Review 1: 1 Rock Star Blues is a novel written by Henry Anderson and published by Peachtree Press for young readers. This story
focuses on the life of a teenager named Charlie, who is musically talented beyond his years. His country singer uncle persuades him to pursue his dreams of singing and playing the guitar, despite his young age and busy school schedule. Charlie’s parents are less than pleased with his new plans. They feel that he should put his music career on hold and focus on his studies instead. Meanwhile, Uncle Frank takes Charlie to a music festival in a neighboring town without his parents’ permission. Charlie wins a ribbon, but he fails to study for a math quiz. Charlie’s love interest, class president Cassie Miller, enjoys his music just as much as everyone else at Big Rock Middle School—but she is not a fan of failing quiz scores. Anderson has a winner with Rock Star Blues. The cover art is simple, yet striking. The story line speaks to early teens and humorously reflects middle school life. Some of the secondary characters seem a bit underdeveloped. Overall, Rock Star Blues is a genuine coming-of-age story with many important life lessons as Charlie learns to follow his dreams while staying true to himself and focusing on what is important in life. Review 2: 2 I LOVED this book! My name is Jim and I’m a thirteen-year-old boy who can relate to Charlie’s character and many of the secondary characters in the book. I also love to play the guitar and sing. It’s super hard for me to get all of my school work done, go to basketball practice, and still have time to play the guitar. My Aunt Judy got me a gift card to the bookstore for my birthday and when I saw the cover of Rock Star Blues, I knew it was the perfect book for me. I thought the way the author wrote about Charlie’s feelings when he plays and sings was so real and so true—he really knows how a teenage boy thinks! Although, I would have liked to know what happened to Charlie after he made his decision. Rock Star Blues showed me that while school work is really important, I can still be whatever I want to be if I stay focused and work really hard. Read the passage on the left to answer the following questions: 10) These two book reviews differ because they are written by two different types of people. While the second review is written by a thirteen-year-old boy, the first review A) seems to be written by a child. B) seems to be written by an adult. C) seems to be written by a guitar player. D) seems to be written by a basketball coach 12) How do these two reviews differ in terms of their point of view? A) One review is in first person and another is in third person. B) Both reviews have the exact same point of view; they both dislike the book. C) One review is written from a critic's viewpoint, the other from a teenager's. D) Both of the reviews condemn the book for different flaws in its development. 13) The first reviewer does not appear to be as impressed with the book as the second reviewer. Which is a logical reason the author of the first review is not as excited about the book? A) The reviewer does not like country music. B) The reviewer does not want to offend the reader. C) The reviewer does not feel that the book is long enough. D) The reviewer does not feel a connection to a character in the book.
Organs are organised into organ systems. An organ system is a group of organs that work together to do a job. The circulatory system includes the heart, veins and arteries. Its function is to transport substances in the blood, around the body.
