Illustrated
I Funny: A Middle School Story by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Feb.09, 2014, under Bullying, Humorous, Illustrated, Real life, Sam's Reviews
Who would like tho book? Boys or girls, grades 4 to 7, who like puns and jokes that make you laugh in spite of yourself.
The goods on this book: Jamie Grimm has a tough life. He’s in middle school, he’s in a wheelchair, he lives with a new family in a new city, and his new brother is the biggest and meanest bully in his middle school. How does he handle it all? By telling jokes. Really lame jokes, such as the one about what the teacher said during roll call one day:
“Are you chewing gum, young man?”
“No, I’m Jamie Grimm.”
Jamie, it turns out, has a talent for telling jokes and an obsession with learning everything having to do with comedy. He also has two geeky friends, an uncle who combines yo-yoing with cooking, and a couple of girls who show an interest in him. When Jamie secretly enters a local comedy contest, the pressure is on to be funny. Throughout this book, the jokes come fast and furiously, both in the text and in the entertaining drawings. It is very difficult to argue with Jamie’s self-assessment: “I funny.”
The details: 303 pages; 2012 Review by Samrarian
The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures by David Selznick
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on May.09, 2013, under Historical Fiction, Illustrated, Mystery, Student Reviews
Review by Miwako
Who would like this book? Every one would like this book.
The goods on this book: Hugo Cabret is awesome. Hugo is a clock keeper, and he is a thief. He lives in the train station. He doesn’t have any friends, only his father. Hugo and his father are working on an automaton. It’s the coolest machine in the world. Hugo’s life is going to change with an old man and Isabelle. more to come
The details: 533 pp. 2007 Review by Miwako
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by David Selznick
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Jan.22, 2013, under Historical Fiction, Illustrated, Mystery, Newbery, Student Reviews, Teen Top 10
Review by Cass E.
Who would like this book? I think this is a great book for almost anybody. People who like pictures, this is a good book for you. Everybody who reads this book will like it, boy or girl. Hugo is a book with a lot of pictures but I recommend it to advanced readers.
The goods on this book: The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a great book. It is about a boy named Hugo and his life in 1931 Paris. Hugo works every day on the train station clock and he would spy on the toy booth. Then he would go steal parts for his machine until he was caught by Georges, the owner of the toy booth. Georges took his notebook, and Hugo wanted to get it back. He got the automation fixed and working. I hope you will enjoy this book as much as I did cuz it is a great, fun book.
The details: 533 pp. 2007 Review by Cass e.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Jan.17, 2013, under Historical Fiction, Illustrated, Mystery, Student Reviews
Review by Shaylee
Who would like this book? Any ages would like this book.
The goods on the book: Hugo Cabret is a young boy just trying to make it, having to fix the clocks and make sure they are working, take care of himself, and try to fix his automaton. As he tries to steal parts for his secret machine, he is caught by Georges, a toy booth owner. When his notebook gets taken away, he works hard to get it back, but he finally realizes that the notebook wasn’t what he needed. After the automaton is fixed and working, it leads to a bigger discovery than Hugo could imagine. This book has amazing drawings and was pretty interesting from start to finish.
The details: 533 pp. 2007 Review by Shaylee
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Jan.11, 2013, under Historical Fiction, Illustrated, Mystery, Student Reviews
Review by Trinity
Who would like this book? I recommend this book to anyone between ages 10-13.
Why? Hugo Cabret is about a boy who’s father died in a fire at his work. Hugo was scared of turning into an orphan so he lived with his uncle . His uncle repaired the train station were they lived . Hugo stole parts from the toy seller’s booth, and he gets caught steeling the toys one day by the old man George and the old man said “take everything out of your pockets,” so Hugo did with a struggle. There was little toy parts in his pocket and his notebook that had everything about his fathers automaton. Hugo’s father wanted to fix the automaton, so once he died Hugo thought he would try to fix it but it was tough for him to find things for it. The old man took the notebook but did not look in it and he asked him what was in it. Hugo would never let anyone look inside his notebook. The old man had a grand daughter named Isabelle. Isabelle and Hugo became friends, but they fought a lot. Isabelle tried getting his notebook back to him, but she couldn’t find it, She tried so hard but had no clue where it was. Hugo’s uncle was a drunk and one night he never came home. I fell in love with this book. After the first part, I couldn’t put the book down. I hope you like this book, too.
