Tyler Reynolds's Blog, page 6
July 24, 2020
This Land Was Their Land
This week I'm reviewing In the Shadow of the Mammoth by Patricia Nikolina Clark. This book is about the time and the people that lived here in North America 12,000 years ago! The author was inspired by real archaeological finds in Washington State near where I live. The story is fiction, but there are a bunch of scientists who say this is really, maybe how these prehistoric people could have lived. Anyway, the story is about a boy named Zol who is 11 and about to become a mammoth hunter for the tribe. Only he's scared because his dad was killed that way.
In the book, Zol and his friend, Tungo, live in the shadow of the ice-age glaciers. And they do exciting stuff like practice spear-throwing and get attacked by a wolf and a saber-toothed cat. They hunt and fish and gather for every morsel of food. And they make their own stuff, like weapons and a birdcage for when Zol tames a crow. I had the most fun reading this book and imagining how things were! You're gonna love it.
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
HISTORICAL (although it's actually prehistory), TIME MACHINE (because this is where I'd go if I had one), BACK IN THE DAY, I LEARNED SOMETHING, and IT'S NATURAL.
Find the Bingo card here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
In the book, Zol and his friend, Tungo, live in the shadow of the ice-age glaciers. And they do exciting stuff like practice spear-throwing and get attacked by a wolf and a saber-toothed cat. They hunt and fish and gather for every morsel of food. And they make their own stuff, like weapons and a birdcage for when Zol tames a crow. I had the most fun reading this book and imagining how things were! You're gonna love it.
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
HISTORICAL (although it's actually prehistory), TIME MACHINE (because this is where I'd go if I had one), BACK IN THE DAY, I LEARNED SOMETHING, and IT'S NATURAL.
Find the Bingo card here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
July 17, 2020
Epic Weird!
Last year, I recommended The Adventures of Odysseus. That's a classic road trip, of course. Well, now I want to introduce you to a more wacky road trip book: The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization, by Daniel Pinkwater.
Neddie is a kid in the 1940's whose family moves from Chicago to Hollywood, California by train (with a car full of canaries!)
Right away he collects a secret Native American talisman and meets a ghost of a bellboy (which is a job kids used to have). And there are these fat aliens at the donut shop...Okay, so this book is completely weird. But Neddie has to save the world and it all comes together.
The thing is, with all this stuff coming at him, Neddie can handle it because his whole childhood reading adventure novels has prepared him. Plus, he meets some awesome friends (who will continue to have strange adventures in later books). And he has a strong sense of responsibility for the world and his part in it--which makes him the kind of hero I like to read about!
If you have an adult who will read to you, get them to read this book out loud. It is hilarious to see your mom shocked and confused when she turns the page and something really unexpected happens!
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
RANDOM HUMOR, WHOA!, BACK IN THE DAY, SOMEONE READ IT TO ME, and TOTAL CRACK (it will crack your brain).
Find the Bingo card here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
Neddie is a kid in the 1940's whose family moves from Chicago to Hollywood, California by train (with a car full of canaries!)
Right away he collects a secret Native American talisman and meets a ghost of a bellboy (which is a job kids used to have). And there are these fat aliens at the donut shop...Okay, so this book is completely weird. But Neddie has to save the world and it all comes together.
The thing is, with all this stuff coming at him, Neddie can handle it because his whole childhood reading adventure novels has prepared him. Plus, he meets some awesome friends (who will continue to have strange adventures in later books). And he has a strong sense of responsibility for the world and his part in it--which makes him the kind of hero I like to read about!
If you have an adult who will read to you, get them to read this book out loud. It is hilarious to see your mom shocked and confused when she turns the page and something really unexpected happens!
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
RANDOM HUMOR, WHOA!, BACK IN THE DAY, SOMEONE READ IT TO ME, and TOTAL CRACK (it will crack your brain).
Find the Bingo card here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
July 10, 2020
The Plague versus COVID-19
My review today is about A Parcel of Patterns by Jill Paton Walsh. And I'll tell you right off that they talk in a weird old-fashioned way, which I love. Here's an example:
"It was not named abroad for many days. Though my father had called it Plague that struck down poor Edward Cooper..."
