Kids Books - Schools

The book The Secret Garden was written by Frances Hodgson Burnett in 1911. It is about a rude and spoiled little girl named Mary. She came from India but isn’t Indian. When she was born she wasn't wanted By her father or mother, so they gave her to a lady to watch over her. Mostly, servants took care of Mary and had to do whatever she asked of them or demanded because people didn't want her to throw a fit or cry. This made her grow up, having everything her way and done for her. One day, a great number of people in the household had died from sickness or had fled away in terror and most everyone had seen to disappear. People later found Mary in her nursery and came to take her to live with her Uncle, who is depressed and ends up having no time to pay attention to or love her. Over time she slowly learns to do things on her own and not to rely on everybody else to do things for her. She finds out that there is a secret garden that her uncle’s wife used to love, but she passed away, Which devastated him. So, he shut away the garden and never wanted to see it again. He buried the key to the garden, and no one has seen it for 10 years. Mary later learns to like people other than herself and to enjoy nature and what it has to offer. She meets a kind boy named Dickon, who teaches her a lot about gardens and helps her learn about them. She starts to enjoy plants and animals and has the desire to learn more about them. She starts to spend more time playing outside and sees the beauty of nature. I truly enjoyed this book and rate it a five out of five. I would recommend it to anyone passionate about gardens/plants and classics. Thanks!

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott takes the reader back to the classic medieval times where knights in shining armor, princess, and chivalry are rampant in England. Ivanhoe, the main character of this story, has returned home from the Holy Land disinherited and disowned, seeking to reunite with his love Rowena and defend his country from the notorious Prince John before it is too late. Medieval knights, courageous heroines, and romance – these topics are all clearly illustrated in the unforgettable story of Ivanhoe and his fight for his country and the woman he loves. The story takes the reader on a journey in time when knights were returning home for the Crusades fought in the Holy Land between Christians and Muslims. The setting of the story is descriptive and very apparent for the reader. Sir Walter Scott creates scenes in your mind through his clear illustrative words and descriptions of what life was like in the medieval times. The book began with a couple engaging sentences, giving the reader a clear idea of what was happening in England in the Dark Ages, stating that “In the year 1192, the people of England feared for the life of their beloved king, Richard I, also called Richard the Lion-Hearted. Was he dead or was he a prisoner somewhere?” In a matter of two sentences, Scott captivates its reader by asking a question that is just begging to be answered: What has happened to King Richard the Lion-Hearted? This question and the fight for the answer would be the clear hallmark of this classic tale. Along with descriptive words and settings, a standout in this book is Scott’s creativity with characters, especially with the female protagonists, Princess Rowena, Ivanhoe’s love interest and Rebecca, the Jewish daughter of Issac of York. Although Robin Hood, Cedric the Saxon, Prince John, and Brian de Bois-Guilbert are fascinating characters and each hold an important role in the story of Ivanhoe, the book would not be complete without the courage and wit of Rowena and Rebecca. Scott masterfully illustrates Rowena and Rebecca as strong, capable women who, when faced with opposition or danger, act responsibly and courageously. Both women are also loyal and strong in their convictions. Rebecca, on one occasion in particular, spoke bravely and fiercely to an adversary much to her detriment, saying, “Beast! I would rather die in this fire than be rescued by a savage like you!”. The author allows for the reader to believe that strong, capable protagonists can be performed by both men and women alike. Though vibrant settings and strong characters are important in the story of Ivanhoe, Scott does not neglect to give the reader an idea of what kind of man Ivanhoe was. Courageous, passionate, and chivalrous, Ivanhoe is a stand out character because of his dedication to his country despite the cost and defending the woman he loves. Unlike the opposing knights Brian de Bois-Guilbert and Maurice de Bracy, Ivanhoe practices true courage and sacrifice. Driven by his love for Rowena and his strong feeling of patriotism for England, Ivanhoe is time and time again demonstrates chivalry and duty. In a dire life and death situation near the end of the book involving Rebecca, Ivanhoe is requested to fight for her. When called upon, Ivanhoe courageously declares that “I am a noble knight ready to defend Rebecca with my sword and lance, to prove that the accusations against her are false, and to defy Brian de Bois-Guilbert, who is a traitor, a liar, and a murderer!”. Insight into Ivanhoe’s character of courage, honor, and kindness are displayed clearly through Scott’s descriptive words and dialogue. Through the story of Ivanhoe, the reader is taken on a thrilling journey through the post-Crusades era in England, where a fight of honor and duty are fought among knights and heroines. As the reader falls in love with Ivanhoe’s chivalrous character, Rowena’s beloved kindness, Rebecca’s charming intelligence, and Robin Hood’s witty and creative mind, he or she can easily root for these unforgettable characters and the fight against right and wrong. Although this book does suffer with an abundance of characters, making it somewhat hard to keep track, the book Ivanhoe offers the reader a look into the medieval days and perils that followed the Crusades. With its lovable protagonists and exciting adventures and fights, this book easily appeals to a reader in the 21st century and for the centuries to come. Happy reading!

