Nancy Drew Getting Burned - Carolyn Keene

We all love a good mystery. So does Nancy Drew -a good mystery to solve, that is. All you Nancy Drew fans out there are probably wondering why this post exists, because there isn't a Nancy Drew book called Getting Burned. But, thanks to Carolyn Keene's active imagination, we have a new series *applause*! Mrs. Keene made it so that Nancy is telling you everything from her point of view. This is number 20 in the series, in case you want to start at the beginning. I had a lot of fun reading this book, but there are some parts that make me fell like I want to put my head down on the table and snore. Loudly. So, be warned- You might like this book, or you may not. I hope you do.

Ahhh! I can't believe I forgot!! I have to give you a little preview of the story, don't I? Well, getting Burned is a mystery about the burning down of the River Heights Animal Shelter. Nancy is the amateur detective who has the brains to tackle any mystery, namely this one. Bess and George are her two best friends. If you had a conversation with Bess, her first comment would probably be something fashion related. If you had a conversation with George, it would most probably be completely mormal, or a rehash of Nancy's latest case. This is a fairly simple mystesry to follow, but in my case it left me feeling like it was to short and the plot was way too simple. I'd recommend this book to anyone 8 or over. As an added bonus, there's a letter from Nancy on the inside front cover. This book would be great if you don't like long books but you LOOOVVE mysteries. If you prefer longer versions, however, there IS always the original series. Have fun!

The Spiderwick Chronicles book 1- The Field Guide - Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

It all wouldn't have happened if they didn't have to move to that wierd old house. Why did they have to move? It wasn't fair. This might sound familiar to you if you've ever had to move. Aside from that, this book isn't very good for connecting to the characters, unless you have a 13 year old sister who likes to fence with a sword or a boggart running around in your house causing panic and mayhem. You probably don't. This book won't work as a book to read that will keep you hungry for more, flipping each page with growing anticipation. It's more like a quiet, modest book that, at the same time, is fun to read. Oh, and, as a warning, on the back of the book there is a small poem:
Go away
close the book
put it down
do not look.
Don't listen to a word that poem says.

Hachiko Waits - Leslea Newman

Get out a box of tissues or two, you might need them. Hachiko Waits is a sad story that is Japanese themed. Did you know that Hachi means eight in Japanese? My classmate was really excited when he saw the Japanese writing on one of the pages. You see, he's from Japan and he could read every bit of it, even though to me it all looked like a bunch of lines. Anyway, this book is about a faithful dog that is extremely intelligent and very friendly. One day his kind master, a professor, gets on a train and goes to work, same as usual. Hachi comes back exactly five minutes before his master's train gets back, and is rewarded with a smile from the station master, same as usual. The professor's train pulls into the station, but he does not come out. Hachiko waits. It has been years and years since The professor stepped off the train. Hachi still comes back about five minutes before the train. The sad thing is, Hachi does not know his master will never return.
This book is based on a true story. Some of the characters may not be real, but Hachiko and the professor are. Try to find the lesson in this, and if you can, I would appreciate if you send in your answer as a comment.

Inkspell - Cornelia Funke

Well, what did I tell you? I told I was going to post another book by Cornelia Funke, didn't I? And here I am posting it. Ok, down to business. This is may be one of the longest books I have ever read. (635 pages!) I am not going to tell you one bit of the story. No matter how hard you beg, I won't tell you a single thing. So don't bother to ask. The reason is that some people will already have read Inkheart and are absolutley dying to know what happens next. I've had that feeling many, many, many times, so I know what it's like. For those of you that haven't read Inkheart, but you want to read this book, I suggest you start at Inkheart. It isn't like Harry Potter, where you get a brief explanation of what's happened in the other books as youre reading. This book took me, bookworm of my class, six weeks to finish! That's pretty long if you're me. Also, I would probably only recommend this to you if you are nine years old or over. You'll see what I mean when you start getting towards the middle.

Warning! This book is highly addictive. Do not read unless you have good quality nothing to do time. Do not read at night. This book could be the reason you miss your bus.

Have fun!

Dragon Rider - Cornelia Funke

This book is a bit odd. It begins,not with the main character, but with a character that has little to do with the story. It begins with a rat. From then we meet Sorrel, a short tempered young brownie girl. A brownie is a sort of cross between a cat and.....well,something else. Sorrel's best friend is a dragon named Firedrake, and the two of them have some problem solving to do. Here is their to do list.

1. Somehow get to a nearby city, the home of rat's uncle, a famous map maker. Why? So that they can find the fabled "Rim of Heaven" which can provide shelter from the humans invading their valley.

2. Find a home for Ben, a homeless child they've picked up along the way.

3. Dispense of Twigleg by throwing him into the ocean, or at least feeding him to something really big and vicious (Don't ask, it was entirely Sorrel's idea, it had nothing to do with me) .

Those are basically the things that Firedrake and Sorrel plan on doing. But little do they know they know they will have much more problems as time goes on. Cornelia Funke is a really good artist/author, the kind that uses words for her paints. So far, I've got a pretty good idea of her writing style. Keep on the lookout for more books by this author!

Note: OOHHH looky! I am writing in color! I am really starting to get the hang of this!

Secret of the Old Garage - Page McBrier

Summer vacation has finally arrived and everyone, with the exception of Oliver Moffit, has something to. He runs a pet care business, and it hasn't been going well. Then he has an idea. Why not take care of the school gerbils? Oliver argues with his mom about it, and after a long,hard argument, Mrs. Moffit gives in. But she has always had one strict rule about his pet care business: ONLY ONE CUSTOMER AT A TIME. So for a little while,Oliver is happy taking care of the gerbils, even if he has to babysit Andrew, his annoying four year old neighbor. Sounds like fun, right? Well it is, for a while. Then a friend from school shows up with his fish tank, hoping Oliver will take care of them for the summer. If he doesn't than he'll have to give them away.
Oliver remembered his mother's rule,but says yes anyway. He has decided to get his mother a birthday present,because her birthday is at the end of the summer. But it is very expensive, and he can use the money. And anyway, fish aren't going to be much trouble at all. And then he finds the guinea pigs on the front doorstep......
Let's say you really like stories with morals, but you don't like Aesop's (pronounced EESOP) fables and want something a bit longer to read. Look no further! This book is the one for you.
This story is a bit short,but there is an important lesson you should learn from it. The lesson is very simple: Follow the rules. As a conclusion,I would say that this is overall a good read.

Double Fudge - Judy Blume

It's new (okay, maybe not so new),it's funny, it's.....Double Fudge! I know what you're thinking:Double Fudge?!?! But actually, it's not that bad. In fact, it's great! So here's the story: Peter Hatcher,age 12, has a little brother. His is Farley Drexel (more commonly known as Fudge) , and he is a disaster! Lately, he's been having an obsession with money, and plans to buy Toys R Us...eventually. If you're like Peter, this may sound familiar. The entire family decides to go to Washington D.C. for a weekend trip to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving (that's where money is made).
They thought it would cure Fudge of his money obsession, but boy, were they wrong! Instead of curing him he just got more engrossed with money. Peter is devastated, and just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, they meet their long lost cousins. Peter now must put up with the twins, Flora and Fauna, and their little brother. His name is Farley Drexel, just like Fudge! What on earth is Peter going to do? If you are feeling gloomy, or maybe you just want a good laugh, this book is a must-read!

Note:I hereby insist that you must read every age appropriate kid's book by Judy Blume you can get your hands on. She is a really good author!