Realistic Reviews

Title: My Brother Made Me Do It

Author: Peg Kehret

Points: 4.0

Reading Level: 5.4

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Julie Welsh is an 11-year-old girl who always gets in trouble because of her brother. She gets a school project to write to a pen pal. This 89-year-old pen pal named Mrs. Kaplan helps her with her problems. Then one day Julie gets diagnosed with JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis). Julie is having trouble with moving her arms and legs. She has a Fun Run to complete and she doesn't know how she will do it. With help from her brother and Mrs. Kaplan, Julie gets courage to overcome her challenges. ****

By: Adam G.

Perfect by: Natasha Friend

Reading Level: 3.5

Points: 5.0

This is a realistic fiction book about a middle school girl named Isabelle Lee who has not been able to deal with her dad’s death. Her father died suddenly about 2 years ago and her mom has been very saddened and depressed. Mom does not talk about dad’s death with Isabelle, she takes all pictures of dad off the walls, and cries herself to sleep every night. Because of Isabelle’s sadness and her family never speaking of her dad’s death, Isabelle develops an eating disorder. When her mother finds out, she sends Isabelle to a therapy group (and who walks into her group, but the most popular girl in school, Ashley Barnum). Read this book to see how Isabelle and Ashley find the root of their eating disorders and how therapy “opens their eyes” to their individual problems. By: Mrs. P ****

The Million Dollar Strike

Two kids Ouchie and Squishy love to bowl even if it isn't the most popular sport. Their favorite place to bowl is an old building called Bowl-A-Rama. It is very old and there is a car outside that never moves. Squishy especially likes it because it's the perfect setting for a horror movie. He even sometimes imagines zombies and killer clowns lurking around every corner just waiting for the right time to jump in from the shadows to strangle them. They are suddenly surprised that city council wants to destroy the ancient bowling alley, Ouchie and Squishy are devastated. Then the boys meet Gazebo Zamboni, the rich and totally nutty and very crazy owner of Bowl-A-Rama who loves to use the bowling ball waxer to wax his head so that others can see their reflection. Mr. Z has a crazy idea that life is all destiny. He thinks that whatever is happening has all been planned out. Like when he decides to throw a piece of trash, he says destiny had it that he would throw this piece of trash away. He shoots and misses. He then says that it was destiny that he would miss. Mr. Z's thinks that the world is ending soon, as ghost told him so. Ouchie and Squishy manage to convince Mr. Z to keep Bowl-A-Rama open. Both boys volunteer to help fix up the old place. They hang up new things until it looks good as new. He starts the new promotion THE MILLION DOLLAR STRIKE!! Whoever gets drawn in a random drawing will get to throw the bowling ball down the alley and if it is a strike they will win 1 million dollars! Just when there becomes hope that they would be able to save the bowling ally, tragedy strikes and Squishy’s wild fantasy comes to life. Someone or something wants to close down the bowling alley. The secret will not yet be revealed! Just see what happens when you read this book! This is a realistic fiction book written by Dan Gutman and has a reading level of 4.5 and is worth 4.0 points. This realistic-fiction book is a great book and would rate it five stars (*****).

WRITTEN BY—Mohit J.

Abduction!!

By: Peg Kehert

Reading Level: 4.6
Points: 6 points

Six- year old Matt leaves his kindergarten class for a drink of water and ends up in a stranger's car. Matt's abductor tells him that Bonnie his thirteen-year old sister and his mother died in a car crash. Matt is scared and confused. He has no idea where his abductor is taking him. Bonnie is freaking out and scared. When Bonnie and Matt's dog is nowhere to be found, the police suspect there is a connection. To find out what happens to Matt read "ABDUCTION"!

I rate this book *****

Sridevi N.

Baby Blue

In the book Baby Blue, Blue is a young girl who thinks that there

is nothing special about her, where as her older sister,Star, has all

of the good looks and talent. Blue's life is going all right

until that one tragic day; the day Papa died. It had all started out

as a family picnic by the river, when a boy fell into the river! Papa

and Star dive in to save him, and Star comes up along with the boy,

but they don't see any sign of Papa! They wait and wait, expecting

something, anything, to happen. When Papa doesn't come up, they know

that it's too late.

