May 26, 2009

This week we're presenting a special editon of the Weekly Top 2, namely The Third Annual Mrs. Perry's Class Arc Review Project. This is a project in which I bring ARCS (Advance Review Copies also called Galleys) of middle grade books to Mrs. Perry's 5th-6th Grade loop class at Cape Cod Hill School in New Sharon Maine. These are books which are due out in late May and early June. The kids read and reviews the ARCS. The reviews are based on the model of NECBA's Galley Review Project. The kids did an absolutely fabulous job this year. Their reviews are informative, clear and to the point, and a total pleasure to read. Check them out below! If you have any comments for the reviewers email us and we'll share them with the class.

 

Book Cover Quantum Prophecy: The Reckoning: Book Three
By Carroll, Michael
2009/05 - Philomel Books
9780399247279 - Hardcover
List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59
Availability:
Available

Reviewer: Brandon Moody
Core Audience: Any one that likes a fighting book with humor
Notable Aspects: This book is about super humans

REVIEW: I thought the book was all right. It didn't make much sense until the middle of the book,because the beginning started out slow and they didn't tell me much. That is why the book isn't a 10 on the rating .In the middle they explained about the super humans, and how the war started between the counties. There were only a few super humans left in the world and that the humans are trying control the super humans by making them do things they didn't want to do. they wanted them to hurt others and lie to others to get info on how to win the war. if you want to find out if they do read the book.
Rating: 7 1/2...More

 

Book Cover The Cats of Roxville Station
By George, Jean Craighead
Pohrt, Tom
2009/05 - Dutton Books
9780525421405 - Hardcover
List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59
Availability:
Available

Reviewer: Thomas Wing
Core Audience: 8-12
Notable Aspects: Realistic Fiction,a sad but also thrilling read that will implode you with all the feelings.

REVIEW: A cat named Rachet was being brutally abused with her old owner. The owner kicked and never fed her and finally threw her off a bridge to drown.Then you think why would the author get rid of the main character so easy.She didn't later on she meets other cats and from the time she got there she moved up 5 places in rank.Rank in this book means like fitting in. Rachet finds a boy named Mike and is still scared from her experienced with humans but read what she does to overcome her fears.That is why this book is totally AWESOME.
Rating: 9.9...More

 

Book Cover Return of the Homework Machine
By Gutman, Dan
2009/06 - Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
9781416954163 - Hardcover
List Price $15.99 - Your Price: $12.79
Availability:
Available

Reviewer: Lauren Guppy
Core Audience: kids 9 and up
Notable Aspects: Four really close friends that work together to build a homework machine.

REVIEW: I liked this book because it is cool and how kids that don't want to do their homework but they do it anyways. The coolest part is that the homework machine does all the work for you and it does it in your own handwriting. I wish I knew how to build the homework machine because then I could use on my homework too.
Rating: 10

Reviewer: Lilly Kendall
Core Audience: 8-12
Notable Aspects: realistic Fiction

REVIEW: The Return Of The Homework Machine is about four kids Brenton, Judy, Kelsey and Sam. They catapulted the homework machine into the Grand Canyon but Brenton was worried about the red blinking light that still blinked even when it wasn't plugged in. The police found every piece but the red blinking light and the kids went looking for it. Read this book to find out where it is who has it and how they will get it back.
Rating: I give this book a 9 the reason is because it was interesting through the whole time I was reading it. They always had a problem with getting the chip which makes you not want to stop reading the book because you want to see what happens. ...More

 

Book Cover Alibi Junior High
By Logsted, Greg
2009/06 - Aladdin Paperbacks
9781416979593 - Hardcover  See Other Formats
List Price $15.99 - Your Price: $12.79
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Reviewer: Tyler Messer
Core Audience: he book says 10-14 but I say it should be 9-15
Notable Aspects: Cody Saron is a middle school kid and an undercover CIA agent with his dad.

