Jeff Kinney's The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: How Greg Heffley Went to Hollywood: A Review by Rudy G.!

When you see a movie, you probably might think that it is fun and easy. But actually, it can be pretty hard. Learn how a movie gets actually made, like the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Author and illustrator Jeff Kinney will guide you to see EVERYTHING. Want to be an actor on a famous movie? See interesting facts how an actor has to do hard things. I like this book because it actually even tells you that some interesting fact is that they used three schools to make just one school!!!!! You should read this if you're curious to see how they make a big Hollywood movie.

Neil Gaiman's Coraline: A Review by Rudy G.!

Neil Gaiman's Coraline is an extraordinary fairytale/nightmare story that will shock you. When Coraline Jones moves into a new house, she gets bored because her parents won't even listen to her. But when she finds a door that leads into something, she gets curious of it. She goes into the door, and everything's better: the food, the neighbors--everything. But her "other mother" wants to keep her...forever. Coraline must save herself by saving her parents, three souls, and herself from getting their eyes sewed with buttons. I like this book a lot because it is a fairy tale (which I don't usually like) but it's in nightmare form. I also like the movie, but there are MANY differences. You should read the book and watch the motion picture. There are a lot of differences between them. It's pretty interesting.

Pam Muñoz Ryan's Paint the Wind: A Review by Clara Z.!

Maya is an orphan and lives with her grandma. Maya's grandma always has to have things her way: all of the lawn chairs and fences must be white. The only thing Maya has to remind her of her mother is an old shoe box with some toy horses and a photo of her mother on a horse. Then suddenly her grandma falls ill and Maya must go live with her aunt and grandpa. I really like this book because it shows how Maya gets away from her "properness". I think someone should read this book because it can really bring you into the story. It's kind of like you are in the book and seeing what happens.

Kara Dalkey's Little Sister: A Review by Alexa!

*This book is NOT available at the Longfellow Middle School Library, but it is available for check out at the Berkeley Public Library*

Little Sister, a novel by Kara Dalkey, is an intriguing story that takes place in Japan and tells the story of a noble girl named Mitsuko. In the story, her sister, Amaiko marries a relative of the emperor, a man named Yugiri. Everything seems to be going well for their family until Yugiri is killed while trying to defend Amaiko and her sisters (including Mitsuko) from warrior monks. Amaiko's soul seems to be looking for Yugiri's after this; Mitsuko, as the caring little sister she is, tries to find and return the two souls, before Amaiko, soul and body, is gone. I enjoyed how challenging yet how descriptively entertaining this story was. I also enjoyed how the author used simple sentences that used luscious language to tell the story, making me feel as if I was there. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventurous, touching accounts of how far siblings will go fro each other in a difficult situation.

Natalie Babbitt Tuck Everlasting: A Review by Krystal!

Winnie Foster is a curious, bored ten year old who decides she wants to run away. One day she decides to take a walk in the woods and passes along a mysterious spring and a boy drinking from it. She decides to take a drink but the boy refuses to allow her. Soon she finds herself being taken away on a horse by crazy strangers who claim they are 100 years old, but look about 40. Who are these people and why are they so protective over the spring? I like this book because it contains mystery and excitement.

Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black's compilation of stories Zombies vs. Unicorns: A Review by Khalil!

*This book is NOT available at the Longfellow Middle School Library, but it is available for check out at the Berkeley Public Library*

This book is a collection of stories ranging from medieval to the distant future. It was written by a number of writers such as Holly Black, author of the bestselling Spiderwick series. My favorite stories are "Purity Test" by Naomi Novik and "Bougainvillea" by Carrie Ryan. I like this book because it is anthology of zombie stories and unicorn stories. This is a good book to read if you like horror, humor and fantasy.

Darren Shan's Birth of a Killer: A Review by Khalil!

*This book is NOT available at the Longfellow Middle School Library, but it is available for check out at the Berkeley Public Library*

Larten, a boy raised in a very impoverished family with an abusive mother is forced into working at a silk factory with a horrible boss. He is then chased out of town after killing his boss who has murdered his cousin. When sleeping in a crypt, he meets a vampire who then takes him on mind bogglingly exciting adventures. I like this book because it is the prequel to one of my favorite series, the bestselling Cirque Du Freak saga. You should read this book because it is an immensely well written book, full of suspense and horror.