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  Book Reviews

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

By Hayley, 10, Zanesville, OH, USA

If you want to find out more about a city boy's crashing in the Canadian wilderness while he is on his way to his fathers house read Hatchet. On the way the pilot has a heart attack and Brian has to find a way to survive in the wilderness by himself. He survives with his characteristics. He is smart brave and resilient. Have a good time reading the book and enjoy it!
(July 2009)

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Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

By Lucy, 13, Petersfield, UK

Inkheart is about a girl called Meggie and her father, Mo who go on a journey to find a book called Inkheart. This is so they can free Meggies mother, Resa, who is trapped inside the book.

But there's a catch. When someone is read into a book, one of the characters is read out. So they come across all these people like Dustfinger, who can control fire. But a evil man called Capricorn is in the human world and he is creating an army. So Meggie, Mo and her aunt Elinor have to stop him before he summons the Shadow and kills everyone!

I loved this book and would really recommend it because it kept me gripped and interested. I also loved the other two! She is one of my favourite authors and I would definitely give more of her books a go!!!!
(July 2009)

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Danger At Mason's Island, Tom Schwarzkopf

By Jay, 10, Tokyo, Japan

This book is about two girls who get stranded on Mason's Island and have many adventures. The main characters are Emmie, Angela, Corporal Burrows, Jeffrey, Olivia and Captain Targus. Emmie and Angela are best friends who get deserted on Mason's island and have a good adventure.

Corporal Burrows is a police officer who helped Emmie and Angela to catch the bad guys. Jeffrey and Olivia are the people who saved Emmie and Angela from Mason's island. Captain Targus is the person who made Emmie and Angela go to Mason's Island to take care of his cat. I think that Emmie and Angela are very brave to go to a deserted island and stay there for over a week. And I think that Emmie and Angela are a great team. Because they help each other and have great friendship.
(November 2008)

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Georgia Byng

By Jay, 10, Tokyo, Japan

This book is about a girl who has powers that could stop the world and that could hypnotize people and saves the world from a bad guy. The main characters are Molly Moon, Rocky, Lucy Logan, Cornelius Logan, Primo Cell, Roger, Gerry, Gemma, Mrs. Trinklebury, Nockman, Forest(name), Sinclair Cell and Davina.

Molly Moon and Rocky are two friends who are going on a very dangerous mission to save the world from a bad person called Primo Cell. Lucy Logan is the person who sent Molly Moon and Rocky to a Mission. Cornelius Logan is the the bad guy who hypnotized Primo Cell to do all the bad stuff and he lost against Molly Moon from a fight. Roger is the poor kid who got hypnotized by Cornelius Logan to act crazy and could not say anything. Gerry and Gemma are two friends who followed Molly and Rocky to New York to play and not go to school. Mrs. Trinklebury is the person who suggested to spend the summer in New York. Nockman is the man who has over 30 birds, and takes them all to New York and help Molly and Rocky to catch Primo Cell. He also lost his big German accent wile he lived in New York. Forest is the person who taught Molly to stop the world and make the hypnotize people better. He also taught Sinclair to do hypnotize people. And he saved Davina from Primo Cell. Sinclair is a person who saved Molly and Rocky from the Magpie (a Machine that kills people). And he also helped Molly and Rocky to catch Primo Cell. He is also Primo Cell's son(adopted). Davina is the girl who got captured buy Primo Cell and turned into a prisoner.

I think Molly and Rocky are brave and a good team, and I also wish that I could stop the world and hypnotize people. The part I liked best was when Molly defeated Cornelius from a battle (trying to hypnotize each other). I hope that I could read the next book. I also want to have strong powers like Molly and Rocky.
(November)

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Where Did You Come From, Tiny Drop?

By Lena, 13, WI, USA

Hi, my grandma Patty wrote this book!

It is about Isy the tiniest star! Isy is not as big and bright as all the other stars! No one can see Isy from earth and this makes him very sad!

Isy is stuggling with his true voice and identity.
With the help from his friends and the oldest star in space he becomes the star he wants to be.

This book is full of fun and adventure! I recommend this as a bedtime story!

