The Salamander Spell by E. D. Baker

This year some of our fourth graders wrote book reviews for their classmates. We are pleased to say we will be featuring these reviews throughout the summer.

The book that I will be introducing is The Salmander Spell. The author of this thrilling book is E. D. Baker. The genre of this awesome book is fantasy, it is a chapter book. Summary: Grassina meets Haywood in the enchanted forest. In the forest there is an island that she was going to, to get away from her family. Her dad dies, her mom falls under a curse, and her sister is being very mean to her. All of a sudden Grassina starts getting magic. Will she become the next Green Witch? My favorite quote is a conversation, "You can fix him", "No I can't", "Yes you can. You have magic", "I can do magic?", " Yes." I like this group of quotes because Grassina didn't know she had magic, but she soon learns that she does. My recommendation of this book is excellent! This book is great for kids who like action filled book, because this book is action filled.

Reviewed by Alyssa

Note from Mrs. Adams - this is book 5 in The Tales of the Frog Princess series. Visit E. D. Baker's website for the other titles in this fantasy series.

Who Was Steve Jobs? by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso

This year some of our fourth graders wrote book reviews for their classmates. We are pleased to say we will be featuring these reviews throughout the summer.

Who Was Steve Jobs? This book's author is Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso. This book is a chapter book and a biography. It is about a man with a big imagination named Steve Jobs. This book is based on his life and his inventions. He made products that many of us use ... iPod, iPad, iPhone and the Mac computers. My recommendation for this book is: it is great!. This book is about how Apple companies are different in different places and how Steve Jobs came up with these great ideas! Enjoy.

reviewed by Shelby

Note from Mrs. Adams - this is one book in the series of Who Was .... ? or Who Is ... ? biographies. In the school library we call them the "Big Head" biographies because of the caricature illustrations on the covers. The students love this series! The publisher is now publishing history books in the series What Was ... ?

Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park

This year some of our fourth graders wrote book reviews for their classmates. We are pleased to say we will be featuring these reviews throughout the summer.

My book is Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park. This is book 9 in the 39 Clues series. The man in black that has been following Amy and Dan will soon be revealed. But who is it? In this book my favorite quote was "The man in black. Who was dressed in all gray now. Amy stood paralyzed. She saw that he was holding a familiar canvas-wrapped parcel. The box." I like this quote because it is a cliff hanger. My recommendation: this book is excellent. Why do I think this is an excellent choice - the book takes you on many adventures.

reviewed by McKenna

Nighty-Nightmare by James Howe

This year some of our fourth graders wrote book reviews for their classmates. We are pleased to say we will be featuring these reviews throughout the summer.

The book I am reviewing is Nighty-Nightmare by James Howe. The book is fantasy because there are no talking animals in real life. The story is about the Monroes and their three pets, Chester the cat, Harold the dog, and Howie the dachshund. They decide to go on an overnight camping trip in the woods. When they start setting up they see smoke in the air, so they walk over to where the smoke is coming from. It turns out it is a campfire with two people and a dog. Their names are Bud and Spud. The dog's name is Dawg, D. A. W. G. Chester, Harold, and Howie get lost in the woods with a creepy dog and a scary trail of blood! They think that the Monroes were captured by Bud and Spud and they are in trouble. Can they save them? My favorite quotable quote from this really good book is, "a doggie-bone softened in warm milk". I like this quote because it made me want milk and cookies. My recommendation: this book is excellent because this book can by creepy. An example is when they find a big creepy house that looks like a spooky mansion.

Reviewed by Ethan

Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

This year some of our fourth graders wrote book reviews for their classmates. We are pleased to say we will be featuring these reviews throughout the summer.

The title of my book is Boxcar Children.  The author is Gertrude Chandler Warner. This book is a realistic fiction chapter book.

Four kids named Jessie, Benny, Violet, and Henry live in an abandoned boxcar while avoiding their grandpa. You need to read the book to find out why they are running away from their grandpa.

My favorite quote is "It was a little cucumber when it went in".  I like this quote because Mr. Alden is talking about a cucumber in a bottle that he has. And he wants to get it out, but it won't come out.

My recommendation: this book is excellent! I like it because they act like wife, husband and children. Henry and Jessie take care of Violet and Benny like their own. And Henry and Jessie take care of each other like husband and wife.

Reviewed by Liani

Note from Mrs. Adams -- there are 148 titles in the Boxcar Children series! Enjoy

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

It is a pleasure to see this seven title series have a rebirth in our school library every year as the 3rd and 4th graders discover Harry Potter. All it takes is one student's recommendation and the books fly off the shelf. Harry Potter is a series I have read multiple times and listened to on audio CD on many family trips. J. K. Rowling is such a talented writer, she pulls you into Harry's world with every word.  Last week we were doing author studies and one of the groups selected J. K. Rowling. The comment that came from their table still makes me chuckle, "Mrs. Adams, did you know J. K. Rowling is a woman?!"

The main characters of all 7 books are Harry and his two best friends Ron and Hermione. We follow the friends from their first year at Hogwarts (the wizarding school they attend) through their final year. If you have not been introduced to the fantasy world of Harry Potter through the brillant writing of J. K. Rowling please pick up a copy and enjoy. When my students tell me they have seen the movies, I do not have to say "the book is better" ... the students who have read the books beat me to it!