May Bird and the Ever After
By:Jodi Lynn Anderson
Ghosts, darkness, dead people, scary creatures! If you enjoy those things in stories, then May Bird is a great story for you to read. This story is about a girl named May Ellen, who lives near the woods.May is consider the ''weird'' girl at school so her only friend is a hairless cat named Somber Kitty. Her cat acts like a guardian to her. May enjoys the woods. It makes her feel free.One day though May finds a letter and a map in the woods. The letter is calling for her help to go to the lake. May looks for the lake and one day falls in. After May falls into the lake, the journey and adventure begins.Join May and her cat in this story, and see if May is able to get out before she becomes a ghost! If you can not handle scary books, then this may not be good for you.
-A. Houston
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Small Steps
Small Steps
by Louis Sachar
This is the companion book to "Holes". This book is about Armpit trying to stay out of trouble after being released from Camp Green Lake. Because he wants to make some money, he teams up with X-Ray, a friend from camp, to buy some tickets and scalp them. At the concert, Armpit finds out that the tickets weren't real, and they are about to get in major trouble. Also in this book, Armpit creates a really good relationship with a little girl who lives in his neighborhood. This relationship helps him stay out of trouble, because he wants to be a good role model.
I think this is a really good book because of the relationship between Armpit and the little girl. I myself think this book is even better than "Holes", but less people know about "Small Steps".
-L. Conyers
by Louis Sachar
This is the companion book to "Holes". This book is about Armpit trying to stay out of trouble after being released from Camp Green Lake. Because he wants to make some money, he teams up with X-Ray, a friend from camp, to buy some tickets and scalp them. At the concert, Armpit finds out that the tickets weren't real, and they are about to get in major trouble. Also in this book, Armpit creates a really good relationship with a little girl who lives in his neighborhood. This relationship helps him stay out of trouble, because he wants to be a good role model.
I think this is a really good book because of the relationship between Armpit and the little girl. I myself think this book is even better than "Holes", but less people know about "Small Steps".
-L. Conyers
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Holes
Holes
by Louis Sachar
"Holes" is about a boy who gets sent to a camp in the desert for punishment. His job there is to dig holes all day. There is a secret mystery there that the owners of the camp want to find. Along the way, Stanley makes lots of new friends. Plus, he helps solve the mystery of Camp Green Lake. This camp is located in the Texas desert, and Stanley soon gets along with everybody there and has lots of friends.
I think his is a good book because it has a mystery, and you have to keep reading to figure it out!
-L. Conyers
"Holes" is about a boy named Stanley Yelnats the IV. He is sent to Camp Green Lake, but it is not really a camp. It is really a juvenile facility where kids that made mistakes have to dig a five foot deep hole every day. Stanley got sent there because this pair of shoes fell and hit him in the head. He picked them up and started walking with them. The cops saw him and chased him down. The shoes were from a famous baseball player, who had donated them to the homeless shelter, where they had been stolen. The kid who actually took them was sent to Camp Green Lake too, but for another crime. The boys went through a lot, and eventually Stanley and Zero (the other boy) ran away. In the end they find something important.
You will have to read it to find out what they find! This book is good, it shows that things are sometimes meant to be.
-D. Smith
by Louis Sachar
"Holes" is about a boy who gets sent to a camp in the desert for punishment. His job there is to dig holes all day. There is a secret mystery there that the owners of the camp want to find. Along the way, Stanley makes lots of new friends. Plus, he helps solve the mystery of Camp Green Lake. This camp is located in the Texas desert, and Stanley soon gets along with everybody there and has lots of friends.
I think his is a good book because it has a mystery, and you have to keep reading to figure it out!
-L. Conyers
"Holes" is about a boy named Stanley Yelnats the IV. He is sent to Camp Green Lake, but it is not really a camp. It is really a juvenile facility where kids that made mistakes have to dig a five foot deep hole every day. Stanley got sent there because this pair of shoes fell and hit him in the head. He picked them up and started walking with them. The cops saw him and chased him down. The shoes were from a famous baseball player, who had donated them to the homeless shelter, where they had been stolen. The kid who actually took them was sent to Camp Green Lake too, but for another crime. The boys went through a lot, and eventually Stanley and Zero (the other boy) ran away. In the end they find something important.
You will have to read it to find out what they find! This book is good, it shows that things are sometimes meant to be.
