This spring, we asked young readers of all ages to let us know about a great book by writing a short review or drawing a picture for the Read & Write summer reading project. We’ve received hundreds of wonderful reviews and illustrations about all kinds of books, involving subjects as varied as Harry Potter, Hot Wheels and ham (and green eggs). Here’s our first offering of reviews, written by young children, preteens and teens. We’ll have more every Sunday through Sept. 4, and we hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we have. If you’d like to see these reviews online or get our librarians’ list of even more great summer reads, please visit chicagotribune.com/books.
Maniac Magee
By Jerry Spinelli
Review by Nancy Miguel, 11
Chicago
Bateman School
Who can outrun a car? Who is allergic to pizza? Who can untie any knot in the whole world? Maniac Magee, that’s the one! “Maniac Magee” is about a white boy who becomes a legend for many things, but mostly for uniting the black and white sides of town. He started out homeless, and little by little makes friends, including bossy Amanda Beale, who carries her entire library to and from school in a suitcase so her younger brother and sister can’t scribble on them. Another friend is Grayson, an illiterate old park hand who almost made it to the major leagues when he was younger. Maniac teaches him how to read. This book teaches other valuable lessons as well, such as to not judge others. You will love this book more than your life. Don’t think about it, start reading and I mean now!
James and the Giant Peach
By Roald Dahl
Review by Osayuki Uwumarogie, 11
Country Club Hills
Southwood Middle School
(Grande Prairie Public Library)
I loved the book because it was sad at times, like when James’ parents died and he had to live with his aunts; but happy at times, like when the giant peach squashed his aunts. I used to think that it was funny, how James’ parents died by getting eaten by a rhino that escaped from the zoo, but then I thought it wasn’t that funny. I thought the book would be scary but it wasn’t; it was a great book! I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a book that is exciting in every page!
The Westing Game
By Ellen Raskin
Review by Beth Tomaszewski, 11
Glenview
Glen Grove School
Sam Westing is found dead. Sam Westing is a man who is famous for his paper products. He sells them all around the world. Before Sam Westing was murdered, he wrote a will. But it wasn’t really a will; it was instructions to a game. He made up the game to see if the suspects can figure out who murdered him. The 16 suspects have to find out who murdered Sam Westing and then they will win the inheritance. The suspects each get a partner and a set of four clues. This book is interesting and scary. So read this book, get to know the clues and figure out whom the murderer is.
Emily of New Moon
By L.M. Montgomery
Review by Mara Negru, 10
Glenview
Glen Grove School
The main characters in this book are Emily, Ilse, Perry Miller, Teddy Kent, Aunt Elizabeth, Aunt Laura and Cousin Jimmy. The book mostly takes place at New Moon Farm. Emily was 12 when her father died and her mother died when she was 4, leaving her to be an orphan. When her father died all her relatives from her mother’s side come to decide who is going to take her. Aunt Elizabeth takes her home and now she has to also live with Aunt Laura and Cousin Jimmy at New Moon Farm. I like this book because it is interesting to hear about her life.
The Boy Who Saved Baseball
By John H. Ritter
Review by Rachel Arnesen, 10
Chicago
Decatur Classical
Have you ever wondered about the secret of hitting a baseball? In this book, a baseball team actually discovers the secret of hitting. With the help of base-ball legend Dante Del Gato, a mysterious boy named Cruz de la Cruz, and a video game, the Dillontown Wildcats suddenly can win almost every game.But wait . . . what if the fate of your town depends on the outcome of one ballgame? That is just what happens to Tom Gallagher and the Wildcats. The team is riding on the shoulders of Cruz de la Cruz, who is the team’s best hitter AND pitcher. But then Cruz de la Cruz disappears. The team has to carry themselves. Will the Dillontown Wildcats prevail, or will they lose and have the field taken over by developers? I really liked this book because it shows that anything is possible and to always believe in yourself. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read and who loves baseball.
