Book Review: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Samantha S.

This terrific novel by Charles Dickens tells a tale of an old, stingy, and wealthy man, Ebenezer Scrooge, and a lesson about Christmas spirit. On a cold foggy Christmas Eve, Mr. Scrooge works in his office as his clerk, Bob Cratchit, attempts to warm himself with a measly fire of one single coal. Seven years ago on this day his equally selfish partner, Jacob Marley, died. One at a time two businessmen, a caroler, and his nephew, Fred, enters Ebenezer’s office. Quickly, he sends them off by saying, ”Bah Humbug!!” Scrooge grunts at the merriness of Christmas as people joyfully pass by.

At the end of the day, he goes to his gloomy mansion. Before he went to bed, he hears chains outside his bedroom. An apparition of Jacob Marley walks through the door! He has a pale white face and bears long, heavy chains with moneyboxes, watches, and cashboxes. The ghastly spirit tells Scrooge his horrific fate. Jacob warns Scrooge that three ghosts are going to appear before him to take him on journeys of Christmas. As Jacob leaves out of the window, Scrooge notices that there are other melancholy ghosts just drifting in the sky. After, he falls asleep disbelieving the existence of the ghosts of Christmas. Do you think his perspective on Christmas will change after the visits of the spirits? To find out- read A Christmas Carol.

I really enjoyed this book. It describes each of the ghosts very well and really gave a feeling of Christmas as you read. Charles Dickens is truly a wonderful writer, and he makes it that you are engaged in this book. I recommend this story to all ages. I hope you will read this book if you have not.

-Samantha S., 8th grade

Book Review: Amity by Micol Ostow

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Sabrina C.

“Here is a house of ruin and rage,
of death and deliverance.
Here is where I live.
Here is always mine. (3)”

Everyone has heard of haunted houses. Some people believe there are ghosts living in the very house they stay. Others think the whole thing is just a hoax, either to add an interesting aspect to the property, or to scare people away. Many people are even afraid of moving into a new house or staying in a hotel room in fear of there being ghosts present. But what if there are not just ghosts and spirits you have to deal with? What if the house itself is possessed, is a living force with its own evil intentions?

This story is about a boy, Connor, who moves into the house with his family ten years prior. He is overwhelmed with dreams of gore and demons and destruction and revenge. These dreams he doesn’t have a problem with. These dreams he sort of likes. And these dreams he can make a reality, with Amity’s help. Connor Webb, Amity’s next colleague and next victim.

Gwen’s family moves to Amity, ten years later. They are hoping for a fresh start, a clean slate, given Gwen’s troubled past. But when she is haunted by visions and voices in dreams and while she is awake, she questions her sanity yet again. She can try to reach out, to warn her family about the dangers surrounding them, but with her past, who would believe her? And what could they do to save themselves?

This is Amity. A normal, completely ordinary house, on the outside. When you step inside, normal is the farthest word from your mind. She will use Connor and Gwen to perform whatever task at hand she wants completed. To bring death and destruction as she has done before and continue to do again. And again. No one can stop her.

Personally, reading a horror story is not as scary as seeing a movie about it. However, it would be very interesting to see this made into a movie. With all of the supernatural elements, the story could really be brought to life. Another thing about this story, it was based off of a true-crime story. Not only was the plot intriguing but the set up of the story was as well. One chapter will be about Connor and his days spent in the house, and the next chapter will be Gwen’s point of view for the same day just ten years later. It goes back and forth, telling the story from different people living the same day. This way it shows how similar their days are and how they correspond with each other. 28 days, 3:14am, red rooms, how does it all come together? Well, you soon learn “that there’s no such thing as coincidence when it comes to Amity (352)”.

-Sabrina C. 9th grade

Book Review: The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Maya S.

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict, a clever and witty book by bestselling author, Trenton Lee Stewart, is a novel that I have read and loved many, many times. As a prequel to The Mysterious Benedict Society series, also by Trenton Lee Stewart, this book is rated highly.

