Student Book Review:


Little Women - classic

by: Louisa May Alcott

Review done by:

 Athena Trapalis
Grade 6
Van Antwerp Middle School
Niskayuna, NY

A great classic that I have read and enjoyed was Little Women . The book takes you through the life of the Alcott family. There are four sisters in the family, Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy and they live with their mother. The book is a very true book and the problems that these sisters go through could happen to any one. The book can get joyful, sad, happy, interesting and sad at times. It is one of those books that you need to have a box of tissues next to you throughout the whole book.
Some of the problems that the family had to deal with are sicknesses, deaths, giving up things to other people so they can have a better life, and many others. When Beth catches scarlet fever from a baby she was babysitting, her sister Jo gives up anything and everything to be with her and make sure she is doing okay. This part made you think how close these sisters had to be and even though times they didn't show it no matter what they would always be there for each other.
A joyous moment in the book was when Jo wrote a book and she entered it to be published and it did! Jo received money for this and she and the family were so happy. Jo never thought that she could get her book published and in the end she did, this just made her feel like a million dollars.
A part in the book that was interesting to read was when Amy went to France because her Aunt invited her. In France Amy had so much fun she did everything any kid would want to do. She visited different places in France and enjoyed her vacation a lot. This was interesting to read because after some sad times that were going on you really had a chance to see someone smile and laugh. Another example that shows that this family is close and will do anything and do everything for each other, was when Amy had to go home and find out about her sister Beth and her illness. This made me realize that no matter how mad I get at my sister she is my sister and I always need to be there for her.
A part in the book that I really liked was when Meg and Jo went to a ball and met Laurie. This was a part I really liked because Meg and Jo met some complications in getting ready and being at the ball. For instance Jo burnt Meg's hair in the beginning of getting ready and Meg had to go to the ball with some hair missing. Also Meg broke her ankle during the ball and they all had to leave early. This part also hit off the relasonship between Laurie and the Alcotts. But the events that happened during the ball are really fun to read and enjoy.
The book also teaches you life lessons that you will never forget. Some of these are family are more important than friends, sharing will always get you things in return, was never give up keep trying. Family is more important than friends is taught by when Amy gets sick and Jo gives up everything for her. Sharing will always get you things is taught from when the Alcotts give a poor family food on Christmas even though they are poor too. Never give up keep trying is taught by when Jo writes stories but some of them do not get published but she keeps writing until one of her stories gets published. I am sure you will never forget these lessons.
If you are a person who likes to read than Little Women is the book for you. You will not be able to put the book down and they will never be a boring part. Trust me this is a great book and if you read it you will totally agree with me!

Student Book Review:


Little Women -classic

by:Louisa May Alcott


Review done by:

 Marissa F.
Grade 6
Van Antwerp Middle School
Niskayuna, NY

The book Little Women was an excellent book. It had sad parts, happy parts, and exciting parts. This book had a lot of heart warming parts in it also. I would defiantly recommend this book to a good reader. This book also had some old language in it.
This story is about four sisters, Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth who have been raised by their mother because their father went off to war. Jo wants to be a writer, and she is very close to her sister Beth. Beth is very sick with scarlet fever. Beth has a 50% chance of dying and a 50% chance of living. Amy wanted to become a famous artist and go all over the world. Amy always wanted to be close to Jo, but Jo, was always helping her mother with Beth and writing her stories. One night Amy did a terrible thing. Amy took Jo's stories and burned them. This led into a huge fight. The girls father was in the army. He was out to war for three years The girls' mother had to raise them all by herself. Amy used to tell her mom that she always wanted to be close to Jo. Her mom then made Jo and Amy to do some chores together. Meg never wanted to be any one special. All she wanted to do was to be like her mom. Meg always wanted to be a housewife like her mom. She wanted to marry a rich man who would always take care of her. Meg and Amy were always very close. One time when Amy went to school her friend told on her for having a rubber band. When the teacher found out he took her in the front of the room and slapped her hands with a ruler. When Jo came to pick up Amy from school she found Amy crying and looking at her hands. This is one of the few incidents that brought Amy and Jo closer together.
The book Little Women was a really great book. If I could rate this book from 1-10 I would definitely give it a 10. The ending was so heart warming that it left me with tears in my eyes. This was a terrific book. If you need a book to read this would be a terrific book for you to read. The book Little Women had 564 pages and was written by a great author Louisa May Alcott. I recommend this book to you.

