Kids’ Book Reviews

Looking for something to read? Check out some of the books that kids in Richmond are reading this summer!

 

 

Author: Holly Black
Reviewer: Emma (9 years old)
Rating: 4
Date: 08/27/2023
Summary:

Poppy, Zach and Alice are three friend from middle school. They always play one continuous game, a game that they create. but Zach’s father forces him to stop believe, their friendship seems over, until Poppy had a dream about the queen ( the great queen in there game a bone-china doll ) the dream is about a ghost of a girl saying that she will not rest until this doll is buried in her grave. So the three friend went on a adventure to let the girl rest.

Review:

I like this book by two things. The first thing is that some time I did believe ghost and that is because there is some things happened in my live that made me think about it might be a ghost. The other thing is that after I watched Megan I always think that the doll can move.


Author: J K Rowling
Reviewer: Lok (6 years old)
Rating: 5
Date: 08/23/2023
Summary:

The adventures of Harry Potter and his friends.

Review:

I like this book because I appreciate J.K.Rowling’s rich imagination and creative writing skills. She successfully created a wizard world. We could find a school (Hogwarts), a shopping place (Diagon Alley) and a bank (Gringotts) in this wonderful world. Moreover, I admire Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Although Harry was an orphan, he never gave up. his courage and diligence made him a very outstanding wizard in the end. Hermione was very eager to learn because she was thirty for knowledge. Like her, I believe books are my lifelong friends and my best teachers.
In addition, I really like the magical creatures such as house-elves, goblins and dragons because they were all very unique and full of personality. Among them, Dobby is my favourite. He is a loyal and kindhearted elf. At the end, he even sacrificed himself selflessly to save his friends. When he said “Dolby is free.”, my heart felt excited for him. On the other hand, I dislike Griphook because he was a selfish and cruel goblin. Rowling’s detailed description of the four dragons namely Chinese Fireball (Krum), Welsh Green (Fleur), Swedish Short- Shout (Cedric) and Hungarian Horntail (Harry) make me feel like I was fighting beside Harry Potter in every Triwizard contest.
The fantasy story of Harry Potter is very attractive. I like to read stories about wizards. Although I cannot become a wizard in the real world, I can transform into a powerful wizard when I am reading this story. I will ride a flying broomstick like a Firebolt, a Nimbus 2000 or a Nimbus 2001. I can go into the past and go to the future. With magic spells, I can go anywhere at any time I like,. Meanwhile, I am safe because I am not in any real danger. Reading books like “Harry Potter” enhances my imagination as well as my creativity.


Author: Max Brallier
Reviewer: Reiyansh (10 years old)
Rating: 4
Date: 08/23/2023
Summary:

this book was a funny and cool book to read. I like that it has a Netflix series. Another thing I liked was it had a little recap of the book before the the book you are reading now so you could it the books that look coll to you not in the correct order.

Review:

The thing that I did not like about the series was that are impossible things happened. So some readers like books that are based on a true stories would not like the series.


Author: Eric Walters
Reviewer: Emma (9 years old)
Rating: 4
Date: 08/17/2023
Summary:

After a wild fire 9 years old Jasmin’s family is happy that their house is still there in the forest. They find a little bear cub in a hole, rescuing the tiny cub is the easy part. But now Jasmin and Hunter have to take care for the tiny cub like waking up 3 to 4 times at night to feed it, until the people from bear-rescue come and pick it up. Is hard to say good-bye but they did, they are sad, but now they are having a new family member is that bear the dog.

Review:

I like this book by two things. The first thing is by the title of this book and that is because when I saw it I was like do they have a pet bear? How can they have a bear in the family? So, I decide to read it. the other thing is that thinking about bear I know that bear is wild animals and I love to learn more about wild animals.


Author: Julie Murray
Reviewer: Jayson (7 years old)
Rating: 5
Date: 08/10/2023
Summary:

3D printers and how to make 3D stuff.Like how to use the computer to make the 3D.And how it work’s by the method additive process.

