Who Was Helen Keller? by Gare Thompson

Book review by Dakota


Who was Helen Keller is a book I read by Gare Thompson. It is about the famous Helen Keller who was blind and deaf. I think she is inspirational, and very intelligent. The book describes who Helen Keller was, and how she became blind and deaf. She grew up being taught by Annie Sullivan, her teacher, and got in to Radcliffe College at age 20! The main characters were Helen Keller, her mother, and her father, and her teacher Annie Sullivan. It takes place at Helen’s home located near TuscumbIa, Alabama. She died on June 1, 1968. I was amazed that she traveled around the world speaking to others about her own disabilities to and how to help.


I thought the book was a wonderful story about how a little girl, who had a big disability could be so intelligent, and how she could do so much. Helen achieved so many goals because she had Ann Sullivan to help, and guide her. My favorite part in the book is when she put her hands under the fountain, and knew exactly then, what words were. The characters did not remind me of anyone I know, but my nanny has a younger sister with a mental disability. I think that Helen is unlike no other because she proved that everyone is equal. I would recommend this book because it is heartwarming, and I absolutely loved it!

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Book review by Grace

I read Esperanza Rising and it was a fabulous book. The main characters are Esperanza, Mama, Isabel, Miguel and Abulea. The story takes place in Mexico at a grape vineyard and California at a camp out. The story is about how Esperanza and her family have a perfect life. They live in a beautiful house with lovely clothes, a maid and employees. Then Esperanza’s dad goes on a trip and never comes back. Soon her life gets flipped upside down. The family needs to move to their employee’s cousin’s house in California. The story has a twist because usually when Esperanza and her family go on trains they get nothing but royalty but when they go on the train they get on a full and filthy train car. When the family gets there she needs to change her life completely.

I like this book because Esperanza goes from riches to rags. My favorite part was when Esperanza tells about her royalty in the beginning of the book, when Miguel, family employee, came to camp with Abuela, Esperanza’s grandma. Another favorite part was the last sentence Esperanza said “never be afraid to start over”. I would recommend this book to everyone! I give the book nine stars out of ten stars. Esperanza Rising shows all the ICCCAR values an example is she was responsible when Esperanza took care of the house and did her part. I hope you read this book because it paints a picture in your head every time and is a perfect read!

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements

Book review by Luke


I read the book Extra Credit. The main characters are Abby, Sadeed Bayat, Amira and Abby’s parents. Abby does very poorly in school, and has to do an extra credit project, or else she will fail the sixth grade. Abby lives in Illinois. Sadeed lives Pakistan, with his sister and mom. Some people in Pakistan hear about the letters being passed between countries and people don’t like it. Sadeed is threatened, and is frightened.

I think this is a great book, because this sounds like something that would happen in real life and I am interested in that. Also, I liked this book because of the suspense, and I couldn’t stop reading. My favorite part was when Sadeed runs into the mysterious man with a turban. The man does not like Americans and rips up Sadeed’s letter. The surprising part is when Sadeed disobeyed his teacher and sent two notes at once to tell Abby that is really was him sending the letters, not his younger sister. I would recommend this book to the whole class because this book is for boys and girls, and I think everyone likes exciting stories.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Book review by Hayden


The Lightning Thief is about a kid named Percy Jackson. Who lives in Manhattan New York. Percy doesn’t have many friends until he figures out his dad was a god. When he goes to Camp-Half Blood he finally gets some friends like Grover, Annabeth, and other campers. He thought it was kind of fun till Zeus, the god of the sky, accused him of taking his master lightning bolt. Percy wasn’t too thrilled to have to go all the way across the country either.

This book is very adventuress, and exiting. It’s the best book I ever read. My favorite part is when he has a little disagreement with a god! The main character kind of reminds me of Harry Potter. The Lightning Thief is 10 times better than Harry Potter. I would recommend this to anybody who likes to read a delicious book.

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Book review by Sam


The book The Boy Who Dared was a great book. The main character is Helmuth Hubener. He has older brothers named Hans and Gerhardt. It takes place in Germany. The time is was 1930-1950. Chansler Hitler is elected. Helmuth’s brother Gerhardt brings back from war a shortwave radio, and Helmuth listens to it even though it is against the law. Helmuth finds out all kinds of stuff that Germany is not telling them. So Helmuth rights papers, and his friends help him put them in mail boxes and phone booths. He gets caught and is sentenced to death!!!!!!!
This is what I thought of the book, The Boy Who Dared. My favorite part was when Helmuth and his friends put the flyers in the mail boxes/telephone booths. It was an exiting book because it was filled with thrilling scenes, and it did not end with a happy ending. I would recommend it to anyone I know. My opinion was that it was an awesome book.

