Where the Red Fern Grows

Title: Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

What is it About? When you were a little kid, didn’t you really want a dog? Well, this book is about a boy named Billy. He really wants two hounds for hunting. However, his family does not have enough money. Also, the dogs are very far away. But, he does not give up. He picks fruit and sells it to the farmers. Cent by cent the money adds up. Finally, he gets the money that he needs to buy the hounds. He starts the 22 mile walk to pick up his dogs. He goes home and starts hunting. He has a lot of fun, but his life takes a downward turn. 

What Did I Like About This Book? This book shows the value of hard work, and the rewards that come with it. It also shows that in life, bad things can happen.

What Didn't I Like About This Book? The ending was really sad. Also, I didn't feel like the title fit this book.

Does This Belong On My Cool Lane Or Not? Except for the ending, this was a really good book!

The Phantom Tollbooth

Title: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

What is it About?  A boy named Milo sits in his room, bored. He is always bored. He finds a package in his room and he opens it. He puts the contents of the package together. When he puts it together, he makes a car and a tollbooth. He dejectedly gets in the car and drives to the tollbooth. Instantly he is in a magical world where nothing seems to be right. Words are mixed up, sayings have literal meanings, and there is an island called Jumping to Conclusions. How do you get there? Exactly! What you just did! You jumped to the conclusion that to get to Jumping to Conclusions, you have to jump to a conclusion! He also meets a watchdog, Tock, who ticks. This story is about Milo's adventure in this new place.

What Did I Like About This Book? I liked that this book was all over the place. Normally I don’t like when books do that, but this book did it in an organized way.

What Didn't I Like About This Book? I didn’t like that this book had a “The End” sort of feel to it that the teachers are telling us not to use. 

Does This Belong On My Cool Lane Or Not? This book should definitely be on My Cool Lane.

Tuck Everlasting

Title: Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit

What is it About? A girl named Winnie Foster is bored with her life. So, she runs away in search of adventure. She goes through the woods and finds a boy drinking out of a spring on the ground. She asks the boy how old he his. He says that he is 104. He then hastily says that he is actually 17. Winnie says that she is thirsty and approaches the stream. The boy is alarmed and protests. His family appears out of the woods and takes Winnie away. What will happen next? Will Winnie be rescued? Who are these people?

What Did I Like About This Book? I like the life lesson that Winnie learns. Also, throughout the book, I wanted to keep reading, but at the end the book had a sense of finality. I felt satisfied with the ending of the story. 

What Didn't I Like About This Book? I didn’t like that it was a little sad at the end.

Does This Belong On My Cool Lane Or Not? I liked the plot of this book. I have learnt from my teachers about using "Show, Don't Tell" but here, the ending was "Told" in clear words. This book is fine by me, but it will be under strict watch by My Cool Lane Police forces.

Chasing Lincoln's Killer

Title: Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson

What is it About? It is about, as implied in the title, chasing Lincoln’s killer. We know that John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln after the Civil War was over and the Confederacy had lost. (And if you don’t, well now you do!)Booth was upset that the Confederacy had lost the war. So, while Lincoln was watching a play, Booth took out a knife and his famous Deringer Pistol, and shot the president in the head with one shot. Then, he quickly fled the building. He also had other people in his team who at almost the same time, attempted to assassinate other important people from the Union. Booth then ran down South with his accomplices, because he would find comfort in the South. But, did he ever get caught? If so, what punishment did he face? Read this book and find out.

What Did I Like About This Book? I liked how the author specifically described what was going on. It made me feel as if I was actually there. I also had to point out that most of the books on my Cool Lane are either fantasy or realistic fiction. I don’t usually like non-fiction books. But, I really liked this book. I think that it is because the way the author wrote this book has sort of a storytelling voice that makes it sound adventurous.

What Didn't I Like About This Book? There is nothing in this book that I don’t like.

Does This Belong On My Cool Lane Or Not? Uh, yes, I believe so.

Flush

Title: Flush by Carl Hiaasen

This is another book from the set of books my teacher gave me to read. 4 more to go!

What is it About? The main character of this book is called Noah. Noah's father is in jail because he sunk a man’s boat. No, his dad is not crazy! His dad is just a person who cares about the environment. The man whose boat got sunk is called Dusty Muleman. His boat is a gambling boat with a bathroom. Before Dusty goes home, he is supposed to empty his used toilet water into a tank so that the lake doesn’t get dirty. This costs a lot of money and time to do, but Dusty is required to do this by law. Noah’s dad thinks that Dusty is directly emptying his sewage into the lake to save money and so he sinks Dusty's boat and lands up in jail. In jail, Noah’s dad interviews with news channels, because he thinks that he is going to jail for a good reason. He even compares himself to Nelson Mandela. Then, Noah and his sister investigate if Dusty really is polluting the lake. What happens next? Does Dusty pour his sewage into the lake?

What Did I Like About This Book? I like the realism of this book. This book is really funny, and I can imagine every scene happening.

What Didn't I Like About This Book?  I can't think of anything that I did not like. 

Does This Belong On My Cool Lane Or Not? It's a little obvious, isn't it?

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Title: The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

 

This is the second book I read from the set of books my teacher let me borrow.

 

What is it About? This book is about a boy named Homer. It is set during the American Civil War. Homer has an uncle who illegally sold Homer’s brother to the North, or the Union. (They are the people who wanted slavery abolished). Homer runs away in search of his brother. Along the way, he meets many people, tricksters, and scallywags. He also meets some friends and nice people. He finally gets some clues that lead him to The Battle of Gettysburg. He finds his brother in the war. But is he too late? I won’t tell you. You have to read the book yourself.

What Did I Like About This Book?  I liked the feeling of adventure in this book. I’ve read books a lot longer than this one. However, I haven’t read a lot of books in which there is such a long plot line. Problems, Solutions, and Problems again. It was also very funny. If you are a reader who loves laughing and at the same time learning about what life was like during the Civil War, you will love this book.

What Didn't I Like About This Book? I didn't like the part where Homer's brother gets sold to the Union. I know the author wrote that to made the plot make sense, but it was still sad. Something else that is sad is that during the Civil War times, these kind of things really did happen. I am very glad that that is something that does not happen now.

Does This Belong On My Cool Lane Or Not? In school, we learn something called context clues. It means that when you read something you don’t understand, you look around the context in order to figure it out. How about you try this out? Look around this post and see if you can figure out this mystery: Is this book on my Cool Lane?

Anything But Typical

Title: Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Why I Started to Read This Book: At home, I was running out of books to read. At school, my teacher gave me a pile of books to read. She told me to read a book and tell her how that book was.  So guess what I did? I’m writing on my blog and sending the link to her. Anyway, Anything But Typical was in that pile of books.

What is it About? It is about a twelve-year old autistic kid. His name is Jason. He writes stories on a website called StoryBoard where a lot of other people can read them. On his website, he writes a story, and a kid whose online name is PhoenixBird, replies back to him. She really likes his stories. The two exchange their writing. Jason discovers that her real name is Rebecca. He really wants to meet her. However, he is also terrified. He is afraid that she will only see his autism, not who he really is. Jason decides to go to that year’s StoryBoard Convention. He finds out that Rebecca is also going. What happens next? Read Anything But Typical to find out.

What Did I Like About This Book? I liked how this book was from Jason’s point of view. He had challenges that autistic kids could have. And I am not talking about the symptoms, but about how the world perceives him. If you are a reader who likes unique books of realistic fiction, you will love this book. 

What Didn't I Like About This Book? Nothing.

Does This Belong On My Cool Lane Or Not? I think this book would be in the Unique part of My Cool Lane!