The next chapter

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/08/2020 (2195 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To wrap up the first month of the Winnipeg Free Press Summer Reading Challenge for Kids, we asked our young readers to submit reviews of the books they’ve read from the list of options provided in conjunction with our partners at McNally Robinson Booksellers.

Other than creating some reading resources meant to help our young bookworms think critically about the stories they’ve read and provide basic guidelines when it came to length and star-ratings, these reviews are 100 per cent from the minds of our participants. Check back again on Sept. 5 when we’ll publish a second round of reviews by kids in the Weekend Review section of the Free Press.

There’s still plenty of time to join in on the fun; to register your child for our free Summer Reading Challenge for Kids and peruse the list of books selected for three age groups (7 to 9, 10 to 12, 13 to 15), head to wfp.to/kidsbookclub.

 

Papergirl
By Melinda McCracken with Penelope Jackson
Fernwood, 142 pages, $13

This book is about a girl named Cassie who is 10 and lives in Winnipeg in the year 1919. Cassie goes to school but desperately wants to go out on the streets of Winnipeg and help with the strike by selling newspapers to support the striker’s opinions. When she finally gets to be a papergirl, she meets an annoying, but friendly, paperboy named Frank and even though he is against the strike they become friends. With her family needing money, and her dreams to help her community get through this, can Cassie choose what she needs to do?

I liked the part when the strike starts. People were getting mad and quitting their jobs. It’s interesting to read about that because it’s not just our history, but it was here in Winnipeg and it’s cool to know what happened in the past.

I also liked when Cassie realizes that Winnipeggers are strong and they will get through this, no matter what. It reminds me that you can do it, and that we can even get through what is happening now in the world.

I thought it was interesting to learn about history and the Winnipeg General Strike. If you want to learn about a girl who lived around 1919, this book is the right book for you. Papergirl is a great book, I would give the book 3.5 stars because I would like to read it again, but it is not top of my list.

★★★1/2 stars out of 5

— Amy, age 9

***

 

I liked the book because it was fun to learn about the history of Winnipeg and a girl my age. I liked the book so much that I do not have a part I do not like. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

★★★★ out of 5

 

— Lyla Bemister, age 9

***

The book I reviewed is Papergirl by Melinda McCracken and Penelope Jackson. I think the star rating for me would be three stars. I liked it because of the different characters and the history behind it. I did not like the end of the book because I want to know more about how the strike ended. I want there to be a second Papergirl so that I can know how the strike ended.

★★★ stars out of 5

 

— Claire, age 9

 

 

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane
By Julia Nobel
Sourcebooks, 320 pages, $11

Emmy is a young girl who lives with her mom that only really cares about her job. Her dad disappeared mysteriously on her third birthday and she has almost nothing left of him but this medallion that she finds with the help of a letter. When her mom ships her off to boarding school, she meets Jack and Lola. Emmy joins the club called the Latin Society which she later finds out is really a part of the Order of Black Hollow Lane that is somehow connected to her Dad’s medallion. Emmy spends the story searching for clues about her Dad and this crazy Order.

I liked how the book creates a huge mystery about her dad, it’s very interesting and I wanted to read more to find out what they would learn next. I didn’t like Emmy’s mother in the story. I thought it was sad that her mom just shipped her off to boarding school without caring and didn’t even call her on her birthday.

I would give the book 3.5 stars because I like the story, but sometimes you can tell what is going to happen next and I wish it was more puzzling for me as a read. There is also a second book called The Secret of the White Stone Gate, so if you like the story you could check it out too!

★★★1/2 stars out of 5

— Amy, age 9

 

 

Dragons in a Bag
By Zetta Elliott
Random House, 176 pages, $9.50

Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott is a great adventure story that can make you laugh, too! It is about a boy named Jaxon who goes on a quest to bring three dragons from Brooklyn to a magical world. Jaxon goes on this journey with Ma, a family friend, who is also a witch! Jaxon is afraid at first, but he doesn’t have to be because in this book witches are friendly.

Actually, Jaxon thinks a lot of characters are scary at first because he sometimes thinks badly about people he thinks are weird. That is something a lot of us do, and that’s not really good.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure, comedy, dragons, and magic. I enjoyed this book so much, I can’t wait to read the sequel!

★★★★1/2 stars out of 5

— Atticus Penner, age 7