Final 8th Grade Summer Reading Responses

Book: Dark Sons

Submitted: September 8
Review: EC

This summer I read Dark Sons by Nikki Grimes. The two main characters are Ishmael and Sam. Ishmael’s story is from the bible but Sam’s is not. The two stories are compared in unique ways that make you think differently about each individual story. The stories are similar but not too similar. I think this is to help the reader figure out unique similarities and differences.

Sam’s story is about how his father leaves him and his mother for a young white woman. This confuses him because he feels as if his father needed to get away from him. Sam didn’t understand why his father needed such a big change in his life when he had everything that Sam thought that he wanted. He left him and his mother with very little money which just made things worse. Sam was still apart of his father’s life which also meant that he had to be apart of his father’s new wife’s life as well which is very hard for Sam. Sam and his father’s new wife never get along too well but they learn to live with each other. After time Sam’s father and his new wife have a baby boy. He doesn’t want his father to have a baby with this new woman because he doesn’t want them to be so attached. This also makes life even more complicated because Sam feels as if he will be more involved with his father then his mother. But he seems to learn how to balance two lives and keep going day by day.

Ishmael’s story is a different but definitely has some similarities. Ishmael’s father is married to Sarah. But they have both aged and don’t believe that they can have a child even though god has promised that they will. So under agreement he has Ishmael with Hagar. So this causes both Sarah and Hagar to play mother roles in Ishmael’s life which confuses him. And then after this Sarah and Abraham have Isaac which makes him his half brother but it is a lot more confusing because Sarah plays a mother role in his life along with Hagar. He along with Sam, learns how to live with his life.

Book: Money Hungry
Submitted: September 8
Review: EC

This summer I read Money Hungry for the second time. The book is about a teenage girl named Raspberry. She and her mom were once homeless and the book focuses on how this changed her life. After this event she started collecting money. Dollars, quarters, pennies, nickels, and more. She sells candy, pencils, cookies, etc. in school to make as much money as she can to make sure that she will never be homeless again. Raspberry’s friend Ja’nae later asks for money to pay off something. Raspberry doesn’t want to but in the end she does give her the money along with the promise that she will pay it back. But in the end Ja’nae is not able to pay it back and this leads to something terrible happening.

I really enjoyed the book both times. But I feel like I liked it more the second time that I read it because I knew the story and I could focus on the book more, and pick up more than I did the first time. About a quarter way through the book I started reading and read it from her mother’s point of view. Her mother isn’t in the story too much. But as I read the story I noticed how her mother tries to help Raspberry not focus on the fact that they don’t have so much money but to focus on school and other parts of life.

A quote that I picked is “I'm not even feeling the cold. Just smiling and thinking about how much money I will be making cleaning up old people’s houses.” I picked this quote because it is an example of her doing whatever she can to make money for her and her mother. She feels as if her mother isn’t worried enough about not having enough money to pay rent and buy food so she collects money without her mother knowing. I would rate this book a ⅘ because it was really good but I feel as if the author could have gone into greater detail about them being homeless.

Book: Begging for Change
Submitted: September 8
Review: EC

This summer I read Begging for Change. This book is also about Raspberry. In this book her mother gets hit over the head by a troubled woman named Shiketa. This puts her mother in the hospital. In this book Raspberry is still staying with Zora and her wealthy family so Zora is at the hospital with her. Zora’s father is very welcoming but you can sense that it is a little bit awkward for him to have both Raspberry and her mother staying with them for such a long period of time. Because Raspberry is “Money Hungry” there are two incidents in which she steals money from her friends.

In this paragraph I want to focus on one of the times that Raspberry steals money from her friends. Zora needs to go to the bathroom and she leaves her bag near Raspberry. And Raspberry saw a bunch of money in this bag and she thought about taking it and right away denied the idea because that was her best friend. And then she ends up taking it. She never gets punished for her actions but definitely does have to live with guilt.

Book: Elsewhere
Submitted: September 8
Review: EC

This summer I read Elsewhere. The main character is named Liz. One day, at age fifteen, she decides go to the mall. When she is walking across the street she gets hit by a car and is killed. The car drives away and makes this a hit and run. Later she wakes up and she is on a boat. She doesn’t believe that she is dead because of her young age. But then in this “dream” she watches her funeral and comes to the conclusion that she is dead. Where she is is called Elsewhere. The place is very confused and hard to describe. The first day she was there she learned about what it was.

“All at once, Liz needs to get there. She sense that when she reaches the Observation Deck, something definitive will happen” I picked this quote because I feel like it gives the reader an idea on what Elsewhere was. The whole place was like a real ship but that was the whole world there. The observation deck was like a country. Yet because Liz once lived in the real world she believes and thinks that this ship will take her home back to the real world and she will be alive again. Is that what will happen?

I would rate this book a ⅖. One reason that I did not like the book was because I don't like fantasy. I also don't like how long the book is. I feel like the author stretched the plot too much and made the book drag on. The beginning was good but as you got farther into the book I noticed that it would start to drag on.

Book: Beyond The Western Sea
Author: Avi
Submitted: September 7
Review: DS

Today I read “Beyond The Western Sea” by Avi. The story takes place in 1851 with two protagonists , Maura and Patrick who are irish. Who wants to escape ireland because they both want justice and freedom. They eventually escape but have other troubles with their trek:antagonists,money,and many other things.

