WilcoxBookReview_Emmy and the Incredible shrinking rat

I liked this book a lot. Emmy is a relatable character because many unfortunate children have no parents at home and always have a nanny. It's a book that always leaves you wanting to read more and I could never put it down. It's a easy ready because it's fast moving. I would rate this a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, one being the worst and 5 being the best. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a mystery.

SUMMER READING!

DON'T FORGET TO READ THIS SUMMER!

It Important to Read

Just to let you know, keep reading! It helps expand your vocabulary and helps with your spelling. You should try to read every day. It doesn't matter if it is a magazine or an 800 page novel.  Go back to booking and keep reading.

Book Logs

I think that instead of having book logs just be on Monday, we should have the WHOLE week to enter them. This is because I know that sometimes I don't finish a book right on time and I start to worry that my book log entry will be late. For example, this week I had not finished my book until Tuesday (today) and I felt really rushed. By having the whole week kids will be able to read more and turn their book logs in on time.

The Secret Series

The secret series about this society the Terces Society that has secret a that the evil group of acumest Midnight Sun is trying to find out. Will they find the secret or will the Terces Society newest members Cass and Max-Ernest stop them.

MURRAY-CLASEN_GROUNDED

Grounded is abou a girl who's brother, sister, and dad died in a plane crash when Dolly was supposed to go but she ended up being grounded. Dolly know lives with her mom and grandma who is obsessed with her Dollys dolls. Dolly's mom starts a beauty parlor to support the family. When Mr.Clem moves to Dollys town and starts a crematorium and starts to put the funeral home out of business Dolly comes up with the best idea. Living Funerals!....

reading pome

A books anatomy

This illustration is of a books anatomy:
1. Top edge or head
2. Headcap
3. Back cover or backboard
4. Hinge or joining
5. Raised bands
6.Spine or back
7. Front cover
8. Tail

2nd illustration:
1. Headband or Endband
2. Square
3. Turn in
4. Pastedown
5. Flyleaf
6. Free Edge
7. Bookblock or textblock

I was asked the question "If you could meet any author, who would I meet?" and I would meet Susanne Collins, and this is why. First, I loved how she wrote the Hunger Games with so much detail and how the characters are so relatable. Second, I have watched multiple interviews, and she seems very interesting and nice. Lastly, I would ask her for tips on how to write stories and books. Those are three reasons why I would wan to meet Susanne Collins.

The new joys of yiddish

I got a book called the new joys of yiddish. It is a book that has yiddish words and the english translation and how to pronounce them. It is quite interesting and cool to learn words in a different language. I would recommend this book to people who like to learn different language.

MURRAY-CLASEN_THE LYING GAMES_REVIEW

The lying Games is a murder story by Sara Shepard. Two twins find each other after being separated at birth. Emma who was put into a foster home and Sutton who was adopted out to a ver rich family. When the twins find each other they plan to meet each other. But when Emma gets to Phoenix to meet her sister Sutton is missing and there is a note left for Emma saying she has to live Suttons life and not tell anyone or else. Emma has to pretend she is here sister and try to solve her sisters disappearance or even worse murder.

The Hunger Games_Wilcox

To protect her sister, Primose, Katniss Everdeen volunteers herself tribute in the Hunger Games. Through the process of training she develops strong relationships that may be the key to save her life. Peeta, a boy from her district, has fallen in love with Katniss and when it comes do death, Katniss may have to play along with the act.

Read 5 books a trimester.

Rowan Hood

Rowan Hood is about a girl named Rosemary that has to find her father Robin Hood after her mother is murdered. She meets many friends along the way on her adventure. What I like about the book is that there is a female lead character.

Five most popular books and series in middle school

1: The hunger games series          http://www.thehungergames.co.uk/
The hunger games is a gory tale of a future USA with action, danger, love, and rebellion.
2: The Percy Jackson series         http://percyjacksonbooks.com/
With 5 books in the original series this is a long series that will engage the reader in the utmost extent.
3: Harry Potter series                   http://harrypotter.scholastic.com/
This super long and very popular series is a great suggestion for any middle schooler that likes fantasy.
4: The Eragon series                    http://www.alagaesia.com/
This Four book cycle is incredibly popular. With a relatively high level of vocabulary, this book takes a higher level reader to continue to be interested in the content.
5: The Diary of a wimpy kid series       http://www.wimpykid.com/
I personally have never read these but I hear that it is a fairly popular comic book. It is a lower level reading for middle school use but is a good choice for a quick read.