The story takes place in the real village of Eyam, England, in 1665. And everything that happened in the story is real: like how the Plague came in a package from London, where they also had Plague. And the people at Eyam (which was out in the country) decided to quarantine the whole village in order to protect the villages around them from the sickness. They miss their family and friends, and they set aside their plans, and they argue a lot about what is the right thing to do. And, if you've been listening to the grown-ups this summer, this'll all sound pretty familiar. Which is weird, 'cause in the 1600's they didn't have high tech medicine or the internet. The people of Eyam get their advice from their preachers, and their only medicines are herbs a local woman grows in her garden.
As far as sickness goes, Plague is way gross-er than COVID. People get these giant boils and fevers make them crazy enough to run out in the street naked. Then, when they look like they're getting better, they suddenly die! Yikes.
The Plague nearly wiped out the village, but they sacrificed a lot to keep it from reaching others, so I have to think they were heroes. If you want to learn about it, this is a fast read, despite the fancy language.
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
PANDEMIC (obviously), HISTORICAL, BACK IN THE DAY, or TIME MACHINE, or BECAUSE YOU'RE LAZY (because it is short).
Find the bingo card here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
"It was not named abroad for many days. Though my father had called it Plague that struck down poor Edward Cooper..."
The story takes place in the real village of Eyam, England, in 1665. And everything that happened in the story is real: like how the Plague came in a package from London, where they also had Plague. And the people at Eyam (which was out in the country) decided to quarantine the whole village in order to protect the villages around them from the sickness. They miss their family and friends, and they set aside their plans, and they argue a lot about what is the right thing to do. And, if you've been listening to the grown-ups this summer, this'll all sound pretty familiar. Which is weird, 'cause in the 1600's they didn't have high tech medicine or the internet. The people of Eyam get their advice from their preachers, and their only medicines are herbs a local woman grows in her garden.
As far as sickness goes, Plague is way gross-er than COVID. People get these giant boils and fevers make them crazy enough to run out in the street naked. Then, when they look like they're getting better, they suddenly die! Yikes.
The Plague nearly wiped out the village, but they sacrificed a lot to keep it from reaching others, so I have to think they were heroes. If you want to learn about it, this is a fast read, despite the fancy language.
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
PANDEMIC (obviously), HISTORICAL, BACK IN THE DAY, or TIME MACHINE, or BECAUSE YOU'RE LAZY (because it is short).
Find the bingo card here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
July 3, 2020
A Binge-Read with Warnings!
I totally got absorbed by Nyxia by Scott Reintgen. A diverse group of tweens are taken to space and put in competition against each other. The stakes: money and healthcare for their families back home in return for a spot on a dangerous mining operation on a foreign planet. Of course, they can't trust the company that is using them.
Of course, these poverty-stricken kids can't resist trying to win anyway. But Emmett, the main character, is also trying to be a good person.
This book was on my middle school's suggested summer reading list. The competition, the secrets, and the mysterious substance, nyxia, gripped me from the start and kept me turning pages. But I gotta tell the truth: there are some harsh parts--"accidents" in the competition, virtual tournaments that result in real injuries, and even character death. It's not like a video game. People suffer real consequences when their bodies are damaged. If imagining that is not for you, back away.
Also, there is some romance. I mean, kids like each other and there is some kissing. At one point, a boy and girl are kissing and tugging at clothing and go into a room for some private time. Don't know what happened in there and don't want to know. Just saying, parents might have something to say about it.
But the point of the book isn't about violence or sex. It's about knowing who you are and how you want to treat people, even when you don't love them--even when they are trying to hurt you. It's about choosing how you're going to react and who you are going to be.
Here's another big warning: the story doesn't end with this book. Most of the mystery is about the destination planet which they just reach by the end of this book. So, if you get drawn in, like I did, you'll have to read the other two books in the triad (huh, never heard it called that before).
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
VIDEO GAME (the kids are constantly being tested in a real-life computer game), I DREAMED ABOUT IT (Yep, I had dreams I was on the space station river trek.), and TOOK ME TO A NEW WORLD.
Find the bingo card here:
https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
Of course, these poverty-stricken kids can't resist trying to win anyway. But Emmett, the main character, is also trying to be a good person.