My quote from this book is “journeys like this are never easy, as easy as it seems it will never be easy, we all have a downside. Stop thinking so negatively.” I love comparing book plots to my own life a lot so I liked this quote because it reminded me of my mother and I, if we were lost in a mall or in a different country she would be the positive one just like Maura. And im like patrick, very negative, doesn’t think before he speaks sometimes.And my mom will always have a positive attitude toward everything.And that's why I picked this quote because it reminds me and I can compare the times I had with my mom and I.

My rating on this book will be a 9/10. It was a lovely read quick and easy this read  went efficiently it took me a few hours to read.The plot is too much to understand what was going on sometimes.The vocab was very easy to understand.And Avi’s writing style was great. Good read.

Book: Dark Sons
Author: Nikki Grimes
Submitted: September 7
Review: MOH

The fifth and final book I read for the reading list this summer is Dark Sons, by Nikki Grimes. Dark Sons is a set of poems from two young men. Sam, a black young man, full of hatred after his dad leaves his mother to marry a white woman, and Ishmael, the black son of Abraham in the bible. These two boys have much to relate to: God, why have you forsaken me? Sam and his father were very close, they were so much alike. To Sam, this is what he thought: ‘Dad and I are close. Then, Dad just leaves me and Mom. No reason. Just felt like it so he could go marry a white woman. A woman of another race.’ Ishmael feels the same way, just with different people. Here’s what Ishmael probably thought: ‘God told Dad to have a son. So he did, me, with mom. Then God tells Dad that he shouldn’t have had me. He told Dad to make another, better child. I shouldn’t have existed.’ Both boys feel unwanted, and betrayed, deep to the pit of their souls. Had God left them? Will he ever come back?

Dark Sons was a book of poetry. One poem would be from Sam’s point of view, the next from Ishmael’s. Both boys are in really tough spots in their lives. Both are only child, (Ishmael gets a half-brother, Isaac, but they don’t live near each other) and need to take care of their mother, while taking care of themselves. Both families aren’t rich, and they need as much as they can get. When each son’s father leaves, that puts such a struggle on the father’s original family. They lost usually half as much money that they used to make together, sometimes more! However, that helps bond the child more with their mother. It did in the case of Ishmael and Sam.

This book really helped me know what it was like for Ishmael. Sam is a fictional character, but this story of Sam is plausible. Ishmael, however, I never really thought about. I sort of just pushed him to the back of my brain, once I would hear stories of Isaac. On top of that, Ishmael and Sam never really visited their fathers, either. I wonder how Ishmael and Sam would have felt if they had lived their whole life with a mother and father together, as one happy family. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5. I really like the idea, and plot. I don’t like, however, the style and format of poetry. I would recommend this from middle-schoolers all the way to college kids. This is a good book for all ages. I think this was a very good choice to be the required read this summer.

Book: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Submitted: September 7
Review:MOH

The fourth book I read from the reading list is Al Capone does my shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. This is a story about Matthew, and his time on Alcatraz Island. ‘Moose’, as they call him, has a father who was selected to be an electrician and guard on Alcatraz. Moose isn’t the only kid. There are about 20 other kids, and his sister Natalie. Natalie has a social dysfunction, but she is scarily incredible at math. Moose and Natalie’s father is usually not around, but when he his, he’s only around for a day or so, and then leaves for another week. Basically, it’s just Moose, Natalie, and their mother, until Natalie goes away to her boarding school. Until then, Moose is mostly in charge of his sister, as his mom is usually out shopping, or working. On their first full day, Moose and Natalie hear a knock on their door. No one else is home, so Moose ignores it. But Natalie doesn’t. She opened up the door, to reveal a young woman and a little girl. The young woman, (if teenage years count) is Piper Williams. She is a money-lover, always finding ways to make money. The little girl is Theresa Mattaman. She is 7, and acts as if she rules the world.

Back then, money and any of it is fortunate to stumble across. That’s how Piper convinced Moose into joining her money making scheme, of criminals doing laundry service. For example, Al Capone doing Moose’s laundry. The Warden does find out, and the scheme is finished. So, having nothing to do on this crummy island, Moose starts to hang out near the prisoner rec center. Moose finds that Natalie becomes close with prisoner 105, a.k.a. Onion. Moose is scared for his older sister, as she is soon going to be accepted to Esther P. Marinoff school, for autistic kids like Natalie. It turns out, however, that Natalie got rejected. Her hopes and dreams, crushed. That finishes up Moose bringing up the courage to write Al Capone a letter. This letter asked Al for some help. And Al Capone did his best to help two teenagers in a small problem in the scheme of life.

This is a story of Moose on Alcatraz. He doesn’t enjoy it, and he hates having to leave. Most teenagers, and pre-teenagers or even just younger kids don’t like change. But Moose has a big change, and he has to learn to deal with it and be a leader on top of that. This book takes place in the 1930’s. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5. The plot was straightforward, and not too exciting. The writing, however was in good manner, and descriptive. I would recommend this book to a younger audience than 8th grade. It’s a fairly simple book, but nevertheless, a good story.

