Title: A Gift of Sky
Author: Linda Ghan
Publisher: Western Producer Prairie Books
Date of Publication: Saskatchewon, Novemeber 1988
Number of Pages: 183
Where I found the book: My room
Story Review:
Imagine... going to a new school and not knowing anybody and getting teased by all the "big" kids. Well this is what a girl named Sara had to go through all of elementry school and some of middle school. Before school started, Sara was learning the valuable lessons in life and her love for God. She lived with her Mama (grandma) and her Pa (grandpa). They lived in the prairies of Saskatchewon, Canada. Every Sunday, Sara and her grandparents would go to church and sing out to the Lord. But then came the day for school. Sara was so excited because she did want to make friends and bring them out to her farm. The school was one building from kindergarden all the way to grade 12. The school was fairly big, but still squishy. On her first day, Sara sat beside a girl named Beth. Beth told Sara things that were not called for and made Sara uncomfortable. Beth also cheated off her, and lied to the teacher what Sara supposally did. As Sara got into middle school, her and Beth became friends. Not close friends, or not enemies. Sara said that Beth had changed a lot since she started taking her to church. Sara always believed in Beth and saw deep down that there was a good person. After high school, Sara packs her bags and heads off to college for a teaching degree. Sara got married and had kids. She always went to Saskatchewon in the summer and visited her Mama, Pa, and Beth. The significant to the title is just a girl learning about life and has dreams like anybody else.
Christian Perspective:
Obviously this is a Christian because she goes to church and all that. When she did get bullied or teased, she did go to the Lord to make it stop, and eventually it did and she became friends with them. The author (Linda Ghan) is a Christian and writes Christian novels like this one. This book is just such a well written book with lots of faith used un it.
My Thoughts:
I really liked this book because i could somewhat connect to this book (getting bullied part) and see how she reacted to situationslike that. I found it so cute how everytime she made a mistake, she would pray and say "Dear Jesus, please forgive me, i'm only little and i dont quite understand" . I would recommend this book to anybody who wants to achieve in life and never to give up. I chose this book because it has always been on my bookshelf and i've never read it yet.
Showing posts with label realistic fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label realistic fiction. Show all posts
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Julia's Book Review
Title: The gifted
Author: Terri Blackstock
Publisher: W Publishing Group
Place& year of publication: United States
Number of pages: 137
Where you found the book: the public library
Story Review
Tiffany Kramer, Josh Canfield, and Mo are three normal high-school sophomores. They don’t have the best friendship, but they knew little about each other from a youth group. It was in the summer, when they were taking pictures for their school’s year book, and there was an earthquake. They tried to escape, but it was too late and they got stuck under the ground. Tiffany hurt her eyes from the glasses of the windows, Josh injured his leg and Mo hurt his lungs and his voice from the smoke of the fire. Yet they were all hurt, and weren’t able to see each other, they found each other’s hands and prayed to God. They were all scared, but they relied on God and each other. At first they were afraid that they’ll never see their families and friends again, but they trusted God, and kept praying. They waited for many hours until they finally heard a voice. God answered their prayers and they got rescued! They immediately moved to a hospital, but there were too many patients waiting that they couldn’t get their surgeries done. Tiffany was so worried that she’ll never be able to see, Josh was afraid that he’ll never be able to use his left leg, and Mo was scared that he’ll never be able to speak. All they got was an IV shot from a nurse to give them less pain, and they all fell asleep in the hospital. The next day God performed miracles on all three of them. Tiffany who couldn’t see a thing, was able to see better than without her glasses, Josh, whose leg was crushed, could run faster than before, and Mo, who couldn’t speak a word, could shout so loud that the people in the hospital started to get annoyed with him. They were so thankful to God, and they promised to God that they’ll use their lives to serve others and to spread His words, but not only God healed them, but he gave them gifts and this is why the title of this book is called “The gifted”. God gave them gifts so that they could do His works and use their gifts to show others who Jesus is. Tiffany could see other people’s pasts through visions with her eyes, Josh could run and find those who needed healings in their lives and Mo could speak like a preacher and knew the scriptures that he didn’t even read before. They all realized that this was all God’s plan and that they now are a team to spread God’s word. Josh would find people that need healings in their lives, and Tiffany would find out what was wrong with their lives through her visions and tell Mo, and Mo would go up to them and speak to them about Jesus. Sometimes they got scared to go up to the people, but they gave courage to each other. And one day they lost their gifts and their gifts suddenly stopped. Tiffany wasn’t able to visions anymore, Josh couldn’t run and find those who needed healings, and Mo who spoke all the time about Jesus, didn’t speak a lot. They all wondered why the gifts suddenly stopped. Did God take away their gifts? Did they sin against God?
Christian Perspective
In my opinion, this book is written in a Christian perspective. God defiantly had plans for all three of them, and he wanted them to spread his word through Tiffany, Josh, and Mo.
Your Thoughts
I enjoyed this book, because each end of the chapter was convincing to the next chapter. This book not only had adventures but I liked how the book was written by a Christian author. I also enjoyed it because there were events that I wasn’t expecting, and you could picture the scenes in the book. I choose this book because the story sounded engaging and I like realistic fiction. In this book, I learned that God has bigger plans than what we expect, and that He’ll never leave us. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventures, and to anyone who is interested in Christian books because you can learn a lot from this book and gain knowledge about God and friendships.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Kourtney's Book Review
Information:
Title: Follow the Elephant
Author: Beryl Young
Publisher: Ronsdale Press
Place & Year of Publication: British Columbia, 2010
Number of Pages: 243
Where I Found the Book: School library
Story Review:
It hasn’t even been a year since Ben Leeson’s dad died, and
Ben tries to forget about it by playing computer games 24/7. So going on a trip
to a foreign country with your grandma for 2 weeks is a great idea, right?
Wrong! The last thing Ben wants to do is hang out with his grandma. But his
mother thinks differently, she thinks it would be a great idea! So, off he
goes. But this isn’t just some fun trip for tourism; it’s to find his grandma’s
old pen pal Shanti, who she hasn’t heard from in 50 years, who lives in India.
When they arrive in Dehli, India their hopes are high. But
they end up going on a “scavenger hunt” for Shanti all over (literally) India.
Along the way they meet some people who become very good friends. Like Padam
and Madhu, their cab drivers. Ben and his grandma also do some sightseeing.
Such as the Taj Mahal, lots of different temples, and elephants, which are Ben’s favourite!
Ben feels like he has a connection with the elephants and he
becomes very interested in Ganesh, a god with the body of a boy but the head of
an elephant. Ganesh listens to children and helps them. Ben admires Ganesh very
much and he asks Ganesh for help throughout their trip.
But will Ganesh answer Ben? Will they find Shanti, or are
they on some wild goose chase? Even if they don’t find Shanti, Ben feels like
he’s learned something. And it’s that dying is part of life so he shouldn’t be
angry about it and there are just some things in life that can’t be explained.
There’s a theme of adventure throughout the whole book as
Ben and his grandma search for Shanti. The book is titled “Follow the Elephant”
because they feel like they’ve been following the elephant (Ganesh) everywhere
they’ve gone in India and like he’s been helping them.
Christian Perspective:
Throughout the book Ben tries to figure out what happens
after death. He hears of reincarnation as he travels through India but he’s not
sure if it’s real or not. There are some other Hindu beliefs mentioned in this
book and it’s interesting to learn what other people believe. I learned that
Christians, and other religions, need to respect other religions beliefs even
if they don’t believe in them. Everyone has a right to believe in whatever they
want and if you’ve grown up with a certain belief it can be hard to accept
something else. Ben never really makes a decision as to what happens after
death but he does realize that his dad is everywhere around him. He can see him
in different things, such as people. So he doesn’t have to worry about
forgetting him.
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and it gave
some very interesting facts about India and some beliefs of other religions. I
couldn’t put the book down. I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened
next in the story. I chose this book because it sounded like a really good book
and I like learning about other religions and cultures. I’d recommend this book
to someone who likes adventure and realistic fiction because this book is both,
and to someone who wants to learn about India because the book gives detailed
facts about India throughout the story.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Each Little Bird That Sings
Each
Little Bird That Sings
Title: Each Little Bird That Sings
Author:
Deborah
Wiles
Publisher:
Scholastic
Inc.
Place and year of publication: New York, September, 2006
Number of pages: 247
Where I found this book: School’s Library
Summary:
In
the town of Snap finger, Mississippi, there is a funeral home called
Snowberger’s funeral. This story is about Comfort, the 2nd youngest
member of the snowberger family. She has seen death more than two hundred
times, to the point that she became used to it.
