Thursday, June 20, 2013

Day of Doom by Tyler

Day of Doom (The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers, #6)This was the final book in the Cahills vs Vespers series, that followed up the 39 Clues Series that I read earlier this year. I'd been waiting to finish the books, and I just earned a special reading award that came with a gift card to Barnes and Noble. I decided to spend my money on this book! And, I'm glad I did!

In this book, Dan and Amy, with the help of their family, stopped the Vespers from starting up the Doomsday Device. This device was going to destroy the planet, but luckily, the Cahills got to it first. In this book, even Isabelle Kobra turned into a good guy, when she realized that the Vespers had killed her daughter, named Natalie. All along, Isabelle had been the ultimate villain, even shooting Natalie in the foot, at one point. I was shocked that she came to the good side. Sinead turned back from being a mole for the Vespers and ended up helping Amy and the rest of the Cahills. I was happy with how the series ended, and I'm glad that the Cahills were safe. I was worried, though, when Amy was struck by a chunk of rock in the head. She started having visions of her dead family members, and I thought she was a goner, too!

Next, I'm going to read the Infinity Ring series, which is by the same authors as the 39 Clues Books and the Cahills vs Vespers. The Infinity Ring are not books about the Cahills and Vespers, so I'm ready to meet some new characters!



The Wind Singer by Tyler



The Wind Singer was written William Nicholson, and it is the first book in the Wind on Fire trilogy. This book was about a boy named Bowman and his twin sister, named Kestrel. Bowman and Kestrel had to save the world from the Zars and the Morah. The Zars were trying to kill everyone in their path, and nothing could stop them. The Morah controlled the Zars, and they wanted to get rid of everyone. Bowman and Kestrel were able to get the voice of the Wind Singer from a mountain the far North, and took it back to the town they lived in, called Arameth. They took it took back to the middle of town, where there was a statue of the Wind Singer. This kept the Zars away and saved the town!
There are two more books in this series. I don't think that I will actually read those. This book was pretty good, but I wasn't left wanting to read more. I'm glad I read this one, but that was probably enough for me.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Peter and the Starcatchers

Peter and the Starcatchers
by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

S - Starcatchers were important characters in the story because they are people who catch starstuff, which can do harm and make people bad.
T - Teacher is a mermaid and a character in the story.
A -  A native tribe caught 5 kids named Peter, James, Prentiss, Thomas, and Tubby Ted, also one pirate named Alf. 
R - Rating this story is easy, I give it a 5 out of 5!

C -Peter got cursed and now he can fly whenever he would like. That doesn't sound like a curse to me!
A - An interesting event is when a girl named Molly started talking to dolphins.
T - The worst part in the story to me was all the guns, sharp swords, the fighting, and a giant, 25 foot long crocodile.
C - The crocodile's name was Mister Grin.
H - Peter is a orphan, along with James, Prentiss, Thomas, and Tubby Ted. None of them have any parents.
E - This is a very exciting story with all the magic and the pirates.
R - The 5 boys had to ride on a ship called the NEVER LAND.
S - Soon I want to read the other books in this series!

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements

Mom: You've read quite a few books by Andrew Clements. Why are you drawn to them?

David: I think that his books inspire you to try new things, like it inspired me to write my own book. I hope it will inspire you too.



Mom: After reading School Story, you said that you were inspired to write your own book. What is it about? How is it coming?

David: It's about somebody who likes somebody else and how they get in fights sometimes. So far I am on chapter 5 and am still working from time to time.


Mom: How would you rate Extra Credit as a book on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being AWESOME? Why do you rate it this way?

David:  I would have to rate it at a 5 because teaches you that even when things get tough don't give up. Also, it makes you want to experiment and get to learn new things.



Mom: Do you think your friends at school would like this book? Why?

David:  Yes I do think that some kids would like them because it is really cool. Also, it might inspire  them to do a extra credit project and send to somebody around the world.


Mom: Which character in Extra Credit do you think you are most like? Why can you relate to him or her?

David:  I think that I am more like Sadeed because he is really scientific.



Monday, March 25, 2013

Throne of Fire & Serpent's Shadow

Titles: Throne of Fire & Serpent's Shadow (books 2 & 3 in the Kane Chronicles series)
Author: Rick Riordan

K - 2 Kane children are Blood of the Pharaohs and are gathering other people with Blood of the Pharaohs to fight the god of Chaos, named Apophis, who is rising from the Daut.
A - Apophis is a character in the 2nd & 3rd books of the Kane Chronicles.
N - These Blood of the Pharaoh kids are not normal because they can do magic and others cannot.
E - These 2 books are exciting with all the magic and the monsters.

