What's Abigail Reading? Jouanah A Hmong Cinderella

This week Abigail is reading a book based in her home country of China. It's Jouanah A Hmong Cinderella, by Jewell Reinhart Coburn and Tzexa Cherta Lee. It's a story about a Chinese Cinderella. Let's see what she has to say about it.

Here's what Abigail says the book is about.

 Jouanah a Hmong Cinderella is a book about Jouanah, a beautiful girl who wants to go to the festival but her stepmother does not want her to go.  The characters are Jouanah, the stepmother, and her stepsister. In the beginning Jouanah’s mother got turned into a cow for food and drink. Her father foolishly married another women and Jouanah’s real mom died of a broken heart.  

Next, her stepmother made Jouanah do all of the chores.  When the New Year festival came around her stepmother made her do a long list of chores and told her she could not go to the festival.   Jouanah got to the festival but with a piece of cowhide and found a basket filled with clothes. When she went to the festival no one knew who she was and after all the play at the festival she met a boy named Shee-Nang. When Jouanah went running home so that her stepmother won’t notice that she had been gone, one of the slippers that she was wearing fell off.  

Finally Shee-Nang found the slipper and went to every house to find his love.  Shee-Nang found Jouanah, the love that he wanted, and married Jouanah and lived HAPPILY EVER AFTER!!

So, Abigail, what's the theme of the story?

Theme: Always be wise and not foolish because when Jouanah’s father married another woman, that is when the trouble started happening and if he didn’t marry the women the whole problem wouldn’t happen.

Hmmm, interesting. So, how did Abigail rate Jouanah A Hmong Cinderella, by Jewell Reinhart Coburn and Tzexa Cherta LeeI?

She gave it five out of five dolphins!

What's Christian Reading? The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang

The celebration of the release of The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang continues this week. Christian has read the book, which is surprising because in his soon to be teenage brain he has the idea that it's not cool to read books his father writes. To my surprise, he read the proof copy with very little pleading on my part. Hmmm, maybe he's hooked in spite of himself. Anyway, here are his thoughts on the book.

Here's what Christian says the book is about.

This book is well written. The characters seem real and not fake. I would recommend this book for children ages 9-13. This book is the best one in the series.

Some of the parts I found exciting where when the main characters had to sneak out of Ang’s capital and find Eric and Kate, when they had to escape the Serpent Fortress and when they had to find the legendary island. This book is very exciting and is a very interesting read.

Some of the main characters include Kang, Jiao, The Fang, that Denchi dude who helps them out, and the Golden Dragon of Ang.

When Eric and his friends Kate, Stig the owl and Hallo the dwarf enter the special doors that lead to the “hallway of worlds” they are always plunged into an adventure of mystery and intrigue. Last time it was the Vynestri and Selango, this time it is the five Dragon Islands and the search for the missing Dragon's Voice. What will happen in this exciting installment of the Deliverers series? Find out today!

Bless his soul, I actually think he was trying to slide in a sales pitch at the end there. So how did Christian rate The Golden Dragon of Ang? 

He gave it 4.95 out of 5 flaming monkey heads (he's always been tough, this is pretty good!).

What's Abigail Reading? The Deliverers: Sharky & the Jewel

With the release of the latest book in The Deliverers Series, The Golden Dragon of Ang, my children wanted to mark the event by sharing their thoughts on the books. At first I was reluctant, but they really wanted to and finally managed to convince me. Today is Abigail's turn. She's going to tell us a little about the first book in the series, Sharky & the Jewel. Christian will stop by on Wednesday to share his thoughts on The Golden Dragon of Ang. 

Here's what Abigail says the book is about.

In the book the main characters are Kate, Eric, Stig and Hallo. They go through secret doors to different places to save the lands. This book is mainly about trying to defeat Sharky the pirate.

First, Eric had a bad dream about losing his dad. He heard an owl talking that night and the owl was named Stig. He lead Eric to a secret door. When they went through the door they were on an island. Next, Kate--a girl who lived there--went looking for Eric and Stig. Kate was planning to meet them there. When they met she told them about Sharky, the person who came to their island and ordered them around.

