Book Review: Main Street Series by Ann M. Martin

Main Street Series
(Photo is book #8)


Main Street Series

10 books
Type: Community life and friendship.
Style: Family-friendly, close-knit community, showing close friendship and community, not very descriptive or richly written.
Length: Fairly short - about 190-200 pages, print is fairly large. Better for younger children that can read well.
Age rating: 8-12
A series that shows a community helping others get over tragedy, forming relationships and bonds, close-knit friends and neighbors, etc. It's not a very rich book - just a bit of fun or amusement to take a break from deeper subjects. May be tedious for older readers, but amusing and entertaining for younger children and tweens.
Overall grade:  to 

A cute series, showing how friendship and community life can help you get over tragedies and overcoming problems and challenges. It's nicely paced, taking a somewhat sleepy, boring town into something more exciting. Overall, a pretty good read.

Copyright © 2013 schoolgirlworldreviews.blogspot.ca

Book Review: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis

Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze

Award-winning
306 pages
Type: Historical fiction
Style: Fairly descriptive, intensely involves life lessons and old sayings, old-fashioned speech.
Length: Solid read, a bit long for younger readers but nicely sized for older readers.
Age rating: 11-20. Highly recommended for older readers who can follow along easily.
A well-written novel, a door into times, very accurate and capturing the old-fashioned Chinese times. Young Fu is a complicated, interesting character and his story is as well. It has a lot of life lessons that can be valuable to young readers.
Overall grade:

A good novel, some beautifully written sentences, good morals, solidly written, and portraying the main character, Young Fu, quite well. A good book to be enjoyed, but may be hard to read for some people. Overall, a good read.

Copyright © 2013 schoolgirlworldreviews.blogspot.ca

Book Review: The Owl Keeper by Christine Brodien Jones

The Owl Keeper



306 pages
Type: Adventure/fantasy
Style: Descriptive, third person point of view.
Length: A nice size, fairly long for a younger child.
Age rating: 9-15. Highly, highly recommended for children 8-12 years (an excellent reading for very good readers ages 8-13)
A fascinating, elegantly and expertly written novel ideal for good readers, a perfect amount of descriptions, very well written. Not inappropriate at all, good use of language, but may be hard to grasp for slower readers, demonstrates a love for nature and to maintain the importance of the environment and fighting against government propaganda and dictatorship.
Overall grade:

A very skilfully written novel, portrayed very well, fast-paced, suspenseful, and demonstrates the importance of thinking for yourself, the environment and animals, and friendship. However, it may be too quick and hard to read for some readers, but overall, excellent.

Copyright © 2013 schoolgirlworldreviews.blogspot.ca

Book Review: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Hatchet

186 pages
Type: Adventure, fiction, survival-type
Style: Not elaborately descriptive but portrays feelings and characters quite well.
Length: Well-sized, a little too short for fast readers, long enough for slower readers.
Age rating: 9/10-14
A book that grasps the survival/adventure story, describing in depth the main characters feelings and how humans can adapt to their surroundings to survive. Not inappropriate at all, although some more sensitive readers might cry in some parts. Easy to understand and follow.

Overall grade:

A well-written book, demonstrating human brilliance, adaptations, and intelligence. A relatively simple plot turned into an interesting story. Quite well-written, an excellent reading. An excellent book, highly recommended for children, shows how we depend on nature and its beauty. Overall, a very good reading.

Copyright © 2013 schoolgirlworldreviews.blogspot.ca

Book Review - A Dog's Journey by W. Bruce Cameron

A Dog's Journey

336 pages
Type: Fiction, animal point of view, tearjerker.
Style: Fairly descriptive, first person point of view, deftly written.
Length: A nice size and length, excellent reading.
Age rating: 12+ (mature read)
Kissing, bulemia, a troubled adolescent lifestyle, a rocky relationship between mother and child, and may trouble younger readers, but not a depressive book. Just shows some different lifestyles.
Overall grade: 

A Dog's Journey by W. Bruce Cameron is a touching, heartfelt book beautifully crafted and showing the loyalty of a dog and its owner. It has a good amount of descriptions - not too flowery or heavy, just sketching a quick picture of the characters. Good plot, demonstrating literary ability and very sentimental and emotional. Shows life, loyalty, navigating through the maze of life, rejecting unhealthy influences and deciding what is best for yourself. Overall, a great read.

Copyright © 2013 schoolgirlworldreviews.blogspot.ca

Book Review: The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

376 pages
Type: Historical fiction
Style: Graceful and descriptive
Length: Good size, a good reading.
Age rating: 11+
Very good but for 11 and up, may be hard for younger children to understand.
Overall grade: 

The Lost Summer of Louisa portrays a young, energetic, independent Louisa, with a good use of words and good descriptions. Leticia and Elise found it both intriguing and well-written. Kelly O'Connor McNees writes this novel elegantly, stylishly, and keeps the reader hooked. Excellent for a book club. Shows sacrifice, big choices, independence, change, the start of a new life mingled with romance. Overall, highly recommended.

Copyright © 2013 schoolgirlworldreviews.blogspot.ca