Everybody
was shocked after Comfort’s great-great- aunt Florentine death. So they started
to prepare for her funeral. Suddenly,
her best friend Declaration turned super mean. She made fun of Comfort with her
new
friends; Tiffany and Kristen. A fuming fight forms between Declaration
and Comfort when Comfort’s mom asks Declaration to babysit Peach. As most of
you don’t know Peach is Comfort’s cousin and she would do anything be away from
him, in other words she hates him.
When
the funeral day came, Declaration, Comfort, and Peach walked to the cemetery.
Then, Declaration purposely scared peach and he ran towards the Creek. Comfort
and Dismay ran after Peach to get him back. He fell into the creek and while
she was saving him she lost her balance and fell into the creek. They were
drowning. Comfort sacrificed her dog( who she loves the most) to save her
cousin who she hates. Finally her dad comes and saves them. What happens to
Comfort and Declaration’s friendship? Does Comfort start to appreciate her
cousin Peach?
I
think the author named this book “Each Little Bird That Sings” because a death
is like a storm in anybody’s life, and you have to learn that just like every
storm it will pass. After each storm every little bird sings. The theme of this
book is mainly about death and how to handle it.
Christian
Perspective:
I
think this book is written in Christian perspective. The reason I think this
because they have dealt with problems in a Godly way. God says to love your enemies.
Comfort did exactly the same. She sacrificed her dog for a person she doesn’t
like that much. One thing I think Comfort should have done was to forgive
Declaration because God says we should forgive others because God forgive us
for all the bad things we have done.
My
Thoughts:
I
really loved this book. It was depressing sometimes but it also had really good
morals in it. One of the things I loved what Comfort’s uncle said “we live to
serve.” This is really important to me because it tells me that it is our job
to serve God and we can do it however we like; for example sports, art, music,
acting, etc. Another thing I loved about
this book was how Comfort hated Peach but after the fight at the cemetery they
were becoming good friends. She started to appreciate him and his differences.
I chose to read this book because I have heard about this book and people told
me that it’s a good book. If I could recommend this book to somebody, I would
recommend it to a person who likes reading realistic fiction books.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Brian's Winter
Title: Brian’s Winter
Author: Gary Paulsen
Publisher: Scholastic
Place and year of publication: Broadway, New York 1996
Number of pages: 133
Where I found the book: CHS Library
Author: Gary Paulsen
Publisher: Scholastic
Place and year of publication: Broadway, New York 1996
Number of pages: 133
Where I found the book: CHS Library
Thirteen year old Brian Robeson is
stranded in the Canadian wilderness. To survive he must rely on his
intelligence, his instinct, and a hatchet. He had been in a plane crash. He had
lived day by day for 54 days until he found the survival pack in the plane
which has helped live. This book is a companion book to “Hatchet” and the plot
is “what would happen if Brian had not been rescued by the plane. In
"Hatchet” Brian has nothing to help him survive except the few items he
happened to have with him when the plane crashed. The title Brian’s winter
means that this book will be talking about Brian surviving the winter. It
doesn’t mention what time this happens but we know it happens in winter time. In
this story Brian is the only main character. The theme of this book is don’t
lose hope in hardest situations and think of ways on how you can improve that
situation. Brian is one of those people who are actually better off
independently.
In this book there are 2 parts,
the first part is fall and second part is winter. In The Fall Brian receives
many signs that winter is coming but doesn’t notice them until the end of fall.
In the survival package there was a rifle but Brian was not comfortable with it
and it was running out of bullets so he stuck to his bow and arrow. One night
as Brian sleeps in his shelter a bear comes and eats some of Brian’s fish. Brian
then notices the bears blocking the shelter and Brian yells “Hey- get out of
here”. The bear threw Brian across the campground leaving him scratched and
soar in the morning. Brian then decided he would need to make a larger weapon
he couldn’t use his small bow because it was good for smaller game like rabbits
and fool birds. He then made 2 larger bows, one served as a spare. He could use
this bow to defend himself and hunt bigger game. Later on in fall he with more
and more signs of winter coming, Brian decides
to winter proof his shelter by filling in mud through the wooden walls like how
he saw beavers do it. He also has a small fire inside his shelter. Other ways
Brian gets ready for winter is by making a vest from rabbits skin to wear.
One day he decides to hunt bigger
game so as he was outside his camp ground he saw a group of wolves eating a
deer he waited for the wolves to finish and took what’s left of the deer for
himself. There was a lot of deer meat left and lasted weeks. He would also make
boots from the deer hide. A couple days later he notices he is laying between
an angry bear and some venison he left out last night. He tried to move out of
the way but the tightening string on his sleeping bag would not come loose so
he was stuck in it. The bear scooped up and tossed him to the side. The bear is
about to finish him off when he hears something. He turns around to a direct
spray in the face from a skunk. The skunk comes by very often and threats to
spray Brian so that Brian will toss her a piece of meat. He then named her Betty.
With Brian low on meat he goes hunting and succeeds in getting a moose which he
had a one on one scenario but he was Brian was safe at the end. Brian then
realizes that he will be stuck here for a long time so he tries to make living
in winter easier so he makes some snow shoes that prove to work. Brian looks
near the lake and finds some Human footprints. Following those footprints he
finds that just a few hundred meters from him a Native-American family is
living there. They get supplies from an airplane that comes there every month.
Brian gets to spend a month with them and he ends up really enjoying their
company. When the month was over the plane came and took Brian with them to
head back home to meet his family and friends.
MY
THOUGHT
I chose this book because I am interested in
survival type of stories and I thought that Hatchet was an amazing action book
and I wanted to see how much better can this story get and it did get better. I
think this book was really informative about the survival subject. It talked
about how hunting and surviving didn’t only take skill but a good positive
thinking and that is true. In the beginning I found it hard to pay attention to
the book because there was only one character, but in the end Gary Paulsen
introduced a lot of details keeping me glued to my story. One other thing I liked about this book is
being focused on just one idea, which kept me from getting lost in so many
details and small stories inside the story. I recommend this to people interested in
survival and action stories.
CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
This book was not written in a Christian
perspective. But throughout this book Brian shows Christ-like behaviour even
though he is the only character. Some ways he does that is not by swearing or
cursing. Some ways Gary Paulsen could have made Brian more of a religious
character is if he would talk about Brian praying to God for help and just
talking to him. But this also depends on the author’s faith so Gary Paulsen may
not be a Christian making that a reason why this book is not written from a
Christian perspective. In the end Brian finally gets to talk with other humans
who were Native Americans and after spending three weeks with them he feels as
if he is part of the family and he doesn’t want to leave. Another way this
reflects Christ-like behaviour is that Brian is acceptance of others and
doesn’t judge.
Olivia's Book Review: RULES
Title: Rules
Author: Cynthia Lord
Publisher: Scholastic
Place and year of publication: New York, 2006
Number of pages: 200
Where you found the book: school library
Story Review:
12 year old Catherine just wants a normal life. Since her brother has autism, her parents don't pay attention to her and her needs. To keep her little brother out of trouble, she makes rules for him like "no toys in the fish tank" or "keep your pants on in public". Catherine's best friend goes to Florida every summer to live with her dad, and when Catherine's new neighbour Kristi moves in, she hopes that they will become friends. The themes in this book are strictness, routines, romance, and being worried. This story takes place in North America, in the summer. This book is called "Rules" because Catherine is always making rules for her brother to keep him in order without him embarrassing him and herself. The main characters in this book are Catherine, her little brother David, Kristi, Ryan, and a new interesting friend named Jason.
Catherine and her mother take David to the clinic every day to help him with his autism. Catherine loves to draw, so while they were waiting for David, she decides to draw a boy in a wheelchair sitting across the room. The boy's mother leans over to the boy then sharply asks Catherine to stop drawing her son. Catherine was surprised and embarrassed so she apologizes and draws something else. The next time they go to the clinic the boy in the wheelchair was there again, but when she sits down, the boy's mother wheels his chair over to her, tells her that his name is Jason, and explains to her that he cannot talk, so he uses a book that has a bunch of words with pictures beside them which he taps to make sentences. Over the weeks they became friends and Catherine makes new, exciting words for Jason.
Ryan is a boy who lives on Catherine's block who she can't stand because he always makes fun of David and takes advantage of him since he cannot help himself. But when her new neighbour Kristi comes, she likes Ryan and Ryan likes her too. Kristi sees the picture that Catherine had drawn of Jason and asks if he is Catherine's boyfriend. Embarrassed she says no and doesn't want to tell her that he is a disabled boy because she doesn't know what Kristi will think of her. One day Catherine and Kristi go to the pond to swim. While they are there Ryan comes to the shore, so they get out of the water to meet him. Ryan asks if Kristi has asked Catherine yet. Confused, Catherine asks what they're talking about. Kristi asks Catherine if she wants to go to the dance with them on Saturday night. Catherine was pretty sure that the only reason she asked her was because she wasn't allowed to go by herself, and one of Catherine's rules is "no dancing in public unless it's pitch black", so she tries making excuses not to go.
