The Avid Reader (and enjoyer of all subjects)

MY BOOKS

Bad Boy | by Walter Dean Myers | Rating:  5 | Date finished:  11/10/08 | Genre: Memoir  This memoir talks of Walter Dean Myers’s young life, also giving some of his family background.  It reveals some surprising information about Myers.  ALSO:  To see a review, go to www.theavidreader.edublogs.org/my-reading-responses. 

The Other Side of Truth | by Beverly Naidoo | Rating:  3.5-4 |  Date abandoned: 12/11/08 | Genre:  Realistic Fiction  The book “The Other Side of Truth” tells the story of two children who are smuggled to England because of dangerous conditions in their home country, Nigeria.  Along the way, they face many dangers and obstructions.

The Children’s Homer | by Padraic Colum | Rating:  5 | Date Finished:  12/13/08 | Genre:  Myth/Fable  This book is like what it sounds like (based on the title):  a children’s version of Greek myths.  It tells of how Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, had lost her husband, and because many wooers believed that Odysseus had died, they all tried to attract her.  It also tells the Tale of Troy and the hardships Odysseus had to face.  Odysseus’s son, Telemachus, finds out his father’s true story, and together they defeat the wooers. 

Journey to Johannesburg | by Beverly Naidoo | Rating: 3.5 | Date finished: 12/5/08 | Genre:  Realistic Fiction  The book “Journey to Johannesburg” was a book we read in social studies.  It tells of two siblings who have to rescue their baby sister (who is seriously ill) by traveling over 100 miles to a hospital where their mother works.  Along the way, the siblings find out about apartheid in South Africa, and that the whites treated them as animals.  In the end, their baby sister is rescued. 

Nothing But the Truth | by Avi (Wortis) | Rating: 4 | Date finished: 12/26/08 | Genre:  Realistic Fiction  “Nothing But the Truth” is the story of Phillip Malloy, who gets suspended for humming the Star-Spangled Banner in his least-favorite teacher’s class.  The school’s assistant principal, Phillip’s teacher, and some of Phillip’s classmates say Phillip was making a disturbance, but Phillip’s family supports him.  The incident soon is in newspapers, and everybody sides with Phillip.  I didn’t really get the part at the real end, when Phillip says he forgot the words; the ending is too sudden.   

The Seer of Shadows | by Avi (Wortis) | Rating: 5 | Date finished: 12/25/08 | Genre:  Fantasy-Realistic Fiction  “The Seer of Shadows” tells the story of Horace, an apprentice photographer to Mr. Middleditch, who is easily flattered.  There is a new customer called Mrs. Von Macht, who has lost a daughter to what she claims as smallpox.  However, Horace discovers the real truth from Mrs. Von Macht’s servant, Pegg.  Mrs. Von Macht’s “daughter” is actually her niece, and when she had a minor illness, Mr. and Mrs. Von Macht refused to pay unless she gave money to them.  Soon, she died of the illness, and Horace has brought her back to life!  ALSO:  To see a review, go to:  www.theavidreader.edublogs.org/my-reading-responses.  The second response is on this book.

Westmark | by Lloyd Alexander | Rating: 4-4.5 | Date finished:  12/25/08 | Genre: Fantasy-Realistic Fiction  Westmark is a suspenseful, exciting book.  It’s the story of a youth, Theo, who is under a death sentence, filed by the evil minister Cabbarus.  Theo has to escape his home city, Dorning.  He escapes with Count Las Bombas and Musket, Las Bombas’s servant.  Theo’s group has many adventures, including a battle with Cabbarus.  ALSO:  To see a review, go to:  www.theavidreader.edublogs.org/my-reading-responses.   

The Rope Trick | by Lloyd Alexander | Rating: 3.5-4 | ABANDONED | Genre: Fantasy-Realistic Fiction  This book was overdue.  I needed to return it to avoid payment, but here’s a summary:  Lidi, a magician, is trying to travel to meet her mentor, a wizard.  Along the way, she meets people like Julian, an outlaw, and Daniella, a young girl.  Alexander always prepares his books with adventure.

Sigmund Freud | by Catherine Reef | Rating: 4.5-5 | Date finished:  1/25/09 | Genre: Biography (Nonfic.)  As you might have guessed, this book was for my February book project.  It was the perfect book, mainly because I wanted a scientist or mathematician, and Freud is a scientist associated with cures of hysteria.  His cures were contrary to the cures of that time, but his cures worked.  At first, he thought cocaine was a good cure for hysteria, and he championed it greatly, but later on he observed that cocaine had harmful effects on health (as we all know today!!!).  He greatly regretted promoting the drug.

My Side of the Mountain | by Jean Craighead George | Rating: 5 | Date finished:  1/29/09 | Genre:  Realistic Fiction  Wow, this is actually the first time I read a fiction book in ages!  This wonderful book is about Sam Gribley, a boy who runs away in the Catskill Mountains and survives in the wilderness.  He eats nuts, fish, and venison; meets many different people including a reporter anxious to write about him (Matt Spell), a former professor (Bando), and even Sam’s own father; and “befriends” a falcon (Frightful), a raccoon (Jesse Coon James), and a weasel (The Baron).  It sounds like a fun time there!  For two complete reading responses, go to:  www.theavidreader.edublogs.org/my-reading-responses. 

Stowaway | by Karen Hesse | Rating: 5 | Date finished:  2/4/09 | Genre:  Diary (Nonfic.)  This book is the true story of Nicholas Young, a boy who runs away, hides on a ship, and embarks on a journey to Antarctica!  His ship, the Endeavor (or Endeavour, as the Brits spelled it) brushes past many dangers, ranging from nefarious natives to a coral reef to a bloody flux!  He sees over 20 men die because of this.  However, Nicholas Young still survives!  A response will be on www.theavidreader.edublogs.org/my-reading-responses for the week of 2/13/09.

Frederic Chopin | by Mike Venezia | Rating: 4-4.5 | Date finished: 2/4/09 | Genre:  Biography (Nonfic.) | Pages:  32  Author Mike Venezia portrays the life of Chopin in this hilarious book.  Did you know that Chopin once was best friends with Franz Liszt, a piano virtuoso?  Did you know that Chopin had many girlfriends when he was young? 

