Arielle

   __Book Review for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas__ Review by: Arielle Lim    For my third trimester book, I chose to read __The Boy in the Striped Pajamas__ . This book was written by an author named John Boyne. This book focused the Holocaust and what happened to people that suffered in the concentration camps. This book was a story about two friends named Bruno and Shmuel that met each other when Bruno moved into a house next to a concentration camp. Bruno’s father worked for Hitler (Bruno didn’t know that his father was working for Hitler. All he knew was that his father’s job was very important). Shmuel was a boy living and struggling in the concentration camp. As Bruno and Shmuel’s adventure and friendship continues together, Bruno comes to realize what a horrible place the concentration camp was like. To me, I think that this story told a very good plot. It explained very well about what happened during the Holocaust, but at the same time, it told a very cute story about two friends. What really intrigued me about the two friends were that one of the friends was living in a concentration camp because he was a Jew, but the other was a non-Jew but accepted his friend who was a Jew. The plot was very memorable because I believe that everyone should be accepted like Bruno had accepted Shmuel. This book was so easy to focus on because the plot was very interesting and grabbed the reader’s attention so well.   The characters in this story were so memorable. Bruno was such a significant part of the story. He really grew and matured into a little man. He was willing and able to accept Shmuel for who he was. Shmuel was a sweet little boy who was stuck in a concentration camp. Him and Bruno became best friends that loved each other dearly. Shmuel and Bruno both blossomed throughout the whole book. I really enjoyed this book. It really intrigued me and made me think about what the Holocaust was really about. This book also taught me about friendships and acceptance. The ending was so sad and I did shed some tears. I think that this book is geared toward a middle school audience. I think this because for elementary students, they might not all understand the Holocaust and the significance of it, but the middle school students would. I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars for its wonderful example about friendship, acceptance, and adventure. Link to buy the book: [] Link for the picture of the book:[| http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2006/01/03/Pyjamas_060103092851541_wideweb__300x439.jpg] __Book Review for The Outsiders__  <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Review by: Arielle Lim  <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> “Like the way you dig sunsets, Ponyboy. That’s gold.” For the second trimester, I read <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__The Outsiders__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by S. E. Hinton. The genre of this book is adventure. This novel is about two gangs called the Socs (Socials) and the Greasers who both have a burning hatred inside of them for each other. The Greasers live on the East Side and they are very poor. On the other hand, the Socs live on the West Side and they are very rich. The Socs love to jump the Greasers for fun. One night, the main character, Ponyboy, has a fight with his oldest brother, Darry. Darry had slapped Ponyboy and Ponyboy had run off to a nearby park with another gang member named Johnny. At the park, a group of Socs had approached them and one of them had drowned Ponyboy in the fountain. Ponyboy woke up not knowing what had happened and found out that Johnny had killed one of the Socs with his switchblade. They both decided to run away and their journey is filled with all sorts of obstacles.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> To start off, I must say that this novel has become one of my favorites. This told an excellent plot that always kept you interested. The plot showed the readers what it was like in a world without any adults telling kids what to do. Although this may not seem very believable, to me, it was very believable. I felt like I was apart of the story and that I was on the same adventure as they were. The plot really grabbed my attention and I couldn’t put the book down! What a wonderful plot!

The characters in this story were awesome and amazing. Their names were so very unique and unforgettable. You could really feel a connection between you as the reader and the characters in this book. When they felt pain, you would feel pain with them. When they cried, you would cry along with them. It was amazing how real the characters seemed. As the story progressed, you could really see how some of the characters were changing. I was quite disappointed when some of the characters didn’t make it to the end of the book. That is when I cried a lot. When Ponyboy cried, I cried. The characters were unforgettable!

