Because of his success in surviving fifty-four days alone in the wilderness, 15-year-old Brian is asked by the government to undergo a similar experience. Scientists hope to learn more about the psychology of survival. Sequel to Hatchet

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 0385303882

ISBN-13: 9780385303880

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Although he reluctantly agrees to accompany his little brother on a canoe trip, Eric finally gains new respect for this younger sibling, whose ingenuity rescues him.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/25/2009

ISBN-13: 9780688148522

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After most of the earth was left uninhabitable when all of the animals were infected with a terrible plague that caused them to attack humans, the survivors of the plague were left to live in a severely overcrowded fraction of the earth. Mika's twin sister, Ellie, was kidnapped by the government for secret training. Everyone Mika knows, including his parents, believes Ellie to be dead. Mika knows differently, but he can't prove it. When Mika learns that he may have a way to Ellie by winning a virtual reality battle contest staged by the government, he throws himself into it. On the way, Mika uncovers his own special abilities, as well as secrets about the government and the Animal Plague that no one is supposed to know. The consequences of the virtual reality battle training are beyond what anyone had imagined. Pick this title for its nonstop action and intriguing conclusion, which will leave you itching to read the sequel: The Whisper.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 9/30/2012

ISBN-10: 0439925932

ISBN-13: 9780439925938

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Through the eyes of a young boy named Sam, you learn what it was like living in Lexington, Massachusetts during the time of the American Revolution. You learn how Sam, in the middle of the night, must join his father and other minutemen to fight for America's freedom. 'Sam the Minuteman,'perfect for the developing reader, is an interesting, and easily understood historical telling of the Battle of Lexington, which marked the beginning of the American Revolution.

Similar books: Meet Felicity: An American Girl by Valerie Tripp; The Battle for St. Michaels by Emily Arnold McCully; At Home in a New Land by Joan Sanden; Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express by Eleanor Coerr; Dust for Dinner by Ann Warren Turner; The Drinking Gourd: A Story of the Underground Railroad by F.N. Monjo; Prairie Friends by Nancy Smiler

Reviewed by: mb

Date read: 7/6/2009

ISBN-10: 006020480X

ISBN-13: 9780060204808

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Mississippi (Mibs for short) Beaumont awaits her thirteenth birthday with great anticipation and anxiety. At thirteen, members of her family get their 'savvy.' No one knows what their savvy will be. Her brother Rocket causes electricity to explode whenever he passes. Fish can cause huge thunderstorms whenever he is near a body of water. Her mother does everything perfectly. Two days before her birthday, her father is in a car accident and falls into a coma. On the morning of her birthday, Mibs is sure that her savvy is to wake things up, so she just has to get to her father as soon as possible. She stows away on a pink, bible-delivery bus and finds her own Wizard of Oz adventure. This book won a Newbery honor award in 2009.

Similar authors: Kate DiCamillo

Awards nominated: Rebecca Caudill Award 2011

Awards won: Newbery Honor book 2009

Reviewed by: vverscaj

Date read: 8/20/2009

ISBN-10: 0803733062

ISBN-13: 9780803733060

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Commenter: Ann, grade 8

Commenter: Anya, grade 5