At the clinic the next day Jason asks Catherine if she wants to come to his birthday party on Saturday. luckily, it was the same day as the dance so she agrees to come. She tells Kristi that she was going to Jason's party and that she was invited too, even though she knew Kristi couldn't come. At the party Jason asks why Kristi didn't come along, Catherine explains that Kristi is going to a dance in the evening with Ryan. Jason asks if Catherine wants to go to the dance with him but Catherine hesitates and looks away. Jason asks if she was embarrassed of him and she says "no, it's just that I doesn't like dancing". But Jason knows better and says that that is a stupid excuse and wheels his chair out of the room. The party's over. Catherine feels really bad and decides to make it up to Jason and see if he wants to go to the dance after all. When she calls, Jason's mother says he probably won't come, but Catherine begs and then waits at the dance for Jason to come. Will Jason ever show up and make up with her? Or is their friendship ruined forever?
Christian Perspective:
This book was not written in a christian perspective. Catherine had patience with her little brother, but sometimes she got fed up with him, which is understandable. She was always too worried about what Kristi and other people would think of her and that they would think she's weird for having a handicapped friend. Instead of shying away from the truth about Jason when Kristi asked, she could have just told her the truth and not be worried about it so much. And instead of worrying about her little brother always messing up or making Catherine and himself look stupid, just to accept him the way he is just like Jesus would have done.
Your Thoughts:
I chose this book because it looked interesting and a few of my friends had read it and told me I should read it too. I really liked this book because it talks about things that a normal teenager would have to deal with in life, like fitting in, and family and friend problems. I didn't really like the ending of the book because to me it felt like it wasn't finished or there was a page missing or something, but otherwise the story was very good. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic fiction books, or something they can relate to. I would also recommend this book to teenagers with younger siblings or a difficult relationship with friends, and it might give you some guidance.
Author: Cynthia Lord
Publisher: Scholastic
Place and year of publication: New York, 2006
Number of pages: 200
Where you found the book: school library
Story Review:
12 year old Catherine just wants a normal life. Since her brother has autism, her parents don't pay attention to her and her needs. To keep her little brother out of trouble, she makes rules for him like "no toys in the fish tank" or "keep your pants on in public". Catherine's best friend goes to Florida every summer to live with her dad, and when Catherine's new neighbour Kristi moves in, she hopes that they will become friends. The themes in this book are strictness, routines, romance, and being worried. This story takes place in North America, in the summer. This book is called "Rules" because Catherine is always making rules for her brother to keep him in order without him embarrassing him and herself. The main characters in this book are Catherine, her little brother David, Kristi, Ryan, and a new interesting friend named Jason.
Catherine and her mother take David to the clinic every day to help him with his autism. Catherine loves to draw, so while they were waiting for David, she decides to draw a boy in a wheelchair sitting across the room. The boy's mother leans over to the boy then sharply asks Catherine to stop drawing her son. Catherine was surprised and embarrassed so she apologizes and draws something else. The next time they go to the clinic the boy in the wheelchair was there again, but when she sits down, the boy's mother wheels his chair over to her, tells her that his name is Jason, and explains to her that he cannot talk, so he uses a book that has a bunch of words with pictures beside them which he taps to make sentences. Over the weeks they became friends and Catherine makes new, exciting words for Jason.
Ryan is a boy who lives on Catherine's block who she can't stand because he always makes fun of David and takes advantage of him since he cannot help himself. But when her new neighbour Kristi comes, she likes Ryan and Ryan likes her too. Kristi sees the picture that Catherine had drawn of Jason and asks if he is Catherine's boyfriend. Embarrassed she says no and doesn't want to tell her that he is a disabled boy because she doesn't know what Kristi will think of her. One day Catherine and Kristi go to the pond to swim. While they are there Ryan comes to the shore, so they get out of the water to meet him. Ryan asks if Kristi has asked Catherine yet. Confused, Catherine asks what they're talking about. Kristi asks Catherine if she wants to go to the dance with them on Saturday night. Catherine was pretty sure that the only reason she asked her was because she wasn't allowed to go by herself, and one of Catherine's rules is "no dancing in public unless it's pitch black", so she tries making excuses not to go.
At the clinic the next day Jason asks Catherine if she wants to come to his birthday party on Saturday. luckily, it was the same day as the dance so she agrees to come. She tells Kristi that she was going to Jason's party and that she was invited too, even though she knew Kristi couldn't come. At the party Jason asks why Kristi didn't come along, Catherine explains that Kristi is going to a dance in the evening with Ryan. Jason asks if Catherine wants to go to the dance with him but Catherine hesitates and looks away. Jason asks if she was embarrassed of him and she says "no, it's just that I doesn't like dancing". But Jason knows better and says that that is a stupid excuse and wheels his chair out of the room. The party's over. Catherine feels really bad and decides to make it up to Jason and see if he wants to go to the dance after all. When she calls, Jason's mother says he probably won't come, but Catherine begs and then waits at the dance for Jason to come. Will Jason ever show up and make up with her? Or is their friendship ruined forever?
Christian Perspective:
This book was not written in a christian perspective. Catherine had patience with her little brother, but sometimes she got fed up with him, which is understandable. She was always too worried about what Kristi and other people would think of her and that they would think she's weird for having a handicapped friend. Instead of shying away from the truth about Jason when Kristi asked, she could have just told her the truth and not be worried about it so much. And instead of worrying about her little brother always messing up or making Catherine and himself look stupid, just to accept him the way he is just like Jesus would have done.
Your Thoughts:
I chose this book because it looked interesting and a few of my friends had read it and told me I should read it too. I really liked this book because it talks about things that a normal teenager would have to deal with in life, like fitting in, and family and friend problems. I didn't really like the ending of the book because to me it felt like it wasn't finished or there was a page missing or something, but otherwise the story was very good. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic fiction books, or something they can relate to. I would also recommend this book to teenagers with younger siblings or a difficult relationship with friends, and it might give you some guidance.
"How to steal a dog"
Title: How to steal a dog
Author: Barbara O'connor Publisher: Square fish
Place&Year of Publication: New York, year of 2007
Number of pages: 170 W
here you found the book: School library
Story Review:
Georgina is desperate to find a house. Georgina and her family live in a car ever since her father had left her family and they got evicted from their apartment. Her mom works at two different places to earn as much as money so her and her family can get a place to live in and Georgina is stuck looking after her little brother, Toby for after school. Even though Georgina’s mom works at two different places, they still can’t afford enough money to move to a house. Georgina wants to help her mom to get some money, but she can’t get it from anywhere and one day Georgina sees a missing dog poster that says reward of $500 dollars. With the $500 dollars, her and her family will have enough money to move to a house, but of course, she thinks that she won’t be able to find the missing dog, but she thinks that if she “steals” a dog from one of her rich neighborhood and waits until the owner puts a reward sign poster for his or her “missing” dog, and this is why the title is called “How to steal a dog”. She plans everything and how she will steal the dog and finally, Georgina finds the perfect dog, Willy, with his rich and friendly owner. She waits for the reward poster to come up, but the owner doesn’t put the poster up, so she goes to the owner’s house and pretending that she doesn’t know anything about the missing dog, and she figures out that the owner isn’t rich. The owner, Carmella is a very nice person, but only if she has $500 dollars, Georgina would take Willy to her house. Georgina’s mom is so close of getting a house, but Georgina can’t wait any longer and everything seem to be so slow and not working. Finally, Carmella’s uncle says that he is able to lend some money to Carmella. And there is only one more step for Georgina, it is either taking Willy to Carmella’s and receive the money, or tell everything truth to Carmella. Georgina thinks that this is all wrong, so she tells everything to Carmella what had happened. After telling the truth, she waits for Carmella to hate her, but she doesn’t. She is disappointed in Georgina, but she decides to forgive her. After two days later, her mom tells Georgina and Toby that she earned enough money to move to a house! They are no longer living in the car now. The house isn’t very big, but Georgina loves it and she decides and promises that she will never ever steal a dog again!