Without a doubt, I would rate this book 5 stars. It was so memorable, adventurous, and it was one of the best books I’ve ever read. The characters, the plot, and the whole book overall was so wonderful. This novel has really impressed me. I would recommend this book to middle schoolers who just want to read a very good book. Thank you so much, Ms. Hinton for an unforgettable story! Link for the picture: http://cdn3.ioffer.com/img/item/146/453/353/hn7EI2LrfIZEiTS.jpg <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Link to purchase the book: http://www.amazon.com/Outsiders-S-Hinton/dp/014038572X  <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__Book Review for A Single Shard__  <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">  Review by: Arielle Lim

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> What would it be like to be an orphan? What would it be like to live under a bridge with your one-legged friend taking care of you? Well, for this trimester, I read A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. This book is a book of sadness, excitement, adventure, and historical fiction. It is a story about an orphan boy who lives under a bridge with his friend, Crane-man. The orphan watches a potter in his village make pots everyday and is breath-taken by his works of art. He goes in the shop when the potter is not there, then accidentally breaks a pot. The potter notices and tells the boy to repay him by working for him. The boy agrees and works for him. After the boy’s hard work is over, he wants to continue to help the potter for free. The potter gets a commission from the royal emissary and Tree-ear, the orphan, has to take a far journey by foot to deliver pots to the emissary. Things don’t always go the way you plan while journeying alone by foot.

I think that this plot told a very good story. It was very believable and enjoyable to read. In my opinion, the plot never slowed down or didn’t make sense. The plot was very exciting and adventurous. The plot was very clever and I thought that the author did a great job telling it very clearly to the reader. Although at times, a tear or two would roll down your cheek and then more and more will come. It was never ending tears for me at the end of the book.

The characters in the story worked really well. In my opinion, I think that the characters connected very well with each other and with me as the reader. While I was reading, I felt like the characters were alive and were real people. I also felt like I was actually there when everything was happening in the book. I was so happy to see that the main character, Tree-ear, mature a lot throughout the book. As he journeys farther into life, he sees what hardships are thrown at him and how to take care of himself. My favorite character of the book was Crane-man. He took care of Tree-ear when nobody wanted him. He did not have much and lived under a bridge, but still took care of Tree-ear. Crane-man has a sweet heart and cared about everybody.

I really enjoyed the style of this book. I liked how the chapters didn’t end with me wondering what was going on or having my mind wander all over the place. There were some surprises thrown into the book which twisted the plot a little bit. Personally, I think that if the author didn’t throw some surprises in the book, the book would’ve been a little boring at times. The dialogues in this novel seemed very realistic. Since it took place in Korea, the characters spoke differently than how we do here in America. Koreans have a different mannerism and it was fun for me to imagine what the characters would say in Korean to each other.

I would definitely rate this book what it deserves-which is five stars! This story has adventure, historical fiction, and at times you’ll have tears streaming down your face. It has all of the elements to make a story great .I would highly recommend it to those who are interested in Korean historical fiction or just a good book. Thank you, Miss Park for an excellent story to read!

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Here is the link for a picture of the book: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[| __http://www.paahe.org/images/single-shard.jpg__]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Here is the link to buy the book: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[|__http://www.amazon.com/Single-Shard-Linda-Sue-Park/dp/0440418518/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289386518&sr=8-1__]  <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">**__The Wave,__ Todd Strasser (Summer Reading)** <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Book Review Review By: Arielle Lim

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> For my required summer reading book, I read <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__The Wave__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Todd Strasser. The main story is about a high school class that participated in a new ‘experiment’ called The Wave. Their teacher, Mr. Ross, showed them a movie about World War II and how Hitler kept the Jews and other people in concentration camps. The whole class was really disturbed after watching the movie, but afterwards, many students went to their next class without thinking more about the movie. A couple of students were moved and talked to Mr. Ross about how terrible it must have been at the concentration camps. Mr. Ross made a club called The Wave that made sure that everyone was treated equally. He taught about strength through discipline, community, and action. However, he taught the class as if they were in boot camp. The Wave members made sure that every person in the high school would join The Wave. Fights broke out and it got physical. Was this experiment too dangerous? Mr. Ross got caught up in his own little world and did not think about what was best for his students.

The plot of this particular novel was very interesting. It was interesting because this high school class was very serious about The Wave. I never thought that one high school history teacher could change the attitude of a whole high school! The plot was very memorable for me because it told a great story. This story was very easy to concentrate on because each page kept you interested in what was going to happen next. I was really anxious and excited while reading this story!

