Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

This book is amazing. For some reason the picture won't post but this is a really good book. It goes into politics, family, and religion. It makes you appreciate our world today, and makes you want to change the things of this world that you might not agree with. It does have a few scenes that are a little bit violent. And there might be some bible swearing in there, but that is all that I can come up with. Overall, a really good classic that had me on the edge of my seat till the very end. I couldn't put it down! It was absolutely amazing. Oh, some of the old wording can be hard to read, but just follow as best you can, eventually you will get better at reading and understanding it! And it is very much worth the read! :D

Here is a little about the book and a summary

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Tom's_Cabin
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/uncletom/

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

Princess of Glass, the 2nd book in the Princesses of Westfalin series, is just as wonderful as the first book. I loved it! It is full of mystery, adventure, and romance. Who could ask for more? It was very well written, a real page turner. Supposedly it is based on the fairy tale Cinderella, but it has such an incredible twist, its completely unique.

Just like with Princess of the Midnight Ball I would LOVE to rate this book G but unfortunately I have to rate it PG because again it has some scary parts in it. I would probably suggest it to 11 year olds at the youngest, and again anyone older than that can totally enjoy it too.

Here's a good summary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_of_Glass

Anne's House of Dreams by L. M Montgomery

At first you wouldn't think it could stay interesting- Anne got married, what else could there be? With L.M Montgomery's bit of humor and interesting characters, however, you quickly find that it is just as wonderful as the others, especially the more you got into it. Without the complicated romance, it may come across a little more plain, but lets not forget... there are other characters, with other romances! Haha- I'm kind of kidding. ;)
If you're wondering if I didn't post anything about Anne of Windy Poplars, its because I read a couple of chapters and... got kinda bored. The whole book were letters from Anne to other people. There were still funny, entertaining, sweet parts, but overall of what I read (about 4 chapters) it didn't keep my interest, so I decided to skip it. This book was good though :)

Just like the rest of the books its rated E for everyone.


Hope anyone who hasn't read it yet, considers reading it!

Here's a good summary of Anne's House of Dreams.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77394.Anne_s_House_of_Dreams

The ebook is free on the amazon kindle book store (a lot of classics are free) or on this website
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/544

I started making a vocabulary list but it got a little messed up so as soon as I fix it I will post it here.

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter

This last year for school my mom wanted me to read "Pollyanna" (I didn't really want to), and she got the first 2 books from the library for me. When she got the second book too I said, "Mom, I won't get to the second book, and I don't really want to." But.... I read the first book and I almost immediately started reading the second book!
If you want to read more about it, here is a wonderful website that summarizes it very well.
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/Pollyanna

I rate this book completely an E for everyone. Nothing in it is bad, in fact there is a whole lot of good messages as the website above tells.

I loved this book, mostly because of the attribute that Pollyanna is famous for. Her unfailing positive attitude. So if you are just a teensy weensy bit too lazy to click on the link, I will now tell you about the Glad game ;). I am telling you about the "glad game" because you simply cannot understand Pollyanna without it. Having no parents, and ending up in several unhappy living situations, you wouldn't think it of this character to find much to be happy for. Still, she remembers a game that her father, a poor minister, had taught her before he died. It's called the glad game; finding happiness in everything, even the sad things. Looking on the sunny side of every aspect of life. When the author continued the series, they gained the nickname of the "glad books"... if that gives you any idea of what type of books these are.

I find it surprising whenever I hear complaints about people with a never ending positive personality, saying "Pollyanna positive" as if it were a derogatory comment. Perhaps this book would change there minds. Pollyanna in the beginning surprised everyone with her glad game. They thought it was a bit odd and annoying at first, but throughout the book you watch as her glowing spirit starts to change the people around her. Again and again she proves how being glad for what you have can do so many wonderful things. It can put a smile on a grump's face, it can be used to teach others, stop arguments, and maybe even heal an old broken relationship of two sweet hearts... you'll just have to find out!

If you do read it I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)!