C - Could not happen in real life, so this story is fantasy.
H - A Hunter god named Neith fought on the Kane side and not for Apophis.
R - The Kane children ran into gods wherever they went.
O - Gods fought on the Kane side.
N - This book is NOT real.
I - These books are interesting because of the Gods and the magic.
C - Quests in these 2 books can be very,very dangerous.
L - Apophis loved to try and hurt and kill people.
E - Egyptian gods and monsters fill up this story.
S - This story is sad at some parts, like when Sadie's and Carter's mother was trapped under a cliff because a serpent's shadow was sucking in all the spirits.

School Story

Title: School Story
Author: Andrew Clements

S - School Story tells you how hard it is to get a book published.
C - Clara was one of the staff members at the publishing company.
H - Hannah Nelson is Natalie's mom.
O - Oh, I was shocked when Natalie's mom thought Ms.Clayton was Cassandra Day.
O - Oh I never knew that there was ever a Cassandra Day.
L - Letha is Natalie's mom's boss at the publishing company.

S - Some of the main characters are Zoe,  Natalie , and Ms.Clayton.
T - To begin with, Natalie wanted to write her own book called The Cheater.
O - Out of the Natalie's 2 choices of Hannah and Letha, she chose Hannah.
R - Ron is somebody from a news channel.
Y -  Yes! Natalie's mom was so happy that her daughter was actually Cassandra Day.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Mammoth Fun

7 interesting facts about mammoths from David's research:

1. Columbian Mammoths lived in North America.

2. The hairs on a Woolly Mammoths coat could reach up to three feet long.

3. If lucky, a mammoth could live 70-80 years.

4. Most frozen Woolly Mammoths are from 100,000 - 30,000 years ago.

5. A baby Woolly Mammoth was found by a gold mine's bulldozer. He had died 400,000 years before.

6. One theory explaining why mammoths died out was due to new predators and plants.

7. Another idea is that they died out from a disease.

I wanted to learn more about Woolly Mammoths because they'd always seemed interesting to me. They were really cool to learn about! I love doing the Sid Shuffle, so I also wanted to learn more about the real animals from Ice Age!

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Hatchet

Title: Hatchet
Author: Gary Paulsen

What happens...
The main characters in the book are the Pilot, Brian, Mom, Dad. It is about a kid  named Brian. His mom and dad divorced so he stayed with his mom during school and during the summer with his dad.But when he was on his way to his dad, the pilot had a heart attack above the Canadian wilderness. So he made a plan to land in a deep pond. Then he had to survive n his own for more than 2 months. 

My favorite part was when...
He got his Hatchet from the bottom of the plane after he dropped it while looking for the medical kit. I was so nervous!

I couldn't believe it when... 
He ate the turtle eggs raw, and he did not put it on a rock and put it over the fire that he had made.

I really liked this book because...
It is really entertaining and kind of taught you a lesson. And that lesson is that you need to use all the resources that you have! As I was reading, it reminded me of some of my favorite tv shows, like Survivorman and Man vs. Wild.

Cahills vs. Vespers Series (1-3)






Title(s): The Medusa Plot, A King's Ransom, The Dead of Night
Author: Gordan Korman, Jude Watson, Peter Lerangis

What is the series about?
The series is about the Cahills and Vespers fighting. The Vespers are capturing  the Cahills and threatening to kill them. Dan and Amy Cahill have to keep their family alive by doing what the Vespers tell them. They won't kill them if Dan and Amy Cahill do what they say.  They have had to steal things from museums, and they are always under a strict time limit of 4 days.
 
How is it similar to the 39 Clues series?
It's similar because there are some of the same characters, like Dan and Amy Cahill. Some other chracters come back, too, like Nellie (the Au Pair), Fiske (their uncle), Uncle Alistair Oh (another uncle), and Hamilton, Ian, Natalie, and Jonah. Also some of the places are the same, like Paris. They are always having to hunt for things all over the world.

How is it different than the 39 Clues series?
The difference is that there weren't any Vespers in the 39 clues series. The Cahills are all united and working together in this series of books, working against the Vespers. There are some new characters, also. Dan and Amy work with Sinead (who is like a sister to Amy), Jake and Atticus (they are brothers who decide to help Amy and Dan), and all of the Vespers (they are numbered, as in Vesper 1 through Vesper 6).

Which of these was your favorite book? Why?
The Dead of Night was my favorite book because of the traveling in the story. They traveled to Turkey, while Hamilton, Jonah and the messenger went to Pompeii. They were in search of an Astrolabe. I also liked the mystery in the series.  One twist was that Ian went to visit his mother in New York, and no one knows why. She ended the 39 Clues series as a villain and murderer. She even shot her own daughter. 

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Mystery at Chocolate Town

Title: Mystery at Chocolate Town
Author: Carole Marsh

What was the great mystery?
The great mystery was that a lot of silver dollars are missing!

