Book Reviews

Book Review by Loren Sumner

‘Matilda’ by Roald Dahl

For me, Book Week often reminds me of my childhood and the classic stories I grew up loving. For that reason, I chose to reminisce on one of my old favourites by Roald Dahl: Matilda, the well-known story of a young genius stuck living with her wretched parents. As Roald Dahl is known for, the book does centre around darker themes, which contrasts against the majority of children’s stories, and I think that’s why I liked it so much. The life of Matilda isn’t an easy one, she’s abused by her parents and the school principal all because her true abilities are misunderstood. Roald Dahl introduces Matilda in this way:

Occasionally one comes across parents… who show no interest at all in their children, and these of course are far worse than the doting ones. Mr and Mrs Wormwood were two such parents. They had a son called MICHAEL and a daughter called MATILDA, and the parents looked upon Matilda in particular as nothing more than a scab. A scab is something you have to put up with until the time comes when you can pick it off and flick it away. Mr and Mrs Wormwood looked forward enormously to the time when they could pick their little daughter off and flick her away, preferably into the next county or even further than that. It is bad enough when parents treat ordinary children as though they were scabs and bunions, but it becomes somehow a lot worse when the child in question is extraordinary, and by that I mean sensitive and brilliant. Her mind was so nimble and she was so quick to learn that her ability should have been obvious even to the most half-witted of parents. But Mr and Mrs Wormwood were both so gormless and so wrapped up in their own silly little lives that they failed to notice anything unusual about their daughter. To tell the truth, I doubt they would have noticed had she crawled into the house with a broken leg. 

This darkness that the book centred around allows the hopeful, light message to truly shine through. The character Miss Honey especially has always been my favourite, throughout any medium of literature. Her three-dimensional character with a brilliantly constructed backstory and warm demeanour has always brought comfort to me, and thus I have chosen to dress up as her for Book Week. If you haven’t had the chance to get to know the story of Matilda and her powers, I highly recommend you check it out! Whether it’s through the quick read of the middle-grade novel, a listen to the West-end adaptation soundtrack, or watching the 1996 film, I promise you won’t regret it!

Book Review by Mikaira Nepia- Smith

‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho                

“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting”

The book ‘The Alchemist’ published by Paulo Coelho entails the journey of a young, lonely shepherd ‘Santiago’ who, after having a dream of untold fortune, treks to the dune sea of Egypt in search of the great pyramids of Giza, which is where his dream lies. The book is about profound concepts, with hints of magic, ambitious dreams and aspirations, and treasures we strive for, only to realize it is closer than we think. 

This book is nothing short of a poetic hymn for the soul to slow dance to. Every paragraph, word, and letter are an amalgamation of deceitfully simplistic spiritualistic and spiced sanctity solidified by the abundance of profound concepts.  The magic lies in how simple the story is, and the philosophy and wisdom that it indulges the reader in. However, due to its relatability, I found reading this book through my own eyes rather than through the eyes of Santiago. Truly, Paulo Coelho knows the secret behind literature alchemy.

Through this story, Santiago encounters a plethora of characters in his odd journey. He has been with his sheep for years, and they are likened to a family for our protagonist, these sheep. Santiago goes from meeting an Andalusian love interest, a mystic gypsy who can foretell and interpret dreams, to the king of Salam. What makes Santiago a great protagonist is his realism and relatability. For example, when encountering the Andalusian girl, Santiago is entranced in her beauty and fantasizes starting a family with her, this becomes a reoccurring theme in the story. Another was when he met the Gypsy, how he reacted to the environment, gave him the impression that this was nothing but a façade. However, my favourite interaction was when Santiago first encountered the Islamic king, Melchizedek. A heavy emphasis this book conveys is achieving one’s “Personal Legend”, the motivation and drive that come when trying to achieve your dreams and aspirations. This theme is suitable for all ages and mentalities. This is beautifully spoken by the interaction between the King of Islam, Melchizedek, and our common wandering shepherd Santiago. An excerpt from the book which constitutes this interaction is below:

“I’m the King of Salam!” the old man said. 

“Why would a king be talking with a shepherd?” the boy asked, awed, and embarrassed. “For several reasons. But let’s say that the most important thing is that you have succeeded in discovering your Personal Legend.”

The boy didn’t know what a person’s Personal Legend was. 

“It’s what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is.”

“At that point in their lives, everything is clear, and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn to for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that is impossible for them to realise their Personal Legend.

