Usain Bolt - The Fastest Man Alive - The True Story Of Usain Bolt by Usain Bolt and Shaun Custis

This book is about Bolt and his achievements as a sprinter.  The book also tells us about his family background and the things he likes to do when he's not running. Enjoy!

Usain Bolt wasn't the fastest runner in his school but he grew up to be an Olympic legend.  He lived in a small town called Sherwood Content in Jamaica and went to a school called Waldesia Primary and in later years, got a scholarship for William Knibb High School, track and field high school.  He was so good in his early years that he got picked for the Junior championships in Jamaica's capital, Kingston, every time!  That was when he got noticed by sports company, Pace.  They paid for flight tickets and all sorts of other things.  Bolt took the money but didn't keep it for himself, he gave it to his family.  His family includes: Mum, Dad, half sister, half brother, aunt and Grandma.

At the World Juniors, Bolt competed in the 200m only but in later years his coach, Pablo McNeil pushed him to do the 100m.  He would have some tough competition though, Asafa Powell from Jamaica, then the fastest man on earth and Tyson Gay from USA, the second fastest man on earth.  It would be no mean feat.

Bolt has a problem that stopped him competing in the Athens Olympics.  His left leg has always been shorter than his right leg.  Therefore, his first major event was the Bejiing Olympic games where he smashed the world record for the 100m to 9.69 seconds and beat his closest rivals. He even eased up with 20m to go!

Another major event in Bolt's career was the Diamond League 100m final. They were all lined up. The starter raised the gun into the air but Bolt false-started! He was disqualified and didn't get to race.
2009 was a smashing year for Bolt. He won the 100m final and broke the world record again! The record still stands at 9.58 seconds which scientists thought was impossible for the human body to acomplish.

At the London Olympics, Bolt set a new Olympic record in the 100m final and went on to win both the 200m and 4x100m relay. Unfortunately, Rio 2016 will be Bolt's last Olympics but he will still be remembered as a legend.

This book is filled with fun facts (like his main food on race days is chicken nuggets!) and awesome achievements. If you're into sport and althetics and sprinting then this is the book for you! Rating: 9 out of 10!!

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

This is the first book in the epic series of Percy Jackson books. Enjoy!

Percy Jackson is a half-blood. This means that he is half god, half boy. It all starts when Mr. Brunner, Percy's Latin teacher and Mrs. Dodds, his maths teacher, take them on a school trip to the local museum. Percy gets left alone with Mrs. Dodds and he finds out what she really is.  Her fingers stretch into talons, her jacket melts into large leathery wings.  She isn't human.  Then Mr. Brunner charges in and throws his ballpoint pen at Percy. He catches it and the moment it touches his hand, it turns into a sword called Riptide. He slashes it through the demon's body and all that's left is a pile of dust.

Back at Percy's school, Percy is sitting in Mr. Brunner's office. He is very serious but not about expelling Percy but about who he really was, Mr. Brunner knows that Percy is a half- blood, he is going to take him to a special camp, a camp where they protect half-bloods.

At this special camp Percy makes some friends, Annabeth and Grover (who is actually a satyr which is like a Centaur.) He also discovers Mr. Brunner's real form, he is a tall, white Centaur and his real name is Chiron.

Later that night, Percy visits the Oracle for a prophecy.  The prophecy tells Percy, Annabeth and Grover to leave camp to go on a quest to retrieve Zeus's (King of the gods) stolen lightning bolt. There has been some accusations in Olympus so Percy must act quickly to find the thief or else a fully fledged war of the gods will erupt!

On the quest to find the bolt, the team meet dangerous cyclops and demons but luckily they are all trained fighters and use their skill to beat them. Near the end of the book, Percy finds out who stole the lightning bolt but I'm not going to tell you! The next thing you know, Percy and the mystery being (or god!) are locked in battle but you'll have to read the book to find out the result. (:

This was a very good book but it just misses out on 8 out of 10. It's not really my cup of tea but if you're a fan of gods and swords and fighting and all that stuff, this is definitely the book for you. (:
Rating: 7 out of 10!

The Percy Jackson books website

Bureau of Mysteries and the Mechanomancers by HJ Harper

Bureau of Mysteries is back in another thrilling story!

 George and Imp are at Rusty Gulch on the trail of the vicious villains Cloak and Dagger. George soon finds out that Imp has made them up so he could get a holiday! The real trouble is on the other side of the gulch, it's the powerful Mechanomancers! Luckily, the first three have already been defeated by Lord Perwinkle Tinkerton, the famous explorer. And just in time, he arrives in his mammoth mobile and stops the fourth Mechanomancer and his mechanical bull in their tracks. 

