KAREN on Candy Floss- By Jacqueline Wilson. Illustrated By Nick Sharratt

This book is about a girl named Floss who loves spending weekends with her Dad in his greasy spoon café, even if it isn’t the smartest place in town. When Floss’s Mum and her new husband Steve moved to Australia, Floss decided to stay at home with her Dad. But Floss’s Dad isn’t any good at ironing or putting up swings, but instead Floss and her Dad diet on chip butties and candyfloss from the local funfair. Then the disaster strikes and they find themselves homeless. Floss’s Dad was thinking if any of their fairground friends will help them live. And Floss was thinking if her Dad could survive with a life of living on the road…
My Opinion:
I think this book has a lot of sad bits like when Floss’s Mum and Dad had an argument about if Floss should stay or live in Auzzie with her Mum.
I recommend this book to anyone aged over 9 or 10 years old. I really enjoyed it!
It’s an AWESOME book!
! By Karen !
That's my review!

Guidelines on Commenting...

Have a look at lots of reviews and stick on some new comments - remember if you are commenting on someone's work... this advice from Mrs McK is quite valuable:

"Say 2 Stars [things that are great] and one Wish" [a suggestion for what they could do next time or to improve it]

Have fun,
Mrs J.

Rhiannon on Tales From The Swamp by Kingi Mckinnon

The story ‘Mud, Slush And Tuna’ made me laugh especially when Roha had to catch the slippery and slimy eels.
The story ‘The Witch’ made me laugh because in the story they described what the witch looked like and it made me become frightened of her.
I think the book is suitable for 8-10 year olds because it can get a bit easier to read when you are 10 or over.
I think the book is really awesome because it interested me a lot. Kingi Mckinnon is a really great author and I look forward to reading some of her books in the future.
By Rhiannon.

Hayden on The Gizmo Series by Paul Jennings

I like the Gizmo Series because they are unpredictable and you never know what will happen when you turn the page.
I recommend this book for 7-10 year olds.
I rate this book 5 clouds out of 6.
My final thought for this book is that it is a very good buy.
Here is a link to buy the first book http://www.ferrit.co.nz/10165963.html.
BY Hayden

ABBIE on Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White.

This is a story about a girl called Fern who lives on a farm with her mum, dad and brother. One morning at breakfast Fern stares after her father and asks her mum “where’s papa going with that axe?” “To the hog house because a few pigs were born last night”, “but why does he need an axe?” asked Fern for she was only eight. “One of the pigs that were born last night is a runt that means that it is small, weak and useless and it won’t last for a day. So your father has decided to away with it,” “away with it? You mean kill it?” her mum nodded, “but you can’t” Fern pleaded and before anyone could say anything she was off. They can’t do that Fern thought. She arrived at the hog house panting and yelled “NO” her father looked up and Fern saw the pig, the pig that started the whole thing.

In the pig pen Wilbur finds a spider friend called Charlotte, and meets a sneaky rat called Templeton who steals everything from rotten eggs to a thin thread of string. Everyone thinks that Wilbur is just an ordinary pig but his best friend Charlotte makes Wilbur the most famous pig ever by spinning webs saying “SOME PIG” then the next “TERIFFIC” the last “RADIANT” everyone came to look at the pig from the other side of the farm people could hear the “OOOOOHHHH’s” and “AAAAHHHHH’s” everyone thought Wilbur was a star and he was. Then Wilbur’s owners decide to bring Wilbur to a pig fair where all of the pigs that are talented in some way go to and that is where the judges see which pig is the best.

