Jack's Run

Jack’s Run
By: Roland Smith

“The Hook”

"That’s what happened,' Jack said. He handed Commander If to Catalin Cristobal. 'I think this is yours. I think he belongs to the both of us'. Cat said, taking the battered astronaut. They were sitting in Sam Sebesta’s old room at the Nevada Hotel in Elko. Jack had his leg propped up on the bed. The desert sunlight coming through the window was beginning to fade. They had been in the room for hours talking…" (Ch.57)

Recommendation

This is the THRILLING sequel to Zach’s Lie. Zach’s Lie is the first book recommend by Allison Jerome, Sarah Jacob and me, Sydney Manning. This book answers all your questions about the first book and what happens next. Jack's Run is going to keep you on the edge of your seat! They change their names again and have to START ALL OVER! When Jack comes to Los Angeles, something happens to he and Joann and puts them in DANGER AGAIN! I can't tell anymore or I'll give the book away.

WARNING: THERE IS MODERN VIOLENCE. THIS BOOK IS FOR 5TH GRADERS AND UP.

Recommend By: Sydney Manning

The “Hook” “Double Helix” by Nancy Werlin

Eli,

It’s clear to me that you’ve gotten to know Quincy Wyatt and that your new job is with Wyatt Transgenics. I don’t want to know the details of how that happened. I don’t care. I simply ask you not to take the job. In fact, I ask you not to let this man to be in your life in any way.
I can’t tell you why, Eli. But I am begging you to do what I ask, and to do it immediately and without question.

Love, Dad


... Then I blurted, “But I have to ask questions.”
“No,” said my father steadily. “I can’t answer them.
“But if I’m giving up I’m giving up a good job-a job I think I’d really like-“
“Are you giving it up?” interrupted my father.
I shrugged uneasily. “I don’t know. If you would only tell me what you have against him.”
“No.”[Pages 57 and 58]



Recommendation:
If you like suspense, you’ll like this book. Eli Samuels has gotten into a job offered to him by the famous molecular biologist, Dr. Wyatt and he seems to be paying special attention to Eli. Is there a catch?
Eli’s girlfriend doesn’t think so, but his father is highly against his taking of the job and won’t say why. From what Dr. Wyatt has been saying, he knows it has something to do with his mother, who has Huntington’s disease. As Eli continues to work with Dr. Wyatt, he learns why his father hates Dr. Wyatt and what he has been doing. If you want to find out why, read this book.
Recommendation by Eddie Xie

Wringer

The “Hook”
“Arthur Dodds exploded. ‘Sissymissy!
Girlbaby!’ He gave the swing chain such a yank
that Palmer was thrown like a bronco rider onto
the ground. Arthur Dodds took off, braying,
‘I’m a wringer, I’m a wringer! I’m gonna get me
a pigeon and wring ‘im!’
And he did."
(p. 48)

“By the time Arthur got there, the pigeon
was on the ground and being chased around
the picnic tables by half a dozen squealing toddlers.
Arthur joined the chase. The bird flapped up
onto a table…. Arthur lunged across the table,
knocking drinks, smashing pickled eggs, and snatched the
pigeon by the legs in a bowl of chicken salad.
According to the story, Arthur threw his arms
into the air like a boxing champion and crowed,
‘Got me one!’ Then right before the gaping
eyes of the picnickers, he wrung its neck."
(p. 49)

My recommendation:
Have you ever had an experience that you didn’t want to experience? If you do, then you have a connection with Palmer! Palmer is a 9-year-old boy but he has one problem: he is running out of birthdays. And what exactly do I mean by that? Well, in just one year he is going to become ten years old, an age an average child in Palmer’s town would be looking forward to turn. Only he isn’t looking forward for his tenth birthday, because he is going to soon become a wringer at that age. A wringer in Palmer’s town means a boy who twists pigeon’s necks when they aren’t dead in a pigeon-shooting contest. This turns out to be a big problem for Palmer because his father was one too and encourages him to become like him. Plus, Palmer has made 3 friends, all which either are wringers or want to be wringers. Things even worsen when a mysterious bird shows up at his window. What is the bird like? Where does he truly belong? Would Palmer regret letting the bird in his room? Read this book to find out!

Recommendation by Juan Pablo Perez Zafra

Ice Drift

"The Hook"

Ice sparkled from the dogs coats and hung down from their underbelly. Maja cried out, "They have been in the water. Look!" Snow pelting their smooth brown face, she yelled again, over the wind, "Could Alika and Sulu be a drift?"

There was always that dreaded possibility when the villagers were seal hunting on the floe ice, but it happened rarely. "Maybe!"

Kussu yelled back face taut with fright."We must go after them!"
"Of course!" Kussu shouted. "Of course!"