The Strictest School in the World| by Howard Whitehouse | Rating: 5 | Date finished:  2/8/09 | Genre:  Realistic Fiction | Pages:  252  In “The Strictest School”, Emmaline Cayley is a fourteen-year old pioneer in aviation.  A boy, Robert Burns “Rubberbones”, or Rab, is very strong and is perfect for testing out flights.  However, when Emmaline is sent to the strictest school in the world, St. Grimelda’s School, Emmaline’s aunt; servant; Rubberbones; his acquaintances, the gypsies; and a mad inventor, Professor Bellbuckle; have to rescue her–and fight off the evil pterodactyls!  To see a complete reading response, go to www.theavidreader.edublogs.org/my-reading-responses. 

The Faceless Fiend | by Howard Whitehouse | Rating: 4.5 | Date finished:  2/10/09 | Genre:  Realistic Fiction | Pages:  272  The book “The Faceless Fiend” continues off “The Strictest School in the World”.  St. Grimelda’s School for Young Ladies tries to get Emmaline’s Chiligriti friend, Princess Purnah, back, and the Faceless Fiend is intent on capturing Emmaline, her pal Rubberbones, and Purnah!  However, the evil fiend meets his fate after an ancient dog, Banjo, wrestles with him and makes him drown!

The Island of Mad Scientists | by Howard Whitehouse | Rating: 5  | Abandoned (no time to finish) | Genre:  Realistic Fiction An evil collector and his accomplices, Samuel Soap and two thugs, are trying to capture Emmaline and Rab and add them to his alphabetically organized collections of scientists.  St. Grimelda’s School for Young Ladies continues to pursue Princess Purnah.  The children have to find a way to escape the Collector and other nefarious forces!

Charles Darwin | by Dorothy Patent | Rating: 4 | Date finished:  2/22/09 | Genre:  Biography (Nonfiction) | Pages: 144  This book tells much of Charles Darwin’s life.  Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 (yeah, we all know that’s Abe Lincoln’s birthdate).  He loved collecting animals when he was young. Darwin embarked on a famous journey to the Galapagos and Tierra del Fuego on a ship called the <em> Beagle </em>.  He collected many different specimens there.  It was Darwin who proposed the evolution theory first, but his friend Alfred Russel Wallace had gotten to the conclusion twenty years ago!  Another friend was Charles Lyell, a geologist who wrote “Principles of Geology”.  Towards the end of his life, Darwin wrote “The Origin of Species”.  At that time, theology was very important, and many religious leaders like Bishop Samuel Wilberforce claimed that humans were created by God, and that they weren’t evolved from monkeys.  In a debate, though, Wallace and another friend of Darwin spoke up and defeated the theologists.   

The Tree of Life | by Peter Sis | Rating: 5 | Date finished:  3/2/09 | Genre:  Biography  (Nonfiction) | Pages:  40 Yeah, this is another biography about Charles Darwin (again!, you moan.)  But this is not the ordinary biography starting out with “Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809.  An interesting fact is that he was born on the same day as Abe Lincoln.”  This is the wonderful picture-comic story about an evolutionary scientist who changed the world with his ideas and books.  It shows a diagram of Darwin’s mansion, Down House, which has a greenhouse and a sandwalk by the woods (my dream house!); and diary entries of Darwin and the captain of the Beagle, Robert FitzRoy.  I rated this book 5 because it demonstrates the fun way of learning, not just the monotonous way of “Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809.”

The Great Gilly Hopkins | by Katherine Paterson | Rating: 5 | Date finished:  3/5/09 | Genre:  Realistic Fiction | Pages:  148 This Newbery Honor winning novel has much acclaim, and the book does deserve it!  Galadriel (Gilly) Hopkins is a defiant girl who has been in and out of many foster families.  She is sent to the Trotters’ house (in this book).  Maime Trotter is the fattest woman Gilly has ever met, and what’s more, Trotter dotes on her cowardly son, William Ernest (W.E.), who seems like a retard to Gilly.  The most frustrating thing?  The Trotters are black, and so is Gilly’s teacher, Ms. Harris, and half of her class.  (This novel was written in the mid-20th century, so segregation and discrimination were still at large in the Deep South.)  Knowing that her mother would never allow her precious daughter to live in such squalid conditions, Gilly is determined to escape.  However, when her attempt fails, she realizes that the Trotters actually care about her very much.  A response will be on www.theavidreader.edublogs.org/my-reading-responses for the week of 3/13/09.

Barack Obama | by Stephen Feinstein | Rating: 4 | Date finished:  3/7/09 | Genre:  Biography (Nonfiction) | Pages:  24  Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii.  His parents divorced when he was a young child, and his mother married again to a man named Lolo Soetoro.   Because of his childhood hardships, Obama was tougher when he was an adult.  He married Michelle Obama and had two children, Sasha and Malia.  Though Feinstein wrote a wonderful biography, he wrote it at the wrong time–2008.  I think Feinstein should have written the book right after the election if Obama had not won and after the inauguration if Obama had won.  There’s also something else that would bother Illinois citizens today:  a picture of Barack Obama watching the Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich, sign a paper.  In case you don’t know it, Blago was recently tried for “selling” Obama’s empty seat to another politician and was found guilty.  Overall, this was a nice biography to read but could be improved if published later.

The Subtle Knife | by Phillip Pullman | Rating: 5 | Date finished:  3/17/09 | Genre:  Science Fiction-Fantasy | Pages:  326   As a wonderful sequel to “The Golden Compass”, “The Subtle Knife” has won countless awards including a Parents’ Choice Gold Award.  Lyra, from Book 1 (”The Golden Compass”), goes through a ”window” to another world and meets Will, a 12-year-old murderer of a thief, who is escaping from the cops and trying to find his father.  While they are in the other world, Will discovers a special knife that can ”cut” through windows so that the owner can move from world to world.  They continue to battle the evil Gobblers, led by Mrs. Coulter.  A response will be on www.theavidreader.edublogs.org/my-reading-responses for the week of 3/20/09.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid | by Jeff Kinney | Rating: 4 | Date finished:  3/16/09 | Genre:  Realistic Fiction | Pages:  224  “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” is a picture-filled bestseller.  It talks about the hilarious life of a kid named Greg Heffley.  There are dozens of jokes that I’m sure the average person couldn’t think up of!  Though it is 101% laughable, it is a bit too plain, which is why the rating is not 5. 

