The Panda Puzzle by Ron Roy April 28, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Mystery , 6comments
I think The Panda Puzzle is a great book. If you like mysteries, this is a good book for you. In this book a baby panda, named Winnie, gets lost. The ransom is a million dollars by midnight, or they’ll never see Winnie again. It’s up to Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose to find him. So take out the book now or take out one of the books from the A to Z Mysteries series.
~Emma, Fourth Grader~
Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony by Shel Silverstein April 28, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Poetry , 14comments
This poem is found in the book A Light in the Attic. It is about a girl named Abigail who wants a pony. But her parents won’t get it for her. She says if she doesn’t get the gray and white pony, she’ll die. Well, if you want to know if Abigail dies, you’ll just need to read the poem. 
This poem is good to read to your parents if they won’t get you something you want. I like this poem because it’s funny.
Click on this link to read the poem little-abigail-and-the-beautiful-pony
The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill April 25, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Friendship Fiction , 7commentsThis story takes place in Cleveland and has some math in it. It’s about a boy named Rufus who 
thinks 73 cents for toothpaste is ridiculous. So he and his friend Kate make millions selling 15 cent toothpaste. If you’re a math and adventure person, you’ll love this book. I liked the book because it had math in it.
~Kristen, Fourth Grader~
Strider by Beverly Cleary April 25, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Animal Fiction, Realistic Fiction , 1 comment so far
If you liked the book Dear Mr. Henshaw, you should read its sequel, Strider. Once again Leigh Botts is recording his thoughts in a diary. Leigh writes about his old troubles - his parents’ divorce, his father’s lack of interest in his life, and his desire to have friends and be popular at school. Leigh also writes about his new concerns which include going out for the track team, a girl named Geneva, and a dog.
Life seems to get better when Leigh and his friend Barry find an abandoned dog. They name him Strider and decide to try “joint custody.” Joint custody means the boys will share the dog. Strider lives part-time at each house. At first it seems to work out, but then Leigh becomes very attached to Strider while Barry is away and no longer wishes to share the dog. How will the boys resolve this problem? Read this book and find out!
~Mrs. Carlson~
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman April 10, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure , 4comments
A group of fourth graders wrote reviews for The Whipping Boy. Here are a few of them for you to enjoy.
Jemmy is a whipping boy and very kind-hearted, but Prince Brat is very mean and a trouble-maker. He plays lots of dirty tricks on people but never gets punished because it’s forbidden to lay a finger on the prince. So that’s when the whipping boy comes in. One night, Prince Brat runs away, along with the whipping boy. It was so foggy you couldn’t see anything. That’s when two rude outlaws popped out of nowhere and grabbed the boys. One man was named Cutwater and the other was named Billy. I’m not going tell you what happened next. If you want to find out more, read The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman.
~Jimmy~
There was a prince named Prince Brat. He was mean and usually played tricks. He was happy because he was not allowed to be whipped. So they found a boy named Jemmy. He was the new whipping boy. His job was to get whipped when the prince did something wrong. One day the prince said, “Jemmy, I am running away, and you are coming too.” So they sneaked out, but they got kidnapped by two outlaws named Hold-Your-Nose-Billy and Cutwater. If you want to know why Hold-Your-Nose-Billy is called that and what happens next, you will have to read to find out.
~Matthew T~
A prince named Prince Brat gets in trouble. When the prince gets in trouble, an orphan named Jemmy gets whipped because the prince can’t get whipped. One day, the prince decided to run away. Jemmy decides to go with him. One foggy night, two men snatched Jemmy and Prince Brat. Jemmy has to write a letter asking the king to get a wagon of gold in exchange for the prince and the whipping boy. Will the king have to give a wagon load of gold? Read The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman to find out.
~Mario~
To read more reviews, go to whipping-boy-reviews1
Stuart Little by E.B. White April 9, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Animal Fiction, Friendship Fiction , 12comments
This book is about a mouse named Stuart Little. Stuart is in a family of 4 with a cat named Snowbell. This family contains a mom, dad, and a brother named George. Stuart likes to go on outrageous adventures. One day, a bird named Margalo shows up at Stuart’s house. Once when Stuart gets trapped in a garbage truck, Margalo came and saved Stuart. Margalo gets lost one day, so Stuart goes out to find her. A lot of things happen to Stuart while he is out to find Margalo. Will Stuart find Margalo? Just read this great book to find out!
Also this book is a great reader (1 pt.)
~Jack #1, Jack #2, and Jillian, Fourth Graders~
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor April 9, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Animal Fiction, Realistic Fiction , 25comments
This book is about a boy named Marty that likes a dog he named Shiloh. But the dog is actually Judd Traver’s dog. Marty keeps Shiloh in a pen behind a hill. Marty is trying to hide Shiloh from Judd, his mom and his dad. Judd starts looking for Shiloh. Marty wants to keep Shiloh away from Judd because Judd kicks Shiloh. Will Judd find Shiloh? Read this great book to find out!
~Carmen, Fourth Grader~
Shiloh is a great book. It is about a boy named Marty, who finds a dog which belongs to a guy named Judd Travers, who treats him really bad. But when Shiloh gets hurt, everything goes wrong. And for people who like dogs, this is not the book for you. But at the end of the book, something really good happens. Read the book to see if Marty gets the dog or will he stay with Judd Travers.
~Gus, Fourth Grader~
Shiloh is a very popular book. If you want to read other reviews about it, type the title in the search box and click on “go!”
Look-Alikes Around the World by Joan Steiner April 4, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Picture Puzzles , 3comments
If you like Look and Find books, you will enjoy this book. It’s filled with postcards from around the world, but these are not ordinary postcards. At first glance, you may not notice anything usual. When you take a closer look, though, you realize that familiar objects like an ice cream cone, a flip flop, a magnet and many others are used to create pictures of famous tourist attractions. If you want to challenge your eyes and your brain, try this book.
~Mrs. Carlson~