Book Review 5 - Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland

Summary: 

Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui. T Sutherland stands as a critically acclaimed novel series following five dragonets, or dragon-children, as they try to save their continent from an ongoing war. This book, the first in its series, follows Clay, a young Mudwing. Clay has lived his whole life under a mountain, forbidden from going outside for fear of getting killed by other dragons. After all, if he is going to save the world, he needs to stay alive. His guardians aren't the best either - as he states that "this was how battle training with Kestrel always ended - with him unconscious and then sore or limping for days afterward" (Sutherland 10). Him and his adoptive sister, Tsunami, have dreamed of escape, but they didn’t consider actually escaping until one day, they hear one of their guardians, Kestrel, planning to kill another of his adopted siblings, Glory. Clay and Tsunami swim out of their cave, planning to follow a smoke signal back to their home to let everyone else out. However, before making it back to their cave, they have a run-in with Queen Scarlet of the Skywings, who doesn't want the war to end, contrary to everyone else’s belief. They end up stabbing her in the tail and then escaping, using their smoke signal to get back to their cave.  Unfortunately, Queen Scarlet had also seen their smoke signal, and followed them back to the cave. This led to all five of the dragonets being captured. Now, they have to find their way out.

Ranking: 5 stars

This book stays beautifully written and detailed. The characters are well-built, and so is the world in which they live. The plot is thrilling and intriguing. The conflicts of the characters are easy to understand and the writing keeps one hooked as they always want to know what happens next. Overall, the book deserves a solid five out of five stars.

Book Review #4: The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Summary:  

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau revolves around two kids: Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow. Lina Mayfleet is a twelve-year-old girl who lives in the city of Ember. The city stays very dark and gets lit only by giant flood lamps that were built when the city was first made, about two and a half centuries before the events of the book. The city is surrounded by darkness that stretches out for miles. Everyone can tell that the city is dying - the storerooms are running out of food, and the lights keep blacking out from time to time. Lina wants more than anything to be a messenger, who can take messages across the city to others. Meanwhile, Doon Harrow stands as a twelve-year-old boy who wants to learn how the world works. He wants to find a way to save the city from its impending destruction. When job day comes, both the young children get their jobs, and as luck would have it, they each get the job the other person wants. They quickly trade, and their life goes as planned until there is a seven-minute-long blackout, which is more than double any of the previous ones. Doon decides that he wants to immediately save the city. When Lina discovers a mysterious box in her closet, she finds the remains of a paper there. Unfortunately, most of it has been ripped up by her sister. When she looks at the paper, she thinks that “[s]he had found something strange and important: instructions for something” (DuPrau 113). This makes her decide to decode the message and find out what the instructions say. To decode this message, Lina talks to her friends Clary and Doon, and eventually, the kids figure it out: the message contains ‘Instruction for egress’, or instructions to leave the city of Ember. Doon and Lina were planning on telling everyone about the way out, but as things take an unexpected turn and they both become wanted criminals, they decide to make the perilous journey on their own and find just what lies beyond their dark city. 

Ranking: ★★★★☆

This book stays fantastic. The world-building stays detailed enough that the reader can visualize the setting at all times, and the characters stay appealing and well-written. The characters' conflicts, both inner and outer, add meaning to the story. While all of these prove as great aspects of the story, the text stays fast-paced. This causes the story to be unclear for some. Overall, The City of Ember remains a wonderful, action-packed novel full of suspense and mystery.

Other media: 

The poster of the live-action movie.

Readers who enjoy the book may want to check out the other books of this series, as well as the live-action movie.

Book Review #3: Half Magic by Edward Eager

     The first in a series, Half Magic by Edward Eager proves a fascinating novel about a family of four kids: Jane, Martha, Katherine, and Mark. Their mom almost always stays out of the house, working on a newspaper job and only coming home at night. As a result, the kids have a lot of free time. However, because the family has little money, they can never go on fun vacations like the other kids can. Thus, they spend their days reading, playing card games, and wishing that something magical could happen to them.

One day, while Jane walks to her neighbor’s house with her siblings, she finds a nickel on the sidewalk. She picks it up and adds it to the rest of her allowance, assuming that she had found a normal nickel. However, upon closer inspection, she finds that her nickel has the markings of a magical talisman. Soon after this, Jane realizes that this strange coin can grant wishes. She becomes wildly excited at this prospect, thinking that “she held in her hand the talisman that was going to turn this summer into a time of wild adventure and delight for all of [the children]” (Eager 27). Unfortunately, the nickel can only grant half of a wish at a time, so people have to use it carefully and precisely. After sharing this secret with the other kids, the siblings decide that they won’t tell any adults about this, and they would each take turns making the wishes.

