two of them qualify for uppity literary…
“open” – great biography – story of andre agassi – just told in a compelling way – i’m not a huge tennis person, but there were lots of lessons in the book that make it great for gifted
“running full tilt” – new YA title – and it involves a track and xc season so you know i’d push for it – i think most kids would enjoy it – even new to running – definitely recommendable
“run with me” – new YA non-fiction – sonya richards-ross – great track star – great story as well – her peaks and valleys – and the strategy she’s used to overcome – very recommendable
“pride and prejudice – liked it much better than i did in high school – i remembered far more than i figured i would – the question now is whether or not i read the zombie spin-off – i’m not sure i loved it that much
“the handmaid’s tale – i tried – i really did – to read my feminist sci-fi warning of today’s world – i failed totally in my attempt to appreciate it – again, i tried – but not my cup of tea – at all:)
j
Review of Masterminds: Criminal Destiny By:Dawson Miskelly
The book I read was Masterminds:Criminal Destiny By Gordon Korman. It was about how the four main characters Eli, Malik, Tori, and Amber after the escaped from their homes because it was all fake. It was an experiment. In the book the characters break laws to survive. But are running from the police of their old town which are called purple people eaters. They are running all over the country trying to escape them through the whole book.
What makes this book so interesting is that it swaps characters every chapter. You get to see how each character feels about certain situations. This is cool because one character is up tight and the other is more loose. So you get to see both sides off it. I think this brings something to the book that lots of other books don’t have. This is unique. Plus the plot is very interesting in this book. For example someone died and the characters don’t take it very well. It gives that extra boost to the story that put it over the top.
This story is more of a action than the previous book which was a mystery. It gives new life and does not repeat that pattern like most books do. I think it kind of smart to try something new with stories to keep audiences entertained.
I highly recommend this book I think everybody should read it it was a fantastic book. I am just got to high recommendations for this book. You need to read it.
Review of Masterminds: Criminal Destiny By:Dawson Miskelly
The book I read was Masterminds:Criminal Destiny By Gordon Korman. It was about how the four main characters Eli, Malik, Tori, and Amber after the escaped from their homes because it was all fake. It was an experiment. In the book the characters break laws to survive. But are running from the police of their old town which are called purple people eaters. They are running all over the country trying to escape them through the whole book.
What makes this book so interesting is that it swaps characters every chapter. You get to see how each character feels about certain situations. This is cool because one character is up tight and the other is more loose. So you get to see both sides off it. I think this brings something to the book that lots of other books don’t have. This is unique. Plus the plot is very interesting in this book. For example someone died and the characters don’t take it very well. It gives that extra lift to the story that put it over the top.
This story is more of a action than the previous book which was a mystery. It gives new life and does not repeat that pattern like most books do. I think it kind of smart to try something new with stories to keep audiences entertained.
I highly recommend this book I think everybody should read it it was a fantastic book. I am just got to high recommendations for this book. You need to read it.
Runaway Book Review
Runaway is that book that will grab your attention from page one. This book is so inspiring and reminded how many things we take for granted everyday. The main character in the book (Holly) lives an awful life until something amazing happens which changes her view on how life is. There isn’t a page that you turn on and say “this book is boring and I’m tired of reading it”. Every journal entry you read will have you feeling sorry for her and you will want to keep reading. Holly shows you how hard her life is through the use of setting, tone, and her point of view.
Holly starts out with her being in her mom’s van which was her “home”. It was so sad when you realize that her first few years of childhood were spent living in a van. Holly never had an actual home growing up. Then the setting changes to Holly being at school and disliking her teacher a lot. Holly is so upset about how her life is going that she gets really mad at her teacher (Ms. Leone) when she tries to help Holly. Holly goes from being at school to a new house with her foster parents. Holly’s foster parents treat her horribly and she runs away. Holly’s destination is California. She starts out across the country from California and she rides in the underneath compartment of a Greyhound bus, a potato compartment on a train, and the bus to get to the ocean. Holly’s only wish was to be where the ocean was. Holly finally made it to the ocean, but then she realized she wanted more than just the ocean. She wanted a family. At the end of the book she finally finds a few nice older people to live with. Holly’s last place was at an actual home.