Christian perspective:
This book is not written in a Christian perspective, but in the end Georgina deals her problem well. Even though she steals the dog, which isn’t the right thing, in the end she tells the truth to Carmella. Even if we do something wrong, we shouldn’t be afraid to do the right thing, or to tell the truth. When Georgina tells Carmella the truth, Carmella forgives her, and that’s like between us and God. If we ask God for forgiveness, He will always forgive us and in the end, good things will come. We as Christians, we shouldn’t rely on money or worldly things, but we should rely on God. Even if we don’t have something that we need, or want, we can always ask God and He will answer our prayers!
My thoughts:
I choose this book, because the title was interesting and the story sounded engaging. I enjoyed this book, because it engaged me to the next chapters and I like realistic fictions. It felt like I was there in the book, and it made me want to help her and her family with their problems. It made me realized that there are so many homeless people in the world, and we should be thankful for what we have and not complain. I would recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t usually enjoy reading, because it has shorter amount of pages and the author writes it easy to read and understand.
Author: Barbara O'connor Publisher: Square fish
Place&Year of Publication: New York, year of 2007
Number of pages: 170 W
here you found the book: School library
Story Review:
Georgina is desperate to find a house. Georgina and her family live in a car ever since her father had left her family and they got evicted from their apartment. Her mom works at two different places to earn as much as money so her and her family can get a place to live in and Georgina is stuck looking after her little brother, Toby for after school. Even though Georgina’s mom works at two different places, they still can’t afford enough money to move to a house. Georgina wants to help her mom to get some money, but she can’t get it from anywhere and one day Georgina sees a missing dog poster that says reward of $500 dollars. With the $500 dollars, her and her family will have enough money to move to a house, but of course, she thinks that she won’t be able to find the missing dog, but she thinks that if she “steals” a dog from one of her rich neighborhood and waits until the owner puts a reward sign poster for his or her “missing” dog, and this is why the title is called “How to steal a dog”. She plans everything and how she will steal the dog and finally, Georgina finds the perfect dog, Willy, with his rich and friendly owner. She waits for the reward poster to come up, but the owner doesn’t put the poster up, so she goes to the owner’s house and pretending that she doesn’t know anything about the missing dog, and she figures out that the owner isn’t rich. The owner, Carmella is a very nice person, but only if she has $500 dollars, Georgina would take Willy to her house. Georgina’s mom is so close of getting a house, but Georgina can’t wait any longer and everything seem to be so slow and not working. Finally, Carmella’s uncle says that he is able to lend some money to Carmella. And there is only one more step for Georgina, it is either taking Willy to Carmella’s and receive the money, or tell everything truth to Carmella. Georgina thinks that this is all wrong, so she tells everything to Carmella what had happened. After telling the truth, she waits for Carmella to hate her, but she doesn’t. She is disappointed in Georgina, but she decides to forgive her. After two days later, her mom tells Georgina and Toby that she earned enough money to move to a house! They are no longer living in the car now. The house isn’t very big, but Georgina loves it and she decides and promises that she will never ever steal a dog again!
Christian perspective:
This book is not written in a Christian perspective, but in the end Georgina deals her problem well. Even though she steals the dog, which isn’t the right thing, in the end she tells the truth to Carmella. Even if we do something wrong, we shouldn’t be afraid to do the right thing, or to tell the truth. When Georgina tells Carmella the truth, Carmella forgives her, and that’s like between us and God. If we ask God for forgiveness, He will always forgive us and in the end, good things will come. We as Christians, we shouldn’t rely on money or worldly things, but we should rely on God. Even if we don’t have something that we need, or want, we can always ask God and He will answer our prayers!
My thoughts:
I choose this book, because the title was interesting and the story sounded engaging. I enjoyed this book, because it engaged me to the next chapters and I like realistic fictions. It felt like I was there in the book, and it made me want to help her and her family with their problems. It made me realized that there are so many homeless people in the world, and we should be thankful for what we have and not complain. I would recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t usually enjoy reading, because it has shorter amount of pages and the author writes it easy to read and understand.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Joel’s Book Review
Title: A Boy At War
Author: Harry Mazer
Publisher: Scholastic
Place of publication: U.S.A in New York
Year of publication: September 2001
Number of pages: 104
Where did you find the book: C.H.S Library
Story Review:
I think this book is called A boy at war because even though he wasn’t a real soldier this war really affected him because this attack killed his father and injured his friend. This book mostly takes place in Honolulu at Pearl Harbour in December of 1941 the main characters are Adam, Davi, Martin, Adams father and mother, and Adams sister Bea. The main event this book was about was when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour on Sunday, December 7, 1941. Just hours before the bombing Adam, Davi and Martin planed to go fishing so they went down to the harbour and the found an abandoned boat. Martin and Davi thought it was the pig god providing for them so they got into the boat and paddled away. When they started fishing they heard planes, at first they thought they were American planes until they saw the Japanese flag on the bottom of the wings. Because Davi and Martin were Japanese they started cheering so Adam tried to kill them but then Martin fought back. While they fighting the wash off the airplane flipped the boat and then when Adam was on the shore he saw Martin and Davi floating in the water and he dragged them ashore. After they where ashore Adam noticed Martin had a big chunk of wood right through his chest but they were both alive. So Adam carried Martin onto the dock and set him down and just realized he had been shot and the bullet went straight through his hand. Then a car came and picked Martin up it was a ambulance and the car brought him to the hospital and he lived but the piece of wood was an inch from his heart. While Martin was in the hospital a marine came up to Adam and thought he was in the navy so he gave him a gun and the group of sailors came to and they were guarding a road. After awhile Adam snuck off and went home were his family was holding shovels to defend themselves. Every one said there was no sign of his father because his father was in the navy and after a couple days they got a letter saying their father was missing and later they realized that he had died. I think the theme of this book was that even though you are not a soldier you can still be greatly involved in the war.
Christian Perspective
I do not think this book was written from a Christian perspective but I do think the characters in the book at times showed Christ like qualities like when the Japanese were attacking he didn’t run away and leave his friends to die even though he could have died. He also ran a long way carrying his friend to save his life. But the boys in this book I don’t think were Christians because Adam tried to kill the other boys.
My Thoughts
I chose this book because I read the one after it (Heroes don’t run) and I also like reading books about history and the world wars. I really enjoyed reading this book even though I usually dislike reading books. This book I thought was very interesting and the way he wrote the book you can just picture what is happening in the story. I thought the author really did a good job describing what is happening and just using really good detail.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Letters From a Slave Girl
Title:Letters from a slave girl
Author: Mary E. Lyons
Publisher:Simon Pulse
Place andyear of publication- New York, NY, 1992
Number of pages: 163
Where I found the book: CHS Library
The title fits the book perfectly. The book is about a girl, Harriet, who is a slave. She writes letters to her family and to the man she loves.
There were themes of slavery, depression, hope, and racism in the book.
The author is plotting the book from what happened first to what happened later. There wasn’t a lot of jumping around from time periods to another; it was all chromatically in order
SUMMARY
HarrietJacobs was born into slavery; it was the only life that she knew. When hermistress, Margaret Horniblow, who taught Harriet to read and write (veryunusual practice), becomes ill on her deathbed, Harriet has hopes that she willbe set free. But when it comes time to read the will, she’s devastated thatshe’s instead being gifted to Miss Horniblow’s three-year-old niece. With hernew mistress being so young, she falls under the control of Dr. Norcom and hiswife Maria.
It isn’t long before Dr. Norcom begins making sexual advances on Harriet, even to the point of building Harriet her own cottage to be out of the house from his wife. Harriet begs to be married to a free black man, but Dr. Norcom becomes enraged. Thinking that if she becomes pregnant with a white man’s baby, Dr.Norcom will sell her, she does just that not once but twice. When she realizes that he plans to sell her two children to a plantation owner, she knows thatshe must take matters into her own hands.
She does manage to trick Dr. Norcom to selling the children who are then purchased by their white father, who although is a kind man, doesn’t set them free.Harriet then sets her eyes on her own escape to freedom. Harriet runs away and leads Dr. Norcom to believe that she has fled north, but in all actuality she is hiding in a crawlspace at her grandmother’s house. She lives in this tiny crawlspace for SEVEN years watching her children, unbeknown to them, through a peep hole in the wood. She eventually does escape to the north and is able to be reunited with her children and become a force in the abolition movement and writing her autobiography.
Christian Perspective
Harreit and her family were somewhat Christians. They knew there was a God and they also mentioned about him in the book. They were slaves and people who hated them owned them. The owners could do anything they wanted to do with their slaves, so that didn’t give the slaves a lot of freedom. Harriet’s family knew some of their owners were pastors, but because of what they were treated like by them, it didn’t quite convince them. The slaves weren’t allowed in the upper part of the churches. They got the run down basement, but they used it anyway. Looking at this book at a Christian perspective, this book teaches me a lot. Hope is a big part of Christianity and also was to the slaves. Hope is what kept them going every day. We as Christians believe in a God that we can’t physically see and some slaves like Harriet believed in God and believed in freedom to come. Harriet dealt with things in a mature manner and a miner that id Christ like. When Dr.Norcom was threatening her and her children, she held them close and prayed. She always cared of the well beings of others, and will do anything to take care of someone else. She hid from everyone for 7 years to protect her children!! Her children didn’t know about her until it was safe for them to. To me I think that is genuine behaviour. God was with her and her family and the hope of freedom became reality!
