Ms. Dawley's Xtreme Readers May 2007

More reviews by Xtreme Readers!

The Afterlife by Gary Soto

The name of my book is The Afterlife written by Gary Soto. The book was based on how you look at life after you die. The main character Jesus starts the book on how he got stabbed. He was at a bar minding his own business when he decided to go into the bathroom and out of nowhere a man stabbed him. There was not a real reason for his death.

As Jesus found out he was a ghost, he just wandered around his city. He passed by his family wishing that he could say something, but he was a ghost that could not say a word. The guy that stabbed him is a bully. He goes around bothering innocent people that do not start trouble. As the book comes to an end, the scene is being described as if Jesus was in church going back to his body.

I would rate this book a seven out of a ten because it was interesting but I personally think the author could have described it better. I like the fact that it was a different book. It was kind of interesting because I always thought about life after you die. Even though there were some parts that scared me the book was still fun to read. I also thought the book was crazy because it talked about many different things that I always asked questions about. This book was also sad because when you want to talk to your family yo can't because you are a ghost.
Reviewed by V. D.

The Cask of Amontillado Short Story written by Edgar Allen Poe

"The Cask of Amontillado" is a short story written by Edgar Allen Poe and is about revenge. The story is about a person that swears revenge on a great wine taster for insulting him. He tells the wine taster he bought Amontillado and tells him he is looking for something else. The man is tricking the wine taster by trying to make him go into his cellar where his wine is. The wine taster follows the man into his cellar to go to the Amontillado. The man gets the wine taster drunk and he brings him into an empty crypt and he buries the wine taster alive in the crypt by using bricks.

Summary by D. C.

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer

Hmmmm...why did I want to read this book? It is because I thought it would be interesting and such a good mystery. This book is about a boy named Artemis Fowl. who can go to another world full of fairies and see other enchanted creatures.
I just want you to know that I really recommend this book to everybody on earth. Many newspapers and magazines give a high rating to this book: Publisher's Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus Review, and Dianne Sawyer from Good Morning America recommends this book.
I believe that anyone who reads this book will love it and enjoy it so much. I know I did or I would not be writing this much stuff about the book Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception.
Reviewed by K. W.

Nightmare by Joan Lowery Nixon

Nightmare by Joan Lowery Nixon is a horror novel. The main character of the novel is Emily. Emily has a problem that she can't get rid of and haunts her in her dreams. She sees dead people and they don't go away no matter how much she tries to make the dreams stop. Emily does not know why the dreams won't go away. Even her parents are starting to get concerned.

Her mom and dad see their teenage daughter with a problem and want to help, but as a normal teenager Emily just wants them to leave her alone. They want the best for her so they send her to a program that her father heard about called Camp Excel, a camp for underachievers. Her parents want her to be all she can be just like her two older sisters Angel and Monica who both graduated valedictorian at their school.

Emily does not mind be called an underachiever. She is OK with going to Camp Excel which is a six week experiment summer program for kids who are not performing to their abilities. Now, for the next six weeks, Emily is about to find out what her real potential is, will she make new friends, and most of all, will the dreams stop?

The novel Nightmare by Joan Lowery Nixon is an Edgar Allen Poe Award winner. It is interesting and keeps you at the edge of your seat the whole time. It is very suspenseful and will keep you wanting to know more.

I can relate to Emily and her life style. I was once called an underachiever just like Emily until my parents entered me in a program similar to Camp Excel and I changed just like Emily. On a scale of 1-10, I give this book a 10 because it relates to me so much.

Reviewed by Z. H.

Shattered by Paul Langan.

Shattered written by Paul Langan is a story that kids can relate to who are having hard times at home and at school. The main character in the book is Darcy who has troubled times at school. Hakeem, the boy she is dating, has been dating another girl. Her best friends know about Hakeem dating another girl and they are keeping this a secret from Darcy.

The plot structure takes shape when Darcy finds out that here is a secret that her friends know. She finds out from Tarah that Hakeem has been seeing another girl. But there is a secret that Darcy has of her own that Hakeem doesn't know about. Darcy has been seeing another boy, so now they are both keeping secrets from each other. Darcy is also having troubled times at home with her dad. He is an alcoholic and he left his wife with four kids and left with another woman.

If I could rate this book one through ten, I would rate it about an eight, because a lot of people can relate to this story. I can't relate to this story because none of this happened to me in my life like what had happened to Darcy in her life. But if this happened to me like it did her, I would feel disowned and not loved by the people around me and I wouldn't think that anybody would trust anyone else.
Reviewed by S. M.


Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

J. K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. There are two other kids in the story besides Harry, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasel. Harry meets them at Hogwarts. The story is about a boy named Harry Potter (main character) and how he was saved by his mother's power of love that no one could ever hurt him not even Lord Voltmort, Harry's enemy.