Cirque Du Freak
By Darren Shan (Book 1 in the “Cirque Du Freak” series)
Review by Chrystal Mattappillil, 11
Glenview
Glen Grove School
Imagine sacrificing your life for your best friend. Now change everything to a dark and chilly night where you have to barter your life with a vampire. This is the life of Darren Shan.The book is about a courageous boy named Darren Shan, his questionable best friend, Steve, and his destiny tied with a vampire. The novel starts with the forbidden adventure where Darren and Steve go to a “Circus of Freaks” and steal the unique spider, Madam Octa. Later, Madam Octa wounds Steve in an angry frenzy and paralyzes him with her fatal bite. There would be no way to save him unless . . . I chose this book for its compelling and addictive style of writing. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down! Read the book to find out if Steve dies and if Darren becomes a vampire!
Down Girl and Sit: Smarter Than Squirrels
By Lucy Nolan
Review by Maya Cave, 6
Clarendon Hills
Walker School
“Down Girl and Sit: Smarter Than Squirrels” was funny. The dogs think they’re smarter than squirrels but the squirrels are smarter than them. The squirrels can climb up trees.
The Giver
By Lois Lowry
Review by Rowan Quinain Jr., 11
Chicago
Edison Regional Gifted Center
This Newbery Award-winning novel is guaranteed to engage a young reader in its enthralling plot. The first paragraph immediately thrusts the reader into the story, forcing him or her to envision the events of that single paragraph. As an Eleven becoming a Twelve in the upcoming December, Jonas, the main character of the story, is troubled by the events of the nearing Ceremony. Each Twelve is given a sort of “internship,” a job chosen by the Council of Elders. When they graduate from this internship, they take on full-time responsibility of their chosen job. As the story progresses, more twists and turns reveal themselves, exhilarating the reader as he or she travels through the intricate story of The Giver. This poignant and well-written novel appealed to my taste, and I guarantee it will appeal to others also.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
By C.S. Lewis
Review by Eva Tumanova, 10,
Glenview
Glen Grove School
This interesting story is about a little girl named Lucy and how she was playing hide-and-seek with her siblings, and she hid in a magical wardrobe which took her to the cold land of Narnia. She spends many Narnia hours there with a faun she meets, and when she comes back, only a few seconds passed by! She comes back to tell her siblings about this magical world, and everyone thinks she is mad, not including her uncle. This book shows that if you listen to your imagination, anything could happen! I loved this book, and I hope it will be the same with you.
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice
By Laurie R. King
Review by Emily Bereiter, 15
Crystal Lake
Central High School
“The Beekeeper’s Apprentice” is the first book of the Mary Russell series. The story takes place in the year 1915, when the famous detective Sherlock Holmes has long retired to the Sussex Downs where he tends bees. That is, until he meets a 15-year-old, half-American girl named Mary Russell, who possesses Holmes’ talents of observation and deduction. Soon Russell, as nicknamed by Holmes, becomes the apprentice to the great detective and accompanies him on a case of the kidnapping of an American senator’s daughter. There is even a mystery between the two detectives, as Russell is awakened repeatedly by a terrible nightmare that she refuses to reveal the contents of. But the book does not end there. After a bomb is placed in one of Holmes’ hives, the pair of detectives are off searching for a deadly criminal, who wants nothing more than to end their lives.
Because of Winn-Dixie
By Kate DiCamillo
Review by Gabi Sanfilippo, 10
Tinley Park
Bernardin School
“Because of Winn-Dixie” is an awesome book to read. One reason why it’s a great book is because it’s humorous. The characters say and do things that probably seem pretty silly! Another is because it’s deep. The story has a deep concept and is very heartfelt. The story is also really interesting. I couldn’t put it down! It has many real-life situations. The story is about a young girl who finds a stray, abandoned dog in a tiny supermarket. Even though it’s a fiction story, as I said, there are many realistic things. Finally, this book is enjoyable for all ages. There are parts in the book that a 30-year-old and an 8-year-old will love!
Green Eggs and Ham
By Dr. Seuss
Review by Mario Salinas, 9
Chicago
Holden School
“Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss is the best book ever written. It is so funny and easy to read. The funniest part for me is when Sam I Am asks if you want to eat green eggs and ham with a mouse. I think this is the best book ever and you need to read it.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
By Laura Numeroff
Review by Erica Santoro, 9
Chicago
Holden School
“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” shows children to be responsible because if you give a mouse a cookie he will need a lot more supplies. I think this book is going to help kids read, with all the little words in it. It will give a lot of kids a really big imagination boost with all the colorful pictures. That’s why I think “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” is a really great book.
Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie
By Holly Black
Review by Jessica Sirkin, 17
Glencoe
New Trier High School
In her new book, Holly Black (author of “Tithe”) once again tackles all the tough questions that are a natural part of growing up, by showing just how supernatural they can be. Black tells a faerie story, but the faeries here are hardly the cute little pixies of Disney fame–these faeries are the dark, mercurial creatures of folklore. “Valiant” is the story of a teenage runaway who falls in with a group of street kids working for a troll exiled from Faerie. Black depicts the trials of exiled faeries and human children–unflinchingly presenting drug abuse, homophobia and broken homes. While often dark, “Valiant” is not without humor and is studded with pop-culture references ranging from Final Fantasy to Hot Topic. In her faerie tale, Black confronts humanity at its best and worst, all the while weaving a faerie legend for our modern era.
Eragon
By Christopher Paolini
Review by Hannah Hays, 11
Lake Forest
Wright School
(Vernon Area Public Library)
“Eragon,” the first book in a trilogy, is about a boy who is 15 years old and his name is Eragon. He was out hunting when he finds a stone. The stone is like no other stone. It is blue with white veins on it. He decides to bring it home and wait for the merchants to come so he can see if it has any value to it. After a few days, it breaks when he tried everything to break it. But instead of nothing in it, a dragon came out. He takes care of it. One day two beings come to town. The beings are called Razacs. The dragon, whose name is Saphira, takes Eragon somewhere, and so an adventure begins. Read the book to find out what happens to Eragon and Saphira. The book is 497 pages long. You will get through it quickly because you won’t want to put it down.
The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft
By Cathy Moore
Review by Emilio Grindheim, 8
Chicago
Skinner School
Ellen Craft and her husband, William, were slaves in Georgia. They wanted to escape north to Philadelphia. They were really smart and decided to make Ellen pretend to be a white man traveling with his slave. Ellen had very light skin. They had a perfect plan. But would it work? They took a big risk for their freedom.
A Boy at War
By Harry Mazer
Review by Christopher Altonji, 10
Glenview
Glen Grove School
When Adam Pelko moves to Hawaii because his dad got assigned to Pearl Harbor, the chaos starts. His dad told him to make some friends so Adam made friends with a group of kids from school. Later he finds out that the friends he made are Japanese. When he tells his dad, he gets furious, considering that his dad is in the Navy. When two of the kids he met invite him to go fishing, they find a boat. They get in the boat and start fishing farther into the ocean. While fishing they see planes fly over them. After a while they realize that they are Japanese planes and that they are attacking Pearl Harbor. “A Boy at War” is a great story that describes the life of a boy named Adam Pelko as he gets tied into the war at Pearl Harbor.
Abarat
By Clive Barker
Review by Maya Menon, 14
St. Charles
Thompson Middle School
Candy Quackenbush lived an unmentionable life, in the same monotonous circle every day. She runs away from home and ends up in the Abarat, where there is an island for every hour of the day. Making friends along the way, Candy sets out to learn as much as possible about the Abarat while staying as far away as possible from the Lord of Midnight, Christopher Carrion. He has made it a point to capture Candy and bring her to the island of Midnight, although his intentions are left unexplained. Clive Barker’s debut novel is a hit among fantasy-loving teens. It grabs the reader from the first page and traps them in the Abarat until the very last page. Follow Candy on the adventure of her (and your) life in the first in the Abarat trilogy.
Sunshine
By Robin McKinley
Review by Nora Long, 15
Northbrook
Glenbrook North High School
“Sunshine” is about a coffeehouse baker named Sunshine just after the Voodoo Wars between humans and Others, particularly vampires. She is kidnapped by vampires and chained in order to feed another captive vampire, Constantine, with her blood. But he doesn’t harm her, and she taps her own magic ability to escape, and decides she must also rescue Con, and keep the sunlight from burning him, something she never thought she could or would want to do. From there she is drawn increasingly into the vampire world, culminating in her defeat of the evil Bo, the one who had imprisoned Con. The language of the story is perfect; every moment is believable. It is easy to identify with Sunshine, her self-doubt, and her confused feelings for a vampire, one of those whom she has feared for so long. I would recommend this book to anyone.
