Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire - December 15, 2009

Jemma Hartman thought this summer at Camp Star Lake would be the best summer ever. And that was especially because her best ever friend, Tammy (Tamela), who had moved away a year ago, would be there with her. They would both be happy alone, and now both of them would not have to rely on letters or e-mails to talk to each other. Their plans were to marry twin brothers and have children that would be friends to each other. Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire by Brenda A. Ferber tells you what's it's like to almost lose a best friend. I have had many exeriences like this before, and I know how it feels to be abandoned. I felt pity for Jemma when she had to do everything for Brooke. That brat. Brooke Bernstein is Tammy's cousin, and she is coming to camp too. Jemma hadn't known about this, and when Tammy only spends time with Brooke and not with her, she realizes that Tammy has not just moved away houses, but friendship too. I could make many connections to this book while I was reading it because I have had many problems with friends in my life. When there is a problem, I calm down and privately speak to the person that is doing the thing I am not satisfied with. To me, It made no sense when Jemma felt so curious about everything that Tammy did for Brooke and how mad she was when Brooke and Tammy took her saved seat on the bus to camp. Maybe it will not be Jemma-and-Tammy, but Tammy-and-Brooke forever.

The characters' personalities are quite unusual. Jemma has glasses, long and straight brown hair, and a soft spot for friendship. She is very sensitive but at the end decides to stand up for herself. Tammy has a habit of changing her mind quite frequently. She wants to be friends in a triangle, with Jemma and Brooke, but it does not come out the way she had planned it to be. Both Brooke and Jemma just want to have Tammy to theirselves. Tammy doesn't know what to do. So she sticks with Brooke. Delaney is another character in this book. Delaney loves yoga and she is at first a shy girl who thinks nobody likes her because they think she is weird. Any spare time she has she practices yoga. But at the end of this story, Delaney shows everyone in Camp Star Lake that she can be a bright, lively girl too.

This problem was solved in a particularly unordinary way. Jemma and Delaney win the Star Lake Cup, which is a cup that two girls get for sailing in a competition and winning, and become, in a weird way, friends. As I came over to the end of this book, I thought about a better ending for it, and I came up with Tammy, Delaney, and Jemma all being friends, and Brooke just being unhappy and huffy. I wish that Tammy did not care as much for her. Even though I was only reading the book, I felt annoyed of Brooke. But the ending was cool anyway. So happily ever after. There. Well, not really. I don't know about Tammy and Jemma becoming friends again, but it looks like Brooke is going to be abandoned and Jemma will get her best friend back again.

Sign of The Beaver - December 1, 2009

12 year old Matt sits lonely in his log cabin, now aware that he is the only person left in the house. He wonders about his father, his mother, and Sarah, his little sister. And then he wonders about Attean. His Native American student.

A treaty had arranged Matt to teach Attean the language of the white men. Attean is a member of the beaver tribe. At first, Attean does not like Matt at all and refuses to do what Saknis says. But as they go on, Attean teaches Matt many things about the forest. In this story, Matt is invited to one of their feasts. At this point, Attean's grandmother loathes the white men, and does not trust them at all, especially Matt. Attean has a dog who adores him. Attean calles him 'pizwat' for hunting. Useless. When the dog gets caught in a trap, Matt is anxious to save him, but the dog does not understand and he refuses to be taken out by a stranger, and he scratches hisself on the trap's teeth. Hurriedly Matt runs to the Indian's village for help. When he gets there, he meets Attean's sister, Mary. mary has been baptized and she knows a lot of English. She takes Matt to her grandmother and surprisingly, the grandmother nurses the cut. It seems that the grandmother is concerned for him because she thinks the trap may have poison on it. Why is it surprising? The grandmother has never trusted white men. The grandmother is appreciating that Matt is trying to save Attean's dog. After Matt saves the dog with Mary's help, the dog and Matt are soon friends.

Attean soon has to go to find his Manatou, or his spirit. It is a rule that every indian must find his manatou to become a real man. His father and family, who is soon to come back with the new baby, has not come yet, as he had promised. The snows were soon to come and he was in danger of being alone during the winter. Attean and Saknis come, saying that Attean has found his Manatou and they have to leave. They suggest Matt come with them, as they think he will not survive the harsh weather. Matt refuses, as he believes that his family will return soon. Days after, Attean comes with a second offer. Matt refuses again, and Attean gives him many gifts from his tribe. Attean says that Matt is now his white brother. Then the Beaver tribe leaves for new land.

Soon Matt's father appears out of the snow. The baby is not there, for it only lived five days after birth. But Matt is happy, and after the family gets settled down, Matt tells them the story of his indian brother.

