Owls In The Family
By Farley Mowat

A dog, a cat and 1,2,3. . . 32 ghophers! How many pets does this kid need? Obviously not enough because
this kid (they never really mention his name) inherits two owls. One was named Wol, after the owl from winnie the pooh.The other was named Weeps, after the weeping sound he always made.Wol was found before Weeps in a soggy bluff in Saskachewan where the kid lived. One day the kid was looking for sticks for the grave they where making for two dead owls when the kid heared SNAP!SNAP!SNAP!
The boy reached into a bush and pulled out a big miserable looking owl,and it eventually became his pet. Let's stop and now just call the kid,,,Farley Mowat, after the author of this book. Anyway back to the story. Weeps was found shortly after,when Farley was walking down the sidewalk and heard weeping and saw
a bunch of kids gathered around an oil canister with an owl inside. They were throwing rocks at the poor little owl. Farley stopped this by trading his scout knife for the owl and this little owl became Weeps.

These two owls sound fun, right? Well maybe if you were Farley, but not if you were a dog with two claws in your back while being riden by the creature. or if you were talking about ghosts and you saw a frightening figure and heard oo-oooo! How about if your owl brought home a dead skunk that had already sprayed him?

So if you want to hear the story of two owls in Saskachewan being raised by young Farley Mowat I suggest
that you read this book. I would recomend this book for ages 8-11 because of the vocabulary and anyone
else who likes nature.
S.B.

Indiana Jones raiders of the Lost Ark
By Ryder Windham

Do you recognize that music? Sorry, I got carried away. The book I am going to present to you today is Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark by Ryder Windham based on a movie by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. This story starts off  in the Peruvian forest in, of course, Peru. Indiana Jones, nicknamed Indy, is searching for the golden idol in the lost temple of the Chachayan warriors. He brings along seven men in ponchos. Indy hired them as guides.
The temple is filled with booby-traps. Six of the first four men died. One man, named Satipo (not like the others), follows Indy's every instruction and survived. When they reach the idol, Indy sees that it is way too easy. After a bit of thinking Satipo tries to grab the idol and take off . But, Indy (almost pushing him into a booby-trap) pushes him away. Somehow Indy steps around the booby-traps. He reaches into his sack and pulls out a bag of sand he collected. He slides it into the idols place and his left hand catches the idol. Then a huge metal ball rolls around the corner. Satipo grabs Indy's whip and darts for the door. This is when the adventure begins. The ceiling rumbles and the ground  sinks. Satipo uses the whip to swing across. The ball turns to a passage and gets through. The only way to get across is by swinging on the vines dangling from the ceiling. When Indy makes it across, the ball reappears from the end of the passage. Indy finds Satipo dead with a spear in his mid chest. Indy jumps through the entrance and the cave is sealed.

When Indy gets up from his fall he realizes that in front of him is a man in a safari suit named Belloq. Then on each side of him where German soldiers each with different types of guns. There is just one question to ask ...Will Indiana Jones make it out of the jungle alive? Find out by reading this adventurous book.

I would recommend this book for boys 9+ or people who enjoy adventurous books.
A.M.

When you Reach Me
By Rebecca Stead

When Miranda’s mom gets selected to go on the “$20,000 Pyramid” T.V. show on April 27th, 1979, Miranda is understandably excited.
After school lets out in early December 1978, Miranda and her best friend Sal, were walking past a garage where they see the same boys, day after day, watching them. But today a guy was smashed against a red car hood, getting punched. That was the day Sal got punched.
A guy from the group emerged, and like it was nothing, stepped in front of Sal and punched him in the stomach. That was also the day Sal shut Miranda out of his life.
Miranda and her mother figure out that their apartment has been robbed, and her mother is suspicious. The extra "in-case-of-emergency" key was stolen. One of Miranda’s mom’s boyfriend’s shoe is stolen.
Later at school, Miranda sees a boy. The same boy who punched Sal, Marcus.
He was in a dentist office, having his teeth cleaned. When Miranda asks why there is a dentist at a school, “Wheelie” (the School secretary) explains to Miranda that the School dentist is for kids who can’t afford a dentist anywhere else. After Marcus leaves the dentist, Miranda catches up to him and asks him some questions. Like why did he punched Sal. Marcus explains why he did, and Miranda asks him what time it is when they are walking home together. Marcus points to a building and Miranda nods like she can see an invisible clock there. Miranda finds out that both of them have read the book, A Wrinkle in Time, and Marcus explains time travel.
As Miranda walks home, she sees a laughing man on the corner of the street, lying under an old lady’s mailbox. Under his breath he muttered, “Book, bag, pocket, shoe.” When Miranda passes, he started to point at her and say, “Smart Kid! Smart Kid!” Creepy.
Miranda worked with her friends Annemarie and Colin (who is Miranda’s later crush) at a sandwich wagon owned by a guy named Jimmy. They get free sandwiches and a can of soda each day.
The first note that Miranda found was in her book her teacher gave her. It read:

M,
This is hard. Harder than I expected, even with your help. But I have been practicing, and my preparations go well. I am coming to save your friends life, and my own.
I ask two favours.
First, you must write me a letter.
Second, please remember to mention the location of your house key. This trip is a difficult one. I will not be myself when you reach me.

