Student Saturday: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Student Reviewer: Elizabeth B.

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

I really enjoyed the first book in the Maze Runner series. It really grabbed me with all the imagination and creativity of the author’s writing. I connected with it because I already heard if you read another series – Divergent – then you would like this one. I liked when the book just started that the kid Thomas was in some kind of box. I liked another part because Thomas had no idea who he was, just that he had that name. I felt secure when reading this part because I could relate to him; I also had no idea who he was, just his name. I felt connected because I would learn who he was with him – rather than have him tell me about himself. I was definitely drawn to the book. When Thomas thought, I thought even harder. This book is kind of like the Hunger Games, just not as violent. I was like that because lots of people died. That was the saddening part for me. There also were a lot of questions with no answers so the book left me dying for more.

Come Visit Scotland and Hungary

If You Were Me and Lived in Scotland by Carole P. Roman
Genre: children's picture book
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review, the opinions expressed here are my own.

Scotland is at the north end of Great Britain.  I didn’t know until I read this book that Scotland has more than 790 islands in the North Sea. The capital is Edinburg.  Many of its buildings were inspired by ancient Greece and Rome.  Common names in Scotland would be Ian, Connor or Malcom for boys and Kelsey, Aillen or Margaret for girls.  The word for mommy is Mathair and daddy is Dadadh. The official animal of Scotland is the mythological creature known as a unicorn.  They are well known for their lake the Loch Ness and its creature known as the Loch Ness Monster or Nessie.  They eat oatmeal called porridge for breakfast, tattie scones which are potato muffins.  They eat a lot of fish dishes.  They use oats for all kinds of things from stuffing to desserts.  One of their favorite sports is golf.  They have the Highland games.  They dress in kilts, tartans and plaids.  One of their most well known instruments is the bagpipes. I absolutely love these books.  It is a way for students to travel the world and learn about different cultures without leaving their home. I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed are my own.

If You Were Me and Lived in Hungary by Carole P. Roman
Genre: children's picture book
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review, the opinions expressed here are my own.

Once again we take a trip with this author to a new country. Today we explore Hungary and learn that the capital is Budapest.  It is fun to learn some common names such as Peter, Laszlo or Atilla if you are a boy; and Judit, Suzanna or Erzse’bet if you are a girl.  Mommy is Anya, Daddy is Apa and grandma is Nagy. The largest lake is the Balaton. It means mud or swamp. A popular food is goulash, which is a stew with meat and vegetables. It was interesting to learn that water polo is a favorite sport.  I learned that the Rubik’s Cube was invented there.  This is a wonderful way to learn about the country and culture of Hungary.

Several Wonderful Children's Books

What Do Monsters Eat? by Mark Smith

This is a fun rhyming book to read with your child.  While reading your child can try to find the worm that hides in each picture. They can try to identify the different foods each of the monsters like to eat.  Depending on how you read to your child, you can probably get the "ooo gross" remark from them.  I'm glad I'm not a monster because I don't think I'd like pizza with octopus on top, or chocolate covered fish.  On the educational side of this it is a way of opening a conversation about healthy eating. As always Mark has done a great job of intertaining kids while educating them as well.
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Ooh Lolita by L. Gina Davis
This is a wonderful story about "stranger danger".  Lolita is a witch who hates children.  She has two

cats.  One of them is just like her. The other cat wants to be free of the witch.  She gets her power from the sun.  One day upon the advice of the cat Bufu, she turns herself into a beautiful princess and tricks the children into coming into her house.  Once there she locks them in and makes them work for her.  She does this several days.  But, can she hold the children forever?  How will they and the cat Chum get free?
The pictures are wonderful. The story is very interesting and sure to keep the attention  any child, or child at heart. I would definitely read more books by this author.
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Sniff the Cat & the Super Duper Most InterestingSmell by Picture Kid
A cute story of a cat who loves to sniff.  He sniffs a wonderful thing one day.  He can't quite figure out what it is.  He follows and follows until he gets so tired he must take a nap.  While asleep he has a wonderful dream that everything he sniffs smells like meat. Then he wakes up and can no longer smell what he was following.  He heads back home to all of his familiar smells and learns a valuable lesson.  The best things are right at home.
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.




Stories For Children 3 by Francois Bissonette

She tells him about 3 magic oranges that can remove the spell. The spell is removed, but this doesn't stop Melinda.  He casts another spell.  This time it is on the prince's new wife.  She turns her into a dove and takes her place.
The second story is called "The Wand". This story is about a knight who is approached by a witch.  She wants his help.  She gives him keys to magic doors where he can find money.  In return she wants a magic wand that is in the tree.  He finds the money and returns with the wand.  When she refuses to tell him what she wants the wand for he chases her away and keeps it.  He becomes quite wealthy and well known.  He learns of a princess kept in a tower by her father.  It has been foretold she will marry a knight.  The king wants more for her.  The knight uses the wand to get the princess, make the king and queen happy and to live happily ever after.   I really enjoyed these stories.  Simple fairy tales to please everyone.

