Reader Views

Spider-Man: The Secret Life of Black Cat

"Spider-Man: The Secret Life of Black Cat" introduces us to a new villain named Black Cat. Black Cat is a villain whose father was a cat burglar and went to prison for his crimes. Now his daughter, the Black Cat (her real name is Felicia), wants to try to fill in his shoes. She is on a crime wave, robbing all of the jewelry stores and jewels in the city.

When Black Cat first meets Spider-Man, she has a few tricks up her sleeve. She makes Spider-Man think she has the ability to bring bad luck, because whenever he is about to catch her, something Spider-Man is near or on breaks and Black Cat ends up getting away. When Spider-Man first met her, it was not a really good fight. Felicia tried to break her father out of prison as her first crime. When Spider-Man tried to stop her, they were on top of a roof and the part that Spider-Man was standing on crumbled and fell apart.

The story is basically about Spider-Man’s attempts to catch another villain who is taking over his city. I didn’t like this as much as some other Spider-Man books because after a while they all start to seem like the same story only with different characters. But "Spider-Man: The Secret Life of Black Cat" by Michael Teitelbaum was still fun to read.

Spider-Man: The Secret Life of Black Cat
Michael Teitelbaum
HarperFestival (2009)
ISBN 9780061626265
Reviewed by Matthew Feliciano (age 8) for Reader Views (2/09)

Trent the Racing Turtle

"Trent the Racing Turtle" is about a turtle named Trent who has wheels instead of feet. He likes the wheels because he can go really fast. He has two best friends that he has all sorts of adventures with; they are Jesse and Mina. One day, Jesse got Trent into a race against Vane, an evil treasure hunter. He was also the commander of the Scorchies, who are little red creatures who do not listen very well (just like me!). The winner of the race gets the golden Isols statue.

Mina’s uncle once worked with Vane and knew that one day Vane would find the third Isols statue. If Vane won the race, he would melt all of the gold and make himself more jewelry. He was trying to get rid of Trent so that Trent couldn’t race by having the Scorchies build a monstrous racing machine. Mina’s uncle told stories to help give them guidance.

Trent won the race and saved everyone from the bad guy. The end of the book made me look forward to more books with these characters. The only two things that need to be fixed a little is the way the book is typed because it doesn’t look like a real book. It looks like something just printed off a computer. There is no space when a new chapter starts. Also, the cover is cute but it looks like it could be for a little kid’s book and this is a book for big kids.

I liked "Trent the Racing Turtle," by Bill Franklin, a lot and Trent and his wheels were fun to read about.

Trent the Racing Turtle
Bill Franklin
BookSurge (2007)
ISBN 9781419679940
Reviewed by Matthew Feliciano (age 8) for Reader Views (10/08)

Crossing 13: Memoir of a Father’s Suicide

What would you do if your mother or father suddenly committed suicide? In today’s world a teenager has to deal with looks, friends, school and family. How could you manage with a felo-de-se?

"Crossing 13" is an authentic account of a thirteen-year-old survivor of a father’s suicide. Carrie Stark Hugus writes honestly and courageously about her experience. "Crossing 13" is an incredible book relating to the events before and after the suicide. Suicide is always a touchy topic and Carrie Stark Hugus handles it with care.

The book includes several sections in the end like: Grief Support Tips, Understanding Suicide, and Facts and Statistics.

I have never had anything like a suicide of a loved one happen to me, so I can’t relate. All I know, as a blissfully unaware person, is that something like that happening to me would be terrifying and traumatic. It must have taken a lot for Ms. Hugus to cope and, more so, publish her experience. I recommend "Crossing 13" to everyone and especially anyone who has had this happen to them.

Crossing 13: Memoir of a Father’s Suicide
Carrie Stark Hugus
Affirm Publications (2008)
ISBN 9780981593807
Reviewed by Neha Kashmiri (age 14) for Reader Views (9/08)

Rock Star Microphone: You Build It (SmartLab)

The "Rock Star Microphone" set is good for anybody who wants to try to be a rock star or who likes music. It is as easy as 1-2-3 to put together and comes with a book that tells a lot about music. It also gives you 10 different stickers that you can choose from to decorate it with. I chose the money sticker but there was also pink, grass, blue, black and white checkered and many more.

I had some trouble getting the microphone receiver to work because I couldn’t find a radio signal for it. This works a lot better with a digital radio. If you have an analog radio, it will be harder to get this to work. I took it into my dad’s car to use his digital radio and once I got it to work I had a ton of fun! I liked "Rock Star Microphone" by Marty Jourard.

Rock Star Microphone: You Build It (SmartLab)
Marty Jourard
SmartLab (2006)
ISBN 9781932855517
Reviewed by Matthew Feliciano (age 7) for Reader Views (8/08)

Who Was William Shakespeare?

I chose this book because I didn’t know about William Shakespeare.  After reading it, I learned he was an actor, and he wrote famous plays that are still read by people today.  The book tells you about his life. You learn everything about him. For example, I learned the he moved to London because he wanted to be an actor.  He worked hard and made a lot of money.  I think these books are great if you want to learn about a famous person. I think kids my age will enjoy “Who Was William Shakespeare?”

Who Was William Shakespeare?
Celeste Mannis
Grosset & Dunlap (2006)
ISBN 9780448439044
Reviewed by Gabriel Peralta (age 9) for Reader Views (5/08)

Vocabulary Power Grade 1

I liked this book because it helped me to learn the meaning of words I should know.  I found it easy-to-use because you can stand it up on the table and flip the pages. It has 200 words.  When I had trouble reading a word, the book showed me how it should be pronounced.  It also told me the meaning.  I liked the pictures.  I tried to learn five vocabulary words every week.  I think it will good for kids my age.

