Nutmeg 2007

Macaroni Boy

Written Katherine Ayres

Review by Travis

This story is about a boy named Mike Costa who lived during the stock market crash. At around dinner time they heard a loud bang from the street the banana factory blew up.  Later two dead hobos were found. His grandpa was getting sick and throwing up blood just like the dead hobos and the cause was the polluted cat fish his grandpa would fish for. Since the fish was free the hobos would eat it  and got sick just like Mike’s grandpa. At school we meet Mike’s worst enemy but toward the end they become friends.  

The Warriors

Written by Joseph Bruchac

Review by Tim L.

This book was about a boy named Jake who is on a lacrosse team. He moves away and stops playing lacrosse. Then he finds out that his new school has a lacrosse team, so he joins it. He gets lots of goals for his team and helps them a lot. To me, this book was very interesting because Jake {the main character} does some amazing plays to help the team and ends up going to the championship game.  Does his team win or lose? You have to read it to find out!  I recommend this book to anyone who likes lacrosse because its all about the game of lacrosse.

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

Written by Sharon Creech

Review by Sarah S.

In Granny Torrelli Makes Soup you meet Granny Torrelli, Rosie and Bailey. In the beginning of this story Rosie is mad at Bailey.  Granny Torrelli then comes in singing Zuppa, or supper. As Rosie and Granny Torrelli make soup, they talk about why Rosie was mad at Bailey.  Soon after, Bailey gets lost and his parents find out that he cannot see very well, so he learns Braille.  Rosie is interested so she teaches herself to read Braille. Rosie thinks that Bailey would be proud of her but he isn’t.  Bailey is not happy.  He thinks that Rosie cheated by memorizing the beginning of the book, but she shows him that she can read Braille by reading the whole first page. Bailey is so angry he tells Rosie to get over herself. To find out more you should read Granny Torrelli Makes Soup.

Thunder From the Sea

Written by Jean Hiatt Harlow

Review by Michelle

Have you ever read or heard of the book, Thunder from the Sea?  If you have, then you would probably think it’s the most amazing book you have ever read.  But, if you have never read it, then I’ll tell you about this amazing book. Tom Campbell, a thirteen year old boy, is an orphan that lives in the orphanage. When he was just a little boy his mother and father died from an illness, then Tom has to go to go to an orphanage. Tom’s whole life changes when Enoch and his wife take him in to live with them.  His new “dad” takes him on a boat to his new home.  Tom gets seasick, and it wasn’t a very enjoyable ride. When he gets home, he meets his new “mom” Fiona. Tom is a huge dog lover and his biggest dream is to have a dog. One day Tom goes fishing with Enoch, and deep in the sea there they find their dream dog. Out in the sea there is a huge big jet black dog paddling in the brutal waves.  Tom automatically scoops the dog up, and they don’t see another boat anywhere.  They take him home and try’s to find the owner. When no one claims the dog, they decide to keep it for their very own. They decide to name the dog Thunder since they found the dog in a thunderstorm. When Fiona has a baby could the extraordinary dog get Fiona to the doctor in time?  Could he make his way through the brutal winds? Would Fiona and Enoch want to keep Tom? Could they afford Thunder?  Find out when you read Thunder from the Sea!

Gifts From the Sea

Written by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock

Review by Tess W.

I read Gifts from the Sea by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock.  It’s about a girl named Quila and her family (mom & dad.  Her family owns a lighthouse on a small island. When Qulia was about 12, her mother died.  So now Quila has to cook, clean, and do other housework in place for her mother. When a ship sinks at sea the remainders of the sunken ship wash ashore (luggage, wood, etc.).  They take these items and use them.  One day Qulia sees something in the water, so she goes out to get it.  It is pretty far out, but Quila is determined to get it. When she pulls it on shore she sees it is 2 mattresses tied together with rope. Quila takes it apart and in between the mattresses she finds a little baby girl. Qulia and her dad soon decide to keep the baby girl because they figured that her mother had died in a shipwreck. They have the baby for 2 years and she and dad are very happy because Quila’s mother had died and they felt that the baby re-completed them. One day they get a visitor and something will happen to this family (the baby, Quila, and the dad). Read this book to find out what happens. I thought this book was a quick and easy read.

