Kids Books - Literature

High school musical is a great kick-off! The main person trying to mess up Troy and Gabriella's love is Sharpay Evans, and she has a huge crush on Troy! But Sharpay realizes it's harder than she thinks. Will she get her guy, or will Troy stay with Gabriella? A great book, and a great movie! Would recommend it to ages 7 and up!

I’d heard about this book for a long time, and I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. For instance, what’s this “club,” a book club or something? Also, more importantly: would this book turn out to follow the same hackneyed patterns of Chinese American literature? But I started reading, and the book certainly starts with a scintillating opening chapter introducing the eponymous Joy Luck Club. At its core, this is a group of four elderly Chinese women who share stories, laugh, eat, and play mahjong. The group’s founding member has passed away suddenly, leaving her daughter confused and grieving. Asked to fill in for her mother at the mahjong table, she learns more about her already inscrutable mother and is given a difficult task. Instantly, I could see the author setting up a tone of sadness tempered with pangs of bitter, undeniable hope, something that wouldn’t disappear even when the plot started to drag a little. I could see the mature and layered writing. I read on, hooked, as the book described in distinct yet readable prose first the mothers’ difficult upbringings in China before World War II, then the daughters’ childhoods, next the continuation of the mothers’ stories, and finally the lives of both mother and daughter during the main timeframe. The book is divided into these sections, each introduced by a pithy, allegorical story. It cycles through each of the characters before returning. Gluing the story together is Jing-Mei Woo, whose personal tragedy and journey of self-discovery begin and end the book, but there’s such a huge detour that in the end it leaves the reader with a deep understanding of all the daughters and mothers connected to the Joy Luck Club. Amy Tan’s debut novel may have lost some relevancy for the newest generation of Chinese American readers, given the fact that she’s now about the same age as the mothers she writes about, but it’s not as bad as it seems. Even though the book is centered on Chinese-American families during the 90s, the themes are universal. There are seven narrators in this story, each with their own personality and life story. This increases the book’s scope at the expense of being a little overwhelming. Some fuzziness is natural, but the structure is clear enough if you don’t mind flipping backward a little bit. It’s come to my attention that people have protested about the stereotypical-leaning descriptions of the parents. If Amy Tan gives them these backstories showing that they are not the plump, eccentric people they appear to be, why make them exclaim “Wah!” or speak broken English? It was a bit discouraging reading about the vague Chinese superstitions that pop out of nowhere, inexplicable as the unintuitive romanization system she seems to employ only for Mandarin. If you do decide to read this book, you’ll have to accept this confusing phenomenon, and for me it was by no means a book-ruining flaw. Also, be warned that any discussion about the father-daughter relationship is basically nonexistent. To a degree that makes sense, because the book is meant to focus on the complex mother-daughter bond. You can’t eat pie and cake in the same meal and not expect to fall into a food coma. Then there are the slight issues with the plot, specifically the huge focus on the daughters’ marriage troubles: whether the marriage is going to fall apart, why it’s falling apart, if parental approval is going to be acquired. Jing-Mei is the only one free from this. While it’s useful to make a quick case study, and to see what the mothers have to say (which are surprisingly insightful), it didn’t hold my attention for long. These are some of the main complaints, but there are many more positive traits that I wholeheartedly believe outshine these problems. For any reader much of the appeal, why the book is “deep,” comes from the immense pathos of the struggles of the mothers in China, as well as the universally-relatable difficulties of communication between parent and child. I teared up a bit while reading this book, and I usually have quite a tolerance for that kind of thing. As a bonus, the symbolism is so layered, the characters’ motivations so multifaceted, that you really can have a rewarding discussion about the Joy Luck Club at a book club. You can also ponder its themes on your own, like I did. Is this book worth reading? Definitely. Does it invite deep thought and reflection? Yes, if you choose to do so. Does it encapsulate the entire experience of being Chinese American? It’s about 70% of the way there. Generally, The Joy Luck Club is well above average—miles above forgettable novels you flip through when you have nothing better to do—and really deserves its spot as a modern classic.

Super cool guide to camp half blood. Great read and i love the stories such as the curse, Rachel , etc. god (s) i can imagine how terrible the film was. Never hire Apollo to make you film. Def another great book by Rick Riodran

Shortly after watching the movie and LOVING it, I got the book. And I ended up loving it even more than the movie. (The movie basically took the book and chopped all the scenes and moments in half.) The Princess Bride gives so much detail, and beauty, and descriptions and you can see everything in your mind. It is a tale of "fencing, fighting, torture, poison, true love, hate, revenge, giants, hunters, bad men, good men, beautifulest ladies, snakes, spiders, beasts of all natures and descriptions, pain, death, brave men, coward men, strongest men, chases, escapes, lies, truths, passion, and miracles." (If you read that whole paragraph I commend you.) You get to sympathize with everyone (except Prince Humperdinck, Vizzini, and Count Rugen) going from Buttercup to Westley to Inigo to Fezzik and every one of them has a story that is no less than heartbreaking, thrilling, beautiful, or painful. This book is proof that old books are just as good stories as any modern book, and you NEED to read this if you ever crave adventure, true love, or if you just need a book that you will read and re-read over and over!

