Upload
will-keddie
View
223
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
A range of book reviews completed by some Literacy Ambassadors from Langley School, Solihull.
Citation preview
Langley Literacy
Ambassadors
Book Reviews
2011-2012
Contributors: Sofie Andrews, Emily Bache and
Iona Cameron.
Entangled Cat Clarke
17 year old Grace wakes up in a white room with nothing
but a desk paper and pens, and no recollection of how she
got there. Her kidnapper Ethan, is not the stereotypical
kidnapper, he gives her nice food and a respectable room to
stay in. Grace is told to write the story of her tangled life,
she remembers falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous
Nat, and her relationship with her best friend Sal. She
remembers everything from her dads suicide to her mother’s
endless trips away from home. But there is something
missing, there has always been something missing, but
what?
At first I thought that Entangled would be very deep and philosophical. But in fact it is
about the very difficult life of Grace, and all her troubles.
For me toward the start I didn’t feel a connection to Grace at all, I just thought she was a
really messed-up teenage girl who self harmed and got drunk allot. But as the story
progressed I felt that I was able to relate more to her more, at some points I felt that I
wanted to scream at her, at other points I wanted to cry for her. The other characters in
the novel all have their different perks, and are perfectly formed, without any details left
out. All accept the character of Ethan (her kidnapper) I felt that I didn’t really ever know
who he was, even in the end, which left me really puzzled.
The thing that slightly annoyed me was the switches between Grace writing her life story
and what was actually happening in the white room, It got to a really exciting bit in Graces
life with loads of unanswered questions, then it suddenly changed to what was happening
in the white room. When the story came back to the exciting bit in the life of Grace, it
didn’t quite live up to my expectations, and most of my burning questions hadn’t been
answered.
The ending of this book was dreadful; there are still loads of unanswered questions and
disappointments. I was enjoying the book up to about twenty pages before the end; I
thought the story line was really good and was hoping it would have a happy ending, but
that didn’t happened.
For me Entangled was not the best book I have ever read, it wasn’t totally bad though,
there were some good things about it, there was just something missing. I bought this
book because of the gorgeous cover, but I personally feel that the cover was making up
for the mediocre content. So as they say ever judge a book by its cover.
Finding Sky Joss Stirling
As a child Sky Bright was abandoned, she had a horrific past, until three years ago, when
she was adopted. She has recently started a new school in America, when she sees bad
boy Zed at school, she thinks she just has a crush in him like every other girl at school. But
there is more to it than that, Zed tells Sky he is a Savants – people with special powers like
telepathy and the ability to see the future- but not just that he says she is a Sarvant too,
and his soalfinder (the Savavt equivalent of a soul-mate) and they are meant to be
together. As she is just getting used to the idea that Zed is her soalfinder, she gets
kidnapped by a family of evil Sarvants who use their powers for bad, and her and Zed
relationship gets put to the ultimate test. Will their love survive, or was it doomed from
the start? For me finding Sky was a great book, It sounds really cheesy when you see the
blurb, but the book is so well written, you don’t really mind, it just works. I particularly
liked the way that Sky and Zed had different backgrounds; they are both created as very
different characters, but they work so well together. It is one of the best books I have ever
read, and will be reading it again very soon. There is also another book in the series called
stealing phoenix, which is about one of Zeds brothers trying to find his soalfinder.
Sister Missing Sophie McKenzie
Last year Lauren was kidnapped by a psychopathic kidnapper (Sonia holtwood). But now her sister
is missing, and she suspects that Holtwood is behind it. Laruen goes in search of her sister, but
nothing goes to plan, her and her sisters could now be in life threatening danger.
At first I hesitated in reading Sister missing, thinking that it would be not as good as the amazing
girl missing. But it really was, in fact I thought that it was even better, there wasn’t all the creating
a story at the start, it was all action from the first page.
I felt that the characters’ were very strong especially Shelby (Lauren’s other sister), she’s not the
main character but you can really relate to her situation as the story progresses, for me I felt more
and more sorry for her. Lauren was also such a powerful character, she is what every girl wants to
be like; brave, beautiful and caring, as well as having a gorgeous boyfriend. Parts of the story I
wanted to shout and scream at the characters, at other points I wanted to cry for them.