I just read this book and it is totally awesome. Mafatu was afraid of the sea, unlike the people in his village. Starting when he was 3, he saw his mother die because of a storm, and that started his fear. All his life until he was 15, he was teased and bullied all because of his fear of the sea. Mafatu couldn't stand it, so he started out onto a journey to prove his courage. As he was starting his journey, he was caught in a storm and landed in a desert island with his dog, Uri, as his only companion. In the island, Mafatu learns how to face his fears, learning to hunt and love the sea, just like everyone in the village. Finally, Mafatu realizes he has to go back to his island, where he is greeted as a hero to everyone in his home village. This book teaches people what courage is like and how to face your fears, one step at a time. I recommend this book to people between ages 9-15, and people who love adventures that tell them what they truly mean to people like them.

Theodora "Theo" Harris, a 16-years-old girl who strives for her dream of horses. She would do anything just to get close to horses, drive them, work with them. But in Theo's time of 1906, women aren't allowed to work with horses, drive them, and other stuff. At her home, her older sister, Claudia who was 19; already so successful in music, playing the violin. Theo often feels lost every-time when she around her sister. Her parents, Maud and Steveson but Maud often paid a lot of attention to Claudia more than she does it to Theo. Theo's friend, Carl Johansson who worked as a rag boy at the barn who also a school friend. Carl is a reason of Theo finally being able to work at the barn, being close to horses but only dressed as a boy. So Theo living a lie but finally told a truth in nearly ending of the book. She also met few stable workers; a rat killer Amon Szabo, Mr. O'Leary, Mr. Marion Willis Savage, a owner of famous horse, Dan Patch of who Theo really loved, and few others. Things suddenly feels like its changed when Claudia contacted polio, causing her to be bedridden for nearly a month. Theo saw her aunt, Harriet Kerr, a doctor who helped Claudia to get well again. And Carl had revealed that he actually liked Theo and loved the stories that Theo had wrote. - Happy Reading!

Lydia "Lyddie" Worthen, a young girl in 1846, about twenty years right before U.S. Civil War had began. Her mother, Mattie, who you would sometimes see her letters to Lyddie but not so often had died later in the book. Her sister, Agnes, also died, too. Her another sister, Rachel, and her brother Charles "Charlie" who Lyddie seldom talk about but mostly about Charlie more than Rachel. Lyddie, who was only young girl when she decided to go out of her home, earn some money, send some back to her mother for the debt when her father had left. Her friends, Diana Goss, Luke Stevens, Prudence Allen, etc. This book is inspiring but sad book. This tells that even though if you lost someone or something very valuable, just keep on going, no matter what. - Happy Reading!

This book is about a boy named Sam Gribley he ran away from his parents to a forest where his great grandfather had a farm. Sam thought that his great grandfather was still alive and that is part of the reason why he ran away. The other reason is that he did not like it in the city because it was too noisy. He hollowed out a tree and and started to live there, he got a little lonely so he stole a hawk from it's mother and started to live with it. I recommend this book for ages 9-15 because it is a little too violent for people who are younger.

Gulliver's Travels gives an account of an Englishman (Gulliver, of course) who goes on voyages but is very unlucky. He meets (famously) Liliputians, the small people; Brobdinagians (the big people); Laputans and Balinarbians; and Hounyhnms, the virtuous talking horses. Through these travels, Jonathan Swift, the Irish writer of satire, weaves in criticisms of the world during the 18th century, criticizing the following: Whigs, Hanoverians, people from the Netherlands, and Europeans. It is interesting to read all the brilliant sarcastic ways things are allegorized in this book. The sheer absurdity of some events was diverting too. For example, LIliput battles its rival, Blefuscu based solely on the "correct" method of cracking eggs, and Gulliver urinates on the place in a noble attempt to put out a fire, and is promptly sentenced to blinding and slow starvation. Of course, you will have to read the book to realize all of its brilliance. But as this book does not have dialogue, only long monologues without even quotation marks, and because the sentences are long, and semicolons put in at strange places, this is not so quick to read. This, I know, will detract from the reading experience of some. But if you are prepared, you should read these pages and bask in its deep glory, irony, and wit. I especially recommend it to people who like reading classics or are prepared to think while they are reading. Lastly, I recommend that you read it with some footnotes to understand political references, such as the Sterling Edition, which also has good printing and large font.

I loved this book! I loved when Felicity, Lisa, David, and Gary try to stop Ellie-May from entering room 13 even though she was possessed by Dracula the Vampire but when they told their teacher Mr Hepworth and they checked room 13 it was a Janitors closet... Even though they were in big trouble for doing this they still did what was right to protect Ellie-May even though their superiors thought they were pulling pranks. In the end Fliss, Lisa, David and Gary still got into trouble, they saved Ellie-Mays life and gained her trust for doing that! The lesson is to always do the right thing even if others think we are liars, it will hurt but Good things will always find a way through in the end! 😁😁😀😊

Harriet the Spy I am going to tell you about my opinion of Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh published in 1964. This book is about an eleven year old girl who goes to middle school and always carries around her journal where she writes things good and bad about everyone even her friends. In my opinion this is my favorite book. I like it because it gave me a lot of emotions like sadness, happiness, shock, anger and more. I think that fourth through sixth boys and girls would like this book. People who like to read chapter books and longer books would also like this book. This book is not the best for younger kids it has some big words and not many pictures.

I love this book! It is exiting, heart warming, and full of mysterys!