Love That Dog

Love That Dog
Written By: Sharon Creech
HarperCollins Publishers
July 2001
Ages: 12 and up.
Pages: 86

Summary

It's hard to summarize this book without making it sound like something off of a book jacket, so I'm just going to write it and whatever comes out, comes out. So there. :) Anyway, this book is about a young boy named Jack who absolutely abhors writing poetry and staunchly refuses to do so because "only girls" write poetry. But, his teacher keeps giving him poetry assignments and he is forced to do them. When he starts out, he just puts his thoughts in stanzas, but after reading a poem about a dog, it reminds him of a dog that died that he used to have and what he remembers helps him to develop his poetry skills. The whole book is written in free verse poetry from from Jack's point of view.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

Anyone who loves poetry would love this book. I personally love all different types of poetry and it was fun to see the evolvement of Jack's poetry skills.

What problems do you see arising from reading this book?

I do not at this time see any problems arising from reading this book.

What was your reaction?

This book was also OK. While I liked reading it and seeing the evolvement of Jack's poetry skills, it was a little hard to get into.

Lincoln: A Photobiography

Lincoln: A Photobiography
Written By: Russell Freedman
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
September 1989
Ages: 8-12.
Pages: 144

Summary

This book is a little hard to summarize. It's a book about Lincoln's life that is written specifically for children and is accompanied by authentic photographs of President Lincoln, his family and of different things that went on during that particular time period, such as Union Soldiers and pictures of the President of the Confederate United States, Jefferson Davis. The book goes through several different important periods in Lincoln's life and ends with the description of his death.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

I think anyone, especially elementary school history teachers or those children interested in President Lincoln and the civil war would enjoy reading this book and looking at all of the pictures.

What problems do you see arising from reading this book?

As of right now, the only problem I can think of is that this book contains information about the violence of slavery, the civil war and the assassination of President Lincoln. Some younger audiences might be disturbed by the book's content.

What was your reaction?

I didn't necessarily love the book, nor did I necessarily hate it. I just thought it was a good informational book, probably a good book to have if you're teaching elementary school.

A Single Shard

A Single Shard
Written By: Linda Sue Park
Random House Children's Books.
February 2003
Age Range: 10 and up.
Pages: 152

Summary

This book is beautiful and unique in every way. It tells of a young orphan boy named Tree-Ear that lives with a crippled homeless man named Crane-Man in medieval Korea. Tree ear is usually unable to find much food, but after eating, his favorite thing to do is to go and watch the village potter, Min, make pottery. One day when Min is out, Tree-Ear goes into the potter's shop to explore and ends up breaking a valuable wooden box. In exchange, the potter make the boy work for nine days for him, because it takes at least three to make the box. After his working obligation is over, Tree Ear decides to stay on and help the potter with different tasks, hoping that the potter will decide to teach him how to make a pot. But more than likely, Tree ear won't get to make a pot because that skill is usally passed down from father to son and Min's son is dead. One day, an person of the imperial court comes to find a potter to work in the new palace. And so Tree ear travels to show the emmisary the potter's best work. On his way to the city, Tree ear is attacked by robbers and every single pot is broken and Tree Ear is left with a single shard of pottery to show the skill of Min's work. At the end of the story, Crane Man dies, but Tree Ear's hard work has paid off. Min's work will be used and Tree ear is adopted into Min's family and gets a new name and finally learns how to make a pot.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

Any adult or child who is interested in different Asian cultures will enjoy this book. Despite being a work of fiction, it is immensely educational and teaches several different important values.

What problems do you see arising from reading this book?

I do not currently see any problems arising from reading this book.

What was your reaction?

The book was OKAY. While being very unique and beautifully written, it's not the sort of book I would usually read.

A Year Down Yonder

A Year Down Yonder (The Sequel to "A Long Way from Chicago".)
Written By: Richard Peck
Penguin Group, USA
December 2002
Ages: 12 and up.
Pages: 130

Summary

I was first introduced to these books when I was very young, then again when I was about in the eighth grade. I had a physical science teacher that loved them. This story is just about fifteen year old Mary Alice when circumstances of the great depression force her to move and live with her Grandmother for a year. I don't want to give away too much of the book, so I'll just tell about a few of my favorite parts. One of my most favorite parts in the book is when Grandma needed Pecans to make pecan pie and she knew of and had an old crotechety neighbor that had a couple pecan trees. Grandma rammed his tractor right into the tree so all of the pecans would fall to the ground. This was because if she took the pecans from the ground because they'd fell "naturally" off the tree, then this wouldn't be stealing. My other favorite part of the book is the ending or the epilogue. Mary Alice is all grown up and she tells of her reporting job in the city and how her family is doing near the end of the world war and what they are all up to. Mary Alice is engaged and she goes to Grandma's house to get married, and so Grandma can give her away.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

Anyone who has or even hasn't read "A Long Way from Chicago" will love "A Year Down Yonder". If you like to laugh while reading, then this book is definitely for you. Grandma's antics will keep you rolling and yelling for more.

What problems do you see arising from reading this book?

Unless some particularly imaginative and mischevious children are bent on following Grandma's example with some of her crazy antics, then I don't see any problems arising.

What was your reaction?