The story was amazing, with just the perfect balance of action and story line. Sister missing is
defiantly one of my favourite books. The story is so unpredictable; you have absolutely no idea
what is going to happen next which makes it even more exciting.
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone, wanting an action packed really good book.
Spitfire Girl Lily Baxter
Abandoned as a child Susan, hasn’t had the best life, she worked as a serving
girl, since she was 14, but she has always wanted to fly a plane. London is being
torn apart by the blitz, but life for Susan’s life caries on the same as usual, until
she is fired. Just as she begins to lose hope , she meets Tony, a young RAF
training instructor; her friendship with Tony soon blossoms into love. But there
is still something missing, she craves to fly a plane and will risk anything to get
that opportunity. Will she realise her dreams of becoming a spitfire girl? For me
spitfire girl was a good book, but not the best book I have ever read, it wasn’t
one of those books that you couldn’t put down. The story line was amazing,
everything was so detailed, every think that happened was linked into the
ending and every character had their place. But I felt that I couldn’t relate to
Susan as well as I would have liked to, I just didn’t get what she was thinking at
some points, it might have just been my lack of interest and knowledge about
planes, but for me it just wasn’t right. The book is still very good with a good
balance of romance Tony and relationships with her other friends. It is defiantly
worth a read but it’s not one of the books that I would read twice.
Footsteps
Katharine McMahon
Pages-309
Footsteps is an amazing book based on the past and how it influences the future. Whilst
trying to cope with the death of her husband and caring for her three year old daughter,
Helena is asked to write a book about her family’s past. But especially her grandfather the
Edwardian Photographer Donaldson, and his relationship with Ruth Styles, Helena’s
grandmother. At first Helena is reluctant to help because her past has always been
mysterious, and her mother is never keen on the subject. But finally convinced she finds
out that the past like the present is riddled with dreadful dilemmas and the cruelty of
love. This book is told through two voices, the voice Helena a young widow trying to find
out the past and the voice of Ruth Styles Helena’s grandmother in the past. This makes
the story more alive because Helena finds things out about Ruth whilst living her own life,
at the same time you are also gaining a fabulous inside into the mind of Ruth Styles. To
start with I thought that this book was really grim because the first chapter was Helen’s
husband funeral, but I’m so glad I persevered. Due to the fact it’s not grim at all but about
trying to find who people really are inside. I loved this book and I am sure you will to!
Halo
Alexandra Adornetto
Halo is such an amazing book, I loved it so much! In the novel, three angles have been sent
down from Heaven to bring good to the world and save a small sea side village called
Venus Cove. Bethany, a teenage angle, wonders why the great powers have chosen her to
go instead of more experience angles, her siblings have told her it is because she is the
more human than the other angles. As Bethany starts school how can she possibly keep
away from a gorgeous human boy with a tragic past, they soon fall in love, defying every
law in heaven and possibly landing Bethany and her siblings in massive danger. But when
the mysterious Jake Thorn turns up and bad things keep happening, can Bethany keep up
her angle work and her relationship? Or will it mean she has all the more to lose? I found
this really great book and I will definitely be reading it again very soon. You may think that
it is a book about religion, Heaven and hell, but really it is about the differences between
good, bad, love and hate. It is quite a chunky book but don’t be put off by that, every page
is worth reading at least once! There are also two other books in the series called Hades
which I am looking forward to reading and the third and final book comes out in August
2012.
Little Women
Louisa M. Alcott
Little Women is such a great book, it captures the life story of an unfortunate American
family. In the family there is; Meg the, oldest, vain but friendly about at the right age to be
looking for love, on the other hand there is boyish Jo always keen to meet people and
write passionate novels. Gentle loving Beth devotes her live to her family and her musical
talents, but then there’s Amy the youngest and most selfish of the March girls always
trying to act older than she really is. The novel highlights the girls growing up and facing
the big wide world, as the sisters experience love, hate, loyalty and sorrow. But as the
story progresses the sisters are subjected to massive change and challenges. Will they be
able to cope with the challenges that life throws at them? I personally think that Little
Women is a fabulous book and deserves more recognition than it has at present. Before I
read little women I thought that it would be outdated and hard to read, but it’s not at all,
the girls in the book experience many of the same traumas as we do now. Little women is
a classic because it is really good and really worth reading. So why not try reading it I
loved it so you probably would too!