My Thoughts
I chose this book because I liked the topic and I like realistic fiction books. This book was a real story and it actually happened which made to like it even better. This book is really good and I really enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this book to a person who would like to learn more about slavery and how it affected people. Even though it was a bunch of letters put together it told astory which I enjoyed.
Olivia's Book Review: Stargirl
Title: Stargirl
Author: Jerry Spinell
Publisher: Scholastic
Place and year of publication: New York, 2002
Number of pages: 184
Where did u find the book: School library
Story Review:
This story is about an unusual girl named stargirl. Her real name is Susan but she has changed it to pocket mouse, mudpie, hully gully, and now stargirl based on the way she feels. The main characters in this book are Stargirl, Leo, Kevin, and Archie. This story takes place in Mica, Arizona.
It was the first day of school and everyone was buzzing " Have you seen her?!"Seen who? Stargirl. She wore long dresses that looked like it could have been her Great-Grandmother's wedding gown, her hair was a sandy colour that came to her shoulders, she played her ukulele, carried around her pet rat, she believed in magical places, and she had a large canvas bag with a life-size sunflower on it. She knew everything about everybody, she sang happy birthday to everyone, gave gifts on special occasions, and cheered for both teams. She is different, she is elusive, she is today, and she is tomorrow. Even though Stargirl was different and had her own way of doing things, she became popular because everyone wanted to know what crazy thing she was going to do next. But after awhile everyone started getting annoyed with her and shunning her because she was just to different.
Leo and Kevin were best friends and ever since they first saw her, they wanted to put her on their T.V show called "The HotSeat". But when all the students started to shun her and not like her, Leo wasn't sure about putting her on the "HotSeat". But she did end up going on the show, she waved to him and called "Hi Leo!" he just froze, he didn't even know she knew his name, so he awkwardly waved back. On Valentines Day, she gave him a card that said "I Love You!" She sang Happy Birthday to him and called him cute in front of everyone. Leo didn't understand the feeling he had for her, he followed her to the dessert one day where she sat and played her ukulele. He decided to talk to Archie about it, Archie was like a grandfather to him and he could always to go him for answers. Suddenly, he wanted to know everything about her, he followed her to her house, and when she found him, they told each other how they felt, and they fell in love!
They would wave at each other in the hallway, go places together after school, but Leo never got really close to her because he was scared that she was too different. Since Stargirl was being shunned, Leo got shunned too, so he avoided her. He hated avoiding her, he wanted her, but he wanted his friends too. He couldn't choose. He told her that she had to change, wear makeup, normal clothes, and not sing Happy Birthday to everyone or cheer for both teams. She loved him so much that she changed for him.
One day she told Leo that she had a vision that she was going to win the Arizona state oratorical contest, and then everyone would cheer for her and she would become finally become popular. She did win, but no one was there to congratulate her, accept for some teachers, a girl named Dori Dilson, Leo, and her parents. She was heartbroken and then the next Monday she came back to school as her old self, Stargirl. She was done with trying to be popular. Does Leo finally accept her for who she is? Does she ever become popular? Find out in "Stargirl".
Christian Perspective:
Stargirl believed in magical places and meditation so I do not think that this book was written in a Christian perspective. I think that Stargirl was a good example of a christian (even if she was not) by the way she didn't care about how people thought about her, she always had a good attitude towards everyone, even the people who hated her, and she was very generous. Leo could have dealt with Stargirl by accepting her for who she is and not worrying about being shunned or made fun of. Leo and all the other kids were not acting like Christians because they were not giving her a chance and they were being very quick to judge her for the way she looked, dressed, and acted, without even getting to know her first.
Your thoughts:
I chose this book because it looked very interesting and some friends had read it and recommended it to me. I think the book was very good and a different kind of story, it wasn't the usual fairytale love story that worked out well in the end, it had a very different ending. For me it was the kind of book where you can't put it down because you have to know what is going to happen next. I would recommend this book to people who like a different kind of ending where you can decide what might have happened if...or what is going to happen in the future. I would also recommend this book to people who like a complicated love story.
Author: Jerry Spinell
Publisher: Scholastic
Place and year of publication: New York, 2002
Number of pages: 184
Where did u find the book: School library
Story Review:
This story is about an unusual girl named stargirl. Her real name is Susan but she has changed it to pocket mouse, mudpie, hully gully, and now stargirl based on the way she feels. The main characters in this book are Stargirl, Leo, Kevin, and Archie. This story takes place in Mica, Arizona.
It was the first day of school and everyone was buzzing " Have you seen her?!"Seen who? Stargirl. She wore long dresses that looked like it could have been her Great-Grandmother's wedding gown, her hair was a sandy colour that came to her shoulders, she played her ukulele, carried around her pet rat, she believed in magical places, and she had a large canvas bag with a life-size sunflower on it. She knew everything about everybody, she sang happy birthday to everyone, gave gifts on special occasions, and cheered for both teams. She is different, she is elusive, she is today, and she is tomorrow. Even though Stargirl was different and had her own way of doing things, she became popular because everyone wanted to know what crazy thing she was going to do next. But after awhile everyone started getting annoyed with her and shunning her because she was just to different.
Leo and Kevin were best friends and ever since they first saw her, they wanted to put her on their T.V show called "The HotSeat". But when all the students started to shun her and not like her, Leo wasn't sure about putting her on the "HotSeat". But she did end up going on the show, she waved to him and called "Hi Leo!" he just froze, he didn't even know she knew his name, so he awkwardly waved back. On Valentines Day, she gave him a card that said "I Love You!" She sang Happy Birthday to him and called him cute in front of everyone. Leo didn't understand the feeling he had for her, he followed her to the dessert one day where she sat and played her ukulele. He decided to talk to Archie about it, Archie was like a grandfather to him and he could always to go him for answers. Suddenly, he wanted to know everything about her, he followed her to her house, and when she found him, they told each other how they felt, and they fell in love!
They would wave at each other in the hallway, go places together after school, but Leo never got really close to her because he was scared that she was too different. Since Stargirl was being shunned, Leo got shunned too, so he avoided her. He hated avoiding her, he wanted her, but he wanted his friends too. He couldn't choose. He told her that she had to change, wear makeup, normal clothes, and not sing Happy Birthday to everyone or cheer for both teams. She loved him so much that she changed for him.
One day she told Leo that she had a vision that she was going to win the Arizona state oratorical contest, and then everyone would cheer for her and she would become finally become popular. She did win, but no one was there to congratulate her, accept for some teachers, a girl named Dori Dilson, Leo, and her parents. She was heartbroken and then the next Monday she came back to school as her old self, Stargirl. She was done with trying to be popular. Does Leo finally accept her for who she is? Does she ever become popular? Find out in "Stargirl".
Christian Perspective:
Stargirl believed in magical places and meditation so I do not think that this book was written in a Christian perspective. I think that Stargirl was a good example of a christian (even if she was not) by the way she didn't care about how people thought about her, she always had a good attitude towards everyone, even the people who hated her, and she was very generous. Leo could have dealt with Stargirl by accepting her for who she is and not worrying about being shunned or made fun of. Leo and all the other kids were not acting like Christians because they were not giving her a chance and they were being very quick to judge her for the way she looked, dressed, and acted, without even getting to know her first.
Your thoughts:
I chose this book because it looked very interesting and some friends had read it and recommended it to me. I think the book was very good and a different kind of story, it wasn't the usual fairytale love story that worked out well in the end, it had a very different ending. For me it was the kind of book where you can't put it down because you have to know what is going to happen next. I would recommend this book to people who like a different kind of ending where you can decide what might have happened if...or what is going to happen in the future. I would also recommend this book to people who like a complicated love story.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Half-Brother
Half-Brother
Author: Keneth Opppel
Publisher: The Random house group
Place and year of publification: British Columbia 2010
Number of pages: 384
Where I found the book: Public library
Review
Ben wan an only child until his parents brought home an 8-month old chimpanzee named Zan. Bens parents were scientists. They bought Zan from a zoo to see if they could learn language. Since chimps cannot speak, they taught him American sign language.
