Book Review of the Week!

 Summer is a great time to catch up on all of your reading that you couldn’t do during the school year!  I love reading and I’ve got several shelves of books that are just calling my name.  So, I decided that every week I’ll post a book review or update for the book that I read this week. 

 

This week I finished re-reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  I love the Harry Potter Series for the fantasy elements.  It truly is a world in which anything is possible with magic.  This book is the third in the series and is quite possibly one of the darkest.  Harry Potter is returning to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry for his third year.  Unfortunately though, one of the dark lord’s followers, Serious Black, has escaped from the magical prison, Azkaban, and is on the hunt for Harry Potter.  Harry Potter and his friends show some maturity in this novel through their choices and the responsibility that they are given, especially Hermione.  Like I said before, this book is the darkest so far (out of the first 3), main characters are forced to face their worst fears, while others are forced to fight them.   

I’m afraid that this is all that I can say about this book without giving some major spoilers, but I would definitely recommend this book and the entire series to anyone that has an imagination. 

Keep on the lookout for more book reviews or updates every week.

ChiefGokuC  

Review: Crocodile Tears: An Alex Rider Adventure

Crocodile Tears: An Alex Rider Adventure (#8)

by Anthony Horowitz

We loved this book! It was a great thriller. It kept the boys in our home turning page by page! Absolutely recommend! It was released last month so it is available in your local stores now. Great, fun read over the holiday break!

Alex Rider is a reluctant teenage spy who works for Britain’s MI6 and unlike James Bond, does not have a license to kill.  Instead, he uses his wits and cool gadgets to incapacitate the bad

guys.  Crocodile Tears: An Alex Rider Adventure (#8) feels ripped from the headlines, with a charity broker con artist raising millions of dollars in donations, only to invest them in a form of  genetically modified wheat that has the power to release an airborne strain of virus so powerful, it

can knock out an entire country in one windy day – a catastrophe so far-reaching that it would raise millions of dollars more in charitable donations, all of which would be embezzled by one man. The antidote? Alex Rider, of course, who survives gunfire, explosions, and hand-to-combat with mercenaries – just another day in the life of an average teen super-spy kid.

Disclosure: We were sent a free copy of this book to review. Our opinions are our own and were not influenced by the review copy provided.

Review: The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Middle School

I recently had the chance to read The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Middle School. As a parent of a middle school age son and one getting close to that age I am always looking for some good advice but it was clear when I opened it that this book was not written for adults. It was written for kids to talk about all the fun, scary and just strange things that can, and probably will, happen to you as you navigate your way through those years we parents dread, MIDDLE SCHOOL!

With only 128 pages this book is actually packed with some amazing advice that I have yet to see in any tween advice books. From how to survive changing in a locker room (OMG! I remember how embarrassing that is!) to step by step instructions on how to do the Running Man and Funky Chicken at a school dance, you will find lots of great strategies to get you through those AWKWARD moments! What I really liked about it though is that it was the perfect ’summer read’~no big words, lots of funny pictures and words you actually use (totally)!

This is what one of my favorite pages looks like:

Some other very cool and practical advice in this book:

How to survive a group assignment:

5. Take on slackers…. positively. Sometimes a group member will avoid doing his fair share. Instead of getting mad at the person (which will only make him work less…if that is even possible!) engage him in a positive way. (book goes on to tell you how)

How Not to Remake Your Rep:

*Going over the top. You know those little dogs that don’t stop barking? They make you want to yell, “Shut it, yappy!” Never try so hard that you are viewed as a pooch. Sometimes muzzling is a better strategy.

Defending Your Inbox:

*Ban bullies. Exile nasty e-mailers to deepest cyberspace by using the “Block Sender” option.

I really like that there is a section here for boys and girls. Most people think that girls have the most Middle School drama but as a mom of a boy with lots of friends, I can tell you that boys have their fair share too. Boys, it even tells you what it could mean when a girl can’t stop twirling her hair!

The publisher of this book would love to hear what you have to say so they are going to give away 5 copies of this book. The deal is though, if you win, you have to come back and tell everyone what you think of the book. I am going to run this giveaway a little differently than we usually do because I want to hear what is on your mind about Middle School. So, in order to win go to this thread and talk about what you are most afraid of happening in Middle School. If you have already started, tell us one of the worst (or most embarrassing)  things that has happened! This should be a fun topic!

Review: Dream Share

I was chosen to review a book titled Dream Share. So, here’s my review.

Dream Share was a very good book. The plot was very original. I’ve never read a book like it, and it was very entertaining. I loved the relationship between the two brothers. They’re relationship made me smile multiple times while reading. The descriptions were very good. I felt like I was there with the two characters. Great book!

-RedSkittleLover