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austin
Pride and Prejudice for me is one of the best of the classics there is. The book follows the
life of a two young girls, Lizzie and Jane the oldest two of the five Benet sisters. The
Benet’s are not most well off family around, but Lizzie’s mother (Mrs Benet) is very keen
to get them married to rich men with massive fortunes. But when Mr Bingley and Mr
Darcy arrive in town the sisters are made to meet them. Jane is intrigued by Mr Bingley
and is soon thinking about nothing else, but is kept occupied by the thought that he might
see her as a girl seeking his fortune. On the other hand Lizzie is disgusted by Mr Darcy’s
prejudice to her and her sisters. During the novel Lizzie is drawn to the mysterious Mr
Darcy and wonders if he is the man she once though him to be or has she prejudged him?
During the novel Lizzie experiences Love, Hate and everything in between. Pride and
Prejudice is one of the best books I have ever read, even though it is a classic. To start
with I thought it would be terrible and hard to read but actually it isn’t, it’s just like any
other modern day book but in many ways even better!
Shiver
Maggie Stiefvater
Shiver is definitely in my top 10 list of books. Grace has always known about the wolves,
ever since they tried to kill her as a child. But when a local boy is killed by them she can’t
help but be fascinated by the pack. She can’t keep her mind off them especially the wolf
with the yellow eyes, there’s something about him something almost human. But when
she meets a familiar yellow eyed boy in town he takes her breath away. She can’t help but
find herself deeply involved in the wolves and the yellow eyed boy, and suddenly her
whole world is upside down and every think she thought was real was a lie. Will she be
able to keep what she knows a secret? Or will the wolves in the woods never be there
again? The novel is told through two different voices, the voice of Grace an ordinary girl
with uncaring and self-obsessed parents and the voice of Sam the yellow eyed mysterious
half boy half wolf. This is a griping romantic book but with more to it than most, this book
does not just have love and passion woven in to its words but deep dark secrets and lies
as well. This fabulous book is so well written, with such an amazing story. Just looking at
this book you would think that it is an imitation of the amazing Twilight Saga, but it is
completely different and a great book in its own right, which I absolutely loved! There are
also two other books in the trilogy: Linger and Forever which are both as amazing if not
better worth reading.
The Star of Kazan
Eva Ibbotson
Pages-388
The star of Kazan is an amazing book! Annika lives as a house maid in Vienna, she loves
her life, especially the other two house maids who she sees as the parents she has never
had. She also dearly loves the old woman across the street who tells Annika about her life
as an actor, and about the magical jewels she received. But the one thing she longs for is
the mother that abandoned her when she was a baby. But when a beautiful rich woman
comes to claim her she is taken off to her true home far away from Vienna – and her new
life begins. But the dark cumbering castle echoes with secrets and lies, and as Annika
unravels the truth she finds herself in terrible danger. The star of Kazan if one of my
favourite books, I have read it so many it times I can’t remember. The story highlights the
question: Is you true family who you are related to or is it where you fit in and are happy?
It also shows the difference between being rich and happy. To start with I thought this
book was like any other book about finding lost family, but it is actually about loads more
than that with an amazing story line. I loved this book so much and you will too!
‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelly Review
Mary Shelly’s ‘Frankenstein’ is undoubtedly one of the world’s most known
gothic/ horror novels. Shelly bravely portrays statements of image and society;
and even though the book was written centuries ago, still holds similar outlooks
on modern views. The rich and twisted fantasy of an artificially made being
conjures eerie thoughts and wild possibilities for even the most unimaginative of
us, and this is one of the reasons ‘Frankenstein’ is so brilliant.
