WELCOME TO MRS.ROWE'S BOOK REVIEW PAGE!
I will be posting short reviews of books I have read to help you find what interests you. I will also be posting reviews submitted by students for bonus. Reviews must be short and must have an introduction, a summary, an analysis and include AR information and genre.
!!
"THE RANSOM OF MERCY CARTER" by Caroline B. Cooney
AR level 5.7/9 points Genre: historical fiction
(Sequoyah list)
Mercy Carter's Massachusetts village is attacked by Indians working for the French Soldiers during the French and Indian War. Over 200 prisoners are taken and many more killed. They are marched through the ice and snow with very little food and shelter all the way to Canada. Anyone who can't go on is tomahawked. Most of the captives saw their loved ones killed before their eyes in the raid and must deal with this as well. Mercy's stepmother and baby sister are killed on the trip, and she finds that her little brother was killed in the raid. Mercy takes care of the motherless children on the trip and saves the lives of several. She is separated from her other brothers and becomes part of an Indian family. Mercy is torn between holding on to her hatred and becoming a part of her new "tribe". The captives hope for ransom, so they will be returned to their village. As time goes on, hope begins to fade. Mercy begins to feel torn between the old and new lives. If ransom does come, will she take it?
This book was based on a true event. It dealt a lot with death and sadness. However, it was written in a very realistic way. The story grabbed you and didn't let go. I could not put this book down easily. The story illustrated how people with different customs can be misunderstood. It also gave a real feeling of what life was like for the people who settled our country, as well as the Indians who were already there when they came. I give this book three stars.
"SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES" by Stephanie S. Tolan
AR level 5.5/7 points Genre: realistic fiction
E.D. Applewhite is the only member of her family who is not "talented". The family runs their own home school so that the children can pursue their talents. Each child develops their own personal course of study.
When juvenile delinquent Jake Semple is sent to stay with the Applewhites, after being kicked out of every school he's been in, he is assigned to E.D.'s course of study since he is not known to be "talented" either. E.D. resents Jake and struggles with having to take him into her world. After many ups and downs, E.D. and Jake not only discover some talent they didn't know they had, but find out a lot about themselves and their place in the world.
I really liked this book. The characters are interesting, if a little bizarre, and the situations are real and funny.
This is a great book to help people learn about tolerating those that are different. I give this book two thumbs up!
"CASTAWAYS OF THE FLYING DUTCHMAN" by Brian Jacques
AR level 5.4/ 12 points Genre: fantasy/adventure
This is a story by the author of the "Redwall" series.
It begins as the boy Neb is knocked into the ocean and rescued by the crew of the Flying Dutchman. He is unable to talk and is given to the cook of the ship as a helper.
Neb is not treated well by the rough crew, but survives. He rescues a starving labrador retriever and hides him on the ship. After he and the dog accidentally save the captain in a mutiny attempt, they are assigned the duty of guarding him. The captain goes crazy in his quest to find emeralds, forcing the crew to sail into almost certain death. Because of the greed and evil of the captain and crew, the ship is cursed to sail forever as a ghost ship. Neb and his dog Ben, however, are spared because of their goodness and are sent to travel the world helping those in need. This takes them on a trip through time as they roam the world helping others.
This book is quite different from any book I have read. Neb and his dog are great characters and the book takes many turns and twists. If you like adventure stories, this book is for you! It may be a little long for some people, so if you read it be sure to go back and review the beginning before taking the test.
"CRISPIN:THE CROSS OF LEAD" by AVI
AR level 5.O/7 POINTS Genre: historical fiction
Crispin is a simple boy living in a medieval village with his mother. The great lord of the village is away at the Crusades, but rumor has it he is coming home.
When Crispin's mother, dies, his whole word comes apart at the seams. He has never even known his name. The villagers called him "Asta's son" and his mother called him "Boy". The overseer who has been taking care of the lord's property is accidentally seen by Crispin meeting with a mysterious messenger who tells him he must take care of a dangerous problem. When the overseer sees Crispin, he tries to kill him and Crispin must flee. The local priest tells Crispin his true name and that there is a great secret connected with his past that relates to the cross of lead he received from his mother and wears around his neck. He promises to help Crispin escape and to reveal the secret, but is murdered before he can do so. Crispin sees a group of men burning his home to the ground and searching for him. He finds he has been accused of the priest's murder and must flee for his life. On the road, he meets Bear, a traveling entertainer, who has dangerous secrets of his own. They soon find they are being pursued-will Crispin escape or be destroyed by secrets he doesn't understand?