He ran to the village from the reliance and began to ring it. Their sons were in danger. The boys might die." (Page 178)


"Reccommendation"

Have you ever felt alone? Even if you're with someone you love? Well one day Alika a teenage boy, and Sulu a boy about our age are doing the things they and their tribe are told to do. Then all of a sudden everyone watched in horror as the water and ice broke and started to expand, you would be scared too, right. On the left over abandoned peice of hard ice lay Sulu and Alika frightened and scared. Along with a dog named Jamka, these two boys need help. Will they ever find their way home, or will they be trapped forever? Read the book to find out!

Reccommendation By: Paige Martin and Lauren Molloy

The Kingfisher Book Of Family Poems
Selected by Belinda Hollyer

The Hook
"Glory Glory…
Across Grandmother’s knees
A kindly Sun
Laid a yellow quilt" (Page 127)
- Raymond M. Patterson




"Teased
Sometimes
When I’m teased
I don’t cry
I go away.
When I come back
My brother and his friends
Are doing something else
I remember
They forget" (Page 179)
- Richard J. Margolis




The Recommendation
Do you think poems can express anything?
This delightful collection captures the everyday comedy, cuddles and catastrophes that make up family life. Poems come in all shapes and sizes. Poems can have so much but mean so little. Poems can have so little but mean so much. Poems can be anything, really. If you love poems than this is the book for you.



Recommended By: Sydney Manng

Brian's Hunt

Title: Brian’s Hunt

Author: Gary Paulsen

“Hook”
“The deer did not know he was there and he waited patiently, controlling his breath, waiting, waiting.
Twenty yards to the young buck, maybe less. Fifteen… Perfect. Brian drew the broadhead back until it nearly touched the bow… then released."
(Page 57)

Recommendation:
Do you like the outdoors? Because Brian does. He was lost in the wilderness for months until an airplane rescued him. Most people would wind up dead, but Brian survives and qrows to love the wilderness.This story tells about how he hunts to find food. He finds a friend, a wounded dog, and he wonders where the dog came from. The dog has a deep rip in his skin and the dog stays with him as he looks for his friends. If you like adventure, this would be a book that you'd like.

By Matt Connors

Evermore by Alyson Noel

THE HOOK
‘‘And that’s exactly why I need you to stay away from Damen. Because his ability to charge my skin with his touch, and silence the world with his voice is a dangerous temptation I cannot indulge. I won’t risk hurting my friendship with Haven. And I can’t risk getting too close.’’ [Page 34]


Recommendation
Have you ever been embarrassed? Well I have! I was in school and I didn’t want any one to know who I liked. Somehow one of my friends found out. If you haven’t been in a situation like this, then put yourself in Ever Bloom's shoes. One day she went to school and didn’t want anyone to know she liked the new kid. However one of her friend's found out. The rest of the day she wouldn’t look at him. Everbloom and Damen start talking and then they become friends. If you want to see how Ever Bloom reacts to the relationship they start you have to read the book for yourself.

Recommended by Adeline Wagner

A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the Fourth, The Miserable Mill

By Lemony Snicket

The “Hook”.
“Violet and Sunny stared out into the gloom, and with another creak the wooden gate swung open and revealed the short figure of a person, walking slowly toward them.
‘Klaus!’ Sunny said … And to her relief, Violet saw that it was indeed Klaus who was walking toward them. He had on a new pair of glasses that looked just like his old ones, except they were so new that they shone in the moonlight. He gave his sisters a dazed and distant smile, as if they were people he did not know so well. ‘Klaus, we were so worried about you,’ Violet said, hugging her brother as he reached them. ‘You were gone so long. Whatever happened to you?’ ‘ I don’t know,’ Klaus said … ‘I can’t remember.’(p. 82-83)

“Klaus closed his eyes in thought. ‘I wish I could tell you. But it’s like that part of my brain has been wiped clean. It’s like I was asleep from the moment I walked into that building until right there at the lumbermill.’
‘But you weren’t asleep,’ Violet said. ‘You were walking around like a zombie. And then you caused that accident and hurt poor Phil.’
‘But I don’t remember those things,’ Klaus said. ‘It’s as if I…’ His voice trailed off and he stared into space for a moment. ‘Klaus?’ Violet asked worriedly.
‘…It’s as if I were hypnotized, Klaus finished.” (p.105)

Recommendation:

Has someone you love ever acted strange? Perhaps weirder than usual? In this book, the same thing happens to Violet, Sunny, and Klaus Baudelaire. Under the care of the owner of a large lumbermill, also their fourth legal guardian after their parents died, the Baudelaire orphans find themselves from a bad situation to a worse. Not only do they have to work in the lumbermill, but they also have to be bossed around by a mean foreman, sleep in bunk beds, eat gum for lunch and a bad casserole for dinner, and they never have time to do anything except work. Of course they’ve had terrible experiences under the care of their previous guardians, with a greedy fortune-seeking man, Count Olaf, but this time things even worsen. One day Klaus breaks his glasses and goes to see the optometrist. When he returns, not only he acts strange but he can’t remember much of what’s happened. Then he causes an accident in the lumbermill hurting an innocent worker named Phil. It doesn’t take a genius to find out that Count Olaf is behind all this. But how? Read this book to find out!