The Amber Spyglass | by Phillip Pullman | Rating: 3.5-4 | Date finished: 3/27/09 | Genre:  Science Fiction-Fantasy  Pages:  465  As the third book in the series “His Dark Materials”, “The Amber Spyglass” is the nerve-thrilling book that concludes the chronology.  Will and Lyra continue to battle Mrs. Coulter (who happens to be Lyra’s mother)’s evil forces.  Their allies include Iorek Byrnison the ice bear; John Faa and Farder Coram; and the ghosts of many former allies including Roger the kitchen boy and Lee Scoresby, who died fighting for Lyra and her side.  However, I didn’t really get the point of the mulefa and Mary Malone, and many changes were too sudden. 

The Willows and Beyond | by William Horwood | Rating: 5 | Date finished:  4/14/09 | Genre:  Fantasy (not the dragon type)  | Pages:  304  “The Willows in Winter” is a book continuing off Kenneth Grahame’s novel “The Wind in the Willows”.  In this book, the same old characters return–Mole, the Water Rat, the Badger, Toad, and Otter, also with their children!  The beloved River that the animals knew for so long is in danger, and the animals have to work together and save it! 

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm | by Nancy Farmer | Rating: 5 | Date finished:  4/19/09 | Genre:  Science Fiction  | Pages:  311  As some comments say, this book IS related to “The Giver” by Lois Lowry, and they both talk about utopian worlds.  The three Matsika children are taken hostage by a few robbers, and the Matsika parents call in three of the weirdest detectives in Zimbabwe–the Ear, the Eye, and the Arm!  Both of the trios must be able to survive, as they end up fighting for their lives!  (Wow, Ms. Paisie’s strategy of handing out books we like definitely worked–at least for me.)

Archimedes | by Heather Hasan | Rating: 4.5 | Date finished:  5/4/09 | Genre:  Biography (Nonfiction)  | Pages:  98  Archimedes was a famous Greek mathematician ranked with Carl Friedrich Gauss and Sir Isaac Newton.  He was born on Syracuse.  As a child, he was given top education, because he was born in a wealthy family.  He grew up to be a famous geometer.  Also, he developed an early form of calculus.   

Lord Brocktree | Brian Jacques | Rating: 5 | Date finished:  5/4/09 | Genre:  Fantasy  In one of the books in the Redwall series by Brian Jacques, Lord Brocktree, an almighty Badger Lord, rushes to defend Salamandastron and its aging Badger Lord and hares, accompanied by a haremaid nicknamed Dotti and a powerful otter nicknamed Ruff.  The evil wildcat Ungatt Trunn is determined to invade Salamandastron, but Lord Brocktree is in his way, and a big fight is inevitable.

Sadako and the Paper Cranes | Eleanor Coerr | Rating: 4 (too easy) | Date finished:  5/2/09 | Genre:  Realistic Fiction  | Pages:  80  Sadako Sasaki is a track star, but one afternoon, she notices that she has dizzy spells.  They continue to occur after long runs.  One day, she suddenly feels dizzy during class, and when she is taken to the doctors, they realize that Sadako has leukemia, an aftereffect of the Hiroshima bomb.  Her best friend Chizuko tells her of the old legend that if a sick person folds 1,000 cranes, then the gods will make her feel better again.  However, after folding only 644 cranes, Sadako dies peacefully.  Note:  This book is based on a real story.

Building America | by Janice Weaver | Rating: 5 | Date finished:  5/9/09 | Genre:  Informative (Nonfiction)  | Pages:  51  This book shows the time periods of architecture, and some examples of buildings that were constructed during those periods.  The Biltmore Estate (located in Asheville, North Carolina) is the largest private home in America, with 250 rooms and 4 acres of floor space!  Fallingwater, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, shows his theory that buildings should blend in with their environment–Fallingwater is built right above a waterfall.  This book is perfect for the reader who is interested in architectural designs.

MY READING RESPONSES

Animal Farm | by George Orwell | Date responded:  6/10/09 | Topic:  Association with the Russian Revolution The book “Animal Farm” has one of the most, if not the most, significant themes in the history of books.  It has two faces–one as an enjoyable teenager’s book, and the other as an accurate representation of the Russian Revolution.  So for those of you who looked on www.theavidreader.edublogs.org/my-books, saw my annotation of “Animal Farm”, and clicked on the link to this page, I will provide you with a description of the characters resembling the real-life figures during the Russian Revolution.

The book begins with Old Major’s speech on a new idea–Animalism, where animals, instead of men, rule.  Similarly, Karl Marx founded a whole new principle that is used in many countries of the world–Communism.  Mr. Jones, the ”ruler” of the barn, is similar to Czar Nicholas II of Russia.  The animals’ revolution against Mr. Jones is similar to the Russian Revolution and the Spanish Civil War.  Then, the animals create a new government–Animalism, while Russia’s new government system was Communism.  Instantly on Animal Farm, two rulers emerge:  the brilliant Snowball, and the less-known Napoleon, unmistakably Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin, respectively.  Everything goes okay for a while, but Snowball and Napoleon are like polar opposites when it comes to almost any debatable topic.  Soon, Napoleon drives Snowball off the farm with his nine dogs, while in the Russian Revolution, Stalin uses the Russian KGB to drive Trotsky off into exile.  Under Napoleon, matters seem to be fine, but only for a while.  Napoleon soon begins to act like a dictator, as Stalin did.  Some odious things Napoleon did included slaughtering all his opponents (using his dogs, of course); changing the rules to his favor (for example, he changed “No animal shall slaughter another animal” to “No animal shall slaughter another animal without cause”, and “No animal shall drink alcohol” to “No animal” shall drink alcohol to excess”, among others); ordering a cannon to be fired on his birthday as well as the date of the rebellion and the date of a battle; and ordering what was like a barn anthem to a song praising himself.  Napoleon promoted his species among all others and said that pigs were more equal than other animals.  Stalin did things equally malicious.  Napoleon also manipulated the death of a strong, loyal horse (Boxer), who clearly resembles the devoted Communist followers who Stalin still killed.   At the end of the story, George Orwell makes clear that the pigs resemble the men in that the way Mr. Jones “ruled” the barn was as bad as the ruthless Napoleon’s ruling, just as Joseph Stalin turned a tyranny into a totalitarianism equally evil.

