Tuesday, July 6, 2010

How Joe Succeeded

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How Joe Succeeded
Written by Mary Morrison
Published by David C. Cook in 1905
64 pages.

Genre: Adventure, Journey.

Summery: Joe is a lazy 16 year old boy, so his uncle sends him to work at a lumbercamp. Joe learns to work, the value of money, the vice of gambling, and the meaning of success.

Response: A fun, quick look into the early 20th century. I enjoyed it. Not very deep characters or storyline, but a fun book.

Word of Caution: Joe gambles away his money.

Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad


Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Written by Ann Petry
Published by Amistad in 1995
256 pages.
Genre: History, Nonfiction.
Summery: This book tells the story of the remarkable woman named Harriet Tubman. It tells about her childhood as a slave, how she ran away as a young woman, her many years rescuing slaves, and her work as a spy in the Civil War.
Response: I enjoyed this book. I knew a little about Harriet Tubman, but this book helped me appreciate and admire her a lot more. Well-written as a story, not as dry as some history books.
Word of Caution: Tells about her sometimes violent life as a slave.

The Lightning Thief


The Lightning Thief
Written by Rick Riordan
Published by Hyperion Book in 2009
384 pages.
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure.
Summery: Everything seems to go wrong to Percy Jackson. He's never been to a school that he didn't get kicked out of. But this school will be better, right? Wrong. He gets kicked out, but this time he finds out why. He's a demigod, and Zeus thinks Percy stole his lightning bolt. Percy has to find it to prove his innocence- and soon.
Response: Loved it. Well-written, likeable characters, with a fast and mostly unpredictable plot.
Word of Caution: An abusive step-father.

The Boys' First Book of Radio and Electronics

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The Boys' First Book of Radio and Electronics
Written by Alfred P. Morgan
Published by C. Scribner in 1954
About 264 pages.

Genre: How-To, Nonfiction.

Summery: This book is a well-written explanation of basic radio science. The author still holds enough of his inner youth to make the book entertaining for boys. He tells stories and shows how the "new" radio technology can make the world a better place. It is very informative and encourages boys to be creative and try new things.

Response: I still don't really know anything about radio science, but I'm a girl and the book wasn't quite as interesting to me. My brother loved it. I'd say it's definately a boys' book. (Duh. Look at the title.)

Word of Caution: None. The book is out of print, so good luck finding it to buy. I got a copy from the library.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing


The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing
Written by M. T. Anderson
Published by Candlewick in 2008
384 pages.
Genre: Historical Fiction, Violence, Journey.
Summery: This is the story of a young male slave in pre-revolution America. He is raised in a scientific household, not knowing as a child that he is as much of an experiment as the strange chemicals. He is treated as brilliant at first, being taught latin and greek, science and mathematics. But then times change and he is, after all, a slave.
Response: Honestly, this book could make me hate historical fiction. The first part was freaky weird, but by the middle......it was still freaky weird. I skimmed a lot of it because it was gross and parts of the plot dragged. I don't think I would recommend it.
Word of Caution: Violence, slaves are treated as slaves, some language, graphic description of nasty things, and sexual references.