Journey to the River Sea
By Eva Ibbotson
Although Maia is an orphan, she is surprisingly rich and well-off. When she is sent from her school in England to stay with distant relatives in Brazil, she prepares herself for an adventure on the banks of the Amazon river. Unfortunately, Maia’s relatives hate living in the jungle, and love keeping Maia cooped up inside. Her uncle collects glass eyes, her aunt has a desperate fear of insects, and her cousins, twin girls whom Maia had hoped would be her friends, are quite nasty and rude to her. If it weren’t for her governess, Minty, and the other friends she makes in Brazil, Maia would have a miserable time. When she meets a boy named Fin, Maia finds the adventure she was seeking, and it changes her life forever.
-Ms. McConnel
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The blog features book reviews written by the students and staff of WFRMS.
Blog Archive
Check out these great summer reads!
Budhos, Marina. Ask Me No Questions
Nadira and her family are living the secret lives of illegal imigrants in New York, but they cannot stay hidden forever.
Cofer, Judith Ortiz. An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio
This short story collection addresses many realistic and difficult situations young Hispanic immigrants face in the USA.
Hidier, Tanuja Desai. Born Confused.
Born in India but raised in the USA, Dimple feels like she doesn't fit in with either culture: in fact, she is convinced she doesn't fit in anywhere.
Johnson, Angela. Heaven
14-year-old Marley's life spins out of control when she learns that her family has been lying to her about everything, including her identity.
Kadohata, Cynthia. Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam
A young soldier in Vietnam bonds with his bomb-sniffing dog.
Korman, Gordon. Schooled
Cap lives in isolation with his grandmother, a former hippie; but when she falls from a tree and breaks a hip, Cap is sent to a foster home where he has his first experience in a public school.
Landy, Derek. Skulduggery Pleasant (series)
Skulduggery Pleasant a dead, wise-cracking, detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks for the greater good, and darkly talented twelve-year old, Stephanie Edgely, work
together to save the world from the likes of the horrible Grotesquery - an unkillable monster assembled from the most fearsome beasts of legend.
Lupica, Mike. Travel Team
After he is cut from his travel basketball team--the very same team that his father once led to prominence--twelve-year-old Danny Walker forms his own team of cast-offs that might have a shot at victory.
Patterson, James. Maximum Ride (series)
Six unique kids are on the run, and their leader, Max, is supposed to save the world.
Sacher, Louis. Small Steps
In this companion book to the well-loved Holes, Armpit is finally released from Camp Greenlake and trying to stay out of trouble, until X-Ray comes back into his life.
Shan, Darren. Cirque du Freak (series)
Two boys who are best friends visit an illegal freak show, where an encounter with a vampire and a deadly spider forces them to make life-changing choices. (Start with book one.)
Yee, Lisa. Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time
After flunking sixth-grade English, basketball prodigy Stanford Wong must struggle to pass his summer school class, keep his failure from his friends, and satisfy his academically demanding father.
Nadira and her family are living the secret lives of illegal imigrants in New York, but they cannot stay hidden forever.
Cofer, Judith Ortiz. An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio
This short story collection addresses many realistic and difficult situations young Hispanic immigrants face in the USA.
Hidier, Tanuja Desai. Born Confused.
Born in India but raised in the USA, Dimple feels like she doesn't fit in with either culture: in fact, she is convinced she doesn't fit in anywhere.
Johnson, Angela. Heaven
14-year-old Marley's life spins out of control when she learns that her family has been lying to her about everything, including her identity.
Kadohata, Cynthia. Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam
A young soldier in Vietnam bonds with his bomb-sniffing dog.
Korman, Gordon. Schooled
Cap lives in isolation with his grandmother, a former hippie; but when she falls from a tree and breaks a hip, Cap is sent to a foster home where he has his first experience in a public school.
Landy, Derek. Skulduggery Pleasant (series)
Skulduggery Pleasant a dead, wise-cracking, detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks for the greater good, and darkly talented twelve-year old, Stephanie Edgely, work
together to save the world from the likes of the horrible Grotesquery - an unkillable monster assembled from the most fearsome beasts of legend.
Lupica, Mike. Travel Team
After he is cut from his travel basketball team--the very same team that his father once led to prominence--twelve-year-old Danny Walker forms his own team of cast-offs that might have a shot at victory.
Patterson, James. Maximum Ride (series)
Six unique kids are on the run, and their leader, Max, is supposed to save the world.
Sacher, Louis. Small Steps
In this companion book to the well-loved Holes, Armpit is finally released from Camp Greenlake and trying to stay out of trouble, until X-Ray comes back into his life.
Shan, Darren. Cirque du Freak (series)
Two boys who are best friends visit an illegal freak show, where an encounter with a vampire and a deadly spider forces them to make life-changing choices. (Start with book one.)
Yee, Lisa. Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time
After flunking sixth-grade English, basketball prodigy Stanford Wong must struggle to pass his summer school class, keep his failure from his friends, and satisfy his academically demanding father.
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Important dates
- June 10th: Last day of school
- July 4th: Independence Day
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This blog is maintained by Ms. McConnel, one of the media specialists at WFRMS. The goal of this blog is to provide WFRMS students and parents with a digital resource to guide student book selection. Students and staff may submit book reviews, as well. Most of the titles mentioned here are available at the WFRMS media center, so if you see something that interests you, come in and check it out!