-D. Smith
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Coraline
Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
Coraline is a very active and curious girl. She just moved into a new home with her mother and father, and she already doesn't like it. Her neighbor upstairs is a weird man who is obsessed with his pet rats. Although she does enjoy being at her other neighbors' home, Miss Forcible and Miss Spink. They are old women who always talk about the days when they were young actresses on the go. Even though Coraline loves spending time with them, she can't always go to their house. So in her spare time she explores outside and watches T.V. Now, Coraline isn't fond of doing this every day and tries to find other things to do in her free time. She isn't in school yet so there is nothing else to do, and her parents are always busy and telling her to go play. So one day Coraline finds a secret door in the spare bedroom and asks her mom about it. Her mom said she didn't know much about the house but she gave Coraline the key to the secret door. When her mom is out grocery shopping and her dad is working she opens the secret door. There in the door is a mirror image of her world, but much better. There's a cat there that leads her through an adventure as she finds out that this amazing world is all a set up. She has to now fight her way back into the real world.
This book is amazing because it has a lot of adventure that will knock your socks off.
-M. Colon
by Neil Gaiman
Coraline is a very active and curious girl. She just moved into a new home with her mother and father, and she already doesn't like it. Her neighbor upstairs is a weird man who is obsessed with his pet rats. Although she does enjoy being at her other neighbors' home, Miss Forcible and Miss Spink. They are old women who always talk about the days when they were young actresses on the go. Even though Coraline loves spending time with them, she can't always go to their house. So in her spare time she explores outside and watches T.V. Now, Coraline isn't fond of doing this every day and tries to find other things to do in her free time. She isn't in school yet so there is nothing else to do, and her parents are always busy and telling her to go play. So one day Coraline finds a secret door in the spare bedroom and asks her mom about it. Her mom said she didn't know much about the house but she gave Coraline the key to the secret door. When her mom is out grocery shopping and her dad is working she opens the secret door. There in the door is a mirror image of her world, but much better. There's a cat there that leads her through an adventure as she finds out that this amazing world is all a set up. She has to now fight her way back into the real world.
This book is amazing because it has a lot of adventure that will knock your socks off.
-M. Colon
Monday, March 23, 2009
Goosebumps: A Night in Terror Tower
A Night in Terror Tower
by R.L. Stine
Two kids named Eddie and Sue are on a trip to London. The kids are on a tour while their parents are at a meeting at their hotel. The kids are in a tour at Terror Tower, which used to be used for executions. The kids find it really familiar. When they meet a black man with a cape who tells them to follow him, it is revealed that he is a Lord High Executioner of the Tower.
This book is awesome because it has horror and fiction in it. People should read it. I would rate this book a 10 out of 10. This book also talks about history and what life was like back in the 1700's.
-C. Smith
by R.L. Stine
Two kids named Eddie and Sue are on a trip to London. The kids are on a tour while their parents are at a meeting at their hotel. The kids are in a tour at Terror Tower, which used to be used for executions. The kids find it really familiar. When they meet a black man with a cape who tells them to follow him, it is revealed that he is a Lord High Executioner of the Tower.
This book is awesome because it has horror and fiction in it. People should read it. I would rate this book a 10 out of 10. This book also talks about history and what life was like back in the 1700's.
-C. Smith
Friday, March 20, 2009
Killing Mr. Griffin
Killing Mr. Griffin
by Lois Duncan
Brian Griffin is a strict and proper high school English teacher who never accepts late homework and is extremely tough on students, and gives projects every two days. His students want revenge, so a group of them decides to kidnap him. Mark Kinney is the most often singled out by Mr. Griffin, for example, when Mark does not seem to be listening, Mr. Griffin asks an unrelated question that no one in the class knows to test Mark and see if he notices this. Mark lives with his aunt and uncle. He and his friends, David ,president of the high school's senior class, Jeff ,a basketball player, and Betsy ,the head cheerleader decide to kidnap Mr. Griffin as a prank to scare the teacher and "teach him a lesson."
Susan McConnell, one of the students involved in the kidnapping plan, acting as the decoy, is a good student in Mr. Griffin's class. She walks with him to the school parking lot, where Mark, David, and Jeff kidnap Griffin. They drive him to a secret place in the mountains. Mark wants Mr. Griffin to beg them for his freedom, as Mark had to beg to be able to retake Mr. Griffin's class when he was caught plagiarizing his term paper, but Mr. Griffin refuses, so Mark abandons him there, blindfolded and bound. When Susan and David return to check up on Mr. Griffin, they fine something much unexpected. Secrets are revealed and stories are unfolded and by the in of the story you find out who or what KILLED MR GRIFFITH.
