on this vacation if I was given a choice.  Take my advice and read the wonderful autobiography Boy by Roald Dahl!

The Hunger Games

This is the book report I have written for tomorrow.  This book is cool because it is being made into a movie!  The date is March the 23, 2012!  Be prepared for awesomeness!

Have you ever read a book you cannot put down?  I have read lots of books like that, but one that really stands out in my mind is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  One reason I like this book is because it is full of action.  The whole plot of the book is about a fight to the death in a huge arena!  Twenty-four contestants take this challenge, a boy and a girl from each of the 12 districts, to receive prizes and food for their district.  The Capitol controls everything just for entertainment.  Another reason I like The Hunger Games is that it is set in the future.  It is realistic enough to actually be a possible future for America; not a desirable future, but possible nonetheless.  If this were the future, there would have to be a huge nuclear war and thousands of people killed.  The final reason I like The Hunger Games is all of the suspense.  You really don’t know who’s going to die and who’s going to win.  Collins’ really stretches out the exciting parts to make them last much longer and have way more suspense.  My favorite suspenseful part is when the main character (Katniss) is running for her life in the arena.  Obviously, this is an amazing book to read if you want to be on the edge of your seat!  Check it out now at your local library.

The Two Towers

The second book in the lord of the rings trilogy.


        Although many books are filled with fantasy, none more so than the second part of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Even though there are many aspects of The Two Towers that give it the qualities of a fabulous fantasy book, a few characteristics really stand out.  First of all, many of the characters are magicians and supernatural.  For example, Gandalf the White seemed to fall to his death in a really big pit, but weeks later come out alive through a long tunnel!   Next, The Two Towers takes place in a totally fictional world.  There are magical forests full of strange elves and large mountain caves full of sturdy dwarves.  The world in the Lord of the Rings is full of other magical things and wonderful phenomenon.  Finally, it’s full of supernatural events that define the world.  In The Two Towers, ents are awakened from their deep slumber inside of legends.  Evil powers and Strange mysteries are revealed in this brilliant work of fantasy.  Without a doubt, if you want to read an amazing fantasy novel, you’ve got to read The Two Towers!  Before you read The Two Towers, check out the other great books by J.R.R. Tolkien!

Welcome to our blog!!

Hi it's Anna!  I am really excited to write about the books I read, but I might not talk about ALL of them because that might take a while.  My mom is going to help me as soon as I finish my book I'm reading now called Marlfox.

Erak's Ransom

     If you want to read a good book, check out Book 7 of the Ranger's Apprentice.  This novel, written by John Flanagan, is called Erak's Ransom and describes a rescue mission for the leader of the Skandians in the middle of a desert on a fictional world.   You'll love this book for many reasons.  First, you'll really like the action.  For example, the three rangers are very good at scheming and thinking beyond their enemy.  Another awesome part of the book is the setting.  It takes place in a hot and barren desert where they go on a rescue mission for a leader named Erak.  You'll find yourself imagining how one of the Rangers feel as he goes through the desert without much water and without knowing where he is or where to go next.  Finally, you'll really like on of the last major scenes.  In this chapter, you'll see how the Rangers make a plot to rescue Erak straight from his captor's home base.  When they put their plan into action, it's very exciting and thrilling.  Anyone who likes reading a good fiction book would like the Ranger's Apprentice series.  Book 7 is a great part of that.

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch

This is another one of my early reviews.

            If you want to read a scary, but action packed book, check out The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delanie.  Any boy about my age and above would really like this book for many reasons; however, I think several really stand out.  First, it is filled with terrifying moments when you just don’t know what’s going to happen.  My favorite is when the Spook’s old apprentice comes to find his new one. Another reason you might like this book is when you just get terrified out of your mind!  I got scared when the old witch who was trapped got out and attacked people. Finally it has a great ending that really makes you think “what’s going to happen next?” I know everyone loves a good ending to a great book.  Without a doubt, this is one of scariest, fast-paced books I have ever read.  Check it out! 

The Battle of the Labyrinth

My first book report was not very good, but here it is.

        If you are a producer and you want to make a great movie from a book, you’ve got to read The Battle of the Labyrinth.  I think it would be a super movie for several reasons.  First, the scenery is very interesting.  Sometimes it’s in an empty underground passageway and other times it’s in a busy city.  Second, it is very intense and full of action which would be a good movie plot.  An example of a good scene of action is when they fight the Titan army next to Zeus’s fist.  Finally, I think it would be really cool to see all of the monsters fight and what they look like.  It would be so awesome to actually see what they are like!  I really hope someone makes a movie of The Battle of the Labyrinth, and I hope you enjoy the book! 

Welcome to our new Book Blog!!!

Welcome everybody to our book blog!!    Tune in later for great book reviews!

Brave Story

A really good book.

I just finished a Japanese novel called Brave Story by Miyuki Miyabe.  Although it’s very similar to the novel The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, I like Brave Story a lot better for several reasons.  First, they both have monsters that are really amazing and realistic.  I like Brave Story’s better because they are made up and new.  The Lightning Thief’s are good too, but they are all monsters from Greek myths so everyone has heard of a few of them.  Second, both of the great books have mythical aspects that make them interesting and fantasizing.  Although The Lightning Thief has many different characteristics that make it a myth, Brave story has an entire other world that is different. This world is made of ones thoughts, so it has what feelings and thoughts you have experienced in the real world.  Finally, Brave Story has a little bit more realistic plot than The Lightning Thief.  Even though my favorite kind of book is fiction, I do like a little real world action as well.  That is what I think makes a book really awesome: one part realistic fiction and three parts complete fantasy and fiction.  Unmistakably, The Lightning Thief and Brave Story are amazing books, but Brave Story is just a little bit better because of its monsters, fantasy world, and realistic plot as well as fantasy.  I hope you read this book and enjoy it the way I did, but I don’t need to hope because I know you will!