SPOILER ALERT!!! THis book is about a girl named Deja who lives with her siblings Raymond and Leda and her parents, Pop who never seems to get better and is scary when he`s mad and Ma in Avalon Family Residence which seems nice, but it isn`t. Everyone at Deja`s new school seems to know about 9/11 except Deja, besides the fact that she`s lived in Brooklyn basically her whole life. At her old school nobody wanted to be friends with Deja because her family is homeless so she is suprised when Sabeen and Ben want to be her friends. When Deja goes over to Ben`s house he shows her a video of 9/11. Oh, how did Deja never know about it. After some investigating, (looking through an old suitcase) Deja finds that her father survived 9/11. She`s shocked, how did she never put the pieces together before?

This book is amazing! It is about three different kids escaping their home countries to freedom. Isabel, a Cuban girl, is escaping in a small boat with her pregnant mother on board. The boat is built by family friends that were willing to lend a helping hand. Mahmoud, a Syrian boy, is escaping by foot and boat. He goes through many hard times on his long journey to Europe. Josef, a Jew, is escaping Nazi, Germany with his mother, father, and little sister Ruthie. He goes through challenges regarding his father who was captured and taken to a concentration camp where he was scarred for life. I made a connection to this book because I have read other books by Alan Gratz and with similar war-like themes. I would give this book a five-star rating because it is so enticing and makes you want to keep reading. I would recommend this book to 5th-7th graders.

If you like Greek mythology (and cute pets), then this is the book for you! Zeus the hamster has to go on a quest of epic proportions to try to obtain the golden fleece (fleas), which is a symbol of power. While he is on his journey, he faces many dangers, including vicious Harpies, a sea monster, and a 'dragon'! And, to make matters worse, Zeus's fellow gods might start a mutiny! Can Zeus get the fleece to enforce his position or, a better question, can he make it out alive? Read this book to find out! Personally, I enjoyed reading this novel and, even if it could get slightly boring at times, overall it was a great read.

The book The Enemy Above is the single greatest book I have ever read. I do not love reading books, however I had finished this book in one day without taking any breaks. It was thrilling, exciting, and had given me a deeper understanding on world war 2. If you are a fan of history, thriller and suspense you will undoubtedly love this book. For me this book is one hundred percent a 5 star. I have never read a book which allowed me to connect, and give me a life lesson at the same time. Anton's grandmother emphasized the theme and central idea of the story. For me, she was one of the greatest characters in the book. Reading this book allowed me to understand, connect and even visualize World War 2 and the holocaust. All hail Bube.

This book is about the next generation of witches and wizards. Hermione and Ron are married and Harry and Ginny are married and have kids. Hermione and Ron have Rose Granger-Weasley and Hugo Granger-Weasley while Harry and Ginny have James Potter, Albus Potter and Lily Potter. On Albus's first day of school at Hogwarts, James taunts him about the fact that he might be in Slytherin. Albus tells his dad (Harry) and Harry tells him that there's nothing wrong with being in Slytherin (which there isn't) and that it's okay. Aboard the Hogwarts Express, Albus befriends Scorpius Malfoy (Draco Malfoy's son) while Rose stays well away. SPOILER ALERT!!: The Sorting Hat declares that Albus is a Slytherin! He has to dodge rude comments and nastypeople who tease him just because he's in that house instead of Gryffindor. In their fourth year, Albus meets a young woman who, apparantly, is called Delpini Diggory or Delphi for short. SPOILER ALERT!!: Delphi is actually Lord Voldemort's daughter and plans to use Hermione's time-turner to get him back!! (But that's just cos she wants to see her dad one last time though.)The boys decide to help Delphi because she says that she is just trying to revive Cedric and says that he is her cousin. Will the boys stop Delphi before the world is ruled by the Dark Lord again?! Or will all be lost?! Find out in this book full of magic and mischief! Side-note: In 1998, Bellatrix Lestrange used a Amortencia (a love potion) on Voldemort and they had Delphi while he was in love with her. That's how blue and silver-haired Delphi was born. P.S. Sorry, I know I'm a massive Potterhead!!!

Ho Hum.... What do we have here? The BFG by Roald Dahl is a classic for a reason. So, let's start shall we? I really loved this book. The characters are full of love and are just AMAZING. But.... there is still something going on here. Even though the story was amazing and such, I felt a tad-bit of randomness. Because of that it knocked off one star. Still four stars, nothing to worry about. Now, now , now.... let's talk about the main characters- The BFG and Sophie. Their friendship is adorable. I felt that this was a message to love someone in the inside not the outside. I know what you're thinking, just spill it out...... awwwwww❤️ Anyway, to wrap this whole thing up, The BFG by Roald Dahl is just plain AWESOME! And hey, 4 stars is not that bad.