The Maze Of Bones - 39 Clues # 1

Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Adventure
Pages: 224

Would you rather have $1,000,000 or  be the most powerful person in the history of the world? Amy, Dan and their extended family had that option. Amy and Dan chose to take the quest hoping to become the most powerful people. If they chose the million dollars and one of their evil family members got all the power, the world would be in danger. So, the two kids were off on an adventure of a lifetime starting with escaping from their deceased grandmother's mansion that someone tried to burn down and getting away from a man who was constantly spying on them. The kids find out that the first clue is where Benjamin Franklin lived so the destination is to Paris. With many obstacles in their way can they find the answer to the first clue?

I rate The Maze of Bones  3.5 out of 5  because when I started reading the book it appeared that it would be jammed pack full of action, but at times it was slow and I had expected the story to be a bit more exciting. What I did like about the book besides the action parts, is that the author had many non-fiction facts. I learnt a lot about Benjamin Franklin.

There are 11 other books in this series which are written by different authors. I have read three, but this one is the best. There is an online game. See my sidebar for a like to the game.

I recommend this book for those who enjoy action, mystery, and non-fiction.

In 2016, a movie will be released and I am eager to see it.

I Want to go Home

Author: Gordon Korman
Genre:   Humour
Pages: 184


Rudy is a pro at chess, sports, swimming and pretty much everything. He doesn't want to go away to overnight camp -  it's not his ideal summer -  but the guidance counsellors at his school suggested it as a way for him to start making friends.  At camp, he meets Mike Webster and becomes good friends with him.  They attempt many challenges to breakout from camp. But with their counsellor Chip, trying to stop them from leaving, the escape is starting to get  tough. Will they succeed in outsmarting their counsellor and leave camp for good?


I rate,  I Want to go Home 4.5 out of 5. I thought there was a lot of action in the book  and since I like action books this book was great for me! This book is also laugh out loud funny which made it very enjoyable to read. Also, at the end of each chapter there is a part about a beaver building his dam. That made me interested in beavers so I researched about them. At the end of my review are some facts about beavers. 
  
This story made me think if  Rudy was so good at playing sports, then why did he always say,  "I don't play sports."? My ideas to answer this question are:

Rudy didn't want to show off. 
He felt too much pressure on him always trying to be perfect.  
He didn't like sports. 

If you read the book, please send a comment as to why you think he would say this.

One memorable line at the end of the book is:

"Next year we won't let him in", said Chip "Next year he'll be trying to break in instead of breaking out .", said Frank.    

My recommendation is to read this book if you want action and a good laugh!

Beavers

• nocturnal
• has flaps behind ears, eyes, nose, and 2 front orange teeth for going under water.
•  Diet: Berries, tree trunks, bark, leafs. (herbivore)
• largest rodent in Canada, 2nd largest rodent in the world.
• important in Canada's history - fur trade.

  

                                                        

Matilda

Author:  Roald Dahl
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 240


Matilda Woodworm is the unloved daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Woodworm. Everyday, when four year old  Matilda's parents left for the day, she would go to the library to read books. Unlike her parents, she loved to read and was very smart. She taught herself how to read, and at a young age she was reading adult books. When Matilda was old enough, her father sent her to school. Matilda's headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, was extremely cruel to the children. And, all the kids were fearful that they would be the next victim.  Matilda's teacher, Miss Honey, was aware of Matilda's intelligence. She tried to move her into a higher grade but Miss Trunchbull refused. Very quickly,  Matilda befriended her teacher and had a great relationship with her. One day, Matilda discovered that she had powers. Could she use them to help her future and help the children at her school? 


I give Matilda 2 out of 5. There was a lot of violence in Matilda. I know that the author was trying to make the book funny by making the cruelty unbelievable; however, I didn't find it humorous. 

There is also a movie which is very similar to the book. Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman (famous married actor and actress) are in this movie. The cast also won awards and was nominated. I don't like the story but I thought the acting was done very well in the movie.  Here is the link to the trailer.

Below are some quotes from the book Matilda. 

QUOTES

1. “It's a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful.”

2.  “If you are good,  life is good.”

3.  The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.”

4.  “And don’t worry about the bits you can’t understand. Sit back and allow the words to wash around you, like music.”

5.  “All the reading she had done had given her a view of life that they had never seen. If only they would read a little Dickens or Kipling they would soon discover there was more to life than cheating people and watching television.”

 Although this is a classic and written by a famous author, I personally don't recommend this book.

