Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue by Tom Angleberger

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

This book was the conclusion of the FunTime story arc in the Origami Yoda series. The ending is brilliant

and the message is stronger than before. This book will change your perception of characters from the previous books. This book also directly links its analogous "FunTime" program (a parody of Common Core) with Common Core itself by stating that FunTime meets the Common Core standards. I think this book does a very good job of forcefully expressing the author's views in a non-partisan way.

Genre: fiction

Setting: McQuarrie Middle School

Introduction:

Someone has stolen Tommy's latest case file and given it to Rabbski in an attempt to prove the Origami Rebel Alliance are the good guys. The mysterious person's notes to the principal are pasted throughout the book-- but if Rabbski doesn't listen to them, the students are in huge trouble.
The students have won a major victory against the FunTime Menace-- but it doesn't feel major anymore. Nothing's really changed, because they're still watching FunTime and haven't gotten their electives back. Rebels are losing resolve and support for the Origami Rebellion is dropping. And to make matters worse, Origami Yoda's advice starts taking a turn for the dubious. He wants them to show the case file to their evil principal! But they can't follow or ignore the usually wise puppet's advice, because someone steals it anyway, and the one question in Tommy's mind is-- who?

Themes: don't judge people until you really know them, standardized curriculum is not a good thing, stand by your friends

Recommended Age: 12 and up

Full Disclosure:

There is a controversial chapter in the book in which the word "gay" is used. Two bullies pick on Murky for wearing a pink shirt. They prank him so that he doesn't end up getting into the school picture. Tater Tot, who knows these bullies, tells Sara about it, and the students Photoshop Murky into the school picture and give the bullies pink shirts. The reason the author included this chapter was because of an incident from his own childhood in which a friend was bullied in the same way, and the story didn't have the happy ending as shown in the book. The chapter's message is that people should be tolerant of others, not whether homosexuality is right or wrong.

Rating: 4 stars

Other Books:  The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Darth Paper Strikes Back, The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee, The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett, Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus

The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee by Tom Angleberger

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

This is the third book in the Origami Yoda series. This book foreshadows the evil Common Core-type program that will be implemented in the next book as a primary antagonist. 

Genre: fiction

Setting: McQuarrie Middle School

Introduction:

Dwight Tharp has changed schools, and that means his friends won't have the guidance of Dwight's paper Yoda to help them get through the school year. And it is a time when they need Jedi wisdom the most. Mysterious things are happening. Teachers are packing up their classrooms more than seems necessary for Christmas vacation. Something about "FUN-damentals" is somehow involved, but none of the kids know what it's about. But the students aren't just worried about that-- they're worried about the mistakes they'll make without Origami Yoda and how bored they are without Dwight's weirdness.
But in a way, they still have Dwight with them. Dwight's neighbor Sara brings a new puppet to school one day, folded by Dwight: A paper Chewbacca. The Fortune Wookiee gives great advice just like Yoda-- but Harvey smells a rat. And from what they hear of Dwight, he's becoming less like Dwight every day. He's almost... normal. Can the kids at McQuarrie save their friend from becoming boring, and find out why everything's changing-- and how the Fortune Wookiee is as wise as Yoda?

Themes: stay weird because being weird is better than being normal, education should not be limited to the fundamentals

Recommended Age: 9 and up

Rating: 4 stars

Other books: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Darth Paper Strikes Back, The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett, Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue, Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus

"Shouldn't You Be in School?" by Lemony Snicket

Reviewed by: Henry, age 13

 The third book in the series, this one contains false accusations, mysterious organizations, faraway sisters, suspense, strangely familiar music and fires. Lemony Snicket has not even left Stain'd by the Sea and yet another strange thing has come up. There have been fires in the town and a teacher is convinced that school children are in danger. All along the way people keep being wrong. Wrong about masks,  wrong about melons, wrong about creatures, wrong about books, and wrong about Volunteer Fire Departments. With a few shocking secrets revealed. Amazing. I can't wait for the next.

Genre: Fiction

Setting: Stain'd by the Sea

Introduction:

Hangfire is still at large, working up some evil plot, no doubt. Lemony Snicket is called to investigate arson, a word which here means someone set fire to something and everybody gets scared. Unfortunately, his associate is literally the worst. She solves the case all wrong. Can Lemony Snicket and his friends solve it before Hangfire wins?

Themes: Family, cleverness, friends, trust

Recommended Age: 10 and up

Full Disclosure: Nothing

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books: "When Did You See Her Last",  "Who Could that be at This Hour?", "Why is this Night Different from All Other Nights?"

