The Librarian of Basra

The book is by Jeanette Winter. This book takes place in Basra, Iraq in 2003. It is about the war and a woman who had to put her books in her friend's house and her house. The main idea about the story is that you can put your books anywhere. The government would not let her move her books and she didn't care what the government said. She would still move the books.
Reviewed by: G.S.

Hammerin' Hank

The Book is by Yona Zeldis McDonough, with illustrations by Malcah Zeldis. There once was a baseball player named Henry Benjamin Greenburg. His nick-name was Hammerin' Hank. He was a Jewish baseball player. After many years he got into the major leagues. But people were treating him very badly, like Jackie Robinson, because he was Jewish. Later all that was about to change. Find out by reading Hammerin' Hank!
Reviewed by: Z.M.L. and J.Z.

The Harmonica

The Harmonica was written by Tony Johnston. There was a kid who got a harmonica for a present. He loved it. Then the Nazis sent him to a concentration camp. When the commander hears him playing the harmonica he asks him to play it or he will kill him. Then the prisoners thank him for playing. We give it a score of 7 out of 10.
A.B. and K.H.

Young Thomas Edison

Young Thomas Edison is by Michael Dooling. Thomas loved science. He loved inventing things. But soon he began to become deaf. Now that he couldn't hear, he said he could concentrate more. Wherever he went he set up a lab and soon he invented lots of things.
Reviewed by: A.K.

The Librarian of Basra

The Librarian of Basra is written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter. Alia Muhammad is the librarian in Basra, Iraq and a war is about to begin and all of the books will burn if she does not move the books. Nobody will be able to get books! She asked the government. The government said no way! But she still moved the books.
Reviewed by: I.P.

Mighty Jackie, The Strike-Out Queen

This book is by Marissa Moss. It was 1931, April 2, and something amazing was about to happen. Chattanooga, Tennessee, two teams were going to play an exhibition game in baseball. It was Yankees vs. Chattanooga Lookouts. Jackie was 17 years old. She was a girl and usually girls don't play baseball. When Jackie was a little kid she played baseball with her father. Jackie practiced pitching until it was too dark and too cold. Jackie was going to pitch the ball to Babe Ruth, the run king. She pitched the ball - strike one. She pitched it again - strike two. She pitched it again - strike three, you're out! She is going to pitch it to Lou Gehrig. Strike one, strike two, strike three, you're out! Everybody cheered!
Reviewed by: S.M.

By My Brother's Side

This book is by Tiki and Ronde Barber but only Tiki overcomes a challenge. Tiki was riding his bike and his bike flipped over going down a steep hill. He broke his leg and the doctor said he might not ever be able to play sports again. But Tiki really was so desperate he dropped his crutches and played football with Ronde. His mom was mad. After he got his brace off he played football, so the doctor was wrong. He is still playing sports.
Reviewed by: S.F. and I.S.

Henry's Freedom Box

Henry's Freedom Box is written by Ellen Levine. This book is about a boy named Henry Brown who was a slave. Henry went through a hard stage of first losing his parents and brothers and sisters. Then, losing his wife and his own kids who were sold. Henry was very brave; he took a big risk. He shipped himself to Philadelphia, where he would be free.
Reviewed by: S.B. and A.S.

Knockin' On Wood

This book, by Lynne Barash, is a wonderful non-fiction story, about a biography of Clayton Bates. In 1912, in South Carolina, when Bates was 5, he was dancing at every chance he had. Then he had an accident and lost part of his leg. But that didn't stop him. He got a peg leg and danced anytime he wanted. Soon he became a famous dancer. They called him "Peg Leg Bates." We still remember his wonderful life as a dancer.
Reviewed by: K.S. and N.A.

The Royal Bee

This book is by Frances Park and Ginger Park. This story is based on a true person. In The Royal Bee, the boy could not go to school. So, he overcame it by listening at the door to learn as much as he could.
Reviewed by: Y.N.

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog! We will be posting brief book reviews written by our students. The books that we are using are part of our project, "Against All Odds." In this project, we are sharing books about real people who have faced a variety of challenges and have overcome them. We are also having speakers come in to tell us about how their hard work and determination have helped them to overcome the challenges that life has placed in their path. Enjoy the reviews - perhaps you will want to try one of our books!