House Arrest by K.A. Holt

The book that I have read this year that I thought was better than others  is called House Arrest by K.A Holt. The book is about this kid named Timothy he stole a credit card to get medicine for his little baby brother. But he got caught and he went to juvie for a little bit and when he got out, the judge put Timothy on House arrest for a year. The only reason he did that because his mom can’t afford the medicine to help his brother and his father left when his brother was born. Timothy’s brother, Levi,  is sick and has to be monitored every hour because he has a trachea in his neck that helps him breathe because he can’t breathe through his mouth. Timothy has’t to put all his thought and how his day goes in a journal why he is on house arrest.

House Arrest is really great book with many challenges that Timothy goes through during the whole time he is on house arrest. Also the book is organized in like poetry  but it is written in prose like verse. This book is realistic fiction because the stuff that happens in this book are real stuff that could happen in real life. I would recommend this book to anybody  because it was one of the best books I read during the school year and I think that it will really be good to read this summer for people to read or just read whenever.

Loser Jerry Spinelli

The book that I have read was called “Loser” by Jerry Spinelli. The genre was realistic fiction because all the events from school struggle to try to find a lost child in a snowstorm. The main character of the story was named Donald but everyone called him by his last name Zinkoff. Early in the story, his parents are introduced and his baby sister is introduced in the middle of the story. So, the story centers more around his school struggles but later gives a huge problem with him looking for the missing girl in the snowstorm. When he gets rescued he finds out that she has been found an hour after his search began.

I would recommend this book to anyone because it has an amazing story to tell with action and detail. Also, all the characters had a big impact on both the story and Zinkoff’s life. Lastly, it's a great story to be told about a boys life.

Ryan F

Harrington Blog

Title: Hatchet

Author: Gary Paulsen

Genre and Proof: The genre of this book is realistic fiction because it has events that could happen in real life

Elements of Plot: The story starts with the main character Brian who is boarding a plane and is visiting his father in the oil fields of Canada. While Brian is on the plane, the pilot of the plane gets a heart attack which causes the plane to crash. Brian is able to control the plane for a little bit until he crashes into a lake in the forest. Brian is now all by himself and now has to figure out a way to survive in the forest. Brian has a hatchet which helps him get into the plane and recover the dead pilot’s emergency survival pack. The story ends when Brian gets rescued and returns to his life in New York.

2nd Paragraph Recommendation: I would recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic fiction because this book gives a great example of a realistic fiction story. I would also recommend this book to people who like intense events too.

Zom-B by Darren Shan

        


This school year, my favorite book that I’ve read is Zom-B, by Darren Shan. The genre of my book is obviously a fantasy, giving the title name. I can tell this book is a fantasy because there is a zombie outbreak involved in the story and of course, zombies are not real. In Zom-B we meet Brian, known as “B” to family and friends. Brian is a "semi-racist" child who takes on that title from his racist dad. In the United States, there are reports of zombies in different areas and encounters taking place, along with countless deaths. As time goes by before people can even notice, zombies have infested B's town. Brian, his friends, and his dad all join together to survive the apocalypse. Along their journey, they will have to try to overcome obstacles and many sacrifices, but will they win?

Overall, I think that Zom-B by Darren Shan is a really great book with a very interesting plot, aside from the racist acts by Brian and his dad. Although, you do see Brian grow from his racist times that contributed to his character development. Another reason I like this book is because of the amount of action packed pages in it that keeps the reader entertained and attached to the story. Lastly, I can say that this book also indeed keeps the reader on the edge of their seat while reading and the author makes the reader tensed up and stressed because you never know what will happen. In conclusion, in my opinion, I think that this story is a great read for adolescents in middle school throughout high school also because of the detailed words and stated gore.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is a fantasy book about a bored boy named Milo who finally wants to do something with his life. A package shows up at his door, and Milo is confused because he never ordered anything. Inside were instructions to build a tollbooth, equipped with a map to a place called, "The Lands Beyond." Milo builds the tollbooth and with his dusty old electric toy car, he drives through the tollbooth. Milo ends up in the Lands Beyond, and it's much different from the real world. Milo meets a lot of strange characters. Such as Tock, a dog with a clock implanted on the side of his body. Humbug is an anthropomorphic bug who is always trying to take advantage of people. I won't tell you all the characters, because YOU need to read it for yourself. Milo, Tock, and Humbug all need to save Rhyme and Reason from the Castle in the Air. Rhyme and Reason are the only ones that can bring peace to "The Lands Beyond."

I recommend this book to you because it's so wacky and creative. There are many interesting characters that will keep you interested in the story. The places in The Phantom Tollbooth are just as unique as the characters. It's not in every book where you have a place called Dictionopolis, where they eat letters. So if you're ever just as bored as Milo, then read The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It's an entertaining and fun book.

Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret

This book I read is called  “Runaway Twin” and is by Peg Kehret. This book is realistic fiction because it is about a girl who runs away to search for her twin sister. Sunny dreams that her twin sister is thinking of her. Every night she sings a song that her mom had sung to her days because she had died. Sunny and her twin sister were separated 10 years earlier. One day Sunny runs away from her foster home. Along the way she encounters bullies. While searching the weather changes drastically. Sunny comes across a tornado and has to seek shelter. Sunny has hope left in her that she will find her twin sister after many years apart.

I recommend this book to anyone. Especially those into adventure. In my opinion, this book was my favorite that I read this year. It had many settings. Also Sunny had a goal in which she hopes to complete. You could feel the excitement Sunny as Sunny crossed every path along the way. This book was very interesting with its ups and downs as Sunny went on the lookout for her sister she had been longing for.

The Running Dream By: Wendelin Van Draneen

“The Running Dream” is a book about a girl named Jessica. Jessica runs track and on the way back from her track meet her team was on a bus. The bus got into an accident and Jessica had her leg amputated, her friend also died. She recovered and met a girl named Rosa who was in a wheelchair. Jessica has a prosthetic leg and she feels like her dream of running is over. Her coach shows her videos of runners with prosthetics and she suddenly regains hope. Her team raises money and they buy her a running leg. As her dreams are coming true she also finds a way to make Rosa’s come true.

This book is really good and it keeps you wanting to read it and it is very interesting. It is sad at times like when she went to visit her friend in the cemetery that died. But it gets happier when Jessica starts learning how to run again. It is also a very inspiring story because of the end. And it is just a nice story to read.