Day of Doom by Tyler

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.

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.

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!

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.