—————-QUARTER 4 READING RESPONSES——————

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (unabridged) | by Mark Twain | Date responded:  5/28/09 (for the week of 5/29/09; This is what I call “accidental procrastination”) | Topic:  Compare and contrast with “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”

After finishing “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (see reading response below), I was eager for another book of equal humor, so my natural choice would be ”The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”.  However, though this book is highly recommended, it doesn’t completely resemble “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”.

While both books are titled “The Adventures of …”, Huck Finn’s story has more adventures than Tom Sawyer’s.  For example, on page 35, Huck travels to Jackson Island, an abandoned island, where he lives alone until he meets Jim, Widow Douglass’s runaway slave.  Jim wants to be a free man, so Huck and Jim make a raft and head for a city called Cairo, which they assume is in the United States.  They meet two frauds dubbed “The King” and “The Duke”, who forge their identities to get a fortune and cheat a whole town.  Later, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer plan Jim’s escape from the jail.  In contrast, Tom Sawyer’s adventures don’t number many; Tom got lost in a cave with Becky, and he went on Jackson Island to forge his death.  And Tom doesn’t travel on a raft for many days like Huck does.

However, those books are not polar opposites as, say, Mark Twain’s writing and Ernest Hemingway’s writing are.  “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is not all adventure.  One great example of Huck’s wit would be when he forged his own death by chopping through Pap’s hut’s door with an ax (page 33-34), and dragging a bloody dead pig over a path to the river, including footsteps.  Even Tom Sawyer was fooled and thought Huck drowned!  Both books also share suspense–as Tom is the witness of Doctor Robinson’s murder, Huck and Jim are witnesses of a murder on a sinking steamboat on pages 66-70.  When they were stuck on the steamboat with two murderers and no raft, Jim found the murderers’ boat, filled with loot, and rowed it away.

“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is loved the same way as its companion, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is, but not in the same way; Huck Finn has many adventures while Tom Sawyer’s story is about his wit.  I thoroughly enjoy “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (implying that I haven’t finished it yet), and I could bet that after the book came out, all of the readers were clamoring for a “The Adventures of Joe Harper”.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (unabridged) | by Mark Twain | Date responded:  5/18/09 (for the week of 5/21/09) | Topic:  Mark Twain’s use of humor and satire

If there was one book that would keep a grumpy Scrooge laughing, it would have to be “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”.  Tom Sawyer has so much wit that even his normally strict and straight-faced aunt, Aunt Polly, can’t refrain from chuckling after Tom has played a trick.  Even Samuel Langhorne Clemens’ pen name, Mark Twain, is funny–who would want to name themselves “two fathoms deep”?  However, humor isn’t the only technique used–there is also a bit of suspense.

Mark Twain (a.k.a. Samuel Langhorne Clemens) begins this novel with a humorous beginning, when Tom is caught in the act of eating jam.  Right when Aunt Polly is about to whip Tom, he distracts her momentarily, and while her attention is averted, he runs out of the house as quick as he can.  Later, while Tom is given the chore of whitewashing their house’s fence, he views whitewashing the fence as a good thing, and persuades other boys to give him old possessions in exchange for a few of his possessions and the chore.  Also, when a beautiful girl passes by, Tom does many things to attract her, and on the first day of school they become acquainted.  Only a witty boy like Tom could do that.  Tom’s wit also leads him into running away with two of his friends, Joe Harper and Huckleberry Finn, to an island when he feels that no one loves him.  This makes everybody worried, and they assume that the boys are dead when they don’t turn up.  When the boys turn up at their own “funeral”, everybody is shocked–and relieved, and the three boys are the most popular at school once again.

Even though Mark Twain is known for his use of satire, there are still parts with suspense.  When Tom and Huck Finn go to the graveyard one day, they see a brawl ensue.  Injun Joe kills young Doctor Robinson, and then frames drunkard Muff Potter.  At Muff Potter’s trial, Tom tells everybody the truth, and Injun Joe flees the room, giving Tom nightmares about a grueling, slow death.  Tom and Huck have more adventures when they discover that Injun Joe and another half-Spaniard find a treasure and then plan to torture a widow.  (Huck eventually warns her.)  When Tom and Becky go adventuring in the dark cave and get lost, they hear Injun Joe right in the cave.  (They eventually find their way out).

Mark Twain’s satire is long envied by many writers, and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is one place where he demonstrates it.  However, humor and wit are not the only techniques used in this book.  This book would be a pleasure for anyone, even the grumpiest Scrooge.

Lord Brocktree | by Brian Jacques | Date responded:  5/11/09 (for the week of 5/15/09) | Topic:  Why I liked this book

One of the most exciting stories for young adults is the “Redwall” series by Brian Jacques.  The “Redwall” series has received much praise from newspapers all around the nation, and so has “Lord Brocktree”.  Because of its suspense (cliff-hangers) and moving parts, ”Lord Brocktree” remains a favorite among kids and young adults alike.

Brian Jacques’ books are famous for their suspense and cliff-hangers.  One such case is on page 140, when the old ruler Lord Stonepaw and his eighteen hares hidden underground is about to be discovered by the many vermin.  At this point, the reader is nervous and wants to continue reading to find out if Stonepaw and the hares were captured by the evil wildcat Ungatt Trunn’s vermin forces.  Another case is on page 304, the powerful squirrel Jukka the Sling, after disguising herself as a blue rat and injuring some other rats, races down the corridor, with the rats hot in pursuit.  On page 328, it says, “Everybeast knew that at noon of the next day, the merriment would cease, temporarily for some, permanently for others.”  This implies–rather, foreshadows–that the animals who wouldn’t experience merriment permanently would die, and the reader is curious to read about the fight that happens next.

