Thursday, May 31, 2012

If WE Had a Magic Lamp


On Fridays, we TRY to post our Magic Lamp Wishes, but sometimes we get really busy. We are back today with If I had Magic Lamp Meme started by Ya-Aholic. To find out all the details please visit . We get to make 3 Wishes each!  Hop on our Magic Carpet and see what we have wished for! 
Marsh & Emiline


I'm reading Divergent by Veronica Roth and my wishes are:
1.  I wish there wasn't tension between between Erudite and Abnegation so Beatrice's Mom could visit her brother, Caleb.

2. I wish the Divergent could have a separate faction where there are higher standards for learning.  And the Divergent can also be used for special operations to fight against opposing threats to society.

3.  I wish I could have an epic paintball war with my friends like the Dauntless did for training.  I would like to go out in an abandoned city in the middle of the night for the paintball war.
  


I'm reading Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling and my wishes are:

1.  I wish I could know more about the Tales of the Three Brothers.  It's such a fascinating story.

2.  I wish Harry had the Resurrection Stone so he could bring the people who were important to him back to life.  Sirius' and Dumbledore's deaths were heartbreaking.

3.  I wish I could go to the Lovegood's house.  I would love to see all the mysterious items they have, and I would like to meet Luna.  Luna reminds me of me.


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Emiline's Review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire


Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 Book by: J.K. Rowling
Report by: Emiline


     Many people have been inspired by J.K. Rowling’s books because of one series--Harry Potter.  Here’s my report on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

     Back to another amazing year at Hogwarts, but something else lies before Harry and the other students, the legendary Triwizard Tournament.  Hogwarts is competing against two other wizard schools and there can only be one champion from each school.   The champions put their name in the goblet and the goblet decides the champion. Somebody mysteriously puts Harry’s name in the goblet and he becomes the 2nd Hogwarts champion! Harry, along with his other friends Ron and Hermione, tries to solve the case.  
     But the Triwizard tournament is not all that happens.  Hermione starts to make a club for people who think it’s wrong to own house elves, also  known as S.P.E.W.  Harry prepares for his tasks and Rita Skeeter, The Daily Prophet newspaper writer  reports bad things about him .
     Will Harry and his friends succeed?   Find out in the fantastical book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.


REVIEWERS RESPONSE:

Harry Potter’s adventures always have me hanging at the edge of my seat but this one has to be my favorite! She writes as if she were right  there as if she were the character. She inspires me to write more because of the way she writes.



Monday, May 28, 2012


Happy Memorial Day!
It's Monday, so that means it's time for us to tell you all about another Marvelous Middle-Grade Book, but we aren't alone in this, make sure you go and visit Ms. Shannon Messenger's blog and see the list of all the bloggers who have found great Middle-Grade reads to tell you about. 
Thanks,
Marsh and Emiline


Happy Memorial Day!
     I picked We Were Heroes: The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins, a World War II Soldier, Normandy, France, 1944 by Walter Dean Myers for my MMGM.  I loved this book.  It was factual, yet entertaining at the same time--  that's a first!  I liked how you were reading about the battles from a soldier's point of view.  The author made you feel like you were actually there in the middle of the battle.  I thought this book would be great for my Memorial Day MMGM because it's all about our courageous troops.

Remember WHY it's Memorial Day,
Marsh

Summary of We Were Heroes: The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins, a World War II Solidier, Normandy, France, 1944 taken from Scholastic:

A Tale of Courage in the Face of Impossible Odds, Told by a Newbery Award-Winning Author!Follow one soldier's path to safety through World War II's most lethal battle! At the height of World War II, Scott Pendleton Collins signs up for the Army. After all, both his father and grandfather fought for their country. But at first the only enemy he faces is boredom. He and his unit want to be out in the fields, doing something to help the Allied forces, but instead they meet with endless delays.There's a rumor that something big is coming, and finally Scott discovers what it is. In the dead of night, he and his comrades find themselves on a boat heading to Normandy, France. At last, as his boat approaches the beach, Scott suddenly realizes what they are up against. Nothing in basic training, nothing he's heard from other soldiers or from his father or grandfather, nothing he has ever experienced could prepare him for what awaits on Omaha Beach.As D-Day rages around him, Scott is separated from his unit. Lost in the bloody chaos, he must find a way to live through the battle.

When I started to research this book I found out that it is a part of a series, My Name is America.  This series has lots of interesting books about Americans and who we are. 

This is a great discussion and activity guide for this book:
This is the author, Walter Dean Myers website:

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday


It's Monday! That means it's time for us to tell you about another fantastic Middle-Grade book.  We aren't alone.  This is a great meme started by Ms. Shannon and there are lots of us that want to share our picks for Middle- Grade Mondays.  Make sure you visit Ms. Shannon at http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/ to see all the bloggers who are participating.
Marsh & Emiline


     I chose THE GIRLS' GHOST HUNTING GUIDE by Stacey Graham as my MMGM because of it's scary potential.  It has everything from scientific evidence of the existence of ghosts to urban legends!  After you've read this book you'll be a ghost expert.  It's a great book for sleep overs because of its urban legends. (Have you ever heard of resurrection Mary?)  I liked that the book had questions that girls of all ages responded to with logical explanations.  You are going to love this book if you are fascinated by graceful creatures who lurk in haunted houses, aka, ghosts.  I think if you are a creature of reading (who prefers horror), you should read this.
     CAUTION, not for people who are scared easily!

