Monday, May 18, 2009

Miley Cyrus



Tieck, Sarah. Miley Cyrus. ABDO Publishing Company: 2009. ISBN: 9781604531190.

The book, Miley Cyrus, gives details about Miley Cyrus and becoming famous. It tells how she grew up from a little girl to a teenager. In this book she is with her real family. I really like the photographs because they are really bright and colorful. My favorite photo is the one with her family because they are happy. Girls, ages 9 to 12, who like Miley Cyrus will like this book.

A.B. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Into The Volcano




Wood, Don. Into The Volcano. Blue Sky Press: 2008. ISBN: 9780439726719.

Into The Volcano is about two brothers who went to see their relatives at a volcano. Weird stuff is going on in the volcano, like it's always erupting. The brothers find their Mom who has been missing. But when one brother gets hurt, the other brother tells their Mom to go get the first aid kit. Their Mom need dry clothes for her one son, and while looking for the clothes the other son finds green diamonds. They are called Green Diamond Pearls. After that they all go home. The art is very awesome because the volcano lava looks like real lava! I think the art is done in color pencil because it does not look like marker, crayon or paint. My favorite part is when one brother pushed a relative off the cliff. I would recommend this book to kids 11-12 because sometime they cuss in this book, but they block out the whole word. I give this book 15 stars!

Z.F. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Weapons of the Middle Ages



Doeden, Matt. Weapons of the Middle Ages. Capstone Press: 2009. ISBN: 9781429619691.



My book is Weapons of the Middle Ages. It shows and talks about the crossbow, battle-ax, mace, ball and chain, and chain mail that the knights wore. My book had art, pictures and photographs. I loved all of them, especially the photographs which really inspired me to want to become a photographer! But the artwork inspired me to want to become an artist! I think this is the best book ever! People ages 10 and up would enjoy this book. My favorite part is when they show all types of weapons. I would recommend this book to my cousin, Joey, and to my friend, Jose. They would like it because they like books on weapons. I give it 5 stars!



M.C. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Vunce Upon a Time




Seibold, J. Otto; Vivian, Siobhan. Vunce Upon a Time. Chronicle Books LLC: 2008. ISBN: 9780811862714.



Vunce Upon a Time is a story about a vampire who is a vegetarian, and he is afraid of humans! The artwork has lots of detail. It is colorful and funny. It looks a little bit like a cartoon. I would recommend this book to kids ages 7 to 9. People who like cartoons and Halloween would like this book. It's a very good book for Halloween!



I. W. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Day of the Dead





Gleason, Carrie. Day of the Dead. Crabtree Publishing: 2009. ISBN: 9780778742791.

I really liked Day of the Dead because I take part in this celebration and like wearing the masks. I loved the photographs because they were very colorful. They showed the excitement of the celebrations. I think kids 8 to 9 would like this book. I give it 5 stars!

J.V.P. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Building Math



Perritano, John. Building Math. Marshall Cavendish Benchmark: 2009. ISBN: 9780761432104.



Building Math tells you how you can make buildings, plus math can help you build anything! The photographs in the book were awesome! It was cool to see old buildings. I liked the part about building the Hoover Dam. I think this is a good book for kids 9 to 10 years old. It tells you that you need to learn math in order to build things. I give this book 6 stars!



J. W. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Amazing Magic Tricks Expert Level



Barnhart, Norm. Amazing Magic Tricks Expert Level. Capstone Press: 2009. ISBN: 9781429619455.

Amazing Magic Tricks Expert Level is about a lot of totally awesome, actual magic tricks. Anybody can read this book with their Mom and Dad, by themselves or with friends. You could do these tricks at home. The book uses photographs to show the steps of each magic trick. They are really good! Anybody can do these magic tricks just with the pictures. You feel like you are actually at a magic show, and I love magic shows! This would be a good book for people, ages 8 to 92, who like magic and would like to learn how to do magic tricks. It's good for actors that do shows with magic. I would love to see more of this author's books. This one is awesomely awesome!! I give it 5 stars.

E.F. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Friday, May 15, 2009

Bugs That Live On Animals



Weir, Kirsten. Bugs That Live On Animals. Marshall Cavendish Benchmark: 2009. ISBN: 9780761431893.