Is Chocolate Town a real place? What can you tell us about it?
Chocolate town is a real place. It is located at Hershey, Pennsylvania.The street lamps are shaped like hershey's kisses.You can go to chocolate world and do lots of fun stuff, like make your own chocolate.  I am trying to talk my parents into taking me there soon!

You've read lots of Carole Marsh mysteries. What do you like about them? Why would other kids like them, too?
I like all the mysteries in the Carole Marsh series. I like all the actions during the mysteries and also the excitement. Other kids would like them because of the mysteries and the fun characters in the Carole Marsh series.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

The Son of Neptune

Title: The Son of Neptune
Author: Rick Riordin

I give this book _5_ stars out of 5. 

I give it this rating because of the action and the characters in this story. I'd also give it this rating because the characters are taking care of each other and looking after each other.I also like the fighting and the powers in this story. Neptune is the god of the sea to the Romans. He is also known as Poseidon  in Greek. One of the most exciting action parts of the book is when a kid named Percy turned into a hurricane and knocked down row after row of monsters. Percy is a child of Poseidon.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Books 1-6

Book Titles: The Capture, The Journey, The Rescue, The Siege, The Shattering, The Burning

Author: Kathryn Lasky

The Good Guys... 

Soren -  Soren is a barn owl he is from the forest kingdom of Tyto. When Soren was only a hatchling, his brother Kludd pushed him out of the nest.
Gylfie - Gylfie was a elf owl from the kingdom of Kuneer. She and Soren are best friends, and they escaped from St.Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls.
Twilight - Twilight is from the kingdom of Ambala. He lives with a burrowing in a big hole. He is a good friend of Soren and Gylfie. He didn't have any training of anything. He had to train himself how to do the basic stuff like flying, hunting and other stuff.
Digger - Digger is a burrowing owl and is from the desert of Kuneer. He is living with a great gray named Twilight. He is a great friend of Gylfie, Soren, and Twilight.He is the smartest owl of the band.
Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Is a great owl tree where you learn in these different chaws, as they call them. These are the chaws: Tracking, search and rescue, colliering, navigation, and weathering. It is also where Lyze of Keil lives (a great legendary fighter.)

The Bad Guys...

Kludd - Kludd is a barn owl and is from the forest kingdom of Tyto. He pushed Soren out of the nest when they were hatchlings. When he got older, he joined the Pure Ones.
The Pure Ones - The pure ones are these bad owls who are led by Metal Beak, (Kludd). They are trying to take over the Great Ga'Hoole Tree.

My Favorite Thing About the Series...
There are lots of things I love about the series, but my favorite is when Kludd gets killed by Gylfie with a ice splinter. Then everybody started to retreat because their next commander (Nyra, which was Kludd's mate) told them to, and that night their chick was born.


One Thing I Can't Wait to Find Out...
After finishing 6 of the 15 books in the series, I can't wait to find out if there will be another war between the Pure Ones and the Great Ga' Hoole tree.


It's Not Quite Like the Movie...
You may have seen the movie, and you don't think you need to read the book. Think again! Here are some ways that the books are different than the movie. In the movie Kludd and Soren end up falling out of the nest, not just Soren. In the movie, you don't realize how evil Kludd is. In the book, he is a bad, bad owl, even from the beginning. He was always jealous of Soren, and he pushed him out of the nest. Also, in the book Egglatine got shattered, but in the movie she did not get shattered. The book is also different because in the movie Soren's nest maid snake she almost became dinner, but in the book they find her while looking for something to eat.

We're Famous!

This morning, David and Tyler's blog was featured at "Figuring Out How the Pieces Fit", a blog written by a friend and fellow educator, Melissa Edwards. Check it out! They are so excited. Tyler can now officially add "guest blogger" to his resume.

Here's the link - "Looking for Clues?"

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero

by Rick Riordin



Main Characters:
The main characters in the story are Piper, Jason, and Leo. They are 3 kids. Piper is a daughter of Aphrodite. Jason is a son of Zeus. Leo is a son of Hephaestus.

Setting:
This story takes place in the past. This story happens in many places, like a Wind God's castle.

Plot:
If I am summing up what happened in The Lost Hero, I would say the problem in the story is that Piper, Jason, and Leo were on a quest. My question about the story is ''Why send 3 kids who just got to Camp Half-Blood on a quest?"  The author wrote this to teach about 3 kids who each used teamwork to free a goddess.

What was your favorite part of the story? Why?
My favorite part of the story was when Leo tamed a metal dragon because I've never known anybody who could tame a metal dragon.

If you could have changed one part of the story, which part would it have been? Why?
If I could change one part in the story, it would have been when Piper, Jason and Leo rode on the back on the back of a metal dragon. I would have changed this part because it is not safe, and I wouldn't have wanted anything bad to happen to them.