The Ranger's Apprentice Book 1 The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

This book was pretty cool. Especially if you enjoy adventure stories peppered with witty jokes, brave fighting, and a small portion of romance. In the times of kings, queens, and Scandinavians, Will feels like he does not belong. A bit scrawny and untalented, the only things he seems to be good at is sneaking around. Who will  he become apprenticed to? Not to the Rangers; no one knew anything about the mysterious band of quiet arrow shooters. People often wondered if they dealt with dark magic. Are the Rangers different than what they seem? You'll have to find out! This book is part of a rather long series, but if you aren't interested,  the first book is not a cliff hanger. You can read it, and be perfectly content with it's ending.

I just finished reading this about a month or so ago. This book should probably be rated somewhere between PG and PG 13 because of violence, scariness, and a little bit of language. If you need more specific information, click on the link below.
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/rangers-apprentice-book-1-the-ruins-of-gorlan

I hope anyone out there looking for a good book will consider this one, happy reading!

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

If you are a fairytale, adventure, romance fan, have we got a book for you! It takes the original story of the 12 dancing princesses, and completely twists it! It's a very exciting book, and I loved it. It is a 3 book series. I cannot wait to read the next one.

Jessica Day George is an amazing LDS author. She writes fantasy fiction for young adults, and all of her books that I have heard of
are awesome and great suggestions. When it comes to a fairy tale redo, this book is right up there with Ella Enchanted.

I rate this book... well, I would rate it E, because there is nothing bad in it, but it does get scary enough to rate it PG (there is death in the book). It would be good for 10 or 11 year olds at the youngest, but is still completely enjoyable for any one older than that.
If you want to read a summary of the book here's a good one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_of_the_Midnight_Ball

I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did!!!

city of bones. love this book!!

 

  this book is rated pg13!!!

so there are demons, angles, vampires, werewolfs, warlocks, downworlders, humans, mundies, and SHADOWHUNTERS!!!

shadowhunters are a mix of humans and angles, they are meant to protect humans and downworlders.

downworlders are a mix of demons and angles they are harmless but look honorably.

mundies are humans  .

demons are just what they are demons.

you know what the rest of them are.

it is mostly 

DEMONS V.S. SHADOWHUNTERS

but there is conflict with the vampires to

the main characters are clary, jace, alec, Simon, and izy

the villains name is valentine he is controlling the demons

  simon and clary have known each other sense they where 10.

clary not noticing that he was in love with her nothing happens between them.

but clary and jace do like each other 

jace is the adopted brother of alec and izy 

my rateding might be different then yours because we have different standers so i think only kalya will like this book

Anne of the Island by L. M Montgomery

I just finished reading Anne of the Island a couple days ago! :)

I loved it! (Obviously). The romance in it was finally resolved. I wish I could tell you more, but that would be a super spoil alert.
I can't wait to finish the next book and watch the movie! (There is no Anne of the Island. So as we said in a past post, the movie for this book is Anne of Avonlea).
It is one of my favorite books so far, I loved the ending. She's slightly older in this one, and is going to college. Another thing about this series is that it's hilarious at certain parts. In this one, I think it's funny when Anne gets jealous. ;-) Yet she still doesn't admit that she's in love!

Sometimes other books in series aren't as good as the first one, but
 L.M Montgomery did an awesome job once again at keeping her readers intrigued (well at least I was intrigued). And there is more than just one romance in the book, there ends up being multiple marriages. Who's? I can't tell you! So if you've only read the first book in this series, or none of them, I wildly encourage you to keep reading till you get to this book!

I rate it E of course! (The whole series is)
I want to start a discussion! I want to challenge people! Are you ready?

-Have any of you out there read these books? Did you absolutely love them? Why or how much? ;-)
-The Anne of Green Gables series is very popular, even today. So if you think that because it is old it would be boring, your wrong! These books are so fun, does anyone agree or disagree? I like these types of books, and you might too, so if you haven't tried them give them a shot!
-I know that I have already mentioned that I like the romance in this book, but if you're a boy and think these books are too girly for you, think again. The person who directed, produced, and wrote all of the movies ( Kevin Sullivan) wasn't a girl, but he enjoyed these books (I'm assuming, it was his idea to make them into movies after all!) Does any one else agree with me or know more?

