Ottoline and the Yellow Cat

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell
In this book Ottoline and her guardian, Mr. Munroe, are faced with a problem, lap dogs are disappearing! Ottoline comes up with a tricky plan to try and save the lap dogs from a ferocious yellow cat.

I really enjoyed the pictures in this book. The story told was some what confusing. I would consider it to be more of a picture book than a chapter book. I read it in only one night. Over-all it was enjoyable. I give this a 48% chance of voting.

The Sherlock Files The 100-Year-Old Secret

The Sherlock Files The 100-Year-Old Secret by Tracy Barret
Xena and Xander just moved to London from the states. They think life in London will be dark and rainy, like the weather. That's until they're told to go to The Dancing Men pub and ask for a saucer of milk for their snake, but they don't even have a snake. Xander and Xena come to the conclusion that what they were told is a code of some sort. When they decide to go to the pub for lunch they certainly find out what the whole thing was about.

Xander and Xena are faced with the challenge of finding out who stole the
painting, Girl in a Purple Hat, and who was that mysterious girl in the purple hat. The artist didn't even have any daughters and he didn't talk to anyone!

This book was a very good mystery. I've never read any of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, but this book made me consider reading one in the future. This book also had a very surprising ending! I'll give it a 83% chance of getting my vote.

We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes

We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes by Patrick Jennings
Gunnar has a collection of animals he found which he keeps in his room. It only makes sense that when he found a gopher snake he picked it up and added it to his collection. He names the snake Crusher, and is interested with him for a while, until the boy gets bored of his new pet and goes back to playing video games. Gunner tries feeding Crusher frozen mice, but his snake wont eat them. One day Gunner comes home with a live white mouse and waits by Crushers cage to see what will happen. Crusher doesn't eat the mouse. It smells like human flesh, and Crusher wont eat anything he didn't catch. Soon Crusher and his mouse, Breakfast, become somewhat friends.

I liked this book. It had some ups and downs, but overall its good. I also liked how the writter's voice is the snake telling the story. I would give this book a 78% chance of voting for it.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick
Harold is Homer P. Figg's older brother, without him Homer would be hopeless. One day, Homer is so hungry that he takes a bite to eat from the pig's scraps. His evil uncle catches a glimpse of him sneaking scraps and it gets Homer into a lot of trouble. His brother, Harold, tries to prevent Homer from being harmed by his uncle. After some more trouble, Harold goes off to fight at war, as an under-aged solder.

Naturally Homer takes off looking for his older brother. Homer finds himself with a cruel man that wants him to lie his way into finding a bunch of slaves. Homer finds out hes not sure if he's going to tell the mean man the truth or not.

This book was definitely filled to the brim with adventure. I'm not sure if I liked it or not. In some parts it was fantastic, other parts failed to interest me. I would give this book a 58% chance of voting.

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
When Nobody Owens, Bod for short, was a young child his whole family was murdered. That's why he now lives with a family of ghosts, in a graveyard. His whole life hes been around ghosts, his teachers, his parents, his guardian, they're all ghosts. When Bod was about 5 years old he becomes friends with a girl, a real living girl that breathes real air, her name is Scarlet and Bod and Scarlet have lots of fun adventures together in the graveyard. Scarlet's mom and dad convince Scarlet that her friend is just her imagination, a figment. Scarlet moves away and Bod isn't exactly happy about the situation. He goes on living with no living friends.

One of Bods biggest interests is who killed his family. When his old childhood friend, Scarlet comes back to the graveyard with a man, Mr. Frost, Bod finds out that Mr. Frost moved into the big house his family used to live in. Mr. Frost thinks he found some information on who killed Bods family.

I liked this book a lot because it was bone-chilling, and a good mystery. If you think I slept the night I was reading this, your wrong! Neil Gaiman's writing is somewhat scary and exciting at the same time. I would give this book a 92% chance for winning my vote.

Time is running out!

The other day I walked into the the library and the first thing I saw horrified me! The previous night I had finished another book so I was at the library to pick up a couple more. I walked over to the display of the Stone Face award books and I caught a glimpse of something different on the table...the voting poles!
There were also some papers on the table so I picked one up and started reading.
I soon found out that I had until May first, and I was lucky that I was going to vote at Derry public library, because all the other library's had sooner dates, and I need more time! Now I am sitting at home reading...and of course wondering if I'm going to make it on time!

A Thousand Never Evers

A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg
Addie Ann Pickett is starting seventh grade at the negro junior high school, without her best friend Delilah. Things are already going wrong Addie's brother disappears and nobody knows if he's dead or alive. Addie used to work for Old Man Adams in his huge house, until he died. On the bright side, in his will he left his land to all the people in Kuckachoo, Mississippi to build a garden. After they plant the huge garden someone ruins it by planting butter bean seeds all over the whole thing! Addie's Uncle Bump is accused of doing it, he goes to court and Addie has to find evidence to prove Uncle Bump is innocent, but Addie is not even sure if he didn't do it!

This book was very exciting for me, it kept me up reading half the night! There is a 79% chance that I will vote for this book!