Tag Archives: 5th

August 9, 2007 · 1:10 pm

Leepike Ridge

Author: N.D. Wilson
Rating:
Reading Level: 4th to 7th

Pages: 224
Publisher: Random House
Edition: Hardcover, 2007

A great survival story, a thrilling adventure, an intriguing mystery, and a tall tale. It reminds me of Paulsen’s survival stories but seems to have even more layers and with incredibly enjoyable wry humor: “It was a face deciding what to say and how to say it, and the truth didn’t look as if it was a factor in the decision making.”

“The bottom of the trash bag was full of boiled crawdad dead. Those remaining in the pool wandered about, confused by the sudden spaciousness.”

“Jeffrey was dragged out by his shoulders and then propped up with his back against the couch. The bag was still blood-glued to the back of his head and stood out around it like a white plastic halo.”

Yup, a few gruesome scenes: for example: dealing with and collecting useful things from a dead body. I loved those scenes.

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August 9, 2007 · 7:13 am

Atherton: The House of Power

Author: Patrick Carman
Rating:
Reading Level:

Pages: 330
Publisher: Little, Brown
Edition: Hardcover, 2007

This grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go the entire time! Instantly, I was intrigued by the Frankeinstein quote and the strange conversation between the two disembodied voices. Edgar’s tale then unfolds with lots of fast paced action and suspenseful plot twists, a cast of well-delineated major and minor characters, and wonderful illustrations (I’d like just a few more… um… maybe a dozen more, of Squire Broel’s pencil drawings, actually!) I know that there is quite a bit of environmental message attached and all the science might not be accurately scientific and border on magical elements, but I bought it all: the world, the characters, the events, and wasn’t even that distraught to find no ending to this particular portion of the tale.

I was reluctant to start reading the book, since there is a half-wrap dust jacket and a Bonus CD-ROM — gimmicks that made me skeptical: the book must not be that great if they need to include special cover design and extra materials to draw readers! Glad that I did read it, really glad!

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July 23, 2007 · 11:33 pm

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Author: J.K. Rowling
Rating:
Reading Level: 5th and up

Pages:
Publisher: Scholastic
Edition: Hardcover, 2007

I got the book shortly after midnight on Saturday morning, July 21…, at “The Harry Potter Place” party hosted by Scholastic. Spent 2 hours reading it (1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.) — thought, “Now, this is quite good. I’m not annoyed by redundant adjectives or adverbs or repetitive verbs… And I’m really sucked back into this world again. How wonderful this feels!” Then, most of the day and evening of July 21 was spent reading/dozing off/reading/dozing off on the comfy chair in the living room. Dozing off, not because the story wasn’t exciting but simply due to exhaustion. So, these early chapter and adventure took on a dreamy quality — I wonder if it’s the text or just because I was dreaming … and Harry was doing a lot of dreaming and seeing through another’s eye. His was nightmares, mine was a reader’s trance. Being a slow reader, I couldn’t finish it on Saturday. And I dared not get online to visit any book places, in fear of knowing what comes next. Not that it would have spoiled my experience… but, in a book full of deliberately hidden clues and mysteries, it was more fun to not know anything and slowly discover the “truth.” Sunday saw me busy entertaining house guests and stealing moments to dip back into the tale. By bedtime, I was so deep into the world and so engrossed with the plot threads that I knew today (Monday) couldn’t be spent in any other way but finishing it.

And finishing it I did, with much shedding of tears, much satisfaction with certain of my “predictions” came true, delighted in the reappearance of certain characters and elements from previous books, and inevitably slightly annoyed by a couple of threads and characters left underdeveloped. But, over all… it was a truly satisfying conclusion to a long journey. The many many pages in this case are not wasteful or draggy, but fitting for the exhausting and arduous journey that Harry and the Gang undertook. I’m just, really, pleased.

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June 24, 2007 · 10:24 am

The Game

Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Rating:
Reading Level: 5th to 7th

Pages: 192
Publisher: Firebird (Penguin Putnam)
Edition: Hardcover, 2007

I find this short fantasy highly entertaining and extremely delightful. Diana Wynne Jones has such a strong sense of language to convey humor, mystery, the fantastic world and its richly drawn characters. For example, when Haley first met Tollie, and was taunted by him, her thoughts were, to “pull pieces off him — ears, nose, fingers… so long as they came away with lots of blood–” (p. 4, p.5) This extreme thought both illustrates Haley’s feisty personality and also establishes the tone of the story early on. That it is going to be full of strong emotions and funny bits. And throughout the book, this tone is consistent.

