Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters
Written By: Rick Riordan
Hyperion Books
March 2007
Ages: 9-12

Summary

This book takes place in Percy's seventh grade school year. And it is extremely quiet, something that he's not used to happening at all. Percy is having a hard time at school though because a developmentally delayed homeless child named Tyson at school follows him around and all of the other kids make fun of him for it. After an amazing and terrifying battle of dodgeball with man eating cannibalistic giants, Tyson, Percy and Annabeth flee to camp half blood to find that the magical barriers around it that keep it protected are failing and Thalia's pine tree is dying. Through some interesting dreams that connect Percy to Grover, Percy discovers that Grover has been taken hostage by the legendary Cyclops from Homer's the Odyssey. Along with the daughter of the God of War Clarisse, Tyson, Annabeth and Percy must sail through the legendary Sea of Monsters, the Bermuda Triangle, to save camp Half Blood and bring back the golden fleece by the end of the summer or mosters, the treacherous Luke and his evil minions will take over.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

Anyone who enjoyed the first Percy Jackson book, The Lightning Thief, will definitely enjoy the sequel. It has lots more adventure and intrigue and a couple of twists that the reader won't expect. it will keep them interested and asking for more once the book is over and done with.

What problems do you see arising from reading this book?

The Only problem I see arising from reading this book is that there is a lot of fantasty related violence in these books that the children encounter when they are on their quests. Some children reading the book might not be comfortable with it.

What was your reaction?

After finishing reading The Lightning Thief, I went out and bought the next two books in the series because I love the first one so much. The author is extremely talented at bringing ancient greek mythology to life in Modern times and does a great job of weaving in believable and relatable characters.

The Baby Sitter's Club: Jessi's Secret Language

The Baby Sitter's Club: Jessi's Secret Language
Written By: Ann M. Martin
Scholastic Inc.
September 1988
Ages: 8-12
Pages: 145

Summary

Jessi Ramsey is one of the newest members of the babysitter's club and she gets a brand new special child to work with. This child's name is Matt and he is deaf and has been since birth. He uses sign language to speak and so naturally, to be his sitter, Jessi must learn sing language too. At first it's really difficult, but Jessi grows to really love sing language and the special way that she is able to comunicate with matt. Learning sign language has kept Jessi really busy and soon all of the kids in Stoneybrook want to learn sing language. jessi is also a ballet dancer and she has figured out a special surprise for Matt and all of his friends at his school for the deaf.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

Anyone who is a fan of the babysitter's club would love this book. It has a unique storyline that introduces children to the fact that deaf children are just like any other child.

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?

I absolutely loved the Babysitter's club books when I was younger, around eleven or so. I actually read all of the babysitter's club books within a whole summer, and this book was one of my favorites. i actually started to learn sing language because of it and picked up a lot of different signs and the alphabet too.

Helen Keller

Helen Keller
Written By: Margaret Davidson
Scholastic Inc.
March 1989
Ages: 9-12

Summary

This book is a good companion book to Helen Keller's TEACHER and should be read after reading it. This book tells of the different situations and adventures that both Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller went through together in order to teach Helen how to read, write and eventually talk and go to college and graduate with honors. One of the most memorable scenes in this books is when Helen won't use her table manners at breakfast and is acting rude, wild and inconsiderate to everyone within a 12 inch radius. Annie immediately orders everyone from the dining room and locks the doors with just she and Helen inside. After several hours and a terriffic fight, Helen is eating her oatmeal with a spoon.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

As I mentioned in this section of the book review for HELEN KELLER'S TEACHER, any child would benefit from reading it. This book has the unique opportunity and ability to teach children several different vauable morals and life skills that will help them throughout their school years and different relationships with friends and family.

What problems do you see arising from reading this book?

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

What was your reaction?

My reaction was much the same as it was when I read Helen Keller's TEACHER. I read this book several times, just fascinated with Helen's story and the sheer determination and desire to learn she used to progress in life.

