Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays

     It's Monday, and that means it's time for us to tell you all about another wonderful Middle-Grade Book.  This meme was started by Ms. Shannon and she's gotten a lot of other bloggers to join in.  This is a great meme for discovering new books that are just for Middle-Graders.  Make sure you visit Ms. Shannon's blog for the list of all the bloggers. http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/

           Marsh & Emiline

Marsh's MMGM is Odd and the Frost Giants written by Neil Gaiman

 and illustrated by Brett Helquist

     The Avengers was a huge summer movie and one of the main characters is Thor, so why not talk about Norse Mythology?  If your looking for this particular mythology then check out Neil Gaiman's Odd and the Frost Giants.  Odd is a twelve-year-old boy who has to save all of Asgard from frost giants.  This is a great short read.  I really enjoyed how Gaiman made the legends come to life.  My favorite character was Odd.  I really admired his confidence and his soaring intellect.  

I give Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman Five Monsters.

To find out more about this book and Neil Gaiman please visit:

http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Books/Odd+and+the+Frost+Giants/

Here's a funny picture of us in the Norway Pavilion in Epcot.

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 

Marsh's MMGM is Gregor the Overlander (The Underland Chronicles #1) by Suzanne Collins

  So many of you have read The Hunger Games, but have any of you read Suzanne Collins's other series, The Underland Chronicles?  It is about a boy named Gregor who goes into a grate in his apartment, falls way down, and finds a whole world underground.  He is in one of the Underlanders prophecies and now he is involved in a conflict between giant rats and humans.  This is a great series packed with adventure and I recommend it for all fans of Suzanne Collins.

Marsh

This is the first book in the series and we are giving it away to one public follower!  Just leave us a comment, and make sure you leave your email address so we can contact you if you are the winner.

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.

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. 

http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/

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:

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/journal-scott-pendleton-collins-discussion-guide

This is the author, Walter Dean Myers website:

http://www.walterdeanmyers.net/index.html

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.

http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/

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.

Marvelous MUSTACHE Middle-Grade Monday!

Welcome to MMGM at A Monster Ate my Book Report! 

This week we have picked a FAN{TACHE}TIC book by one of our favorite authors, Mr. Tom Angleberger, Fake Mustache.  This is a great meme started by Ms. Shannon Messenger and there are lots of other blogs that participate, so make sure you head on over to Ms. Shannon's blog to see the list! http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/

     I am very excited about Tom Angleberger's book Fake Mustache.  I just started to read it, and let's just say, it's very humorous--and hairy.  I think it is a really good book and, right now, everyone seems to be going through mustache fever, so it has come out at just the right time.
     Once again, I am very impressed with Mr Angleberger's writing and I encourage him to keep doing it.

--Marsh

     Mustaches are in--and so is Tom Angleberger's new book, Fake Mustache.  It's filled with hairy adventures.  I can't wait to read it.  It will be so much fun.
     If you love mustaches, read Fake Mustache.  If you don't, read it and then you just might wake up with a mustache of your very own.
     Read it, before it's too late to start your obsession with facial hair.

--Emiline

Make sure you check out Tom Angleberger's site:

http://origamiyoda.wordpress.com/

We have also reviewed Mr. Angleberger's other books, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back.  If you haven't heard of these or just want to watch our funny videos click here:

http://amonsteratemybookreport.blogspot.com/2011/08/strange-case-of-origami-yoda.html

and

http://amonsteratemybookreport.blogspot.com/2011/09/our-book-reports-on-darth-paper-strikes.html

We love to meet authors!  And Marsh was lucky enough to meet and interview Mr. Angleberger at The Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, Tennessee.  It was a great opportunity and super cool that he took  the time to meet with his fans.  If you want to see the interview you can click here:

http://amonsteratemybookreport.blogspot.com/2011/10/our-interview-with-tom-angleberger.html

Summary of Fake Mustache taken from Goodreads:

Award-winning author Tom Angleberger flexes his comic muscle in this hairy adventure story with twists at every turn.

