January 18th, 2010
| |
| Tell friends about this blog entry |
|
| Author: | Tracy Kidder |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 12 and up |
| Genre: | Non-fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1990 |
My first comment on this book read: "So far I am really captivated by this book, which is interesting because I didn't really expect to like it so much..."
This feeling lasted for the entire book. The writing style pulled me in so much that the story didn't even matter, although it is really cool as well. Kidder basically shadowed a fifth grade class in a poor, rundown, public school for an entire school year and wrote about the experience.
|
He really got to know the teacher (Mrs. Zajac) and her students and so the reader really knows them by the end too. The difficulties that Mrs. Zajac encounters with teaching the kids range from students three years behind, to shyness, to racism.
Great book, I recommend it for anyone. (5 stars)
--Fizzy |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Among Schoolchildren |
Posted in Child-raising, Conceptual: highly sophisticated, Dealing with bullies, Female protagonist, Gifted, Reading level: age 12 and up, School | Comments Closed
January 10th, 2010
| |
| Tell friends about this blog entry |
|
| Author: | M.T. Anderson |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 12 and up |
| Genre: | fiction-dystopian |
This review seems like a spoiler, but it really gives nothing away, at all...
This book really got me worried about how horrible human beings are and what we're going to do to the world... It gave me a very depressing feeling while and after reading. It is set in the (near??) future, and most people are basically controlled by their "feeds" implanted directly in their brains, which are used mostly as an excuse to constantly show them thousands of advertisements. I guess the ending is supposed to be a little hopeful, in that the main character is considering fighting the feed, when he sees its awful power over humanity, but... I think hopeful is not a word that anyone can truthfully apply to this book. |
The writing style was very distracting at first, because it is VERY informal. I will explain with a quote: "I was like trying to sleep for the last few minutes of the flight, because... when we're goin hard i get real sleepy real easy, and I didn't want to be null for the unettes on the moon, at the hotel, if any of them were youch."
SO: Interesting. Very cool. Spooky. Makes you think. But definitely not cheerful. At all.
--Fizzy |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Feed |
Tags: book review, dystopia
Posted in Conceptual: highly sophisticated, Death is a central theme, Fiction, Reading level: age 12 and up, Science Fiction | Comments Closed
January 2nd, 2010
| |
| Tell friends about this blog entry |
|
| Author: | An Na |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 12 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 2003 |
I'm not sure how to rate this book, because the narration ranges from a five-year-old's perspective to that of an 18-year-old one. This is really interesting, but leaves most of the book as a very easy, lower-level read. However, this story about abuse and immigration is intense and scary. |
Yung and her family emigrated from Korea when she was five to find a better life. But her dad ended up drinking and life got very hard trying to keep their heritage while living in America...
--Fizzy |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Step From Heaven, A |
Tags: alcoholism, book review, immigration
Posted in Child-raising, Conceptual: highly sophisticated, Culture, Dealing with bullies, Death is a central theme, Female protagonist, Fiction, History, Reading level: age 12 and up, School | Comments Closed
January 1st, 2010
| |
| Tell friends about this blog entry |
|
| Author: | Kristin Cashore |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 12 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 2009 |
This is a super fast-paced, easy read, which was great since that was what I had expected. The book is about a girl, Katsa, who is "graced", gifted with a special talent that no-one else has... She basically has to save the world, and on the way lots of other exciting things happen too. |
I was very satisfied by this book, it was a fun read, and best of all, it's a stand-alone book, so I don't HAVE to go finish the series.
Note: There are some very explicit sex scenes in this book, even though the book is labeled "young readers".
-- Fizzy |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Graceling |
Posted in Conceptual: for grown ups, Culture, Female protagonist, Fiction, Gifted, Parenting gifted children, Reading level: age 12 and up | Comments Closed
December 19th, 2009
| |
| Tell friends about this blog entry |
|
| Author: | Oliver Sacks |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Sophisticated readers |
| Genre: | Non-fiction: Science |
| Year of publication: | 1998 |
My daughter and I listened to Dr. Sacks' narration of this book on audio tape. Listening to his quirky voice and sophisticated vocabulary requires intense concentration, but is well worth it.
My daughter was engrossed by the topics discussed, and inspired by the author himself. At one point, Sacks riffs on the wonders of the Paleozoic cycad forests, and my daughter, with love and admiration, exclaimed, "My but aren't WE a nerd?" (Acknowledging in the intonation of that sentence that she is one too.)
Here is her rather informally written review: |
The title of this book is a little misleading, because it doesn't only discuss colorblindness. The book is really a collection of three adventures that Oliver Sacks has had.
