Tuesday, May 15, 2012

If A Tree Falls At Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko

From the author that brought you 'Al Capone Does My Shirts', 'If A Tree Falls At Lunch Period' is an eye-opening and inspirational book about a girl named Kirsten who's friend aruptly changes (and not for the better) and who's parents barely even speak to each other anymore. But then Kirsten meets Walker, who's goal is just to survive at a new school, and the two find a secret that rattles them to the bone. It's a great book and I highly suggest reading it. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.

The Secret Series by Psuedonymous Bosch

This is an interesting series about a girl and her two friends who become a part of a mysterious society that helps to protect an ancient secret from the clutches of another evil secret society who wants to know the secret. Sounds very secretive, right? It is by the infamous chocolate lover, Psuedonymous Bosch. The books in the series are 'The Name Of This Book Is Secret', 'If You're Reading This, It's Too Late', 'This Book Is Not Good For You', 'This Isn't What It Looks Like', and 'You Have To Stop This'. All are very good books. They are best when read by children ages 10-13.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

This is a touching story about a boy who's family moves to Alcatraz so his sister, who is diagnosed with autism, can go to a special school. This is in time where Al Capone is on Alcatraz and they haven't quite figured out what autism is. So the story takes place in the 1920s or 30s. It is a very good book which I would reccomend to children ages 9-12. Some things I liked in this story were that it really pulled at your heart strings. It made you laugh, it made you cry, and on certain occasions it made you yell at the wall about how this boy's life isn't fair.I have no complaints for this book. 5 out of 5 stars. If you like this book, I would reccomend the next book in the series, 'Al Capone Shines My Shoes' by Gennifer Choldenko.

Monday, May 14, 2012

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephanie Meyer

Despite the long name, this is actually a very short book about a character that shows up once in Eclipse for about five minutes and then is aruptly killed. She is one of the vampires that come to attack Forks, Washington in the third book and this book descibes her story, and the various lies that people have told her. She teams up with another vampire to figure out what's going on. Trust me. It's a way better book then it sounds like. Fans of the Twilight Saga will hungrily eat up this story. Some things I didn't like about the book was that the casualness of the whole thing made it a little hard to believe and sometimes it seems a bit chaotic and rough around the edges, but still a good story. What I did like though was that the characters and their backgrounds were well described and the book was very well written. A little rushed but nonetheless, still a well written book. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. A very good book for children ages 12-15.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Author: Brian Selznick

Brian Selznick is the author of two very interesting books that I have had the pleasure of reading. His books include 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret' (which has recently been made into a movie) and his more recent book 'Wonderstruck'. Both are amazing books. They might seem to be a daunting read, however a good 200 pages or more are just drawings and some pages may only have a paragraph on them. Considering this, I was able to read these 500 page books in about an hour. His books are quite well done and best suited for children ages 9-12, however will be enjoyed by many.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

The Molly Moon Series by Georgia Byng

This series is about a girl and her pet pug, Petula, who go around and have amazing adventures in places such as New York, Los Angeles, South America, even the future! They possess astounding powers such as hypnotism, time travel, mind reading, and shape shifting. This series kept me captivated for months and I found it very enjoyable. Georgia Byng authors books with her own signature qualities, which make them unique.