Clubs and Schools Books

ISBN 1556614055 - For ages 7-10. I'm not a fan of Christian childrens' book, but I read them when I come across them. This one has a nice story; the Christian aspect isn't excessively over-done, just one little preachy lesson in the beginning and one at the end, but I'm still not sure how appealing this series will be to non-Christian readers.

Timothy, Sarah-Jane and Titus are cousins who enjoy solving mysteries under the name the Three Cousins Detective Club. Timothy's church is auctioning "white elephants" (a term which is explained in the text) and Mrs Foster has brought an actual white elephant - in the form of a cookie jar. The kids really like it and want to show it to Timothy's parents, but when they return to the table, it's gone! Worse, it turns out to be valuable! Can the kids find it before the auction starts?

The back of the book says ages 7-10, which might be a better fit than the 9-12 you'll find on most websites. This book is just too little-kid-ish for the older ones. The first issue I had with the book is that it is #1 in the series, but the book keeps referring to older cases - a little confusing.

Second, Murphy seems to have a problem writing in full sentences. For example: "It was hard to calm down and explain. But if the cousins had learned anything about telling exciting things to grown-ups, it was that you had to take it slow. Otherwise, grown-ups would just make you take a deep breath and start over. And that was an even bigger waste of time than going slowly in the first place." That should be two sentences, not four! Murphy does this throughout the entire book and it's really bad writing. Perhaps she doesn't think children can read long sentences, or perhaps she simply doesn't know how to write. Hopefully, she'll get over this habit in the next book because I do think the series has possibilities.

In The Mystery of the White Elephant was really different from other T.C.D.C. books. It made me feel like I helped Tim, Ti and S.J. solve it. It was Neat-O.

I liked this book because I didn't figure out the solution to the mystery until the end of the book. It kept my attention and I couldn't even sleep because of it. I would recomend this book to anyone who likes mysteries.

Alison on the Trail is a very good book book because it's exciting and adventurous. While coming home from school with her friends Megan, Heather, and Keisha, Alison decides to stop by her friendly neighbor Ellie's to go upstairs in her "magic" attic to try on some dress up clothes. Her friends have all been on adventures using the magical mirror in Ellie's attic. When they want to go on an adventure they dress up in clothes,and whatever the outfit goes with (like what time period) the mirror takes them there. When Alison looked into the magical mirror she appeared at a camp and now is a leader of a group of girls. When Alison took her group on the hiking trail there's no telling what's going to happen. I highly recommend you read this book to find out what happens next.

Nothing really happened in this book! Alison was boring, the story was boring. Ahh! I could hardly stand it. Magic Attic really needs to shape up some of their stories, yeah some are for young girls but still they should have some point and not be so predictable. I think you should read American Girl books instead, they have a point and you learn something. They are better written too.

The Big Production, by Peter Lerangis, is the second book in the Drama Club series. Washington D. C.'s Ridgeport High School is an ordinary public school with an extraordinary history of theatrical productions. As the students prepare to perform Grease, their spring musical, junior Brianna goes from motivated good girl to an overachiever relying on uppers and downers to get her through her jam-packed days.

There is the usual cast of drama students within the main plot: the diva, the tech geek, the reluctant performer, the jock who can act, the homosexual, and the student director. The multi-narrators' points of view stay very true to teen language including instant messaging between various characters. The drug use subplot has very little explicit use--most shows the effects of the drugs on Brianna (short temper, shaking hands, confusion and delerium). Another main character, nice boy Harrison, deals with his racist, homophobic, Greek father providing a father-son strained relationship as another sub-plot.

Unlike similar novels (such as the Drama! series by Paul Ruditis), the theatrical aspect of the book isn't too technical, and in fact provides much of the drama and hilarity. Case in point is stage manager Charles' reaction to opening night:

"By opening curtain, Charles wanted to kill Gabe for adding a motor to the
car, which went off all by itself as the cast were taking their places.
By the first musical number, he wanted to kill the cast.
By the start of the second act, he wanted to kill himself.
These were excellent signs.
The wish for mass murder, he had come to realize, was healthy in the
theater, as long as one refrained from the accomplishment thereof" (214).

The Big Production would be enjoyed by many students grades 7 and up, not just those interested in drama.

Here at Ridgeport High School, theater is everything. With tons of awards and the reputation of having Tony winners as alumni, every generation has to make sure that the momentum keeps going.