- If you have read the books and watched the movies, which did you like better?

-any other thoughts or feelings you just can't contain? You're welcome to share ( I would love it actually.)

And because I am very considerate, I have made you all a very helpful vocab list. Here it is!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6d8iT-sF2DYRk93WmdXWkpwT0U/edit?usp=sharing

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

About a month ago I read A Wrinkle in Time for school. We were studying the 1960's, and this book happened to be published in 1962. I wasn't sure about reading it at first, but after I watched the movie (yes, Disney made a movie for it) I was a bit more interested and excited to read the book. I found that  I enjoyed it!

It is an enjoyable science fiction book about a girl named Meg who's father goes missing. He and his wife were involved in government research about tesseracts, (something to do with other dimensions) and it appears that not only has her father found it, but has been missing because of it! Will Meg find her father and save her family? You'll have to read it.

Here is a link to a VERY helpful website that tells about the book. (This website is good for learning about any popular media.)
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/a-wrinkle-in-time



I rate this book E for everyone.
There is a small romance, but there isn't anything bad in this book at all.
I think the age range should be around 9 at the least, but it extends to any age above that.

Discussion time!

-Have you read it? Did you like it? Why or why not?
-I like how there is a family, and a good one! The siblings love each other, the mom and dad love each other, and the kids and parents love each other too. What's your opinion about these sort of things?
- I have not actually read the whole series (yet) but I want to! So has any one read any of the other books? Were any of them as good as the first book? I keep wondering what they could be about, so I would love to hear your comments!
-Some people like different genres for books (romance, classics, adventure etc). I've already mentioned that this one is science fiction. Do you like certain genres? Is science fiction one of them? Please tell, and please tell why.   :-)
-Even though I have read the book, I still don't really know that much about tesseracts. I looked it up on wikipedia, but it was still confusing. Does anyone else know? I would appreciate it if someone explained it to me. :-)
So again, I would love to read some comments if you had any!

Oh,

And here is a vocabulary list I made for the book. Enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6d8iT-sF2DYMGVjV3FpRWk2Q28/edit?usp=sharing

Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea by L. M Montgomery

I finished reading Anne of Avonlea (the second book of Anne of Green Gables) a couple weeks ago! I really like these books and I can’t wait to finish the next book (Anne of the Island)! I’m particularly excited for the next book, because as much as I liked Anne of Avonlea, for most of the middle of the book it didn’t include enough information about Anne’s love life, but that’s just me, you might not mind. (Or if you do, you can just skip most of it!) Has anyone else read the Anne of Green Gables series? I loved the first one; Montgomery does a great job at bringing her characters to life. I would suggest it to people who can handle large words (or can ignore them). These books may be more interesting for 10 year olds at the least, and is definitely great for everyone else on up. (I rate it E.)

It's about an orphan girl and her imaginative mind, getting her into all sorts of trouble after she gets adopted. She has to battle trials like having red hair and freckles, and has to deal with a boy named Gilbert Blythe who called her "carrots" (She got really mad at that!) As you get further into the story, an interesting romance starts too.

In Anne of Avonlea, Anne continues her life, not as a young girl, but as a young adult. She starts dedicating her life to her talents and interests, meeting many new friends and interesting characters along the way.

Montgomery writes so well, especially when she describes the scenery. It is very poetically written. It's a delightful positive book, and is great for people who enjoy books like Little House on the Prairie (which is my favorite show, I haven't gotten to read the books yet) and Pollyanna (which I have read and enjoyed).

When I started reading Anne of Green Gables I noticed that the characters Anne and Pollyanna are very similar. They are both (usually) very positive, cheerful, and open minded.