Book: Keeper
Author: Mal Peet
Submitted: September 7
Review: SY

Today, I read Keeper, by Mal Peet. It’s about a South American goalkeeper, dubbed El Gato, the cat, who in this book, is the best goalkeeper of all time. When Gato was a little boy, he wasn’t Gato. He was La Cigueña, the stork, a disproportionate, lanky boy. He grew up in a town that was all about soccer. He played with his friends, but was never any good. He was too big and clumsy to be any good. He was so bad in fact, that he got told not to play by his teammates not to even take the ball. He gets so bored from not playing, and not doing working, and not learning, or reading, he would go off to explore in the jungle. There, he meets an apparition of a dead goalkeeper, that he aptly names the Keeper. The Keeper teaches Gato everything there is to know about being a world class goalkeeper, and Gato hones these skills until he is the best goalie on the planet.

“But the worst thing, she said - and she crossed herself - was that the Waiting Dead lived in the darkness of the forest.” The waiting dead, according to Nana, Gato’s great aunt, are ghosts that are not quite dead, but dead enough not to be alive. They’re waiting for something to release them from this world, and allow them to go to heaven. Gato is able to release The Keeper and his friends from the forest, by giving them what they were waiting for. The irony in this of course, is that Gato ends up loving the Waiting Dead.

Book: Woodsong
Author: Gary Paulsen
Submitted: September 7
Review: CM

The book woodsong by Gary Paulsen is truly an amazing book. He talks about his loving relationship with his dogs and his long and hard dog sledding journey to complete the race. In the beginning of the book, Gary Paulsen says that he was a beaver trapper and he didn’t earn that much money. One day, his neighbor decided to give him a bunch of dogs. He had a great time with those dogs, a few times the dogs have save his life.

The sled dogging had taught him that nature and life is beautiful and you should take advantage of it. In the book, Gary paulsen decides to enter a race. The race starts in Anchorage, Alaska and ends in Nome, Alaska and it’s about 1150 miles long. This is a long race in extreme freezing temperatures. You are probably thinking, why would he do this race than. He said he learned about the beauty of life and nature. Even though he finished last, it was still a big accomplishment for him.

What I love most about this book is the author's writing style. The author talks about his perspective of what life is. I recommend this book to anyone in 7th, 8th, and older, because it’s a complex, but its good. I would rate this book a ten out of ten. Like i said I really like the author's writing style, i also really enjoyed the subject of the book and how he talked about the relationship with his dogs, most importantly his favorite dog named storm.

Book: Copper Sun
Author: Sharon Draper
Submitted: September 7
Review: MOH

The third book I read for the summer reading list is Copper Sun, by Sharon Draper. This book is about a young girl in the time of African slave trading. At the young age of 15, she has everything set out for her. She has a man she loves, Besi, who are arranged to get married, in a year. She is strong, and she has a wonderful family. But a group of pale men arrive. Amari’s tribe are at first, afraid, but are re-assured, once they realized the pale men are being escorted by Ashanti tribe members, a tribe close to Amari’s tribe. That night, Amari’s tribe have a celebration in honor of their guests. Suddenly, there was a sound much louder than all of the drums. Amari’s tribe’s leader was shot. And more bullets were to come. The pale men and Ashanti tribe were wreaking havoc. In a matter of 8 seconds, Amari was an orphan. And about a minute later, she was an only child. Her family was dead. And so was most of the village.

This book reminds me a lot of the book Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson. The protagonist, Isabel, and her sister, Ruth, are sold to slavery. Amari was sold into slavery. Luckily enough for these three girls, they all had crude owners, but kind, warm-hearted others in the same house, or living area. A servant, or an aunt, for example. Amari has trouble however, working as a slave. She spends her time with the same small group for most of her time as a slave. Mr. Derby is the cruelest of all the workers/family living near and working for Mr. Derby. He passes down his ideas on slavery to his son Clay. All the others besides Clay and Mr. Derby are kind to slaves and each other. Unfortunately, Clay impregnates Amari. But, Clay does end up tied to a tree with a rattlesnake slithering towards him.

Amari still has horrible experiences as a slave, despite her having many friends in this journey. She has one of the better experiences being a slave. I would rate this book a 4.5/5. I liked it about as much as Chains. These two books are similar, with a basic idea. The protagonist is captured, and sold into slavery. The protagonist then makes a few friends, and attempts an escape from the awful owner. I would recommend this book to a fan of books about slavery. This is all about it, and the story of an African’s attempts to escape.

Book: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Submitted: September 6
Review: RS

As this is my second time reading Al Capone does my shirts by Gennifer Choldenko i was hoping to find something i didn’t last time. Before i say my finding let me give you a synopsis.

This book is about a boy named Moose who is 13. His father works as a security guard at Alcatraz, so his whole family has to move to Alcatraz. He has a sister named natalie who appears to have autism but it is never mentioned directly as autism, because the book takes place in the 1930, autism was not known as a disorder. The thing i learned from reading the book twice was that even though natalie wasn’t normal compared to the other kids, moose still treated her like a normal kid. So much so you can see in the way they act. They fight then makeup, then fight and makeup. It’s what other brothers and sister do. They may be different, but they are still siblings.

