Home Boys' Book Reviews

Journey to the Center of the Earth

2009-02-23T17:27:00.000-08:00

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne is a classic science-fiction story of a boy and his uncle that find some old writings that lead them to the center of the earth. Along the way they encounter extinct animals and run into natural disasters. The story has many scientific references and is highly detailed. However, the scientific viewpoint at the time has since been disproved.
I would rate this 9.3 out of ten.

Airman

2009-02-23T16:59:00.000-08:00

Airman, by Eoin Colfer, is the story of a boy, living on a island, that wants to build the first flying machine. Although this seems ordinary the book eventually leads into a plot of assassination and political corruption. I can't tell you much about it because if I did, it would ruin the story. There is also tons of detail put into the book (the history of the island that the airman lives on could convince you that it's real). If you like Artemis Fowl you will like this book. I think this book should be rated 9/10.

The Looking Glass Wars

2009-02-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

Nearly everyone knows the story of Alice and her trip to Wonderland...right? In The Looking Glass Wars, written by Frank Beddor, a different story is portrayed. Wonderland does exist, but it has a much darker story. Alyss Heart, heir to the Wonderland throne, is forced to flee from it when her Aunt Redd makes a bid for the throne. After falling through the mysterious Pool of Tears, Alyss finds herself in London, where she is soon taken in by another family. She manages to tell her story to an aspiring author by the name of Lewis Caroll, but he bungles the story and Alyss despairs in ever returning to Wonderland; but fortunately there is still someone searching for her. This is a great story, and with action, adventure, and mystery around every turn it's hard to put the book down. The added thrill when you recognize the characters from Caroll's book make it a fun read, and I highly recomend it for anyone who loves a good adventure. However, it has a moderate style of writing, which gives the story a little less depth, but nonetheless I, reading nearly advanced books, found it a great tale. I give it a 8.5/10. It's the 1st in a trilogy so look for more reviews.

Five Ancestors - Mouse

2009-02-23T16:04:00.000-08:00

The Five Ancestors is series so it is not just one book. Jeff Stone is the author of the series. I really like the series. It is very nice reading. Mouse is the sixth book in the series. The story of this series is set in ancient China. Each book focuses on a different character. You have to read the books in order or you won't understand the story. I like these books because they are not 5 year olds books but not teenager books either. I like it because it is about Kung Fu and it adds something new to the series every book. I suggest this book for 9 year olds and up.

The Man in the High Castle

2009-02-10T13:20:00.000-08:00

One woman that I highly admire is Susan Wise Bauer. She wrote The Well-Trained Mind as well as many other books that support homeschoolers. This year on her blog she is cronicling her way through 52 books in 52 weeks. One of the books she reviewed was The Man in the High Castle. It caught my eye and I decided to try it out. It is an alternate history -- written as if the Japanese and Germans won WWII. I've always been fascinated with this time frame. It was an interesting book, although hard to get into at first. I had a hard time understanding why things were happening until I was a chapter or two in. This book is really about what we think of as "reality". Each character is put in a situation that makes them questions their reality. This is definitely not a book for everyone but I enjoyed it.

That's Not My Snowman

2009-02-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

T really likes books right now... they don't even have to have trains in them! That's not my Snowman is an Usborne board book in their "touchy-feely" line. Each page, including the cover has a snowman with something to feel. For example, the cover has a snowman with a soft fleece hat to feel. T also has the Kitten and Robot books in this line and enjoys them equally. These are a good choice for young kids!

Twilight

2009-02-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

In the book Twilight a teenage girl named Bella moves to the dull town of Forks, where the sun never shines. There she meets a vampire named Edward, and, despite the fact that a small part of Edward wants to suck her blood, Bella falls in love with him. I personally didn’t know if I should read it because it seemed to be aimed at teen girls, but with the release of the film and pressure from friends I tried it out. I was right: it was aimed at teenage girls. Most vampire stories have a lot of action, but this book focused on the emotions of the characters which, as the story progressed, grew very tiring. Constantly the beautiful features and actions of Edward were pointed out, and, being a guy, hearing about the beauty of other guys isn’t my idea of fun. However, the story and characters are all perfect, and the details make it a wonderful book. My overall rating would probably be 7.5/10 because although it was a good book it is not a good one for me.

