We recently invited schoolkids to share their thoughts on favorite books by taking part in our annual Read & Write series. Readers as young as 5 and as old as 15 responded with drawings and reviews reflecting on the books’ lessons, storylines and characters. We received enough wonderful submissions to fill an entire newspaper, and continue to highlight many of them here and online, every Saturday this month. Visit chicagotribune.com/read&write to see the reviews and our librarians’ list of 100 fun summertime books for kids.
The Giver
By Lois Lowry
Review by Gabriela Valencia, 12, Mokena
Mokena Junior High
I truly enjoyed this book, which is about an 11-year-old boy named Jonas. The novel revolves around his family and two friends, named Fiona and Asher. They live in a strict utopian society. Every December, there’s a ceremony for each age group. Jonas will soon be celebrating his 12th ceremony. The Chief Elders observe every child since birth and decide their future careers. When Jonas’ career wasn’t announced, he believed he didn’t complete enough service hours, but they were saving him for last. Jonas was assigned as the town’s Receiver of Memory. The old Receiver, now known as The Giver, teaches Jonas how to receive memories. Since Jonas has always lived in a perfect neighborhood he doesn’t’ know about pain, war, or even gentle things like snow. As Jonas receives memories, he ponders other worlds.
Timothy of the Cay
By Theodore Taylor
Review by Jordan Edmonds, 12, Chicago
St. Angela School
I think all young people should read this book because one of the main characters shows courage even though he’s blind. Anyone who reads this will be thankful for what they have. I felt that the boy wanted people to treat him like he wasn’t blind. This book is about friendship and the way others can help someone overcome any problems they have.
Eragon
By Christopher Paolini
Review by Bobby O’Malley, 11, Downers Grove
Belle Aire School
This book is a very good action book. There are parts when they do the opposite of what you think is going to happen. There is a boy named Eragon and he finds a dragon egg. He doesn’t know it is a dragon egg. He just thinks that it is a really smooth stone. What will happen to the egg and Eragon? Why don’t you read the book and find out?
The Contest: Everest, Book 1
By Gordon Korman
Review by Ben Nieds, 11, Chicago
St. Margaret Mary School
This is the first book in the “Everest” series. The legendary climber, Cap Cicero, is holding a contest for kids to have the chance to climb Everest. Cap Cicero’s team is putting letters under Summit brand athletic bars and drinks; the point is to spell out the word E-V-E-R-E-S-T. Many kids buy the drinks and bars to see if they are the ones who are able to climb Everest. Dominic Alexis is one of those kids who wants to climb the greatest mountain. Unlike others, he finds all the letters and is ready for the climb of his life. The only things in his way are the eliminations. He just has to out-climb the biggest and strongest climbers. After that he will have been able to live his dream, and climb to the top of the world. I loved this book because of the determination that Dominic has.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
By Jeff Kinney
Review by Sierranee Howard, 10, Chicago
St. Angela School
This book was amazing. I think it was hilarious. I was laughing as I was reading. Some of the characters reminded me of my family. When I read the last page, I was mad because I wanted more action. Greg is the main character of the story. He wants to be a normal kid but it’s hard. Any thoughts he had he wrote in his diary. My sister acts just like the boy’s brother. He is mean. I still love her. This book encourages me on my reading. I just can’t wait to have the next one in the series.
Hamster in the Holly
By Ben M. Baglio
Review by Kyra Johnson, 9, Glenview
Christian Heritage Academy
This is a very good book to read. There are many different characters. There was a big problem and solution that kept my curiosity going. I like this book because I love hamsters. It is an exciting plot because the hamster escapes from her cage during a school performance! There are some twists and turns in the story that trick the reader. While reading the story, I was tricked twice!
Big Plans
By Bob Shea
Review by Graham Wendorff, 7, Lombard
Pleasant Lane School
This book is funnier than any book I’ve ever read. First, I like how the main character, the boy, has a big imagination. Next, I like the words he uses: “Muckety-Mucks,” “Bigwigs” and “Bigshots.” Last, I like to read it out loud because I can be silly. If you like hilarious things then you should read this book.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
By Joanne Fluke
Review by Grace Longbons, 13, Wheaton
Franklin Middle School
I enjoyed this book immensely because of the humor, strategy and suspense. This book is about a single woman in her late 20s named Hannah Swenson who owns and runs a cookie store called The Cookie Jar. One day, when she is behind her shop, she notices that the milk delivery truck for the town of Lake Eden, Minn., is in the alley. What she discovers blows her mind: Ron La Salle, the delivery man, has been shot. The rest of the book is about how Hannah tries to solve the murder mystery with the help of her sister. I highly recommend this book because it is a light read that will entertain you until the last page. Don’t worry when you finish it, it is the first novel in a series of 10 entertaining books.