Book: The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Submitted: September 6
Review: LM

For my fifth and final summer reading book, I read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Rather than being a tirade against politics or a certain person or persons, this book is a tirade against adults. A rant about their cluelessness. A diatribe against their small-mindedness. One day, the author says, he was in the Sahara, 1000 miles from help, when he encountered the little prince and was told to draw a sheep. Not being an artist, he drew one of the two pictures that he draws all the time, a boa constrictor from the outside, with an elephant in its stomach, but which people always mistake as a hat. Immediately the prince told him not to draw a boa constrictor digesting an elephant, but to draw him a sheep. After several failed, he just drew a box and said that the sheep was in it. The Little Prince was very pleased with this answer and that was that. Slowly, we learn more about the Little Prince, a small boy who lives alone on an asteroid where he can watch the sunset 44 times. He owns three volcanoes, two active and one not, and a small, one of a kind flower, who is filled with great beauty and great pride. It's this pride that makes the prince want to leave the asteroid. On his travels, he comes across many adults (he has never met an adult before), but he is not remotely impressed. They all seem too self-centered and only concerned with "matters of consequence." In the end, he finds his way to earth, where he finds the true meaning of life from a fox. He then decides that he should go back to his asteroid and accept who people truly are.

Book: Code Orange
Author: Caroline B. Cooney
Submitted: September 6
Review: JB

Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney is about a boy named Mitty short for Mitchell he lives in New York and doesn't really care about anything. He doesn't worry it care about anything not even homework, which is why he is late beginning his advanced biology report. He would much rather go on his iPod or watch some football game then take the time to learn about different infections. But eventually he does have to start. He eventually found some medical books in his weekend house, but he finds a book with an envelope with smallpox scabs in it. Mitty soon realizes that it wasn’t about his trade anymore it was life threatening.

This could potentially kill the whole city.

Code Orange was a very slow book. I feel it was because the author went into depth about Mitchell's ability to be carefree and not care. I did how about the whole city being in jepordy. I rate this book an eight out of ten because the authors of how slow and long the book began. I reccomend this book for middle school an maybe younger because the subject isn't mature. It's very fun and a good book to get a laugh out of.

Book: Dark Sons
Author: Nikki Grimes
Submitted: September 5
Review: CM

Dark Sons by Nikki Grimes is a story about two boys who are from two different era’s yet have similar experiences in life. Both boys are struggling to have a good relationship with their respective fathers. The first boy, Ishmael lived in Israel during biblical times. The second boy is Sam who lives in present day New York City. Even though they’re thousand of years and miles apart from one another the way they worked through their struggles were similar.

Ishmael’s family are wandering nomad’s who lived and worked in the desert. Abraham, also known as Ishmael’s father, had a baby with the King’s daughter and that was Ishmael. Year’s later Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was blessed by a visit with three angels, then became pregnant with Abraham’s second son who they named Isaac. Sarah became crazy about Ishmael being the first born son and not Isaac so she convinced Abraham to send Ishmael and his mother away. It was very hard for Ishmael to understand how his father could not love him anymore after his half-brother Isaac was born.

Sam’s story is very similar in that his father also moved away from Sam after he re-married and had a second son with another woman. His half-brother was named David and became the focus of his father’s life. Sam was very jealous although he loved his little brother David. Sam discovered the story of Ishmael as he was reading the bible and realized that his experience was very similar to what happened to Ishmael thousands of years prior. Sam was able to relate to what he read and knew his situation would turn out similar and that he would also be ok in the end.

To summarize my thoughts, I loved that the two stories were different yet so similar. This is a very complicated and deep book but If you think about each section as you read it then it becomes easier to understand. Overall I recommend this book to 8th graders and older and I rate the book a 9 out of 10. If you’re able to work through the chapters then you will appreciate the meaning and the conclusion. The poetry format takes away from the story and makes it more difficult to follow.

Book: Dark Sons
Author: Nikki Grimes
Submitted: September 5
Review: DS

This week I read “Dark Sons” by Nikki Grimes. This book has 2 antagonists, Sam and Ishmael. They both have crazy things happening to them. Sam’s father leaves him and his family to marry another women sam is confused that his dad would do such a thing he feels like he can't trust anyone. While Ishmael has another problem he received an unexpected visit by people he and his father never seen or known but they said that Ishmael’s mother will give birth to a son. When his brother comes he feels shunned by his father (who was his favorite) and feels so different. He wonders if he was listening to god and shunning him for his new brother. Will Ishmael ever know? Will Sam ever know why his idol (his father) left him for another women? I was asking myself that while I was reading this book.

My quote from this book will be “Trading spaces makes me dizzy.two houses,two beds,two dressers,two closets,,two sets of rooms and rules,two sets of parents who split on the shoulds and shouldn’ts Einstein would have trouble keeping track I lack the finesse,myself,and so sometimes I throw my hands up, go for a walk,and tell the so called grownups to work it out.” Even though this does not involve Ishmael in it, you can relate ishmael and sam in this quote. Both of them are experiencing a similar thing. But I found this quote kind of confused me but after I read it a few times i understood it and that never happens i never read a quote and actually care and think how the character is feeling.And it's one out of the few quotes that I have read that 2 antagonist relate to each other and I really liked it.