Though Brian Jacques may make scenes very cruel (for example, when two brother searats and former pirates test a former high-ranked officer’s speed and an arrow’s speed, therefore killing the officer), there are still some moving parts.  For example, on page 158, Lord Stonepaw grabs 7 vermin and jumps into the pool, bravely sacrificing his own life for his hares to have more time to escape.  Also, on page 240, the old hare Fleetscut, with tears flowing down his face, yells, “I’ll never let you down, Stonepaw!  I’m coming back, sire!”

Overall, “Lord Brocktree” is a masterpiece where suspense meets sentimentality.  I’m sure that anybody would love to read this book, regardless of their age or preferences. 

 The Golden Ratio | by Mario Livio | Date responded:  5/4/09 (for the week of 5/8/09) | Topic:  The relationship between this book and “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown

THE BASIC FACT:  Φ = The Golden Ratio = (1+√5)/2 ≈ 1.6180339887… (Please do NOT ask how I made that equation.)

The Golden Ratio is one of the most descriptive and informative nonfiction books about math, and shows the relationship between math and art, literature, and history, as the back cover suggests.  The front cover of my edition of the book shows a quote from Dan Brown, the author of “The Da Vinci Code”.  Right at that moment, I was thinking that Dan Brown had read “The Golden Ratio” thoroughly and utilized some of the information that he learned from this book in his award-winning masterpiece.  Sure enough, my hypothesis turned out to be correct.

If you have read “The Da Vinci Code” itself (and I would suspect that not many of you have, aside from Ms. Paisie), then you may recall that Jacques Sauniere, the curator of the Louvre museum, was shot by an albino named Silas, and then stretched himself out on the floor just as Leonardo da Vinci had drawn the Vitruvian Man.  Well, the Vitruvian Man’s body is in the proportion of Φ, as said on page 134.  Also, in the Da Vinci Code, Robert Langdon found out that Leonardo Da Vinci was a part of a secret group which had many leaders, including the famous musician Claude Debussy..  In this book, Mario Livio mentions a secret group Da Vinci was involved in, and Debussy was a leader.  In the Da Vinci Code, when Dan Brown writes a flashback when Langdon was teaching a class in the US, Langdon talked about the Golden Ratio, phi, with his class. 

After finishing “The Golden Ratio”, I was convinced that Dan Brown used “The Golden Ratio” as a resource for writing his bestselling novel; there were many things in this book that Dan Brown mentioned or used in his book.  I was not surprised at all; who wouldn’t want to get facts from such an informative nonfiction book?

—QUARTER 3 RESPONSES—

The Amber Spyglass | by Phillip Pullman | Date responded:  3/31/09 (for the week of 4/3/09) | Topic:  Why I didn’t like the book

After thoroughly enjoying “The Golden Compass” and “The Subtle Knife”, I was practically dying for a copy of “The Amber Spyglass”, which I finally found in the Media Center.  However, Pullman let me down with his third book in the series. 

The main criteria that made “The Amber Spyglass” significantly worse than the two other books was the understandability.  After reading the book, I still couldn’t understand the mulefa and the zalif.  I didn’t know how they talked and communicated with the scholar, Mary Malone, and their lifestyles.  Also, the first books–and the movie–portrayed Mrs. Coulter as an atrocious woman who helped in the process of intercision, and the first book’s end showed Lord Asriel intercising Roger (Lyra’s Oxford friend), so I was not ready for such a sudden apostasy when Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel suddenly tried to protect Lyra in the third book.  Pullman should have foreshadowed something happening–in the second book, when we last see Mrs. Coulter, she tells the witch Lena Feldt that she would destroy Lyra.

I was also muddled by the very beginning, when Lyra is seeing all her old friends and allies in a dream under Mrs. Coulter’s eye.  The sentence suddenly stopped as if suspended in mid-air, and regular chapters followed until there appeared another page or two of bold words.  It took me a long time to guess that when the bold pages were put together, they made a long, flowing dream.  Pullman shouldn’t have immediately stopped like that.

Though the first two books in “His Dark Materials” chronology were brilliantly written and devised, the third book significantly dropped in terms of understandability.  Maybe I didn’t read thoroughly, but I think that I’ll have to reread this book to appreciate it.

The Da Vinci Code | by Dan Brown | Date responded:  3/25/09 (for the week of 3/27/09) | Topic:  Why I liked this book

Of all the books I have ever read in my life, “The Da Vinci Code” tops all of them.  The Da Vinci Code is the suspenseful story of how Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor, and his cryptologist partner, Sophie Neveu, are falsely accused of murdering the museum director of the Louvre and three other religious people, all the while avoiding arrest when many seemingly benevolent “allies” betray them!  It’s capability of keeping readers at the edge of their seats and “the perfect book for history buffs, conspiracy nuts, puzzle lovers, or anyone who appreciates a great riveting story”–Harlan Coben, New York Times bestselling author.

Nobody would want to count the examples of suspense and betrayal in this book (but I’ll give you a few examples).  When Langdon uses the restroom in the Louvre after an examination with Bezu Fache, the DCPJ (equivalent to America’s CIA) chief, he discovers he is in danger after Agent Neveu comes in the men’s restroom to warn him.  Neveu tells Langdon that a button-sized GPS is hidden inside his pants’ pocket to monitor the places Langdon goes.  They trick Fache by knowing its presence, and escape the building.  Andre Vernet, who appears later in the book, is the manager of a bank.  At first, he agrees to hide Neveu and Langdon, but then discovers that Langdon and Neveu are hiding a cryptex vital for the Church.  Vernet points a gun at them and forces them to hand over the cryptex, but a minor error turned out to be catastrophic for Vernet.  Then, when Langdon partners up with a knight named Sir Leigh Teabing, he unknowingly puts his life–and Sophie’s life–into jeopardy when Teabing’s manservant, Remy, listens to a news broadcast about the visitors.  He works for the Church, which is trying to gain control of the cryptex, so when Teabing discovers an intruder (also the murderer) in his house trying to steal the cryptex, he binds the intruder up and leaves Remy with him.  Remy, however, frees the intruder, because the intruder works for the Church, and bind the three up.  The Teacher, a special figure working for the Church, invites Remy over, but actually poisons Remy.  The true identity of the Teacher is Sir Leigh Teabing himself, and in the end, Fache realizes his error and arrests Teabing. 

