Book Reviews/Summaries for Kids by Kids

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The following book reviews/summaries are by members of the summer reading club. Any member of the independent reading club can submit a book review. You will have the chance to see your review/summary posted right here for other kids to read. (Reading these is also a good idea if you are looking for suggestions on what to read.)

SUMMER READING 2008

Hall Monitor by Annie Auerbach
REVIEWED BY Rayma

Spongebog Squarepants is at boating class in Miss Puff's class. It's time to pick a hall monitor. Everybody in Miss Puff's class already was a hall monitor but not Spongebob. Spongebob got to be happy. He was in charge of the bikini bottom. He made really bad mistakes. At the end, Miss Puff went to jail.

The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes by Anne Mazer
REVIEWED BY Kayla C

Abby had been studying for four hours and got an A on her test. When Abby got home she told her friend Jessica. Jessica and Abby were best friends. Jessica told Abby that she had to leave for three months. Because number one she had not seen her Dad for four years. Number two her Dad got married and Jessica's stepmother has two step-sisters. The next day at school Jessica told her other friends that she needed help with her jobs until she got back. Jessica said she had four dogs to walk and she had to babysit. Abby said she would babysit and Natalie and Sharah split walking dogs - Natalie two and Sharah two. On the last day Jessica was with us Abby was going to the airport to see Jessica leave. But at lunch when all the girls were there she did not want to make them feel sad. At the airport Abby said goodbye. The next day at school they were showing a film and the money went to people with no homes. Abby was in charge of the posters. So Abby went home. A few hours later Casey called and asked if Abby wanted to go to a soccer game. Abby's Mom and Dad were not home but they knew Casey's parents very good.  Then Casey said Mason's Mom will pick you up. Abby's Mom and Dad did not know Mason's Mom very good. But he went anyway. But she forgot about Geoffrey. Abby got fired. The next day Abby was raking leaves instead of baby-sitting. Abby got the posters out. On the night when they showed the movie, every seat was filled. When Abby was in the bathroom she told Sharah about Geoffrey's mother and that she needed another chance. A girl opened the door to the bathroom. Geoffrey's mother heard everything. They made up and THAT'S WHAT I CALL A HAPPY ENDING!

SUMMER READING 2007

A Knight in Screaming Armor by R. L. Stine
REVIEWED BY: Eric D, Age 9 

      Give yourself goose bumps.  The first time I read this book, in the book, my cousins from England brought over two coffins.  One was labeled “Good Knight” and the other one “Bad Knight.” I decide to open the “Good Knight” obviously.  Then, the wind starts to blow.
      We find ourselves in front of a castle with a drawbridge.  The drawbridge was down.  We go across.  Then, we go into a room with heads!  I stare at one, and my head pops off! 
 
 

Let’s Get Invisible by R. L. Stine 
REVIEWED BY: Eric D, Age 9 

      This book is about a group of friends who find a mirror that makes people invisible!  But the friends switched identities with their reflection.  After much fun and misadventures, the mirror shattered.  The original friends were released in the same condition that they began their adventure. 
 
It Came From Beneath the Sink! by R. L. Stine 
REVIEWED BY: Eric D, Age 9 

     Katie and her brother Daniel find a sponge in their new house.  But not a regular sponge, a grool.  A grool is a mythical creature.  They look in “The Encyclopedia of Weird.”  It tells them:  1) it brings bad luck; 2) if you give it away, you die; and 3) you can’t kill it with violence or hate.

      Then Katie thinks, “If you can’t kill it with hate, what about the opposite, love?  She holds it in her arms and sings to it.  All of a sudden, it blows up! 
 

Among the Enemy by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Review by Laura L.

To save his friends, Percy and Alia, in which are also illegal third children, Matthias becomes one of his worst enemies, a population police. Struggling to contact his fellow third child friends, he secretly teams up with Nina, one of his old friends, who has a fake ID, and is currently a servant at the population police headquarters. He slowly learns the merciless and terrifying plans that population police have up their sleeves. He successfully thwarts them. Once again reunited with his friends Percy and Alia, he joyfully waits for his next adventures, and is determined to win the next challenge he faces.

