The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on May.12, 2009, under Adventure, Battle of the Books 2007, BookCasts, Mythology, Student Reviews, YRCA
Listen to a bookcast of The Lightning Thief!
Review by Margo
What if the gods of Ancient Greece were still alive in the 21st Century? What if they still fell in love with humans and had children who might become great heroes — like Theseus, Jason and Hercules? What if you found out you were one of those children?
That is the discovery that launches twelve-year-old Percy Jackson on the most dangerous adventure of his life. With the help of a satyr named Grover and Annabeth a daughter of Athena, Percy journey’s across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the most famous weapon of mass destruction — Zeus’ master lightning bolt. Along the way, he must face a host of mythological creatures determined to stop him. But mjost of all, he must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of a betrayal of a friend.
The details:377 p. 2005 Submitted by Margo
The Book Thief by Marcus Zuzak
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Mar.04, 2009, under BookCasts, Historical Fiction, Student Reviews, War, YRCA
Listen to a Bookcast by Sofie
Review by Sofie
Who would like this book? People who are interested in Germany and action.
Why? Liesel is nine when her brother dies and her mother becomes too sick to take care of her. At first she is frightened when she goes to live with a foster family, but she soon learns to love them.
This story takes place in Germany, during Hitler’s reign. It is a dangerous thing not to be a member of the Nazi Party, but Liesel’s foster father isn’t. Something happens that puts Liesel, her foster mother and father all in danger.
I won’t tell you because it will ruin the surprise, but read this book and I guarantee you’ll love it!
The deatils: 552 p. 2005 Submitted by Sofie
Maximum Ride, the Angel Experiment by James Patterson
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Feb.24, 2009, under Battle of the Books 2009-2010, BookCasts, Student Reviews
Listen to a Bookcast by Kenzie!
Review by Kenzie
Who would like this book? Anyone who likes reading books with fantasy and continuous action. This book keeps your attention and is far from boring.
Why? Maximum Ride, the Angel Experiment is a 422-page thriller. It is about Max and her ‘family’: Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel- also known as the flock. They’re all experiments, made up of 98% human DNA, the other 2% bird. Obviously, this fact sets the flock apart from the average kid, and after escaping the School (the horrific place they were created and tortured) they live in hiding. But when a member of Max’s flock is stolen from alliances of the School, there’s nothing stopping her- or the rest of her loyal ‘family’- from heading straight back to the place they fear most to save her. This, along with the many adventures that follow, make Maximum Ride, the Angel Experiment, the ultimate book for any person seeking an exciting book that is far from ordinary.
The details: 422 p. 2005 Submitted by Kenzie
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Jan.29, 2009, under BookCasts, Humorous, Mystery, Student Reviews
Listen to a Bookcast by Chance!
While many books catch my eye, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, is unique, with its innocent text and its comical surprises. The sequel to the popular Mysterious Benedict Society is certainly a treasure to behold.
At the end of book one, our four kid geniuses, (Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance) were left to live their normal lives again. But, when they all receive letters from Sir Nicholas Benedict explaining a celebration to mark their last mission’s anniversary, they are excited to meet together yet again, some feeling quite bored with the typical world. Soon, however, that excitement is depleted, when the recurring villain, Ledroptha Curtain, has kidnapped the fours’ favorite mastermind, the inventive Benedict.
Consequently, the four are sent off, on an exceedingly perilous journey, complete with secret agents, bombs, and pencil darts; this is by far the most dangerous mission yet!
Will the children succeed, or will it be “Curtains” for dear Mr. Benedict? Read the daring, and quite imaginative, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, and I guarantee you won’t regret it!
The details: 2008, 440 p. Submitted by Chance
The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Jan.29, 2009, under Adventure, BookCasts, Fantasy, Mythology, Student Reviews
Listen to a Bookcast by Halle!
Who would like this book? People who love fantasy, mythology, and adventure.
Why? The Titan’s Curse is book three in the series of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. When Percy gets messaged “It’s an emergency” by his friend Grover (who’s a satyr), Percy, Thalia (daughter of Zeus), and Annabeth (daughter of Athena) rush to Westover Grunt, where Grover sent the message from. Grover was waiting for them outside and told them that there were two more half bloods, an older sister (Bianca Diangelo) and her younger brother (Nico Diangelo). The only problem was there was a monster, Mr. Thorn, who got to the two siblings first. Percy took action but also got kidnapped by the monster. When they got to a cliff, Mr. Thorn told them their ride would be there soon. Percy really wanted to help but he was no match for Mr. Thorn. Soon, backup came. Thalia, Grover and Annabeth were still not enough. All of a sudden, the huntresses came out of the forest and shot Mr. Thorn. As he was about to fall off the cliff, he grabbed Annabeth and took her with him. Percy was crushed. He loved Annabeth dearly. When Artemis, leader of the huntresses, left to find an even worse monster than Mr. Thorn, a monster that hasn’t been fought in many millenia, the huntresses were left with Percy, Thalia, and Grover to get back to camp safely with the Diangelos. Then, when Artemes got kidnapped, Percy tagged along on a quest he wasn’t invited into. They needed to find Artemes before winter solstice so she could tell the gods about the monster she was hunting. But Percy didn’t go because he wanted to find Artemes; he went because he wanted to find Annabeth. Maybe Percy’s love for Annabeth might help on the quest. Will they find Artemes in time? Will Percy find Annabeth? You have to read the book to find out!
The details: 2007, 312 p. Submitted by Halle
Desert Crossing by Elise Broach
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Jan.23, 2009, under BookCasts, Mystery, Real life, Romance, Student Reviews
Listen to a Bookcast by Elsie!
