Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Last year, lots of my students loved the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I wasn't convinced, but one day while my students were at recess, I picked up one of the books on a student's desk to glance through it. And it was hilarious. I decided I might as well give them a try. So, here I am, reading book 4 in the series after being on hold at the library for at least a month. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are about a boy named Greg and his middle school life, entertaining family, and weird friends. The books are written in the form of a diary with little doodles.

This book was entertaining. I couldn't help but laugh aloud at times. I really think this author is a complete goof, and I have no idea where he comes up with this stuff. But it's funny. The best thing about these books is that they take less than an hour (easily) to read. (Then I don't feel that bad about wasting my life reading it.) An enjoyable read.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Savvy

I chose to read Savvy by Ingrid Law because it was a Newbery Honor book. This book is about Mibs Beaumont, who is anxiously awaiting her very near 13th birthday. In her family, turning 13 is special because that's when you discover your savvy. One of her brothers can control electricity; another can start hurricanes. Then, days before her birthday, her dad ends up in the hospital in critical condition--leaving Mibs without her parents on her big day. This book follows Mibs's adventure as she comes to discover her savvy.

This book was okay. It took me a long time to get through (even though it's not a long book). It had some fun ideas, and a few really likeable characters (particularly Will Junior, who crushes on Mibs). Overall, though, I didn't feel like the plot or story line was exceptionally strong. I liked reading it most of the time, but I didn't feel there was anything too wonderful or special about it. I really feel like Newbery award winners (medals/honors) are hit and miss. Some I absolutely LOVE, and others, I really don't know why they were winners. Good thing I'm not a judge.

Rating: * (1/3 = It was okay.)

Twilight

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is one of those books everyone has read and was shocked that I hadn't read. I decided to read it because so many people recommended it and said that I'd for sure like it. For those who don't already know, Twilight is the story of a girl named Bella who moves to a new town and meets and falls for Edward--a vampire. The book brings you into the world of vampires and what choices Bella will make when her boyfriend loves her for both love and lust (ie., wanting to eat her).

This book was a fun read--it definitely brought out smiles and laughs. It is for sure a chick flick, which I can't help but enjoy. It's not the best written book in the world, but that was kind of a nice change from all the "polished" books that are normally popular. However, it's hard to read a book after seeing the movie. It just makes it hard to enjoy the book as much. I'm a big believer that books are always better than movies--but I think that you can only appreciate that when you read the book first. My plan is not to see the second movie until I've read the second book. But I don't feel a huge urge to read the second book right away. We'll see what happens.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the sequel to The Hunger Games, a book Connor and I read last year after hearing a lot about it. I don't want to summarize Catching Fire since that would completely give away the first book--so I'll summarize The Hunger Games so you can get the gist of it. The Hunger Games is about a society consisting of the Capitol and 12 districts where the Capitol is in complete control of all the people's lives. To show its great power and dominance, the Capitol hosts the "Hunger Games" every year where 2 children ("tributes") from each district are selected (in a lottery system) to participate in a fight to the death. This "game" is broadcast on television for all the districts to watch and to entertain the Capitol. The games end when one tribute has survived--and the other 23 have been killed. Hunger Games tells the story of Katniss, one of the tributes, and her fight to survive.

Catching Fire (like Hunger Games) was a book that I both hated and loved. (Meaning I loved it.) Such terrible things happen in the book that I have to cry or be completely angry. But the book is so engaging that from the time I started it yesterday to the time I finished it today, it was all I thought about. I dreamt about it last night; I woke up with the story consuming my mind. This book is a wonderful read because the situations are compelling and the characters are real. Unfortunately, both books in this series so far have ended less than ideally because they leave things wide open--forcing you to eagerly await the next book in the sequel. So...I will wait.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it in a hating way)

The Thief Lord

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke was a book recommended (and given) to me by students. I was in between books so pulled it off the shelf and decided to read it. It is about two boys who are orphaned and expected to go into the custody of their unkind aunt and uncle. Instead, they run away to Venice and join a group of orphans who live in an abandoned movie theater, led by a boy who calls himself the Thief Lord. This books tells of how the orphans get involved in some deals and mysteries that could deeply change their lives.

