The Readers and Writers Paradise

The real scoop on middle grade books.

Archives for February 2014

How I Survived Middle School Book 1: Can You get an F in Lunch? by Nancy Krulik Review

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This is one of those books that I’ve read time and time again. The Middle School Survival Series by Nancy Krulik is one of my favorites, and Can You get an F in Lunch? is great and very well written book.

Even though this is more of a book for girls, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Nancy Krulik paints a realistic and exciting picture of the middle school life. This is the first of a twelve book series that is a delight for middle school girls.

Summary

At the beginning of the book we meet the narrator, Jenny. She’s excited (and also a little nervous) to start sixth grade. Sixth grade means that Jenny isn’t a little elementary schooler anymore; she’s entering middle school!

Jenny’s been away for camp all summer, so she’s excited to see her best friend Addie again. She and Addie have been best friends for years, but Addie seems to be strangely distant from her now. Jenny attempts to sit with Addie at lunch, but she has new friends and they refuse to give her a spot at the table.

Jenny is super upset and starts eating lunch in the phone booth because now she’s lost her best friends. A nice sixth grader named Chloe introduces Jenny to her group of friends. They tell her that Addie is now part of a group known as the “Pops,” which basically means the most popular kids in school.

Jenny learns to accept that Addie is no longer her friend and is soon great friends with her new group. The rest of the book shows Jenny and her friends trying to navigate their way through middle school.

Review

This was a great book. I really like the fact that it was told from the perspective of the first person. A lot of middle school type books are written from the third person, and I feel like those are much more difficult to relate to. Jenny is a real person just like anyone else.

This book was also realistic in how middle school is. Just going into it is not very easy, and the author doesn’t try to sugarcoat it. She doesn’t try to make it worse than it is either, however. Jenny is eventually able to find a new group of friends and everyone works out.

Another really cool thing about this book is that it has a bunch of quizzes that you can take and score yourself. There is also a cool website called middleschoolsurvival.com that has almost 50 more interesting quizzes.

I was really sad when the author ended this series, because it’s one of my favorites. I used to read one of these books every night before bed because I loved them so much. A must for any sixth or seventh grade girl.

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook Page or enter your email below to get more book reviews.

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Honus and Me by Dan Gutman Review

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I first read Honus and Me when my parents got it for me at Barnes @ Noble years ago. It was not only the first Dan Gutman I had read, but also the first baseball book.

I don’t remember it perfectly because it was so long ago, but I do remember that I was sick and so wasn’t involved in my parents decision to buy the book. At the time I had a low opinion of sports books in general (although I hadn’t read any of them), and so at first criticized my parents for getting me this book.

They said they knew I normally didn’t like those kids of books, but they thought I would like this one. They were right.

Summary

At the beginning of the book we are introduced to the narrator, Joe Stoshack (also known as “Stosh”). Stosh is a young middle schooler who loves baseball and loves to play it. Unfortunately, he is not super good and keeps getting heckled.

Stosh is going through a rough time as his parents recently got divorced and don’t have much money. To help out, he accepts a job cleaning Mrs. Young’s attic. There is a ton of stuff in it, but Stosh agreed to the job and so follows through with it.

Something crazy happens when Stosh is going through Mrs. Young’s attic, however. He finds a Honus Wagner T-206 1909 baseball card; the most valuable in the world! Stosh decides not to tell his mom about it because he knows she’ll probably make him give it back. But this is really amazing; this card sells for millions of dollars!

Something even more amazing happens, however; Honus Wagner shows up in Stosh’s room! How can that happen? Stosh assumes it’s either a dream or a cruel joke, but it is not. He has some special power to travel through time with baseball cards! Stosh talks with Honus and gets help with his game.

Stosh then realizes that he can use the card to travel back in time and they go back to the time of the 1906 World Series. Honus even lets Stosh play for him and make some good plays! After the adventure is over, Stosh is confronted with the conundrum of whether he should sell the card or return it to Mrs. Young. His parents leave the decision up to him, but what actually ends up happening is a surprise to everyone.

Review

This book is not good because of any textbook reasons. It is not funny, does not have a lot of action. The only conventional thing about it is seeing Stosh (an identifiable character) going through some character growth. But really, this shouldn’t be a good book. That’s why it was rejected by seven different publishers.

