A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Publisher:Yearling
Copyright:2001
Number of Pages: 148
Age: 12+
Genre: Contemporary
Summary:
In the book A Single Shard, the character Tree-ear is a poor child who lives with a man named Crane-man. Together they live under a bridge living off of their scraps of food that they find or have donated to them. Tree-ear leaves one day to go spy on the potters, one in particular draws Tree-ear's attention; his name is Min. Min was the best potter n the country and Tree-ear wanted nothing more than to be able to make pottery like Min. One day Tree-ear gets caught by Min and breaks one of Min's pots. Tree-ear ends up having to work off the damage that he did, by doing chores around the shop. Min eventually talked with Tree-ear and Tree-ear was asked to travel to the palace to show the emperor the work of Min. Through Tree-Ear's travels in the forest he had to fight off various trials that came his way. However, before Tree-Ear got to the palace he broke the pottery. The only thing left was a shard. With the courage that Tree-Ear had left, he took the shard to the palace. Even though there was only a shard left, the emperor loved Min's work and so the emperor sent Tree-ear back to Min via boat. Towards the end of the book Crane-man ended up dying. However, even though the death of Crane-man was hard, Tree-Ear was still able to move on and was accepted into a new family, Min's. Now that Tree-Ear was apart of Min's family, he was finally able to learn how to make pottery.
My Reaction:
I enjoyed reading this book. I thought that it was well written and that it was interesting because of the different plot line. I enjoyed that the main character was about a poor boy who was able to rise up to become something more.
Who would benefit from this book?
I think that anyone could benefit from this book. I think that anyone who is able to understand the hardships of being poor and not necessarily relate but be able to understand what Tree-Ear had to go through.
What problems might this book cause?
None that I am aware of.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Ella Enchanted
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Publisher: Scholastic
Copyright: 1998
Number of Pages: 272
Age: 12+
Genre: Fantasy
Summary
In the story of Ella Enchanted, Ella is cursed with a "blessing" bestowed upon her at birth. The curse is obedience. No matter what Ella does she has to do as she is commanded. As she grows up she meets a prince who is about to become king. The prince wants to marry Ella. However, since the prince found a future wife the current king realizes he doesn't want to give up his throne. So he finds out Ella's weakness and commands her to kill the prince when he proposes to her at the ball. When the time came Ella tried with all her might to not kill the prince. She found that within herself she was able to stop the curse. However, the king walked in and said that Ella tried to kill the prince and so they took her and threw her in jail. The king decided to come up with another plan to kill the prince. He poisoned the crown so when it was placed on the prince he would die. Ella found this out and with the help of her friends she was able to break out of the jail. She ran to save the prince and all the truths came out. The king forgot he poisoned the crown and he took the crown and placed on his head, which killed him. The prince married Ella and they lived happily ever after.
My reaction:
I really enjoyed this book and the plot of it all. I think that it was fun to have a different storyline about someone who was cursed with obedience.
Who would enjoy this book?
I think that anyone would. Personally I think that girls would like it more because its in a girls perspective and it is a love story. However, anyone would enjoy it that enjoys fantasy and a little bit of love.
What problems might this book cause?
None that I am aware of.
Publisher: Scholastic
Copyright: 1998
Number of Pages: 272
Age: 12+
Genre: Fantasy
Summary
In the story of Ella Enchanted, Ella is cursed with a "blessing" bestowed upon her at birth. The curse is obedience. No matter what Ella does she has to do as she is commanded. As she grows up she meets a prince who is about to become king. The prince wants to marry Ella. However, since the prince found a future wife the current king realizes he doesn't want to give up his throne. So he finds out Ella's weakness and commands her to kill the prince when he proposes to her at the ball. When the time came Ella tried with all her might to not kill the prince. She found that within herself she was able to stop the curse. However, the king walked in and said that Ella tried to kill the prince and so they took her and threw her in jail. The king decided to come up with another plan to kill the prince. He poisoned the crown so when it was placed on the prince he would die. Ella found this out and with the help of her friends she was able to break out of the jail. She ran to save the prince and all the truths came out. The king forgot he poisoned the crown and he took the crown and placed on his head, which killed him. The prince married Ella and they lived happily ever after.
