Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Hoot, by Carl Hiassen, is about a boy, Roy Eberhardt, who moves to Florida.  When he was being bullied on the bus, he sees a boy running away from the bus with no shoes, no books or no book bag.  He was very curious.  After 3 days of looking for the no shoed boy, he finally sees the boy running past the bus, so he runs and chases after the boy.  He chased the boy to a campsite where he sees a bag.  It looks like it is full of tan ropes, but when he pours the bag out it was full of cottonmouths with sparking tails.  They call the boy, Mullet Finger, because he can catch a mullet fish in his hands.  Mullet Finger and Roy get into a lot trouble through out the book.

Then a man named Officer Delino enters the story  He meets a bald man named Curly.  Curly is the site manager for Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House.   Curly reports a vandalism on his construction site.  Someone has moved the property line stakes.  This caused construction to be stooped.   Office Delino learns there are burrowing owls living in the construction site.  

What do all these things have in common?  I suggest you read this awesome book and find out.

by Jordan Bristow

6th grader at Chapin Middle School,  Chapin, South Carolina 

Good job, Jordan.  This made me feel like I really should read this book to see what it's all about!  --Top 

Buy Hoot here and help build our new library! 

Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian

Have you ever read an awesome book that seems like the story should never end?  Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer, is one of those.  Eoin is the author of many books and series, but his most famous is the Artemis Fowl series, now containing 8 books.  The Last Guardian, his latest novel, fits my definition of a book that should never end for many reasons; however, three really tand out. 

First, The Last Guardian has amazing characters, good and bad, that all contribute to the plot.  Artemis, Butler, and Holly are the main characters and they are all the kind of characters that a reader can become attached to.  Artemis is a rich, teen-genius who discovered a subterranean fairy species that use magic and have been hiding from humans ever since the fairy-human wars that drove them underground.  Butler, Artemis’s personal bodyguard and closest friend is another amazing person with all of his military know-how and weaponry skill.  Holly, the first fairy that Artemis captured, is now Artemis’s close friend and will follow him, and Butler, through time and space.  All of these characters, and many more other splendid people, make this novel one of the best I have ever read. 

The huge amount of ingenuity from the author is another reason that this plot is breathtaking. Every time you think that the good guys are going to win, another twist is added, making you on the edge of your seat not knowing what will happen next.  My favorite example is when Opal Koboi, the “supervillian” in the story, puts her own past self in danger so that she can become more powerful.  She does this by tricking Artemis with his own smartness.  He thinks that putting her in a natural nuclear reactor will keep her from blowing everything up, which is what happens when your past self gets destroyed, but really it turned her into the most powerful being on the planet.  What a twist!

The final reason that I wanted this book to go on forever is the fact that so many different characters with all of their different situations are described.  Artemis has his own feelings and plans in most parts, and the reader gets a look into the future through those.  Then in the next chapter, another character's mind is peered into, revealing his or her suspicions and ideas about what is going on, sometimes completely ignorant of another person’s thoughts!  Another thing that happened often is that another person’s situation, an entirely different one, is explained in his or her mind.  In this way the reader can use many different parts of the world to put together the whole plot.

Clearly, reading a novel such as The Last Guardian with great characters, ingenuity, and many different situations makes a plot that you'll never want to end.  I definitely, without a doubt, recommend the Artemis Fowl Series.  You will really enjoy the characters and will ask for more!

--Top Lee, 8th grade, Pawleys Island

Buy this awesome book now from Amazon and help build our NEW LIBRARY!!!!!!!!!!!!

I.Q. Books 1 & 2

I.Q. book one and two are awesome novels by Roland Smith.  These books are for adventurous readers and kids who love reading about the secret service and other mysteries!  I.Q. books are also good for school reports and projects.  I don't know about other Roland Smith books but I bet they are good also, because of the great experience I had with the I.Q. books.  So if you are bored of reading the same old mystery books then consider reading I.Q. books one and two!



Rucheer Dave
Duke T.I.P. 4-6
Antioch Elementary
Charlotte, North Carolina


Another great submission!  I think things are really starting to pick up now that school is on the horizon!
p.s.  A teacher wrote this comment about the I.Q. books - I have ten copies of I,Q One and I,Q Two in my classroom. Once school starts I never see them again until the final week of school (when I collect the books). Students love the suspense and the clever characterization. I love all the literary elements that make this a perfect read for 10-15 year olds!! We are all highly anticipating the Kitty Hawk addition. Please, please, hurry!!!

The Dragon Keepers

The Dragon Keepers Series

If you want to start reading a great series, I suggest reading The Dragon Keepers series by Kate Klimo. I’ve only read the first two, but so far I really like them.

The first book is called The Dragon in the Sock Drawer. In the beginning, Jesse and his cousin Daisy walk through the mountains one day and find a thunder rock. Their uncle who loves rocks know that there are crystals inside, so he tries to break it open, but when that doesn’t work even with his strongest saw, he gives it to Jesse to keep. Then a dragon pops out of the thunder rock! Finally they discover a magical website where a professor teaches them to take care of Emmy their dragon.

Even though the first book was good, the second one was even better! The second book is called The Dragon in the Driveway. First, they find a magic shovel that digs a hole to an abandoned mine. Then they find the children of the earth who need a golden pick ax to free their queen. After they free the queen, their adventures really begin!

