Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive

Weatherford, Carole. Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive. New York: Walker & Company, 2006.

The Fastest Man Alive is about Jesse Owens. The story tells a lot about him, although the pictures were not very descriptive. The words were very confusing. They skipped around from the beginning of a race to the end when he was a glorious winner. I think I would understand Jesse better if the book wouldn't have skipped around so much. I would not recommend this book to anyone. If I were to recommend this book to someone it would be 7th and 8th graders.

Reviewed by D.D. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

Jazzy Jewelry

Brend, Dawn.[et al]. Jazzy Jewelry. New York: Kingfisher Publications, 2007.


Jazzy Jewelry is a book about making jewelry out of reusable materials. Each page has pictures that show you the steps in making the project. I liked some of the crafts in the book, but I thought a few of them were tacky. I recommend this book to crafty girls who are ages 9-12 because some of the crafts might be too complicated for younger girls.

Reviewed by E.L. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

Mrs. Marlowe's Mice

Asch, Frank. Mrs. Marlowe's Mice. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2007.

Mrs. Marlowe's Mice is about Mrs. Marlowe harboring mice and keeping them a secret from cat land security. This picture book is the best picture book I have ever read because of the mysterious text and the fantastic pictures. I think the author could have told why it's illegal to harbor mice. I think first, second, and third graders will love this book.

Reviewed by J.F. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku

Crowe, Ellie. Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku. New York: Lee & Low Books, 2007.

Surfer of the Century is about a Hawaiian surfer/swimmer named Duke Kahanamoku. Duke is black and can't go to special restaurants and other places like a white person in America. He came to America by ship for the Olympics and almost missed it. I liked this book, but I definitely think the author could have given more detail to make the story seem like you were actually there. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in black history or likes water sports.

Reviewed by J.R. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

Slam Dunk Basketball

Kalman, Bobbie, and John Crossingham. Slam Dunk Basketball. New York: Crabtree Pub., 2007.

In Slam Dunk Basketball the author explains the positions and tells you some important rules of the game. One of the things I liked about this book is it talks about star players playing that position. The photos in this book are real live photos from professional basketball games and show NBA stars in action. People who are 6-11 years old and are curious about how to play basketball should read this book.

Reviewed by J.L. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

Cows Sweat Through Their Noses: And Other Freaky Facts About Animal Habits, Characteristics, and Homes

Seuling, Barbara. Cows Sweat Through Their Noses: And Other Freaky Facts About Animal Habits, Characteristics, and Homes. Minneapolis, Minn: Picture Window Books, 2008.

Did you know that cows sweat through their noses? I didn't either until I read Cows Sweat Through Their Noses. This book is full of engrossing and uncanny facts about animals. These are some of the reasons why I didn't like it. Some improvements that the author could make are: the art for instance could be more detailed instead of cartoons. This book is different from books because it's just stating facts about animals. I never knew some of the facts before. I'd say that Cows Sweat Through Their Noses would be a good book for boys from the grades 3-5. I think that because some boys like freaky facts and some like animals. Some girls would probably read this book, but just a few. Those are some reasons why Cows Sweat Through Their Noses was an interesting book, but there is room for improvement.


Reviewed by L.D. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

Kick It Soccer

Kalman, Bobbie, and John Crossingham. Kick It Soccer. New York: Crabtree Publishers, 2007.

Kick It Soccer is all about how to play soccer. It has a lot of useful information. The pictures are helpful by showing you positions and kicks like far kick, hard kick, and pass kick. I recommend this to anyone that wants to play soccer and needs information about the sport. I liked this book because it taught me a lot about soccer I didn't know before.

Reviewed by M.R. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

How Big Is It?

Hillman, Ben. How Big Is It?: A Big Book All About Bigness. New York: Scholastic, 2007.

How Big Is It? is a very detailed book about out of the ordinary things that are humungous. I like the illustrations because they compare the humungous items to everyday items. I think anybody would like this and it would be ok for all ages. The text was easy to read and used descriptive words.

Reviewed by M.G. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

Down the Colorado: The Story of John Wesley Powell, the one-armed explorer

Ray, Deborah Kogan. Down the Colorado: The Story of John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer. New York: Francis Foster Books, 2007.

Down the Colorado is about Wes Powell's life. Wes Powell was one of the first people to travel down the Colorado River. One of the things I liked about this book was the pictures. They look like they're done with watercolors and oil pastels. Most of the pictures are vivid and can tell more about the story than the words can. I would recommend this book to someone who likes biographies about people who go on dangerous journeys.