After mourning, mama meets a man named Lyle Thorn,

and gets remarried to him. Lyle seems to be okay, until the night he

lost his temper, and smacked mama. From then on, Blue and Star call

him Jinx, but not to his face. At that, they both vow to never, what

ever happens, to ever call Jinx their father.

Mama wears make-up to cover her bruises, and her

and Star get into a fight, and thats when Star has had enough. That

night, Star runs away, leaving only a note that she will come back

for Blue.

Will Blue be able to stand without Star by her side?

Find out in baby Blue , by Michelle Kwansney. This page turner is

five points, has a 3.7 reading level, and is a Golden Sower nominee.I

would give it four out of five stars(five being the best)

-Bridget T.

Rimwalkers

By: Vicki Grove

Reading Level=5.5 Points=9

Rimwalkers is about a self-conscious girl named Tory, who feels superior to her little sister. One summer, Tory, her sister, her two cousins, Renny and Elijah, all visit their grandparents. Tory had never met Renny, and heard he was a dare-devil, who skipped school and was in a gang. Tory and Elijah liked each other from the start, and as summer dragged on, Renny and them had become a close threesome. Renny taught Tory to do daring things, like balance on a wooden bar, 10 feet in the air, and rim walking. Over the summer, Tory becomes confident, and daring, like Renny. But her little sister, becomes feeling left out. She does something amazing, which may just cost her her life. Find out what happens in Rimwalkers. *****

Nichole G.

High Heat by Carl Deuker - Imagine you living life like you owned the world. You got everything and attended the most expensive private school in the state. You were famous in baseball because you were a fast pitcher and a great closer. Your team never lost a game because of you. Your family was the richest. Your dad was a car dealer. When suddenly tragedy strikes. Your dad is arrested for money tingling and commits suicide. That was the life of Shane Hunter. The teen, his mother, and his younger sister are forced to move out of their luxurious home or should I call it a mansion. They were forced to move into government housing in a poor part of Seattle. He was told he would start high school in a public school. This kid had heard about them. The kids would smoke, kids would run around with guns, and wear against school policy clothes that would not have been accepted in his old school. Shane cannot take all of this and eventually is arrested for stealing beer from a convenience store. As part of his punishment, he must help repair a local baseball stadium. There, he meets the coach of his public school's baseball team, who thinks that he has great talent and asks him to try out. A moment comes when Shane faces the team from his old private school. He has to sell out his house very cheap to a rich kid named Reese Robertson. His anger rises to the surface, and he delivers a fastball directly at the head of Reese Robertson. Reese is hospitalized and is quite rattled that his pitching skills are lost. He thought he would never play baseball again and he thought his life was ruined until he found out something. With that, he starts to play baseball in search to get what he wants. He takes many steps to get back on the track of his life. The book, High Heat, is a great story. It has a reading level of 4.2 and is worth 10 points. It is all realistic-fiction and I would give it five stars (*****).

WRITTEN BY—MOHIT J.

Begging for Change by:Sharon G. Flake

Reading Level =3.7

Points =6.0

This is a realistic fiction story about Raspberry Hill and her

troubles. Her neighbor Shiketa hit her mom in the head with a pipe.

Then her dad who is divorced keeps stealing money from her. Her dad

is on crack and lives in a park. His job: Begging for spare change.

Some of the story is about Raspberry trying to be less like her dad

after she steals from Zora her friend and Ms. Evelyn her neighbor.

Raspberry also lies about stealing to her mom so she is like her dad in some

ways.

I give this book ****

by: Aaron S.

Speeding Bullet

Author: Neal Shusterman

Points: 8

Reading Level: 6.3

Genre: realistic fiction

This book is about a boy named Nick who saves a little girl in the subway. He is noticed by the daughter of one the best builders in the city. But then his rescues start to fall at his feet. Nick thinks that he is supposed to play the hero in these rescues. This book will take you on a joy ride with twists you will never see coming.