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

I read this book a while ago and it got me interested in origami. The Origami Yoda series is a great series and towards the end of the series it has some very poignant things to say about our education system.

Genre: Fiction

Setting: McQuarrie Middle School

Introduction:

Dwight is a loser. It's not an insult, it's just a fact. He's weird and has no friends and doesn't seem to know or care either way. But Dwight's really good at origami; it's a talent the other students don't notice until he folds an origami Yoda puppet. Being the embarrassing loser kid he is, he insists that people talk to it. But the strange thing that suddenly makes Dwight one of the most popular kids in the school is that Origami Yoda, like the real Yoda, can predict the future.

Dwight's friend Tommy has an important decision to make and he's trusted Origami Yoda with it. But he needs to know for sure if Origami Yoda can really use the Force if he's going to go through with it. And with his other friend Harvey making a good case against Origami Yoda's legitimacy, it's not easy to decide whether to trust Dwight's green paper puppet.

Themes: know who your friends are, have faith in the things you believe in, stay weird because being weird is better than being normal

Recommended Age: 8 and up

Full Disclosure: I would not encourage dating before 16, and this book does.

Rating: 4 stars

Other Books:  Darth Paper Strikes Back, The Secret of the Fortune Wookie, The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppet, Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue, Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus.

"When Did You See Her Last?" by Lemony Snicket

Reviewed by: Henry, age 13

Lemony Snicket has done it again with his witty jokes, strange mysteries, and even more odd characters, like two underage taxi drivers, two police officers who can't help bickering about everything, and a lady who is good with a knife. I loved it.

Genre: Fiction

Setting: A small not-seaside-anymore town called Stain'd-by-the-Sea

Introduction:

Another mystery has come up in Stain'd-by-the-Sea. A young scientist has gone missing. Lemony Snicket and his impossible chaperone, Theodora, are on the case. But Something else is brewing. Could this be connected to the Hangfire case?

Themes: Family, friends, cleverness solves the problem

Recommended Age: 10 and up, younger if read aloud.

Full Disclosure: Nothing I can think of

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  "Who Could that be at This Hour?", "Shouldn't you be in School?", "Why is this Night Different from All Other Nights?"

Margaret's Corner

Margaret is our sunshiny nearly 6 year old. She just finished kindergarten and loves books. We try to find books that are well-written but still at her reading level. Here are a couple she has been reading this week:

We love Poppleton for his silly but relatable ways. There are several Poppleton books out there that we have and enjoy reading. 

We recently discovered Iris and Walter and are having fun discovering what they like.

Margaret's pick this week for a read aloud? Anything from Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle!

I loved them as a little girl, and I love them as a mom, too, as it gives me a chance to talk to my kids about the bad manners and bad habits that children often pick up and need to break. This week, we've read The Slow-Eater-Tiny-Bite-Taker Cure, the Crybaby Cure, and the Bad Table Manners Cure. 

Bad Guys of the Book of Mormon by Dennis Gaunt

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

This book is an insightful book about the wicked men of the Book of Mormon. Dennis Gaunt discusses where the villains of the Book of Mormon went wrong, the parallels Satan still uses in our world today, and even how we ourselves are like these bad guys sometimes and what to do about it.

Genre: Nonfiction/faith

Setting: Book of Mormon/Present day

Introduction:

If you've ever wondered how the Book of Mormon is relevant to our day, then read this book. This book talks about infamous figures from the Book of Mormon such as Amalickiah, Omni, Akish and the Jaredites-- even Alma the Younger! In this book, you will realize that in our day there are still secret combinations, Nehors, spacious building-archetypes, and other traps that Satan uses against us. But this book isn't just a field guide to wickedness-- its purpose is to arm us against sin and corruption. The lessons in this book make it a weapon-- against the evil of the world. This book is essential for understanding the strategies of both sides in the war we are fighting against evil.

Themes: study the scriptures, follow the prophet, pay attention in seminary

Recommended Age: 11 and up

Full Disclosure:

This book is written mainly for pre-teens and teens-- you may want to simplify some things if you have little kids and want to use this in a family home evening lesson-- which I recommend.

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  Bad Guys of the Bible, Warning Signs, Feeding Consuela

Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls

Reviewed by: Henry, age 13

A preposterous storyline with a touching moral. This book is good if you like perfectly good plans which are thwarted  in silly ways, action, ponies, Where the Red Fern Grows, or monkeys.

Genre: Fiction

Setting: Modern Era, Cherokee country.