This was a great book. It really kept my attention. The details about life in the middle ages were really interesting and the action was nonstop. This was my favorite of the books I read over the break. I give this book three stars!
"THE THIEF LORD" by Cornelia Funke
AR level 4.8/13 points Genre: fantasy
Prospero and his brother Bo live with a gang of homeless children in Venice, Itally. They are supported by the mysterious Thief Lord, who provides stolen goods to be sold for their needs.
Prospero and his brother ran away to Venice after their mother's death. Their selfish aunt only wanted to take the cute younger brother and send Prospero away to a school. They can't bear to be separted, so they escape to the city their mother had always told them about. They are adopted by a group of children led by an older boy they call the Thief Lord. They learn their aunt has hired a detective to find them, and must try to outwit him. When the Thief Lord is offered a chance at a big robbery, they find out things are not as they seem and the events endanger them all. In fact, nothing is as it seems in this surprising story.
This book was rather unique. The ending was really not what I expected! There are lots of interesting things about Venice and Italy in this book, as well as a very suspenseful story. If you are looking for something a little bit different, read "The Thief Lord"!
"SLAP YOUR SIDES" by M.E.Kerr
AR level 4.8/6 points Genre: historical fiction
(Sequoyah list)
This book takes place during World War II in a small American town. Jubal's brother Bud is going to war-but he isn't going to fight. They are Quakers, and fighting is against their religion. Bud has signed up as a conscientious objector and will serve as a medic to help people instead of kill them. Many people in the town think that is the next thing to being a traitor. Jubal thinks it takes more courage than actually fighting. The local DJ, Radio Dan, is quick to lable people traitors on the radio, but he doesn't say much about his neighbor's son Bud. Jubal becomes involved with Dan's daughter, who has problems of her own. When Dan's son is killed, however, he can't stand the sight of Bud's family and leads a campaign of hate and resentment against Bud and his family. Even Jubal's family is torn apart over the events. This is a story that helps you examine your prejudices and shows how by doing what seems right, we sometimes do the wrong things. I wish this had ended differently, but it really had to end the way it did. This book will pull you into the story and make you examine the way you think about things. Two thumbs up.
************************************************************
MRS. ROWE'S FAVORITES
These are some of my favorite books through the years.
The Outsiders
A Wrinkle in Time
Up a Road Slowly
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Catherine, called Birdie
The Midwife's Apprentice
The Hank the Cowdog series
The Perilous Gard
The Mistress of Mellyn and other books by Victoria Holt
The Walking Drum
Tom Sawyer
Where the Red Fern Grows
Sackett's Land and other books by Louis L'amour
Swiss Family Robinson (unabridged)
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Silverhill and other books by Phyllis Whitney
Red Dirt Jesse
20,000 Leagues under the Sea
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Summer of the Monkeys
A Time to Kill
Timeline
The Sword of Shannara and the rest of the series
Coyote Waits and other books by Tony Hillerman
Sounder
The Great Brain
more to come!
************************************************************
STUDENT RECOMMENDED BOOKS: These are books students have recently told me they really enjoyed reading, but I have not read them yet.
GOODBYE, AMANDA THE GOOD
THE PENDRAGON SERIES
BRIAR ROSE
BOOTS and the SEVEN LEAGUERS
TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR
TREASURE AT THE HEART OF THE TANGLEWOOD
SERIES WRITTEN BY LLOYD ALEXANDER
SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS
INKHEART (may not be AR yet)
SCRIBBLER OF DREAMS
THE REDWALL SERIES BY BRIAN JACQUES
LEON'S STORY
************************************************************
BOOKS OF CHARACTER-NOMINATE BOOKS YOU THINK ILLUSTRATE THIS TRAIT!
FEBRUARY: TOLERANCE
Superfudge
Slap Your Sides
Surviving the Applewhites
Leon's Story
The Ransom of Mercy Carter
|
|
