KIDS READ! LIFE OF PI

Here's a review from 6th grader Naomi:

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

An Indian boy named Pi is trapped on a lifeboat with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a Royal Bengal tiger after a mysterious shipwreck. Stuck with no food, water, or safety, he is forced to stay on the boat. Eventually, almost every animal dies except the tiger which is named Richard Parker. At first he is scared of the tiger, but as time moves on, Pi gets used to being around Richard. He learns many practical skills during this voyage to help him survive.

In this book, there were some rather gory scenes and descriptions that I would have preferred not to read.The author was very descriptive in his writing. I could not tell if this story was based on Pi's imagination or reality. I liked this book because of the intensity and emotion the author has expressed. It was made into a movie which almost matches the book.

For readers 6th grade and up. 

AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE?

I don't know about this book. Granted, the girl is trying to keep herself and her brother from growing hungry, but she sure is selfish! THE GIRL WHO OWNED A CITY adapted by Dan Jolley is a graphic novel based on an original story written by O.T. Nelson in 1975. A virus has wiped out all humans over the age of 12, and it's up to these kids to figure out how to survive. Some are trying to take others' food by force, some merely ask. Well, Lisa's not sharing with anyone, and pretty much expects everyone to do their share of the work in order to maintain their existence. She forms a city, it's HER city, and she controls everything that happens in it. Read this to see if you agree.

For 4th grade and up.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

When he wakes up in the tent the first morning of a camping vacation with his mom, Jake discovers that she along with her gear and the car are nowhere to be found. This is not the first time that she has done this, disappeared, but the other times he was at home and not stranded on an island in Maine with only a few dollars and a small plastic elephant, an animal that fascinates him, in his pocket. After his search of the island proves fruitless, he sets off to walk back home to Boston. The author tells the story of how Jake not only survives this experience but also learns some important truths about his capacity to move ahead in spite of his family circumstances in Small As An Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

GIVE ME SHELTER!

Living in the United States is a privilege that so many people take for granted. There are wars, hunger, displacement and violence all over the world that affects the human spirit in ways that one can not describe. Children especially are the once that suffer the most in this horrible situations. GIVE ME SHELTER: STORIES ABOUT CHILDREN WHO SEEK ASYLUM is edited by TONY BRADMAN and is about just that. Children that tried to escape war-torn countries in treacherous times are captured very vividly in these thought provoking chapters that will change your mind not only about immigration but also about the strenght of the human spirit.

For grades 4th and up.