Travel Team

The "Hook"
 

   "The ball had hit the back of the rim and bounced straight up in the air, as high as the top of the backboard. As it did, Danny got a leg in front of Teddy Moran, planted it good and solid, and, as he did, used perfect rebounding position, elbows out, to shove Teddy hard to the side... It knocked Teddy off balance, made him stumble to his left, just as Ty Ross, who had gone high up in the air when the ball had finally stopped bouncing around the rim, was coming down with the rebound. Danny saw it all happening like it was super slo-mo on television. Or in a video game. Only this wasn't fantasy ball. This was Ty landing on Teddy instead of the basketball floor at St. Pat's... Then Ty was rolling on the floor at St. Pat's cradling his right arm to his stomach, screaming in pain."(page 118)

  Recommendation
       Have you ever been cut from a sports team for the wrong reasons? If you have, you can relate to Danny Walker. Danny is a 7th grader at St.Patrick's middle school in Middletown, NY. Danny is VERY short for his age, at only 55 inches. I am taller than him! When Danny gets cut from the Middletown basketball Travel Team, his dad steps in and creates a travel team for all the kids who got cut for the wrong reasons. Will Danny's team take victory? Or crash because of one (possibly many) fatal mistakes from his dad? Find out in the book Travel Team!

Blog by: Jack B.
Book by: Mike Lupica
Genre: Realistic Fiction/ Historical Fiction

The Tale of Desperaux

"Hook" .

                                {Chapter One}

                            {the queens last words}   

                           

"THE QUEEN LOVED SOUP. She loved soup more than anything in the world expect for the Princess Pea and the king. And because the queen loved it, soup was served in the castle for every banquet, every lunch, and every dinner.

      And what it was! Cook's love and admiration for the queen and her palate moved the broth that she concocted from the level of mere food to a high art.

      On this particular day, for this particular banquet, Cook had outdone herself. The soup was masterwork, a delicate mingling of chicken, watercress, and garlic." {page 111}

                                                               {Chapter One}

                                                               { the last one}

" Where are my babies?" said the exhausted mother when the ordeal was through. " Show to me my babies." The father mouse held one smalll mouse up high. "There is only this one." he said. " The others are dead. "Mon Dieu, just the one mouse baby?" " Just the one.Will you name him" All of that work for nothing." said the mother. She sighed. " It is so sad. It is such the disappointment." She was a French mouse who had arrived at the castle long ago in the luggage of a visiting French diplomat. " Disappointment" was the one of her favorite words. She used it often. " Will you name him? Will you name him? Of course, I will name him, but he will only die like the others. Oh, so sad. Oh, such the tragedy."His ears are to big," said his sister Merlot. "Those are the biggest ears I've ever seen"

Recommendation:

Have you ever dreamed of a magical world of mouses?  The story is about a mouse who loves music, stories, and a princess named Pea. He has a brother named Roscuro who lives in the darkness , but this mouse lives the real world. But one day he is tempted to see his true love... Princess Pea, but leads up to killing the Queen. Names are called, things are said, but nothing will stop this mouse. This mouse's mission leads to a disgusting dunegon, a needle and a thread, and a glittering castle. Will this mouse get his wish or will he have to go back to having others make fun of his HUGE... ears. As a reader, it is your destiny to find out.

Book Recommendation by: Maddison P., and Julia C.

Book By: Kate DiCamillo

Illustrated By: Timothy Basil Ering

Genre: Fantasy

A Friendship for Today

"Hook"

"For sure, and your gangster name will be Jumping Jack Stenson in a Stenson hat. 'Or maybe you want to be G-man.' 'What will it be?

     'I haven't decided yet,' J.J. says, managing a weak smile.
      He hasn't opened his report card. So I take a chance and encourage him. 'Go on. Look at your grades. It is what it is. Get it over with.'
       J.J. shrugs. 'I don't care what my grades are.'
       Of course he does. 'Want me to look for you?
        J.J. hands me his card without a fuss. I open it. Part of me wants to tease him and make him suffer for giving me such a hard time. But this is not joking time. J.J. might keel over if he thinks he's failed.
       'You passed,' I say. 'Your grades are awful-mostly C's and D's, but you made enough to pass onto the sixth grade. 'But what really makes me happiest is that he's been assigned Robertson, too. 'Were going to the same school next year.'
          'I passed! I passed!' That is all J.J. needs to know. With a whoop and a holler he takes off down the street, yelling at the top of his voice. 'School's out! School's out!'  'The teacher wore her shoes out.' (page 24 and 25)

