The Homework Machine by Bridgette Ganley

Summary of The Homework Machine By Dan Gutman
The book, “The Homework Machine” takes place at the Grand Canyon School in Arizona. The book itself is a series of interviews from the characters involved on the building, use and destruction of the Homework Machine. The main characters are Brenton Damagatchi, Judy Douglas, Sam Dawkins and Kelsey Donnelly. All are members of the D Squad in Miss Rasmussen’s fifth grade class. The story begins with Brenton building the Homework Machine to do his own homework. He tells Sam Dawkins also known as Snikwad about the machine one day at school. July over heard the conversation and ends up telling another classmate, Kelsey about the machine. Snick, called Brenton a Fake and A liar on the playground and Judy and Kelsey were telling Snick to back off, it was ten Brenton invited them over his house to see the Homework Machine. Soon after, it was doing all their homework, printing it in their own handwriting, as they hung out in Brenton’s room. Miss Rasmussen, begins to suspect something is going on as the D Squad is working on an A average, she found this odd since Kelsey and Sam were C students at best. As the story goes on, the D squad gives the Homework Machine a code name “Belch” so they could talk about it, without others knowing what it was. As Miss Rasmussen, moved them around to other groups and rumors started about the machine and the D squad being cheaters around school, they began to wonder if someone else knew about the machine. When Principle Wilson invited them to a meeting in his office, they decided to destroy the machine. They tried to delete the files, and then unplug it, but the machine would not let them. Finally they decided to throw it into the Grand Canyon using a catapult. When some hikers found what was left of a keyboard in the Canyon, Police Chief Rebecca Fish became involved; this scared the kids into confessing about the machine. There only punishment was to hike into the Grand Canyon on a hot summer day and clean up the mess.

Detailed Summary

The book, “The Homework Machine” takes place at the Grand Canyon School in Arizona. The book itself is a series of interviews from the characters involved on the building, use and destruction of the Homework Machine. The main characters are Brenton Damagatchi, Judy Douglas, Sam Dawkins and Kelsey Donnelly. All are members of the D Squad in Miss Rasmussen’s fifth grade class. The story begins with Brenton building the Homework Machine to do his own homework. He tells Sam Dawkins also known as Snikwad about the machine one day at school. July over heard the conversation and ends up telling another classmate, Kelsey about the machine. Snick, called Brenton a Fake and A liar on the playground and Judy and Kelsey were telling Snick to back off, it was ten Brenton invited them over his house to see the Homework Machine.
The D squad started spending time at Brenton’s house after school, so the machine could do their homework. Brentons Mom was happy he had made friends in school. After Miss Rasmussen, commented on their handwriting being similar, Brenton asked each of them for a sample of their handwriting, he scanned in the samples and changed the software so each of them would have their homework printed in their own handwriting. Brenton noticed that Snikwad was looking at a chess board on his desk, he asked him if he played, he responded that chess was for “Eggheads”. So Brenton explained that when you play chess you’re like a general with all kinds of soldiers at your command, then he showed him what each piece was and how it moved around the board. After they were finished discussing chess, Judy brought up the idea of a code word for the Homework Machine, as they were talking Snick let out a loud burp. After hearing that, Brenton suggested using the name Belch as the code name. Snikwad started to play chess with his dad and began to learn the game. In January his dad was sent overseas as a member of the US Air Force.
The D Squad was using Belch every day to do their homework and each was working on an A average. Sam and his dad were now playing chess over email and using a website other soldiers were using to play. Police Chief Rebecca Fish received and anonymous phone call about a machine that did kids homework automatically. After looking into the call, she felt it was a prank. The next day Snikwad was in the boys room when he noticed someone wrote D squad are cheaters, he quickly scribbled over it, but didn’t know if anyone else saw it. Miss Rasmussen, began to think something was going on with the D Squad, they were all working on an A average, which she believed Brenton and Julie were capable of, but not Sam and Julie. So Brenton changed the software, so it would make mistakes randomly on Kelsey and Snick’s homework.
Soon after someone tried to break into Brenton’s house, so he gave the computer to Snick for safe keeping. The next day, Miss Rasmussen gave the class a surprise test to find out if the cheating rumors were true. She planned to take the results to Principle Wilson. The day after the test, she learned that Sam’s father was killed in an ambush, on his military vehicle. Someone posed about the Homework machine in the school paper, the next day. After being invited to Principle Wilsons office the D squad was wondering who put the posing in the school paper about the homework machine, Brenton admitted he was the one who did it. It was then they decided to destroy the Homework machine. Brenton first tried to delete the files from the computer, but could not. Julie pulled the plug on the machine and it kept running. Sam told Brenton to stop fooling around and turn the machine off, but he wasn’t and couldn’t. They then decided to toss the Homework Machine into the Grand Canyon using a catapult. It threw the machine high in the air and out of site, smashing it on the Canyon floor. Hikers in the Canyon found what was left of a computer keyboard and called the Police, which is where Chief Rebecca Fish get’s involved. Principle Wilson called Miss Rasmussen, with the news that a keyboard was found in the canyon. After speaking with the police, all the kids were called into Police Chief Rebecca Fish’s office. Being called in scared them and they all confessed. Their punishment was to hike down into the Grand Canyon, on a hot summer day and clean up what was left of the Homework Machine.

