Inside Out & Back Again – Thanhha Lai

by Callie | Apr 4, 2019 | All

To me, there are two ways to think of poetry. There’s the type that sort of just tells you something, like a story. But it’s so simple. And this story doesn’t exactly play put an effect on you. The cat went to the park. Soon the cat heard a bark… And so on. I guess it’s hard to explain because it’s not really making the kind of I want it to. I guess its just sort of simply declaring something, But the second kind was this book. The whole thing was just so sad. It was in the girls perspective and she didn’t explain too much most of the time. I like when this happens in books because it lets you imagine the possibilities. Inside out and back again is a book about a girl, Hà who has lived in the same place her whole life. Saigon, Vietnam. Soon she and her family have to flee Saigon and seek refuge in Alabama. The storyline is written so beautifully. And it was very sad a lot of the time. But it had it’s happy moments too. The best parts were when her English went a little wonky and she messed it up. It’s written so well. I’d recommend this book to a lot of people and the people I know that have read it give it a five-star rating.

The Someday Birds – Sally J. Pla

by Callie | Mar 3, 2019 | All

Charlie’s life has been perfect up until this point. Perfectly germ-less and clean, perfectly organized and perfectly ordinary. That is up until his dad gets hurt in Afghanistan. Now Charlie is living with his grandmother and frequently visiting his dad. But then Charlie’s dad gets transferred to a hospital in Virginia for a treatment. Now he must set off on a road trip from California to Virginia with his crazy-for-boys sisters, idiotic brothers and strange-friend wouldn’t be the word-acquaintance. Who knows if Charlie can do this? Soon he decides to find all the birds he and his dad have always wanted to see. Along the way they will make strange friends, go on crazy adventures and find some pretty cool things.

I guess you could call it a road trip sort of book. But whatever they are called I love this theme. I feel like books like this are lots and lots of adventures packed into one book. Every part of the book is a little different from the others. There are unexpected endings and crazy milestones. You take on a whole new perspective in this book. The characters are ridiculous and relatable. If you do check it out I can almost guarantee you’ll like it.

Schooled – Gordon Korman

by Callie | Feb 23, 2019 | All

“I was thirteen the first time I saw a police officer up close. He was arresting me for driving without a license at the time, I didn’t know what a license was. I wasn’t too clear on what being arrested meant either.” -Cap Anderson, Schooled.  Can we just make this clear? Gordon Korman writes some of the most hilarious books. Especially Schooled. In the first paragraph he explains how he doesn’t know what a license was or being arrested. It’s realistic fiction and in a perspective most people haven’t experienced. This book made me really think, I wonder what it would be like to live the life for a little while. I loved how Korman used first person because it gives a better perspective on how confused Cap was of almost all of our daily uses. I was laughing the whole time. It’s a great book for all ages too. From a third grader to an eighth grader. It’s a total representation of not to judge a book by it’s cover.

The only life Capricorn Anderson has ever known is on a farm in the middle of nowhere. He is living the full pioneer life. But when his grandmother gets hurt Cap has to move in with a guidance counselor and her bad tempered daughter. There, he has to attend normal middle school. But Cap has never had pizza, can’t understand lockers, never watched TV does tai chi in the school lawn and has to deal with the bullies who just nominated him for class president. Can this hippie be the next hero or the bully’s next big catch?

Spy School – Stuart Gibbs

by Callie | Feb 21, 2019 | All

   Spys! Secret organisations! This books got it all! The series itself  is a favorite of mine by a long shot. It felt like every moment I was reading it I was saying “What’s next! What’s next!” Stuart Gibbs makes the main character, Ben relatable to most kids. I recommend this book to so many people! I do suggest that if you don’t like action books this might not be your thing. It’s written in the perspective of Ben and so forth making it very funny. It takes most kids dreams of becoming a spy and putting it into a book. When I finished the book I was actually sad. I just wanted more!

  12 old Ben Ripley’s life was very boring for the last 4,583 days of his life. But when a CIA spy shows up on his couch one day after school things begin to change. Soon dorky Ben has been recruited to the CIA’s academy of espionage. All he wants to do is become a super cool sky and get the girl. But then he finds he might be a decent spy. Soon he e finds he might be a decent spy. Soon he crosses paths with double agents and people who might just want to kill him.

Stuart Gibbs – An inspiring Author

by Callie | Feb 21, 2019 | All

Stuart Gibbs is one of the best children’s book authors ever. That has got to be a fact. I have read almost all of his book and haven’t found one I don’t like. He has inspired me as a reader and a writer and gives me a passion for writing books. I was so exited to find out Gibbs was not done publishing books in the Spy School series. There is no series I like better and are the only books I can reread. When Gibbs announced a sixth book I ordered it as soon as it was available to order. His books are that kind that are hard to put down and make me stay up all night to finish. One time I one time got so exited to read one of his books that I read in the shower. Though it was wet I was still too exited to put it down.

Thank you Stuart for giving me a love of books and reading I hope you keep publishing books in every series. Also, I am very exited for Charlie Throne and the last equation and SS7.

Warriors – Into the Wild

by Callie | Feb 20, 2019 | All