Holly felt just like a normal kid when she was younger because she didn’t know a different life beyond living in a van. She realizes a few years later that she never had a childhood like the other kids. Holly never cared about where or what she lived in because her mom was always most important. Holly’s mom died because of an overdose and she had to move in with foster parents. Holly hated them from the time she first saw them because she knew they were bad people. They showed the social worker a pretty bedroom, but that was not where Holly would get to sleep. Holly was only ever allowed to sleep in the laundry room on a blanket. No soft and warm bed, no edible food, and most of all, no one that loved her. Holly realizes that although in the beginning she thinks that she doesn’t need or care about being loved, in the end she thinks differently. She starts to care about the people who start caring about her.
Holly’s point of view about her life is bad. Her mother and father both died and she had to go live with foster parents. Her foster parents did horrible things to her like made her sleep in a tiny room on the floor, pulled her by her hair, and even almost killed her. Holly hated them a lot. They never fed her food that was edible. Holly inspires young adults to not give up hope. She had hope that got her all the way to California. Through her journal entries which are her point of views, she shows us that life can be very hard and you may want to give up, but keep going. At the end of the dark tunnel, there is light and a better life. Holly’s point of view changes drastically the beginning of her journal entries to the end. Holly finds two people who actually love her and care for her which make her change being so negative to being positive. Those people give Holly all that she needs. Holly thinks life is amazing and she thanks her teacher that gave her the journal and the two people that care for her during her roughest times.
Setting, tone, and point of view are used to show you how hard Holly’s life is. There are many times in the book where you will feel terrible for Holly and want to help her even though she is a fictional character. You will feel very sad at the beginning of the book, but towards the end you will feel happy for her and be glad that someone nice and caring finally took her in and helped her. This book shows how there are still king people in the world. Those people decided to do something meaningful by taking in Holly and helping her through her suffering. Runaway shows the heartache that Holly goes through and her trip she goes on to get freedom. I loved that book and how Holly gets the freedom and kindness she needed. I recommend young adults reading this to help them realize that there is kindness in the world and they will always get through whatever they are going through. There is light at the end of a dark tunnel and Holly will make you realize that.
Runaway Book Review
Runaway is that book that will grab your attention from page one. This book is so inspiring and reminded how many things we take for granted everyday. The main character in the book (Holly) lives an awful life until something amazing happens which changes her view on how life is. There isn’t a page that you turn on and say “this book is boring and I’m tired of reading it”. Every journal entry you read will have you feeling sorry for her and you will want to keep reading. Holly shows you how hard her life is through the use of setting, tone, and her point of view.
Holly starts out with her being in her mom’s van which was her “home”. It was so sad when you realize that her first few years of childhood were spent living in a van. Holly never had an actual home growing up. Then the setting changes to Holly being at school and disliking her teacher a lot. Holly is so upset about how her life is going that she gets really mad at her teacher (Ms. Leone) when she tries to help Holly. Holly goes from being at school to a new house with her foster parents. Holly’s foster parents treat her horribly and she runs away. Holly’s destination is California. She starts out across the country from California and she rides in the underneath compartment of a Greyhound bus, a potato compartment on a train, and the bus to get to the ocean. Holly’s only wish was to be where the ocean was. Holly finally made it to the ocean, but then she realized she wanted more than just the ocean. She wanted a family. At the end of the book she finally finds a few nice older people to live with. Holly’s last place was at an actual home.
