The Pearl by John Steinbeck

This book is a classic on our Battle of the Books list, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Kino, a pearl diver, and his wife, Juana, fear for the life of their infant son after he is stung by a scorpion. The greedy, mean doctor will not help them, because they have no money. Kino and Juana return to their boat, and Kino hopes for good luck as he dives into the water looking for pearls. He ends up finding the largest pearl anyone in the village has ever seen! He dreams of receiving a huge sum of money for the pearl, so his infant son can leave this life and go to school when he grows up. However, the pearl makes Kino's family a target for all of the evil in the village. Juana wants to destroy the pearl or throw it back into the sea, but Kino doesn't want to give up the dream for his son. How can this lone man defeat the greed and evil that is trying to destroy him?

I must admit that the beginning did not have a very good hook; it didn't grab me. My interest perked up when the infant became ill and other characters entered the picture. I kept asking myself, "What would I do if I was in Kino's situation?" The book might not be a page-turner full of action, but it's an excellent book to discuss with others.

Lexile level from lexile.com 1010

Masters of Disaster by Gary Paulsen

This book is a very quick read, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Henry has an idea to think of daring experiences to help his friends and himself become men of interest. His first thought is to set the world record for the highest bike flip. He convinces his friend, Reed, to ride his bike off the neighbor's roof, onto a diving board, and then spring high up into the air. His second idea is survive in the wild like their forefathers for two days. After drinking from a river (they forgot that Connor Howes had once peed in it) the boys encounter a huge tiger and a gray "anaconda". Is this really a Cleveland suburb? How about spending the night in a dumpster to do an environmental study, solving a one-hundred-year-old mystery, or riding a bull and catching a humongous catfish? Why do most of the experiences involve doody (poop), and why is Reed the one stuck with the dirty jobs?

The plot was pretty simple, as the boys thought of strange and new things to do. The story contained a lot of humor, and it was funny how Henry had the ideas, but Reed always got stuck doing them. Reed complained quite often about the poop smell that was stuck to him after the various adventures. Don't take the book seriously, but it was kind of fun!

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

This book was recommended by my neighboring teacher, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. The story is told from a dog's point of view, and he describes almost anything you can imagine might go through a dog's mind. The plot is broken up into four parts as the dog dies and is reincarnated as another puppy. The first part describes the dog's life as a mutt in the wild until he is taken in by a woman who saves lost dogs. Later, he is reincarnated as a Golden Retriever and is adopted by a family. He finally gets a name, Bailey, and becomes Ethan's pet. They play all of the time and are inseparable until Ethan has a terrible accident and later leaves to go to college. The dog dies and comes back as a female German Shepherd. Her handler is a police officer and the dog, now named Ellie, becomes a search and find dog. She is called in to find missing children and adults; some are found alive and some are dead. When her handler is shot for the second time, Ellie gets assigned to a new police officer. Ellie has a serious accident when she's searching for people in El Salvador after an earthquake. She retires but has one last feat of heroism before she dies. Finally, the dog is reincarnated as a black lab and spends his time trying to figure out his purpose in life. The plot ends up coming full circle.

The book started off a bit slow for me, but it picked up once he was adopted by Ethan's family. The second half of the book was very engaging, and the last two parts were emotional and hard to put down. The first reincarnation was a little hard to understand, but I was prepared for the next two. It was interesting how the dog remembered his previous lives and was able to use that to help him in later lives. He struggled to figure out his purpose as a dog and thought the search dog was it, but he later discovered it was more than that. A great book for dog lovers!

Lexile level from lexile.com 970

Milo, Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg

This book was recommended by our school librarian, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Milo has moved five times and is now in the seventh grade. He has trouble making new friends, and the book shares his thoughts as he tries to adjust. Of course, there's a girl involved, Summer, who Milo believes is the most beautiful girl in the world. He dreams of some day actually holding her hand! He's a little embarrassed when he first meets Summer while holding an economy-sized package of toilet tissue, but she comments that the brand is very soft. Milo is in love! Milo finally makes a new friend, Marshall, and reluctantly talks to his new neighbor, Hillary. She seems to like Milo, but he wants to dump her when he figures this out. However, Milo's big problem is the death of his mom several years before. He can't get over it and doesn't want to forget his memories of her. The weird, scary lady across the street may be able to help.