Review:

I like this book because I can make 3D stuff by the program.


Author: Sheri Bell Rehwoldt
Reviewer: Jayson (7 years old)
Rating: 5
Date: 08/09/2023
Summary:

Science experiments.Like a salt and pepper separator.By sprinkling salt and pepper on a bowl with water then rub a balloon on your head then hold the balloon above the bowl.

Review:

I like this book because I can make the experiments by geting what I need.


Author: Jackie Gaff
Reviewer: Jayson (7 years old)
Rating: 3
Date: 08/06/2023
Summary:

The sahara desert of when something’s there are.Like how do rattle snakes attack their prey by it runs fast and swallow it.

Review:

I like this book because it shows what threre is about the desert and animals.


Author: Chris Colfer
Reviewer: Emma (9 years old)
Rating: 4
Date: 08/06/2023
Summary:

On the twin’s birthday there grandmother gives them a book named “The Land Of Stories” the book is there grandmother’s old storybook, and she give it to Alex. One day the twins fell through the book and got to the fairy tale world. First, they saw a frog men and went home with the frog men(froggy), they find the wishing spell in froggy’s home. Then, they follow the wishing spell to find things like the glass slipper…. but the evil queen is doing it to and she is faster. At last the evil queen is died and the twins find out that there grandmother is the fairy god mother, also the wishing spell is there dads old journey.

Review:

I like this book because of two things. The first thing is I REALLY LOVE FAIRY TALE STORIES, and some time I think is true. The other thing is this book talk about all the fairy tale stories, and when I’m reading the book I can image what does the fairy god mother look like because of all the describing wordin the book.


Author: Steve Parker
Reviewer: Jayson (7 years old)
Rating: 5
Date: 08/02/2023
Summary:

Forces that I can make.Like a weighing machine and a two-pulley hoist.

Review:

I like this book because I can make the stuff that’s in the book


Author: Colby Tofelgrehl
Reviewer: Jayson (7 years old)
Rating: 4
Date: 07/31/2023
Summary:

How to make electronics stuff like a flashlight and a skill game.And a potato battery.

Review:

I like this book because make these stuff because I have the stuff to make it.


Author: Sutherland Tui
Reviewer: Emma (9 years old)
Rating: 4
Date: 07/31/2023
Summary:

This book is about dragon, it all start by five dragons. The five dragon are a seawing, a nightwing, a rainwing, a sandwing, and a mudwing. The dragons were all locked up in a cave under the maintain, but they all want to get out of here especially the seawing. One night when the mudwing is spying on the guard, he find out the guard is trying to kill the rainwing while it sleep, that night they come up with a plan to escape, and they did it, but now they are locked up in the sky kingdom…

Review:

I like this book by 2 things. The first thing is I really like dragons and I like the nightwing the best because it look mastery. The other thing is the adventure in the book is very cool, like when it shows how does the mudwing get out of the river I was like omg he is good at swimming.


Author: Jennifer Boothroyd
Reviewer: Jayson (7 years old)
Rating: 3
Date: 07/23/2023
Summary:

What your hearing like when a fire alarm is ringing. Or when there danger coming.Or when someone is talking to you.

Review:

I like thisbook because it can say what.I’m hearing sometimes.


Author: Chris Colfer
Reviewer: Emma (9 years old)
Rating: 4
Date: 07/17/2023
Summary:

It all start in the fairy-tale world. in the world” All the fairies were presumed dead or in hiding. The kings and queens had lost their thrones, and their homes lay in ruins. “this is a passage from the book, those things happened because the Mask Man and his army. The twins know that they can’t fight against the Mask Man, but then they realize that they have the strongest weapon that can fight against the Mask Man : there imaginations. So the twins went to Conner’s short story to get an army from there to fight against the Mask Man.