This book was on my middle school's suggested summer reading list. The competition, the secrets, and the mysterious substance, nyxia, gripped me from the start and kept me turning pages. But I gotta tell the truth: there are some harsh parts--"accidents" in the competition, virtual tournaments that result in real injuries, and even character death. It's not like a video game. People suffer real consequences when their bodies are damaged. If imagining that is not for you, back away.
Also, there is some romance. I mean, kids like each other and there is some kissing. At one point, a boy and girl are kissing and tugging at clothing and go into a room for some private time. Don't know what happened in there and don't want to know. Just saying, parents might have something to say about it.
But the point of the book isn't about violence or sex. It's about knowing who you are and how you want to treat people, even when you don't love them--even when they are trying to hurt you. It's about choosing how you're going to react and who you are going to be.
Here's another big warning: the story doesn't end with this book. Most of the mystery is about the destination planet which they just reach by the end of this book. So, if you get drawn in, like I did, you'll have to read the other two books in the triad (huh, never heard it called that before).
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
VIDEO GAME (the kids are constantly being tested in a real-life computer game), I DREAMED ABOUT IT (Yep, I had dreams I was on the space station river trek.), and TOOK ME TO A NEW WORLD.
Find the bingo card here:
https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
June 26, 2020
Watch Your Back
If you like spies, you'll like Spy School Secret Service by Stuart Gibbs. This is the 5th book in the series, but I had no trouble starting there. You're inside the head of the main character, a spy kid called Ben Ripley. His thoughts give you enough of an idea what happened in previous books that you might decide to check out the others. Even if you don't, this book is fun. The action takes place inside and under famous tourist sites in Washington D.C. like the White House, the Washington Monument, the Pentagon, and the Smithsonian.
The spy kid characters are fun and I was pretty invested in some of the relationships. I also liked that the main character wasn't actually good at fighting, so he had to emphasize other skills.
It takes all kinds to make a spy team, you know.
You learn some neat insider spy stuff like how to infiltrate a high security area and how to contact your team over a tapped phone line without getting them in trouble. And, like the best spy stories, the real question is "Who can you trust?" There's plenty of backstabbing and double-agent-ing among both the kids and the adults. So, watch your six.
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
AWESOME GIRL (Ben's partner, Erica), I LEARNED SOMETHING, or HOW WE ROCK (the Dudes and I combine skills like this all the time!).
Find the bingo card here:
https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
The spy kid characters are fun and I was pretty invested in some of the relationships. I also liked that the main character wasn't actually good at fighting, so he had to emphasize other skills.
It takes all kinds to make a spy team, you know.
You learn some neat insider spy stuff like how to infiltrate a high security area and how to contact your team over a tapped phone line without getting them in trouble. And, like the best spy stories, the real question is "Who can you trust?" There's plenty of backstabbing and double-agent-ing among both the kids and the adults. So, watch your six.
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
AWESOME GIRL (Ben's partner, Erica), I LEARNED SOMETHING, or HOW WE ROCK (the Dudes and I combine skills like this all the time!).
Find the bingo card here:
https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
June 19, 2020
Written by a Kid and for a Good Cause!
This week I read a book by an eleven-year-old girl. Her name is Eva Sharma, and she wrote a fantasy adventure book as a project during the COVID-19 pandemic. WillowNot only that, but she's donating proceeds from the book to a non-profit that promotes better race relations! How awesome is that? My mom bought me the book, so here's my review:
This book pulled me right in. With an orphan and a factory/orphanage, it reminded me of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. The main character, Willow, certainly has to handle things herself, because the world the adults have created is kind of screwed up. I liked how something exciting happened every chapter, and how Willow is so attracted to nature. She's almost like a different kind of human being. She's solving a mystery too--about herself and her family. I highly recommend this book.
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
AWESOME GIRL (Willow), TOOK ME TO A NEW WORLD, PANDEMIC (created because of the pandemic), or BECAUSE I'M LAZY (at 79 pages, it's a quick read)
Find the bingo card here:
https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
This book pulled me right in. With an orphan and a factory/orphanage, it reminded me of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. The main character, Willow, certainly has to handle things herself, because the world the adults have created is kind of screwed up. I liked how something exciting happened every chapter, and how Willow is so attracted to nature. She's almost like a different kind of human being. She's solving a mystery too--about herself and her family. I highly recommend this book.