Rating: ****

Review by: Dallas L.

Downsiders

Author: Neal Shusterman

Reading Level: 6.0

Points: 10

Genre: realistic fiction

Talon is a Downsider, who lives under New York City. They are very secretive about their presence. But when Talon meets a young girl named Lindsay, who is a “topsider,” the two worlds collide. Talon soon finds out that he made a huge mistake, and the penalty is death.

Rating: ****

Review by: Dallas L.

The Gentlemen Outlaw and me- Eli

by: Mary Downing Hahn

Genre: Realistic

Points: 7 Reading Level: 5.2

This book is about an abandoned girl named Eliza Yates. Eliza is left with her Aunt Mabel and Uncle Homer in Kansas after her mother's death. Her cousins are spoiled brats. Till Eliza's mother was alive everything was going fine. Once her mother died things were different. She was slowly becoming a slave. She cleared the table, did the dishes, scrubbed the floors and etc. On top of all of that her cousins would do something and blame it on Eliza. One night, Eliza cannot stand the torture that she sets off with Caesar her dog. Eliza is in hopes of finding her father who she has not heard from in years. She then meets Calvin also known as a wanted outlaw. Eliza disguises herself as a boy and cuts her hair short. Calvin also needs to reach the same place as Eliza-Tinville. Throughout this book Calvin and Elijah (Eliza) encounter problems. Most of the problems revolve around stealing.

This book is very fast read and is a page turner.

I rate this book**** 4 Stars

Sri N.

The Year My Parents Ruined My Life

by Martha Freeman

Reading Level 3.6

Points: 5

This book is about a girl named Kate who is moving from sunny California to snowy Pennsylvania. She dreads leaving her friends, but is forced to move. Her suck-up 6 year old sister, Danielle, seems to think nothing of the move. Worst of all, her principal, aka neighbor, hates her guts. The kids in her class aren’t that friendly either! Can Kate find a way to get back to California? Read this book to see!!

I rate this book 3 stars ***

Sri N.

Becoming Naomi Leo

by Pam Munoz Ryan

Reading Level: 5.4

Points: 6

This book is a realistic fiction book about Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw and her brother Owen Soledad Leon Outlaw. They live with their great grandma in a trailer park in California. One day, her mom who left them, with their Gram comes to visit. She has been in Halfway houses for a while and is recovering from alcohol abuse. She is now married and is named Skyla Jones. She comes bringing presents to Naomi only because when they were little, Owen was a weird child and had some problems. Later on, they have to go to Oxaca City, Mexico to find their dad so he can write a note to the judge to let his kids live with their great grandma. Read this book to find out what happens to Nomi and her brother Owen!

By: Aaron S.

Strider

By: Beverly Cleary

Level: 4.8

Points: 3.0

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Leigh Botts finds his old diary while cleaning his messy room and starts to

write in it again. He has problems in his life some are that his parents'

are divorced, problems about his father's life and how he's doing, and

things about his own life. One day his friend and he finds a dog sitting on

the beach all alone so he starts to get ideas if he should keep it, find its

owner or just leave him alone on the beach. The one idea he picks is to keep

the dog. So his friend and he make a joined custody. Soon the custody wasn't

so good because Leigh loved strider and he was the only on he could keep

company with him and Barry Had sisters to keep company with him. Later, the

two boys work out the problems that made their friendship really weak. Soon

Leigh's father and him start to know each other better. Read the book to

find out what happens at the end!

Rating: ****

Nimansha J.

Lunch Money

By:Andrew Clements

Lunch Money is a realistic fiction book about a boy who wants to become a millionaire. So, one day at school, he noticed that he forgot his lunch at home on the counter. So, he asks his class if someone could loan him money for lunch. Then he noticed how many kids were willing to lend him quarters. When he was at lunch he also noticed how much kids spend on stuff. They buy pens, erasers, ice cream, etc... So that's when he got his great idea of making comic books and selling them for a quarter but then, someone copies his idea and then the principal shuts down his business.