Series of Unfortunate Events - Books 1-6

Titles: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window, The Miserable Mill, The Austere Academy, The Erastz Elevator
Author: Lemony Snicket

What are these books mostly about?
These books are about three little kids named Klaus, Sunny and Violet and they are on a incredible journey after what happened to their parents and they keep running away from this man named Count Olaf. Count Olaf is after them because he wants their fortune.

What is one new word that you learned from these books? What does it mean?
One new word I learned is erastz. The meaning of this word is that it is not real. So in this story there really a elevator.

Who is your favorite character from the stories? Why?
My favorite character is Klaus because he is a reading fan and so am I. Also, he likes to try and help people.

Who is your least favorite character? Why?
One person I can't stand is COUNT OLAF!!! He is always in disguises and is threatening and lying to everybody.

Would you recommend these books to other kids? Why or why not? 
I would recommend these books because it is a great series. It is a great series because it can be really funny at some parts; and the other times, it is really scary.


Monday, February 18, 2013

Percy Jackson's Wold - Book Series

Titles: The Lightning Thief, Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth, The Last Olympian

Author: Rick Riordin


What is the series mostly about?
  • The series was mostly about a boy named Percy Jackson who went to Camp Half-Blood and learned to fight. He had 2 friends named Annebeth and Grover. He is a son of the sea god Poseidon. He found another friend named Tyson, who was a cyclops. He helped fight the Titan army. The god Hades and 2 other water gods helped out, too. Percy and his friends each got a wish. 
What is one interesting thing that you learned as you read?
  • One interesting thing I learned is that there is a mist that makes us not be able to see what is really happening. That is how we don't know that there are gods around.
Who was your favorite character? Why?
  • My favorite character is Grover. Grover is my favorite character becuase he likes to eat cans and he is really funny.
Which book of the series was your favorite? Why?
  • My favorite book out of the series is Battle of the Labyrinth because Percy, Annebeth, Grover,and Tyson traveled through a maze. On there way they met a hundred-handed one.  

Sunday, February 17, 2013

The 39 Clues Series

Titles: The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones, One False Note, The Sword Theif, Beyond the Grave, The Black Cirle, In Too Deep, The Viper's Nest, The Emporer's Code, Storm Warning, Into the Gauntlet, Vespers Rising

Authors: Rick Riordin, Gordan Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman, Linda Sue Park, Margaret Peterson Haddix


Quick Summary of the Series:
To start the series, Dan and Amy Cahill were at the funeral for their grandmother, Grace Cahill. Soon they learned that they were given the choice between $1 million dollars each or to go on a clue hunt, with the chance to find the 39 clues and to be the most powerful kids in the world. They picked to search for the 39 clues. Dan and Amy Cahill had to travel around the world with Nellie, their Au Pair, and their grandmother's cat, Saladin. They had to steal a lot of  ingredients that would make a master serum to make the kids the most powerful in the world.There were 5 branches of the Cahill family. The 5 branches of the family are Lucian, Thomas, Ekaterina, Janus, and Madrigal.At first, Dan and Amy thought the Madrigals were bad people who killed their parents. Later, they learned this wasn't true, along with a secret that surprised them. Sometimes they worked with people from different branches, and other times they worked alone. They always had to be careful and suspicious.


Why I loved the books:
I loved the books because of the mysteries, the clues and the different branches. I also liked this series because at the end, the branches worked together. I won't tell you too much about the end though. I don't want to give it all away. I thought Dan and Amy were pretty cool kids because Dan liked tombstone rubbings and Amy was very smart. I would like to be like Dan because I'd have a very good memory of everything I've ever seen. I liked learning about different places around the world and history. I can't wait to see the movie, which is supposed to come out in 2014. I wonder if it is better than the books I have read. We'll see!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Wolves of the Beyond

Title: The Wolves of the Beyond series
Author: Kathryn Lasky


A brief summary:
This is a series of five books.The main characters are Faolan, Esme, and Thunderbolt. The main issue in these books is that Faolan and his sisters get left alone after their mother has to go away. She had to go away because she was dying and couldn't take care of her kids. After their mother went away, they went to The Ring Of Sacred Volcanoes. That is where they met Esme and started learning how to leap over a volcano. Throughout the five books, the wolves face the dangers of other wolf tribes, having to move to the Beyond the Beyond, and learning how to stand up for themselves and others. They make new friends and protect one another.

Why  I love these books: It is like it taught me a lesson, and whenever I read the books it just brings me to life. The lesson was that you can't judge others by their looks. What I mean when I say that is it brings me to life if I'm depressed. It just makes my depress feel like a dream. The only thing I don't like about this series is that there are only five books! I just learned that the sixth book is coming soon. Yay!