Brianna Glaser is proud to be co-president of the Drama Club. The drawback of having that position, though, is that it does take up a pretty good amount of her time. But Brianna can't let this effect her at all. She does, in fact, have to make time to study, choose a college, and try to be the top of her class while trying not to get lovestruck.

But since the Spring Musical is coming up, Brianna finds it hard to fit academics into her schedule. Especially since this year's musical will be the world-renowned Grease, one show everyone will want to be in.

Of course, from here on out, it isn't smooth sailing for Brianna. From accidents on the stage to some of the main performers having to drop out, it's bad enough that Brianna can't keep herself together, but will she be able to keep the musical together before opening night?

There's always drama in the DC!

Peter Lerangis keeps this new series going with THE BIG PRODUCTION. Fast-paced and very dramatic (of course!), readers who enjoyed the first book, The Fall Musical #1 (Drama Club), will not want to miss this next one.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

I found FINISH HIGH SCHOOL AT HOME a sharply observed story of high school kids buffeted by the turbulent events of the sixties and early seventies. From hippies to jocks, the whole spectrum of the student community is here, grappling with the turmoil that we, the baby-boomers, fomented. I recommend it to all who lived through those times as well as those who didn't, but want to know what all the fuss was about.

For Boomers who may have missed some of the excitement and confusion in high school during the radical 70s, Finish High School at Home is just the ticket to the lost past. For others, especially those who are put off or flummoxed by adolescents of any day, the novel offers a way to understand and enjoy high school kids. The narrator thinks he's telling the story of his senior year, but he's telling more than that. He reveals the bewilderment and energy of his generation and of every generation as it makes its passage into adulthood. His confusion becomes the reader's pleasure.

Franlkin has this new series of books for 1st graders to read . They are all great stories and they are learning books for kids who want to read by themselves, it is not to long but just enough words. It also can tells a story you can go over with the kids for a learning lesson as well,(KIDS CAN READ) books.

We are getting all of them. There GREAT.

This isn't a bad story, pretty good as far as the "Franklin First Readers" go. Franklin finds a special way to share with his friends a book that they all want to read. The dialogue is just right for the intended audience, although still not really true to the normal "Franklin" form.

The story is okay, but unfortunately, this is another story that has been heavily edited from the original script that aired on television. The original television story was a very good story about taking the time to really enjoy reading and it's not fair to take a completely different story and pass it off as "Franklin's Reading Club."

Good book shows how important manners are...It should also include about not being bossy.

This Little Critter book is a good reminder to small childrenof the power of the word "please." Very similar to all otherL.C. books so if you enjoyed those this will be no different.

No this is not her best book it is second hr best book is when she goes too hollywood .

The Magic Attic club books are very good books for younger readers (7-10). They not only entertain the reader, they also teach lessons. In the book "Keisha to the Rescue", Keisha experiences discrimination. This book teaches that money and a good name are not important in friends. I read the series although my reading level is above the level of these books. Keisha to the Rescue is a great book!

This book was a fantastic find for me, I love collecting old Army Wife stuff. This book's copyright is from 1942 if that tells you anything. My copy was an old library book that was last checked out on NOV 26 1945. A lot of the information is obviously outdated, however, manners will NEVER be old-fashioned, and that's why I love collecting these old books!

I am a college student and read this book for a young adult literature class. I really enjoyed reading this book and found it very entertaining. I highly recommend this book. For all of those faithful Paul Zindel readers out there, this book is a must read!

Not much to say here- If you've read the previous books in the series, then you know what to expect(Lots of fan service, and a typical martial arts manga plot) Things do heat up a bit as far as the story goes as we get hit with some crazy plot twists about midway through the book. Also, fans might note the triumphant return of the Stone Tortoises.

Basically the over view of the story is this- The N.O.B. is going through its yearly tournament to weed out those who are not worthy to be apart of the organization. Amid the confusion, a trap is laid for the Swan Academy wrestling club by the leader of the N.O.B.. Some familiar faces pop up along the way as the club members fight for their lives. As always, there's exploding clothes involved.

Obviously, if you've not read any of the preceding volumes(Particularly 2&4), this one is not a good place to jump in at. This volume does pick up the action quite a bit, as there weren't really any hanging plot lines left at the end of 4. As always, Shiozaki's art is clean and provocative, with some clever nuances here and there. The story itself is typical martial arts story material, and in some cases takes a back seat to showing a female character is some star of undress, but as i say, if you're at all familiar with Shiozaki's other works, then you're well aware of this fact.