Author/Illustrator: Holly Hobbie
Year: 2005
Reading Level: 4-8
Series: Toot and Puddle
Plot Summary: Toot goes off to visit Borneo (of course) leaving Puddle with Cousin Opal for company. Toot sends a few postcards about his exotic adventures but winds up coming home soon with the Violet Virus and he turns a rather unhealthy shade of purple. It's up to Puddle and Opal to find a cure for this rare disease--and it happens to be right in their own backyard.
My Rating: A-. I'll admit that I expected more from this book after hearing so much about the series. The artwork is extremely lovely, but the story seemed a little lacking to me. Maybe I'm just picky though... Also there was a random inclusion of the Internet when Opal does research online. It seemed so very out of place in Woodcock Pocket.
Showing posts with label friendship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friendship. Show all posts
Monday, December 8, 2008
The City of Ember
Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Year: 2003
Genre: Sci-Fi
Reading Level: Intermediate
Series: Books of Ember
Plot Summary: In the city of Ember, times are getting hard. The lights are flickering and supplies are running out. Lina Mayfleet is twelve years old and just started a job as a messenger while her friend Doon Harrow starts working in the depths of the city in the Pipeworks. When Lina finds a mysterious message, she and Doon slowly realize it's a message from the city's founders--the Builders--and it tells them how to leave the city for somewhere better. Unfortunately Ember's mayor isn't going to let them shake things up and Lina and Doon have to rely on each other to solve the mystery.
Award: 2006 Mark Twain Award
Movie Version: City of Ember
My Rating: A-. I really enjoyed this book. I don't know exactly how she did it, but DuPrau totally evokes the suffocating atmosphere of this underground city on the brink of desperation. The characters may be a little bit flat (or maybe just standard) but they don't detract from the story. I do think her writing got a little clunky when trying to describe things that Lina and Doon had never seen, like a boat and candles. But overall, it was a good read.
Year: 2003
Genre: Sci-Fi
Reading Level: Intermediate
Series: Books of Ember
Plot Summary: In the city of Ember, times are getting hard. The lights are flickering and supplies are running out. Lina Mayfleet is twelve years old and just started a job as a messenger while her friend Doon Harrow starts working in the depths of the city in the Pipeworks. When Lina finds a mysterious message, she and Doon slowly realize it's a message from the city's founders--the Builders--and it tells them how to leave the city for somewhere better. Unfortunately Ember's mayor isn't going to let them shake things up and Lina and Doon have to rely on each other to solve the mystery.
Award: 2006 Mark Twain Award
Movie Version: City of Ember
My Rating: A-. I really enjoyed this book. I don't know exactly how she did it, but DuPrau totally evokes the suffocating atmosphere of this underground city on the brink of desperation. The characters may be a little bit flat (or maybe just standard) but they don't detract from the story. I do think her writing got a little clunky when trying to describe things that Lina and Doon had never seen, like a boat and candles. But overall, it was a good read.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Adventures of Captain Underpants
Author/Illustrator: Dav Pilkey
Year: 1997
Genre: Comedy
Reading Level: Intermediate
Series: The Captain Underpants series
Plot Summary: George and Harold are best friends and the resident pranksters at their elementary school. George and Harold are also notorious for their comic book series featuring their underwear clad hero, Captain Underpants. When they get into deep trouble with Principal Krupp for their pranks, they have to figure out some way of getting out of it. Their solution involves hypnosis, and the consequences are completely unexpected.
Red Flag/s: Boyish antics and rubber dog poo.
My Rating: A-. I will admit that I don't think I fully appreciated this book because I'm not a boy and I'm not 10. That said, I can definitely see why that audience would love this book. It's funny and silly and fun to read. So, for the audience it's intended for, I think it's very good. Just not so much my genre of choice.
Year: 1997
Genre: Comedy
Reading Level: Intermediate
Series: The Captain Underpants series
Plot Summary: George and Harold are best friends and the resident pranksters at their elementary school. George and Harold are also notorious for their comic book series featuring their underwear clad hero, Captain Underpants. When they get into deep trouble with Principal Krupp for their pranks, they have to figure out some way of getting out of it. Their solution involves hypnosis, and the consequences are completely unexpected.
Red Flag/s: Boyish antics and rubber dog poo.