    "By noon, every kid who's going to the carnival has gathered in front of Daddy's garage. As we're loading up in the back of the truck. I realize J.J. isn't with us. I can't imagine going to Grant-Lasalle without him. But Daddy's about to pull off. 'Wait!' I shout. 'Let me go see if J.J. is coming. I'll be right back.'
            'I'm leaving in ten minutes with our without you two,' Daddy yells, knowing all the time that he won't leave us-I hope not. That's just his way of saying hurry up.
.              Hopping off the back of the truck. I take off like a missile. As soon as I turn the corner of Rosebud and Harrison, J.J. comes barreling out of his house, head down and legs churning.
               'Your gonna get left,' I shout, changing directions, heading back to the garage. 'Come on!'...At first we jog along side by side. Turning the corner, we see he truck full of our friends. I wave. They wave back and call for us to hurry. Daddy starts the motor and pretends to pull off. Then he stops and yells, 'Go, go, go!' (page 59 and 60),

    But J.J.'s not giving an inch. He stays close on my back. A few feet from the truck, I feel him beside me...and then ahead by a step or two. I pump harder, but my legs won't move me any faster. And J.J. wins by a toe.( page 61)

   'Tell them J.J., ' I keep saying. 'Tell them!'
       'Tell them what Rosemary? Your the one talking.'
         I give J.J. a hard look. He drops his eyes. 'You're not my friend anymore, I don't like you, and I may never speak to you again.'

The next morning J.J. wakes up with polio. (page 62)

Recommendation

Have you ever been picked on because of your race? If so, you can relate to Rosemary. Rosemary is black and going to an all white school with her best friend J.J. But after a race and a broken promise, J.J. wakes up with polio. This means Rosemary will have to face 6th grade and the Hamilton's alone. When Rosemary gets to school she faces name calling, sitting next to a Hamilton, missing J.J. and the worst of all-Katherine. Katherine is the meanest spoildest person there is... Or so they think. But when someone she knows is in trouble she will have to do something she never thought she would. Will Rosemary and J.J. make up? Will Rosemary be able to survive 6th grade, and maybe even make a friend on the way? You will have to read this book to find out.

Blog By: Julia C.
Book By: Patricia C. McKissack
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Maniac Magee

Hook:

"No one knew it then, but it was the birth scream of a legend. And that's when the running started. Three springy steps down from the risers- girls in pastel dresses screaming, the music director lunging-a leap from the stage, out the side door and into the starry, sweet, onion-grass-smelling night. Never again to return to the house with two toasters. Never again to return to school." (page 17)

"The space heater wasn't on, no steaming cups sat on the table, the old man was still under the covers. Maniac went over. 'Grayson.' He shook the old man. 'Grayson?' He took the old man's hand. It was cold. 'Grayson!" (page115)

"Every week Maniac paid it. (And besides, he loved to meet the challenges they cooked up for him.) And then one day they gave him the most perilous challenge of all. They dared him to go into the East End." (page 142)

Recommendation:

Do you know what it feels like to be a legend? Well, Jeffery Lionel Magee does. Jeffery's parents died in a car crash and now he is an orphan, but this is not how this legend came to be. Now known as Maniac Magee, Jeffery is known as the kid who could run the fastest, jump the highest and untie even the toughest of knots. He was gifted. Maniac goes from person to person, home to home and heart to heart. Touching people's lives. The East End whites and West End blacks do not wish to get along. Maniac is shoved in between the two. Both of whom he is friends with most people. Can Maniac Magee turn this disaster around? Or, will  hate put up a fight? There is no doubt this kid is a legend.

Book by: Jerry Spinelli

Blog by: Madison H.

Genre: Realistic fiction

Waggit's Tale

"We will give him a name,' Tazar said. 'It will be our present to welcome him to the team.' Now what shall it be... 'It's  not the size of his tail that's the problem,' the brown dog said. It's just that when you're my height and standing behind him, it's better if he doesn't wag it.' The bone-chewing dog paused and looked up for a moment. 'Waggit? Did you say his name was Waggit?" (page 9)

"Tashi, we heard bad times have fallen on your team. Indeed we heard that you yourself had been taken,' he said... 'Well we was sharp,' said Tashi. 'WE saw them coming. We was up on the big rocks overlooking the fountain, so we lay low until they went.' 'You didn't try to warn your team?' Tazar was astonished. 'Listen,' barked Tashi, 'The first law of survival is: look after number one." (pages 148 and 149)

"But his captor's grip was too strong, and holding the clawing animal at arm's length he quickly walked toward the road. Parked just around the corner was the truck that every park dog feared, the one that took you to the Great Unknown, from which no dog ever returned." (page 211)

Recommendation:
Have you ever felt abandoned? Well, Waggit has.On second thought, he is abandoned! Abandoned by his old family Waggit ends up being rescued by... a team of mutts?! The team leader, Tazar, teaches Waggit the ways of the wild.
1. Don't grab food from upright hands.
2. Stay out of Tashi's (The rival teams) realm.
3. Stay with your pack no matter what.
When Tashi and his pack go missing that's when the crates appear. Waggit  learns the ways of the park when... an upright captures him and takes him to... the Great Unknown. No dog ever returns from the horror that is the pound. Will Waggit find his way back to his team? Will he be taken to his doom? Or will he be turned into the worst thing of all, a domesticated dog. Join Waggit on this adventurous tale and find out.