There are vivid scenes that have stayed with me for months: the raw pork chop stuck in the drain, Flute and Fiddle standing by the street corners walking through walls, performing magic, Aunt Aster being carried in Orion’s arms racing down the street, the various beautiful and dangerous strands and encounters in the Mythosphere. I am impressed by the author’s ability to weave a very rich story within a slim volume.

Many other light observations that are both humorous and acute such as this, “Nodding and smiling turned out to be a habit with Marthya. She used it instead of understanding English. She used it particularly when Grandma told her to clean the silver or sweep the stairs.” (p. 31)

I also really enjoyed how the readers are as puzzled, confused, and baffled as Haley at the beginning of the story, and, how, there are clues that the readers start to piece together to get the whole picture, while Haley still is unaware of the situation… but eventually, there is enough of a surprise toward the end that it won’t bore the readers who have somewhat figured out these characters. Jones’ ability to weave tales together ambiguously and then slowly revealing the inter-dependent details is once again so masterfully done. Each character is drawn so vividly and every danger is breath taking. What a treat!

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April 4, 2007 · 11:13 pm

Secret History of Tom Trueheart

Author: Ian Beck
Reading Level: 4th-6th


Publisher: Greenwillow (HarperCollins)
Edition: Hardcover, 2007 (ARC)

Very little works for me in this fairy-tale inspired fantasy. The logic seems largely faulty (such as the limited view on fairy-tale world and that only these 7 brothers – all named Jack – can take on these “quest” assignments.) The “message” is so blatant that the tale holds little depth. It simply did not work for me.

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April 4, 2007 · 11:07 pm

The Last Girls of Pompeii

Author: Kathryn Lasky
Reading Level: 5th-7th


Publisher: Viking
Edition: Hardcover, 2007 (ARC)

The imagined story of a group of nobles, slaves, and gladiators during the days leading to the eruption of Vesuvius is a great topic. I enjoyed the historical details but at the same time found that at certain points, the “history lesson” overshadows the momentum of the plotline and thus slows down the pacing of an otherwise very exciting tale.

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April 4, 2007 · 11:03 pm

Magpie Gabbard and the Quest for the Buried Moon

Author: Sally M. Keehn
Rating:
Reading Level: 4th – 6th


Publisher: Philomel
Edition: Hardcover, 2007 (ARC)

It is definitely Quirky, with that capital Q! The tall-tale tone and the magical and outlandish plotline are consistent and coherent in their own way. Very strong opening scene and concluding passages.

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April 4, 2007 · 10:55 pm

Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist

Author: Liz Kessler
Reading Level: 3rd – 5th


Publisher: Candlewick
Edition: Hardcover, 2007 (ARC)
The third installment of the Emily Windsnap series. I didn’t read the first two but would not consider seeking them out and reading them after scanning quickly (not quite worth my time or energy to read carefully) this book. I wonder if mer-people were real, would they be displeased at the general portrayal of their characteristics?

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April 4, 2007 · 7:13 pm

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree

Author: Lauren Tarshis
Rating:
Reading Level: 4th – 6th

Pages:
Publisher: Dial
Edition: Hardcover, 2007 (ARC)
The tone, matter-of-fact, aloof, observatory, self-aware, emotionally detailed — is very interesting — at least at the beginning. It becomes a little boring after a while. The chapters from Colleen’s viewpoint are told pretty much in this same tone, which does not quite fit her timid personality. Even though the story is seen through Emma-Jean’s eyes and thus are all exaggerated (slightly or largely,) certain events (such as the Queen Been losing her hold on the 7th-grade populace) still need the real-life logic to convince this reader.

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March 3, 2007 · 11:06 am

The New Policeman

Author: Kate Thompson
Rating:
Reading Level: 5th-8th

Pages: 442
Publisher: Greenwillow
Edition: Hardcover, 2007

Hallucinating. Mesmerizing. Tantallizing. Extraordinary.
(Charming, seductive and completely enthralling – as described by Eoin Colfer, which is apt, as well.)

I especially adore the fact that, instead of leaving the identity of The New Policeman subtly hinted and hidden for readers to puzzle over (although it got more and more obvious as the book goes — perfectly executed, those little hints throughout), there is a resounding confirmation. It makes this a most satisfyig children’s book: the readers are not left with a malencholy that hangs over our head — which it can EASILY go.

The short chapters match so well with the missing Time. As an Irish music fan, I can’t help but humming all the tunes after each chapter. How cleverly done those are — and Thompson even composed a couple herself.

This is a deserving award winner (of both the 2005 Guardian and Whitbread Awards) and should be relentlessly promoted to all worthy young readers!

