Summer Reading Summaries
Thunder and Lightning students are reading, reading, reading! Here are some of their summaries.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
By: Donald Dahl
Meet Charlie, he is a boy who is poor but at the same time loyal.
Here are a few examples of how he is loyal. Charlie’s dad is the only person in the family who works to earn money. Charlie contributes by saving up his money and giving it to them, even though he’s the youngest member of the family. He understands that he’s poor, but that does affect him. Even though people make fun of him and they are mean, he continue to be nice to them. Last but not least, Charlie always wanted to see inside the chocolate factory, now he has a chance because Mr.Wonka is giving out five golden tickets around the whole world, and each ticket is in a chocolate bar. Charlie’s family think that he won’t get the golden ticket because he always buy one every year because he hope to win. Do you think charlie will be one of the five people to get a lucky ticket?
Caitlin
Book Review of the Witches
If you like mysterious and hilarious books, you should read The
Witches. This book is written by a very popular author named Roald Dahl.
You might know him because many of his books have been made into
movies, such as The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The
Witches. The illustrator is Quentin Blake. The genre of this book is fiction.
If you like scary and thrilling stories, this is a great book for you.
The main characters in this book are the boy and his grandmother.
The boy is a loving and brave child. He is loving because he cares for his
grandmother. The boy is brave because he always knows what to do in a
bad situation. The grandmother is tough and smart. She is tough because
she is not scared of witches and she always fights for the side of good.
The grandmother is smart because she knows a lot of information about
witches. She always has the right answers when the boy asks her questions.
This story takes place in Norway and England. Norway is a country
in Scandinavia. There is a very small population of witches living in
Norway when the story begins. England is a country in the United
Kingdom. There is a larger population of witches living in England when
the story begins. The settings of this story are very important because
Norway and England are both very old and historical countries! I think
Roald Dahl chose these countries for the setting of his book because his
grandparents lived in Norway and he lived in England, just like the boy in the story.
The Witches reminds me a lot of other books that Roald Dahl has
written. It reminds me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because the
plot is adventurous and mysterious. This book reminds me of The BFG
because it is magical and there are shocking moments in the plot. I made
a personal connection with this book because I have gone on vacation to
England in the summer, just like the boy does in the story. I stayed at a
hotel as well. I also made a connection because my grandmother lives far
away and I travel to visit her. She always looks after me and we like
spending time together.
I recommend this book 100%. I recommend this book because I love
accents. I think people who love mystery and excitement will love reading
this book! People who do not like scary stories should not read this book,
because it might frighten them and give them nightmares. I look forward to
talking with you about this book if you choose to read it!
Logan
Mr. fox is enthusiastic and fun. when they are underground when makes a plan he is excited. Also at the chicken house he is jumping up down.Or when he finds some like the chicken house he says yes! He is fun because when is like running around he like happy and having fun.And he having fun when he is looking the houses and jumping up and down.I think it helps him in life to be enthusiastic and fun.
Josh
Where the Red Fern Grows
I cried for 20 min after I finished this book. Old Dan is so loyal to Billy he gave up his own life to save Billy’s. Another time Old Dan was loyal was when Billy first got him, they had to the night in a cave. In the middle of the night they heard a mountain lion and Old Dan even though he was scared, stayed with Billy and Little Anne. Then there’s the time when it was the championship of the hunting competition and even though they were in a blizzard, Old Dan kept on hunting for coons. The last one was the one I talked about in the beginning. They faced another mountain lion and this time Old Dan wasn’t scared. He did everything in his power to keep the mountain lion from harming Billy. Old Dan died saving a friend. If that’s not loyal I don’t know what is.
Kathleen
“One little word had made 5th grade a year to remember’’ because Mrs. Granger gave Nick an assignment that made him question logic. He presented a report about the dictionary and asked himself “why can't I invent a word’’?
Nick and his 5th grade teacher were at war for most of the year because he decided to invent a new word which was “frindle’’. He encouraged the town to use the word frindle instead of pen despite the punishment the students still used the new word. It was considered an honor if you stayed after school. After the principal got involved Nick thought about the consequences of his new ideas. He started to keep his ideas to himself. What Nick didn't know was that Mrs. Granger was on his side the hole time.
I think this is a hilarious book with a surprising twist at the end. I recommend this book to people with a good sense of humor and who like making up words.
Nina
The Tale of Despereaux
By: Donald Dahl
Meet Charlie, he is a boy who is poor but at the same time loyal.