Introduction:

A young farm boy on Cherokee land is playing in the wooded ravine by his house when he sees something strange. A monkey! It yells at him and he gets out of there fast. When he talks to his grandpa, he learns that there is a reward for returning them to the circus they escaped from. And it will be enough buy a pony, which he has dreamed of riding for quite a while. But catching a monkey turns out to be harder than he thought...

Themes: Determination, Family love, Cleverness, Caring for less fortunate

Recommended Age: 10 and up, younger if read aloud

Full Disclosure: The monkeys get him drunk at one point, but he feels terrible afterward

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  I don't think this is a series, but it is written by the same author as Where the Red Fern Grows.

"Who Could That Be at This Hour?" by Lemony Snicket

Reviewed by: Henry, age 13

For all those who enjoyed Lemony Snicket's humor in A Series of Unfortunate Events, this book is amazing. Almost thirteen year old Lemony Snicket is called on a mission to return an strange object. But who is the real owner? This is a crazy mystery with lots of humor and characters that only Lemony Snicket could invent (A word which here means: make up random things and decide they are amazing), including a condescending chaperone, a librarian who is bad at eavesdropping, a reporter for a newspaper that went out of business, and a bratty boy with a slingshot that he uses to shoot birds (and people sometimes). A great read.

Genre: Fiction

Time Period: present/recent past

Introduction:

Lemony Snicket, a boy with an interesting education, is trying to solve a mystery with his hypocritical and not too smart chaperone who always seems to avoid telling her first name. He is hired to return a small statue of something that looks like the most terrifying (a word which here means: spiky and deadly and freaky) seahorse which you can see at the top right corner of the cover page. It is a very strange town which mainly runs a ink business that's running out of ink and is next to a strange forest of seaweed which somehow manages to stay erect and thriving without water. And there is something suspicious going on.

Themes: cleverness solves the problem, promise keeping, family

Recommended Age: 10 and up, younger as read-aloud

Full Disclosure: Nothing comes to mind.

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  "When Did You See Her Last?", "Shouldn't You Be in School?", "Why is This Night Different From All Other Nights?" are the other books in the series.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

This book is a classic that changed America. Mark Twain is a very effective satirist, and in this book he has a variety of caricatures (including the protagonist, Huck!) This book is a sequel to his other book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but they do not have to read together.

Genre: Fiction

Time Period: Pre- Civil War

Introduction:

Huck Finn is a boy who lives with a widow and her sister, who have adopted him. The sister, Miss Watson, owns a slave, Jim. Jim and Huck are friends. When Huck's Pap shows up and kidnaps him, Huck escapes and pretends to be dead, when he runs into Jim who fled from the prospect of being sold downriver. Huck promises to help Jim escape and the two friends go off on a marvelous river adventure filled with con men, feuds, murderers, racism, and Huck's friend Tom Sawyer's wacky plan to aid Huck in helping a slave earn his freedom.

Themes: all men are created equal, do what is right not what society says is right, lead an honest life

Recommended Age: 12 and up, younger okay as as read aloud

Full Disclosure:

A common anti-black racial slur is employed frequently as this book was written at a time when such expressions were not considered offensive. This book is NOT racist. That would contradict the book's message (which the author satirically claims is nonexistent).

Rating: 4 stars

Other books: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (previous book), Tom Sawyer Abroad

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

This is a very good book with surprising turns and satirical and humorous absurdities (like the time period being set after America but before Europe.) If you have seen the movie (which is a classic movie) you will enjoy the book even more.

Genre: Fiction

Time Period: Fictitious medieval era

Introduction:

The story begins on a farm where Buttercup, the farmer's daughter, takes pleasure in ordering the farmhand, Westley, around. When Buttercup realizes that Westley loves her, she falls in love with him. However, he has no money so he goes to America to seek his fortune. When Westley is killed by pirates, Buttercup is forced to marry the prince, Humperdinck. However, before she can marry the prince, whom she does not love, she is kidnapped by a Sicilian and his two henchmen, a Turk and a Spaniard. But Buttercup and her captors are being pursued by a mysterious man in black who seems to best the trio at every turn, leaving Buttercup to wonder as to his true identity.

Themes: true love conquers all, death is but a door

Recommended Age: 11 and up

Full Disclosure:

The author presents the story as written by an S. Morgenstern, and the book as an abridgement of the original. There is no such book or person. Also, the author frequently breaks from the story to narrate the fictitious context of the story with excerpts from his fictional personal life, which may not appeal to some.

Rating: 4 stars