My reaction:
I really enjoyed this book and the plot of it all. I think that it was fun to have a different storyline about someone who was cursed with obedience.
Who would enjoy this book?
I think that anyone would. Personally I think that girls would like it more because its in a girls perspective and it is a love story. However, anyone would enjoy it that enjoys fantasy and a little bit of love.
What problems might this book cause?
None that I am aware of.
The Theif Lord
The Theif Lord by Cornelia Funke
Publisher: The Chicken House
Copyright: 2003
Number of Pages: 349
Age: 12+
Genre: Fantasy
Summary:
In this fantasy in Venice Italy is about orphaned boys named Bo, and Prosper, who are lead by the Theif Lord. The Theif Lord teaches the boys how to steal in order to survive. However, the Theif Lord has a secret that he doesn't share with the boys. The secret was that the Theif Lord wasn't an orphan, he had a family, a rich family at that. In the story there is a detective who is always on their case and is determined to catch the boys and their theft.
Later in the story there is a new treasure that was found by the boys and a rich man who hires the boys to find the missng pieces. The story climax's when the treasure is put back together, to find that it is a merry-go-round that turns to back to any age that you want. The man that had been helping the boys, had bad intentions so he pushed his way onto the merry-go-round but because he weighed too much, he broke the merry-go-round which made him a little baby again. The boys took him and gave him to their foster parents.
My reaction:
I enjoyed this book a lot because of the different secrets that were revealed through the book. I enjoyed not knowing what was going to happen and have the ending turn out to be something different then I thought.
Who would benefit from this book?
I think that any kid who is 12+ years would enjoy it because it has mystery, suspense, and has a touch of fantasy. It also takes them to a different part of the world that isn't typically put into stories.
What problems might this book cause?
I think this book would cause only problems that its ok to run away from home and to steal things from other people. The reader I believe should be old enough to know what is ok to do and what isn't.
Publisher: The Chicken House
Copyright: 2003
Number of Pages: 349
Age: 12+
Genre: Fantasy
Summary:
In this fantasy in Venice Italy is about orphaned boys named Bo, and Prosper, who are lead by the Theif Lord. The Theif Lord teaches the boys how to steal in order to survive. However, the Theif Lord has a secret that he doesn't share with the boys. The secret was that the Theif Lord wasn't an orphan, he had a family, a rich family at that. In the story there is a detective who is always on their case and is determined to catch the boys and their theft.
Later in the story there is a new treasure that was found by the boys and a rich man who hires the boys to find the missng pieces. The story climax's when the treasure is put back together, to find that it is a merry-go-round that turns to back to any age that you want. The man that had been helping the boys, had bad intentions so he pushed his way onto the merry-go-round but because he weighed too much, he broke the merry-go-round which made him a little baby again. The boys took him and gave him to their foster parents.
My reaction:
I enjoyed this book a lot because of the different secrets that were revealed through the book. I enjoyed not knowing what was going to happen and have the ending turn out to be something different then I thought.
Who would benefit from this book?
I think that any kid who is 12+ years would enjoy it because it has mystery, suspense, and has a touch of fantasy. It also takes them to a different part of the world that isn't typically put into stories.
What problems might this book cause?
I think this book would cause only problems that its ok to run away from home and to steal things from other people. The reader I believe should be old enough to know what is ok to do and what isn't.
Mother Earth, Father Sky
Mother Earth, Father Sky by Tom Lowenstein
Publisher: Ducan Baird Publishers
Copyright: 1997
Number of Pages: 137
Age: 12+
Genre: Nonfiction picture biography
Summary: In this book it discusses the history of the Native Americans. The book goes through from the beginning from what the Native Americans believed. An example would be how the Native Americans thought the world was developed. They think very highly of animals and they believed that there were ducks sitting on top of the water and 2 birds in the sky. They tried to see who could go to the bottom and grab some earth and bring it to the top. All three go down and all died. But the last duck actually grabbed some earth before dying. The 2 birds in the sky healed the ducks and brought them back to life. When they came back the one duck said that he grabbed earth. They didn't believe him so he showed them. Once they saw the earth they took the grains and threw them across the water and Earth lands were developed. There are other stories in the book as to how different things came about. They are all very different from what we believe today.
