ICCA #3

I Survived #3: I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 by Lauren Tarshis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I can see why boys like this series--action packed on every page! Plus, the book is a fast read, at only 95 pages.

The main character's name is Barry, and his family gets stuck in New Orleans after trying to evacuate but being stuck in miles of traffic with a sick toddler, Barry's younger sister Cleo. They move to the attic, then on to the roof. While on the roof, Barry gets swept away. This story is about his time being trapped in the flood away from his family.

It was hard for me to read this book because I went to New Orleans about a month after the hurricane. I saw the destruction and talked with people who were there. While this story is entertaining, its not very believable. Things were much, much worse--especially in the 9th ward. Too many coincidences for me, but I see why elementary boys like it.

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ICCA #2

Neil Armstrong is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Honestly, I didn't really understand this book. The characters are fairly well developed, but there isn't much of a plot. There are a lot of things that happen, but they don't tie together very well and I didn't ever sense that there was a problem. I didn't really care what happened in the end. The historical parts of this book are somewhat interesting, which is about the only part that held my interest.

I'm hoping the rest of the Iowa Children's Choice Award books get better from here!

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Born to Fly: Book 1, ICCA

Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'd really like to give this book 3.5 stars, but I couldn't quite justify giving it 4.

Bird is a 10 year old girl who loves flying. Her dad has been teaching her how, though she isn't very good at it yet. Her best friend has just moved out of town, she doesn't get along very well with her mom, but she is very close with her dad. Unfortunately, World War II is upon them, and Bird's dad is sent off to fight in the war.

One day at school, a new boy shows up: a Japanese boy named Kenji. He is an instant target for the school bully, Farley, because he is Japanese. It is assumed that him and his uncle are rooting for the Japanese, and are maybe even spies.

Kenji and Bird end up friends, and when Kenji's uncle is accused of killing Farley's dad and blowing up the factory, they find out a hard lesson in friendship that almost gets both of them killed.

Once I got "into" this book, about 1/3 of the way through, I loved it. There were a few too many references to bras, though, for an elementary book (subtract those and my rating would be up to 4). A lot of action, explosions, flying, strong female character, murder, mystery...a little bit of everything here!

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