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March 3, 2007 · 10:41 am

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Author: Brian Selznick
Rating:
Reading Level: 4th-6th

Pages: 533
Publisher: Scholastic
Edition: Hardcover, 2007

The superb and impeccable design gives me such pleasure that I feel like hugging this big fact block of a book every time I see it! Selznick’s cinamatic illustrations that take up most of the 533 pages, blend seamlessly with the crisp text and enigmatic storyline.

I like how Hugo’s plans do not always pan out the same ways he imagined — often they go wrong, but in a very realistic way. The adults intervene just the right amount so the situation never becomes hopeless without reducing the excitement generated by Hugo’s desparation and urgency. Of course, there are a lot of coincidences, following the Dickensian storytelling tradition.

A most wonderful offer!

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January 28, 2007 · 2:37 pm

The Last Dragon

Author: Silvana De Mari; translated by Shaun Whiteside
Rating:
Reading Level: 4th – 6th

Pages: 361
Publisher: Miramax/Disney
Edition: Hardcover, 2006

I have not that much good to say about this book. It annoys me to read the compulsive “listing of stuff” (yes, I realized that it was intended to represent how the Elf and the Dragon would think and organize their inner worlds) page after page: what kind of books there are in the library (many kinds and you’re sure to be told a FULL page of the various subjects or how readers should think of anyone or any event (it’s never just one descriptor, almost as if the author cannot make up her mind how to describe a character or an emotion, but a “list” of adjectives. I cannot imagine that it is the device of the translator, but a slight possibility remains.

If I hadn’t had to read it for a group discussion — I would have probably dropped the book midstream. Only one out of a few professional review sources agrees with me that this is a very message-heavy tale dressed in a fake fantasy clothing, and the humor is often crude and unfitting for the tragic tone of the underlying tale. Look for the VOYA review on this B&N page.

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December 26, 2006 · 10:56 pm

Titan’s Curse

Author: Rick Riordan
Rating:
Reading Level: 4th – 6th

Pages:
Publisher: Hyperion
Edition: Hardcover Galley, 2007

Reading the 3rd installment in the Percy Jackson series is now like drinking a can of regular soda – there is the sugar rush and the addiction! It’s fun, it’s full of fast paced actions, it’s familiar, and it does leave you wanting more – especially with Percy having a new enemy and Luke might not be all that he seems! Although it will not be considered exactly the healthiest choice by “reading dieticians” (this term here refers to the literary purists who think reading only exists to improve one’s literary taste and heighten one’s intelligence or humanity).

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December 24, 2006 · 11:20 pm

Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City

Author: Kirsten Miller
Rating:
Reading Level: 5th-7th

Pages: 250
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Edition: Hardcover, 2006

The concept is so intriguing: a shadow city 70 feet underground of Manhattan, with entrances from a cemetery, a bank vault, a Chinatown counterfeit factory, etc., and a group of super-girls who each possesses a singular special talent: a master disguiser, an expert researcher, a mad chemist, a skilled mechanics, a talented forger, and Kiki Striker, the enigmatic mastermind. Their goal to save New York City is lofty and Kiki Strike’s hidden agenda is not as sinister as one is led to believe. And, yet, and yet… I could not thoroughly enjoy this book. Actually, I felt a bad taste at the back of my throat throughout the reading of this otherwise ingenious novel.

Kiki Strike made me realize that I partially read for characters. I enjoy a good, intriguing plot with lots of twists and surprises the next eager reader. However, all the clever plot twists, the inventiveness, and the suspenseful mood could not make me forget, or forgive, the cattiness of each of the members of the Bank Street Irregulars (as the six-girl squad is so named.) Their relentless sarcasm and taunts toward each other, even when done in good humor, have the underlining nastiness that cannot be wiped clean from my mind; the author also opted to insert cynical commentaries and gratuitous violent scenes whenever possible (the walk-on characters of grade-school aged sisters seen in their home garden strangling each other until both turn blue over a petty matter, for example.) After a while, the initial sense of witticism gives way to depressing negativity.

Ah. I absolutely sound too harsh. After all, I did find the book charming in its quirky, outlandish, and even informative (lots of New York City historical oddities and other useful tips, such as how to put on a successful disguise and how to tell if someone is telling a lie) way. I guarantee its success with many young readers, especially somewhat brainy 5th and 6th graders who aspire to become spies or super-heroines!

