Entries Tagged 'Mystery' ↓
March 10th, 2010 — 4.5-5 Treasure Chests, Book Review, G-I, Humorous, Mystery, Paranormal, YA Genre
by Captain Lyaf Yarr
Title: Bunnicula
Authors: Deborah Howe, James Howe
Format: Paperback
Pages: 128
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Summary: Chester the cat and Harold the dog are curious about the new family pet. The Monroes found the bunny at a Dracula movie in a box of dirt. Chester tries to get rid of the bunny, now named Bunnicula by the Monroes, because he’s convinced the bunny is a vampire. He comes to this conclusion based on a book called The Mark of a Vampire. Bunnicula has all the signs – the black and white coloring, the pointy fangs, the ability to turn vegetables white and to escape his cage through miraculous means. It’s a matter of family safety! The bunny has to go!
Why I Started the Book:
Bunnicula was a class assignment in the month of October for a Halloween read. The book was broken into sections. We started by reading one chapter a week and then our teacher read aloud to finish the novel.
Likes:
- The pictures in the book were cool. I wish there were more of them because the illustrator did a phenomenal job. The bunny is so cute!
- It’s a very humorous story. There are a lot of laughs from silly to clever shenanigans. (e.g. Chester mixes up “stake” and “steak” and attempts to pummel Bunnicula with a steak.)
Dislikes:
- (This is not a book dislike.) Don’t watch the twenty minute movie companion to this story! It’s soooo bad! It’s really just awful and the book is so much better!
Last Minute Thoughts: I enjoyed this book a lot and plan to read the sequel, Bunnicula Strikes Again!
I think other classes and kids would enjoy this seasonal book a lot!
Buy: Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery (Paperback)
Book Rating: I give this book 4.5 treasure chests!
Originally posted 2009-11-09 03:50:01.
March 8th, 2010 — 1-2 Treasure Chests, Book Review, Historical Fiction, Mystery, S-T
by Captain Lyaf Yarr
Title: Black Duck
Author: Janet Taylor Lisle
Format: Paperback
# of pages: 256 pages
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Summary: One day Ruben Hart and his best friend Jeddy are walking on the beach and stumble upon something completely unexpected that changes everything. What did they see? A dead body with a bolt stuck in him! Who shot him and why? That's what David Peterson wants to find out. He wants to be a reporter very badly and this is the only story he's got from such a small town. Befriending the older Ruben Hart will be a challenge as the old rumrunner doesn't want to open up, but David is determined.
Why I Started the Book:
I started this book because it was a school assignment and the only reason I continued reading it was because I was forced to read it. If I wasn't forced to read it I would have quit the book in a heartbeat.
Likes:
- I liked the chapter with Tom and Viola. Jeddy and Ruben skipped school to meet Tom and discuss the body. I thought it was a great chapter, until Viola got shot! Poor Viola.
Dislikes:
- When I was reading this book I feel asleep a few times. Sweet escape! Well that is until I woke up and then I had to keep reading.
- I don't exactly know why I didn't like this book. I guess I didn't like the subject matter and the writing style. It's very slow in the beginning. I never did get interested in the story.
- As I mentioned earlier the best part was the chapter with Tom and Viola. But it was ruined! Some parts I thought “This is a good part” but then it would get ruined!
Last minute thoughts: At first when I read the back of this book it sounded all mysterious and something different and new to read. I don't understand how a lot of other people in my class liked this book. I didn't at all. There were two other people in my group who were also reading it and one liked it and the the other didn't.
Buy: Black Duck
Book Rating: I give this book 1.5 treasure chests. This book was horrible!
March 7th, 2010 — 3.5-4 Treasure Chests, Action & Adventure, Audio Book Review, Book Review, G-I, Mystery, YA Genre
by Captain Lyaf Yarr
Title: Hoot
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Format: Unabridged Audio Book
Narrator: Chad Lowe
# CDs + Minutes: 6 CDs (6 hours and 25 minutes)
Grade Reading Level: Ages 12+
Summary: Roy Eberheardt moves to Florida. On the first day of a new school he spies Napoleon running to an old ice cream truck. Unlikely friends, the two team up with a third, Napoleon's sister Beatrice, in order to save an endangered owl species habitat from developers. But the Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House corporation will do anything it takes to stop them. Can the trio prove the existence of the owls in time to save them?
