Welcome to our REVIEWS
 

Zel  by Donna Jo Napoli
Reviewed by Arielle

Zel is a great book by Donna Jo Napoli.  Zel is the main character in the book.  She is a girl who lives high in the mountains with her mother.  Zel who always wants to go to the market is almost the opposite of her mother.  The market is full of people and always crowded, so Zel loves to go.  Mother only wants to stay in the mountains for she does not like people.  The two of them go down to the market place only twice a year.  One day when Zel goes to the market she meets a young man with whom she thinks she has fallen in love with.  The man is not just any man but a young prince named Konrad.  He has also fallen in love with Zel.  Mother gets worried because she does not want Zel to leave her, so she takes Zel to a tower and leaves her in the tower for two years.  Mother is a witch.  She brings Zel food and water, but Zel stays all alone in the tower day after day.  Konrad searches and searches for this woman who he loves, but doesn’t find her.  When Konrad finally comes to the tower, Mother makes Zel go far, far away.  Will Zel and Konrad ever meet again?

The book Zel has very mixed spirits.  The book is happy when Zel gets to go to the market and she meets a young man whom she falls in love with.  The story is also sad when her mother puts her in the tower and Zel is all alone.  It is freaky, as well, because Zel’s mother is a witch.  The message of the book is that you should never take something for granted.  I think that the book is good for children of any age.  Zel was a great book and I hope you will read it.


The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Reviewed by Renee

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle written by Avi was an exclusive reading experience.  During the summer of 1832 Charlotte Doyle, a typical teenage girl, found herself in a most unlikely position aboard a ship called the Seahawk.  Voyaging from England to her family in Rhode Island, Charlotte Doyle’s life turned upside-down when she was accused of murdering the captain’s second mate, a crime she didn’t commit.  Avi wrote this novel in the format of a journal, composed by Charlotte.  This aspect of the book made it appealing, as well as unique.  Avi described the setting of the novel in full detail, making it easy to understand what Charlotte saw.  For example, Charlotte writes, “Her sails, tied up, that is reefed, looked like sleeves of new-fallen snow on lofty trees.”  Furthermore, the characters, came to life because their emotions were profoundly expressed.  Charlotte writes, “Now the full folly of what I was attempting burst upon me with grotesque reality.  It had been not only stupid, but suicidal.”  These aspects of the story made it especially interesting for the reader.  

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is an intriguing novel that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.  The spirit of the book was mysterious.  Because it was a murder mystery, it urged the reader to continue reading to find out what happened next.  It was also exciting, such as when the true murderer was revealed.  Also, the novel had an inspiring theme.  It expressed that one should never give up, even when matters get out of hand.  Even though Charlotte was accused of a murder, her bold spirit helped her through the hardest times.  The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle was an outstanding novel, and truly, one of a kind.

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Reviewed by Brian

Holden Caulfield who is the narrator in the book just flunks out of a very preppy school called Pencey.  He goes out into New York City to live on his own until his parents come to pick him up at Pencey in a few days.  He has a terrible time while getting more and more depressed.  His brother Allie died of Leukemia three years before the book begins, and Holden has yet to get over his brother’s loss.  He soon meets up with his sister Phoebe whom he is very glad to see and she makes him feel better.  Although, shortly after, he becomes more depressed randomly.  He then plans to hitchhike to the west where he dreams of having a log cabin and making his own food away from the big city.  Will he end up moving to the west or will he stay in the big city?  I guess you will just have to find out.  The story takes place in the 50’s in New York City and also takes place in the beginning at Holden’s school, Pencey Prep.  I think that J. D. Salinger, the author of the book, has a teenage style.  He writes just like a sixteen-year-old would.  Holden Caulfield seems to be a very sensitive person, but his troubled past has a lot to do with his life and really comes out in the book. I think of him as a real person because he talks just like a normal person would talk.  I also think of him as just too depressed because he is constantly saying he is and often breaks out in tears at random.  This book really made me think.  It wasn’t really funny, nor was it really sad.  It makes me want to have a good life because Holden is having such a bad one.  I would say this is a book for eighth graders and up because there is a lot of swear words in it.  It also has some adult content that talks about sex.  Also, I think an older person would get it better because there were a lot of words that were from the 50’s that I didn’t understand until I saw them in context clues.

Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen
Reviewed by Patrick
 

Brian’s Winter is a book full of adventure and description.  It is written by Gary Paulsen.  Brian’s Winter is a sequel to the story Hatchet.  In Hatchet, a thirteen-year-old boy named Brian gets in a plane crash and is stranded in the northern Canadian woods.  He survives the long summer and is rescued just as the summer comes to an end.  Brian’s Winter, however, is about what would have happened if Brian didn’t get rescued and was forced to face his worst enemy – winter?  In the book Brian builds a shelter to keep out the cold.  He uses the rifle which was with him on the plane to hunt for rabbits and birds.  Brian goes fishing and cooks all of his food over the fire.  One day his rifle brakes and he is forced to come up with a new hunting method.  He develops a bow and arrow which he made out of sharp stones and sticks.  The advantage of the arrow is hunting bigger food.  With the arrow Brian hunts moose and deer.  He makes coats, boots, and gloves from the fur of the animals.  Brian always is working to survive the cold.  On some nights Brian reminisces about his family and life in the “real world.”  He survives bear and moose attacks.  Brian works very hard to survive.               

Gary Paulsen’s work is very personal and descriptive.  He describes the Canadian woods in the winter with great description.  When I read Brian’s Winter I always had a painting in my mind of the setting.  Brian’s Winter makes you very thankful for things you and I take for granted.  It also makes you wonder if you could do the extraordinary things which Brian does to survive.  This book is good for all ages.  It makes you think about the important things in life and it makes you very thankful.

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
Reviewed by Holly

In the book, Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson, Louise lives on Chesapeake Bay Island with her mom, dad, grandma, and twin sister.  Louise tells how her twin sister Caroline has robbed her of everything since they were little.  When everyone was paying attention to Caroline, Louise learned how to be a waterman, just like her father, and dreamed to work with him one day.  But Louise came to realize that being a waterman didn’t satisfy the woman she was becoming.  One day Caroline went off to singing school, leaving Louise behind.  Louise was alone and didn’t know what to do with her life.  But she fought her way through to do things that her sister couldn’t.

Katherine Paterson is a very good writer.  Her style is not much different from other authors I have read.  One thing she does is write in first person.  The whole book is written as if that person was talking.  Her book is published in a large font, which is probably why it is so long.  The setting is on a little island called Chesapeake Bay Island.  The characters -- Louise, Louise’s mom, dad, grandma, sister and friend -- all come to life.  I feel like they are genuine people with real feelings.  I think this book is both funny and sad. It is funny because of what the characters say and some of their actions make me laugh.  It is very sad because of the hard times a family and daughter suffer because the child just wants some attention.  The message in this book is that there are going to be hard times and good times, but it will all turn out good in the end.  This book would be a good one for a teenage girl to read.  Some girls might be able to relate to it because the girl in the book is a regular teen with problems just like us.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Reviewed by Alex
 

The plot of this book involves an old Cuban fisherman.  One day the old man meets a boy who is very curious about fishing.  The boy goes on the old man’s boat every day and helps and watches the old man fish.  Then the old man goes into a slump and does not catch anything for forty days.  The boy’s parents make the boy go on a different boat that catches fish every day.  The old man still does not catch anything for the next forty-five days.  On the 85th day, the old man does not catch anything and thinks that maybe he should retire.  The boy likes the boat he is working on, but believes in the old man and tells him that.  On the 86th day, the old man goes out without the boy early in the morning and hooks a great big marlin.  The marlin is very old and wise, but so is the old man.  There is a three-day battle between the fish and the old man.  Finally, the old man brings the marlin in and kills it with a harpoon.  Now, the old man must manage to bring the fish back home safely. 

Ernest Hemingway has a unique style, in that he wrote a sophisticated book without using any big words.  He is also a descriptive writer.  The book is set in the Gulf Stream in September.  The characters in the book, including the fish, are very genuine, and could very well be real people (and a fish).  The spirit of the book is realistic.  The book has a tense feeling, although some parts are very sad.  The theme of the book is to never give up!  This book is great for all audiences.  It is very well written and easy to follow.


 

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Last updated November 9, 2003