I really liked this book. It had interesting, likable, believable characters and a unique story. I was kept guessing throughout the story and enjoyed reading it. Unfortunately, it took me for-ev-er to get through it. At first I thought it was just because I've been kind of busy lately, but now I'm thinking that it just wasn't quite top-notch in its engagement level. But, it was still an enjoyable book.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Charlotte's Rose

Charlotte's Rose by A.E. Cannon is a book I've owned for a few years but never gotten around to read until now. It's the story of a 12-year-old girl named Charlotte who leaves her home in Wales and travels with her dad and other Mormon converts to Utah. As the handcart company starts on the journey in America, one woman dies giving birth and her husband is in deep mourning, so Charlotte offers to take care of the baby for the rest of the trip. She volunteers to prove she is grown up, but once she starts caring for Rose, she finds that it is much harder than she anticipated. This book tells Charlotte's story of how she comes to love Rose--even though her dad and others remind her that this baby will have to be returned to Rose's father when he's ready.

This book was beautifully written and just touching to read. It was really neat to see what it could have been like for these pioneers in their journey and to get to know all the different characters in the handcart company. It was a wonderful story that had me both smiling and crying. (Also, FYI: This isn't a Mormon fiction book written specifically for a Mormon audience. It's a general historical fiction book that happens to be about the Mormon pioneers.)

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

A Christmas Carol

I read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens for a book club, but it's also a book I knew I really needed to read. I'm sure everyone knows the story of A Christmas Carol because of all the movies based on it, but in case you forgot: Selfish Scrooge is visited by 3 Christmas spirits to help him understand the meaning of Christmas.

This was a fun, quick book to read. It's interesting to read a book after seeing tons of different movies based on it. I found myself picturing the muppets and other various characters as I read. I enjoyed reading a couple parts that I never remember seeing in a movie. It just added a little more to this great story.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Forest Born

Forest Born by Shannon Hale is the 4th book of the Books of Bayern. It is the story of Rin, Razo's younger sister, who feels unsure and unsettled about who she is. She decides to leave home for awhile in search of something new even though her family's home in the forest is all she's known. When Rin goes on an important mission with Isi, Enna, and Dasha (who she calls the "fire sisters"), she starts to realize that maybe she has some abilities that she never noticed in the past.

I absolutely loved this book. It was my favorite of the Books of Bayern since Goose Girl, probably since Rin is such a real, likable character. She was so sweet, and the gifts she has made me love reading about how she helped people and made a difference. The book was exciting to read, and as always with these books, it's fun to re-connect with the characters from the past books--but see characters in a new perspective. If you haven't read this series yet, please do. I loved this book! And the whole series! I hope Shannon Hale writes more.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Tiger Rising

I chose Tiger Rising because I have enjoyed Kate DiCamillo's books in the past (specifically Tale of Despereaux). This book is about a boy named Rob who recently lost his mother to cancer, lives at a motel with his dad, and gets made fun of at school. As he deals with the sadness and unhappiness in life, one day he sees a caged tiger in the woods behind his house. The story follows what happens with Rob, the new girl Sistine, and that out-of-place tiger.

I really liked this book. I feel like Kate DiCamillo as an author really has a way of bringing you into her stories--just in the words she uses. It was a calming book that really brought out human emotions.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Chains

I saw Chains at the library, and I recognized the author (Laura Halse Anderson) from a book I read to my 5th grade classes (Fever 1793). This book is about a girl named Isabel who is a slave during the late 1770s as the fight for independence is beginning between the Patriots and Loyalists. When Isabel is sold to a new owner in New York, she meets Curzon, a slave for a Patriot, who encourages Isabel to spy on her Loyalist owners. However, she also hears that the British offer freedom to slaves who will help their side. The story follows what happens to Isabel as she seeks her own freedom.

I really loved reading this book. It was a really powerful story that brought me into Isabel's mind and heart and gave me a small glimpse of what life was like for a slave during this revolutionary time period. I have to agree wholeheartedly with the quote on the back of the book, and since I can't say it any better, here it is (from Angela Johnson, a Coretta Scott King Award winner): "Laura Halse Anderson's Chains is searing and has so many brilliant sparks I became lost in it. Isabel's harrowing journey into a nightmare realm of slavery, betrayal, loss, and ultimately hope quite literally had me sobbing." Me too. Great book!

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is one of those classics I had heard about for years but never read. The author tells the story of tribes in villages in Nigeria and specifically follows one man--Okonkwo, a confident and strong-willed leader, husband, and father who is determined to not follow in the footsteps of his lazy father. Okonkwo spends his life trying to be highly respected, but unfortunately his very human mistakes lead to his exile and dissatisfaction. As the story goes on, Christian missionaries start showing up in these African villages, bringing converts into their churches as the tribes struggle to maintain their identities and beliefs.