Jestes_Poseidon_Heros, Gods, and Monsters

Poseidon

Mythology is a very interesting subject and my fellow piers are very interested. We are reading the book: Heros, Gods, and Monsters. One of the gods that is featured in one of the chapters is Poseidon. These are the two paragraphs that I wrote for our mythology booklet project.
Poseidon won the rule of the sea after a dice roll between his two brothers and him. Zeus won and choose the sky, Poseidon came next and choose the sea, then poor unlucky Hades came last and choose the underworld. Poseidon would have chosen the see even if he had won. Poseidon was the god of the sea, horses, and earthquakes. Many thought he was greedy, quarrelsome, and aggressive. However, he could be pleased and boasted a radiant smile when this was done. Furthermore, Poseidon had many children. Poseidon was never married, but was like his brother, Zeus,  in the fact that he had many children due to being a great traveler. Additionally, Poseidon liked the sea the best because it was the best place for secretes, mystery's and the creation of strange creatures. Some of these strange creatures and monsters were: the octopus, the squid, the sea polyp or jellyfish, the swordfish, the blow-fish, the sea-cow, and many uncountable others. Poseidon's greatest creation was the horse. It was his only land dwelling creature but was the most beautiful of them all.

Poseidon was a great traveler and was always looking to expand his domain. One day he attempted to claim the city of Attica as his own. The people that lived there feared him because he was known to steal all of the youth from a town when angry. To claim it he stabbed his Trident into the acropolis and that caused a spring of salt water to spout. Then Athene came and planted an olive tree next to the spring, claiming the city as hers. Poseidon was furious and challenged her to single combat, threatening a tidal wave on the city at her refusal. Zeus heard their argument and came down declaring a truce. Then all the gods sat at council to hear the rival claims. They voted, agreeing that Athene’s gift was better and giving her the city. The city is now called Athens, after Athene. The Athenian people have to be careful when out at sea and were often unfortunate in their naval battles.

Sea of Trolls_WJ

Sea of Trolls Book Review

By William Jestes

"The Sea of Trolls book 1 is incredible!"  It incorporates adventure, science, and history to create an insanely creative and very well described world of elves, hobgoblins, humans, and Trolls. Jack and his "sister" are taken by berserkers to their land. Jack is given the task to go and meet the Troll queen and after a long time they return and save his sister!

Recommended Read, Not a Happy Camper

This book is a good one to read because, it is not fiction but is still very entertaining and funny. It is about a thirteen year-old girl who goes to a summer camp for jewish children, but it is just a scam. She gets there, desperate for a boyfriend, and decides that she likes a boy named Kenny. She spends all summer doing crazy things with her cabinmates like playing pranks on the boys or councilors.

Heroes, Gods, and Monster of Greek Myths

Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of Greek Myths is rewritten by Bernard Evslin. He is a novelist(Merchants of Venus;1964), playwright, film writer, and director. Many of his plays have been produced on and off of Broadway, including The Geranium Hat. There are twenty-six character biographies, an introduction, a vocabulary section, and a recommended reading list.

Recommended Read-Throne of Fire

In core we have been studying heroes, gods and monsters. Due to this, I would like to recommend the Throne of Fire. It is a novel about two children, a sister and a brother, who lived apart for most of their lives, until three months ago. They are teaching magic to other kids and learn that they have to save the world from the Egyptian Lord of Chaos, Apofis. The children have four days to find the Book of Ra, put it together, reawaken Ra and stop Apofis. They set out on an adventure, facing death at almost every moment. they fight gods, monster and other magicians, while dealing with family, friendship and occasionally, love.

TAYLOR_The Magician's Elephant_Review

The magicians elephant is a fantasy book about Peter a young boy about 200 years ago. In his small town there is a magician and he is doing a show and he 'accidentally' summons an elephant to fall through the ceiling and land on a noble woman's lap, crushing her legs and crippling her for life. Peter finds out about this and wants to find the elephant so that he can bring it home because it was miserable. This story has lots of good details and is funny. The author Kate Dicamilo also wrote The tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie.