Soon, they government lost interest in Project Zan and they cut the funding. Zan was growing much too big and much too strong to stay with Ben and his family. So, they had no choice but to sell Zan to a chimp ranch.
Soon Ben and his family see that Zan is not safe there. They realize they have to get Zan back somehow. The ranch owner refuses to let them buy Zan back. They see that the only way to get Zan back is to steal him.
Christian Perspective
I dont think this book was written in a Christian perspective because they didnt pray when they could have. They could have prayed for the Government to keep funding the project
or they could have prayed for the money. Also once in the book they try and steal Zan and that is no what a Christian should do. They could have prayed that the chimp ranch owner would let them buy Zan back.
My Thoughts
I really liked this book. I did because I liked animals and I like the author. It has a very good story line. It is funny in some parts. It is sometimes suspenseful and you dont know what is going to happen next. I recomend this book to anyone who likes animals because it is about chimps.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Demiana's Book Review (Snow Bound)
Snow Bound
Author: Harry Mazer
Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Inc.
Place & Year of publication: 1540 Broadway, New York, NY, USA. Year 1973
Number of pages: 142
Found in Christian Heritage School’s library
Story Review:
If you ever think about surviving in a forbidden region bound in snow, it usually means thinking about death! You can’t build a fire while it’s snowing and no one will even think about looking for you in such area, because of the weather. However, what makes it even worse is that if you’re stuck with someone you absolutely hate. Harry Mazer describes the tough survival of the lost Cindy and Tony in the forbidden Tug Hill Plateau near New York State in mid-January, 1970’s, as they were bound and put into the hands of what seams to be an endless cold snow storm of misery in Tug Hill, hence the title “Snow Bound”. This book was written in themes of survival, urgency, and change, because young teens were changed, desperate, turned around 180 degrees through the effects and discoveries of survival, and always feeling the urgency to find a way out of disaster!
Tony was a spoiled teen with attitude. He always got what he wanted and came from a family that was very high-tempered and aggressive. As he wandered through the streets, looking for a change in his life through his surroundings, he found a lost dog and instantly developed a deep connection with him. He decided to take him home. When Tony asked his father if he could keep the dog, the first word that went on his father’s mouth was NO! They had a huge argument, until Tony decided to secretly keep him. Later at night, the landlords were disturbed by the dog and Tony’s father got rid of it. Tony got so frustrated and angry at his father when he found out, because he loved that dog and it was gone. He said he wanted to “teach his father a lesson”, so he took his mom’s car and decides to drive in the severe storm all the way to his uncle in Canada behind his family’s back!
On the other side there was Cindy, a quite, aloof, and independent girl, who came from a rich and very musical family. Her only problem was that she was a hitchhiker which led her to danger. As she waited in the bus stop for the bus to Watertown, she was angry at the fact that there could be a delay of 2-3 hours. She decided to hitchhike behind her grandma’s back and it just so happened that the second car to stop by was Tony’s. She got in the car and there was an awkward silence between them. The storm started getting worse and worse and the visibility lower and lower. When Tony pretended to know where he was going to calm Cindy down, a vicious blow of snow took their sight away and Tony went out of control with the car. As they were violently bumped into rocks and fields, they hit what they didn’t except to find! They hit a huge rock that threw the car half up in the air and then the car came back down!
They were shocked and unbelievably hurt. They wasted a lot of time bickering with each other and assigning blame. They were on their last nerves and were freaking out. They were in the middle of no where without any sources, it was impossible for them to leave the car in this weather, and the worst thing was that the car engine wasn’t going neither was the heater! They needed fire. They argued over starting a fire inside the car, but it was settled. At least, there had to be a small fire for survival. For that they used a cigarette lighter found in the car and paper. Now there was another problem, food! After they started to get along a little bit, Tony decided he was going to go on a journey to find something, just anything to help them live. During his search, after days of struggles, fear of vicious attacks, and suffering, he lost hope and started praying desperately until he found it! He found a stream of water that led him to an old, abandoned cabin. This was the best moment of his life as he found in there furniture and lots of food. He stayed for another day and came back to the patiently waiting Cindy. They were overfilled with joy. They took what could be useful and left. When they found the cabin, they thought it was impossible for anything horrible to happen again, only until they left.
Tony broke his ankle and they got in a huge fight! Without thinking, Cindy decided to leave him because that was what he asked for. That was it; they were tired of the constant arguments and didn’t think any of this through. However, when she heard the cry of Tony, she stopped and turned to look at what could’ve been the end of their lives, a wolf! She ran, pulling Tony on the sled behind her! When they got far away, they realized that they left everything behind them and that they didn’t have any tools of survival. He stood up with one hand on a stick and put the other hand over Cindy’s shoulder to keep his balance. They walked and walked in the unending forest with new hope. Hope that wouldn’t have been there if they didn’t realize that the only tool of survival they had left was nothing except each other! Did they ever find anything again, or were they found by someone? If not what would’ve been their last actions or words to each other?
Christian Perspective:
This book was not written in a Christian perspective, however, Tony did pray once in his journey to the cabin. What was not Christ-like what so ever would’ve been Tony’s attitude! He had a rejecting, selfish, and proud attitude that developed hate and caused many problems – him running away, being rude and vicious with Cindy, and getting lost in the first place. Also, the way Cindy left him showed carelessness from her not Christ’s love. However, they did both learn their lesson at the end. Hate brings foolishness and love brings hope. Without Cindy coming back to save him from the wolf and both of them accepting each other, there would’ve been no hope except now in that case.
My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book very much! I chose this book, because I enjoy reading adventure and realistic fiction. I’ve enjoyed the Hatchet and I wondered what the storyline of survival would be like if it were a group of people instead of one person alone. The reason this book is very interesting is that it describes how tough it is to survive with someone else if you don’t put your differences in how you do things aside. The author did an amazing job especially in leaving behind the reader with a question in his/her mind at the end of each chapter that he/she will be desperate to find the answer for! The author used very descriptive words with good connotation and used lots of similes, metaphors, and personification. I learned a lot about the hardships of survival and some new techniques on surviving in the winter. I recommend this book to those who enjoyed reading the Hatchet, because if you did that shows you were interested in the theme of survival. You’ll be very engaged in this book as there is more dialogue because there are two lost people not just one. I hope you enjoy the book!
Author: Harry Mazer
Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Inc.
Place & Year of publication: 1540 Broadway, New York, NY, USA. Year 1973
Number of pages: 142
Found in Christian Heritage School’s library
Story Review:
If you ever think about surviving in a forbidden region bound in snow, it usually means thinking about death! You can’t build a fire while it’s snowing and no one will even think about looking for you in such area, because of the weather. However, what makes it even worse is that if you’re stuck with someone you absolutely hate. Harry Mazer describes the tough survival of the lost Cindy and Tony in the forbidden Tug Hill Plateau near New York State in mid-January, 1970’s, as they were bound and put into the hands of what seams to be an endless cold snow storm of misery in Tug Hill, hence the title “Snow Bound”. This book was written in themes of survival, urgency, and change, because young teens were changed, desperate, turned around 180 degrees through the effects and discoveries of survival, and always feeling the urgency to find a way out of disaster!
Tony was a spoiled teen with attitude. He always got what he wanted and came from a family that was very high-tempered and aggressive. As he wandered through the streets, looking for a change in his life through his surroundings, he found a lost dog and instantly developed a deep connection with him. He decided to take him home. When Tony asked his father if he could keep the dog, the first word that went on his father’s mouth was NO! They had a huge argument, until Tony decided to secretly keep him. Later at night, the landlords were disturbed by the dog and Tony’s father got rid of it. Tony got so frustrated and angry at his father when he found out, because he loved that dog and it was gone. He said he wanted to “teach his father a lesson”, so he took his mom’s car and decides to drive in the severe storm all the way to his uncle in Canada behind his family’s back!
On the other side there was Cindy, a quite, aloof, and independent girl, who came from a rich and very musical family. Her only problem was that she was a hitchhiker which led her to danger. As she waited in the bus stop for the bus to Watertown, she was angry at the fact that there could be a delay of 2-3 hours. She decided to hitchhike behind her grandma’s back and it just so happened that the second car to stop by was Tony’s. She got in the car and there was an awkward silence between them. The storm started getting worse and worse and the visibility lower and lower. When Tony pretended to know where he was going to calm Cindy down, a vicious blow of snow took their sight away and Tony went out of control with the car. As they were violently bumped into rocks and fields, they hit what they didn’t except to find! They hit a huge rock that threw the car half up in the air and then the car came back down!
