A Student Review of Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Reviewed by Zak

Stormbreaker

by Anthony Horowitz

Published in 2000 by Scholastic Inc 

192 Pages 

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars!

My Summary

This book takes place in London, in the United Kingdom.

The main characters in this book are: Alex Rider, Alan Blunt, Mrs. Jones, and Ian Rider. Alex Rider is a regular school boy, until one day his uncle gets killed. His uncle worked in a bank in London, so Alex wanted to go into his uncle’s office to find out how he died. But, what he didn’t know was... he had people watching him. Afterwards, he ended up being hired for the M16 special operations center which is a spy agency.  Alex was surprised and reluctant to work with M16.  He just wanted to be regular kid.  They coerced him through blackmail and he was sent on his first mission the day after. There were these new “supercomputers” being released soon. M16 knew something suspicious was going on, so they sent Alex out to test out the new computers.

Some amazing, awesome things happen after that, but the only way to find out is to read the book!

I liked this book because I love action-packed, fast-paced, survival sort of books!  It made me feel a mixture of emotions at one time. I was happy or excited at some parts, then scared, and teary at other parts.  My opinion of the book is... well, this is probably my favorite series I’ve ever read so far.

The Alex Rider series IS AN AWESOME SERIES, AND YOU SHOULD TOTALLY READ IT!!!!     

Visit alexrider.com to learn more about this series. 

Here is a book trailer for Stormbreaker.

 

Check out the movie trailer.

Children's Book Week Giveaway Hop

Thank you to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer,  Kid Lit Frenzy and Mymcbooks for hosting this giveaway event!

It is Children's Book Week!  

This giveaway runs from May 13-19

I am giving away 4 packs of books. 

It is super easy to enter!

Simply comment below telling me which book pack(s) you are interested in winning.

Your name will be entered once with your comment.

Want to enter your name more than once and increase your chances of winning???

Your name will be added again when you comment on any of my previous blog posts (one name added per comment up to 3 times total).

#1 Picture Book Pack (2 books)

Nugget and Fang: Friends Forever? Or Snack Time (hardcover)

by Tammi Sauer

Swirl by Swirl...Spirals in Nature (Hardcover)
by Joyce Sidman

#2 Early Chapter Book Pack (2 books)

Marty McGuire (paperback)
by Kate Messner

 Heidi Heckelbeck Has a Secret (paperback)
by Wanda Coven

#3 Middle Grade Book Pack (3 Books)

One for the Murphys (paperback)
by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Capture the Flag (paperback)
by Kate Messner

 The False Prince (paperback)
by Jennifer A. Nielsen


#4 YA Book Pack (3 books)

The Fault in Our Stars (Hardcover)
by John Green

 Cinder (paperback)
by Marissa Meyer

See You at Harry's (paperback)
by Jo Knowles

Remember, comment below indicating which pack(s) you would like to win. 
Comment on up to 3 other posts to increase your chances. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Please visit the blogs listed below to enter more giveaways! 

A Student Review of One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

One for the Murphys
Reviewed by Tabetha

 By Lynda Mullaly Hunt

244 pages

Published by Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Group for Young Readers)

May, 2012

Maine Student Book Award Novel

A Tassey Walden Award Winner

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

This is a true literary master piece! There could be a lot of different themes to this book so no matter what themes you tend to like I think there is something for you.

The story begins when Carley is on her way to a foster family. When she arrives you are introduced To three new characters. First, Mrs. Murphy who is friendly, and perky who has a secret that she is keeping from Carley. Daniel, the oldest son, is moody and rude towards Carley until she teaches him about basketball. Adam and Michael Eric who are both young. Adam is eight. Michael Eric is four. Carley ends up defending them both from the neighborhood bully. Then, something bad happens to Michael Eric just before a holiday.

Carley has to go to a new school where she meets Tony. At first, they are enemies, but later Tony is best friends with Carley.

Then there is Mr. Murphy. He is hard for Carley to trust, or even get along with, but at the end Carley understands him, with a little help from Tony.

Throughout the story, there is a lot drama going on. For instance when the police come over to investigate Carley’s step father. Or when she goes to see her mother and she tells her something she could never believe.

This is truly an unforgettable tale. You have to read One for the Murphys!     

Check out this book trailer.

