Kids Books - Health

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, Book 1)

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, Book 1)

By Suzanne Collins

"May the odds be ever in your favor!" After a bloody war, twelve districts rose from the ashes of what was formerly known as North America, lead by a glorious Capitol. As revenge for the districts' betrayal in the war, the Capitol requires one young man and woman from each district to participate in an annual televised fight to the death, commonly known as the 'Hunger Games.' And when Primrose Everdeen, an innocent twelve-year-old from District 12 gets selected to participate in the Hunger Games, her sister, Katniss, is shell-shocked - and in a life-changing decision, volunteers to take her place. Her fellow tribute from her district is announced as one Peeta Mellark, who helped Katniss and her family in their time of need.. and there will only be one survivor. In order to survive, they are presented to the frivolous citizens of the Capitol as "star-crossed lovers", and must play the part to stay alive.. together. Prepare for an action-filled adventure of betrayals, poisonous berries, unexpected allies, bloody deaths, wildfires, heartbreak, and maybe even true love..? I highly recommend this book - please give it a try! This book fit right in the "dystopia" label, honestly - even though I completely fell for this book my first time reading it, I grew a little more critical the next few times around.. I felt like the "star-crossed lovers" cliché didn't exactly "fit" Katniss and Peeta - I felt like Katniss would be better off with her sister, Prim, even in the absolutely terrible conditions of District 12 - that would have been a "happy ending" for her. Instead, Katniss is stuck in a confusing love triangle between basically useless Peeta and her long-time friend, Gale, and I feel like even though the bloody Hunger Games is supposed to be the "main" storyline of the series, the whole overwhelming romance thing just pushes everything else aside. Aside from the cheesy "romance" side of this series, I absolutely loved some parts of the book - the sacrifice Katniss made for Prim felt so.. so heartbreaking, but I was absolutely devastated when a specific friend of Katniss died in her arms.. The emotional aspect of such an event was so well captured in this book, how heartbreaking it would be to lose your family or friends.. I could not stop sobbing. This outshone the "romance" storyline for me, and now, I am happy to say that I believe that Suzanne Collins wrote an absolutely breathtaking novel.. thank you.

Wonder

Wonder

By R. J. Palacio

Wonder was a book I first read 2 years ago, and over the years, I just couldn't stop re-reading it. The kids at my school call this book "childish", "horrible," and "weird just like the kid in the book." I think just the opposite. August is a normal kid on the inside, but not on the outside. His face has a 'deformity', which is pretty much one of the best words I could think of to describe it. Wherever he goes, people get frightened of him, scream, and run away. August always wanted a normal life and a normal face. August has always been homeschooled, but now he has to face a new challenge - actually going to school, surrounded by his peers. He was shown around by three of the 'nicest kids in school,' Jack, Julian, and Charlotte. August later finds out that Julian is not very nice at all. Once he starts going to school, August becomes best friends with Jack and people quickly start getting used to his face after weeks and months go by. He also becomes friends with Summer, and they make their lunch table, a "Summer-Only Table." At Halloween, August goes to school in a Bleeding Scream costume, when everyone thought he was going in a Boba Fett costume. August overhears Jack talking to Julian about their friendship. Jack said some very uncaring remarks about August, which he didn't really mean. But August got hurt and decided to not to be friends with Jack anymore. He was so hurt that he wanted to quit school, but his sister Via, convinces him not to. His sister Via was the one who had stuck up for him through thick and thin. Jack is very confused to why August doesn't talk to him anymore (since he didn't know it was August in the Bleeding Scream costume.) He asks Summer (who August had confided in) and Summer says, "Bleeding Scream," but Jack doesn't understand. Later, when Jack and August are paired for a science project. Jack pieces together the whole thing and realized that August was the person in the Bleeding Scream costume. Then, when Jack is talking with Julian and Julian calls August a freak, Jack punches Julian, defending his friend. Julian's mom takes it out on August instead, saying that August shouldn't even be in Beecher Prep. Meanwhile, August learns that Jack stood up for him and they become friends again. There are many characters, and each character takes a turn telling the story, so there are many chapters about the characters, side-stories, kind of. In these chapters, August and Via's dog, Daisy, dies. It is very sad and whenever I read it, I keep crying because of their sadness. Via also stars in a play and makes up with her friend Miranda, who she had separated from earlier in the book. Near the end of the book, the whole fifth grade (the grade that August is in) takes a trip to a nature reserve park. While August and Jack are in the woods, some seventh graders insult August, calling him "Gollum" and "Freddy Krueger", which was similar to the insults my friends said about August. Miles, Amos, and Henry, who were formerly friends with Julian, stood up for him. This reminds me when my friends and I all stood up against a bully, who was a common enemy. In the end of the book, we learn that Julian will not be returning to Beecher Prep in the fall. Also, as the school year finishes, there is an award ceremony. In the award ceremony, the principal gives a speech on how someone in this room accomplished great things, and overcame a lot of things. The last award in the book was given to August because he overcame everything, even with so many obstacles thrown in his way. I also want to give a special mention to the quotes in the back of the book, and one (said by August) especially moved me. "Everyone should get a standing ovation at least once in their life, because we all overcometh the world." It was beautiful. To conclude, this book moved me to tears. It was heartwarming, it was beautiful, it taught a wonderful lesson, got me emotional, was hilarious at some parts and was very touching. "This book is a wonder." - Myself.

