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 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.

What's Elizabeth Reading? Princess of the Midnight Ball

The Reading Crew continues to read at a furious pace. This week Elizabeth has been reading Princess of the Midnight Ball, by Jessica Day George.  Let's see what she had to say about it.

Here's what Elizabeth says the book is about.

Have you ever heard of the twelve dancing princesses? Well, that is what this story is, just with a twist. This is a story whose main character/knight in shining armor is a soldier-turned-gardener. He tries to find out the mystery of the twelve princesses' worn-out dancing slippers. You see, the princesses have supposedly been cursed by some evil doings of a guy their late mother, Queen Maude, knew. And Galen, knight in shining armor, has been assigned the task of saving them (without his knowing) by an old lady onn the side of the road.

There's just one problem-part of the curse makes the princesses unable to speak of their curse--or King Under Stone, the evil guy their mother bargained with--to any human being. So...this is where Galen has to single-handedly trick the princesses , find out their secret, and save them--all with in a very limited amount of time.

I loved this story and was unable to put it down. It may have been slightly cheesy at points, but it was worth it!

I give it five out of five blue dragons.

What's Elizabeth Reading? Chu Ju's House

Elizabeth has taken a break from her busy summer reading schedule to fill us in on another book that she's been reading. Our Reading Crew as a whole has been burning up the pages this summer. It's great to see kids enjoy reading so much! This week, Elizabeth is sharing a little bit about Chu Ju's House, by Gloria Whelan. Let's see what she had to say.

Here's what Elizabeth says the book is about.

This book tells of how, in China, only two kids per family were allowed. But, tradition conflicted with the law. Tradition had it that each family should have a boy. This is where the conflict of the story comes in. Chu Ju is the first born child, and a girl. She is said to be a disgrace. When her mother becomes pregnant again, they all pray for a boy only to get another girl.

Chu Ju is made responsible for the baby and grows attached to her. In an effort to save her sister from being sent away, Chu Ju runs away. She thinks that with her gone, her mother can hopefully have a little boy. After she runs away, Chu Ju must find a new home and not get caught.

What did Elizabeth like best about the story?

I loved the descriptive quality of the story. It is very heartwarming and really makes you think about how lucky we are with how we live.

So, how did Elizabeth rate Chu Ju's House, by Gloria Whelan?

She gives it five out of five blue dragons.

What's Elizabeth Reading? Tears of a Dragon

Elizabeth is back with another book in the Dragons in Our Midst series--Tears of a Dragon, by Bryan Davis. This is book number four in the series. Let's see what she had to say about it.

 Here's what Elizabeth says the book is about.

In Tears of a Dragon, the main characters, Billy and Bonnie, go on their final journey to free the dragon souls along with three human souls from a place called Dragon's Rest. Meanwhile, the dragons that had been freed in the previous book are preparing to go into battle alongside Billy and Bonnie's friends and family.

While dangers mount, mysterious songs from Merlin still hold the key to unraveling all the secrets once and for all. These books have a spiritual aspect in them. For Bonnie's part, she has strong faith and trust in the maker and believes he will protect her no matter what the odds. Without her faith and helping hand, Billy would never have made it through the trials.


What did Elizabeth like best about the book?

I never once wanted to put this book down. I especially liked the ending. It holds the beginnings of a new adventure, so you can use your imagination, and it reunites all the families that were divided by the war. It is a happy ending!

So, how did Elizabeth rate Tears of a Dragon by Bryan Davis?

She gave it five out of five blue dragons.

What's Elizabeth Reading? The Merchant of Death

There are so many great series for middle grade and young adult readers. Elizabeth's been reading another one of them--Pendragon, by D.J. MacHale. Today, she's going to give us her take on the first book in the series, The Merchant of Death.

 Here's what Elizabeth says the book is about.

Middle school basketball star and good friend to Mark Diamond, Bobby Pendragon, gets swept into a mess in places he never imagined by his Uncle Press. Along the way, Bobby finds out that his old life never truly existed and that he is to become the lead Traveler.

What is a Traveler, you ask? Well you see, Saint Dane is this big form-changing bad guy who wants to rule Halla. Halla is everything, every time, and every person. The Travelers are the people charged with the responsibility of stopping him. Bobby never asked for this responsibility, but it is up to him now.

With this first book, you get to read Bobby's journals about the medieval world of Denduron. Many more follow about his adventures on the other territories of Halla.

What did Elizabeth like best about the book, and was there anything she did not like?

The only thing I did not like about these books was that I would never be able to put them down, and I ended up getting barely any sleep at night. Other than that, this book is a fantastic read for all ages.

So, how did Elizabeth rate The Merchant of Death, by D.J. MacHale?

