White Fang

White Fang  By Jack London
Reviewed by B.G.W.   
    

White Fang is about a wolf/dog that gets found by Indians.  He was scared at first. He kept fighting with the other Indian dogs. The Indians traded him to Beauty Smith for beer. Beauty Smith  runs dog fights.  During dog fights White Fang was able to kill every animal the Beauty Smith put in the fight.  But when a bulldog came in to the circle White Fang almost dies.  Two people saved him and took care of him.  They took him to California.  I didn’t like this book when White Fang almost died.  My favorite character was White Fang because he is a good pet. You should read this book because it shows you shouldn’t be mean to a good dog that has done nothing wrong.   

Do you have a dog like White Fang?                   

Super Fudge

Super Fudge by Judy Blume

Reviewed by M.M.C.

Fudge’s parents said they were going to have a baby girl. Fudge got mad because he would not be the baby any more. At all! Then they said they were going to move to Princeton N.J. for a year! Peter and Fudge did not want to move. Peter threatened to run away. He was going to go to Jimmy Fargo’s. Then he said he would go to his Grandmas. But she was in Boston. My favorite character was Fudge because he asks a lot of weird things, like do you eat worms? Fudge recently started kindergarten. He gets a really mean teacher. She is mean because she does not call him Fudge. She calls him Farley Drexel! Fudge is so bad he goes to a nicer teacher. She says you must be as sweet as your name. He is. His teachers name is Mrs. Ziff.  Since Fudge's grades are good he gets a pet bird. This story has a lot more action then Tales of a Fourth grade nothing. If you like humor you're sure to like this story. I give this book a five star rating!!

A Bad Case of the Stripes

A Bad Case Of The Stripes by David Shannon
Reviewed by E.K.


This book was about a girl named Camilla Cream who loves lama beans, but she is afraid to show everyone she likes it. She thinks they will make fun of her. I didn’t like how people made fun of her, and called her mean names. They also made her stripes turn into different colors, and designs. My favorite character in this book was the old lady because she made her bad case of stripes go away by giving her favorite thing… Lama beans! You should read this book because it tells you to be yourself and not to be afraid to show your personality. I give this book a good four star rating!

The Bad Beginning

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning
By Lemony Snicket
Reviewed by K.S.

This book was about three orphans that get passed on to a rude man.
I liked this book because this book has action, comedy and drama.
My favorite character in this book was Violet because she loves to
back talk. You should read this book because if you love
action and comedy.

Gooseberry Park

Gooseberry Park          By: Cynthia Rylant

Reviewed by: B.G.W.
This book is about a dog named Kona and his friends Murray, Stumpy, Gwendolyn . Kona tries to save Stumpy and her new born babies. I didn’t like this book when Stumpy got lost trying to find Kona. Also, I didn’t like this book when Stumpy’s new born babies were left alone. My favorite character in this book was Kona because Kona is curious about everything and he is smart. You should read this book because it shows that no mater how you look you can be friends.

Do you know anyone who is curious like Kona?

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing By Judy Blume

Reviewed by J.D.R.

This book was about a boy named Peter. He wins a turtle named Dribble from a birthday party.  You’ll never guess what happens to Dribble. Peter has two problems, a girl named Sheila and his brother Fudge, other wise known as fang. They explore New York with Peter, try to touch bears, throw tantrums, make commercials and much, much more. I liked this book because it’s funny. Also, because of all the funny words. My favorite character in this book was Fudge because he does stupid stuff and says funny words . It cracks me up when he says “pe –tah.” You should read this book because it is a comedy and should be turned into a movie. My rating is a big five star rating.

I recommend it to anyone who likes funny books and weird dads!

We're back!

We're back to school and reading up a storm.
Check back often to see our reviews!
It's going to be a great year!

