Eagle Eye Book Reviewers at the Sharon Public Library ...

Eagle Eye Book Reviewers at the Sharon Public Library

Friday, February 17, 2006

This past month, the Eagle Eye Book Reviewers had a chance to meet Addie Swartz, creator of the "Beacon Street Girls" series.

On Thursday evening, Jan. 19, the Sharon Public Library Reference Room was temporarily transformed into a book discussion forum for the Eagle Eye Book Reviewers. Swartz delighted the group with a discussion about how the series was created, and the plans for the future. Swartz brought the characters in the series to life - by highlighting some of the creative process and planning that went into the development of the characters and the series.

She also read a selection from the first title in the series: "Worst Enemies, Best Friends." The series has generated a very enthusiastic response, and there are already 43 titles planned for publication; so all of you Beacon Street Girls fans will have many happy hours of reading to look forward to.

In addition to the "Beacon Street Girls" series, highly recommended by many of the Eagle Eye Book Reviewers, there are a number of other titles which we would like to call to your attention. If you are looking for a good book to read during February vacation, here are a few suggestions from the Eagle Eye Book Reviewers:

"Notes from a Liar and her Dog" by Gennifer Chaldenko
Reviewed by Emma Bloom
Eagle Eye Stars: 4 stars
Realistic Fiction: 216 pages
Recommended for readers ages 9 - 12

Antonia lies a lot - and it gets her into big trouble sometimes. She takes her dog to the zoo, which isn't allowed, and her dog nearly gets eaten by lions, because she didn't tell anyone she had brought him. She tells kids at school she is adopted, and she lies to the vet about her address so that she doesn't have to pay. But then, the kind, friendly art teacher helps her not to lie. And then she finds out she may have to move, away from the art teacher, away from her house, and away from her friends.

I would recommend this book. "Notes from a Liar and her Dog" shows the life of a sixth grade girl who lies often, but changes her ways. I think that it is pretty realistic, and I think 9 to 12 year olds should consider reading this book.

If I had written this book, I would not have given Harrison a pet chicken, or made his house so strange, but I would have made him a bigger character in the story. I think that kids ages 9 to 12 who enjoy fiction may like this book.

If you read this book I hope you agree with my opinions on this book. I enjoyed it, and I hope that you do too.

"Prince of Ayodhya" by Ashok K. Banker
Reviewed by Malhar Teli
Eagle Eye Stars: 3 1/2
Recommended for ninth grade and up (Very coarse language)

Poor Prince Rama (Raum). Only 16 and he must kill an army of demons. Poor General Bejoo (Baiju). He must follow Rama to his death. Poor seer Vishwamitra. He must follow the antics of Rama and his younger brother in this rewriting of an old Indian myth. This is the re-writing of an old Indian story by Valmiki. It was called the Ramayana.

I would recommend this book to older audiences, due to foul language. If I could change something in the story, I might have changed the whole writing type. I think Indians (from India) will appreciate Mr. Bankers' attempt at introducing India's greatest myth to other audiences.

"Granny Torelli Makes Soup" by Sharon Creech
Reviewed by Caroline Sun
Eagle Eye Stars: 2 Stars
Fiction: 161 pages

In this story, Rosie is so mad at Bailey, her neighbor and best friend in the world. And when a new girl moves in Rosie is so jealous. Luckily, Granny Torelli is coming over to make soup. She can help calm her down and go over the problem to fix it. Plus, the past party is coming up.

I would recommend this book to someone who likes problem-solving. This book has some boring parts, and you might think you want to abandon the book - like when they just keep talking ... and they talk a lot about what Granny Torrelli always says - everytime she comes over.

If I could have changed something in the story, I would make the story more interesting and less boring.

I think that a calm person who likes problem-solving would enjoy this book. One connection I would make based on this book is that like Rosie, I have also been jealous before, and it's not fun!

"Granny Torelli Makes Soup" by Sharon Creech
Reviewed by Leila Kutana
Eagle Eye Stars: 5 Stars
Fiction: 161 pages
Recommend for grades 3-6

This book is about a girl names Rosie. Rosie has a best friend, Bailey, and a Granny Torelli. One day, Rosie is in a fight with Bailey. Granny Torelli and Rosie decide to make soup. It is so delicious that Rosie decides to bring some over to Bailey, hoping that they can become friends again.

I would recommend this book because it is a good story about friendship. Actually there is another half of the book, and I guess you'll have to read the book to find out what happens in the second half when a new girl moves in.

I probably wouldn't have changed anything in the story because it is put together so nicely. I think that someone who has a disability might like this book because Bailey, Rosie's best friend, couldn't see very well. But even if you don't have a disability it's still a great book.

One additional comment I would add is that I just want to say that this is a really good book. It was on the Massachusetts Book Award list.

"Half and Half" by Lenssey Namika
Reviewed by Ravali Mukthineni
Eagle Eye Stars: 5 stars
Realistic Fiction: 136 pages

This book is about a girl named Fiona who is half Scottish and half Chinese. She has a problem when her grandparents from both sides want her to do two different things in the folk festival.

I like the end of the book because Fiona decides she likes being half Scottish and half Chinese.

I think people who have the experience of having two or more religious backgrounds in their own lives would find this book interesting.

"Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood" by Ann Brashares
Reviewed by Emma Bloom
Eagle Eye Stars: 5 stars
Realistic Fiction: 338 pages

In this story, four friends who have known each other their whole lives share a pair of pants. Sounds boring? It's not! This book is so interesting that I could barely stop reading it. It's their third summer sharing the pants, but this one's different than the two before because this fall they are all going to college; four different colleges.

I loved this book, and would definitely recommend it. It might be better to read "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and "The Second Summer of the Sisterhood," both by Ann Brashares, before reading this book, though.

This was such a great book that I cannot say I would have changed anything, or that there was one part that I liked best. "Girls in Pants" is such a great book, by a talented writer, but I think that generally girls would like it better than boys. So try reading this book, because it is really well-written and interesting.