”None of what the old man was saying made much sense to the boy. But he wanted to know what the “Mysterious force” was; the merchant’s daughter would be impressed if I told her that!”

“It’s a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your Personal Legend. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet: Whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.”

"Even when all you want to do is travel? Or marry a the daughter of a textile merchant?” “Yes, or even search for treasure. The Soul of the World is nourished by people’s happiness. And also, by unhappiness, envy, and jealousy. To realize one’s Personal Legend it is a person’s only real obligation. All things are one. 

And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”

This is but a scratch of what the book has to offer, and hopefully, this interaction between Melchizedek and Santiago gives a good understanding of what this book entails. I strongly encourage all readers who have not picked up this book to do so now. Rarely do you ever come across a book just as profound and knowledgeable as you do this one, it’s like finding a diamond in a barren sea of sand. If you’re looking for a book of motivation and mindset, this is the book for you. Thank you for reading this book review!   

Book Review by Zenani-Philips Onekon

‘You’ll Be the Death of Me’ by Karen M. McManus

Will the truth ever come out?

This book is just one of the awesome teen murder mysteries written by Karen McManus. Ever since reading the book ‘One of Us is Lying’, I have been determined to read every murder mystery written by Mc Manus. Each book brings a new plot, and unexpected twists and keeps you guessing until the very end as is the case with ‘You’ll Be the Death of Me’.

This book has three main protagonists, Ivy, Mateo, and Cal. The trio used to be best friends during middle school. The three of them run into each other, after not saying a word to each other for years. They all had a bad morning, so they decided to skip school together “just like old times”. Coincidentally, they are not the only ones skipping school that morning. When they spot their classmate Brian Mahoney, nicknamed ‘Boney’, they decide to follow him. But their blind curiosity leads them directly to the heart of a murder scene. 

Their escape from school only leads them to greater trouble. The trio soon find themselves changing from high school students to murder suspects. More suspicious is the fact that each of them has a sort of connection to the victim. 

What’s next?

The book is told from the point of view of all three characters, beginning with Ivy. Other characters are Lara (Cal’s teacher), Autumn (Mateo’s cousin), and Daniel (Ivy’s younger brother).

Three friends with secrets to hide

One shocking murder

Will the truth ever come out?

I had fun reading this book and I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries. It has a brilliantly written plot and interesting characters, and unexpected twists. Praise to Karen McManus for completing yet another masterpiece teenage murder mystery.

Other books by Karen McManus:  One of us is lying, Two can keep a secret, One of us is next, The Cousins, etc.

Book Review by Hasty Taee

‘Everyday’ by David Levithan

Day 5994

I wake up.

Immediately I have to figure out who I am. It’s not just the body – opening my eyes and discovering whether the skin on my arm is light or dark, whether my hair is long or short, whether I’m fat or thin, boy or girl, scarred or smooth. The body is the easiest thing to adjust to, if you‘re used to waking up in a new one each morning. It’s the life, the context of the body, that can be hard to grasp.

Every day I am someone else. I am myself – I know I am myself – but I am also someone else.

It has always been like this.

This book follows our protagonist whose name is ‘A’ because they are genderless and were not born with an identity. A wakes up everyday as a different person and has to live a day in their life just as they would. They don’t know why this happens or how to change it. It is just how their life is and that’s the reality they accept. 

Things change when one day A wakes up as Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. A starts to fall for her and disregards their rule of staying away and pursues Rhiannon even after exiting Justin’s body. 

This is hard for me

I have gotten so used to what I am, and how my life works.

I never want to stay. I’m always ready to leave.

But not tonight.

Tonight I am haunted by the fact that tomorrow he’ll be here and I won’t be.

I want to stay.

I pray to stay.

I close my eyes and wish to stay.

This book shows the lengths people will go to for love as A and Rhiannon try to be together with the barriers that come with waking up as a different person every day. I really enjoyed this book when I first read it in Year 7 and the writing style of David Levithan makes it easy to immerse yourself within the story. I’ve re-read this book when I’ve felt unmotivated to read and it has gotten me out of a reading slump. I think anyone who wants to read a heart-warming story that’s easy to get into should check this book out!!

Book Review by Geoff Shinkfield

‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury

For Book Week, I have chosen a favourite book which is about books - the burning of books, in fact! A long time ago I came across a short story called ‘The Pedestrian’ by Ray Bradbury. It is a sci-fi story set in a dystopian 2053. In the story, the protagonist, Leonard Mead, a failed writer, would walk around the city at night for hours. One night he gets arrested by the city’s lone police car, a robot, for not being inside watching television. Ray Bradbury later developed this story into a longer one called ’The Fireman’ and then eventually into the award-winning novel, ‘Fahrenheit 451’.