Reviewed by M.M. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

Houdini the Handcuff King

Lutes, Jason, and Nick Bertozzi. Houdini the Handcuff King. New York: Hyperion, 2007.

ISBN: 978-0-7868-9025.

Houdini the Handcuff King is a suspensful book because you never know what will happen next and it shows some of Houdini's secrets. The artist made the book in a cartoon style and used vivid details. The book tells about Houdini's jump over the Harvard Bridge in handcuffs and leg chains. I think anyone nine and up would love this book because it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Reviewed by N.I.K 5th Grade, Bowling Green

The Snow baby : The Arctic Childhood of Admiral Robert E. Peary's Daring Daughter

Kirkpatrick, Katherine. The Snow baby : The Arctic Childhood of Admiral Robert E. Peary's Daring Daughter. New York: Holiday House, 2007.

The Snow Baby is about expeditionist Robert E. Peary's daring daughter and her experiences in Greenland, her birthplace, and the U.S. One specific thing I liked about the book was the pictures because they were not drawings, they were photographs. I was able to see real Inuits. Kids who love biographies and adventures will love this book.

Reviewed by N.K. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

Cocker Spaniels

MacAulay, Kelley, and Bobbie Kalman. Cocker Spaniels. New York: Crabtree Publishing Co, 2007.

The book Cocker Spaniels teaches you about cocker spaniels and different types of them. The book also tells you if a cocker spaniel is right for you. The book gives information on cocker spaniels and what they need to have a great life. This book would be a great book for people who like dogs. I would give it a rating of 10/10 stars.

Reviewed by P.D. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

Skyscraper

Curlee, Lynn. Skyscraper. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2007.

One thing that I like about the book Skyscraper is that you learn many new skyscrapers you haven't heard of before. I think there could have been less pictures than there were. I think any architect will like this book because it talks about the most famous skyscrapers. The pictures look like a painting on a sculpture. The text uses very descriptive words. Some of the words were hard. For example, if they say the name of a company or an architect it might be hard to pronounce, but all the other words aren't that hard. This book is different from the other books I've read because the farther you get in the book the more popular the skyscrapers are.

Reviewed by R.M. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

The Dragon Drawing Book

Massilello, Ralph. The Dragon Drawing Book. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2007.

The Dragon Drawing Book is simply a book on how to draw dragons. Unlike other drawing books this book gives you information on the dragons you are drawing. I recommend this book to anyone who really likes dragons and would like to read and draw dragons. I like this book because of how it represents dragons from all cultures. Anyone who is captivated by dragons should read this book.

Reviewed by S.C.H. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

NASA

Elish, Dan. NASA. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2007.

NASA is about humans going into space and getting more advanced than ever. I liked NASA because it starts with the space race in the 1950s and ends with modern space travel. NASA also gives you lots of details like how and when something happened. The words were easy to read except for the Russian names. I would recommend this book to any one who likes adventure and space flight.


Reviewed by S.J. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

Puff the Magic Dragon

Yarrow, Peter, and Leonard Lipton. Puff the Magic Dragon. New York: Sterling Publishers, 2007.

The story Puff the Magic Dragon is about a dragon that has a human kid, Little Jackie Paper as a friend. Little Jackie Paper is a boy. Puff and he are best friends until Little Jackie Paper grows up and leaves Puff. The art in the story was a very good sight for sore eyes because the art and the colors were very brittle and the colors looked like they were layered. One thing that I liked about this story was how the story line went from happy to sad to happy again. The text is very good for young readers, but anyone that likes dragons would like this book.

Reviewed by S.M. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

When Is a Planet Not a Planet?

Scott, Elaine. When Is a Planet Not a Planet?. New York: Clarion Books, 2007.

When Is a Planet Not a Planet? is the story of Pluto. The book is fairly easy to read and has a lot of information about Pluto and the solar system. It is about why Pluto is no longer a planet. The pictures helped explain about the book and they were really cool too. I think that people who like the planets and outer space will really like this book.

Reviewed by S.N.H. 5th Grade, Bowling Green

Louis Sockalexis : Native American Baseball Pioneer

Wise, Bill. Louis Sockalexis : Native American Baseball Pioneer . New York: Lee & Low Books, 2007.

Louis Sockalexis is about a great Native American baseball player who got an opporunity to play on the Cleveland Spiders. His father and his village think that baseball is a waste of time though. The pictures in this book are bright at some parts and dark in other, which helps set the different moods. This is an easy read, but full of suspense to keep you guessing. If you like biographies, books about baseball, or books set back in time, this is the book for you.

Reviewed by T.A. 5th Grade, Bowling Green