Holly felt just like a normal kid when she was younger because she didn’t know a different life beyond living in a van. She realizes a few years later that she never had a childhood like the other kids. Holly never cared about where or what she lived in because her mom was always most important. Holly’s mom died because of an overdose and she had to move in with foster parents. Holly hated them from the time she first saw them because she knew they were bad people. They showed the social worker a pretty bedroom, but that was not where Holly would get to sleep. Holly was only ever allowed to sleep in the laundry room on a blanket. No soft and warm bed, no edible food, and most of all, no one that loved her. Holly realizes that although in the beginning she thinks that she doesn’t need or care about being loved, in the end she thinks differently. She starts to care about the people who start caring about her.
Holly’s point of view about her life is bad. Her mother and father both died and she had to go live with foster parents. Her foster parents did horrible things to her like made her sleep in a tiny room on the floor, pulled her by her hair, and even almost killed her. Holly hated them a lot. They never fed her food that was edible. Holly inspires young adults to not give up hope. She had hope that got her all the way to California. Through her journal entries which are her point of views, she shows us that life can be very hard and you may want to give up, but keep going. At the end of the dark tunnel, there is light and a better life. Holly’s point of view changes drastically the beginning of her journal entries to the end. Holly finds two people who actually love her and care for her which make her change being so negative to being positive. Those people give Holly all that she needs. Holly thinks life is amazing and she thanks her teacher that gave her the journal and the two people that care for her during her roughest times.
Setting, tone, and point of view are used to show you how hard Holly’s life is. There are many times in the book where you will feel terrible for Holly and want to help her even though she is a fictional character. You will feel very sad at the beginning of the book, but towards the end you will feel happy for her and be glad that someone nice and caring finally took her in and helped her. This book shows how there are still king people in the world. Those people decided to do something meaningful by taking in Holly and helping her through her suffering. Runaway shows the heartache that Holly goes through and her trip she goes on to get freedom. I loved that book and how Holly gets the freedom and kindness she needed. I recommend young adults reading this to help them realize that there is kindness in the world and they will always get through whatever they are going through. There is light at the end of a dark tunnel and Holly will make you realize that.
A Yellow Watermelon Book Review
Ella Russell
Ted M. Dunagan, who grew up in Alabama, is an author of multiple books. He wrote the novel called, A Yellow Watermelon. After the publication of this book, he wrote sequels to it. Even though this book was raved enough for Dunagan to be allowed to publish sequels, I found that this book should have never been published. This horrendous book was very boring, supported crime, and showed bad examples.
The creativeness put in this book was very limited, which caused it to be extremely boring. For example, the name of the main character is Ted, but his sibling’s names are Fred and Ned. The creativity put in this is nearly invisible, which causes the reader to be bored. Not only that, but the book’s main character led a boring life. In the novel, it said, “I had seven more Grit papers to sell. I remember being so excited back when I received my first fifteen papers along with a canvas bag to carry them.” A modern person wouldn’t be excited about selling newspapers because that was the modern thing to do then. But as it is 2017, the modern reader would be bored because spending a Saturday afternoon selling papers is not appealing to do nowadays. The boringness of the book would cause the readers to have trouble focusing to it and enjoying it.
Not only is the novel boring, but it also supports crime. In the book, Ted says, “‘First we’re gonna go through the woods to my Uncle Bud’s house and steal a chicken.’” This shows that Ted was going to steal from his Uncle Bud. Ted didn’t get in any trouble for his bad act which proves that the author was encouraging that it is okay to rob someone, even if they are a loved one or family. One of the characters, Poudlum, stated, “‘We gon’ steal a cow.’” This quote from the book tells that this character knew he and his friends were doing a crime by saying the word, steal. For Poudlum’s family to keep the cow showed a bad lesson especially since he wasn’t caught for stealing. If the reader is being taught that crime is okay to do, it could influence the reader into doing a crime because they would believe they could get away with it.
Although this book showed support of crime and boringness, it also showed bad examples. I know this because in the book, it stated, “‘Hey, Uncle Curvin, you hear about the preacher being drunk today?’” When this was said, Sunday church was just let out because the pastor was giving a sermon drunk. This does not set a good example for the people who went to church, and does not leave any better example for the readers as pastors should not be drunk. The novel also stated, “‘I don’t want nobody messing with them darkies on the other side of the field.’” This quote shows a bad example by pushing the white workers towards segregation. If the characters in a book can influence other characters, it has a good chance of influencing the readers.
