Book Review: Ungifted

 Ungifted by Gordan Korman is about a boy named Donavon Kurtis who accidentally gets sent to a gifted Academy. It all started when Donavon hit his schools statue ending in collateral damage to the schools gym, Hardcastle. The superintendent Mr.Schultz accidentally mixes some things up so that Donavon gets placed in a gifted Academy. While in the Academy he becomes very close friends with Chloe, Noah, and surprisingly Abigail. Donavon is failing all his classes and not doing much for the robotics team, but he brought a sense of normal and everybody loved him. he was a whiz with the robotics controller almost guaranteeing them a win in the robotics competition. A Hardcastle dance was held at the Academy due to the damage of their gym. The Daniels  (Donavons friends) brought out Tin Man, their robotics team robot, out on the crowded dance floor crushing the robot. Donavon gets his sister Katie to come to the school and talk about her pregnancy for Human Growth and Development so the Academy kids wouldn't have to go to summer school. The teachers start to realize Donavon is not gifted so they give him a retake on the computer with questions too hard for Donavon to answer. Abigail cheats for him by hacking into the computer. While the kids are practicing for the tournament Mr.Schultz comes in for Donavon having figured out it was him who hit the statue. Donavon gets sent back to Hardcastle with community service. The Daniels arranged for Katie to drive Donavon and them to the robotics competition. At the competition Cold Spring Harbors robot bumped into the Academy's robot on purpose, causing them to drop their obstacle ring. Donavon can't take it so he gets up and and takes the controller and destroys Cold Spring Harbors robot. Right after that Katie announces it's time to have the baby. In the end Noah says he cheated and gets sent to Hardcastle, Donavon and Noah get to go to robotics three times a week. 

I would recommend this book to other 7th grade readers because the story itself is so interesting. You got to see the story from different peoples pointe of views. You can read from Donavon or Noah two polar opposites. This is the type of book that everyone is going to read at least once and thats a good because it's a great book. That's why I would recommend this book to other readers.

I think that one of the main themes in Ungifted is to think before you act. One example of this is when Donavon is thinking of all the things he has done without thinking about it "I have to say this was always the best part of it for a guy like me-the split second the tomato hits the car; the very brief flight as I drop from the edge of the roof to the pool; the instant that the balloon lifts the toupee and suns rays glint off that shiny bold head" (pg.7). Another example of this is when Donavon told his very pregnant sister her husband was very far away "I regretted it the instant the word passed my lips." (pg.18).  That's why i think one of the main themes in the book is to think before you act.

Noah Youkilis is so different from everybody in the book. He is so smart that no matter how hard he wants to fail he succeeds. The funny thing is he doesn't want to be smart he wants to be normal. Noah doesn't want to be at the Academy he wants to be at a place like Hardcastle. I just think that he's so unique from everybody else who has to work to be a genius or isn's even a genius at all. I think being at the Academy really affected Noah. Considering he doesn't even want to be there. Once he's in Hardcastle he's still the same, but it's different for him. He feels normal even though he's anything but normal. That's how the setting of the book affected Noah Youkilis.

The Perfect Pancake Flip

The Perfect Pancake Flip
By: Makayla Moore

I was in my kitchen watching my sister flip a pancake. I could hear the sizzle as the pancake mix met the pan. It filled the kitchen with the smell of pancake batter. I knew how to make the mix, but I could never flip the pancake myself.

“How do you do that?” I asked with curiosity.

“Come over here and I’ll show you.”

“You start by spraying the pan with Pam,” she said as she sprayed the pan. The spray hit the pan covering it.

“What’s next?”

“You pour the mix into the pan, not too much or too little.”

“How do you know if you have too much or too little?”” I asked very confused.

“You’ll just know,” she said with certainty

“Ok,” I said still skeptical on what’s too much or too little.

“Here’s a good tip to know when to flip the, pancake pop a bubble if it fills in it’s not ready if it stays hollow its ready to be flipped.”

She said as she popped the bubble and it stayed hollow.

“So it’s ready to be flipped?” I asked already knowing it should be flipped, but wanted to be sure.

“Yes,” she answered

“Be careful while doing this you don’t want to burn yourself.”

“I won’t,” I said confidently

“That’s what you say now, but you never know.”

As we were arguing I watched as my sister flipped the most perfect pancake ever.

“So is it done now?” I asked eager to make my own pancake and eat it.

“Not yet, you have to wait for the other side to cook. It won’t take long.”

“Ugh,” I said disappointed it wasn’t done yet.

A little while later my sister announced it was time to put it on the plate.

“Finally!” I said very enthusiastically

She put the pancake on the plate and it was perfect.

“Can I try now?”

“Sure, but don’t forget to spray It with Pam or you’ll have some troubles flipping it.”