Summary of Characters

"The Homework Machine" takes place in Grand Canyon, Arizona. The story is told through the eyes of Sam Dawkins, Judy Douglas, Kelsey Donnely, and Brenton Damagatchi, four 5th graders at Grand Canyon School. Despite their many differences, the four students, called the D squad, form a friendship as they struggle to keep the homework machine, nicknamed Belch, a secret. Brenton Damagatchi, was the creator and destroyer of the homework machine. Brenton was a genius and invented Belch, so that he would have more time for his other interests. Brenton had no friends and was considered a dork among his classmates. All of this began to change when Brenton accidentally told Sam that he spent no time doing homework because he had a machine to do it for him. Sam Dawkins, called Snik, is the new kid in school. Everyone thinks he was kicked out of his old school because he refused to get a haircut. The truth was, his dad was in the air force and was assigned to a base in Arizona. Sam's dad is sent overseas and is killed in the war. Sam was anti-homework and it was him who convinced Brenton to let all of the D squad use the homework machine. Judy Douglas was known as a teacher's pet. She enjoyed school and even liked doing homework. Judy worked very hard to get good grades, and was in awe of Brenton's intelligence and that it seemed he never had to try. When she overheard Brenton and Sam talking about the homework machine, she decided that if it did exist, she wanted to see it too. Judy told Kelsey about what she had heard. Kelsey Donnely was a slacker with pink hair. She copied Brenton's work in class and only did homework to pass and not have to repeat a grade. According to Kelsey, Brenton was a genius-dork and if anyone could invent a machine to do homework, it would be him. Without the homework machine, the D squad would have never became friends. Nobody thought Brenton was cool enough to hang out with. Good friends help you become a better student by adjusting your education with just a little help after school. Some kids, the D squad, get to use a machine to do their homework for them. Someone or something doing your homework for you won't make you smarter. You may lack on skills that classmates have mastered.

Summary by Sierra May

"The Homework Machine", written by Dan Gutman , is a story about a 5th grader who invented a homework machine because he wanted something to do his school work for him. Brenton Damagatchi, the creator of the machine, wanted to prove to specific classmates, Judy Douglas, Kelsey Donnely, and Sam Dawkins, that he truly made such a machine. One day after school, Brenton invited his friends, nicknamed the D squad, over to see if the machine was real. Brenton then started out with a simple question and slid the paper into the scanner. He sat at the keyboard and typed some stuff into the computer. Seconds after, the printer starting making noise, then a paper popped out of the printer. The paper said: 2+2=4. The D squad wasn't impressed at first, so Brenton slid his science homework in from that night to prove that it could do more than simple questions. Once the D squad saw the correct answers, they were impressed. Not only did the machine provide the correct answers, it printed out in Brenton's handwriting. From that day on, the D squad would meet at Brenton's house and have the machine do their homework. As the school year came to an end, people started to become suspicious of the D squad. No one could believe that Judy("stuck up"), Kelsey("a loser"), Snik("cool"), and Brenton("genius") were friends all turning in perfect homework. Rumors soon started claiming the D squad were cheaters using a homework machine to complete their assignments for them. The D squad had made a pact to keep "Belch", the homework machine, a secret, but it seemed that one of them leaked the information. After a break in at Brenton's house, a pop test in class that only Brenton got a 100 on, and following the death of Snik's dad, the D squad called an emergency meeting. They soon discovered that Brenton was the one who had leaked the information about Belch. All four kids decided they needed to get rid of the homework machine, and they would do this by throwing it into the Grand Canyon. Several hikers found the remains of the computer and contacted the local police. The news eventually made its way back to the school and the D squad was brought in and questioned by the police. The truth came out and the children admitted to having a homework machine. As punishment, the D squad had to go down into the Grand Canyon to collect the pieces of Belch. Although it was summer vacation and there was no more homework or homework machine, the D squad continued their new found friendship.