I loved re-reading this classic after so many years because its warnings about a future world where the populace is brainwashed and controlled by a central government still ring true today. Think North Korea. Think China. Think Russia. Bradbury wrote the story in 1951 at the beginning of the Cold War and the new technological world. In his vision of 2053, the people are mindless zombies wasting their lives away watching endless soap operas on their enormous wall-sized screens. Sounds familiar?

Most importantly, this is a world of censorship and control. Dangerous ideas from the past contained in books must be removed so all books are to be burned. This is where Bradbury’s protagonist comes into the story. Montag is a fireman, whose job is not to put out fires but to set houses alight after uncovering illicit books through the spy network. Yes, it is illegal to read a book! The punishment is to be burned alive with your books in your house. And if you try to escape, you are hunted down by a mechanical beast named ‘The Hound’ who will incinerate you!

While this book could be compared to George Orwell’s ‘1984’, its messages are different. Montag, of course, meets the ‘pedestrian character’ of his short story, refashioned as a young woman named Clarisse. It is Clarisse who opens Montag’s mind and eyes to the beauty of the world that he is missing. It leads him into doing the unthinkable, he starts stealing books and reading them, hiding them from his wife, Mildred.

Eventually Montag’s crime of reading books is discovered and reported to the authorities, in this case his boss, Captain Beatty. Like what happened in Communist countries in the Cold War era, it was Montag’s wife who reports him! Ironically, he is then ordered to burn down his own house:

“Ready.” Montag snapped the safety catch on the flame thrower’

“Fire!”

A great nuzzling gout of fire leapt out to lap at the books and knock them against the wall…The books leapt and danced like roasted birds, their wings ablaze with red and yellow feathers…“When you’re quite finished,” said Beatty behind him. “You’re under arrest.”

The story then flips on its head with Montag trying to elude capture and execution for his crime. I won’t tell you how it all ends but the climax is worth the read!

Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 (the title is taken from the temperature at which books burn) is a fascinating cautionary tale. It warns us about the stupefying potential of technology and how citizens can be controlled. It also reminds us of the importance of literature and preserving it and the ideas they contain. Bradbury’s dystopian futuristic novel warns us all not to allow governments to take control of our minds and our lives and to fight for the freedoms we take for granted – especially our ability to pick up any book and read it. Forty years ago, Ray Bradbury fired my imagination when I first read this book. He made me think what life would be like if there were no books. Though Bradbury did not foresee the Internet, I could easily add that to the question today. What if all literature, physical and online, suddenly disappeared?

Book Review by Madeleine Blake

‘The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero’ by Rick Riordan

Fans of Percy Jackson, prepare yourself! This epic adventure follows on after Percy manages to save Olympus, and a new threat to the Ancient Gods arises.

Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a rotten day.

He woke up in the back seat of the school bus, not sure where he was, holding hands with a girl he didn’t know. That wasn’t necessarily the rotten part. The girl was cute, but he couldn’t figure out who she was or what he was doing there. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to think.

A few dozen kids were sprawled in the seats in front of him, listening to iPods, talking or sleeping. They all looked around his age …fifteen? Sixteen? Okay, that was scary. He didn’t know his own age.

The bus rumbled along a bumpy road. Out of the windows, desert rolled by under a bright blue sky. Jason was pretty sure he didn’t live in the desert. He tried to think back…the last thing he remembered…

The girl squeezed his hand. ‘Jason, you okay?’

In this story, we meet Jason, a new hero with questionable parentage, along with Piper and Leo. This unlikely trio is forced to join forces after Jason wakes up on a bus with no memory and with a fake personal history. After being whisked to Camp Half-blood, and with a new prophecy to face, the three new heroes begin their quest to free Hera, the queen of the gods. Along the journey the trio faces several epic foes and is forced to work with other, unlikely friends, to accomplish their goal.

Overall, this book is 10 out of 10! It is the start of a five-book series and is just as good as the original Percy Jackson stories. If you like Ancient Greek history, modern-day heroes, and a splash of the unknown, this is a series for you!

