Book Review: Black Radishes by Susan Lynn Meyer

Black Radishes
by Susan Lynn Meyer
Non-series

A Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0-385-73881-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-73881-1
Publication Date: November, 2010
List Price: $16.99

Review: The Eiffel Tower looked ugly, thinks Gustave as France is gray. Gustave lives in the times of World War II with the Germans breathing down his neck. Gustave is just an ordinary eleven year old kid with one quality that worries him and his family, he is Jewish. As he goes to boy scouts with his friends Marcel and Jean-Paul. The three face tough times being Jewish considering the fact that it is not safe to live in France. As Gustave goes back home, he overhears that he and his family may be moving to Saint-Georges. Gustave is furious at his parents that he needs to move. So begins Black Radishes written by Susan Lynn Meyer.

When Gustave moves into the new town, he walks through the city streets with his monkey in his hand. Gustave comes to the realization that his friends are all gone. As he continues walking towards the bakery, he sees a boy. This excites him until that same kid shoves him into the fountain. With this, the largest rivalry Gustave has ever known begins. Gustave goes to school with the same kid, which gets Gustave furious. Gustave must continuously work to keep his identity hidden. Is it even possible? Will Gustave learn to adapt to his new surroundings? Will Gustave ever catch up with his old friends?

Black Radishes touched my heart, and I really couldn't put the book down. Susan Lynn Meyer is a fascinating author. Black Radishes deserves five out of five stars because the story line is astounding and depicts the life of a child who faces the struggles of his parents, schoolmates, and the German soldiers during one of the most horrific wars in history. Many books have been written about the German persecution of the Jewish people, but Black Radishes stands proudly as one worthy of being read.

Review written by Max (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Black Radishes for this review.

Have you read Black Radishes? How would you rate it?

Book Review: Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

Tyger Tyger
by Kersten Hamilton
Goblin Wars

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN-10: 0-547-33008-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-33008-2
Publication Date: November, 2010
List Price: $17.00

Review: Until HE arrives Tea has had a great life. She is focused on getting into a good college and has great grades, but in Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton Teagan 'Tea' Wylltson loses her perfect life. This fantasy book is going to have a sequel.

Tea went from an easy job at the zoo to running to another world. She started off with a perfect life in a suburb and ended with a not-so-perfect one, being chased by goblins and other creatures she didn't even know existed. All of this happened because Finn Mac Cumhaill arrived. Because of Tea's love for Finn, her attempts to reach her goals are weakened. But Finn, unknowingly, brings something else with him, a goblin. Finn destroys the creature and then whisks Tea and her little brother, Aiden, away to his grandmother. Finn's grandmother tells them to go to the Goblin world, and they do. The problem is that goblins keep chasing and attacking the children. Will they survive? Will they even make it out of the goblin's world? You have to read to find out.

In Tyger Tyger I enjoyed the mixture of modern life and fantasy. The abrupt ending of the book, however was disappointing. But, at least this will be fixed when the next book in the series is released. The characters are mostly likeable and are developed and easy to understand. They have a real-life problem and the characters change and develop throughout the story. The dialogue of the story is usually easy to understand, except some of the words are an Irish dialect. If you completely disapprove of swear words, then you should be careful reading the book, because there are a few swears in the book. The main story is big and poses a big problem, with small solutions leading up to another situation. As I said before, there is an abrupt end, but there is another book coming out. The book is fast-paced and there is always something happening that you can chew on and think about. The rating of this book from me would be a 9/10, because the book is fantastic, but it's not my favorite.

Review written by Sean (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a copy of Tyger Tyger for this review.

Have you read Tyger Tyger? How would you rate it?

Book Review: Zia by Scott O'Dell

Zia
by Scott O'Dell
Island of the Blue Dolphin Sequel

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN-10: 0-547-40633-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-40633-6
Publication Date: January, 2011
List Price: $6.99

Review: Zia, is the heartwarming and heartbreaking sequel to the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Written by Scott O' Dell, it answers the biggest question from the first book, "What happens to Karana?" The main character, Zia, wants to find her long lost Aunt Karana. Zia's tribe consults with her about leaving Karana behind at the Island of the Blue Dolphins, but she wants to find her and bring Karana home to the Mission Santa Barbara. The Mission is Zia's new home. This is a spectacular story about making dreams come true.

People don't need words to communicate, just ask Zia and Karana. They communicate through hands and motions after Karana is brought to the mission. Before Zia lived at the mission, she lived in peace with her tribe. Then Zia's tribe was asked by two padres, to go to the mission to work and live there. Zia, likes the mission because the people there feed and clothe her. One of the fathers at the mission, Father Vincente goes to find Karana, and brings her home to the mission. This part of the book kept me on my toes the whole time wondering whether he would be able to find her and bring her home.