My rating on this book will be a 2 / 5 because this book has some sort of poetry, and I don’t like poetry very much and I would read it but not know what I just read which gets me very annoyed.And the plot was interesting but I wish there was more to the story that wowed me and made me never forget about this book . But this book to me is not memorable it took way too long to read.And the reason why I didn’t rate it a 1 / 5 is because I liked how short it was, if it were longer it would probably take me 2 weeks to finish. And there wasn't any hard vocabulary in the book which made it a little bit easier to read.

Book: We Beat the Streets
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Submitted: September 3
Review: RR

This summer, I read We Beat the Streets by Sharon M. Draper. The story is about three young boys’ stories about how they grew up in a ghetto in Newark, New Jersey. The boys, now doctors, Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt, created a strong friendship around high school. Growing up, they’d viewed high school and college as places that couldn’t possibly be available to them, like going to the moon. Their friends and some of their families put the idea in their heads that school wasn’t cool. But those young men escaped that negative environment, and in fact did go to college. And they are now doctors who give others with no hope the benefit of the doubt, just like they had once been given that benefit.

“It’s not about being wrong. It’s about being black,” Rameck said, anger and regret in his voice. “Why do they just assume we’re up to no good?” Dax asked bleakly. “Who knows?” Rameck answered as the three police cars followed their every turn and stop. “DWB-Driving While Black-is the newest crime, don’t you know?” Now, granted, there is a lot of racism and assumptions made in this book. But this part definitely stood out to me. I am always a bit surprised when people talk about racism honestly, specifically a situation that has played out in front of them. And it isn’t in a scientific way like ‘This type of race has definitely experienced more police brutality than those of other races.’ It is an experience where they could feel their heartbeat and palms sweat when they did nothing wrong. Where any person would say “I’m scared. I want to go home.” Police brutality targeted toward African Americans and other races, such as Middle Easterners is something that is known everywhere. A fact. And honesty coming from someone who experienced it. Not what happened. But how they felt. What they wanted to say, but didn’t. That is something that sticks with me, every time I read a book with a similar perspective to Rameck’s.

What about the setting made the story seem real? Well, the people the three young men describe, such as drug dealers, and just bad people make this very real. I’ve been warned about bad people my whole life, been given rules to follow. I would agree that I definitely don’t have it bad like in this book. But my neighborhood is one where I can’t go walking by myself, even in daylight. There are people to avoid, such as mentally ill, though they may not always seem obvious. I guess it’s a way of life, more than some people. For example, my cousin who lives in the suburbs of West Chicago can walk around her neighborhood and see some friends who live down the street. She doesn’t worry about some crazy man stopping her while she’s walking down the sidewalk. I’d say that even if you’ve only experienced a taste of the street, you can definitely have an idea of what life was like in Newark back then, and what it still is in some areas. You have to be cautious. It’s too bad that some have to be more cautious than others, but that’s just the way of things.

Book: Close to Famous
Author: Joan Bauer
Submitted: September 3
Review: RR

This summer, I also read Close to Famous by Joan Bauer. Now, I’ll say, I had my doubts about this book. I honestly thought it would be one of those cheesy ‘you can achieve your dreams if you believe!’ kind of stories. It wasn’t. Well, sort of. But it wasn’t cheesy. A twelve year old girl named Foster McFee is an extraordinary baker, who dreams about being able to read and her own cooking show. Her mama is a brilliant singer, but her father died a few years ago in the army. There are some holes in Foster’s heart, from her daddy dying to people back home in Memphis making fun of the fact that Foster can’t read too well. Foster’s mama has made some bad choices, such as making an Elvis impersonator named Huck her boyfriend. Huck has a bad temper, and he’s surely fake in every possible way. What’s interesting is that he wants to be in the spotlight, but he doesn’t want to be alone anywhere else in his life. So trouble arises when Foster and Mama escape to the small town of Culpepper, away from Huck.

‘I told him a little about Huck, but just a little. “He wasn’t the kind of person we should have in our lives,” was how I put it. “My dad wasn’t either.” And there passed between us this kind of knowing. We didn’t need to talk about it anymore.’ All books do not have this. The small feelings and understandings sprinkled about the plot, especially in the serious moments. Foster is talking to Macon, a boy she met in Culpepper. When authors describe an understanding between two people about someone who hurt them, or just wasn’t good to be around, it really stands out to me. I mean, I’ve never experienced that. My family is knit tightly, and I’ve never had someone live or stay in my house who wasn’t a good person to be around. Anyways, what I’ve learned when it comes to discussing important issues is that you need to relate to your viewers or readers. Joan Bauer does that by putting a main character into that situation. And the character is the same age about as her readers, which will appeal to them even more. And even if it hasn’t happened to you, you can still open it up to discussion. That’s how we can get people to talk about it. Talking about things is important. You shouldn’t keep it bottled up. Of course, there’s a time and place to talk about issues. But letting it out is important. “You’ve got to learn to leave the table when love’s no longer being served.” -Nina Simone

How did the challenges the main character faced make him/her stronger? Well, for dealing with Huck, Foster learns that she can stand up for herself, and that by unlocking her own strength, she also brought a strength and bravery inside of her mama that wasn’t there for the longest time. With Foster learning how to read, she was able to talk about her challenge and she got help. To her surprise, in fact, others asked how they could help instead of making fun of her. I guess her and her mama knew to leave the table, because there was nothing good left to be served.

