6th Grade Book Reviews

Review by Natalie Chong 601

I am reading a book called "Demon Slayer" by Koyoharu Gotōge. Basically, it's about a boy named Tanjiro becoming a demon Slayer after the death of his family and his sister had survived but she turned into a demon. Tanjiro become friends along his journey to defeat all of the demons and most importantly to turn his sister back to human. I personally think this manga is incredible because Tanjiro teaches us, that kindness is the most powerful weapon than a sword or a fight. There are lovely quotes that I live up to till this day. For example, Zenitsu's sensei once said "It's ok to hide, It's ok to run away, but never ever give up." I live up to that specific quote cause it inspires me to keep going.

Review by Vicky Choi 601

Summary: So it all started when Karoline the grand daughter or the show man Jerome Barker and Clark the boy who had the other piece of the magic coin. So when they met in the amusement park the coin merged together. When Clark put the coin in a coin machine he and Karoline met Eddie the monkey after that the iron king’s servants were chasing them. They want the coin to set free the iron king and cause chaos. But they found Karoline’s granddad and have to set things right again in the next part.

Opinion: I honestly recognize this book is you like both fantasy and adventure books because this book is just a mashup of both. It has so many plot twists and is so unpredictable. It’s villain after villain you never know what’s next.

Review by Lily Agashiwala 601

I am currently reading the second book in A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room, by Lemony Snicket. In the first book, the orphans go to Count Olaf and a series of terrible things happen to them while Count Olaf tries to marry Violet in order to get her fortune.

In the second book, after Count Olaf disappears, the orphans go to Uncle Monty's, a distant relative. He welcomes them warmly and treats them much better than Count Olaf did. Uncle Monty is an herpetologist, someone who studies reptiles, mostly snakes. In the back of his house, a gigantic glass dome is filled with reptiles and books. That's also where the dinner table is! Since Uncle Monty's assistant died, he hires a new one named Stephano. Unfortunately Stephano is not really who he says he is: he is Count Olaf in disguise. When Uncle Monty suddenly and suspiciously dies, the orphans are left with Stephano/Count Olaf who decides to take them to Peru. The orphans trie to alert Mr Poe, their banker and the one responsible for checking on them about who Stephano really is. He doesn't believe them but he does call the police about Uncle Monty's death. Count Olaf's associates turn up at the house instead of the real police. Violet discovers evidences that Count Olaf is behind Uncle Monty's death and the orphans eventually manage to prove that Stephano is really Count Olaf. When discovered, he flees.

I really recommend this series. I love that it is a mystery and that the story is totally unpredictable. The story is packed with plot twists, thanks to how cunning Count Olaf is, and how smart the orphans are. Sometimes the book is frustrating because it shows how adults tend to not believe children, when really in this story the children are the smartest characters. They always get out of the trouble someone else tries to put them in! I enjoy this series so much that I am happy it is made up of 13 books!

Review by Audrey Gallo

The book, "out of my mind" by Sharon Draper is about how a girl named Melody who is disabled; she can't talk, barely move, and has down syndrome has been able to keep up with her life. Melody is extremely smart, and it makes her have tantrums when she has so much to say, even maybe to protect people but she can't. It must've been extremely tough for her. She has a school life, and she's met so many kind people through there; although she gets made fun of, she can stand up for herself, or has learned to ignore it.

It makes me feel extremely thankful to not be in a position like that, and it's extraordinary how this girl (although she's not even a real person) is able to handle life like that in a good way.

Review by Soleil Pilato 601

The novel, May B. by Caroline Starr Rose is a suspenseful story about a brave 12 year old pioneer who lives on the Kansas Prairie in the 1870's. May B. and her family are homesteaders and live in a small sod house. They work hard to farm their land and produce enough food to make it through the difficult winters on the prairie. When May's parents realize that they need more money to survive, they send May to work at the homestead of Mr. and Mrs. Oblinger who live 15 miles away. May does not want to go. She wants to stay and continue going to the nearby school. She does not want to leave everything she knows and live with strangers. She doesn't have a choice though and has to go at the end of summer. Her parents tell her she can come back at Christmas time which seems like forever to May B.