-M. Jefferson
by Lois Duncan
Brian Griffin is a strict and proper high school English teacher who never accepts late homework and is extremely tough on students, and gives projects every two days. His students want revenge, so a group of them decides to kidnap him. Mark Kinney is the most often singled out by Mr. Griffin, for example, when Mark does not seem to be listening, Mr. Griffin asks an unrelated question that no one in the class knows to test Mark and see if he notices this. Mark lives with his aunt and uncle. He and his friends, David ,president of the high school's senior class, Jeff ,a basketball player, and Betsy ,the head cheerleader decide to kidnap Mr. Griffin as a prank to scare the teacher and "teach him a lesson."
Susan McConnell, one of the students involved in the kidnapping plan, acting as the decoy, is a good student in Mr. Griffin's class. She walks with him to the school parking lot, where Mark, David, and Jeff kidnap Griffin. They drive him to a secret place in the mountains. Mark wants Mr. Griffin to beg them for his freedom, as Mark had to beg to be able to retake Mr. Griffin's class when he was caught plagiarizing his term paper, but Mr. Griffin refuses, so Mark abandons him there, blindfolded and bound. When Susan and David return to check up on Mr. Griffin, they fine something much unexpected. Secrets are revealed and stories are unfolded and by the in of the story you find out who or what KILLED MR GRIFFITH.
-M. Jefferson
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
Nobody Owens has grown up in a graveyard. His family was murdered brutally when he was just a baby, but through luck and the interference of some kindly ghosts, Nobody was adopted by the graveyard community. His childhood is unusual to say the least: the only person alive among hundreds of dead souls, Nobody is well educated in history but misses out on simple things like companions of his own age and time period.
Nobody can not remain safe and hidden in the graveyard forever, but the man who assassinated his family is still out there, hunting Nobody. Will the protection of the ghosts and the graveyard be enough, or will Nobody face the murderer before he has a chance to grow up?
This book is a chilling fantasy with well-developed characters. It is the 2008 Newberry Award Winner.
-Ms. McConnel
This book is about a child that is raised by ghosts. There is a murderer after him that killed his family. The child grows up trying to be a ghost. He learns how to fade and has never met a living person until he's six. His teacher helps him understand that he is not an ordinary boy. This book is great for readers who like ghosts or mystery.
-C. McCoy
by Neil Gaiman
Nobody Owens has grown up in a graveyard. His family was murdered brutally when he was just a baby, but through luck and the interference of some kindly ghosts, Nobody was adopted by the graveyard community. His childhood is unusual to say the least: the only person alive among hundreds of dead souls, Nobody is well educated in history but misses out on simple things like companions of his own age and time period.
Nobody can not remain safe and hidden in the graveyard forever, but the man who assassinated his family is still out there, hunting Nobody. Will the protection of the ghosts and the graveyard be enough, or will Nobody face the murderer before he has a chance to grow up?
This book is a chilling fantasy with well-developed characters. It is the 2008 Newberry Award Winner.
-Ms. McConnel
This book is about a child that is raised by ghosts. There is a murderer after him that killed his family. The child grows up trying to be a ghost. He learns how to fade and has never met a living person until he's six. His teacher helps him understand that he is not an ordinary boy. This book is great for readers who like ghosts or mystery.
-C. McCoy
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn
The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn
by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
Seikei believes he has the heart of a Samurai warrior, but he will never be able to fight as one. In ancient Japan, you knew that the only job you would be able to do is that of your parents, and Seikei is the son of a merchant. But then, one night changes Seikei's destiny forever.
After witnessing a ghostly crime, Seikei is employed by a retired Samurai to hunt down the thief and solve the case. Drawn into a world where nothing is as it seems, Seikei solves the crime but loses a valuable friend and mentor. Seikei also realizes that good and evil are not always clearly defined, and that sometimes a criminal can be more noble than a Samurai.
This is a wonderful mystery story with a very surprising ending.
by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
Seikei believes he has the heart of a Samurai warrior, but he will never be able to fight as one. In ancient Japan, you knew that the only job you would be able to do is that of your parents, and Seikei is the son of a merchant. But then, one night changes Seikei's destiny forever.
After witnessing a ghostly crime, Seikei is employed by a retired Samurai to hunt down the thief and solve the case. Drawn into a world where nothing is as it seems, Seikei solves the crime but loses a valuable friend and mentor. Seikei also realizes that good and evil are not always clearly defined, and that sometimes a criminal can be more noble than a Samurai.
This is a wonderful mystery story with a very surprising ending.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm
by Nancy Farmer
It is the year 2196. The technology of Zimbabwe has become very advanced: hover cars are the main for of transportation, and creatures like speaking monkeys run wild in the streets. This novel focuses on the three kidnapped children of a major military officer and their adventures, dangerous encounters, and near escapes.