‘Frankenstein’ is an amazing novel at first glance, considering that it was written by a young woman
in the 1800’s (a time in which women had no power or input). Shelly had little education and yet her
literary skills are extremely admirable. At the time, her work was published under Percy Shelly’s (her
husband) name, and it is sad to think that for a long time she had no recognition for her phenomenal
masterpiece.
After reading ‘Frankenstein’ I was not gravely disappointed, the fantastical story is inspiring and
tragic, leaving you with food for thought. The story is (to an extent) quite believable and keeps the
reader entertained. The poignant tale of a young scientist(Victor Frankenstein) who has lost his
mother and aspires to recreate life, only to abandon his monster dubbed creation and have the
creature come back to murder and destroy all of those dear to him. We learn of the monsters
struggles and his yearn for love and acceptance, which he can never obtain because of his
unfortunately gruesome appearance. The story is so amazingly strange and absurd that the events
eventually come together to make perfect sense.
I think that the characters are written consistently and well, giving clear thoughts and emotions –
especially for Victor Frankenstein and the Monster. However, these are the only characters we
actually get chance to empathize with; the other characters are quite simple and distant to the
reader, as we cannot see their point of view. Another fault may be the mostly unfaltering despair of
Victor, and Shelly’s need to express this emotion constantly. Some may find this as a good sense of
character, but I personally thought it to be rather repetitive. In contrast, chapters 11-16 describe the
Monsters experiences in first person, and these are highlights of the novel as we see plenty of
emotion that differs more strongly.
Obviously, ‘Frankenstein’ was written many years ago, and therefore the writing style is very dated.
It took me a while to adjust to the sentence structure and language, and even then I still experienced
some difficulty. This is an unavoidable impairment, due only to the changes in language, yet it is still
very irksome.
‘Frankenstein’ is a very well written novel, but I fear that it’s age has left the book less exciting than
when it was first published. I did not feel ‘Frankenstein’ is a book that is impossible to put down, and
completing the novel ended up feeling more akin to a chore than leisure. The chapters, at times,
seemed to drag out the story, including many details that could perhaps have been spared.
Overall, ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelly is an expertly written novel with an imaginative and original
plot. The message is observant and valuable, a brave statement for a young woman in 1816.
Although the language is dated and the book can be difficult to read, ‘Frankenstein’ is a helpful novel
to have studied. I greatly enjoyed the novel and the experience is worthwhile.
A Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde's 'A Picture of Dorian Gray' is a fairly well known pre-20th century
novel; published in June 1890, it is Wilde's only published novel. This book
explores subjects from A-Z, including love, youth and life, and uses a strong
Faustian theme.
The narrative follows a handsome boy named Dorian Gray, who trades his soul in return for eternal
youth. He is the subject and inspiration of aspiring artist Basil Hallward who creates a fine
portraiture masterpiece of Dorian. The novel tells of a life lead askew; as Dorian indulges himself in
forbidden fantasies and sinful pleasures, he remains young and beautiful while the portrait bears the
grievous signs of conscious and age.
'Dorian Gray' is a captivating tale. The simple idea of the story is just superb, but the way Oscar
Wilde presents it to us is extraordinary.
Firstly, for those who are looking for an exhilarating swashbuckling story, this may not be the one for
you. 'Dorian Gray' is a very reserved and psychological book, seemingly anti-climatic with little to no
action what so ever. Similarly, this is by no means a lazy and relaxing read; as 'Dorian Gray' requires
your full attention should you wish to acquire its true and brilliant effect.
Contrary to other pre-20th century novels,' Dorian Gray' was incredibly easy to understand. The
language, although old fashioned, is actually very similar to modern format and thus the book
presents no impediments. Wilde also uses a writing format that draws the reader into the words- I
find that it was so easy to read page after page of text while nothing particularly exciting was
happening, but it was still very interesting to process. This novel is not action packed or thrilling, but
nonetheless presents us with an insightful story which effortlessly captured my imagination.