Here are a few examples of how he is loyal. Charlie’s dad is the only person in the family who works to earn money. Charlie contributes by saving up his money and giving it to them, even though he’s the youngest member of the family. He understands that he’s poor, but that does affect him. Even though people make fun of him and they are mean, he continue to be nice to them. Last but not least, Charlie always wanted to see inside the chocolate factory, now he has a chance because Mr.Wonka is giving out five golden tickets around the whole world, and each ticket is in a chocolate bar. Charlie’s family think that he won’t get the golden ticket because he always buy one every year because he hope to win. Do you think charlie will be one of the five people to get a lucky ticket?
Caitlin
Book Review of the Witches
If you like mysterious and hilarious books, you should read The
Witches. This book is written by a very popular author named Roald Dahl.
You might know him because many of his books have been made into
movies, such as The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The
Witches. The illustrator is Quentin Blake. The genre of this book is fiction.
If you like scary and thrilling stories, this is a great book for you.
The main characters in this book are the boy and his grandmother.
The boy is a loving and brave child. He is loving because he cares for his
grandmother. The boy is brave because he always knows what to do in a
bad situation. The grandmother is tough and smart. She is tough because
she is not scared of witches and she always fights for the side of good.
The grandmother is smart because she knows a lot of information about
witches. She always has the right answers when the boy asks her questions.
This story takes place in Norway and England. Norway is a country
in Scandinavia. There is a very small population of witches living in
Norway when the story begins. England is a country in the United
Kingdom. There is a larger population of witches living in England when
the story begins. The settings of this story are very important because
Norway and England are both very old and historical countries! I think
Roald Dahl chose these countries for the setting of his book because his
grandparents lived in Norway and he lived in England, just like the boy in the story.
The Witches reminds me a lot of other books that Roald Dahl has
written. It reminds me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because the
plot is adventurous and mysterious. This book reminds me of The BFG
because it is magical and there are shocking moments in the plot. I made
a personal connection with this book because I have gone on vacation to
England in the summer, just like the boy does in the story. I stayed at a
hotel as well. I also made a connection because my grandmother lives far
away and I travel to visit her. She always looks after me and we like
spending time together.
I recommend this book 100%. I recommend this book because I love
accents. I think people who love mystery and excitement will love reading
this book! People who do not like scary stories should not read this book,
because it might frighten them and give them nightmares. I look forward to
talking with you about this book if you choose to read it!
Logan
Mr. fox is enthusiastic and fun. when they are underground when makes a plan he is excited. Also at the chicken house he is jumping up down.Or when he finds some like the chicken house he says yes! He is fun because when is like running around he like happy and having fun.And he having fun when he is looking the houses and jumping up and down.I think it helps him in life to be enthusiastic and fun.
Josh
Where the Red Fern Grows
I cried for 20 min after I finished this book. Old Dan is so loyal to Billy he gave up his own life to save Billy’s. Another time Old Dan was loyal was when Billy first got him, they had to the night in a cave. In the middle of the night they heard a mountain lion and Old Dan even though he was scared, stayed with Billy and Little Anne. Then there’s the time when it was the championship of the hunting competition and even though they were in a blizzard, Old Dan kept on hunting for coons. The last one was the one I talked about in the beginning. They faced another mountain lion and this time Old Dan wasn’t scared. He did everything in his power to keep the mountain lion from harming Billy. Old Dan died saving a friend. If that’s not loyal I don’t know what is.
Kathleen
“One little word had made 5th grade a year to remember’’ because Mrs. Granger gave Nick an assignment that made him question logic. He presented a report about the dictionary and asked himself “why can't I invent a word’’?
Nick and his 5th grade teacher were at war for most of the year because he decided to invent a new word which was “frindle’’. He encouraged the town to use the word frindle instead of pen despite the punishment the students still used the new word. It was considered an honor if you stayed after school. After the principal got involved Nick thought about the consequences of his new ideas. He started to keep his ideas to himself. What Nick didn't know was that Mrs. Granger was on his side the hole time.
I think this is a hilarious book with a surprising twist at the end. I recommend this book to people with a good sense of humor and who like making up words.