I found the book very easy to read because there were no difficult words or complicated sentences. I actually cried when charlotte the spider died at the fair all by herself. And laughed at some bits like when Avery tripped and fell on the rotten egg, I wouldn’t like to smell that!! The most joyful moment in that book would be when charlottes egg sack hatches and all the spiders parachute into the sky. The illustrations are gorgeus and the book it self is really neat. Overall I think that this book is very touching and beautiful. I recommend that everyone should read it from the beginning to the end.
BY: ABIGAIL.
I also enjoyed reading "Rough, Tough and Had Enough"

Book Review By Ollie, Book: George’s Marvellous Medicine, Author: Roald Dahl

George hates having mum & dad go somewhere - do you know why?
Because he has to stay with kranky grandma.
She makes George a slave (get tea, cleaning cloth, make dinner and even more!)
But every day when his grandma comes he has to give her medicine that just make sit on a seat drinking tea all day!
So he decided to make a marvellous medicine that will make her fly, make her get hyper and a lot more things.
The time had come he got a bowl and put everything in from the kitchen, bathroom, shed, garage even paint!
She had the first sip of her medicine;
“This doesn’t taste write” She said.
“Don’t worry grandma” He said.
Then she go higher & higher she shot through the roof then she was like a clown.
There was a knock on the door george worried
“Hello” said mum

For kids?: Yes of course

BY OLIVER

Courtney on "Clarice Bean Don’t Look Now" by Lauren Child

I have just finished a book called” Clarice Bean Don’t Look Now” by Lauren Child.

This book is based In England, because Lauren Child is from England. Clarice Bean has a best friend called Betty Moody.

Clarice and Betty are in the same class, and their teacher is called Mrs. Wilberton. Clarice Bean has an older sister called Marcie, an older brother called Kurt and a younger brother called Minal.

In the middle of the book Betty Moody leaves England to go to America to live, when Betty leaves the school a new girl comes to Clarice’s school; she is called Clem Hansson and she is from a place called Stockholm in Sweden.

Clem invites Clarice to her birthday party. Clarice doesn’t go because she thinks Clem is friends with Justin Broach, the bully, but in the end Clarice knows that Clem isn’t friends with Justin because he stole Clem’s Swedish rabbit at the pet show.

After school, Justin and one of Clarice’s friends called Karl Wenberry fight and Karl gets badly hurt, he breaks his arm. At the end, Clarice and Clem are good friends.

Opinion:

Once you read 1-3 chapters of the book you’ll really want to know what’s going to happen next. It’s an addictive book.

Who would enjoy the book?

I think most likely girls would like the book, but some boys might like it too. In some parts, it’s a bit girly but otherwise it’s really awesome. The age would be between any age, but mainly about from 7 onwards.

Book review by Courtney.

Report by Breana on ‘Trapped’ by Arthur Roth.

"Trapped"

John was driving to his fathers house to return his fishing rod that he borrowed for fishing the past day.
While he was driving he noticed that it was getting quite late. It was getting darker every meter of the way.
Then suddenly he saw heaps of flashy things, as he got closer he realised that it was deer standing on the road. He suddenly slammed his foot on the brakes and went sliding down into the bank. He crashed into trees along the way and then a really strong tree stopped him.
Then he couldn’t see a thing and fell asleep. In the morning he felt very hungry and tired. He felt his arm hurt as he tried to look in the back to see if there was some food. He looked at his arm. “WHOA!” he shouted.
He had a huge cut on his arm.
He tried to free himself from the horrid and broken chair but for a start the roof of his car was too low.
Secondly his foot was trapped and twisted under the compartment. He just couldn’t get it out!

Comment.
This is a brilliant book with lots of sudden movements in it. Its a great story for people who like action books.
If you want to find out if he survives then read the book ‘Trapped’ and find out what happens.

By Breana.
Here I am with another book I have enjoyed this month at school and at home. It is a book that girls about this age would mostly like.

Sullivan’s blog entry on Hit It! by Michael Hardcastle

This book is about two boys, Scott and Kel, who are rivals in the same team on the soccer field. It all began when Kel stole the ball off Scott just when he was about to kick for goal, scoring the winning goal for himself. Both boys wanted to be the team’s top scorer. Even though Kel treated Scott badly, Scott still helped Kel with his sick dog. In the end the boys learnt that if they worked together their team could win the league.

In my opinion this book was about competing against each other and learning that working together towards the same team goal gets better results.
“We are going to win and that’s what counts”.

I enjoyed the book because it was about football and I love football stories.
I think anyone who loves sport stories will enjoy this book.