Student Book Review:


Little Women

-

classic

by: Louisa May Alcott


Review done by:
Alecia S.
Grade 7
Van Antwerp Middle School
Niskayuna, NY
As Mrs. March and her four daughters learn to live with their father/husband away. They encounter many adventures and as the time passed, the Mr. March's "little girls" turned into his "Little Women. " This classic was filled with happiness, sadness, laughter and many adventures.
Meg and, Jo the oldest of the four girls, went to a ball one night, and as they were getting ready, Jo realized she was burning Meg's hair. When she took the iron out of Meg's hair, a big piece fell off and had to put a barrette in her hair so no one could the big bald spot.
Jo, the tomboy of the family, found that reading and writing were her loves in life. As time went on, she wrote more pieces and she ended up with a great reward. She devoted all her time to writing and she got a newspaper article. One time, Jo went out and when she came home she found that her manuscript was burning in the fire. Amy was mad at Jo because she was going somewhere, and Jo wouldn't let her go. So, to get back at Jo, Amy put the manuscript that Jo had been working on forever in the fire thinking it would solving the problems between her and her sister making things only worse.
Beth was the middle March she was the one who loved animals and always tried to be happy no matter the circumstances. Beth was also the peacemaker of the family and wanted everyone to get along. She was always fragile and later they leaned that she was ill. As Beth became more ill the family got more worried about her. She got sicker and sicker every day and almost died but she pulled through. She was never the same Beth that everyone knew. She couldn't do a lot of physical activity and spent most of her time in the house. Beth loved to play the piano and the family couldn't afford the money for a grand piano but when the girls became friends with Mr.Lawernce Beth found that he had a grand piano. She played there every day and soon Mr.Lawernce found out how much she loved to play and gave her the piano.
Amy was the stubborn one in the family and she wouldn't listen to what anyone had to say. Her love was art, she loved to draw and was the youngest of the March family. Amy was always in a fight with someone and felt that she had to rank with the other girls in her class. One time Amy deiced to invite her art class to her house for a luncheon and since she couldn't afford to go out and buy the fancy food she tried to make the things that everyone else was eating and felt she had to be "up with the time." When Amy went to make the foods she found out it wasn't as easy as she thought.
Laurie the next door neighbor befriended the girls. Laurie's grandfather didn't let Laurie out of the house much and didn't have many friends until he met the Marches. Laurie was a rich upper classman and his Grandfather thought it was wrong to become friends with class men until he met the March's for himself and found out how you can be lower class and not be homeless or not as smart.
The most amazing part of this book is how the author put everything into order and made the story happen. This was an amazing book and I would recommend this to anyone who loves to read and loves to see just how well people can get along.

Student Book Review:


Little Women - classic

by: Louisa May Alcott


Review done by:

 Mary Grabicki
Grade 7
Van Antwerp Middle School
Niskayuna, NY

Little Women is a superb classic that I read. It was a book filled with many lessons and thoughts, some I have never yet experienced. This book is a warm classic that touched me very much. It took place in the late 1800's. This specific book is one of many that Louisa May Alcott has written and it is a tremendous one. I thought it wouldn't be good, but surprisingly it turned my whole view of this book around. It was not very difficult. But is was a fun one to read. This was one of the first classics I read and now I continue on reading many more classics.
This book is about four young ladies who all grow up to become wonderful young women. And through their time together they experience love, compassion and share feelings that only sisters can share. This book is about how four sisters progress through there life and learn very many things about it. The sisters' names from oldest to youngest are Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March. They share feelings throughout the book and experience great times together. Sometimes they quarrel, but they have learned to forgive each other. A man, Laurie Laurence who was their neighbor and who lived with his grandfather Mr. Laurence were very kind to the March's. They provided them with everything that they needed. But even as neighbors, they share heart filled times with the March's. When the sisters' grow up, sure, they are changed women, but their hearts do not change. Though Meg got married and moved away it was just down the road from her family. She moved there because she wanted to stay in touch with her family. I believe that that was a true meaning of love.
A surprising part of the book was when Jo and Laurie, who were very good friends went to go ice skating. Then, Jo and Amy had a fight. Amy was very jealous of her sister, because she really liked Laurie. So she had tagged along behind her sister. When Laurie and Jo were not looking, she went upon the ice. Unfortunately she did not see the thin ice sign. And at a moments notice she had fallen through the ice. Not even being able to finish her scream she was under water. Jo realizing whose scream that was ran straight to it. Seeing the hole in the water, she ran as fast as she could to Amy. Bending down on the thicker ice she screamed to Laurie to grab a long stick as she sat there on her knees sobbing. Finally they got her out and put their coats around her. Then they all walked home in a deadly silence. That part had an affect on me because though Jo was in fight with her sister she put her sister's life before hers. But just in the minute that Amy had fallen through the ice, Jo knew that her sister was in serious trouble. So, she had forgotten about her worries and went straight to her sister. I feel that the love from that scene was very touching. But even though many parts of the book had touched me some parts were also funny and exciting.
This book was a classic that will touch the lives of many. It was not really that adventurous of a book, and did not always keep me on the edge of my seat, but I enjoyed reading it because it was a very detailed book filled with fun scenes that I could easily understand. I understood every word that was in the book because it was explained very well. This book is one that as soon as I started it, I could not put down. Every chapter held my interest. This book is very long and just might not hold the interest of some people who don't read long books. So,
I would recommend it to good readers who enjoy good classics. And all I can say is that Little Women is a book that I would highly recommend. Just you read it too, and you will be one satisfied reader.