His scribe Lexia is writing in a big purple book, she never seems to stop. When George and Imp get back to HQ, Hobb and Tempora aren't that exited to see them. They both have their nose buried in Tinkerton's Tales (about The Bull of Rusty Gulch.) Soon Tinkerton is over in Little Obscurity for his book signing. This is when Tinkerton and the Bureau of Mysteries find the fifth Mechanomancer, the Stink King, by falling through a gaping hole in the library after a huge explosion. George befriends a giant rat called Bubonic and he helps them beat the Stink King. But first the Stink King traps them in his scungeon to rot until George cracks the code that is their best chance of getting out of the sewers - they have to joust the Stink King! Tinkerton has a go first on a giant wood louse but it scuttles into a corner, meanwhile the Stink King's louse stays perfectly still. The teams only hope is to find another steed to ride on. Then George calls Bubonic and rides on him. They beat the Stink King and his manure mansion (his house) dissolves.

  

After a job well done they settle down at HQ when George finds the sixth Mechanomancer, the Germinator. She has the power to control any types of plant and greenery. They need to get to the tallest tree. On the way, the Bureau of Mysteries discover weird dwarf like shrubs called weedlings. They speak a very strange language which George manages to figure out but they soon make enemies of the weedlings. One of the weedlings transforms in to an ENORMOUS weedling. Despite its size, it's very slow and George and Imp manage to slip past but George realises that the tree is surrounded by a maze! Luckily, they find their way through but as they come to the tree they realise that they can't get up! Soon they spot a weedling coming up to the tree. He says, "Knock, knock" and three vines slide down the tree. The weedling picked the first one and zoomed off into the branches of the tree. George soon figured that it was morse code in flowers. He soon deciphered it and knew which one to take. They took the second one because it spelled "harmless" and zoomed off into the tree.

When they got to the top they saw Tinkerton tied up in some vines, he had been a victim of the Germinator.

Then George and Imp come face to face with a massive pumpkin-head-like creature - Pumpkinstein to be exact! George uses a device to scare away the plants which is actually Imp singing in the shower, it makes such a bad sound that Tempora has to mute it so only plants can hear it. George uses the device but it isn't powerful enough to have an effect on  Pumpkinstein so he has to get Imp to actually sing! It has an immediate effect on Pumpkinstein but unfortunately Tinkerton can't cover his ears because he's wrapped up in vines. George has to think quickly, he grabs the Organic Desynthesiser and turns the handle, the vines that are holding Tinkerton wither away. As they do so the tree begins to tilt side ways, with an almighty thud the tallest tree hits the ground.... They had defeated the Germinator.

George, Imp, Tinkerton and Lexia are back at Bureau of Mysteries HQ on the trail of the Blue Baron, the seventh and final Mechanomancer. With no luck searching in the day, they retreat to their beds, when George spots the Blue Baron's airship. It has a special contraption at the front that shoots bolts of lightning. George wakes Hobb, Tempora and Imp to tell them about the news, Tempora says that there is no way to get to the airship but Hobb has an idea. He used to belong to the crew of the Musclebound, the fiercest pirate crew in the seven skies, not only that, he was their captain! He takes George and Imp to a pirate pub to meet the Musclebound crew. They agree to take them on their ship to destroy the Blue Baron. On the way, they meet a three-headed sky serpent, the only way to stop it attacking you is to call out the names of the each head. George does this brilliantly, he calls out "Dawn, Day, Dusk!" and soon stops them. They carry on in the Mustlebound until they reach the Blue Baron's ship. There is a thrilling battle AND some SURPRISES at the end but you'll have to read the book to find out more (: 

I really liked this book because of the funny names for the villains and heroes that HJ Harper used and the cool characters, especially the fierce and funny Bronzebeard - Captain of the Musclebound!! Rating: 9 out of 10!!

HJ Harper's Writing Laboratory (of Doom)!

"Who Could That Be at This Hour?" by Lemony Snicket

This book is the first in a new series that Lemony has written called All The Wrong Questions. I hope you enjoy it!

Lemony Snicket is with his parents at the local cafe. He's got a new job as a apprentice detective. His chaperone is called S. Theodora Markson. The only thing she does that's helpful to Lemony is to save him from a tea that his parents (or who he thought were his parents) gave him. It had a banned drug in it that would put you to sleep.

S. Theodora Markson and Lemony's mission is to bring back a statue called the Bombinating Beast. It is an important family object in the Salis family. (Mrs. Salis is the one who sends Lemony and S. Theodora Markson on the misson.) Mrs. Salis says it was stolen by the Mallahan family who live in a lighthouse nearby. When Snicket visits the Mallahan lighthouse he befriends the Mallahans' daughter, Moxie. She takes him up into their attic and Snicket finds loads of stuff to do with the Bombinating Beast including a statue of the beast that they were looking for but Moxie says it's been in the family for decades.

That night S. Theodora Markson and Snicket agree to climb a thin wire that leads from a nearby tree to the lighthouse. The only problem is the clusterous forest. Instead of trees it's seaweed! Soon Snicket is dangling dangerously on the wire above the clusterous forest. Suddenly Snicket loses his grip and plunges into the forest below.

Snicket wakes up in a small house teetering at the edge of a cliff, near the forest. It belongs to a girl called Ellington Faint. Ellington's father was kidnapped by a vicious criminal called Hangfire, he is very good at mimicking people's voices. He wants that Bombinating Beast so wherever Snicket is with that statue, he isn't safe at all...