Michaela on Limelight By: Tania Roxborogh.

This book is about a girl called Nicole.One day her teacher read out the school notices and on them it said " school play sign ups next week".Over the next week everyone in the school was buzzing with excitement and everyone was saying Jasmine would make a great Cinderella.Jasmine had got the main part in every school play!. The next week Nicole and Jasmine signed up for the part of Cinderella, and Nicole got it!.
Nicole had a beautiful voice and her actions were amazing and that's why she got the main part.At home Nicole would practice and practice. Jasmine was so angry because she got the part of the substitute of Cinderella which is when the person may be sick the substitute will take over her part. Jasmine was so angry that she made Nicole miss practices she stole her dress and did really mean stuff to her because she wanted to be Cinderella but somehow her plans failed.

On the night Nicole made a beautiful Cinderella and got standing ovations from everyone!!

I really enjoyed the story because I loved how it goes up and down like rollercoaster.I think girls who like dramatic scenes and that never get picked for school plays would love this story.

BY: MICHAELA.

BRIANNA on Dragon Spell by John Parker

Dragon spell is about a Prince named Prince Timothey and he hears about a
far away kingdom called Merrylands and a terrible thing has happened... A dragon named Fire Snorter was told if he fights in war for Maryland's he will be given allot of gold every week and if he doesn't get the gold he
will get Merrylands first Princess daughter. And soon Merrylands got very poor and could not pay Fire Snorter any longer and then their first daughter
is born Princess Jennifer. Weeks pass and still Fire Snorter does not get
his gold so Fire Snorter goes over there to spy on their kingdom and what
does he find a baby girl. So Fire Snorter decides to go over and have a
meeting with King of Merrylands so then when their baby daughter turns 10
years old she will be handed over to Fire Snorter and die. Unless someone
can defeat him. Prince Timothey and his cat Mitken go to battle Fire
Snorter but to Fire Snorters suprise Prince Timothey decides to battle Fire,
Snorter in and Spelling battle. And to Prince Timotheys suprise Fire
Snorter spells the word C.A.T like this K.A.T and Prince Timothey wins and
gets Princess Jennifers hand in Marrage.

(available in all good book stores)

By Brianna.
P.S. In this photo I am reading "Yo, Shark Bait" I might do a blog entry on that after the holidays... maybe...

Tia is second in with her homework...

Hi Mrs J this is my book review hope you like it.

I have just finished a book called 'Why I hate school by Micheal Fartasky'
This book is by Kris Stanhope
It is dedicated to Kris Stanhope's wife who believed in him when he did not.

The story:
Micheal Fartasky hates school.
He hates writing, he hates maths, and he
hates reading, he hates art.
He hates break because it is too short
and he hates lunchtime because it is to crowded
in the playground.
In fact there are 243 reasons (and counting) why Michael
Fartasky hates school. But it takes only one person
to tell him what is good about it.
And in the process he discovers why he started to
hate school in the first place.

My opinion:
I think this book has lots of different feelings in it.
Like sometimes characters feel sad because of
a boy in the neighborhood just died.

I think my teacher Mrs Johnson would like
this book because it is a funny, sad, happy
and confusing book.

The photo is me holding another book called "The Blue Boa" - I will do a review on that later.

Jacob is first in with his homework...

Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer
The main character in the book is Fletcher Moon;
He is a 12 year-old private detective, he has brown hair and white sneakers. He went to Bernstein’s Detective Academy in Washington D.C. Fletcher goes to St.Jerome’s Primary school and secondary school.
Fletcher has a snitch called Doobie who always has boogers hanging out his nostrils. Doobie is 8 years-old he has sharp eyes and a big mouth according to Fletchers description.
There are 4 other main characters to the story which are Herod Sharkley, Red Sharkley, May Devreux and April Devereux. This book is about the biggest case of his life, May and April had lost a curl of hair! Fletcher suspects Herod because he usually has lost things in his pocket. Or he hid it.
When Fletcher has almost cracked the case he gets hit by a bat. He gets rushed to hospital! On his arm was an indentation spelling RED backwards he thought Red had done it but he didn’t. He pairs up with Red to find out who did it! They spy on May and Aprils gang called Les Jeunes Estudiants. Which is about education and framing boys!! They find out they’re going to frame Herod for hurting someone called Masadeez. They don’t get there in time and find out a Connection between all the events the talent show. Finally he found out that Mays father did something to everyone who came in front of May in the previous talent show. After all the revealing of the bad deeds Fletcher whacks the trophy in to Mr Devereux’s (Mays dad) temple!
I really enjoyed Half Moon Investigations because of its good description and action.
I would recommend this book to all action lovers and Mystery lovers because it has lots of other bits I haven’t told you which is very exciting such as the mansion escape. This book is available in the library.
By Jacob

Skills for Growing Unit;

Relating, caring, sharing, team work, understanding,
tolerance and RESPECT!
This is a unit of study taught in many countries,
including Canada and Australia.
It is sponsored and supported by the Lions Foundation.

Satisfaction...

One of you asked me:

"Mrs J... do we have to provide evidence that we showed, or told our relatives, about the blog?"

I said, "No, not really" - but you know what? - the red dots from all over the world will be your evidence and will also give you great satisfaction that your relatives are interested in you and what you do.

Personal note to that particularly organised and clear thinking student - I'll make a special point of looking for red dots from Wales and England Miss RM!! he! he!

Book Review Entry

This week you are required to do the following:

[1]. Show the blog to a family member or friend or anyone who
hasn’t yet seen it…
[2]. Email the blog address to any friends or relatives
[anywhere in the world] so they can be interested in what you are up to, and also to add lots of red spots on the world map!! And, hopefully, comments.
[3]. Email me a book review to go on the blog. louise@bbps.school.nz

You must:
1. Give a brief outline of what the story is about – remembering such things as, WWWWWH - where, when, who, what, why, how …
2. State your opinion of the story and give some examples – e.g.,

• if you say it is sad – give an example from the story;
• if you say it is funny – give an example from the story
• if you say it is …. [I’ll stop now, I think you get it!]

Did you enjoy it? Why? Why not?
3. Give guidelines as to who you think would enjoy the story, and why?
4. Ensure you put the Title of the book at the top, followed by the Author’s name. [Remember to put a capital letter for keywords in titles] e.g., The Wind in the Willows.
5. Helpful Hint = Type your report as a word document first then you can keep it on the desktop and add to it as the week goes by, if you don’t get to do it all at one sitting. Then either attach it to the email or copy it into the email once you are ready to send it to me.

MAKE IT IMPRESSIVE AND INTELLIGENT SOUNDING…
Remember your audience is…
The World As An Audience!

Jasmine writes about 'What About Bo?' By Jillian Sullivan

This book is about a boy named Jack and Tim. Their dad leaves them and goes into town.
They have a dog named Bo, and their dad leaves Jack to look after him. Bo is a dog who gets excited very easily, so he gets into trouble a lot. Jack and Tim’s school have a pet competition and jack enters it with his dog Bo, Tim also enters it with his eel George. Jack Trains Bo everyday with a man named Hamish.
When Jack trains his dog Bo he puts Bo on a rope because he might run away. When the day came to the competition there was lots of people entering the competition. Jack and Bo won the competition. Tim and George(Tim’s eel) also won the competition they entered.

One day Bo gets taken away from Jack and has been given to a man called Joe Hancock. One day when Jack ,Tim and his mum go into town on the way there they see Bo, then Jack opens the car door and gets out then chases the car Bo was in but in the end he still didn’t get Bo. When they came back jack decided to find out where Joe Hanock lived so he could get Bo back.

Once when Jack went to look for Bo with Tim, Tim crossed the road and then to racing cars appeared one of the racing cars was trying to over take one of the other cars. One of the cars crashed into Tim and they just kept on driving right past him even after he crashed into Tim. When Jack found where Tim was he was unconscious.
So Jack waited until the next car came by then he the person in the car to help him. In the end Tim survived, and their dad came back to visit them. Jack and Tim also got Bo back.
The end.
By Jasmine

Jacob has been reading "The Super Naturalist" by Eion Colfer.