Summer Reading

If you're looking for a good book this summer, try using the Story Snoops link on the right.  You input your interests and grade level and it will recommned a book to you.  Remember, reading takes you places but only if you take your book with you!  Here's what I'm reading;
At the beach: The Help

In the car (At ball practice, not while I'm driving!): Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life

With my kids: The Toilet Paper Tigers

The Sloppy Copy Slip Up

The Sloppy Copy Slip Up  by DyAnne DiSalvo

Reviewed by A.M.H.

I just read a book that was to die for. It was the called the “Sloppy Copy Slipup” by DyAnne DiSalvo. This book is about a young teen named Hig. Hig had a homework assignment. It was to finish his sloppy copy but he doesn’t.
He has to explain to his teacher why he didn’t do his homework. I give this book a four star rating because it had humor and mystery but lacked enough sequence of events to help me understand everything.
Have you ever missed a homework assignment?

Star Wars the Clone Wars: The Tethan Battle Adventure

Star Wars the Clone Wars: The Tethan Battle Adventure

Reviewed by J.C.J.
In the book Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Tethan Battle Adventure the reader (that’s you and me) and your friend, Pender, are clone troopers and we are running away from General Grievous. At the end of 1 or 2 pages it will give a question. Your answer tells you to turn to a certain page to continue the story. There are lots of ways to win or lose the battle. If you win you and Pender go home, but if you lose you…are…DEAD!!!! You also get help along the way. This book is great. On a scale to 1 to 5, I give this book a 5.
Do you have a Star Wars book?

Mallory Vs. Max

Mallory vs. Max by Laurie Friedman

Reviewed by D.C.

Mallory vs. Max is about a girl named Mallory. This is how the problems begin. Mallory’s brother Max wants a dog. But Mallory already has a cat. She thinks if Max gets a dog no one would pay attention to her cat or more importantly her! The nightmare continues because they are on their way to a puppy farm. Mallory has to admit the puppies are cute but when Max chose his dog and came home, the dog became trouble! First Mallory’s cat gets in a fight then the puppy gets lost! If you want to find out what happens next then you should read this book. On a scale to 1 to 5 I give this book a 4 because the book was a little confusing but it all turns out for the best.
Do you have a mischievous pet?

Warriors Series # 1: Into The Wild

Warriors Series # 1: Into The Wild  by Erin Hunter
Reviewed by A.W.

This book is about a house cat named Rusty who joins Thunderclan. There are five clans. Starclan, Thunderclan, Riverclan, Windclan and Shadowclan. Starclan mostly cats who died. The rest of the clans live and thrive in the forest. The leader of Thunderclan, Bluestar, renamed Rusty to Firepaw. At one point Firepaw fights a rouge cat named Yellowfang and wins! I give this book a 5 out of 5.

Would you run away from home?

Stuart Little

Stuart Little by E.B. White
Reviewed by T.C.

Stuart Little is about a little mouse who lives in a house with a kid named George and two parents named Mr. Little and Mrs. Little. Mr. Little built things that would help Stuart while Mrs. Little bought Barbie stuff for him. One day a bird came threw the Littles window and sat down. The bird stayed for the night inside a fern. The next night Snowbell, the cat, went outside and talked to an angora cat saying, “We should eat that bird.” Stuart warned the bird to hide. But when no one was looking she flew away. For days Stuart looked through the state for that bird. On his way he stopped to talk to people and asked for help. At the end of the story Stuart never found the bird named Margalo.
I give this book a five star rating.
Have you ever searched for something that you loved?

Punished!

Punished! by David Lubar
Reviewed by K.L.

If you thought your life was bad wait until you meet Logan. Logan was a normal boy until he ran into Professor Robert Wordsworth. He really ran right into him! And now he is PUNished. Logan has a really bad case of the puns. People groan at everything he says because he says things like, “Eyebrows the books all the time to see what’s new". He must find oxymorons, palindromes and anagrams to be cured of his PUNishment.
Alphabet you’ll like this book!
This book was awfully good!

The Hunting Series Book 1: Z. Rex

Z. Rex by Steve Cole
Reviewed by D.S.

The book Z.Rex is well told, with a fast pace, lots of action, and plenty of unanswered questions at the end to justify the sequel: Z.Raptor. It’s about a boy named Adam Adler who “befriends” a T.Rex named Zed.