They were shocked and unbelievably hurt. They wasted a lot of time bickering with each other and assigning blame. They were on their last nerves and were freaking out. They were in the middle of no where without any sources, it was impossible for them to leave the car in this weather, and the worst thing was that the car engine wasn’t going neither was the heater! They needed fire. They argued over starting a fire inside the car, but it was settled. At least, there had to be a small fire for survival. For that they used a cigarette lighter found in the car and paper. Now there was another problem, food! After they started to get along a little bit, Tony decided he was going to go on a journey to find something, just anything to help them live. During his search, after days of struggles, fear of vicious attacks, and suffering, he lost hope and started praying desperately until he found it! He found a stream of water that led him to an old, abandoned cabin. This was the best moment of his life as he found in there furniture and lots of food. He stayed for another day and came back to the patiently waiting Cindy. They were overfilled with joy. They took what could be useful and left. When they found the cabin, they thought it was impossible for anything horrible to happen again, only until they left.
Tony broke his ankle and they got in a huge fight! Without thinking, Cindy decided to leave him because that was what he asked for. That was it; they were tired of the constant arguments and didn’t think any of this through. However, when she heard the cry of Tony, she stopped and turned to look at what could’ve been the end of their lives, a wolf! She ran, pulling Tony on the sled behind her! When they got far away, they realized that they left everything behind them and that they didn’t have any tools of survival. He stood up with one hand on a stick and put the other hand over Cindy’s shoulder to keep his balance. They walked and walked in the unending forest with new hope. Hope that wouldn’t have been there if they didn’t realize that the only tool of survival they had left was nothing except each other! Did they ever find anything again, or were they found by someone? If not what would’ve been their last actions or words to each other?
Christian Perspective:
This book was not written in a Christian perspective, however, Tony did pray once in his journey to the cabin. What was not Christ-like what so ever would’ve been Tony’s attitude! He had a rejecting, selfish, and proud attitude that developed hate and caused many problems – him running away, being rude and vicious with Cindy, and getting lost in the first place. Also, the way Cindy left him showed carelessness from her not Christ’s love. However, they did both learn their lesson at the end. Hate brings foolishness and love brings hope. Without Cindy coming back to save him from the wolf and both of them accepting each other, there would’ve been no hope except now in that case.
My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book very much! I chose this book, because I enjoy reading adventure and realistic fiction. I’ve enjoyed the Hatchet and I wondered what the storyline of survival would be like if it were a group of people instead of one person alone. The reason this book is very interesting is that it describes how tough it is to survive with someone else if you don’t put your differences in how you do things aside. The author did an amazing job especially in leaving behind the reader with a question in his/her mind at the end of each chapter that he/she will be desperate to find the answer for! The author used very descriptive words with good connotation and used lots of similes, metaphors, and personification. I learned a lot about the hardships of survival and some new techniques on surviving in the winter. I recommend this book to those who enjoyed reading the Hatchet, because if you did that shows you were interested in the theme of survival. You’ll be very engaged in this book as there is more dialogue because there are two lost people not just one. I hope you enjoy the book!
Pictures Of Holls Woods
Pictures of HollisWoods!!
Title: picture of holliswoods
Author: Patricia ReillyGiff
Publisher: ScholasticInc.
Place and year ofpublication: 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, 2002
Number of pages: 166
Where I found the book:CHS library
Pictures of Hollis Woodsby Patricia Reilly Giff is an emotional story about a little girl searching fora family. This book has themes of joy, sadness, sympathy, and adventure! HollisWoods was left with nothing, nothing but the news paper she was lying on andthe note that said to name her Hollis Woods when she was 10 days old. HollisWoods is abandoned as a baby and spends her life being sent to various fosterhomes. Her story alternates between the time she spends with Josie Cahill andthe summer she spent with the Regan family, who wanted to adopt her. Picturesof Hollis Woods is a heart-warming novel about a troubled girl finding a familywho will love her.
She was known as a "mountain of trouble" because she wasalways running away from the homes she was sent to if she didn't like them. Shenever goes to school and has just found a home shelikes. Her foster parent was Josie Cahill and she as an old artteacher who is losing her memory and now Hollis must be taken away from her. She also was sent to another home she reallyliked over the summer. That was the Regan family.
Inthe Regan family there was Izzy who was the mother, the Old Man who was thefather, and Stephan who was the son. Hollis got along with everyone in thefamily. She could always talk to Izzy who would make candyand try to keep things under control. The Old Man and Stephan were alwaysfighting but still loved each other. Stephan and Hollis made very good friendsand were always doing everything together. She mentions Stephan a lot in herflashbacks. Now there's a new addition to the family, her name is Christina andis a six-week-old baby girl that Izzy just had. Christina made the family complete for Hollis.
"Themustard woman." She's the one who is arranging homes for Hollis. She hasearned the name the mustard woman from Hollis who saw her for the first timewith a large mustard stain on her sweat pants. Hollisisn't too fond of her because she's going to take Hollis away from Josie.Hollis is actually happy with Josie and isn't considering running away from heranytime at all. She's setting her up with another home because of Josie'smemory problem. BUT... will Hollis get to stay with Josie? Is Hollis’ searchfor the perfect family over? Pictures Of Hollis Woods.....
Christian Perspective
Hollishas gone through a lot in her life. The one thing everyone needs is a family,someone to love them and care for them. Hollis thought she didn’t have that,but what she didn’t know is that God is with her wherever she goes. That’s thesame with us, when times of trouble come we need to turn to God and He will bethere for us. Nothing here on earth will satisfy us in anyway, even though itmight seem that way at the time. Heavenly things always will over power earthlythings! Depend on nothing and nobody except God! God is the one guaranty ofsatisfaction!!!
My Thoughts
Ireally liked this book, this book taught me to appreciate the family that Ihave! This book was recommended to me by our school librarian, and I turned outliking it! I would recommend this book to someone who is searching for the “perfect family” or someone who needs encouragementof hope for finding the family!! What each person`s thoughts on a perfectfamily is different. Maybe you come from a family with one parent or even noparents. I never stop to think on how lucky I am to have both my parentstogether. Even if I don’t think my family is perfect I still know that withthem I would probably be on the streets. A prefect family to Hollis was peoplethat she liked. She had been to many foster homes that she can`t keep track ofhow many she has been in. I think there is no such thing as a ``perfect family``, all families havesome flaws, some bigger than others and some even more noticeable that others.But all that doesn’t matter, what matters is that you have some that caresabout you. Even if you don’t think so there is someone out there that cares foryou!!
Everest: book one: The Contest
Title: Everest: book one: The contest
Author: Gordon Korman
Publisher: Scholastic
Place and year of publication: U.S.A, August 2002
Number of pages: 138
Where I found the book: School Library
The Contest is the name of the book and it is book 1 of the Everest trilogy. The story takes place in Summit Athletic Sports Training Facility in High Falls, Colorado located in Rocky Mountains, another location was a mountain named Lucifer’s claw in Alaska. The story dates to a couple of years back. The reason the book is named The Contest is because there is a contest
between 20 candidates and of the 20 only 4 will be chosen to climb Everest, the people in the story are excited to enter this competition because they will be the youngest team to ever climb Everest. The main characters are Dominic, there’s Chris, his older brother, Tilt Crowley, a ruthless poor boy, Bryn Fielder, Samantha Moon, a fearless 15-year-old, and Perry Noonan. The Theme of this book is always aim for the highest and never give up. When you think there is no way out, find ways to solve it.
Dominic, 13, has won one of five wildcard spots for a four-week intensive boot camp competition in Colorado while his older brother, Chris, was already attending because he is second best climber in the country. 15 people are chosen by Cap Cicero (The leader of the expedition and world famous climber) and the other 5 are entered from winning a contest sponsored by Summit Athletic fuel juice, this is how Dominic entered. When Chris and Dominic went to the training facility in Colorado they were amazed of the extra ordinary training facility along with the other 17 climbers. The reason of having only 19 people was because Cap was reserving a spot for 16 year old boy who has already climbed Everest; his name was Ethan Zaph also known as the Z-man. So Cap’s job was to choose 3 kids out of 19 to climb Everest and he would do that through boot camp. The boot camp was so intense that few people quit on the first day. Every week Cap would choose 3 to leave the team. It came down to Chris (Dominc’s older brother), Bryn Fielder (the country’s top female alpinist), and Perry Noonan, whose billionaire uncle is footing the bill for the entire expedition and the Z-man. However, Tilt, Dominic, and Samantha where going back home. While Tilt, Dominic, and Samantha where riding the car back to the airport, they turned on the radio and heard that Ethan Zaph was joining another climbing team so they went back and told Cap about the change.
When cap heard this he was outraged and now he had to pick Tilt, Dominic, and Samantha.
