The Spiderwick Chronicles, Lucinda's Secret, by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, is a great fantasy book about fairies. This book informs the reader about the troubles that Jared, Simon and Mallory are experiencing because they have Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World.

One of the Grace twins is named Jared. Jared is clever. For example, he devised a plan and tricked a wood elf into releasing him after he was captured by this elf.

Jared's twin is named Simon. Simon is an animal lover. He keeps a griffin named Byron in the carriage house.

I enjoyed reading The Spiderwick Chronicles, Lucinda's Secret. This book is one of my favorite fantasy books. I like the way the author at the end of this book writes something about the characters in his next book to gain the interest of the reader and entice the reader to read more about these characters in his subsequent book.

The reading strategies I used in reading this book are summarizing and making mental images. Since I didn't read the first book of the series, I summarized after each chapter to understand the series better.

The authors of the book The Spiderwick Chronicles, Lucinda's Secret are Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. These authors wrote the entire Spiderwick series. I especially enjoyed how the authors make the reader curious to read more.

King Arthur, Excalibur Unsheathed

King Arthur, Excalibur Unsheathed, by Jeff Limke and Thomas Yeates, is an English legend made into a book. Young Arthur spends his days as a squire - feeding the horses and caring for his big brother's armor. Around him is England left without a king. But all this is going to change in one day, when Arthur pulls a mysterious sword out of the stone. This book is about Arthur's life.

The main character is Arthur. He receives the sword Excalibur and wins loyalty of the knights of the round table.

Arthur's friend is Merlin the magician. He guides Arthur on how to be a good and wise king.

I enjoyed reading King Arthur, Excalibur Unsheathed. This book is the first English legend I read. When reading this book the one question I had was if the young king could win peace and freedom for England.

The reading strategy I used when reading this book was summarizing. Reading strategies, such as connecting and making mental images, are useful when reading a book because they help the reader understand the book better.

The authors of King Arthur, Excalibur Unsheathed are Jeff Limke and Thomas Yeates. Other books written by these authors include

Hercules, The Twelve Labors

Isis and Osiris, To the Ends of the Earth

Thor and Loki, In the Lands of Giants

The Trojan Horse, The Fall of Troy

These books are also myths or legends of great heroes.

Atlanta, The race Against Destiny

Atalanta,The Race Against Destiny, by Justine and Ron Fontes and Thomas Yates is a Greek myth converted into an action-packed book. One day, Atalanta went to see the oracle because she could not fit in as she was different than all the other girls. The oracle which, according to Greek mythology, predicts the future, said that "if see gets married she would not be herself." Atalanta did get married and in this book, the reader realizes the oracle's prediction as it comes to life.

The main character in this book is Atalanta. She is very athletic. Atalanta was the fastest runner of her time.


Atalanta's husband was Hippomenes. Hippomenes was the great grandson of Poseidon. So he could win the challenge and ultimately wed Atalanta, he asked for Aphrodite's (the goddess of love) help. The challenge imposed by Atalanta was that she will marry any man that won her in a foot race. I enjoyed reading Atalanta, The Race Against Destiny. This myth shows that some myth gods and goddesses were cruel and mean.


The reading strategy I used when reading this book was connecting. I connected this myth with other Greek myths. By connecting, I enjoyed this book better as I understood it better by comparing it to other Greek myths that I have read.


The authors of Atlanta,The Race Against Destiny are Justine and Ron Fontes and Thomas Yates. Other books written by these authors include:





1. Amaterasu, Return of the Sun
2. Atlanta, The Race Against Destiny
3. Hercules, The Twelve Labors
4. Isis and Osiris, To the Ends of the Earth
5. Jason, The Quest for the Golden Fleece
6. King Arthur, Excalibur Unsheathed
7. Robin Hood, Outlaw of Sherwood Forest
8. Thor and Loki, In the Land of Giants
9. The Trojan Horse,The Fall of Troy
10. Yu the Great, Conquering the Flood



I think all those books are also based on myths.

Demeter and Persephone, Spring Held Hostage

Demeter and Persephone, Spring Held Hostage, by Justine and Ron Fontes and Steve Kurth, is a popular Greek myth that was created to explain why and how the seasons change. This book is about Demeter and her daughter Persephone. When Persephone disappears one day, Demeter searches everywhere. She ultimately discovers that Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, the god of the underworld.

Persephone's mother, Demeter, is very stubborn. For example, she refused to grow and cultivate crops until she got her daughter back safely. This stubbornness persisted even though people on Earth were dieing.

Hades is the ruler of the underworld. He was very lonely in his kingdom. This is why he kidnapped Persephone.

I enjoyed reading Demeter and Persephone, Spring Held Hostage. I like the way the authors wrote this myth in comic book form. I think that this comic book form is the best and most effective way to represent the events and adventures in this book.