This book surprised me. It started off very funny and reminded me of a male version of The Agony of Alice. It was funny to read Milo's thoughts and actions as he described his math teacher, his antics with Marshall, and his interactions with Summer and Hillary. The plot became much more serious as it neared the climax, and Milo was forced to resolve his feelings about his mother.

Lexile level from lexile.com 1180

The Agony of Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

This book is the first in a long series, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Alice has just moved to a new home with her father and teenage brother, Lester. Her mother died when Alice was four. Alice feels like nothing ever goes right for her. On the first day of school, she hopes to get Miss Cole, the pretty teacher who can be her "adopted" mother, or Mr. Weber, the cool teacher who sings songs and takes his class on an end-of-the-year trip. However, Alice gets stuck with Mrs. Plotkin, the old lady no one wants. Alice does all she can to be around Miss Cole, and she goes through many of the life changes that all girls experience, such as maturing physically and wanting to kiss a boy. She starts to help Mrs. Plotkin after school and writes a journal for her class. These events, along with a trip to Chicago, help change Alice's outlook on the world. It all ends happily!

Being a guy, I never lived through the emotional life changes experienced by Alice, but I can imagine most girls can appreciate her problems. Alice's problems are worse, because she doesn't have a mother or older sister to talk to. Mrs. Plotkin is a wonderful character and is able to help Alice through these difficult times. Alice learns to admire qualities in many different people, but she wants to become like Mrs. Plotkin.

Lexile level from lexile.com 910

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book is historical fiction, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Isabel and her sister, Ruth, are slaves during the years right before the Revolutionary War. Even though their master's will gave them their freedom when he died, they are sold to a couple living in New York who are loyal to the King of England. Life is hard for the two children, but Isabel's life is complicated further when she's asked by the patriots to spy on her masters. Spying is dangerous, because her masters could have her killed. As the plot unfolds, the woman of the house sells Ruth, so Isabel tries to run away. She's caught, put on trial, and has the letter "I" burned into her cheek as punishment. Finally, the Revolutionary War begins as the British overtake New York. Isabel continues to spy on her masters, but she also takes food and messages to prisoners of war. Isabel's master discovers what she's doing, beats her, and locks her in a storage room. Isabel decides she must do something or she'll never get her freedom.

Most stories about slavery usually take place during the Civil War, so the setting of this book is unique. It's interesting to see this story told from a slave's point of view, because the slaves weren't sure if the British or Americans were the good guys. The Americans were fighting for their freedom, but not for the freedom of slaves. The British promised the slaves freedom, but rumor had it that the "freed" slaves were forced to work in Canadian coal mines. Isabel just wanted the freedom she deserved and be reunited with her sister. There is a sequel to this book called Forge.

Lexile level from lexile.com 780

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

This book won the Newbery Award, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Kira-kira means glittering in Japanese, and that's how Katie's sister, Lynn, sees the world. She sees beauty in everything and uses her imagination to create beauty. Katie's Japanese family moves from Iowa to Georgia where they experience some of the racism during that time in history. The only jobs available to her parents are working in a hatchery. The plot follows Katie as she grows into adolescence and the special bond she shares with Lynn. Baby Sam comes along, and Katie becomes the big sister he looks up to. However, Lynn starts to feel tired quite often and is forced to stay in bed for many days at a time. It becomes evident that her illness is more serious than a special diet and pills can cure.

The author does a nice job of sharing the many conflicts in Katie's life. She is forced to deal with Lynn's illness and becomes frustrated and angry with her sister for not getting better. Her parents slowly lose enthusiasm for life as they spend all of their time working to get by and Lynn becomes sicker. Mother is overly protective, but Katie manages to experience the Southern culture through trips to the factory, drives with her father, and a picnic with her sister. The plot is more about character development than action, but there are still times of tension as the events unfold.

Lexile level from lexile.com 740