Elvis And The Underdogs

Guess what everyone! I've been reading lately and yes I'm enjoying it immensely. Even more exciting it's SUMMER! I just got three new books from one of my friends, and am enjoying them. The three books have given me more material to read and write about. So yay! This post is about Elvis and The Underdogs. That's the title of the book. Now from picture, you really can't see the name on the dogs collar, but it says Elvis. This book is about Benji, a boy that was born premature, and has just had a seizure. This, Benji decides is not that big of a deal. Besides, he faints all the time. Dr. Helen, says otherwise. Benji's got two choices. Wear the ugliest helmet ever invented, or get a therapy dog. Benji knows exactly what he wants to choose, but will his over protective mother stand in his way? The matter is soon decided and, Benji gets Elvis. Elvis is a male Newfoundland. If you've never seen a Newfoundland, I'll tell you, they're very big. Nothing that special about him right? There're tons of dogs in the world. Wrong. There's something different about this dog . Somehow Benji can understand him. They can go back and forth with a conversation like it's perfectly normal, although, the circumstances are not normal at all. Find out what Benji does in this predicament. You'll also figure out the true meaning of friendship, in this wonderful story by Jenny Lee. Read on everybody, and don't forget to enter a picture like the one above for the Pets Love To Read Too Contest! 

Read On,

Little Black Bear

Well That's Strange!

It seems like my first post, Wonder is now my latest post, so wow! Strange. I think probably the blogger system got messed up, or maybe I just did it without knowing! Well, it's all cool! 

KEEP READING EVEN THOUGH IT'S SUMMER! IN FACT YOU SHOULD READ MORE THAN USUAL! 

First Post... Wonder!!!

Books are tricky things to rate. They are tricky becuase of one thing... there are soooo many kinds of them. I recently read one called Wonder by R.J. Palacio. It was a great book. I would say it is ages eight or nine and up and it's one book that's not hard to rate. I loved it. Wonder is about a boy named Auggie Pullman who has a facial deformity. He is looked at as an outcast, yet he is normal. Here's the problem. He's the only one who knows he's normal. His mother and father treat him like he's normal but... if they thought he was really normal, wouldn't they have thought to send him to public school earlier in his life other than sending him in fifth grade? Principle Tushmen seems nice enough but, will his fellow students be the same way? He thinks Jack likes him and Summer seems to, but is it all an act?   This book is touching and not like any other book I've read. It's split up into three parts and it talks from each of the characters point of view. So start reading Wonder and enjoy it!

With A Name Like Love

Hi everyone! Like usual, I was reading a book, that was so good, I thought I should share it with you guys. I read the book With A Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo. This book is an old time-ish, realistic fiction, mystery. It's about a girl named Olivine Love, daughter of Reverend Everlasting Love, also known as Ollie. The Reverend travels helping people all over the USA, and this time the Love family has stopped their trailer at Binder, Arkansas. On their first day there, Ollie meets Jimmy Koppel, who's mother apparently murdered his father. Ollie knows this isn't true. How could Virginia Koppel, a small frail women, kill Jimmy's father? The problem is Virginia has already admitted defeat and said she's did it. Is that true? Ollie and Jimmy don't think so, and Ollie is out to get the truth, causing the Love family to stay a few more days in Binder, but will these days turn into years? Will Ollie succeed in bringing the innocent women to justice? How can two thirteen year olds save a women that's already admitted to the deed? In this story you will see how far a girl will go for friendship and justice. Find out all about this in With A Name Like Love.

