Checking In

Hey, whats up? Sorry I have'nt been blogging in a long time but Big D will be doing a new review on How to Train Your Dragon book/movie. Right now I am reading the book The City of Ember and when I finish that I will write a review on it. I still need some of the books I wrote down on the other blog post but I got the book The Clique. It was a good book and I also saw the movie they were both great. I am also starting the book Among the Hidden in a book club at school. When I read the back of the book I imeaditly wanted to start reading it!!!! I also want to start the seires Fablehaven, I heard it was a good series. So that is an update of all the books I want to read!!!!!!

The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary by Jeff Kinney

Have you ever wondered how a movie was made? Well in this book, The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary  you can learn all about how Diary of a Wimpy Kid books got made into a movie. Learn about the characters and their life and all about the sets and costumes that were made. Also inside are photographs, script pages and more!

This is a good book! I read this, and I have not seen the movie yet so it was like a sneak peek to the movie. I learned so much about how a movie works and it seems like a lot of work! Ever since I read this book I see movies a little differently. They give so much detail about what the actors had to do and how every little thing counts. They showed pictures of all Greg's family members in the movie and their houses. I liked how in the book they also talked about things they cut or new things they added to the movie that weren't in the book. Jeff Kinney also added his drawings into the book. I liked the mix of real pictures and drawings. I think this is good book weather you read it before or after you see the movie.

Library

I really have have to go to the library! I just finished all my books and I need more books to read. Books are part of me,without my books I feel empty. I don't know what to do because I don't have any books. The books I need are...

*39 Clues Book 2-One False Note by Gordon Korman
*Violet in Bloom by Lauren Myracle (This book is the sequel to the book Luv Ya Bunches)
*Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel by James Patterson
*Much Ado About Anne by Heather Vogel Frederick (Sequel to the book The Mother-Daughter Book Club)
*Eleven Birthdays by Wendy Mass
* The Clique Book 1 by Lisi Harrison

Well, those are the six books I need! I can't wait to start reading them. When I finish them I will write reviews! Bye!!!!

James and the Gaint Peach by Roald Dahl

James lives with his mom and dad and had a great life. One day a giant rhinoceros escaped from the zoo and ate James parents. Because of this he now lives with his two aunts and has a miserable life. One day James runs away and finds a person who gives him a bag of magic crystals and he accidentally drops them on to a peach tree. Suddenly a peach appears on the tree which doesn't happen very often. The peach grows and grows until it turns into a giant peach! James is very hungry and hasn't had food in many days. He was about to bite into the peach but then he saw a tunnel and decided to climb in . In the tunnel he finds different bugs and they will soon become his friends. Suddenly the peach starts rolling away and they are tumbling around in the peach--will they survive?

**NOTE: Omi helped Big D write this review.**

I thought the book James and the Giant Peach was great. I liked it because was very adventurous, and funny. I just couldnt put it down. There were some pictures on the side of the pages and I liked that because it was it showed what some of the characters looked like and it showed their emotions. It had awsome details like... " The hill was so high that from almost anywhere in the garden James could look down and see miles and miles across a marvelous landscape of woods and fields..." Its an exciting because you never know what will happen next. It suprised me often. You should read this book!!!

Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle

Its the beginning of fifth grade and know one knows what to expect.
Violet is  the new girl.
Katie-Rose is a little too excited.
Yasaman is shy.
And Milla is  the popular girl.

When Milla tripped, her bobble-head turtle fell out of her backpack. Modessa and Quinn (the mean girls) take the turtle and use it to come up with a mean plan that will cause a huge mess. While Violet, Katie-Rose, and Yasaman try to help Milla  untangle the mess they figure out what friendship really is.

I thought Luv Ya Bunches was a good book. Anyone who reads this can connect with the characters because there are all different personality types and no one is alike. That's one of the reasons I like this book. Every chapter is in a different person's point of view (example: chapter 1- Katie-Rose, Chapter 2- Yasaman etc.) and I thought it was cool because I knew how each of the main characters was feeling at the time. There were different dramas during the school day that seemed like they could really happen in fifth grade so it felt very real. I recommend this book!

A Trip to the Library

In our house, a trip to the local library is like a trip to the toy store. The kids have been off for the spring break this week, so we had time for an extended visit. We walked out with a few dozen books between the three of them, and they have been reading pretty much non-stop for the past few days. I love it!