I liked this book because of it's compelling plot and funny expressions. Rating: 9 out of 10!!

All the wrong questions website

Varjak Paw by SF Said

Varjak is a Mesopotamian blue cat. His family includes... Elder Paw, Jo, Jethro, Jerome, mum, dad Julius and cousin Jasmine. He's always wanted to leave the protection of his house cat life but his parents won't let him.

One day, a mysterious gentleman enter their owners room and carries away what looks like a dead body! One gentleman stays behind with 2 sleek black cats by his shoes. This was Varjak's chance to leave the house. The black cats see and give chase but Elder Paw holds them off! Sadly Elder Paw dies in the battle. Elder Paw gives him a mission to save the family with a dog.

Once Varjak is out in the open he takes shelter in a small shack by the park. Then he sees one slender figure and one fat figure; Holly and Tam. They soon become good friends.
Varjak also makes some enemies. He makes enemies with Sally Bones, the toughest cat in the city. Varjak fights her in a amazing battle near the end of the book. Once he beats her he befriends a dog called Cludge and persuades him to save the family from the evil gentleman but there is a secret that makes him more evil than ever... Will Cludge and Varjak be able to save the family in time?

Dave Mckean drew some fantastic pictures of the cats and I really liked how SF Said included just the right amount of detail. I'm giving this book 8 out of 10!!!!

SF Said's blog


 

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

This book is the first in the Series of Unfortunate Events books and I hope you enjoy it!
Violet, Claus and Sunny Baudelaire live a comfortable life with their parents in the Baudelaire mansion. Sunny has all the hard things she could chew (Sunny has very sharp teeth), Claus has all the books he could read in the Baudelaire library and Violet has all the inventing things she could wish for. All is going well until the Baudelaire mansion burns down! Unfortunately the Baudelaire parents die in the rubble. The Baudelaire children are now orphans! They spend a short time at the house of a friend of their parents called Mr. Poe.

A couple of days later, the Baudelaire orphans get taken to a very distant cousin called Count Olaf. He wants to steal the Baudelaires' enormous fortune! (The Baudelaire children inherit a enormous fortune from their parents.) The children have to sleep in a small cramped room with one bed all together.

To get the fortune Count Olaf comes up with a cunning plan, him and his theatre troupe put on a play and asks Violet to be in it. This play is about a wedding and he asks Violet to be the bride! With an official judge reading out the bindings the wedding becomes real and the readings say that the bride must share the fortune with the husband! Luckly, Mr.Poe finds out in the last second and puts a stop to the wedding but unfortunately he doesn't put a stop to Count Olaf and he is free to track the Baudelaire orphans once again and put more misery into their miserable lives.
I liked how Lemony made everything seem more miserable.
Rating: I'm going to give this book 8 out of 10!!



Lemony Snicket's Website

Bureau of Mysteries by HJ Harper

This book is set in a small town called Little Obscurity in the late 1800s and is about a boy called George Feather, aged 12 (who is a chimney sweep) joins a secret society called the Bureau of Mysteries. He discovers this organisation when his boss (Ezekiel Grimes, better known as Grimy) takes him to the Brass Castle Hotel to clean the chimneys. George is basically Grimy's spy, bringing him back any juicy info so he could blackmail the manager for more money. When George climbs up the chimney he immediately panics, he had never been up a chimney this high before. He loses his grip on the side of the chimney. Instead of landing on a log fireplace he lands on a corridor with a door at the end. When he reaches the door he finds a note, it says "the Clockwork Octopus Society will finish what they started."
When George joins the Bureau of Mysteries he meets Hobb, the brains of the operation, Tempora the engineer and Imp, the experienced cryptographer (which means code cracker.)
When George joins he becomes an apprentice cryptographer and all of them together must defeat the Clockwork Octopus Society.
The first criminal is called Phil Lament, the engineer of the gang with his mechanical arm. George defeats him in a epic battle in the town's clock tower but Phil almost escapes on his mechanical dragon!
The second criminal is called Lady Lenora Ravenscroft (she can talk to ghosts!) This time George and Imp stop her from stealing all of Little Obscurity's wealthiest people's gems and capture her three ghost cronies, Rishin, Tom and Paul T. Giest.
The third criminal is called Dr. Morry Artery, the brains of the gang. George and Imp find him in the drowned quarter of Little Obscurity which is the underwater part of the town. The Dr. has an army of murkmaids (which are people but have been mutated into fish bodies and have been stripped of their memory), and a prisoner called whalen (half man-half whale.) They catch the Dr. when he tries to escape in his Octopod (a submarine in the shape of a octopus.)
The final battle is against the leader of the gang which is suprisingly Grimy! Imp warns the Bureau of mysteries and Hobb and Tempora change the Brass Castle Hotel into a brick person and crush Grimy. The end shows George becoming a full member of the Bureau of Mysteries.
I liked this book because of its funny illustrations and funny characters. Rating: 9 out of 10!!

HJ Harper's blog