  | Sound Bender Author: Oliver, Lin | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
After their parents die, Leo and his brother live with a wealthy step-uncle, and when Leo acquires the ability to hear sounds from the past, he tries to use the skill to rescue a dolphin.
| Added Entry - Personal Name: | Baker, Theo |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.90 Points: 9.0 Quiz: 147582 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 6-8 Reading Level: 4.50 Points: 16.0 Quiz: 53949 | |
Common Core Standards
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Rang
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Rang
Grade 6 → Reading → RL Literature → 6.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 6 → Reading → CCR College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards fo
Grade 7 → Reading → RL Literature → 7.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 7 → Reading → RL Literature → 7.RL Range of Reading & LEvel of Text Complexity
Grade 7 → Reading → RL Literature → 7.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 8 → Reading → RL Literature → 8.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 8 → Reading → RL Literature → 8.RL Craft & Structure
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (-) (10/01/11)
School Library Journal (01/01/12)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 01/01/2012 Gr 4–7—After Leo Lomax's parents die in a plane crash in Antarctica, he is sent to live with a rich and peculiar stepuncle in Brooklyn. Not long after his arrival, Leo turns 13 and receives a mysterious package from his deceased father detailing his origins. He was born not in Manhattan but on an island of undiscovered people who communicated through song near Papua New Guinea. The village holy man named him Sound Bender. After this mysterious note, he discovers that when touching emotionally charged objects, he can hear the memories embedded in them. Leo's uncle deals in priceless artifacts, and when the boy discovers what looks like a horrific torture device, he is given a painful vision and knows he must discover how to right a wrong. Sound Bender is based on an interesting premise, but falls short in its execution. The pacing is askew, and early on a lot of time is spent on character development and backstory, leaving the quest and adventure part feeling rushed and unsatisfying. A number of the characters working for Leo's uncle are obviously of Russian or Eastern European descent, and the Cold War-esque portrayal of them could be read as culturally insensitive. Nevertheless, Baker's writing style is extremely approachable and readable.—Devin Burritt, Jackson Memorial Library, Tenants Harbor, ME - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
