The Avatar Battle book two by Chad Morris: reading report two

         In this book I didn't like how not much seemed to be happening in it.  The characters spend a lot of there time working on solving a question their grandpa had given them.  I thought that they should have probably been more focused on how to stop the evil villain, Muns.  Throughout the book the characters were caught pondering about the question, or worrying about Muns revenge he had on them.  Muns also sent them videos that were probably meant to make the characters afraid.  The videos gave the characters an idea that he was going to attack again, and he also compared himself attacking to a game of chess.  He said that a famous chess player was playing a game of chess with another man.  He let the man capture all his important chess pieces before he made his major moves.  The man then took over the game and played checkmate on the other man.  I thought it was kind of stupid how Muns kind of told his evil plan.  Muns attacked a couple of times, but only with small attacks.  That was how you knew that something big was coming.  So you'd think that the characters would be a bit more concerned than they were.  Maybe it was because the characters didn't know what to do to defend themselves because they didn't know what Muns would do.  Even so, the author didn't get that across very well.
          I still thought that the book had many good surprises.  It was interesting to learn the secret about Dr. Mackleprank, but I'm not going to tell you just in case you read the book.  It was a good book overall, and out of five stars I'd probably rate it a three point seventy five.  It's a book that I'd recommend, but not as much as I'd recommend Fable Haven.
           I also thought some of the classes they had in the school were kind of funny.  I mean the author makes it sound cool, but it seemed kind of dumb in a way.  For example one of the classes was a class where you could control avatar, an animal avatar.  In this class who learned how to control robot animals in their natural habitats that they had recreated for the robots.  So you got to learn how to be a animal and about the animal.  Which I thought was strange.  I mean who'd want to learn how to be an animal?
           The second book hints that there will be a third book.  I know it sounds like I really disliked this book, but I really did like it. There was just a lot I noticed that was not well explained. I'll look forward to the third book coming out.

The Avatar Battle book two by Chad Morris

          This story begins with the characters of the book worrying.  Worrying about when Mins (an evil man who kidnapped Abby and Derick's grandpa in the first book, and he also endangered the lives of their parents) would return for his revenge.  Around lunch time Abby, Derick, and their friend Carol each receive a message from Min on their rings.  Note that this book takes place in a time with more advanced technology and a ring can be used like a phone, computer, email, etc.  The message avows that they shouldn't be helping, and that the adults should handle their problems.  Also in Abby's message Mins asks her to give him the keys to a time machine.  He claims that if she gives him the three keys he will let her choose a date in time, so that he can fix the tragedy (like the titanic).
          Abby's grandpa asserts that without tragedies we couldn't learn from our mistakes and we'd just make more problems by changing time.  It would also prevent certain people from existing anymore and new ones appearing, because people would have different families.
          Mins uses a device of his to break through the time machine's shield for a few seconds to send two of his men in.  Luckily they are stopped before they change anything in time.  Though the characters believe their battle's over I don't think it is.  I predict that Mins used that plan as a distraction and that they were supposed to capture his assistants.  I think that he has an even bigger plan, one that will almost destroy time and ruin lives.
         Chad Morris writes with pretty simple words.  The book isn't really easy of hard to read.  I don't think much of his writing, and he keeps his book interesting for the most part.  Although it would be even better if he made it more intense or used big words, like Brandon Mull.  Though it can be nice to have something different from other fiction books.

Martin Luther King Jr.

             Every year America celebrates a special day, Martin Luther King Jr day.  Martin Luther King Jr  was an African American man who stood up for the African Americans when they were being treated unfair, unequal.  He gave many speeches about how everyone is equal, and how no one should be treated unfairly.
             Unfortunately he and others were still treated wrong.  Later, the African Americans were treated correctly, and we made this holiday to honor him.

In the eye of the Storm by John H. Groberg

                After awhile Elder Groberg is called to serve in Ha'apai, Tonga.  It was interesting to see the differences in the two different islands all said to be combined into one called Tonga.  It seemed like the people in Ha'apai had a little more stuff (since Tongans don't really have money) than the people on Niuapotupatu, Tonga.  Instead of just staying in one general area, he had to sail to all the different islands of Ha'apai, Tonga. He had many cool and interesting experiences there too.
              I did notice that not all the scenes in the movie are in the book.  The book has more in it than the movie, but like I said, it still doesn't contain all the scenes that are in the movie.  It made me wonder why, and I wished the book did have those things in it.  I also noticed that chapter one is different from the rest of the book.
              In chapter one it talks about a time when he's at sea and a bad storm strikes.  The ship overturns and he and the rest of the crew is thrown overboard.  Its then that his companions and him have to swim back to dry land, when their miles away from it.  As far as I remember I don't think it told when this event took place.  Then after the chapter, chapter two begins and its labeled the beginning.  I didn't like that I didn't know when this event took place.  I thought it was supposed to be kind of like a prologue and that it would probably be repeated later in the story.  The thing was that it wasn't and that one (as far as I know) event was out of chronological order.
              In the end of the book Elder Groberg says he met up with Jean after he served his mission, and was later married to her.  They were married in the Los Angeles Temple on September 6, 1957.
              I loved this book and out of a rating of four stars, I'd rate it four stars.  I learned many more things about the Tongan culture, and the author did a great job keeping up your interests in the story.  There weren't many or any parts that bore you.

