Also Known As Harper

This is the last of the Children's Choice books for now. I've read all of them except for Everything for a Dog by Ann M. Martin, Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff and Tentacles by Roland Smith. The first two I loaned out to students for the summer, and Tentacles is a sequel and I want to read the first book. I've also got to review 2 of the books off the list that I've read previously.

I'm moving on to the Teen & High School choice award books now!


Also Known As Harper by Ann Haywood Leal

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Harper Lee can't wait for the poetry contest at school. She is sure she will win, as poems are always flowing from her mind into the notebook she carries around. Then one day after school she arrives home to find the contents of the house she shares with her mother and her brother, Hemingway, scattered throughout the yard. Ever since her father left, Harper's mother had been working multiple jobs at a time to provide for the kids.

After being kicked out, they move into a local motel. Then her mother asks Harper to stay home from school to take care of Hemingway. Which means Harper will miss the poetry contest. Harper and Hemingway meet some new friends who live in a tent camp near the motel. The remainder of the story explores those relationships, and takes a turn in the end.

This story tackles a number of important issues: homelessness, bullies, disabilities, broken families, economy & job loss, and others. However, the issues seem to happen in a way that you sense everything will be fine, despite the gloomy conditions. Basically, this is a feel good story that covers hard topics and isn't quite believable.


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Extra Credit

Sorry for being so quiet lately! Life has been very busy the past few weeks, and I've been reading but not blogging. I've got to write a couple more blog entries to catch up! Happy Reading!



Extra Credit by Andrew Clements

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Abby is failing 6th grade. She's not too worried, after all, she's been in this position before in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. However, when her principal tells her they are considering making her repeat the 6th grade, she decides something must be done. She begins studying and doing all of her homework. Her teacher allows her to do an extra credit assignment: she will be pen pals with a student her age in Afghanistan. She will write letters and then post them on a bulletin board, and at the end of the year she will give a presentation to the class.



Sadeed is a young boy in Afghanistan. He is the smartest in his school and his teacher wants him to write letters to Abby. However, it would be seen as inappropriate for a boy to write to a girl, so Sadeed is assigned to help his sister write the letters to Abby. He is okay with this arrangement at first, but soon he gets uncomfortable lying to Abby and letting his sister get all of the attention and praise for his work, and he does something that changes everything.



The reading level on this book is around 5th grade, but the content would be more appropriate for 3rd-4th. I enjoyed this book, and it was a quick read, but the ending was slightly disappointing and felt rushed.



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NERDS Change the World

NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jackson Jones is the most popular student at Nathan Hale Elementary School. He is the star of the football team, good looking and was loved by his teachers. His biggest hobby was bullying the nerds of Nathan Hale, and there were a lot of them. All of Jackson's popularity changed, however, when he found himself wearing braces and headgear. He had become a nerd.

None of Jackson's friends would talk to him, but he began noticing something about the nerds. They always sneezed all at the same time. And then they would leave class. Jackson followed them one day, and watched the nerds all shove themselves into lockers. He did the same and after falling through the locker floor heard "Welcome to the Playground." There he found out about the nerds: they were superheroes and part of the NERDS, the National Espionage, Rescue and Defense Society. The leader of the NERDS was Mr. Brand, who was also the school janitor. He decides to let Jackson be a part of the team, despite the kids not wanting the biggest bully in school to join them. Jackson gets his braces specialized and finds himself trying to save the world, even after getting kicked off of the team.

This is a great book that has a positive message for those "nerds" who might not always fit in with their peers. Jackson is a classic school bully, and he learns that being a bully doesn't always pay off.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to 4th-6th grade kids at school this fall, especially boys! During the 2010-2011 school year, this book was the 13th most checked out book at my school, and I expect it to move up the list this year.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

If everyone was an oddball, why had he been singled out as a nerd? --NERDS

The herd might have been a collection of misshapen goobers, but at least they had each other. --NERDS

The dorks, dweebs, goobers and spazzes that you picked on are the ones who will grow up to discover the vaccines, write the great novels, push the boundaries of science and technology and invent things that make people healthier and happier. Nerds change the world. --NERDS


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Liberty Porter First Daughter

Liberty Porter First Daughter by Julia DeVillers

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Liberty Porter's dad just took a new job: President of the United States. This whole book describes the family's first day of living in the White House. Liberty goes on all sorts of adventures through the White House and meets a lot of people. She also causes some trouble, though she has good intentions. The next book in the series picks up after this first day.