The detectives who have been hired to bring the children home are the Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. Each of these men have been genetically mutated and posses superhuman traits: the Ear has amazing hearing, the Eye can see at far distances, and the Arm can feel the emotions of the people around him as if they are his own.
The three detectives make an almost unstoppable team, and you will stay on the edge of your seat waiting for the children to be rescued. This book focuses on adventure and mystery, with just a touch of science fiction elements.
-Ms. McConnel
by Nancy Farmer
It is the year 2196. The technology of Zimbabwe has become very advanced: hover cars are the main for of transportation, and creatures like speaking monkeys run wild in the streets. This novel focuses on the three kidnapped children of a major military officer and their adventures, dangerous encounters, and near escapes.
The detectives who have been hired to bring the children home are the Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. Each of these men have been genetically mutated and posses superhuman traits: the Ear has amazing hearing, the Eye can see at far distances, and the Arm can feel the emotions of the people around him as if they are his own.
The three detectives make an almost unstoppable team, and you will stay on the edge of your seat waiting for the children to be rescued. This book focuses on adventure and mystery, with just a touch of science fiction elements.
-Ms. McConnel
Friday, January 23, 2009
Lights Out: Terror Academy
Lights Out: Terror Academy
by Nicholas Pine
It's the end of the junior year for Mandy Roberts at Central Academy. Her father is the guidance couselor at the school. While at the graduation ceremony for the senior class there is a terrible accident and Mandy's father dies.
With the help of her best friends, Steve and Tara, Mandy investigates her father's death herself.
Central Academy gets a new and strange assistant principal that takes interest in Mandy's mom. They get engaged, and Mandy is very upset and suspicious of this man. Mandy and her friends do lots of investigating and find out many bad things about the assistant principal. Mandy and her mom find themselves in danger!
"Lights Out" is the first book in the Terror Academy series by Nicholas Pine.
-N. Heilman
by Nicholas Pine
It's the end of the junior year for Mandy Roberts at Central Academy. Her father is the guidance couselor at the school. While at the graduation ceremony for the senior class there is a terrible accident and Mandy's father dies.
With the help of her best friends, Steve and Tara, Mandy investigates her father's death herself.
Central Academy gets a new and strange assistant principal that takes interest in Mandy's mom. They get engaged, and Mandy is very upset and suspicious of this man. Mandy and her friends do lots of investigating and find out many bad things about the assistant principal. Mandy and her mom find themselves in danger!
"Lights Out" is the first book in the Terror Academy series by Nicholas Pine.
-N. Heilman
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Egypt Game
The Egypt Game
By Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Moving to a new town is never easy, but for April, who’s used to Hollywood, moving to live with her grandmother in a small apartment is a rough transition. April’s just waiting for her mother to send for her, once she gets her big break into the movies. In the meantime, April sticks out like a sore thumb at school: she wears big false eyelashes, and has a wild imagination. When April meets Melanie, she finds her match in imaginative powers. In a deserted old alley way, the two girls invite the Egypt Game: a world of make-believe and ancient Egyptian magic and mystery that grows increasingly real. More kids join the game, but then the unthinkable happens: a child in the neighborhood is murdered. Will one of the “Egyptians” be next? I loved this book when I was a student, and re-reading it reminded me just how exciting and suspenseful the story is!
-Ms. McConnel
By Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Moving to a new town is never easy, but for April, who’s used to Hollywood, moving to live with her grandmother in a small apartment is a rough transition. April’s just waiting for her mother to send for her, once she gets her big break into the movies. In the meantime, April sticks out like a sore thumb at school: she wears big false eyelashes, and has a wild imagination. When April meets Melanie, she finds her match in imaginative powers. In a deserted old alley way, the two girls invite the Egypt Game: a world of make-believe and ancient Egyptian magic and mystery that grows increasingly real. More kids join the game, but then the unthinkable happens: a child in the neighborhood is murdered. Will one of the “Egyptians” be next? I loved this book when I was a student, and re-reading it reminded me just how exciting and suspenseful the story is!
-Ms. McConnel
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Murder on the Orient Express
Murder on the Orient Express
By Agatha Christie
A man with many enemies is murdered in the night on a train, and the train is stuck in a snow bank. The murderer can not escape, yet the train full of witnesses swear they saw someone running away. Pieces of the crime don’t seem to fit, however, and the detective Hercule Poirot starts putting the pieces together in a way that seems to make the passengers nervous. Who is the killer? And can Poirot solve the case before the killer selects another victim?