My reaction:
I love this book! This book has taught me different things that I wouldn't have ever thought of before. I think that the pictures are awesome and they are great so that you can have a picture in your head as to what they are talking about through the book.
Who would benefit from this book?:
I think that anyone interested in Native American culture would love it. Anyone who wants to know more about what they believe would think that this book was awesome.
What problems might this book cause?:
I think that if the reader isn't old enough to understand and respect another culture then they could possibly mock what they believe or try what they believe and cause harm to others.
Publisher: Ducan Baird Publishers
Copyright: 1997
Number of Pages: 137
Age: 12+
Genre: Nonfiction picture biography
Summary: In this book it discusses the history of the Native Americans. The book goes through from the beginning from what the Native Americans believed. An example would be how the Native Americans thought the world was developed. They think very highly of animals and they believed that there were ducks sitting on top of the water and 2 birds in the sky. They tried to see who could go to the bottom and grab some earth and bring it to the top. All three go down and all died. But the last duck actually grabbed some earth before dying. The 2 birds in the sky healed the ducks and brought them back to life. When they came back the one duck said that he grabbed earth. They didn't believe him so he showed them. Once they saw the earth they took the grains and threw them across the water and Earth lands were developed. There are other stories in the book as to how different things came about. They are all very different from what we believe today.
My reaction:
I love this book! This book has taught me different things that I wouldn't have ever thought of before. I think that the pictures are awesome and they are great so that you can have a picture in your head as to what they are talking about through the book.
Who would benefit from this book?:
I think that anyone interested in Native American culture would love it. Anyone who wants to know more about what they believe would think that this book was awesome.
What problems might this book cause?:
I think that if the reader isn't old enough to understand and respect another culture then they could possibly mock what they believe or try what they believe and cause harm to others.
The Wisdom of the Great Chiefs
The Wisdom of the Great Chiefs by Kent Nerburn
Publisher: New World Library
Copyright: 1994
Number of Pages 76
Age: 12+
Genre: Nonfiction
Summary:
In this book it discusses different experiences done by three great Native American chiefs. The three were Cheif Red Jacket, Chief Joseph, and Cheif Seattle. In the different chapters through the book it discusses what these chiefs went through during the time that their people were being pushed out of their land and onto reservations. One that I will discuss will be Cheif Seattle. Cheif Seattle was named chief at the time of being put into a reservation. He refused to go to a reservation and leave their precious history behind. So he went to Washington to speak with the general and judge about moving to reservations. He went and discussed his case but the judge and general diagreed. Cheif Seattle discussed during his plea all the things that the general and his men had done to his people and how Chief Seattle wouldn't allow bloodshed and that they were always kind to the white man. He says that "we have always been kind to the whiteman, then why are we being placed to a new land?" However, even though the Chief and his people showed kindness they did not prevail in their plea.
My reaction:
I enjoyed reading this book. It was well written. I loved being able to read things from a Chief's point of view. I think that this books title also suits it. There is differnt wisdom mentioned in this book and it is profoud and it actually makes you see things differently. It lets you understand the Native American ways. So many people think that they are killing machines and that they do sacrafices that are too terrible to mention; however, the Native American people have shown in this book that they are kind and want peace. They care for their families and community, all they want is peace.
Who would benefit from this book?
I think that anyone interested in Native American history. It has a great insight for those would want to know more.
What problems might this book cause?
I think that the controversy would be in the discussing of the different punishments and torture that the Native Americans went through. An example would be scalping. That is a disgusting and terrible tradition but it is discussed in the book.