Spy X: Hide and Seek
By Peter Lerangis
Review by Haley Goulding, 8
Elmhurst
Lincoln School
(Elmhurst Public Library)
This book is about two kids, Andrew and Evie, and their mom who disappeared in the first book of the “Spy X” series. In the beginning of this story Andrew and Evie receive another package from Spy X. The package contains some objects that were part of a pair and a letter in code. They follow the clue from the package and it leads them to other clues that finally lead them to a device that will help them track their mother down. When they find the device is my favorite part in the book. While this book can be read on its own, I recommend you start with the first book in the series. Readers who enjoy mysteries, problem solving and teamwork will surely enjoy this book.
Trouble Is My Beeswax
By Bruce Hale
Review by Roderick Sawyer Jr., 10
Chicago
Ray School
I think everyone should read “Trouble Is My Beeswax” by Bruce Hale. In this book there are two main characters, Chet Gecko and Natalie. Chet Gecko is a lizard who solves mysteries (so does Natalie) and who has a big appetite for desserts. Natalie is a bird and she likes jokes. In the story their friend gets framed for cheating on a test and they try to find the culprit. It’s someone who they never would have suspected. This story took place at a school. (They didn’t say the name.) Chet and Natalie are in the same grade but not the same class. This book is by Bruce Hale and I’d give this book a 10. The scale is, 1 is a very bad book and 5 is half-good and 10 is good. People who like mysteries should read this book because it’s a good mystery story and it’s funny.
Inkheart
By Cornelia Funke
Review by Mamie Zwettler, 11
Oak Park
Holmes School
(Oak Park Public Library)
What would you do if one night a gang of men came into your home and abducted your father along with a very precious book? You would go looking for your father, right? Well, that is what happens to 12-year-old Meggie and her father Mortimer (Mo) in the book “lnkheart.” Meggie’s father has a secret power that Meggie doesn’t learn about until a very cold and rainy night. Mo’s secret power is he can read characters out of books. Do you know when you can picture in your mind a character from a book? This is not the same; Mo can physically read a character out of the book and into our world–a living, breathing character. But things can go horribly wrong when you can do that. “lnkheart” is a fantastic book with many exciting twists and turns in the plot. At points it is very scary or sad or thrilling but there is never a dull moment. I give this book four bookmarks.
The Quilt Maker’s Gift
By Jeff Brumbeau
Review by Perry Ross, 9
Mundelein
Lincoln School
(Fremont Public Library)
This children’s book is phenomenal! It’s great for children and adults. It tells a story about a selfish king with many possessions. He wants a beautiful quilt made by the quilt maker. But before he gets the quilt he has to give every single thing away. He does give it all away and gets his quilt. He also learns a valuable lesson: Even if you have so many things you can give them all away and get one and be happy. It shows compassion for others and the pictures are wonderful.
Alanna: The First Adventure
By Tamora Pierce
Review by Fiona Helgren, 10
Palatine
Paddock School
“From now on I am Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight.” And so Alanna of Trebond starts her journey as a knight. We follow her through her times as a page. She goes through her first weeks as she adjusts to her surroundings and learns how to fight. We see her through bullies, sickness and her difficult classes. A bully beats her up. Then she beat him back. Pretending to be a boy is hard and dangerous. She must be careful what she does and says. Or else. Her healing gift saves lives. But at the end, in a strange place with the prince, will she meet her end? Or become a legend? This is a story of truth, hope and bravery.
The Librarian of Basra: A True Story From Iraq
By Jeanette Winter
Review by Sean Boyd, 8
Bolingbrook
New Beginnings Christian Montessori
During the Iraqi war a librarian named Alia Muhammad Baker saved books from her library by sneaking them out to the homes of her friends and a nearby restaurant. The book teaches us something interesting about a local hero of the Iraqi war, and the life and death values she placed on the books from her library.