I personally loved this book. I read it all together in a couple hours. It brought me back to junior high days when my earth science teacher used to read to us before the lesson.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Written By: Anne Frank, Translated By: B.M. Mooyaart, Introduction By: Eleanor Roosevelt
Random House Publishing: Bantam Books
June 1993
Ages: ?
Pages: 283

Summary

It's hard to explain in detail about Anne's experiences that are written about in her diary. Her first entry is on June 14th, 1942, two days after her birthday.She describes her birthday experiences and then later on, she describes some of the things that Jews are forced to do, wear the yellow star, stay away from parks, swimming pools and movie theatres. The rest of the diary follows up until Anne describes her family's escape to the secret annexe. Anne stays there with her family for over two years and her diary tells about her experiences there and her love for a boy named Peter, who's family is also in hiding with them. Anne's last diary entry occurs on August 1st, 1944. It is strangely forshadows what is to come and it makes the reader sad to think of what came next for Anne and her family and her friends. Anne's family was captured by the Nazi's and transfered to a concentration camp shortly after her last diary entry. She died when she was not yet sixteen, just two days or so before the Americans would liberate Bergen-Belsen.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

As I discussed in this section of the book card for Memories of Anne Frank, anyone who is interested in the story of Anne Frank or WW II or the Holocaust would be fairly interested in the insights that are gained from reading Anne's diary. the knowledge and feelings gained from reading Anne's diary are priceless.

What problems do you see arising from reading this book?

The only thing I can think of is that in one part of the book, Anne is particularly occupied with the human anatomy and sex. Young children should wait until they are old enough to understand the content presented in the diary.

What was your reaction?

When I finally read Anne's diary all the way through, I felt honored to have been able to read something so revealing and personal of another human being's thoughts and feelings. Anne's diary is a book that should be read with respect, reverence and rememberance.

Reflections of a Childhood Friend: Memories of Anne Frank

Reflections of a Childhood Friend: Memories of Anne Frank
Written By: Alison Leslie Gold
Polaris, Scholastic Inc.
April 1999
Ages: 10 and up.
Pages: 135

Summary

This is a beautiful recollection of stories from Anne Frank's dear friend, Hannah Goslar. The whole of the book just basically runs through and describes Hannah and Anne's friendship leading up to their separation when they were both sent to concentration camps. Some of the most touching parts of the story come from Hannah's experiences described in the concentration camps and what she went through there to survive. On one occasion, Hannah and Anne happened to be in neighboring concentration camps, but Anne and her sister Margot were in much worse shape and hardly ever got food to eat or a warm place to sleep. On two occasions, Hannah tried to throw packages with Red Cross food in them to Anne, but the first time, the package was wrestled from Anne and she was left with nothing. The second time, thankfully, Anne was able to catch the package as it was thrown over the fence. Just mere weeks later, Anne's camp disappeared.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

Any child who has heard of Anne Frank or is even interested in World War Two and the Holocaust would benfit from reading this book. It chronciles the endurance of the human spirit through the most trying times anyone could ever be put through and the miracles that can happen from those experiences.

What problems do you see arising from reading this book?

This book describes in some detail the horrors and terrible conditions of the concentration camps and what happened there. Some young children might be disturbed by it's content. I would reccommend reading it with a parent and discussing it's contents.

What was your reaction?

I believe that the first time I read this book I got it as a Christmas gift, along with Anne Frank's diary. I had and still do, have an affinity for the Holocaust and WW II. I treasure the lessons I learn from studying these experiences and the knowledge I gain from them.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Book #1)
Written By: Rick Riordan
January 2010
Hyperion Books
Ages: 9-12
Pages: 375

Summary

Percy Jackson has been kicked out of six boarding schools in six years, and he has no idea why. Despite his desperate attempts to behave, he always ends up making trouble. Like obliterating his Algebra Teacher on a museum fieldtrip when she turns into a mythical Fury from Hell sent by Hades to destroy him. After this upsetting incident and after the end of the year tests, Percy travels home to his mother and his rotten stepfather and goes on a nice summer trip with his mother to a cottage by the ocean. But things go from bad to worse when Percy, his mother and his best friend (who just HAPPENS to be a satyr) are chased to a summer camp for demi-gods (half-gods Half humans)by a Minotaur. Percy experiences the unimaginable when it seems as if the characters from his ancient greek myths are coming to life. And to top things off, somehow Percy has made the gods angry and Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. With help from his friends, Grover (the satyr) and Annabeth (the daughter of Athena) have ten days to find the master bolt, or be the cause of an all out war on mount olympus. In their adventures, Percy and his friends meet the god of war, A medusa, and a chihuaua that can change into a creature that is more fearsome than they care to encounter. Percy also discovers that Poseidon, the God of the Sea, is his father.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

I have always been a fan of greek myths and fantasy stories and I think anyone who has even the vaguest interest in these subjects would love this book. It has all sorts of interesting creatures and greek gods packed into the setting of modern day New York.

What Problems do you see arising from reading this book?

This book contains villains, most of which meet violent and unpleasant ends. Some children might be uncomfortable with the violence found in this book.

What was your reaction?

I started reading this book because I'd heard it was very good from several different people. I also really wanted to see the movie and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I absolutely love this book. It has everything I look for in a novel and I would reccommend it to anyone who mentioned it or asked about it.