Zed has amazing capabilities. He can defuse bombs and then re-fuse them, smell and fly all the way from Texas to U.K., survive a 1,000,000 gigawatt jolt, heal a five foot wide shark bite in three days, and become invisible! If this sounds like an interesting read,  then get The Hunting Book 1: Z.Rex today!
Is this creature real?

Captain Underpants

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by: Dav Pilkey

Reviewed by J.H.

Captain Underpants to the rescue with action, thrills, and laughs! George and Harold’s worst enemy is Mr.Kurpp, the principal. George and Harold make comics that Mr.Kurpp hates and they play jokes on the teachers at their school. One time they put pepper in the cheerleader’s pom-poms. When Mr.Kurpp found out what happened at the foot ball game, he said “I won’t tell the jocks you did it, if you do whatever I say!” One day they hypnotized Mr.Kurpp to make him believe he was Captain Underpants. When they snap their fingers, he turns into Captain Underpants. When they poor water on his head he turns back to himself. I would recommend this book to super heroes who wear underpants over their clothes.

Did you ever want to be a super hero?

The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Reviewed By :M.M

This journey starts with the one and only Dorothy Gale from Kansas. She gets hit with the biggest cyclone yet. Then she met with the smallest people ever. They’re called munchkins. Her house dropped on the wicked witch of the east. Since that witch was evil, she got rewarded with ruby slippers. On the way home Dorothy met the most unusual people. First she meets a scarecrow without a brain. Then she meets a tin man without a heart. Next she meets a lion with out a heart. Then they go to the Land of Oz and they get a makeover with their hair. Then everyone heard a noise. They looked outside and in the air spelled S-U-R-R-E-N-D-E-R 
D-O-R-O-T-H-Y! Dorothy and her gang ran into woods. Then they heard something. Then they saw it right there, flying monkeys! Everyone ducked for cover. The flying monkeys took Dorothy to the castle of the wicked witch of the west. The wicked witch took an hour glass and turned it. “YOU HAVE ONE HOUR TO LIVE!” said the wicked witch. The Tin man, scarecrow and the cowardly lion dressed up as guards to go in as the real guards went by. The cowardly lion, scarecrow and the tin man saved Dorothy. Then the hour was up the wicked witch caught up with Dorothy. The wicked witch told the guards to go around the castle and split up into two groups of two and told them to come out both sides to trap her! Dorothy was trapped but she threw water on the witch and the witch died. They took her broom stick to the Wizard of Oz and found out that he was a FAKE! But he gave everyone what they wanted, except Dorothy. But then the good witch of the north came and told her to click her heels three times and presto she was home.


IF YOU WERE DORTHY WOULD YOU STAY IN OZ OR GO HOME!

Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye

Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye By: Geronimo Stilton
Reviewed by: D.S.

The book “Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye” is #1 in the series. It’s about when Geronimo, his sister Stella, his beloved nephew Benjamin, and his cousin Trap, find out that Stella found a map to an unknown island. When they get there, Geronimo gets stuck in quicksand, Trap almost dies, and they find out that the island has a resort! And on the way home, they find the treasure… If I would give this book a genre, it would be adventure! I give this book 5 star.

Do you have a wacky adventure story?

The Landry News

The Landry News by Andrew Clements
Reviewed by J.J.J.

The Landry news is fun to read because it has easy words and short chapters. The story is about a girl who writes a newspaper. One of editorials was about her teacher. Her teacher got in trouble when she writes about some one else’s life. I think it was a good book.

Did you ever get some one else in trouble?

The Magic Treehouse: Night Of The Ninjas

The Magic Treehouse: Night Of The Ninjas    By Mary Pope Osborne
Reveiwed by J.F.

Night of the Ninjas is a Magic Tree House book. It’s about these two kids named Jack and Annie.  These kids always go into their tree house than pick up a book then the tree house spins faster and faster.  Then whatever book they picked up, they go to that time. In Night Of The Ninjas they go to Japan.  I recommend this book to anyone who believes in magic.