My younger cousins look up to space and try to see all of Isy's friends!
(October 2008)

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The Dark Knight - A Novelization by Dennis O' Neil

By H.W., 13, Tokyo, Japan

Director Christopher Nolan's Batman saga continues in this compelling sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Batman continues his war against crime, igniting hope in Gotham City and inspiring others, such as district attorney Harvey Dent. Dent is ready to carry on Batman's battle. He is Gotham's new shining hope for a bright new future, not only the city's but also Batman's. Because the masked hero, in fact, is billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, who is battered and exhausted from his nightly exploits, and is hoping to hang up his costume and resume an ordinary life. But then emerges a sadistic, insane, and utterly brilliant new criminal, the Joker, who wants nothing but chaos in Gotham.

I've read the novel for Batman Begins, as well, and was slightly disappointed. O'Neil, the author of the novelization, was a little clumsy with the dialogue and narratives, resulting in awkward sentences and some pointless bits and pieces (Bruce researches Ra's Al Ghul but gains nothing. A waste of time, pages, and ink.). But still, I enjoyed the book. More flesh was added to the movie's original screenplay, and there were delightful little scenes that weren't in the film added to the story (an alternate ending, some extra scenes with Bruce and Alfred, etc.). Fortunately the novel for The Dark Knight has improved on some of the negative points of the first novel.

Firstly, it seems as though the writing, overall, has got better. I don't know whether O'Neil has practiced, got a new editor, or something else, but I'm not complaining. There are no more awkward sentences or lines that detracted from the otherwise fine first book.

Next, the plot. I have to say, The Dark Knight has a much more complex and interesting story compared to Begins. Bruce Wayne has matured, he's in a position of high power, of dangerous power. Now he can't just walk away from what he had started in the first film. But the problem is, he no longer wants to be Batman. Weary from sneaking out every night, fighting criminals, Bruce wants someone else to take over the heroics, and lead a normal life. He sees hope in Harvey Dent, who seems to be perfect in every way. But then the Joker appears. The criminal locks onto Batman and begins to tear him down emotionally. Not only that, he aims to bring down Harvey Dent, and throw Gotham into chaos once more.

The Joker. He's one of the reasons Knight is such a success. Not just because of the late Heath Ledger's fearless portrayal of the character, but because of the character himself. I've never before seen a villain like him before. He's insane, yet makes perfect sense. He says to Batman that the two of them are no different from each other. They both break rules, and in a way, they both brought some amount of chaos to the city. The truth of the line sent chills down my spine. Batman's supposed to be a hero, but he's so similar to his enemy in many ways. It threw some ethical questions into my head. The Dark Knight is a much brainier story than you might suspect it to be.

But the novel version of the excellent movie renders the Joker into a less effective villain, it seems. The character suddenly didn't seem as compelling without being able to see Ledger's performance before my eyes. Matters were made worse by the fact that the Joker, who has half the film to himself, suddenly dominated less than a third of the book. Although I was happy to see more of Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent, I have to admit, the Joker is Knight's main show. O'Neil should have realized that.

The book is not without its pros, though. There are, like in the Begins novel, a few extra scenes and pieces that were never mentioned in the movie, such as another great Bruce Wayne/Alfred conversation, ('You seem to feel that this sort of thing will get you killed.' 'This sort of thing will get me killed, sooner or later, if things keep going the way they are.'), more to the Scarecrow's cameo appearance in the film, a brief history on various characters (Harvey Dent, the Chechen, Maroni), and more. Another important point: it's good to be able to read all of the memorable quotes of the movie, the ones that I couldn't quite hear in the theater. Jim Gordon's last line in the movie is a prime example. But readers may have to note that some of the characters' lines are not exactly as same as in the film.

The Dark Knight has a PG-13 rating. I'm still not sure why. It's a very mature movie, for a superhero story, actually, you can't even really call it a superhero film any more. It's more of a crime drama. Very realistic, intense, dark, and menacing, this film is not for kids, unlike what parents used to a campy Batman may have thought. There is quite a lot of violence, graphic injuries, language and some frightening scenes. Children won't even be able to understand the complex story.

