Author Archives: Danielle L.

Book Review: Thunder Dog, by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory

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thunder_dog“My head is spinning. So much has happened in such a short time, and my mind reels, going over the events and trying to make sense of the explosion…” – Michael Hingson, p. 123-124

Michael Hingson is an ordinary man. He’s flown a plane, had several jobs, drives sometimes, has friends, is a Christian, and is married. And he’s permanently and totally blind.

This true story is what happened on 9/11/2001 when a blind man and his guide dog were on the 78th floor in the World Trade Center’s North tower as the first hijacked plane hit. Michael and Roselle were paired as man and guide dog for twenty-one months previously, and everything in their lives together seemed to lead up to this. Since Michael can’t see anything, he depends on what he hears, feels, smells, and breathes. He also depends on Roselle, and has to trust her very much on this terrifying day. They helped each other. They were a team working as one.

I personally loved this autobiography. Through books, I can say I’ve experienced what it’s like to be homeless, be a winner, be a gorilla, live through segregation, be a spy, live in a “crazy” family, live in a giant peach, and many other things. Oh, and now be blind. It’s a very gracious experience, and Thunder Dog has given me a new appreciation for people with disabilities.

I really like all of the details in this book. This is one of those books where you can travel back in time to a certain day, yet be home in time for supper. We all have some huge tragedy or trauma in our lives. We can choose to learn from it and teach others, or spend all our lives feeling bad for ourselves. Michael chose to teach others.

Although this book is wonderful, I do not suggest it for teens/tweens under 12 years old because it is an adult book. But it really depends on individual maturity level. For those who do choose to read this, from me to you, good reading!

-Danielle L., 6th grade

Book Review: Sure Signs of Crazy, by Karen Harrington

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sure_signs_coverHave you ever walked into the living room, and your parents were watching the news?  Maybe they’re watching a trial. Maybe it’s about something really serious, like a mother killing (or almost killing) their child. It’s scary, but it happens. So what if that child survived, and that child was a girl? What if that child was a twin, and the other twin (which is a boy) didn’t survive? Have you ever thought about this? This is the basis for Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington.

Twelve-year-old Sarah Nelson is very different. Her classmates like Harry Potter, and she likes Atticus Finch. She loves words and books. Her best friend is a plant, and her mom tried to drown her when Sarah when was two. She’s never known her mother since her mother has been in a mental institution since then. Her dad gets drunk a lot, and they move each time somebody recognizes who they are and who her mom is, so Sarah has never truly felt at home…

…until one summer. One summer when she didn’t get shoved to her grandparents’ house for three months. One summer when she got her first real crush. One summer when her English teacher made a difference beforehand. And one summer when she discovered something broken can heal.

I feel like I shouldn’t give away a lot of this book, so I’ll give my personal view of it without any spoilers.

Now I’m not typically an emotional person, so I can’t say I cried and laughed out loud, but I can say I did cry and laugh on the inside. This book is so real it feels like Sarah just “walked out of the book,” as she says about Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I feel Karen (May I call her Karen? Yeah, I think I will.) did an amazing job with this book. I could feel Sarah’s pain and anger and happiness and all of her other emotions. A well done book! It also got me interested in To Kill A Mockingbird, which definitely will be my next book.

 P.S. Although this book is said to be for ages 9 and up, I feel it’s more for 11ish and up. 

-Danielle L., 6th grade

Book Review: Ungifted, by Gordon Korman

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ungifted_coverDo you ever feel ungifted? Like everybody else has a special gift or talent except you? Then read this book! Ungifted by Gordon Korman opened my eyes to see that everybody has some sort of talent, whether you can see it or not.

When Donavan Curtis accidentally knocks the globe of an Atlas statue off, he wrecks knows he’s going to get into big trouble. After all, this isn’t the first time he accidentally messed something up. However, a mishap with the superintendent gets him sent to a gifted program instead of getting a huge punishment.