A Student Review of Juniper Berry

  Reviewed by Mia 

Author: M.P Kozlowsky
Published by Harper Collins
Publishing Date:  4/26/11
227 Pages
A Maine Student Book Award Book 2012-2013
    
Summary
Juniper Berry is a girl who has parents that do not really care about her anymore.  Juniper remembers when she was younger, before her parents became famous. Her parents never acted like this. Now, her parents are always yelling at her or ignoring her. Juniper is sad, very sad. One day Juniper goes out to play a game with her dog, Kitty. Kitty went into the woods to a very suspicious looking tree. That is where she meets a boy named Giles who is having the same problem with his parents.
    Giles told Juniper that he followed his parents into the woods to this very tree. They talked about why they might be going there and Juniper started to investigate.
     That night Juniper heard her parents get up out of bed, so she got up with them. She followed them down to the same tree. Then Juniper saw them sucking in the air of a balloon and disappearing down into the tree. She thought this was very strange.
    One thing Juniper noticed was that there was a black raven at that tree every time she went to it. I do not want to spoil the ending, but I will tell you some important events in the story. 

    In the Middle of the story Juniper finds a way into the tree with Giles. Also, they found some very mysterious letters that Juniper thinks her father wrote.
     Also in the tree lives Skeksyl, a very mean and persuasive person. He is very sly and sneaky and lives off of souls. The tree is also where she meets the man who makes the balloons and where she spies on her parents.
    Juniper wants her parents to care about her again and she wants them to notice her.  But her parents have been brainwashed into wanting to be famous by magical balloons and a mysterious, old man. Now they only care about their jobs. She needs to use teamwork to get her parents back to normal.
     One theme in this story is teamwork because Giles and Juniper need to work to save their parents and to get them back to normal. Another theme in this story is friendship because along the way, in between all of this confusion, Juniper and Giles form a friendship.
    
My Thoughts
    I rate this story 5/5 stars because I think it is absolutely outstanding. I could not put it down. This book is action packed and full of adventure.  It is written with excellent descriptions that make you feel sad, mad and happy.     
I think boys and girls ages 9-12 would enjoy this book. Also if you like scary, suspenseful stories this is definitely the book for you.
I hope you like Juniper Berry! 

Check out the book trailer. 

Student Book Review- Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon

 DragonBreath 

by Ursula Vernon

                                               

Review By: Logan 

Pages 148

Published in 2009 by Scholastic Inc. 

My rating 5 out of 5 stars!

  

Brief Summary

Dragonbreath is about a dragon named Danny who can’t breath fire like most dragons. He goes to a school filled with reptiles and amphibians, but he is the only dragon.  Danny had to do a report about an animal. His first attempt wasn’t a success. He got an F- because he had made the whole thing up. Then he decided to do something that changed his whole report and started an adventure. If you want to know more, read the book.     

   

 My Thoughts

I loved this book. It was definitely one of my most favorite books. My favorite part is when Danny wakes up from this weird dream where he was a pirate, it was funny!

I think one theme of Dragonbreath is friendship because he has a friend named Wendell that goes on a special adventure to help Danny with his essay. If I were you I would read this book. I would recommend Dragonbreath to anybody who likes a funny fantasy books with some pictures.

          

If you like this book I would recommend the second book in the series by Ursula Vernon, Attack Of The Ninja Frogs. 

To visit Ursula Vernon's website click here.

Check out other reviews of Dragonbreath on School Library Journal and One Librarian's Book Reviews.

What Are You Reading? Monday, April 29, 2013

Please visit the amazing blog: Teach Mentor Texts 

who host this terrific meme each week. 

 Click on the picture to go to each book's Goodreads 

page for more info.. 

Picture Books-Fiction

Poetry

Nonfiction Picture Book

Early Chapter Book

Graphic Novel

 Middle Grade Novel

Review to follow soon.  

I didn't think I'd like it, but I really did!

Currently Listening

Up Next?

What are you reading friends?

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday April, 24

Please visit the host of this weekly event: Kid Lit Frenzy

Brick by Brick by Charles R. Smith

Illustrated by Floyd Cooper

This book is about how many slaves built the original White House for George Washington, brick by brick.  I am ashamed that I had not ever thought about how The White House was built, but I learned a lot from reading Brick by Brick.  I loved how this book is written in poetic form.  The amazing illustrations practically told the story by themselves.  This would make a great read aloud in grades 2-5 when studying early American history or during Black History Month. 

Click here for the Goodreads page. 

More info about Charles R. Smith and his books here.

Click here for more info about Floyd Cooper.   

More info about The White House for Kids