Wants: To be normal and have a life where she's able to have friends 

But: she can no longer go to school because 1.) she has an oxygen tank kind of thing she has to bring everywhere and because of her cancer it would overall be hard for her to go 2.) she already has a GED and has graduated.

So: she goes to a support group and meets new friends.

Then: she does her best to live the little time she has to the fullest

The theme of my story is: Life is short so live it to the fullest, I think this because the protagonist Hazel has a one in five chance of living the next five years and has given up. Later throughout the story she learns to get out of her shell and meet new people, hangout, and overall have fun. My favorite part so far is when she helps out Isaac after he goes blind because it shows that she is empathetic and helpful. I would rate my book so far 3.5/5 only because some parts are boring since I'm in the beginning, but I think it will get better.

Genre: historical fiction 

Summary: Code Talker by Joeseph Bruchac, In the book “Code Talker” a character named Kii is very brave, one reason he is brave is he goes into big fight without a gun or anything to protect himself, just a radio. During those fights there are tons of Japanese soldiers that are willing to do anything to try and 🤬 him and his fellow marines. Kii is also witty, one time he did not eat his breakfast but wrapped it in tin foul for him to eat it in a foxhole while trying to hide from the Japanese.

The theme of my book is love is the strongest force, I think this is the theme because he is willing to do anything to stop his fellow marines from dieing.

My favorite part of the book is when he uses a towel to walk across the beach at night because he is scared of the crabs. I find this a funny part of the book because he is so brave but also extremely scared of crabs.

I rate this book 4/5 because I really like what it’s about but the beginning is a little boring.

I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 because I love the plot, the characters and the setting but there are a few places I wish Haddix could be more specific about.

Time read: 140 mins

Genre: Historical fiction- I think A Long Walk to Water is historical fiction because it took place in the 1990s to 2009. It is about the war in Sudan and overcoming long walks to water. This hints it is historical fiction because it is about a historical event and it takes place during a historical time period. 

Theme: The love for your family will always take over the hate and poverty of the world. I think it's this theme because in the story both Nya and Salva have so much love for their family they forget and overpower the hate of the war and the poverty of their country.

Summary: Along Walk to Water is a historical fiction novel. It takes place in the 1990s and 2009, during the war in Sudan. This novel is told by two different perspectives. Nya’s, a strong kind girl in need of clean water for her family, and Salva’s, a brave adventurous boy who is running away from the war, now in search for his family. 

Nya, a strong hard working girl, walks to a pond miles away, and gathers water beneath its muddy surface. This daily walk consists of wild animals, the beating hot sun, and painful thorny plants. Her village soon realizes this awful, dirty water is extremely unhealthy for the people. Volunteer workers suddenly come and help the village with there water crisis. They additionally build a school as well. In the end Nya is very grateful for the work the volunteer workers have done. 

Salva, a young brave boy, is in school one day when his village gets attacked by the government soldiers during the war. He runs as far as he can from the fighting into the woods with several other people. He ventures with a group just walking and walking with no food or water, barely staying alive. He meets his uncle and then arrives at a refugee camp very far away from home. He grows into an adult while transporting between many camps. The whole journey Salva worries he will never see his family again. He soon realizes he might have a chance at having a better life, and chance to see his family!

Favorite part: my favorite part of the book is when Salva’s school is being attacking by the government soldiers. I like this part because I could see what Salva was thinking. This part had a lot of description, suspense, dialogue, and inner thinking from Salva. I liked how this part was written. 

Stars rating: 4 stars. I choose this book to be 4 stars because I loved how it was written. There was a lot of description, dialogue, and suspense. I also liked the plot. The story was intriguing and suspenseful. I love how both perspectives connect and meet. However, I also think that the author could have including more of Nya’s story. I think Nya’s story wasn't added into the book as much as Salva’s. I think the author could have expanded Nya’s story and made Nya’s story a little bit longer. 

The story is about two characters: Citra and Rowan who just want to have a nice normal life. Everything changes when they are chosen to become Scythes Of their own. You may be thinking “why wouldn’t you want to be a Scythe you live forever and hold the fate of the future within your hands.” Unfortunately it is not that simple to become a Scythe you must leave your whole life behind (your family and friends) both after great thought accept and begin their scythehood. Once they begin they uncover the dark truth about many Scythes. Upon acquiring this new knowledge they know they must put a stop to it. This is one the best books I’ve ever read and would definitely recommend, but it can be slightly depressing at points.