Book Review _ WJ_Dune

Title: The Dune Series

Author: Frank Herbert

The book Dune by Frank Herbert is an amazing book containing adventure, action, and interesting science. The book starts out on the lush planet of Caladan. Paul (the main character) is living there with his mother (a Bene Gesserit) and his father (the Duke). His father rules the planet. They then move to the planet Dune. His father does this because there is promise of the riches of spice. They are met by many a foe and are doing well, until the Emperor sends Sardukar to kill them. They must leave the city so, those that survive the Sardukar move in with the desert people. Many more events happen that hurt their people but they survive. I will not tell you anymore because I don't wan't to give it away. These books are much better than I made them sound!

Left For Dead

Left for Dead is about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War 2. Fifty years after the sinking an eleven year old boy named Hunter Scott is doing a report about it and he realizes how unfair the Navy was for giving the captain of the ship a court-martial when he really wasn't to blame. Hunter scott contacts some of the survivors for support so that he can take the issue to Washington D.C. This book is really well written and has a good story about a young boy's perseverance.

Book review_DB_Soul Surfer

TITLE: Soul Surfer

AUTHOR: Bethany Hamilton

The book "Soul Surfer" focuses on a girl who got her arm bit of by a shark. She was a very good surfer who had to overcome the obstacles of surfing with one arm. She had to work hard to get there but her faith,will, and bravery helped her succeed.

Book Recommendation: The White Giraffe

I recommend the book "The White Giraffe" by Lauren St. John because it has an interesting plot that, if you like mystery/adventure books, will suck you right in. The White Giraffe is about a girl, Martine, who's parents both die in a house fire, then has to move to Africa with a grandmother that she never knew about. When she arrives in Africa, much different than England, she finds out that her grandmother lives on and owns a wildlife reserve. At the reserve, there's a lingering rumor about a mysterious white giraffe. Martine's head fills with numerous questions about the white giraffe, her grandmother, and just about life. Will any be answered?

Recommended Read- Ella

Ella takes place in the future, after a horrible plague has wiped out most of the human race, leaving thousands of orphans. The girls were sent to "School," where they are taught to fear and hate men, and the boys were sent to labor camps. Ella is a six-teen year-old girl who has been at school since she was orphaned at two. She is valedictorian and has never misbehaved. Then, the night before graduation she runs away for fear of a life in a hospital bed, due to an attempt to repopulate North America. On the run with another member of School, she meets Caleb. Deeply fearful, she and her friend go with him to a hideout for runaways and escapees. Ella plans to leave as soon as she can, but begins to fall in love with Caleb. After a fight with him she runs away again, headed to Califia, another hideout. She runs into trouble along the way, but is saved by Caleb. He escorts her to Califia, but must leave when they get there. Promising to return, Caleb has to run from the girls there, because no men are allowed in Califia.

Having Trouble Choosing A New Book?

Try BRAT

B - look at the Back cover summary
R - Recommendations
A - Author
T  - Title

What Are We Reading? - Gabe

I am reading Men Of Salt. This book focuses on a man's journey with a camel caravan across the southern and most harsh part of the Sahara desert - from Timbuktu to a salt mine and back. He faces the many hardships of desert travel including sandstorms, dehydration, and falling off the camel.

Review of the Danger Box

I thought this book should have 4 stars out of 5 because it involved a thrilling mystery and intense moments.

by Andrew

Nov. 15 Reading List

People are reading...


Ben: Finished Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
Andrew: The Danger Box by Blue Baillot
Jayson: On the Line by Fred
Mackie: Finished The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
Gabe: Anathem
Ana: The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegan

Nov.8 Reading List

People in our committee are reading...


Ben: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan 
Andrew: The Danger Box by Blue Balliett
Jayson: On the Line by Fred Bowen
Mr. Taylor: The User Illusion by Tor Norretranders
Mackie: Daughters of the Moon #2 by Lynne Ewing
Ana: I Am the Messenger by Mark Zusak
Gabe: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 


When these books are finished reviews will be posted accordingly. :-)

Possible Read All Core Date

A possible read all core date is Friday November 18.