Some of the events in the story surprised me. Some had to deal with the way one character acted towards the other, but some surprises happened during the events in the story. These surprises made a big impact in the story. Without these surprises, I think the book would have been very slow. Some chapters ended with cliffhangers, but this way, the author had more of your attention for the upcoming events in the <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//next// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">chapter. I enjoyed reading the dialogues of all of the characters. It seemed very believable and very natural.

I think that the characters connected very well with each other. In this way the book came alive. The characters also connected very well with me. They grabbed my attention because they were very unpredictable. I never knew what was going to happen next. I also liked how Laurie was always the ‘outcast’ in the story when The Wave started. She was very independent and had a mind of her own. Many of the characters of the story developed more during the story, especially Robert. Robert changed from a shy, careless boy into a responsible boy. David, Amy, and almost the whole high school changed. They all took this new ‘fad’ very seriously.

I really enjoyed this book. The age group that this book was recommended for was a perfect age. I understood the book very well and I had such a great time reading it. The book explained that some things can be fun and enjoyable, but until a certain point, it can become very dangerous. The book also taught me that we should stand up for ourselves and have the courage to stick with our own opinions instead of following the crowd. I learned a lot from reading this book. I really loved this book and would recommend it to every 7th grader! I would definitely give it 5 stars! <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin: 0px; white-space: normal;"> __Pride and Prejudice__, Jane Austen (Summer Reading) ** <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; margin: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Book Review Review By: Arielle Lim

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin: 0px; white-space: normal;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> For my summer reading book, I read <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__Pride and Prejudice__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Jane Austen. The story is about five sisters who met a man named Mr. Bingley who is a very handsome and gentleman-like man. Mr. Bingley came with his good friend, Mr. Darcy, who is a very serious and a non-social man. Four out of the five sisters, Jane, Elizabeth, Kitty and Lydia Bennet, were all trying to get their consent from their father to marry Mr. Bingley. Mr. Bingley saw Jane and knew that he wanted to marry her. He danced with her at all of the balls. Elizabeth always attempted to talk to Mr. Darcy, but he did not talk much. As soon as Elizabeth observed this, she judged him and thought that he was a very uncivil and an unpleasant man. Her pride blinded her. Mr. Darcy was also prideful. As soon as he met Elizabeth’s family, he also judged them and thought ill of them. Because he was against the Bennet family, he told Mr. Bingley not to marry Jane. Mr. Bingley listened to Mr. Darcy and he announced that he had to return to London.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I enjoyed the plot of this book very much. The plot developed during the story and was very memorable. I enjoyed how this book was written a long time ago because it gave me an idea of what the people were like, how they talked, and how they behaved. I thought that the author did an excellent job of writing the plot. It made sense and was very interesting to read. It was very fascinating that the plot of this particular book involved romance, drama, a little bit of history, and a little bit of suspense at times.

This story took place in England in the late 1700s. This information was very valuable to me because it helped me to read every dialogue in British accents. There were many different settings in the story. It took place at balls, Rosings Park, the Parsonage, the Bennets’ home, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy’s home, and so many other places. The setting did play an important role in the story because I could just imagine where all of the characters were talking or dancing. The descriptions of the settings were very detailed and were easy to imagine in my head.

This story involved the conflict of pride in some of the characters. Elizabeth for instance, judged Mr. Darcy as soon as she met him and thought that he was a rather unpleasant sort of man because he did not make conversation like his friend, Mr. Bingley. Even thought she did not know his character, she thought that he was prideful and did not care about anyone else. Unfortunately, her pride blinded her. Mr. Darcy was also prideful because he judged Elizabeth’s family and because of this, he told Mr. Bingley that he should not marry Jane. The conflict of this story taught me to not be prideful and judge others. Jane Austen’s point to the reader was to not be blinded by your own pride and to not judge others.

I think that readers who would like a challenge should pick up this book and start reading it. It was a little bit of a challenge for me because the use of the English language back then was a lot different than it is now. There are longer words in this book that I did not know so I had to look it up. I understood the book and what the author was trying to say. The plot in this book was very, very interesting. It taught a good lesson at the end of the book because everything came together and made sense. I really enjoyed the ending and would recommend this book to everyone 7th grade and above. I enjoyed reading this book so much. I had a great time reading it! This book deserves 5 out of 5 stars!