Here is the last installment of book reviews written by kids and teens this summer. We at the Read & Write project would like to thank all the young people who took the time to sit down and write us so joyfully about a favorite book they’ve read. The reviews were thoughtful, smart and sincere, and we only wish there had been room to print every one we received. To see all of the Read & Write reviews that were published this month, please visit chicagotribune.com/books.
We hope all your enthusiastic recommendations will lead to more young readers picking up and enjoying books this school year and beyond.
Stone Fox
By John Reynolds Gardiner
Review by Jack Kramer, 8
Glenview
Hoffman School
I think you should read this book because it has a surprising ending. The book’s about a boy named Little Willy. He lives on a farm with his grandfather and his dog, Searchlight. His grandfather got sick because he had to pay $500 to the government or else their farm would get taken away. Little Willy enters a dog race and if you win, you get $500. Stone Fox is a champion dog racer and Little Willy is racing him and eight other people. If you read this book, you will find out the ending. I think this book is a very good book because it has lots of surprises. I thought of a lot of endings but it didn’t turn out to be any of them.
Shoeless Joe & Me (A Baseball Card Adventure)
By Dan Gutman
Review by Noah Sebek, 9
Chicago
Keller Regional Gifted Center
(Chicago Public Library)
When I signed up for the library’s summer reading program, I found a whole shelf of new books about sports. Being a baseball fan, I grabbed “Shoeless Joe & Me.” I really enjoyed the book. It is about the Black Sox scandal of 1919 with a time-traveling twist. I think it’s cool that the main character, a boy named Joe Stashock, can travel through time by holding a baseball card and traveling to the year the card was made. Joe travels to 1919 for two reasons: to stop the Black Sox scandal and to get a picture of his great-grandmother and great-great-uncle, whom he’d never seen before. This book is exciting because you never know what will happen next. It is a book everyone would enjoy: boys, girls, sports fans and even Cub fans.
Parsifal’s Page
By Gerald Morris
Review by Will Podlewski, 11
Western Springs
St. John School
Hello, my name is Will Podlewski and I recently read a very good book called “Parsifal’s Page.” This novel involves swordplay, wizardry and a plot that will envelop the reader in the years of King Arthur’s court. The story begins as a young boy named Piers is working in his father’s blacksmith shop. One day a knight comes to the shop and he takes Piers in as his page. When Piers learns that the knight (Sir Ither) wishes to kill King Arthur, Piers abandons him. Piers then meets a young man who wishes to become a knight and joins him. The man is Parsifal, a very special man. This is a perfect book for any age. If you like swordplay, wizardry and dry humor then this is the book for you.
The Day the Babies Crawled Away
By Peggy Rathmann
Review by Makenzi Morse, 6
Rockford
Concordia Lutheran School
I read “The Day the Babies Crawled Away” and I loved the book. The pictures were amazing! My favorite part was when the babies chased after bees all the way up in the trees. That was a very funny part. I was amazed the babies came home. I would recommend this book because it is fun to read. I also loved looking at all the pictures.
Island of the Blue Dolphins
By Scott O’Dell
Review by Lucy Woodrow, 11
Wilmette
Highcrest Middle School
“Island of the Blue Dolphins” is about a young girl left behind by her Indian tribe and left to survive on her own. It is one of those books you can’t put down after you’ve started reading it. Scott O’Dell has written a marvelous book that is definitely one of my favorites. The best part about it is that you don’t know what’s going to happen next. The book is totally unpredictable. The girl makes many new friends, and soon learns the secrets of the island. There’s only one problem: The Aleut hunters come to kill seals on the island for fur, and the humans who live on it. I would rate this book four stars out of four.
The Breadwinner
By Deborah Ellis
Review by Melissa Wagner, 10
Highland Park
Braeside School
Parvana, a young girl, lives in Afghanistan, where the life of a female isn’t a very happy one. When the Taliban take her father away, Parvana’s life gets even worse. In Afghanistan, women weren’t allowed in the market unless accompanied by a man. In order to earn money for the family, Parvana must pretend she’s a boy. Parvana worked in the market near a jail. Several times while business was slow she heard voices above her from a cell. This book stresses the importance of family and education. I enjoyed this book because it was enlightening to learn about life in Afghanistan and put myself in Parvana’s shoes. It was sad, but I suggest reading it because it takes you deep down inside your heart, where you will find a place for this extraordinary family.
