The Hunger Games

by

Suzanne Collins

This is the book I chose to read for my summer book report.  To begin, I loved the book much more than the movie.

about the book:

Katniss, 16, takes her sister's place in the televised annual Hunger Games, competing against Peeta, the boy who gave them bread to survive after their father died. The cruel Capitol forces each of 12 districts to submit a boy and girl 12-18, to fight to the death. Only one can survive and be rewarded. President Snow manipulates behind the scenes.

Crazy world.  Reminded me of Old Rome when the gladiators went into the ring and the bloodthirsty Romans choses sides.   
Katniss and Peeta are great people.  I think Katniss is a true leader.  Perfect to lead a rebellion against the corrupt government.  A Spartacus for the future.

I think most people have read this book by now, I've also read the second and third books in this series.  I give the book an A+

Spirit Animals Wild Born

#1 New York Times bestseller Brandon Mull launches Scholastic's brand-new multiplatform phenomenon.

Four children separated by vast distances all undergo the same ritual, watched by cloaked strangers. Four flashes of light erupt, and from them emerge the unmistakable shapes of incredible beasts - a wolf, a leopard, a panda, a falcon. Suddenly the paths of these children - and the world - have been changed forever.

Enter the world of Erdas, where every child who comes of age must discover if they have a spirit animal, a rare bond between human and beast that bestows great powers to both. A dark force has risen from distant and long-forgotten lands, and has begun an onslaught that will ravage the world. Now the fate of Erdas has fallen on the shoulders of four young strangers . . . and on you.

Part engrossing book series, part action role-playing game - discover your spirit animal and join the adventure in Fall 2013.

my thoughts

Another fabulous series started by Brandon Mull.

The characters are spectacular.  I like the way the 'outsiders' were the chosen ones in this series.   

Wonderful writing style.  

Friendship and working together for a goal are common themes in Mull's stories.  This is a multiplatform series, meaning it will be written by several authors.   

The 39 Clues is unstoppable! The bestselling series returns with an adventure spanning four explosive books and a website that places readers right in the action.

Confidential until October 2013!

The Cahill family has a secret. For five hundred years, they have guarded the 39 Clues – thirty-nine ingredients in a serum that transforms whomever takes it into the most powerful person on earth. If the serum got into the wrong hands, the disaster would rock the world. So certain Cahills have always made it their mission to keep the serum safe, buried, locked away. Until now.

 

Thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, are the latest guardians of the Clues. They think they’ve done everything right, but a tiny mistake leads to catastrophe. The serum is missing and Dan and Amy have to get it back and stop who stole it . . . before it’s game over. For everyone.

my thoughts

Unstoppable is a continuation of 39 Clues stories.   Someone has created the serum and is using it to take over the world! 

This is a wonderful addition to the series.  Adventures of Amy and Dan Cahill continue.  They are joined by Nellie, Pony, Ian, Jake, Atticus and Jonah.   This is a wild ride of ups and downs.  If you like the series, this will be a welcome addition.

We give this book 5 ice cream cones.

The final adventure in bestselling author Patrick Carman's delightfully wacky Floors trilogy!

Taking mystery and adventure to the next level.

It's not every day that a hotel loses its top floor. Then again, the Whippet Hotel is no stranger to wackiness. So when the entire floor is hoisted into the night sky by a nearly invisible airship, Leo and Remi know they're in for the ride of their lives.

But little do the boys know just how amazing their voyage will become. They are headed to the field of wacky inventions, where they will have to compete against a number of foes for an incredible prize.

It will take all of Leo and Remi's bravery, skill, and burping power to decode the outrageous puzzles hidden among the floors of Merganzer D. Whippet's newest and most peculiar construction. But they must -- because if they don't, they'll lose their beloved Whippet Hotel forever.

my thoughts

FANTASTIC!  Love Leo and Remi's adventures with Merganzer Whippet.   

This is a fabulous finish to the series.  A book that any middle grade student, boy or girl, would love to read.  The vocabulary is appropriate for the age group without being intimidating.  The plot and story 

will keep the readers attention.  

The addition of Lucy and her pet TRex Phil add a new dimension to the story.  A girl handy person added to the Leo-Remi duo.   Her addition only helps the duo.   