The details: 533 pp. (Two-thirds are illustrations.) 2007 Review by Trinity
Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Jan.06, 2013, under Historical Fiction, Illustrated, Sam's Reviews
Who would like this book? Readers, grades 5 and up, who are interested in learning about the Stalin era of the Soviet Union through the eyes of a 10-year-old.
Why? Sasha Zaichik idolizes his father, an important member of Stalin’s secret police, and aat the story’s beginning Sasha wants nothing more than to become a Young Pioneer so that he can be a better Communist and make Stalin proud of him. His neighbor gives him a treat – a carrot – and his father presents him with his red Young Pioneer scarf. Sasha narrates these events with great pride, but the reader sees that his life is squalid. He and his father share a communal apartment with 46 other people, people who are only to eager to turn on each other if it means improving their own situation. As his story progresses, Sasha’s narration lays bare his emotions and desires in the face of horrific events. The author is also an amazing illustrator. The black and white illustrations add to the content as well as heightening the mood. As a glimpse into this part of history, this book could not be better. It is a quick but very moving read.
The details: 140 pp. 2011 Review by Samrarian
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Nov.06, 2012, under Humorous, Illustrated, Student Reviews
Review by Jack G.
Who would like this book? I think just about everyone would like this book. I think people his age could relate to it the most.
Why? The Ugly Truth is about a boy named Greg. He has a lot of problems, and in this book there is a bunch of stuff. He has to get “the talk” from his grandma. He has Friendship problems, too. He scores big when he gets Jorden Jury’s math book. That’s pretty much the only good thing that happens to him. The book is really funny. One thing that is funny is that Greg has to take care of an egg for health class and his mom makes the egg for him for his breakfast. One of the weird things is that all of the books are 217 pages. This book is just as good as the other ones.
The details: 217 pp. 2010 Review by Jack G.
Diary Of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Nov.04, 2012, under Humorous, Illustrated, Student Reviews
Review by Chad S.
Who would like this book? If you like to laugh, then read the book. It’s pretty much for anyone who likes to laugh.
Why? The main character Greg goes through a lot of stuff. He gets snowed in and also has an account for a little kid’s game that involves little pets. He spends a lot of money on that. He gets in trouble a lot. There are a lot of adventures in this book. There are a lot of troubles when he gets snowed in because the basement floods in his house and a lot of things get destroyed. The book is really funny. So, if you like funny books I suggest you read this big time!
The details: 217 pp. 2011 Review by Chad S.
As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Aug.12, 2012, under Adventure, Humorous, Illustrated, Sam's Reviews, YRCA
Who would like this book? Readers, 7th grade and up, who enjoy funny stories in which everything goes wrong.
Why? Ry, 16, is on a train from Wisconsin to a summer camp in Montana while his parents rekindle their marriage in the Caribbean and his grandfather holds down the Wisconsin household with their two dogs. The first sign of trouble is with a letter from the camp. It has been cancelled because “a statistically improbable number of things have gone wrong.“ This reason sums up the rest of the book with hilarious precision. For instance, Ry needs to let his grandfather know that the camp has been cancelled, but he can’t get cell reception on the train. In the middle of nowhere, the train has a problem and stops. Ry thinks he has enough time to jump off and scramble up a hill to make the call. Of course, as he’s trying to make the call, the train pulls away, leaving Ry with only his dying phone. Soon, he is also without a boot. Everything that can go wrong goes wrong for Ry, his parents, his grandfather, and the dogs. Every mishap is funny and for every piece of bad luck, a gift of good luck (usually in the form of a well-drawn character) appears for the rescue. This book is not for people looking for a plausible plot, but for anyone willing to suspend disbelief and jump on for the ride, it’s a great one. I loved every minute!
The details: 352 pp. 2010 Review by Samrarian
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Apr.09, 2012, under Historical Fiction, Illustrated, Mystery, Student Reviews
Review by Maddison R.
Who would like this book? I think you would like this book if you like mysteries.
Why? The main character is Hugo. His father died in a fire, so he goes and lives with his uncle who fixes up the clocks in a train station. After his uncle disappears, Hugo is left to fix them by himself. Hugo’s father invented a thing called an automaton before he died, but he never completed it. Hugo steals many toys from the toy maker to take apart to try to get the automaton fixed. The toy maker ends up taking Hugo’s book of drawings and won’t give it back. Hugo then meets the toy maker’s goddaughter who has a key on a necklace that would fit in the automaton so he tries to get it from her. I think this was a good book because it was very well thought out.
The details: 533 pp. 2007 Review by Maddison R.
