“The Landry News” by Andrew Clements
“The Landry News” is a meaningful novel by Andrew Clements, one of the market’s best writers for school age children.
In every school that Cara Landry goes to she starts her newspaper: The Landry News. Reporting is something that she loves to do. When Cara and mother move, Cara is the new kid at Denton Elementary School. This year, however, she gets Mr. Larson, a teacher know for drinking coffee and reading the newspaper rather than teaching his students. As usual Cara starts writing The Landry News, but the results are not what she had expected. As her newspaper grows it revitalizes Mr. Larson and the whole fifth-grade class.
When the principal reads a copy of The Landry News, though, he sees an opportunity to accomplish a long term goal: fire Mr. Larson. The principal uses the content of the paper to threaten Mr. Larson’s career, and the class must stand together to help protect their teacher’s job.
“The Landry News” explores the first amendment right of free speech. The book’s theme is inspiring, its characters believable, and its plot satisfying. “The Landry News” is a truly wonderful book for school age children.
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For other great books by Andrew Clements see:
“Hatchet” by Gary Paulson
“Hatchet” by Gary Paulson is a Newberry Honor Award survival story. Usually I find survival stories to be unrealistic and almost ridiculous, yet Paulson has defined a plot that is both satisfying and very true to life. The story’s main character is Brian, a young teen with divorced parents. His father works in Alaska. While flying to visit his father for the summer, the plane’s pilot has a heart attack and dies, leaving Brian to face an emergency crash landing in Canada’s North Woods. Brian’s only tool is belt slung hatchet that his mother gave him as a present just before he left. Throughout the story the depictions of Brian’s emotions are very realistic. From initial terror to hope that the rescuers will find him, from depression and a suicide attempt to determination, Brian’s reaction to his plight are believable. For example, in Paulson’s down to earth, solid writing style, we are told of Brian’s response to a rescue plane flying over and not noticing him:
“When the plane had come and gone it had put him down, gutted him and dropped him and left him with nothing. The rest of that first day he had gone down and down until dark. He had let the fire go out… had let his brain take him down to where he was done, where he wanted to be done and done.
To where he wanted to die. He had settled into the gray funk
deeper and deeper and still deeper until finally, in the dark, he had gone up on the ridge and taken the hatchet and tried to end it by cutting himself.
Madness. A hissing madness that took his brain. There had been nothing for him then and he had tried to become nothing but the cutting had been hard to do, impossible to do, and he had at last fallen to his side, wishing for death, wishing for an end, and slept only didn‘t sleep.
With his eyes closed and his mind open he lay on the rock through the night, lay and hated and wished for it to end and thought the word, Clouddown, Clouddown through that awful night. Over and over the word, wanting all his clouds to come down, but in the morning he was still there.
Still there on his side, and when the sun came up and when he opened his eyes he saw the cuts on his arm, the dry blood turning black; he saw the blood, and he hated the blood, hated what he had done to himself when he was the old Brian and was weak, and two things came into his mind-two true things…
He was not the same and would never be again like he had been. That was one of the true things, the new things. And the other one was that he would not die, he would not let death in again.”
Throughout the story Paulson’s deep and emotional writing style characterize the story and reveal Paulson’s own worldview through the eyes of his character Brian. “Hatchet” is a valuable and memorable read not only for its fantastic plot, but also for its unique writing style.
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For others book by Gary Paulson see:
“Riding Freedom” by Pat Muñoz Ryan
“Riding Freedom” by Pat Muñoz Ryan is an interesting historical novel based on the true story of Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst, also known as One-eyed Charley, and Six-horse Charley.
Charlotte was born in 1812 and grew up at an orphanage. At some point she ran away from the orphanage, and started posing as a male so that she could enjoy many freedoms that were at that time not granted to women. “Riding Freedom” follows Charlotte’s experiences from the orphanage onward through her unique life. As an expert stagecoach driver and the first woman to vote, Charlotte’s life story makes an interesting and historical yarn.
Overall “Riding Freedom” is a admirable book, both for its historical aspect and its interesting real-life characters. The pace of the plot is slightly disappointing, for the story skips through large periods of Charlotte’s life so as to focus on the short scenes that are known and most important. Despite this, however, “Riding Freedom” makes for a read that is both decent and educational.