The notes keep coming. The second one she found in the sandwich roll bag. The note read:

Miranda:
Your letter tells a story-a true story. You cannot begin now, as most of it has not taken place. And even afterward, there is no hurry. But do not wait so long that your memory fades. I require as much detail as you can provide. This trip is a difficult one, and I must ask favours while my mind is sound.
A postscript: I know you have shared my first note. I ask you not to share with others.
Please. I do not ask this for my self.

Two other notes come to Miranda. The third was in her pocket. The final one was in Richard’s shoe, which got stolen in the robbery. Things are starting to unravel more for Miranda. A lot more.
Marcus chases Sal onto a busy street (by accident) and a speeding truck is hurling towards Sal.
Miranda’s brain thought at that moment: SAL IS GOING TO DIE!Does Sal survive? Does he die? Who could have saved him?
Read the book When you Reach Me to find out.
_________________________________
I personally thought the book was really good, but it was very confusing with the time travel. I liked the whole book.
It’s also really good if you are reading the book at night, and your parents are saying go to bed, the chapters are really short. The longest chapter in the book is around 3 or 4 pages.
I would recommend it for girls and boys because it doesn’t really focus on either.
The age I would recommend it for is probably 9 and up because the whole book is pretty hard to understand.
This book was really good! Please read it!
R.B.

Iggie's House
By Judy Blume

Imagine sitting at your window sill watching your best friend named Iggie moving out and away to as far as Tokyo. You would not be happy about that. But that’s what Winnie was doing. Winnie has long hair and it’s always in her eyes. Now on to the story. The next day, Winnie was so looking forward to meeting the new people moving in to Iggie’s house. Winnie rushed down the stairs and ran out the door, got on her bike and rode down the street. With her eyes wide she saw them and she said to herself they are coloured people, but Winnie did not mind she wanted to meet them. The parents had three kids; Glenn, the oldest, Herbie, the middle child, and Tina, the youngest. The next day, the four of them went to the park, but when they came back, a girl named Clarice said she can’t play with coloured kids. Mrs. Landon (the mom of Clarice) did not want the coloured kids around the block or even in town. Will Mrs. Landon force them to move or will she move herself ?  Read the book Iggie’s House to find out.

The author of this book is Judy Blume. Judy spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey making up stories in her head. When she grew up she wrote her 'made up' stories down on paper. Judy was born February 12, 1938 (age 73 at the moment). She loves to write kids novels.

My favourite passage is page 24-25. I liked this passage because it was funny that Winnie had to run up and down the street and it was funny that Herbie was complaining about how he had to pull the wagon.
The whole story was great overall. The story was based on acceptance, which I thought was great. I would recommend this book to ages 8 to 12, girls and boys, because it’s an easy reading level and because it’s a book about acceptance.
C. N. S.

Roughing
By Laura Schultz Nicholson

Set at an elite hockey camp, Roughing is a story of competition and rivalry gone too far. The author reminds us that we all have a responsibility when rivarly turns to bullying. 
Josh is chosen to attend an elite hockey camp for the 32 best hockey players in Canada. When Josh arrives at camp, he meets his roommate Peter, an Inuit boy from Iqualuit. They soon discover that Peter's mother, like Josh, had type 1 diabetes. Peter is still recovering from his mother's early death. This connection helps the players become friends and plays an important part in the book.
At camp, a strong rivalry builds up between Peter, who is considered the best hockey player in Canada, and Kevin, who is a close second.  Kevin takes the rivalry too far and turns it into bullying, like filling Peter's shoes with pudding, throwing leftovers in his face and calling him "eskimo boy." 
The author does a great job of describing the characters, using real-life situations and a bit of comedy. My favourite passage on page 46 shows this.
I could relate to a lot of what the author was saying.  Try your hardest.  Do your best.  But the author's main point is that it doesn't matter where you come from, what colour your skin is or what your religion is, you have to respect everyone.
I reommend this book for ages 10-12 and especially those who like sports. 
J.H.