Book: Dark Sons
Author: Nikki Grimes
Submitted: September 3
Review: RR

This summer, I read Dark Sons by Nikki Grimes. Dark Sons is about Ishmael, a boy from biblical times, and Sam, who’s story is the modern day version of Ishmael’s. Both boys have fathers who loved them, but left them and ripped their hearts out when they left. Ishmael’s father, Abraham, has a wife named Sarah, who has been barren for many years. And Ishmael has been Abraham’s first son and loved Ishmael for a long time. Until Sarah becomes pregnant and has a son, Isaac. Now Ishmael is second best. Sam had two loving parents, and his life was full of light and love. But his father has left him and his mother, and now Sam has wrapped his heart in bitterness and anger for his father and his new family. Both boys learn the gift of forgiveness, and they see that God is with them the whole journey through.

“Anger was a life raft, I supposed. Why else would I cling till the nerve ends in my fingers froze?” (Sam) This quote reminds me of Aibileen in The Help, which is one of my favorite books. Aibileen lost her son Treelore, and she feels as if bitterness is the only thing that can keep her connected to the anger. She doesn’t wish to lose that anger because then, in a way, she has lost Treelore. But forgiveness enters Aibileen’s life and she realises that she can forgive what happened and still keep the memory of her son close to her heart. Sam also sees that even though he can’t change what has happened, he can still make the best of the situation, and forgive his father and love his whole family.

What was the constant in the main character(s) life/lives that helped him/her/them through the challenges? I would say God. While Ishmael and Sam both felt as if God had abandoned them, God was there when nothing and no one else was. Both character’s mothers had all the light drained out of their eyes and hearts when they were betrayed by their husband/man. And Ishmael and Sam felt hurt and betrayed as well. But they were able to come to terms with those feelings of anger and resentment. So they were finally allowed to make a breakthrough and even help those around them out. I think that it’s hard to understand what someone is going through when you haven’t experienced it yourself. Even though Sam’s mother experienced a divorce, that was Sam’s father. It’s like having a part of you ripped away. And God was able to heal that. God can do anything, after all. He has a plan though. Everything can’t magically appear. Faith is key.

Book: Copper Sun
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Submitted: September 3
Review: RR

This summer, I read Copper Sun by Sharon M Draper. The story is about a 15 year old girl living in an African tribe. Her name is Amari. One night, a group of English settlers raid her village and kill most of the tribe. Amari and other young men and women are shackled and chained by the neck, arms, and legs. Amari suffers through many different horrors, and she must find her strength and hope through it all.

         "This time last year, when she was back in Beauford with her folks, Polly wouldn't of given a second thought about a slave going to work in the rice fields. That's what a slave was supposed to do. Who cared about the feelings of an ignorant slave anyway? But this was someone she knew, maybe even felt sorry for. Somehow, that made a difference." I think it's interesting how Ms. Draper put that perspective in a book that takes place in the 1700s. I liked that. And Polly changes her views throughout the book. While it's not completely realistic that that would happen, it's nice to read in a book.

         “A reader recently said, "I don't care about slavery. That happened a long time ago, and I don't want to think how did in my life today. It is no longer important." What do you think about that statement?” I think that it's important to remember what happened, even if it was terrible. I mean, it's important to remember history. Because if we don't remember, it'll happen again. Think about how many wars this country has been through. No one wants WWIII to happen, and we remember what has happened before and so we do what we can to prevent it. So I disagree with the student who thinks that. Because if you forget, it's no longer a part of our history.

Book: Shabanu:  Daughter of the Wind
Author: Suzanne Fisher Staples
Submitted: September 3
Review: RR

This summer, I read Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples. The main character is named Shabanu and her and her family live in the Middle East. The time period exactly is unknown, but I believe it is between the 20th-21st century. Her older sister, Phulan, is having an arranged marriage. Phulan knows that while being forced to marry isn’t her first choice, she understands that she must uphold her family’s rules. I noticed that Phulan starts to become brainwashed into thinking that this man she loves and that this arrangement is good. But Shabanu isn’t so sure, and shudders at the thought of having to serve and be controlled by a lanky 17 year old. In the end, she has two sides pulling her opposite ways and she must break free for the one true way.

‘Dadi sets me down, and I try to break free from him. He holds me firmly by the arm. I bite at him like a wild animal. With his free hand he slaps my face, sending me to my knees. He still holds my arm.’ For some reason, whenever someone is beat or hit in a book or movie or whatever, it always makes me angry and makes me begin to hate whoever hit them. I don’t know why. I was never hit or beat as a child or now. But I just can’t stand reading or watching that. Of course, it won’t make me set down the story, or shut off the TV. Because I want to see the victim rise above it, to fight back and escape. I know that this is the norm for lots of places in the world, and even in areas in the US. It’s interesting, because I wonder if those victims will change. I’m sure some do, but some don’t. And those who don’t, well… Did their parents or guardian know that they were creating a monster? Suffering for their grandchildren? Hmm..

