book talk

Title: Fairest

Author: Gail Carson Levine

DESCRIPTION (SUMMARY):

A young girl named Aza has one of the best qualities in all of Ayortha. Her singing voice. Aza does not, however, have the other quality in Ayortha, which is beauty. Aza goes on a magical journey and soon becomes a lady-in-waiting for the queen. The queen demands many different and difficult orders. Along the way, Aza also meets a prince named Ijori, gnomes, and ogres.

RECOMMENDATION:

I recommend this book to girls and boys, ages 10-13. This book is a fantasy book, so for anyone who loves fantasy and fiction mixed together this is a great book.

You can find this book at Kidsbooks, and Chapters Indigo

BACK OF THE BOOK:

Aza’s singing is the fairest in all the land, and the most unusual. She can “throw” her voice so it seems to come from anywhere. But singing is only one of the two qualities prized in the Kingdom of Ayortha. Aza doesn’t possess the other: beauty. Not even close. She’s hidden in the shadows in her parents’ inn, but when she becomes lady-in-waiting to the new queen, she has to step into the light-especially when the new queen demands a dangerous favor. A magic mirror, a charming prince, a jealous queen, palace intrigue, and an injured king twine into a maze that Aza must penetrate to save herself and her beloved kingdom.

CHERUB:The Recruit

This is the first book in the cherub series it introduces the main characters and is very adventurous and mysterious. James choke lives with his mother but when his stepdad comes with a beer bottle she ends up drinking beer with her medication which ends up killing her. James is forced to go to a foster home in Nebraska because his stepdad doesn’t want James but he took James’ sister so now James can only visit her once a month. James’ roommate Kyle is a neat freak which James hates and they always get into arguments but Kyle ends up being the person who recruits James to CHERUB a secret spy agency for kids.

I recommend this to Boys ages 11-15 girls ages 11-13

you can get this book at the school library, kids books, chapters, vancouver public library and most libraries and bookstores.

Title: The Devil’s Arithmetic

Author: Jane Yolen

Description/Summary:

Hannah doesn’t understand why she has to celebrate every Jewish holiday with her grandparents. Why cant she celebrate Easter instead of Passover? Or Christmas instead of Hanukkah, just like her other friends?

Her grandparents are Holocaust survivors, and her grandfather has incredibly extreme reactions towards any mention of it, and Hannah doesn’t understand why we should remember. Then, when she is asked to open the door for Elijah at the seder, she finds herself in a shtetl in Poland, where everything is different...

She discovered that this ‘Chaya’, that everyone seems to think she is, has just lost her parents, and recovered from the sickness that killed them. She used to live in Lublin, but now lives with her aunt and uncle, Gitl and Shmuel. Suddenly, her life turns upside down, when she finds that the year is 1942, and that her and all her family being transported into a concentration camp, where only she knows what will happen, and how many Jews will be killed. Hannah now understands why it is so important to remember, she will never forget... If she survives.

Recommendation:

I recommend this book to kids from the age of 10-12. It was an easy read, but it gets very sad at some parts. I also recommend this book to people who like historical fiction, because it did happen, just not exactly in Hannah’s story.

Where to Find it:

You can find this book in our classroom library, the school library, and at Chapters.

Back of the book:

When Hannah opens the door during Passover Seder to symbolically welcome the prophet Elijah, she suddenly finds herself in the unfamiliar world of a Polish village in the 1940’s. Hannah had always complained about listening to her relatives tell the same stories of the Holocaust over and over but now she finds herself in a terrifying situation. The Nazi soldiers have come to take the villagers away, and only Hannah can guess where they are going.

Joelle 6a

Dani's Book talk

Dani's Book Talk

A Company of Swans: by Eva Ibbotson

Summary: The book A Company of Swans is about a young women Harriet who finds herself in a number of predicaments and in love. Harriet is brought up in a non-loving family without a mother and with ought many friends. She is set to marry someone who she doesn’t love and is promised a life of misery. Harriet is not happy with this life to be and runs away to Brazil and finds friends, love, and much more. The problem is her old life is catching up with her. Her husband to be is trying to bring her back to the miserable life in England. She to servivee this adventure she has to be cunning, smarts, and keep sane.

