The Cloud Road

Author: Isobelle Carmody


Brothers Zluty and Bily, along with the Monster and Redwing travel across the desert in search of a new home. The group travel to the end of the desert where they find the cloud mountains. There they meet the diggers, which are quite different to the diggers that Zluty and Bily found at their old home. Then the brothers are told of the evil Monks and the story of the Makers and the Listeners. But Zluty is then taken hostage by the Monks who will turn his head into into metal. Can Bily save his brother?

I really like the story of all of the Makers and the Listeners and whatnot. I also like how Zluty and Bily learn about all of these new things, like blizzards, although the brothers learn what they really are at the end of the book. I can't wait until Book 3: The Velvet City comes out!

A wind in the door (Book two of the time quintet)

Author: Madeleine L'Engle


One afternoon, Charles Wallace Murry tells Meg Murry that there are dragons in Sandy and Dennys's vegetable garden. But Charles later finds out that they are not dragons. It is Prognioskes, a cherubim (which is actually plural for a cherub but he may as well be because he has multiple wings and eyes but he's rather like a seraph) . Blajeny, a mysterious man who insists on being a teacher, tells Meg, Charles and Calvin O' Keefe that they will have three tests. Meg and Proginoskes' first test is to name the real Mr. Jenkins out of three. But later, Meg finds inside the mitochondria of Charles Wallace, trying to save her sick brother who will die if he is not saved.

I like the characters in this book and the way they kythe, which is like telepathy, to talk.

---> Mitochondrion <---

Samuel Morse's birthday

Today, 27 of April, is Samuel Morse's birthday. Samuel Morse is the inventor of morse code.

                                       This is morse code -->

A Wrinkle in Time (Book 1)

Author: Madeleine L'Engle


It was a dark and stormy night. Meg Murry meets Charles Wallace Murry's friends, Mrs Who, Mrs Which and Mrs Whatsit, who take  them off to find their father who disappeared whilst he was working on a tesseract project. Charles, Meg and their new friend Calvin travel to faraway planets in search of their father. When they arrive at the planet their father is trapped on, Charles is kidnapped by the master of the little town they arrive at. Can Calvin and Meg get Charles and Mr Murry back?

I like how on the planet that Mr Murry is trapped on everyone does everything exactly the same, like robots.

Tesseract

Summer and Bird

Author: Katherine Catmull


Sisters Summer and Bird wake up one morning to find their parents have disappeared. Their mother has left them a picture note, so Summer and Bird find that they have to wander into the forest which is close to their home. Summer and Bird find talking birds and stories of their mother and father and stories of birds. The evil Puppeteer captures Bird and convinces her that she will be queen of the birds. Bird is taken to bird court and she does not realise that the great swan who is queen of the birds is actually her mother.

I like the character called Ben in this book. He is half bird, although Summer does not realise this at first.

A Quote from Mark Twain

“In a good bookroom you feel in some mysterious way that you are absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books through your skin, without even opening them.”

- Mark Twain

The Word Hunters Book 2 The Lost Hunters

Author: Nick Earls


One day, Lexi and Al find the "& more" button glowing on the page of the dictionary. Once more, they are transported into the past. But this time they are looking for the lost word hunter, Alan Hunter, Lexi and Al's grandfather, who mysteriously disappeared into the past. With the help of Will Hunter, another lost word hunter, the word hunters are determined to find the lost hunter.

The Word Hunters Book 1 The Curious Dictionary

Author: Nick Earls


Lexi and Al Hunter come from a family of word hunters, although they don't know it. Then they find a dictionary hidden in their school library. Al and Lexi get transported to the past by the dictionary and find out that in order to make their way back home they have to travel further into the past, hunting a word, until they can come back to their own time in the 21st century.

The composer is dead

Author: Lemony Snicket


A murder has taken place at the concert hall. The composer is dead. The Inspecter is called in to interview the sections of the orchestra one by one. But he finds that none of the orchestra members are guilty. Then the Inspector realises that he has forgotten one more person...
I like the illustrations in this book. This picture book comes with the CD with music written by Nathaniel Stooky and narrated by Lemony Snicket.

The Composer Is Dead Concert Video narrated by Lemony Snicket

The illustrator of this book is the same illustrator of Wildwood and Under Wildwood

Greylands

Author: Isobelle Carmody


One night, Jack gets sucked into his own bathroom mirror and finds himself in a world without any colour or scent. Then Jack finds that he is being chased by wolvers. Alice, a girl who lives in the mysterious world, comes and goes to guide Jack through the grey world. But Jack is curious about her. What does she carry in her mysterious glowing bundle, what else is she hiding from him and does she have wings beneath her cloak? What had Jack's dead mother said about having wings and will Jack ever escape the Greylands?

 I like the way that the worlds and characters in this book are related.

A Hat Full of Sky

Author: Terry Pratchett


Tiffany Aching, a witch in training, leaves Chalk to go and work for Miss Level (a witch with two bodies) doing chores around the village. Petulia, a pig witch in training takes Tiffany to a small group of witches in training, led by Annagramma, a bossy witch in training who is disliked by most of the group. Tiffany tells the group about the imaginary hat she has but the girls don't believe her. Tiffany goes back to Miss Level's cottage and shuts herself in her room. Shut in her room, the hiver attacks Tiffany and takes her over. The hiver steals Mr Weavall's money, kills one of Miss Levels bodies and scares Annagramma. The Nac Mac Feegle start a mission to kill the hiver. The Feegles go inside Tiffany's head and find out that they must find three particular objects to wake the real Tiffany up: sheep's wool, turpentine and Jolly Sailor tobacco. Tiffany fights the hiver out of her head but the hiver is not dead...

