Absolutely Normal Chaos (rpkg) Review

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(More customer reviews)I remember when I got this book in my Easter basket two years ago. I picked it up, and didn't stop reading until I was finished. Since then I've read it about 65 times, and I still read it almost every day. "Absolutely Normal Chaos" led me to read "The Odyssey," which is another one of my favourites, and I've also taken up Mary Lou's expressions such as Omnipotent, cabbageheaded and all that other sum and substance. It is also my inspiration for journaling. I recommend "Absolutely Normal" to absolutely everyone I meet. And they all tell me I'm exactly like Mary Lou... har har har. Anyway, I guess I should go ahead and review the book.
Absolutely Normal Chaos is about a 13-year-old girl named Mary Lou Finney who is assigned by her English teacher, Mrs. Zollar, to keep a journal over the summer. Mary Lou has no idea what a journal really is, so she decides to just write away and hope she's doing it right. Over the summer, Mary Lou's cousin, Carl Ray, comes to stay with her family. She also becomes involved with Alex Cheevey, a boy from school. What happens next is an odyssey in itself, and I don't want to give away the ending to this wonderful book.
For my final sentence, two words: READ IT!

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Diary of a Worm Review

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(More customer reviews)"Diary of a Worm" is a prime example of how the right combination of illustrator and author can make an amazing book!
As part of the Junior Girl Scout "Books Badge," I asked my 12-year-old Girl Scouts to read a review of "Diary of a Worm," then read the book and see if they agreed with the reviewer's opinion. Well, those 12-year-olds were soon cracking up at the idea of a worm diary, but they laughed even more at the directions in which the illustrator took the diary entries.
When the little boy worm writes, "July 4... When I grow up, I want to be a Secret Service agent..." my girls roared at the picture of two little worm agents in sunglasses and earpieces, wearing black suit jackets (no pants, of course). They laughed even harder as one girl pointed out, "Look! He drew the jacket with sleeves, but they've got no arms to put in them!"
How funny are these little details? Take a close look at: a dentist whose name tag reads "Dr. D. Kay"; macaroni necklaces consisting of one piece of macaroni that completely encircles the worm's neck; and the books that the worm is dragging home from school, with the titles "DIGGING - A History" or "Compost 101."
The funniest bits, however, are the illustrations on the book's endpapers! They are meant to look like the little worm's scrapbook, and have family photos with his captions written underneath. A picture of him with a baseball says "I found this really cool rock!" Another drawing is a corner of a $20 bill with the caption "Isn't this leaf awesome?"
My five year old son adores this book. AND so do I, AND so do all of my 12 year old Girl Scouts! No mean feat (or feet, either!) (sorry, couldn't resist a "feet" joke)
We all HIGHLY recommend this book. :-)

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Catherine, Called Birdy (rpkg) (Trophy Newbery) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Catherine Called Birdy" is a young adult book in a class of its own. Unlike the petty, superficial novels usually written for children, this book's historical setting and endearing heroine make it a must read for all precocious children who grew up on fairy-tales, etc. Set in The Middle Ages, this novel explores the society of the time and also the conditions of the time including some hilarious insights on the hygiene! When I read this book in 4th grade I was automatically hooked on everything Middle Ages and actually was inspired to do research in my free time! Setting of the book aside, "Birdy" is a wonderful character that many girls will be able to connect with even though they live more than 500 years later. Each diary entry tells you more about this character, which makes her personality more in-depth than other books for this age group. I recommend this book for all ages but especially for girls who are just beginning to choose what kind of books they want to read and have always enjoyed fairy-tale and historical fiction type works. This book has a permanent place on my bookshelf--- right next to the Jane Austen and Charles Dickens I have come to cherish because of the pathways of literature this book created.

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The Color of My Words Review

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(More customer reviews)When I first looked for books that might be interesting to read. I would have to admit that at first glance I liked the book, because of its colorful cover, but then I went on to read the reviews and thought it a great idea to buy the book. I believe that it has been the best investment I have made in my life. I didn't like it...I LOVED IT. Its the type of book you hate to put down till your done with it, and the type you can relate to...I was born in the United States but am of Dominican origin and can truely say that this book captures what so many Dominicans have lived through the years. There have been heard times in the Domincan Republic but, but also great times. For there is nothing greater then the way Domincian families just stick together and this book gives a perfect example of how close people are in the Dominican Republic as if everyone was family. The way the author indents the spanish words that seem so familiar to me....and the way she uses quotations makes the book so easy to read. Most of all though its the detail the life experiences she explains in the book, the setting, and the loves shown throughout the book that makes it so great. So great that while reading the book it wrapped me up so much into itself. That I ended up crying not of dissapointment but of how good the book was. On how much I could relate to it from my life experience as a Dominincan girl but also as family experiences. When i suggested it to my friend and cousins they too cried of great joy for the book also wrapped them into its pages its words, but most of all into the life it had captured between the pages. I would recommend this book to anyone...For its the best book I have read so far....So if you haven't read it.....GO and READ IT NOW.....DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS GREAT BOOK....FOR IF YOU DO YOU'LL REGRET IT.

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Never Underestimate Your Dumbness (Dear Dumb Diary, No. 7) Review

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(More customer reviews)My 10 year old daughter loves these books-- and absolutely laughs out loud when she reads them! They're not deep literature or a difficult read, but the author has a very funny way with words and really seems to know the pre-teen mind.

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The wedding Dear Dumb Diary readers have been anxiously anticipating is about to become a reality:Jamie's aunt and Angeline's uncle joined together until death do they part -- or until the divorce Jamie has been feverishly wishing for since they started dating finally happens. Now, three of Jamie's most dreaded nightmares are about to be combined into one unbearable event:
1) Very VERY poofy brown dresses
2) Wedding clogs
3) A lifetime of being related to Angeline, a.k.a. Blondewad
Jamie has just one word for this kind of horror:
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
PRAISE FOR JIM BENTON AND DEAR DUMB DIARY:

"What's new, what's cool: 'Dear Dumb Diary.' You'll laugh out loud at what this girl has to say."-- Knight Ridder Tribune

"This book's witty and satiric sense of humor is sure to resonate with kids and make these books a must-have." -- BIG BLUE DOT Trend Update

"Told in knee-slapping diary entries...Jim Benton delivers a wonderfully silly series that combines his knack for knowing what kids love to read with fun illustrations. Young audiences will eat up Jamie's diary descriptions...while parents are sure to see their kids beg for more Dumb Diary books."-- The Barnes & Noble Review

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