-Ms. McConnel
By Agatha Christie
A man with many enemies is murdered in the night on a train, and the train is stuck in a snow bank. The murderer can not escape, yet the train full of witnesses swear they saw someone running away. Pieces of the crime don’t seem to fit, however, and the detective Hercule Poirot starts putting the pieces together in a way that seems to make the passengers nervous. Who is the killer? And can Poirot solve the case before the killer selects another victim?
-Ms. McConnel
The Man who was Poe
The Man who was Poe
By Avi
When Edmund mysteriously loses first his mother, then his aunt, then his sister, he finds himself thrust into the dark city streets of Providence, alone and frightened. He encounters a very strange man who seems to want to help him to recover his family. Edmund has little choice but to work with this stranger, despite his seeming insanity. Edmund realizes that he is working with the great American writer, Edgar Allen Poe, but all is not as it should be. Is Poe using Edmund to create yet another tragic mystery story for his pen, or does he genuinely want to help the boy find his family while they are still alive? Edmund must decide to accept help from the only adult willing to listen, whatever the consequences, or set out to find his family alone, facing the unknown evils of the city.
-Ms. McConnel
By Avi
When Edmund mysteriously loses first his mother, then his aunt, then his sister, he finds himself thrust into the dark city streets of Providence, alone and frightened. He encounters a very strange man who seems to want to help him to recover his family. Edmund has little choice but to work with this stranger, despite his seeming insanity. Edmund realizes that he is working with the great American writer, Edgar Allen Poe, but all is not as it should be. Is Poe using Edmund to create yet another tragic mystery story for his pen, or does he genuinely want to help the boy find his family while they are still alive? Edmund must decide to accept help from the only adult willing to listen, whatever the consequences, or set out to find his family alone, facing the unknown evils of the city.
-Ms. McConnel
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
By Avi
Charlotte Doyle, a well-to-do teenager, finds her world torn apart when her family moves from England to America. Forced to sail after her family, she finds herself the only passenger on a sailing ship with secrets in every corner. There is a stowaway, a cruel captain, and a murder…which Charlotte faces trial for! Will she make it to America, or will she be lost at sea, killed by the crazed captain and the bloodthirsty crew?
-Ms. McConnel
By Avi
Charlotte Doyle, a well-to-do teenager, finds her world torn apart when her family moves from England to America. Forced to sail after her family, she finds herself the only passenger on a sailing ship with secrets in every corner. There is a stowaway, a cruel captain, and a murder…which Charlotte faces trial for! Will she make it to America, or will she be lost at sea, killed by the crazed captain and the bloodthirsty crew?
-Ms. McConnel
The Wright 3
The Wright 3
By Blue Balliett
Petra and Calder have solved mysteries before, but they have never been in such a creepy situation as this! With the help of Tommy, who has just moved back to town, the students begin investigating some strange happenings at an old house in their neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. The town wants to destroy the house, and the children are determined to solve the mystery and save the historic landmark: but what if the wrong people find out what they are doing?
-Ms. McConnel
By Blue Balliett
Petra and Calder have solved mysteries before, but they have never been in such a creepy situation as this! With the help of Tommy, who has just moved back to town, the students begin investigating some strange happenings at an old house in their neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. The town wants to destroy the house, and the children are determined to solve the mystery and save the historic landmark: but what if the wrong people find out what they are doing?
-Ms. McConnel
Chasing Vermeer
Chasing Vermeer
By Blue Balliett
What if some of the most famous paintings in the world were frauds? An art thief tells the world just that, after stealing a priceless painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. The thief leaves a ransom note, but they aren’t asking for money: they are asking museums all over the world to look at their art work and declare which works are not actually painted by Vermeer, and are just very good frauds. Sixth graders Calder and Petra team up in Chicago, Illinois, thinking they can find the stolen painting and solve the fraud issue all at the same time. Coincidences lead them along, but this mystery may have been more than they bargained for!
-Ms. McConnel
By Blue Balliett
What if some of the most famous paintings in the world were frauds? An art thief tells the world just that, after stealing a priceless painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. The thief leaves a ransom note, but they aren’t asking for money: they are asking museums all over the world to look at their art work and declare which works are not actually painted by Vermeer, and are just very good frauds. Sixth graders Calder and Petra team up in Chicago, Illinois, thinking they can find the stolen painting and solve the fraud issue all at the same time. Coincidences lead them along, but this mystery may have been more than they bargained for!
-Ms. McConnel
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