Tuck Everlasting

Author: Natalie Babbitt
Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 160


Winnie Foster wants freedom from her own little "touch me not house". When  she runs off to the woods she meets a boy named Jessie Tuck who in the past accidentally drank magic spring water. When Winnie found the water and was about to drink it, Jessie stopped her and now had to reveal the secret that the Tuck family had been hiding for 87 years.  But when a man in a yellow suit appears and tries to take the magic water to sell,  what will happen to the Tuck family and how will it effect the rest of the world?


I rate Tuck Everlasting, 4.5 out of 5. I don't give tuck everlasting a 5 because it is overly descriptive which turned me off. But the story was great. It was magical, suspenseful, and romantic. It had many important themes such as death, life, choices and friendship. This book made me ponder about life and had lots of wonderful quotes. These are some of my favourites:
 
QUOTES

1.  “Don't be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don't have to live forever, you just have to live.”

 
2.   “Everything's a wheel, turning and turning, never stopping. The frogs is part of it, and the bugs, and the fish, and the wood thrush, too. And people. But never the same ones. Always coming in new, always growing and changing, and always moving on. That's the way it's supposed to be. That's the way it is.”

3.  "But dying's part of the wheel, right there next to being born. You can't pick out the pieces you like and leave the rest. Being part of the whole thing, that's the blessing."


4.   “Life's got to be lived, no matter how long or short. You got to take what comes.”
 

5.  “The first week of August hangs at the very top of the summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much colour. Often at night there is lightning, but it quivers all alone. There is no thunder, no relieving rain. These are strange and breathless days, the dog days, when people are led to do things they are sure to be sorry for after.”

There is also a movie by Walt Disney. Below is the trailer.

  

This is also a good story to build your vocabulary because it has many unfamiliar words in it. I highly recommend this book.

The Land of Stories - The Wishing Spell

 

Author:   Chris Colifer

Genre:  Fantasy

Pages:  448

On the twins twelfth birthday their grandma gave them a present. It was a fairytale book from their father's childhood. Alex and Conner eventually get sucked up into the book. To get home they must gather the items in the wishing spell and wish to get home but trouble lies ahead and it seems like someone else is trying to gather the items too. With many fairytale friends and enemies along the way, can Alex and Conner get home before time runs out and they are stuck in the book for good?

I give this book 5 out of 5. The book starts off slow but it gets A LOT better as you keep reading. It had great action and adventure and had many familiar characters such as Snow white, Cinderella and Goldilocks. I liked how the author combined all the fairy tales especially the evil queen's sad story. The reader sees the evil queen in a different perspective. A quote from the book: " A villain is just a victim whose story hasn't been told."  After reading this book, it changed my thinking of the evil queen.  I now think that she is not as evil as we once thought. And, I would change her name from the evil queen to the `mistaken queen``. Read the book and you`ll find out why!   In the classic fairytales, we don`t know much about the characters. But, this author did a great job in character development and brought the personalities of all the classic fairytale characters to life.

I recommend this to be your next book. It will be enjoyed by all ages.

Sequels:

Land of Stories - The Enchantress returns (I rate this book 6/10)

Land of Stories - A Grimm Warning (I rate this book 6/10)

Land of Stories - Beyond the Kingdoms (I will be reading this one soon)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Author      Brian Selznick
Genre:   Historical Fiction
Pages: 526




 The Invention of Hugo Caberet is about a boy who tends to all the clocks in a Paris train station,  keeping them wound and working properly. He is an orphan, a clock keeper, and a thief. Hugo lives secretly and tries to survive in the train station. When he meets a bitter old toy shop man and a bookish girl, Hugo's life and precious secrets are put in danger.


I rate this book 4 out of 5. It gives a lot of lessons about being able to accomplish what you put your mind to and has beautiful black and white charcoal pictures. I understand why it got a gold medal award. This book is  different then other books because instead of reading the story, many of the pages are told through the pictures. I personally, needed to look close and study the drawings in order to understand the whole story.

This book has been made into a movie; however, I haven't seen it yet. Below is the link to the trailer.

 

Below are three of my favourite quotes from The Invention of Hugo Cabret that I believe are very true and something to think about.  

Quote #1

“I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.” 

Quote #2

“Did you ever notice that all machines are made for some reason?" he asked Isabelle. "They are built to make you laugh, like the mouse here, or to tell the time, like clocks, or to fill you with wonder like the automaton. Maybe that's why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn't able to do what it was made to do." Isabelle picked up the mouse, wound it again, and set it down. "Maybe it's the same with people," Hugo continued. "If you lose your purpose...it's like you're broken.”

Quote # 3 


“Time can play all sorts of tricks on you. In the blink of an eye, babies appear in carriages, coffins disappear into the ground, wars are won and lost, and children transform, like butterflies, into adults.”


I recommend The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It`s a different style 
that is a great book choice!