Here is a quick summary about the book.
The whole book is about 12 year-old Cosmo Hill who has no family so he is a 'no-sponsor.'
He lives in a horrible orphanage called ‘Clarissa Frayne institute for the parentally challenged’ which gets money for companies to experiment on the children.
Clarissa Frayne is situated in Satellite City which has a Myishi 9 Satellite hovering above it. redwood accidentally let him go he got seriously wounded and a parasite attacked him (they sucked the life out of you) and he joined the people who helped him. The super naturalists (people who kill Parasites) then they help a gang of street gang. Then they meet Myishi and try to kill them because they tricked them into trying to kill them ‘cause they actually kill pain.
By Jacob.

Fin is currently reading a very funny book - watch this space:

Fin types about his opinion on the book, “The Dumpster Saga” so far:

I have only read ten chapters and it is really funny. It is about a typical 15 year old trying to get money to impress a girl but instead he gets mixed up with a yellow helmet with a strange name, an agent and dwarfs eating bananas. This book is a crack up and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a story that will give them a laugh about aged 9 to 13 years old.
By Fin.

Jordan read the book, :The Falcon’s Malteser” by Anthony Horowitz.

I wrote a letter to a main character in the book.

Dear Herbert,

I would really like to meet you in real life.
You are a great detective and good at solving mysteries.
The book 'The Falcons Malteasers' it is a great book and I would like another book like a new mystery book. "Public Enemy Number Two" looks really good too.
I like the part when you go to Hotel Splendie in Fullam when you find Jonny Naples in his room dying of blood and when you go to the falcon's funeral.
After that when you go walking into Hotel Splendie and start to search Mr Jonny Naples's room and start searching his room in the rubbish bin, under the bed and when the grenade gets thrown at you.
I would like to meet you and talk to you about the book 'The Falcons Malteasers'

Yours sincerely,
Jordan

Dylan read "The Gap," by M.Gibson

I completed a comic strip sequel for the story.
By Dylan

Michaela writes about “Charm Club Unicorn,” by Belinda Ray.

My Book was about a girl called Carrie.
One day on the school notices her teacher read out that there was going to be a school play coming up. A few days after the notices for the school play was advertised, a sign-up sheet went out. Everyone she knew was signing up but Carrie just couldn’t make up her mind, so when the sheet got to her, she didn’t know what she wanted to do. She kept telling herself ‘just write your name’ but she couldn’t, so it passed on.
At home Carrie was feeling sad so she decided to go to the library.
Every time Carrie felt sad she would write in her diary. When she looked for it she couldn’t find, so she went through again and still couldn’t find it.
Carrie decided to go back to every class she had been to that day. None of the teachers had it either, suddenly she heard a voice come from the water fountain, she looked around but nobody was there. She looked again then she saw it the tiniest creature she’d ever seen!! Her bookmark was alive!!
At home Carrie couldn’t believe it as a tiny unicorn was starring up at her. The unicorns name was Bob and she was a girl, but Carrie said she had named her after her uncle.
The next day the unicorn had taken some of Carrie’s diary pages and had put them in front of the teacher’s table so that when her teacher had read out the auditions, Carrie’s name got called out.
Everyone thought Carrie had a great voice so she got the part of Cinderella.
The big night came Carrie did great and the unicorn had done her job.By Michaela.

Brianna's Book review on 'Small Steps' by Louis Sachar

Small steps is kind of the book after Holes but it only stars Armpit and Xray from Camp Green Lake.

When Armpit got back from Camp Green Lake he started digging again but this time he was being payed for it as he was working for a landcaper.

One day a car pulled up at Ginny and his driveway as they shared a house. And who was in the car his old pal from camp green lake Xray. Some how Xray got Armpit to to take $600 dollars out of his bank account.

He got him to do this because Kaira DeLeon was coming to their town and they were going to buy tickets and sell them for more they were worth and then split the profit afterwards.