Mystery at Lake Placid by Roy MacGregor

Book review by Alek


I read the book Mystery at Lake Placid by Roy MacGregor. This book is about a hockey team, the Screech Owls, going to Lake Placid, New York witch is an international hockey tournament. Excitement builds in the team van on the way to New York. In Lake Placid there is more mysterious stuff happens in the hotel like lack of sleep, someone’s tampering with there equipment and Travis, screech owls strongest player, gets knocked down in the street. And there’s someone sabotaging the Screech Owls.


I liked it because I like mysterious books, I like hockey books, and because Nish, the grossest team player, has some funny stuff to share. My favorite part was when Screech Owls were in the Championship game because they played terrific. In other books I have read there has been a person like Nish who’s very sick and gross. I would recommend this book because there has been some funny parts and is very mysterious.

Iggie's House by Judy Blume

Book review by Elise


Winnie Barringer can’t stop staring out the window at her best friend Iggie’s house. Iggie and her family moved to Tokyo a week ago, and Winnie feels sad and lost without Iggie there to spend summer vacation with. Winnie’s mother, fed up with Winnie’s moping, makes her get dressed and sends her outside to play. Winnie rides her bike down the street to Iggie’s old house, hoping to catch a glimpse of the family who’s supposed to be moving in soon. She leaves her bike on the sidewalk and walks around the house, remembering all the good times she had there. Suddenly, a station wagon pulls up. Winnie dives into a bush and sees her new neighbors for the first time. Iggie had told her she was in for a surprise, and Iggie was right. The new neighbors are Black, and everyone else in the neighborhood is White! Winnie rages home to tell her mom, but someone has already called her with the news. Winnie is eager to welcome the new, intriguing neighbors, but Winnie’s mom is not enthusiastic.


I thought this book was really good and I highly recommend it. I liked this book because of the way Winnie stood up to the adults, and also that shows Creek Valley’s ICCAR value courage, doing the right thing and being brave. My favorite character in the book would probably be Tina because she was always funny, and cute. My favorite part of the book was when Winnie was biking to the Garber’s house and all the sudden they pull into the driveway and Winnie jumps into the bushes. Something that I found surprising in Iggie’s House was that everyone couldn’t be excepting to everyone, and I recommend this book because you will turn into a book worm when you read this and you will not put it down.

Champ by Marcia Thornton Jones

Book review by David


I read the book Champ by Marcia Thornton Jones. The main characters are a dog named Champ, Riley, his mom and dad, their nosey neighbor, Mr. Douglas, Riley’s best friend, Kaylee and, Mrs. Lerner, the nasty rich lady. It takes place in a small neighborhood in a town called Davenport. These are the main events in the story. First, Champ gets involved in an accident and loses a leg. Next, Riley takes Champ from the pet hospital because Mrs. Lerner didn’t care for him. Then, he and Mr. Douglas build an obstacle course for Champ so he could compete in the Founder’s Day contest. Finally, Riley quits a sport for the wellbeing of Champ. They enter the contest even though they didn’t win Riley said they were the biggest winners there.

I liked the book because it was sometimes funny and it taught me an important lesson. Every choice you make you have to stick with it to the end. My favorite part was when Champ ran the obstacle course at the Founder’s Day festival. Riley reminds me of Sam in The Trumpeter Swan because they both helped animal with disabilities. I was surprised when Riley smashed his school project because he was mad at his dad. I would recommend this book to any one who likes a fun quick read filled with conflicts, sadness and frustration.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Book review by Christian


This amazing book is about Percy Jackson. It begins in present day New York City. Things quickly change when Percy finds out he is the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea. Because Percy is half god, he must go to Camp Half-Blood. On the way, a Minotaur attacks Percy, his mom, and his best friend Grover, who is a Satyr. Percy’s mom gets captured during the attack, and Percy gets injured. Grover helps Percy complete his trek to the camp. At camp he learns sword fighting and archery. He also learns that Zeus’s master bolt has been stolen and Percy is the prime suspect. Percy must then set out to the Underworld to find the bolt and redeem his name. Along the way, he fights monsters and discovers that Ares, the God of War, has actually taken Zeus’s master bolt. Percy, Grover, and another camper named Annabeth must hurry to Olympus to tell Zeus the truth about his bolt and prevent a civil war between the gods.

