THE WIZARD OF OZ

THE WIZARD OF OZ

By L. Frank Baum
Illustrations by David McKee
246 pp. Galaxy. $16.95. (Ages 8 and up)

ISBN
9781405660747

  They take place in places like the Munchkin country,the Winkie country ,the Quadling country,Emerald city and   
 more places that Dorothy explored in  Wizard Of Oz.These places are very amazing places ever.

    The character that I like is Dorothy because she is the main character in the book.She is very brave and kind to everybody and try  to help everyone when they need help.She just want one thing from Oz to help her go back to Kansas and see aunt Em and and uncle Henry.

   The amazing part was when they killed the Wicked witch of the west.Dorothy was very brave to kill the wicked witch of the west by throwing water on the wicked witch of the west body.It was a little bit scary but it was amazing for a child killing a witch.

   The fun part was when they found friends in the way to Emerald city.Dorothy found the scarecrow,the tin woodman and the lion.They were so kind to Dorothy and try to help her.Its like a party to Emerald city.

   The sad part is when Dorothy was late for the hot air balloon with Oz because she needed to find her dog Toto.Now she is sad because she will never go back home to Kansas.

   My favorite part was when Dorothy came back home by the silver shoes.Its very powerful shoes.

THE TREASURE HOUSE

THE TREASURE HOUSE
By Linda Newbery
224 pp. Orion. £8.99. (Ages 11 and up)

ISBN
9781444003437

Rating: ? Stars


            This book had an eye-catching front cover, and an alluring story summary and title, which is appropriate because it was actually a really good book. This book has a really good mix of mystery, excitement, and adventure that makes you tell your parents "I have to finish this book today" and "just one more page" (although you end up reading ten more pages, then one hundred more, until it's finished).
            Meanwhile this book is actually about a girl called Nina whose mum goes off without telling anyone, only leaving a note behind. This causes her dad to go off in search of her so Nina is left alone and slowly she uncovers the mystery of where her mum is and why.
            Reader, I think that after you have read this book you will agree with me that ages eight to twelve will enjoy reading this book. The reason I think this is because most little kids like the story to happen more quickly, and most grown ups and teenagers like longer, more boring books where you fall asleep while reading them.
            This book has a lot of very good morals and I shall tell you about my favourite one in my next sentence. My favourite one is that you shouldn't go off in search of someone and leave your child at home with their aunts, because it is likely that your child will find out where that person is before you do.

THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY

THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY
By Trenton Lee Stewart
512 pp. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. $6.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780316003957

Rating: 5 Stars

      I am not sure if this book would appeal to everyone but it certainly appealed to me! I must say that when it says (behind the front cover) that this book is like Lemony Snicket’s books, the Harry Potter series and Roald Dahl’s books, it is definitely true.
      Meanwhile I really like how the writer blends clues with adventure and fantasy. However this story isn’t exactly all fantasy. First of all it is true that most teachers are treated badly by parents if their children don’t get a perfect grade. Last of all TV does actually control your brain because of COMMERCIALS. Have you ever noticed that after seeing TV you run to the shop and buy something? Well if you have it’s because of commercials.
      Anyways the actual story in this book is about four children called Kate, Reynie, Constanse and Sticky. These four children do the same contest and all of them win. They then must go on an adventure to try and destroy the whisperer which is controlling everyone's minds, but I shall leave the rest for you to find out.
      Whether or not you would like this book depends on what type of person you are. For example if you like those books I mentioned at the beginning and you are six then you should read this book, and if you like those books and you are eighteen you should still read this book. I really enjoyed reading this book and I hope they will publish the rest of the series in England.

THE QUEEN

THE QUEEN
By Richard Brassey
24 pp. Orion. £4.99. (Ages 7 and up)

ISBN
9781444001273

Rating: ? Stars


      This story is not really about anything I could say without giving away the story. It is basically about the queen, in longer words it is about the queen's childhood, as she grew up and turned into queen.
      What really caught me and half made me laugh was when the queen and Crawfie (her governess)  disguised themselves as normal people and went for tea. The funny thing about this was that when they went there they had to carry their own tea and that even though they made good efforts people still knew who they were and they were stared at. I really liked Queen Salote of Tonga because she ignored the rain and waved cheerily from an open window.
      I think the average age to read this book (or have it read to) is five. The reason I think the average age is five is because it is not exactly a baby book but it isn't really a big kid book either.

(communicated by Agustinia ligabuei; written by Bellusaurus sui)

DEAD END IN NORVELT

DEAD END IN NORVELT
By Jack Gantos

352 pp. Yearling. £5.99. (Ages 12 and up)

ISBN
9780440870043

Rating: ? Stars

      I read this book because it was winner of the Newbery Medal 2012. Also, it had a good front cover so that made me want to read it. However, I did have a problem with it. That was because there weren't any skeletons eating cookies in boxes, unlike the cover. My other problem was that Jack wasn't actually dying of boredom (like a skeleton) but was starting to have fun in other ways.
      This book did have a bit of an interesting story towards the end though, I must grant it that. The actual story in this book is about a boy called Jack (just like the writer). First Jack gets in trouble for playing with his dad’s guns. Then he gets in trouble for mowing the corn lawn because even though his dad tells him to do it. His mum does not want him to do that, and then he is grounded for all of his summer. However Miss Volker needs his help for writing newspaper obituaries for the dead but what happens when she is suspected for crime?
      If you like books that are mysterious and in which people die, then you should read this book. If you like books where you know what is going to happen and where no one but the bad guy dies, then definitely don't read this book. This story has a few morals so I shall not describe every single one of them. The one I shall tell you about is this: Do not think you shall catch someone’s love by accusing them of something you did yourself because it shall just make it harder to get them.

WONDER

WONDER
By R. J. Palacio
320 pp. Knopf Books for Young Readers. $15.99. (Ages 8 and up)

ISBN
9780375869020

Rating: ? Stars

  This book's theme is about a boy with an unusual face who turns out to be a nice person in personality. This book is quite interesting, because the writer writes about it from different characters’ perspectives, so that none of the story is missed out.
  The story is mainly about a boy called August, who has an unusual face and is treated unfairly at school. Although I leave it to you to find out if it always stays that way or if he is finally treated fairly!
  When I got up to the part where some people started to act kind to August, a smile appeared upon my face because I felt happy for him.
  My mom bought this book for me in America, because I had finished reading the book I had brought with me and needed a new book. My mom also gave me this book because she likes to buy me famous books and this one was very famous.
  You can see that the writer really wants the reader to know the moral of this story, because only blind eyes wouldn't see the moral of this book.

SIX DAYS

SIX DAYS By Philip Webb
384 pp. Chicken House. £6.99. (Ages 10 and up)

ISBN
9781906427627

Rating: ? Stars

      I read the book because I read the back and it seemed like a thunderous mystery.
       I think ages nine and up should read this book because if you are any younger you will not understand the first half of the book. I would not recommend it to grown ups though because it has a childlike story.
       A shiver went down my spine when I found out about the soldiers that were basically machines controlled by the bosses mind. Six Days is about girl called Cass and her brother, Wilbur, who are both "Scavs" (scavenger). One day when Cass is out looking for Wilbur they meet up with two alien people who help them find something called the artefact.
       I think the characters were realistic because the main characters are not Mr Perfect or Miss Perfect but are more real. However the characters are a bit unrealistic because they can do some crazy things that normal people cannot do. Although the setting started off in London, which was realistic, it ended up in extraordinary places which were not realistic.
       Despite this story not having much off a moral, at least that I noticed, it is a book you would probably just read for fun. In addition this book reminds me of a time I had a sleepover at the British Museum and went sleep walking which scared the daylights out of my mother. Why? Because close to the end they go to the British Museum to find the artefact.

also on the Guardian Children's Books site

THE LIVES OF CHRISTOPHER CHANT

THE LIVES OF CHRISTOPHER CHANT
The Worlds Of Chrestomanci Book 2
By Diana Wynne Jones
336 pp. HarperCollins Children's Books. £6.99. (Ages 10 and up)

ISBN
9780006755180

Rating: ? Stars

      This book caught my eye because I had read another book by the same writer, and this story was supposed to have happened at least twenty five years earlier. I also read this book because the back of the book (the part that tells you what it's about) seemed like the style of story I like (fiction, but not the kind that is impossible to believe).
      People who can read proper big fat books should definitely read this book. I will not name any ages because some older people will not like it because it has too much magic, while others may like it because of that. Younger children might not like it because there is not always something exciting going on, while others will think that makes the exciting parts more exciting.
      When I was about two thirds of the way through I gasped in surprise when I found that Christopher's uncle, who seemed to be the only good person in our world, turned out to be the worst villain in all the twelve worlds. The book is about a young boy called Christopher Chant, who is first tricked by his uncle's evil ways. Christopher gets a big surprise when he finds out that he is destined to be the next Chrestomanci. However when he has to learn how to be the next Chrestomanci he faces the problem of being against the man that used to be his best friend.
      I think Christopher was obviously not completely realistic because no human being has nine lives or can even cast one spell. Unlike that Christopher is realistic in some other ways for example since he had never met any other children's parents he thought that all children's parents were like his and did not just know that they were different than his own.
      I think the setting was realistic in some parts of the story but completely unrealistic in most of it because it talked a lot about the twelve worlds.
      The book didn't exactly go straight to the point the writer (I think) was trying to make, but wrote about it in a sneaky way. I think that the writer was trying to say that the way people butcher different animals (that we don't even eat) and sell there different parts for a lot of money is evil and should be stopped.

