erklizzy's blog

Tacky Goes to Camp by Helen Lester; reviewed by Declan F.

Tacky Goes to Camp by Helen Lester; reviewed by Declan F.

"Tacky Goes to Camp is one of the many Tacky books about a penguin who always does stuff wrong, but then it all works out in the end. In Tacky Goes to Camp, Tacky and five friends named, Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly and Perfect go to camp. They pack all of the stuff you would need like a sleeping bag and a first aid kit. Tacky packs a tv and pizza. The other penguins wear neat uniforms and he wears a crazy uniform. He doesn't do the activities the right way and he even tips over the canoe with everyone in it. When they eat smores, he makes his with way too many marshmallows and graham crackers. He puts his sleeping bag on top of the leftover smores. Tacky tells a very scary story at the campfire about a bear and then the story becomes real! A bear comes and eats the picnic basket, the guitar and some logs. Then Tacky scares him away because all of the leftover smores made a scary face on his sleeping bag. The other penguins wake him up to tell him the bear is coming and he is stuck in his sleeping bag. He starts walking toward the bear and the scary face scares the bear away. I like this book because it is really funny. All of the Tacky books are really funny." - Declan F.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

Nancy Drew: The Clue in the Crumbling Wall by Carolyn Keene; reviewed by Catie F.

Nancy Drew: The Clue in the Crumbling Wall by Carolyn Keene; reviewed by Catie F.

"Famous dancer, Florianna Johnson, has inherited a castle patterned after one in England, but is no where to be seen.  Nancy Drew has been asked to help find her, but can she do it before time runs out? 

I started reading Nancy Drew books this summer and haven't been able to put any of them down until Nancy Drew solved the mystery! Carolyn Keene used many cliff hanger-style chapters and even though this particular one was published in 1945, the subject matter is still interesting.  And best of all, my  mom likes them because she knows that they will not be inappropriate." - Catie F.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech; reviewed by Hannah M.

The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech; reviewed by Hannah M.

"The Great Unexpected is an amazing book that crosses between two stories. The first one is about an elderly woman living in Ireland, and the second is about two girls named Naomi and Lizzie. The girls live in a small town across the ocean from Ireland called Blackbird Tree. But everything changes at Blackbird Tree when a boy named Finn comes along and the two stories start to blend. Anyone who likes adventure and laughter (and being a bit scared) should read this book." - Hannah M.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here while you wait for it to be published next month. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

The Key and The Flame by Claire M. Caterer; reviewed by Frances D.

The Key and The Flame by Claire M. Caterer; reviewed by Frances D.

"In this book, an American girl, Holly, and her family move to England for a Summer. Right as she arrives at her new house, and old man appears and gives her a key. She accepts it, just to be polite, but later finds herself curious. Holly walks around in the woods and eventually finds a tree that calls to her, so she inserts the key into the bark and a whole new world appears. But, she is quickly interrupted by her new neighbor, Elliot, who demands to know what's going on. Soon, her little brother Ben also wants to be a part of the adventure, so they find themselves embarking on a journey. After going through a few trees, they end up in a world that's in trouble and needs their help. Along the way, they discover many new things about the worlds beyond their own. This was a very exciting story that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys adventure novels." - Frances D.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here...but you have to wait until April of next year to read the whole book! This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

Breathe by Sarah Crossan; reviewed by Frances D.

Breathe by Sarah Crossan; reviewed by Frances D.

"This novel is about a post apocalyptic society wherein breathing is no longer a given. Each person is given a certain amount of oxygen per month, and if they go over that amount they must pay extra. Everyone lives in a dome where exercising is illegal, unless you're rich (Premium) and can afford the gym. A poor girl, Bea, is friends with a Premium, Quinn. He decides to take her out of the dome on a camping trip, and they run into a beautiful girl who's escaping the government, then Quinn decides to aid her. While with the girl, Alina, they discover that the government has been hiding the truth from everyone, in order to stay powerful and rich. The three of them, together with a movement called the Resistance, attempt to overthrow the government and restore the world to its former glory. I thought this book showed an interesting and new view on dystopias in general. I enjoyed this book a lot, it was impossible to put down." - Frances D.