I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Rivka's Way by Teri Kanefield

Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

If you love historical fiction as much as I do then this is the book for you. Rivka is a fifteen year old girl who lives in the Jewish ghetto of Prague. The time period is the late 1800's. Unlike many of the other Jews in the ghetto, her family has it much better.  You may be wondering why. Her father is a doctor and there for is considere upper class in the ghetto.

Rivka is best friends with her brother Jakob.  She has grown up listening to his stories about the outside world.  He has left Prague to go to school to become a Rabbi.  Her mother just wants her to put foolish notions and stories away and prepare for her arranged engagement. I loved the fact that Rivka wanted to plant trees and other plants so much that she created a garden on the rooftop of her building. Having a garden isn't enough for her.  She wants so much to see what is outside the ghetto that she dresses in boys clothing and travels around as a gentile boy.  I loved her spunk.  I am not sure, given the time period that I would have had as much courage as she had to do this.  I would want the freedom, but I'm not sure I could pull it off.

This is a must read for all historical fiction buffs out there.  You won't regret this one.  Since this is considered a middle grade book I'll let you in on a secret.  I'm not a middle grade kid and I loved it. This is a book to be loved by all ages.

About the Author From Amazon
Teri writes novels, short stories, essays, stories for children, and nonfiction for both children and adults.
Her stories and essays have appeared in publications as diverse as Education Week, Scope Magazine, The Iowa Review, The American Literary Review, and Cricket Magazine.
Her children's books include the critically acclaimed The Girl From the Tar Paper School and Guilty? Crime, Punishment, and the Changing Face Justice. Both books were Junior Library Guild Selections. The Girl From the Tar Paper School was a California Reading Association Silver Honor book. Her first novel, Rivka's Way, was a Sydney Taylor Awards Notable Book. 
Teri lives in California near the beach. 
To learn more about Teri and her books, please visit her website at www.terikanefield.com

The Woodsman by Craig Hansen

Genre: Adult, Suspense
Source: Purchased

From Goodreads:
Sometimes, you have to pay for your good deeds. 

Steve Peretti is a prolific serial killer known as The Woodsman. For years, he's terrorized dozens of victims throughout the Upper Midwest, without drawing attention or suspicion to himself, keeping a low profile. He's cautious, careful, and calculated ... most of the time. 

But anyone can make a mistake. 

One night, on the way home through Hope, Wisconsin, he stops for gas and ends up foiling a robbery. He gets injured in the process, and ends up in jail over a conceal-carry violation. While in lock-up, he taunts and is attacked by another prisoner, who blinds him. 

Then he's given a chance to have his vision restored through an experimental, advanced eye-surgery program at UW-Madison, called EyeCU. His surgery is successful, and he returns from EyeCU ready to rebuild his life with his new eyes. And that means returning to being The Woodsman. 

But he begins having strange visions; vivid dreams about acts of kindness and mercy that seem foreign and terrifying to him. Worse, he finds it difficult to carry out his normal acts of evil, leaving him increasingly helpless at a time when he's at his most vulnerable. 

Evil can corrupt good, but is the reverse true? Can good disrupt the persistence of evil? If you've ever enjoyed movies like Eyes of Laura Mars, The Eye, or Blink, then The Woodsman is a tale that will defy your expectations, yet leave you entertained and more than a little unsettled.

My Thoughts:
First let me say that the cover of this book is absolutely beautiful. When I first started this book I had visions of the series "Dexter".  The reason is simple, the serial killer seems to have a good side to him as well.  While trying to stop a robbery in progress he is shot. He wakes up in the hospital and then is sent to jail. While in jail he is blinded by a cell mate, and almost killed.  This is where things take a turn.  He becomes a volunteer test subject that could possibly give him is sight back.  It is what happens after this turn of events that twisted everything I thought would happen.  Craig Hansen does an excellent job of presenting a story and then when you get comfortable with it, he gives it such a twist you think about it for days and days.  That is what this book does.  It is one of the best suspenseful novels I have read in a long time.  I hightly recommend this book.  However, start it in the morning because you won't be able to put it down until you have fiished it.

Mama Cried by Talia Haven

Genre: Realistic Fantasy

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I have to say I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw how short the story was.  Talia Haven definitely has a gift for packing a lot into so little.  The story starts with Jenny and her friends swinging on the playground.   Her guardian, Azula come to get her.  She and her puppies go along with Azula to a building. I thought it strange that Jenny would ask her if she was going where all of the other children went.  At first I thought maybe she was being adopted. When asked what her last memory was, she replied, “Mama cried.”  It is at this point I realized she is dead. She is told she will enter and have to make a decision.  She is also told her puppies with be grown up.  What she sees, and what she remembers is so heart wrenching.  At first I thought it unfair for her to have to make the type of decision she had to make.  As the story progressed and came toward its end I knew it was right that she be the one. The ending was very satisfying.  I was amazed that the author was able to pack so much emotion into her writing.  I definitely will recommend her writing to others and will look forward to reading more from her.