Happy Reading,
Little Black Bear  

Emailing Me is a Good Thing

Hi everyone,
Just reminding you that emailing me letters and comments and photos for contests is a good thing. I just would like these letters to be reasonble. You can send emails to: littleblackbearbooks13@gmail.com

Thanks,
LLB

The One and Only Ivan

Happy summer everyone! Like I said in my last post, summer is finally here, and that means free time to do what you please. Summer also means reading! Good thing because I've recently read a book called The One and Only Ivan. Katherine Applegate does a great job on this book, and just to prove it's a great book, it got the Newberry Award. This book is about a gorilla named Ivan that has been treated like a human for a long time. Change is hard, as Ivan finds out. His best friends are a scruffy dog named Bob, and a wise elephant named Stella. These three along with some other animals all live off I-95 on exit 8. They live at the Big Top Mall run by Mack. as far as Ivans concerned he belongs here. This is his domain, and there's nothing he can do. Ivan only has one special talent... he can make art. But is there more? A new arrival has come though... a baby elephant named Ruby. With Ruby's arrival, Ivan also makes a big promise... but will he be able to keep it? Find out all the answers and more in The One and Only Ivan/ 

Get Reading!!!

     

Hey everyone! It's June, which also means it's almost summer. Some of you are already out of school, you lucky ducks, but some of us are not, and some are working summer jobs. Despite all this you have to keep reading! Reading helps your brain and is very helpful to improve your skills.

Ten ways to improve your reading are:
1. REad
2. Read
3. rEad
4. rEAD
5. ReAd
6. read
7. ReaD
8. rEaD
9. ReAD
10. READ

Yes, repetitive but I guarantee it will work. Some summer reads are...

Hatchet by Gary Paulson

Dealing With Dragons by Patricia Wrede

The City Of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Mr. Terupt Falls Again by Rob Buyea

The Lemonade Wars by Jacqueline Davies

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson


Remember to keep READING READING READING!

Favorite Book Characters Ever

Yes, I read many books. Yes, I have many book characters that I wish that I was friends with but, the two that I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to be friends with are Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson. Yes, from the Percy Jackson Series, and yes again, from the Heroes of Olympus Series. Those two, I consider... really cool. They fight monsters... who wouldn't love that? Plus Percy's flatal flaw is friendship. He can't break a promise... at least to friends. Wouldn't you want a friend like that? Rick Riordan does a great job on both of these series, and the best part? Heroes of Olympus Series isn't over yet. The books in this series so far include: The Lost Hero (#1), The Son Of Neptune (#2), and The Mark Of Athena (#3) the lastest book in this series. The next book is coming out in October of 2013. Very exciting! In this series two powerful demigods go missing at the same time. Percy Jackson disappears one night, as well as Jason Grace. Both the boy's memories have been wiped... is it a coincidence? Percy says that he has never come across a coincidence in his life of being a demigod, but maybe this time he just has. Find out what happens in that series. The other series that isn't as new, but is as good as ever, Is the Percy Jackson Series. The books in this series are: The Lightning Theif (#1), The Sea Of Monsters (#2), The Titan's Curse (#3), The Battle Of The Labyrinth (#4), and The Last Olympian, the last book. This series is about Percy Jackson who discovers he is a demigod and goes on quests to save humanity. Both these series are wonderful and I reccomend both of them, but you might want to start with the original Percy Jackson Series first. Happy reading!!!


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- Little Black Bear

Becuase of Mr. Terupt

Before I begin the actual review, I must tell you that I absolutely loved this book. It was a well paced, heartfelt, outstanding book, so good job Rob Buyea, the author. In Becuase Of Mr. Terupt, seven kids, each with a totally different personality, end up in the same class, with the new teacher, Mr. Terupt. Peter, is the class jokester, and he has to be... that's how he gets his attention. Jessica's the new kid, smart, shy and kind. Alexia's sort of a bully. She can't figure out how to stop herself from being what she is. Anna, doesn't fit in becuase of her home situation. Danielle, never stands up for herself, especially to Alexia. Luke is the brain, and Jeffery hates school. Can Mr. Terupt change all of this for the better? As the class clown and prankster, Peter quickly sizes Mr. Terupt up, thinking... hmmm, I bet I could use a lot of the bathroom passes with the newbie. Mr. Terupt is not dumb though. One day he asks Peter, "Peter you must have a pretty full blatter to pee like that all the time. Huh?" Everyone laughs, and eventually (after getting over his shock) so does Peter. Find out how Mr.Terupt changes everyone's lives, in Because of Mr. Terupt.