Then they had to think about a way to get rid of Sharky and his crew. Finally they thought of a plan and met a new friend named Hallo. Hallo helped with the plan, too. When Sharky came to the island they were waiting for him. They got the gem from Sharky.

They used the ring they got from the Guardian a twirled it in the air to get the ring from Sharky. After that, Eric and Stig had to go back home. hey said goodbye to everyone from Calendria, even Hallo and Kate their best friends, and left. There are still more trips to come!

So, how did Abigail rate The Deliverers: Sharky & the Jewel, by--um--me?

She gave it four and a half out of five dolphins.

What's Abigail Reading? Who Was Queen Elizabeth

One thing I've learned about Abigail's reading preferences lately is that she likes biographies. In fact, she just finished reading one, Who Was Queen Elizabeth?, by June Eding. Let's see what she's got to say about it.

Queen Elizabeth was a kind ruler of England. Elizabeth was born on September 7, 1533.  Elizabeth had an interesting life .  She also struggled with many things.  Elizabeth had a little bit of schooling but learned a lot.  Elizabeth also had a rough family. 

Elizabeth had a big family who she cared about. Elizabeth had a big family because she had a lot of mothers.  Elizabeth had a dad named King Henry the Eighth, a sister named Mary, and a brother named Edward. Many of her moms were executed or beheaded.  Elizabeth was born to Queen Anne. 

In the meantime, Elizabeth had private schooling. Elizabeth had a private teacher named Roger Ascham.  Roger Ascham also was an important person in her life. Roger taught her to read, write, and more. Elizabeth was a good student. Elizabeth had a governess named Cat who made sure she had everything she needed like pencils, books, and other things.

Later on, Elizabeth struggled with many things in her life.  Elizabeth struggled with smallpox when she was older and recovered. Elizabeth recovered from smallpox because she was wrapped in red carpet next to the fire. Later Elizabeth was unhappy to kill her cousin Mary Stuart. Elizabeth was unhappy to kill Mary because she had been protecting Mary for almost 20 years and Mary was Elizabeth’s cousin.  One other thing she struggled with is she fought against her sister Mary who put Elizabeth in jail.

As you can see Elizabeth had a big important family which who she loved.  She was also kind and caring to others. She had private schooling and an important teacher, Roger Ascham. She struggled with many things she didn’t like or bad diseases.  

How did Abigail rate Who Was Queen Elizabeth?, by June Eding?

She gave it four out of five dolphins.

What's Abigail Reading? Frozen

Abigail wrote a short book report for school and she wanted me to post it as the latest installment of the Reading Crew. So, here's her take on Frozen. Let's see what she had to say about it.

Here's what Abigail says the book is about.

The book is about a family who rules a kingdom called Arendalle. First, Elsa's sister Anna asked, "Do you want to build a snowman?" Elsa got up from bed and raced her sister down the hall. When they were building slippery slides, Anna got hit by Elsa's magic powers.

Next, as Elsa's powers grow stronger, she asks her parents to stay away. When her parents go away on a ship they end up dying. Now Elsa's the new queen and they finally open up the gates. Then, Elsa runs away because everyone knows her secret now. Everyone tries to stop her but no one does.

After that, Anna goes on a journey to find her sister and to bring back summer. Anna finds some new friends on the way. With their help, Anna s
aves her sister from a bad guy who is trying to kill Elsa, and jn Arendalle summer is back.

The theme is--to help others because if someone you love or care about is getting hurt then he/she will need the help.

So how did Abby rate the book version of Frozen?

She gave it four out of five dolphins.

What's Christian Reading? Happenstance Found

It's been a while since I've been able to corral one of my children to write a little about what they've been reading. Today, Christian actually volunteered to write something. Hmmm, must have been a slow day. The book he read is Happenstance Found from the Books of Umber, by P.W. Catanese. Let's see what he had to say.