REVIEW: Its action packed and you never know what is going to happen. In this book Cody Saron can speak five languages and is a undercover CIA agent. Cody and his father have a little problem, so his father sent him to live with his Aunt Jenny. Cody can't sleep so he goes out side and sees someone walking outside so he hides up in a tree. Cody also sees Andy a war veteran who lost an arm and he had a pistol ready to shoot. If you want to know who the masked person is than you will have to read the book. I like this book because the author will make unexpected turns in the story.
Rating: 30/10...More

 

Book Cover The Stolen One
By Crowley, Suzanne Carlisle
2009/07 - HarperCollins
9780061232008 - Hardcover  See Other Formats
List Price $17.99 - Your Price: $14.39
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Reviewer: Kristen Davis
Core Audience: a romance with a mystery
Notable Aspects: a romance with a mystery

REVIEW: This book is about Kat, a girl who wants to know more about her birth parents. When her foster mother dies Kat and her sister Anna run from the country to London. Soon Kat is invited to the queen's ball and becomes a favorite of the queen herself. Now Kat has to choose between two handsome men in London or her country lover. I give this book a 9 because I like how the author uses old language and makes the situation realistic.
Rating: 9...More

 

Book Cover Emma Jean Lazarus Fell in Love
By Tarshis, Lauren
2009/05 - Dial Books
9780803733213 - Hardcover
List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59
Availability:
Available

Reviewer: Natalie L. Fahn
Core Audience: Young readers Ages 10 - 14 , grades 5-9
Notable Aspects: Very disruptive and interesting , It never gets boring ! And for someone who hasn't read the first book[Emma Jean Lazarus fell out of a tree]You can pick up right where she left off.

REVIEW: Emma Jean is probably one of the most intelligent girls you will ever meet, but not the best problem solver in William Gladstone Middle School. So , while trying to help cope with her friends dilemmas she is trying to deal with her own . In this book you'll find out how 'illogical' she really is. Like the birds and the bees they might all have caught spring fever ,just like Emma Jean!
Rating: 9/10...More

 

Book Cover Tumtum & Nutmeg: Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall
By Bearn, Emily
2009/04 - Little, Brown Young Readers
9780316027038 - Hardcover
List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59
Availability:
Available

Reviewer: JARED POIRIER
Core Audience: This book is for 6 to 12 years of age.
Notable Aspects: The mice talk and wear cloths that drive Aunt Ivy bananas.

REVIEW: This book is a 454 page book. This is the biggest book I have ever read. This book is a pretty good book. you would think that it is a pretty dumb book but its not. The mice are all ways on an adventure . The male march mouse is my favorite character because he is hyper. He caused every adventure.
Rating: 8...More

 

Book Cover Slob
By Potter, Ellen
2009/05 - Philomel Books
9780399247057 - Hardcover
List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59
Availability:
Available

Reviewer: Connor. J. Savage
Core Audience: 10-14
Notable Aspects: realistic fiction with a scientist fiction elementrobots, likable, brilliant main character

REVIEW: I'm going to give you the first few lines. 'My name is Owen Birnbaum, and I'm probably fatter then you are. This isn't my low selfesteem talking.' These are great opening lines because they grabbed me. The main character is a boy whose parents died in a murder. I love this book because its funny and dramatic. It is funny because he blames the wrong person for stealing his Oreos everyday. He is also trying to find out who murdered his parents.
Rating: 9.7...More

 

Book Cover The Duel: The Parallel Lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr
By St George, Judith
2009/07 - Viking Children's Books
9780670011247 - Hardcover
List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59
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Reviewer: Michael Webber
Core Audience: I would recommend this book to anyone older than 8 because it has some hard words and is confusing at some points.
Notable Aspects: This book has a lot of facts about Alexander and Aaron Burr Hamilton and Burr. It explains everything they did as a kid to when they died.