Who is copying his idea? Will he ever be able to sell comics again?

* * * *

by: Jenn L.

The Report Card

by Andrew Clements

Points: 5

Reading Level : 5.2

Genre: Realistic

When Nora finds out she is a genius at age 3, she keeps it her secret. Why? Because she does not want to be treated different, like be put in the gifted program. Her best friend Stephen thinks that he is dumb and puts himself down when he gets a bad grade. Nora cannot stand this. Lately, she's been noticing people have been obsessed in their grades, and not enjoying school. And since kindergarten Nora purposely makes herself average student. Now, she has hatched a plan. She purposely gets D's and C's to make a point.

Read this book to find out how far Nora takes her plan!

I rate this book 3 stars. ***

Sri N.

So B It

by: Sarah Weeks

Reading Level: 5.0

Points: 6

Genre: Realistic

Heidi and her mother were found in the hallway of an apartment almost 13 years ago. At least that's what Bernie says. Bernie is Heidi's neighbor and helps Heidi and her mother. Heidi's mother being mentally disabled could not raise Heidi. Bernie however comes to the rescue to help. Lately, her mother has been saying her favorite word more often 'soof'. Heidi always wonders what “soof” means but never really got into detail about it. Finally, one day, Heidi is cleaning a drawer when she comes across a old roll of film. Heidi has them developed and is shocked to see what she does. So in search to learn about her mothers past, Heidi sets off from Nevada to Liberty, New York. Will Heidi be able to find more information about her mother or not?

I rate this book 3 stars ***

Sri N.

Million Dollar Strike

Author: Dan Gutman

Level: 4.5

Points: 4

Genre: Realistic Fiction

This book is about Ouchie and Squishy who bowl at Bowl-A-Rama. One day they find out that it's closing. So they go to play one more game, but they find it is already closed. Then, they meet Mr. Z. Soon they get to know him. They find out they have 30 days to restore Bowl-A-Rama or it will be condemned. Then they find out that Mr.Z is super rich, however he doesn't spend much money. So they use his money to restore the Bowl-A-Rama. Then Mr.Z gets a letter that says "You will die Pinhead". On opening day, "Pinhead" try's to blow up Extreme Bowling formerly know as Bowl A-Rama. He also tries 2 more times to destroy the Extreme Bowling Alley. The last time though, there was an earthquake and the Extreme Bowling was demolished. They found out that Mr.Z was gone so was his money but he left the deed of Extreme Bowling but it was destroyed so it didn't do any good.

I give this book *****

Aaron S.

On The Devil's Court

Points: 9.0

Level: 7.0

Genre: Realistic Fiction

This book is about Joe Faust, an ancestor of Professor Faustus, who sold his soul to the Devil for 24 years of power. Now, Joe moves to Seattle and meets Ross, a very good basketball player. After a party, they are not allowed to see each other because Joe fainted at the party after drinking too much beer. He is forced to go to a private school instead of a public school. In the private school, he does get the chance to play basketball, but he can't make a decent pass or an easy lay in. So he starts to practice in an abandoned gym. One day, he sells his soul to the devil for a whole season or 24 games of “power” in basketball. Well it works as he makes 10 straight 3 pointers. Their team goes to the State championship. His team is up against the public school he used to go to and Ross, his old friend, was the star of that team. By then, it had already played his more than 24 games, so he was not as good as during the 24 games he had “power”. They played a close game and his team plays well and comes from behind to win.

I give this book *****

Aaron S.

Deliver Us From Normal

by: Kate Klise

Reading Level: 4.1

Points: 6.0

Realistic Fiction

To Charles Harrisong, it seems that his family is the only thing peculiar in

his life in Normal, Illinois. Despite his desperate attempts to fit in,

everything his family does embarrasses him. The way his sister calls him

Champs, how his family can't afford an air conditioning, and the way that

they have to do everything as a family (even shopping for underwear!) Now

that he's in junior high, he thinks this year will be different, but when

his sister decides to run for president at the same school, he fails to

remain unnoticed. One day, though when some students defile his sister's

campaign posters, Charles' father packs up all five kids leaves their house

with only a few belongings and drives away from Normal, Illinois. When

Charles learns that his parents have sold their home and car for a

dilapidated old houseboat he thinks that they've made the biggest mistake of

their lives. Can the Harrisongs start a new life on the houseboat, or will

they be forced to return to their lives in Normal.