The siblings go on experiments and misadventures, going to a desert and even back in time, to the age of knights. However, when Martha makes a wish that causes the whole town to go into a panic, the siblings have to figure out how to undo it. Not only that, but the siblings must figure out how to wish for their happiness before the magic in the coin runs out.

Rating: ★★★★★

    Half Magic proves a fantastic tale about magic, family togetherness, and learning. The reader can relate

to the wishes of the characters, as well as the characters themselves. This stays a highly humorous and

entertaining book, and it’s unique premise creates a magical story. Undoubtedly, the most interesting part

of the book proves as the part in which the four children travel backwards in time to visit Sir Launcelot.

The author’s use of language makes the book all the more enjoyable, and the protagonists have likable

personalities. Fans of fantasy books will certainly love this novel.

Book Review 2 - Refugee by Alan Gratz

     Refugee by Alan Gratz tells three stories in one book. Even though these stories all seem different, they have one thing in common: the necessity to escape. And in the end, all the stories intertwine.

The first story involves Josef. Josef, a Jewish Boy, lives in Nazi Germany. Threatened by the idea of getting sent to a concentration camp, Josef’s family, consisting of Josef, Josef’s mother, and Josef’s sister, rush to board a cargo ship leaving for the other side of the world. When the passengers get to their destination, Cuba, the officer keeps informing the passengers that the country will let them in tomorrow. However, they never get let in, and eventually, the ship veers around and travels back to Nazi Germany.

The second story involves Isabel, an eleven-year-old Cuban girl. Isabel lived in Cuba in nineteen-ninety-four. Plagued by unrest and riots, Isabel, Isabel’s family, and her friend Ivan’s family decide to escape to America. However, the president had made fleeing Cuba illegal a while back. The two families face many obstacles on the way to America, such as storms, boat leaks, and shark attacks. 

The last story involves Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in twenty-fifteen. One day, Mahmoud’s house gets torn apart by a bomb. Realizing that their home can’t stay safe from the war any longer, Mahmoud’s family leaves and begins the long trek across Europe. They figure that if they can get to Greece, they can travel within the European Union and get to Germany, which currently accepts Syrian refugees. They get into a smuggler’s raft so they can move to the island of Lesbos, Greece, but the raft gets smashed by rocks as they cross the Mediterranean Sea.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Overall, Refugee by Alan Gratz tells a beautiful story of three people desperately trying to escape from their violent homeland. This book earns a respectable four out of five stars. The best part of the book consistes of Josef's family making it on to the boat leaving for Cuba. This gives the reader hope for Josef's family. On the opposite side of the spectrum, I didn't like the book because it breaks up each story in such a way that one cannot get too attached to the characters. Other than that, he author weaves the story together fantastically, and the story will keep the reader hooked. Several inspiring quotes come from this book, such as “[y]ou can live life as a ghost, waiting for death to come, or you can dance’” (Gratz 239). Fans of Alan Gratz’s other work and people who just want a good read will enjoy this book.

Book Review 1 - Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

    Most thirteen-year-olds dream of a career in sports or medicine, but not Theodore Boone, the protagonist. Both of Theo's parents' practice law, as well as Theo's Uncle Ike. Theodore dreams of “being a famous trial lawyer, one who handled the biggest cases and never lost before juries” (Grisham 6). Theo even gives legal advice to classmates. It all starts when the teacher of the protagonist's government class, Mr. Mount, gets permission from the principal to watch the Pete Duffy trial, the most significant trial that Theo’s town has seen. At Pete Duffy’s trial, the defendant stands accused of the murder of Mrs. Duffy. Both the prosecution and the defense lawyers make convincing arguments for their respective sides. However, given that the prosecution only has circumstantial evidence and not solid proof, they cannot prove Mr. Duffy’s guilt. In the middle of the trial, Theodore Boone finds out that one of his classmates, Julio, has a cousin that witnessed nearly irrefutable proof of the murder. However, because Julio's cousin, an illegal immigrant, hides from the law in fear of getting arrested, the cousin refuses to testify. Theo promises to keep this information a secret. Eventually, Theo tells Uncle Ike about his situation. Now that the circumstances prove too big for him to handle, Theo must depend on his family’s advice to bring Pete Duffy to justice while protecting Julio’s cousin’s identity from the world. All the while, he must continue to balance his social life and complete his schoolwork.

    Rating: ★★★★★

Overall, John Boone’s bestseller Theodore Boone:Kid Lawyer deserves all five out of five stars. It keeps the readers hooked and has all the elements of a good mystery novel: suspense, action, drama, and a daring hero fighting for justice. The author’s use of details and word choice work well with the plot. The author is able to masterfully weave authentic characters with realistic and unique dynamics and stories. All of these elements work together to create a thrilling action-packed piece of realistic fiction.