Cats at the Campground
By Ben M. Baglio
Review by Kaitlyn Parker, 11, Huntley
Martin School
This was the best book I ever read. It is 10 out of 10. I liked this book because the author used descriptive words. For example, instead of “the dog was black” they used “the dog was as black as midnight.” Another reason that I loved this book is that there were not a lot of pictures. I like that it didn’t have lots of pictures because sometimes pictures get you distracted, and you can forget what you read.
Traditions Around The World – Musical Instruments
By Louise Tythacott
Review by Kenny Weddington, 11, Hazel Crest
Chateaux School
In this book I learned about steel drums used in the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Also, a huge horn called the Swiss Alp horn was used to guide animals. Gongs are a kind of percussion instrument that are believed to bring good fortune to Asian cultures. Other people may like this book because it shows you how other traditions express themselves.
Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes
By R.L. Stine
Review by Alex Wall, 11, Downers Grove
Belle Aire School
I would recommend this book because it was funny and at the same time scary. It’s a really good book because the lawn gnomes come to life and cause mischief. For example, they smash tomatoes in the garden and the dog gets blamed for it. I would give it four out of five stars.
Drama High: Second Chance
By L. Divine
Review by Bianca Blake, 12, Chicago
St. Angela School
If you like drama, this is the book for all you drama readers. It is mostly about a black girl who broke up with her ex-boyfriend for a white boy. The problem is that he wants her back. She has to decide which one she wants and this is where the drama comes in. This book showed me how to handle situations in my life. The great thing about this book is that there are two other books in the series. That way you can find out more about the drama kids experience in high school.
Ant Bully
By John Nickle
Review by Christen Wayne, 7, Matteson
Woodgate School
You should read this book because it has a lot of ants in it and they have a lot of style. I like the part about when the dad tried to kill the ant and the dad was very mad.
The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney
By Suzanne Harper
Review by Elaina Frankos, 11, Park Ridge
Emerson Middle School
When Sparrow Delaney moves to a new school, she dreams of a fresh start, and when she makes a new best friend, and even has her eye on a boy in class, she believes they are coming true. Just as Sparrow thinks her life is normal, another boy comes into her life — a dead one — and Sparrow’s dreams of a normal life are shattered as her deepest darkest secret is revealed. Sparrow is a psychic, and there’s one particular ghost who won’t leave her alone. I really like this book because it shows life just as it is. You can really relate to the characters. Also, it gives you the feeling that nothing, even what seems familiar, is what it seems.
A Birthday Basket for Tia
By Pat Mora
Review by Guadalupe Hernandez, 8, Chicago
Thorp School
This book is about a surprise party for a girl aunty for her 90th surprise birthday party. The pictures are about the girl finding a birthday present for her aunty’s birthday party. You should read this book because you might learn a little bit of Spanish.
Voyage of the Frogs
By Gary Paulsen
Review by Eric Hwang, 13, Des Plaines
Friendship Junior High
Teachers try to convince you to read because some books are very fun to read. The way they do it is by reading the books that would be so good that you would want to read more. This book would be a terrible choice, because it would be painful to the teacher to read, and it would make children fall asleep in an instant. This is a less than average novel to read which will have people begging for less. Too much description can take away the story and it showed in this novel. What a horrible example of adventure books. I give it no stars out of five because even the stars fell asleep reading this book.
Cut
By Patricia McCormick
Review by Gorlon Teah, 13, Chicago
St. Mary of the Lake School
“Cut” draws you in by making it seem as if the book is a thriller or fantasy, but it’s really giving you basic truths. In the story, the main character, Callie, mutilates her body, which, of course, is a problem. This book can help people with an issue such as Callie’s or even unmanageable things such as grief, anger or depression. It focuses less on the dilemmas and more on how to overcome the bad situations you find yourself in. I also enjoyed this book because it shows that teens can have deep issues, even though we are young. Other people with addictions or problems should read this book because it can give you a sense of self-empowerment, strength and courage to conquer difficulties.
And Then There Were None
By Agatha Christie
Review by Emily Novak, 12, Mt. Prospect
Lincoln Middle School
This is probably the most riveting and heart racing book that you will probably ever read. The mysterious owner of the island, untruthful companions and bloodcurdling suspense will drive you insane. This book is placed on an unexplained island that has an anomalous history. You might not know that when you are scared everything starts to seem hopeless. The visitors realize they are trapped and there is no hope of getting out. Some give up, but the ones who are single minded to do whatever they can to survive stay the longest of all. Agatha Christie will keep you reading until mom yells up the stairs to go to bed. This book will make you dive under the covers in fear.