She gave it five out of five blue dragons.

What's Elizabeth Reading? Beware, Princess Elizabeth

Elizabeth has been reading like crazy (as usual)! This time around, she's going to be telling us about a book that's more fact than fiction. The book is called Beware, Princess Elizabeth, by Carolyn Meyer, and I'm sure Elizabeth did not read it just because she has the same name as the heroine. Let's see what she had to say about it.

Here's what Elizabeth says the book is about.

This is the true story of how Elizabeth Tudor came to be Queen of England. In 1547, her father died leaving her third in line for the throne. She is just a teenager, but while her younger half brother and older half sister suspect her of wanting to claim the throne for herself, she is faced with many dangers.

Many of the people who Elizabeth loves are beheaded in her relatives' ad scramble for power. One of them is the man she wanted to marry. She discovers that he is only using her to get himself onto the throne!

Here's what Elizabeth liked best about the book.

While reading the story in the first person, I felt like I was one of Elizabeth's ladies in waiting--or somebody close to her--and she was telling her story to me. I liked how I could really imagine and feel what she was thinking.

Was there anything Elizabeth did not like about it.

No, I really enjoyed this book.

So, how did Elizabeth rate Beware, Princess Elizabeth, by Carolyn Meyer?

She gave it five out of five blue dragons!

What's Elizabeth Reading? Shimmer

Hello everyone. My apologies for not posting yesterday. This week, my schedule is all over the place, so posting will be a little ragged and sparse. I promise to make it up to you next week, though. I've got some great stuff planned.

I am going out of town tomorrow for three days. I'm going to the big city, NYC for a training program for work. Because of that, I'm posting this week's book from the Reading Crew today instead of tomorrow. This week, Elizabeth is reading Shimmer, the next book in Alyson Noel's wonderful series. Let's see what she had to say about it.

Here's what Elizabeth says the book is about.

"I will do an overview of the majority of the story, then you can read it to find out what happens and to get more of the details. This book is the second in the series, so make sure you read Radiance by Alyson Noel first.

"In the beginning of the story, we find Riley and Bohdi on vacation on a tropical island because of what they accomplished in the previous book. Riley sees a large black dog which is supposed to be an omen of death. Seeing as she has been dead for just over a year at this point, she is determined to convince this dog to cross over into the Here and Now, or afterlife.

"As she tracks the dog into the mist with Bohdi and her semi-loyal companion/golden retriever Buttercup trailing reluctantly behind her, she bumps into a girl by the name of Rebecca. She has brown hair and a beautiful dress with satin and bows. It turns out Rebecca was killed in a slave revolt back in 1733. She holds onto her anger and traps the people that died with her in their worst memories within her little world that flesh and blood humans cannot see.

"Now with the help of Bohdi, Buttercup, and a new acquaintance, she has to free all of the souls from their worst memories and convince Rebecca to let go of her anger, and convince them all to cross over to the Here and Now.

"Join Riley as she faces her own worst memories in her attempt to save her friends. I liked this book alot, and it kept me up reading all night because it was so suspenseful. There is nothing I did not like. I gave it five out of five blue dragons."

What's Elizabeth Reading? Radiance

Young reader Elizabeth has been reading a series by Alyson Noel. Today, she'll be talking about the first book, Radiance. Let's see what she has to say about it.

Here's what Elizabeth says the book is about.

"In this summary I am going to tell the basic gist of the entire story, but if you read this story you will love it and get it in even more detail! This is the first book in the series by Alyson Noel. She is an amazing writer and I love all of her books.

"In this particular book, a girl named Riley just died, and she went on to an afterlife in a place called the Here and Now. She is brought before the council of angel-like beings and they show her a summary of her life. She realizes she spent the entire time trying to be just like her sister.

"After that, the council decides that she should be a soul catcher because of her deep attachment to the Earth Plane. A soul catcher goes back to Earth to try to convince lost and lonely souls to cross over the bridge into the Here and Now.

"So Riley and her guide/teacher, Bohdi, go back to a castle just outside of London to convince two souls to cross over. One is scaring the living daylights out of people--his name is Radiant Boy. The other stands up in a tower mourning her three lost sons day and night. Many dangers await them, and then they must be judged by the council..."

Here's what Elizabeth liked best about the book.

"I liked how the author made the story flow, and also how the story seems as if it could happen to any one of us."

Was there anything that Elizabeth didn't like?

"I didn't like when Alyson Noel just made it so that her family members basically abandoned her so that they could fulfill their dreams that they couldn't fulfill on the Earth Plane."

So, how does Elizabeth rate Radiance, by Alyson Noel?

Elizabeth gives it five out of five blue dragons.