Pages-103

Time-2 hours

The genre for the book,” The full ride,” is realistic fiction because it could happen. There were no Becca or Roger Jones according to me but there might be. Becca Jones, the main character in the story, was enjoying her life in Atlanta, Georgia. When all of a sudden, she has to move to protect herself and her mom because her dad went to prison, so everyone knows who they are,. They move to Ohio. Where, she has an Ok teenage life. In senior year, she had accidentally told someone about her dad going to prison. Will she and her mom survive? I am still reading the book. My favorite part is when she first came to the school in 8th grade and she was scared since someone asked her a question, so she went away, then another girl named Jala came and helped her. I think the theme for this book so far is, “ One little secret can ruin your life.” I chose this theme because is she tells about her dad’s secret, then she can actually get kicked out of school and not go to college.So far, I would rate this book a 4.3 out 5 because the plot is good so far, but some parts are boring.

The book is about Jonah, his sister Katherine, his friend Chip, and another character, Alex. They are sent back to the 1400s, where they find out Chip is King Edward V of England, and Alex is his younger brother. Their task is to fix and restore time after Chip and Alex were taken from their time and placed in the 21st century. However, fixing time isn’t as easy as they thought, since they keep bumping into people from the 1400s century and accidentally messing up time. They eventually manage to successfully fix time, and return to the 21st century.

I think the theme of the book is friendship keeps us together, because throughout the book the characters stay together and help each other instead of ditching each other to go follow their own ambitions or out of fear. They were also very determined to save each other.

My favorite part of the book was when Chip was whispering to King Richard because it was amusing to see how he dealt with him.

I would rate the book 4 out of 5 stars since it was a interesting book, but it was pretty predictable.

            In the book Gathering Blue a fun, loyal, young adult named Kira goes through a horrible time when her mother dies from a sickness . Kira has a deformed leg that was twisted since her birth. In the tribe that she lives in if you have a disability you get fear to wild animals. Luckily her mom refused to let her die only because she knew that Kira would be talented. Her mom was right Kira turns out to be the best sewer in the tribe. Her dad has already been dead for a long time but Kira's mom is the only relative to Kira. When Kira's mom dies the women in the village want to feed Kira to the wild animals, but Kira goes to court and wins. But she has nowhere to live because when someone gets sick they have to burn down the house to prevent it from spreading. The court gives Kira a room to mend a ancient robe that tells the past of the world, but to mend the robe she has to learn the area of dyeing.

           The theme of Gathering Blue is, with or without disabilities you can always find something to fill your life purpose. 

            My favorite part is on the first page when Kira's mom dies. This is my favorite part because the author puts so much emotion In to it that you are pulled in at the very first sentence. 

            I would rate this book a 4 because most of the time you are pulled in and not wanting to leave the book, but then others you want the book to go faster.

 In “The Last Monster” Sofia, a disabled protagonist in the story wants to protect monsters that are being hunted by a bigger monster she created unintetionally. The problem is, saving and protecting monsters is having a huge affect on her normal life. As gaurdian of the monsters, she feels it is her duty to protect them fro m being killed, and is trying to defeat the terrible monster she created. I do know what happens at the end yet. 
 The theme fo this book is you should accept others for who they are because Sofia learns that monsters are just like humans and have feelings too, and she learns to treat them well.
  My favorite part so far is when the Golem, a monster, first came into her room because I thought it was interesting how Sofia got over the fear of seeing a monster so fast.
I rate my book 4 out of 5 stars because of the creativity of the details within the book, and the overall plot. I also rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars because it is written as if people are actually living with monsters, but we do not know it, and I thought that was a creative idea. I subtracted one star because the story is so far a little depressing, but overall I recommend this book.

I would rate this book a four out of five because it was a very well written book, it is very heartwarming and could make you laugh, cry, and get mad on a single page. The author really slows down the important parts and is really good at explaining her feelings. She also does a great job at describing certain things like the look on her mother's face or how she felt lost when she came to the U.S. However, the author doesn’t really explain many parts like when her heart must have been pulled out: when she saw her mother in the hospital or how difficult working at the farm was. So that is why I give it a 4/5

60 pages read

90 min.

Realistic Fiction because it all could happen

      In Call me Hope by Gretchen Olson Hope, a determined hopeful protagonist, has a verbally abusive mother. Hope want to be loved by her mother. Hope also wants to belong and know that her mother will keep her safe. Hope's mother is usually livid with her and is rarely proud nor loving towards her. So Hope came up with a point system to keep her out of trouble. Finally, because of Hope’s point system, her mother is compassionate about Hope more often.

    I think the theme of the book is when love lacks in a relationship one must fight through with hope. This us the theme because Hope fights through her mother's painful words and always looks on the bright side. This is also the theme because, Hope’s mother doesn't love her as much as she should.