Hook: There was no lovelier view in England, Harriet knew this. To her right, the soaring towers of King’s College Chapel and the immaculate lawns sloping down to the river’s edge; to her lefts, the blue and gold of the scillas and daffodils splashed in rich abundance between the trees of the Fellows’ Gardens. Yet as she leaned over the stone parapet of the bridge on which she stood, her face was pensive and her feet- and this was unusual in the daughter of a professor of classics in the year 1912 – were folded in the fifth position.

I would recommend this book to mostly girls’ ages 10 – 14. I would also recommend this to people whom like dancing because it has many dancing references. The book A Company of Swans is available at chapters, kids books, and the class library.

Book Talk

The Battle of the Labyrinth (By: Rick Riordan)

This book is about a boy named Percy Jackson who is a half-blood (half human half god). The Titan lord Kronos is trying to take over mount Olympus. Percy Jackson and his friends must navigate through and underground maze called the Labyrinth, to try and find Kronos and stop him.

Hook: Imagine being 14 years old, half human, half god and you must go on an insanely dangerous quest with only a sword and you have to fight the titan lord. You are wondering how anybody can do this... well Percy Jackson is going to take a shot at it.

I would recommend this book to people in grade five and up. I would also recommend this book to people who enjoy adventure and Greek mythology.

The Battle of the Labyrinth is available at Kidsbooks, Book Warehouse and Mrs. Weintraub’s library.

Book Talk

Book Talk: The Thirty Nine Clues… the Maze of Bones

By: Seth Book

My name is Seth and my book is called The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan.

Summary: This book is about two kids named Amy and Dan Cahill whose parents died and they live with their wealthy grandmother Grace in her mansion. Everything is fine until she passes away as well. All of the Cahill family is brought to Grace’s mansion for her lawyer to explain her will. The lawyer says that there are two options: One is to take 1 million dollars and leave, or two is to get the first clue of thirty nine to make you the most powerful human being in all of history. Which one would you choose?

Hook: Imagine, your parents die and you leave with your grandmother and then she passes away. Then you are forced to live with your weird aunt. Your grandmother leaves a will for you for 1 million dollars. Or one clue to thirty nine more clues, that is, to be the most powerful human being in history. Hard decision am I right? Well Dan and Amy Cahill will have to make it.

I would recommend this book to people ages 10 to 13. I would also recommend this book to people who like suspense, action, adventure and mystery.

The Maze of Bones is available in the school library, Kidsbooks, Chapters and Book Warehouse.

Homework

Finish your essay notes for Monday

Kira-Kira, book talk

Title: Kira-Kira

Author: Cynthia Kadohata

Description/hook:

Katie was six when her parents Asian foods grocery store went broke. Thats when most of her life changed.

She moved to a new city (Chesterfield, Georgia), new school and her parents had a new job working in a chicken hatchery, where the minimum wage was only a few dollars an hour. Luckily, Katie’s uncle Kutsuhisa and the small community of Japanese people were very welcoming. Katie had her very supportive, genius sister Lynn, who thought of everything as Kira-Kira; glittering, and her brother Sammy, who was always fun to play with.

But, when Lynn (katie’s sister) got very ill her mom and dad had to work extra shifts at the hatchery, and only had time to focus on her. Things got very tough in the Takeshima family. The only hope that Katie had left, was to show her family that there is always something glittering; Kira-Kira.

Recommendation: I recommend this book to boys and girls in grades 5-7 who enjoy realistic fiction, a bit of adventure and a story that will touch your heart. It is a very moving narrative about a young japanese girl who lives an extremely hard life. I think you can learn plenty of lessons from this novel and realize how lucky you are.

Where you can find this book: Kira-Kira is available in our classroom library and at chapters indigo.