There have been several films based on the books, my favorites are the live action ones made by Disney: Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea (or Anne of Green Gables The Sequel) (this one combines the 2nd, 3rd, and a bit of the 4th book) and Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story (this one is not based on the book, and is not made by Walt Disney). I have watched Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story. I am kind of glad that Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story isn't based on the book (I havn't read past Anne of the Island yet) because I hope the book will be happier.

Alright, discussion time! -Have you read any of the Anne of Green Gables books? -Did you enjoy them? Why? - Has anyone else watched the movies? Did you enjoy the books or the movies better? Why?

-         This series is a really good classic, and all 6 books were written from 1908 to 1939. Does anyone else enjoy classics? Why or why not?

-         Has anyone read any other books by L.M Montgomery? Were they any good? Please give us your comments and opinions, we would love to hear them!

Here is some vocabulary from Anne of Avonlea (there was a lot)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6d8iT-sF2DYbXpDQkVxdXN4b00/edit?usp=sharing

Vocabulary

I was trying to figure out a good way to put a vocabulary list on here and I didn't see a document button  so I googled it and found this website and tried what it said and it worked.
http://www.blogsbyheather.com/2009/01/blogger-linking-to-a-pdf-or-word-document-in-a-post.html

When you put the link on the blog you can either just look at the document online or download it using the download button (down arrow) on the left hand top corner under the file button.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis

I just finished the Narnia series. :-) It took me a while, but I enjoyed it!
The Chronicles of Narnia is a seven book series and is considered a classic for children's literature (although I think they can range from around 10 on up.) It's a fantasy, but it's a bit of an oldie. It was written from 1949 to 1954, and has  a bit of language in it, but most of it is just bible swearing (The  swear words you find in a Bible- it's nothing to worry about. I think it's perfectly fine to rate it E for everyone. ) If anyone knows anything about C.S Lewis, it's that he is christian, and if you have any christian background, you'll love the symbolism that the author has slipped into these books.

The series originally started with The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (I say originally because the author later wrote a book called The Magicians Nephew to help explain the first book.) And ends with the book The Last Battle.

So most of the series is set during World war 2, and is about a girl named Lucy and her siblings. In The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lucy finds that while playing hide and seek, the wardrobe she's hidden in has a much bigger inside than usual ones. It's a magic wardrobe, and it is a doorway that leads to the land of Narnia, a land of talking animals, mythical creatures, and humans who have found Narnia through other doorways. There are Queens and Kings, knights and castles, a land where Aslan, the great Lion reigns. I encourage everyone to read about Lucy and her sibling's adventures in Narnia; because when there are wars to be fought, evil queens to over throw, and lost kingdoms to find, who knows what could happen? You'll just have to read the books.

Most people know the Chronicles of Narnia by their movies, I myself really enjoy and highly suggest all 3 of them. The movies don't trail away from the plot of the book at all, and the quality is great. They are still coming out with them. Rather than a bit of violence, (there might be more than just a bit- For example I would watch Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader before letting your 5 year old watch it.) the movies have nothing bad in them, and they leave you with a feeling of honor and loyalty. And if you're picky with your movies, you'll know that there are hardly any movies out there like that- which is why  I decided just recently that if I had a favorite movie, these would be it.

Has anyone else read the books? Or at least some of them? Does anyone else like the movies?
How do you feel about the relationship between the books and the movies?
Who else is a fan of C.S Lewis and why?
I would love your input. :-)

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks

The Sword of Shannara is the first book in the series by Terry Brooks, who is my all time favorite author.  This first book is about Shea Ohmsford and his quest to obtain the Sword of Shannara and confront the Warlock Lord.  He encounters Dwarves, Gnomes, and Trolls along the way with great abundance of action and adventure. The characters in the book are on a quest for good.  Using their skills to better themselves and help others.  Ultimately to save the Four Lands. Brooks develops the characters so well that the way they interact with each other helps suck you into the story. It was a very difficult book to put down. I would rate this a PG book for the action scenes. If you'd like to read a brief introduction to the book, check out Wikipedia's article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Shannara. I am just now reading Brooks newest book in the series, released last week.  Can't wait to see what happens next.