Kensuke’s Kingdom

Written by Michael Morpurgo

Review by Ronen W.

In the time of 1987 and 1988, a boy named Tom is about to experience a hard life.  His Mom is upset about moving away from there real home because of Tom’s Dad’s job.  Soon a day later Toms Dad presents his family’s new home, the Peggy Sue.  From that day forward Tom, his Dad, his Mom and his dog, Stella, would travel around the world with the ship called Peggy Sue.  Not everything turns out great. One cold night when Tom was driving the boat he got tired and sat at the edge of the boat.  Suddenly a huge wave came and pushed Tom and Stella into the cold ocean water.  They struggled till they reached land.  Now it is morning and Tom and his dog are on Kensuke’s Kingdom. Strange things start to happen and soon Tom realizes that he is not the only one on this island. When he finds more out about this island, he struggles for survival until he gets help. This book written in 1999 by Michael Morpurgo is excellent for young and old readers.  It contains adventure, excitement and fantasy.  So turn off your computer and start reading Kensuke’s Kingdom.

Review by Toby

The main characters of Kensuke's Kingdom are Kensuke and Michael. In the beginning Michael’s dad walks out on him and his mom. Then one day his dad comes back to tell them that he has found a place to stay. When they get to the place, they find out his plan is to sail around the world because be bought a yacht. They try the boat out and his mom agrees to go on the trip around the world. During the journey there is a storm and Michael falls off the boat. He finds himself on a strange island. He tries to light a fire but a man comes out and yells at him to put it out, so he does because the man has a knife. The man divides the island in half. Since Michael doesn’t know how to fish, the man provides him with food. I don’t want to give away any more secrets so I won’t tell you any more.  I would recommend this book to people who like adventure. 

Review by Chloe K.

Have you ever seen the T.V. series Lost? Kensuke’s Kingdom has the same kind of addictive plot. It takes place in July 1998 and is about a 12-year-old boy named Michael who has a dog named Stella Artois. He and his parents (along with Stella) like to go sailing on the reservoir in England (closest to his house). Michael’s parents worked at a place where the workers make bricks. One day, his parents got a letter in the mail saying the brickworks was going to close down. His parents were upset so they started to fight a lot. (Which they never did before.) Everybody was mad. One day Michael came home from school and his mother was crying. His mother said his father took-off. A few days later his father came back smiling. He told them he wanted to travel around the world in a yacht called the Peggy Sue. They get special training from a professional captain called “Barnacle Bill” (he didn’t know anybody called him that) who didn’t like children or pets. Finally they were ready to travel on their own. Michael’s best friend Eddie was there to say good- bye and to wish Michael good- luck. Before Michael left on the Peggy Sue, Eddie threw Michael a soccer ball with his name signed all over it. When they finally left, Michael, Stella, and his Mom and Dad went all around the world. They went to Africa, Australia, Brazil and many more places. (Michael tells his experiences around the world in a writing journal.)

After all the traveling, the autopilot was getting old so it came to the point where each of Michael’s family members had to stay at the steering wheel at all times (they each took turns) to steer the yacht.(if no one was there, the yacht would loose control.) One night it was Michael’s turn to steer the boat. Stella was on the deck without a safety harness (which is bad because Stella can fall over-board), so he went over to Stella to put on her safety harness. Suddenly the boat turned violently and Michael and Stella fell overboard before he could scream. Michael stayed afloat by holding onto his soccer ball. The next morning he woke up on an island (with Stella). He was not alone.