    My favorite part of this book is on Hopes birthday. It's my favorite part because hope spends time enjoying herself. It's also my favorite because Hopes tells Ruthie and Anita that her mother doesn't care about her.

     This book is a 4 out of 5 because this book is confusing at times and feels like the author forgot to add a part, but overall the plot is awesome.

60 pages read

90 min.

Realistic Fiction because it all could happen

      In Call me Hope by Gretchen Olson Hope, a determined hopeful protagonist, has a verbally abusive mother. Hope want to be loved by her mother. Hope also wants to belong and know that her mother will keep her safe. Hope's mother is usually livid with her and is rarely proud nor loving towards her. So Hope came up with a point system to keep her out of trouble. Finally, because of Hope’s point system, her mother is compassionate about Hope more often.

    I think the theme of the book is when love lacks in a relationship one must fight through with hope. This us the theme because Hope fights through her mother's painful words and always looks on the bright side. This is also the theme because, Hope’s mother doesn't love her as much as she should.

    My favorite part of this book is on Hopes birthday. It's my favorite part because hope spends time enjoying herself. It's also my favorite because Hopes tells Ruthie and Anita that her mother doesn't care about her.

     This book is a 4 out of 5 because this book is confusing at times and feels like the author forgot to add a part, but overall the plot is awesome.

The Lions of Little Rock is about a girl name Marlee who is growing up in the late 1950s of Little Rock, Arkansas. At this time segregation is a problem and and a bunch of colored students have been accepted into a all white school. Marlee's parents do not like colored people and Marlee's older sister, Judy can't go to school because high school shut down because of the colored people. There is a pretty new girl at her “all white school” name Liz. Everyone wants to be her friend. “She had straight white teeth, and a beautiful golden tan. She turns out to be really nice and a good friend. They become close. One day the teacher tells the class that Liz won't be attending school there anymore because she “is suddenly sick”. Marlee's bossy friend, Sally tells everyone that the day before she saw Liz walking out of church in the colored part of town. She was holding hands with a colored boy, her brother. Marlee finds out that Liz was “passing” or pretending to be white. She has a lighter skin than most colored people so her parents pretended she was white and the sent her to a all white school for a better education. When her classmates find out, they call her racial slurs and call her other names. 

Marlee doesn't care that Liz was black she just wants to be her friend. She will risk anything to have Liz back for a friend. Her mother doesn't like colored people but her dad doesn't have a problem. 

The Lions of Little Rock is the best book ever! The genre is Historical Fiction. I would definitely recommend this book.

This book is fantasy because it features mythical creatures such as goblins, elves, dwarves, and dragons.

Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, (a jaunty and fat mythical creature that looks like a little human) has enjoyed quite comfort for his whole life. But one day, the wizard Gandalf dragged Bilbo into a quest with 13 homeless dwarves, pursuing an immense treasure guarded by the powerful dragon Smaug. The treasure belonged to the father of Thorin, the leader of the dwarves. This perilous quest can lead to great fortune, or irrevocable death, for Bilbo was a wet blanket. 

    Along the way, Bilbo encountered a slimy creature named Gollum, who guarded a mysterious ring that enabled whoever was in possession of the ring to make oneself invisible. 

Just when the quest seemed to be going all fine, the dwarves mistook Bilbo as brave and courageous, and left him alone to face Smaug. The mysterious ring aided Bilbo in sneaking into Smaug’s lair, a mountain entitled the “Mountain”. 

While in the Mountain, Bilbo angered Smaug, who soon decided to harm the people of Lake-town, a town near the Mountain inhabited by humans. Consequently, Smaug was killed by one of the people of Lake-town.

But when the news about Smaug’s death spreads, everyone wants the treasure. So a battle for the treasure- called The Battle of Five Armies- commences. It was the dwarves, men, and elves fighting against the Goblins and Wargs.

Thanks to his ring, Bilbo survived the war until its end. He returned home safely, and was able to go back to his quite, comfortable, and of course, enjoyable life, just the way he liked it from the beginning.

I think the theme of The Hobbit is The journey is greater than the destination. I think that’s the theme because Bilbo didn’t really get anything from the treasure; he was already rich. But from the journey, he made new friends, he became braver, and he learned about the thrills of danger.

My favorite part was when a game of riddles began between Gollum and Bilbo. I’ve always loved the thrill of attempting to figure out tricky riddles. Also, it was very suspenseful. Every time Gollum said a riddle, I was sitting on the edge of my chair, thinking Does Bilbo make it through without getting eaten? I want to know SO BAD!!!!!!!!! When Gollum asked the riddle about time, I had just about given up on Bilbo. I almost felt like crying. Lastly, I like how the author shows what both Bilbo and Gollum are thinking once they hear the riddles. 