Why do you think the book refers to Shabanu as ‘Daughter of the Wind’? Honestly? As I am writing this, I feel like it’s meant to reflect some of who we are. Not all of it, but as a member of the human race, I can say definitively that we, are NOT perfect. Wind comes and goes. It can be gentle, but it can also be destructive. It can bring tears to your eyes if you look directly into it’s passing. But it also reminds you that you are alive. That life surrounds you, so live it. Maybe I’m looking too much into what wind is. It can lift you up, but it’ll also push you down. It’s a lot like us. We heal but we also destroy. We live but we also die. We encourage but jealousy or hate can sometimes engulf us. Some of us come and go, wondering what their purpose is in life. Wind is very philosophical, I must say. Wind also tends to accompany other weathers and tries to steal their glory. (Ahem, snow and rain. Even sunshine.) Yup, we sure have a lot in common with the weather. Shabanu, has a lot of the good qualities of the wind. But she’s also a bit headstrong. Which is also a big part of wind. Just trying to move, pushing through and past anything in it’s way. So wind reminds us to keep pushing through the tough times, keep going. But heal and be gentle along the way.

Book: Tangerine
Author: Edward Bloor
Submitted: September 3
Review: MOH

The second book I read on the reading list this summer, was Tangerine, by Edward Bloor. Tangerine is the story of a 7th grade student named Paul Fisher. His parents, brother, and himself are moving from Texas to Florida, in the beginning of the book. Paul isn’t sure how he feels about moving, but truth be told, he is a bit excited. A day after he gets there, Paul is enrolled at Windsor Downs Middle School. He is slightly vision-impaired, so his mom turns in an IEP, (Individualized Education Plan) even though he sees fine with his glasses. Two weeks later, the school year begins. And so does soccer season. Paul played soccer for 6 years in Texas, always as a goalie. And he was good. Finally, the day of soccer tryouts come. Already, there were a bunch of boys shooting, and an OK goalie was in goal. Paul hung around the goal until someone noticed him, and they put Paul in goal. Not one person could score. That’s when the Windsor Downs Middle School soccer team gave him the name, Mars. Because he looks like an alien, with his huge glasses. At the next soccer practice, Coach Walski walked up to Paul. “Uh, Paul, you have an IEP. Is that correct?” “Yes, sir.” Coach Walski looked pained. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but Paul, you’re not eligible for the program.” Paul wasn’t eligible for the program, because when his mom turned in that IEP, he was considered visually handicapped. This was the worst day of Paul’s life in Florida… So far.


Paul still has a best friend from his soccer team, however. His name is Joey. A couple times, they went out running together. They don’t seem very close, but Joey is Paul’s best friend. Paul is still so mad at his mom for when she turned in that IEP. But he gets another chance to play soccer, and Tangerine Middle School. Apparently, when Windsor Downs Middle School was being built, no one cared to waste their time inspecting it. The main building was fine, but all the portables, where the 7th and 8th grade students have class, sank. It was at the beginning of the school year, about 3 weeks in, when a sinkhole becomes visible, and swallows all the portables. When school finally started up, the 7th and 8th grade students had a choice: 1. If you’re a 7th grader, continue school in the main building. 2. If you’re an 8th grader, continue school at Lake Windsor High, in their gym/auditorium. 3. Enroll at a new school. Paul realized that if he enrolled at Tangerine Middle, he could join their soccer team! So he convinced his mom to enroll, and he started school the next Monday. That is when this book gets chaotic.
Unfortunately, multiple characters die in this book, from touching a metal pole while it gets struck by lightning, to dying a week after getting hit in the head with a blackjack. There is plenty of stealing, and general bad dudes in this book. But Paul manages to stay OK no matter what happens. His soccer year is wonderful, and that’s what is important to him. I would rate this book a 4.5/5. Since this book took place in the late 1990’s, there are still things like blackjacks in Tangerine County, Florida. It was confusing at first, because I only knew of the game blackjack, but once I looked it up, nothing else in the book was confusing. The overall plot is exciting, and is a good story. I would recommend this book to 7th grade and up. There is some violence, and its pretty extreme, but a good age to read this is around the 7th grade age.
Book: Dark Sons
Author: Nikki Grimes
Submitted: September 2
Review: SY

I recently finished Dark Sons, by Nikki Grimes. It’s a book about two teenage boys from completely different timelines. One is from the bible, and the other one is from present day New York. In this book, Nikki Grimes compares Ishmael, son of Abraham and Hagar, to Sam, a kid from Harlem. Grimes uses poetry to tell the story, painting pictures that are concisely told with her words. She shows just how relatable a story from the bible can be.

“God never lies. So she rolled his promises around in her mind like rubies, slipped them into the pocket of her memory, and hurried home.” I chose this quote because I think it expresses what us Christians strongly and firmly believe in, which affirms our faith; that god never lies. I also like the wordplay. The comparison of god’s promises to rubies, and memory to a pocket.

I found a couple themes in this book, such as roll with the punches, trust God, and look towards the future. Both Sam and Ishmael had to do that when their father left them to fend for themselves, alone with their tough as nails mothers. Rolling with the punches is not an easy thing to do, especially if something had been taken from you, and you want it back. I give this book a 5/10, because it was not an interesting read, but it wasn’t completely bad (this is just my opinion).