Kiki picked out some good books - two by Todd Parr that I hadn't come across before -Otto Goes to School and The Feel Good Book. I love Todd Parr's illustrations - the colors are so vibrant that they seem to leap off the pages. In fact, the colors are so bold and contrasting that sometimes they seem to jiggle when you look at them. Kiki even kept reaching out to touch the pictures and saying, "Why are the pictures moving?"

Kiki also brought home a wonderful book called I'm Your Peanut Butter Big Brother by Selina Alko. I was sitting in one of those kid-sized plastic chairs watching Kiki play with puzzles in the children's section when I happened to catch a glimpse of the title on the shelf. I was intrigued so I grabbed it, and I ended up being captivated by the quirky artwork and the poetic text. It's the story of a big brother eagerly awaiting the birth of his new sibling, and wondering what the baby will look like. Omi read it to Kiki tonight at bedtime and he loved it!

Omi brought home a selection of interesting books, and the one I am most excited for her to read is Small Steps by Louis Sachar. It's the same author who wrote Holes, so I am sure it'll be an interesting read. I might even read it when she's done!

Big D is on a Roald Dahl kick, and he's determined to read everything by his new favorite author. (He just finished James and the Giant Peach.) So he brought home the classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I am sure he'll love it. He also is into Andrew Clements these days, and checked out The Last Holiday Concert.

So many books the children have to read, and so little time! We are notorious for racking up late fees at the library--a habit I am determined to break!

The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

Dan and Amy Cahill were at their Grandma Grace's funeral. When their parents passed away they were stuck with their Aunt Beatrice. Grace was very close to them and now she was gone, too. At the funeral there were so many people, people from all over the world were related to them. All of a sudden a man calls certain people over to a room inside a house. This is when Dan and Amy figure out that their family was one of the most powerful families in human history. The source of the power was hidden in the form of 39 clues. Dan, Amy and a bunch of other people get a choice- take a million dollars and walk away, or get the first clue. Well, Dan and Amy take the first clue and begin a dangerous race with their other relatives that could kill you or make you powerful beyond belief.

I thought The Maze of Bones was a good book. It was very adventurous. The book was so intense that I always wanted to keep reading on. In the book they give a lot of back round information so while I was reading this I felt like I was reading something important and I learned a lot, too. This book was also sad. Dan and Amy lost their parents and their Grandma. It was sort of violent because of Amy and Dan are always fighting for their life but that made it more interesting. I always had different emotions while I was reading which made it seem more real.

Finally by Wendy Mass

Rory Swenson is your average 11 year old girl. She wishes on everything--birthday candles, eyelashes, everything She wishes she could get a cell phone, stay home alone, wear makeup, go to the mall with her best friend without an adult, get contact lenses and attend a boy-girl party. Every time she asks her parents when she will be able to do any of these things she always gets the same answer-- " When you twelve." Well, Rory is finally turns twelve and everything is looking good- but then she gets stuck in a drainpipe and everything turns worse from there.

I loved the book Finally!!! I felt like I could relate to how Rory was feeling. I am 11, too, and some of the things that she wishes for I wish for. Rory also has a little brother who gets annoying sometimes. I have two brothers and they get very annoying. When Rory got embarrassed I did too because I felt like I could connect with her. Wendy Mass gave good details so I felt like I was Rory while I was reading this book. In the summary I said that she got stuck in a drainpipe and everything turns worse from there. When everything gets worse I felt like that it wasn't very realistic. Bad things just kept happening and happening. That is the only problem I had with the book but other that that it was a good book. You should read it!!!!

Welcome!

I'm very excited to introduce myself and my family to you! We'll be blogging about all of the books we are reading. Most of the book reviews will be written by Omi, age 11, and Big D, age 8. Kiki, who is 4, will also review books he is reading (with a little help!). My husband and I will also occasionally review books we have read. We will also provide some reviews and comments of other things, like movies, resturants, and other family adventures. But our main focus will be books!

Right now, Omi is reading The Maze of Bones, Book One of the 39 Clues series, by Rick Riordan. So far, she really likes it. She says that it is "very adventurous." I am sure when she is finished that she will provide a complete review.

Big D is reading No Talking by Andrew Clements. He says that it's an interesting book. He'll also provide a review when he's done with it.

Omi and Big D have read lots and lots of books over the past few years, so if you are looking for a review of a certain book, just ask - they might have read it!

We'll be back soon with some reviews of recently read books. Looking forward to growing this blog!