But it is a good book. Why? For the same reason other books by Dan Gutman are good. He writes about things kids dream about. Being able to travel back in time with baseball cards? That is so awesome!

I didn’t even like baseball or the idea of time traveling when I first read this book, but I absolutely loved the book. Something about the realistic world Gutman creates with Stosh, and the very unrealistic (but very exciting) world of time travel that you just know is going to have some cool adventure.

On Amazon this book has no reviews of less than three stars, and even those are pretty positive. That’s very impressive. Almost all boys will like this book. I’d say it’s best for a fairly young kids; about seven to eleven. Although Stosh may strike out a lot at the beginning, Dan Gutman definitely does not with this book!

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook Page or enter your email below to get more book reviews.

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The Readers and Writers Paradise Podcast Episode 003: Swindle Series by Gordon Korman

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Hey guys thank you so much for coming on to my website. Today (like every Wednesday) I have a new episode of The Readers and Writers Paradise Podcast to share with you. On the podcast I have all kinds of information about books, interviews with authors and book reviewers, and more.

In this episode I’m really excited to share with you my review of the books in the Swindle Series by Gordon Korman. Long-time readers of my blog know that Gordon Korman is probably my favorite kids book author and the Swindle Series is also one of my favorites. I go over all the information about the series in this podcast, so let me know what you think of this episode 🙂

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The 39 Clues Book 8: The Emperor’s Code by Gordon Korman Review

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Note: This article was originally written almost four years ago.

Yesterday, March 6th, 2010, was a big day for the readers here on The Readers and Writers Paradise: Book 8 of The 39 Clues, The Emperor’s Code was released! I was especially excited for this book, because it was written by Gordon Korman, who is, as most of you probably know by now, my favorite author.

And I have to say this was by far my favorite book in the series as of right now. In a live webcast back on December 2nd, 2008 (seems like it was just yesterday), Gordon said that with the series being multi-author, with everyone’s creativity piling up on top of each other, by the eighth or ninth book, it would be awesome.

Certainly, his predication came true. As for writing style, this book was clearly written in a different writing style than his other books (I know; I’ve read all of them). It wasn’t just Korman writing the book; the writing style of Rick all the way back from September 2008 is still showing in this piece.

I really love the writing style—I think it’s the perfect way to write The 39 Clues series. I don’t really like book three or seven, because of the writing style of Peter Lerangis, but really everyone else has followed suite from Rick and Gordon back in the first and second books.

The plot? Well, at the end of the seventh book, Amy and Dan discover the secret of their family branch: Madrigal. As you can expect, much of the book is centered around that topic.

First, Amy, Dan, and Nellie travel to China in search of the old Janus clue (yep, Jonah Wizard makes his long awaited rebirth into the series). In the Forbidden City, Dan finds a sheet with an equation of the different branch symbols in bottles added together equals the Cahill symbol, along with a Chinese message that later proved important.

Unfortunately, Amy starts voicing her thoughts that maybe their parents deserved to die, and Dan storms off. Then, he is captured by the Kabra children, Ian and Natalie. They dump him in a pile of trash, where he is found by Jonah.

Jonah claims he’s making phone calls to Amy and Nellie and trying to track them down. However, when Amy and Nellie ask him if Dan is with him, he lies and says he isn’t, and was never making calls. When Dan meets Jonah’s mom, Cora Wizard (the leader of the Janus branch), it becomes apparent that the Wizard family is just trying to use him. They even claim Dan is from the Janus branch! Unfortunately, that prompts Dan to respond with the following:

“Janus? I’m no Janus! I know exactly what branch I am!”

“I’m a Madrigal!”

The well-kept secret of who the Madrigals are is finally out, and people will be hunting Amy and Dan down even more.

Dan flees and leaves a message for Amy and Nellie. He did not give a location, as he would have to keep moving. Both decide the next clue is on Mount Everest, and meet each other in the hanger of a plane specially designed to go to the top of Everest. At first, the pilot refuses to take him, but Nellie puts her “boss” on the phone to talk to the pilot, who suddenly agrees to take them.