Book: The Once and Future King
Author: TH White
Submitted: September 2
Review: MOH

The first book I read for the summer reading list was The Once and Future King by T.H. White.  The Once and Future King is about the story of King Arthur. This book is split into four separate parts, each published in different years. The first part is titled The Sword in the Stone. It takes place in the medieval england time period. It starts out with Art, short for Arthur, soon to be King Arthur. As a nickname, everyone who knows him, calls him the Wart. Wart is an adopted, smart child. But his brother, Kay, is not all that smart, and not properly disciplined, because he will inherit his father’s land. One early evening, Wart, and Kay, decide to go hawking. Hawking is when they take their hawk, Cully, and send him to try and catch small game; a rabbit for example. Instead, Cully perches on a branch and stares evilly at Wart and Kay. He then flies deeper into the forest. Kay is fuming, and storms his way back to the castle. But Wart, he decides to stay the night in the forest. Early the next morning, he hears a clanging sound. He searches for it, and that was when he first met Merlyn, and old wizard, one of the best in history. At the end of The Sword in the Stone, the book skips up 6 years. Kay is still immature, and unfortunately for the Wart, he is reluctantly forced to become Kay’s squire.

In the other three sections of The Once and Future King, the book continues the story of after King Arthur is called Arthur, and not Wart.  He is now almost of age to becoming king. The second section, entitled The Queen of Air and Darkness, is about the Orkney clan, (in the Northern Isles) and Arthur’s half-sister, Queen Morgause. Merlyn continues to help Arthur on his journey of growing up. The third section is titled The Ill-Made Knight. It doesn’t include King Arthur often, as he is now king. This section is all about Sir Lancelot, and his forbidden love with Queen Guenever. Unfortunately, that means Lancelot and Guenever have to hide their affair from King Arthur, who already heard about it from Merlyn. This is the book where it starts to seem sort of like a Telenovela. The final section, The Candle in the Wind, brings together the three book, and tells the story of Mordred’s hatred of his father and Sir Agravaine’s hatred of Sir Lancelot. That is the beginning of a lead to the eventual downfall of King Arthur, Lancelot and Guenever, and the kingdom of Camelot.

This book lasts the majority time of King Arthur’s time alive. It starts with him as younger boy, and ends with him ending his rule as king for many decades. I would rate this book a 3.5 out of 5. It’s very confusing, as in it has multiple persons with names very similar. There are also a lot of new ideas that you don’t hear about anymore, like a mustard pot that can serve you with its own arms, or a grudgy owl named Archimedes. I would recommend this to 8th grade and up, or maybe high-school and up. It’s a very tough book, but it was a good plot.

Book: Copper Suns
Author: Sharon Draper
Submitted: September 1
Review: SL

This summer I read the book Copper Suns by Sharon Draper. This book is about this girl named Amari and she was engaged to the most handsome man in her african village. She had a good life until these white men come and her and her village welcome them with open arms. But they kill everyone in her village and set the place on fire and the take her and chain her up.

They her into a slave and she meets poppy and tibet, they finally had the courage to escape and they travel to a spanish colony in florida where there can be free they meet the captain who help them get a house and a job where they can work and make money. The captain was giving their papers so they can be there. When you read this book you can feel what poppy and tibet and amari were feeling when they had to be a slave, you can feel amari pain when she lost her family and the love of her live.

This book gives you more point of view on slavery, when you read this book you know that you have to read a book about losing family and pain, friendship, at some points in the book you understand their side of being a slave sure we may think we know they feel until some one who has been in that position and they explained to you what they went through and what they feel when they tell you what they felt and what they been through.

I will give this book a 4/5 because it was a very good book but there was some parts that I didn’t like. I would that anybody could read this book but there are some words that I couldn’t understand.

Book: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Submitted: August 30
Review: CM

This week i read Ender's world by Scott Card. The mains characters name is Ender and he is a third child in his family. This book takes place in the future and being a third child is bad luck. On earth right now, it is a very hard time, earth is getting attacked by aliens, humans call them buggers. The government is taking little kids to space and training them to fight, teaching them advanced math, science, and strategy. Endet has been one of the few kids on earth who has been chosen. Find out what Ender does in this adventurous, page turner novel.

Ender doesn't get treated to well. Whether it’s at home or school. The only person who treats him well is his sister. If he does leave to space, he will miss his sister and not see her for years. Ender decided to go, he said, what was the point of life then. Ender likes it in space, he feels wanted. He also makes some friend. His favorite and best friend is named Aloi. Enders favorite game to play is a fighting game in a no gravity room. It involves a lot of strategy. Ender has also set a lot of new records in mind games at a very young age. Lots of officers see that and promote him to a much higher rank. One day Ender is brought to another planet. He then does simulation battle. Each one he does gets harder until there is a really hard battle. He wins and finds out it was real.



In conclusion, i thought this was a pretty decent book. I would rate this book a 8 out of 10. I really liked the author's writing style. I recommend this book to a 7th or 8th grader because there are some big words hard to read. The reason why i gave it a 8 out of 10 and not a 10 out of 10 because sometimes the book was slow and hard to read. Also the ending was really sudden.