Student Book Review:


Little Women

by: Louisa May Alcott


Review done by:

 Vanessa Sarfoh
Grade 7
Van Antwerp Middle School
Niskayuna, NY

Little Women is a timeless classic about the struggles and triumphs that a poor family of four girls in the 1800's has to go through. The girls have fights with each other as sisters do, but they still love each other very much. They each endeavor incidents in their life that make them learn from their mistakes. While their father is away at war, the girls and their dear beloved "Marmee" (as they call her) have to do what ever they can to remain happy and content with what they have. This remains the major obstacle for the whole family throughout the book.
The four March girls each have their own gifts, and their own obstacles to surpass, which they try to overcome. Meg is said to be the prettiest one and is the oldest. She tries to help out Marmee, by taking charge of the younger girls, but at times has problems knowing that she cannot be as wealthy as some of the "other girls." Jo is the strong one of the family and a constant writer. Her biggest flaw is her quick temper which at times seems impossible to overcome. Amy is a wonderful artist, but like her elder sister, she is never quite content with what she has. She always has the need to feel that she needs more than she can have, and at times seems quite ungrateful. Beth is the one of the family that everybody treasures. She is a frail child and quite a sweet little girl, who is always quite content with what she has. She is the one of the family whom no one finds fault with. Her one hope is that her sisters will get the best of life and accomplish their dreams. Unfortunately she doesn't get to see the wonderful outcomes of each of her sisters.
The book starts out with just the four March sister and their mother who are alone in the house, since their father happens to be away at war. Their mother does her best to help each of the girls overcome their biggest flaws. She holds up the family and keeps everyone strong in their times of need and frustration. It is in this way that the March family is able to hold strong onto each other.
At a dance, Jo happens to meet their next door neighbor Laurie. It is after this moment that the girls develop a long lasting relationship with Laurie. He is a smart, wealthy, pleasurable boy, who is a big cheer up to the girls (especially Jo). A real family is one thing that he doesn't have, since money cannot buy a family. Jo and him in particular developed a close relationship. Laurie delights in seeing each of the March girls, so that he can get of the boring house with his grandfather, Mr. Laurence. The two families become very close and help each other out in their times of need. One example of this is that when Laurie meets Meg at a dance, he realizes that she is not being herself. She is quite flirtatious and is dressed up in clothes that make her a disgrace to her family. When he approaches her and tells her this, although she is quite upset, she does realize her mistake. It is after this that Meg realizes that wealth isn't important in life as much as family. In Laurie's case, due to unfortunate circumstances, he has no family except for his grandpa. The girls take him in though as if they were always family and treat him like a brother. Mrs. March rather like this boy, and does treat him as if he were her son.
In the book each of the girls have their own things that they want to accomplish in life. Jo, a famous writer, Amy a painter, Meg a mother, and Beth, their moral support. The turn out is quite interesting for each of the girls.
I would recommend this book to people who have an open mind about reading. If you are the type of person who likes reading adventure and mystery books, this is not a book for you. This book deals with the issue of how families have to stay together through the worst times. This is a book that I would recommend to people who like to read a lot, because it is about five-hundred plus pages long. It is on a higher reading level, but it is a great book to read.
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