Old Turtle’s Soccer Team
By Leonard Kessler
Reviewed by David Andalcio, 8
Chicago
LaSalle Language Academy
If you like soccer and animals you’ll like this book. I liked how Old Turtle and his friends played as a team. They practiced every day and used their head, chest, belly, legs and feet. See what happens when Old Turtle’s soccer team has to play against the quick raccoons called the Rockets. This book shows how practice and friendship can make you a winner.
Judy Moody Gets Famous
By Megan McDonald
Review by Kayla Mitchell, 11
Chicago
Lincoln School
(Chicago Public Library)
“Judy Moody Gets Famous” is about a girl who wants to be famous. The desire to be famous and get her picture in the paper is sparked by her seeing another girl in her class in the paper for being “Queen Spelling Bee.” Judy does many things to try to reach her goal. Everyone should read this book because it is interesting. It describes what you can do to get famous, like dance, sing and other stuff. I thought that the illustrations were the best because when I read words sometimes I try to picture it in my head, but when it is in the book I would know what the scene looks like. I could not stop reading this book because I was curious to see if she gets famous or not.
Ella Enchanted
By Gail Carson Levine
Review by Sima Merai, 14
Von Steuben
Metropolitan Science Center
(Chicago Public Library)
“Ella Enchanted” is a book that can make you laugh, cry and happy anytime. There is a girl named Ella who is cursed. The curse was obedience: For the rest of her life, Ella would be obedient. One day Ella’s mother fell sick and died. At the funeral Ella meets the Prince of Frell (that’s where they live). The prince’s name was Char. Char and Ella hung out together and started to know each other better. Ella’s father remarried to Mum Olga. Mum Olga and her two daughters were really mean to Ella. Ella became a servant in her own home. Char decided to marry. There were going to be three balls, where Char would choose his wife. The one character I like is Ella. Ella is always making people laugh and is very kind. She has a great mind of imaginations. I think everyone should read this book because it is funny and has magic.
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World
By Jennifer Armstrong
Review by Riley Mangan, 10
Arlington Heights
Our Lady of the Wayside School
“Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World” is the extraordinary true story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 men (plus one stowaway) and their journey from one side of Antarctica to the other. This two-year voyage begins in 1914 and becomes a story of survival when their ship, Endurance, is trapped between two shifting floes, which are a type of glacier. The crew was then forced to travel by foot. This tale includes interesting details including a sneaky stowaway and a diet consisting only of seal and penguin meat. My favorite part was the way the crew fed their dogs while trapped on the ice by waiting for penguins to flock around the boat and then allowing the hungry dogs overboard. Waddling penguins didn’t stand a chance against the dogs. The book also includes fascinating photographs.
Ender’s Game
By Orson Scott Card
Review by Alec Schmidt, 12
West Dundee
Dundee Middle School
“Ender’s Game” . . . it was the most addictive book I’ve ever read. When I read about it in the newspaper it sounded cool, then I realized it was for (ages) 14 and over, so I asked my mom (because I’m 12) and she said it was OK. Ender is the name of a boy who goes to battle school. The story is set in the future. When I started reading it, it seemed stupid, but by the fourth chapter I started reading every day, trying to figure out what would happen next. “Ender’s Game” was so wonderful I checked out another book, “Speaker for the Dead” (another book in the “Ender Wiggins Saga” series). I would recommend “Ender’s Game” to kids 10 and over.
MAXimum Boy series
By Dan Greenburg
Review by Luka Cukic, 12
Chicago
Ogden School
The reasons why this book is so good is that it’s a part of a series and after you are finished with one book you can go to the next one. The book has sports in it and it has things about school, like how to scare the bullies at your school. It also tells you how to get super powers. You should read this book if you like things like flying.