The same goes for the book. How different can it be from the movie it's based on? Again, there's language, violence, menace, mention on drugs, crime, etc. Not suitable for kids under, let's say, 10 or 11. If they're any younger - chances are that they will either be scared to death or won't understand a single word of what they've just read.

Overall Dennis O'Neil's The Dark Knight was quite a good novel adaption from the movie. If you want to sit back and relax with the incredible story of TDK in a way that is impossible with to do with the very intense and fast-paced film, the book is for you.
(September 2008)

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Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

By Jay, 10, Tokyo, Japan

This book is about a dragon rider and a brownie and a dragon journeying to the Rim of Heaven. The main characters are Ben, Sorrel, Twigleg, Nettlebrand, Gravelbeard, Firedrake, Maia and Bur-Bur-Chan.

Ben is a smart boy who helps Firedrake how to get to the Rim of Heaven. Sorrel is a Brownie that is smart but fussy about almost everything she does. Twigleg used to be Nettlebrand's spy and armor cleaner but later became Ben's student. Nettlebrand is a monster that has armor that even dragon fire can't melt and tries to kill every dragon he meets. Gravelbeard is Nettlebrand's armor cleaner that later saved all the other dragons. Firedrake is a fierce dragon that killed Nettlebrand with the help of Maia. Bur-Bur-Chan is a Brownie that has 4arms. And also makes friends with Sorrel.

I wish that I could be like Ben and go to the Rim of Heaven.
(September 2008)

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Molly Moon Stops the World by Georgia Byng

By Jay, 9, Tokyo, Japan

This book is about a girl who has powers that could stop the world and that could hypnotize people and saves the world from a bad guy. The main characters are Molly Moon, Rocky, Lucy Logan, Cornelius Logan, Primo Cell, Roger, Gerry, Gemma, Mrs. Trinklebury, Nockman, Forest(name), Sinclair Cell and Davina.

Molly Moon and Rocky are two friends who are going on a very dangerous mission to save the world from a bad person called Primo Cell. Lucy Logan is the person who sent Molly Moon and Rocky to a Mission. Cornelius Logan is the the bad guy who hypnotized Primo Cell to do all the bad stuff and he lost against Molly Moon from a fight. Roger is the poor kid who got hypnotized by Cornelius Logan to act crazy and could not say anything.

Gerry and Gemma are two friends who followed Molly and Rocky to New York to play and not go to school. Mrs. Trinklebury is the person who suggested to spend the summer in New York.

Nockman is the man who has over 30 birds, and takes them all to New York and Help Molly and Rocky to catch Primo Cell. He also lost his big German accent wile he lived in New York. Forest is the person who taught Molly to stop the world and make the hypnotize people better. He also taught Sinclair to do hypnotize people. And he saved Davina from Primo Cell.

Sinclair is a person who saved Molly and Rocky from the Magpie(a Machine that kills people). And he also helped Molly and Rocky to catch Primo Cell. He is also Primo Cell's son(adopted). Davina is the girl who got captured buy Primo Cell and turned into a prisoner.

I think Molly and Rocky are a brave and a good team, and I also wish that I could stop the world and hypnotize people. The part I liked best was when Molly defeated Cornelius from a battle(trying to hypnotize each other). I hope that I could read the next the next book. I also want to have strong powers like Molly and Rocky.
)September 2008)

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Children of the Voice by Ishmael

By Samuel, 11, Gillingham, Kent, UK

'Dear Voice, please perform a miracle and make Sunday disappear this week,' prayed little Trouble with all the concentration he could manage, 'And Voice, while I'm talking to you, do you think that you could explain to me why such a great day as Saturday seems so short and why a boring day like Sunday never seems to end?'

No Voice answered him, and he assumed that no one was listening.

This is a great book all about God, the Voice as everyone in this book calls him, and the Christian faith. A twelve year old boy called Little Trouble doesn't like Sundays because he can't go to Church. Instead he has to sit in a hall. It's like a Sunday school but you are not allowed to talk, laugh, cough or make any noise at all. When he finally gets there he is sent into the Big Wide World. He has to find The Voice and defeat the Enemy Superpowers evil.

