The Not-So-Great Depression

The Not-So-Great Depression by Amy Koss
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jacki is a high school freshman whose world gets turned upside down when her mom gets laid off from her high paying job. Soon, they've lost half of their investments and are having to make some significant changes. Her parents are divorced, her older sister is set on an ivy league school and is perfect in Jacki's eyes until she starts leaving the house more and more, and Jacki's younger brother always has his music so loud he can't hear anything.

The storyline is this book is an interesting one, and you definitely want to find out what happens. I would've rated it higher if the main character had seemed more believable--she acted too young for her age.

A couple of good quotes from the book:

It makes a girl’s chest hurt, thinking about how many ways there are to be alive. --The Not-So-Great Depression

So long as even the same things are risky, we might as well take our risks on the things that really matter to us. Maybe we’re supposed to take the risks that count. --The Not-So-Great Depression

If the choices in life are to be happy, or not--well, that’s an easy one, don’t ya think? --The Not-So-Great Depression

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Wonderstruck

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wonderstruck tells the story of Ben and Rose, 2 young people separated by 50 years. Ben's story is told in prose, and Rose's story is told in pictures. Rose is deaf and her mother is ashamed, never being part of her life. Rose chronicles her mother's life in a scrapbook. Ben has never met his father, but when his mother dies he decides to find his father. Both stories intertwine in the end in New York City with a surprising finish.

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Ghosthunters

Ghosthunters And The Incredibly Revolting Ghost by Cornelia Funke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tom has discovered a ghost living in his basement. His family thinks he's crazy, but luckily for him his grandmother is best friends with Hetty, the world famous ghosthunter. But, when Tom finds out that the ghost living in his basement is just an ASG (averagely spooky ghost) and that it's living there because it got spooked out of its own house by an IRG (incredibly revolting ghost). The only way to get rid of the ASG is to take on the IRG and get rid of it once and for all. Tom is scared, but him and Hetty gather their supplies and head to the home of Mr. Lovely to take on the ghost.

After reading Inkheart, I'll read anything by Funke. This is a new series, part scary, part hilarious, that I will be recommending to 3rd & 4th graders--they are always interested in a good ghost story!

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Perfect

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ellen Hopkins is, in my opinion, the best young adult writer out there. She tackles hard issues, and does so using poetry as her art form. Poetry is such an emotional way to tell the compelling stories that Hopkins chooses.

Perfect uses four different voices to tell the story of the high school seniors in this book. Kendra struggles with an eating disorder and body image while on her way to a modeling career. Cara, whose brother Connor just tried to commit suicide, is having a hard time deciding between her perfect boyfriend and a new intriguing girlfriend. Sean is a baseball player on his way to Stanford and will take whatever steroids he needs to ensure that dream, despite what it may cost him. Andre loves to dance, but has to keep his dreams hidden from his family who wouldn't understand, all the while dealing with an alcoholic girlfriend, Jenna, who will do anything to score some beer, even if it gets her killed.

This book is a follow up book to Impulse, which tells the story of Cara's brother, Connor. The books both have the same ending, told from a different perspective and are interwoven so perfectly.

I love Ellen Hopkins, and I loved this book. My only wish for this book is that the author's note where Hopkins explains the concept of perfection, and why she chose to write about it, was in the front instead of at the end. I'm afraid too many people will stop at the end of the story and not read her notes.

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Titanic Trilogy

If you know anything about me, you know how much I am OBSESSED with Titanic. So, naturally, this new trilogy had to be the first on my reading list.

And, the books held up to my expectations. Korman does a great job of blending the facts of the Titanic, from its building structure to the famous people who were on it, with the fictional stories of 4 kids: Alfie, Sophie, Julianna and Paddy. Each of these children comes from a much different background and with different reasons for being aboard the Titanic. Of course, in the end, the Titanic sinks. But you are so engrossed in the fate of the four children, that the sinking is secondary.

This trilogy only gets better as you continue reading. Murder, mystery and friendship are intertwined throughout. If you love the Titanic, you have to read these books. Even if you don't like Titanic, if you love adventure, this series will draw you in (and hopefully interest you in the Titanic).

ZooZical

ZooZical by Judy Sierra
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book made me smile with it's delightful rhyme. It takes work to rhyme "awoke, he" with "karaoke" and make sense--but this book pulls it off seamlessly, along with lots of other fun vocabulary. There are also a lot of musical tie-ins that young students will be familiar with. Loved it!