book review by Anzhela Page

The Island of the Blue Dolphins, written by Scott O'Dell, is based on a true story. It is about an Indian girl named Karana who is left behind when her tribe leaves the island and she then survives alone on the island for eighteen years. While on the island, she hunts for food, builds shelter, makes clothing, and finally makes friends with the wild dogs even though they killed her brother. The story ends when a ship sailed by Captain Nidever and Father Gonzales arrives and brings her to Santa Barbara Mission in California. I recommend this book because it tells about survival and personal discovery. Plus, it is full of unusual adventure and natural beauty. This book would be best for readers nine years old and up.

Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Guy Montag was a great fireman! He loved burning books. He loved the smell of ash floating up into the air. He loved the smell of kerosene. He lives in modern-day U.S.A. where books are the enemy. He loved his job until a 17-year-old teenager named Clarisse McClellan showed up. She wasn't like everyone else. She stopped to smell flowers and rub dandelions under her chin. Oh yes, she was not like everyone else. Montag started to ponder the idea of why firemen burn books. So, one night when they were burning down a house, Montag secretly took a couple. Although, he was not expecting his wife to drop to the floor in horror. Later, that night Montag started to read one of them. He didn't know what the words meant, at first, but later, he understood. He wasn't used to thinking. Guy Montag called his friend Faber over, and they had a little talk. They both liked books. Suddenly, Guy Montag knew what he would have to do. If he wanted books, he would have to become a criminal and run for his life.

Invasion of the Road Weenies By: David Lubar

Invasion of the Road Weenies is a book of adventure and mystery. It's filled with mysterious and action-packed tales of suspense.Here's a small snip-it of one of the stories. Town joggers who never smile but only look ahead keep everything from going blurry on people. People just don't take the time to see how beautiful their surroundings are. When the joggers are not allowed to jog, the world turns blurry. With these joggers running, things go back into focus. Seeing is more than believing. The story I just summarized for you was actually one of the more complicated stories in the book. I like this book because it has many wild and wacky stories. This is a pretty advanced book, so I recomend it for ages 9-15.

The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies By: David Lubar

Wow! This book is nothing less than perfection! This book doesn't just have one story; it has many short stories. Out of all the magnificent stories my favorite is "The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies." In the stories two kids, Dallas and Alonso, have a competition to see who can eat the hottest peppers. After the last few peppers, they both run screaming to the bathroom! There were no winners.
Most of the stories in this book involve mystery or horror. The characters are mostly kids and some grown-ups. I like these stories because David Lubar has the ability to make fun and imaginative stories. I was too engrossed in this book to notice anything besides it. You should read it!

Review of Beezus and Ramona by Anzhela Page

"Beezus and Ramona", written by Beverly Cleary, is a realistic fiction story that shows how important being patient is. It is funny, and it also teaches a lesson about what love really is.
Beezus, a nine-year old girl, sometimes loves and sometimes dislikes her four-year old sister, Ramona. Beezus feels angry when her sister is being obnoxious like when she bites every apple in the box and makes silly noises all the time. Beezus loves her sister when she is nice and loving. On Beezus's tenth birthday, Ramona spoils the party by putting her doll in the baking cake and putting eggshells into the batter. After talking to her mom and Aunt Beatrice, Beezus realizes that she doesn't have to love Ramona every minute. Sometimes it's O.K. not to like her. That's just the way it is with sisters!
I give this book five stars because it teaches you to be patient with your sister. It is very fun to read and will definitely make you laugh. So, would you read this book?