'Dorian Gray' is a very interesting and thought-provoking book. We are lead to delve deep into the
philosophy of life and all its entrees and are given extremely controversial views to mull over. The
novel is full of political and social statements; it gives us the taboos of society and the ugly truths of
the world, and we are left pondering our own lives as a result. It is an incredible feat that one book
can lead us to question so much, and perhaps this is one of the most attractive things about Wilde's
work. Be warned, however, of the graphic undertones of this novel. 'Dorian Gray' is a very adult
piece of work, needing a certain level of maturity to understand and fully grasp and appreciate the
brave statements made here by Oscar Wilde.
The only draw backs of this novel were, what I felt was, a rushed ending and a large rant about
Dorian's collected treasures,(apparently he found great pleasure in collecting fabrics and diamonds,
and despite how interesting these subjects are, if you're not a massive fan of tapestries or necklaces,
this section of the book does drag on for just a little bit- approximately 10 pages). It seemed a lot of
information was packed into the last 2-3 pages and it was somewhat difficult to grasp. On the other
hand, the rushed feeling is mirroring Dorian's at that time, and perhaps Wilde wanted us to feel as
Dorian would. In retrospect, it makes sense.
'A Picture of Dorian Gray' was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Oscar Wilde has shown true skill in being
able to keep the reader attentive and entertained; fearlessly presenting us with theories on life and
all of the above. A truly captivating and awe inspiring novel- definitely a recommendation.
Wildthorn
Author: Jane Eagland Pages: 360
Date Finished: 27th July 2011 Wildthorn Hall is a very enjoyable read. While at the start it can become
confusing that the time periods change with every chapter, you soon get used to it. The plot line is interesting to follow and the book is one that I
found hard to put down. A girl called Louisa Cosgrove has been put in a mental hospital for reasons she does not understand, she has been given
a false name and nobody will listen to her when she tries to tell people who she really is. Most of the book has a relatively pleasant atmosphere,
later the chapters about the mental hospital and the conditions are quite disturbing. You come to discover that she has had an ambition to be a
doctor, like her father, which unfortunately for her, at this point in time for a woman, is frowned upon by many. As the story continues it turns
into more of a ‘who-done-it’? like Agatha Christie's books. It is
entertaining to think you have finally worked it out only to be proven wrong, so the ending was not at all what I expected. I thoroughly enjoyed
this novel and I would certainly recommend it to other readers.
Forgotten
Author: Cat Patrick
Pages: 280 Date Finished: 2nd August 2011
Forgotten is all about one average girl called London Lane. Well, except for the fact she has visions of the future but forgets her past at 4:33am
every morning. To help her keep track of stuff going on in her life she writes notes about her day and what she needs for the next one, for her
to read in the morning because if she leaves anything out she will forget
about it completely. Everything has been going fine with the system until one day she meets a boy who is new to the school named Luke. She is
slightly confused that she didn't see him coming in one of her visions and she is unable to find him in any future visions. Luke and she quickly
become good friends and soon enough find themselves in a more romantic relationship. But what happens when she finds out her Mum has
been lying to her for years when she finds hidden cards from the Dad she never knew? That her best friend has feelings for someone who she really
shouldn't? And can see in a vision how unhappy the ending will be, and that her boyfriend has not been entirely honest with her either? This book
was a quick but enjoyable novel which grabbed my attention immediately and kept me hooked all the way through. I thought this was an amazing
read and I would love to find out if there is a sequel!
I'd tell you I love you, but then I'd have to kill you.
Author: Ally Carter
Pages: 316
Date Finished: 6th August 2011 This book was not the kind I would usually be interested in but I found it
very enjoyable. The plot line is all about a girl called Cameron Morgan (Cammie for short) who goes to a special school for spies where only the
best can get in, but everyone except students and teachers think it is a snobby girls boarding school. Cammie is the daughter of a mum who
happens to be a qualified spy and also her Headmistress but her dad died in the field when she was young. Cammie and her friends don't get out
much and ever since coming to the school, they rarely even talk with a boy. So what happens when they go out on a spying exercise and
Cammie meets a boy who she seems almost connected to? Is he a spy too, trying to get information about the school out of her? Or is he just a
nice, normal boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time? This
book is very entertaining and funny to read, about how she handles life as a spy in training but trying to manage a boy without telling him anything
real about herself and not letting him find out about who she really is using a cover story. But when it comes between her real life as a spy or
her cover as just a normal, everyday schoolgirl, which one will she choose? Can't wait to read the sequels!