Helen Keller's TEACHER

Helen Keller's TEACHER
Written By: Margaret Davidson
Scholastic Inc.
March 1992
Ages: 9-12
Pages: 153

Summary

I have always been fascinated by the miraculous story of Helen Keller and this book is one that helped to satiate my curiosity because to truly understand Helen Keller and her situation, you must learn about her amazingly talented teacher, Annie Sullivan. Annie Sullivan gained her passion, courage and determination from the extremely difficult childhood and adulthood she went through. At a young age, her parents died and she and her little brother and baby sister were separted. Due to a tuburcular hip, her brother later died and Annie never saw her baby sister again. After the unfortuante death of her brother, Annie had the wonderful oppportunity to be sent to the Perkins Institute for the Blind and it is there that she learned all of her important and valuable skills that would help her to teach little Helen Keller in later life. After we learn of Annie's life, the story shifts to meeting Helen and of the exciting thigns that happened there after Annie started to teach her.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

The stories of Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller would be beneficial if read to any child. The story tells that anything is possible, even in the most gloomy and most dire of circumstances; all it requires is determination and the belief that you are capable of anything.

What problems do you see arising from reading this book?

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

What was your reaction?

As a young child I was a voracious reader and I would read anything I could get my chubby little hands on. I went through yet another reading phrase where I read anything and everything to do with Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller. I admired the determination seen, written and talked about in both women and it made me feel like I could do anything I set my mind to.

Get on Board: The Story of the Underground Railroad

Get on Board: The Story of the Underground Railroad
Written By: Jim Haskins
Scholastic Inc.
January 1995
Ages: 9-12
Pages: 144

Summary

This book is just a collection of several stories about how the slaves came to be in America and their miraculous stories of survival and dangerous escapes to freedom. No one really knows for sure how many slaves escaped and how many people were there to help them on their way, but apparently hundreds of stories have survied from the tumultuous time and this book does an excellent job of telling and explaining them to young audiences.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

I think that any child, or teacher for that matter, who is interested in the Civil War Era or the stories of the slaves and the undeground railroad would enjoy this knowledgeable and informative book.

What problems do you see arising from reading this book?

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

What was your reaction?

I personally really enjoyed this book. It was informative and it was just the right thing for me to read when I was younger and going through my underground railroad/civil war phase.

Inkdeath

Inkdeath
Written By: Cornelia Funke, Translated From the German Text By: Anthea Bell
Scholastic Inc.
October 2008
Ages: 8-12
Pages: 663

Summary

Life in the world of Inkheart hasn't been easy when in Inkspell (the second book in the series) Meggie, Mo, Resa and Dustfinger got read into the world, leaving Elinor and Darius the reader behind in Modern day Italy. The adderhead has become more angry and more volatile due to Mo's curse on the white book of immortality. He's made the book rot from the inside out, and in so doing, making the adderhead rot from the inside out, but still immortal and unable to die. The milksop, the adderhead's brother-in-law has taken over Ombra along with the evil Piper and Farid is now working for Orpheus, the cowardly, backstabbing reader that Fenoglio, the author of Inkheart, created. With Dustfinger dead and Meggie, Resa, Mo and the Black Prince and his gang hiding out in the forest away from prying eyes. Things start to go awry when Mo makes a deal with death itself and must kill the adderhead for the White Women and free Ombra from his cruel and oppressive rule. The only catch is, is that Mo must get help from the Adderhead's Daughter, Violante (Her Ugliness), and give himself up so the hunt for the children of Ombra to be used in the silver mines will stop and the hostage children will be released.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

I think that anyone who is familiar with Cornelia Funke's writing, such as the Thief Lord, The Dragon Rider, Inkheart, and Inkspell would love Inkdeath. It's a wonderful ending to a truly epic children's literature series.

What problems do you see arising from reading this book?

This book has a lot of fantasy themed violence and some mild swearing in it. Due to the extreme situations some of the characters have to go through, some children might be opposed to reading it.

What was your reaction?

I loved this book. I read it in a matter of days. I love Cornelia Funke's unique way of story telling because her descriptive and life-like and relatable writing has the ability to draw the reader into the story right away without a lot of fluffy filler.

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.