When Donavan receives the news he’s getting sent to a gifted program, he knows it’s a mistake. Still Donavan decides to stick around with the super geniuses to save his parents from paying the bill for the gym. That’s when he starts to realize that those geeks and nerds are very cool in their own way – they just need a little push in the right direction from someone who doesn’t spend all his time stressing about grades or some new science discovery. But his time here won’t last forever, and Donovan knows it’s only a matter of time before the superintendent finds him and takes him back to get an even bigger punishment.

Inside, you’ll find an ongoing experiment with a live human (sister), an unforgettably dramatic middle-school dance, and the most astonishing robot victory ever. Ongoing through all of this craziness, Donovan shows that his gifts might be exactly what the genius students never knew they needed!

I personally love this book because it’s hilarious and takes other people’s point of view. It’s just a great book overall and I highly recommend it!

-Danielle L., 6th grade

Book vs. Movie: Ella Enchanted

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ella_enchanted_bookmovieIn our opinion, Ella Enchanted, the Newbery Honor book by Gail Carson Levine, is much better than the movie. The book is very detailed whereas the movie just gives the big idea. In the book, Ella went to finishing school, which was a big part, and was sadly left out of the movie. In the book, she knew and learned a lot of different languages, whereas in the movie, she only spoke one or two. A lot of the main ideas of the book were not included in the movie, but this is only expected. In the book, there were challenges with her obedience gift, like the movie. (But the ones in the book were better.) The movie included many sarcastic remarks, which takes away a bit of the fairytale touch of the story.

The near ending of the book copied the main storyline of Cinderella. Also, Ella had a mean stepmother and stepsisters just like Cinderella. If we could change one thing about the book, it would be that Gail Carson Levine used more of her own creativity, rather than the story of Cinderella. But Ella Enchanted is a very good book.

If we could change one thing about the movie to make it more like the book, it would be for there to be the letter abundance between Ella and Prince Char. They were major emotional parts left out of the movie.

We would say that Ella Enchanted the movie is good, but doesn’t follow the amazing book storyline as well as it could. Ella Enchanted was definitely a book that we could never put down unless we had to! It was fairytale about love, magic, and perseverance. A truly good read for all ages!

-Danielle L. & guest blogger Marissa M., 6th grade

Comparison: The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had vs. The Lions of Little Rock

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Kristen Levine has composed two books so far on the same topic, black people and white people. I read both, and loved them!!

Both of these books are about the times when people with black skin and people with white skin were separated. Below are comparisons of The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had with The Lions of Little Rock.levine_comparison2

These are just some typical comparisons. Nothing detailed as you see. The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had was written before The Lions of Little Rock. They are both smoothly written and wonderful books!

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had is a fictional story about a boy named Dit (who tells the story) who expects the new mailman’s white boy to come for the next year. At least that’s what he’s told. The new mailman’s child turns out to be a black girl named Emma! Emma is neat and loves to read while Dit is messy and doesn’t care much for grammar or reading. The two twelve-year-old kids don’t get along at first, but then they become best friends who can do anything! And that comes in handy when Big Foot, the town’s lawman, gets a little stirred up since a white boy is friends with a black girl. A big incident happens (read the book to find out what it is!) and it’s up to Dit and Emma to fix it.

The Lions of Little Rock takes place in 1958 Little Rock, Arkansas, focusing on fictional characters named Marlee (who tells the story) and Liz. Although physically able, Marlee chooses to be a “mute” because she’s afraid she’ll say something stupid. On the first day of middle school, a new girl named Liz shows up. Liz and Marlee quickly become friends. Then one day, Liz suddenly leaves school. Rumors are, she was “passing” as a white student. Marlee and Liz manage to stay friends, through thick and thin, through black and white. Lots of things in this book are things we can relate to such as mean people, crushes, bullies, and personal fears. There are also things we can’t relate to because we’re in 2013 while they’re in 1958. But it all ties together in a remarkable and unexpected friendship between Liz and Marlee.