“The Da Vinci Code” is a definite masterpiece, and its vocabulary is not complex at all.  I would recommend this book to all my readers who love nerve-thrilling novels!

The Subtle Knife | by Phillip Pullman | Date responded:  3/17/09 (for the week of 3/20/09) | Topic:  Why I liked the book

“The Subtle Knife” continues off from the first book in His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman.  The author has won tons of awards from this trilogy, and by writing ”The Subtle Knife” he won the Parents’ Choice Gold Award.  Because of its suspense and wonderful ending, this book definitely lives up to its claim to fame and does deserve more.

In this book, Lyra and Will embark on a journey to a) find Will’s father, b) battle the Gobblers, and c) save the universe.  There is an ongoing debate about the substance Dust, which may be undesirable in our world but vital for transportation between worlds in their world.  The book will keep you at the edge of your seat at certain places!  On page 125 in my edition, Lee Scoresby (supporter of Lyra) is walking when suddenly, his daemon (animal soul) senses danger.  A Skraeling (bad) fires an arrow which buzzes by Scoresby’s shoulder.  Scoresby takes out his pistol and shoots the Skraeling.  On page 155, Charles, a seemingly benevolent museum guide, steals Lyra’s prized possession, the alethiometer.  With the subtle knife, Will enters Charles’s house and hides behind a sofa while Charles and Mrs. Coulter talk.  Mrs. Coulter’s golden tamarin monkey, who is very keen, finds Will, who snatches the alethiometer and goes through his created ”window” back to another world.  On page 175, when Will is fighting a madman named Tullio, Will is wounded, and Tullio has the edge, but wins the skirmish.  Tullio’s siblings, Angelica and Paolo, lead a mob of young children with pistols, and they threaten to kill Lyra and Will, but the good witches, led by Serafina Pekkala, salvage them.

Normally in a book without a sequel, you would expect the ending to be all smiles, but that’s not the case here.  (Even with sequels, almost all books don’t have a sepulchral ending.)  In the case of “The Subtle Knife”, however, it appears that Mrs. Coulter’s nefarious forces captured Lyra because a witch betrayed Lyra’s side; Will’s father is dead because a witch who he turned down for marriage killed him; and the enemy is gaining omnipotence every minute.  Because of this, the author makes the reader want to read the third book (just like me!)

I enjoyed reading this book because of its suspense and creative ending.  If you would want a book with all of these qualities and having an unimaginable plot, “The Subtle Knife” would definitely be your choice.

The Great Gilly Hopkins | by Katherine Paterson | Date responded:  3/8/09 (for the week of 3/13/09) | Topic:  Gilly’s character and the changes it undergoes

Children can’t keep themselves from doing what they like, even if it involves defying their astounded parents, while adolescents are less likely to do so.  (I’m less likely to do so.)  In the case of the great Galadriel “Gilly” Hopkins, however, foster family after foster family just stood agog while Gilly did whatever she wanted.  As a recipient of awards from Newbery Honor Medal, National Book Award for Children’s Literature, the Horn Book Fanfare, and a “Best of the Best” Children’s Books 1966-1978, “The Great Gilly Hopkins” tells the story of how one family attempted to control Gilly and her temper.

Gilly Hopkins’s slyness and defiance (at first) is demonstrated in several parts of the book.  On page 17, when Maime Trotter told Gilly that Trotter’s son, William Ernest (W.E., who was mentally retarded to the sly Gilly), was making progress in school, Gilly commented, “So he’s finally getting a head, is he?”  That confused Trotter.  On page 23, Gilly first stole a basketball from a couple of boys, and then fought them when they pursued her.  When Gilly discovers money in old and blind Mr. Randolph’s bookshelf, she instantly takes some, and later uses both a supposedly antagonistic girl at school and W.E., Trotter’s soul, to take some more.  She also pretends to dust Mr. Randolph’s bookcase while stealing the rest, ending up with more than $35. 

In the end, however, Gilly’s character tergiversated.  The author foreshadowed (ooh, another great technique) this flip-flop when she described Mrs. Harris’s (Gilly’s sixth grade teacher) reaction after Gilly made an overly racist card.  Mrs. Harris was calm, contrary to Gilly’s wishes and expectations.  After Gilly tried to escape from the Trotters, the police called them back, and Gilly found out that W.E. actually wanted Gilly back.  Gilly’s heart melted at this, something that does not happen frequently with Gilly.  Because she notices that the Trotters actually care for her very much, Gilly feels quite crestfallen when it’s time for her to leave.  Throughout the book, Gilly’s character fluctuates a lot until she realizes that her soul has been brightened by the Trotters.

 The Jungle Book | by Rudyard Kipling | Date responded:  3/1/09 (for week of 3/6/09) | Topic:  Me in Mowgli’s shoes

Ever since Mowgli was a toddler, he had been living in the forest with other wolves and snakes (Kaa) and birds (Chil the Kite), so he would be used to the daily life.  No typical person (besides Sam Gribley) would be able to adapt to the relentless conditions of the woods, and I’m no exception.  However, if I was in Mowgli’s shoes for a typical day, there would be many advantages–and disadvantages.

One amenity of the forest would be that I would know all the languages of the forest.  In case I would be in trouble, then I would be able to communicate with animal witnesses.  For example, Mowgli was captured by the Bandar-log, evil monkeys.  Right at that moment, Chil the Kite swooped by, and Mowgli gave the kite call for help.  If the most evil ex-inhabitant ( ) Shere Khan, the tiger, were to capture Mowgli, and a cobra were to pass by, Mowgli would communicate with the cobra, asking for succor.  Another convenience would be my physical strength and duration if I were Mowgli.  I wouldn’t ever get sick because of continuous exercising, and my heart would be healthy so I would be at an extremely low risk for atherosclerosis and hyptertension.  A third suitability would be that simply because I was a man-cub, almost man, all the animals would revere me.  When Mowgli was seventeen, for example, animals were agog at the sight of him.  The more animals who venerated me, the more bodyguards I would have, and anybody who dared to resist me would be killed by my many bodyguards.  It would almost be like I was a god.

