The Rope Trick

All right I'm making myself look bad. Okay! Book of the Week: The Rope Trick. Lidi is a spectacular magician who does shows for her living. She rides with the caravan master, Jericho, ever since her father died. They are constantly hunting for the only man known to have done the Rope Trick. Lidi aspires to learn as well. One day, they find a girl who is an orphan and looking for someone else to stay with. Lidi has compassion on her and takes her in. The girl, Daniella, turns out to be a big magician help. They also meet and take in an outlaw, Julian, with a price on his head. When Daniella is taken, they must abandon their quest and use everything they have to get her back. This book is amazing! It shows that the skies are the limit and anything is possible. Lidi's great humor and mystique are wonderful. There is a fabulous touch of romance that I didn't anticipate. This was fantasic!-J.E.

Silver World

I'm making a new rule. If I do the Book of the Week on Saterday, Sunday, or Monday, it counts. I also didn't do it yesterday because I was gone and I got back really late. Book of the Week: Silver World by Cliff McNish. It's the last book in a series about 7 extraordinary kids with extraordinary powers. They must prepare the world for the Roar, a giagantic monster that's starving and looking for food. They each have their own special power and in Silver World, they must use their powers together to save the world and everything on it. The Protecter, a good-hearted giant, Milo, a silver angel, and the monsterous Roar fianally lock in a crafty battle, fueled by 7 special children, and come to a gripping climax. This book is crafty and ingenious. I know the action and suspense will get you. I saw this book, took a chance, and loved it(as usual. We always dream of superpowers and now the dream's come true. This is great!-J.E.

The Roar

OK, I forgot again but next time I won't....hopefully. Anyway the book of the week is The Roar by Emma Clayton. It was closely followed by The Wide-Awake Princess(by E.D. Baker). The Roar is about twin brother and sister Mika and Ellie. They live in a dirty, metal, and crowded world. When Ellie is stolen from her small home, everyone thinks she died. Not Mika. Mika is the only one who beleives Ellie still lives. He gets advice from a neighbor, who later must go in hiding, to enter a video game contest. She says it may be the only way to find his lost twin. Mika and his friends enter and are caught in a whirlwind of surprises. Secrets are unraveled and Mika and Ellie can stop them or watch them. I devoured this book. At first, I wondered if I would continue to read this, but soon I couldn't stop. A facinating, futristic book that leaves you hanging. This may be the first and only bad comment I have about a book, but(I might've just skipped a page) I don't understand why she calls it 'The Roar'. It mentions the Roar a few times but I just don't understand. Hmmm... well this books makes you wonder and holds till the last moment. Everyone should have the oppuortunity to read this book. I love it!-J.E.

The Last Hero

Book of the week: The Last Hero by Rick Riordan. Jason has no memories whatsoever. He and his friends, Piper and Leo, get taken to Camp Half-Blood and he gets a strange sensation that he shouldn't be there. Piper and Leo try hard to help Jason remember, but it is too much. Nevertheless, Jason and Piper get visions from Hera, saying she is in dire need of a rescue. Jason, Piper, and Leo embark on a crazy quest to save the queen of the heavens. If they don't, the king of the giants will rise and destroy the world. Your typical save-the-world mission. I read it twice and I still adore it. Unexpected monsters and trials keep you enthralled. More laugh out loud humor is to be expected. Rick Riordan makes a perfect bond between this book and the Percy Jackson series that leaves you starving for more. The first time I read it, I was devastated by the way it ended. He couldn't stop now! But this book was a classic Rick Riordan. I was capured, I was laughing, there was great suspense. This book is a good read for anyone who loves fantasy. Another awesome book by Rick Riordan is the Red Pyramid. Signing off, J.E.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Okay, I am SUPER sorry! I totally forgot to do this on Saturday but I read the book last week, I think.... Anyway, the Book of the week is Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. Percy and his campmates have been preparing for Kronos's attack on Mount Olympus for a long time and now he's here! The half-bloods get ready to defend the city of the gods but, unfortunatly, there's a slight complication. The Lord of Time released a powerful titan who could bring the gods and Mount Olympus down easily. The gods are battling the titan while only forty half-bloods must defend Mount Olympus from Kronos's massive army, alone. I think what I love most about this book is it's humor. Percy is hilarious! My favorite books are the kind that have good humor in it. And the kinds where you just pick it up and look at a page and you're hooked! The action and twists will catch you. I like to write stories but I never have the surprising turns in it that Harry Potter and this book have. The prophecies always throw me for a loop. They never turn out the way anyone would expect. I also love watching them unfold and figure themselves out. This book is definatly a must. I do NOT have favorite books but this is one of the best I read. And that is saying something! :) -J.E.

The Ornaments at the Back of the Tree

Today, my neighbor advised a book his brother wrote called The Ornaments at the Back of the Tree by Shawn and Amy MacGregor. All the ornaments love Christmastime and being hung on the tree, but they dread where they will be hung. The 'Backsiders' (you can guess where THEY will be put) are old and torn and frayed while the 'Frontsiders' are new and shiny. The Frontsiders gloat and compare each other on the front, but the Backsiders are shy and hang back. A new, special ornament arrives and takes the place of wise old partridge on the top. The Frontsiders love the angel's perfectness. But the Backsiders soon have enough of the shiny ornaments' bragging. They decide to try and tip the tree so the Frontsiders will be covered and they will be visible. The Backsiders aren't strong enough to fell the tree, but they are strong enough to knock the angel off. The angel was one of Nana's favorite things and Nana, who was adored by everyone, had just died of cancer. The family is devastated when they find the shattered doll. They try to piece the angel back together, but one of the eyes is missing. So all the ornaments, quarrel forgotten, hunt for the missing eye. The partridge and a sloppy wooden soldier set out together and look for the missing eye. They pass a mirror and the solider quickly passes by. The partridge asks why he doesn't like looking in a mirror. The wooden soldier says he does not like his messy face and loose joints. The partridge says he sees memories and Christmas' long ago. The partridge looks in the mirror and sees a solution. He tells the soldier to take his last eye and give it to the angel. At first the soldier hesitates but the partridge persuades him to take it. When the partridge gives up his eye, the angel is magically fixed. The family finds the angel fixed and on top of the tree. Standing by her side is the little wooden soldier, now proud to be at the front. When I first read the book, it left me with mystery and love. The partridge gave up his sight for the sounds of Christmas joy. The wooden soldier found joy in being messily done. I felt like the partridge was unable to find happines in a broken angel and a gloomly bird on the tree. It's worth it for that, huh? This is a great story for families all year round.-J.E.

Dork Diaries

Book of the week again! Okay this isn't really a book, but I still love it. It's Dork Diares, Tales of a Not-So-Popular Party Girl by Rachel Renee Russell. Nikki is battling a fierce bully out to ruin her middle school life, stay popular, and impress her secret crush. She also(mainly) has to try to make an amazing Halloween dance out of nothing. Nikki gets into hilarious predicaments that make me cringe. Sometimes I can't believe that MacKenzie, the bully, can be so mean! You won't forget Nikki's last crazy scheme. She tries to paint 8-year-olds' faces for $150, dance with her BFF's, and hang out with her date, all at the same time! Nikki keeps you on your toes, waiting for the next laugh out loud idea. I have read this again and again and I never stop laughing. Dork Diares combines middle school social problems, love, and tangled messes that refuse to be strightened. This book will make you wince and laugh. And the pictures are half the fun. Adorable and wonderful, this is a good book for all pre-teens. -J.E.