Caesar the War Dog by Stephen Dando-Collins

This week I am reading the book Caesar the War Dog. I would give it a  9/10 because it is good in some parts but bad in others . It is about a dog that gets lost in Afghanistan for  six months and then Ben (the owner) gets a call and they tell Ben they have found him. Ben flies over there and goes to get Caesar. Now I am reading that Ben and Caesar go the Afghanistan for a mission to go and find Hanna's dad.

In R3 this week we have been looking at non-fiction books and writing a short summary about it. I think I do well in writing short summaries.

500 Minutes Of Danger By Jack Heath

The book 500 Minutes of Danger is a short story book and I have read two  stories so far. One of the stories I read is called 'Acid Rain'. The kids are on a excursion at an abandoned mine and there was a explosion. Afterwards it started raining acid and it was coming through the roof, so they used plastic tables to protect themselves. When the rain finally stopped there was a big hole in the road. It was confusing but I got it in the end.

Try Time

In the last three weeks I have been reading Billy Slater Try Time. The book is about a kid that loves to play footy and watch the games on TV. At the start of the book, Josh starts to play football and in the first game he played really well. Then he started the second game and Josh started to drop the ball every time so coach benched him.

In R3 this week we  have been learning about sequencing.

Wizard of Once by Cressida Cowell

I have finished The Wizard of Once and the book ended like this: the Master Enchanter, who is Xar's Dad, along with Xar, had to unite and try and stop Queen Sychorax putting Wish into slavery. In the meantime, (while Xar and The master Enchanter  were going to save wish) Wish's eye patch came off and her eye had a burst of magic coming out of the left eye. After this, Xar and his father put the eye patch back on and Xar managed to give the magical sword back to Wish.

My opinion on the story is that if people like fantasy and adventure, they will like this book. There are excellent diagrams and detail and this helps when you read because it gives me an image of what is happening and what the setting is like. It helps me understand the situation a bit more.

The Recruit by Robert Muchamore

In R3 this week I read the book The Recruit. In the book I read that James' mum died and that James is at the camp now. He found out that his step-sister Lauren is not staying at the training camp -  his uncle Ron is taking Lauren with him. James hates him and that's what I read this week.

In the story Mt Kasatochi Blows its Top it begins with two boys named Jonno and Matt. Jonno is having a dream about Mt Kasatochi erupting. We read this story and had to put it in the right sequence of events.

1000 Year Old Boy by Ross Welford #2

This week I read the book The 1000 Year Old Boy by Ross Welford. I have read up to page 304 and I am really enjoying this book. In this part of the book,  a book was stolen and they thought that Alfie took the boo. In  reality he ran out the back gate to get away somehow and his friend Roxy fake fainted so Alfie could getaway. I like this because it builds up the suspense for the book so you keep on reading the book.

The reading skills we have been using in class are sequencing and summarising. We have been reading 'Kasatochi Blows its Top' and we have been trying to figure out where the place was. I have been practising this by doing activities in R3. My goal for next week is to get to part 4 of the book. I can achieve this by reading every day for at least 10 minutes so I can get to the new part of my book.

The Recruit 

I have been continuing to read the book The Recruit. This week I have got up to page 230. Now James is on his mission - this is the most important mission in Cherub history, but James does not know that. They are going on a mission to get rid of hippies because they have been ruining the place they live by building huts and trashing it. I am wondering if they will actually get rid of them because they have not been successful so far.

In R3 the skills we have learnt are how to sequence our paragraph and what order we should write in so it makes sense and so you don't mix it up. We did this with the story 'Mount Kasatochi Blows its Top.'