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Pop

Pop by Gordon Korman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pop details the first few months of Marcus' transition to a new town. He is lonely as he goes to the park to practice his quarterback skills when he meets an older gentleman, Charlie. Charlie teaches Marcus all about football and Marcus soon learns that he was the "King of Pop" in the NFL. Marcus tries to fit in on the towns high school football team, but it's hard because the team went 10-0 the previous season, and had no room for a new guy. To top it, the quarterback, Troy, is a jerk, and his ex-girlfriend Alyssa likes Marcus--and he finds out that Troy is Charlie's son! Marcus soon realizes that Charlie and his family are hiding something, and Marcus keeps finding himself in trouble with Troy, Alyssa, Charlie and eventually the police department.

This book is a great sports book, but adds a lot of depth to its characters. The ending is completely unexpected, but kind of wraps things up nicely.

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Along for the Ride

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Along for the Ride details the story of Auden's summer as she leaves her stuck-up mother and goes to live with her father, step-mother and baby half-sister Thisbe. Auden has followed her mother her whole life: studying and school--no time for being a kid. While Auden is very book smart, she majorly lacks street smarts, and finds herself in some undesirable places. She is forced to make some friends, which she's never done. She also encounters a boy who has a dark past, and won't talk to anyone but her. Since neither of them sleep at night, they spend their nights together, going on a quest to give Auden a childhood. Auden is trying to escape the pressures from her parents and finds herself learning a lot of things that she missed out on.

This was a pretty fast read, despite being a longer book. The characters felt real, but I was left longing for a bit more--maybe just because I didn't want it to end!

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Melonhead & the Big Stink

Melonhead and the Big Stink by Katy Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first Melonhead book was an instant favorite for me. Melonhead reminds me a lot of the Wimpy Kid series (with a lot more depth) or Clementine or Judy Moody. I literally laughed out loud at some of the parts in this book.

Melonhead is trying to get his parents to let him go to New York and see the "big stink"--a plant that only blooms once every 12 years and is supposed to emit the worst smell ever. However, Melonhead finds himself in trouble, accidentally, and he ends up having to do chores for an older lady down the street. He doesn't see how he will ever get to New York, but his trouble ends up helping him in the end.

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The Help

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved the characters in this book and how each one had a unique voice. The premise of telling stories from the point of view of the help seems so simple, and not necessarily unique, but it is different. The plot is very creative and intricate, yet everything gets woven together. I loved this book--I even woke up early one morning to finish it before it disappeared from my iPad (was checked out through my local library). I only wish it wouldn't have ended!

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Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book aloud to 4th grade for the Global Read Aloud Project in October. I absolutely loved it. It took the students awhile to get "into it" but when we got about halfway through they were always disappointed when we had to stop. The concept of living forever is very thought-provoking for students to discuss and the author does a great job of leaving chapters at cliff-hangers. Some of the vocabulary and writing style is older and was hard for students to understand, but once we discussed it, they were able to catch on. This book also has a lot of scenes that are great for imagery and visualization.

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Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I understand why students like these books, but the appeal is just not there for me. This latest book, especially, has very little story line. I got to the end, and seriously wondered what the point of reading it was. I was even kind of confused in the middle because the story kept jumping around and changing--it was like a series of small stories all smooshed together that wasn't entirely coherent. Three stars is a push for me, but I know the kids in my library will love it, so I couldn't rate it less than that!

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4th Grade Tagxedo with Global Read Aloud

This week, the 4th graders used Tagxedo to create word clouds about Tuck Everlasting. The thing that I like about Tagxedo, is that you can arrange your words to make a shape. Students picked a shape that was important to the story. These turned out very well!

When we were finished, we posted them to the Global Read Aloud Edmodo page. We got several comments from each other and from students around the globe!

Global Read Aloud

This past week, our 2nd grade and 4th grade students started the Global Read Aloud Project. The 4th graders are listening to Tuck Everlasting, and the 2nd graders are enjoying Flat Stanley.  I was happy that none of the students in either grade had the respective books before.  We were hoping to Skype with a class in New Orleans, but of course Skype hasn't been working at school. Hopefully we will still get to video chat with some kids from outside of Iowa!  Also, we are using Edmodo to connect with students from around the globe. Edmodo is very similar to Facebook, but is safe & secure for kids. They love communicating there and are learning great social networking skills so that when they do get a Facebook (or whatever) account, they know how to use it appropriately!