Third and fourth grade girls would like this book, especially if they have an interest in the White House or past presidents. The book is full of fast facts about many presidents and the White House. The writing is not very sophisticated; there are a lot of exclamation points and bold words and immature language.


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100 Cupboards

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Disclaimer: I mostly read this book after midnight on about 3 consecutive nights when I couldn't sleep, which may have affected how I feel about the book.

That being said, typically how long it takes me to read a book shows how well I liked it. This book took me 4 days. Typically, I finish a book in 2. Also, I'm not know for particularly enjoyed fantasy, so that can be taken into account, too. I tried really hard to like this book, and after reading the back actually believed it would be one of my favorites of the summer.

100 Cupboards is, indeed, the story of 100 cupboards, and a boy named Henry who finds himself living with his aunt and uncle in Kansas after his parents go missing. Life in Kansas is much different than what he's used to, and he has to adjust to having his three girl cousins around, too. He is staying in the attic of their house, and soon he notices something very odd about the wall. He peels off some of the plaster and discovers a cupboard. Before he knows it, he's revealed 99 cupboards. Each cupboard is a window into another world. However, when he finds the 100th cupboard, things turn bad quickly for Henry. His cousin gets lost in another world and he ventures around to find her, only to be followed home by other people. Finally his family sits him down and tells him about the cupboards, and that he should stay away from them. But, its too late, he's opened up another world for himself and his extended family.

The book has a good plot, but it gets very weird towards the end. It almost seemed rushed, which isn't necessary since this is part one in a trilogy, anyways. Definitely an odd one. I'm interested to see how it fairs with the kids this year!



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Gollywhopper Games--A Fast Paced Summer Read!

The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Twenty-five thousand kids are competing in the Gollywhopper Games, with a chance to win all of the companies toys and games, as well as a college scholarship and a load of money. For one kid, Gil Goodson, the games represent more than that--if he wins, his dad has agreed to move their family out of Orchard Heights. Gil's father was accused, though found not-guilty, of embezzling thousands of dollars from the company while he worked there. The kids at school treated Gil terribly, but they couldn't move without the money. So Gil waits in line, and claims his place as one of those twenty-five thousand kids.

Gil has studied for the games. He has three books detailing everything about all of the toys and games that the Gollywhopper company has ever made. That studying lands Gil as one of the top 10 kids left standing. They are divided into two groups and they have to complete a series of puzzles and stunts in order to move on. Gil is faced with fierce competitors, and finds out that not everyone here is playing fair. But, considering his father's allegations, he can do nothing besides keep playing.

This book is very similar to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which the author admits was done purposefully--a student wanted a book similar, and the librarian had no suggestions, so Feldman wrote one! Feldman has created a fantastic world full of dynamic characters. This is a very fast read-you won't put it down!



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Powerless by Matthew Cody

Powerless by Matthew Cody

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Daniel is upset when his family moves to Noble's Green. Soon, he notices that something is a little bit different about a few of the kids there. They eventually let him in on their secret: they have super powers. Some of them can fly, have super strength, speed or be invisible. However, they subscribe to a certain set of rules: use the powers to help, not hurt; don't go to the quarry, it ends at 13, and don't let adults find out. On their 13th birthdays, something happens and they lose their powers as well as any memories of having them.

Daniel's friends are concerned, because they will all be turning 13 shortly. Their leader, Eric, turns 13 in just a few weeks. Daniel, always interested in a good mystery, is determined to find out why his friends are losing their powers. The answer lies in a stack of old comic books and in the off-limits quarry. Daniel finds himself in several life-or-death situations, powerless, against a dark enemy, The Shroud. But when all is said and done, will the supers get to keep their powers?

This book was fairly fast paced, though parts at the end weren't as believable or as well-written as I'd have liked. There was definitely some unfinished business, and I'm wondering if we'll see a sequel.

