TFK Kid Reporters Erin Jeon and Luke Joachim review two of the summer's exciting new releases.
Book Title: Eleanor Roosevelt, Fighter for Justice
Author: Ilene Cooper
Reviewed by: TFK Kid Reporter Erin Jeon
Genre: Biography
Number of pages: 192
What’s the basic story line?
The book is a biography of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt was raised in a broken household and later orphaned. She grew up insecure and fearful. While learning to overcome obstacles in her life, Eleanor noticed the discrimination faced by other Americans. She eventually became an activist for the rights of women, African Americans, workers, and the poor. She married Franklin Roosevelt, who later became president of the United States. As First Lady, Eleanor became an even greater advocate for human rights.
Are the characters believable?
Eleanor Roosevelt is already well-known for being a women’s and civil rights activist. However, Cooper digs deeper and talks about why and how Roosevelt came to think the way she did. Cooper uses details from Eleanor’s upbringing to explain her passion for human rights and adds depth to our understanding of Roosevelt.
Who would like this book?
Anybody with an interest in American history, presidents and First Ladies, or human rights will enjoy this biography.
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, how would you rate this book?
I would give Eleanor Roosevelt, Fighter for Justice a 9. Ilene Cooper’s book is unlike other biographies. It does a great job showing readers Roosevelt’s life through stories rather than simply giving facts about her life. This makes for a very informative and interesting book that holds the reader’s attention.
Book Title: The Jamie Drake Equation
Author: Christopher Edge
Reviewed by: TFK Kid Reporter Luke X. Joachim
Genre: Adventure
Number of pages: 192
What’s the basic story line?
Jamie Drake’s dad is an astronaut. He goes on a mission to space to launch Light Swarm probes that will look for evidence of alien life. While his dad is in space, Jamie goes to an old, abandoned observatory in his hometown. There, Jamie plugs in his phone, and an alien named Buzz downloads himself onto it. Buzz’s arrival changes everything. He even helps Jamie with everyday challenges like complicated math problems. But when Jamie and Buzz learn that a solar flare is heading straight for Jamie’s dad in space, Buzz sets out to help on a whole new level. Can Jamie and Buzz save Jamie’s dad?
Are the characters believable?
Some of the characters are believable, but some are not. The aliens are not believable because they live in a mythical place called a “fireball of light.” Also, Buzz downloads onto Jamie’s phone, which is not very believable. On the other hand, Jamie and the other people are believable because their actions reflect those of real humans.
Who would like this book?
Kids ages 8 to 11 with long attention spans who are interested in space would like this book.
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, how would you rate this book?
I would rate The Jamie Drake Equation a 6. The beginning to middle is interesting and moves quickly, but the end becomes kind of boring because there is a lot of detailed description without much action or humor.
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