This book has 164 pages but you’ll find yourself zooming through it in no time. I rate this book four stars out of five because this book includes a glossary (for words that may be in Japanese-later on in the book) and a postscript that explains what happened after the book was written. Kensuke’s Kingdom is a page-turning adventure.

Half and Half

By Lensey Namioka

Review by Matthew B.

This book, Half & Half, is about a girl named Fiona who is half Chinese and half Scottish. She looks more Chinese than Scottish, and her brother, Ron, looks more Scottish than Chinese. He doesn’t care, but she wants to dye her hair red like the Scots, but she doesn’t want to offend her Nainai (Chinese grandma).  She also has her Scottish grandmother who she wants to please. There’s a Folk Fest going on while both sides of grandparents are visiting, she is confused about what to do! Who will she go with and why? Find out by reading this interesting book, Half & Half!

The Boy Who Saved Baseball

Written by John H. Ritter

Review by Evan F.

This is a book about twelve-year old Tom Gallagher who bets his home ballpark (lucky Strike Field) to the best baseball team around.  If they lose, they won’t be able to play on Lucky Strike Field again.  All of the parents decide they don’t want Mr. Gallagher coaching this game because they do not win often with him as the coach.  A boy comes on horseback whose name is Cruz de la Cruz.  Tom and Cruz go off to find famous Dante Del Gato and see if he will coach their team. Will they get Mr. Del Gato to coach??

On a scale of 1-10 I would give this book an eight because of the comedy and suspense included in this book. If you enjoy baseball, this is the book for you. Will they win? Read to find out!

Becoming Naomi Leon

Written by Pam Munoz Ryan

Review By Victoria A.

Becoming Naomi León is a book filled with sad and happy moments. This book is for kids who are experienced with reading.  Otherwise you might not understand some of the foreign language.  It is about a girl and her brother named Owen. Seven years ago, their mother dropped them off at their grandmother’s house, and never came back until now. Their mother wants to take Naomi to Las Vegas along with her boyfriend, Clive. Now, Gram, Owen, Naomi and their Mexican friends must go to Mexico and find their father, Santiago, so that Skyla (their Mom) doesn’t take Naomi away. In the end, a win-lose situation happens. So, if you read this book, then you will find out the secret that will unlock it’s meaning… I guarantee you’ll like it.

Brainboy and the Deathmaster

Written by Tor Seidler

Review by Ian

I read an amazing book this year and I believe you’ll like it too. Please listen to my review of the most extraordinary book ever. The book is called Brainboy and the Deathmaster by Tor Seidler. It was copyrighted in 2003.  I would like to begin with a brief summary of the book. It starts with a kid named Daryl Kirby who is in a shelter because his whole family died in a fire on Bainbridge Island. Now the owner of these kinds of shelters is a man named Keith Masterly. This man is a billionaire because he has invented computer games that are popular all over the world.  Since he owns the shelters he has a computer with all his games on it in every room. On the other hand, Darryl is a whiz at these games. He is so good that he makes the hardest games look easy. One day a shady man and woman come into the shelter wanting to adopt him, and I’m going to leave it at that. This book is a good for kids 4th grade and up because of a typically hard reading level, plus it is 311 pages long. I recommend this book to anyone that loves a book full of free imagination, suspense, mystery, and friendship. That is what I have to say about this spectacular book.

Review by Alex B.

Darryl Kirby’s family died and now he is living in a shelter with a man wants to adopt him. What Darryl does not know is the guy how wants to adopt him is the designer of his favorite computer game. His name is Keith Masters and his wife is Angie. They would like to adopt Darryl, but his friend BJ and his mom would like to adopt him, too.  Keith Masters took him before they could get there, so now they would like to talk to him, or at least see Darryl one more time. They don’t now what is happening, and BJ is concerned about Darryl. What Darryl does not know is that Keith Masters is planning something evil. Now Darryl, Nina, and the rest of the team must get out before it is too late or they will be in a lot of trouble!

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