FernFolio » Student Recommendations

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

fernfolio — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:28:27 +0000

This book is a very good book. If you like adventures and sword fights, you will really like this book. This book is a prequel to Peter Pan. You might be wondering how he became Peter Pan, well listen: Peter is an ordinary boy who is the leader of a gang of orphans. Peter comes from England. On a boat to Rundoon, Peter meets a girl named Molly Aster. Molly is part of a big group called the Starcatchers who collect starstuff because if the Others get it, the whole world will go back the the Dark Ages and worse. Molly’s father is rich. He is on a second boat, the Wasp, a very nice ship. They think that’s where the starstuff is, but is it? Read more from the book Peter and the Starcatchers!
Annika Grade 4

Lucy Rose: Here’s the Thing About Me by Katy Kelly

fernfolio — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:27:08 +0000

I would recommend this book because it is funny.
I’m Lucy Rose, and here’s the thing about the fourth grade: it is busy like you can’t believe! Especially if you are a person who is already plenty busy on account of having responsibilities and I am that kind exactly. I am already collecting vocabulary, plus I have to think up new palindromes and now I have to do the most p-u thing, multiplication tables, which I would say I hate, if I was allowed to say hate (but I’m not).
Lexy Grade 4

Spiderwick the Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

fernfolio — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 23:52:48 +0000

The three kids enter a different world that nobody has explored before. Jared, Simon and Mallory move into their extremely old aunt’s house which looks like it’s going to fall apart. The first time Jared walks into the old house he hears a strange noise in the wall which sounds like something running around.
Then strange things started happening!
First the secret library, then the note on the desk in the library, then the name Arthur which starts the search for a book.
Spiderwick: the Field Guide is a must-read book!
Reviewed by Anna

Igraine, the Brave by Cornelia Funke

fernfolio — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 23:49:06 +0000

This book is about a spunky knight-in-training Igraine. She lives in a castle with her talking cat Sisyphus. Unfortunately her next-door neighbour goes off somewhere and leaves her nephew, Osmund, in charge of Darkrock Castle, which is a big Uh Oh. Then Osmund just has to take over Igraine’s home (which is a castle). With the help of her friends Albert (her brother), the master of horses at Darkrock, and her How-To-Be-A-Proper-Knight instructor, The Sorrowful Knight of the Mountain of Tears, Igraine hopes to defeat Osmund and his Castilian The Iron Hedgehog, aka the Spiky Knight.
Will Ingraine defeat Osmund and his Castilian?
A must read!
An outstanding and vivid book!
A fabulous and fantastic story!
Reviewed by Federika, Grade 5

Bone by Jeff Smith

fernfolio — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:38:35 +0000

Here is a tribute, in cartoon form, to Jeff Smith’s Bone by Jacob, Grade 7!
Click on the image to enlarge it.

Ingo by Helen Dunmore

fernfolio — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:05:46 +0000

Saphire’s family has been a normal one for as long as she can remember. But when her father disappears, that family seems to fall apart. Her mom works from 4:00 pm to 1:00 am just to make enough money to support them.
Saphire’s life takes a turn to the crazy when her darling, loving older brother Conner disappears one day. She decides to investigate, and finds him at the cove near their house, with a girl whom she has never seen before. When Saphire asks Conner where has been all day he seems distressed and insists that he has been gone for only a few minutes. She makes up her mind to follow him, but is too late; he is already gone.
Saphire meets another boy who is a creature out of legend. The boys says his name is Faro, and together he and Saphire have enough adventures to last a lifetime!!!!!
Olivia
Grade 6

Animorphs: The First Journey by K.A. Applegate

fernfolio — Wed, 16 May 2007 00:34:26 +0000

Get ready to dive into an adventure you will never forget. In this book you have been chosen to be the sixth animorph because, one day while you were riding your bike through a construction site, one that your mom says is a place too dangerous for you to ride your bike through, you noticed that Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Cassie, Marco and Ax, from your school. You had no idea that they were all friends, or that they were animorphs. Then you looked up to the sky and you saw a light moving faster than a helicopter or an airplane. The light was a colour you had never seen before.
But wait! Am I telling too much? You will just have to read the book!
I recommend this book for someone who likes to read action and adventure. You will really like this book!!!!!!!
Reviewed by Samuel, Grade 5

Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff

fernfolio — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:30:55 +0000

Lily’s Crossing takes place during the Second World War, in a place called Rockaway. Lily has short sandy hair and hazel brown eyes, and she’s different from what she seems. In the beginning she seems like a completely honest and truthful person, but, no, she has a long list of things to fix. Lying comes first, then comes daydreaming, third comes friends, as in needing some, and fourth comes Gran (her grandmother). Lily thinks she should move Gran up to #1 now, all because Gran found out Poppy was going to away to war.
Margaret, Lily’s best (and, for that matter, only) friend is going away as well, because her father is off to help in the war. Things look a little up when Margaret leaves Lily the key to the back door of their house, till she and her family come back.
Then Lily overhears Mr. and Mrs Orban’s conversation with Albert, someone Lily has never met. Albert is a boy of Lily’s age who has come overseas from Germany to Rockaway to escape the Nazis. His little sister has disappeared on the journey. He has knobby knees and lots of black curls and dark blue eyes. At first it seems like they’ll never be friends (all the adults thought they would be), but eventually they become friends (as expected). They have amazing adventures together.
I don’t want to give away the ending so you will have to read it find out by reading this book!
Reviewed by Genevieve, Grade 5

Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith

fernfolio — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:29:20 +0000

Be ready to experience a book about a boy, named Henry who, when he ate breakfast, would often eat things that contained chocolate. Henry was never fat from eating chocolate, but one morning he felt strange at school and he saw that his arms had brown spots. He went to the doctor, but he was scared so he ran away. This is how Henry’s adventure begins and it is funny but it also has a lesson. I won’t tell you any more, so read it and you will find out.
I recommend this book for people who like exciting adventures and a happy ending. I chose this book because it is funny and the title made me interested in reading it. Two other reasons why I chose the book are because it has an important lesson and it is weird, talking about a boy who has a disease called Chocolate Fever. It has a lot of settings and characters, which makes the adventure exciting. It’s an amazing book!!!!!!
Have fun reading it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reviewed by David, Grade 5

Ingrid and the Wolf by André Alexis

fernfolio — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:28:09 +0000

Enter the world of fantasy where a girl, named Ingrid, has a weird dream. She is sleeping in her room and suddenly she hears a voice outside her room saying, “Gabor has eaten her highness’ shoes”. She gets this dream every Sunday night. She wants to go to Hungary to visit her grandmother, but her parents say no. When she begs her parents, they finally agree. Once in Hungary, her grandmother takes her to the labyrinth, which is a dark underground maze. In the labyrinth Ingrid meets a wolf who tells her stories about her ancestors, and she sees the connection between herself and her family.
I like this book because there is a lot of fantasy and it is not always happy. There is a cool cover that gets your attention. I recommend this book to anyone who is 10 to 12 years old.
Rating *********
Reviewed by José, age 10