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
AWESOME GIRL (Willow), TOOK ME TO A NEW WORLD, PANDEMIC (created because of the pandemic), or BECAUSE I'M LAZY (at 79 pages, it's a quick read)
Find the bingo card here:
https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
June 15, 2020
The Dark is Rising
Yikes! What a great series title. This week I'm reviewing the first book of The Dark is Rising Sequence which is Over Sea, Under Stone.
It's about three kids whose family rents a vacation house with their uncle on the coast in Cornwall, England. This area has a lot of connections to the King Arthur legends, and right away the kids get involved with a mystery involving an ancient map and a group of evil villains who are desperate to find its secret.
I liked this book because it starts out very real and everyday and then gets mystical and dangerous. I also loved that it's a clash between good and evil, and I'm all about that.
Like the Dudes, the siblings in the story are all different, but they have to work together. And they do awesome stuff like climb cliffs and explore caves. And there's a loyal dog too. I'll totally be reading the other four books in the series to see how it all comes out.
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
WHOA!, AWESOME GIRL (Jane), TOOK ME TO A NEW WORLD (Cornwall), SIBLINGS TEAM UP, or TIME MACHINE because it's all about what happened in King Arthur's time and what will happen in the future.
Find the bingo card here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
It's about three kids whose family rents a vacation house with their uncle on the coast in Cornwall, England. This area has a lot of connections to the King Arthur legends, and right away the kids get involved with a mystery involving an ancient map and a group of evil villains who are desperate to find its secret.
I liked this book because it starts out very real and everyday and then gets mystical and dangerous. I also loved that it's a clash between good and evil, and I'm all about that.
Like the Dudes, the siblings in the story are all different, but they have to work together. And they do awesome stuff like climb cliffs and explore caves. And there's a loyal dog too. I'll totally be reading the other four books in the series to see how it all comes out.
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
WHOA!, AWESOME GIRL (Jane), TOOK ME TO A NEW WORLD (Cornwall), SIBLINGS TEAM UP, or TIME MACHINE because it's all about what happened in King Arthur's time and what will happen in the future.
Find the bingo card here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
Dudes Break for Black Lives Matter
Hi Dudes!
I know I usually post a review on Fridays, but last Friday my mom took me to the Black Lives Matter Silent March Here in Seattle. Besides that, it was a general strike, which means you're not supposed to work in solidarity with the cause. And this cause is a good one!
Let me just say from a kid's point of view that a march is not so much about marching as about standing around while you wait for all the other people to move. And there were a TON of people at this march. But, while you're standing around, you've got nothing to do but think about how everybody there cared enough to take time out in the rain to make the world better. That's nothing but awesome, just saying.
Okay. Review coming up next! Thanks for waiting.
Tyler
I know I usually post a review on Fridays, but last Friday my mom took me to the Black Lives Matter Silent March Here in Seattle. Besides that, it was a general strike, which means you're not supposed to work in solidarity with the cause. And this cause is a good one!
Let me just say from a kid's point of view that a march is not so much about marching as about standing around while you wait for all the other people to move. And there were a TON of people at this march. But, while you're standing around, you've got nothing to do but think about how everybody there cared enough to take time out in the rain to make the world better. That's nothing but awesome, just saying.
Okay. Review coming up next! Thanks for waiting.
Tyler
June 5, 2020
Novel or Graphic Novel?
For this first week, I'll review two books...sort of. I read The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau and The City of Ember: The Graphic Novel which was adapted by Dallas Middaugh and with art by Niklas Asker.
Just gotta say, the graphic novel edition is top shelf. Having the pictures to help you, well, picture the story and the characters is pretty awesome. The problem is that there just aren't many words. You get the story, but without the details. Despite the moody scenes and the expressive faces on the main characters, I felt like the story just went by too fast. I didn't feel like I lived it the way I did in the full length novel.
It's funny too, because I read the novel after the graphic novel, so I already knew what happens in this fascinating fantasy/sci-fi story. Lina and Doon are kids who live in Ember. Ember is this weird city without sunlight. The whole place relies on electricity, and the generator is breaking down. So right away there's a mystery. Where is this place? Why are there people here? And why don't they know how to fix the electricity?
I'm not going to give you any spoilers. Just know that Lina and Doon face some real danger and some exciting adventures when they try to save their city!
It's a totally great ride, and I highly recommend the longer version so you can savor it.