Here's what Christian says the book is about.

This book is about a boy named Happenstance who has some extraordinary abilities. These abilities include night vision, super speed and high jumping. In the story he wakes up in a dark and gloomy cave with no memories. Some people happen to be exploring this cave and find him. They try to make it out of the cave but one of the explorers, Umber, wants to see the giant tyrant worm that lives there. They escape from the cave with the tyrant worm right behind them. Luckily it won’t go into the sun so they were safe, but then the volcano erupted. They barely made it to their boat and got away. 

They then go onto a bigger boat run by Umber’s friend Nima and Nima’s friend Baroon. Umber’s helper, Balfour, is also there as Umber and the other explorers, Sophie and Oates, used this ship to get to the island where they found Happenstance. They soon notice a strange ship following them.They use evasive maneuvers to try and lose him and it works! They make it to the coastal city of Kuruhaven and Happenstance finds out that Umber is the Lord of the Aerie and a very successful merchant.

When they get to the Aerie Umber introduces Happenstance (who he decided to call “Hap”) to his friend Lady Truden. Lady Truden takes Hap on a tour around the aerie and lets him pick out his room. Hap looks out of the window of the room he picked and discovers that it is the part of the Aerie that his room was the ornamental head of a dragon. The dragon head was carved out of stone of course, so it wasn’t real. This book is a very interesting story and I hope that you will consider reading it.

Here's what Christian liked best about the book.

What I liked: I liked how the author makes it seem like the story is happening around you. I also liked

 how the author makes the main characters get into these crazy fights with monsters in the beginning of each book.

Here's what Christian did not like about the book.

What I didn’t like: I didn’t like the part where the ship starts trailing the ship Hap is on. I think the author should have put it in a little bit later.

So, how did Christian rate Happenstance Found, by P.W. Catanese?

He gives it four and a half out of five flaming monkey heads.

What's Abigail Reading? The Power of Un

This week's Reading Crew column is a little late. Abigail spent last evening furiously reading the end of this week's books, so we delayed things so she could give us a report. So, without further ado here she is to tell us about The Power of Un, by Nancy Etchemendy.

Here's what Abigail says the book is about.

This book is about a boy named Gib Finney. It takes place in the country.  First, Gib shot  spitball in class and it landed on Lorraine Frongner’s head.   Then Lorraine got in trouble for shooting the spitball but it was really Gib.  Now, Lorraine is really mad at Gib.  Next, Gib runs away from Lorraine and runs into the forest and meets an old man.  

The old man tells Gib about a device called the “unner”.  Before it is too late, Gib has to find out how to work it by himself.  Next, Gib meets Ash at the carnival and they go on rides.  They were supposed to watch out for Gib’s little sister Roxie and when they wanted to go on the devil’s elevator, they told Roxie to stay put.  Roxie did not do as she was told.  Instead she ran after a stray dog.  

After the ride, Gib and Ash ran after Roxie and before they knew it, Roxie was run over by a truck.   After that, Roxie was in a coma and the doctor said that she might not come out of the coma.  Gib used the unner and went backwards in time to fix the accident.  When he went back in time, he was at the carnival again and they were going on the devil’s elevator again and he spotted Roxie and Lorraine getting off a pony.  When the ride stopped they tried to catch up to Roxie and Lorraine.  They met up and went to get Roxie a candy apple and the stray dog came along again.  Roxie went after it and Gib, Ash, and Lorraine chased her.  Lorraine and Ash pulled her away and Gib ended up having a broken leg instead.

The theme is perseverance and always be nice and helpful. 

So, how did Abigail rate The Power of Un, by Nancy Etchemendy?

She gave it four out of five dolphins.

What's Elizabeth Reading? Incantation

This week, young reader Elizabeth is here to tell us a little bit about a book she's been reading. Incantation, by Alice Hoffman is a book that I am not ffamiliar with, so I am anxious to find out a little bit about it. Let's see what Elizabeth has to say.