Class A - The Cherub Series by Robert Muchamore

This week I am reading Class A - The Cherub Series by Robert Muchamore. It is the second book in the Cherub Series. So far, James is still at Cherub headquarters and his sister (Lauren) has gone back with her dad Ron. Jame`s friends started to ask how his mum died and James got really upset and he told his friends that he wanted to do something naughty, so they all went shoplifting. It probably wasn't the best idea.
They ended up going on the mission they were preparing for but they did the wrong thing and took cocaine during the mission. Then they were caught and sent back to Cherub headquarters. Their punishment was to do more training. For example, they had to run five laps, swim five laps and extreme exercising. It was horrible. Now, they are on holiday in  Miami and they are relaxing. James found out that Lauren didn't finish her training and that she came to see him. She stayed for a bit but had to go back to training.


In R3 this week we are learning how to put things in order. We are reading International Talk  Like a Pirate Day. We wrote down interesting facts verses not interesting facts.

The 117 Storey Treehouse by Terry Denton and Andy Griffiths

The 117 Storey Treehouse continued...

My prediction about this book is that Terry will be taken by the 'Story Police' because he is not a good enough narrator. I can see this on the cover. So far,  what I have been reading is that Terry wants to narrate the next book but he is awful at it. Mr Big Nose (editor) calls Andy and Terry and when they answered and Mr Big Nose said, "Let him narrate. OK?" says Andy.

This week we learned about pirates and we read about pirates in the past and modern day pirates. We used a  BME (Beginning, Middle End) chart to help us summarise. We are also doing a blog so we can talk about the books we read.

Weirdo 2 by Ahn Do

I read Weirdo 2 this week. It is about a boy who does weird things. His name is Weir Do. I have finished this book and I thought is was a really good, fun book. Some of the funny things that happened were: Weir was at a party and he made a rabbit/snake balloon. He called it a Snabbit. Another thing that was funny in the story was is that at the zoo, he was thinking about the animals he saw and he mixed them together. For example: Girafferoo, zelephant and a pandarilla. 

In class I have been practising our summarising skills. We read about Chasing the Cheese and had to write down the main points.

Boy vs Beast 7- Battle of the Borders by Mac Park

Boy vs Beast 7 Battle of the Borders

by Mac Park

This week I am reading Boy vs beast  book 7 

Wonder by R.J Palacio

This week I am still reading the book Wonder by R. J. Palladio I have read up to 301 and This book is written in sections. Mr. Tushman looked up at the audience at the assembly and said ''Be kinder than is necessary,'' he repeated. ''What a marvelous line, isn't it?" I think this was because he was trying to teach the children how to behave well.

The Face on the Milk Crate by Caroline Cooney

This week I am reading the book The Face on the Milk Crate by Caroline B. Cooney. I have read up to page 13, Chapter 2. This book is about a girl called Janie Johnson who loves collecting milk crates and takes them to school for Science. The Science teacher is Mr Brylowe. Looking at the cover of the book, I know it is a scary book and it is about a kidnapping. I like this book because is it an action book and scary. And it is very interesting.

The reading strategies we have been using in class are summarising and we have also read part of a book called A Monster Calls.We also watched the trailer and talked about what the monster looked like, linking it to the story.My reading goal for next week is to get to Chapter 4. I will try to read in Homeroom and at home.

Dog Man Lord of the Fleas by Dave Pilkey

   

Dog Man - Lord of the Fleas starts with a dog and a man who were walking along the side of the road when a car crashed into them. At the hospital, the doctors could see that the man's head was dying and the dog's body was dying, so they decided to join them together. They created Dogman. The book that I have been reading is good because it has action in it and it is a comic book.

In class we have been learning how to blog and the reading skills that we have been using includes visualising using descriptive language. We used the Don't tell me, show me strategy to try to create a scene. My example of this was: the engines were purring and they took off into the distance.