Cap chose Samantha to take Ethan’s place. So now Perry, Sammi, Bryn and Chris are in the original team. The team changed for many reasons like Chris Alexis was kicked off because he was too old and he wouldn’t beat any records so Dominic took Chris’s spot. Cap thought they were now ready for real practice, so he took them to Alaska in a mountain called Lucifer’s claw. Cap was there to make sure they were doing everything right. When they got high up they would set up tents and sleep there for the night. While everyone was in deep sleep, Perry couldn’t sleep, so he got out the tent to take a breather at 2:30am and while he went out he saw Bryn walking towards the cliff. He tried to stop her but she kept walking and fell off. Perry panicked and woke up the whole team. He told Cap that she had fell off and Cap went down to save her with the help of Dominic. Something they didn’t know was Bryn had a history of sleep walking. They discovered she was still alive but lots of her bones were broken and that why the called in a chopper to pick her up and they called Tilt to replace Bryn. This is the end of book one but there is still book 2 and 3 where they pick up off where book one ended.
Christian perspective
This book is not written with a Christian perspective. But Christ like behaviours reflected, Dominic would think of others first and he was the only character that wasn’t judgemental and he never gave up. One thing that really amazed me was that one of the characters mentioned there is no such thing as luck only God’s will and that is something I would agree with. Some of the characters would say “thank God”. I think the book hints some religious characters. A way
this book can be more Christian, if it would mention them praying to God for strength and help during the boot camp and that they would stay physically fit, then it would have given a deeper reflection on faith. Overall Dominic shows his Christian like behaviour because he does not lose hope. Throughout the book there were many moments where he got frustrated but he controlled himself, like how a Christian should. If I would climb Everest I would be really scared and I
would ask God for help.
My Thoughts
I chose this book because the title sounded cool and the book was written by my favourite author, Gordon Korman. The book turned to be one of my favourites; in my opinion it’s the best
dventurous book out there. This book has an extensive amount of details and describes the characters thoughts really well. I personally not very fond of these type of adventurous books, but this one was really fun that I might read the whole trilogy. Reasons I like this book is because it has a really good story to teach which is having perseverance. There were lots of new words in
this book that I found helpful to add on to my vocabulary words list. I recommend this book for the type of people interested in adventure and survival books, this book stresses on the idea of having hope and not giving up.
Author: Gordon Korman
Publisher: Scholastic
Place and year of publication: U.S.A, August 2002
Number of pages: 138
Where I found the book: School Library
The Contest is the name of the book and it is book 1 of the Everest trilogy. The story takes place in Summit Athletic Sports Training Facility in High Falls, Colorado located in Rocky Mountains, another location was a mountain named Lucifer’s claw in Alaska. The story dates to a couple of years back. The reason the book is named The Contest is because there is a contest
between 20 candidates and of the 20 only 4 will be chosen to climb Everest, the people in the story are excited to enter this competition because they will be the youngest team to ever climb Everest. The main characters are Dominic, there’s Chris, his older brother, Tilt Crowley, a ruthless poor boy, Bryn Fielder, Samantha Moon, a fearless 15-year-old, and Perry Noonan. The Theme of this book is always aim for the highest and never give up. When you think there is no way out, find ways to solve it.
Dominic, 13, has won one of five wildcard spots for a four-week intensive boot camp competition in Colorado while his older brother, Chris, was already attending because he is second best climber in the country. 15 people are chosen by Cap Cicero (The leader of the expedition and world famous climber) and the other 5 are entered from winning a contest sponsored by Summit Athletic fuel juice, this is how Dominic entered. When Chris and Dominic went to the training facility in Colorado they were amazed of the extra ordinary training facility along with the other 17 climbers. The reason of having only 19 people was because Cap was reserving a spot for 16 year old boy who has already climbed Everest; his name was Ethan Zaph also known as the Z-man. So Cap’s job was to choose 3 kids out of 19 to climb Everest and he would do that through boot camp. The boot camp was so intense that few people quit on the first day. Every week Cap would choose 3 to leave the team. It came down to Chris (Dominc’s older brother), Bryn Fielder (the country’s top female alpinist), and Perry Noonan, whose billionaire uncle is footing the bill for the entire expedition and the Z-man. However, Tilt, Dominic, and Samantha where going back home. While Tilt, Dominic, and Samantha where riding the car back to the airport, they turned on the radio and heard that Ethan Zaph was joining another climbing team so they went back and told Cap about the change.
When cap heard this he was outraged and now he had to pick Tilt, Dominic, and Samantha.
Cap chose Samantha to take Ethan’s place. So now Perry, Sammi, Bryn and Chris are in the original team. The team changed for many reasons like Chris Alexis was kicked off because he was too old and he wouldn’t beat any records so Dominic took Chris’s spot. Cap thought they were now ready for real practice, so he took them to Alaska in a mountain called Lucifer’s claw. Cap was there to make sure they were doing everything right. When they got high up they would set up tents and sleep there for the night. While everyone was in deep sleep, Perry couldn’t sleep, so he got out the tent to take a breather at 2:30am and while he went out he saw Bryn walking towards the cliff. He tried to stop her but she kept walking and fell off. Perry panicked and woke up the whole team. He told Cap that she had fell off and Cap went down to save her with the help of Dominic. Something they didn’t know was Bryn had a history of sleep walking. They discovered she was still alive but lots of her bones were broken and that why the called in a chopper to pick her up and they called Tilt to replace Bryn. This is the end of book one but there is still book 2 and 3 where they pick up off where book one ended.
Christian perspective
This book is not written with a Christian perspective. But Christ like behaviours reflected, Dominic would think of others first and he was the only character that wasn’t judgemental and he never gave up. One thing that really amazed me was that one of the characters mentioned there is no such thing as luck only God’s will and that is something I would agree with. Some of the characters would say “thank God”. I think the book hints some religious characters. A way
this book can be more Christian, if it would mention them praying to God for strength and help during the boot camp and that they would stay physically fit, then it would have given a deeper reflection on faith. Overall Dominic shows his Christian like behaviour because he does not lose hope. Throughout the book there were many moments where he got frustrated but he controlled himself, like how a Christian should. If I would climb Everest I would be really scared and I
would ask God for help.
My Thoughts
I chose this book because the title sounded cool and the book was written by my favourite author, Gordon Korman. The book turned to be one of my favourites; in my opinion it’s the best
dventurous book out there. This book has an extensive amount of details and describes the characters thoughts really well. I personally not very fond of these type of adventurous books, but this one was really fun that I might read the whole trilogy. Reasons I like this book is because it has a really good story to teach which is having perseverance. There were lots of new words in
this book that I found helpful to add on to my vocabulary words list. I recommend this book for the type of people interested in adventure and survival books, this book stresses on the idea of having hope and not giving up.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Rules
Title: Rules
Author: Cynthia Lord
Publisher: Scholastic
Place and year of publication: New York, 2006
Number of pages: 200
Where I found this book: school’s library
Story review:
Catherine is a twelve year old, who has an autistic brother named David. With her brother’s autism it makes her life a little complicated, so she makes rules for her brother. So that he would understand the world and I also think this book’s name is Rules because she makes rules her brother.
While Catherine and her mom take David to occupational therapy, there she meets a boy named Jason. He cannot speak and has to use a wheelchair. He uses a communication book to communicate to people. In that book he has plain and boring looking words mentioned by Catherine herself. Catherine got a chance to make some words for him. The only thing she did differently was that she added colours to her cards. One day her friend Kristi asked if Jason would like to join Catherine to the community dance. The problem was that she never mentioned anything about Jason’s disability to Kristi. Because she didn’t know how Kristi would react.
By the end of the book, she begins to ask herself, what is normal? During the book, Catherine learns to accept herself, her family, and Jason just the way they are. She also learns not to be scared of what people think about her. The most important thing is that she learns to deal with her life and brother.
I think the themes of this book are acceptance and disabilities because Catherine had a hard time accepting David’s disabilities.
Christian perspective:
I don’t think this book was written from a Christian prespective. When Catherine felt alone and neglected by her parents, she should have went and prayed to God because God would never leave her and neglect her. We are his children and he loves us deeply and no matter what happens He would never abandon us. The other thing is that she still wished that her brother was normal but God made him that way and she should accept him just the way he is.
My thoughts:
I enjoyed the book. I liked how she learned to accept people just the way they are and that she shouldn’t be scared of what people think about her. I think Cynthia Lord was trying to tell her readers that no one is perfect. There are flaws in everybody, not just with people with special needs.We all try to make things perfect, but sometimes things don’t end up the way we want them to be. I would recommend this book to a person who loves realistic fiction books and especially those people who have to grow up with a brother or a sister with a disability.
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