Parent’s Note:  This book is easy-to-use.  The spiral binding and stand-up format makes the book easy to handle, because it rests easily on any tabletop. Kids will find it attractive because of the colorful illustrations.  “Vocabulary Power Grade 1” is a good resource for parents’ home-schooling or for anyone wanting to provide extra help to their child.

Vocabulary Power Grade 1
Audrey Carangelo
Play Bac Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9781602140035
Reviewed by Samuel Peralta (age 7) for Reader Views (5/08)

Vocabulary Power Grade 3

This book helped me to learn new vocabulary words, but it wasn’t boring. I like learning new words.  I like it because it shows me how to pronounce the word and then it tells me the meaning.  I try to guess the meaning before I read it.  We also played games with my brothers; we would take turns going through each vocabulary word to see if we knew the meaning.  If we knew the meaning, we got a point.  The first one to get five points won. This book made learning fun.

Parent’s Note:  This user-friendly book is good for parents who are home-schooling or for anyone wanting to provide extra help to their child.  The spiral binding and stand-up format makes the book easy to handle, because it rests easily on any tabletop.  If you make learning the words into a game, the kids really enjoy themselves.  I highly recommend “Vocabulary Power Grade 3.”

Vocabulary Power Grade 3
Audrey Carangelo
Play Bac Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9781602140059
Reviewed by Gabriel Peralta (age 9) for Reader Views (5/08)

Maximum Performance Basketball: In-Season Workout Book for Players 7th Grade-12th Grade

“Maximum Performance Basketball: In-Season Workout Book for Players 7th Grade-12th Grade,” by James E. Brown, is a book for any basketball player that wants to improve their skills. The author is a former pro-European basketball player, and he has coached a number of teams throughout the U.S.A. and Europe. This book helps with passing, dribbling, shooting, post moves, and even helps with time management. There are clear illustrations and numbered steps on how to execute each move perfectly, and good pictures showing how to do the drills. It also has a really good exercise workout schedule on a weekly calendar.

This book is an in-season workout book so it’s better to have it with you on the court than for a quiet-time read. I would bring this book along with me to my practices, so I could read the drills then perform them. You should bring it every time you practice. It is easy to understand and even though it’s simple, it still gives you a great workout.

I would recommend this book to any student athlete because it doesn’t just help to improve your skills; it shows you how to manage your time, and balance homework and basketball evenly. You will find individual moves, workout schedules, and a list of students that excelled beyond the rest and reached their ultimate goals of getting scholarships, and even making it to the N.B.A. I liked this book and will use it myself, and I recommend Maximum Performance Basketball: In-Season Workout Book for Players 7th Grade-12th Grade” to any aspiring basketball player.

Maximum Performance Basketball: In-Season Workout Book for Players 7th Grade-12th Grade
James E. Brown
James E. Brown Publishers (2007)
ISBN 9780980119909
Reviewed by Mazuba Shunamon-S. (age 14) for Reader Views (4/08)

God Wants You to Shine: A Novelzine (Faith Thomas Series)

“God Wants You to Shine” is about a young girl named Faith, who works hard to live her life as a Christian. She experiences both good and bad things as she walks down the path to God.

Faith does not feel good about herself. She thinks she has too many flaws. That was until her mother convinced her to enter into a beauty pageant. At this pageant, Faith learns that it is the inner beauty that matters. She learns to love herself and to accept that she is who God wants her to be.

Throughout her life, Faith learns to grow closer to God even when negative things happen. She deals with a lot of stress as her friends are doing wrong and not trusting in the Lord. Will Faith help them? Or will she turn her back and leave them to face their own problems?

In my opinion, “God Wants You to Shine” is a well-written book. Even though Faith’s dad is a Christian singer, we can all relate to Faith and the situations she experiences. “God Wants You to Shine” is volume two of the Faith Thomas Series. The first book in this series is “God Can Work It Out.”

I think that “God Wants You to Shine” would be great for anyone age ten and over. Also, I’m really sure that if someone is not a Christian, and they read both books in the Faith Thomas series, they will become a Christian. I look forward to reading many more books by Stephanie Perry Moore.

God Wants You to Shine: A Novelzine (Faith Thomas Series)
Stephanie Perry Moore
Harvest House Publishers (2007)
ISBN 9780736919203
Reviewed by Tabytha Joy (age 15) For Reader Views (1/08)

Cha-Cha and Zee Explore San Antonio

Would you like visit the Alamo with the two of the most adorable tour guides? Cha-Cha and Zee are two sightseeing penguins who travel from their home in Washington, DC to the historic city of San Antonio. They are going on this trip to visit their cousin Frobby. Frobby speaks Spanish which is very practical since San Antonio is so close to Mexico.

Some of the places that they visit are the River Walk, the Alamo and the Tower of the Americas. They go on a river cruise and to the little village known as La Villita. The pictures are colorful and beautiful with the penguins being implanted onto them.

Just by reading “Cha-Cha and Zee Explore San Antonio,” I would definitely want to visit San Antonio. This is a great book for anyone who has been, or will be going, to San Antonio. I hope that Cha-Cha and Zee go on many more adventure trips and Indigo Tyler writes many more books like this one.

Cha-Cha and Zee Explore San Antonio
Indigo Tyler
TK Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9780976510031
Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 10) for Reader Views Kids (10/07)