However, there are still dangers to living Mowgli’s life.  I could still be at risk for capture.  The Bandar-log were very cunning and had devised a secret plan, even though they were anarchists, in a way.  The way these monkeys abducted Mowgli was a quintessence of their abilities.  Furthermore, Shere Khan and the stealthy jackal, Tabaqui, would haunt the forest, and even Mother Wolf, Father Wolf, and Akela, the leader of the wolf pack, couldn’t protect me from Shere Khan.  Even with his hide safe with me, humans could also harm me–Buldeo, the evil hunter, so falsely accused Mowgli of being a werewolf, and wanted acclaim for himself that he had slain Shere Khan.  The dholes, who tried to hurt Mowgli, were also a sly jeopardy for the man-cub.

Even with its thrills, survival in the Jungle may be similar to “Lost”, and it definitely isn’t easy.  If I were Mowgli, I would definitely savor the amenities but lust caution when it comes to the risks to make my life in the jungle at its maximum sensation.

The Jungle Book | by Rudyard Kipling | Date responded:  2/26/09 (for the week of 2/27/09) | Topic:  Kipling’s writing

Though I haven’t finished the unabridged version of “The Jungle Book” as of this date, I already know what the book is about generally.  “The Jungle Book” focuses on a boy, Mowgli, who survives in the jungle with many animals until he feels the urge to go back to man and lives a tranquil, usual life with his parents.  This classic is an exceptional choice for anybody who likes thrilling adventure books.  (My type ) 

Rudyard Kipling isn’t as famous a classical author as Charles Dickens or Jules Verne is, but he does have some good writing techniques, and one of them is his delineative tone.  On page 131 of my version (where the black panter Bagheera yawns in front of the ignominious villagers) Bagheera didn’t just yawn, he “raised his head and yawned–elaborately, carefully, and ostentatiously…The fringed lips drew back and up; the red tongue curled; the lower jaw dropped and dropped till you could see halfway down the hot gullet; and the gigantic dogteeth stood clear to the pit of the gums until they rang together, upper and under…”.  The typical middle schooler wouldn’t want that Shakespearian tone sounding again, but the more picturesque a writer is the better he is compared to rival authors.  No wonder he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1907!

Though you would expect such an author to use advanced vocabulary, Kipling is actually the opposite of that because he wants his readers to comprehend the text.  (Maybe I should imitate Kipling).  Another fascinating thing about this version is that it includes many brief poems and songs that match the setting, so that readers gets a lucid image of the scenes.  In case they don’t, there is a profuse amount of pictures.

While I’m learning Latin prefixes and suffixes (Caesar’s English is the perfect tool), I have been dying to understand Shakespeare’s language of “thee”, “thou art”, and “thy”, and I think that common folks wouldn’t be able to understand “Thou art a Southerner?”, because that just isn’t common language.  However, Kipling uses this language, which I am particularly disappointed about.  This is old English, an anomaly in the setting Kipling is focusing on, and if it weren’t for the book’s wonderful scenes and images, I’m positive that a muddled reader would put this book down.

All in all, Rudyard Kipling did an impressive job illustrating the book while writing it and using easy vocabulary for elementary schoolers.  However, his old English tone is something not everybody understands, and he could definitely improve that in his writing (if he were still alive today).

The Strictest School | by Howard Whitehouse | Date responded:  2/16/09 (for the week of 2/20/09) | Topic:  Compare and contrast with “The Bad Beginning”   

When it was published, “The Bad Beginning” was an instant hit for young and old alike.  Lemony Snicket had thought of the incredible–create a story where the nefarious triumph over the eleemosynary, where the ending is a nightmare for the altruistic and a hankering for the malevolent.  Since then, more books have leaned towards that innovative idea–including “The Strictest School”.  Though the books have similarities, “The Strictest School” isn’t quite like Snicket’s primary book.

The similarities are quite manifest.  “The Strictest School” has a few protagonists (Emmaline Cayley and Robert Burns “Rubberbones”, or “Rab”) who are both children, and a main antagonist (Malvolia Wackett), who has a collection of accomplices (Mrs. Scantcommon, or “The Matron” and Mrs. Sharpelbow, an evil educator).  They went to a building the antagonist owned (Emmaline was sent to St. Grimelda’s School for Young Ladies and the Baudelaires were sent to Olaf’s house).  Count Olaf in “The Bad Beginning” and all of the evil teachers in this book force the children to do chores.  And finally, the ending of both books signify that the protagonists are relieved of ignominious forces, but only temporarily.  I’d also like to add a note that both books have sequels; Mr. Snicket added twelve more and Mr. Whitehouse currently has two others, “The Faceless Fiend” and “The Island of Mad Scientist”.  Their pattern of naming books is a similar characteristic I noticed, too. 

Mr. Whitehouse did not write “The Strictest School” to be a mirror image of Mr. Snicket, though, and a few spots make this clear.  For example, the Baudelaire orphans in “The Bad Beginning” are sent to Olaf’s house, where there are no other children.  Emmaline Cayley was sent to St. Grimelda’s School for Young Ladies, and there she met many girls of her age, befriending some (Princess Purnah, Josie Pinner and Gwendolyn, for the climax, falling action, and ending) and making enemies with others (Amelia).  The Baudelaires were sent to a house where no other children, let alone orphans, lived.  Also, Emmaline gets separated from Rab in “The Strictest School”, while the Baudelaire orphans stayed together.  Rab has to rescue Emmaline from the school, along with Professor Bellbuckle, Aunt Lucy, and Lal Singh, while Mr. Poe doesn’t attempt to rescue the Baudelaires.

Overall, there were many differences between the books.  Although the extremely general idea of having the ending be in chaos was used by both authors, one author went on to describe a rescue while another never diverged from the ignominious idea of torture.