Where would you go if your tree house was magic?

The Magic Treehouse: Lions at Lunchtime

The Magic Treehouse: Lions at Lunchtime  By Mary Pope Osbourne
Reviewed by B.S.

When I was reading Lions at Lunchtime, I thought to myself, “This book is super fantastical.” Those tree house time travelers, Jack and Annie, know how to use there heads. This story is the best book I’ve ever read. For a five star rating, I would give five stars. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes lions and wants to learn about Africa.

Have you ever seen a real lion?

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing   By: Judy Blume
Reviewed By: JCJ

The book “Tales of a Forth Grade Nothing” is about a kid named Peter. Peter has a problem…his little brother, Fudge! Fudge is like a dog in the house. But outside Fudge acts like a bird. Although Fudge acts like animals, he is funny. Peter has a pet turtle named Dribble. I like this book because Fudge always asks “Can I hold Dribble, Pee-tah?” When Fudge asks that he cracks me up! One day Fudge eats the turtle. At the end Peter gets a dog and names it Turtle. My opinion is this book is funny!

Do you have a brother like that?

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
Reviewed by A.R.

This book is about this kid Greg Heffly. There are a lot of interesting people in this book. Like his Mom and Dad, Greg gets embarrassed so much by his Mom and Dad. There is a smart kid, Alex Aruda. Greg loves this girl, Holly Hills. It is a really funny book because Greg gets embarrassed so much by these people. Greg is playing soccer and he is not good at it. He was playing one game and lost because he was playing in the tulips. How embarrassing!
Have you ever been really embarrassed?

The Weird Club

The Weird Club     By: Randy Fairbanks
Reviewed by M.G.

I read a story called The Weird Club: The Search for the Jersey Devil.
Everybody thinks the Jersey Devil is real, but I don’t! Well until I read this book anyway. You can tell the pictures are fantasy drawings. They are drawings because nobody has seen the Jersey Devil and been able to take a picture of it. A girl tells a story about her uncle going on trips. He takes pictures of what they think the Devil has done. There was a bicycle in a tree. I mean it was in it, right through the bark! Then there was a truck in a tree too.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the devil.

Have you ever seen the Jersey Devil?

Nicky Fifth: For Hire

Nicky Fifth: For Hire by Lisa Funari Willever
Reveiwed by T.C.

Nicky Fifth: For Hire is about a kid named Nicky and his two sisters, a brother and a friend named Tommy. Their parents are having an anniversary soon and Nicky needs to get a present quickly. He really wants to give them a coffee maker. So they go to a restaurant named Wrangler Rays. On the cups there are stickers and each are worth 25 points. He needs over 14,000 points to get a coffee maker. You may want to go to the book store and check this book out.

What do you collect?

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid      By: Jeff Kinney
Reviewed by D.C.

The #1 series with a new movie coming out, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is now a New York Times bestseller! The book Diary of a Wimpy Kid is about Gregory Heffley. Greg knows how it is to be a kid. To him it’s torture. There’s another thing he can’t stand, middle school. In his very own words “Middle school is the worst idea ever invented.” Greg has a diary. His mom made him buy it. He only went along with it because he thinks that one day he’ll be famous and he won’t have time to answer ANY questions. So for the people that want to know about him, he’ll just give them his journal. Greg has a mom, a dad, a little brother named Manny, and an older brother named Rodrick. In my opinion this series and this book are hilarious! If you’re the person that loves humor than go to your local library and find this book!!!
Do you keep a diary?

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days  By: Jeff Kinney
Reviewed by J.H.

I read Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days and it’s laugh out loud funny. Every time Greg Heffly wants to do something the opposite happens. Rowley and Greg find a horror movie and end up sleeping in the bath room . Greg’s mom starts a reading club and he has to read Little Women, The Yearling, Old Yeller, and Anne of Green Gables . Yawnnnnnnn! Greg and Rowley start a V.I.P. lawn service . Greg gets a ladybug phone for his birthday . I'd recommend this book to anyone who has ever had a "dog day."