Why I Started the Book:
I've seen the movie a while ago and wanted to know if the book was as interesting as I remembered the movie to be.
Likes:
- I liked how Mullet Fingers aka Napoleon is very adventurous. He never seemed frightened of what was happening or what might happen. He never gave up, and did anything he could.
- The numerous pranks the trio did against the pancake house construction site and team. My favorite was when alligators were put in the toilet. Look before you sit!
- It was clever when Napoleon had to be taken to the hospital to treat a dog wound and the kids all pretended Napoleon was actually Roy.
Dislikes:
- I didn’t like when the vice principle was talking to Roy about Roy's retaliation against the school bully Dana. Where was the principle's talk to Dana? It didn't seem very fair.
- Chad Lowe, the narrator, wasn't a very good reader compared to others I've had the pleasure of listening to. Don't get me wrong, he wasn’t awful, but he wasn't very good either. I had a hard time getting involved in the story and my attention wandered a lot. The more I think about it, the more I feel I should have read the book as opposed to listening to it.
Buy: Hoot (Audio Book)
, Hoot (Paperback)
Book Rating: I give this book 3.5 treasure chests!
Originally posted 2009-11-06 03:42:50.
March 6th, 2010 — 3.5-4 Treasure Chests, Book Review, G-I, Mystery, School Situations, YA Genre
by Captain Lyaf Yarr
Title: The Homework Machine
Author: Dan Gutman
Page Count: 146
Format: Hard cover
Grade Reading Level: 3rd-5th
Summary: Brenton, Snik, Kelsey, and Judy are in 5th grade and have only thing in common. Can you guess what it is? They all hate homework! Brenton, however, has a secret homework machine that only he knows about. Until, he decides to tell Snik, Kelsey, and Judy and give them permission to use it anytime. (As long as they keep it a secret.) But someone tells another student about the machine. When Brenton gets an email the kids aren't sure if they should still use the machine or who told the other student.
Why I Started the Book:
I read this book because I heard good things about it from my friends and my teachers. The title also made me curious and eager to read it. A homework machine? How Does it work?
Likes:
- I liked how this book was written. It was like a person was in a room being videotaped and someone was writing what they were saying, also it changed point of view or narrators a bunch of times which I thought was fun.
- I like the character Snik. To me he’s the, “I think I’m so cool, and everyone thinks so too!” kid.
Dislikes:
- The things that Kelsey does: like get her navel pierced, seemed real stupid to me. I don’t get why it was included in the book. I think Dan Gutman was trying to show how Kelsey changed throughout the book or how she was trying to get attention, but I’m still not sure.
Last minute thoughts: Dan Gutman has yet to disappoint me! You should try his other books also.
Buy: The Homework Machine (Paperback)
Book Rating: I give this book 4 treasure chests! It was excellent!
Originally posted 2009-11-05 03:01:51.
January 19th, 2010 — 2.5-3 Treasure Chests, Book Review, Mystery, P-R, YA Genre
by Captain Lyaf Yarr
Title: The Absent Author (A to Z Mysteries)
Author: Ron Roy
Format: Paperback
# of pages: 96 pages
Grade Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
Summary: Dink and his two friends Josh and Ruth Rose go to get Wallis Wallace's (a mystery writer) autograph. In the process they find out that he/she's missing and that someone kidnapped him/her. In the search to find the author will they discover the person behind the pseudonym? Will they even find the author? And why did the kidnapper kidnap the writer in the first place?
Why I Started the Book:
I read this book a long while ago when my sister offered to take me to a theme park if I read 2,000 pages during the summer. To say I was motivated is an understatement. 
In any case, to prove that I had really read the books that I claimed to read, she had me write up a mini book review on each book as I finished them. Here is one of those reviews. There are spoilers so beware.
Likes:
- I liked when they went to the Sangrela hotel and found out that Wallis Wallace was a woman Not a man. (It was funny!)
- I think that it was pretty amazing that an author would fake a kidnapping just to see if her readers would try to find her like in her books. How crazy is that? What would she have done if nobody came looking for her?
Dislikes:
- I was nervous when Dink and his friends went to see the author because I knew that something bad was going to happen and I didn't know if it I was going like what happened. (Obviously when I was younger I was a worrywart and not at all sure of a good outcome, which shows how good the author was to build up the suspense I think.)
Buy: The Absent Author (A to Z Mysteries)
Book Rating: I give this book 3 treasure chests!
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