P.S.  “The Willoughbys” by Lois Lowry also has an unfortunate ending.  I haven’t read it, but does anybody know what it talks about?

Stowaway | by Karen Hesse | Date responded:  2/9/09 (for the week of 2/13/09) | Topic:  Living on a ship like Nicholas Young

Stowaway is the real-life story of Nicholas Young, an 11-year-old boy who journeys with about 100 other men on the Endeavor (or Endeavour, as Nicholas spelled it).  It is written by Newbery-Award winning author Karen Hesse (she wrote Out of the Dust).  Though Ms. Hesse portrays the life of Nicholas Young quite accurately and realistically (based on a few facts, she expanded a lot about Nicholas’s desires, feelings, red hair, personality), I now realize that the dangers of the sea outweigh the thrill, and that it wasn’t very easy to survive on a ship.

On a ship, you have to eat hardened crackers, which could survive for five years.  Sailors normally eat these crackers during the night so that they won’t have to see the disgusting maggots crawling all over it.  Maggots don’t sound very appetizing to me and probably won’t either to the typical American.  Nicholas was just lucky that Cook Thompson made fresh hog meat every now and then.  Another peril sailors would have to face would be the natives.  Some natives treated the sailors with avarice, like those who wanted nails and jewelry from the sailors.  The crew even met some cannibal natives and were lucky they weren’t hostile to them.  A few friendly natives, like Tupia and Tarheto in the story, might even translate the language the natives use, and this language isn’t very welcoming, to put it mildly.  The winds determine the direction the ship is going to sail, and a ship could go offcourse, be battered into pieces by harsh storms or possibly waterspouts (!), or just stay stationary for days.  Yet another reason to be afraid is the lurking dangers underwater, like coral reefs, which almost killed all men and the one boy on board.  Finally, the worst hardship the sailors would have to face would be diseases.  A ship is the perfect environment for a disease to spread.  On almost every single voyage, raging illnesses have decimated passengers.  In Nicholas’s case, scurvy, a common disease when talking about mariners, claimed almost 70 lives.  Anybody healthy enough to survive the outbreak or to have early cures would be very seasick, to the least. 

Though anybody would say living on a ship would be very intensive and exciting, it actually is a torture for most sailors.  Previously, I thought that going on a ship would be very exciting, just like any novice mariner out in the world.  Now, I know of the perils.

My Side of the Mountain | by Jean Craighead George | Date responded: 2/3/09 (for the week of 2/6/09) | Topic:  The ending of the story

“My Side of the Mountain” talks about adventure in the Catskill Mountains.  (For more information on the book, read the first paragraph of the third response.)  All is well for the reader until the end, when Sam Gribley’s parents and siblings visit him in the woods and says Sam shall live with them until he’s eighteen.  Normally, I like sudden endings as well as sad endings, but if this book won’t have a sequel, then it needs to have a better ending than that. 

Ms. George thought that it would be good to let Sam live a “normal life” with his family until he is eighteen.  In my opinion, Sam should persuade his whole family to live in the forest with him for a while until he is eighteen and can live in the forest by himself.  This helps Sam’s family experience the “fun” of seeing natural processes and educate his younger brothers and sisters more about biology.  I could bet my life that Sam’s younger siblings would have a great time with Frightful, Jesse Coon James (for entertainment), and The Baron (for more entertainment).  They could also make friends with people who pass through the forest, like Sam made friends with Bando and Matt Spell.  Sam’s family could experience the good taste of wild mussels, shrimp, trout, venison, and wild berries, seeds, and nuts with smells redolent of home-made food (if Sam likes the food, then his family must like it ).  Mmm…even I’m tempted at the thought! Sam’s family could also experience the cozy feel of living in the forest.  They’d also learn about poisonous plants and mushrooms of the forest.  Finally, when Sam’s family was accustomed to the forest life, they could choose to live in the forest or live in a “regular way”. 

Overall, I disagree with Ms. George’s ending choice but I am satisfied with the rest of the book.  If Ms. George could change the ending to the one I specified, then the book would deserve a 6-star rating.

MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN BY JEAN CRAIGHEAD GEORGE | Date responded:  1/29/09 (for the week of 1/30/09) | Topic:  How I’d like to survive in the wilderness just like Sam Gribley

The book “My Side of the Mountain” is a praise-earning and praise-worthy classic.  It’s a Newbery Honor Book, an ALA Notable Book, a winner of the Hans Christian Andersen International Award (wow!), and has been lauded by the Horn Book.  It focuses on a topic I find fascinating.  Though I’d prefer staying at home over surviving in the wilderness, living a life like Sam Gribley in the wilderness isn’t so bad, come to think of it.

One thing I’d like about surviving in the wilderness would be the profuse wildlife there.  Frightful sounds like a good companion for hunting.  (I disagree with the way Sam acted as if Frightful was his pet.  As pets (or animals, I should say) are forced into a typical pet’s life, they get dependent on their owner for their daily basic needs.)  I’d love Jesse Coon James and The Baron’s company–these animals are cute and playful.  I could observe nature and come back to school with a greater knowledge of biology, being that I actually saw the natural processes.  I’d also gain knowledge about the poisonous plants and the harmless plants of the forest as time passed.  I do have an appetite for meat, so venison, trout, and rabbit would sound appealing to me.  Making friends isn’t something I’m good at, but I’d like Bando or Matt Spell as companions–it would seem lonely without any relatives.

However, there’s also cons for the pros.  Hard-earned food, like acorns and apples, would all be food for raccoons and skunks, and I would NEVER throw a Halloween party for any wild animals like Sam Gribley did.  I would have a small party for The Baron and Frightful (not Jesse Coon James because his width is greater than his height).  I am not educated at all about starting up a fire with flint and tinder, and a fire is necessary, even vital, for life in the wilderness.  I’d also keep out all nosy, solicitous reporters trying to gain additional information about “that wild boy living off deer and nuts”. 

All in all, surviving in the wilderness would be a great opportunity for me, but I’d be picky in some areas.  “My Side of the Mountain” taught me a lot about life in the wilderness.  And though I may not like being away from my family, the book boosted my opinion of outdoor survival.