The strategy that I used when reading this book was connecting. While reading this book, I was able to connect this myth with other Greek myths. As a result, this strategy helped me understand the book better.

This book has three authors, Justine and Ron Fontes and Steve Kurth. I like the fact that the authors wrote this book in comic book form. This form made the book a lot more enjoyable as it read like a great comic book adventure. Other books written by these authors include:

• Amaterasu, Return of the Sun


• Atlanta, The Race Against Destiny


• Hercules, The Twelve Labors


• Isis and Osiris, To the Ends of the Earth


• Jason, The Quest for the Golden Fleece


• King Arthur, Excalibur Unsheathed


• Robin Hood, Outlaw of Sherwood Forest


• Thor and Loki, In the Land of Giants


• The Trojan Horse,The Fall of Troy


• Yu the Great, Conquering the Flood

I expect that these books above are also written in comic book form.

The Day in the Life of a Pirate

The Day in the Life of a Pirate, by Emma Helbrough, is a wonderful book that takes place during the golden age of pirates. This book is very different from other books that I have read. It is different because it literally puts you in the main character's shoes.

The main character in The Day in the Life of a Pirate is Jack Hovach. Jack Hovach is smart and wise. For example, he used water to shrink the ropes of the prisoners so they would not escape.

The captain of the ship is also very clever and sneaky. For example, he tricked the other ship by pretending that his pirate's ship was a trade ship so his pitrates could get aboard the other ship and steal its booty.

I enjoyed reading The Day in the Life of a Pirate. This was the first book I read that places the reader in the shoes of the main character, Jack Hovach. I like this book because it informs the redaer about pirates, what they do and how they do it. This is a good book if you want to know more about pirates. I found it very educational and extremely entertaining.

The reading strategy I used when reading this book was imagining. By imagining the scene, I could enjoy the book better. For example, I could visualize the battle between the pirates and the sailors. It semed as though I was there. I was transposed in the thick of battle.

The author of A day in the Life of a Pirate is Emma Helbrough. Other books written by Emma Helbrough include The Day in the Life of a Knight and The Day in the Life of an Indian. I especially enjoy how this author transposes the reader to events, occurences, and places in her books. The reader is placed in the main character's shoes. I expect that the other books written by this author do the same thing and place the reader in the main character's shoes.

Artemis Fowl, The Lost Colony

Artemis Fowl, The Lost Colony, by Eoin Colfer, is about the 8th family of fairies who live in Limbo, an island "out of time" in a different dimension. Something has gone wrong, and the people of Limbo are teleporting to Earth against their wishes. Now Artemis, Holly, Butler, a girl who also knows about the fairy people, and two powerful fairies of the 8th family have to figure out why that is happening and fix it.

One of the two fairies is named No1. No1 is different from the other fairies on Limbo. He is more peaceful and cannot warp like the other fairies.

Abbot is the villain in this book. He is the leader of Limbo because he brainwashed the other fairies to think he is a great hero.

I enjoyed reading Artemis Fowl, The Last Colony. This is my favorite book of the series. Eoin Colfer, the author, constantly surprises the reader more than any of his other books that I've read.

The reading strategies I used in this book were imaging and summarizing. I could imagine Artemis' expression when he was carrying the bomb to the volcano. After every chapter, I summarized what happened. This helped me get a better image of what was occuring in the book.

The author of the Artemis Fowl series is Eoin Colfer. Out of the entire Artemis Fowl series, I think The Lost Colony is his best book. This book is my favorite because it ends with a big surprise! I heartedly encourage you to read this book, if nothing else, to discover this amazing surprise.

Artemis Fowl, Opal Deception

The book that I have just finished reading is Artemis Fowl, The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer. It is about Opal getting revenge on the people that put her in jail. In this book, Artemis Fowl became the victim of amnesia ("mind wipe"). As in other Artemis Fowl adventures, Holly Short helped Artemis to regain his memory in order to defeat Opal.

Opal is a Pixie genius who out-smarted the LEP and broke out of jail. She is taking revenge on those (Artemis Fowl, Butler, Holly Short and the Commander of the LEP) who put her in jail in the first place. At the end, she is apprehended and returns to jail.

Butler is Artemis' bodyguard and a very good one. He had graduated from the best bodyguard school. Butler saved Artemis' life countless times.

I think this book is very well writen. The plot is very clever and the details leading up to the plot are very descriptive. This book grabs your interest and enthusiusm, and doesn't let go until the very end.

The reading strategies that I used when reading this book are making mental images and reading between the lines. Sometimes the author hides information in sentences. If the reader is clever enough and finds this information, he or she will uncover and learn more about the plot in the book.

The author of the Artemis Fowl series is Eoin Colfer. The series includes The Artic Incident, The Eternity Code, etc. The strategies used in all the Artemis Fowl series is that the author keeps the reader guessing until the end.