More than 3,700 children participated in Richmond Public Library’s Kids’ Summer Reading Club this year. As summer comes to a close, all participants in the Summer Reading Club are eligible to receive a special reading medal. Join us on Sunday, Sept.10 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Brighouse Library as we celebrate the achievements of our reading club participants at the annual Summer Reading Finale event.
As part of the Summer Reading Club each year, we encourage children to let us know what they think of the books they are reading by writing book reviews, and several reviews are chosen to be published in the Richmond News throughout the summer. Here is a selection of reviews we’ve received.
Book title: The Hobbit
Book author: JRR Tolkein
Reviewed by: Lucas B.
Child age: 6
Book summary: This book is about a lonely little hobbit by the name of Mr. Bilbo Baggins who lives in quiet and solitude on his own in a cozy little hobbit hole in the Hill. But soon he gets dragged along on a quest to slay the evil dragon Smaug with the great wizard Gandalf, Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur and Thoin the dwarves. Little does he know he will discover a great and rare ring.
Book review: I like this book because it is very exciting in some places but quite slow in others. It takes great skill to go from boring to stealing Gollum’s ring in half a page. Some of my favourite parts include the great riddle-of, staying with the bear-man hybrid, staying with the eagles, and finding out they didn’t need to kill Smaug after all. It was a really interesting book.
Book title: Grandpa’s Great Escape
Book author: David Walliams
Reviewed by: Yair F.
Child age: 7
Book summary: This book is about a boy named Jack and his Grandpa. Grandpa is losing his mind and he can only remember his time during the second world war.
Book review: I liked this book because they spend a lot of time together because Jack has a great relationship with his grandpa and they had fun adventures.
Book title: Insert Coin to Continue
Book author: John David Anderson
Reviewed by: Nate H.
Child age: 11
Book summary: After trying to unlock a secret level in a video game, a boy named Bryan wakes up the next day and his life is a video game but instead of trying to fight dragons, he’s in a video game in middle school!
Book review: I like this book because Bryan goes on all of these adventures in middle school. In class he gets like a quest or his work is a challenge. Most tasks are based on a video game and are changed a bit. I felt that when Bryan went to the principal’s office it was a bit of a let down the way his punishment was decided.
Book title: Two Degrees
Book author: Alan Gratz
Reviewed by: Jolenna Z.
Child age: 11
Book summary: This book is about four kids named Akira, Owen, George and Natalie facing three kinds of natural disasters. Akira met a girl named Sue during a wildfire. They both got separated from their dads. Owen and George were attacked by polar bears and were bitten on the leg and hit in the head. Natalie quickly got away from a flood, but at the same time she lost a family friend. All of these characters are connected in some way.
Book review: I like this book because it showed some advice of what I should do in a natural disaster. To me the basics were to be brave and to think before I do things. The part where George got hit by a polar bear at the back of his head and when Owen got bitten on the leg made me almost fall out of my seat! When Akira found her horse again in a pool, I thought what a smart horse! I almost cried at the part when Tia Beatriz died in a flood, it was just too sad for me to handle.
