Entries Categorized as 'Review'
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Fantasy, Fiction, Review
Tags:L. Frank Baum, Oz
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Woot the Wanderer arrives at the Tin Woodman’s tin castle in Oz. After dinner, the Tin Man, or Nick Chopper, tells Woot about how he became a tin man, and how he was once in love with a Munchkin girl named Nimmie Amee. Woot asks why Nick hasn’t gone to find her after all his adventures with Dorothy were over. So begins another Oz book, in which the Tin Man, Woot and the Scarecrow go to find Nimmie Amee and make her the Empress of the Winkies. You will encounter the Loons and the evil Yookoohoo, Mrs. Yoop.
This is a very funny one. Starting with the deliberate disobedience of the sign to beware the Loons, the whole book is filled with silly adventures that would only happen in Oz.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Incredibook!, Review
Tags:Funny, Good Read Aloud, Seafaring, Sid Fleischman, Westerns
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Jack and his aunt’s butler Praiseworthy are stowaways on a ship headed for gold territory. They try to be honest stowaways and present themselves to the captain, who puts them to work tending the steam boiler. Captain Swain is not happy, as he is in a race with another steam ship, with heavy bets on both sides. And once they reach gold country, what will Praiseworthy do when he accidentally acquires a reputation as a fighter, and is challenged by The Mountain Ox, the roughest, toughest gold miner in California?
Sid Fleischman writes a good yarn, while making parts of it believable. Just about every page has some joke to it. Praiseworthy is a great mastermind, and Jack is always willing to go along. The ending may surprise you. There’s an interesting plot twist in there.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Historical Fiction, Incredibook!, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Award Winner, Elizabeth George Speare
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After Daniel’s father is murdered by the Romans, Daniel dedicates his life to one thing: revenge against the Romans. He joins a band of outlaws living in the mountains who are plotting to overthrow the Romans and does everything he possibly can to satisfy his hatred. Meanwhile, in nearby Capernaum, a rabbi is teaching a different lesson: love. Daniel is confused by the words of Jesus of Nazareth, while still wondering if this could be the promised Messiah. The Messiah he had been hoping and waiting for was one who could conquer the Romans and drive them away. Could Jesus really be the Messiah? And how can love conquer over hatred?
This is one of my favorites of Elizabeth George Speare’s. The characters are portrayed with great depth and emotion, making them seem very real, and I found the story to be so extremely interesting that I couldn’t put it down. I definitely recommend this one as a powerful book.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Award Winner, Elizabeth George Speare, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Indians, Pioneers
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After they finish their cabin in Maine, Matt’s father starts back for Massachusetts, leaving twelve year old Matt behind to guard the cabin. Matt has fun living by himself, until he tackles a nest of bees. An old Indian chief and his grandson Attean have been watching him and decide to help Matt out. In return, Matt agrees to teach Attean to read and speak English. The two boys resent the forced friendship at first, but end up doing everything together. What will Matt do when his father returns?
Well, this is a great book. I gave it four stars, because it’s a bit slow at the start, but it picks up later. You will learn a lot of interesting things about Pioneers and Indians. There was a TV movie of this book called Keeping the Promise, but I haven’t seen it.
Posted by Becca
Categories: Fiction, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Award Winner, Easy Read, Eleanor Estes, Quick Read
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Wanda Petronski says that she has a hundred dresses all lined up in her closet. The other girls at her school laugh and make fun of her. Everyone knows that Wanda only has one dress, the faded blue one she wears day after day. One girl, Maddie, wants to stand up for Wanda; but she’s afraid of being picked on also. When Wanda leaves town, it seems impossible that Maddie will ever be able to apologize.
This is quite a story. A great example of why you shouldn’t tease people. You’ll probably end up sorry, but, as in this story, unable to apologize. The writing style is very nice. Eleanor Estes did a great job on her books. I very much recommend that you read this.
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