Books Reviewed by CTHL

• When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt (reviewed May 26, 2008)

  5 This book is about two best friends who are on a journey to help a boy find his place in the world. This is a book for people who love to read an interesting, funny story. It is full of adventure and there is always a discovery waiting to happen. When you read this book, you will learn that if you reach out to someone who needs help, then they will help you back. The main character in this book is a boy named Toby; he has a best friend named Cal. Toby likes Cal because he always has good ideas; he's friendly but sometimes he gets annoying.
  This story takes place way back when there was very little modern technology. The one thing they had was cars. The characters in this story live in a small town named Antler. This town is way down south in Texas. There aren't many people living in the town of Antler besides the people in this book. Outside of the town is almost completely deserted; all there is is dust and cacti for miles. There are not many houses and most people live in trailers, but the few houses there are are very old and dusty.
  In the beginning, unexpectedly a trailer drives up into the middle of town. It parks in the middle of town. A man steps out in a suit and addresses himself as Paulie Rankin. He then asks people to get in a line and says they can pay $4 to see the fattest boy in the world, Zachary Beaver. By the middle of the story, Toby and Cal find out that Paulie Rankin drove off and supposedly he was going to find more acts for Zachary's and his show. Also, Toby and Cal find out that Zachary has never been baptized and he's always wanted to be; but he is scared to go into a church because of his size. At the end of the book Toby, Zachary and Cal become great friends and Paulie comes back for Zachary and he takes him home.
  One thing you learn from this book is people come in and out of everybody's lives. This makes people sad, but they figure out how to move on. Cal's brother, Wayne, goes to the war and unfortunately, he dies there. Toby's mother went to a singing contest, and she called him one night and told him that she wasn't coming back.
  I think this book is adventurous and exciting. I also think this book is sad in a way, but in the end most problems get solved. Sometimes this book feels real as if the author was there. At some points this book is romantic, which makes the book feel complete. Toby and Cal go on so many adventures and they're always getting into trouble. The author describes every scene of the book so vividly. This book is romantic because there is a girl in town that Toby has a crush on.
  In the end, Zachary finds his place in the world and Toby and Cal go on living their lives. But deep down inside them, they know that they've found a true friend in someone who was once a lonely soul.

• Magyk by Angie Sage (reviewed Mar 23, 2008)

  5 This is a fictional book based on magic and magical creatures. The main character in this book is a boy named Septimus Heap. However, you do not see this boy as himself in the book. You see, Septimus was taken at birth from this world. Yet we only think he died. The nanny was there when he was born. She put a spell on him by giving him a strange liquid substance that made it appear that he had died. She took him immediately out the door saying she would bury him in the backyard. Instead she took him to the young army nursery where he would be kept till he was old enough to fight in the young army. The young army is an army of kids no older than 15 years of age, no younger than 7, ruled by an adult under the power of the supreme custodian.
  Silas Heap, the father of Septimus Heap and 6 other boys, and Sarah Heap, the mother were heartbroken by the loss of their seventh son. But soon they are accompanied by someone to take his place. One day while walking back to the house in the woods, Silas spotted a small bundle of sheets and blankets wiggling around on the ground, and an awful high pitched cry was coming from the bundle. Silas walked over and picked it up, only to find a bright red rosy-cheeked baby face looking up at him with wonder. Silas took the baby home, and together Silas and Sarah Heap nursed the baby back to health. Two years later Silas and Sarah found out that the baby that Silas found that night was the daughter of the recently deceased queen. From then on the family struggled to keep harm away from their new baby, for everyone who is evil in this story is set out to kill her.
  Along the way in this story the family bumps into a young army fellow addressed as boy 412 who falls into a big space in this story. Boy 412 becomes a loved friend of the family and accompanies them on all their journeys and lives with them.
  I think that the message in this story is that you can search for something for so, so, so long, and you can search for something for a second, but it's almost guaranteed that some day, some month, some year you'll find it.

• The Sisters Grimm, Book One: Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley (reviewed Nov 7, 2007)

  5 This book is about two sisters who are orphans, and they are sent to many foster homes, but they run away from all of them! Eventually they are sent to their grandmother's house and the younger sister Daphne loves it, but the older sister Sabrina is still not content. She thinks the old woman is a fake! Finally Sabrina realizes the old woman is their real grandmother! Also the girls-little do they know-have entered a world were fairytale creatures roam freely! They soon find out that they are in mortal danger when they are simply walking down the street, and anything all the way from a small bunny to gigantic ferocious Jabberwocky could kill them. Nevertheless they are content in the place they live! I rate this book excellent because it is full of magic and wonderful fairytale creatures!