Home Away From Home by Cynthia Lord

 

Home Away From Home by Cynthia Lord was a fantastic read! Cynthia Lord won a Newbery award for her book, Rules, and I predict this book will win its own awards. It is about a young girl named Mia who stays in Maine with her grandmother while her mother and new stepfather try to sell the family home. Mia is not comfortable with how much change is happening in her life, but she thinks a summer with her grandmother is just what she needs.

From the moment Mia arrives, she finds things have changed here too. There is a new neighbor boy hanging around with her grandmother, and when she goes to see the yearly eagle's nest on the point, there is a strange white bird bothering the eaglets. Nothing stays the same!

The characters in this book come alive to the reader. Mia has struggles with social media and limiting her phone time. She is jealous of Cayman the new boy who seems to be very good friends with her grandmother. She worries about having to leave her childhood home behind and about how she will fit into the new living arrangements that her mom is making without her. Pick up this Rhode Island Children's Book Nominee and enjoy reading along as Mia faces each new challenge.

By Mrs. Castro

The Swift Boys and Me by Kody Keplinger

The Swift Boys and Me by Kody Keplinger is a RICBA nominee for 2016.  It is a very touching story of a young girl named Nola and her three neighbors Brian, Canaan, and Kevin Swift. Right at the beginning of the summer, Nola witnesses Mr. Swift, the boys' father driving away from the duplex where they live. Nola soon finds out something is very wrong next door. Nola expects the summer to be filled with fun with her three best friends, just like every summer she can remember. But this summer is a turning point in all of their lives, one where the children get caught up in problems they can't control.

I fell in love with the tragic story of Nola and Canaan. It is the story of a childhood romance, with raw emotions and true feelings, a real tearjerker. Keplinger does a terrific job giving her characters voice. When you finish the book you will feel like all the kids in the neighborhood are people you know and care about.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

The Swift Boys and Me by Kody Keplinger is a great story of a girl named Nola and her neighbors Brian, Canaan, and Kevin Swift and what they go through one summer. One night, Nola sees Mr. Swift ( the boy’s father)  drive away from their house. Everyone wasn't quite sure if he was ever coming back. But Nola discovers something that everyone else doesn't know. While her neighbors deal with their own problem, Nola has to deal with all sorts of new things happening in her life. Read this story to find out more!

I thought this book was awesome and I enjoyed reading this story very much! I recommend this book for grades 4-6. I love the author’s type of writing style too! The characters in this book remind me very much of other characters I have read about before, such as the main characters in Drama. If you haven’t read this book, you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Reviewed By: bubblegum-yum

The Swift Boys and Me by Kody Keplinger is a very heartwarming and emotional story about a girl named Nola who lives in a duplex with three boys named Kevin, Brian, and Cannan. One morning she witnesses their father drive away and never come back. Turns out the wave he gave her was a bigger goodbye than the boys ever got.

     I loved this story. There were ups, downs, sad and funny, but most of all touching moments. This book is great for any 6th or 7th grader. My favorite part was when Nola, Kevin, and Cannan snuck into their neighbor's yard and jumped on his trampoline without asking and used Kevin as a lookout! This book reminds me of when me and my friend got in a big fight and didn’t talk for a while but we are best friends now. Go check out this book for an amazing experience you'll never forget!

Reviewed by Cupcake _22

The Swift Boys & Me by Kody Keplinger is about a girl named Nola and the boys that live next door.  Nola tries to solve a problem to get her and the boys to be friends again and also to try to fix everything with their dad. There was some trouble with the boys. One of them is  sleeping at his friend’s house. One of the other brothers is being friends with the boys that bully Nola. Will he realize that he’s wrong and stand up for her against the bullies? Will he apologise for being mean to Nola and will she still be mad at him? Follow Nola on the amazing journey to get her friend’s dad back and face many crazy challenges!

It is a great book with a bunch of topics; drama, bullying, sadness, happiness. But it kind of is like real life because bullies, drama, feelings, sadness, and happiness are all a part of a regular life. This reminds me of a time me and a friend got into a fight. I think this is a good book for 4-6th graders because some people deal with this stuff every day.

Reviewed by dance star 13

Odessa Again by Dana Reinhardt

Odessa Again by Dana Reinhardt is the ultimate do-over story. Odessa discovers a hidden magic in the attic of her new home that allows her to travel back in time to repeat the previous day. Odessa uses this magic to her advantage reversing mistakes she's made, like farting in front of the boy she "like-likes". When Odessa figures out that time is running out, and she won't be able to keep undoing her mistakes, she has to make every do-over count.