Xray had sold all the tickets except for two tickets and Armpit had asked Xray to save two tickets so him and Ginny could go together Ginny was only 4th grade and she had seizures sometimes.

On the night of the concert Xray went and photocopied the two tickets and sold the real tickets to someone who was offering 300 dollars a ticket and then gave Armpit the fake tickets. At the concert this ticket guard came and talked to Armpit and said that his tickets were fake. Then Ginny started having a seizure and the guards thought that Armpit had gave her drugs.

Then Kaira DeLeon came out to see what all the hassel was and she made friends with Armpit and Ginny. Armpit helped Ginny through her seizure and then Kaira De Leon let them come on stage with her and sit back stage and watch her show.

“You will have to read the book to find out what happens next (is available at all book stores)"

By Brianna

KARENE-From the book: The Golden Compass : No . 2 :The Subtile Knife and

This is a great book.
It has lots of adventure and I'm only half way through the book!
The people in the book aren't like us.
They have small animals called daemons that can transform into any animal they like.
If the daemon i cut away from them they die. As humans grow older the Daeemon starts having its very own form. So someone that is brave may have a a lion as a Daemon and so forth.
So the main part of this book is about a society that are called the Genaral Oblagation Board. People call them Gobblers because they steal children to test on. They test on the children because of a subtance called Dust. Many people think Dust is Bad. But it isn't . It is actually a way to find out about the future and how to get to other worlds that are hidden in ours.
There is little girl , the age of ten, that has the power of dust. Her name is Lyra.
She poses the alethiometer. The alethiometer is controlled by Dust. The alethiometer looks like a compass. But instead it has many pictures and three needeles. To work the alethiometer you must turn the three needles to certain pictures that mean the question you are asking it. Them the main needle will turn to many pictures that will give you the answer. You must have a book to answer to be able to read the answer. This is why Lyra is special. She can read the alethiometer without having the book. She hasn't ever read the book either. So the aletiometer is a truth teller.

Lyra has been fortold by witches. Serafina Pekkala , queen of a clan of witches , helps Lyra through out her journey.

Iorek Byrison , a bear and king of Syvalbard (the kingdom of bears) , is Lyra 's protecter. He will go anywhere. Even to other worlds.

Will is a boy that Lyra has met in a new world that she has travelled to. He met her at a new world. Not his own world but at a different world that Lyra and Will don't know. Because they are both from a different world. There are three worlds.Will and Lyra's are similar in ways. Lyra's world is set in the old times and has scholars and old artefacts. But in Wills world it is more modern. But Wills word also has buildings that Lyra has in her world.

Will has murdered a man because they are after his mothers small green box. In it it has letters that his father (a lost explorer) write to her. The letters all contain information about Dust and about the windows to new worlds. That is how Will has travelled to this new world.

Will and Lyra travel back to Will”s world through the window that Will came through.
Lyra has met a scientist that knows about Dust. She calls it Shadows. She has made a computer that can reads questions through the mind. Like the aletiometer.
Lyra is convincing her to make it use words not shapes.


That is as far as I have got.
I suggest you read the trilogy. They are great books.

By : Karene.

We are feeling enthusiastic typing out our entries...

...hope you are too!

Rhiannon’s Page long summary on the book ‘Kira Kira’ by Cynthia Kadohata

Lynn and Katie are sisters and best friends they love to go to the cornfield in Iowa.
But suddenly there family are forced to move to Georgia where their lives are turned upside down. They seem like they are not welcome their and their parents are spending all there time at a hatchery.

Suddenly when Lynn turns ill from anaemia, which is pallor and fatigue, she is hospitalized and Katie becomes very jealous and left out and when her parents spend all there time looking after Lynn. When Lynn comes back from hospital she grows seriously ill and again and isn’t herself, then she dies on new years day. Katie and her family are very upset, but they think that Lynn will be happier.

Throughout the book Katie has to keep her family together and remind them that that there will always be something glittering- kira kira -in the future.