My Side of the Mountain

2009-02-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

My Side of the Mountain is a story about a teenager who is tired of New York. Going down to his grandparents old land, he lives in the wilderness off the land with his trained falcon. My Side of the Mountain tells of how he lives in the wilderness and has many details about how he gets food and supplies. It's kind of unrealistic and I would only suggest it for readers that want to know how to live off the land. I would give this a 4.5 out of 10.

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel)

2009-02-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

The Alchemyst is a good book to read if you like magic, especially if you think you would like it set in the modern world. It also has a touch of science-fiction added because it explains how the magic works, in a kind of vague sort of way. If you like the Inheritance Cycle (Eregon, Eldest, Brisingr,) you will also like this. It mentions lots of history, but it weaves it into the story, because, after all, the characters in the book are immortal. I would rate this a 8 out of 10.

Magic School Bus - The Fishy Field Trip

2009-02-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

I like the Magic School Bus books because they are educational and fun to read. In "The Fishy Field Trip" book the kids go on a trip into the deep sea looking at coral and fish. The cleaner fish eats germs on other fish bodies - it is basically a fish car wash. I recommend this book to 5 to 9 year-olds because it is a chapter book.

Phantom Tollbooth - from Mom's perspective

2008-10-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

I know A has already reviewed the Phantom Tollbooth but I read this too and I just LOVED it! I really think that it was written for adults... well, maybe not, but adults should read it. There is so much symbolism and metaphors that I don't think that kids get it all. They just don't have the life experience yet. One example is the part where Milo, the main character, goes to a town that has disappeared. Everyone in the town has stopped looking at the town around them, Reality, so eventually it just faded away. The could move to Illusion, the town that you can see but isn't really there, but most don't. They just keep walking with their heads down and not looking.

I'm teaching a class about personal finance to a group of young adults and I want them to read it. It really is a book that shows how your attitude about things changes your reality. Milo starts out bored. He has things around him that he just doesn't appreciate or even see and it takes this "trip" through the Phantom Tollbooth to open his eyes. The lessons that are taught in this book are ageless. I highly recommend this for any age! It would be a wonderful read aloud.

Eve of the Emperor Penguin

2008-10-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

The Eve of the Emperor Penguin is the newest book in the Magic Tree House Series. In this book Jack and Annie travel to Antarctica. It is a good book and it has a surprising twist at the end. I'd recommend it for kids 6 and up.

The Inheritance Cycle

2008-10-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

From the moment I began reading the Inheritance Cycle I loved it. The Inheritance Cycle includes the books Eragon, Eldest and Brisingr so far. When a young man named Eragon discovers a blue stone he brings it home only to learn that it is in fact a dragon egg. He develops a close bond with it, but if anyone learned that he had a dragon his peaceful life would come to an end. And that is exactly what happens. This book had dragons, magic, wonderful characters, secrets, fighting… it in general contained everything I love in a book. I have heard from many people that it is more for younger kids, but, in my opinion, it gets pretty serious and younger kids might not be able to handle it. The only negative thing I noticed was that it was heavily influenced by the Star Wars original trilogy, but then again the author, a man named Christopher Paolini (who I might add was a homeschooler like me), has a much different story. I give this book a 9.5/10 because it borrowed a lot of old plot idea’s, but it is such a wonderfully written and thought out book it will always be one of my favorites. We have the books on CD and most of our family (our dad doesn't like books on tape) likes listening to them.