This is a cute story, it reminded me of the movie, Goundhog's Day. I thought the most interesting scenes surrounded Odessa's feelings about her father's upcoming marriage. Her parents are split up and Odessa really wishes they would get back together. Will she be able to rearrange the past to change her family's future? 

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Hatchet by Gary Paulson

In Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, twelve year old Brian Robeson got sent on a private plane to his father´s house. During the plane ride the pilot of the plane has a heart attack and the plane crashes in the middle of a random forest. Brian has to try to survive in the forest with only himself and the hatchet he brought with him. Will he survive?

I  would highly recommend that you read the book Hatchet. It is full of many different turns and surprises. A connection I can make is that  I have been in a plane before, just like Bryan. It makes you very nervous when the plane is crashing and Bryan can not do anything and is just alone in the forest by himself. The question is, will he make it out alive? Read more to learn about what Bryan does alone in the forest with himself and his hatchet.

Review by Flamingo

I chose Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. Brian is stranded in the middle of Canada and may face very challenging obstacles and may be in very big trouble. His parents are divorced because of a secret his mom kept. His mom gives Brian a hatchet for a present. His plane to go see his dad crashes on an island. The unconscious pilot may die or will he survive?

I personally loved the book and wanted another Hatchet book to be written. The part of the book that I loved the most was when he tries to go back to the plane. Wait wait a minute! If I tell this part, I’ll be spoiling the book for you, so you’re going to have to read for yourself. I hope you would like to read this book and I hope you love it!

Review by STINGIESTFAUN62

The book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is about a thirteen year old boy named Brian Robinson who is on an airplane flight to see his dad. Before Brian had got on the flight his mom gifted him with a hatchet. Brian and the pilot were getting along, when something terribly wrong happens to the pilot. Brian freaks out and about an hour later the plane starts to go down. The plane lands in the woods in the middle of nowhere. Brian is dehydrated and tired. Will Brian survive the wilderness or will he not make it?

I really like how the book Hatchet reminds me of hard times and still being able to find a way to have fun. It is a good book to read if you need an adventurous book or even a suspenseful book. I love how the author includes details to make you feel like you are there in the woods with Brian. I definitely recommend this book.

Review By Puppylover1234

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, starts out with the main character, Brian. His parents get divorced and his father moves to Canada. On a trip to see his father in Canada he  travels on a plane. After a while, the pilot has a heart attack and dies with Brian not knowing how to fly a plane. The plane goes tumbling down to the ground. Brian crashes. And the only thing he has to survive is a Hatchet that his mother gave him for his birthday.

This book is the best book I have ever read. It is heartwarming and heart pounding. It had gotten a Newbery prize and I think it deserved it. This is a realistic, survival story that I personally loved. If you want to read the book, buy it or check it out of the library to learn what happens in the rest of the book.

Reviewed by Assassinkitty419

Hatchet by Gary Paulson is about a boy named Brian.  Brian’s parents are divorced.  When Brian is going to see his father in Canada, his pilot has a heart attack.  The plane crashes, Brian is left to survive in the wilderness with only a hatchet.  How long will Brian last?  Will he last?  This book is heart pounding, sad and interesting!

Reviewed by--Herobrine

This realistic, survival, Newbery Honor book is called Hatchet. This book is written by Gary Paulsen. The characters in this book are Brian, his mom, his dad, and the pilot. My favorite character is Brian. Brian was on a plane to Canada to see his dad when the pilot passed out of a heart attack. Then the plane crashed in the woods.  This book is sad because Brian is lost in the woods and doesn’t know where he is. But then again no one knows where he is either. The theme of this book is survival.  I would highly recommend this book to readers who like survival stories. If you read this, boom you will love it!!!

Reviewed by: Koala_Bear_

The author Gary Paulson writes a book on survival called Hatchet.  The book is about Brian Robeson, a thirteen year old boy who has gotten into a plane crash after the pilot flying the plane has a heart attack and dies.  He is now stuck in the Canadian wilderness by himself with nothing but the hatchet his mom left him and a painful memory of his mom’s divorce.  He asks himself one question- what do I have to do in order to survive?  This book will surely leave you on the edge of your seat.  It left me on the edge of mine.  I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in books with survival and divorce.

Reviewed by swimm101

Do you like survival stories?  If you said yes, then you should read this book.  Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is about a boy named Brian.  He is going to see his dad but his dad lives in Canada, so he will have to take a plane.  His mom does not want him to take a public plane, so his mom hires a helicopter driver that they don’t even know.  When they take off, they fly about two miles and the pilot had a HEART ATTACK AND THEY CRASH!  They crash into a lake, but Brian is the only one who survived.  Read more to find out what happens.

Reviewed by FootballMan567