I really liked reading this book. It was enlightening to read about a culture that I had no prior knowledge of and to ponder these people's lifestyles and beliefs. I felt connected with the characters and really liked following the story itself.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Rapunzel's Revenge

Since I've read pretty much everything else Shannon Hale has written, I figured I should give Rapunzel's Revenge a try even though it was a graphic novel--something I wouldn't normally pick up. This book is about a girl named Rapunzel who finds out that the mean woman she's been calling "mother" for years isn't actually her mother but a kidnapper and evil ruler. Rapunzel is locked in a tree, but her quick growing hair offers her a way to escape, and soon she is on the road, fighting her way to try to rescue her real mother from a slave camp.

This book was a cute story, and it had great pictures. I think it'd be a better book for a read aloud with kids than just me reading it myself. I didn't enjoy it as much as I would a novel because the story felt choppier since it was in the graphic novel form.

Rating: * (1/3 = It was okay)

The BFG

The BFG by Roald Dahl is one of those classic kid books that somehow I never read as a child. So, I decided to read it this week. The BFG is about Sophie, an orphan who is plucked out of her bed one night by a giant. Her fears of getting eaten by the giant go away when she realizes that this giant is the Big Friendly Giant--not a human-eating one like the other 9 giants who live where he does. In The BFG, Sophie allies with the BFG to try to save the lives of humans, who keep getting eaten by the gruesome, evil giants.

This book was very entertaining to read. It's one of those stories where imaginary things are happening, but as you read, you believe that it really was this way. Roald Dahl's books really just capture a fun side of childhood. It was a fun read.

Stars: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Left To Tell

Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza was recommended to me by my mother-in-law. It is the true account of Immaculee and her experiences during the Rwandan genocide that took place in the 90s where hundreds of thousands of Rwandans were murdered. The book tells about Immaculee and her family before the genocide started. It then follows her during the holocaust where she hid in a bathroom with 7 other women for 3 months where she could hear the "machete-wielding killers," including former neighbors and friends, hunting for her. In this book, Immaculee shares what got her through the terrible experiences she endured.

This was a really incredible book to read. I knew hardly anything about the Rwandan holocaust, so the book was, first of all, informational. But it was also very touching in how it showed that even in the worst circumstances, there is always a choice in how you react. Immaculee turned to God during the genocide because that was the only place she could turn in her desperate situation. She found peace and comfort despite the fear and terror and even found forgiveness for the killers. It's really powerful to read about her experiences and to see how she never gave up on believing in the good in the world around her.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister

Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister is a new book by Liz Kessler, author of the Emily Windsnap books. This book is about Philippa, a shy, average 11-year-old. When Philippa's best friend moves away, Philippa is devastated. Luckily, Philippa is sent a fairy godmother in the form of a new girl in her class--Daisy. However, fairy Daisy doesn't like humans--particularly Philippa--and just wants to get the 3 wishes granted and over with. This book tells what happens as Philippa and Daisy deal with granted wishes and try to make the best of what happens.

This was a cute book. It was very predictable, but probably only because I'm a 23-year-old reading a book for kids in elementary school. :) Philippa is a likable character, and her parents are very entertaining. This book was fun to read and is a unique approach to a fairy godmother story. Like other books by Liz Kessler, I recommend it for elementary-aged girls.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Anthem

Anthem by Ayn Rand is the October book for a book club group I'm in (with women at church). It is a book that takes place in a futuristic time where our world has evolved to one where there is no real individualism. The narrator tells the story from his point of view, but he speaks of himself using the pronoun "we" because the word "I" is forbidden (and unknown) in this world. The book tells Equality 7-2521's story of finding a hidden tunnel where he spends time and discovers that there is more to life than the knowledge he has.

In the first couple pages of this book, I was quite confused. The pronoun usage threw me off, and if I weren't reading this for a book club, I probably would have just given up. However, I caught on not too far into it, and I'm glad I kept reading because it was a unique book--one I wouldn't have chosen on my own. It was interesting to think about deeper meanings and to see what the narrator discovered and what choices he made. I can't say that I really loved this book because it seemed focused on making a philosophical statement, while I normally more enjoy books where I relate to characters. So, even though those of you reading this may think I'm a slacker for giving a 1-star-rating to the only "classic" book on my blog so far....I'm doing it anyway.