IF YOU LOVE THIS BOOK TRY READING THE SEQUAL: Mr. Terupt Falls Again 

The Running Dream

The Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen, is a great family book, constructed out of love, passion and desperate struggle to fix the problem at hand. Jessica is a normal teenager. Other than the fact that she's a great runner who just beat the track teams latest score for the four-hundred meter dash, and as soon as she touches the finish line, it seems like a perfect day, like nothing is impossible. At that moment Jessica knows she will be a runner for life, but will a fatal accident get in the way? On the way back from the best track meet ever, the bus is crashed into by a man hauling cars with bad brakes. Everyone is badly shook up, but at least they didn't die like poor Lucy, or loose part of their leg... like Jessica. Jessica, from that moment, knows she's never going to run again, EVER. She is downcast by the idea, like a someone has just pushed your head into water, and slowly it was getting harder to breath. From then on, Jessica decides her life is over. Or is it? The team is now going to raise money for a prostheses running leg. But it costs $20,000. How can a small track team raise that much to get Jessica running again? And deep inside, Jessica is a little scared to run again, for fear that she won't do as well... or worse. It won't work, she'll fail. You'll have to find out Jessica's destiny in The Running Dream.         

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THANKS!!!
- Little Black Bear

Chelsey Philpot!

Hi all,
I wanted to reccomend a book review site. So here's the link and it's called Chelsey Philpot! 

http://chelseyphilpot.com/



CHECK IT OUT!!!

- Little Black Bear

PS: Dont forget to check out the contests page! 

Girl In Blue

Hi everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been posting lately. I have a lot of sports that I've been practicing, yet I have been reading still... just NOT posting! Well here I am, and today I am posting on a book called Girl In Blue By Ann Rinaldi. Girl in Blue is about a girl in the time of the civil war, named Sarah, who is absolutely tired of being treated terribly by her Father. Plus on top of that her Father is going to make her marry Ezekiel Kunkle, who is as

weird and crazy as a crazed raccoon. She WILL NOT marry him, this she decides is a problem... a big one,But not exactly the biggest in the book. There are many other things in this book that 'takes the cake' (as my mother would say). She decides she will run away and join the Michigan Grays, an infantry fighting for the north. She masquerades as a man and just might do it, with some advice from some other underage men. One tells her to stand above 18. What does that mean? You'll have to find out by reading Girl In Blue.

 

Sophia's War

Sorry that I haven't posted in  a while. With all my homework things have gotten... interesting. The book I am writing about today is called Sophia's War by Avi. It is about a girl named Sophia who is living in the age of the Revolutionary w]Rar. Her father is a scrivener and her brother, William, and her brothers friend, Mr.Paulding, have enlisted in Washington's militia. Worst of all, British soldier and his servant is coming to board in her very own house! Since we know the very truth of the revolutionary war, I shall tell you this "boarders" name. This strange English soldier introduces himself as Captain John Andre. Sophia tries with all her might to hate him, but finds herself enjoying his company. He is, she discovers, a gentleman. When Andre makes a pledge to her that he would do all he could to help her and her family, she takes it to heart. About a month after Andre's pledge, the family finds out that William has been imprisoned. Sophia's heart drops. But she then remebers Andre's pledge: "I will do all I can to help you and your family"... does he really mean it? Andre does not mean it, and when Sophia finally finds a lead on her brother, she finds out from a cell mate that he has died. Sophia then makes a pledge that she will keep. She promises to avenge her brothers death in everyway possible, but might one of thoses ways cost her, more than her life? Find out by read Sophia's War by Avi .

The Phantom Toll Booth

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is also one of my favorite books of all time. It's about a boy named Milo, who is terribly bored. When he wants to be at home he is at school. When he wants to be a at school he is home. His case seems hopeless... until a magic tollbooth appears in his room. On it is a note that reads: For Milo, who has plenty of time. Also on the tollbooth is a sign that says insert one or two quarters, I forget how many. Anyway, Milo drives his little car up to the tollbooth and inserts his quarters. All of a sudden, Milo isn't in his room any more. He turns his little car down a road and starts to slow down. The road stretches on and on and on and Milo is getting... tired almost, pretty much exhausted. What's happening? Find out by reading The Phantom Tollbooth.   

