Grace Norwich

The author did a fine job in sharing different aspects of Daniel in his journey of landing the role of Harry Potter, how he remained level-headed with the newfound fame, and his future plans beyond the Harry Potter franchise. There was a consistent comparison between Daniel and his Harry Potter role. The book is organized nicely based on different aspects of Daniel which makes the information easy to follow.

For example, the chapter called "Harry Potter Mania" gives a bountiful amount of show more background information on how Harry Potter came to be. It goes into detail on when the author, J.K. Rowling, first thought of Harry Potter and the transition from the world of Harry Potter being in book form to becoming a movie. The author shares that, "J.K. was excited about the prospect of seeing her vision come to life on-screen, and optioned the rights for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to him and Warner Bros. for $700,000." This was actually a cheap deal when you consider how successful Harry Potter would become.

Another example of sharing interesting facts the author shares is when she discusses the controversy the first Harry Potter movie started. Some critics claimed that the magic in the movie would push children to take an interest in dark arts. Daniel responded with, ""I can't see how it's Satanism or anything...The only thing that saves Harry from being killed is the love his mother had for him. How can that be judged as evil?" He explained that the film's central theme was "redeeming love," not "sorcery."" I like how the author included a variety of aspects on the actor, books, and film industry. She showed his role in his relationship with the world.

The main idea of this book is to present a positive rendition of a young boy's journey of being a well-known and successful actor in the movie franchise Harry Potter. It is enjoyable and easy to read while being informative and positive. show less

I am Harriet Tubman was interesting and had a lot of good information. What I liked the best was that the book added necessary and helpful information in boxes, similar to a text book, but they were interesting and fun to read. Another thing I liked was how the facts at the end of the book, listed as “10 Things You Should Know”, helped with refreshing my memory of the story. I also liked that they had “10 Cool Things to Know” because it had information that was not included in show more history class or stories. For example, a group of students who were upset that Harriet Tubman had not received her compensation from the U.S. government appealed to Hillary Clinton, at that time a senator of N.Y.. She got Congress to give $11,750 to the Tumban Home. Although this book was full of information, the glossary was not very helpful. A lot of bold words were not included and this confused me. The main idea in this book was to inform the reader or Harriet Tubman's life. show less

I use this as a read-aloud for my student's and it has been an excellent way to learn about Sacagawea. She is such an inspiring character and I have such a deep-seated respect for her even more after reading this book. A MUST READ for anyone who is required to learn about this amazing woman.

Part of Scholastic's I Am series, Cleopatra was published January 2014. Aimed at readers ages 8-10, this is an excellent historical reference in a biographical/autobiographical hybrid format. It's a light, yet in-depth look at Cleopatra's life, politics, and legend.

Filled with illustrations and divided into concise chapters, Cleopatra is a well-written and beautifully illustrated book. Readers will learn of Cleopatra's early years, her rise to becoming pharaoh, her family, her romantic show more relationships with Caesar and Antony, her children, politics, and her demise. Told in a narrative format, the text is accessible and meets the needs of the target audience. (Short attention spans and reluctant readers of educational texts won't find this book difficult!) Each chapter is only a few pages long, and includes sub-headings to further break up the text. The illustrations are a cross between sketches and cartoon-like drawings, which will deter readers from considering the book to be a dry, history lesson in disguise.

The book includes side notes, terms, and timelines which introduces relevant subjects such as hieroglyphics and understanding BCE and CE. It also provides the reader with photographs of art and of important geographical locations. Cleopatra is perfect for beginner readers who need to gain an understanding of Cleopatra and of her connections to the Roman empire for both educational and personal interest purposes.

Furthermore, the book is an excellent companion for readers who enjoy Rick Riordan's books. The writing style is comparable and the information is relevant to expanding on the content Riordan writes about, particularly in The Kane Chronicles.

5 Stars show less