 Boo! Emiline

If you are interested in this book you really need to check out the Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide Site!
and the author has a really cool site too:

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Marsh's Book Review of Mockingjay


DOWN WITH THE CAPITAL!!  Here we are after our video for Catching Fire as Tributes.

Marsh's Report on Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins:

      After the remaining Tributes broke out of the arena in Catching Fire, The Capital was enraged and furiously expressed that by violently bombing District 12.  All of the survivors from this bombing go to the rumored District 13 as refugees.  13 has developed a military to fight and rebel against the Capital, and Katniss is chosen as their Mockingjay.  The Mockingjay is the symbol of the rebels, the symbol of freedom from the Capitol.  All the districts look up to her in the time of war.

Who will win the war?
Who will survive?
Will the Districts get justice?
Find out in Mockingjay.

Response:
     I thought Mockingjay was a very good book.  I was glad to see the Districts finally take a stand.  The Capital deserved it for every innocent man, woman, and child they had killed or scarred.  I was frustrated to see that Katniss did not get get to participate in many battles, but I loved the outcome of this book.
I give Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 5 Monsters out of 5.


Visit Suzanne Collin's Website for more information on her books.

Scholastic has a page just for the Hunger Games series.  There are some great author videos that about violence and audience for this series. Remember, Suzanne Collins also has a great Middle-Grade series too.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday





If it's Monday then that means it's time for Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday! We love this meme and all the bloggers that participate, so make sure you go to Ms. Shannon Messenger's blog to see the list of the bloggers that have GREAT Middle-Grade Books to tell you about.

This week my MMGM is Middle School: The Worst Years of my Life.  Our Horizons class was assigned this book to read since we are all getting a little excited about going to Middle-School next year.  This is a really short book, so if you aren't really excited about reading this one might be a gook book for you.
Marsh


Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Authors: James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts
Illustrator: Laura Parks
MMGM review by Marsh

Rafe has suspended his operation to try  to break all the Hills Village Middle School rules.  He's all done because he wants to be normal.  What fun is that?  Now his best friend, Leo, is giving him the silent treatment.  He's also stopped selling Zoom in his locker--that means no more sugary goodness at school.  Many hope he will restart his operation, but many people think not.  W have lost hope of him breaking every single rule in the HVMS conduct book.

I really like this book.  It is super witty.  I really liked when Rafe was in detention and the author portrayed him as a knight fighting a dragon (the teacher).  I also enjoyed it because it had a Diary of a Wimpy Kid kind of mentality.

For more information about this book visit: http://jamespatterson.com/books_middleSchool.php

The second book in this series just came out too.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday


It's Monday, and that means we have a fabulous book for Middle-Graders to tell you about!  This is our favorite meme started by Ms. Shannon, and there are so many wonderful bloggers and middle-grade books to tell you about, so make sure you visit Ms. Shannon's Blog to see what's happening!

Emiline's Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday Pick is:
Oddfellow's Orphanage by Emily Winfield Martin
     Have you ever felt misplaced or ODD?  Well then, Oddfellow's Orphanage is the perfect place for you.  It has classes on monsters, fairytales, and even contellations. There are bears, and Onion Boys, and Baby New Years, oh my!
     If you are familiar with Emily Winfield Martin's paintings then you will love this book.  It's really cute, because of all the mysterious things in it.
Emiline




This is MY picture!

If you need to give somebody a gift you should get this book and the paper doll book for them.  I love her characters and her art.  I've had lots of fun playing with the paper dolls.

You can find out more about Ms. Martin by visiting her website:
Make sure you check out her Etsy page for some fantastical pictures! I want them all!
You can see pictures and find out more about the characters from Oddfellow's Orphanage by visiting the Oddfellow's Orphanage site:

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Children's Book Week Giveaway Hop!


And the winner is . . .
Jasmine Ko
Congratulations Jasmine!


We are celebrating Children's Book Week by participating in a Hop!  We have read the list of all the nominees and it was hard to decide which books would be best since they are all so good.  There are 126 blogs that are also in this Hop, so make sure you click on the link below to see all the participating blogs.

We have decided that since WE couldn't decide which book we wanted to give away, that we would let you choose.  We are giving away a Barnes and Noble eGift Card in the amount of $20 to one winner!

Here are the Rules:
1. Become a public follower of our blog (if you're private, we can't see you).
2. Leave a comment on this post and make sure you include your email address.

May the odds be EVER in your favor,
Marsh & Emiline


We are so excited our favorite bookstore is hosting LOTS of "Official" CBW Events. If you live close to Atlanta check out Little Shop of Stories, or go look on their site: http://www.littleshopofstories.com/

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Magical Monster Podcast #3


Emiline's Review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

     This time I did things a little differently.  I did a review podcast, because I need to do something different than just a review for school.  I hope you enjoy it.  I will be back to my regular reviews in no time!

Emiline






Here's a link to Pottermore, so you can explore more of the world of Harry Potter:
and Scholastic has a great page of Harry Potter Stuff: