The Willoughbys, by Lois Lowry

There are these parents who have four kids, but they are very selfish parents and they don't really like them. And the kids don't really like their parents. The oldest, Tim, makes all the decisions for the other three kids. There are two twins, named Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and a daughter named Jane. The kids want to become orphans like the children in old fashioned stories. Fortunately, the parents decide that they want to go on a long, dangerous trip without their kids. They hire a nanny to stay with the kids, who find a millionaire benefactor to take care of them, just like in old fashioned stories. I like it because it is really humorous and it's kind of an adventure story. In the end they find a happy family. [Note from the mother: this summary sounds like it's a bit harsh -- it's not. It's very lighthearted, extremely clever, and fun to read. I also recommend the audiobook read by Artie Johnson.]

By Mark, age 8, and his mother, Sara

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
A girl named Charlotte goes on a ship voyage alone, and the crew is very rough and are not "proper." When a crew member dies from an accident during a storm, Charlotte gets charged with murder and convicted. The rest of the story tells how she gets out of this predicament and comes out on top. There are a lot of plot twists so you can never tell what will happen next. It's a really fun story and once I started reading it, I could not put it down.
By Abby Anderson, age 10

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder (reviewed by Bud, age 7)

On the Banks of Plum Creek is an awesome book. Ma and Pa and their three children Laura, Mary, and baby Carrie are moving to Minnesota! While they're there unfortunate things happen such as fires and grasshopper attacks. Mr. Hanson has decided to sell his house. The house is a dugout that's made out of sod. But Pa makes a new house out of wood. Laura and Mary like to play in the creek with their dog Jack. Soon they go to school. Read the book to find out more.

LET'S GET WRITING CONTEST! 5 authors, $5 on the 5th

  Every review written before February 5 will be entered into a contest.   For ever review you write your name will be entered into a drawing for a $5 dollar bill.  You CAN win twice!  We will put everyone's name in every time they write a review and will draw names at random.  Again, if we take your name out twice, you win twice! Will you win $5 or $10 or $15?  We shall see!

Lots of good books to review.  We are excited to see what you tell us about. 

SO MANY GOOD BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME....

We were scanning the Scholastic catalog from school and found a lot of books that looked interesting.  We just requested several from the library.  HOOT, CHOMP, FLUSH 




We are also going to get ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND FREDERICK DOUGLASS




 LIAR AND SPY and THREE TIMES LUCKY. 



Has anyone read these books?

Who Could That Be at This Hour? By Lemony Snicket

This book is about a kid named Lemony Snicket (who is also the author), who is looking for a job to apprentice. He ends up with a detective who is on a case looking for a stolen item. On his journey to track down the thief, he meets a lot of strange people. Read the book to find out what happens next. What I like about this book is that the thief isn't who you expect and it throws you for a loop. I'm recommending this book to you because it is funny and suspenseful.

By Adam, age 12