By Midnight
Author: Mia James
Pages: 436 Date Finished: 18th August 2011
This book was enjoyable and surprising to read. April has just been forced to leave Edinburgh and all her friends, to move to London where a murder
has taken place recently. At first she hates it and her school is full of the super smart and super rich, as well as a boy called Gabriel who seems to
hate her for an unknown reason. She is so confused by all of this and having to take it in at once, until she meets Caro who has a lot of crazy
ideas about a conspiracy in the school. For a while it is mostly about how she tries to fit in and get to terms with everything, until something
terrible happens to her father. April will try to discover what happened and why, with the help of her old friends, her new friends and one person
who she would never expect. But she starts to get the feeling she isn't tracking any old murderer and why does the same word keep coming up -
'vampires'? I would recommend it to people who like ‘who-done-it’s’ or
books on vampires. It was a very good book but I am not sure if I would want to read a sequel.
The Railway Children
Author: E. Nesbit
Pages: 240
Date Finished: 26th August 2011 I thought this was a lovely book to read. It's about a family of three
children and a mum and dad who start off as being very rich and have everything they could ever want. But then suddenly one Christmas Eve
their Father goes away with two unknown men, they have to give up their lovely home and they have to move to the countryside. I enjoyed reading
about how the three children first hate the dark and dank house but soon get used to living in the countryside and all the adventures they go on
together. I also liked how Bobbie, the eldest, goes through the story slowly uncovering what happened to her dad and why. I thought Peter
was very funny when he always tried to act like he was older than he really was and he tried to be a gentleman which was expected of him, but
often overdoing it slightly. Phyllis, the youngest, seemed quite sweet
when she tried to use too big words for her to manage and often ended up saying it wrong or over-exaggerated. This novel is a very enjoyable
story if you just want to have a gentle read.
The Quest Begins - Seekers
Author: Erin Hunter
Pages: 405 Date Finished: 1st September 2011
I really enjoyed this story about three different types of bear cubs. They all have different beliefs and legends but they all have their tragedies.
Every chapter is told by a different cub so it was a little confusing flipping between their stories so it was harder to read. One bear called Kallik is a
polar bear cub and she has a terrible accident, in which her mother is killed and she gets separated from her younger brother. Another cub is
called Toklo, a brown grizzly bear, is abandoned by his mother when his younger brother, was his mother's favorite, dies. Lusa, a small black bear,
escapes the zoo where she has been held her whole life, leaving her family behind, and tries to make it on her own. Faced with the terrors of
the outside world, each cub is on their own with no adult care or wisdom; will the cubs survive and make it to the safe haven they were told about,
with the help of the Pathway Star? This was a very exciting novel and I
would love to read the sequel, each bear has their own story and it is interesting to see how each of them try to make their way, especially
when two of their stories overlap as they bump into each other.
Cross my heart and hope to spy
Author: Ally Carter
Pages: Dates read: 19th October 2011 - 23rd October 2011
This is the second book in ‘The Gallagher Girls’ series. I enjoyed this book even more than the first - ‘I’d tell you I love you, but then I’d have to kill
you’. Once again Cammie is back at her school for spies, but why is her mum keeping secrets? Why does a name keep cropping up: ‘Blackthorn’?
Cammie knows her mum doesn’t keep anything from her lightly so with
her best friend; Liz, Bex and Macey, they are determined to find out what is going on but then something they really weren’t expecting shows up:
fifteen boys from the blackthorn institute – a school for spies in training. Now they have to deal with exams, strict teaches, her mum and boys.
How will they handle it, especially when one of the boys seems to have an attraction to her? I loved this book and I couldn’t put it down. At first I
was unsure about how Carter just dropped the romance between Josh and Cammie and immediately brought in another with her and Zach, but
as I read on I think I now prefer the connection between the second couple better. However if they bring in another boy in the next one it will
not be as entertaining but I am still looking forward to reading it. I would definitely recommend it; it has many twists and lots of different genres
mixed in so a range of people can enjoy it.