In the eye of the Storm by John H. Groberg

              I noticed that in this book the author shares a lot of the thoughts and feelings that he had on his mission.  I thought that these thoughts that he shared helped me to better understand the situation of things and what was happening.  I liked that I can see how he really felt, because in the movie you can't tell what he's thinking about or what exactly he's feeling.
             He started out the story with a little about when he grew up (the Great Depression and World War Two), and since I know he's still alive it made me think how that wasn't so long ago after all.  Then he talked a little about high school and how he met Jean Sabin (his future wife) on his first date (it was a blind date).
            After that it proceeds to tell about when he got his mission call.  He says that when he herd he was going to Tonga he didn't even know where that was.  Before he left he and Jean promised that they wouldn't get married to anyone until he returned from his mission.
             It took three months for him to make it to Tonga, due to complications on the trip.  The complications allowed him to serve in the Orange District in California for awhile before he caught a boat to America Samoa.  Then he sailed to Fiji, and finally to Tonga.
              Elder Groberg was sent to serve on the island (there's one hundred seventy one islands) Niuatoputapu, Tonga.  He enjoyed many wonderful spiritual experiences there.
              In one experience a Tongan father came to Elder Groberg carrying the limp body of his son.  Elder Groberg looked down at the child and announced that he was dead.  Then the father said, "I don't know if he's dead or not but I know that you help him".
                So Elder Groberg took the boy into his house and began a form of CPR.  He did this for about a day and a half to two days (and nights) straight.  Eventually the boy woke, and Elder Groberg gave him back to his father.
               Something that the Tongans did for special occasions was that one family had to furnish a pig.  So they would let out a couple pigs out of their pig pen, and a group of men and boys would chase after a certain pig.  When they got to the pig they'd beat it up with machetes, clubs, stones, and sticks until it drew its last breathe.  Then they would fry it up for dinner.
               I really enjoyed the many fun stories that Elder Groberg tells from his mission.  They are all unique and interesting.  They show a great example of a different culture.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

             Captain Nemo shows the professor the rest of his ship and then disappears for a few days before inviting them to go hunting.  With Nemo's advanced technology they use diving suits to travel down into the depths of the ocean.  Each man has a gun that shoots out glass bullets, which I thought was interesting.  I mean glass, its a lot more breakable than lead.  They travel through the forest of coral and on there way back to the ship Nemo shoots a sea otter.  Again the captain disappears for a while and the three men are left to themselves.
              One day they get caught on a reef and have to wait till the tide rises in five days.  The professor asks Captain Nemo if Conseil, Ned, and him can go hunting on land.  From the beginning Nemo vowed that he'd never return to land again, so the professor is surprised when the captain says yes.
              The three men take a small boat up to the island full of cannibals (which they already know) in hopes of food that's not from the sea, and Ned strongly hopes they can escape.  They find lots of fruit and kill a wild boar.  They roast it and begin to eat it when arrows and stones come flying at them.  They run to the boat as cannibals come after them.
              Later after the tide rises and they leave the island the captain tells the professor that he has to lock them up again.  So he locks them up and drugs their food, so they fall asleep.  When the professor awakes he's in his cabin again and the door is unlocked for him.  The captain comes up to him and asks him if he's a doctor.  He says yes, and is brought to do treatment on a wounded crew mate.  Sadly, the crew mate is beyond help and later dies.
              The captain, his crew, and the three men bury the dead man and have a funeral for him at the bottom of the sea.  The professor knows that what happened to that guy was related to the events of the other day, and that to keep secrets from him the captain had to drug them.
               I think that this book is an easy read but overall its pretty interesting.  The one thing I don't like about it is that it has pictures for every other page.  It just kind of annoying and makes it a little embarrassing to read.  Someone told me that because its and old book it has lots of pictures in it.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

          I really like how the story's going so far.  Jules Verne, the author, can somehow make the story really interesting.  So far in the book Professor Aronnax (the main person) has decided to take his journey out to the sea to study the mysterious sea creature that's destroying ships.  So he boards the fastest ship in the U.S. Navy.  The captain, Commander Farragut, is positive that his crew will be able to find and destroy the mysterious sea creature.  They identify the creature as a giant narwhal, even though they aren't sure what it is.  One other main character is Ned Land.  He's the most valuable man on the ship because he's an has good eyes, and is extremely good at harpooning whales.
          After a long while at sea they decide to turn back in three days if they don't find the monster.  The author claims that the captain promised this on November second, so they'd turn back November fifth if there was still no sign of the Narwhal.  Suddenly they see the Narwhal and it starting climbing onto the ship.  The crew shot cannons and Ned tried to harpoon it, but they just bounced off the creature harmlessly.
          Professor Aronnax leans over the rail to look at Ned throwing the harpoon and he tumbles into the sea.  Conseil jumps in to save in and the ship is washed away.  Conseil claims its his job to protect the professor and starts swimming while holding the professor.  Soon the professor passes out and when he wakes up he finds that he's on the back of the Narwhal with Conseil and Ned.
           They figure out the creature is a submarine and are taken prisoner below deck.  The captain of the submarine (captain Nemo) tells them that he won't kill them, but that they will have to forever stay so no one knows his secret.  He says they can roam wherever they want to and invites the professor to explore the sea with him.
           One thing that I thought was cool about the way Jules wrote, was that he put dates in his book to make it seem real.  It worked too, because at first I thought it was a true story.  I think I'll enjoy the rest of the story and predict that Ned, Conseil, and the professed will escape.