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how these books qualify:
The City of Ember: WHOA!, AWESOME GIRL, TOOK ME TO A NEW WORLD, and even SIBLINGS TEAM UP if you count Lina's little sister, Poppy, as a team member.
The City of Ember Graphic Novel could work for those squares or GRAPHIC NOVEL (obviously), or BECAUSE I'M LAZY since it's faster to read.
Find the bingo card here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
Just gotta say, the graphic novel edition is top shelf. Having the pictures to help you, well, picture the story and the characters is pretty awesome. The problem is that there just aren't many words. You get the story, but without the details. Despite the moody scenes and the expressive faces on the main characters, I felt like the story just went by too fast. I didn't feel like I lived it the way I did in the full length novel.
It's funny too, because I read the novel after the graphic novel, so I already knew what happens in this fascinating fantasy/sci-fi story. Lina and Doon are kids who live in Ember. Ember is this weird city without sunlight. The whole place relies on electricity, and the generator is breaking down. So right away there's a mystery. Where is this place? Why are there people here? And why don't they know how to fix the electricity?
I'm not going to give you any spoilers. Just know that Lina and Doon face some real danger and some exciting adventures when they try to save their city!
It's a totally great ride, and I highly recommend the longer version so you can savor it.
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how these books qualify:
The City of Ember: WHOA!, AWESOME GIRL, TOOK ME TO A NEW WORLD, and even SIBLINGS TEAM UP if you count Lina's little sister, Poppy, as a team member.
The City of Ember Graphic Novel could work for those squares or GRAPHIC NOVEL (obviously), or BECAUSE I'M LAZY since it's faster to read.
Find the bingo card here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
June 1, 2020
Summer Reading 2020!
Online school is finally winding down. Now we'll have all the time we want to read what we want to read. I'll be posting reviews every week to help you find the best books.
Check out the awesome Dudes Summer Book Bingo card I created at:
https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
And, in case you're just getting around to reading the Dudes books, here are some suggestions for how my books could be used on your card:
Save the Dudes: TOOK ME TO A NEW WORLD (Sherwood Heights, man!), WHOA! (this is the sound you make when you read something that blows your mind)
Dudes Take Over: HOW WE ROCK (there’s an actual rock band scene in it, but it’s also how my friends rock in general–what about you?), SOMEONE READ IT TO ME (get your mom to read it or get the audiobook)
Summer of the Dudes: I LEARNED SOMETHING (about how to simulate an emergency, for instance), BECAUSE I’M LAZY (This is the shortest Dudes book)
Dudes in the Middle: EVIL TWIN (Ryan says it’s Connor, Connor says it’s Ryan), MEME-RELATED (pretty sure there are a lot of middle school memes that relate)
Dudes Dog Days: WHAT TO READ TO YOUR PET, IT’S NATURAL (Mt. Rainier camp out, Dude!)
Remember, you can only use each book once, no matter how many times you read it! And it has to be a book you read THIS summer.
If you've already read all the Dudes, don't worry. I'll be reading more books and making my suggestions here!
Check out the awesome Dudes Summer Book Bingo card I created at:
https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
And, in case you're just getting around to reading the Dudes books, here are some suggestions for how my books could be used on your card:
Save the Dudes: TOOK ME TO A NEW WORLD (Sherwood Heights, man!), WHOA! (this is the sound you make when you read something that blows your mind)
Dudes Take Over: HOW WE ROCK (there’s an actual rock band scene in it, but it’s also how my friends rock in general–what about you?), SOMEONE READ IT TO ME (get your mom to read it or get the audiobook)
Summer of the Dudes: I LEARNED SOMETHING (about how to simulate an emergency, for instance), BECAUSE I’M LAZY (This is the shortest Dudes book)
Dudes in the Middle: EVIL TWIN (Ryan says it’s Connor, Connor says it’s Ryan), MEME-RELATED (pretty sure there are a lot of middle school memes that relate)
Dudes Dog Days: WHAT TO READ TO YOUR PET, IT’S NATURAL (Mt. Rainier camp out, Dude!)
Remember, you can only use each book once, no matter how many times you read it! And it has to be a book you read THIS summer.
If you've already read all the Dudes, don't worry. I'll be reading more books and making my suggestions here!