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“A Long Way from Chicago” by Richard Peck
“A Long Way from Chicago” by Richard Peck is a wonderful novel set in a Depression-Era small town.
Joey and his sister Mary Alice are a little hesitant about leaving big city Chicago to spend the summer with their Grandma. They soon find, however, that with Grandma around there is never a dull moment!
From the first hilarious chapter, “Shotgun Cheatham‘s Last Night Above Ground” to the touching ending, this book is injected with lively personalities, entertaining surprises, and humorous tricks. Richard Peck captures the small town feel and aura of the era in his vivid, larger-than-life style. It’s little wonder that this book was a recipient of the Newberry Honor Award.
I’m confident that you’ll find “A Long Way from Chicago” to be a wonderful read, and a worthy addition to any book collection.
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Inkweaver Review – Book Rating System
The goal of Inkweaver Review is to help you as a reader locate the best, most satisfying books for your literary enjoyment. To that end we employ our own rating system to easily categorize books based on their likelihood of providing you with a quality reading experience.
In rating a book as compared to others an important question must first be considered: “What exactly is it that makes a particular book better than any other books?” There are two important factors to every book: content and delivery. To summarize, content is the material that comprises the story, differentiating the book from a blank sheet of paper. Content includes, but is not limited to, the plot, characters, landscapes, and art found inside the book. The second feature of every book is delivery. A book’s delivery is fundamentally related to how much the story effects its reader. A good book is one that has the most effect on its reader. The following are some of the questions used to determine whether a book’s delivery was satisfying:
- Was the author able to impart the story in such a way that the reader is not distracted by the words themselves?
- Does the book contain wonderful descriptions that carry the reader away from reality to another world?
- Did the author’s presentation of the book’s content have an undertone of meaning, such that the reader is left feeling that they have learned something important by reading the book?
So to summarize, a book’s rating depends upon the quality of the material that the author presents and the skill with which he or she presents it.
All books are rated first on the individual aspects of their content and delivery, then given an overall rating that reflects their merit and standing amidst the world of fiction books. Rated books are given between one and five stars, with each star level having a specific meaning.
A terrible book, with a cliche plot and poor presentation.
A disappointing book. There are better books out there to read.
An average book, the kind you check out from the library.
A good book. You may consider buying this one.
An excellent book. The book was so good that you simply must buy it!
It is our hope that Inkweaver Review’s book rating system will help you make quality reading selections, and find those special books that you’ll remember for years to come.
“Waterbound” by Jane Stemp
“Waterbound” by Jane Stemp is a thought-inspiring science fiction novel set in a futuristic community.
The main character is sixteen-year-old Gem Ranneson. She lives in
the City, a place where rules are not broken, because the government is always watching. Everything in the City is perfect; no resource is wasted and all the people are healthy. But then Gem discovers a shocking secret about the society that she lives in.
Underneath the City live the Waterbound, the children that the City did not want. As Gem learns to appreciate these deformed and disabled people, she becomes critically involved in a final attempt to liberate them from society’s imprisonment.
“Waterbound” is both moving and meaningful. Stemp’s realistic novel teaches an important message about disability rights. I would recommend this book as an entertaining and worthwhile read.
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“Island of the Blue Dolphins,” by Scott O’Dell
“Island of the Blue Dolphins,” by Scott O’Dell is a classic young adult novel that is one of my favorite books. In fact, in 1976 the Children’s Literature Associate named “Island of the Blue Dolphins” as one of the top ten best American children’s books of the past two-hundred years.
The story is historical fiction based on the real experience of a young Indian woman who lived alone on an island off the coast of California for 18 years. O’Dell beautifully recreates her as the character Karana, or Girl with the Long Black Hair. When Karana’s tribe leaves the island on an American ship, Karana ends up left behind. She must deal with the island’s wild dogs, which have killed her brother, and also find food to subsist in the desolate spot. The story follows Karana through disasters and difficulties as she lives her solitary life.
“Island of the Blue Dolphins,” though, is no mere survival story like “Robinson Crusoe.” Rather, Karana’s determined courage and her strong spirit give the story a peaceful appeal, and the book’s memorable passages are not mere drama, but deeper and broader in scope. Rather than letting loneliness and terror affect her, Karana endures, serene and strong.