She is unhappy from moment she arrives. It is a dark, dirty and tiny house and Mr. and Mrs. Oblinger are not friendly to each other or to her. Mrs. Oblinger, who is actually still a teenager, hates the prairie and wants to go back east to her family. She becomes depressed and desperate to get out. She is not even able to the simplest chores so May B. ends up doing everything. At night, May listens to the sounds of Mrs. Oblinger sobbing because there is no privacy. One morning, Mrs. Oblinger is gone. She ran away to try and get a train to go back East. Mr. Oblinger goes after her but a storm is coming. They never return.

May survives alone there for many months of a very terrible winter. She is completely alone with no way to contact her family or nearest neighbors. To keep herself busy she tries to work on reading and writing because she has dreams to be a teacher someday. She wants that more than anything but wonders why the words don't make sense to her and she has to try so hard. She has dyslexia but doesn't know it. Dyslexia wasn't something that was understood back then. One day when she has run out of food and can't take it anymore, she decides to leave and hike through the snow to try and find her way home. She knows she may not live but would rather die trying.

At the end of the book, something good and unexpected happens. This is an amazing book for anyone who likes suspenseful stories of survival and courage. What makes it even more special is that the entire novel is written in verse. It flows like poetry and is easy to read but hard to put down. In my opinion, it is totally worth reading. Not only because you can travel in your mind to a different place and time but also because it is a beautifully written book about May B.'s strength to survive. It's the protagonist's incredible journey to find out how smart she really is. I strongly recommend this story to people of all ages who are inspired by willpower and determination.

Review by Cindy Wang 602

The Land Of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer is the first book in the Land Of Stories series. This book is about twins named Alex and Conner. Alex and Conner’s life isn’t the best. Their father passed away due to a car accident and their mother work double shifts as a nurse in a children’s hospital. Sadly, Alex and Conner felt they lost both of their parents because they only see their mother during her lunch and dinner breaks. For their twelfth birthday, their grandmother came to visit and as a present, she gave them The Land Of Stories which was her storybook. Soon, Alex discovered something strange about the book. The book hums and glows. Alex brought the book to school and soon, her brother found out about the magical book. When school was over, Alex and Conner fell into the Land Of Stories book! The twins fell into the fairy tale world. Alex and Conner met a frogman, who they called “Froggy” and he told them one way to go back to their world. They needed to gather materials for the Wishing Spell. To conquer the Wishing Spell, you must gather the required objects and put them together. Then, you are granted one wish. Alex and Conner are now on a quest to conquer the Wishing Spell to come home while the Evil Queen is on the loose. The twins encounter very interesting people along the way. I think this book this very entertaining so far. I haven’t finished the book but it seems very interesting. I recommend this book to fantasy lovers. Oh, and if you’re looking for a new series to read, this is a good one.

Review by Isabel Agin 602

This book, The School for Good and Evil #6, " One True King " by Soman Chainani, is nothing short of exquisite. It is a wonderful end to a wonderful series. The drama, the thrills! Over quarantine I sort of lost interest for reading. This series, this author, has brought my love back! With characters you get to know so well you confuse them with your own family, these books are filled with detail, action, drama, romance, humor, and more! This is by far the best series I have ever read, which is definitely saying something, because for the people who know me, I hate having to choose between books and I have never had a favorite. Until now.

Review by Oliver Brown 602

The book I am reading is called Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling, the sequel to The Sorcerer’s Stone. This book is about a boy named Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione. They are trying to figure out what is attacking the students at Hogwarts, a school where kids learn magic skills. I am a big fan of this book because I really like the characters, especially Fred and George, who are Ron’s brothers. They are both really fun and like to play pranks, which I love to do as well. The book is also incredibly suspenseful with numerous cliffhangers, so it makes for a real page-turner.