Little orphaned Nicholas Benedict is nine years old and has never seen or known what love is. Both of his parents were scientists and died in a lab experiment when he was very young. He was sent off to live with his aunt, but she also suffered the same fate as his parents. Ever since that time, he has lived in orphanages. At the beginning of this story, Nicholas’ loneliness made me think of the song Imagine by John Lennon in a sense that we should imagine what it would be like to live in a place where everyone cared about each other and how nice that would be.

In a small city called Pebbleton, the story begins. Nicholas is transferred from Littleview to the Manor, or Roschilds’ End. He has a rare disease called narcolepsy which is where sudden or strong emotions cause him to fall asleep at inconvenient times. This condition causes him to avoid certain activities because of the risk of falling asleep at the most unfortunate moments. Because of this, the director requires Nicholas to sleep in his own locked room instead of the boys’ dormitory. To avoid this, Nicholas engages in creative ruses to distract Mr. Collum, the director. In one such event, he grabs a bowl of hot, soft wax from the candles that light the hallway. Hurriedly, he pushes Mr. Collum’s key into the bowl, leaving a perfect imprint behind after pulling the key back up. He then stays up all night molding the key to be metalized. Little to his knowledge, this clever boy unwittingly made a skeleton key of the whole estate, including the expansive library in which Nicholas spends all of his free time. Nicholas makes a friend with a trustworthy boy of the age of twelve named John. The two then seek out an adventure to find the Roschilds’ missing inheritance.

This ending was both happy and touching. Trenton Lee Stewart makes the reader feel happy and safe in this story. At the ending, if this novel was converted into a movie, the song What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong would be perfect. It fits the ending theme of the book of how, even though not everything may go your way, some things do. And some of those things are what we come to love in life.

-Maya S., 7th grade

Book Review: The Odyssey by Homer, interpereted by Robert Fagels

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Leila S.

You may have heard about the two great epic poems of Greece, purportedly written by a blind poet, Homer: The Illiad and The Odyssey.

It was required reading for my English course to read The Odyssey. Warning: It is not a quick and easy read. I read the poem version, and that was 485 pages of verse. Though it may seem like an odyssey in itself to read this book, I found it to be surprisingly good, given the time period in which it took place.

An odyssey is a long journey. This epic tells of the odyssey of Odysseus, a great hero who left his hometown of Ithaca, Greece to fight in the Trojan War. The entire poem tells of the trials and hardships that Odysseus encounters in his attempt to return home after the war. The book is full of daring adventures, the whims of the immortal gods (mainly Zeus, Poseidon, Athena), and lots of bloodshed.

Given that the novel is in verse and was written so long ago, the names and places are now abstract to present day audiences, but that did not necessarily take away from the poem. To me, this aspect of the poem made it seem even more like a fairytale, since many of the names and places are so intangible and seem made up.

I would not necessarily recommend going out of your way to read this book, but when you have to study it for an English class, keep in mind that it is not a terrible book as may have been rumored by other students. Be grateful that we now have access to ways of reading books both on paper, audio books, and electronically, because in Homer’s time, this entire poem was passed down through oral traditions. That means this 485-page poem was memorized in its entirety! That was probably the most shocking part of the whole reading experience!

– Leila S., 9th grade

Fic Recommendation: James Potter and the Hall of Elders Crossing by G. Norman Lippert

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Kyle H.

After reading the whole Harry Potter series, and loving every book, did you feel a little sad when it was over? Did you want more magic and more Hogwarts and to know what happened to Hogwarts after the battle? I have found exactly what you need.

James Potter and the Hall of Elders Crossing is a story about Harry’s firstborn son James Sirius Potter and his misadventures as a first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This story is fan fiction, not part of the official series, and is available for download as a free ebook. The last chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (SPOILER!) showed Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione at Platform 9 ¾ saying good bye to their kids as they jumped aboard the Hogwarts Express. One year earlier, however, is how this story starts.

As James comes to Hogwarts, strange things begin to happen, indeed. Is a Muggle really inside Hogwarts? If so, how did he get in? Why did he come? Join James and his new friends Zane and Ralph as they become learned in the magical arts by some old, new, and surprising professors.