From The Mixed Up Files Of Mrs.Basil E. Frankwieler

From The Mixed Up Files Of Mrs.Basil E. Frankweiler is a GREAT book. The only problem, the author, E.L. Konigsburg uses the word 'and' to start her sentances way to much. This book is about Claudia a girl who is tired of the monotony of everything she does, and she wants to teach her parents a lesson for making her do all the hard stuff. She decides to run away and take her little brother Jamie with her. She chose Jamie for two reasons. One, he was rich. Two, he had a transistor radio, which might come in handy during the trip. Claudia doesn't just want to run away though. She wants to run to somewhere instead of run away to nothing. She can only think of one possible place... The Metropolitan Museum of Art. They'll find a lot of adventures there. Find out all the adventures of Claudia and Jamie, so pick up a copy at your school library, bookstore or public library.    

A Valentines Book To Read...

The book I'm going to tell you about is called, Somebody Loves You Mr.Hatch by Eileen Spinelli. It's a great valentines book perfect to read that day. Mr.Hatch is a plain man. His schedule is eat, go to work, get the paper, go home, eat dinner, and go to bed.  Mr.Hatch has reicieved a package. It's full of delicious chocolates and, an ote that reads: Somebody Loves You. Mr.Hatch can't believe it. Somebody loves him? Something in Mr.Hatch changes. Read to find out what!

A Story Secret... You can have Hector Elizondo (he does a GREAT job!) read it to you through this link : 



http://www.storylineonline.net/?THEBIGDEALBOOK=634711429441027500      

Picture Books New And Old

Here are some picture books that I loved and I still do in truth. They are new and old books, but all of them are great. 

The first one is The Lorax by Dr.Seuss. My favorite line in the whole book is, "Unless someone like you cars a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better... it's not." It's an absolutely great story about how trees help everything, the fish the birds, and the people. The Lorax is "the keeper of the trees" and must stop the Onceler from making sneeds. A "sneed" is an all-purpose fuzzy thing (sorry I can't give a better discription but that's exactly what it is). I hope everyone will read The Lorax it's a great story.    

The second one is A Bad Case Of Stripes by David Shannon. This book is about Camilla Cream, a girl that loves lima beans, but doesn't eat them. Why she doesn't eat them? It's all becuase of popularity. In the midst of trying to fit in, Camilla acquires a bad case of stripes. At school she is a laughing stock and at home she is being examined by "the specialists" who keep protting and poking her. Ohh, poor Camilla doesn't know what to do. What will solve her case? Read this book to find out!

The last one today is Stephanie's Ponytail by Robert Munsch. I read this one endlessly. It's always been a big favorite of mine. I hope Robert Munsch recovers from his stroke soon. The plot is that Stephanie wants a new hairdo and asks her mother for one. Her mother gives her a "in the back" ponytail. When she gets to school all the kids yell "Ugly, ugly, very ugly!" But the next day everyone, even some of the boys, have ponytails. What is Stephanies solution to this? She gets a new hairdo. Read to find out what the kids at school say this time, and what they do to react. 

Septimus Heap Series

This is a great series full of magic and fantasy. It's called The Septimus Heap Series by Angie Sage. It's in the form chapters going from different points of view by character. In the first book, we discover Jenna's big secret and we find Septimus who supposedly died as a baby. Is this true or not? Marcia, the extra ordinary wizard, is a highly respected lady who always and I mean always wears purple. Silas Heap the father of all the Heap boys and Jenna dislikes her greatly. One cold night, the night his baby Septimus dies, he finds Jenna, alone in the snow needing a family. Who is this girl? Nevertheless she is only a baby and Silas and Sarah take her in. Ten or eleven years later, Jenna Marcia and some of the the other Heaps embark on a great journey to keep Jenna safe and along the way they find some unexpected surprises, and meet the friendly little creature, Boggart. Once you start reading it you just don't want to stop. Here's the good thing. There are six books in the whole series, so you can just keep on reading. My advice after you've read all of them, either re-read them or read/re-read the Harry Potter Series. :)     

