Reading+Log-Eden



Title: The Mysterious Benidict Society and the Prisoners Dilemma Author: Trenton Lee Stewart Genre: Mystery Action Comedy Plot: Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance live with their parents (except Constance who is an orphan) in Mr Benedicts mansion under his care. Mr Benedict posseses a powerful machine created by his evil twin brother (Mr Curtain) called the Whisperer and the children's parents are secret agents/people that help to protect it. The children have a restricted life. Lessons with Rhonda or Number 2, playing only outside when given permission and a guard is nearby and hardly ever going outside the house grounds. Until one day, a mysterious man meets with Mr Benedict and secrets are revealed. Mr Curtain is trying to get hold of the Whisperer using the government, and he wants to take over the world. Last time he brainswept people to get the information he wanted but unfortunately he was never suspected. Mr Benedict is doing all he can to stop Mr Curtain and his henchmen, The Ten Men, but they are coming to take the Whisperer away soon. Then Constance's power is revealed and some hope is regained. She can read minds, send thoughts to them and even control them slightly with an immense amount of her power. Then she finds out that the papers that could be able to allow Mr Benedict to officially adopt are destroyed, she runs away, scared, angry and confused. The children manage to find Constance but then Mr Curtain hatches an evil plan and catches the children, holding them hostage. Kate is able to escape through a hidden window but is caught again. Then the children create a plan; Constance tries to send a message to Mr Benedict and then they trick one of the henchmen in charge of them and escape, but leaving Constance's mind tired and sick, willpower destroyed. Then the Benedict team turn up in disguises in a van and manage to get inside. Then the battle begins, leaving the children wondering if they will survive. If I were Sticky, I would be more confident, because in some situations, his confidence would have helped them. I felt empathy with Kate when she discovered a way to get out (the first time) but only she could manage it because she is so athletic, because she didn't want to go alone. I give this book a rating of: 3 1/2 stars.

Title: The 39 clues - The Maze of Bones Author: Rick Riordan Genre: Mystery Thriller Action Plot: Orphans, Amy and Dan Cahill are heading to their grandma (Grace)'s funeral with their great-aunt Beatrice. Visits to see Grace were the only things they looked forward to in their boring lives, living with their cruel aunt...but now she's gone. After the service a few people are called to attend the reading of her will. Secrets are revealed that may change their lives completely...it they choose to. One million dollars, or the first clue to seek the greatest power of all. It is like a scavenger hunt, but one that could get you killed in the process. It has to do with the Cahill family, which dominate the world, and there are 39 clues to be found. Amy and Dan know they have to take the clue. But it isn't going to be easy. There are other teams that have dangerous plans...and they want to get rid of the biggest competition - Amy and Dan, because they were the closest to Grace and might have some useful information. And although Grace's lawyer and excecutor William McIntyre seemed helpful at first, saying to trust no one, Amy and Dan are starting to supspect him of causing some trouble. With the help of their au pair (babysitter) Nellie, they travel around Boston, to Paris and find they second clue, barely escaping death. Now they are heading to Vienna, Austria..but with the other teams hot on their trail. If I were Amy, I would have tried to be more confident, because sometimes during the race, she could have spoken up and helped Dan, but then couldn't find her voice, being so shy, nearly getting them buried alive in concrete. I felt empathy with Amy because she is always reading and is a bookworm, and is a walking dictionary/encyclopedia, and my parents are always saying that I have my nose stuck in a book and my friends are always asking me what words mean. I give this book a rating of: 5 out of 5 stars.

= Thank you for a comprehensive reading log,Eden. I think your responses are perceptive and knowledgeable. I appreciate the effort you have put into this log. LS = ** (Achieved with Excellence) **

Title: The Incorrigible Children Of Ashton Place - The Mysterious Howling Author: Maryrose Wood Genre: Fiction - Mystery Plot: Three children are found in the forest of Ashton Place. Mr Fredrick Ashton and his wife, Lady Constance, find Miss Penelope Lumley for a governess (nanny). Only 15 years old and recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, she faces a challenge of raising and teaching children who grew up around wolves. After accomplishing the task of remembering their unusual names, Alexander, Beowulf and Cassiopeia, they delve into lessons and start to make progress in eliminating their canine tendencies. And with the help of Penelope's former headmistress, Miss Charlotte Mortimer and the sayings of Agatha Swanburne, the children learn fast with the help of Penelope's trusty poetry book. Soon, Penelope realizes there are some mysteries around Ashton Place that she does not know of. Why is 'Old Timothy' the coachman, lurking around? Will Penelope be able to a tame these three wild creatures before Lady Constance's Christmas ball? Why is Mr Aston so secretive? Although, Penelope manages to make it through the ball up until the end when a squirrel gets loose in the house... Response: I really enjoyed this book because the author used some beautiful poetry e.g. Last night, the moon had a golden ring, And tonight no moon we see! The skipper, he blew a whiff from his pipe, And a scornful laugh laughed he. If I were Penelope, I would have tried to have more confidence in myself because, at times in the story, Penelope was a little shy and nervous. I felt empathy with the children because while they were trying to learn English, it was like learning a different language and a lot of the time, my grandma tried to teach me Chinese but I would rather learn Italian. I give this book a rating of: 4 out of 5 stars.



