The Deathly Hallows

My Review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

     The hallows, the heartbreak, the horror.  Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling, was the hardest book of the Harry Potter series to get through because of the death of Dumbledore, but here's how they got through without him.  Dumbledore left Harry, Ron, and Hermione with a mission to destroy all of Voldemort's horcruxes which are filled with not-so-fun surprises. Voldermort is basically taking over Britain.  There are so many Deatheaters and nobody in Britain is safe.

     Deathly Hallows is hard to get through but don't get too sad, we've got some new characters, like Abeforth, to enjoy.  I give this book 5 monsters for it's well written, emotional scenes and because of its characters.  I love all of the action and I like that you find more things about the characters in this book.  I also like the dramatic scenes in this book.  And there are plenty of them.
   
     I love this series because of the author.  Lots of people just see the movies but they are never as good as the books.  I have to say that Ron and Dobby were my favorite characters, but I love all of them.  It was an awesome series and I'm sad it had to come to an end.

All Aboard! I'm leaving for Hogwarts.

This is J. K. Rowling's website:

http://www.jkrowling.com/en_US/#/harry-potter

Scholastic has a GREAT site to explore the Harry Potter Series, make sure you check it out, too:

http://harrypotter.scholastic.com/

To be a part of Harry Potter's World I think you should try POTTERMORE.  It's a website that lets you experience all the things you read about in the books.

http://www.pottermore.com/

This year my parents took me to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  I loved it!  I hope I get to go back soon.  Here are some pictures from our trip.

This is what Hogwarts looks like.

I tried the Pumpkin Juice.  It was good, but I really loved the Butterbeer best!

I loved all the cool shop fronts, but I was disappointed when I figured out I couldn't go in them.

 Another shop front.

 The Butterbeer was probably the best drink I've ever tasted!

YUM!

Marsh reviews The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

Marsh Reviews The Unwanteds

     In a land called Quill, every year, there is a ceremony called The Purge.  The Purge is a way to eliminate the creative children from their world.  The creative people are called the Unwanteds.  Alex is an Unwanted.  His identical twin brother, Aaron, is not an Unwanted and he is the one that reported Alex for being creative. He is taken to the Death Farm where the Unwanteds are taken to be killed, but it turns out the Death Farm is really a school to help the Unwanteds turn their creativity into magic.  The Death Farm is called Artime` by the people who live there.  Artime` is a very colorful and artistic place.  The man that runs the Death Farm, Mr. Today, is not killing the Unwanteds, he is helping them.  The people of Quill have found out the Death Farm is really training the Unwanteds instead of killing them.  The citizens of Quill  are going to attack!  

     Can Alex survive?  What will happen to Artime`?  What to happen to Quill?

     I loved The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann!  It is a very good book and I loved that the characters were brave and creative.  I would be an Unwanted that was sent to the Death Farm because I am creative and sometimes I don't fit in.  Sometimes people think athletics are better than arts, but I disagree.  Arts are just as important as sports.   I learned that societies that don't have creative people in them will not work as well as societies with them.  Quill needs the Unwanteds to be a better society.

I give The Unwanteds 5 Monsters,

And, a shout out to Lisa McMann for being a great author!

You can find The Unwanteds at your school or local library, or you can buy it at your favorite bookstore.

To find out more about the book and its author visit http://lisamcmann.com/html/unwanteds.html 

Marsh Reviews Michael Carroll's SUPER HUMAN

     A group of people called the Heltroy are trying to bring back the Fifth King.  The Fifth King is the first superhuman.  The Heltroy wants him to rule the world again.  To sicken all the adult superheroes and anyone else who might interfere with their plans, the Heltroy create a virus.  The virus makes everyone over the age of 19 very sick and they become immobile.  It is up to Roz, Thunder, Abby, and Lance to stop that from happening.  Three superhumans and one plain person all under the age of twenty against the Heltroy.  Can they save the world?  Find out in Super Human by Michael Carroll.

     Super Human was a spectacular book!  This book has lots of action and adventure.  I liked the characters.  I liked how brave and powerful they were.  I love to read books about people with powers.  This was one of the best superhero books I have read.  I am very excited to read the next book in the New Heroes/ Quantum Prophecy series by Michael Carroll.

I give Super Human 5 monsters out of 5!

You can find out more about this series and the author here- http://www.michaelowencarroll.com/qp/main.htm

You check out this book at your school or local library or buy it at your favorite Indie Bookstore or other bookstores.

Marsh and Emiline are On the Same Page

http://www.littleshopofstories.com/same-page.php

     We are so excited to be participating in On the Same Page!

     At the Decatur Book Festival it was announced that The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster would be the selected book for On the Same Page for the city of Decatur.  Both of us are reading the book and so are our parents. To find out more about On the Same Page click on the link above.  On The Same Page is a citywide reading  program.  This is a great idea!!  See if your city has this, if not, read along with us or get your city On the Same Page.

Emiline's Review of The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

     First let me say a big Thank You to On the Same Page for introducing me to this wonderful book, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.  Let's get to my summary and review!

     One day ten year old Milo was walking home.  When he got there, in his room was a quite large package.  Inside the package was a tollbooth with a note and a map taped to it.  On the map there was a place called Dictionopolis.  It sounded good to Milo, so he set off, ready to go.  He went into the windy weather and got into his little car.  Milo didn't know exactly how to get there, so he held onto the map with one hand and with the other hand he held onto the wheel.  He drove all night and he finally got to Dictionopolis.

     When Milo was wandering around Dictionopolis he ran into a person named Humbug.  Humbug was selling words.  Milo tripped and dumped out all of Humbug's words.  Everyone was upset and then a police man commented on how clumsy Milo was, and because of that Milo went to jail!.  When Milo was let out of jail he had to see the King of Dictionopolis.  When Milo got to the palace the King told Milo to find the two princesses, Rhyme and Reason.  Can Milo find them?  Find out in The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

     I thought that The Phantom Tollbooth was a great book.  Even though it is very old I still loved it. I also really enjoyed the illustrations because they made the book fun.  It is a great book for your family to read together.  So, get On the Same Page and read The Phantom Tollbooth!

Overall I give The Phantom Tollbooth 5 MONSTERS!

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