Ranma 1/2 Volume 5 by Rumiko Takahshi
Summary by Brain G.

This story is about Ranma fighting against Shampoo's Great Great Grandma because if he won he would not have to date Shampoo. He used a cat technique to defeat her. After the battle was over the Great Great Grandma said "we will meet again" and ran off. They Ryoga sent Ranma a letter said he will face his doom in one week. Ryoga was training in the mountains and thought he would be strong enough to beat Ranma. Ryoga was trained by Great Great Grandma for the competition and challenged Ranma to a fight. In the fight Ryoga tried to hit Ranma in his weak point but failed. Ranma then beat him when he fainted and lost the battle. Then Ranma fought in a Tea Marshall Arts battle against a monkey. The battle finished when the real Tea Marshall Arts girl came back and said she put the monkey to fight her battle because she was too shy to meet her groom. Then she left with her groom on a wild horse into the woods. Ranma's final battle was the food delivery battle. Ranma won because he delivered his food to a guy in his girl form and made the guy eat all his food.

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Summary by Gregory G.

This is a fictional story about Martians who attack Earth. They built big machines with heat rays and poison smoke guns. The townspeople were scared out of their wits. They fled to London but the Martians went to London too. Everybody went to other places by boat. The Martians tried to follow them but the British Army’s guns blew them up. After a time, the Martians died out because of Earth’s bacteria, since they did not have bacteria on Mars. Soon the survivors went back to England.

I like this book because it’s scary and about planets and aliens and H.G. Wells had a good imagination.

Daniel Boone by Laurie Lawlor
Summary by Gregory G.

This is a real story about a man who fought for a long time. His name was Daniel Boone. Daniel was known by the Indians as “Long Knife.” A fort named Boonesborough was named after him. Two Indian tribes got mad because the settlers came to their land and built forts. One was Daniel Boone and his family. When they built Boonesborough they suffered lots of attacks. He’s a famous Pennsylvanian because he was born in Pennsylvania but did heroic deeds in Kentucky.

I like this book because it is about a great hero and leader.

Davy Crockett by George Sullivan
Summary by Jericho G.

Davy Crockett was born to a pioneer family on
August 17, 1786 in Limestones, Tennessee. Davy’s family moved around in the state of Tennessee when he was young. Davy got married two times. His first wife Polly died. He became a state legislator of Tennessee. His favorite hobby was hunting. He was also an excellent sharpshooter and became a scout under General Andrew Jackson. Davy and the General and his army defeated the Creek Indians in 1813. Davy was elected to the U.S. Congress and served several terms during the period 1827-1833. After he left Congress Davy went to Texas and died at the Alamo in 1836. He fought to win the independence of Texas from Mexico. Davy Crockett is an American hero because he tried to save the poor and was a brave soldier. He was also a good legislator.

The Curse of the Egyptian Mummy by Pat Hutchins
Review by Natalie S.

Skip's Cub Scouts are going camping when they hear on the radio that a man was killed by a snake. At camp, the tents were ransacked, a statue was broken, and very weird things happened. They found out that the nurse was a man and a patient could walk and talk. They were after a valuable and the snake lived in his briefcase. Albert saved the day. Yay!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Review by Zach A.

In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory there is a contest with five golden tickets hidden under wonka chocolate bars. Whoever found these got to go into Mr. Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Charlie finds one. I liked the way Charlie buys a candy bar before he finds it, but in the movie he buys one. In the end Willy Wonka gives Charlie the factory for being the only kid left because he was the best behaved.

Judy Moody M.D., The Doctor is in! by Megan McDonald
Review by Laura L.

Famous for her many moods, Judy is thrilled and in her "doctor mood" when her class starts learning about the human body! Another thing that is getting Judy excited is that she gets to do a show-and-tell project on body parts! Judy, who idolizes Judy Blackwell, is going to be Elizabeth Blackwell, show her brother's belly button, and operate on a zucchini for the greatest human body project ever!  But Judy, who wanted to be sick earlier, gets sick the week of the project presentation and is now in her angry mood! Luckily, with some help from her friends, Judy gets through the "most horrid" week of her life, and shows the greatest human body presentation ever!

Judy Moody Declares Independence by Megan McDonald
Review by Laura L.

When Judy Moody goes to Boston and learns about the history of America, she's making her own Declaration of Independence for freedom of brushing her hair, for raising her allowance, freedom from her brother Stink, freedom from early bedtime, freedom from homework, freedom to have sleepovers, freedom to have her own bathroom, and her own washcloth!  But, to earn these rights, she must show "responsibility" to her parents, and to Judy, that's pretty hard, as she struggles along with all her moods.  Luckily, she has someone new to talk to, her new British pen pal Tori, who she met at Boston - a girl who loves Bonjour Bunny, and collects sugar packets.  Within time she shows responsibility when she rescues her brother from a bus.  Judy Moody, aka Judy Moodington gets a 25 cent raise in her allowance!  Huzzah!

                    *Huzzah = Hooray, Yippee*

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Review by Ismaelys G.

Charlotte's Web is about a girl named Fern and a pig, Wilbur.  They become best friends.  It all started when Fern's dad was going to kill Wilbur because he was too small, but just in time she stopped him from killing the piglet.  She loved him like he was a dog or he was her baby.  When he got big, he was about to be sold, but Fern didn't let that happen, so she had to leave him in the barn.  Soon the animals started to trust her.  Fern started to love Wilbur more and more, and Wilbur loved her.  Soon Wilbur was voted the greatest pig.  He met a rat and Charlotte, and they got to be good friends.  Fern and the pig were still best friends, and so was Charlotte.  This was a good book because it showed you about love and friendship, and how one thing can lead to anything, and how friends stay friends if they are good friends no matter what.

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Review by Emily K.

Well, this book is about 3 young orphans:
Violet - the oldest and the inventor
Klaus - the 2nd oldest and the brains
Sunny - the youngest and the baby
The reason they are orphans is because, one day all 3 orphans went to briney beach.  On a gray day - oh, before I go on, the 3 orphans lived with the parents in a big mansion.  Anyway, so the 3 orphans go to the beach.  Violet likes to skip rocks, while Klaus likes to examine the creatures there.  Sunny liked to bite things there.  Well, sorry to say, but when the children got home, the house was burned down along with the parents.  This is when Mr. Poe comes in.  A family friend, he gets to find a new home with a close relative.  Another thing is the big fortune.  When Violet becomes old enough, she will inherit it, but right now the bank is handling it.  So anyway, the 3 orphans are going to live with a man named Count Olaf.  Violet, Klaus, and Sunny never heard of him before.  The only one relative that lives within the urban limits.  If you don't know Count Olaf, he is a sneaky man.  So when they get there, the children only have one bed, one window, and a box for their clothes.  And only a pile of rocks to amuse them, not to mention the decoration was practically peeling off the walls.  Another thing is the forbidden tower.  So the second day the children were doing chores.  One is redoing the roof tiles.  They also have to cook for Count Olaf's acting group.  The thing is that neither one knew how to, so that was an adventure.  At the end of the story, Count Olaf whips up a plan to marry Violet, but in a play.  Violet's the bride.  Sunny was in a cage on a 30 foot building so Violet would have to do it or else Count Olaf would drop the cage.  But Klaus goes to save Sunny.  Oh, and Count Olaf has an obsession with eyes, and when Klaus goes to save Sunny, there was a big eyeball, and Klaus made it so it could burn, and it burnt.  Mr. Poe was there and arrested him, and all 3 orphans got to pack up and leave.  Yeah.  The End.

The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
Review by Emily K.

Well Violet, Klaus, and Sunny have been reassigned to a new relative.  Her name is Aunt Josephine.  Just in case you don't know Aunt Josephine, she is terrified of everything.  Also, she is a widow.  In this book, a hurricane was suspected.  She never turns on her radiator because she is afraid it might explode.  Oh, and Aunt Josephine lives near a lake and hates it because of the leeches.  She has a huge glass window.  So anyway, her husband and her, on their recent picnic, her husband ate and only waited 45 minutes and the leeches ate him.  Aunt Josephine is even scared of realtors.  So Aunt Josephine asks the 3 Baudelaire children to go get things for the storm, and they see a man that looks like Count Olaf - Captain Sham.  He makes a connection with Aunt Josephine.   So when the children come back they hear...the wind.  The big glass window was broke!  Oh no!  The children see a note.  Violet reads it aloud.  Klaus says it's a suicide note.  Here it is, Aunt Josephine left clues.  Well, she's spelled Curdled Cave.  All of a sudden the storm came and split the house in half.  Violet puts together a contraption and they are all safe.  So they row out to Curdled Cave.  Aunt Josephine was rescued.  But Captain Sham came and made a deal that he'll take the kids and let Aunt Josephine live with him.  But he feeds her to the leeches.  So the kids were with Count Olaf once again.  The End.