You should read this book to find out what happens next. The next book is Dragon in the Library, and I can’t wait until I read it!

by Anna Ross Lee, 3rd grade, Waccamaw Elementary

You can buy the books right here, and 6% of your total will help support The Mitney Project!!!! Cool!!!!!

The Little Prince

This is a book about Antoine de Saint-Exupery, a pilot who crash lands and is stranded in the desert where he comes across a little boy who asks for nothing more than for Antoine to draw him a sheep. Though it seemed like a simple, even silly, request, Antoine obliges, thus creating a friendship between him and the boy called the Little Prince.

The boy tells Antoine of his world and how it is only large enough for him and his vain flower, whom he left to try and discover new friends. The Little Prince travels to hundreds of different worlds and planets, never finding what he wants. Until he came here.

On Earth, he meets many creatures and creates bonds and friendships with each of them. Until he meets Antoine. Antoine listens intently to the boys stories and adventures, and realizes that he needed this relief:  a relief from all the adults who do nothing but work or are depressed. The Little Prince inspires confidence and compassion back into Antoine's heart.

Reading The Little Prince tugs on your heart strings. It is a novel that changes your perspective to that of a young boy with hopes and dreams beyond the moon and stars.

by  Avery McMillen, 8th Grade, Lowcountry Prep School

Buy it now and support our mission! 

Love, Aubrey

Love, Aubrey was a great book. Love, Aubrey is by Suzanne Lafleur. Suzanne has only written two books so far :Love, Aubrey and Eight Keys. Love, Aubrey was about a girl that survived a car accident when her sister, Savannah, and father did not. Her mother also did. Later on her mother abandoned her. Then, she went to live with her grandmother. The next door neighbor, Bridget, was her age and they soon became great friends. She has to do counseling at her school. She starts writing to Savannah's imaginary friend, Jilly. There is a tree that Bridget and Aubrey found and when Aubrey writes Jilly she puts the letters on the tree. Bridget and Aubrey play a lot of games and Bridget's little sister always wants to play too. Bridget says no but Aubrey says yes because she wants her to enjoy her while she can. Then near the ending of the book they found out where her mother was and her mother was very sorry. And by the end of the book, the last note she writes in this book, Aubrey wrote her mom.

Elizabeth Exum, 7th Grade, Lowcountry Prep School

NEW Cat Warrior book!

Cat Warrior series fans, the newest book, Forgotten Warrior,  is out today!!! Get it here!  Also, if we sell 15 more items through our ads, our commission goes up to 6.5% of each total!!!

Coraline

     Coraline is absolutely my very favorite book! I  have read it at least three times. It is written by my favorite author, Neil Gaiman, who also wrote Stardust and Graveyard Book.  Corlaline is a young girl who moves into a new home and has two crazy old ladies and a circus man as her neighbors. She finds a secret passageway that leads to a replicate of her new home except this one is much better! She meets her other mother and mother father who have buttons as eyes! The longer she stays here the weirder things get. Coraline has things from talking cats to circus mice! It is definitely worth reading! 


By Sara Balding, 7th grade, Lowcountry Prep

Here are the Amazon links for the novel, the graphic novel, and the DVD!  Have fun reading Coraline!

The Secret of the Old Clock

This is my book review on The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene.  The main characters are Nancy Drew, a detective, Bess, her friend, and George, her other friend.

Nancy saves a little girl from drowning and learns of the family's plight.  This draws her into a mystery with thieves and the mysterious hiding will of the late Josiah Crowley.  This book is OK.  Not the greatest book.  Definitely not.  Read only if bored.

Nancy Drew books are available on Amazon and as Kindle editions.  Buy yours through our blog using this link.   Thank you for shopping on Amazon through our blog with a mission! 

Isabella Neubauer, 

Lowcountry Prep School 

Into The Wild by Erin Hunter

Into the Wild

The novel Into the Wild by Erin Hunter tells the story of Rusty, a regular housecat who dreams of going into the forest and finally gets his wish.  In the beginning, Rusty leaves his house for the first time and meets clan cats, cats who live in the wild.  At first he battles with the youngest one, Graypaw.  Then, after he has battled with Graypaw, two other clan cats appear, Lionheart and Bluestar.  Even though Rusty is in their territory, they ask him to join their clan, the Thunderclan.  Now his adventures really begin!

            Rusty gets renamed Firepaw by Bluestar, the leader of the clan.  After that, he goes on patrol.  Everything is safe from the other clans, so he returns back to his territory.  But, Yellowfang is driven out by the vicious leader, Brokenstar, and Firepaw catches a rabbit for Yellowfang.  This leads to Firepaw getting in trouble with his clan because he ate before the clan was fed and because he helped Yellowfang. 

Later, a couple of kits are stolen from the nursery, and then Yellowfang goes missing.  Firepaw wonders if Yellowfang took the kits.  To find out what really happened, Bluestar sends out Firepaw, Ravenpaw and Graypaw on a mission.  In the end, Brokenstar is driven out, the kits are recovered, and Firepaw and Graypaw become warriors! 

I think that since this book is the first book of the Cat Warrior series, it is important that you like it first before you read the entire series.  I really like Into the Wild because it is full of adventures and suspense.  The cats are so cool because they all survive on their own.  They don’t need humans (two-legs) to take care of them.  I also like it because they have a Warrior Code, and they all follow it.  Cat Warriors is one of my favorite book series.  You should read it, too!  

by Anna Ross Lee, 3rd grade       

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