Rating: * (1/3 = It was okay)

(Side note: 1 star isn't really as bad as it seems. When I made my blog, I decided to use the normal 5-star scale like on GoodReads but eliminate the bottom 2 stars since I never would finish a book I'd rate that low. So, really a 1 star is like a 3 star on normal rating systems. Yay.)

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had

I found The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine at the library. This story takes place in 1917 in Moundsville, Alabama. The main character is Dit, a 12-year-old who is excited for the postmaster's new son to move in to his small town at the start of the summer. He thinks he's hit his "worst bad luck" ever when the postmaster turns out to be black and has a daughter, Emma, instead of a son. However, Dit soon realizes that this is instead the "best bad luck" he's ever had when he and Emma become inseparable. Of course, though, at this time there are problems connected with a white girl and a black boy being friends, and this book tells their story.

I LOVED this book. First of all, I really enjoy historical fiction books where I get a glimpse of another time in history. Through the point of view of a 12-year-old, this book really captured the inequality between blacks and whites that remained in the South even into the 1900s. Also, it was just fun to become a part of Dit and Emma's friendship and to read about the day-to-day adventures in their small town.

Stars: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Love That Dog

I found Love That Dog by Sharon Creech at the library while looking through Sharon Creech books. (I've liked books of hers like Ruby Holler, The Castle Corona, and Granny Torrelli Makes Soup.) This book looked cute, so I sat in the library and read it. (It took less than 20 minutes.) Love That Dog is about a boy learning about poetry in school. The book is kind of like his journal, where he writes free verse poetry about what he's learning and his experiments with poetry.

I enjoyed this book. It was a clever idea and just fun to read. Even though the book was short, the main character was likable and interesting.

Stars: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist

Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist is the third in a series by Liz Kessler (who I also met at the National Book Festival). A former student loved these books and recommended them to me, and they're just fun reads. Emily Windsnap is a girl who finds out that she is half-mermaid--In other words, she's a regular human girl who transforms into a mermaid when she gets into water. This book tells the story of a mysterious ring she finds, how evil Neptune curses her, and obviously, a castle in the mist.

I enjoyed the book as I have the others. It was a quick read where I completely expected the "happily ever after" the entire way through. But, it's kinda fun to have a book like that sometimes. :) I would definitely recommend this series for elementary-aged girls. They are cute books.


Stars: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

River Secrets

River Secrets is the third book in the Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale. I've already read Goose Girl and Enna Burning, and now I'm looking forward to the new book, Forest Born. These books are kind of like a series but are different because each book is the story of another character. River Secrets is about Razo, a scrawny teenager who is part of "Bayern's Own," a special army sent to negotiate peace with an neighboring nation. Razo feels useless and thinks he was sent only out of pity. River Secrets tells the story of how he does find an important role in uncovering the secrets throughout the nation of Tiran.

I really enjoyed this book, like I do everything Shannon Hale writes. (It makes it even better that I just met her on Saturday at the National Book Festival, and she is super friendly.) The story had lots of side stories that kept the book unpredictable. Razo is a really likeable main character whose weaknesses are real and easy to relate to. It's also fun to read these Books of Bayern because characters I read about in the previous books are still secondary characters in this book. It's just great!

Stars: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Anything But Typical

Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin was a library shelf find. This book is about a boy with autism and is told through his point of view. The story is about how he handles his family, school, communication--and how he loves writing.

This book was very fun and enlightening to read. I have had experience with children and teenagers with autism, and I feel like this book gave a really interesting account of what a child with autism who has limited communication may be thinking. I really felt an understanding of this character and enjoyed his humor and experiences and felt for him when he couldn't express his feelings to those around him.

Stars: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

I found The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards on a shelf of librarian recommendations at my public library. In this book, a doctor and his wife in the 1960s have twins. One twin is born with Down syndrome, and the doctor, trying to protect his wife from suffering, gives the baby to his nurse to take to an institution. He tells his wife, who hadn't seen the twin, that the baby died. Meanwhile, the nurse decides to leave town and raise the baby as her own. The book follows the story of what happens in the years following.

This was an intriguing book because of the changing points of view where I became connected with several characters. I wanted to help them with all the issues going on since I saw all the different sides. I wanted to keep reading throughout the book to see what would happen to both the characters and the secrets.

Stars: * * (2/3 = Liked it)