The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo February 15, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure, Magic Fiction , 2comments
In this book, ten year old Peter visits a fortuneteller to find out if his sister is still alive. The fortuneteller advises the boy that an elephant will lead him to her. Amazingly, a magician decides to perform his most marvelous trick, resulting in an elephant crashing through the ceiling of the opera house. An interesting series of events involving some odd characters occur after the elephant appears. Will the elephant really lead Peter to his sister?
I liked this book, but I found it to be unusual. Even though it is a sweet story at times, it is also a dark story at times. Some of the characters I did not like, and some I thought were very strange. I wasn’t sure how all the events and characters fit together, but it all made sense by the end.
If you’d like to know more about this book and hear a webcast by Kate DiCamillo, visit The Magician’s Elephant web site at http://www.themagicianselephant.com.
~Mrs. Carlson~
Vidia and the Fairy Crown by Laura Driscoll February 11, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure, Fantasy , 3comments
Do you like fiction adventure stories? Then this is the book for you. There is an arrival day party for Queen Clarion. Pixie Hollow’s most prized possession has gone missing! The queen’s crown! Vidia, the mean fast-flying fairy, is accused of stealing it. She gets two days to clear her name or she is banned from Pixie Hollow forever. A very nice fairy Frill helps Vidia. They go on a search to find the crown. See if they find it or if Vidia will be banned from Pixie Hollow. This book has 10 chapters and 112 pages. Read this book now!
~Julie, Fourth Grader~
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen January 15, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure , 6comments
Hatchet is a survival book. Brian was only a boy on an airplane. That ride changed his life. His pilot taught him how to fly the plane. Then, all of a sudden, the pilot had a heart attack. Brian had to fly the plane. This is a book about Brian’s adventures with only a hatchet his mom gave him.
~Allie, Fifth Grader~
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman January 12, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure, Fantasy , 1 comment so far
If you like Norse mythology, this is the perfect book for you. The main character in this book is Odd, and it’s a very odd book. But I liked it! It takes place in ancient Norway. Odd’s life is not going well. His father, a Viking warrior, has been killed. His leg is injured by a falling tree. And his mother marries a dreadful man. To top it all off, winter is not ending. Odd goes to live in the forest and meets up with a bear, a fox, and an eagle. He discovers they can talk. That’s because they are gods from Asgard who have been changed into animals by a Frost Giant. Odd goes on a fantastic journey to Asgard. Can a young boy save Asgard from the Frost Giants and end winter? Read this book by the author of Coraline and The Graveyard Book to find out.
~Mrs. Carlson~
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell January 6, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure, Podcasts , 7commentsIf you like adventure stories, please listen to this podcast by fifth graders Alex and Miki.
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech November 16, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure, Family Fiction , add a comment
Do you like to read about travel? Well, if you do, then this book is for you. It’s called The Wanderer. This book has a mixture of everything; it has comedy, action, and mystery. The two main characters are Sophie and Cody. Using journals, they tell their story of sailing to England. So if you are thinking about checking out this book, it is in the Millridge Library in the Great Readers section under the C’s. And this book is also a 3 pointer!!! I liked this book because I enjoy traveling and sailing.
~Alan, Fourth Grader~
Poppy by Avi September 21, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure, Animal Fiction , 1 comment so far
I have been meaning to read this book for a while. I really like 
the author, Avi, who often writes realistic fiction about kids. This adventure-filled book is an animal story. A deer mouse family needs to move because there is not enough food at their present home. Mr. Ocax, a nasty owl, rules the area and won’t allow them to move. Poppy, a young female deer mouse, decides to help her family and challenges Mr. Ocax. She receives help from another animal, Ereth. I won’t tell you what kind of animal he is, but I will tell you that he’s funny. If you like animals and survival stories, give this book a try!
~Mrs. Carlson~
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry September 14, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure , 1 comment so farThis story is about a boy. He is afraid of the water. All of other tribe
members make fun of him. When the fish all disappear, he goes on a journey with his dog. This is a story of adventure and courage. I liked the book because of the adventure.
~ Sierra, Fifth Grader~
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
Swindle by Gordon Korman January 14, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure , 14comments
In the book Swindle a boy named Griffin has family money problems. One day he and his friend, Ben, camp out in an old abandoned house. In a drawer in the old house, Griffin finds a 1920 Babe Ruth baseball card. He takes it to a collector who bought the card for $120. The card was actually worth around $1,000,000. Throughout the story, Griffin does some crazy things, like breaking into houses, to get his card back.
I couldn’t put this book down because once the adventure starts, it never ends. That is only one of the many reasons I really liked this book. I’m sure you will too.
~Sarkis, Fifth Grader~