Book by: Peter Howe
Blog by: Madison H.
Genre: Adventure

Seven Spiders Spinning

The "Hook"
   "He wasn't the only one grinning. Attracted by the noise, the spider behind the movie screen had scurried down the hall and was peeping in the open doorway. It saw Lois Kennedy the Third on TV. With what it had of a mouth, it grinned. It had perfected its plan for murder"(pg.105)

"I have terrible news for Hamlet, Vermont,' said Meg Snoople. 'The dreaded  Siberian snow spider-the ones found in the glacier in the North Atlantic-" ( pg.103)

"The spiders were stronger, faster and more alert then their siblings had been. And they were angrier... Their stomachs rumbled and their mouths watered for blood. Human blood. Tattletale blood." (pages 61 and 62)

 "With perfectly awful timing, it was at just this second that the spider chose to drop... Anna Maria screamed and flung the pencil and its glob of hairy something across the room. Over the heads of her classmates sailed the pencil and the paralyzed spider. No one saw exactly what it was, but they all saw it zoom out the window like a velvet candy apple. It landed in the path of the school bus backing up with its backing-up beepers on."(page 28)

Recommendation
      Are you scared of spiders? If so, STOP READING THIS BLOG!!!!! This book is about 7 ancient snow spiders on the loose. Each one has its own tattletale love-which will soon turn to murderous love! Also, the tattletales and the copycats are at war over who will win the Halloween pageant. But when things get out of hand, 5 spiders get squished. And, one is ready for combat, and the other? Well, held captive. Will the tattletales make out okay? Will the pageant go as planned? Find out in the book Seven Spiders Spinning. BWAHAHAHAHA!   
WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU DON'T LIKE HAIRY, SCARY BUGS !

Blog By: Jack B,Jocelyn C, Madison H and Ashley N.
Book by: Gregory Maguire
Genre: Fantasy/Realistic Fiction

Bunnicula

Hook:

"He slicked his ears back close to his body, and for the first time,' Chester said, 'I noticed the peculiar marking on his forehead .What had seemed an ordinary black spot between his ears took on a strange v-shape, which connected with the black patch that covered his back and each side of his neck. It looked as if he was wearing a coat... no, more like a cape than a coat."(page 20)

"I still don't understand what vampires have to do with our little furry friend.' 'One,' Chester said, 'vampires do not sleep at night. They sleep only during the day. The same holds true for this rabbit. Two, vampires can get in and out of locked rooms. Bunnicula gets in and out of his locked cage... Three, vampires have pointed teeth. They're called fangs." (page 47)

"Chester came closer. After a moment of close examination, he gasped. I jumped. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. 'Harold...' Chester blurted. 'What? What?' 'It's...' 'Yes?' 'It's...' 'What is it, Chester?!' 'It's a white Zucchini!" (page 52)

Recommendation:

Have you ever encountered a vampire? Better yet, a vampire bunny! Didn't think so. A dog named Harold and a cat named Chester live in a peaceful household until... Bunnicula. One night the Monroes came home from seeing the movie Dracula with a bunny. Strange things start to happen in the house for example, White vegetables! Chester's suspicions arise that the helpless little fur ball isn't so helpless. He thinks Bunnicula is... A vampire that kills vegetables! When Chester gets  out of control Harold fears Bunnicula's life could be on the line, Vampire or not he has to protect Bunnicula. In the end will the murderer  actually be Chester? Can the household ever be at peace? Find out in the Hare-raising tail, Bunnicula!

Other books I recommend in this series:  Howliday Inn, Nighty Nightmare, The Celery Stalks at Midnight, Return To Howliday Inn, and Bunnicula meets Edgar Allan Crow.

Book by: James and Deborah Howe

Blog by: Madison H.

Genre: Fantasy

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Hook
     "The escape the of Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked downold Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet drive on her crutches.'
       
       'Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcom, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.'
   'This was why Harry's been as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley." (pages 31 and 32)


 "This only left one parcel. Harry picked it up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it.
             Something fluid and silverey gray went slithering on the floor. Ron gasped...
                   Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material. 'It's an invisibility cloak,' said Ron, a look of awe on his face. 'I'm sure it is-try it on.'
  Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell.
 'It is! Look down!'
Harry looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completley invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completley.
    'There's a note!' said Ron suddenly. 'A note fell out of it!'
           