Review by Ye Wang 602

The name of the book is, “ Stanley’s Christmas Adventure (Flat Stanley)” and the author is Jeff Brown. Then the story is mostly about Stanley and his family became friends with Sarah, and Sarah is from snow city. Sarah take Stanley and his family to her home, but is they want to go back to home. They most to tell Santa Claus, if he agrees, they can go home. But Santa Claus said there has anything you want here, why do you guys want to go back home? Stanley and his family don’t know what Santa Claus says, Santa Claus says aren’t your people very greedy? Then the misunderstanding was solved, then Santa Claus sent Stanley and his family home.

Review by Tristan Brown 602

The book I read is Alien Superstar Book 2 by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver.

It's about an alien that crashed in his spaceship into Universal movie studios in California and he didn't have a human name so he named himself after the first thing he saw which was a fast food restaurant Buddy Burger. People thought he was an actor wearing a costume and he became an actor in a TV series.

He makes a few friends that know the truth and he has an old crew from his planet that want to find him and capture him.

My opinion of the book is that it's a good book for people that like comedy and fiction. There are 2 books in the series and they made me laugh a lot. Also, all the chapters end with a cliffhanger so it's kind of like of a mystery too.

I hope they write a 3rd book.

Review by Harper Clarke 603

SCAT, by Carl Haaisen, is about two school kids named Marta and Nick trying to find their missing teacher after she disappeared in a forest fire. On their adventure they encounter a junior arsonist, a want to be Texas oil man and and even a Florida panther. This book is exciting, full of suspense and a joy to read. I felt that it all worked really well. The author's writing style worked smoothly with the plot line. When we find out what happens to the teacher, I promise you my mom had to come check that a bomb wasn't set off after she heard my head explode. Every character is unique and it's

The ending was really heart felt. I recommend this book to people who enjoy suspense.

Review by Gabriel Helfer 603

The book that I’m reading is called, When You Reach Me by the author, Rebecca Stead. The book is about a girl named Miranda who is receiving mysterious notes from an anonymous person. In the notes she receives, Miranda is asked to write a true story in order to save the anonymous person and one of her friend’s lives. Miranda is scared to cooperate because she is being watched and the anonymous person is foreseeing future events. I like this book because it is very suspenseful and mysterious. For example, one of the notes Miranda receives says, “A postscript: I know you have shared my first note. I ask you not to share the others. Please. I do not ask this for myself.” This is mysterious because the anonymous person somehow knows that Miranda has shared the first note with her mother and watching her every move. Another example is when Miranda was thinking about the third note she received, “The only thing it really helped me understand was that you were watching me. And I had no idea who you were. Or what you wanted.” This is suspenseful because the author has still not revealed who the anonymous person is and how Maranda is still interested in finding out. I would recommend this book to a friend because it lures you in and makes you want to read more. Although I have not finished the book it is a great read so far.

Review by Meital Weiner 603

The book I read this week was "The elite" its the second book in the series too "The selection" the book is written by Kiera Cass. In my book America gets chosen for a competition to marry prince Maxon it starts with 34 other girls to compete with but as the selection goes on girls can get sent home, all these girls have a different caste which means some are poorer then others, if your a number 1 that means your royalty and 8 means your the poorest. (America is a 5) In "The elite" there's only 4 girls left and they are considered the Elite because they have a good chance of marrying prince Maxon, But America faces some problems along the way, and America has to make a hard decision about who she wants to marry. My opinion on this book is that its really interesting because it has a lot of different genres for example it has some fantasy and some romance, and drama it also will make you think and wonder about the characters and why they said that or why they made that decision . The main character (America) inspired me too be myself and not let anyone change that. When you read this book you lose track of time and it feels like your really there in the imaginary world. I would recommended this book it has the perfect amount of things that everyone loves!

Review by Kelly Zeng 603

The book was about Nikki wanting her face to look pretty for her school Id. So at night when her parents were sleeping she found a video of how to make a skin mask for her face. She needed ingredents from her home and she also need blueberry yogurt and she used it. Then she applied the skin mask. But she needed to sleep with it and in the morning she can take it off. When she took the skin mask off her whole face was blue. She notice the the blue was from Brianna's blueberry yogurt. She didn't want to go to school like that so she wore her dad's ski mask. I like the book because if her mom was up she would have stopped her from doing that. But I also fell bad because her face was blue and probably next she should listen to her mom instead of doing that.