The Cloudchasers - Book 1 by Steven Hunt and David Richardson

For anyone looking to read a Young Adult's picture book, The Cloudchasers by S. Hunt and D. Richardson could be the book for you! The book is classified as a Dystopian text. This means that the plot actually explores real life social and political ideas that are set in a 'dark' world. I think this can be true for this book as it is set in a world where having an imagination is banned. The main character is a young girl called Alice, who is caught drawing pictures of the dragons she sees in the clouds. She knows that if she is caught again she will be sent away to have her mind 'cleared', so she escapes with her brother and a friend in a hot air balloon. As they explore other imaginative worlds, they realise they are being chased by The Catcher, whose aim is to bring them back to the bleak world of Bankertown. Alice is determined to find a way to restore freedom and imagination to the people of Bankertown, but will she be successful?

The Cloudchasers is the first book in a two-part series. The illustrations are very detailed and really help the reader to understand and feel what a world with no imagination could be like.

Tiny Timmy on Tour by Tim Cahill

This week in my book Tiny Timmy on Tour there have been many good ups and downs, but the one thing that the book has told me is to push through and keep going in life. The more you give, the the better it is in the long run. I have finished the book and it is a good book and I think others should read it. It is a funny short book that is about soccer.

The reading skills we have been using in class are to reread and use technical language when blogging. Also we have been using the Don't TELL me, SHOW me strategy. I have been practising in class by making one and sharing with a small group. Next week my goal is to read half of my new book and finish it by end of term. I can complete this by reading everyday for 25 minutes per night. 

The Recruit by Robert Muchamore

The Recruit

This week I have been reading The Recruit by Robert Muchamore. I am up to page 181 which is in Chapter 23. So far the book is about and kid named James who has joined Cherub - a spy company. He is training and learning basic skills. Some of the things he has to do are really tough. I think this book is getting really good and interesting because now they are stranded on a island.

The strategies that we are learning is to picture the text in our head (visualising) also to write what we see. We are also learning how to summarise a text from a book into a small paragraph and in to our own words.We have been learning how to use descriptive language. My goal is to finish my book by the end of the term. I will read everyday.

Frankie Fish by Peter Helliar

I am reading Frankie Fish by Peter Helliar I am up to page 31, Chapter 3. So far Frankie Fish has been wondering what is going on with his friend Drew Bird. He was getting a bit too popular at school for Frankie and this was all because he was becoming a bottle flip pro. Everyone was surrounding him as he was flipping bottles all over the place. When he sees an opportunity to flip a bottle he will. I am enjoying this book because I like the story line and the way Peter Helliar made this story flow really nicely. 

The reading skills that we are learning in class are trying to visualize and make a picture in our head. Also we have been predicting what will happen next. We also learned how to summarise. This is important because it helps us improve in our reading and writing skills. My goal for next week is to get to page 56 in my book. This is because I am trying to read all of the series and it is also a good book. I can achieve this by starting to read more at home maybe reading for 35 min a day. I can start do do this by getting more determined to achieve something.
   

The 1,000 Year Old Boy by Ross Welford

This week I read the book The 1,000 Year Old Boy by Ross Welford. I have read up to page 247 and I have just started a new chapter, Chapter 57. This book is about a boy(Alfie) who has been alive for 1,000 years and his Mam just died in a fire. The boy, Alfie, is trying to find the last life pearl (the life pearl is a pearl where you cut yourself and crack the pearl open and put it in your cut. It will make live forever until you do it again and then you will return back to getting older). I like this book because it is different it isn't a book that has a beginning, middle and a end - the book just goes backwards and forwards in time.

The reading skills we have been using in class are visualising and the Don't tell me,Show me strategy. I have practised this by reading and visualising in my head what the characters in my book would look like and I have written some descriptive sentences about something to describe them. My reading goal is to get to page 283 by the end of the week and I am up to 263. I am going to achieve my goal by reading at home for five minutes straight.

Boy vs Beast Battle 6 of The Borders Sludgia by Mac Park

This week I'm reading the book Boy vs Beast - Book 6 by Mac Park and I have read up to page 54. This book is about a boy called Kai and he has a robot dog called BCM3. Kai calls him BC for short . They have to protect the base called Earth from the borders of Beastium because there are giant terrifying beasts. Kai and BC have been through 5 amazing adventures through different parts of Beastium. The suspense of the story keep on increasing and I like these book because it is interesting to see how the beasts evolve.