REVIEW: This book was great because it kept me going in the story it was thrilling all the time. It was about Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. They both did the same thing with their lives and they eventually dueled and someone died. It explains about how they ran for president and fought in war against the British. They were famous and popular but they never liked each other because they always voted against each other whenever they ran for something like senate the other voted against each other and they didn't like that at all.
Rating: 9.9...More

 

Book Cover The Potato Chip Puzzles: The Puzzling World of Winston Breen
By Berlin, Eric
2009/04 - Putnam Publishing Group
9780399251986 - Hardcover
List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59
Availability:
Available

Reviewer: Ryan Pratt
Core Audience: Children from 7-12
Notable Aspects: This book has puzzles that you can answer

REVIEW: This is a book where a puzzle loving kid gets in a contest. Winsten Breen enters a contest with his two friends and they are trying figure out puzzles while they figure out who is the cheater. I recommend this book to puzzle freaks. It also has a lot of action. Winsten had to try to stop the cheater. The cheater is doing everything to win the prize money. I think it was a pretty good book. I never could solve the puzzles. It was only pretty good because there were too many puzzles.
Rating: 7 ...More

 

Book Cover Dodger for President
By Sonnenblick, Jordan
2009/06 - Feiwel & Friends
9780312377946 - Hardcover
List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59
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Reviewer: Amelia Yates
Core Audience: 8-12
Notable Aspects: It is fantasy. It is about a class election. It is about a boy named Willie.

REVIEW: This book is about a boy named Willie. Willie Is isn't very popular. But he has friends. Lizzie, his best friend who is a girl but not his girlfriend like everyone else thinks. Dodger who is a magical, blue, genie chimpanzee (which only lizzie and Willie can see). When the book starts out Willie is just getting back from a trip he went on with his dad. When Willie get back there is a secret Lizzie and Dodger aren't telling Willie. When Willie finally gets hem to tell him what Is wrong he is really upset. Here is what happened Willie and his dad were on a trip and Willie missed a day of school. So Dodger drank this potion which made him look like Willie. Craig is a class bully who always runs for class president. So during class Craig slipped and fell Dodger laughed at him. Then Craig challenged him to run for class president. I didn't really like this book because I don't really like fantasy. So I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fiction.
Rating: 2

Reviewer: Trevor Collins
Core Audience: 3rd graders
Notable Aspects: this was a fantasy it was not believable

REVIEW: I did not like this book because it didn't pull me in to the story. The story line was confusing. I didn't understand why only two kids could see the imaginary blue chimp. I though it was too kiddish for fifth graders.
Rating: 3...More

 

Book Cover The Word Snoop
By Dubosarsky, Ursula
Riddle, Tohby
2009/07 - Dial Books
9780803734067 - Hardcover
List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59
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Reviewer: Benjamin Luchini
Core Audience: People into History and words anyone 8 and up
Notable Aspects: Nonfiction a secret code to crack

REVIEW: This book was a book about the history of the English language and special styles of writing . It even teaches you pig latin . When you start you canít stop reading it and it has more than about 50 cool facts. Did you know that Benjamin Franklin wanted to get rid of the letters Y , J,W ,C ,X ,and Q.
Rating: 10...More

 

Book Cover Revenge of the Itty-Bitty Brothers
By Oliver, Lin
Gilpin, Stephen
2009/06 - Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
9781416909613 - Hardcover
List Price $14.99 - Your Price: $11.99
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Reviewer: Isaiah Tolman
Core Audience: 8-12
Notable Aspects: comedy

REVIEW: Daniel is the main character and he didn't know he had a mini twin brother until a couple of weeks ago. Daniel and Pablo (his twin brother) go through their top five favorite things to do. 1 is going up in a rocket. Revenge of the Itty-Bitty Brothers was a funny book because it had a lot of funny parts like when they were snowboarding down an ice cream sunday, and having the mini man Olympics.
Rating: 10...More

 

 
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