Book Reviews by Kids

Book Reviews from Ms. Ulmer’s Class

Crestview Elementary, Spring 2008

 

Dark Whispers by Bruce Coville.

This book is about two quests in which Cara, a girl, is searching for the legend about the ‘Whisper’.  Cara and her friends go to the centaurs in search of it. Meanwhile, Cara’s dad, Ian, is in search of his wife in the rainbow prison. This book kept you wanting to read more and more and there was always tension. By Jaime W. 

 

The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau.

This book is about two friends named Lina and Doon who live in the city of Sparks. Its winter and the people are dying. They have to go back to their old city to save everyone. This book was full of adventure and you can almost see the story happen. By Chandler D. 

 

This book is about a girl named Lina and her friend, Doon, go on an adventure back to Ember in order to find staples for their suffering city.  This book was a page-turner full of suspense and exciting things. By Eloise D. 

 

Thornspell by Helen Lowe.

This book is about a prince named Sigismund who figures out that he has to wake up a sleeping princess, but meanwhile he has the Maragavine zu Malvolin trying to kill him. This book had likeable characters with interesting stories and the author was very descriptive. By Eloise D. 

 

This book is about a prince who has heard many fantasy stories and realizes that they may come true. He has to persevere throughout many obstacles and go on a heroic quest. This book has many surprises, suspense, and its fiction. By Ellie T. 

 

The Good-bye Time by Celeste Conway.

This book is about two friends who try to keep their friendship alive while they both go through big changes. I would not recommend this book because it left many mysteries untold, giving you the feeling that you are missing something. By Galey C. 

 

This book is about two best friends, who do everything together, go through change. They don’t like it but it changes their lives forever (or so they think). This book was short and the writing was good but it had some awkward moments and it was more realistic-fiction while I am more of a fantasy/fiction reader. By Sarah R.

 

The Dragon in the Sock Drawer by Kate Klimo.

This book is about two cousins who find a dragon egg which hatches. The cousins must protect their dragon from St. George, an evil man out to kill their dragon. This book has an interesting plot and difficult problems to solve, but at the same time, you understand a great friendship. By Quinn S.

 

This book is about two kids who find a dragon egg and must protect it from St. George. This book was very interesting and very well written. By Shane B.

 

Fern Verdant & the Silver Rose by Diana Leszrynski.

This book is about a girl named Fern who loses her mother to an evil man. She has an extraordinary gift of being able to talk to plants. Fern goes on a great adventure to save her mother. This book was an action packed book that incorporates many aspects. It is also thrilling all the way to the end. By Kyle T.

 

This book is about when Fern Verdant’s mother goes missing; Fern must use her ability to talk to plants to help Lily escape from the evil clutches of Henry Saagulalla! This book is funny, adventurous, and just plain great! By Miranda D.

 

Dark Isle by D.A. Nelson.

This book is about an orphan named Morag who goes on an adventure with a dodo, a rat, a dragon, and a medallion to retrieve the Eye of Lornish. This book has the main character meet a lot of interesting characters on the whole journey. By Katie J. 

 

This book is about a girl named Mora who has a horrible life with her foster parents, but soon she befriends, Bertie, a talking dodo, Aldiss, a talking rat, and Shong, a talking dragon. Soon she embarks on a journey that involves capturing the Eye of Lornish and defeating Devlish.

 

Catcall by Linda Newbery.

This book is about a boy named Josh who has to go help his brother sanity, and also has to live a split life because his mom and dad are divorced. This book was a different type of book I usually read. By Shane B.

 

Barnaby Grimes Curse of the Night Wolf by Paul Stewart.

This book is about a tick-tock lad that delivers messages. He sees a night wolf and soon his friend Benjamin is gone and Scaldy Sat is dead. He delivers messages to Dr. Cadwallader’s patients and something strange goes on with his patients. This book was filled with adventure and it had some parts that were mysterious and scary. By Esther P.

 

This book is about a tick-tock lad named Barnaby Grimes, who finds out his friend disappeared by his local doctor, (villain) Dr. Cadwallen, who was actually a wolf hunter in disguise. This book was very suspenseful, mysterious, gory, and a complete page-turner. By Christine K.

 

The Calder Game by Blue Balliet.

This book is about a boy named Calder and he and his father visit England for a business trip, but then everything goes wrong and he goes missing along with a sculptor named Alexander Calder.  This book is action-packed, descriptive, very well written, and keeps you in suspense all the time. By Demi D. 

 

This book is about a boy who goes to England and mysteriously disappears. His friends go to help him and solve the mystery.  This book was complex and mysterious, yet simple enough to understand. By Catherine H.

 

I Put a Spell on You by Adam Selzer.

This was a book about a sixth grade class preparing for the spelling bee. Chrissie Woodward, sixth grade detective, thinks that something fishy is going on before the bee. This book is funny, interesting, and was filled with twists and turns. By Brady D. 

