Books Reviewed by animalcrazy97
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (reviewed Nov 11, 2008)
5 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling is a really, really good book. Its genre is fantasy, which is one of my favorite genres. It makes you believe that all the things it talks about could be real.
The story starts with a boy named Harry who lives with his aunt and uncle (Mr. and Mrs. Dursley) and his cousin, Dudley. They tell Harry that his parents died in a car crash, leaving him with the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. The Durseys are all extremely mean to him, locking him in a cupboard under the stairs when he does the slightest thing wrong. Then one day when he is getting the mail, he finds a letter for himself. But Mr. Dursley takes it from him, reads it, and rips it up. But more keep coming, all the same. They pour down the chimney, even on days when there is normally no mail. Finally, the Dursleys decide to move, so the letters can't get to them. They move to a small wooden house on a rock in the sea. Then at night, on Harry's 11th birthday, a stranger comes and breaks down the door. He is way bigger than the average person. His hands are "the size of trashcan lids". This man's name is Rubeus Hagrid. He sits himself down and begins talking, telling Harry that he is a wizard, and that his parents (also wizards) where actually murdered by the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort. Hagrid asks Harry if he would like to come with him to Hogwarts, a school of magic, where Harry can learn to be a wizard. To find out what happens for there, all you have to do is READ THIS AWESOME, AMAZING BOOK!!!
The Wish by Gail Carson Levine (reviewed Sep 29, 2008)
4 The Wish is a very good book about a girl in middle school. She is very unpopular and since her two best friends moved away she has felt very lonely. Then one day she is on the subway going to school and she sees an old lady who does have a seat. She offers the lady her chair. Then the lady grants her a wish. Wilma is VERY surprised and she doesn't think her wish will come true. But she wishes that she is the most popular girl at her school, Claverford, anyway. When she walks into school that morning she extremely popular!! Everyone likes her and all of the boys in her grade are asking her to go to the Graduation Night Dance with them. Wilma is in heaven. But then she realizes there is a loophole in her wish, and that her popularity might end just as suddenly as it started! I would recommend this book to girls in 5th to 6th grade who are looking for an unforgettable book.
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (reviewed Sep 25, 2008)
5 Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse is an extraordinary story about a 14-year-old girl named Billie Jo who lives in Oklahoma in the early 1900s. There are huge dust storms where she lives. The sand and grit gets everywhere, changing Billie Jo's family's life. Then one day her mom is making coffee and mistakes a bucket of kerosene (very flammable oil) for a bucket of water. The house catches fire and Billie Jo's mom runs out of the house. Billie Jo throws the remaining kerosene out the door, not knowing that her mother was coming back into the house. I can't tell more or it would give the book away, but I will say that this book is only for people who can handle very tragic things. This book is definitely one you will remember and love.
Time of Angels by Karen Hesse (reviewed Sep 23, 2008)
5 A Time of Angels by Karen Hesse is a wonderful but sad story. It is about a girl named Hannah who used to live with her parents, but now lives with her great aunt, Tanta Rose. In Boston, where Hannah (and her two younger sisters) now live, there is a huge influenza (flu) epidemic and everyone Hannah knows is getting sick. There isn't a cure, and most people who catch it die. When Tanta Rose gets the influenza, Hannah's life is shattered. Then her sisters are sick too, and Hannah is hopeless. I can't tell you more because it will ruin the book, but I will tell you that it ends well. You should DEFINITELY read this awesome book!
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (reviewed Sep 22, 2008)
4 The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket is a great series if you are looking for a scary and sad mystery. It is about three kids, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire who lose their parents in a terrible fire in their house, while the kids are at the beach, safe. The parents left a huge fortune to the kids, but Violet, the oldest, can't officially receive the money until she is 18. To make matters worse, the Baudelaire fortune is being pursued by the evil Count Olaf, who now has legal custody of the Baudelaires. What will happen to these misfortunate orphans? Read this suspenseful series to find out!
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (reviewed Sep 19, 2008)
5 Because of Winn-Dixie is a great book about a girl named Opal who lives with her dad. One day Opal is at the grocery store when she sees the manager chasing after a dog! She hears the manager say that he is going to take this stray dog to the pound. But Opal cannot let this happen. So she says the dog is hers and names him Winn-Dixie, after the store she is in. But will she be able to keep this loving dog? Read this amazing book by Kate Dicamillo to find out!
Magyk by Angie Sage (reviewed Dec 8, 2008)
5 This book takes place in a world a little different than ours; Magykal people live there. The beginning is set in the Wizard Castle and the Ramblings (which is a huge village within the Castle walls), where the Heap family lives. The Heaps are Silas,the father, Sarah, the mother, and the six Heap boys.
The story starts when Silas is walking home in the woods with the herbs he just picked up for Sarah, who just had a new baby boy, Septimus, when he sees a bundle on the ground. Inside is a baby girl. Thinking Sarah probably won't mind having just one more member of the family, he takes the baby home with him. Just as he gets home the midwife runs out with the newborn Septimus, declaring him dead. Everyone is very upset, but they adjust to their new life with the baby girl, who they name Jenna. But then someone comes to take Jenna away, starting the Heap family's adventure to save Jenna, and maybe find out more about the supposedly dead Septimus along the way.
This book is truly amazing and you won't be able to put it down. There are some scary parts and sad parts but it is also very funny. I would recommend this book to kids in grades 4-6. If you want a book you will never forget, read Magyk, and the rest of the books in the Septimus Heap series.