I would rate The Hobbit 3 ½ out of 5. The author does a good job of making the reader want to read on and creating a great story, but the book is kind of dull. There is almost no emotion after the first few chapters, thus making hard to interpret what Bilbo was feeling when he went into Smaug’s lair. All in all, this is a great book, but is easy to misinterpret.

 

 

End on Thursday: page 239

Total pages: 93 pages

Total time Monday: 54 minutes

Total time Tuesday: 40 minutes

Total time Wednesday: 31 minutes

Total time Thursday: 32 minutes

Total time: 157 minutes~about 2 hours and 10 minutes

                                      

Theme: No matter oneself's color, they have the capability of a normal life.

Rating (1-5): 4

Why: I would give Wicked a 4 because it is such a great book, but the author, Gregory Maguire, mentions characters, then just doesn't really explain them.  For example, Elphaba's father Frex, I think is important to know more about his relationship with Elphaba, what he really does, how did he die.  But the author doesn't really say any of those things in the story, so it leaves me wondering if maybe Frex has anything to do with how his children turned out, and what his significance to Elphaba and Nessa's life was.  Gregory Maguire also has Crope and Tibbett come in at some parts of the story, but I don't know enough about them to understand why they are important.  Besides that, Wicked is an amazing story.

Summary: Melena, the wife of a successful priest, gives birth to her first child.  But, the baby has green skin, sharp teeth, won't get wet, and loves to cause harm to people.  They name the baby Elphaba.  Melena's husband, Frex, is always away on business, so it is up to her and their nanny, Nanny, to look after Elphaba.  Nanny loves and cares for Elphaba, while Melena wouldn't be upset if Elphaba dies.  Years later, a new baby girl, Nessarose (Nessa) is added to the family.  Nessa is born with a leg disorder and must move around with a wheelchair, but she is still the favorite child any adult to gets to know her.  Not long after, Melena dies while giving birth to a boy.  When she is old enough, Elphaba gets accepted into one of the best schools in Emerald City, Shiz University.  There, Elphaba's roommate is a bratty sorcery major named Galinda, who later changes her name to Glinda.  During her time at Shiz, Elphaba makes friends, enemies, and relationships that will last a lifetime.  After her class' graduation, everyone kind of loses touch with one another.  Many years have passed and one day, Elphaba runs into her college friend Fiyero.  In Fiyero's culture, they get married as early as seven years old, so he married and has three children but he stays with Elphaba.  It doesn't matter to Fiyero or Elphaba that he is married because they were together so young, it's not true love.   

Favorite part: My favorite part so far was when we were first introduced to the older Elphaba when she was starting at Shiz University.  It was a drastic change from when she was a baby, which she was in the last chapter (it skips through time), and it was very cool to see how she changes from a small horror child, to a respectable adult.  

My favorite part is when Papa comforts Liesel every night. When Papa does comfort Liesel she feels comfortable because she never had anyone love her as much as he did. Also because he helps her to overcome her nightmares about something that she can never forget (I don’t want to spoil). Over all I love that part because she feels like she has a family again to help her through tough times.

I would rate my book a 4.5 out of 5 because the book contains some curse words and some words you may not understand. Also you may not get the events that are happening or what the characters say and when. Though all of that, the book tells a great story with good dialogue and challenging words that improve your vocabulary. That’s why I’d rate the book a 4.5.

My favorite part is when Papa comforts Liesel every night. When Papa does comfort Liesel she feels comfortable because she never had anyone love her as much as he did. Also because he helps her to overcome her nightmares about something that she can never forget (I don’t want to spoil). Over all I love that part because she feels like she has a family again to help her through tough times.

I would rate my book a 4.5 out of 5 because the book contains some curse words and some words you may not understand. Also you may not get the events that are happening or what the characters say and when. Though all of that, the book tells a great story with good dialogue and challenging words that improve your vocabulary. That’s why I’d rate the book a 4.5.

David G block A

Realistic Fiction

100 pages, 2 hours 

In knucklehead the main character Jon is a crazy kid with four other crazy brothers. They love to play around and get into trouble. One of the activities they do is demolition derby with there bikes. One of there brothers has broken four bones just from demolition derby, this illustrates that his brothers and him like to play serious.

I think the theme of this book is family, because in all of the book every one of his brothers stands up for each other. Because they love each other. 

My favorite part of the book is when there mom comes home with five blue sweatshirts with numbers on them so they can’t get mixed up, I thought this was very clever as well as funny.

I would rate this book 5/5 because of how entertaining it is and how funny Knucklehead is.