Sunday 15 April 2012

Big Nate: In a Class By Himself

Today I'm going to talk about a book I read called Big Nate: In a Class By Himself by Lincoln Peirce.For fans of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, this series focuses on Nate Wright, a sixth grader at P.S. 38 middle school. The class clown, teachers LEAST favourite, and self proclaimed awesome person. This first book of the best-selling series finds Nate goofing off as usual, when his best friend Teddy gives him a fortune cookie. The note inside reads "Today you will surpass all others. Thinking that this couldn't just be a coincidence, Nate embarks on a quest to find out how he will surpass all others.


 I give this book a seven out of ten for it's funny storyline and hilarious illustrations. 


 I think this book is for anyone 8-13 because it's an easy read good for any occasion.


 More in the series: Big Nate: Strikes Again, On a Roll, Goes for Broke 


 To find out more please visit bignatebooks.com or download the Big Nate app from the app store on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Available where ever books are sold.

Saturday 7 April 2012

Screen Time

Are Kids Reading less? You might often hear adults tell you to pry your eyes away from the screen and read a book. Recent studies have shown that kids screen time is getting crazy.Usually, kids in the U.S.A. spend only 25 minutes a day reading.SAY WHAAAAAAA?Here's something even more crazy: almost 1/3 of children UNDER TWO have a T.V. in their room, and an average Canadian kid spends 6 HOURS in front of screens a day, when health officials only recommend two. But screen time isn't always bad. Screen time does have benefits. As quoted by Andrew Sykes in OWL magazine"The potential of the Internet to teach and educate is amazing. It holds such promise. And student are going to have to engage with this information if they are going to take jobs on in the future." Andrew Sykes is a school district psychologist from Revelstoke, B.C.

In the end, it all comes down to balance. You MUST play outside and read, because if you start just relying on electronics, then you'll forget the most basic skills and the minute your gadgets are taken away from you, you don't even know what to do with yourself. But you do need screen skills, because in the future your ability to skip rope really well won't get you a job.

I encourage you to take part in Screen-Free week (April 30 to May 6) and read a book, play outside, and just live the way they did in the olden days (The 1950's).

I also think you should visit Screensmart.ca to find out more(The website is currently down, sorry!)

Sunday 1 April 2012

The Hunger Games

Today I'm going to talk about a book I read called The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This book is based in the ruins of North America, now a nation known as Panem. In Panem, There are 12 outlying districts. Each year, each district has to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to the annual Hunger Games, A fight to the death in a giant arena that is broadcast to every home in Panem on live TV. When Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen year old girl from district twelve, hears that her sister has been selected to compete, Katniss desperately volunteers to take part in the Games to save her sister's life. To win the Games and see her family again, Katniss must weigh survival against judgement, and make choices to save her life.

I give this book a 9 and a half out of ten for it's original plot and It's interesting characters (nice character names too...Peeta,Katniss,Primrose,Cato,Glimmer...).

I think this book is for for 11-20 year olds, because its very violent and gory, and I've heard the movie is the same.

More in the series: Catching Fire, Mockingjay

To find out more please visit thehungergames.wikia.com or 

Available at every bookstore.