By Rhiannon

Brianna’s Summary on the book ‘Rocco’ by Sherryl Jordan

The book is about a boy named Rocco who when he falls asleep he enters his own world.

One time he never woke up from his own world, or his dream. He stayed in his world for two weeks. Even his parents couldn’t get him to wake up.

His own world was in the Stone Age. He lived with his friends in a cave. He had made lots of friends in his own world, his friends were so good to him they let him live with them.

One of his best friends was a girl. She loved having him around. Her name was Trisha. They were all best friends Trisha’s dad was the leader of the tribe. Trisha was really happy with her dad when he accepted Rocco in the tribe.

Later in the storey Trisha sadly died of an insect bite. When Rocco heard this he was devastated because he had lost the love of his life and lost his best friend.

After death had occurred him he remembered about his family and wanted them back and then he woke up from his dream and he was in hospital with his family next to him.

By Brianna

Jasmine’s Summary on the book ‘Rocco’by Sherryl Jordan

Rocco is a boy who gets into his own dreams, he can feel everything, touch everything, smell everything but he doesn’t know if he is in his dreams or not, he also suspects if he is in the future or the past. Rocco gets accepted in the village of Anshur.

He is promised to get married with Ilsabeth, a girl he met at a party they had. Ayosher a lovely lady who is just like a mother to Rocco. There is a girl called Tisha, who is the first person Rocco met in the land of Anshur. One day Tisha came back with an insect bite. She also died because of the bite. When Rocco found out that Tisha had died he was really upset because, Tisha was very nice to Rocco and she taught him a lot of things.

In the end Rocco wakes up one day and seems to find himself back in his own world sick in hospital. He is also really confused about what had happened, he finds out that he misses everybody in Anshur, even though he didn’t want to stay there when he was in Anshur. Rocco has a lot of memories that he will never forget.

By: Jasmine

JADE about "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke.

10 words from the story that i had to look up meanings for:

1. illuminated = to light up
2. dignified = calm, impressive and worthy of respect
3. stubble =short bristly hair on the chin of a man who has not shaved for a while
4. feebly = lacking in physical or mental strength
5. pestilence = any deadly epidemic disease, such as the plague
6. lynched =to kill a person for some supposed offence without a trial
   
7. inquisitively =excessively curious about other peoples' business
   
8. nonchalantly =casually indifferent or unconcerned
   
9. genuinely =honest and without pretence
   
10. dourly =sullen and unfriendly

A page long summary:

Victor is a detective. He had a meeting with a lady called Esther and her husband Max Hartlieb. They ask him to find their adopted child Boniface [most people call him Bo for short].
Esther thought he and his brother, Prosper might have come to Venice because when their mother was alive she had told them Venice was beautiful.
Meanwhile, prosper and Bo have made friends with a girl called Hornet, and three boys called Riccio, Mosca and Scipio, the thief lord. Bo had actually run away from his Aunt Esther and Uncle Max because they didn't adopt Prosper, as well Bo doesn't like to be separated from his brother.
Together the six children live in an old disused cinema that belongs to Scipio's father. Scipio doesn't usually live in the cinema, he goes there when he has stolen something or when he can .
Scipio is called 'the thief lord' because he never gets caught.
What they do with the stolen objects is take them to a man called Barbarossa, who pays for them.
One day while the children were out, they met Victor. well bo met victor. he even talked to Victor but he had no idea he was actually a detective.
When Scipio gets a job from a Conte, he is thrilled..he has to steal something that is neither gold nor silver but wood. The children can't figure out why something wooden would be so valuable, seeing he offered then five million lire for it.
When the children find out that Scipio isn't actually a street kid, they get mad at him for lying. They find he even has a nanny, and he was just stealing things from the unused things in his house.
When they arrive at the house to steal the object, they meet the lady who owns the mysterious object. her name is Ida spavento. While they were trying to find it, she heard them whispering and caught them all. They were all very scared but Ida was a nice person. They explained about the conte and she told them a story about the object [which is a wing] while playing by the dovecots while she was young. When they give the wing to the conte in the night they get cheated and get given the money.
After that, Proper and Scipio go back to the island, and Scipio and Barbarossa go on the magic roundabout that Ida mentioned in her story to them. Barbarossa breaks it.