Zia is a fantastic book. The author Scott O'Dell really sets the scene with the people's feelings. For instance, he makes the reader feel the misery or the joy people are feeling. The misery is mostly at the mission. For instance, it is miserable to have to work with no pay. This book is not only heartwarming but also heartbreaking at times. I rate Zia five stars. I hope this book will be part of a long series of books. Zia taught me a huge lesson, to never stop trying until you have succeeded at your goal. That can be applied to my life because I always feel like I want to give up but Zia taught me not to. Zia is the best in the series so far!

Review written by Caitlin (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a copy of Zia for this review.

Have you read Zia? How would you rate it?

Book Review: Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me by Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me
by Condoleezza Rice
Non-series

A Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0-385-73879-X
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-73879-8
Publication Date: October, 2010
List Price: $16.99

Review: A Southerner girl who was brought up right and went against the odds to fulfill her dream is what describes Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me. It is two hundred and ninety three pages, which are the actual story pages, and there are twenty-six more pages on the glossary and chronology of events. Plus, towards the middle of the book there are photographs of Condoleezza and her family, some dating back to slavery in the south, and others going to as recent as 1992. Condoleezza has pictures of different artifacts that are mentioned in her book, and gives many detailed facts about each picture.

Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me is basically all about the "extraordinary, ordinary family" and Ms. Rice. It begins with the story of Condoleezza's ancestors who were slaves in the south, going as far back to her paternal great-grandfather and great-grandmother, her great-grandmother being a favored household slave who learned to read and write. It then chronicles her parent's lives and eventually her growing up in the horrors of segregation, instead of bringing her down, this fires her up, and she tries as hard as she can to make people feel equal, or at least make people of her own race feel better about themselves. This is what has kept Condoleezza going for her whole career. It's what got her into the piano, ice-skating, going to college at the age of sixteen, attending the University of Denver, then going on as a provost at Stanford University after going to the University of Notre Dame for graduate school. Ms. Rice kept going even farther to achieve, which got her to one of her biggest successes, becoming the Secretary of State. Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me is an inspiring account of the ups and downs in the life of Condoleezza Rice.

Ms. Rice did a wonderful job on telling her readers all about her family and her life. As I read the book, I too felt as if I were a member of the Rice family, because she shared with me every single detail of her whole life. It was as if she had started writing the book when she was two years old, and continued up until 2010! I found myself crying when Ms. Rice's father and mother passed away, and at the reasons why they had had such a hard life. By the sacrifices they made for their one and only daughter, whether it be through money problems, or family problems, or any problems at all, Mr. and Mrs. Rice would do whatever it took to make their daughter have the best future any African-American could have before and after segregation. Condoleezza was such a good author in this book; I can't wait to read another book by her! An inspiring detail that I thought was positively genius to put inside the book was the naming process of Condoleezza. Mrs. Rice didn't want her daughter to have a name that any other child could possess, she wanted it to be special. Mrs. Rice could tell her daughter was special from the moment she was born, which is why she picked the name "Condoleezza", meaning "with sweetness". One time when Condoleezza graduated high school, the school spelled her name wrong, so Mrs. Rice sent the certificate straight back so they would spell Condoleezza with two z's and not one. I found all of Ms. Rice's family tales and adventures very amusing and informing. I feel like I have one more family, or at least I know everything there is to know about this family. Nobody can quite make you be in his or her family, but they can make you feel like you're just like family. That is exactly what I felt this book made me feel like throughout every chapter, every page, and every word.

Review written by Amber (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me for this review.

Have you read Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me? How would you rate it?

Book Review: Scared to Death by Norah McClintock

Scared to Death
by Norah McClintock
Chloe & Levesque Mystery

Kane Miller
ISBN-10: 1-61067-004-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-61067-004-3
Publication Date: March, 2011
List Price: $5.99

Review: I opened the front door on the third ring of the doorbell and found Tessa Nixon standing on my front porch, biting her lower lip and clutching a thick binder and two textbooks to her chest as if they were armor.That is how Tessa appeared at Chloe's house two days before she is found dead in the lake in the novel by Norah McCintock, Scared to Death, which is the third book in the Chloe and Levesque series. Chloe is curious as to how she died and why Tessa appears at her house searching for Chloe's dad, Levesque, looking Scared to Death.

Scared to Death is a book about a girl named Chloe who tries to solve the mysterious death of a girl who goes to her school called Tessa Nixon. Though her stepdad Levesque won't tell her anything she is determined to find Tessa's murderer, especially when her friend Ross is involved. Besides the fact that her schoolmate is murdered Chloe has other issues with her friend Ross getting into trouble and there is something wrong with the people she babysits for. Can Chloe figure it out on her own?

I think this book is an amazing story with interesting characters and ominous tension rising throughout the book. Chloe is a smart character who is open to new ideas which, is one of my favorite things about her. She is also the one telling the story. What I don't like is Chloe is impatient and she likes to complain, but that is mostly shown in her thoughts and not her conversations. Levesque is a quiet and grumpy character who is a serious policeman. Ross, who is Chloe's friend and Jake are both suspects in the book. They both liked Tessa and have bad alibis, which make them prime suspects. Also they are both very hard for me to like because they are both one sided and do not listen to anybody. The author has a wonderful use of dialogue, and the conversations reveal a lot about the characters. The best thing about this novel is the plot which is well thought out and has a high level of suspense. The ending wraps up the book completely making it a good stand alone novel in the series. You get hooked right when you learn Tessa's death is not an accident which is only right after the first chapter. I think this book is set at a medium pace until the ending where the action rises. The paranoia looming over Chloe about someone watching her keeps the excitement up throughout the book. I suggest this book for middle school kids and anyone looking for a good mystery. I rate this book a 9/10 because it has an exciting plot but is not the greatest book I have ever read. But, if you read this book the suspense will leave you "Scared to Death".

