More Sharon Creech!

Heartbeat
Sharon Creech

Heartbeat is another novel in verse by Sharon Creech. After reading Love That Dog and Hate That Cat, I wanted to read this book. I really enjoy how Creech tells a story in so few words and I wanted to compare this book to the last two I read.
This novel was a little more interesting to me than the last two because I learned more about the main character’s family and friends. The book is titled Heartbeat because Annie’s mom is going to have a baby. Sharon Creech shows how a child is affected by the fact that she is no longer the only child in the family. At first this may be difficult for some children, but Annie comes to love her new sibling. In addition, Sharon Creech describes Annie’s relationship with her friend Max. Max and Annie both enjoy running and racing so it is interesting to see how they compete with one another and are close to each other.
Once again I think it is great that Sharon Creech can tell her stories through poetry. This novel has more words on the pages compared to the last two I read. The novel is broken up into short poems. This is a good idea because it gives the reader a little insight as to what will be discussed next. The poems flow and they are simple and lyrical.

Hate That Cat-Another great novel by Sharon Creech

Hate That Cat
Sharon Creech

If you liked Love That Dog then you would enjoy reading Sharon Creech’s continuation of Jack’s story, Hate That Cat. This novel, in verse, is just as creative if not more creative as Love That Dog. Now that Jack has learned a little bit about poetry, his poems are full of enthusiasm.
Through his poems you really learn a lot about Jack’s character. He changes from hating cats to loving them when he gets a kitten. Children have the ability to love and care for animals and this novel shows us how Jack comes to love a kitten.
Once again, like Love That Dog this novel is a quick read. Each page may only be filled with a few words or phrases, but the words carry meaning. They teach us about Jack’s character and let us get inside of his head to understand what he is thinking. Many of the words are also what I would call “fun” words for kids. For example, words such as “buzz,” “boom,” and “pop” are just fun to read and even more fun for children to say. They reiterate Jack’s energy. Jack comes across to the reader as a loving, inspired, and caring person. I recommend that you take a little time and read this novel.

Go Ask Alice is a MUST Read

Go Ask Alice
Anonymous

I first read Go Ask Alice when I was in sixth grade. My teacher read it to our class and left out some parts because she felt they were too inappropriate for us to hear. After rereading this book, I am unsure whether she should have read it to us at all. This book is intense especially because it is a diary of a real person and not just someone made up. Each journal entry kept me wanting to read on and turn the page until I eventually finished it.
I would recommend Go Ask Alice to people in middle school and above. It introduces you to the effects that drugs can have on people. Some may think it’s unlikely to become addicted, but this diary shows you that it is very easy to become hooked.
This book also made me think twice about trusting people. One of the main reasons the girl is put in uncomfortable situations is due to the friends that she has. It’s important that we make friends we can trust. And, if you can’t trust someone then is that person really a good friend?
It’s a shame that the girl had to go through so many terrible experiences, but I do recommend this book. It’s an easy read, it’s interesting, and it’s a true account of how drugs impacted a girl’s life.

A Mysterious Creative Novel

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
This is a must-read for people that would enjoy reading a mystery with a different sort of twist. Miranda discovers several notes left for her in her home. Some of them cause her and her mother to believe they might be dealing with a criminal. But you learn that it is quite the opposite.
The author does a great job of making this novel appeal to both children and adults. If I had read this novel when I was younger, I would have liked the fact that I could relate to Miranda. Friendships are described in the book. Children develop their first friendships in elementary school. As a young adult, it is interesting to see how Miranda’s surroundings impact her thoughts and feelings. The author also shows us that Miranda is intelligent, caring, and helpful to others.
The author organized this novel into short chapters. Many chapter titles are simple phrases such as “Things You Hide,” “Things That Sneak Up On You,” and “Things That Smell.” The titles are intriguing and caused me to want to read and discover what things you hide, what sneaks up on you, and what smells.
In all, this was a book that I finished within a couple days. It kept my interest and so it was difficult to put the novel down.