Review by Max Bronsnick 604

The book is called The Golden Compass and is written by Philip Pullman. It is the first book in the His Dark Materials book trilogy

The book is set in a fantasyland Europe. In this world, everyone has a Dæmon, a spirit that shifts into many different animals until their humans puberty, in which they settle as a singular animal. Humans and Dæmons are spiritually connected and can't be more than a few yards apart. A girl named Lyra is living at a college with her dæmon, Pantalaimon. She has always gotten in trouble with the school, and one day she sneaks into a room to see a private lecture and learns about Dust, a seemingly magical particle that somehow clings on to adults but not children. Soon, Lord Asriel, her uncle, was captured mysteriously. Lyra thinks it was because of the "Gobblers" the people who make children disappear. Then her friend, Roger, disappears too. Then, she agreed to travel the world with Ms. Coulter, a person she met at a party that she was entranced by. But she soon figures out she is a GObbler and runs away. She meets the Gyptians and they go on a quest to find the children.

I liked this book because it was suspenseful and had multiple twists and turns and always has your heart beating with anticipation. It did have mild violence, so kids under middle school should not read it, but it is mostly bears fighting. All in all, it is a great book.

Review by Lucas Ng 604

the book i am reading is warriors #2 by erin hunter. this book is about 4 different clans and the main clan is thunder clan and the rest of the clan wants peace. but winter will come (they call it leaf bare) so they will run out of food. all the clans will try to get food but there will not be enough so they will starve and there are kitty pets they are cats that are pets (they have owners). I'm not finished with this book but i like it because there are many things that humans don't have. in warriors the doctor cats have visions of bad things that are going to happen. another thing i like about it is that when you die you go to "star clan" its like heaven when you are there you are the one to give visions to the doctor cats.

Review by Lila Pagan 604

The name of the book is Umaru Chan. The author's name is Sankakuhead. The book is about a girl who acts perfect outside or when people come over to her place but when she is alone she act's childish. I am on the fourth one and the part I am on right now is about when the girl Umaru goes to the game place and one of her classmates is there too and that classmate starts to talk to Umaru and hang out with her even though she doesn't realize she was hanging out with the girl everyone thought was perfect. My opinion of tis book is that I really like it. I like it because Umaru does lots of things that are fun to read about.

Review by Floyd Scholz

I think "Thrawn Treason" by Timothy Zahn is a must read for Star Wars fans but to understand it read the other books in the series first.

In it Grand Admiral Thrawn, one of the 12 Grand Admirals uncovers a plot to undermine the Empire form the Unknown regions and stops a fellow Grand Admiral from stealing supplies from Project Stardust. When he finds the species from the Unknown regions called Grysks he meets up with other members of his species the Chiss. The Chiss were another species from the Unknown regions who helped fight the Grysks with Thrawn. Thrawn's former protege who he sent away to join the Chiss navy was on the Chiss ship that met up with Thrawn. While the Chiss were fighting Grysks Thrawn confronted the treacherous Grand Admiral Balahani Savit of the Imperial 3rd fleet. Against 4 to 1 odds Thrawn one and arrested the traitor while the Chiss defeated the Grysks.

I personally love this book and it is one of my favorites. One reason is because I am a huge Star Wars nerd and Thrawn is one of my favorite characters. Ever since I saw the blue skinned master tactician he has been one of my favorite characters.

Review by Elena Rizzo 604

The book I read, "It's Your Funeral!" by Emily Riesbeck is a great book. The main Character is Marnie Winters, who died because her chair exploded. She is approached by X'lakthul, who is there to help her move to the afterlife but instead she realizes that Marnie needs more help than that, so she hires Marnie as an intern at the Department of Spectral affairs. I love this book because it is packed with feeling and comedy and I think that there are great characters in this book.