I like this book because of the many thrilling cliff-hangers that propel the story forward. I also liked learning about the Greek Gods. My favorite part is when Percy arrives at Camp Half-Blood because it is here you quickly learn about Half-Bloods, Gods and monsters. I found the god’s powers and importance to everyday life interesting. I also found Greek Mythology to be surprisingly complex. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense and adventure, and to anyone interested in learning about Greek Mythology from a compelling story rather than a text book.

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi

Book review by Nicholas


I read the book Crispin Cross of Lead by Avi. This is a great book. It is 1377 and a boy named Crispin escapes his town because he is being accused of a crime he did not commit. Once he starts heading down the road, he runs into a priest named Bear who forces Crispin to work with him. Bear plays music for other people. They start to go through towns and entertain people. When Crispin leaves to go get water, Bear was not there. Now Crispin has to go find him.

I enjoyed this book very much. I liked the book because it’s a story that had twists and turns that you would never expect. My favorite part was when Crispin had to go save Bear at a very dangerous place. It was very surprising to me when people from Crispin’s home town thought that he killed a person. I recommend this book to anyone who loves adventures and amazing details.

Homework Machine by Dan Gutman

Book review by Sarah


I read Homework Machine by Dan Gutman. The main characters are Snik, Kelsey, Judy, and Benton. The story starts when the main characters are brought together by a machine made by Benton, who is the smartest in the grade. The machine does your homework for you. In the beginning they use it frequently, but after a while they use it every day. The kids become close friends, maybe even to close, and people start to know something is up. All the sudden the secret slips! Who spilled the beans? What will they do? Will they get caught?

I give Homework Machine a ten out of ten because of it has a suspenseful ending. My favorite character was Kelsey because she was so wacko and unpedictible. The ending was my favorite part of the book because it was so tense. You could not tell what would happen next. This book is one of my favorite books ever.

Who Is Barack Obama? by Roberta Edwards

Book review by Kevin

The book I choose to read and review was “Who Is Barack Obama”. The book describes Barack Obama’s childhood and his journey to become the 44th President of the United States and the first African American president. Barack had many childhood experiences by living and traveling to many different places. The main characters in the book are Barack, Barcak’s mother, father, and Michelle Robinson. The story takes place in many different cities and countries such as Honolulu, Jakarta, New York, Kenya, Chicago, and Washington D.C. After finishing high school in Honolulu Barack goes to college in California, New York, and Massachusetts. While in college and law school Barack becomes interested in finding ways to help people and make a difference in their lives. Then Barack becomes interested in politics and becomes a State Senator of Illinois in 1995, a United States Senator in 2005, and President of the United States in 2008.

I liked the book since it taught me a lot about Barack Obama and his life. My favorite part was learning that when Barack played high school basketball his team called him Barry O’Bomber for his jump shot. The story of Barack Obama’s life does not remind me of other books or characters since his life is so unique. One thing I found interesting in the book was that there were two Barack Obamas. Barack Obama was named after his African father, and Barack means, “blessed” in Swahili. It was fun to learn that Barack Obama had a pet ape named Tata when he was six years old and living in Jakarta. It was also interesting to find out that some people didn’t know his name while he was running for President and they called him Barack Yo-Mama or Barack Alabama. I would recommended this book since it gives you so many great facts about Barack Obama, his childhood, and how he become the 44th President of The United States of America.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Book review by Paul


The book I am telling you about is *The Hunger Games*. The main
characters are Katniss and Peeta. It takes place in 12 districts, and
the Capitol (It isn’t considered a district). The time period is in a
future where there is no food. The place on the world is thought to be
in North America. In the book districts 1-12 (not including the
Capitol) are forced to send kids
12-18 to the Capitol to fight. That is so because the districts
rebelled against the Capitol. The Capitol won, and as a punishment for
rebelling the districts send their kids to fight. Katniss’s sister,
Prim, is called to go, but Katniss is in so much shock she volunteers
for her sister. The boy’s are drawn next. A boy, Peeta, that Katniss
knows very little of, is sent with her to fight.

I thought the book was amazing because it has lots of action, fighting,
and adventure, but the book made me feel sad for a long time afterward.
I would the book 100 out of ten not only from all the action, but the
sadness too. My favorite part was when Katniss and Peeta were fighting
to win against Cato, the 6 ft. tall 200 lbs. tribute that trained to
win before he was old enough to enter for the games, and then wolves
walk out, but not just any wolves (real wolves would be considered
easy) the Game Makers made them. They resembled all the dead tributes,
and they bigger than normal wolves. I definitely recommend this book to
classmates, but it is pretty gruesome so you might not want to read it.