                                      Your father left this in my possesion before
                                       he died. It is time it was returned to you.
                                       Use it well.
                                                       A very Merry Christmas to you.

There was no signature. Harry stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak.
  'I'd give anything for one of these,' he said. 'Anything. What's the matter?"(pages 201and 202)


                      It was ....
'You!' gasped Harry.
.... smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.
  'But Snape tried to kill me!'
  'No, no, no. I tried to kill you.'
       'Snape was trying to save me?'
       'Of course,' said ... coolly.
   'I see the stone... i'm presenting it to my master.. but
where is it?'( pages 288-390)

  

Recommendation

     Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
              
                                                 WIZARDS NEWS
                     
Local Boy Harry Potter LIVES after "The One Who Must Not Be Named" entered his house and killed his parents! Keep a look out Voldemort, I mean "The One Who Must Not Be Named" cause he could still be lurking these grounds...

      Coud you imagine if this happened to you? Your parents die from a dark wizard, you have to live with your despicable muggle relatives, and you have to sleep in a cupboard? Well, if so you can relate to Harry Potter. After the attack of his parents he is forced to live with the Dursleys, the most craziest most weirdest people known to man. But when mysterious letters literaly fly into Harry's house everything changes.  A man named Hagrid shows up telling Harry he is a wizard. Thats right a wizard! Soon Harry realizes what the true meaning of those letters were, a trip to Hogwarts the school of Wizadrey and Witchcraft. The journey to Hogwarts is long but eventful. Harry has never expierenced anything like it. He meets new people and expierences new things but, he also unwrathes one of the most precious secrets Hogwarts has to offer, The Sorcerer's Stone.

Book by: J.K. Rowling
Blog by: Maddy S., Julia C., and Alexis T.
Genre: Fantasy
                                         

Fight For Life

Hook:

"A man rushes in holding a small cardboard box. Twin toddler boys clutch his pants, howling like someone stuck them with a pin. Two identical black Lab puppies lie on a blanket in the box, fighting to breathe. They look just like Shelby." (page 11)

"What's a puppy mill?' David asks. Gran draws a vial of blood from the mutt. 'A puppy mill is a place where dogs are bred in unhealthy conditions. Puppy mills are illegal and unethical. The people who run them spend as little as possible to raise the pups so they can make a profit when they sell them. They are horrible places for dogs, run by people who care only about money." (pages 38 and 39)

"Dr. Mac!' Brenna calls suddenly. Gran and I rush over to see what's wrong. One of the collies was shaking violently. Gran listens to the puppy's heartbeat, then calls for an oxygen mask. But before I could get to her, the puppy goes completely still. Gran feels for a pulse, then closes her eyes. She didn't find one." (page 41)

Recommendation:
Do you have a puppy? Do you ever wonder where your puppy was born? In this book, Maggie Mackenzie is great with dogs but not so great with school work. Yikes! When she finds out her grandmother (Dr. Mackenzie) has hired other volunteers to do her work in the vet clinic, she's furious. She can't work unless her grades go up! Not only is this unfair, her grandmother kicks her out when they need her help the most. Sick puppies come in often, Maggie is sure a puppy mill is behind it. Will the puppies make it? Will the creep behind this be arrested? Read this book and find out!

Book by: Laurie Halse Anderson
Blog by: Madison H.
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire

Hook:
"Suddenly, the wood all around them erupted with screams. Harry didn't understand why, but the only possible cause was the sudden appearance of the skull, which had now risen high enough to illuminate the entire wood like some grisly neon sign. He scanned the darkness for the person who had conjured the skull, but he couldn't see anyone. 'Who's there?' he called again. 'Harry, come on, move!' Hermione had seized the collar of his jacket and was tugging him backward. 'What's the matter?' Harry said, startled to see her face so white and terrified. 'It's the Dark Mark, Harry!' Hermione moaned, pulling him as hard as she could. 'You-Know-Who's sign!"(page 129)

"But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him. The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment. Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out- 'Harry Potter." (page 271)

"The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry... and Harry stared back into the face that had haunted his nightmares for three years. Whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils... Lord Voldemort had risen again." (page 645)

Recommendation:
Has anyone ever accused you of doing something you never did? Well, Harry has this problem. The Triwizard Tournament is coming near and the three champions have been selected... well, okay four, including Harry. Everyone is thinking Harry found a way to sneak his name into the Goblet of Fire under Dumbledore's nose. Harry thinks someone put his name in, so he got hurt. When Harry lands himself in a graveyard, he witnesses something worse then murder... The rise of Lord Voldemort. Can Harry escape with his life? Will Voldemort finally have what he's waited all these years for? Read this book and find out!

WARNING: Read all the books in the series before reading this book!

Book by: J.K. Rowling
Blog by: Madison H.
Genre: Fantasy