I have to say, I’ve read some other books that claim they know what happened to the wizarding world, but only G. Norman Lippert knows the truth. If you were ever disappointed with sequels that just didn’t fit, you won’t be with this story. I haven’t found one error in any of the story, and I am a diehard Harry Potter freak fan. Anyway, this story is a great read, amazing storyline, and just a fun book overall for those of us where there was never enough Harry Potter.

-Kyle H., 8th grade

Series Review: The Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Kelsey H.

It was bittersweet to read the last book in the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver! I love the series and did not want it to come to an end. Regardless, I swept through the last book in a day because I couldn’t put it down. Oliver has a way of writing that catches the mind and causes you to lose track of time. And in my opinion, all the best authors have the ability to do so.

Let me give you a quick synopsis of the first two books. In Delirium we meet Lena, a teenage girl living in a society where love is considered a disease and eighteen year olds are “cured” from the disease, matched with someone, and left to live their lives void of emotions. Just before her eighteenth birthday, Lena meets and falls in love with a mysterious boy named Alex. Despite her family’s disgust and her society’s warnings, Lena chooses to secretly meet Alex and develop a relationship with him. Tracing the revolution, revolts and raids by the “Invalids” (those who escaped society for freedom) begin in the first book while Lena and Alex are at a forbidden party. The first book ends with Lena escaping with Alex into the Wilds. But just as Alex throws Lena across the fence, guards swarm in and cover Lena’s sight of him.

In Pandemonium, Lena learns to survive in the Wilds. She is taken in almost dead by Raven and Tack and their entire family and struggles to cope with loss throughout the whole book. She becomes almost a daughter to the couple and joins in with family work. Lena also learns that the family supports the rebellion against the society and decides to join in the fight. Going undercover as a supporter of the DFA (Deliria Free America), Lena learns the group’s tactics and reports back to the Wilds. During one of the meetings, a group of Invalids known as Scavengers attack and take Lena and the leader Julian as captives. Forced into one prison cell, Lena learns about Julian’s past and falls in love with him. Julian, on the other hand, does not know love because he has not escaped like Lena has, and learns how to love Lena in return. The two make a break for freedom and succeed ending the book in a joyous reunion, or so it may seem. You’ll have to read to find out for yourself!

Requiem features Lena and Julian (with some surprise guests) in the Wilds working to break the wall into the society. This book switches between the perspectives of Lena and Hannah (Lena’s newly cured friend from Portland.) I liked how the reader was able to see what was happening in both the Wilds and society. It was especially exciting right before the final rebellion because the suspense on the Wilds side far surpassed the unknowing calm of the cureds. I don’t want to give away too much but Lena struggles between making choices based on the memories of her past and her feelings in the present. I love the ending of the book and how Lena proves that she is a trustworthy friend even in the most desperate situations. The main themes of this book are friendship, love, sacrifice, and survival.

Overall I loved this trilogy! I wish Oliver had written more books in the series but I also understand how the ending makes sense. After reading Delirium, I truly did not believe the other books could be any better, but each time they exceeded my expectations. I recommend these books for any Hunger Games, Divergent, or Matched fans out there!

-Kelsey H., 11th grade

Book Review: Charles and Emma by Deborah Heligman

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Megan V.

Do you know who Charles Darwin was? Sure, scientists (mostly biologists) love him for theorizing evolution and the church hated him for trying to say that God didn’t create the world in seven days. But how well do we really know him?

This award-winning book goes deeper into Charles Darwin’s life after he made his voyage and tells the story of his God-believing wife Emma, their faith together, and how Darwin struggled with knowing that not many people of his time would accept his book.

This book is completely nonfiction, but quite interesting. The book tells the story of Charles’ life: his list of reasons for marrying and not marrying, how he proposed to Emma, their ten children and what happened to each of them, and how Charles was the type of the perfect father, and not the stereotypical horrible, distant father of Victorian times. It also talks about Emma, and it interesting to see her point of view, especially with his works.

The book also does not end with Charles’ death, but actually with Emma’s years later.
Additionally, for science fans out there, Charles’ research is mentioned a lot in this book, and it is also shown how he used his research in his daily life. For example, the book talks about how he compared his children’s behavior to that of baby animals.
Finally, it is also a love story for romantic enthusiasts, for the book is simply about a couple and their undying love for each other, the hardships that followed, and the conflicting views of theirs that could harm their relationship.