A Look Back In History

I'm sure a lot of you have heard about Nancy Drew, but I think you have all over looked Trixie Belden. Trixie Belden is the better (in my opinion), cooler and older Nancy Drew. The Trixie Belden series is all about mysteries that The Bob Whites Of The Glen (or BWG's for short) solve. Full of exciting chapters. If you ever get the chance to read one, go for it. The first one is The Secret Of Mansion.    

Dead End In Norvelt

This is a great book for ages eight and up. Dead End In Norvelt is about a boy named Jack, who has a bit of a problem. When his father is away on an errand, he decides to go look at his father's military guns, which his father has gone out of his way to tell him not to touch them more than a million times. Well, Jack is just too tempted. Let me tell you what the result is, Jack is grounded for the entire summer, which has just begun. His mother, sorry for him, says one thing... "to get out of this house you could go work for that lady who writes obituaries." If you read it you'll find out how that goes. Did I ever mention that Jack also has other problems. Ever get so excited you feel like you're going to pee your pants? Well, if jack even felt  twinge of excitement, his nose would start bleeding, he wouldn't wet his pants, he'd simply just have a big nose bleed. This is not a good thing while messing around with the gun. Jack, even with all his problems, finds a mystery while helping with the obituaries. THe one big question... Why are all the old people dying all of a sudden... even when some were as healthy as can be. Find out by reading Dead End In Norvelt by Jack Gantos.    

Maine State Book Award Nominees You Should Read

These are some great Maine State Book Award nominees you should read:

Dead End In Norvelt By Jack Gantos 

With A Name Like Love By Tess Hilmo

Small As An Elephant By Jennifer Jacobson

The Aviary By Kathleen O'Dell

The Running Dream By Wedelin Van Draanen 

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide To NOT Reading By Tom Greenwald

Bluefish By Pat Schmatz

The Great Wall Of Lucy Wu By Wendy Wan Long

For more, go to this link to the Maine State Book Award Site: 

http://msba.umeedu.maine.edu/ 

      

Balloons For Isabel

Balloons For Isabelle is for, well anybody who likes "feel good" stories. It's by Deborah Underwood ans she did a GREAT job with it. It's about a porcupine name Isabel who wants a balloon for graduation, but if you've ever seen a porcupine... well  you wouldn't want to give them a balloon. Isabel must find a way to cover her quills as well as the other porcupines. Will she do it? Read this book to find out!!!  

Bluefish

A bluefish is a fish that is dumb, and Travis believs he is one. Travis has a problem. He can't seem to figure it out though. His dog Rosco has run off, his only friend gone... or did he run off? Travis can't figure it out. His grampa likes to drink and Travis is doing the best to make him stop it, but will he find success? Everything seems to change on the first day of his at his new high school. He meets Mr. McQueen who seems to want an answer so badly he'll fight anyone for it. He finally finds out Travis's secret and so does another girl who is reading The Book Thief. Something is about Travis is changing and you can read to find out. Pat Schmatz did a wonderful job on Bluefish and you should REALLY consider reading it. An age eight or nine and up book.    

The Aviary

The Aviary By Kathleen O'Dell is a great book and I think that it has a lot of great aspects of looking at things. Clara Dooley is a twelve year old girl who is very courageous, just not at first. When Mrs. Glendoveer dies, everything seems pointless to Clara... at first. The birds in the aviary are left for Clara, Harriet and Ruby to take care of and they seem to be telling Clara something... yet she just can't put her finger on it... yet. All of a sudden, things seem to change. Daphne Aspinal moves to town and the birds start talking to her, real talking. A mystery starts to unravel as Clara and Daphne search for Elliot Glendoveer so all the birds may fly home, but that really doesn't make sense... or does it. Read to find out what Clara and Daphne discover along with the help of the birds of the Aviary. A great book for ages eight and up.