“I won’t forget.”

“Don’t burn yourself.”

“I won’t,” I said very excited to finally be making pancakes

Flipping a pancake is not as hard as I thought it would be. It’s actually pretty easy. Pancakes are the type of food that every person knows how to make. Because they are so simple to make.  So be sure to learn how to make them.

Right after she let me make my own pancakes while I was attempting to flip the pancake I accidentally burned my hand. I guess I learned two things that day how to flip a pancake and to be more careful while flipping the pancake. 

Book Review: Heir Apparent

Heir Apparent, by Vivian Vande Velde, is about a girl named Giannine Belisario who gets trapped in a futuristic video game. It starts when she gets a gift certificate from her dad on her birthday to Rasmusseum Enterprises, a futuristic gaming center. Once Giannine is in the game she is Janine de St. Jehan the sheepherder. Shortly after the game starts CPOC protesters break into Rasmusseum damaging the equipment. The damage to the equipment made it so if Giannine dies in the game she must start over and over again until her brain overloads causing her to die in real life. While in the game Nigel Rasmusseum creator of Rasmusseum Enterprises contacts her saying that she must find a magical ring. Her first couple of tries don't go too well, she dies in the game from being poisoned, the guards killing her, and being attacked by Wulfgar. While she's in the game she must do many challenging thing such as surviving the royal family, reciting deadly poems,  dealing with annoying ghost, being kidnapped by barbarians, searching for stolen gold, fighting a dragon for a crown, and not being killed because she made a tiny mistake. In her last life until brain overload Kenric was her most trusted friend. She tried to be friends with all the royal family members Wulfagar and Abas not including Queen Adreanna. At her coronation to become king, Kenric gives her a drink shortly after fizziness starts to take over as what happens when you die in the game. She thinks that Kenric poisoned her, but it was really just her brain overloading. She starts to cry thinking she'll never make it out of the game alive when Kenric quickly crowns her king. She wakes up in Rasmussuem to have her dad, who's never around, waiting for her.

One of the main themes in this book is to never give up. An example of this is when Giannine was doughting if she would ever make it past the first part, but she does "I was going to dies. I was never going to make it past the first part of the game" (58). Another example of this is when Giannine was questioning how many more mistakes she can make "How many more stupid mistakes can I make before time runs out" (121). The last example of this is when she is frustrated about dying again, but she keeps going "I was glad that I wasn't being deep-fried by the computer, but I would be if I didn't figure my way out of this convoluted, backstabbing, mean spirited game." (217). Thats why one of the main themes are to never give up.

I would recommend this book to other 7th grade readers because there are so many details that she finds out in her next life that are shocking. She also goes on so many adventures and it feels as if you're there as the story unfolds. You feel like your slaying a dragon or your in a hostage situation its amazing. Thats why I would recommend this book to other readers.

Practice Book Review: The Veldt

   The Veldt, by Ray Bradburry, is a story about a family in the future, who have become too dependent on technology. Lydia Hadley notices that something about their children 's  virtual reality nursery is different. Lydia Hadley and George Hadley, the mother and father of the children go into the nursery. While they're in the nursery they hear a scream. Once they're out of the nursery Lydia says "Did you see? Did you feel? It's too real.". Lydia suggest that they shut the house down for a few days. As George and Lydia enter the nursery they yet again hear a far away scream. George  tries to change the room, but it does not work. The parents suggest that Peter, their son, got into the machinery and changed something. When the parents ask about Africa in the nursery Peter denies it. Peter sends Wendy, his sister, to go check the nursery, she comes back and confirms that the nursery is not Africa. The parents find Georges old wallet covered in slobber and blood they also find one of Lydia's bloody scarves. When George suggest to Peter that they shut the nursery down Peter threatens his father. David McClean         a psychologist arrives at the Hadley's household and say something is very bad. David and George turn off the nursery. When telling Peter about turning off the nursery Peter says he wishes his dad was dead. George and Lydia go into the nursery one last time, the nursery door slammed shut. Lions are surrounding them, and they realized why the screams sounded so familiar.

    One of the main themes in this book is to not spoil your children. an example of this theme is when George Hadley says "But nothings too good for our children." (9). Another example is when George says "We've given the Children everything they ever wanted. Is this our reward-secrecy, disobedience?" (18). One more example is when David McClean said " I sensed only that you had spoiled your kids more than most." (22).  Don't spoil your children because if you do they might not respect you, and take advantage of you.

    I would recommend this book to 7th grade readers, because there is a lot of futuristic technology. There is also technology that wasn't possible when the story was written, but is now used today. There were also things that still have not been invented such as an automatic scrub bath, shoe tier, and picture painter. I would recommend this book to people who are interested in futuristic things or new technology.