Here's what Elizabeth says the book is about.

"I am someone 

I never would have imagined. 

A secret. 

A dream... 

body and soul. 

Burn me. 

Drown me. 

Tell me lies. 

I will still be who I am."

                                                     -ESTRELLA DEMADRIGAL 

                               SPAIN 1500

This book takes place in England in the 1500's. Estrella is the main character of the story. She is passionate about what she believes. She enjoys her life with her grandmother, mother, grandfather, and her best friend right next door. But all around her, everybody else is not having as carefree lives as she. Different religions were unjustly treated. Jews and Muslims were treated horribly! I mean, the book said that Jews were locked in at night for goodness sake.

Estrella will be made to question her beliefs, question who she is, and question where her family's loyalties lie. In the end, she will be forced to make a hard decision concerning her and her grandmother's future. This story is great for people who want to know what it was like to live in different time periods in history. There is not a lot of dialogue, but the story still goes into great depth and detail. I loved this book and my only regret is that there is no sequel to this book that I know of because I would have loved to learn what happened to Estrella after the story ended.

So, how did Elizabeth rate Incantation, by Alice Hoffman?

She gave it four out of five blue dragons.

What's Abigail Reading? Forever Amber Brown

Abigail has been spending some time with an old friend this week, Amber Brown. She told us about another book in this series earlier this year. This time, she's been reading Forever Amber Brown, by Paula Danziger. Let's see what she has to say.

Here's what Abigail says the book is about.

This book is about Amber Brown who is in fourth grade. The characters are Amber Brown, her best friend, Justin, her mother, and Max. The setting is Justin's house.

First, Amber Brown, her mom, and Max were going bowling. Max helped Amber with her bowling skills. In the first game, Amber got a 42. When Amber was about to throw the ball, she saw a little girl fall down as she approached the lane.

Then, her teacher Mrs. Holt asked Amber to stay after class so she could talk to her. Her teacher told her that since she did not turn in her book report on time, Mrs. Holt would have to give her a low grade. Amber felt unhappy.

Next, Amber and her friend Brandi were waiting for their moms to pick them up. When Amber's mom finally came, she got in the car. Her mom told her that Max had proposed to her. Then they went to the airport to visit Amber's friend, Justin, in Alabama. While they were there, Amber's mom thought and made a decision about whether or not to accept Max's proposal.

Finally, Amber's mom decided to marry Max!

So, Abigail, what do you think the main theme of the book is?

I think the theme is that sometimes things will change and not everything will be the same.

How many dolphins does Abigail give Forever Amber Brown, by Paula Danziger?

She gave it four out of five dolphins!

What's Elizabeth Reading? Epic

Reading Crew member Elizabeth is back to tell us about another cool book that she's been reading. This time around, she's going to tell us about Epic, by Conor Kostick. Let's hear what she has to say about it.

Here's what Elizabeth says the book is about.

When I picked up Epic, I thought it would be another one of those books where somebody does something to save the world, "BOOM, KAPOW!!!" You know, the usual cheesy adventure story. But this book is anything but the usual. This book is mainly about Erik and a group of his friends. In the world they live in, violence is against the law. If you so much as hit somebody, you could be exiled on an island. The main way people solve disputes is on Epic. Epic is a game that is so realistic, it is like a world within a world.

The characters in the game lead an entire life of their own 24/7, even when nobody is actually playing. In Epic, you can't kill somebody else from New Earth unless you are in the arena. The arena is the only place where your character can die, but come back to life without losing any of their possessions. The only problem with this system is that it is turning into a tyranny. The Allocation Committee has been making choices for the "greater good." But when they exile Erik's parents for a slight act of violence done years and years ago, Erik takes action. With the help of his friends, Erik plans to stop the Committee, but if they should fail...the whole world inside and out of the game could lose everything...

I loved this book and it has really good morals and a great story line to go along with the awesome characters in the story!!

So, how did Elizabeth rate Epic, by Conor Kostick?

She gave it five out of five blue dragons.