Here you'll find book reviews and comments by Mrs. Wagstaff, the library aides, and any other interested readers at Timberline
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Daughter of Xanadu
Princess Emmajin lives in 13th century China under the rule of her grandfather the Great Khan Khubilai. She loves to practice archery, and other skills befitting a warrior, with her boy cousins. Her greatest wish is to join the army. While at the summer palace of Xanadu, the Khan assigns Emmajin to learn all she can from Marco Polo and the lands of Christendom. Despite an initial distrust of foreigners, Emmajin finds herself growing to like Marco. She performs her task so well that the Khan allows her to join the army on the expedition to Burma.
"I wished Marco could see me outfitted as a soldier. He had returned to Khanbalik....Thinking of Marco made my heart hurt. I wished I had been able to say a proper good-bye."
Will Emmajin see Marco again, and will fighting with the army be everything she wanted? Read the book to find out.
At first this story reminded me of Mulan. Someone who likes to read about a strong, adventurous heroine with a bit of romance will enjoy this story.
Monday, March 21, 2011
porter rockwell chronicles Vol 1
This book is a good book for people if there in the subject of Joseph smith or anything like that. The book is really on porter Rockwell who is like Joseph smith kind of body guard. The book starts off by porter going fishing and he gets stop by some boys. They want his fishing pole he says no and he runs away. Then Joseph sees him running away. So he helps him get his fishing pole back and that how their relationship begins. Than it go's by saying that they move to Missouri and are fine. Porter gets married. Everything all right until the Mormons want to vote and the people in the area don't want them to vote. But the Mormons refuse to listen. So the Missourians take two of them hostage. Well porter Rockwell and a few other men went to get them they were outnumbered but they still seemed to be able to beat the odds and win the battle. After this the governor signed bill saying the Mormons are either to leave or be killed and there are mass murders in Missouri. That basically it for this volume
Friday, March 18, 2011
The Legend of Bass Reeves.
In the Legend of Bass Reeves by Gary Paulsen, Bass is a young slave boy. His job is to go catch wild cattle for his master. He lives on a plantation with his mother and one other slave. His master is somewhat nice, compared to other slave owners. When Bass grows up his master teaches him to play poker, but when Bass catches him cheating, Bass has to run away from his master. He ends up living in the Indian territory until slavery is abolished. After that he becomes a great federal marshal and has many adventures chasing outlaws. I think that people who enjoy stories of cowboys would like this book. My favorite line is "Had everything in it plus rattlesnake heads."
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Maximum Ride
Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation
This book is about a boy who does not know where he comes from and what he is doing here. He lives in a foster home when he is encountered by a Rustove warrior. The Rustove tries to kill Jack, but Jack blew him up. Later Jack had to go to Imagine Nation. This is a place where all the world's superheros live. When Jack gets there he gets in some trouble because he has a really bad infection that will turn him into a Rustove warrior. After he gets that taken care of he is going to need to meet the rulers of Imagine Nation. While he is meeting the rulers they are deciding whether he should stay in Imagine Nation or not. They decide that Jack can stay as long as he can pass a test all of them will provide. During one of the tests he encounters a Rustove warrior. This leads to a big battle that just might turn the whole book around.
I think people who read fantasies with superheros in them would like this book a lot.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
In my enemys house
In My Enemy's house is about these two kids whose names are Marisa and Weimar. They lived during the Nazi Germany time and they got invaded by the nazis. Their parents got kidnapped and they found work at this mansion as servents. They are trying to earn money so they could try to go places and get help to find their parents but a week after working there they found out that the father who lived in the mansion was a high ranked nazi official so they ran away.
Monday, March 7, 2011
This book is Form The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by Jan Miner. It's about these brother and sister, Claudia and Jamie, who run away from home hoping to teach their family a lesson. They stay in a museum down town, and find this new statue that is being debated rather it was created by some really famous guy. The kids decide to help with out being caught. Do they ever find out it is made by this famous person? Do they get home, and help the museum? Find out by reading the book.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Ender's Game
80 years prior to the present time in this book Earth has been attacked by aliens, it ties into the book later. This book is about a boy (Ender Wiggin) who is miserable on living Earth, his brother Peter abuses him and bullies at school beat him near senseless. Ender is much smarter than most humans... in fact he even corrects his school teachers sometimes!! But he is alone, nobody in his life really matters except for his sister Valentine, the only one who loves him. Then he decides to go into battle school, a training center in space for kids who want to enlist in the International fleet. The International Fleet is a space force that protects Earth and fights the Buggers (aliens). Ender learns that all that really matters in the battle school is to stay alive and to win the games. These games just happen to be what Ender is great at...
This book would probably be preferred by a boy considering the main character is one but it is a great book for both genders, it is a bit depressing at times but if you like strategy and adventure then you shold read this book.. Overall I loved the book, it has a bit of profanity so beware if your sensitive to that stuff. My favorite quote is probably "Gentlemen, I hope you learned something yesterday, because we're doing it again."
READ THE BOOK
The Magicians Nephew
Douglas decides to go into one of the pools and they stand in the shallow pool and they put the yellow rings on and they sink through the pool and enter the world of Charn. They find there a queen named Jadis also known as the White Witch. C. S. Lewis tells a great story of how Narnia became Narnia. The author captures the story about Douglas and Polly and where they end up. This book is the first of the seven books in the series.