While targeted at middle school kids, this book was (almost forcedly) clean and would be appropriate for 3rd grade, but would probably also be enjoyed by middle and high school kids, especially those who love comics or superheroes.

A couple of quotes:

But he was thirteen today, and thirteen was the age when you started taking care of yourself, when you started figuring things out, and so that precisely what he decided to do. --Powerless

That's what being a hero is about, right? Overcoming your fears and your failures to help other people. --Powerless


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Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Woods Runner is not the type of book I would typically pick up and read. That being said, I read this book in one day. Once I got going, I couldn't stop. The book is fast-paced but not easy to read, because of the way Paulsen describes the war scenes. Gary Paulsen tells a story about the Revolutionary War through a 13 year old boy named Samuel.

Samuel and his family live in the forest in Pennsylvania. Samuel's parents are not really forest people, but they were trying to avoid the war. Samuel had gone out hunting bear one day, when he noticed smoke in the distance. At first, he thought it could be a forest fire, but then he realized it wasn't dry enough. Samuel has a keen sense of the forest and has developed very strong survival skills. He realizes that it is his house that is on fire. He runs as fast as possible, but he finds five of his neighbors dead, all the houses burned to the ground. His parents, though, have been taken hostage; he can tell from the tracks. He begins tracking his family, which leads him on a wild adventure through the forest and eventually to New York City to try to find his family. He meets several people, some protecting him, some trying to kill him, and he can never quite tell until it's almost too late. Getting through the British army in New York City is far different than hunting bear and deer in the woods, but Samuel has to try...

After each chapter in this book is a non-fiction explanation of different aspects of the Revolutionary War. At first, they were distracting, but then they helped me understand more about what was going on in the book. Overall, I really liked this book, and I know that it will be flying off the library shelves this Fall.


Here are some of my favorite quotes:

If you listened, complete quiet could speak worlds. -- Woods Runner

Actually, the forest had embraced him, took him in, made him a woods runner. -- Woods Runner

His whole life, everything in it and around it, was different now, torn and gutted and forever changed from all that it had been, and it would never be the same. -- Woods Runner



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Garden of Eve--A Great Read!

The Garden of Eve by K.L. Going

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Evie can't believe it when her father decides to move from Michigan to New York shortly after her mother dies. She is even more angry to find that they have moved into a house next to a dead orchard that her father is trying to bring back to life. Worse yet, there is a cemetery there, too. And it's not her mom's cemetery. The first day they arrive there is a funeral going on for a young boy, Alex. Soon, Evie notices the ghostly shadow of a boy. She gathers up enough courage to start talking to him and he tells her that he is Alex. She finds out that the town is thought to have a curse, and that a young girl named Eve disappeared in the orchard many years ago. She is left a gift by the previous owner of the house; a small seed. This seed holds an important secret about the mysterious town, one that only Evie can unlock.

From the title and the back cover I didn't think I would like this book. However, it has turned out to be one my favorites that I've read this summer! The beginning and build-up is amazing, the end lacks a little bit but only because some things aren't wrapped up. It deals with the pain of loss, believing in magic, mystery and obviously, allusions to the garden of Eden. Overall, this is a great read for kids in 4th-8th grade.


Favorite quotes from the book:

Didn't you know? Don't worry, love. I grew up in that house and I never saw a single ghost. And trust me, i was watching. -- The Garden of Eve

Watching him now was like meeting someone on the street who you hasn't realized was missing- you felt all the pleasure of seeing them and all the pain of missing them at once. --The Garden of Eve

After talking to father she knew the truth. Home was a ghost. --The Garden of Eve

She thought of all her mother's magical stories and remembered how she'd told father she didn't believe in magic anymore. But maybe magic still believed in her. --The Garden of Eve

Pain has a way of blinding us to everything but what we want to see. --The Garden of Eve

There's almost always a way to get things done. You just have to think smart enough and don't take no for an answer. --The Garden of Eve

For the first time since Mom died, she felt her mother's presence, not as something outside of herself that she'd brought to life, but as something inside of her-as something she was. --The Garden of Eve



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