Fantastic Feats and Failures by the Editors of YES Mag

Blurb by: James

Non-Fiction

This book describes how important it is to be a precise engineer and not make any simple mistakes. Sometimes simple mistakes can cause thousands of deaths. Some were feats and others were failures. Some were feats and failures all in one. One example of a feat is the Sydney Opera House in Australia. It was really hard to build the triangles for the roof but the engineers pulled the task off and now it is recognized as one of the most famous buildings in the world. An example of a failure is the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. The walkways were not stable and after a month or so they fell. People were enjoying a dance when this terrible disaster occurred and people were upset. There were shards of glass everywhere and many people got injured or died. It was a sad story and because of a few engineering miscues a lot of people got their life taken away. One example of a feat and a failure is the Citicorp Building in New York City. It had to be on stilts due to another building under it. It was hard to build but they accomplished it. Then it was ruined.

I would recommend this book to any young kids that want to become an engineer or just like engineering. I liked the parts where the engineering failed the best but it was interesting how they built unique shapes. I would rate it 5 stars out of 5.

The Entertainer and the Dybbuk by Sid Fleischman

Blurb by: James

Historical Fiction

When a Jewish spirit, otherwise known as a dybbuk possesses The Great Freddie, a ventriloquist Freddie is both mad and happy. Freddie is humiliated when the dybbuk, Avrom Amos tells things that Freddie would never of said. He is happy when he gets a lot of publicity because of the dybbuk. Most ventriloquists cannot talk without moving their lips. Freddie couldn’t do that until the dybbuk came along. Then he could do that by having the dybbuk talk without Freddie doing anything. Will the dybbuk come to make Freddie happy or frustrated. Read this great novel to find out.

I would recommend this book to 9-12 year old kids who like reading about the Holocaust. I never wanted to stop reading. I liked the parts where there was a lot of important action but did not care for the parts where there was nothing really going on. On a 5-star rating, I would give this book five stars. I hope that you read this amazing book.

Bob the Chef

This is a limerick that I wrote. I thought that it was fun to use rhyme. I also found some funny photos that match my poem perfectly.

The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket

Blurb by: James

Adventure

In the fifth book of the well-known series A Series of Unfortunate Events the Baudelaires are sent to live and study at a boarding school called Prufrock Prepetory School. The three main characters are Violet Baudelaire, Klaus Baudelaire, and Sunny Baudelaire. Violet is the eldest, being 14 and Klaus is 10. Sunny is only two but has the sharpest teeth for a baby in the entire world. They are all orphans. The person who is in charged of their affairs is Mr. Poe, a banker who all he can be relied on to do is cough. The principal made the Baudelaire’s live in a shack filled with snapping crabs and wet tan fungus that fell from the ceiling because they don’t officially have a guardian. They then meet two very kind individuals named the Quagmires. They help them with many things. The Baudelaire’s enemy is a scoundrel who wants to pilfer the Baudelaire fortune named Count Olaf. He haunts them everywhere they go. He only has one eyebrow and a tattoo of an eye on his ankle. In this book he disguises as a gym teacher named Coach Genghis. He covers up his tattoo by wearing tall running shoes. He says that he cannot take them off because he sweats and his feet stink terribly. He wears a turban to cover up his big eyebrow and claims that he cannot take that off religious purposes. Will the Baudelaire’s stay alive or will Count Olaf conquer the fortune that their parents left behind.

I would recommend this book to 8-13 year old kids who like exciting books with surprising twists to compliment them. I liked the adventurous parts but did not care for the parts where the author talked about how he wrote the book. Out of a five star rating I would definitely give this five stars but I would give it 1 million stars if I could.

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

Blurb by: James

Fantasy

Fantastic Mr. Fox is about three farmers who’s names are Boggis, Bunce and Bean. They all grow different meats and Bean grows cider. In a hill nearby lives a fox family. They rely on the farmer’s food to survive. Every night, Mr. Fox snuck  food from the farmers and the foxes eat that for dinner. Then the farmers catch the fox sneaking up food but the fox is safe. Then they figure that they will shoot him when he gets out of the hole and no more food will be stolen. They shoot him that night but only his tail is shot off. He is in great pain but still is alive. He then digs really hard. Will they survive with no food.

I would recommend this book to people who like adventurous and exciting books. The book would be rated 4 stars out of 5 stars. I liked the adventurous parts but did not like the parts that were boring.

Sandy Koufax by Matt Doeden

Blurb by James

Biography

Sanford Braun was born on December 30, 1935. He lived in Brooklyn and his dad died when he was young. His mom remarried and he took his new father’s last name, which was Koufax. Sandy went to Cincinnati University and played on the varsity basketball and baseball team. Sandy’s dream was to become a basketball player for the New York Knicks. He eventually was drafted as a bonus baby for the Brooklyn Dodgers. A bonus baby is a prospect who cannot go in to the minor leagues for his first two years of professional baseball. Sandy starts with a bad career and then gets better. How good does he get and how long will his talent last.

I recommend this book to baseball fans between the age of 8 and 14. Out of a five star rating this book would be rated 5 stars. I liked the in-depth parts that described his life but did not like the  parts that didn’t describe enough because it wasn’t as interesting.