The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes
Review by Lauren F.

If you like a good Halloween story, you should definitely read The Witch Family. In this story, two regular ordinary girls (Amy and Clarisa) banish Old Witch on top of a bleak grass hill. Old Witch grew lonely so Amy and Clarisa wrote her a letter that by a Abracadabra she could have a little witch girl named Hannah. Hannah then grew lonely too. One day Hannah found a hole in the hill, then inside she found a little mermaid. The mermaid had a baby named Baybay. Hannah always wanted a baby sister, she wishes for one on her birthday. One day Amy and Clarisa wrote her a letter so that by an Abracadabra she could have a witch baby, she named her Beebe. Old Witch could not come down from the hill at Halloween, so at Halloween Hannah dropped Beebee at Mermaid Lagoon. She met Amy at the lamppost (it was a witch) Amy took a ride on the broomstick. After Halloween, Amy and Claris drew grass and flowers on the hill. All of the grass turned into a pool where the mermaid could visit the little witch.

A Corner of the Universe by Ann Martin
Review by Lauren F.

This story is about a little girl who finds out that she has an uncle (Adam) who her family is hiding from her because he is mentally challenged. When a carnival comes into town, the girl meets a friend and they take Adam on a Ferris wheel at night. When they reach the top, the ride got stuck and Adam was freaking out. Liela (her friend) calls to her Dad to fix it. Adam is climbing out and the ride starts. Adam is fine. To find out a very exciting end, read this story!

Ella Enchanted
Review by Emily K.

It all started when Lucinda came out of the field and cursed a spell on Ella. An obedient spell. So whenever she was given a command, she had to do it. No matter what it was. Like, for example, if she was in a race and someone told her to lose, she would have to lose.

So another part of the story is that her mother was very ill. Soon her father remarried to a lady named Dame Olga. She had two kids Ella’s age named Hattie and Olive. One day Ella’s Dad went on a business trip. That meant that Hattie, Olive, and Dame Olga were left totally by themselves. Soon enough Hattie and Olive found out about it and took advantage of it right away.

So anyway Mandy, her fairy godmother, let her set out on an adventure. To find Lucinda and to free the curse they run into some obstacles, but they find her out, but it doesn’t free it from her. So she is stuck with it. So the day of the ball came and Ella went and well I think you know what will happen like any other fairy tail. Surprisingly, the curse broke. Prince Char. And Ella lived forever happily ever after.

Hard Drive to Short by Matt Christopher
Review by Zach A.

In this book, Sandy plays shortstop. But every game on a weekday Sandy must leave because his two sisters are too young to stay home alone. He is too scared to tell his team why he must leave on the weekdays, so he makes a lot of errors because he was thinking too much about his friends. Finally, at the end, he tells them and they don’t do anything to him.

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle (author and illustrator)
Review by Jericho G.

This is a thrilling legendary tale of Robin Hood and his band of men in Sherwood Forest looking for adventures. This story is about Robin Hood fighting knights, kings, and sheriffs. This is filled with comical adventures and narrow escapes from Robin's enemies. Robin Hood was the best archer in England during the time of King Henry II.

I liked the story because Robin Hood and his band of men stole gold from the rich but shared it with the poor.

Henry Hudson Explorer of the North by Dorothea J. Snow
Review by Gregory G.

This story is about a man named Henry Hudson. He is famous for finding the Northwest passage. In his teens, he worked in his father's tailor business.  He always day-dreamed about the sea. He grew up to be a fine captain. His ships were the: London Lady, Primrose, Hopewell, Half Moon, and Discovery. When he was looking for the passage his crew cast him adrift in a small boat.