Nina
The Tale of Despereaux
by Kate DiCamillo
Despereaux, one surviving out of the litter. Named alongside despair. Only two ounces, half the size of an average house mouse. Disapproved by his siblings, hearing them say “Papa, his ears are way too big” and “He’s way too small.” Slowly healing and getting stronger one paw at a time. One day Despereaux hears the thick wonderful sound of honey. His brother responds with “Despereaux mice do not hear food we smell food!” Despereaux loved to read books with a happily ever after. Sometimes he wondered if happily ever afters were even real. One day Despereaux was dragged by his imagination to a room with a wonderful sounding music coming from it. He saw a beautiful princess and a king. Despereaux fell in love with the princess and quietly said hello. They talked a little until Despereaux’s brother saw them. Despereaux ran away. Despereaux’s brother reported what Despereaux had done and he was sent to the dungeon. In the dungeon Despereaux met the jailor named Gregory. Gregory has a rope tied around his ankle so that he won’t get lost. One day Despereaux journeyed back out of the dungeon. While he was doing that there was a new prisoner being thrown in the dungeon. In the dungeon there was a rat named Roscuro. After Roscuro had had a chat with Boticelli (another rat), he walked over to the prisoner and after having a little conversation with him, Roscuro stole the red cloth that the man had traded his daughter for, along with a hen and a handful of cigarettes. With the red cloth, Roscuro escaped from the dungeon and went to the royal banquet. At the banquet, Roscuroso climbed on to the chandelier and was hanging on it when he fell into the queen’s bowl of soup. This surprised the queen so much that she died. The queen loved soup so much that is was served at every banquet. It made the king sad and angry to think about soup, so he banished soup and everything that you needed to make soup. He also banned rats. The guards were sent off into the village to collect all the things that you need to make soup from all the villagers. At one house, they took the man’s soup supplies and the man said, “This is my servant. I own her.” The guards replied, ”You cannot own anyone. It is illegal.” The guards took the girl whose name was Miggery Sow. When Mig was younger, she was sold to that man for a red cloth, a hen and a handful of cigarettes. There were many other adventures in this book, but there are too many to summarize them all.
Despereaux, one surviving out of the litter. Named alongside despair. Only two ounces, half the size of an average house mouse. Disapproved by his siblings, hearing them say “Papa, his ears are way too big” and “He’s way too small.” Slowly healing and getting stronger one paw at a time. One day Despereaux hears the thick wonderful sound of honey. His brother responds with “Despereaux mice do not hear food we smell food!” Despereaux loved to read books with a happily ever after. Sometimes he wondered if happily ever afters were even real. One day Despereaux was dragged by his imagination to a room with a wonderful sounding music coming from it. He saw a beautiful princess and a king. Despereaux fell in love with the princess and quietly said hello. They talked a little until Despereaux’s brother saw them. Despereaux ran away. Despereaux’s brother reported what Despereaux had done and he was sent to the dungeon. In the dungeon Despereaux met the jailor named Gregory. Gregory has a rope tied around his ankle so that he won’t get lost. One day Despereaux journeyed back out of the dungeon. While he was doing that there was a new prisoner being thrown in the dungeon. In the dungeon there was a rat named Roscuro. After Roscuro had had a chat with Boticelli (another rat), he walked over to the prisoner and after having a little conversation with him, Roscuro stole the red cloth that the man had traded his daughter for, along with a hen and a handful of cigarettes. With the red cloth, Roscuro escaped from the dungeon and went to the royal banquet. At the banquet, Roscuroso climbed on to the chandelier and was hanging on it when he fell into the queen’s bowl of soup. This surprised the queen so much that she died. The queen loved soup so much that is was served at every banquet. It made the king sad and angry to think about soup, so he banished soup and everything that you needed to make soup. He also banned rats. The guards were sent off into the village to collect all the things that you need to make soup from all the villagers. At one house, they took the man’s soup supplies and the man said, “This is my servant. I own her.” The guards replied, ”You cannot own anyone. It is illegal.” The guards took the girl whose name was Miggery Sow. When Mig was younger, she was sold to that man for a red cloth, a hen and a handful of cigarettes. There were many other adventures in this book, but there are too many to summarize them all.
My favorite part of the book was when I found out that the jailer was Miggery Sow’s father because everything started coming together. This book was kind of a mystery. You figured out more as you read more. I suggest this book to people who like adventure, fantasy and mystery.
Roma
Loser
by Jerry Spinelli
The second book I read this summer was Loser, by Jerry Spinelli. The main character in Loser was Donald Zinkoff. He referred to himself as Zinkoff. Even though the book was about Zinkoff being a loser, there are other things happening in the book that connected to him being a loser. Zinkoff’s dad was a mailman. When Zinkoff was little he always wanted to be a mailman just like his dad. Zinkoff’s dad was always saying “piece of cake” because the mailman’s motto is “through rain, sleet or snow.” Every other kid in the book had been brought by their parent to work for a “Bring Your Kid to Work Day.” Zinkoff’s dad was always saying that bringing a kid to mailman work wasn’t allowed, so they made their own bring your kid work day. Zinkoff wrote 100 letters and put them in his dad’s mail bag. They went around delivering them. When they were having lunch, Zinkoff’s dad started to talk to him about 900 Williow, the next block they would encounter. There was a man on the block who had a brother in the army. One day, the man got a letter from the army saying his brother was MIA. Since then, the man has been waiting in his window. Zinkoff’s dad calls him the waiting man.
I really liked this story because it wasn’t one of the stories where you would be carried away because it was so detailed. It had just the right amount of drama in it so that it was really good. I recommend this book to anybody because it’s a good fit for a person who wants a good read.
Roma