Title: SIX DAYS Author: Philip Webb Genre: Sci-fi/humorous, fiction Plot: Two children named Cass and Wilbur are scavving in London with their family and everyone who lived there. Searching for a lost artifact that no one has ever seen, ever their new rulers, The Vlads. Their father and everyone in their town all live at a place called Elephant and Castle. Times are tough and Wilbur has, many times gone on crazy hunt for the artifact. Until he and Cass meet a young boy named Peyto, at Big Ben while going on another wild-goose chase for the artifact, and he and his friend Erin have the power to change everything. Peyto, Erin and 47 other people are from the spaceship 'The Aelous' and have been asleep for thousands of years, slumbering in their pods, waiting to land on a planet to live, who had been preserving themselves along with the 'flinders'. They are magical things, 1 flinder for 1 person, and the relic is just one of them. Peyto and Erin are looking for the missing person, who is actually Peyto's mother, and their flinder and Cass helps them fight for it but Cass realizes that the Aelous is actually crazy and if it gets the sleepers and flinders back, it will never let them go... Response: I really enjoyed this book because I loved the humorous language during all the serious scenes and chaos. I really like all the mystery and the mix of evil, humour and sci-fi. If I were Cass, even though Wilbur had had lots of hunts for the artifact with no success, I would still have had more confidence in him when he had tried for the last time to find it, because this time he was really sure that he had found it. I felt empathy with Wilbur when he has his ideas and no one believed him I felt the same because sometimes when I say something it goes totally unnoticed because everyone is doing other things and aren't listening to me. I give this book a rating of: 4 out of 5 stars.

Title: The Flight of Dragons Author: Vivian French Genre: Magical Fantasy Plot: Dragons have been spotted around the border of the Five Kingdoms, and it's up to Prince Marcus, Gracie Gillypot(a Trueheart), Gubble(a troll), Marlon(a bat) and Professor Scallio(an ex-teacher of Marcus),to get their lost egg back to them. But Old Malignancy Canker wants it too, for, he knows if he could just get his hands on it, it could be double his evilness. And, with the help of his two semi-evil granddaughters, Conducta and Globula, everything seems to be going his way. The palace and it's inhabitants are in jeopardy, because they have fired the cook and almost everyone else left with her. Old Malignancy, now by the name of Mercy Grinder, with the help of his crow, Carrion, is cooking meals for them that are delicious but have evil magic and are turning all the royals into crazy drunks so he can get them to sign a contract to change the law to suit him. Conducta and Globula are posed as maids, and think they are going to get a big reward from their Granpa, but are actually just doing his dirty work for him. But, meanwhile, Gracie and Marcus are searching for the egg. With the help of Great Uncle Alvin(Marlon's great uncle), Gubble and some ancient books, will they be able to get the egg back to the safety of the dragons, Lumiere, Indigo and Luskentyre? Response: I really enjoyed the end of the book because there is one last shock, but the ending is still a happy one. I have also read the other three prequels, which I loved as well. If I were Marlon I would have stayed with Gracie more, because a lot of the time he was just flying around from place to place, checking that everything was in order, when he could have been helping Gracie and Marcus find the egg. I felt empathy with Gracie when she felt lost and confused when she couldn't find the egg, because sometimes when I lose something really important I feel hopeless just like she did in the story. I give this book a rating of: 5 out of 5 stars.