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November 30, 2006 · 4:39 pm

Gossamer

Author: Lois Lowry
Rating:
Reading Level: 4th – 6th

Pages: 140
Publisher: Hougton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine
Edition: Hardcover, 2006

Since so many people love this book, I was unwilling to read it, afraid that I’d find it undeserving in some way. But, I, too, fell in love with it right away. My admiration of the author’s skill in telling a simple and yet complex story sustains until the very last word on the very last page. What a refreshing experience.

The characters, major or minor alike, have such depth. Many things are unsaid about them, but the reader senses a strong “knowing” of their souls from the few key moments in life Lowry chooses to present. The elegant text, deceptively simple, reminds me of my favorite Dickinson poems: a few words, arranged just right, describing the most common personal experiences, can encompass the immensity of the collective human minds — conscious or subconscious.

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November 26, 2006 · 2:35 pm

Endymion Spring

Author: Matthew Skelton
Rating:
Reading Level: 4th – 6th grade

Pages: 392
Publisher: Delacorte
Edition: Hardcover, 2006

A book about the Book of All Books (All Stories) and set in the labyrinth of Oxford Libraries, highly atmospheric and not lacking in the action department… how could I resist! It was definitely an entertaining and gripping read. I wanted to find out what’s going on both in the 21st Century and in the 15th. All the highly imaginative magical elements are very enjoyable, as well. However — as the end of the book approached and finally arrived, my anticipation of an illuminating resolution which would have raised Endymioin Spring high above the other “fantasy outputs” now saturating the children’s book marketplace is sadly unrealized. With the singular villain out of the way, the parents’ happy reunion, and the easy explanation of everything else, Blake Winter’s story is a solid, although still just run-of-the-mill, fantasy read, no more.

Will Skelton write a sequel to this volume? The last pages seem to be testing the water. I imagine it all depends on the readers’ reaction and the market demand.

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November 26, 2006 · 9:58 am

The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea

Author/Illustrator: Anne Sibley O’Brien
Rating:
Reading Level: 2nd – 5th grade

Pages: unpaged
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Edition: Hardcover, 2006

This picture book in comic book style is near perfect in every way. The narrative is fluid, the story is exciting, the cultural details are accurately portrayed both in text and illustraion, and the pictures are expertly rendered. I am impressed at how O’Brien effectively conveys varied moods by simple changes of each facial feature.

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November 1, 2006 · 10:50 am

Pish Posh

Author: Ellen Potter
Rating:
Reading Level: 4th grade and up

Pages: 166
Publisher: Philomel Books
Edition: Hardcover 2006

Ellen Potter really knows how to build upon the utterly unbelievable scenarios and make them seem oh-so-plausible. Her New York City apartment buildings (as in the Olivia Kidney books)expand into wonderlands that even the lovers for Carrollian twists and turns will find tantalizing. The mystery, the unique characters, (11-year-old Clara Francofile who owns nothing but simple black dresses and a keen sense of the social standings of each celebrity coming through her parents’ restaurant and her co-star Annabelle Arbutnot, pre-teen master burglar, for example) and the satisfying resolution all just WORK! A truly fun read.

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October 23, 2006 · 8:33 am

Habibi

Author: Naomi Shihab Nye
Rating:
Reading Level: 5th and up

Pages: 259
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Edition: Hardcover, 1997

When I say a novel is comprised of a series of character studies, I usually mean that in a negative way. I usually mean that there is no story or there is no emotional impact. However, when I say that there are impeccable character studies abound in Habibi, I mean that Nye is so skilled at “sculpting” her characters that they all come to life, each of them in 3D glory! Their relationships — from a street vender who appears in two brief scenes, to Liyana and her family members and her new found friends — are incredibly real and moving. Yes, there is not a strong story-arc and yet you don’t feel like you’d put the book down — you want it to go on for a long long time. You want to know what happens to the budding romance between Liyana (American/Arabic) and Omer (Jewish) in the city that divides them by ethnicities (Jerusalem). You want to know how Poppy’s (Father) new found cause of making the country better and more peaceful develops. You want to watch Rafik (Liyana’s cool nerd of a younger brother) grow up and see what kind of girlfriend he’ll have.

A tender book about a violent time and place that is both important and more than well articulated. Nye’s native skill as a poet adds sparkle and dimension to her story.

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October 17, 2006 · 11:15 pm

The End

Author: Lemony Snicket
Rating:
Reading Level: 4th and up

Pages: 324
Publisher: HarperCollins
Edition: Hardcover, 2006

I’m so glad that this series did not end with either a completely depressing scenario or a sappy silly one. It felt emotionally profound and satisfying. But… did the series really end? How about that extra chapter? How about The Beatrice Letters (which was published not long ago and which somehow “predicts” the next adventures AFTER The End has ended.)

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