The story is about Bugs That Live On Animals. One example is the Bot Fly. A mother Bot Fly will lay her eggs on a cow, and each larva causes a lump on the cow's back. When the larva are fully grown, they hatch and lay more eggs. The photographs and pictures are great! I like how you drew the monkeys - it was sweet! My favorite part was "the world of bugs" because the larvae were called wiggle bugs! I think kids ages 9 and 10 would like this book. I give it 40 stars!





J.G. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

The Greatest Baseball Records



Doeden, Matt. The Greatest Baseball Records. Capstone Press: 2009. ISBN: 9781429620055.

My book, The Greatest Baseball Records, is about baseball records that have been set. It has records about strikeouts, home runs, shutouts, most innings, greatest teams and the greatest baseball players. The pictures show a lot of potential energy, and there are photographs of home run hitters. I would recommend this book to kids ages 9 to 12, and I give it 25+ stars.

P.P. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Bats at the Library



Lies, Brian. Bats at the Library. Houghton Mifflin: 2008. ISBN: 9780618999231.

Bats at the Library is about a bunch of bats that had a party at a library because the librarian left a window open! The pictures in the book are great, lots of action with bats flying everywhere! I think kids ages 8 and 9 would enjoy this book - I know I did. I give this book 101 stars!

K.M. Grade 4 Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Cool Collage



Hanson, Anders. Cool Collage. ABDO Publishing: 2009. ISBN: 9781604531466.

Cool Collage shows you 6 cool things in art. It shows you funny faces, puppy love, wacky windows, sand and surf, pop-up cards, collage battle, the glossary, websites and the index. It shows you directions on how to make the art. I think I would give this book to my big sister because she likes art. It is awesome for all kids ages 8 through 19 because it is fun. For me, the first parts are funny with the magazines. The art could be used for special things, and things that you could make for people if you did something wrong to them. I used it for Mother's Day and for someone I love. I think this book is awesome! My favorite pages are all of them because the first and last pages show you the directions and the rest is art. I think this book is good for girls age 10, and for creative girls. I give this book 100 stars!

I.D. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

The Peace Bell



Preus, Margi. The Peace Bell. Henry Holt: 2008. ISBN: 9780805078008.

The name of this book is The Peace Bell. It is a story about a little girl from America who is visiting Japan. The best part of this story is when they celebrate the "peace bell." It takes me back to when I was a young girl. I love the pictures and all of the excitement. They have beautiful flowers and dresses. The people of Japan celebrate the "peace bell" because it helps them have peace. The pictures are wonderful! I like this book because it expresses the feeling the people of Japan have for the "peace bell." My favorite part is when Yuko's grandmother grows up and finds what she missed in her heart. Thank you for making this book. Please make more, it would be wonderful if you would!

E.S. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

The Boy Who Wouldn't Swim



Lucke, Deb. The Boy Who Wouldn't Swim. Clarion Books: 2008. ISBN: 9780618914845.

This book is about The Boy Who Wouldn't Swim. He's jealous of his sister who knows how to swim. He doesn't and that is why he is jealous of his sister. She is a great swimmer, and she can swim better than him at the beginning of the story. This book is filled with wonderful pictures. This book makes me feel like I want to be an artist. It is totally "awesome!" I feel like making a book. People who are like me would like this book. I think kids ages 7 to 10 would like this book. I'm 10, too. I like this book so very much! It's like a memory of me when I was small. My favorite part was at the end when the boy learned how to swim, and he wasn't left out anymore. It is a beautiful 5 star book, and I hope the author writes back to me!

A. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Bone Soup



Evans, Cambria. Bone Soup. Houghton Mifflin: 2008. ISBN: 9780618809080.

Bone Soup is a story about Finnigin, a skeleton, who loves to eat bone soup, and is never seen without his eating items - a stool, spoon and his eating mouth! He is looking for the Halloween feast, and he asks a witch. She goes back to her town and tells everybody that "the eater" is coming! I really like the pictures and how the colors all match. I also like how the pictures show where and how they hide their food. I loved this book and how the word "bone" was written in the title. This author is the best! My favorite part was when they put the dried mouse droppings, toenail clippings, bat wings and spider eggs in the soup! I would recommend this book to people from ages 7 to 12 because it's funny. People whose favorite holiday is Halloween would love this book! I give this book a million stars!!

K.D. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

This is Your Life Cycle



Miller, Heather Lynn. This is Your Life Cycle. Clarion Books: 2008. ISBN: 9780618724857.