     Regular kid Lenny Flem Jr. is the only one standing between his evil-genius best friend—Casper, a master of disguise and hypnosis—and world domination. It all begins when Casper spends money from his granny on a spectacularly convincing fake mustache, the Heidelberg Handlebar #7. With it he’s able rob banks, amass a vast fortune, and run for president. Is Lenny the only one who can see through his disguise? And will he be able to stop Casper from taking over the world?

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

Welcome to MMGM at A Monster Ate My Book Report!  This meme was started by our friend, Ms. Shannon.  You should visit her blog to check out all the other blogs participating in this meme.  We are Middle- Graders, so this is really fun for us.
http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/

Marsh's MMGM pick for this week is 
The Sea Wolves (The Secret Journeys of Jack London #2)
Written by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
Illustrated by Greg Ruth

     The Secret Journeys of Jack London:  The Sea Wolves is my MMGM pick for this week.   This book made me feel excited and full of adrenaline.  It made me feel that way because Jack London is on a ship full of sea wolves (violent creatures that are kind of like werewolves) and he is desperately trying to get off.

     I really like how courageous Jack is and how he keeps on trying to get off the ship.  He always has a sense of justice, and that is another thing I admire him for.

     I thought this was a great book.  I also think that, because it it so action packed and so full of monsters, most fans of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series would like tis book.

 Click here to visit Christopher Golden's website:
http://www.christophergolden.com/jack/

     By the way Jack London is actually, in real life, was the author of many famous books, like White Fang.  I read it with my class in second grade.  I think you should also check it out.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

     The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is my MMGM pick this week.

     The Lightning Thief was the book that got me into reading.  My school librarian recommended this book to me and once I started reading it I loved it.  What really encouraged me to keep on reading was because it was based on Greek Mythology.  By the time I finished The Lightening Thief I knew the names of all the Greek Gods.

     The main character is a boy named Percy Jackson and he is a Demi-God.  He is going on a quest to save his mom.  I liked howPercy was so brave and overcame everything to get back his mom.  This book is one of my all time favorites and I am glad to have The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan as my MMGM.

I was lucky enough to go to a signing for The Last Olympian.

And this is me at at signing for The Red Pyramid.

Rick Riordan is a fantastic writer. You should check out his site to find out more about his books!

http://www.rickriordan.com/home.aspx

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday is a meme that lots of other blogs participate in. Click on this link to find out about the other blogs and you can see their MMGMs too!

http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/

Oh, we almost forgot! The winner of last week's MMGM is Mr. Michael G-G!!

Thanks for joining us for MMGM,

Marsh & Emiline

Marsh's Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday!

Marsh's Marvelous Middle-Grade Book is

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

     Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld, is my MMGM pick for this week.  What first interested me in this book was the fact that it was based on World War I, but it has a twist in it.  Leviathan has giant war machines and fabricated animals that are used for airships and as weapons--everything a Middle-Grade boy likes.  When I started reading I was hooked!  

      There are two points of view, one from an Austrian Prince named Alek, and another from a British Airman (who's really a girl), named Deryn.  They are both sixteen years old but they come from two different sides of the war.  One is a Darwinist--someone who mans and/or uses fabricated animals during wartime, the other is a Clanker--someone who prefers machines over fabricated animals.

      I recommend Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld, to people who are interested in World War I, and people who are interested in battles, bombs, and many fights between zeppelins and metal pooping bats.

This is the Trailer for Leviathan:

You should really check this website out too, it's Scott Westerfeld's Site-

http://scottwesterfeld.com/books/leviathan/

Summary of Leviathan from Goodreads:

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

Special Report: Marsh Reviews Heather Brewer's THE SLAYER CHRONICLES: FIRST KILL

The Slayer Chronicles:

First Kill

By Heather Brewer

A Spoiler Free Book Report by Marsh

            I’ve been waiting for this book to come out for a long time.  I have read all the Vladimir Tod books and Heather Brewer is my favorite author.  I was eager to see what she wrote next and where she took her character, Joss. 

My mom went to ComicCon and since I read Heather Brewer’s blog, I knew my Auntie Heather was going to be there!!  AND she would have advanced reader copies of The First Kill.  My mom said she’d TRY to find her. 

