Books in 2020: Akshara (Grade 5)

By: Akshara (Grade 5)

During 2020, I couldn’t stop reading books. The trouble was, I finish books very fast, and quickly finished all the books we got from the library. Since school was virtual, I couldn’t even go to the school library to check out new ones! But, here is a list of a few of the books I did read, and my opinion on them.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery: This book was amazing. I loved how funny it was, and all the silly mistakes Anne made. It was also very peaceful and not very action packed, which I normally wouldn’t like, but I can find no faults with this book.

Anne of Avonlea: This book is a sequel to Anne of Green Gables. I loved this one almost as much as the other one. In this one, Anne is slightly more grown up, but still is the same Anne who was in the last book. I liked this book because L.M Montgomery doesn’t change Anne much, which I was relieved of.

The Grimm Fairytale Series by Adam Gidwitz: I did not like this series much. This series is packed with action, and is built off of the original Brothers Grimm fairytales. I didn’t like it because there was much too much blood and gruesomeness in it. I would not recommend these books.

The Wells & Wong Detective Society series, by Robin Stevens: These books are about murder mysteries. I used to not like murder mystery, but these books are simply amazing. I like them because not much of the mystery is based on luck, and also they are very entertaining.

Enola Holmes (the Case of the Left Handed Lady) by Nancy Springer: As you can probably tell, these books are about Sherlock Holmes’s little sister. This one was quite fun to read, because the book involved ciphers which were quite challenging. (All of the books have ciphers)

Enola Holmes (the Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan): This one was quite interesting, as it was the same victim in a different book. But it was still a good book. I would definitely recommend it.

When Stars Are Scattered, by Omar Mohamed, and Victoria Jamieson: This is a true story about two brothers working to survive in an African refugee camp, and how they lived. This book shows you how much Africans are suffering because of wars. I think this is a good book.

A Letter to the King by Tonke Dragt: This book was filled with action, and battle, but, unlike other books, It was the perfect amount. I quite liked this book.

Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi: It’s about the heroine, Elin, her wondrous journey and the hard decisions she had to make. This book was good. There were some gruesome moments, and in some parts of the book I got very confused, but overall it was good.

The Beast Warrior: I had set high expectations for this book after the first one, but my expectations weren’t quite met. I got more and more confused as the book progressed and at one point I had to go back and reread. It’s a good book, but a little confusing.

Moribito I by Nahoko Uehashi: This book is one of my favorites. The heroine, Balsa, is a female warrior trained and raised by a warrior named Jiguro. This book was amazing and I highly recommend it.

Moribito II: After reading the first book, I had high expectations for this one too. My expectations were met. This book was as good as the first one. Although it was the tiniest bit confusing, I still loved it.

The Penderwicks, a Summer Tale of Four sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall: It’s about the four Pendewick sisters, and their special summer at Arundel Cottage. This book is very funny and charming. So good that I have read it many, many times without getting bored at all. Amazing book, I definitely recommend it.

The Inquisitors Tale by Adam Gidwitz: This book is about religion, and I slightly did not like it. It was very confusing for me, but it was interesting to learn about other religions.

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow: This book is about Ada, a teenager who plays an online game, ends up in big trouble, and learns a valuable lesson. It had a few curse words in it, and I am highly against cursing, but there were only a few curse words so it was fine. But this book was an ok book for me. It wasn’t the best.

Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe: This book was very amusing. There is a funny mystery, with two lovable characters, Chester and Harold, and the story revolves around a mysterious bunny, whom their owners name “Bunnicula”. I loved this one.

The Murderers Ape by Jakob Wegelius: This book is about a peculiar but amazing ape, whose owner is wrongly accused of murder. I loved this book and would recommend it.

The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer: These books are about two extraordinary twins who go on adventures together in the magical and wondrous Fairytale World. The first time I read this series, I didn’t really understand parts of it, and sometimes it got a little confusing and boring. But I decided to read it again, and this time I could understand it a bit more. It was ok, but I would only recommend the first or second book.

Aru Shah series (so far) by Roshani Chokshi: As you can see, this series is unfinished, and more books are still coming out. But, this story ties into the Hindu religion, and gets inspiration from Greek and Roman demigods. So kind of a mix. This series(so far) is really good, and I have liked it quite a bit. Even if it is unfinished.

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson: In this series I was only able to get my hands on the first two books, and I’m not sure if it is unfinished, or if there are more books, or if there are only two. Despite the dilemma with the books, I liked it. But, some parts were weird to me, and It wasn’t very….nice. But I will still recommend it.

The Witches by Roald Dahl: It’s about a little boy, his grandma, and the horrifying witches. This book is a straight NO. Yes, even though Roald Dahl wrote ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, one of my favorite books, I did not like this book AT ALL. It was way too creepy, and even if I put that aside, the characters didn’t go through any trouble while actually carrying out their plan, which was a disappointment.

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park: This book is about a young girl who’s mother is gone, her father is a grouch (no offense), and all she wants is to get an education. This book was good. There was only one part that I didn’t like, the rest was great.

El Deafo by Cece Bell: His one is about a young girl who, at a young age, gets sick and looses her hearing. This book was ok. I liked some parts of it, but most of it I didn’t like.

The Unicorn Rescue Society Series by Adam Gidwitz: The series is about two kids, Elliot and Uchena, who rescue mythical creatures.I finished these books pretty quickly, and I’m pretty sure it’s an unfinished series, but it was good. Also some parts of it were amusing.

7 Good Reasons NOT to Grow Up by Jimmy Gownley: It’s about a boy named Kirby Finn and his friends who form the After School Resistance. This book was ok. I think I had to wait maybe another year before reading this, so I can’t give a proper opinion on it. But from the knowledge I could glean from it, it was an okay book.

Eva the Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe: The book is about a young witch, Eva, who has to go on a quest to become a Novice witch. THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD! I loved all the characters, and honestly I can’t think of anything wrong with it. Please go and read it.

As you can see, I read a lot of fantasy, and a bit of mystery, and not a lot of nonfiction, but I hope this list was helpful to whoever is reading this. Thanks for your time! 😄