Member's August Read/Ruby's

Ruby’s August Read

Title: The Gecko & Sticky: Villain’s Lair/1

Author: Van Draanen, Wendelin

Summary:

            This is a story about an adventure of a thirteen-year-old boy and a talking gecko lizard.

            One day, Dave, a little boy had saved a gecko from the clutches of a neighbor’s cat, and found out it was a talking gecko. The gecko who named “Sticky” recovered from an ancient Aztec treasure hidden for hundreds of years in the folds of a secret cavern was a wristband. But the power band had to combine with shiny notched coins then appeared the magic power just like invisibility, lightning speed, super-strength…that sort of thing.

            Those magic coins are in the hand of a treasure hunter, who had promised Sticky the life of a king if he could bring the power band and the ingots out of the cavern. But in the end, he had betrayed Sticky. So Dave helped Sticky go to a spooky mansion where the evil hunter lived.

            Finally, the police caught Damien Black (the treasure hunter) and kept him as a prisoner. Dave got all the magic coins, of course.

            “School is your job and your only job, son. Prove yourself at this one and you’ll be a rich executive someday!”

Ruby’s View and Impression:

            The character in this story is very smart, brave, cool-minded, and calm. The author’s capability to get readers engaged by her imaginative writing style impressed Ruby the most. She was able to engage herself in reading so intensely that she didn’t have time to spare to check dictionary for new words in the book.

            The most challenge Ruby ran into reading this series is the vocabulary the author chose: the words are new to Ruby. But, it wouldn’t deprive her of joy of reading this series. Ruby would go on reading Ms. Van Draanen’s books and, meanwhile, she would like to try the fairy series written by Ms. Meadow for they might be easier for her.

            The word “disguise” is the one that impressed and stayed with Ruby after finishing this book. At the meeting we learned this new word “disguise” that means camouflage. Thanks, Ruby.

            Good work, Ruby. Read on!!!!