My Rating: A-. I will admit that I don't think I fully appreciated this book because I'm not a boy and I'm not 10. That said, I can definitely see why that audience would love this book. It's funny and silly and fun to read. So, for the audience it's intended for, I think it's very good. Just not so much my genre of choice.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Golden Compass
Author: Phillip Pullman
Year: 1995
Genre: Fantasy (steampunk)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Series: First in the His Dark Materials series
Plot Summary: When Lyra Belacqua decides to sneak into a forbidden room at Oxford and overhears a discussion among the scholars, she has no idea of the consequences. Children all over England are disappearing, stolen by "Gobblers" and when Lyra's best friend, Roger, disappears she's determined to rescue him. Along with her faithful daemon, Pantalaimon, Lyra journeys to the mysterious North to solve the mystery of the Gobblers' purpose and rescue Roger. On the way she discovers startling information of her own past and learns to use the mysterious truth-telling device--the alethiometer.
Red Flags: some scariness and spookiness, character death, a violent battle betweenpolar armored bears. And let's not forget the whole anti-Christian thing, although that doesn't really come into this book.
Movie Version: The Golden Compass
My Rating: A-. I don't know if this is traditionally viewed as a young adult book, but the writing style and the overall heaviness of it makes me wonder how many kids would be interested. Anyway, I really enjoyed it. It took a while for me to get really interested but by the end I was thoroughly hooked. Pullman is a good writer and even though Lyra is a brat, I mostly liked her by the end. Also: Iorek=win.
Year: 1995
Genre: Fantasy (steampunk)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Series: First in the His Dark Materials series
Plot Summary: When Lyra Belacqua decides to sneak into a forbidden room at Oxford and overhears a discussion among the scholars, she has no idea of the consequences. Children all over England are disappearing, stolen by "Gobblers" and when Lyra's best friend, Roger, disappears she's determined to rescue him. Along with her faithful daemon, Pantalaimon, Lyra journeys to the mysterious North to solve the mystery of the Gobblers' purpose and rescue Roger. On the way she discovers startling information of her own past and learns to use the mysterious truth-telling device--the alethiometer.
Red Flags: some scariness and spookiness, character death, a violent battle between
Movie Version: The Golden Compass
My Rating: A-. I don't know if this is traditionally viewed as a young adult book, but the writing style and the overall heaviness of it makes me wonder how many kids would be interested. Anyway, I really enjoyed it. It took a while for me to get really interested but by the end I was thoroughly hooked. Pullman is a good writer and even though Lyra is a brat, I mostly liked her by the end. Also: Iorek=win.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Author: Joan Aiken
Year: 1987
Reading Level: Intermediate
Genre: Alternate history, novel
Plot Summary: Young Bonnie Green's parents are leaving for a ocean trip to improve her mother's help. They've hired a governess, Miss Slighcarp, and sent for Bonnie's cousin Sylvia to watch over the house and keep her company in their absence. Sylvia is everything Bonnie expected and wanted in a companion, but as soon as her parents leave, Miss Slighcarp asserts her authority in the most unpleasant ways. She soon sends Bonnie and Sylvia off to a wretched orphan school, but Bonnie's determined to escape and take back her home.
Red Flags: Scary adults
My Rating: A-. It took a while to get into this book, and by the end I was still puzzled by the wolves. But after the intitial kind of "Huh?" of the first 40 pages or so, it was quite entertaining and strange in an appealing way. Also, it's all Victorian and stuff and that's cool. Final note: Simon reminded me a lot of Dickon from The Secret Garden (this is a good thing).
Year: 1987
Reading Level: Intermediate
Genre: Alternate history, novel
Plot Summary: Young Bonnie Green's parents are leaving for a ocean trip to improve her mother's help. They've hired a governess, Miss Slighcarp, and sent for Bonnie's cousin Sylvia to watch over the house and keep her company in their absence. Sylvia is everything Bonnie expected and wanted in a companion, but as soon as her parents leave, Miss Slighcarp asserts her authority in the most unpleasant ways. She soon sends Bonnie and Sylvia off to a wretched orphan school, but Bonnie's determined to escape and take back her home.
Red Flags: Scary adults
My Rating: A-. It took a while to get into this book, and by the end I was still puzzled by the wolves. But after the intitial kind of "Huh?" of the first 40 pages or so, it was quite entertaining and strange in an appealing way. Also, it's all Victorian and stuff and that's cool. Final note: Simon reminded me a lot of Dickon from The Secret Garden (this is a good thing).
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Jinx
Author: Meg Cabot
Year: 2007
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Novel/Fantasy
Plot Summary: Hoping to escape her perpetual bad luck, Jean Honeychurch (aka Jinx) moves from a small town in Iowa to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle in New York City. There she finds that her formerly friendly cousin, Tory, has turned into a surly teenager with a lot of attitude and a belief that she's a witch. When Jinx seems to be getting everything Tory wants, Tory does her best to make Jinx's life miserable, including bringing her past back to haunt her.