As one of my favorite books, “Island of the Blue Dolphins” is a reading opportunity that I would highly recommend to you.
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“Remembering Raquel” by Vivian Vande Velde
“Remembering Raquel” by Vivian Vande Velde is a moving and thought provoking book about the death of a young teenage girl.
Raquel was a fourteen-year-old girl who most people never noticed. She was just one of those average people that are all too often overlooked. But then she dies in a tragic accident, and everyone around her is effected in some way.
“Remembering Raquel” is basically an extensive collection of people’s reactions to Raquel’s death. From the grief of her father and her friends, to the mixed reactions of her classmates the author realistically captures the aftermath of an unexpected and shocking death. Velde captures the stages of mourning: shocked disbelief, feelings of responsibility, and grief. This work of art is a vast and moving panorama of thoughts and feelings, in all ranges and extremes.
I would highly recommend that you read “Remembering Raquel.” This one-of-a-kind book is too special and too moving to pass by. The back cover sums up the entire book in one sentence: “How would you be remembered?”
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“So Yesterday,” by Scott Westerfeld
“So Yesterday,” by Scott Westerfeld, is a fascinating novel that explores the source of and secrets behind the fashion and trend industry. With his powerful satire Westerfeld introduces the book’s point to us:
“We are all around you.
You don‘t think about us because we are invisible. Well, not exactly invisible. A lot of us have hair dyed in four colors, or wear five-inch platform sneakers, or carry enough metal in our skin that it‘s a hassle getting on an airplane. Quite visible, actually, come to think of it.
But we don‘t wear signs saying what we are. After all, if you knew what we were up to, we couldn‘t work our magic. We have to observe carefully and push and prompt you in ways you don‘t notice. Like good teachers, we let you think you‘ve discovered the truth on your own.
And you need us. Someone has to guide you, to mold you, to make sure that today turns into yesterday on schedule. Because frankly, without us to monitor the situation, who knows what would get crammed down your throats?
It‘s not like you can just start making your own decisions, after all.”
With this intriguing beginning, Westerfeld delves into a remarkable novel that has a plot as deeply twisted as its message. From the sources of fads to the people and personalities that define cool, Westerfeld helps the reader step back and look at things from a different vantage point – from the point of view of seventeen-year-old Hunter Braque. Hunter is a Trend Setter, one of those important people who find the coolest new things, and then help get them promoted until everyone thinks their cool. But then things go wrong. It appears that someone is trying to completely change the pyramid of consumerism, because some things are happening that just aren’t cool.
In writing “So Yesterday” Westerfeld has created a work of art that is not only entertaining to read, but also enlightening. This book has forever changed my view of “cool” and my concept of how things become “cool.” From the interesting history about the source of some modern fads, to the interesting ideas of the characters, Westerfeld’s book is a memorable and very worthwhile read.
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“The Daydreamer” by Ian McEwan
“The Daydreamer” by Ian McEwan, is one of the most interesting and well-written pieces of literature that I have read in a long time.
The book was written for children, but its marvelous imagery and ideas are inspiring to minds of all ages. The main character is a young ten-year-old boy named Peter. McEwan immediately portrays Peter’s character, capturing his young personality and mind with remarkable clarity:
“When Peter Fortune was ten years old, grown-up people sometimes used to tell him he was a difficult child. He never understood what they meant…
It was not until he had been a grown-up himself for many years that Peter finally understood. They thought he was difficult because he was so silent. That seemed to bother people. The other problem was he liked being by himself. Not all the time, of course. Not even every day. But most days he liked to go off somewhere for an hour-to his bedroom, or the park. He liked to be alone and think his thoughts.
Now, grown-ups like to think they know what‘s going on inside a ten-year-old‘s head. And it‘s impossible to know what someone is thinking if they keep quiet about it.”
McEwan takes us inside the mind of Peter, and what an interesting mind it is! “The Daydreamer” shows us Peter’s extraordinary ideas and imagination. From the body of a cat, to that of a baby, to that of an adult, Peter’s life is more than other’s could ever realize.
“The Daydreamer” is wonderfully written, celebrating the imagination in all its power and scope. It’s ideas and descriptive passages stick in the memory long after the book has been read. I would highly recommend that you read the book yourself to experience this wonderful book by Ian McEwan.
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