Review of A Good Night for Ghosts by Anzhela Page

Wooo! A Good Night for Ghosts, a Magic Tree House book written by Mary Pope Osborne, will give you the heebie-jeebies. Jack and Annie, the main characters, spin into a spooky adventure. They land in New Orleans in 1915 on the eve of All Saint's Day. Their mission is to help Louis Armstrong, also known as Dipper, give his musical gifts to the world. The mission is not easy because of frightening moments with ghosts and keeping Dipper on track. In the end, Dipper shares his musical talent with people all around.
This story is truly magical. Mary Pope Osborne helps the reader imagine being in New Orleans with the King of Jazz. I recommend all you people out there read this fantastic book!

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever

The book Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney is about a boy named Greg Heffley, who is a kid in middle school in suburban community. This book is written in the style of a diary. This book is fiction, but it could be based on some real- life experiences of the author.
Most people enjoy the holidays, but Greg doesn't. When the holidays are coming you have to be on your best behavior. Unfortunately, he can barely survive seven days of being on your best manners, but that's not the main problem. When Greg and his friend Rowley Jefferson walk to school everyday, a kid they call Nasty Pants chases them with a stick the size of a tree. They told their parents and their parents trudged over to Nasty Pants' house. They were surprised to find a kid much younger then their kids!
A little bit later at his house there's a big snowstorm, and they get at least three feet of snow! Since they're snowed in, they have to ration their food. Later the power goes out, or does it? Greg goes to the circut breaker and finds all the switches off, except the one to Manny's room, (his younger brother). When his mom and he went to Manny's room, they found Many with all the heat and all the lights on.
Every year their school has a fundraiser to get money for the school. They sell the chicken drumstick brand called Drummies for quite a bit of money. When Greg finds out at the store you can get them for less money and attemps to expose the school,they aren't too happy.
I can't tell you the rest of the story so, why don't you just read the book. I bet you'll think it's outstanding, because it's humorous and like everyday life. The drawings are fantastic, because the author puts time into drawing them.

Charlotte's Web

This is a story about a pig that was going to be ChristMas dinner. When 8 year old Fern learnd what her father is going to do, she convinces him to spare the pigs'life.Ferns dad agreed to this,but Fern had to take care of Wilbur the pig. Fern is very exited because she enjoys feeding him, giving him water,and cleaning his cage.Wilbur gets bigger and he is moved out to the barnyard with the other animals.Wilbur got very lonely because Fern was at school but she is usally sitting on the stool watching Wilbur.

After Wilbur escapted, the next day he tried hard to become friends with sonme of the farm animals, but they weren't interested in playing with him. Out of desperation, he befriended the rat named Templeton. Templeton was not interested in Wilbur, but was definitely interested in Wilbur's food. While Wilbur was sleeping, one of the animals talked to him. He was so excited to meet this new friend.

Charlotte is a spider and Wilbur and Charlotte become fast friends. Time goes on and Wilbur gets bigger. Wilbur finds out that they are feeding him to fatten him up. They need to come up with a plan to save Wilbur.

The animals have a meeting and Charlotte worked through the night spinning a word in her web. Soon the word gets out that Wilbur is a special pig and is a miracle.They are off to the fair and Charlotte has to come up with a very special word for Wilbur. All the spinning makes Charlotte tired, but her spinning was a success. Unfortunately, she would not be returning to the barn and Wilbur was sad. Wilbur and Templeton were able to save Charlottes's egg sac and brought it back to the barn. Finally, Charlotte's babies were born and he is sad because Charlotte is gone. He names the spiders and he is so happy because they are a part of Charlotte.

Zoe Flick's book review of 100 CUPBOARDS by N. D. Wilson

In 100 Cupboards, Henry moves from Boston, Massachusetts to Henry, Kansas to his aunt's and uncle's because his parents died. He couldn't stand all the scratching and thumping on his bedroom wall. He peeled of the plaster and found 100 cupboards that lead to different places. Then, Henrietta, Henry's cousin, got lost in the cupboards. Henry did manage to find her, but they got a bit of a surprise when they got back.

I recommend this book because it's action-packed. It's also really suspenseful. Everyone likes an action-packed and suspenseful book, right?