If this book sounds good to you, you have to wait until October, but in the meantime you can read more about it here! This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

Survive by Alex Morel; reviewed by Gabby R.

Survive by Alex Morel; reviewed by Gabby R.


"Survive by Alex Morel is about Jane, a teenage girl who has lived in a mental institution for a couple of years because of her attempted suicide that followed shortly after her fathers suicide on Christmas eve. She has earned enough "points" from her doctor to go home and visit her mother for christmas, but Jane doesn't plan to get off the plane alive. She creates a plan to die while on the plane, but her plan is stopped when the pilot loses control in a storm. The plane violently crashes in the middle of snowy, mountainous, and stormy wilderness. Her and the one other surviver, a 20 year old named Paul have to try to fight their way to survive.
Alex Morel describes an unrelatable situation in such a way that I found i could completely understand how Jane and Paul felt at each moment. It was a great story of emotional and physical development of both characters. I would recommend this amazing story to all teenagers who like adventure, and survival stories like Hatchet. I would give Survive a definite thumbs up." - Gabby R.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here! This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

Flash Point by Nancy Cress; reviewed by Frances D.

Flash Point by Nancy Cress; reviewed by Frances D.

"Flash Point is about the United States after a severe failure of our economy. Almost everyone one is broke, and people will do anything for money, even take a job from a sketchy television channel. Amy, a teenage girl, has no choice but to provide for her grandma and younger sister. Her grandma is too sick to do any kind of work and her sister can't be tied down long enough to keep a job. Desperate for money, Amy applies for a job at TLN, a big television network. By the end of her interview, she has no idea of what kind of job they're offering, only that it pays a lot of money. So, of course, when they offer her the job, she accepts. It only gets worse from there. Flash Point is a very interesting book that was nearly impossible to put down. It's full of surprising plot twists that really keep you turning the pages." - Frances D.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here! This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini; reviewed by Frances D.

The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini; reviewed by Frances D.

"This book is about a geeky boy, Perry Eckert, who has nothing in life but the role playing game Creatures and Caverns, until he meets a fellow Creatures and Caverns player, Sam. They become friends, playing all day, skipping classes. Once Perry's parents figure out, they send him to a summer camp to get a "real" life experience. Shortly after he arrives at camp, weird things start happening and he gets puled into a strange new world, slowly realizing the real value of life as he goes on other-worldly adventures. I really enjoyed reading this book, it was funny and romantic, as well as adventurous and exciting." - Frances D.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier; reviewed by Hannie R.

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier; reviewed by Hannie R.

"Gwen never wanted to be the Ruby, she never wanted to be able to time-travel, and she never wanted to be part of the circle of 12. The worst part is that no one will tell her anything, she has to figure out the mystery of her powers and the circle with only the help of an annoying ghost, her grandpa from the past (long story), and of course her mystery loving best friend. All while dealing with a sexist count who may be able to control minds, a very confusing relationship, a snotty cousin, trips to the past to collect blood from other time travelers, and of course homework. At least the dresses she gets to wear during trips to the past are beautiful. Suspense, pretty dresses, humor, romance, and adventure. This book has everything you could want, it may even be better than Ruby Red (the first book in the trilogy). Kerstin's book is impossible to put down you'll find yourself reading until 3 in the morning cause you just need to see what happens next. I highly recommend it." - Hannie R.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here! This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad; reviewed by Gaby R.

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad; reviewed by Gaby R.

"172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad is about three teenagers who are chosen via a worldwide lottery to go to the moon. They will be the youngest people to ever go to the moon, but the trip quickly becomes  a lot less pleasant than expected. They soon find the reason why nobody had visited the moon since the first moon landing. I found the characters to be relatable, and Johan Harstad vividly describes places and feelings throughout the book. It was very fun to read because it had such a good plot line. I would recommend this thriller to both girls and boys, from 13 to 17 who love mysteries or action stories." - Gaby R.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here! This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

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