Red Flags: Some strong language, teenage partying, witchcraft
My Rating: B-
I expected this book to just be the standard teen drama novel, and then was really surprised when the witchcraft angle came in. It was kind of weird how it was presented, like witchcraft is a beautiful thing and all about being in harmony with nature. Not that I don't like nature or being harmony with it, but it was just kind of strange. The writing was all right, nothing spectacular, and the characters were all pretty standard. Also, Jinx was unbelievably dense when it came to her boy situation.
Year: 2007
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Novel/Fantasy
Plot Summary: Hoping to escape her perpetual bad luck, Jean Honeychurch (aka Jinx) moves from a small town in Iowa to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle in New York City. There she finds that her formerly friendly cousin, Tory, has turned into a surly teenager with a lot of attitude and a belief that she's a witch. When Jinx seems to be getting everything Tory wants, Tory does her best to make Jinx's life miserable, including bringing her past back to haunt her.
Red Flags: Some strong language, teenage partying, witchcraft
My Rating: B-
I expected this book to just be the standard teen drama novel, and then was really surprised when the witchcraft angle came in. It was kind of weird how it was presented, like witchcraft is a beautiful thing and all about being in harmony with nature. Not that I don't like nature or being harmony with it, but it was just kind of strange. The writing was all right, nothing spectacular, and the characters were all pretty standard. Also, Jinx was unbelievably dense when it came to her boy situation.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
An Abundance of Katherines
Author: John Green
Year: 2006
Age Level: Young Adult
Genre: Novel
Plot Summary: Colin Singleton is a "washed-up child prodigy" who has just been dumped by a Katherine for the nineteenth time. In an effort to distract him, Colin's best friend, Hassan, instigates a roadtrip adventure. It's not long before the two find themselves in Gutshot, Tennessee, looking for the grave of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and making friends with the locals. Colin and Hassan take up residence in a pink mansion and experience all the drama and teenage antics Gutshot have to offer, while Colin tries to explain his dumping-by-Katherines history with mathematics.
Red Flags: Language, some sexual content, some math talk
My Rating: B+
I'm lukewarm about a lot of this book. The story and setting is fun enough, and some of the characters are interesting. I guess I just don't relate to it much because this was nothing like my teenage experience, and the book seems like it's supposed to reflect the average teenager. Anyway. I did really like Colin by the end of it though, and the whole resolution of the story was pretty satisfying, if predictable.
Year: 2006
Age Level: Young Adult
Genre: Novel
Plot Summary: Colin Singleton is a "washed-up child prodigy" who has just been dumped by a Katherine for the nineteenth time. In an effort to distract him, Colin's best friend, Hassan, instigates a roadtrip adventure. It's not long before the two find themselves in Gutshot, Tennessee, looking for the grave of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and making friends with the locals. Colin and Hassan take up residence in a pink mansion and experience all the drama and teenage antics Gutshot have to offer, while Colin tries to explain his dumping-by-Katherines history with mathematics.
Red Flags: Language, some sexual content, some math talk
My Rating: B+
I'm lukewarm about a lot of this book. The story and setting is fun enough, and some of the characters are interesting. I guess I just don't relate to it much because this was nothing like my teenage experience, and the book seems like it's supposed to reflect the average teenager. Anyway. I did really like Colin by the end of it though, and the whole resolution of the story was pretty satisfying, if predictable.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Because of Winn-Dixie
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Year: 2000
Age Level: Intermediate
Genre: Novel
Plot Summary: India Opal Buloni is ten years old when she moves with her preacher father to Naomi, Florida. Struggling to find friends and interact with her father, she chances to meet a large, smelly dog in the grocery store. The two form an instant bond, and she adopts the dog after naming him Winn-Dixie. Together with Winn-Dixie, India Opal Buloni finds true friends, comes to terms with her mother's absence and finally reconnects with her father.
Award/s: Newbery winner
Movie version/s: Because of Winn-Dixie
My rating: A
I liked this book more than I expected to. I liked that the kids acted like kids, but it still had a serious edge and genuine emotions. It was a little bit cozy but still realistic. DiCamillo has a really nice writing style.
Year: 2000
Age Level: Intermediate
Genre: Novel
Plot Summary: India Opal Buloni is ten years old when she moves with her preacher father to Naomi, Florida. Struggling to find friends and interact with her father, she chances to meet a large, smelly dog in the grocery store. The two form an instant bond, and she adopts the dog after naming him Winn-Dixie. Together with Winn-Dixie, India Opal Buloni finds true friends, comes to terms with her mother's absence and finally reconnects with her father.
Award/s: Newbery winner
Movie version/s: Because of Winn-Dixie
My rating: A
I liked this book more than I expected to. I liked that the kids acted like kids, but it still had a serious edge and genuine emotions. It was a little bit cozy but still realistic. DiCamillo has a really nice writing style.
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