Zoe Flick's book review of BUNNICULA by Deborah and James Howe

Have you ever heard of a fanged rabbit? Apparently, in Bunnicula, there is. When Pete, Toby, Mrs. and Mr. Monroe go to the movies, and Toby finds a bunny under his seat while watching Dracula,Chester, the cat, became suspicious. Chester decides to find out why all the vegetables are turning white.

My favorite part is when Chester takes Mr. Monroe's shaving towel, ties it around his neck, to look like a vampire and warn the family about the "dangers" of Bunnicula. He starts to growl and lie down like a .... well, like a thing.

I recommend this book to people who are up for a good mystery. I also rate this book a five star story. You actually might think that Bunnicula is really a vampire....

Maeve Flick's review of JUNIE B., FIRSTGRADER, ALOHA-HA-HA! by Barbara Park

JUNIE B., FIRST GRADER, ALOHA-HA-HA is about a girl who goes to Hawaii with her parents! Mr.Scary, her teacher, gives her a photo journal and a camera for her vacation. Lots of funny things happen like Junie's run in with two grouchy ladies on the plane!

I liked this story because it was funny. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a funny book!!!!!!

Maeve Flick's Review of A CHRISTMAS CAROL adapted by James Ponti

Once there was a man named Ebenezer Scrooge who goes on a life changing journey! He is a mean man for he lost his holiday spirit. Ebenezer met three ghosts-the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Future. The Ghost of Christmas Past showed his youth. The Ghost of Christmas Present showed whats going on now. The Ghost of Christmas Future showed his consequences! Will Mr.Scrooge change his attitude???


I recommend this book to people my age who like a great Christmas story! A Christmas Carol has happiness,sadness,and much more!!!!

Stink and the World's Worst Super Stinky Sneakers by Megan McDonald

GROSS ME OUT! STINK-O! SKUNKSVILLE!

Mrs. D took Stink Moody and the class on a field trip to the Gross-Me-Out exhibit at the science museum. He couldn't wait to see the Vomit Machine, the Burp-O-Meter, and the Musical Farts. When he got to the Everybody Stinks exhibit, Stink discovered that his nose had amazing sniffing abilities and he learned that some people have real jobs sniffing stuff for NASA! He got so involved in toilet water, corpse flowers, and all things smelly. Stink enjoyed Smelling and the kids gave him the title of "Best Smeller in the World".

At lunch, Mrs. D passed out flyers from the museum about a stinky sneaker contest. It was decided tthat Stinks sneakers were the smelliest. The day of the contest, Stink's friends ran up to him and said "there's no contest!" One of the judges caught a cold and could not smell right. Mrs.D asked Stink if he wanted to be a judge. Stink was intruduced to the other judges. He told them how he wanted to be a professional smeller. The judges sniffed all of the contestants stinky sneakers and Sophie won the Grand prize. Sophie won the Golden Clothespin Award and Stink asked Steve the professional smeller to sign his smelly sneaker.

After the contest, Stink's friends asked him how he got the name "Stink" anyway. His sister told them the story. When he was a baby, hia dad gave him the name Peanut and his sister was jealous because that used to be her name. She gave him the name Stink because of his dirty diapers. All his friends starting laughing. He went to bed that night dreaming about The Nose Moody soon to be Junior Sniffer.

THE END!

book review by Anzhela Page

HELP! I'M TRAPPED IN OBEDIENCE SCHOOL, written by Todd Strasser, is an entertaining story full of laughs. It is humorous because the author turns a human into a dog and a dog into a human. Plus, each chapter is more exciting and funnier to read than the last!
The main character, Jake Sherman, together with his friends Andy and Josh, accidentally press a button on a machine that turns Andy into a dog and the family dog, Lance, into a human. Andy now sticks out his tongue and pants, chases cats, and perks up his ears at lots of sounds. Meanwhile, Lance eats human food, watches TV, and walks upright. The boys need to keep the problem a secret and figure out how to switch them back. At the end of a tiring few days, the boys finally solve the problem and everyone is back to normal. Or are they?
In my opinion, HELP! I'M TRAPPED IN OBEDIENCE SCHOOL is a five star story. Everyone from the age of eight to one hundred will enjoy reading this bow-WOW book!