I was shocked when my mom called me and she said, “Guess who I’m looking at?” 

I said, “Who?”

She said, “Heather Brewer.”

I was like, “OH. MY. VLAD.” 

My mom put someone on the phone.  I ended up talking to my favorite author, HEATHER BREWER!  When my mom came home, I had The First Kill and a signed copy of Eighth Grade Bites.  Inside Eighth Grade Bites it said, “It was FANGtastic talking to you on the phone”. 

                                                                      

The Slayer Chronicles: The First Kill is thrilling.  I never knew what was going to happen next.  I enjoyed that it was from Joss’ point of view.  And I love how it started out when he was ten, especially since I’m a ten-year old boy. But unlike Joss, my sister didn’t die at the hands of a vampire, although sometimes she thinks she is one.  I’m not very strong either.  I’m not that agile.  In fact, I’m really only fast when something is chasing me.  Good thing Joss isn’t me.  He’d never make it as a slayer.

From the age of ten through thirteen, Joss gets stronger, and faster, and becomes a Slayer.  That is mostly what this book is about.  The First Kill changed my opinion of Joss, but Vlad will always be my favorite.

This is one of the best books I’ve read.  I would recommend it to people who love Vladimir Tod and to fans of Joss, but if you haven’t read any other Heather Brewer books, you should start with Eighth Grade Bites!

            I give it ten monsters—out of five.

Find out more about Heather Brewer's awesome books at www.vladtod.com  AND www.slayerchronicles.com . To find out more about Heather Brewer visit her website at http://www.heatherbrewer.com/ .

You can find these books at your local library. 

Or at our favorite Indie Bookstore, Little Shop of Stories, here- http://littleshopofstories.com/

Okay, down to the swag stuff... I'm a Master Minion, well, my mom is since I'm not 14 yet, but I'm going to play nice and share.  We have bookmarks, tattoos, a Vlad Tod tote bag (featured in the video), and also a Vlad Tod shirt (also in the video). If you want to win some swag here's what you need to do--

1. Become a follower of this blog (public, so we can see you!)

2. Comment on this review telling us what you are most excited for in The Slayer Chronicles, and then leave your email

3. Limited to the US residents, because we are kids and we are broke!

4. Contest ends  September 16, 2011 (We have re-opened the giveaway!  Enter now for new prizes!)

Good Luck!!

Marsh Reviews John Stephens's THE EMERALD ATLAS

The Emerald Atlas

(Books of the Beginning #1)

by John Stephens

Book Report by Marsh

         Kate, Michael, and Emma are brother and sisters.  They were left at an orphanage by their parents when they were very young for some unknown reason, so they have moved from orphanage to orphanage. But this one is different.  It is in Cambridge Falls. There are no other kids in this orphanage.  The scenery seems to change.  And the orphanage is much bigger than it appears.

         One day while the kids are exploring the orphanage, they find a book with an emerald green cover.  Michael figures he could use the book as extra storage for his photos, so he places his photo in the book and then he and his sisters are transported back in time to the old Cambridge Falls, where the Countess, an evil witch, is trying to kill all of the kids of Cambridge Falls.  Kate, Michael, and Emma will have to save all the kids.  Can they do it?

         I think this book is very good. I love the big battles between the Countess and her allies and the kids and their allies.  I have the most in common with Michael, because like him, I like learning about mythical creatures and reading.  I enjoyed how Kate was clever and she was always helping her brother and sister.  Emma was really tough and was always ready to kill monsters.  I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. I hope to see where their next adventure takes them.

         I recommend this book for kids who love action and adventure. I give this book 5 monsters!

To read more about this series and the author, please visit- http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/emeraldatlas/

To find a copy of this book check your local library or find it at an independent bookseller-

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780375868702/john-stephens/emerald-atlas

Or Amazon-

http://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Atlas-Books-Beginning/dp/0375868704/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312060314&sr=8-1

Or Barnes & Noble-

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/emerald-atlas-john-stephens/1100168993?ean=9780375868702&itm=1&usri=emerald%2batlas