Did you ever get something you didn’t want for your birthday ?

Bedeviled: Daddy`s Little Angel

Bedeviled: Daddy`s Little Angel   By: Shani Petroff
Reviewed by: B.T.

My mom got me this book. So I thought, oh a book I wouldn’t like. She doesn’t always know what kind of books I like. But when I read it, it was really good. Bedeviled is about a girl named Angel who finds out she has powers. Whatever she thinks about, happens. And her dad is the devil! Her powers get her into trouble. This book is really good. It gives me a mental image of what`s happening. It keeps on making me want to get the other books! There are at least three in this series. Out of a five-star rating I would give this book an outstanding five!

Would you like to have powers like Angel?

Nicky Fifth On 32 Dandelion Court

Nicky Fifth On 32 Dandelion Court by: Lisa Funari Willever
Reviewed by A.S.H.

This story is about a kid whose family is moving from Philadelphia to New Jersey. But he don’t want to leave his home. Nicky is in fourth grade and likes to play baseball, just like me. This is a humorous book. In one part the Grandpa told his Nicky's sister to "put yourself in your dad’s shoes" and she slept in her dad’s shoes! There are many more idioms in this book.

I think anybody who has a little sister should read this book.

Do any of your siblings ever bug you?

The Good, The Bad and The Goofy

Time Warp Trio: The Good, The Bad and The Goofy by Jon Scieszka
Reviewed by: G.H.

The Time Warp Trio: The Good, The Bad and The Goofy is a pretty good book. It was written by Jon Scieszka. It’s about three boys who find a magic book and where ever they want to go the book will take them there. In this book they end up on a deserted island surrounded by cowboys. But they lose the book and need to find it to get home. This book only has 11 chapters that’s not long is it? This book is easy to read. My sister makes me read it to her before she goes to bed. There are 14 books in this series.

Where will you go next with them?

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules  By: Jeff Kinney
Reviewed by: A.W.

Rodrick Rules is mostly about Greg Heffley being bossed around by his older brother … Rodrick. This book got me ready to burst with laughter! I loved this book because of the loads of humor. But, I didn’t like the way Rodrick bullied his brother. My 5 star rating is a heart-stopping 5! I would recommend this book to anyone whose older sibling tortures them.

Who runs your family?

The Tarantula in My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets

The Tarantula In My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets   By: Jean Craighead George
Reviewed by: D.S.

“The Tarantula in My Purse” is a great book. It’s about the author’s life with many, and I mean many, outrageous pets! One such pet is a screech owl who likes television, and a crow named Crowbar who “goes to the bank”. There basically isn’t a bad part of this book! I’d recommend it to any wildlife lover, whether you’re 7, or 107!  My five star review is five out of five stars.

Do you have an outrageous pet story?

The Book Whisperer

The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller
Reveiwed by A.O.

About a year ago I read The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. This book simply validated my opinions about reading with children in a handy 200 page format. The Book Whisperer is loaded with ideas for in and out of the classroom. It had me running to the book store to purchase three more follow up books. And I can now be found at the local library every Saturday scouring the used book shelves for the best fifty cent bargains to add to my collection.

I was spied on many occasions this summer reading the very best in fourth grade chapter books, while my peers read on through another epic tale of vampires. But how could I put books in a “must read” bin if I’d never read them? How could I recommend a book to a child without having ever read it? How could I recommend a chapter book to a reluctant reader?

But the real question was: How could I empower all my students as readers?

To start with, I challenged my fourth graders to read 40 books this year. I’m sure you all heard the collective *groan* when I told them that in September.

But just last week one of my students told me that as soon as he finishes the book he is reading, he will have finished 40 books! And it’s only March!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What an amazing accomplishment!

Now if only there was a way to share these amazing accomplishments with friends and family!

Welcome to The Forty Book Blog!

What’s on your bookshelf?