By Jade.

HAYDEN about "Fire in the Sky" by Shirley Corlett

This book is written as a diary by a boy and is set during the eruption of Mt Tarawera near Rotorua.

Summary:
James is a 14 year old boy who travels with his Papa to the Pink Terraces to sketch them. He meets a boy called Will who lives near the terraces. James becomes good friends with Will. He invites Will to camp with him on the terraces.
Deep below Mt Tarawera, volcanic forces gather and it erupts. When it erupts James is at Will's family's house. They run for cover but along the sticky mud-filled track he can't find Will but he finds him again and they hide in the livery stables.
Some of the people staying in the same hotel as James and his Papa find them and tell him his Papa is missing.
They go on to Guide Sophia's house and papa is not there. When the volcanic ash stops falling they find Papa in a collapsed house alive.

My Opinion:
Overall, I think that Fire In The Sky was a great book.
I suggest this book for 9-11 year olds who like to know about history.
I rate this book worth 6 clouds and I give it a 'golden cloud' for the fact it is a recollection of history.

By Hayden.

Title page by Karen.

"Wanted" poster by Dean

BREANA about "The Gap" by Marie Gibson

Acrostic poem of the character Rosie:

Rosie is always on the run
Only is good with her parents
Scared nearly all the time
Is a tattle-tale
Eats only what she wants!

Questions I would like to ask the main character:

1. How did you feel when you saved your sister?
2. Would you like this book to be made into a movie, and why?
3. What was it like being in the cave for a week with no food, water or supervision?

By Breana.

Acrostic poem on the character Matthew and Title page by Karene.

MRS J about "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli

He has no name, no home, no family and no background. He steals food, sleeps in the street and survives by not getting caught. He is called a Jew, everyone calls him a filthy son of Abraham, a Gypsy, and he thinks his name is ‘Stop Thief’ as that is what everyone yells after him!

He sleeps in a cellar with a band of boys who are just like him, who steal to stay alive and do their best to go unnoticed by the Jackboots.

The Jackboots control Warsaw, Poland in 1939. They have power, uniforms that shine, and guns. It is not safe to be a Jew, a Gypsy or a homeless orphan. The best thing to be is invisible. He doesn’t know the jackboots are Nazis.

His new friend and protector Uri forces him to take the name Misha Pilsudski and to memorize a made-up story about his Gypsy background so that no one will mistake him for a Jew and kill him.
Misha, a very young boy, is slow to understand what's happening around him.
When he sees people running, he thinks it's a race.
When Misha sees a girl he knows, Janina, herded into the Warsaw ghetto with her family, he knows he must follow her.

People in the ghetto are starving – only the rats and crows flourish as they eat the dead bodies.
However Misha is small enough to sneak in and out of the ghetto through a hole left by a missing brick, and bring food for Janina's family and an orphanage.
Until the day that suddenly makes him change his mind...
And when the trains come to empty the Jews from the ghetto, he is a boy who realizes its safest of all to be nobody.

This book is set in one of the most devastating settings imaginable; Nazi-occupied Warsaw of World War II; and tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival through the bright eyes of a young orphan.

Some of this book was painful to read, but I was ‘living’ the story as I read it and was engrossed. I read this book to a class of nine to eleven year olds in 2006. I have not forgotten it. I was pleased to be visited this week by Fleur, a student I had that year and who has moved on to another school now. She came to ask about Milkweed as she has not forgotten it either and wanted information about it so she could read it again…
As a teacher that is priceless.

Welcome to room 2's book review site.

As students' complete novels [or chapter books!] throughout the year they will be encouraged to add a comment, or summary of the story and their opinion of the book on this site.

Some novels will be read as home learning, others as part of a group or class focus, and some for holiday pleasure. Students are free to also attach portions of assignments or studies relating to the novels.

I will start with the first entry...