My favourite part in this book is when Little Trouble touches another cool boy and he starts to rap,

Hey listen do you know what you just did?
You touched the arm of the cool kid,
My clothes are smart my hair is neat,
I was always the best looking kid in our street,
I do not panic, I do not fear,
I'm off to find the voice you hear.

And so on. I like this bit because it is funny and it made me laugh. Altogether this is a brilliant book and I really enjoyed it and I recommend it for 7 to 13 year olds or really anyone that can read!
(September 2008)

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The Austere Acadamy by Lemony Snicket

By Marissa, 10, FL, USA

The book I chose to do my book report on is 'The Austere Academy', By Lemony Snicket. The characters in the story are Violet, Klaus, Sunny,Isadora, Duncan, Coach Gehnis/Count Olaf,Mr. Poe, Carmilta Spats, and Vice Principal Nero.

Mr. Poe brought Violet, Klaus, and Sunny to the Austere Academy. They met a nasty girl called Carmilta Spats. She called everyone a 'cakesniffer.' When Violet, Klaus, and Sunny were at the cafeteria, they met 2 people named Isadora and Duncan. They talked to each other and Duncan and Isadora told them that their mom, dad, and triplet brother, Quiggy, died in a fire. Isadora and Duncan are also orphans and are also living in the orphan shack.

Later in the story, Count Olaf, disguised as Coach Gehnis keeps the Baudalaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, outside at night running laps until dawn. He does this so that the Baudalaires will be too tired to pay attention at school and fail and have to be sent to a guardian. Count Olaf volunteered so that he could get his hands on the Baudalaire fortune. Will the Baudalaires have to go with Count Olaf or will Vice Principal Nero find out Coach Gehnis is Count Olaf and go with Mr Poe? You will have to read the book to find out.

If I were to rate the book 1-10, I would give it a 9. I recommend this book to 8, 9, 10, and 11 year old people.
(September 2008)

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Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket

By Flo, 13, West Sussex, UK

The Austere Academy is the fifth novel in Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. After the excitement of the fourth book it would be hard to write another adventure tale that lives up to the preceding volume. But with the humour, anxiety and unexpected twists and turns, some would say it is better than the former book.

The story starts with the Baudelaire children and Mr Poe, a naive bank manager, standing in front of Prufock Preparatory School, the Baudelaire children's new home. As they look up at the latest, in a long line of residences, the Baudelaire orphans see tombstone shaped buildings. Mr Poe thinks the buildings are shaped like toes. The contrast in the way they interpret the shape of the buildings symbolises the traumas the Baudelaires have experienced, and how they fear for their future.

The school is a dull and dismal place, lacking charm and happiness. Although it is devoid of colour and other necessary things to make a school welcoming, the Baudelaires and their new friends, the Quagmires, add a bit of colour and joy of their own and make their time there as enjoyable as possible.

The orphans are forced to live in the 'Orphan Shack' and are deprived, for the first time, of the use of a library. This is significant as in the previous books in the series a library has helped Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire escape from Count Olaf. The loss of the library leaves a void, but one that is soon filled as they make new friends, Isadora and Duncan Quagmire.

The character personalities make the story varied if only slightly unbelievable. On one side you have the intelligent, kind and wise Baudelaire and Quagmire orphans and on the other side you have the Count Olaf, the Baudelaires evil relation, and his troupe who will do anything to get their hands on their inheritance fortune. I think it is too black and white with 'goodies' on one side and 'baddies' on the other and no-one in between.

The book is easy to read and although some of the language used, is not everyday vocabulary the author describes what it means, the translation is often specific to the Baudelaire case and this can be confusing and sometimes misleading.

Overall, The Austere Academy is an excellent read, and although it has its faults, the good points about the book outweigh the bad.
(September 2008)

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What Would Joey Do?

By Naomi, 10, Sarasot, FL, USA

'What Would Joey Do?' is about a boy named Joey that doesn't have any friends. All he has is his dog named Pablo because he is home schooled.

There is also this mean girl that he hates and sees almost every day.

His dad has a motorcycle that he really likes. But after a while he gets speared on a branch. 'She' thinks he killed him but he is still alive. 'She' was trying to kill him.

His dad went to the hospital. After a few minutes the cops were trying to figure out who the 'She' was. Joey wanted to help but the cops would not let him.

