Middler Books and More

This blog contains Bruce DuBoff's book reviews, info on other media, and related topics. It is a collaboration between the librarian and both the students of Pennsauken Intermediate School and Phifer Middle School in Pennsauken, NJ, and the general middler book reading community. The books featured here are appropriate for grades 5-8, though not all books reviewed here are appropriate for all of those ages.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Sup Mr. DuBoff.
It's just Zach giving you a congrats on making your, possibly first, blog!!! I have read two novels(from the same author)that I feel are worth mentioning. The first would be In The Land of The Road Weenies...by David Lubar. This book is filled with excelllent short stories, which are surprisingly weird, funny and a bit scary. Just make sure that you aren't reading this book around someone who would make fun of you. The second book would be In The Land of The Lawn Weenies... by David Lubar. Now this one, I feel, is the better of the two. This is most likely due to the impulses that some of David's stories give you. I mean, a few of them made me stop and seriously think for a moment. All in all, I'd recommend this book to anyone who isn't afraid to get joked on a little bit.Just tryin` to help a fellow blooger,Zach

Hey Mr. DuBoff,
It's Ender Shan. I just thought i should list some books that I've enjoyed for you:
Sea of Trolls-Nancy Farmer
The House of the Scorpion-Nancy Farmer
The DaVinci Code-Dan Brown
Angels& Demons-Dan Brown
Cirque Du Freak Series-Darren Shan
Ender's Shadow series-Orson Scott Card (Also there is an Enders Game series but i haven't read them yet)
Thanks,
Ender Shan
P.S. You like the name? Ender Shan get it. Ender's Shadow and Cirque Du Freak...nevermind.

A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin

This book became my favorite during summer break last year, and it is such a great read, that I would recommend it to anyone. The story starts off with a young girl watching home movies in the boarding house that her parents own. The home movies are of the year that she met the uncle she never knew she had. Although her uncle has a mental disability, they become the best of friends. During the course of that year, his behavior gets more and more uncontrollable,
And the young girl begins to question how her own life is going, and if she too has an issue similar to her uncle.
-Zachary

The Princess Diaries Series

I love this book so far I have only read one. I am on the second. You may have seen the movie but the book is totally different. In the book Mia Thermpolis is the heir to the Genovian throne. She has to deal with being a princess on top of failing algebra, and her mom is dating her algebra teacher. It is very hard for her to deal with these things. It is very funny how she exaggerates everything.
-Avi

A Series Of Unfortunate Events

I love this series it was great. It is about the lives of three orphans. Their parents died in a terrible fire and they were sent to live with their first guardian Count Olaf. After that they were sent to guardian after guardian because Count Olaf was after them. No one ever believes the kids when they tell them he is there. The Count is trying to steal the enormous fortune that was left behind the kids. It is all about the misfortunate lives of the Baudeliere orphans,
-Avi

Freak the Mighty

I don’t find many books that I can relate to. Well, when I was advised to read this book, I loved it! I couldn’t stop reading the book because I could relate to it so well. This novel talked about daily life issues that, in my opinion, anyone can relate to. The two main characters go on many adventures and discover many new things along the way. If you like adventure, humor, and believe in the value of friendship, Freak the Mighty is definitely the book for you!
-Khary

The Kid Who Ran for President

I couldn’t find many books that seemed interesting and fairly long in the library. When I stumbled upon this book, however, it got my attention. I really like books that are funny and with a book with this title, I knew that it would. It did too and I really liked it for that and it made me think of what could happen in the future. I’ve also read the sequel, The Kid Who Became President, Which also happened to be just as funny. I’d recommend these books for people who want a good laugh.
Onyx

Holes

Many people saw this movie, and so did I. But, did you know that the book is more interesting. That’s right, with more action-packed chapters than the movie displays, Holes is a book for readers who love mischief and adventure (and those select few who love to dig holes). If you like books that take place out west, this is your book. I give an 8 out of 10.
-Pat

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

This is an excellent book for readers who enjoy fantasy, adventure, and a little mischief all in a 600-page book. Although the book is long, it will keep you hooked throughout the entire thing. You won’t want to put it down. I recommend this book to teens for mild language and violent scenes that may be inappropriate for children under 13.
-Pat

The last book I read was the Freak and the Giant. The book is very good it shows how two people can work together. The freak was the smart one of the two, but he always was made fun of because he was short and a smart geek. The giant was a big man that was also made fun of, he was very dumb. Both of them put together a powerful force and they would try to take over the world. I recommend this book to anybody.
Michael O.

The last book I read was Night Games. The book was fantastic the book was about five kids who sneak out at midnight and play games on people. The kids play a trick on the wrong person the teacher murder the students. If I could pick anyone to recommend this book to it would be to people who like mystery and suspenseful books.

Elijah B.

Tina N.
Title of Book: Esperanza Rising
Author: Pam Munoz Ryan
Number of pages: 262

Main Characters: Esperanza, her mom, Miguel, and Isabel

What was the basic situation of the book: Esperanza’s mom is getting sick and needs comfort! Esperanza must find a way to help her mother get well.

Name 3 events that took place leading up to the climax: First, Esperanza’s birthday came and her father dies. Second, her uncles are planning to take over the farm and their fortune. Third, they are forces to move to California to work!

What was the major conflict of the story and was it internal or external? The major conflict was when mama had a chance to married Tio (Esperanza’s uncle) to save the farm. The story was external!

Explain the climax of the book and the resolution: The climax was when mama had a problem with her lungs and Esperanza started to worry much. So Esperanza started to work for money. She wanted to see her grandmother. The resolution is that they got her grandmother and mama got well.