Review written by Shannon (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Kane Miller for providing a copy of Scared to Death for this review.

Have you read Scared to Death? How would you rate it?

Book Review: Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos

Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science
by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos
Non-series

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN-10: 0-618-57492-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-618-57492-6
Publication Date: October, 2010
List Price: $20.00

Review: Sugar really did change the world! Sugar Changed the World is a non fiction novel written by Marc Aaronson and Marina Budhos. It is a true saga about how sugar affected the economy of various countries all over the world. Marc Aaronson and Marina Budhos are on a little quest to find out the "nature" of sugar. These two daredevils travel all over the world to find out the history and uses of sugar. You won't believe how many uses sugar has. It is truly amazing.

You might just think of sugar as a sweetener, correct? However, sugar in the past and present has served many purposes. To my surprise I learned from my readings that sugar is used commonly in religious ceremonies. Also, I learned that thousands of people lost their lives just to gain power to grow sugar in countries like India. It is funny to say that such a sweet thing was not sweet after all. On the other hand, one good aspect was slaves got their freedom just because of the sugar boom. I thought that was amazing because one plant saved hundreds of people. Astonishingly this helped the economy and bettered many people's lives. Another interesting fact was that that a majority of the world's sugar comes from India. I was surprised because the first sugar cane plant grew in New Guinea. The Indians did not just plant the most sugar they kind of helped lead up to the word candy. Basically, kahanda in an ancient Indian language meant "piece of sugar". Then, it got passed through Persian then Arabic and finally, stopped in Europe and became candy. In addition, Indians used sugar as an antidote. I think this is funny because when you think sugar what pops up in your mind is unhealthy! Ironically, if you think about it we cant live with out sugar it falls in almost everything people nowadays consume.

Sugar Changed the World is the most interesting non-fiction book I have ever read. Over all, I rate this books a four star (out of five stars). I rate it a four star because I learned much about the aspects of sugar as well as the interesting history behind it. However, I wasn't truly addicted to the book because it was not a thriller but more like a textbook. I recommend it for ages 11 and up because the vocabulary might be a little challenging and at times grueling to read. In the end, if you finish the book you will find interest in not just the sweet characteristic of sugar but its many purposeful uses around the world.

Review written by Zain (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a copy of Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science for this review.

Have you read Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science? How would you rate it?

Book Review: Nikki and Deja: The Newsy News Newsletter by Karen English

Nikki and Deja: The Newsy News Newsletter
by Karen English
Nikki & Deja

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN-10: 0-547-40626-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-40626-8
Publication Date: January, 2011
List Price: $4.99

Review: 'The Fulton Street Newsy News Newsletter is Born (Officially)' Nikki & Deja: The Newsy News Newsletteris written by Karen English and illustrated by Laura Freeman. The main characters in the book are Nikki and Deja. The Newsy News Newsletter is the third book in the Nikki & Deja series.

On Fulton Street, there is always something happening. Darnell, a fifth grade boy who lives on Fulton Street, shows Evan, another boy who lives on Fulton Street, how to do a skateboard trick. But, Evan breaks his arm. Nikki and Deja take note of this event. Then, Nikki thinks that it would be a good idea to make a newsletter for Fulton Street. She thinks that it would help her skills to become a reporter later in life, but mostly because there is so much news to tell. Nikki and Deja decide how to make it, how much they are going to charge and when they will sell the newsletter. Nikki spends the rest of the day trying to find news. She walks around and writes news down in her notebook, including overhearing other discussions and seeing things happen. The girls put the news on the computer and then print it all out. When they start selling it, everyone is buying it. But then Deja's aunt reads it and gets very upset. She tells them that they are putting wrong information in the Newsy News Newsletter. She makes them write one last issue that provides the right information for the ones they messed up. They still also have to give a face to face apology to the stores that they criticize.

I like the book because it is very easy to understand. This is good, knowing that it was probably written for kids eight (8) and under. Girls will most likely enjoy this more than boys. I think that Nikki & Deja: The Newsy News Newsletterhas an abrupt ending. I would have liked to have a strong closing. The book does not have enough action for me, and I think that this book could have a more regular chapter length. In other words, some chapters could have been combined. I recommend this for kids age 8 and under and would rate it a 3 to 4 out of 5 for this younger age group.

Review written by Michael (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a copy of Nikki and Deja: The Newsy News Newsletter for this review.

Have you read Nikki and Deja: The Newsy News Newsletter? How would you rate it?