All About Lauren

Here are some things about me.  This isn't everything about me because there is a lot more about me than what books I like.

I am in 3rd grade.  I like to play spies with my friends.  I play on a soccer team at the U9 level.  I play goalie a lot.  My team name was Blue Blaze.  I don't know what my team name will be in the spring though.

I like mystery books and fantasy.  Some of my favorite books would be Harry Potter, Philippa Fischer, and Grace Lin books.  I usually read three or four books at the same time because I think it makes them go by faster.  I am currently reading Savvy, The Red Blazer Girls, Harry Potter book 3, and Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator.  Watch for reviews on these soon.

I have a lot of pets.  I love animals.  On Sunday Dec. 4, 2011, I will be participating in the Holiday Run for the Capital Humane Society.

My favorite subjects at school are spelling, reading, recess, music, writing, science, and PE.  I don't like grammar, math, social studies, or MATH.

Read as much as you can.

Keep reading, Lauren

Magic Kitten and Puppy

My dog Prince with the books I read

Books Read:
Magic Kitten: Moonlight Mischief by Sue Bentley (AR book level 4.1)
Magic Puppy: A Forest Charm by Sue Bentley (AR book level 4.4)

In Magic Kitten: Moonlight Mischief, Flame (a magic kitten) escapes danger by going to the human world.  A young girl named Eve can't believe she has to visit a family friend's kennel.  Then she meets Flame.  Flame makes the time away from home go quickly.

In Magic Puppy: A Forest Charm, Storm is a magic wolf.  He comes to Earth and disguises himself as a puppy.  A girl named Cassie is nervous because she doesn't know who to talk to while camping.  When Storm appears, she knows everything will be alright.

I read these books near the end of first grade.  These books are at an easier level.  You would probably like them if you like fantasy, magic, and animals.  The stories talk about getting through stuff in your life like Cassie learns to keep trying and you'll get there.  That's why I liked these books.

Grace Lin Chapter Books

Books read:
Chapter books:
The Year of the Dog (AR book level 4.2)
The Year of the Rat (AR book level 4.6)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (AR book level 5.5)

Picture books:
The Ugly Vegetables
Dim Sum for Everyone
Kite Flying
The Red Thread
Lissy's Friends
Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same

Grace Lin drew a rabbit because 2011 was the year of the rabbit.

I love Grace Lin.  I have read three of her chapter books and some of her picture books.  My favorite Grace Lin book would have to be Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.  In this book, there are lots of old Chinese stories all over it.  They are real Chinese myths.  This book talks about a young Chinese girl named Minli.  Her parents are poor so she looks for the old man of the moon, an old Chinese legend.  Minli takes a journey full of miracles and stories and meets lots of different people on her way.  I have a copy at home that is signed by Grace Lin.

Other books I have read by Grace Lin are The Year of the Dog and The Year of the Rat.  These books are sort of like an autobiography.  The stories talk about two girls, Pacey and Melody.  In The Year of the Dog, Pacey finds a new friend named Melody.  They are both Chinese living in America.  They become really good friends.  They figure out their families are different in some ways, but the same in others.  In The Year of the Rat, Pacey figures out that Melody is moving.  Pacey doesn't like it because Melody is her best friend.  In the end, a miracle happens.


I liked all these books.  I was excited to meet Grace Lin at the Plum Creek Literary Festival.  She even called me on stage, but she didn't know she was one of my favorite authors.

The Homework Machine

Book read:
The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman (AR book level 4.8)

In The Homework Machine, four 4th graders share a secret.  The 4 kids are not ones you would think would go together.  One is very smart, he created the homework machine. The second one is pretty cool in school.  One is just plain old stuck up.  The last one is really dumb.  These four kids use the homework machine which does their homework in less than an hour and always gets every question right.  They get into trouble because the teacher can tell they aren't doing their own homework, especially the cool and dumb ones.  During the summer, they end up recording everything they did that school year with the homework machine and other stuff.

I liked this book because it is a great mystery book.  I liked that it showed everything in what month happened and tells which person is talking in their own thoughts.  I think it was exciting and funny and would recommend it for kids 8 - 12 years old.

Flat Stanley Series

Books Read:
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
Stanley, Flat Again! (AR book level 3.3)

Stanley is a young boy. He has a younger brother named Arthur. Stanley has a lot of different adventures. In Flat Stanley, he becomes flat because a billboard that hangs right next to Stanley's bed falls on top of him.  In school, our class mailed out different Stanleys across the world like Stanley's parents mailed him to California. I mailed mine to my cousins in Sweden.

In Stanley, Flat Again, Stanley becomes flat again because of his OBP (osteal balance point), a part of his skeleton that allows him to become flat.  First, he helps Mr. Lambchop's old college friend win a boat race.  Then, he becomes a hero by saving a girl in his class.

I thought these books were OK.  They are kind of easy to read.  In my opinion, they are for ages 5 to 7.

Book Suggestions

Do you have ideas for books I should read?  Post them as a comment and I will look for them at the library.

The Sisters Grimm: Fairy Tale Detectives

Book Read:
The Sisters Grimm: Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley (AR book level 5.2)

Two sisters named Daphne and Sabrina go through a hard time where their parents disappear.  They are orphans for two years and have escaped from many different houses.  Then all of the sudden, an old lady claims that she is their grandmother.  Sabrina and Daphne figure out that they are descendents of the Brothers Grimm.  In the first book, they learn they are fairy tale detectives and that they need to save their long lost grandma from a giant.

I liked this book because it used the classic Grimm fairy tales and a hint of mystery.  It was funny.  I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

The Wicket Chronicles

Books read:
Ely Plot by Joan Lennon (AR book level 5.9)
Fen Gold (AR book level 5.9)

The Wicket books are cool and there is a lot of treasure and travels.  The first one is called Fen Gold by Joan Lennon and is about a young orphan boy who lives with monks in medieval times and travels to a faraway place called Ely, where me does something EXTREME!  Pip (the boy) and Perfect (a dragon) have many more adventures.

I like these books because they make me feel like I am a part of the story and in the back of the books it tells you about the inspiration of the books and TRUE facts.

Philippa Fisher Series

Books read:
Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister by Liz Kessler (AR book level 4.1)
Philippa Fisher and the Dream-Maker's Daughter (AR book level 3.8)
Philippa Fisher and the Fairy's Promise (AR book level 4.0)


The Philippa Fisher books are great and funny and exciting.  Philippa is a young and kind kid.  She has three adventures.  The first book (Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister) is when Philippa meets her fairy "Godsister" and in the second book (Philippa Fisher and the Dream-Maker's Daughter) Philippa goes for a vacation (that happens because of something from the first book) and finds a new friend and an old friend.  In the third, Philippa Fisher and the Fairy's Promise, Philippa gets trapped at ATC (Above the Clouds) and has a few adventures.

I like the Philippa Fisher books because they make me feel like I can do anything.  If you like the Philippa Fisher books, read the Emily Windsnap books which are very good.