Here are the 4th grade predictions for Tuck Everlasting:

Chamelia

Chamelia by Ethan Long

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Chamelia likes to stand out, while most chameleons like to blend in. She just does things differently. Her parents tell her that sometimes its okay to blend in, and Chamelia finds a way to stand out and join in all at the same time.

A cute story about individuality and fitting in.



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Ladybug Girl

Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Everyone thinks Lulu is too small to help-especially her older brother. But Lulu sets off on an adventure and finds out she's not too little to help some ants, build a fort, face a shark and more.

A good self-esteem book.



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Tallulah!

Presenting...Tallulah by Tori Spelling

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


For a "princess-y" book, this one was pretty good. Plus, ever since watching Cool Runnings, I've loved the name Tallulah. I even had a sock puppet named Tallulah.

Tallulah is different. She can't get dirty or make messes, because she is "not that kind of girl." Her parents remind her of this often.

The kids at school makes fun of her because she is different there, too: she arrives to school in a limo, wears fancy dresses and pretty shoes.

One day, she meets a new boy, Max, who was "different" too. He wore fancy clothes and didn't get muddy either. They come across a small dog, stranded on a log in the middle of a pond. Tallulah will has to use what she's got to try to save the dog--even though saving a dog isn't "something a girl like her should do."



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Chick 'n' Pug

Chick 'n' Pug by Jennifer Sattler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Chick has read "The Adventures of Wonder Pug" 127 times. But there was no excitement in the chicken coop, so Chick set out to find some. Luckily for him, he ran into a real life Wonder Pug. But Wonder Pug seems to be concerned only with sleeping. When Mr. Snuggles comes, Wonder Pug doesn't know what to do, but luckily Chick has read "Wonder Pug" enough to know what to do.

Very cute, plus at a first grade level, which is hard to find.



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Otis

Otis by Loren Long

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Otis is a hard working tractor who loves his farmer and his farm. He works all day, then spends the evenings jumping bales of hay and playing ring-around-the-rosie with ducks or just sitting under the apple tree watching over the farm. When a new calf moves into the barn stall next to Otis, Otis's noise lulls the scared calf to sleep. From then on, they are best friends.

But soon, Otis is replaced with a big, shiny yellow tractor. Otis finds himself in the weeds behind the barn, and the calf is very sad without his friend. Then one day, the calf wanders into Mud Pond. Will the shiny new tractor be able to pull him out?

This is a beautiful book about friendship, and about farm life. (Catching a trend here? My students live on farms!) The pictures in this book are the perfect tone for the story and they really bring it to life.

My kids will love Otis.



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Three Hens & a Peacock

Three Hens and a Peacock by Lester L. Laminack

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Tucker's farm is a quiet place. Everyone has their job, and everyone gets things done. Until one day, a peacock shows up and gets the hens riled up. The peacock is able to stand at the road and screech all day long, causing cars to stop and buy produce, while the hens have to sit in the henhouse and lay eggs. The farm dog suggests a swap, and the hens get all fancied up in their best beads and bangles. They set out to the road the next day and do their best struts, while the peacock squeezes into the henhouse and tries to lay an egg. The hens and the peacock learn a valuable lesson this day.

The ending of this book is perfect, and the back cover made me laugh out loud! A great farm book for reading aloud, I'm sure my kids will love it!



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Everyone Needs a Good Monster

I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ethan climbs into bed one night and finds a note under the bed from his monster: Gone fishing. Back in a week. -Gabe

Gabe is the perfect monster: he has perfect breathing, perfect claws and a great green ooze. How will Gabe ever sleep without a monster under his bed to keep him scared and tucked in?

He decides to get a replacement monster. The first replacement monster that comes in had claws that weren't long enough. Then came a monster with nail polish on his claws! Ethan goes through several more replacement monsters, but will he ever find one he likes and that scares him enough?

The concept of this story is great-perfect for monster lovers or bedtime! The illustrations and the text are perfect. Loved it.



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When a Dragon Moves In

When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If you build a perfect sandcastle, a dragon will move right in. The boy in the story does just that, and spends his day roasting marshmallows, flying kites and blowing bubbles with the dragon. None of his family will pay attention to the dragon, though, and they tell him to stop pretending. Having a dragon is the best thing ever, until some things start to go wrong.

I kept waiting to figure out how the story would end, and it didn't end quite the way I would have liked. Or, if more would have been added to it, the ending would have been a bit better.

A great beach read!