To Kill a Mockingbird

2008-10-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

The book To Kill a Mockingbird is a very inspiring story. When a white lawyer tries to defend a black man in court his whole town starts treating his family badly. His son and daughter go through some hard times because of it, but in the end they both learn a lot about life. I thought that this book was wonderful, but it took some time to get into it. The story is told from the lawyer’s daughter’s point of view, which meant that most of the book seemed to involve some rather unneeded stories. Sometimes the book grew pretty boring, but by the end everything is understood and it is quite inspiring. I think that it deserves an 8/10 because although it was very informative, inspiring, and all in all a good book, it took a while to get into.

And Life gets in the way...

2008-10-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

The boys have been faithfully doing reviews (or at least thinking about doing them) but I haven't taught them to put them up by themselves. I need to teach them ASAP. My life gets busy and some things have to slide. Sorry if anyone has come to the site and not seen anything new. That will be changing soon!

H

Story of the World

2008-10-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I originally decided to homeschool was how I learned history in public school. One year it was the history of Ancient China, the next California history, the next US history. It made no sense and I was given no sense of how it all tied together. I feel, especially as our world gets smaller and smaller, that it is imperative to know how history builds on itself and that no nation lives in a vacuum. As I've written before, I started out homeschooling following "The Well-trained Mind." One of the authors, Susan Wise Bauer, wrote a history curriculum that is perfect for an intro to history for younger readers (or listeners, as the case may be.) Our family has loved the Story of the World series. We have several of the books on CD (Jim Weiss is the reader). If anyone wants to supplement what their kids are learning in school this is the way to go for history. I turn these CDs on in the car and it goes almost completely quiet. A miracle! We are on the second time through and are supplementing it with Kingfisher History Encyclopedia and other books for A & M. J is on his own reading Bauer's History of the Ancient World, her first world history book in a series for adults. Evidently he is really enjoying it. I'll have to suggest he write a review...

The Phantom Tollbooth

2008-10-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

The Phantom Tollbooth is about a journey of a boy named Milo who thinks that life is boring. Finding a mysterious tollbooth in his apartment, Milo only goes through it because he has nothing else to do. He soon finds himself on a journey though the forest of sight, to the mountains of ignorance, and all the land between. Milo finds himself on a quest to restore the princesses Rhyme and Reason to save the crumbling city of wisdom. I would rate this 6.5 out of 10. I found this book very weird. It talks a lot about numbers, math, different points of view and logic. I had to read it for a class I'm taking.

The Lost Years of Merlin Series

2008-10-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

Magic has always been a big factor in my reading choices, and when I saw The Lost Years of Merlin series I couldn’t help but at least try it. A young boy washes ashore one stormy night without a single memory of his past life, and a woman who claims to be his mother cares for him for 5 years. In all that time she says nothing of his past, but after a terrible accident he sets out on his own to learn his true name, find his real home, and discover his actual parents. This is Merlin’s beginning, and the story is excellent. The characterization is superb, and throughout the books each character grows in some way or another. The plots are good, with plot twists, red herons, foreshadowing, etc. but despite that the books seem to lack the small spark which would rank it a bestseller. However, the series is a very good one and I have decided to rate it at 8/10 because it has such a wonderful story but does not draw me in like other series do.

He really likes Trains!

2008-10-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite series for little kids is the Usborne "Farmyard Tales" series. It has wonderful pictures that kids love and a hidden duck on each page. And of course, they have several stories that concern TRAINS! T likes the one with Woolly the sheep. The sheep get out of the pasture and block the train. But he also likes the one about Rusty the dog rescuing the puppy who has somehow gotten on the train without its owner. I like the entire series. The pages are strong enough that even a 2 yo can't destroy the book easily. As he grows older it is a wonderful early reader. My sister is a Usborne Rep... take a look at her site!

Artemis Fowl - The Eternity Code

2008-09-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

Artemis Fowl - The Eternity Code is good and has a great cliff hanger for the next book. In this book Artemis finally makes a mistake and nearly dies, and afterward he needs the help of his former enemies, the E.L.P. I am not going to spoil the story but it has a very cool and detailed ending. I am going to rate this 9.3 because it is very emotional and a true predecessor of the last book.