Like it was said earlier, the book is completely nonfiction, but it is very good and should be suggested to try out.

-Megan V., 9th grade

Book Review: The Hangman’s Revolution by Eoin Colfer

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Phillip Xiang

According to a whole lot of books and movies, changing the past can result in a completely different future.

Eoin Colfer’s book The Hangman’s Revolution takes this to a new level, as Colonel Box uses the FBI’s time machines to rewrite history. Bringing modern weapons, he quickly establishes the Boxite Empire in Victorian London, which would soon span the globe. In the changed future, Cadet Savano escapes an attempted assassination by the Boxites, and travels back to Victorian London. She slowly regains fragmented memories of her real life as FBI Agent Savano. There, she teams with her old friend Riley the magician and Otto Malarkey the gang leader. They set out to put an end to Box’s fascist empire before they bomb capitols around the world.

To me, this story is a great continuation to the first book of the WARP series, The Reluctant Assassin. The time travel aspect of the story is written and planned very well. Many future events are explained when the storyline jumps to the past. It makes the story fun to read, as if clicking puzzle pieces together. The story flows so smoothly, we know Colfer mapped this story thoroughly before writing.

The general writing style he employs adds to the story. Everything is described in detail, with subtle sarcasm here and there. It’s serious and intense during action, with funny dialogue to break tension. During lulls, it’s witty and quirky. He carefully shapes the empire, shaping each aspect whether majestic or funny. A picture is painted in the reader’s mind.

The characterization is extremely in-depth. The back story of each character is incorporated into the storyline, often explained in reminisces. I think the most interesting was Otto Malarkey’s story. At first he seemed a one-dimensioned crime boss, but even he turned out to be a colorful protagonist. As a third person omniscient story, the writing often shows the thoughts of each person in a realistic manner. Finally, like icing on a cake, the accents written into the dialogue perfect the characterization and mood.
Considering everything, you should be looking for a copy right now. It’s everything you could hope for in a thriller: action, comedy, storyline, and funny accents. Obviously you should finish the first book first. The ending both satisfies the reader’s craving and hints for a third book. Read on!

-Phillip X., 9th grade

Book Review: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Evan G.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a book about a 9 year-old named Bruno, who is forced by his father, a commander in the German army, to move from his five story mansion in Berlin, to a house in the middle of nowhere called simply, “Out-with”. From there, Bruno slowly learns about what we now call the Holocaust. He can see the concentration camp in the far distance from his mundane bedroom window and his curiosity leads him directly to the center of the unfathomable. From wild adventures in a slave camp to a run in with an unstoppable tire swing, to his friendship with a mysterious boy in striped pajamas named Shmuel, this is a book that you won’t forget.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn history in a non-boring way. ⚠ THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART ⚠ It has a very sad ending and contains very deep insight into life during one of histories most tragic times. I hope that you can pick it up at your local library or bookstore as this is a life-altering read.

-Evan G., 6th grade

Book Review: The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Samantha S.

The book The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom is a story about surviving the Holocaust. Corrie was the daughter of a watch storekeeper, her father, with her sister, Betsie ten Boom in Holland. The ten Booms lived above their shop. Their lives changed when they accepted the risk of hiding Jews after Germany took over their home country. Corrie was assisted with the concealment of the Jews from a contractor who built them a secret. The room was located in Corrie’s bedroom, and the contractor informed that it will be the last place they will look. He also installed an alarm.

While resting in her bed with the flu, Corrie heard the alarm go off. After, the police entered and took Corrie, Betsie, and their father to concentration camp. The authority found out that they were keeping Jews in their home. Now Corrie and her family have to go through the struggle and hardships while trying to live at the camp. All Corrie has is her sister, father, and her faith in Jesus.

I really enjoyed this book because it described how live was during the Holocaust. The book was very descriptive. I was highly interested in this story and how the author explained her experience from entering and to being released from the concentration camp. I would recommend this to ages 12 and up. I hope you read this book.