Title: The Wizard of Dark Street Author: Shawn Thomas Odyssey Genre: Magical Fantasy/Mystery Plot: Oona Crate is the niece of The Wizard of Dark Street and has Natural Magic, which is a very special kind of magic where you are born with it. She lives at Pendulum house, the centre of Dark Street. Dark Street has a gate to New York that opens for one minute only at midnight. She is supposed to be the Wizard's apprentice, but she has different ideas in mind. Oona wants to be a detective, just like her father. Her family died when Oona was supposed to be showing them a new trick she had learned, but it went horribly wrong, and now Oona blames herself. One day the poshest dress shop in town gets robbed! The only dress left in the shop is the most valuble one in the shop window! Oona tries to investigate, but the infuriating Inspector White gets in the way. He always messes up crimes, but the mean daughter of the shop owner, Isadora Iree, offers her a deal. If Oona can find the dresses, Isadora will get her one. Back at home, Oona decides to sign a contract to give up her apprenticeship, and 5 people apply for the job. Isadora, her brother Adler (who Oona finds handsome), Sanora Crone(a young witch), a young boy of New York, and a creepy blind man named Hector Grimsbee. At the official signing meeting, with all the applicants, a magic dagger is thrown at her uncle, who magically disappears, leaving only his clothes in a heap on the floor! There are two identical daggers, one to turn someone into an animal, and lock them in a tower, and one to KILL. Can Oona figure out who threw the dagger, which dagger it was, and find the dresses before it's too late, before her father's worst enemy takes over Pendulum house? Response: I really liked this book, because it sort of gave you the chance to figure out the mystery too, and it had lots of descriptive vocabulary that I really enjoyed. If I were Oona, I wouldn't have been so quick to guess that the prime suspect was Hector, because even though he was creepy and seemed a little weird, he might have just been a normal, respectable man. I felt empathy with Oona when she got frustrated with Inspector White because he kept messing all his cases up, and she knew she could have figured it out and caught the culprit, because sometimes when I tell my Dad, or maybe my friends to do something, and they mess it up, and you feel like if you want something done, you have to do it yourself! I give this book a rating of: 5 out of 5 stars.

Title: Twice Upon a Time - Rapunzel Author: Wendy Mass Plot: It is Rapunzel's 12th birthday, and it is time for her first hair cut, when she is stolen by an evil witch, locked in a tower with just a small case of belongings and ordered to call the witch Mother Gothel. Meanwhile, Prince Benjamin has his annoying cousin, Elkin over and all Elkin wants to do is get into mischief. Benjamin's father wants him to be more kingly, and his mother wants him to never leave her sight, but all he wants to do is become a knight, just like his friend, and close page, Andrew. One day Ben is on a hunting trip with Elkin, his father, and some friends of his father's. But instead of hunting, he goes looking for a hidden cave, where some treasure is supposedly being guarded by a troll. Trolls are allergic to tomatoes, and Ben and Elkin accidentally tomato a hermit! They discover that it is a myth, and Ben is upset because he wanted the treasure to help out a poor friend. On his way back, he hears singing, and follows it. But he has to go back, and hopes to visit again tomorrow. Little does he know, it is Rapunzel who is singing, and he will help her escape. Rapunzel has found lots of little things placed to help her like an oil lamp, and a bar of soap, and finds out that the witch has a little green creature named Steven who is leaving her meals and everything else. She befriends him, without the witch knowing. After Ben finds Rapunzel, and finds out he has a prearranged marriage, will he ever be with Rapunzel? Response: I really liked the telling of both sides of the story, in which every chapter alternated between Prince Benjamin and Rapunzel until their stories merged. I have read the other sequel, Sleeping Beauty, which I also really enjoyed. If I were Rapunzel I would have tried to hurry and look for a way out of the tower, rather than sitting there and feeling sorry for myself. I felt empathy with Elkin, because later in the story, Ben and him become closer, and Ben finds out that the reason Elkin was so irritating was because Ben was choosing Andrew over Elkin all the time and just felt left out. I give this book a rating of: 5 out of 5 stars.

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Cabin Fever Author: Jeff Kinney Plot: Read Greg Heffley's (a boy going through middle school) diary, and all about his crazy adventures with his best friend Rowley. Greg is trying to earn some quick cash, and so he and Rowley decide to hold an event where everyone can come over and play games, get cheap food, and have fun. So he and Rowley decide to put up some bright green posters on the school wall. But later they discover that the rain just smudged them all, so they take them off, however, there are big green marks on the wall! Greg and Rowley can't get it off, and at school the next day the principal discovers the damaged property, and Greg is the prime suspect. The following day, a blizzard hits, and Greg and his family are stuck inside with no power, and a flooded basement. Greg starts to wonder whether he would rather turn himself in to the police and face the music, or spend his time stuck indoors with his annoying family! Join Greg on his crazy misadventures, and watch as he mucks up almost everything he tries to accomplish! Response: I really loved reading all about Greg's adventures, when he finds problems, and how he tries to solve them. I have read almost all the other books in the series and I really enjoyed them too. These books will have you laughing out loud! If I were Greg, I wouldn't have overreacted as much when his mother wouldn't give him any money for his game on the internet, Net Kritters. I felt empathy with Greg's mother when she wanted him to get some exercise done while they were stuck indoors, because I feel frustrated like that sometimes when I want my family, or my friends to try something, and they don't have a go when they don't even know what it's like. I give this book a rating of: 4 out of 5 stars.