Lily B. on the Brink of Cool
By Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Review by Kayla Huber, 11
Buffalo Grove
Riley Elementary
Have you ever thought about your future career being a world-famous journalist? Lily Blennerhassett has. As she looked through her journal, which was an extra-credit project for Advanced English, Lily began to realize that her life could be a great novel. She was well on her way to becoming her dream without even knowing it. “Lily B. on the Brink of Cool” has twists around every corner and makes you want to keep turning the page. It is written in a journal form telling about the exciting events in Lily’s life. The book is for kids in grades 4 to 8; however, I found the vocabulary a bit challenging because it was written from a 13-year-old’s perspective.
Number the Stars
By Lois Lowry
Review by Jeremy Apolinski, 10
Park Ridge
Field School
(Park Ridge Public Library)
This book takes place in 1943 in Copenhagen, Denmark, during World War II. Denmark had already surrendered to Nazi Germany and Copenhagen was not a safe place for Jewish people. The story is about two families–Mr. and Mrs. Rosen and their daughter, Ellen, who are Jewish, and Mr. and Mrs. Johansen and their children, Annemarie and Kirsti, who are not. The Johansens try to help their friends, the Rosens, escape to Sweden. I like this book because it is full of suspense and drama. I couldn’t wait to read the next chapter. The book showed me the importance of helping people out of tight spots. It also made me sad to read about all the innocent people who lost their lives during the war.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
By L. Frank Baum
Review by Maleak Cooper, 9
Hazel Crest
Woodland School
(Grande Prairie Public Library)
I enjoyed the story because at the end Dorothy got to go home to Aunt Em and I even noticed that the Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Woodman all had courage, a heart and brains all the time. Other people would like this story because they would learn a lot of things they think they needed, they have inside of them already.
Cam Jansen and the First Day of School Mystery
By David A. Adler
Review by Will Roelke, 6
Rockford
Brookview Elementary
Cam and Eric were in school and two policemen walked in.
And took Cam’s teacher away. Finally Cam’s teacher walks in.
The mystery is to find out who stole her car.
If you like to read you should read this book.
Beowulf: A New Verse Translation
By Seamus Heaney
Review by Ben Dorau, 11
Walworth, Wis.
Home school
Beowulf is a moving epic poem, beautifully translated from the original Anglo-Saxon by Seamus Heaney. It chronicles the exploits of a Geatish hero, named Beowulf, against the usual mythological enemies (demons, denizens of the deep, and great, fire-breathing Wyrms). Heaney has the power over language to make the reader feel as if they are in a great mead hall listening to the story being told to them by a bard. The first and main evil that Beowulf must confront is a monster named Grendel. Grendel has been preying on the great hall of a Danish king until Beowulf comes to the rescue. The monster stalks the hall in this passage: “In off the moors, down through the mist bands, god-cursed Grendel came greedily loping.” The wonderful language alone is a reason to read this book, but there is also a gripping plot, interesting characters, and many valuable insights into those barbaric times.
Truck Dogs
By Graeme Base
Review by Yaseen Shuja, 8
Mt. Prospect
Fairview School
(Review written in the illustration).
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
By Roald Dahl
Review by Elyssa Kaufman, 8
Highland Park
Sherwood School
(Highland Park Public Library)
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is funny, and there are Oompa-Loompa songs in the book. It has lots of details. I liked the chocolate factory. People should read this book because it is good and you feel like you’re there in the book.
Flanagan’s Run
By Tom McNab
Review by Matthew Campion, 12
Wyoming, Ill.
St. Vincent de Paul School
“Flanagan’s Run” is an exciting tale of a foot race across America in the midst of the Great Depression. This story depicts adversity for many of the runners and triumph for only a few. Charles C. Flanagan is an entrepreneur with big dreams who decides to hold a race across America for a first-place prize of $360,000. On the way Flanagan has to defend his runners against an Olympic Committee member and ruthless Mob members. To cover expenses, his runners compete in side events such as the Scottish Highland games, races against a horse, and carnival races and fights. Starting in Los Angeles and ending in New York, the runners must survive the heat of the desert in Nevada and the altitude of the Rocky Mountains. This masterfully written book is a classic and can be enjoyed by all from 12 to 92.
