Kids Books - Reference

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars

By John Green

Ok, if you haven’t read this book, WHAT ARE YOU DOING????!!!!!???? SUMMARY: Hazel has cancer. She has had it for a while now, and it doesn’t look like it’s getting any better. She is taking her meds, and attending support group. Her life is pretty predictable. But during one support group meeting, she meets Augustus—a kind and compassionate young man who is a cancer veteran. Augustus is a sophisticated young man; he is scared of oblivion, “smokes” cigarettes, but doesn’t light them because it is a metaphor. ” You put the killing thing in your mouth, but don’t let it do the killing.” As Hazel starts hanging out with Augustus, “she falls in love with him the way he falls asleep; slowly, then all at once.” Hazel introduces him to her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, and he is soon engrossed in it as well, and the rapid end of the book has them searching for answers. As much a love story as a story centered about a book, this heartstring-tugging cancer love story WILL make you cry. THOUGHTS: I can not even begin to tell you how much I loved this book. I just can’t. It was SO FLIPPING GOOD. It is a perfect book. Beautiful. I don’t know where to begin. Okay, okay (haha, lol). John Green’s writing was incredible. You can tell that he is sage and knows how to write—because this novel was written flawlessly. The characters were so real and you fell in love with them as they did each other. To give you an idea—I did cry. See picture at bottom. This book is definitely a “feels” book. Augustus is a genuine character; a caring, metaphor-loving, honest, meaningful person. I thought it was really cool that this book was kind of partly centered around this one book that they both loved. It was pretty cool, seeing them trying to get in contact with the secluded author. This book had so many perfect quotes—I highlighted so many passages from the book on my Kindle. I can not stop raving about this book, and I am so excited to see the movie because I want more TFIOS in my life. It is going to make me cry even more than the book made me cry. I loved this book so much and I can not wait to pick up Paper Towns, which I just got!

Where the Red Fern Grows

Where the Red Fern Grows

By Wilson Rawls

There are a lot of good and great books in the world, but Where The Red Fern Grows is definitely something special. Ten year old Billy Colman has his heart set on getting dogs. To be specific, he wants two coonhounds. He asks again and again for those two dogs, but as much as his parents want to get them for him, they can't afford two coonhounds for Billy. So Billy works long and hard so he can buy two coonhounds with his own money. Eventually, Billy gets the amount he needs and buys two coonhounds. He names them Old Dan and Little Ann. Billy works with them and trains them, and Old Dan and Little Ann turn out to be excellent coon hunters. They tree so many raccoons which Billy sells to get money for his family. Soon, Old Dan and Little Ann are more to Billy than his hunting dogs. They are his best friends. Where The Red Fern Grows is such a heartwarming story. I love the bond Billy has with his dogs. This classic is one of my favorites. I recommend this book to boys and girls ages 10+.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul

By Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (The Long Haul) is about an ordinary teenager named Greg who’s just trying to enjoy summer break, which had just started. Unexpectedly, his mom planned a surprise road trip. Most of their family members were unsatisfied with what she came up with and showed a reluctant attitude, yet they still went on that trip. Throughout the trip, events that happened were unexpected, none of them actually imagined anything like it would happen on their road trip. I can somewhat understand Greg’s feelings towards the trip because I had experiences of unexpected trips and unwilling to go to the trip as well. Also, his personality is just like any other teenagers, who wants to spend summer break on activities that interests them the most. I enjoyed the parts where their family had to deal with the pig that Manny got, it was exceedingly entertaining and I actually laughed out for a few parts of it. Overall, this is an interesting novel and I’ll recommend this to readers who likes to read about teenager’s life.

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.