Nellie later claims it’s her uncle; obviously not true. They also see Nellie pick a lock with masterful skill, and we get to see part of a phone conversation between her and her boss. In her thoughts, she also reveals she has a secret objective. Amy and Dan are once again doubting her more and more.

When they get to the top of Everest, they see that Eisenhower Holt and Ian are already near the top. Amy grabs the vial containing the clue at the peak, but it slips from her hand, as she tries to grab it, she realizes that Ian is about to fall two miles into death. Instead of saving the clue, she saves Ian. Luckily, it was hidden in the secret Chinese message:

“That which you seek, you hold in your hand,
Fixed forever in birth,
Where the Earth meets the sky.”

Because the paper they are holding is made out of silk, the first line means it’s silk. Fixed forever in birth means it’s frozen, which means its raw silkworm secretion, and where the earth meets the sky means it’s hidden on Mount Everest.

Dan also finds an impression of Anne Bonny, a famous woman pirate in the Caribbean. This tells them that’s where the next clue is located.

The secret code in this book is made from the coded letters:

“Madrigals are behind everything. They lay out the path the others will walk. The end is coming.”

What I make from that is the Madrigal’s plant the clues and leads for others to find, and obviously that the contest is coming to an end. There are numerous examples of the Madrigal’s making leads, such as Nellie “accidentally” placing them into secrets (she’s obviously not from one of the four branches, the way they talk about her), and at the beginning of book eight, the Man In Black making sure Amy and Dan saw a certain movie which showed the Janus crest at their next destination. They certainly are the most powerful.

To be honest, The Emperor’s Code was sort of like a filler; not as much as books two, three and four, because we at least got some info from this book, and not quite as much as book six, but more like book five. Certainly this book sets the stage for the outbreak of the series that we know is happening in books nine and ten. I hope to see you on the hunt.

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook Page or enter your email below to get more book reviews.

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4 Lessons I Learned from 4 Weeks of Volunteering at the Library

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More than four weeks ago, I started volunteering at the Spanish Fork Library. It’s a fairly small library but has two floors and a good collection of books.

I’ve been volunteering there every Tuesday since, and it’s been a lot of fun. I’m mainly reshelving stuff, so it’s a good time to listen to audiobooks and think.

I decided I was going to evaluate what it was like volunteering at the library after four weeks, and these are my main thoughts:

1. People Check Out more DVDs than Books

It’s sad, but it’s true. In the back of the library there’s a rather small section of DVDs. Compared to the quantity of books in the library, it’s nothing. Yet there are more DVDs to reshelve than books.

I guess it’s good that people are taking advantage of the public service of libraries to enjoy movies and TV shows, but it still is a little upsetting to me. Sure, I’ve checked out some movies from the library in the past. Yet it doesn’t compare to the amount of books I’ve taken out.

All indications show me, though, that people are reading more books than ever. I guess we’ve still got a long ways to go.

2. Most Kids Books are Fantasy

Inside the library is a Young Adult section. I can’t remember exactly what the sign says, but it has the picture of a Merlin-type hat and says something like Magic Corner. Sure, there are some realistic fiction books in there, but they are completely overshadowed by fantasy books. Fantasy books are also checked out much more often.

Are all kids now fantasy nerds? I don’t think so. Most kids I know don’t read that type of stuff. So it’s weird. Maybe kids who are into fantasy read more. At least that’s been my experience.

3. Being a Librarian isn’t Glamorous

It’s easy to picture a librarian sitting at her desk, her nose in a book, pausing every now and then to smile at people and give exciting book recommendations. However, that is hardly the truth.

The librarians are always busy at the Spanish Fork library. They are barely able to keep up, let alone have downtime. I sometimes have a few minutes here and there where there’s nothing to do, but definitely not enough to get much reading done. And most of my interactions with people are them apologizing for getting in my way.

I’d guess being a school librarian is a little more exciting, but in a public library it is a pretty tedious job.

4. Books are about more than Writing and Reading

When I think about books, I first think about writing them (I process I absolutely love), and then people reading them (something I love or not depending on the book). But there’s a lot more that goes into a book.

Once it’s written, then it has to be sent to publishers. Then it has to be chosen, a contract signed. It has to go through ferocious editing. Then more editing. It has to get a cover design. Then more editing. It has to be marketed. It has to be printed, shipped off to book stores. And then who knows if anyone is going to buy it.