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Princesses, Pink and a Story About Me

Not All Princesses Dress in Pink by Jane Yolen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I like this book because it shows how girls can do a wide variety of things without being "too girly" by wearing pink. As a girl who loves pink, but despises most things girly (I'd take my mesh shorts and cut-off t-shirt over a dress any day), I enjoyed the concept of this book. The girls play sports, use power tools, ride bikes, plant gardens and more, all while wearing their shiny crowns.

This book was a nice break from all the princess tales that the girls love. However, it did lack a story, it just showed girls doing different activities. And, I don't know how I feel about PINK being the root of all girly things. Like I said, I love pink, but am not a girly-girl by any means. Hopefully some girls at school will read this, and realize that being a "princess" can mean they can still get dirty and do things they love!


(Note: I love punk rock pink, not pansy pink. And no, punk rock pink has nothing to do with liking punk rock music, because clearly, I don't. Confused yet?)



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Huck Runs Amuck!

Huck Runs Amuck! by Sean Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Huck is a goat, so naturally, all he thinks about is eating. But while other goats will settle for eating cardboard boxes (which taste like boring afternoons to Huck), wooly gloves (which get stuck between your teeth), and bird's nests (which make Huck sneeze), Huck prefers flowers. Lots and lots of flowers. His love of flowers leads him on several adventures, where he can't quite sink his teeth into a tasty bouquet. When Huck finally gets his chance, will he dive in or think of others first?

The illustrations really help bring this book to life, and the story is great. Kids will love it, because Huck finds himself eating toilet paper and trying to take a bite of someone's underpants. It's a very cute book!



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Memoirs of a Goldfish

Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I laughed out loud twice and thought of an idea to use at school this year while reading this book--needless to say, I loved it!

Goldfish is content just living life, swimming around his bowl. Then, day after day, he finds more and more intruders in his little bowl. Eventually, he has had enough and tells them to leave. A whoosh, splash, clank and plunge later, he finds himself all alone in a fresh, clean, but very small, bowl. After swimming around happily, he begins to wonder about the others? Were they okay? Maybe they needed him after all! How could he help them now?

I'm so excited to share this with my students! And this year, I'm adding a small fish tank to the library, so I can't wait to have students write memoirs of our new fish!



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Charlie the Ranch Dog

Charlie the Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Charlie the Ranch Dog has a LOT of responsibility around the ranch! Between taking care of business, napping and eating breakfast, the basset hound doesn't have time for anything else. In the end, will taking care of the ranch or napping benefit him most?

The illustrations in this book are cute. I do wish that there was more of a storyline to it, but I'm sure kids at school will love it because it takes place on a ranch.


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Splish, Splash, Splat!

Splish, Splash, Splat! by Rob Scotton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"Water is horrible. It's scary and wet and makes me soggy."

The day is not looking promising for Splat. First, he has to take a bath. Then his mom informs him that Spike is coming over after school, which is bad enough, because Spike breaks his toys and makes fun of him. Then Spike finds out that they are doing swimming lessons at school. Even worse.

I love books in the Splat series, and kids do too. Very cute book with a positive message!



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Zombies! Love! Action!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Forest of Hands and Teeth is where we find Mary living with her mother. It is after the Return, which was how so much of the human race was turned into Unconsecrated zombies. The Sisterhood who runs Mary's village has led everyone to believe that their village is the last village on Earth. The village is fully surrounded by a chain link fence that the Guardians built and continue to build and maintain. Outside the fence is the forest, full of Unconsecrated. If people get too close, they can become infected, like Mary's father already has been.



Mary's mother once told her about the ocean, and the dream of seeing the ocean is what leads Mary to believe that there is more to the world than their village. When their village is attacked by the Unconsecrated, Mary and who's left of her village must run, and fight in order to stay alive.



This book packs zombies, a love triangle, loss, and tons of action, all while keeping things friendly enough for 6th grade up.



Now, I have never before this read a book about zombies. Or vampires. So this book felt kind of like a "guilty pleasure" for me. I actually really enjoyed the plot of the book, and the pace was well executed by Carrie Ryan. There was a lot of "unfinished business" but this is the first book of a trilogy. A few places lacked detail too, but I'm assuming Ryan makes up for that in the next two books. I am eager to see what happens with Mary in the remainder of the series. There were also a few weird things, such as a chain-link fence protecting the whole city--why not something stronger? But again, I'm assuming those things will be taken care of later, or I'll just live with them because it is a fantasy book and odd things can happen in fantasy land.







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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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