Plot: In the book My Side of the Mountain a boy named Sam decides to run away from his home in New York City to go live on some land in the woods. On his way there he meets some people who don’t think that a young boy would be able to live out in the woods alone. When he gets to the land he has to find a way to live and make decisions for himself. When he is up there he meets all sorts of people and animals that he either befriends or hides from. Sam learns to make the best of all situations.

Commentary: Jean Craighead George decided to write this book in the 1st person point of view. That meant she had Sam tell the story. It was interesting reading the authors note because she said quote “There is no real Sam, except inside me” unquote. This book interested me because it was all about the woods and I really like to be up in the woods and hiking around the woods. This made a strong impact of how much I really liked the book. My overall evaluation of the book was a very good one because of how the author mixed him telling the story and then going to his journal pieces. The book would be good for other people who like nature and people who don’t like nature to read because it could influence the way they think or learn about nature.

Reviewed by John in 2007

Plot: The Robinsons were heading for Australia when the ship they were sailing on got ship wrecked and they were left behind. At first it seemed that they would have a lot of trouble surviving on the island until they find everything they need to live a good life. Showing incredible resourcefulness in adapting a utilizing the islands many resources. In their search for more resources they uncover large areas of land in which almost every conceivable terrain is found. A large amount of their provisions come from the ship wreck which they were able to salvage parts from.

Commentary: The Swiss Family Robinson was written almost two hundred years ago so the wording can be confusing at times and the characters knew a lot more about survival and how to identify plants and animals. What interested me most about the book was that it went into a lot of detail and that it is a survival story. The book goes through waves of how interesting it is, at some times the book is fast passed and at others it is really slows. The book was originally written by Johann to teach his four children morals and what things are really important in the world. In the book there are a lot of things that you wouldn’t find in Indonesia so the book is unrealistic in that aspect. Reviewed by Nathan in 2007