Publisher: New World Library
Copyright: 1994
Number of Pages 76
Age: 12+
Genre: Nonfiction
Summary:
In this book it discusses different experiences done by three great Native American chiefs. The three were Cheif Red Jacket, Chief Joseph, and Cheif Seattle. In the different chapters through the book it discusses what these chiefs went through during the time that their people were being pushed out of their land and onto reservations. One that I will discuss will be Cheif Seattle. Cheif Seattle was named chief at the time of being put into a reservation. He refused to go to a reservation and leave their precious history behind. So he went to Washington to speak with the general and judge about moving to reservations. He went and discussed his case but the judge and general diagreed. Cheif Seattle discussed during his plea all the things that the general and his men had done to his people and how Chief Seattle wouldn't allow bloodshed and that they were always kind to the white man. He says that "we have always been kind to the whiteman, then why are we being placed to a new land?" However, even though the Chief and his people showed kindness they did not prevail in their plea.
My reaction:
I enjoyed reading this book. It was well written. I loved being able to read things from a Chief's point of view. I think that this books title also suits it. There is differnt wisdom mentioned in this book and it is profoud and it actually makes you see things differently. It lets you understand the Native American ways. So many people think that they are killing machines and that they do sacrafices that are too terrible to mention; however, the Native American people have shown in this book that they are kind and want peace. They care for their families and community, all they want is peace.
Who would benefit from this book?
I think that anyone interested in Native American history. It has a great insight for those would want to know more.
What problems might this book cause?
I think that the controversy would be in the discussing of the different punishments and torture that the Native Americans went through. An example would be scalping. That is a disgusting and terrible tradition but it is discussed in the book.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Beastly
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Copyright: 2007
Number of pages:300
Age: 14+
Genre: Fairytale/Fantasy
Summary:
This is not the typical story of Beauty and the Beast. This is a story of the Beast, in his perspective, taking place in New York. There was a stuck up kid named Kyle Kingsbury. He was on top of the world with his hot girlfriend, with his daddys credit card and a full school behind him. However, Kyle was not a very kind soul. He would mock others and found joy in seeing others be sad. A witch saw this and made him become a Beast. He was given two years to find a girl, make her love him, and his him. Kyle knew that that would be impossible because his whole life was based on looks. His father was also a man who only looked on the outwardly appearance. The father sent Kyle to stay in a different home in Brooklyn that was 5 stories. Kyle eventually grew to becoming a better person. While he was in the "castle" he developed friendships with his maid, Magda, and his tutor, Will. Kyle grew to love the little things around him. His favorite was roses. He wanted to see them all year round so he built himself a greenhouse. One night a man came and broke into the greenhouse. Kyle caught him and told him that he was going to kill him. The man said take my daughter she is beautiful and you can have her. Kyle agreed to that and sent the man away to return in a week with his daughter. While Kyle waited he wanted to make everything perfect for when the girl came. He thought maybe she could be the one. The man returned with his daughter. She came but she was very unhappy. Through time the girl, Lindy, came to love her home. One night after months with the Beast she wished she could see her father again to make sure he was OK even though he was a horrible man to her. She saw her father in the magic mirror and saw that he was laying on the streets sick. The Beast knew he had to let her go to her father. So he sent her away. She was hesitant at first but knew she had to go. So she found her father and tried to take care of him. Beast was unhappy and he thought that if he can't talk to her at least he can look at her through the mirror. Finally there was only one day left and the Beast would become a Beast forever. He grew with sorrow because she hadn't returned. On that night he screamed her name "Lindy!" hoping that she could hear him. He said to the mirror that he wanted to see Lindy. She came up and she was being dragged by a man into a building. She was yelling "Adrian please help me!" (Kyle changed his name to Adrian, because he felt he was no longer Kyle). Adrian bolted out the door without grabbing a disguise. Many faces watched him, some even tried to kill him. But he got to the building and was able to save Adrian. However, in the attempt to save Lindy, Adrian was shot. He was laying there and he felt different. He thought he was dead. As he lay there his feelings came out that he loved Lindy. She said she loved him too and that he can't leave her. Adrian said kiss me so that I can leave with that. She went and kissed him. Right then Adrian changed back into his normal self. Lindy looked confused. She saw Kyle Kingsbury. She said she had to find Adrian. Adrian tried to convince her that it was him. She saw soon that it was. After that they went back to the castle and they found that Magda was the witch that cast the spell. The spell was broken and they lived happily ever after.