My Aunt is an editor, so I know a little about that part of the process. Me; I’ll stick with writing and reading. After all, this is The Readers and Writers Paradise 🙂

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Ungifted by Gordon Korman Review

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My favorite childhood author was Gordon Korman. So it was interesting to read one of his most recent books Ungifted, now that I’ve passed the phase of passionate attachment towards his books. And I must admit I liked it.

Summary

Ungifted is about a troublemaking 7th grader named Donovan Curtis. He’s the type of kid who does things like rolling expensive bronze globe’s through glass doors. In fact, it’s that very action that gets him in trouble with the Superintendent of Schools when it accidentally wipes down a multi-million dollar statue in the middle of a basketball game, wiping out use of the gym totally and costing the district an exorbitant amount of money.

The Superintendent is furious and intends to give him serious consequences; something Donovan and his family can’t afford right now, with his sister pregnant and her husband in a dangerous war overseas. But somehow it gets mixed up, and instead of his name being put down for big trouble, it gets put on the list of new gifted students.

This is great: Donovan avoids trouble and gets to go to a school which has many advantages over his own, such as being kept in much better shape, encouraging students to have laptops and cellphones during school, and soft talks instead of getting in trouble. One problem: Donovan is ungifted.

The book is about Donovan’s adventures towards the class, which are quite entertaining. It is told in the first person, and each chapter switches the narrator, whether it be Donovan, his teachers, classmates, or sister. This is a good format for a book like this, and can’t help but remind me of No More Dead Dogs, although this book is not quite as funny.

Although Donovan does not quite fit in at first, he soon forms a close bond with many of the interesting characters in his school, including a kid with a 200+ IQ who wants to be in a normal school (Noah Youkilis) and a genius who takes a liking towards towards Donovan because he’s “normal” (Chloe Garfinkle). Some of his escapades include introducing Noah to YouTube and becoming star robotics driver for the Robotics Team, a fact which makes everyone greatly attached to him and wishing greatly for him not to be in trouble.

But he becomes even more valuable when he convinces his pregnant sister to teach a class on Human Growth and Development (saving everyone from summer school) by letting them touch and hear her stomach, talk about her experiences, do many tests on her, go to the doctor with her, and even be waiting outside during her giving birth.

You can’t please everyone, though, and a serious girl named Abigail Lee hates Donovan. She doesn’t think he belongs in the gifted program, nor do most other people. His homeroom teacher advises him to take a retest to get into the gifted program. He has to work hard just to get passable grades in his classes. Yet somehow he manages to pass the test. Or does someone else help him? Will the Superintendent eventually catch up to him? What will happen to the robotics team? What will his punishment be, and what will happen to his family?

Review

The book is 280 pages long, but written in a very easy style and easy to blow through. It took me about a day and a half to read it. Although I did like it, it’s a little below my age grade at this point, but it was still enjoyable. I recently read another one of his books, and that seemed a little more mature. This book would probably be good for people 4th to 7th grade.

The book is funny, but not quite as funny as we’ve come to except from Korman. It’s not really an action/adventure book, but much of it is still exciting and the narrative flows well. There is a lot of character development, and the book is really centered around an impulsive kid, which can be of intrigue.

I liked reading about some of the gifted students, and I’d like more into that subject, although I understand why he didn’t in this book. For some reason I like Korman’s modeling of those students, to the extent I feel he did it better than in the famous book Millicent Minn: Girl Genius.

I wonder if a side effect of the book is to make people feel better about not being gifted, as well as be somewhat in awe towards the main character of the book. Some parents may be concerned it would have a negative impact towards their kids, but I don’t think so. The main character is a good kid and likable, too; it’s not like he’s a jerk-he just gets into trouble sometimes.

Towards adults and older kids, I wouldn’t recommend the book, but for tweens and a little younger it will be a good read. This is more of the style of the old Gordon Korman, but puts some of the past decade or so into it as well.

The main things I like about the book is the storytelling, plot, and characters. It could be a little more exciting, and I’d like for it to have a bit more humor, but overall it’s another good book worth reading.

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook Page or enter your email below to get more book reviews.

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