It is pretty cool, to me at least, because he discusses different islands that have not yet been modernized and upon which plants have been allowed to keep evolving at their own pace.
Sacks uses many science-y words, and I think I would have been a little bit overwhelmed by them all if I hadn't been listening to his stories as an audiobook, but the big words aren't really the point...
Anyways, super cool, with descriptions of really enchanting, science-y, yet mysterious places.
|
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Island of the Colorblind, The |
Tags: book review, history of science, medicine
Posted in Conceptual: highly sophisticated, Gifted, Reading level: Sophisticated reader, Science | Comments Closed
December 1st, 2009
| |
| Tell friends about this blog entry |
|
| Author: | Jodi Picoult |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 12 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 2004 |
I am not very satisfied with the ending to this book. The whole thing is very sad, and Picoult just HAD to add one more horrible twist... ANYway, this book is good, but as I said, horribly depressing, as you may expect from a book about cancer. The idea is that 13-year-old Anna has always been just a vessel of bodyparts to contribute to her leukemic sister for various surgeries, and she decides to sue her parents so she doesn't have to donate a kidney. |
The book is narrated by different people, including Anna and her parents, so it gives the reader a nice mix of perspectives. It gets a little bit mushy at times, and is full of tears and yelling and stress, but I really couldn't put it down to finish my math homework til I was done.
Note: Definitely a "mature" book, couple brief sex scenes, swearing...
-- Fizzy |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: My Sister's Keeper |
Posted in Child-raising, Conceptual: highly sophisticated, Female protagonist, Fiction, Parenting gifted children, Reading level: age 12 and up, Science Fiction | Comments Closed
November 18th, 2009
| |
| Tell friends about this blog entry |
|
| Author: | Wendelin Van Draanen |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 12 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
This is a cool book because we get to see the same turn of events from two very different perspectives. It is about two neighbors, a girl and a boy, who switch off hating each other and being in love.
|
Definitely an easy (maybe elementary school) read, but still fun, and cute (I know that word is in all my reviews...) Very conversational, a nicely told story. I love the chicken on the front.
--Fizzy |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Flipped |
Posted in Animals, Conceptual: age 12 and up, Female protagonist, Fiction, Reading level: age 8 and up | Comments Closed
November 13th, 2009
| |
| Tell friends about this blog entry |
|
| Author: | Suzanne Collins |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 12 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 2009 |
I am not a fan of cliffhangers. I knew this one would be, and went to order the next one from the library and discovered that it will not be published for a WHOLE YEAR!
Anyway, I liked this one more than the first one. It had less scene by scene explanations of the horrible deaths of contestants entered in The Hunger Games.
|
The main character is attempting to start a rebellion against the evil Capitol, and gain freedom for the various districts. I could guess pretty early what was happening, but this is still a quick, fun, (if still going along with a very creepy idea) book.
I'd rate it at like a 3.5 or 3.75, or, maybe even a 4, out of 5.
-- Fizzy |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Catching Fire |
Posted in Conceptual: highly sophisticated, Fiction, Reading level: age 12 and up | Comments Closed
November 12th, 2009
| |
| Tell friends about this blog entry |
|
| Author: | Suzanne Collins |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 12 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 2008 |
This sounds kinda negative, and I did enjoy it, but I do have a bit of a sour aftertaste after reading this:
I'm not sure how to rate this book. It was very disturbing: The whole point is that 24 teenagers all fight to the death. Yay. But it was also very gripping and exciting, and talked about the price of freedom. It definitely kept me up with vivid images in my head...
|
My biggest problem, though was the cliff-hanger ending. I ordered the second book before I had finished the first one because you can't just stop the story where the author does. A word of advice: the third one is not out yet, and the second one DOES NOT have a satisfying ending. If you like excitement, a bit of gore, and a little bit of mushy romance, this book is great.
-- Fizzy |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Hunger Games, The |
Tags: book review
Posted in Conceptual: highly sophisticated, Culture, Female protagonist, Fiction, Reading level: age 12 and up, Science Fiction, Sports | Comments Closed
October 28th, 2009
| |
| Tell friends about this blog entry |
|
| Author: | Perri Klass |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | For grown-ups
|
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | For grown-ups
|
| Genre: | Fiction |
| Year of publication: | 2004 |
Repulsive. Read The Mercy Rule instead. |
-- Emily
|
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Mystery of Breathing, The |
Posted in Conceptual: for grown ups, Fiction, Reading level: Grown up | Comments Closed