Inkheart

2008-09-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

I love books. They take me to other worlds, tell me thrilling tales, and show me events that will never occur in real life. Why am I talking about books? This book is about books… and what can come out of them. When a man named Mo reads aloud one night people come out of the book, and he discovers that he can read people and things right off the printed page. Every chapter of this book is brilliantly written, the characterization is spot on, and the story, story within the story, and character stories are all wonderful. The author, Cornelia Funke, did a fantastic Job with this book, and there was only one thing about it that I found annoying. The perspective of the story changes way too much! At one moment there’s the young girls perspective, then her fathers perspective, etc. and because the perspectives kept being changed the magic of the story was a little dulled. I’m going to give this a 8.5/10, because of that, but I must say that it was one of the few books that took a while to finish, so if you want a long fantasy book with magic and reality just read Inkheart.

Magic Tree House Merlin Missions

2008-09-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

I've reviewed the first part of the Magic Tree House series so now I've read Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve. I think it is a very good part of the Magic Tree House Series. The Merlin Mission books are different from the beginning books because Jack and Annie do a lot of different stuff. Merlin sends them on the missions so that is why it is called "Merlin Missions". Haunted Castle is about medieval times. People were very superstitious about the castle. But I'm not going to spoil it. Try reading it yourself.

The Barimaeus Trilogy

2008-09-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

In a land controlled by wizards, something is amiss. After being humiliated in public by a wizard named Lovelace, Nathaniel,an eleven year old boy apprentice, seeks revenge. Speeding up his education, he summons the five thousand year old demon Bartimaeus to do his deeds. After sending the demon out to steel an amulet from the Lovelace he soon finds himself caught up in something more deadly. An action packed book, the first in the Bartimaeus Trilogy. I would rate this book 8.7 out of ten.

Harry Potter Series

2008-09-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter is a nice long series, and it’s good for people who like long books. There are also books on tape, which we listen to at least 5 times a week. I haven’t read the whole series yet but I’ve listened to all of it on tape. You need to be a little bit older to read these books. I read the 7th book when I was 8. I am reading the third book right now. My favorite book is the 7th book because the series turns out nice.

(Mom note: Jim Dale reads the books on tape and he does a wonderful job. We have literally listened to these tapes 10 times. They are that good!)

Artemis Fowl: the Arctic Incident

2008-09-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

The Arctic Incident is like the first book, but it lets you see the transformation of Artemis Fowl from bad guy to good guy. This book introduces his father into the story further and explains what happened to him better, and involves an old good guy trying to take over with a goblin uprising. One thing that I forgot to mention earlier is that Eoin Colfer is very good at making his characters sound realistic. I would give this book 9 because it is simply good and has realistic conversations.

The Supernaturalist

2008-09-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

Eion Colfer, the author of The Supernatualist, is a great writer, but somehow his writing talent slipped here. The story is filled with character development, plot lines, plot twists, and the overall story is a good one, but the writing I found dull. When I started the book I found the sentences short and choppy; quite good for new readers but not too fascinating to bookworms like myself. And there are few descriptive words. One example is a kissing scene (kissing scenes are normally full of adjectives about how the person is feeling) where all that was said was that the characters kissed one another. Another thing I found annoying was that although this is set in the future, where there are many new technologies, few devices get described and a couple times I had no idea about what the author was describing. I’m giving this a 7/10 for good story line, which makes up for the writing, but this book, which I expected to be for teens, should probably be set at a 10+ level, though if you’re tired one day and are not reading into the details, a young adult would probably like it just as much.

CHOO-CHOO Trains!

2008-09-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

I love choo-choo trains! One of my favorite books is a Thomas & Friends "Look and Find" book that my cousin got me for my birthday. I love it so much that I accidently ripped one of its pages but Mommy fixed it. I'm more careful now. All of its pages have lots of things to look at.

