Zoobreak

Griffin and his friends are back in the second book of this awesome series. The trouble starts when Griffin's friend Savannah's pet monkey goes missing. Savannah is frantic and asks Griffin to help her find the missing animal. They search, but to no avail. Then, on a class field trip to a floating zoo, they find that the main attraction is Savannah's monkey! But the zoo owner, Mr. Nastase, says that he bought the monkey, although he won't say from where. Will Griffin and his team of friends get the monkey back quietly? Or will they have to pull a zoobreak to stop Mr. Nasty? I loved the first book in this series and I was hoping that the second book would be just as good or better. I definitely was not disappointed. This book has lots of relatable topics, such as friends who are moving to a new school and being underestimated. I recommend this book for kids ages nine and up. Author: Gordan Korman. Release date: 2009  On a scale of 1 being not so good, and 10 being the very best book I've ever read, I rate this book a 7 1/2.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Countdown Post #4

Okay, so I got a little behind in my countdown. The movie comes out at midnight tonight. Oh well. The fourth book in the Harry Potter series is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In this book Harry gets to go with the Weasleys to see the Quidditch world cup. But everyone freaks out when the dark mark appears in the sky. Plus everyone is saying that something exciting is going to happen at Hogwarts this year. And sure enough when Harry arrives at Hogwarts, they announce that the Triwizard Tournament which hasn't been held in years due to death incidents, is going to take place this year. Everyone is excited at the arrival of the two rival schools, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. And finally the night comes when the Goblet of Fire will pick the name of the three who compete. The three champions are chosen, but then another name comes out of the cup. And the name is.... Harry Potter. This book has it all. Dragons, merpeople, blast-ended skrewts, nosy journalists, a fight with a friend, and possibly an encounter with Voldemort. I recommend this book for ages 11 and up. Author: J. K. Rowling. Release date: 2000 On a scale of 1 being not so good, and 10 being the very best book I've ever read, I rate this book a 10.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Countdown Post #3

The third countdown post. Five days until the movie! In this book,Harry accidentally blows up his uncle's sister and makes a run for it, thinking that he has been expelled from school. When he reaches the Leaky Cauldron he walks straight into the Minister of Magic himself- who seems strangely relieved to find Harry safe and sound. And everyone is talking about an escaped convict, Sirius Black, who is so dangerous that even the Muggles have been warned. Is Harry somehow connected to Black? Why is Ron's rat acting so weird? And why do the Dementors, the guards of Azkaban, cause Harry to pass out every time they come near him? As Harry grows older in the books, J. K. Rowling's writing becomes better. This book was harder for me to get through the first time I read it. Unfortunately, the book does lose speed about half-way through. Please, stick with it. It gets better.I recommend this book for ages 10 and up. Author: J. K. Rowling. Release date: 1999 On a scale of 1 being not so good, and 10 being the very best book I've ever read, I rate this book a 10.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Countdown Post #2

Second countdown post. 6 days until the movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This is the second book in the greatest series of all time. After having stopped He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the end of the school year, Harry is back at his horrible aunt and uncle's house for the summer. Yet all he wants is to be back at school with his friends. But when a strange creature shows up at his house and warns him not to go back to Hogwarts, Harry knows something is up. And sure enough when he goes back to school, people start being attacked. Is the Chamber of Secrets fact, or is it just a legend? Is Harry the heir of Slytherin? And is Voldermort behind it all? I got this book as part of a boxed set that contained books 1-4. This book is rather intense at parts, so I recommend this book for ages 10 and up. Also, if giant snakes give you nightmares, I do not recommend this book. Author: J. K. Rowling. Release date: 1998  

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Countdown Post #1

Because the new Harry Potter movie is coming out in 8 days I am doing my own countdown by reviewing the books. I thought I would start with the first one. But oh my goodness. Where to start? To sum up this book in one word: Genius. This book is the first in the best series of all time. The Harry Potter series. Harry is not an ordinary boy. He lives with his horrible Aunt and Uncle and has a spoiled cousin who picks on him constantly. He has a scar shaped like a lightning-bolt. And weird things are always happening to him. Then strange letters start arriving. Eventually Harry meets Hagrid, the largest man he's ever seen. Hagrid tells him that he's a wizard and that he has been accepted at Hogwarts school of witch craft and wizardry. I read this book for the first time during my summer break after first grade. I admit that I wasn't a huge fan at first. I think part of that is because I was seven at the time, so I recommend this book for ages 10 and up. This is now my favorite series ever. Author: J. K. Rowling. Release date: 1997  On a scale of 1 being not so good, and 10 being the very best book I've ever read, I rate this book a 10.

This Isn't What It Looks Like

This is the forth and newest book in the Secret Series. In this book one of the main characters, Cass, is stuck in a coma after eating chocolate that has sent her consciousness into her ancestral past. Meanwhile, back in her own time her best friend (and the other main character) Max-Ernest, is trying everything he can to wake her up. Will he succeed? Will Cass find out the secret? Will we finally find out who Pseudonymous Bosch is? I found out about this series through the National Geographic Kids magazine last year.  There are three books that come before this one, all of which are very funny. This book does have some words that are hard to understand, so I recommend this book for ages 12 and up. Author: Pseudonymous Bosch. Release date: 2010. On a scale of 1 being not so good, and 10 being the very best book I've ever read, I rate this book a 4 and a 1/2.

Wolf Brother

In this book, set thousands of years ago, the main character, Torak, finds himself alone after a demon bear kills his father. On his own for the first time ever, Torak battles hunger and fever and befriends a wolf cub before being captured and taken to a camp where he finds out a terrible prophecy. A prophecy which could lead to his death. This book and the two that come after it in the series, were given to me many years ago by a relative who lives in Wales. The name of the series kind of scared me off, after all, you would expect a series called The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness to be, well, dark. About a year ago I remembered it and decided to give it a try. In one word, AWESOME! This book has a good balance between non-fiction and fantasy, and incorporates both into the story beautifully. I recommend this book for kids 10 and up. Author: Michelle Paver. Release Date: 2004. On a scale of 1 being not so good, and 10 being the very best book I've ever read, I rate this book a 8.

Swindle

Okay, first blog post. I'll start with Swindle by Gordan Korman.

In this book the main character, 6th grader Griffin Bing, masterminds a plan to steal back a million dollar baseball card that he was swindled out of. He assembles a team of classmates who each have a special talent to get the card back. I first read this book as part of our library's Book Bunch program and it has been my one of my favorites ever since. I think maybe one of the reasons I like it so much is because the kids in the story stand up for themselves. They don't give up without a fight- even if the only people who know what they are doing are themselves. This book has a lot of things kids can relate to, from nosy adults to the prospect of moving. I recommend this book for kids ages nine and up. Author: Gordan Korman. Release date: 2008  On a scale of 1 being not so good, and 10 being the very best book I've ever read, I rate this book a 9 1/2.