Finding the Worm (Twerp Sequel)

Finding the Worm (Twerp Sequel)

By Mark Goldblatt

Finding the worm has a complicated title, but it has heart. This story is about Julian, "Jules", Tweski, a Jewish person living in Flushing, Queens. It is a superb book, of decent writing. In the end, the themes in this book were very thought-provoking. The style, in regards to using many commas and ands, added to the experience of being a relatable book. A brief description: Quentin, "Quick Quentin", has a tumor. The kids on the block, Lonnie, Shlomo, Julian, Eric, and Howie, who live in the Dorado House or such named buildings, go on with their lives, and Julian, whose Bar Mitzvah is coming up, learns from the rabbi (a very good character with witty lines) about death. All the while, Julian Tweski records his thoughts about life and all the events that happen during this time. It was interesting reading a book that portrayed the 70s and life in New York so well, painting a vivid picture of the activities of those living in this time. Many of the landmarks described within this book I could find on the Internet; likewise with the baseball players. It's a sequel to the book TWERP but you don't have to read that one (it does give you some spoilers though). All in all, a sad and thoughtful book at the end, but some middle parts, describing their daily activities, were a little "meh". It is a contemplative realistic fiction book with good dialogue.

What Was Hurricane Katrina?

What Was Hurricane Katrina?

By Robin Koontz

When hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf hard people knew it was coming, it was very sad many peoples homes were gone and half of the people became homeless no one had a place to live their houses flooded with water there was no severe no wifi and people had a hard time trying to figure what's going to happen next. People had to stay either on top of there roof or in their attics many people got helped and a lot of people didn't. Many died because they drown in the water. A lot of people who had boats saved people and risk their lives for them. Half of the people left and half of them didn't. Read this book for more information. This reminds me of a time where there was a big storm and we had to go to the basement it was so scary I didn't know what to do it was coming closer to where we lived tornado sirens were going off the winds super strong and the sky dark gray my parents said everything was going to be okay. ten minutes later the weather reporter told us it had move somewhere else I was super happy. I give this book a 5 I never knew so many things about this storm if I lived there I would be super scared I really enjoy things like this.

Say "Ahhh!": Dora Goes to the Doctor (Dora the Explorer 8x8 (Quality))

Say "Ahhh!": Dora Goes to the Doctor (Dora the Explorer 8x8 (Quality))

By Phoebe Beinstein, A&J Studios

I think this book would be good for 0-3. It was boring. I read it to my sister. She liked it. It didn't have very many Spanish words. It was pretty much in English.

Turtles All the Way Down

Turtles All the Way Down

By John Green

Aza Holmes has never been in or sought out the limelight. She lives in an ordinary world in ordinary Indiana in ordinary modern-day America. The only thing hindering her is her thoughts: her germaphobia, her constant mental battles, her desperation. Other than that, she has never been of public interest. But when best friend Daisy urges Aza to visit Davis Pickett, a childhood friend, after a scandal about his billionaire fugitive father Russell Pickett, Aza's life is about to be changed forever. After years in the shadows, her life is suddenly thrust into insanity between juggling a reinforced friendship and maybe more with Davis, accused negligence from Daisy, trying to find her morales, anti-socialness caving in on her, and her ever-spiraling fears. A heartbreaking story about change, fear, and love, "Turtles All the Way Down" by the brilliant John Green cannot be prevented from being in the limelight of fans for generations.

El Deafo

El Deafo

By Cece Bell

LionAwesomeness

El Deafo is a wonderfully written and illustrated story that demonstrates what life used to be like if you were hard of hearing….Cece Bell tells the hardships of having to wear a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest through a superhero she calls El Deafo. El Deafo wears a red flowing cape and shows off the hearing aid proudly. Cece on the other hand hides the hearing aid, hoping no one will notice that she is deaf. Cece struggles to make friends in school because she is deaf, and she moves away from her close friends in the neighborhood. Cece goes through several friends, trying to find one not too bossy, snobby, or annoying. Cece Bell portrays her characters as little bunny like creatures, perhaps because she says her favorite stuffed animal is a bunny named Miss Bunn. Find out her troubles, her worries, and her accomplishments in this graphic novel about growing up deaf!

Anne of Avonlea (Second Book in the Anne of Green Gables Series.)

Anne of Avonlea (Second Book in the Anne of Green Gables Series.)

By L M Montgomery

This book... This book is such a beloved classic for such good reason. It was so full of imagery and brilliant plot that I was sad to reach the end. One thing I will say though, is that Avonlea seems just a little too perfect. Aside from the one disaster and some minor scrapes, everything happens so that life flows idylly. Other than that, the book was written splendidly with lots of care. Even though this book is suitable for readers of all ages, there are many profound quotes and little gems that may not be picked up by a younger crowd. It just refreshes and makes me happy every time I read an "Anne of" book because they're so wholesome and gracefully written. The author, L.M. Montgomery is a literary genius. I can't wait to follow Anne along on her journey.

Faceless

Faceless

By Alyssa Sheinmel

I would 10/10 recommend this book for everyone! Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel is about a girl named, Maisie who got her face burnt off on a morning jog. It started getting a little windy and dark outside because a storm was approaching. She figured she could run really fast and make it home, but that wasn't the turn out. A lightning pole caught on fire and made different parts of Maisie catch on fire. She ends up in the hospital for a few months. Will she make it? If she makes it what will people think about her, will they judge her? Will she people to talk or hear? If you want the answers to these questions, read the amazing book, Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel! **Disclaimer** This book is in the library, but you must have permission to get it because, it is behind Ms. Custers desk!

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