Recommendation by Juan Pablo Perez Zafra.

Slam Dunk by Donna King

“Hook”
“In the high pressure world of sports, talent isn’t the only thing you need in order to be a winner. Ashlee is more determined than ever, and has a dream to be the best! ‘Go Ashlee!’ screamed a group of girls from her team sitting on the bench. Ashlee ran down the court, heart pounding like a boulder in her stomach. She bounced the basketball all the way down, staying clear of the other team. The hoop sit clear in the distance, Ashlee approaches it with the other team racing after her. Another scream is heard from the bench and Ashlee takes a deep breath. ‘This is it. This is my chance to be the best.’ A voice inside Ashlee’s mind echoed. She slowly reached her arms in the air and forced her feet off the ground. Her hands touch the metal lining around the hoop and swishhh! SLAM DUNK!!! The crowd goes wild and jumps out of their seats. Ashlee runs to her team receiving a variety of high fives and ‘nice shot’s from her teammates. Now it’s time to face the judges. ‘Sure that last shot was good but I was a little rusty during shoot out.’Thought Ashlee as she slowly approached the judging table. ‘Okay, this is it, did I make it or not?’ Ashlee asked herself. She was so nervous she didn’t even want to know.” (pages 12-14)

Recommendation

If you play sports you’d know that it’s pretty competitive game. But you’ve got your friends and family there to cheer you on. Once you start playing it’s hard to stop before you come out a winner.
Thirteen year old Ashlee Carson is tall, blonde and an incredible point guard. But is she enough to make it into the Girls Choice finals? With a former professional basketball player as a dad and team mates who are there for support, things are looking pretty good for Ashlee’s basketball career, there’s just one problem…Ashlee’s mom has other ambitions that go beyond the court. With her straight A semester it’s hard to focus more on sports for Ashlee, but for her mom who dreams of Ashlee succeeding in school, basketball is the least of her worries. Sometimes Ashlee just wishes her mom could be like the others, cheering in the stands with a big smile, or in the lobby after games with a welcoming hug waiting for you whether we won or lost. But nope, Ashlee’s mom wouldn’t be caught dead watching one of her games, she was too busy looking into collages or forcing Ashlee to study. How can she keep up with it all? Well, her determined dad being a player and all, can’t get enough of Ashlee on the court so you can imagine how pleased he was when Ashlee decided to try out for the Girl’s Choice National team. With her parents being divorced and her career being tugged between sports and school how does she play so good? Basketball is in her blood she takes after her dad, plus, she’s got a mind set on achievement and she can’t quit until she succeeds in everything her family wants for her. But when the finals for Girls Choice are moved to Miami, Ashlee is determined to chase her dream all the way to Florida! Want to find out if Ashlee can get permission to travel to Miami, or if she has to quit basketball altogether? Read Slam Dunk to find out!!

Recommended by Sarah Jacob

Zach's Lie

Zach’s Lie
By: Roland Smith

“The Hook”

November 18th
Dear Journal,
It’s hard adjusting to Elko. Especially with a new name. Luckily I haven’t slipped up yet. I met this new girl named Caitlin. I also met a boy named Peter Short. Lets just say things didn’t go well. Mom book store is coming along goods far. Joanne, I mean Wanda is planning to try out for her high school play, I hope she gets the lead, not only because it will make her happy, but maybe she’ll stop singing show tunes at 6:00 A.M. in the morning! That’s all for now
Jack, wait, I mean Zach.


November 22nd
Dear Journal,
Things are starting to get a little easier for me in school. I’ve made a couple friends and at my new school, Elko Middle School all of the teachers, well most of the teachers are nice! Sam the school janitor happens to be my first and only friend. He’s nice but a little strange. Peter’s black eye is starting to heal and I think he is planning some weird revenge. But I ‘m not worried, I’ve got bigger problems to handle. –Zach, finally got that name down!

“Recommendation”
In this super suspense novel, a boy named Jack and his family the Osbornes go through an amazing adventure you’ll love! In the beginning mysterious men break into the Osbornes house and threaten to come back if word is spread about anything. Jack finds out that his Dad, Mr. Osborne has been secretly working as an illegal pilot for a drug cartel. Featuring familiar faces of the men who had broke into their house. The family is beyond upset about the secret he was hiding."It would get us all out of trouble if you knew!” He tried to explain. His words meant nothing. Mr.Osbrone was discovered and sent to jail. The D.E.A. (Drug Enforcement Agency) interviewer interviewed Mr. Osborne soon after he was sent to jail. He refuses to tell them anything about the other man considering he has been receiving death threats for him and his family from Alonzo, the head of the drug cartel. This awful situation forces the Osbornes to join the witness protection agency and change their eye color, hair color, home everything is different. But can the family hold back long enough to save their Father? You’ll have to read to find out.
  I recomend this book to all 5th graders and higher who like making inferences and love adventurous books. This book will make you not want to stop reading.
Recommend By: Sydney Manning, Allison Jerome and Sarah Jacob