The Whipping Boy - November 20, 2009

Can people change encough to become friends when they were enemies? Jemmy and Prince Brat did. Really seems impossible for a prince to become friends with the son of a rat-catcher Jemmy-from-the-streets is now plain old My-old-friend-Jemmy to the prince.

Jemmy, the whipping boy of Prince Horace is tired, tired, tired of getting whipped every day. Now you probably get why they called him Brince Brat. When they run away and get kidnapped, they are only enemies and just care about themselves. But as the story goes on, they are back safe at the castle together.

Double Act - November 17, 2009

Solitary. No. Better. Double. Double Act by Jaqueline Wilson tells a heartwarming story of ten-year-old twin sisters, Ruby and Garnet. They are just ordinary twin sisters, until Rose comes. They just hate her. Their mother passed away when they both were only seven and they cannot stand the new mother. This whole book is like the diary of these sisters, recorded in an accounts book that their dad, Richard, had given them. They are not sure they can handle their new to-be mother. Ruby is rude and ridiculous, but Garnet is smart and shy. They are always together until here comes Rose. They move to the countryside because their dad had lost his job and had rented a bookstore there. There is a bunch of bullies living there, and they tease Ruby and Garnet all the time. This is a just right book for me because I enjoyed how it was written and the words were like everyday words, no complicating ones but still parts that are challenging. Then they have the audition for the movie that was coming up for The Twins at St. Clare's. There she goes again, Ruby, flipping back her hair and putting a hand on her hip. So she goes on and on to the lady with the funny accent, about the gucky muesli they had for breakfast. But Garnet. After finally deciding to speak, their dad rushes in and Garnet is speechless. And so is Ruby. With anger.
Then comes Marnock Heights. The girls decide they want to go to a boarding school called Marnock Heights, and they have an interview for a full-time scholarship. But a letter comes saying that only Garnet has earned the scholarship and Ruby hasn't. They are both sure that she has got them mixed up. It MUST be Ruby. But it really is Garnet. Now Ruby is trying her best to be different from her twin sister.

Poor Garnet. Poor Ruby. They want to be the same, yet they are so different! If they sit side by side, Garnet would read one of those classics like Little Women or something like that. But Ruby? What she'd probably get out one of those big books that have all these superstars on them. Different, right? But not in looks. In the morning, you can't really tell them apart. But when they come back from school in the afternoon, Ruby's buttons are undone, her plaits are starting to come off, and her shoes are untied. But Garnet, as neat as a pin. They both have black hair which they always tie up in plaits. But after what happened, Ruby changes her hairstyle completely. When Garnet tries to copy her, she changes it again. Last, she does the most horrible thing. She takes a pair of scissors and cuts off all her hair! Well, of course, Garnet would not want to do even that. So. Now they are different.

At last they come together. In the gang of bullies I told you about earlier, there is one fat guy that looks like a blob. And after Garnet leaves, sad because they are different, Ruby and The Blob come together as friends. Then a letter comes to Ruby from Garnet who is still at Marnock Heights. She is missing Ruby very much. Maybe it will be not just Ruby and Garnet, but forever will be just Ruby-and-Garnet.

Book Talk

Here is my video book talk.

The Dare Game

Jaqueline Wilson dares you to read The Dare Game! And I double-dare you to read this reading journal! The Dare Game is so far probably the best book that the best author ever has written. Tracy Beaker, all her life, has been the ueen of Dares. She loves to play what she calls footie (guess? football!), and she is a lovable (and of course) ,daring girl. She has a foster mum called Cam, short for Camilla, and she always thought that they would live forever and ever, only filled with happiness. She was wrong.

If you got tense at that part, of course it has a happy ending! In fact, it is so happy that it doesn't seem like a book anymore, it feels like you're there, in between the big fat letters, staring at what is going on, what the words explain. Tracy loves her mum. She and Cam have been living together for a long time, not keeping in touch with her mum. One day, she finds an empty house while walking off from the middle of school. She hates school so so much because of Ms. V. Bagley. She calls her Ms. Vomit Bagley, just to show how much she looks like a bag of sick. Or how much she is one.

Tracy, of course as I told you, lives happy afterward. She used to want to live with her mum, but now she lives with Cam. And believe it or not, she likes that better! Tracy has two other friends she makes throughout the book, and those two are called Alexander and Football.(Funny name, huh?)

I think this is a great book to read because it shows all the feelings the character felt throughout this part of her life. Jaqueline Wilson again dares you to read more books!