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

"The Alchemyst is a contemporary fantasy which opens in modern
day San Francisco when brother and sister, Josh and Sophie
discover that the owner of the bookstore where Josh works
is the immortal French alchemist, Nicholas Flamel. Flamel
and his wife, Perenelle, are the guardians of the Book of
Abraham which they have protected for centuries. This is
a collection of the most powerful spells in the world. When
Dr John Dee discovers the Flamels’ whereabouts, he attacks
and snatches the book. Josh and Sophie intervene to help
Flamel, but now they too are being hunted by Dee and creatures
that predate humanity.

All of the main characters in The Alchemyst series are based
on figures from history or mythology.

Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel both existed. Nicholas was
born in France in 1330, and not only do his diaries and writings
exist, his house at 51 rue de Montmorency still stands in
Paris today.

In his diaries he writes extensively about discovering the
Book of Abraham, and his long quest to translate it. He claims
he discovered the secret of the Philosopher’s Stone – how
to turn base metal into gold – and also the secret of eternal
life.

From being a poor bookseller, he became extraordinarily
wealthy and founded schools, churches and hospitals in Paris.
In recognition for his charitable works, there are two
streets named after him and Perenelle.

He lived simply and when he died in 1418, his tomb was broken
into by thieves looking for his vast wealth.

His tomb – and that of Perenelle – were both
empty.

In the centuries that followed, there were several sightings
of Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel across Europe."

http://www.dillonscott.com/the-secrets-of-the-immortal-nicholas-flamel/books/the-alchemyst/

This is one of my favorite series.  There are six books in the series. This is a very fast moving story with lots of action.  Easy to read.  Very enjoyable.  The Nicholas Flamel character is the same one that is mentioned in the Harry Potter series as having invented the sorcerers stone.

I would rate this a PG for some of the mildly violent action scenes.  I would suggest this to a 10 + audience.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

 

Ella Enchanted
Magic, adventure, a little romance, and a satisfactory ending. If this sounds like you, read this book! 








Sorry for the pun, but I was just Enchanted with this book! I read it several years ago, (and I almost never reread books) but decided I had forgotten enough of it that I would give it a shot.
!!! It sucked me in stronger than a whirl pool. It's based on the story of Cinderella, but with such an exciting twist it changes the whole story adding a much better taste of adventure and romance than the original fairy tale. (And I just love fairytales.)

 It is totally clean, I rate it E for everyone. I strongly suggest it if you haven't read it, it's not too hard to read so this book covers a wide range of audiences.

If you are 11, you can read it and have a blast. If you are 40, it's a scrumptious book to try if you have a free weekend. Gail Carson Levine is one of my most favorite authors, I usually feel safe reading any book she's published.
Has anyone else read this book before?
 Some of you may have watched the movie, but I assure you that (like in most cases) the book is better.  By the end of chapter 2 you are probably going to be sucked in.
If you haven't read it, inform me, I'm willing to make a deal!

"The Thief" by Megan Whalen Turner

 
I want to challenge you all to read "The Thief" by Megan Whalen Turner. If any of you want to make a deal, go ahead! This one I would rate PG because it has some violence, some swear words (that I can recall). Nothing else come to mind, but I haven't read it in awhile, so if you remember anything about it, please warn!
Thanks! And I do think it really is a good book. (If you read it, rate it below in the comments)

Clean?

There is one more thing I want to mention before we start any discussions or challenges. Some of you may wonder what we consider appropriate in books. Everyone may have different opinions of what is and isn't okay, which is perfectly natural. I notice this especially in movies. Some people can glide right over bad parts in movies, while others can't stand them and squirm in their seats. So, just like in movies, if you aren't perfectly sure your book you want to suggest is 100% clean, you can rate them. Below is what we consider different ratings to be. So, let's say you really want to suggest a book, but it's probably more for adults than  an 11 year old. Make sure to tell everyone! You can do this by rating it and (this is important) why you chose that rating.