Who would like this book? This book is for kids about 13 years old and adults.It’s a mystery.
Why? This book is a great mystery. Lucy, a freshman, her brother Jamie, and his brother’s friend Kit, who are both seniors, go on a trip to Phoenix, Arizona to go visit Lucy’s and Jamie’s dad for their spring break. While they were going through New Mexico, they went through the desert. It was raining so hard that they couldn’t see where they were going on the road. They hit some thing-an animal, they think. They went back to check out what they hit. They found a dead girl on the side of the road. From that point on, their lives are not the same.
The deatils: 275 p. 2006 Submitted by Elsie
Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Dec.23, 2008, under Battle of the Books 2007, BookCasts, Mystery, Real life, Student Reviews, Thriller, YRCA
Listen to a Bookcast by Elsie!
Who would like this book? This book has a little bit of mystery and suspense. I think it’s good for all ages.
Why? This book is mysterious in some parts, and it’s also suspenseful in other parts. A teenager called Mitty Blake has to do a biology paper on a disease. He chose to do his paper on small pox. Mitty has a friend named Derek who wants to try to figure out a murder that happened a long time ago. Mitty likes this one girl named Olivia. She is really smart. Mitty isn’t as smart as her. Mitty is in advanced biology just because he wanted a class with Olivia. Mitty was trying to act all smart so Olivia could notice him. During the weekends, Mitty’s family goes to their other house out of New York, out in the country. Mitty started his paper on small pox. He found an old book on all kinds of diseases. He looked up small pox. He found an envelope inside the book. The envelope wasn’t sealed. He opened it up. The stuff inside the envelope was small pox scabs. Mitty sneezed and the scabs got all over him. He touched his nose with his hands that had small pox scabs. He cleaned the scabs up and put them back in the envelope. The next day Mitty was at school and did more research on small pox. Mitty was afraid of getting small pox because he touched the small pox scabs and got it all over him. Does Mitty Blake get infected with this small pox disease? Well, I am not going to tell you. Read this book to find out if he does get small pox or if he doesn’t.
The details: 195 p. 2005 Submitted by Elsie
Click here for another review of Code Orange
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Nov.13, 2008, under BookCasts, Classic, Romance, Student Reviews
Listen to a bookcast by Chance!
Who would like this book?
I think this book is is probably for ages 13 plus, for its sometimes confusing text. However, I think everyone would enjoy it; after all it is definitely a classic!
Why? When Mr. Lockwood decides to rent a house by a Mr. Heathcliff, he has no idea of the family’s horrid past, full of love, death, and tragedy. But, when he sees the ghost of a Heathcliff family member, his curiosity inspires him to ask an old family maid of the past. However, as Mr. Lockwood will soon find out, the past is usually not so bright, but what of the future? This book follows the maid’s sometimes chilling, and always intoxicating tale, of love, despair, and glory. With conflicts that will chill your bones, and warm your heart, Wuthering Heights is a definite classic that will make your head swim with pleasure. Read to find out more.
The details: 303 p. 1847 Submitted by Chance
The Stout-Hearted Seven by Neta Lohnes Frazier
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Aug.10, 2008, under Adult Read, Adventure, Battle of the Books 2008-2009, Grief, Historical Fiction, Multicultural Fiction, Sam's Reviews
Listen to a Bookcast by Sam!
Who would like this book? Do you have relatives who came to Oregon via the Oregon Trail? Are you curious about what life was like for these pioneers? Are you interested in the conflict between the Native Americans and the new white settlers? You’ll want to read this book.
Why? The Stout-Hearted Seven tells the story of the Sager family, who leave Missouri in the spring of 1844 with the hope that a good life awaits them in the Willamette Valley. It’s amazing to read a story such as this one and realize that these people went through unbelievable hardship to get to the land where we now live. Ms. Frazier did lots of research to gain the perspective of the eldest Sager daughter, Catherine. She writes with a sense of fairness, balancing the family’s good and bad times. The excruciating and tragic situation with the Native Americans (referred to as either Indians or by their specific tribes) starts out in the background, but is thrust to the foreground dramatically. Frazier gives a fair but limited context for the tragic events in the last part of the story. There are a number of unfortunate typographical errors throughout the text, but they are minor. This selection for the 08-09 Battle of the Books is an excellent telling of a riveting pioneer story.
The details: 193 p. 1973 (reprinted 2006)
Eyes of the Emperor by Graham Salisbury
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Mar.30, 2008, under Adventure, Battle of the Books 2008-2009, BookCasts, Historical Fiction, Multicultural Fiction, Sam's Reviews, War
Listen to a Bookcast by Sam!
Who would like this book? Teens – both guys and girls – who want a gripping adventure story that is based on the events of World War II and highlights the racial discrimination that took place against Japanese Americans.
Why? If you have read Graham Salisbury’s Under the Blood Red Sun, you won’t want to miss Eyes of the Emperor. They both focus on the experience of Japanese Americans in Hawaii during World War II, and they both draw on the experiences of his own family as well as on eye-witness accounts given to him by other Japanese Americans. Salisbury is convincing as he weaves this historical information into the lives of his fictitious characters. In Eyes of the Emperor, young Eddy Okubo enlists in the army after the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Instead of being sent into combat, he and his fellow Japanese soldiers are sent to a remote island in Mississippi where they are faced with a terrifying, top-secret assignment. The spirit and courage of the Japanese soldiers, their loyalty to each other, and their way of coping with impossible situations with humor combine to make this book a powerful tribute to them and a reminder of the dangerous consequences of faulty, racist thinking.
The details: 229 p. 2005