After that Joey thinks that Pablo 'the dog' is sick so he brings him to the vet. It turned out that Pablo was fine. After like a year Joey goes to a real school and in the middle of the school year he got a part of a play. His part in the play is this guy named Mr.Helpful. But his losing control actions ruin it for him.

At the end of the book he finds the place where he belongs.
(September 2008)

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A Journey To The Center Of The Earth by Jules Verne

By Wyatt, 10, Sarasota, FL, USA

Journey to the center of the earth is about professor Hardwigg, his nephew Harry, and the guide Hans. It all starts when his nephew finds an ancient book. A scrap of paper falls from the pages with weird writing. Hardwigg told Harry to write what he said and it came out to a wonderful secret. Finally they met the guide and started the journey to the center.

On their way they found the same strange writing. Getting deeper the tunnels get blacker, eating is uneasy, and temperatures rise. Later they are 10,000 feet below sea level. Then the tunnels get low and narrow. Then they found fossil plants and animals. Later in the book a dangerous fire happens and damp gas is everywhere. Then Harry wants to give up, but Hardwigg says to never give up. Later Harry gets lost and falls into a dark tunnel and hits his head.

Hardwigg and Hans find him and then he wakes up and thinks it is a dream. They found the way out and find strange things like a forest of giant mushrooms and bones and teeth of mighty animals. Later they build a raft and fun into some sea monsters and hit a storm. Finally they get home.
(September 2008)

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Say What?

By Raul, 10, Sarasota, FL, USA

The book that I read was 'Say What?' by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This book is funny, because there are three kids, their names are Sukie, Reed, Brian. They think their parents are robots or aliens.

The setting of this adventure takes place in the house. That conflicts that are in the book is the kids always get in trouble. The conflict continued because the kids did not put attention to their parents and they are always in trouble. The end was that the Family eat all together and they enjoy to have cake for dessert. there were some accidents at the table but the parents did not say a thing.
(September 2008)


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The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo

By Juan, 10, Sarasota, FL, USA

The book that I read was 'The Tiger Rising' by Kate DiCamillo. This book was very exciting. I got really into it and when it finished it made me sad. I wanted to keep on reading it.

This book was mainly about two kids named Rob, and Sistine. They both wanted to see the tiger because they wanted to find a way to free it.

The setting of this book is in, Florida. Mostly in Kentucky Star Motel. The main conflict was that Rob and Sistine wanted to save this tiger and help it escape from hunters and bad people. The conflict was solved by them helping the tiger escape away from the hunters and bad people secretly.
(September 2008)

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Summer of the Sea Serpent by Mary Pope Osborne

By Kayla, 9, Sarasota, FL, USA

Annie and Jack go looking for the Sword of Light at the bottom of the sea by the Cove of the Stormy Coast. After they got the sword, the sea serpent or the guardian would ask them a question and if they didn't get the question right then the guardian would eat them. But if they got the question right then they would be able to take the sword back to the Magic Tree House. Then they can bring the sword back to Martin, the Master Magician, so he could give it to the Lady of the Lake.

Yes, this story sounds exciting and believable. I could be Annie and be involved in the search for the Sword of Light. Yes, I believe the people in the story except the spider, the sea serpent, the water knight, and the selkie people didn't seem real. They sound very interesting that if I was able to do the same thing and I had to make a choice to be a child or selkie for life, then I would choose to be a selkie person.
(September 2008)
The cover and the pictures are very interesting and eye catching. The book is very exciting and I would tell all my friends to read it, and I would read it again.

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The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

By Darrell, 10 , Sarasota, FL, U.S.A

'The Mouse and the Motorcycle', a book by Beverly Cleary, is about Ralph, a risky mouse, and Keith, a generous boy. The story takes place in an old, rusty hotel. Ralph comes out of his hole and finds a toy motorcycle. When he tries to ride it, he crashes into the trash can. Keith finds Ralph and helps him out of the trash can. Keith helps Ralph when he is in need. He is a good friend to Ralph. Keith teaches Ralph how to ride the motorcycle. Ralph is then allowed to ride the motorcycle at night in the hallway.