Harry Potter goes Hogworts, which is a school of witchcraft and wizardry. The high wizard's name is Alvise Dumbledore. In this first book of the series, Harry is found on the front steps of his mother's sister's house. Now if you were talking about cruel, then you can think of her. When Harry came home to aunt and uncle and was older they started to treat him differently from other people making him wash his clothes and wax the floors. They moved to a small island where nobody could find them but then a huge man, named Hagrid, knocked the door over and took Harry to Hogwarts, the school of witchcraft.

Harry Potter, in the second book, was bullied by other kids that he didn't like very much. In this book Harry Potter finds a secret, in a journal, in the girl's bathroom. He finds out about the snake and the flooding. The snake is the symbol for the House of Slitherin. It is the house of the snake or the dark side. In the third book Harry finds out about something that really shocked him, something that he did not want to hear.

Summary by R. D.

Ms. Dawley's Xtreme Readers

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The Second Summer of The Sisterhood by Ann Brashares

Tibby: She is attending a summer college and has trouble making friends.
Bridget: Visiting her grandmother for the first time in a long time because her father kept her a secret after her mother died and Bridget wants to get information on her mother.
Carmen: She is starting to date and so is her mother. Carmen feels uncomfortable with her mother dating a man she doesn't like.
Lena: At home working at a clothing store and hates it and her nippy boss, and trying to get over the fact that her ex-boyfriend has a new girlfriend.

There are many settings in the book. Tibby goes off to a summer college for filming movies. Bridget is in Alabama visiting her grandmother who she has not seen in 4 years. Carmen and Lena are staying in their hometown working. Carmen is babysitting and Lena is working in a clothing store.

What I learned from the book is that you should be yourself even if you are making friends. The book to me meant that old friends are better than new friends because friends are forever.

Readers should read this book because it's exciting and something new happens in every chapter. Also if readers have love problems and parental issues that they would need some advice on, then this book would be a good book for them to read.

If I were to give this book a star rating, I would give it four stars because issues in this book can relate to any teenager's life and they can relate to any character in the book. B. W.


A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks

A Walk To Remember is about a quiet girl named Jaime, living in Beaufort, North Carolina, who always carries a bible and schoolbooks, takes care of her widowed father, rescues hurt animals and helps out at a local orphanage. No boy ever asked her out before. Landon is a boy who doesn't get good grades and is not very nice. He likes to make fun of Jaime, but little did he know that he would fall for her.

What I have learned from this book would be that you have to respect people no matter who they are and not judge people, because you might end up really liking the person. I also think that you really need to be nice to people who are nice to you. Don't just look at the person and then just start talking about them. They have feelings too.

Readers should read this book because it's a great book for teens and for people who love sad stories and love stories. I would give this book a 5 star rating. It was awesome. L. M.


Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

The main character, Melinda, faces many challenges. One challenge is being disliked, not having any friends, and not being able to talk to her parents. The setting takes place in a high school where Melinda, the protagonist, has to face many challenges which leads her to not having any friends and being the most hated person in her school.

What I learned from this book is if you are going through something and you feel that you can't talk to anybody, you should talk to somebody that is closest to you instead of holding it in for so long. If you hold what ever it is that is bothering you for so long, you can end up not wanting to talk to anybody or not wanting to do something to help you with your problem.

A reader should read this book because it has drama and emotions. I would give this book a 5 star rating. D.T.


Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula's problems are that he is getting very old and he needs someone to come and help him out. The guy who comes to help him out is named Jonathan. While Jonathan stays at Dracula's castle, Dracula finds out that the woman Jonathan loves looks just like his long lost love that died a long time ago. She died because she thought Dracula died but he did not die at all. The other problem Dracula has is that Mina, Dracula's love, comes to meet Jonathan and they get married.

The story takes place in Translyvania and in London, England. The action happens in Transylvania because that is where Dracula lives. Dracula's castle is dark, scary, huge, and creepy so it is the perfect setting for Dracula and all the evil things he does.

I think a reader should read this book because there are many adventures, it has alot of action, and it talks about the strong love between a vampire and his long lost love.

If I had to rate this novel I would rate it five stars because it is an interesting story to read and the action does not stop. K. J.


Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

The story takes place in Merryweather High School.
Melinda Sordino, the main character, lost all of her friends because no one believed her. They called her a snitch because she called the cops on this boy named Andy Evans. The problem is that no one knows the real reason why she called the cops on him. If she told anyone the truth they wouldn't believe her.

Something that I learned from reading this story is that to never hide a secret from your friends or family. If something is wrong you should always inform your friends or your parents. This book meant a lot to me because it gave me the courage to inform my parents on things that I did not feel comfortable about.

The reason why people should read this book is because it is interesting. I would also think that people should read this book because it teaches you a lesson. V. D.


Shattered by Paul Langan

What this book meant to me is that it connected to my life. I want to read more of Paul Langen stories. I think other readers should read this book because maybe the people that have problems need help to not have problems. I think this book should get four stars because it persuades you to read the book and that kids have problems like us.

The story takes place at Blueford High School, and at a girl's house. She has curly hair and is tall, intelligent, brown, and a problem solver. R. S.