Trouble River by Betsy Byars

Indian in the house...with a knife...in front of his Grandmother...WHAT SHOULD DEWEY MARTIN DO?? He knows he doesn't have the strength this tackle this guy, but he must save his grandma. He picks up a chair and BLOW!! Grandma and Dewey have to escape before the rest of the tribals come..but how?? The only means of escape is Dewey's homemade raft, and lying in its path are rapids, wolves, Indians, and forty miles of uncharted river. Can a boy who's never manned an oar and an old frontierswoman be the first to make it down Trouble River??!

Reading this book was very fun. It is a must-read for elementary school kids. Many teachers use this for social studies projects( even though it has nothing to do with it), but I think they should encourage them to read novels as a hobby, passing time or  for passion...:))

Search for the Sacred Gem by Nilima Sinha

Long ago a learned one

spoke of a stone known to none

More valuable than eternal life

Now you must look for it

It every nook and cranny

For the gem will bless your life...

Life seems to have less hope, especially after the Ganga floods and destroys the entire village. But when Shankar bangs his head against a rock with these stange engravings and starts receiving mysterious messages from the Gods...hope comes again. The engravings were composed by an old and wise man long long ago, which lead Shankar and his friends to the sacred gem hidden in a secret location. They meet various people along the way, tackle enemies and bandits, discover new secrets which takes them to the path leading to the enchanted gem...............

I think that the author should have written in much more detail, because it takes 50pgs to understand the message itself. Also, the characters were not described properly, so you have no idea how major people in Shankar's life are. The story seems rushed in some parts, especially the end, and it seemed like the book had to be finished written hurriedly. And ya, since I'm used to reading big novels, reading such parts was very irritating. This book clearly shows the difference in Indian and English authors.......

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit

They say YOLO or ZNMD, aka You Live Only Once or Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.....but what  if you had an option to become immortal?? Will it be easy?? That's what Winnie is to decide when she discovers a spring on her family's property whose holy waters grant immortality. The Tuck family, who once drank water and never grew older, tell Winnie Foster about their weird but amazing experiences. Now it's all up to Winnie..... whether she wants to live a limited life or forever.........!!

This story is truly timeless. The book is exciting and excellently written with some cracks of humor and breaks that make you weep here & there. More over, it introduces you to the possibilities that the common people are unaware of, and yes, you will love to sink into this novel. Keeping secrets is pretty hard, and for young Winnie foster it's all about life and death....

The Twits by Roald Dahl

Mr. and Mrs. Twit are really disgusting. I mean it. They don't bathe=they smell, they play tricks on each other, and even though they act like kids...they hate children. Read this novel by Roald Dahl and meet this lovely( ahem,ahem) ... sorry ...smelly couple. And worst of all, they keep monkeys in their weedy back-garden. In cages. And now.... it's time for the monkeys to get their revenge on these two most revolting creatures.....

Lovely(ahem,ahem) humorous book that is a must read. We all know about Roald Dahl, his smelly books that will knot your heads off, and here is another one full of his self-composed words and ya...monkeys. This book will make you go bananas....and I just recovered :))

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo

Some things- like memories, and heartache, and tigers- can't be locked up forever.....

It's a misty, foggy morning in Florida woods and young Rob Horton has nothing to do. He has to stay home all cuz of a skin rash, and he can't stand the thought of staying in a motel. So he takes a walk in the woods, thinking about that new girl at school, Sistine Bailey, her fights and anger. And that's when he sees a tiger, all alive, locked up in a cage..........

A poignant story of loss and redemption. It's not easy losing your mother, and nor is it easy to save a beautiful beast.......<3 this book!!