Review:

I like this book is because of three things. The first thing is that I think that every book have a part that can make me surprise like the part in book 1 is that there grandma is the fairy god mother and this one is that Goldilocks has a baby. The second thing is that in the book there are aways going to be troubles in the fairy-tale world, but the twins aways have a idea to fix it. The third thing is that on the first page there aways going to be some thing fun on it. ( Maybe a map, a time line, front page of Conner’s short story…)


Author: Davide Wiesner
Reviewer: Monie (6 years old)
Rating: 5
Date: 07/16/2023
Summary:

It is about pigs and a lot of frogs. They begin to fly on every Tuesday night. People don’t know it a lot of frogs in the sky.

Review:

I like this book, because this book is incredible of frogs can fly in the sky.


Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Reviewer: Devashree (12 years old)
Rating: 5
Date: 07/12/2023
Summary:

This book is about Lucy, an orphan who has stopped talking because of an awful university study. Lucy, Nico, Doris and Eugene escape from the orphanage and find themselves at Saachi’s Circus Spectacular. The others find jobs for themselves but Lucy can’t because she does not speak. She falls in love with the elephants and works hard to become an elephant girl. Everything is great when the matrons from her orphanage kidnap her and take her back to the orphanage. She escapes and is reunited with her older sister Dilly. This story is a page-turner and it will make you want your own circus!

Review:

I like this book because the illustrations are splendid and the story is told beautifully.


Author: Chris Colfer
Reviewer: Emma (9 years old)
Rating: 5
Date: 07/09/2023
Summary:

This book is the land of stories number 3, is about Alex is living in the fairy-tale world now(with her grandma ).Conner in the really world living with his stepfather and his mom, is going to a trip to German. The French soldiers are starting a war, the fairy god mother are dying, and no one know that. When they saw it every thing is late, the French soldiers are all ready in the fairy-tale world. Alex and Conner save the kings and queens from the soldiers, it is queen Cinderella king chance, queen Sleeping Beauty king chase, queen snow white king chandler, queen Rapunzel king sir William, princess hope and princess ash. Alex save the world at the End.

Review:

I really like all the “the land of stories “I did read the book one, and two in my school library and my friend Kimberly is all ready done all of the books. The best thing I like about this book is that when I was small I love the fairy-tale stories, but now I’m 9 so I started to read some chapter books. Now when I first reading this book I felt like I learned more about the fairy-tale stories. That is why I like it so much.


Author: Mika Song
Reviewer: Jaslynn (7 years old)
Rating: 3
Date: 07/06/2023
Summary:

One morning two squirrels named Belly and Norma woke up and Norma decided to eat pancakes for breakfast but then Norma got distracted and then the pancakes got burnt. But just when they were looking at the pancakes Norma and Belly smelled something. They followed the scent and it led them to a donut truck. When they saw the donuts Norma and Belly really wanted them so they tried but it didn’t work. So they decided to ask their grandpa to see if he wanted to be the captain for their plan and he said yes. So they told him the plan and after the 3 of them went to the truck and did their plan and finally got the donuts and shared it with everyone. The end.

Review:

The part I like about this book is that they work as a team.


Author: Dan Gutman
Reviewer: Jayelle (9 years old)
Rating: 5
Date: 07/06/2023
Summary:

One day four kids were paired up in a group (according to the first letter of their last name). Brenton Damagatchi, Sam Dawkins, Kelsey Donelly, and Judy Douglas.
One day Brenton decided to invite Sam, Kelsey, and Judy to his house to study after school. When they got there Brenton’s computer was hooked up to a printer.
Brenton told them it was a \”Homework machine\”. At first Sam didn’t believe that it was a homework machine that could do your homework.
Then, Brenton typed 2+2 on his computer then typed some other things then waited. After a few seconds the printer started to print something.
The sheet of paper read: 2+2=4.
Still Sam didn’t believe him, so Brenton got out his assignment from school, plopped it into the printer, typed a few things on his computer, and waited.
Soon enough the homework plopped out of the printer with all the answers AND in Brenton’s writing.
Judy, Kelsey, and Sam were all amazed by the homework machine.
They all agreed that they would let the homework machine do their homework for them.
Everyday they would go to Brenton’s house to get their homework done by a machine.
When they would turn their homework in their teacher would be amazed by how well they have improved. But though their homework was amazing, the difference between homework from home and their finished assignments from school were very odd.
Of course Brenton and Judy’s were always around the same, but Sam’s and Kelsey’s were all so different.
Miss Rasmussen wasn’t too sure about how their homework was done but she decided to let it slide.
Who knows… will they get discovered or will they be using their secret technique from now on?