Charlotte's Web (50th Anniversary Retrospective Edition)

Charlotte's Web (50th Anniversary Retrospective Edition)

By E. B. White

Fern has saved Wilbur’s life. He was smaller than the other pigs, and Fern’s father was going to turn him into bacon, but Fern took him as her pet. Now, after Fern has cared for him a while, they have sold him to Fern’s uncle; Mr. Homer Zuckerman. Fern goes to her uncle’s farm every day to see Wilbur, and talk to the animals. But then, the sheep brings them to the attention that the Zuckermans are going to turn Wilbur into bacon and ham at Christmas! Charlotte, a new spider friend of Wilbur’s, promises to help save him, and weaves words that are “a miracle”. Wilbur soon becomes famous, and people from all over come to see the words in Charlotte’s web. In a story of true friendship and helping others, E.B. White writes another classic that will never be forgotten. My thoughts: I love E.B. White! I was introduced to that author when I read Stuart Little with my mom as a youngster. I thought that was a great story, and when my mom told me to read Charlotte’s Web, I did not decline. I am pretty positive I have seen this movie, but I do not remember it. I really enjoyed reading this book; I love the bond between Fern and the other animals. Her mother is always saying “Animals don’t talk. Stop making things up.”, but Fern has a really deep connection withWilbur. Animals are a big part in our lives, whether we realize it or not. Also, the illustrations complemented the text very well, and I like how Rosemary Wells spruced them up by adding some color to them. So, a great book for fans of Stuart Little and E.B. White. Overall: 8.5 out of 10 Stars

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2014

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2014

By National Geographic Kids

I'd love to read it. Almanacs are so cool!!!! They are very interesting, educative and fun!!!! i'm buying it!!!! National geaographic rocks!!!!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

By J.K. Rowling

How do you think it would feel to be the only one to stop a being of pure evil? In the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling.The protagonist is Harry Potter a teenage wizard boy who lives with his aunt and uncle. They treat him like he doesn’t even exist and his room is a cupboard under the stairs. The reason he lives with these horrible people is because his parents died at the hand of the antagonist Voldemort the greatest evil in the wizarding world. I find the book very interesting and descriptive. The author did a very well job making this book and this series in general. There are parts that made me quite sad as important things went on. Such as how someone very dear to Harry died right in front of him or how he has to struggle through having a very mean and evil teacher controlling Hogwarts. There are a lot of twists and times where you don’t know what to expect. J.K. Rowling created pure perfection in a paper back cover that will most likely live on and entertain many generations to come and withstand the test of time. Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix was a very thick book with eight hundred seventy pages and definitely not the last nor biggest book in the series. So far this book is my favorite and I recommend it to anyone looking for a great and long read. I believe J.K. Rowling did a amazing job in describing areas, characters and magical creatures in the book and the whole series. I also believe that this is straight from the heart and mind of the author and will inspire many whether it be adult or child to pursue their dreams and to never give up on what they believe in. The characters are all filled with such description from the way they speak to their dreams that they wish to come true. When you first introduced to characters you get a description of what their wearing, what they look like and how they seem to appear in stater. The ending was both wrapped up well and made me want to read more from the other books. I know I will feel sad when I finish the last two books, but I will feel happy to have read these books. I suggest this book to someone between the ages of 7 to adult because this book has odd words some people may not be able to pronounce.

Insurgent

Insurgent

By Veronica Roth

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Mr. Popper's Penguins (Paperback)

Mr. Popper's Penguins (Paperback)

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This is a really funny book about how Mr. Popper, a very eccentric and interesting fellow, gets a pet penguin in the mail. This may sound like a weird book, and it is, but in a good way. Mr. Popper's penguin, who he names Captain Cook, is getting a little lonely so they decide to get another penguin, and they end up with a bunch of little baby penguins! Now these penguins aren't exactly the cheapest of pets, and the Popper family isn't exactly rich, so they decide to use the penguins to their advantage. They put on a show called "Mr. Popper's Penguins" and they go to lots of different theaters around the country. Now this did not toll well on the penguins so Mr. Popper finally gets his dream in the end (read this book to find out what it is.) This was a pretty easy read, so I would recommend it to elementary level readers.

Who Was Ben Franklin?

Who Was Ben Franklin?

By Dennis Brindell Fradin

Who Was Ben Franklin?, by Dennis Brindell Fradin, says that even if you have had sad times, you can still live an accomplished life. Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706 at Boston, Massachusetts, died in 1790, and had a miserable childhood. When Benjamin was still a teenager, he was an apprentice at his brother’s printing shop. His brother, however, was cruel to him, and he didn’t like his work. However, he moved to Pennslyvania and started a new life. He became a founding father of the U.S.A, and one of the best American inventors of all time. I recommend this biography for boys and girls, grades third to fifth.

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