I'm sorry to see this series end.  Patrick Carman has done a spectacular job creating a world kids love. 

Lucas' thought:

Love this story.   Lucy and Phil, her pet TRex are awesome additions to the story.   This is the end of the Floors books. :(   Hopefully Mr. Carmen will write another great series for us kids to read.  He really and truly makes reading fun.  I wish I could visit the Floors hotels! 

Set in an imagined past, this dark fantasy-adventure is for fans of Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass. Features  Jemma, a fiery-headed heroine held captive in Agromond Castle, yet destined to save mist-shrouded Anglavia.

Fiery-headed Jemma Agromond is not who she thinks she is, and when the secrets and lies behind her life at mist-shrouded Agromond Castle begin to unravel, she finds herself in a chilling race for her life. Ghosts and misfits, a stone and crystals, a mysterious book, an ancient prophecy—all these reveal the truth about Jemma's past and a destiny far greater and more dangerous than she could have imagined in her wildest fantasies. With her telepathic golden rats, Noodle and Pie, and her trusted friend, Digby, Jemma navigates increasingly dark forces, as helpers both seen and unseen, gather. But in the end, it is her own powers that she must bring to light, for only she has the key to defeating the evil ones and fulfilling the prophecy that will bring back the sun and restore peace in Anglavia.

Wonderful new story by a debut author to watch closely.  A middle grade good vs evil.  Not your average good vs evil...the mist is used to control.   

Jemma is 13 year old girl.  She isn't perfect, a fact which will make her endearing to kids.   Being a child, she (as well as us, the readers) is not always certain who is good and who is evil.

The characters in this book are fantastic.   You'll fall in love with her two rats!

The #1 New York Times bestselling Percy Jackson series-including The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, and The Battle of the Labyrinth-features a twelve-year-old dyslexic boy who discovers he is the son of a Greek god, the target of mythical Greek monsters and the center of a prophecy that could change the balance of power in the world forever. In Demigods and Monsters, YA authors take on Greek gods, monsters and prophecy, to add insight and even more fun to Riordan's page-turner series. Its fresh, funny essays include: 

• The pros and cons of having a god as a parent • Why Dionysus might actually be the best director Camp Half-Blood could have • What it takes to be one of Artemis's Hunters • How to tell a monster when you see one • Why even if we aren't facing manticores and minotaurs, reading myths can still help us deal with the scary things in our own lives • Why so many monsters go into retail-and why they're never selling anything a demigod really wants 

The book also includes an introduction by Percy Jackson series author Rick Riordan, that gives further insight into the series and its creation, and a glossary of ancient Greek myth, with plenty of information on the places, monsters, gods and heroes that appear in the series.

my thoughts

Love this book.  Anything by Mr. Riordan is spectacular.  I think this is a wonderful addition to the Percy books.  Does a great job explaining the significance of all the monsters.

I thought it a fantastic idea to have other authors add their two cents.

Mom received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.  ( She says I have to put that in my post)

Neither of us was compensated in any way, nor required to write a positive review.

On a personal note,  I can't wait for Son of Sobek or House of Hades!!!

about the book:

Some of the most interesting and entertaining myths and legends from Ancient Egypt are given a lively re-telling by Joyce Tyldesley. These include stories about the gods, such as The Creation of the World, Hathor and the Red Beer, and the myths about Osiris, Isis and Horus. Fairy stories and incredible adventures are represented by The Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor, The Adventures of Sinuhe and The Prince, the Dog, the Snake and the Crocodile, while good and bad behaviour are to be found in Three Magical Stories and The Story of Truth and Falsehood. King Ramesses II himself tells us about The Battle of Kadesh. The book is illustrated with imaginative and amusing line-drawings by Julian Heath, and each of the stories has a question and answer section for budding young Egyptologists. Stories from Ancient Egypt is aimed at children between the ages of 7-11, but this book is an entertaining and informative introduction to the literature of Ancient Egypt for all ages. It is a new edition of a title previously published by Rutherford Press. (Oxbow Books, 2012)

our review

Fantastic stories!  Many of ancient Egypt's mythological stories written for children.  The stories are written in a manner children will enjoy, illustrations are fabulous.   The explainations from the author add to the richness of the stories.

While this book doesn't contain all of the more famous stories, young children will enjoy this book.