There is a conflict with Keith and Ralph being friends. Keith's parents complain to the hotel management about a mouse being in the hotel. The management tries to get rid of Ralph and his family. Ralph must face dangers such as a vacuum cleaner, people, and a dog. Then, Keith gets sick and needs an aspirin. Nobody could locate the aspirin Keith needs. Ralph finds an aspirin while riding in an ambulance. He gives Keith the aspirin and Keith gets better.

The story ended when Keith and his parents check out of the hotel. Keith and Ralph promise to be friends forever. Keith lets Ralph keep his toy motorcycle to thank him for helping get the aspirin he needed and so he would remember Keith.

The character that interested me the most was Ralph because he gets to ride a motorcycle and in an ambulance. I identified most with Keith because I understand the things he does, because he is a little boy just like me. I do not think the story was believable because a mouse does not ride on toys. It did make a good story for me to read and I thought the book was a very interesting story about a friendship between a boy and a mouse. I could not wait to see what adventures that Keith and Ralph got into next.

When I saw the mouse and the motorcycle on the cover I thought I would really enjoy this book. The illustrations throughout the book helped me see the story in my mind. On a scale of 1-10, I rate this book an 8. It was interesting and funny, but it did not tell me what Ralph did before Keith found him. Also, the story did not tell much about Ralph's actions during the day.
(September 2008)

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The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

By Deyvid, 10, Sarasota, FL, USA

My book report will be about 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret.' First, I will start off with the plot. The story was very exciting and believable. Also, I think the story would be really awesome if I was involved in the book.

I will always be able to believe in Hugo. In fact, I would be really interested to find out a lot about
the characters because in some books the characters will change. Of course, I can picture them in my mind because the book is very describable and detailed in words and pictures. Well in the beginning Hugo and the Old Man didn't get along but at the end they became friends.

This book is one of my favorite books because I would fall asleep with the book in my hands. No joke, it was that interesting! When Hugo and the Old Man talk to each other it seems real because they talk like normal people and there is no animals talking in the book.

I think the cover of 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret', really describes the novel. Since half of the book has pictures the illustrations were describable, and of course they make the story unique. The painting looks realistic. The text or words size, it was very easy to read.

I would give 10 out of 10 marks for this book because I couldn't shut the book. I recommend this book to everyone, no age limit or gender. Trust me it is a fantastic book, READ IT!
(September 2008)

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Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

By Jamey, 10 , Sarasota, FL, USA

I read Charlotte's Web and found it to be entertaining and fantasy. I was totally entertained because all of the animals could talk along with the people in the story.

Though animals do not usually talk, the characters were so believable that their actions seemed so normal and realistic. If there were to be a Charlotte's Web II, I would be interested to learn more about Mr. and Mrs. Arable, Mr. and Mrs. Zuckerman, Fern, Avery, Wilbur, Charlotte and the rest, and find out how the next County Fair is and how Charlotte's newborns live.

The cover of Charlotte's Web is great because the drawing is of Charlotte, Fern, Wilbur, a goose and a sheep, and allows you to imagine what they look like. The pictures throughout the story allow you to know a little better about what you are reading. Though there are some confusing words throughout the story, I found this book to be fairly easy to read for someone on my reading level.

Overall, I would rate this book a 9 out of 10! I would recommend it to everyone ages 9 years old and up. Charlotte's Web is entertaining, funny, emotional, and encourages you to use your imagination.
(September 2008)

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Hatchet by Gary Paulson

By Mary, 10, Sarasota, FL, USA

Hatchet is the story of a boy named Brian who is stranded for 54 days in the Canadian wilderness. Brian goes on a plane trip to Canada for the summer. The pilot has a heart attack and dies. Brian and the plane crash into a lake in Canada. He is left alone to find food, water, and shelter. Finally Brian is rescued by another plane.

The story takes place in the summer in the Canadian forest. Brian has to learn to live without other people and among wild animals.

The main problem of the story for Hatchet is survival. Brian learns to make shelter, find food, protect himself from wild animals, make fire, make tools, kill game, and other survival skills. He is finally rescued when another plane hears his radio transmission.

Brian was very determined to survive. He shows bravery and intelligence in the way he solves his problems.
(September 2008)

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