 

This book is about a letter that the “school’s detective” sent to the school board. It explained how the spelling bee really went on and how it was unfair.  This book had really interesting characters and spelling is one of my favorite subjects. By Katie J.

            

I SO Don’t Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy.

In this book, Sherry Holmes Baldwin is determined to save her mother from flunking out of the Academy of Spirits. Sherry’s mother, who is a ghost, has to solve a mystery in order to move on and needs her help! This book was funny and kept you laughing the entire time. It started out slow, but by the end, it was pretty exciting. By Miranda D.

 

This book was about a girl whose mom died and she’s a ghost and the girl helps her mom solve a case. This book was funny, adventurous, and I love mysteries. By Chandler D. 

 

Write Before Your Eyes by Lisa Williams Kilne.

This book is about a shy girl who finds a notebook and whatever she writes in comes true.  This book was very original and creative. It was also funny and completely original. By Catherine H. 

 

This book is about a girl who found a journal that was magic. This book wasn’t my style because I like action books and I wouldn’t recommend it. By Brandon

 

Six Innings by James Preller. 

This book is about two baseball teams, an announcer, and all of their lives and why they love baseball.  This whole book took place during one baseball game yet it was hard to put down. By Megan M. 

 

This book is about a baseball team playing in a championship game. The book goes into the lives of each player. This book described the game pitch by pitch, which made it very interesting to read. BY Brian H.

 

Dragonsdale by Salamands Drake.

This book is about two friends, Breena and Cara that are both competitors of the dragon flying contest. Their will to win gets the best of them, and they have a bitter fight. This book shows through a story that friends should always stick together.  By Brian H. 

 

This book is about two girls who are dragon riders but they get into a fight. This book was very interesting especially towards the end. By Megan M.

 

The Tapestry: Second Siege

by Henry H. Neff. This book is about the book of Thoth. Max Mcdaniels and David Menle fight for the book against Astaroth, the demon. Eventually, the demon wins and there will be another book. This book had a lot of action and there was a lot to it. By Brandon C. 

 

This book is about two boys trying to be saved from being taken by the witches, then escaping kidnap, and many other different objectives leading up to trying to find the book of Thoth. This book surprised the reader in a different way on every page. The author had great descriptions and it was very well written. By Jaime W.

 

The White Gates by Bonnie Ramthun.

This book is about a California boy named Torin (Tor) moves to Colorado, in a small town called Snow Park. There happens to be a curse on his mother’s doctor’s office, but let alone does he know that snowboarders are blood doping and it’s all the coach’s fault. This book was very adventurous, mysterious, and not only about an awesome sport, but it included cheating and murder/death. By Christine K. 

 

This book is about a new cursed student who tries to solve the curse and trying for him not to move. This book was a page-turner and part of it was really suspenseful when he finds the blood and his dream of the vampire. By David L.

 

Lexi by L.S. Mathews.

This book is about a girl slowly trying to regain her memory. This book was very interesting and appealing. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. By Sarah R.

 

This book is about a 12-year-old girl who wakes up in a forest, not knowing who or where she is. This book made so little sense at the beginning, and then it all came together in the end so perfectly. By Galey C.

 

The Devil’s Breath by David Gilmah.

This book is about a 15-year-old boy named Max Gordon who sets out on a journey across the rough terrain of South Africa on a quest to rescue his father. This book is action-packed adventure and will have the reader in suspense until the very last page. By Audrey L. 

 

This book is about a 15-year-old boy who finds out his father is missing and he goes on a journey through Africa to find him. In this book you never know what was next and it has an awesome “action” feel. By Quinn S.

 

The Tygrine Cat by Inbali Iserles.

This book is about a cat named Mati. He is a long way from home and he finds a clan he can join in too. But, along that, there is a sinister cat, Mithos, who has been sent to kill him. Mati has to unlock an ancient power to defeat him.  This book had adventure, suspense, and it was mixing mythology and magic along with animals. By Ellie T. 

 

This book is about a cat named Mati. He finds a new clan of cats and friends, and he goes through many adventures. This book was basically a page-turner. I loved very detail of this book and I would give it a thumbs up. By Esther P. 

 

The Ice Cream Con by Jimmy Docherty.

This book is about a boy named Jake who gets revenge on Cortez: by creating Baresi, a mysterious person. This book was funny and likeable because of the title. By David L. 

 

This book is about a boy named Jake who is trying to stop crimes through Lochrannoch. This book was packed with adventure at every corner. By Kyle T. 

 

Julia Gillian (and the act of knowing) by Alison McGlee.

This book is about a girl who doesn’t want to face reality, so she just ignores until she can’t any more. This book wasn’t my type of book and in some parts it was depressing and I would not recommend it. By Brady D.