I give this book ****

By: Grace S-P

The Clique

By: Lisi Harrison

Reading Level: 4.9

Points: 7.0

Genre: Realistic Fiction

This story is about teenage girls trying to stay cool. A girl named Massie Block has three best friends Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen. One day she finds out that a girl from Florida is going to come and live in their family’s guest house. Massie is not very happy about this because now her mom wants to be best fiends with “the girl”, Claire. Claire is the absolute opposite of Massie. Massie the most important character can get anything or anyone she wants anywhere or time she wants. Claire is so desperate for friends she hangs out with her brother. Claire tries to be Massie’s friend but Massie keeps on ignoring her. So Claire gets another friend who is just like her, Layne. This story is really exciting and you will never be able to let the book down once you start!

Akansha J.

*****(Five Stars)

Invasion of the Boy Snatchers

By: Lisi Harrison

4.4 level

8 points

Realistic Fiction

In the Invasion of the Boy Snatchers, Massie Block is devastated that her new bff, Claire Lyons, that has to move to Chicago. Luckily, though, she ends up not having to move but jealousy arises in the clique. More importantly, Claire might lose Cam, and Massie might lose Derrington and her throne, all due to Alicia's hot cousin, Nina. Now Nina knows all the right stuff, and is cool, sheek, a trendsetter, and slick. But is she slick enough to pass up Massie? Read the book to find out!!! I give this book five stars.

By: Alayna S.

Code Orange

Author: Caroline B. Cooney

Reading Level: 6.2

Points: 8

Genre: Realistic Fiction

This is a book about a lazy teenage boy. Other than listening to music Mitty sees nothing more in life. So when a huge assignment is due on Monday Mitty doesn't care. However he decides he'll get a start. Mitty's research paper must be on a disease. So Mitty decides to research small pox. He heads to his mom's library and is excited to find a book on small pox. As Mitty opens the book a small envelope falls out. After reading a couple of pages Mitty realizes that the particles in the small envelope are small pox scabs from 100 years ago. Only 2 weeks later does Mitty realize that he might be infected from the scabs he touched and inhaled. You are probably wondering how he realizes this. Well Mitty actually researched more about small pox and emailed a couple of people about the scabs. What did Mitty find out in his emails? Is Mitty going to infect the rest of New York? Read Code Orange to find out.

By: Sri N.

Nightmare

Author: Joan Lowery Nixon

Points: 6

Level: 4.9

Genre: Realistic Fiction

This book is only 166 pages long, so it's definitely readable and absolutely worth reading! The main character is Emily, who is sent to Camp Excel to help her improve in school. Both of her sisters are straight A students, so everyone expects her to do well, too. She has a nightmare every so often, and it's not pretty. Anyway, she's been slowly uncovering the truth about what happened in the year she was 8 years old. Emily has no memories of this year, and it's the same year a staff member at Camp Excel died tragically in an accident, or was she murdered? Is Emily somehow involved in this person's death? Could she be the next victim? I guess if you really want to know you had better check it out from the library.

***** (Five Stars)

Devin G.

Code Orange

By: Caroline B. Cooney

Reading level = 6.2

Points = 8

Genre = Realistic Fiction

This book is a pretty good book. It's about a boy named Mitty. Mitty isn't big on school and wants to become a CD reviewer, but for once he actually decides to do his homework. The homework is a report on Variola Major a.k.a- SMALLPOX. One day he's looking through an old book from 1902 and he finds something. That something might just affect the whole world. Read to book to find out what this “something” may be.

I rate this book****.

Written by: Alyssa F.