Animals: A Visual Encyclopedia

By DK Publishing

Did you ever want to know the definition of a reptile, or the lifespan of a five-lined skink? Well, then this is the book for you! If you like animal facts and pictures of animals, then you totally have to read this book! This encyclopedia has information on the entire animal kingdom, including vertebrates and invertebrates, and each of the categories within those (like mammals, birds, reptiles, etc.). My mom gave this to me for Christmas last year, and I read it all the time! For each animal there is information on its life span, where it lives, if it is endangered, what it eats, its size, and more. For example, the musk-ox lives in polar regions, including tundra and icebergs. Its lifespan is 12 years or more, it is not endangered, it is 4 to 5 feet tall, and it weighs 440 to 900 pounds. In addition to the facts, there is also a picture and a small paragraph of information for each animal.

Rating: 5 out of 5 worms

Interest Level: Ages 5 and up
Reading Level: Ages 10 and up
Pages: 304

Draw About It Day

These are the very first draw about it day pictures. I think they are really nice drawings. I hope you like them, too. If you want to draw a picture of a part of a book you liked, or of a character from one of your most favorite books, you can draw one and send it to bookwormkate8@gmail.com. I will post yours, too!

"Bad Kitty"

from Bady Kitty Vs Uncle Murray by Nick Bruel

Drawing by Carter McD in Florida

Carter says "This book is like a comic book and easy to read. It's very funny and makes me laugh. I like all the Bad Kitty books that I have read. I keep one in the car for when I forget my DS."

"Hattie and the Fox"

from Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox

Drawing by my cousin Sara F in Connecticut

Thank you Carter and Sara! You guys rock! :)

Coraline

By Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Dave McKean

Coraline and her parents move to a really old house when Coraline’s dad gets a new job.  After they move Coraline is really bored with her toys and her parents are too busy working to play with her. She goes exploring around the house and finds a secret door hidden in the wall. Coraline asks her mom to open it, but when she does it is just a brick wall. Coraline opens it again later on, and it isn’t a brick wall anymore. It is another world that looks exactly like her world, except it has an “other mother” and an “other dad” who look just like her real mom and dad, but they have button eyes and are much nicer to Coraline. There is a black cat in both worlds. In the real world he acts like a regular cat. In the other world he can talk! Strange things begin to happen, and Coraline finds out that everything isn’t what it seems.

This book is a mystery, and it is a little bit creepy. You will like this book if you like surprise endings and scary stories. Most little kids probably shouldn’t read this book. I was a little scared, but I thought it was a super duper awesome book, and I loved reading it!

To learn more about this book you can visit the author's website at http://www.mousecircus.com/. I just visited the website and found out that there is a section of videos where you can listen to the author and other famous people reading the story. So cool!

Rating: 5 out of 5 worms

Pages: 176 (paperback), 192 (hardcover)
Interest Level: Grades 6 to 8
Reading Level: 5.2

The Wolves in the Walls

By Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Dave McKean

Lucy lives in a nice house, but one day she hears a scratching and clawing noise and nobody believes her when she tells them that it’s a bunch of wolves living in the walls! She tries to warn everybody, but everybody just says " if the wolves come out it’s all over." Lucy doesn’t understand what that means. That is (gulp) until the wolves come out!

I picked this book because I was browsing the shelves at the town library and this cover looked interesting. When I read it I thought it sounded exciting, and the pictures reminded me of Coraline. It is written and illustrated by the same people as Coraline (which I also borrowed while I was there, and will review tomorrow. I didn't even know it was a book! Did you?).

You will like this book if you like stories that are a little spooky and weird. It is a quick and easy book to read.

To learn more about this book, you can visit the author's website at http://www.mousecircus.com/.


Rating: 4 out of 5 worms

Pages: 56
Interest Level: Grades 3 to 5
Reading Level: 4.5

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Book 1

By J.K. Rowling

 

This book is about a boy named Harry Potter. Harry has no parents and lives with his mean aunt, uncle, and cousin who all yell at him for no reason. Normally Harry does not get invited to do anything fun with the family, but one day he got to go to his cousin’s birthday party at the zoo because his baby sitter broke her leg. While they were at the zoo strange things started happening. Harry was staring at a snake when the glass of the snake’s tank disappeared. Then, a couple days later, a guy named Hagrid broke through Harry’s door and told him that he (Harry) is actually a wizard and has been his whole life. Hagrid takes Harry on a train to Hogwart’s, a school for witchcraft and wizardry. While at Hogwarts, Harry makes lots of friends and has exciting adventures while trying to defeat a bad wizard named Voldamort.

This book is super cool! I liked it better than the movie because it has more details about Harry’s life and adventures. You will like this book if you like fantasy and mystery books.

For more information you can visit the authors website at http://www.jkrowling.com/.

Rating: 5 out of 5 worms

Pages: 320

Interest Level: Ages 9 and up

Reading Level: 5.3