I like this book because it is about a brave captain and the sea.

Stucksville by Sheila Greenwald
Review by Brittany K.

There's a girl named Emerald and she lives in the apartment 5-C. Her class needs to do a project. So Emerald works with her friends Angel and Guthrey. They needed to write an essay. So Emerald took two boxes and made her apartment Stucksville. And it's in a contest. She forgot to write the essay.

Emerald's parents are actors. So they tried out for a show and they made it and they needed to move. So Emerald handed in an essay and Emerald, Angel, and Guthrey won first place. So Emerald didn't want to move so the governor gave them floor D too. Emerald was so happy.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Review by Emily K.

Well it’s a story about a girl whose Mama left when she was little and her dad doesn’t like to talk about her. Also, the girl’s name is Opal. It’s hard for her to make friends but all of a sudden a dog (Winn-Dixie) comes along and so they take the dog in and take care of it and the dog makes everything easier to do.  But the only thing is that the dog is scared of thunder. So anyway, it made Opal’s life much easier and she made more friends than she ever did!

At the very end of the story Opal throws a big party and unexpectedly a thunderstorm came.  Winn-Dixie is terrified so Opal complete forgets about Winn-Dixie and lost him so her and her Dad went looking for him. Opal finds everybody happily talking and singing.  Everybody is just completely happy but Opal isn’t because she didn’t find Winn-Dixie.  Here it’ Winn-Dixie is in the house all the time and Opal finds him.  They all lived happily ever after.

The Fish in Room 11 by Heather Dyer
Review by Gabriela C.

This book is about a boy named Toby who lived in this hotel and nobody knew who his parents were or where he came from. So the people from the hotel started taking care of Toby. So Mr. Harris, the manager of the hotel, let Toby stay there and told him to help around like cleaning and dusting for food and shelter. One day a big storm came and blew off all the clothes off the line and Toby forgot to take off all the clothes off the line. And then Cook was upset and he went looking for Toby and told Toby to look for her clothes. The next day Toby went looking for Cook's clothes and found Cook's cap on a big fish that had a green tail. Toby didn't know what it was so he got closer and closer to see what it was and the big fish went up and Toby saw a real mermaid.  And they became friends. Until one day Eliza the mermaid told Toby about the treasure found in their cave. when he left the cave Eliza's mom gave Toby a ring from the treasure. So Toby told Margot about the treasure. Mr. Harris' son Nigel go suspicious about Toby so Nigel started following Toby everywhere. One day Nigel found about the treasure and the mermaids so he told his Dad. The next day Mr. Harris called the finders. They came to look for the treasure. Meanwhile Toby and the Plot family were trying to sell some jewels so they could get three boat tickets to the Queen Canute. Meanwhile at the beach one of the finders found the treasure and when they told Mr. Harris he called the reporters and Mr. Harris made a plan. But Mr. Harris' plan failed and the reporters left. After that Margot told Toby that she was the one that found him on the beach and she told him what the DD stood for: Duke of Dudley. Mr. Harris left the hotel and Margot was in charge of the hotel and once Mr. Harris left everyone was happy.

Dragons of Deltora: Shadowgate by Emily Rodda
Review by Jericho G.

This is a fictional story about three people: Lief, Barda, and Jasmine who search for the second evil sister. Shadow Lord created four evil sisters to put him into power when he returned to Deltora. Shadow Lord came to invade Earth and other galaxies. In another bok, Lief, Jasmine, and Barda destroyed the first evil sister. In this book, they kill the second evil sister with the help of the Emerald Dragon.

I like the story because it was about the bravery and courage of Lief, Barda, and Jasmine. They saved Earth from Shadow Lord and his supporters.

Dinotopia Oasis by Catha Hapka
Review by Gregory G.

This is a fictional story about two 12-year-old boys Ty and Jack. They go with a caravan to the city of Meeramu.  But along the way they got separated because of a sandstorm. They wandered around hoping to find the caravan but instead they found an oasis. They collapsed of heat but the Compsognathus helped them by giving them food and water.  But even the dinosaurs had a problem.  They didn't have much food left.  Earlier they found a map.  But they couldn't decipher the words.  The Talking Rock could decipher it. It said they could go to Meeramu in a day. So the dinosaurs and the boys go to get some food and sent scientists to study the plant life in the oasis.

