Samantha

__ Book Review: The Wave (Summer Reading) __

By: Sam Cook The Wave by Todd Strasser is a book about a classroom experiment that takes a turn for the worst. The experiment is to help Mr. Ross’s history class understand how the Germans could have followed Hitler and the Nazis. The experiment, called The Wave, quickly goes wrong and is soon controlling the whole school. Now the only ones left to stand against it are Laurie Saunders and her boyfriend David Collins. Will they be able to defeat The Wave or will they be sucked into this horrible experiment with the rest of the school?

The story takes place in Palo Alto, California, in 1969. Personally, I don’t think that the setting contributed to the book because it was only mentioned once and it did not change the story in anyway. For visual effect however, I think it helped the reader imagine the sun beating down; this is because people tend to think of beautiful warm weather when they think of California.

Through the story, there were definitely parts that kept me interested. One of them was when David was able to realize what The Wave was doing to him and the rest of the school. Even though there were surprises throughout the story that kept me interested, I did not feel like the chapters ended with cliffhangers. However, the dialog had my attention the whole book and kept me very interested. I found the story to be believable because I was so interested in the in the way The Wave was able to intertwine itself with the students at school.

The Wave was a great book and I would definitely recommend it. I would recommend it to Fifth and Sixth grade students. Also, the reason I liked The Wave so much is because it was easy to follow and it felt more interesting knowing it was a real story. Because it was a real story it made me realize that it could happen to anyone. I would give this book three and a half stars out of five. Overall it was a good book and I hope other people get a chance to read it! [] __Book Review: Eclipse (Summer Reading)__

By: Sam Cook Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer is the third book out of four in a series of romance novels named Twilight. This story is about a girl named Bella that must choose between a vampire and a werewolf. She is deeply in love with both and it is tearing her apart knowing that she may only be with one of them. The story takes place in Forks, Washington where Bella lives with her father, Charlie. In Forks, the environment is filled with woods and the weather is mostly rainy and dark. I think it helps the story because you can imagine the scenery quite easily. You can imagine the wolves running through the woods and the vampires climbing the tall trees. It also makes the book a little more exciting because you never know what’s going to come flying out of the dark scenery or if someone is hiding in the distance. I believe that the story felt more real reading about the dark and spooky environment. Throughout the book there were many surprises, which made me want to read more. I felt like the whole book was a cliff hanger because the chapters always ended on dramatic notes that had you wanting to know more about what was going to happen next. I believed everything the characters said, because I felt like I was right there with them. Also, having so many details in the book helps you visualize what’s going on at the moment so you can follow the story with ease. While reading this book, I felt like I was a part of the story. I was able to imagine every scene and ask myself “What would I do if I were Bella?” It was an amazing story to read and I loved every second of it. I would find myself constantly sitting in my bed at 2:00 in the morning reading to find out what happens next. It was an enjoyable book and I would highly recommend it to any one that wants a good book to read. Eclipse has a five star rating from me!

[] __7th Grade 1st Trimester Review: Hitler’s Youth __ By: Sam Cook *INDENT* “I begin with the young. We older ones are used up…But my magnificent youngsters! Look at these men and boys! What material! With them, I can create a new world.” These words that were spoken by Adolf Hitler best describe what Hitler Youth talks about. Susan Campbell Bartoletti shares the story of the children who served Adolf Hitler. The book gives you the perspective of a Jewish boy, groups who spoke against the Nazi’s, and boys and girls who gave the Nazi’s and Hitler their life. While reading this book, you are able to see and share the emotions and sites these children saw in horrible times. However, reading this might change your point of view on the people that served and followed Adolf Hitler. *INDENT* Hitler’s Youth takes place all over Germany. However, it soon spreads throughout Germany’s neighboring countries. I believe that the setting affects how the people acted in Hitler’s Youth, because they have different ways of doing things. The setting plays an important role because Germany had been a very poor country with little power, but is rose and rose until it had a lot of power. Sadly this power was controlled by a dictator. To me I think that the situation would have been different if it was in another country because some countries believe very strongly in the freedom of speech, unlike the Germany of this time. This means that someone might have spoken out about the horrible things that were happening without fear if it had taken place elsewhere. In addition, the book talked about different groups that did speak out about Hitler but, they were quickly put to an end. *INDENT*I think that this book talks about something that everybody should know a little bit about. This is because it is a major part of history that cannot be ignored. It is most definitely a memorable book, and I will never forget the true life stories it talked about. Even though it was a very memorable book, my mind did tend to wonder every once and awhile. I found that the author tended to talk about one subject for a long period of time. However, I still believe that it was a good book that I will remember. *INDENT!!!!*In addition to personally liking the book I would recommend it for different reasons. First, the stories were true, and you were able to see one thing in so many different perspectives. This separated the book from any other book I have ever read. Also, when you hear the story from only one person, you never think of the other possibilities that could have occurred. I would recommend this book to anybody that likes books that make you think about what you would have done in that position. In addition, I think that Hitler’s Youth is meant for people in eighth grade and up because there were some difficult words to read and some of the words in German could sometimes be confusing. In all, I would give this book four stars out of five! [] __Trimester Two Book Review- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas__ “The dot that became a speck that became a blob that became a figure that became a boy” is one of the lines that sums up this book. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is written by John Boyne and tells the story of a boy named Bruno and his friend Shmuel. The story is based on Bruno who moves and meets a Jewish boy named Shmuel. Every day Bruno and Shmuel meet by the fence next to Bruno’s house and talk for hours. Bruno is rich and lives in big fancy houses. He knows that his dad has a very important position in the military but has no idea that he runs a concentration camp. Shmuel on the other hand is a poor Jewish boy who lives in the concentration camp that Bruno’s dad runs. The concentration camp is right next to Bruno’s house, and is seperated by a long metal fence. Every day he sees little specks moving around out there. He knows that they all wear striped pajamas but has no idea what it symbolizes. Sadly, Bruno is soon to find out. I think that this book told a very good story that had a great moral lesson behind it. The plot was very believable but I think that because this was a real event in history, it made it seem even more real. Also, the words that the writer choose made me believe that the story was real.In addition, I think that the story was really easy to concentrate on because I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book because I felt like I was actually apart of the story. Throuout the story, there were many chapters that ended with cliffhangers. You were always wondering what was going to happen next. I defiantly felt like I was always on the edge of my seat just waiting to see if Schmuel brought Bruno to the other side of the fence. I think that the dialogue was believable for the characters, making me feel like the story was real life. One of my favorite aspects of the book was how I was able to believe that the story was real and also want to know more! This was a great book and I would give it a five out of five stars![]