A Yellow Watermelon is proven to be boring, a supporter of crime, and a bad example. Although this book had many horrible qualities, it showed a great representation of unity through a community. The yellow watermelon was used as a way for two families to come together and be close. This book has achieved to show friendship to everyone and show equality. But overall, I recommend this book to be used only as wood fuel and it should never be read.
Runaway is that book that will grab your attention from page one. This book is so inspiring and reminded how many things we take for granted everyday. The main character in the book (Holly) lives an awful life until something amazing happens which changes her view on how life is. There isn’t a page that you turn on and say “this book is boring and I’m tired of reading it”. Every journal entry you read will have you feeling sorry for her and you will want to keep reading. Holly shows you how hard her life is through the use of setting, tone, and her point of view.
Holly starts out with her being in her mom’s van which was her “home”. It was so sad when you realize that her first few years of childhood were spent living in a van. Holly never had an actual home growing up. Then the setting changes to Holly being at school and disliking her teacher a lot. Holly is so upset about how her life is going that she gets really mad at her teacher (Ms. Leone) when she tries to help Holly. Holly goes from being at school to a new house with her foster parents. Holly’s foster parents treat her horribly and she runs away. Holly’s destination is California. She starts out across the country from California and she rides in the underneath compartment of a Greyhound bus, a potato compartment on a train, and the bus to get to the ocean. Holly’s only wish was to be where the ocean was. Holly finally made it to the ocean, but then she realized she wanted more than just the ocean. She wanted a family. At the end of the book she finally finds a few nice older people to live with. Holly’s last place was at an actual home.
Holly felt just like a normal kid when she was younger because she didn’t know a different life beyond living in a van. She realizes a few years later that she never had a childhood like the other kids. Holly never cared about where or what she lived in because her mom was always most important. Holly’s mom died because of an overdose and she had to move in with foster parents. Holly hated them from the time she first saw them because she knew they were bad people. They showed the social worker a pretty bedroom, but that was not where Holly would get to sleep. Holly was only ever allowed to sleep in the laundry room on a blanket. No soft and warm bed, no edible food, and most of all, no one that loved her. Holly realizes that although in the beginning she thinks that she doesn’t need or care about being loved, in the end she thinks differently. She starts to care about the people who start caring about her.
Holly’s point of view about her life is bad. Her mother and father both died and she had to go live with foster parents. Her foster parents did horrible things to her like made her sleep in a tiny room on the floor, pulled her by her hair, and even almost killed her. Holly hated them a lot. They never fed her food that was edible. Holly inspires young adults to not give up hope. She had hope that got her all the way to California. Through her journal entries which are her point of views, she shows us that life can be very hard and you may want to give up, but keep going. At the end of the dark tunnel, there is light and a better life. Holly’s point of view changes drastically the beginning of her journal entries to the end. Holly finds two people who actually love her and care for her which make her change being so negative to being positive. Those people give Holly all that she needs. Holly thinks life is amazing and she thanks her teacher that gave her the journal and the two people that care for her during her roughest times.
Setting, tone, and point of view are used to show you how hard Holly’s life is. There are many times in the book where you will feel terrible for Holly and want to help her even though she is a fictional character. You will feel very sad at the beginning of the book, but towards the end you will feel happy for her and be glad that someone nice and caring finally took her in and helped her. This book shows how there are still king people in the world. Those people decided to do something meaningful by taking in Holly and helping her through her suffering. Runaway shows the heartache that Holly goes through and her trip she goes on to get freedom. I loved that book and how Holly gets the freedom and kindness she needed. I recommend young adults reading this to help them realize that there is kindness in the world and they will always get through whatever they are going through. There is light at the end of a dark tunnel and Holly will make you realize that.