E- for everyone.
 Fantastic book!No bad language, no disturbing detailed violence, and no overly descriptive romance.
It's hard to rate classics sometimes though, due to old words now used today as swear words, but I don't think this should be too much of a concern. If you are suggesting a book with quite a few of these old fashioned words, just be sure to mention about it.

PG- parental guidance.
You just read the best book ever! Well... except for one really gross part. Or possibly two parts that weren't so good. And an iffy swear word... but these parts only happened in a few sentences!
...No matter how much you just love your book, it's good to tell people these things, for all you know a 4th grader could be reading your suggested book!

PG 13. 
I just read an amazing book that I just HAVE to share... but it would be better if someone a little older was reading it. One of the characters are going through some events that happen to you when you're older, and you would prefer that any eager reader out there were at least 13 or 14 before reading.

R.
Since we've already stressed "Clean" in our first blog post, I personally don't think that there should be  rated R books among any suggestions. So I'm going to take the time now to say that any books with sexual intercourse in any detail, should not be suggested. I may be wrong, and there might be a very good exception out there, but if so they'll still need to make sure to really caution readers.


















If you think there is something bad in a book, I want you to warn readers about the type of thing in the book. Don't go into excessive detail about it! The whole point is to avoid having to read it.

Also, while we are talking about it, discussions about books may often lead to spoilers, so shh!!
Make sure you don't give away the story. But if you have to, make sure to say (Spoil alert!) or something similar beforehand.










Well that's about it. I hope we will be having lots of book suggestions soon! ;-)

Sorting out the details

We have already mentioned what we will be doing on this blog, but what we'll really need to talk about is HOW.

Discussing books:

This is kind of self explanatory. Basically, whether you have just read the greatest book in the world, or if you feel prejudice against a book we have suggested, you can start a discussion. If you want to mention just a few things, you can post a comment to start a discussion. However, if your feelings are overflowing and you need to write extensively about a book, we will figure out a way for you to post it. Discussions usually involve two or more people, so if you want to begin a a good discussion, it's great to ask questions to spark the conversation. 

Vocabulary lists:

What are we talking about? Well, the vocabulary list a list of words and definitions that will help readers while reading books.What good will it do?  When I was reading a book called Anne of Green Gables, there were a lot of old fashioned words that I didn't know. I was able to look up a vocab list online. Later, while I was reading the second book and discovered the same problem, I couldn't find any vocabulary lists online, so I decided to make one for myself (which I will be posting later). I don't know about everyone else, but I find these lists helpful (especially ones I didn't have to make myself) so links to vocabulary lists or other helpful tools for understanding books, will be appreciated. 

Challenges!

This was one idea that we really liked. Before starting a book blog, all of my friends and I kept begging each other to read certain beloved books. So this is one way of getting your wishes granted! There are probably many different ways to do this, but one way we came up with is what we call a trading challenge. It's a deal you make with someone where you ask someone to read a book, and in return they ask you to read a book. I don't know why, but once you read what you think is the best book on the planet, you are just dying to share it with somebody. This way, when your friends are hesitant  you can pull out a deal, and basically swap books!

            Well, that's enough to get started I should think. I hope you all enjoy our ideas, and if you have any of your own, we invite you to share! Thank You!

Here we go!

Welcome to our book blog.
In our family, we just looooove books- well some of us more than others. So we decided to make a convenient blog to discuss books, post vocabulary lists, and other book or story related things. As much as we love books, we are also very picky and cautious with what we read. So to everyone who feels the same way we do, we promise that this blog only covers the best and most wonderful types of books out there. Very clean! While we are talking about this, we would please ask everyone to be mindful of what you post, because our readers (and us the authors) are of all ages and different backgrounds.
I hope all book lovers will find this blog useful and enjoyable. Have fun!

P.S.
If someone starts suggesting books that you know are bad, please let us know, so we can take care of it.