Review:

I LOVE (or like if love is not an option) this book because of the way it was written.
The way Dan Gutman wrote the story in all different perspectives, I think that was what made it so awesome and unique.


Author: Gordon Korman
Reviewer: Cameron (11 years old)
Rating: 4
Date: 07/05/2023
Summary:

This book is about swastikas. In this book, a middle school is vandalized by 27 swastikas . To fight back against it, members of the middle school create a paper chain with a goal of 6 million links to represent the Jewish people that died during the Holocaust. The middle school runs out of construction paper at around 60, 000 links, but by then, word of the paper chain has spread around the world, and many schools and people donate links. They hit 6 million after months of hard work.

Review:

I like this book because of the mystery and suspense, and because of its message about how bad the Holocaust was.


Author: Rick Riordan
Reviewer: Emma (9 years old)
Rating: 5
Date: 07/02/2023
Summary:

this year the Thalia tree got poisoned by some body. Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson went to the an island in sea of monsters. The island is in 30 degrees, 31 minute north, 75 degrees, 12 minute west. after they got back to camp, they save the tree, and Thalia become alive (turn to a girl, not a tree anymore).

Review:

I like this book because that is like Harry Potter, but a bit better.


Author: Mike Thaler
Reviewer: Lucas (8 years old)
Rating: 4
Date: 06/27/2023
Summary:

This book is about a class trip where everything got ruined.

Review:

I like this book because the pages are \”crazy\”. The letters have different types and sizes. I do not like it too much because the drawing was all black and white.


Author: Kevin Sherry
Reviewer: Lucas (8 years old)
Rating: 4
Date: 06/27/2023
Summary:

The book is about a group of friends that were trying to find another type of dinosaur.

Review:

I like this book because I love dinosaurs. It’s an easy book to read with big letters and lots of drawings.


Author: Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Reviewer: Annabelle (12 years old)
Rating: 5
Date: 06/26/2023
Summary:

This book is about a girl named Emily who moves to a new state in the us almost every year, as that is her parents’ dream- to live in all 50 states in the us. She has to go to a new school every time she moves and she can never have real friends because she always moves on. She is friendless until she moves to San Francisco, the home of her idol, Garrison Griswold, the creator of the game Book Scavenger, where you can hide books for people to find, find books, crack codes, and have all sorts of fun, and she meets James, a boy his age who loves reading too.
Emily is excited because Mr. Griswold is hosting a game in the city, and she can finally participate. She and James learn that Mr. Griswold was attacked and that his new game launch is cancelled. They find a book at the Bart Station that Mr. Griswold had that two thugs wanted. They follow the clues in it and think that it is mr. Griswold’s game.
In the end they need to find the answer to the book and why the thugs want it. They are betrayed and earn great rewards.

Review:

I love this book cause it’s all about books, which i loveeeeeeeeeee. I’ve read this book so many times and it never gets old. i recommend this for ages 11+.


