Jacob

=Walt Disney: The Triumph Of The American Imagination = By: Neal Gabler Review By: Jacob Lukens = Walt Disney: The Triumph Of The American Imagination is an incredible biography. Walt Disney had an amazing, successful life. Neal Gabler (the author) did an incredible job of describing Walt's life. I got a lot out of the book, and every single chapter was descriptive. The book is easy to follow, and it is easy to understand.= Before Walt Disney was born, his family were pioneers. The exact date that Walt Disney was born is inconclusive. Anyway, Walt Disney was eighty-nine when he died. Walt Disney's father died before Walt was born, leaving his mother, and three older brothers in charge. When Walt Disney was forty-nine, he made his first movie: Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. The movie went viral, and it was in the papers for almost three months. I would recommend this book to people who like to imagine what it would be like to be in somebody else's shoes.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =The Hunger Games= =By: Suzanne Collins= =Review by: Jacob Lukens= = = The Hunger Games was a fabulous book about a girl named Katniss who volunteered to be in the "Hunger Games" instead of her younger sister Prim Rose. The Hunger Games is where a girl and a boy from twelve districts fight until death. When Prim gets picked, Katniss volunteered to take her place, and she scores a very good scare in training which gives her confidence in the Hunger Games. When she finds out that the other person from district twelve has a crush on her, she really doesn't want to fight him. The book is very well written, and it kept me reading until the end. The book was humorous, sad, and tragic. When you read it, I recommend you don't read it with your parents, because with me, they wanted me to keep reading! I ended up having twenty-five pages one night. But I loved the book, and I also recommend you read the the whole series. They are also good, but my favorite was The Hunger Games. In my opinion, Katniss is very scared to be in the Hunger Games because in the first five minutes, she runs into the forest, and seeks refuge under a rock. But other than that, she is a well behaved, pretty, courageous girl. I would recommend this book to someone who likes tragic, funny stories. Before I read that book, I was not that kind of person! But now that I have read it, I love those kind of books (mostly the funny part). So if I were you, GET UP AND READ THIS BOOK!

A Series of Unfortunate Events The Bad Beginning Or, Orphans!
 * By: Lemony Snicket **
 * Review by: Jacob Lukens **
 * Star recommendation: 5 stars **

The Bad Beginning or Orphans is one of the best books in existence (in my opinion). What really got my attention was when Mr. Poe (a character/banker) told three kids that their parents died in a house fire. In this book it is all plain fiction and the whole book is very tragic, but it is wonderful. The author tells an inspiring story, but was not very believable. This book is memorable and I didn’t want to stop reading! It was very easy to concentrate while reading. If you were into the book I’ll bet you could read while your siblings are watching your favorite TV program! The not so good part of the book was that the book only has one setting (Count Olaf’s house), and it didn’t have a year! The setting made the book much more exciting because it is at an evil, disgraceful man’s home. The setting played the one of the most important parts of the book because that is the only place the kids (Sunny, Violet, and Klaus) are. The problem is that their guardian, Count Olaf is evil and tortures young children like Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. The book has a good message which is do not anger someone who is impatient and rude. I think the author did more then accomplish what he set out to do. He keeps the reader reading and he added lots of details that help you understand the book. The characters connect with only themselves because it didn’t seem like they would talk to you. There were many surprises that kept you reading for hours. All of the chapters ended with cliffhangers especially at the end! If you don’t like sad and tragic books, put this book down and read a happy fairytale, but not this.

Review by: Jacob Lukens The Wednesday Wars By: Gary D Schmidt Star recommendation: 4 stars

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt is a fabulous book. It has lots of adventure, and keeps you reading until the end. What caught my attention was that the gym coach was not very friendly because he would call people rude names such as, “You lazy slugs”. The book tells a wonderful story because it gives you very valuable lessons such as; believe in yourself no matter what, and do what the voice in your head tells you to. The setting, Long Island, New York, was creative. The year also got my attention, 1967, because the Vietnam War was going on. Those made the book feel a lot more exciting, although it really did not play an important role in the book. The book was believable and memorable. I did not want to stop reading the book because I was so into it. Sometimes I was up until eleven thirty reading it! One problem is that Holling Hoodhood thinks his teacher might hate his guts, and that the Vietnam War is going on. The book tells you that you should always believe in yourself, even if your friends think that what you are doing is dumb or weird. The author did accomplish what he was trying to set out. I wouldn’t change a thing. I think the characters did connect with the reader in lots of ways as if they were speaking to the reader. I think the characters do develop throughout the story, and learn some intensified lessons. I think I could identify Doug Swieteck’s brother because at one moment he can be calming, and the next moment he turns devious. I think the book had lots of surprises that really kept me interested. The chapters did usually end with surprising events that got me even more interested. The dialogue seemed as if it really did happen, so it was believable for the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventures, surprises, and people who enjoy reading Shakespeare. And remember; don’t get too involved, because two is enough surprises for one day.