Student Saturday: Plague by Michael Grant

Sudent Reviewer: Elizabeth B.

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

I enjoyed this book a lot because of the description. I really liked it. It was extremely detailed. I connected with this to other books because this just was a start of a war. A cold endless war. This book was both saddening and a thriller.  I would recommend this to anyone who has, what I call an evil mind. Like if they enjoy thrillers that are very suspenseful and that they don’t care what happens good or bad.

Maya and Filippo Learn About Careers in Dunedin by Alinka Rutkowska

Genre: Children's Picture Books
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

As always I loved this book.  Children who read these books are taken on an educational adventure where they learn so much.  This time Maya and Filippo are visiting Dunedin, New Zealand.  As they play with other children in the youth program on the Fun Princess, a cruise ship they live on, their director asks what they want to be when they grow up. I found it funny that Filippo wants to work at a chocolate factory because he likes to eat chocolate.  Maya is unsure of what she wants to be.
They leave the ship to visit the town and learn about the chocolate factory and other careers in Dunedin. Filippo realizes, after visiting the chocolate factory that most of the poeple who work there find their job very boring. They do the same thing over and over.  Maya leaves still undecided about a future career. She learns that she still has time to explore her options.

The other thing I love about these books is that you get to learn interesting information.  There is actually a chocolate factory in Dunedin.  It was the first one in the southern hemisphere. They make Cadbury Chocolates there.  You also learn all about how chocolate is made.  The country's oldest University is in Dunedin. It is called Otago University.  People from 100 different countries go to university there.

This is a fun way to learn new things.  As a teacher I have always believed that learning should be fun.  This is a great way for kids to begin to explore new places and new information.  I love this author's books.

Maya and Filippo Visit a Glacier by Alinka Rutkowska

Genre: Children's Picture Book
Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

On this trip aboard their parent’s cruise ship The Fun Princess, Maya and Filippo visit Juno, Alaska.  Their tour guide takes them to see a glacier and tells them that a glacier is a river of ice.   Filippo was concerned when he learned that the ice was melting due to climate change.  The guide told him it would create new places for fish and animals to live.

Next the guide talks to the about bears.  They get to see a mama bear and her cubs and learn that they hibernate in the winter and then in the spring they wake up.  There is plenty of salmon for them to eat.

The kids learn about a plant called fireweed.  In the spring flowers bloom at the bottom of the stem and work their way up.  When they turn white like cotton then winter is almost here. 

They get the opportunity to refresh their feet in the cold water at the base of a waterfall.  They eat lunch that Maya wins when she opens the door and is declared their 1000th winner.  They really enjoy their tour.

What I enjoy about this book is the amount of information in the story itself.  I also enjoy the extra material the author includes at the end of each book to give you additional information.  This is a simple and fun way to learn about new places

Time Square UFO by S.W. Lothian

Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.


From Goodreads:
The effects of the Shift have caused havoc at Time Square. Time itself is in danger of imploding and Operation Slingshot has been activated to save the day. Team ELMR embark on their first mission to locate and rescue the first of the missing travellers.

Mission: ELMR-01
Date: 8-July-1947
Location: Roswell, New Mexico, United States of America

Mission Brief: Readings indicate that the target traveller has possibly been captured by a brilliant, but eccentric, scientist who is investigating reports of extra-terrestrials that have crashed in the Roswell area.

Due to this, it is essential that the target is located and rescued before he unwittingly reveals our secret. If the secret of time-travel is revealed to such a random mind, then it could spell disaster and have a huge impact on the world.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. this is the second book in the Time Square series. I this adventure ELMR is brought into the Roswell event. They have been sent through time to find Wilber Force who has been kidnapped. Sultan Peppercorn who had stolen the obelisk has frozen it hoping to shatter it. Instead he creates an ice age in Time Square. I was happy to read this book because the author had a "name a character" contest.  I submitted the name Leonard Paxton. Based on the description he had given us I looked for names with certain meanings. Leonard means "Brave Lion" and Paxton means "Peaceful".  Leonard is Sultan Peppercorn's  assistant.  He doesn't necessarily like what the Sultan does or how the Sultan treats him, but as he put it, the job pays his bills.  He is very loyal. This book also included a new problem. Those traveling through time might end up being miniaturized.  This happened to Razer Sharp. The other kids don't know why she was and they were not.  This is just one of many problems they will face.  You really need to read this book to find out what else can go wrong in Time Square.