THE NEVERENDING STORY

THE NEVERENDING STORY
By Michael Ende
445 pp. Puffin. £7.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780140317930

Rating: ? Stars

I haven't finished “The Neverending Story” and I never will because it never ends. I got this book for my ninth birthday because I read too quickly and my parents thought this might keep me company for a while. I started to read this book because I had watched the movie. The movie was good, so I expected the book to be just as good (or better, because most of the books I've read have been better than the movies which they make after them just to get more money).

This book is about a boy called Bastian who reads a stolen book in the school attic. The book Bastian reads is about a boy called Atreyu who is trying to save Fantastica. He can only do this by finding a human who can give the childlike empress a new name, which will make the Nothing go away and which will make the childlike empress well again. Bastian ends up calling the empress “Moon Child”, which makes the childlike empress well again and makes Fantastica safe again, but he does not know what adventures Fantastica has waiting for him.

I think that you should be at least nine to read this book because if you are younger you won't understand it when it switches between the two worlds, and if you are older you won't appreciate the adventure and the magic.

In my mind the old turtle is a bit like humans. Most humans don't care a bit in the world about what happens to the world and if their ancestors have a happy life or a sad life but only care about themselves, just like the old turtle. The Big Bang is a bit like the Nothing, except the Big Bang started off with nothing and ended with something, but the Nothing started off with something and ended with nothing at all. I think that Atreyu is bit like ME because he does care if Fantastica survives or not. When I came to the part where the monkey said that he would have to stay in that topsy turvy town forever if he didn't find his way home again before he lost all of his memory, a shiver went down my spine because I was worried that he would have to stay in that topsy turvy town forever.

The characters were definitely not all realistic because some could do magic, and the characters definitely don't look normal. Contrary to those big differences between the characters and us there were some similarities. For example, Bastian turned a little evil from having the power of wishing, because power makes you sour. Similarly the setting, like the characters, was a bit realistic and a bit unrealistic. The human world where Bastian lived was realistic, but Fantastica was completely unrealistic (you can even guess that by its name).

Although I had discovered many morals in reading this book there is one in particular that stuck with me. The moral that I think is really important is that when Bastian had the power of wishing he turned a bit evil. However, I am not sure that the book was all about this real moral problem in the world. Still, while reading it I noticed that it talked a bit about Bastian turning evil from all of the power he had, Atreyu trying to save him by defeating him, and Xayide trying to defeat him by being defeated (the opposite, something which doesn't make sense at first but after you think about it starts to make sense).

also on Guardian Children's Book Site

THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE

THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE
By Jacqueline Kelly
352 pp. Square Fish. $7.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780312659301

Rating: ? Stars

      I came to read this book because my mom had bought it from America. She had read some of it first. She thought it would be nice if I read a book about a girl born in the same place as herself, Texas, and liked that it talked about evolution and nature.
      You might be wondering what this book is about. It is about a girl called Callie. She turns into a naturalist, but then faces the problem of what she is expected to do. The moral off this book is that it’s not really fair that girls are expected to be house wives. The truth is that some girls want to do other things for their life. I completely agree with the author’s point. This book teaches you about naturalists and how a long time ago in Texas girls weren't allowed to be naturalists but had to be housewives. A naturalist is a person that studies nature, like plants and animals.
      Callie (Calpurnia tate) is a bit realistic and a bit unrealistic. I think she is a bit realistic because she is not “Mrs Perfect” and acts like a normal person. However Callie is a bit unrealistic because most people don’t find a humming bird’s nest a few weeks after they start looking for a new species. In contrast J.B. (Callie’s younger brother) is definitely realistic because he is a lot like my younger sister who always wants cuddles.
      The setting was quite realistic because it wasn’t magical or anything. I do acknowledge, though, that they must have been one of the richer families to have everything they had. Ages nine and up should read this book because if you are any younger you will think it is boring because it's not magical or silly.