The hiver is a creature that goes into the head of powerful people and takes over them. Everyone the hiver takes over becomes part of the hiver itself. When the hiver left Tiffany's head a bit of another of the hivers victim was stuck in Tiffany's head. The hiver cannot be killed.

I like Oswald, a spirit that helps around the house.

The Wee Free Men

Author: Terry Pratchett


 The Queen of Faires has stolen Tiffany Aching's younger brother Wentwell. Helped by The Nac Mac Feegle / Wee Free Men / pictsies, she has to travel to the land of fairies where she meets dromes that take her through several nightmares to get her brother. On the way, she meets Miss Tick the witch finder who chooses her to be a witch. And on the way back she meets the most famous witch, Misstress Weatherwax.

My favourite characters in this book are Daft Wully Feegle, Rob Anybody Feegle, Hamish and Not as Big as Medium Sized Jock but Bigger than Wee Jock Jock.

Liar And Spy

Author: Rebecca Stead


7th grader Georges has moved to an apartment where he meets Safer and Candy. Safer tells Georges about Mr X, a mysterious man who always wears black. Together, they spy on him, trying to find out as much they can. As they get closer, it turns out Safer was lying...











                                       
                                          Both Georges parents
                                           liked the painter
                                           Georges Seurat and
                                          named their son after
                                          him. This is a picture
                                          by Seurat.
                                         
                                     
                                         
                                           



                                                                                   A Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande
                                                                                   Jatte.

Under Wildwood

Author: Colin Meloy


Prue McKeel returns to Wildwood where Curtis is a bandit in training. She goes to a meeting where she finds that a new danger has arrived in Wildwood. Prue finds that somebody is trying to assassinate her. She and Curtis join up to go on a quest to unite a divided country. In order to do that, they must go under Wildwood. Meanwhile, a titan of industry , Joffrey Unthank gets children from his orphanage to work for him so he can industrialize Wildwood.

Who could that be at this hour?

Author: Daniel Handler/ Lemony Snicket

<----- Bombinating Beast Statue

Lemony Snicket has been hired to investigate the theft of the Bombinating Beast. Snicket and his chaperone investigate the theft to discover that the statue wasn't stolen in the first place and Snicket finds himself getting into trouble that he wasn't meant to. Hangfire will do anything to get the statue, tying people up and kidnapping the  father of Snicket's friend, Ellington Feint. But Snicket still doesn't get why...

The Aviary

Author: Kathleen O' Dell

Clara Dooley lives in the Glendoveer mansion with her mother, Ruby and Mrs. Glendoveer who keeps an Aviary. When Mrs. Glendoveer dies, Clara starts to discover the Glendoveer's dark history. Then the birds in the Aviary start to squawk like crazy until one day when one of the birds talks...

Where the mountain meets the moon

Author: Grace Lin

In the valley of fruitless mountain, young Minli and her parents work hour after hour in the fields. During dinner, Minli's father tells her stories. One day, a goldfish man comes to the valley of fruitless mountain and tells Minli that a goldfish will bring good fortune to their family. Minli buys a goldfish with the only money left in the house. The goldfish tells Minli how to bring good fortune to her family. Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon to ask him about her fortune. On the way, she meets a dragon who can't fly. But when Minli finds the Old Man of the Moon, she asks a different question that still brings the valley of fruitless mountain good fortune. 

My favourite character is Dragon the dragon.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Unseen Guest (Book 3)

Author: Maryrose Wood



Lord Frederick Ashton's mother, The Widow Ashton, has come to Ashton Place to see Frederick. She brings along Admiral Faucet who introduces the Incorrigibles to a wild ostrich hunt in the wood. Penelope Lumley goes with them but is worried that the children will go back to their wolfish ways. The Incorrigibles show Penelope the most peculiar cave and introduce her to Mama Woof the wolf. The Widow Ashton seeks an answer from the dead Edward Ashton and the fortune teller from London is called in.
This book really drew me into it. I love how you never know what happens next and how the end of each chapter leaves you puzzling over another mystery. I recommend this book to anyone who loves Lemony Snicket's books.

The Outlaw Varjak Paw

Author: S F Said


Varjak and his friends have solved the Vanishings and have formed a gang. Varjak must destroy Sally Bones and her gang before she can control all the cats. Varjak, Holly, Tam, Jess, Ginger, The Scratch Sisters and Cludge the dog destroy Sally Bones's gang and find her weakness.

Varjak Paw

Author: S F Said



Varjak paw is a Mesopotamian blue cat who lives in the countessa's house. When the countessa dies a man and his black cats come and look after Varjak's family but Varjak doesn't trust them. Elder Paw tells him he must go outside into the city to find a dog to save his family from the black cats and the man. In his dreams Varjak is taught the Way, a martial art for cats by Jalal. He makes friends with cats Holly and Tam to help him solve the mystery of the Vanishings that are happening in the city.