-Danielle L., 6th grade

Book Review: Almost Home, by Joan Bauer

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almosthome_coverAlmost Home by Joan Bauer is about a girl named Sugar. Sugar and her mom, Reba, are in debt because Reba’s ex-husband took all their money and left them. When Sugar’s mom makes a quick trip to the grocery store, a little girl gives Sugar a puppy named Shush under very odd circumstances. Later, Sugar and her mom are forced to evacuate their house that holds so many memories. They are homeless, moving from homeless shelters to park benches to a caring home that takes in homeless kids.

With lots of adventures and twists, Joan Bauer has amazed me again. I read Close to Famous last year and loved it. So when I saw Almost Home on the bookshelf (and with a dog on it), I HAD to get it! I wasn’t disappointed. If I had to rate it 1 – 10, I’d give it a 9.5. There’s no way to improve it. It’s just they talk Southern, and for me the dialect is a bit harder to read. But once I got into it, it became easier.

My favorite part in the book was when Sugar got the puppy. A little girl and her father were arguing in a grocery store parking lot while Sugar was waiting for her mom to come out. The little girl plopped Shush the puppy in Sugar’s hands, explaining some things. Then the girl hurried off, leaving Sugar there holding the puppy.

I recommend this book for girls (or maybe boys) who are interested in learning about life and enjoy nail-biting stories. People who appreciate little things and possibly would like to see what being homeless is like would probably also like this book too.

-Danielle L., 6th grade

Book Review: The Lions of Little Rock by Kristen Levine

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LionsThe Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine is a phenomenal book. It takes place in Little Rock, Arkansas during 1958, focusing on fictional characters named Marlee (who tells the story) and Liz.

Although physically able, Marlee chooses to be a “mute” because she’s afraid she’ll say something stupid. On the first day of middle school, a new girl named Liz shows up. Liz and Marlee quickly become friends. Then one day, Liz suddenly leaves school. According to rumors, she was “passing” as a white student.

Marlee and Liz manage to stay friends through thick and thin, through black and white. Lots of things in this book are things we can relate to such as mean people, crushes, bullies, and personal fears. There are also things we can’t relate to because we’re in 2013 while they’re in 1958. But it all ties together in a remarkable and unexpected friendship between Liz and Marlee.

With plot twists and nerve-wracking scenes, Kristin Levine’s work is an easy story to picture in my mind. I saw this book at a book fair, and was unsure of it because of the title. But it’s an amazing book! If I had to rate it on a scale from 1 -10, I’d definitely say a 10. There’s only one problem with this book: there’s no sequel (yet I hope)! Even though this is a new book (published in 2012), I really want to read a sequel! Kristin Levine did write a previous novel, The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had, which I now want to read.

My favorite part of the book is probably the end. I don’t want to give away too much, but it’s a heart warming, teary-eyed scene that made me want more.

I recommend this book for girls or boys ages 11 and up who aren’t into history. It opens your eyes in a way you and I can relate. This book made me realize how hard and dangerous it was for African Americans during the mid-20th century. It also made me thankful for the peace we have today. I recommend this book for adults too. I read The Lions of Little Rock with my mom and she teared up. I’m not an emotional person, but if I was, I would’ve too.

Bottom line, I really recommend this book for anyone that loves reading!

-Danielle L., 6th grade

Book Review: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

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IvanThe One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate is an amazing book. Telling the story from Ivan (the gorilla)’s point of view, you find out the story of a gorilla’s care for a baby elephant. This book was just released in 2012, so it’s kind of new. It’s an easy read, with lots of short paragraphs. However, this book is very enjoyable.

This book is about a gorilla named Ivan, who has lived in a cage- or domain as he calls it- at Exit 8 Big Top Mall for 27 years! Ivan is a silverback gorilla, which means he’s in charge of protecting his family. But he has no one to protect since he’s all alone. But when the Exit 8 Big Top Mall gets a new member, Ruby the baby elephant, all of that might change.

Also, The One and Only Ivan is this year’s Newbery Medal winner. I think it clearly deserves this award, because it’s very well written. And I could just picture the story in my head while I was reading it, and in my opinion  that shows the signs of a good book!

I love this book very much. It broke my heart but then put it back together at the end. Ivan proves it’s not so easy being a gorilla.

-Danielle L.