This is Your Life Cycle is a book that describes the life cycle of a dragonfly. The dragonfly has been under water for 6 weeks fighting fiercely with little frogs, fish, turtles and ducks for her survival. The pictures are great - I like how the illustrator made the fly withe headphones and the big, heavy camera. I would recommend this book to kids that like bugs, insects and dragonflies. 5 stars for this book!

N. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Jack and the Beanstalk



Hoena, Blake A. Jack and the Beanstalk. Stone Arch Books: 2009. ISBN: 9781434207661.






The graphic novel, Jack and the Beanstalk, is about a boy who gets magical beans and they grow into a beanstalk. Jack goes on an adventure finding out about the giant and getting back his family's things that the giant stole. The pictures in the book are comic book style. This is a great book! My favorite part is when Jack took the golden harp that the giant had taken from Jack's Dad. This book is for ages 7 to 10. I give this book 10 stars!


D.D. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Soup for Breakfast



Brown, Calef. Soup for Breakfast. Houghton Mifflin: 2008. ISBN: 9780618916412.



Soup for Breakfastis a book of poetry with different reasons for each poem. For example, the first poem is about a boy who wishes to have bear paws instead of hands to catch fish. The very last poem was "Young Moth." It was very calming. I just loved this book! The art is so nice. The poem "Kittycat" reminds me of a sunrise - the red, orange and yellow colors. For "Young Moth" the colors are cool. The light blue, white and dark blue reminds me about an ocean and being calm. The book was awesome! My favorite part was "Donuts." Seriously, why do grown-ups like donuts? I'll recommend this book to kids who want to write poems when they are older. All kids can read this book. I give it 500+ stars!



A. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Thursday, May 14, 2009

The Tree



Ruelle, Karen Gray. The Tree. Holiday House: 2008. ISBN: 9780823419043.

The book, The Tree, is about a tree's history from a seed to an oak tree, and the amazing events that took place around it!! The art is fabulous, beautiful and wonderful. It is a masterpiece! I love this book! My favorite part is on the second page where a chipmunk grabbed a seed and suddenly a hawk attacked. I think kids ages 8 to 14 would like this book about plant history. I give this book 50+ stars!

S.T. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Mungo and the Spiders From Space



Knapman, Timothy. Mungo and the Spiders From Space. Dial Books for Young Readers: 2008. ISBN: 9780803732773.

The book, Mungo and the Spiders From Space, is a great book - it is so spontaneous! The characters in this book are so funny, and the art work is cool! The pictures made me want to laugh so hard! I thought this book was really cool, especially when they were tickling Captain Galacticus!! I would recommend this book for 3rd and 4th graders, and I give it 5 stars! I hope the author sees my review and writes back!

Z.O. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Scurry and Squeak



Tourville, Amanda Doering. Scurry and Squeak. Picture Window Books: 2009. ISBN: 9781404848597.

My story, Scurry and Squeak, is about a young boy who gets a guinea pig, and he makes sure it is taken care of. The boy doesn't ignore his pet guinea pig, he enjoys his new friend! The art in the book is very good because the illustrator made sure there were no smudges or scribblings. I can imagine the pictures are like a big TV in your head. This would be a great book to teach people about how to take care of your guinea pig. My favorite part is when the guinea pig cleans herself! I do recommend this book to other kids who like guinea pigs. I think any age could read this book, and they would love it! I think if the author would read this book review, maybe she could write about a cat and how to take care of a cat. Hope you (the author) write back! I give this book 100+ stars!

K.T. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

The U.S. Army



Doeden, Matt. The U.S. Army. Capstone Press: 2009. ISBN: 9781429617338 .



The U.S. Army is a book about being in the army and protecting the earth. It also tells you about what soldiers do in the army and other jobs that the army has. I really liked the pictures, especially where the man was nursing the kid and taking care of him. I would recommend this book to kids, ages 7 to 9, who would like to be soldiers, and kids who would like to protect the earth. I give this book a 5 star rating!



E.C. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts

Varmints




Ward, Helen. Varmints. Candlewick Press: 2008. ISBN:
9780763637965.

The book Varmints is about a varmint named Varmint. He likes the earth, and he loves animals. The art in the book showes the city is dark and gloomy. And the country is bright and beautiful! This book is so interesting, especially when Varmint brought the plants back to life. I would recommend the book to kids, ages 7 to 9, because it tells that plants and animals are important. It would be a good book for everyone that likes animals.

E. Grade 4, Madison Avenue School for the Arts