I liked the book because the dinosaurs act like people and get along with people.

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Review by Lauren F.

If you like stories with all kinds of feelings and emotions you should read On the Banks of Plum Creek. The characters are Laura, Mary, Carrie (Ma), and Charles (Pa). The story also involves the Olson family. When the Ingalls family moves to their new house, Mary and Laura can go to school. Nellie Olson always made fun of people, she was a snob. She made fun of Mary and Laura Ingalls by calling them "country girls."  This story has a sequence of blizzards, grasshopper disasters, and giant steps people must take in life. To find out more you should read this great book.

Ida B... And Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan
Review by Lauren F.

If you like a suspenseful story you should read Ida B.  It is about a young girl going through lots of issues such as her Mom being diagnosed with cancer, and going through different kinds of school. First, she went to kindergarten for 3 1/2 weeks, then her parents saw how upset she was and home schooled her. Then after her Mom was diagnosed with cancer they didn't have the time so she had to send her back to the school that she dreaded. But now with a new teacher, Ms. Washington, a new grade, and nice new classmates, she likes it and doesn't want to admit it!  She helped a boy learn his times tables and she read when her teacher was sick. But there was one girl who was mean so Ida told her off and made her cry. She talks to her teacher about it and made a good strong friendship with Mrs. M. Don't worry, there is still some more magic to the story, you just have to read Ida B... to find out!

Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes
Review by Lauren F.

This story has all different feelings to it. It all starts with two girls, Olive and Martha. Olive and Martha were not the best of friends, but after Olive got hit by a car, Olive's Mom brought Martha a journal page. After Martha read that page she wished she could have been Olive's friend. When Martha goes to the beach to visit her grandmother she finds love with Jimmy Manning but finds out he's a jerk. She also receives some ocean water to give to Olive's mother because Olive's mother always wanted to go to the ocean. Along with Martha's secret of being a writer, there are a lot of other events in the story.

Ranma 1/2 Vol.3 by Rumiko Takahashi
Review by Marc G.

This story is about Ranma and Akane who are in a competition for the Charlotte Cup. The competition is on an ice skating rink. Throughout the whole story they are fighting against other people to win the Charlotte Cup. Ranma gets thrown against the wall and becomes real angry that he punches the ice and it cracks. As the fight goes on, Ranma changes into his girl form. Then Ranma fights Ryoga and Ryoga cracks his head on the ice. Then Ranma throws a giant ice boulder at Ryoga and he falls on the floor. Then Ryoga kicks Ranma so hard that Ranma lost the match. Ranma then says that Ryoga is lucky that he was in his girl form because if he had changed back to the boy form Ryoga would have lost the match.

My favorite part of the book was when they were fighting in the ice ring. The part I did not like was when Ranma changed into his girl form.

The Story of Doctor Dolittle by High Lofting
Review by Nicole S.

Doctor Dolittle was a very rich man. His sister was living with him as a maid. He had a lot of pets. One day a customer came in. Doctor Dolittle’s porcupine was sleeping on the couch. Then, by accident, the customer sat on the porcupine and never came back. Then people stopped coming to him when they were sick. And the doctor soon became poor. Since no one came to him as a people doctor he decided to become an animal doctor because he knew a lot about animals and Polynesia, his parrot, had taught him how to speak animal language. One day Chee-Chee, Doctor Dolittle’s monkey, ran inside and yelled, “Doctor, Doctor, my cousin just sent me a message saying that all of the monkeys in Africa are becoming sick.” So the doctor went to Africa and cured the monkeys in Africa. On the way back their ship sank. So he stole a pirate ship and he made it home safely.

Get to Work, Hercules! by Kate MacMullan
Review by Marc G.