Who would benefit from this book?
I think anyone would thats old enough. Its great for those that are in high school because it reminds them that looks aren't the most important thing.
What problems might this book cause?
The parts where Kyle is with his girlfriend. People that read this might think that its OK to do those things and get away with it.
My reaction
I enjoyed this book. I liked that it was different from other stories of Beauty and the Beast. Because it was more modern I enjoyed it because I didn't know what was going to happen.
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Copyright: 2007
Number of pages:300
Age: 14+
Genre: Fairytale/Fantasy
Summary:
This is not the typical story of Beauty and the Beast. This is a story of the Beast, in his perspective, taking place in New York. There was a stuck up kid named Kyle Kingsbury. He was on top of the world with his hot girlfriend, with his daddys credit card and a full school behind him. However, Kyle was not a very kind soul. He would mock others and found joy in seeing others be sad. A witch saw this and made him become a Beast. He was given two years to find a girl, make her love him, and his him. Kyle knew that that would be impossible because his whole life was based on looks. His father was also a man who only looked on the outwardly appearance. The father sent Kyle to stay in a different home in Brooklyn that was 5 stories. Kyle eventually grew to becoming a better person. While he was in the "castle" he developed friendships with his maid, Magda, and his tutor, Will. Kyle grew to love the little things around him. His favorite was roses. He wanted to see them all year round so he built himself a greenhouse. One night a man came and broke into the greenhouse. Kyle caught him and told him that he was going to kill him. The man said take my daughter she is beautiful and you can have her. Kyle agreed to that and sent the man away to return in a week with his daughter. While Kyle waited he wanted to make everything perfect for when the girl came. He thought maybe she could be the one. The man returned with his daughter. She came but she was very unhappy. Through time the girl, Lindy, came to love her home. One night after months with the Beast she wished she could see her father again to make sure he was OK even though he was a horrible man to her. She saw her father in the magic mirror and saw that he was laying on the streets sick. The Beast knew he had to let her go to her father. So he sent her away. She was hesitant at first but knew she had to go. So she found her father and tried to take care of him. Beast was unhappy and he thought that if he can't talk to her at least he can look at her through the mirror. Finally there was only one day left and the Beast would become a Beast forever. He grew with sorrow because she hadn't returned. On that night he screamed her name "Lindy!" hoping that she could hear him. He said to the mirror that he wanted to see Lindy. She came up and she was being dragged by a man into a building. She was yelling "Adrian please help me!" (Kyle changed his name to Adrian, because he felt he was no longer Kyle). Adrian bolted out the door without grabbing a disguise. Many faces watched him, some even tried to kill him. But he got to the building and was able to save Adrian. However, in the attempt to save Lindy, Adrian was shot. He was laying there and he felt different. He thought he was dead. As he lay there his feelings came out that he loved Lindy. She said she loved him too and that he can't leave her. Adrian said kiss me so that I can leave with that. She went and kissed him. Right then Adrian changed back into his normal self. Lindy looked confused. She saw Kyle Kingsbury. She said she had to find Adrian. Adrian tried to convince her that it was him. She saw soon that it was. After that they went back to the castle and they found that Magda was the witch that cast the spell. The spell was broken and they lived happily ever after.
Who would benefit from this book?
I think anyone would thats old enough. Its great for those that are in high school because it reminds them that looks aren't the most important thing.
What problems might this book cause?
The parts where Kyle is with his girlfriend. People that read this might think that its OK to do those things and get away with it.
My reaction
I enjoyed this book. I liked that it was different from other stories of Beauty and the Beast. Because it was more modern I enjoyed it because I didn't know what was going to happen.
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