Surfer Dog
By Elizabeth Spurr
Review by Catherine Busam, 10
Chicago
St. Paul of the Cross School
(Park Ridge Public Library)
This is a cool story about an 11-year-old boy named Pete who just moved from Los Angeles to Whaler’s Cove. Pete is not happy about moving, but he’s glad that his new town is on the coast because he loves surfing. One day while he’s surfing, he makes a new friend. But Blackie isn’t the kind of friend he was looking to make. Blackie is a stray black lab, and Blackie actually knows how to surf. He doesn’t use a board. He is a body surfer. Blackie becomes Pete’s best friend.
The Train to Somewhere
By Eve Bunting
Review by Kimberly Hayward, 9
Vernon Hills
Diamond Lake School
Guess what? I just read a book. Not just a book, a marvelous book. If you get a chance, you should read it too. It’s called “The Train to Somewhere.” This picture book is about 14 orphans. Out of all those 14 orphans, there is one that you will have to pay special attention to. Her name is Marianne. She is the most important character in the story. Her mom left her at St. Christopher’s and started a new life in the West. Marianne and the other 13 orphans boarded a train and were on their way to getting adopted. Marianne was the last person chosen for a new family.
Warriors: Into the Wild
By Erin Hunter
Review by Grace Denton-Spalding, 11
Chicago
Near North Montessori
Rusty is an ordinary house cat with dreams of the forest behind his house, until one night when he ventures out into the forest and his dreams become reality. Rusty becomes an apprentice in ThunderClan, one of four clans of cats, and is known as Firepaw. The day he joins, the Deputy of ThunderClan is killed–supposedly by Oakheart. But his friend Ravenpaw saw Tigerclaw, a warrior of Thunder Clan, kill him. Firepaw is drawn into Clan conflicts and, when he saves ShadowClan from its bloodthirsty leader, he is given a new name–Fireheart. So knowing the truth, trying to fit in, and dealing with love and loss, Fireheart’s adventure begins.
A Series of Unfortunate Events series
By Lemony Snicket
Review by Riley Nelson, 6
Chicago
Latin School
I read all 10 Lemony Snicket books this summer. They’re great books and I loved them! These books are so not about lemons or anything lemony! “Lemony” is the first name of the author. The stories are about the unfortunate Baudelaire children–Violet, Klaus, and Sunny–who are orphans. The whole series is about the children overcoming the many unfortunate events they face. The children must survive on their own, always having to escape their scary enemy, Count Olaf. They get themselves in and out of the most unfortunate situations, like the time in the sixth book (“The Ersatz Elevator”) when baby Sunny had to climb up and down an elevator shaft with her four very sharp teeth. Before that, in the second book (“The Reptile Room”) she had to sword-fight with her little teeth. In Book Nine (“The Carnivorous Carnival”) all of the Baudelaire children escaped being eaten by lions at the carnivorous carnival. At this carnival they also disguised themselves as freaks, and they got themselves into very big trouble! The Baudelaire children are brave, good-hearted, and they’re very smart. I just love ’em! I can’t wait to read the 11th book when it comes out next year, and to see what it’s called.
Pendragon: The Never War
By D.J. MacHale
Review by Robby Mirabal, 13
Palos Park
Palos South Middle School
“Pendragon: The Never War” is a spectacular book with a strong opening, a remarkable plot line and a suspenseful ending. The characters are likable, and the action starts early on in the book. A courageous boy named Bobby Pendragon and his audacious ally, Spader, are transported to New York in 1937 and are quickly pitted against vicious gangsters and vengeful villains. Bobby has to find his arch-enemy, Saint Dane, and obstruct his malicious plan of throwing Earth into chaos. This book has incredible action throughout the entire book. It also contains an enthralling plot, and it has a small amount of mystery. The book also has its share of plot twists. This book is almost impossible to put down, even from the beginning.
Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub
By Jamie Gilson
Review by Mike Galperin, 10
Glenview Glen
Grove School
Have you and your classmates ever sunk a sub? Well, you probably have. You sink a sub when you make her cry. It usually happens when the sub realizes that the kids are in charge. In this book, it’s the boys vs. the girls to see who can sink the sub first. The losers have to get the kickball out of the spit pit–basically, the school’s garbage dump–whenever it lands in there. But when the sub figures out what’s going on, she fights back. The first snowball-throwing, floor-mopping sub ever. Read Jamie Gilson’s sub-sinking tale of countless shenanigans that will make you laugh out loud.