This story is about Hercules. It all started when Hades found out the Hera had a baby that looked just like Zeus. So Hades left to see a match. It was Cyclops vs. the one-eyed giant. Then Hades left, got on his steed, and took a trip to earth. It would take him nine days just to come to earth but Ceberus showed him a shortcut that will take him a few hours. When Hades got to earth, he used his astro traveling spell to get to the fight but ended up in the hospital. He found out about the baby and then saw that these two shadowy figures were in the crib that looked like snakes. Hercules grabbed the two snakes and threw them. Five years later, Hercules met his cousin. Then when 15 years old he went to a training and met the short guy with horns on his head that looked like a goat. So the goat man trained him and then Hercules had to fight a couple of matches. Afterwards, Zeus found his son Hercules and lived happily ever after.

My favorite part of the book was when Hercules had to fight to win. The part I did not like was when Hercules' earth mother sent him away.

Firefighter! Vol. 3 by Masahito Soda
Review by Marc G.

This story is about Daigo Asahina the firefighter who got a partner that is about the size of an eight year old who is 37 years old. Daigo had went into the water to save this girl before she drowns. As he was going to save her, he got struck by the falling metal from the collapsing bridge. Daigo just found out that his partner checked in for him when he was in the hospital. Daigo went to his boss and he was told that he had to go on an important mission. His partner used the water hose and blasted through the fire that was shooting like lava. When they got the old woman out of the burning building the boss said, "good job." But then they heard the old woman say that her grandson was still on the top floor. So Daigo ran through the fire without using the water hose and saw that the kid was about to jump off the top of the five-story building. Daigo got to him on time before he jumped out and he got him out safely.

My favorite part of the book was when his partner shot the water hose through the fire that was shooting like lava. The part I did not like was when Daigo was struck by metal and he had to go to the hospital.

Dragon Ball Vol. 4 by Akira Toriyama
Review by Marc G.

 This story is about Goku fighting his master that is disguised as an old man named Jackie Chun. They were in a fight in a world martial arts tournament. When both of them got up to the championship round they both had to fight each other. Goku got hit a few times and got kicked into the wall. When Goku got up, Jackie Chun then tripped him on the floor. When they both got up Jackie Chun was furious and started to say KA--ME--HA--ME--HA---A!!! But Goku was smarter and started to say his KA--ME-HA--ME-HAAAAAAAAA! It all ended up with a big explosion that made them both fall on the floor and Goku kicked Jackie Chun on the head.

My favorite part of the book was when Goku and Jackie Chun said their KA--ME-HA--ME--HAAAAAAs! The part I did not like was when Goku had to fight his own master.

Roller Hockey Radicals by Matt Christopher
Review by Zach A.

In this book, a boy is not to the town and can't find any kids. Finally, after an about an hour of searching, he finds some kids playing roller hockey. He asked if he could play they said, "OK." His Mom says he can't play because the abandoned parking lot had too many cracks. So the mayor said if they got 1,000 signatures they could pave it. After they got the signatures they had to raise 6,000 dollars. Finally, the lot gets paved and Kirby's Mom lets him play.

The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket
Review by Brian G.

This story is about the Baudelaire children going to Prefock Prepatory School. They have to live in a shack that Carmelita Spats calls the orphan shack and so do her mean friends. Then the Baudelaires meet two kind people who are the Quagmire triplets. The Baudelaires think they are twins when they are really triplets. So the Quagmires told them the story about their triplet who died with their parents in a terrible fire and the Baudelaire children said "that they didn't know and were really sorry." Then a new gym teacher came. That gym teacher was really Count Olaf in disguise. They pretended they didn't know he was in disguise so they could have time to figure out his plan. Then the next day Carmelita Spats gave them a message from the new gym teacher. It said, "meet me in the front lawn after dinner to start my new program called S.O.R.E" Then every night after going to the S.O.R.E program, vice principal Nero thinks they are slacking off on their work. So the principal got their teachers to test them because if they failed, they would be expelled. They took the test and passed. Then after a couple days everyone found out he was really Count Olaf. Then Count Olaf and his assistants came and took the Quagmires and shoved them in a car holding them so they couldn't escape. The Baudelaire children were too late and he got away with the Quagmires.

My favorite part of the book was when they actually met two nice people called the Quagmires. The part I did not like was when Count Olaf and his two powdered face woman shoved the Quagmires in their car and took off to steal their fortune.

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