The Gardians of Ga'hoole - Book One The Capture

2008-09-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

The Guardians of Ga’hoole: Book One The Capture, is an epic tale of a land of owls which is under a threat of an unknown force. A young outlet, taken from his home, must escape a so-called orphanage, which is suspected to be much worst. This book is very interesting and is a good book for people that like fantasy and adventure. I would rate it 8 out of ten for being one of the simplest books in the series. It would be a great read for some one approximately eleven years or younger. This series gets more interesting with each book. I recommend all the books in the series.

Magic Tree House - Midnight on the Moon

2008-09-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

This book is good for beginning readers. Midnight on the Moon is just one book in the Magic Tree House series. It is my favorite but I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I'm not going to say why. It is a really good book series because it combines fiction stuff with real stuff. The main characters in all the books are Jack and Annie and they go on trips in a magic tree house.

Artemis Fowl 1

2008-09-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

Artemis Fowl is a book that you will like if you like science fiction and\or fantasy. If you are old enough to understand magic, science, and crime, then you will find this to be a very good book for you. This book is unique by portraying the bad guy as the main character and is also a very intense book. It is also fun if you have the time to decipher the code on the bottom of the pages by going to the Artemis Fowl website. I would rate this book 9 out of 10 because it is a very good book but is not a good book if you can not understand it. It is the first book in the Artemis Fowl series.

Pendragon Book one: The Merchant of Death

2008-09-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

I have to say that the first book in the Pendragon Series, The Merchant of Death, is one of the best books I have ever read, and I have read a great many books. When I first picked it up I discovered that I just couldn’t put it down because the author, a brilliant writer named D. J. MacHale, has somehow managed to fit in plot twists, cliff hangers, and mysteries at the end of almost every single chapter! The main character, Bobby Pendragon, tells most of the story from his perspective, with occasional glimpses into the lives of his friends who read of his great adventures, which I found interesting. After a couple of years doing writing assignments I have found, much to my dismay, that writing in first person is rarely allowed, but MacHale wonderfully managed to skirt this rule in his writing, and write in third person when Bobby’s friends took center stage, creating a wonderful balance. I’m going to have to give this a 9/10 not because of bad writing, a poor story, or anything like that, but because you can never put the book down, which may be good thing or a bad thing depending on whether you have hours to spend, or have a small fifteen minute period until test time. And by the way, there are at least 9 books out already, with a 10th on the way!

A Thomas Jefferson Education - Book Review

2008-09-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to homeschool. My family started out classically, following the suggestions in the book The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. While I still look to their book and website for ideas, I have been following the Thomas Jefferson Education (TJed)homeschool philosophy for the last several years. The change has been gradual but has grown out of the necessity of meeting the needs of my 4th son. My three older sons thrived on the rigorous drills, memorization, and reading that The Well Trained Mind suggests. The are all avid readers and writers. My oldest is already working on his first novel!My 4th son is different though. He didn't like reading. He still doesn't like writing. He is very intelligent but learns in his own way. He and I were constantly butting heads with the old way of doing things. I started looking for something that might help and was able to attend a "Face to Face with Greatness" seminar that George Wythe College put on. I was hooked.

TJed has 7 keys to great teaching: classics, not textbooks; mentors, not professors; inspire, not require; structure time, not content; quality, not conformity; simplicity, not complexity; and YOU, not them.All four of my older sons have blossomed with this new approach. My 4th son is now reading at an 8th grade level (he is only 9). My 12 yo twins are focused and spend their free time learning new skills. Both are accomplished musicians who love to share their talent with others. And my oldest (14 yo) is self-confident and a leader among his peers. I highly recommend reading A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille. If you are looking for specifics on how to apply this philosophy I would recommend two other books DeMille helped write - Leadership Education: the Phases of Learning and A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion.

If you would like to get an idea of one way our family is applying Thomas Jefferson Education in our home take a look at my other blog: A Business Adventure - Homeschool Style

Welcome!

2008-09-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

With this blog our family will be sharing our favorite books. Each day, five days a week, we will be posting our thoughts on books we are reading or have read recently. Enjoy!