PEOPLES ACADEMY MIDDLE LEVEL

SIXTH GRADE BOOK REVIEWS

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A book review is a personal account of a reader's experience and they can be very helpful when you are trying to decide whether or not to read a new book.

In this learning activity, students in Ms. Gale's sixth grade writing class examined what features make up an effective book review and then created book reviews to share favorite books with other students and post them online with the help of Mark Arnold.

Each student began by exploring the genre of book reviews, while learning how to write in a formal, crafted way about the literature they were reading. The goal of this activity was to help prepare students for more structured critical essays they will be required to write in the future and to get practice in publishing their work.

To access the criteria for writing an effective book review go to Ms Gale's sixth grade Book Reviews web page.

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Standards

Standard 1.7: Response to Literature

Standard 5.11: Literary Elements and Devices

Standard 5.13: Responding to Text

Grade Expectations

W6:5, W6:6, and W6:7 Response to Literary and Informational Text

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Dragon Rider

Written By: Cornelia Funke

Reviewed By: Emma

   “Human beings are coming! You know what that means, you leaf -burrowing, mushroom-munching, shaggy-haired brownie? Humans are coming-coming here !” Humans, the bane of all fabulous creatures existences'. That's just the problem for Firedrake, a dragon, and Sorrel, Firedrake's brownie companion. When a rat sees humans coming toward the valley where Firedrake, Sorrel, and the other dragons live; Firedrake and Sorrel fly off to find “The Rim of Heaven”, a place where, supposedly, all dragons can live in peace forever. Along the way, they meet Ben, a homeless boy who doesn't know about his secret destiny to become something great, and goes with them. But what they don't know is that there is someone (or something?) who will do anything to stop them.

   Dragon Rider has everything, from basilisks to sea serpents and everything in between. This book was exceptionally good because of all the twists and turns the plot took. This book is great for anyone who enjoys the Harry Potter books, or anyone who just likes a good fantasy. Cornelia Funke has written an amazing book, and if you liked Dragon Rider, then you should also read The Thief Lord, Inkheart, and Inkheart's sequel, Inkspell, all also by Cornelia Funke. Although this book hasn't won any prestigious awards, I think it deserves to. So, all in all, this book gets 5 out of 5 stars for being an amazing, captivating book.

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The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

Written By: Clives Staples Lewis

Book Review By: Will 

    If you like action, if you like adventure, then this is the book for you! Journey into a world unknown with Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie. This book has a Lion (named Aslan), a Witch (formerly Jadis, Queen of Charn who turns people into stone with her wand), and well a wardrobe, a magical one transports you to Narnia (the prime setting of this book) from our world. The descriptive wording and intense battles are amazing. C.S. Lewis's writing is awesome.

    Along with Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, Aslan, and the White Witch, there are many other astonishing characters in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. For example: Mr. Tumnus, a faun who has a hard time with good vs. evil. This book ties in many mythical creatures. Warriors and supporters of Aslan (the good guys) include sons of Adam, daughters of Eve, animals, Dryads, Naiads, Centaurs, Unicorns, Bulls with Men's heads, and some good Giants. Those supporting the White Witch include Wolves, Ghouls, Boggles, Ogres, Minotaurs, Cruels, Hags, Specters, Incubuses, Wraiths, Horrors, Efreets, Sprites, Orknies, Wooses, and Ettins. The characters in this piece of literature seem to grab you. My favorite character was the White Witch. Though evil her character seems to entice you. C.S. Lewis does a great job with the characters in this book.

   I'd recommend The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to anyone in the second grade and up. The great description and intense battle sequence may be too much for young children. This book got me hooked. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop! This piece of work from C.S. Lewis is astounding! Read it!

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Written By: Anthony Horowitz

Book Reviewed By: Matt

“Alex heard a loud chatter, a series of distant cracks and the snow leapt up all around him from machine gun bullets.” The men were speeding on their snowmobiles with machine guns mounted on them. BAMM!

This book is recommended for people who like spine-tingling action and surprises awaiting you in every chapter. This book has some awesome gadgets and vehicles.

The main objective for this 16 year-old spy is to bust a murderer who is running a Juvenal school for rich kids. Everyday he gets closer to busting this man named Grief. After he tells the MI6 (secret agents headquarters) about the murderer, the murderer finds out and sends out his men to kill Alex Rider. Will he escape and bust this man named Grief? Read to find out.

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Ark Angel

Written By: Anthony Horowitz

Book Reviewed By: Skylar

    Have you ever read a series that ended with the death of the main character? One of these was the Alex Rider adventures: Stormbreaker, Point Blank, Skeleton Key, Eagle Strike, and Scorpia, which ended with the words, “No pain. Just a sense of tiredness and resignation. Alex Rider smiled and closed his eyes.” Well a new book has been written. It features the same characters as the others but the plot is even more like an interconnected maze than the rest. From fighting anti-corporation eco-terrorists in the hospital to facing a knife-wielding homicidal maniac in zero gravity, this book covers the entire spectrum. Anthony Horowitz professes at engineering the perfect deaths and having characters miraculously escape them, or not.

    This adventure starts with the eco-terrorists' attack on the hospital. Alex is forced to think of a plan on the spot to thwart five armed kidnapper terrorists aided only by the items he finds in the hospital and a machine room labeled with the word, “MAGNETOM”. This discovery launches him on a freelance mission that gets him locked in a burning building and caught in high-speed water chases being pursued by fast attack boats armed with machine guns while he is armed only with para-sufring gear.

    The entire plot all converges for a final climax and the various branches all lead back to Ark Angel. None of this would have happened if he had not been serendipitously placed next to an unsuspecting boy in the hospital. However, if it were not for this boy, Paul Drevin, Alexander would not have accomplished anything in the story. One of the many pleasures of this book is the artful way that Horowitz weaves together seemingly unconnected, random, events into a cohesive whole.

    This is an excellent book written by the perfect author. I would absolutely recommend this book for the espionage-action-adventure genre reader. In addition, thanks to Horowitz's style, the reader gets to look into Alex's head, and you never know what might come out! Unfortunately, this book is only available in the UK and must be special ordered in the US .

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