I have noticed that I have started to read very quickly and I am finishing my books quickly. I want to work on my fluency by reading slower and more accurately. I could re-read if I don't understand something.

The Wizard of Once by Cressida Cowell

This week I am up to page 200 of the Wizard of Once by Cressida Cowell. So far in the novel there is a spelling book full of Wizard spells and some different creatures. It tells us what their weaknesses are for example, the Jumbo Frilly-eared Dreamer Giant sleeps in the treetop and he is a only eats plants and grass. He doesn't eat meat. I also read that there is an enchanted sword and it says "Once there were witches, but I killed them." I am not sure who found it. So far, the book is very interesting because it keeps you on your toes. It is a fantasy novel and it is the first one in series.

In class this week we have been learning how to use descriptive language to set a scene. We had to pick a topic and use descriptive words, not pictures, to show us. For instance, I chose the topic "Witch" and I wrote: there was an old lady with green skin that was wrinkly. Her feet were a kids' size three and she lives in a chamber in the middle of an enchanted forest. My reading goal for next week is to get to page 230.

Killer App by S.Carey

This week I read Killer App  by S.Carey. I have read up to page 16. This book is about four kids who were given a very important USB drive. On this USB drive is a software website game and I think it could be a million dollar making machine. I  like this book because it's easy.

In class we have been learning about the reading skills we can use to understand what we are reading. I have practiced this by predicting before I read by using the words and pictures on the page. My goal  for next week is to read to page 54. I can achieve this by reading every day.

The Recruit By Robert Muchamore

This week I finished the book The Recruit by Robert Muchamore . This book is about a boy named James and his sister Lauren. Their mum and dad are separated. James has to live in a foster house and Lauren lives with Ron (her dad) because their mum passes away. James and Ron do not get along at all. In the story, James is taken to the Cherub headquarters to train to become a spy kid. James has to do some  really hard training . One of the things that happens to him is that when Amy takes him out to learn to swim, he is shown a pool that no one is allowed to swim in. Then, one of his friends pushes him into the water and Amy tells him he has to swim two laps. His eyes sting and he cries, but he completes the task. I like this book because it has heaps of drama and I like the settings.

In class this week we have been learning how to put descriptive language into a paragraph that is about a topic. My example is: The witch has a magical broom stick,she flies over a dark gloomy graveyard. Has a sneaky cackle . She has a very pointy nose with a dark green wart on the end of it. I really enjoyed doing this . My goal this week is to get up to chapter 10 in my book.

Party Games by R.L. Stine

This week I am reading Party Games by R.L. Stine. I have read up to page 182, which is the beginning of chapter 28. So far my book is about a girl named Rachel, she is dating her bad-tempered boyfriend (Mac) but has a crush on nerdy Brendan Fear (a video game obsessed geek). Rachel was invited to a party that he was throwing but her now ex-boyfriend and her best friend warned her not to go to Brendan Fear's party. The party was held on Fear Island in an old mansion known to have ghosts and spooky tales. When they arrived on the island it was late evening and the mansion looked pretty worn down. Later on into the night, they all decided to have a scavenger hunt where they were to look for items on their list and return first but the game comes to an end when the house becomes a murder scene. No one is safe when the fifth victim is squashed like a Jenga piece. I enjoy reading the novel Party Games because of its thrilling setting and jaw-dropping murder methods.

In class, we have been learning how to use the 'Don't TELL me, SHOW me' strategy to improve our descriptive language. I wrote a short paragraph about an old man using words that we came up with to describe the setting 'old man'. This is what I wrote: He stood hunched over leaning on his crooked walking stick, bones creaking as he turned his head. His face looked droopy because of all him stretchy skin. My reading goal this week is to read 60 pages.