Author: Peg Kehret
Main Character(s): Kyle Davidson, his sister BeeBee
The story starts out with Kyle being in 6th grade. It is at the end of the school year and he is to write a list of things that he can accomplish over the summer. He puts four items on his list, including one about the bully that constantly hounds him. His goal is the finally get the bully to stop. Kyle finds out that he will be going on a trip with is parents and sister to the Oregon coast. His father won a trip for being the top seller of real-estate. At the airport, he runs into the bully whose mother happens to be the top virtual seller and is going to the same award ceremony. What a quandry!
They arrive at the hotel that is not finished yet to find they must stay in an old hotel across the street. NO one is happy about it. They visit the beach that afternoon to see a sign warning about tsunamis that happen when there is an earthquake. It says to find higher ground as soon as the earthquake tremors stop. There hasn't been a tsunami in at least 15 years so no one seems concerned when an earthquake does happen. Kyle is left to babysit BeeBee for the night. The pizza and the milkshakes end up on the floor and all Kyle can think about is getting out of the building even though he was told to stay in all night. He fights through a fire in the old hotel with BeeBee at his side. He happens upon the bully passed out and drags him down three flights of stairs. Once the bully comes to he panics and runs past them not even saying a thank you. What a jerk! Once outside Kyle instructs BeeBee to stay with him as they run up the side of the mountain. The whole time he is worrying about their lives, he is concerned about his parents. What a situation!
This is a really great book for 6th graders! It is on my science book list for this semester and I am anxious to see how the students react to it. Two thumbs up!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Dragon in the Cliff
Author: Sheila Cole
Main Character: Mary Anning
This is a fictional story based on the real life of Mary Anning. She was a woman born in 1799 who was instrumental in her contributions as a fossil hunter, excavator, and collector. Her unfortunate circumstances led her father to begin schooling her at the age of 7 to collect specimens from a rock cliff near where they lived. This was during hard times, for he was a cabinet-maker that could not make ends meet since the time of Napoleon. Her father used the curiosities to help supplement the family income to get by during those hard times. Mary was very interested in his curiosities. She learned all she could from him. He died when she was 12. Shortly after that her younger brother and sister both died from illness. It was just her mother and herself in the house then. Her oldest brother had gone to be apprenticed by the upholsterer. Mary delved head-first into finding the fossils. During that time she found the entire skeleton of what would later be called an ichthyosaur. Many people in the town did not approve of a girl hunting for fossils by herself down at the beach. She was shunned by a community and by the men that were known for their interests in Geology. She became a forerunner in the field from sheer determination. This story is a great one for perseverance and strength. She died at the age of 47. She was well-remembered by all who knew her. There were quite a few references to the Bible in this story but other than that it was a good book for middle school students. It was on my recommended list of science books. I used it this semester for my 6th graders and the ones that read it really seemed to like it.
Main Character: Mary Anning
This is a fictional story based on the real life of Mary Anning. She was a woman born in 1799 who was instrumental in her contributions as a fossil hunter, excavator, and collector. Her unfortunate circumstances led her father to begin schooling her at the age of 7 to collect specimens from a rock cliff near where they lived. This was during hard times, for he was a cabinet-maker that could not make ends meet since the time of Napoleon. Her father used the curiosities to help supplement the family income to get by during those hard times. Mary was very interested in his curiosities. She learned all she could from him. He died when she was 12. Shortly after that her younger brother and sister both died from illness. It was just her mother and herself in the house then. Her oldest brother had gone to be apprenticed by the upholsterer. Mary delved head-first into finding the fossils. During that time she found the entire skeleton of what would later be called an ichthyosaur. Many people in the town did not approve of a girl hunting for fossils by herself down at the beach. She was shunned by a community and by the men that were known for their interests in Geology. She became a forerunner in the field from sheer determination. This story is a great one for perseverance and strength. She died at the age of 47. She was well-remembered by all who knew her. There were quite a few references to the Bible in this story but other than that it was a good book for middle school students. It was on my recommended list of science books. I used it this semester for my 6th graders and the ones that read it really seemed to like it.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Rumbling of the Chariot Wheels
Author: I. Jenkins Mikell
This book is a personal account of life on a southern plantation. The gentleman lived on a plantation on or near the island of Edisto in South Carolina. He gives accounts of his childhood living on the plantation and being raised by slaves. He gives insight into the personal side of the Civil War. His anecdotes of life are fun to live with him. He tells stories of hunting and survival. He also gives small stories into people from the time. He hardly ever gives names, which can be frustrating for me because I was actually looking for them. I was hoping to find information about my relatives. He is possibly among them in some off-hand way (something like a cousin twice removed...). I did enjoy the book. It was not a mass-produced book, just a reprint I got a hold of through Ebay. I am glad that I read it.
This book is a personal account of life on a southern plantation. The gentleman lived on a plantation on or near the island of Edisto in South Carolina. He gives accounts of his childhood living on the plantation and being raised by slaves. He gives insight into the personal side of the Civil War. His anecdotes of life are fun to live with him. He tells stories of hunting and survival. He also gives small stories into people from the time. He hardly ever gives names, which can be frustrating for me because I was actually looking for them. I was hoping to find information about my relatives. He is possibly among them in some off-hand way (something like a cousin twice removed...). I did enjoy the book. It was not a mass-produced book, just a reprint I got a hold of through Ebay. I am glad that I read it.
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