Author: Rick Riordan
Reviewer: Annabelle (12 years old)
Rating: 4
Date: 06/26/2023
Summary:

This book is about a boy named Percy Jackson. He has been kicked out of many schools, and at his current school, names of Greek gods and goddesses jump out from his textbook. He finds out later that he is a demigod, a child of a human and a god. His mortal mother may be hiding more about him and his past life. He goes to camp half blood, hoping to be claimed by his father. Percy encounters demons and is claimed by his father, Poseidon, one of the big three and most powerful gods.
His uncle Zeus’ lightning bolt- his power, really- is stolen, and the gods think that Percy is the thief, and that Poseidon claimed Percy so he could steal it. Percy goes on an issued quest with his friends Grover, a satyr, and new friend and crush, Annabeth, the girl he secretly likes, to get back the lightning bolt and make things right between the brothers.
Percy is betrayed by Luke, the counselor of the Hermes cabin. Luke gave Percy a pair of flying shoes, which Percy gives to Grover as a gift. It pulls him toward the bottom of Tartarus. Percy realizes that the shoes were meant for him. It was supposed to kill him. He then realizes what Luke did. The boy he thought as a close friend was working for Kronos, the titan that was cut into a thousand pieces, who was coming back to life. Kronos would take over the world and he had many supporters-mostly the minor gods like Hecate,- who did not have any cabin at camp or a throne on Olympus. They wanted to take the current ruling gods down.
Percy goes to his uncle Hades\\\\\\’ palace in the Underworld and finds that his Helm of Darkness is also stolen, and that Percy is the thief. He opens his backpack and finds both the helm of darkness and the master lightning bolt. He does he is not the thief and knew that someone must\\\\\\’ve put them into his backpack. he thought back to Ares, who they had fought against and defeated on the way to the underworld. Ares was working with Kronos to make a war between the gods that would distract them for Kronos, and Kronos could slowly and quietly get power over the world while the gods were fighting against each other.
The oracle at camp had said earlier that Percy played a big part in this, and that he could be the one that chooses the life or death of the gods and the world at sixteen. at the end of the book, the lightning bolt is given back to Zeus, who does not kill him, and Percy has a chat with his father.

Review:

I like this book because there is a lot to learn about Greek Mythology, which i had no interest in at all before reading this book. I learned a lot of the names of the different gods and goddesses in this book and what they do. I also learned about demons, Tartarus, Kronos, and the Titans. This book is really worth reading.


Author: Alan Gratz
Reviewer: Devashree (12 years old)
Rating: 5
Date: 06/24/2023
Summary:

I’m sure everyone has heard about climate change and has been impacted by it. This book is about the experiences that 4 kids had and how they were affected by it. Natalie is fighting to survive and save her neighbour’s dog as a hurricane tears her city apart. Akira and her horse try to escape a massive wildfire as flames engulf their mountain. Owen and George flee starving polar bears that are stranded because of melting sea ice. They are all connected in ways they could never imagine.

Review:

I love this book so much because I think climate change is very important and the way Alan Gratz shares it is just amazing. He is my favourite author!


Author: Stefan Bachmann
Reviewer: Richard Yu (11 years old)
Rating: 4
Date: 07/07/2020
Summary:

A boy named Bartholomew and a girl named Hettie are brother and sister. They are changelings and have to hide from people. A changeling is the child of a faery and a human. Mr Lickerish wants to use Hattie as a door to get all the wild faeries to destroy London. Mechanical birds transport letters to Mr.Lickerish . Mr. Jelliby caught one and it said:” Take it to the moon”. There is a giant airship that Lickerish is in and he has plans to open the door.

Review:

I like this book because of how it switches between the characters and eventually the two plots become one, and this book did it very well. It is a great book for kids who like magic and cliff hangers. The sequel is also out which finishes the story. I recommend this book for ages 10 and up.


Author: Chris Rylander
Reviewer: Callum (9 years old)
Rating: 5
Date: 06/30/2020
Summary:

This book is about a 13 year old kid named Greg who figures out he’s a Dwarf after he’s dad brings home a strange new tea.After a little while he’s dad gets kidnapped and Greg has to do everything he can to bring he’s dad back.

Review:

I like this book because it is funny and adventurous