Book Review by Bradley Andrews

‘Tomorrow When the War Began’ by John Marsden

‘Tomorrow When the War Began’ is a one-of-a-kind book. It begins rather typically, but if you read on, it transforms into something else altogether'

A week after a camping trip,

Their Homes were Destroyed,

Their Families had been Taken,

Their Country was Invaded…

A little camp out in the mountains is where seven high school buddies - Ellie, Homer, Fiona, Corrie, Kevin, Lee and Robyn - plan to have the time of their lives. When they go camping, they have no idea they’re leaving their old lives behind forever. Despite a less-than-tragic food shortage and a secret crush or two, everything goes as planned. But a week later, they return home to find their houses empty and their pets starving. Something has gone wrong–horribly wrong. Before long, they realize the country has been invaded, and the entire town has been captured–including their families and all their friends. Ellie and the other survivors face an impossible decision: They can flee for the mountains or surrender. Or they can fight.

This book is the story of seven teenagers and how they make the change from normal people to ones fighting to save everything they have ever known. They change, adapt, survive and fight back for their home. This is the tale about how they hoped to make a difference, to be free once again.

I love that Tomorrow When the War Began is set in the 90s (first published in 1993). It is refreshing to read about teenage lives without the technology we are so used to, like high speed internet or smartphones. I couldn’t help but wonder what it’d be like if our country was actually invaded and not be able to text or call to see where my friends and family were, read the news on my iPhone, or head straight to Facebook to see what other people are saying. Technology is such a huge part of our lives now that it was exciting to go back to a time (which, of course, was not actually that long ago – in my lifetime!) when we did not have instant access to information. The group of teenagers – Ellie, Lee, Corrie, Homer, Kevin, Robyn and Fiona – have absolutely no way of communicating with anyone.

The scene in Tomorrow When the War Began that I found most terrifying has to be when the group come back from camp (at the beginning of the book) and slowly start to realise that something is terribly wrong – that their country has been invaded. It was a lot less brutal and horrifying than what I’ve read in other novels, but it had a huge impact on me. An ordinary day out turns into a horrible nightmare within minutes.

Tomorrow When the War Began will make you ask yourself the hardest questions you will ever have to answer - would you fight? Would you want to be a hero and would you have the courage? Would you give up? Would you fight for everything you know, when your own life is only just beginning? This book will take you on a heart- warming, adrenaline-packed journey of war, love, life, friends, and family!

Tomorrow When the War Began is a book you can really take something from, so I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read!

Book Review by Amedeo Astorino

‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare

To be, or not to be: that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them?  (Act 3, Scene 1)

These are probably the most famous words ever written in English and the ultimate existential question: is life worth living or should I end it all? Big Willy’s (William Shakespeare) enigmatic anti-hero, Prince Hamlet, the original emo, speaks these words. He is an Arts student, always dressed in black, obsessed with death, and hangs out in graveyards. Big Willy’s longest and one of his most complex plays, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark was originally staged (Approximately. We don’t know for sure) sometime between 1600 and 1601 by the theatre company The Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Big Willy was associated with the company for much of his career as a playwright and actor. His melancholy Danish prince has become deeply embedded in popular culture. Even people who have never read Big Willy or seen his plays are familiar with the iconic image of an actor conversing with a human skull. Morbid, to say the least. But who is he talking to?

Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite

jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath bore me on his back a

thousand times, and now how abhorr'd in my imagination it is!

My gorge rises at it. (Act 5, Scene 1)

The Yorick in question is the court jester, who played with Hamlet as a child. He’s reflecting on the temporary nature of human existence. Death is inevitable. This theme casts a shadow over the entire drama, like a funeral shroud.

It’s a tale of murder, revenge, and betrayal. Hamlet’s father, the King, dies under mysterious circumstances and his uncle, Claudius, soon takes the throne. Even worse, Claudius marries Hamlet’s mother. Hamlet is distraught and plunges into a deep depression. Then, late one night, he is visited by the ghost of his dearly departed father, who reveals the awful truth: he was poisoned by Hamlet’s uncle. Hamlet hatches an elaborate scheme to avenge his father’s murder, but with tragic consequences. Like most of Big Willy’s greatest tragedies, it ends in a bloodbath, the stage strewn with corpses. Hamlet’s fatal flaw is his indecision and self-doubt. He is at once proud and loyal, but also reckless and cruel. He hurts the people closest to him, including his girlfriend, Ophelia, and even his mother. Ultimately, he achieves his revenge but pays a terrible price.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is the ultimate soap opera. Sure, the plot is convoluted. At one point, Hamlet is kidnapped by pirates!? But the language is superlative, the characterizations rich and complex. It remains a penetrating study of human nature and a powerful existential treatise on life and death that remains as potent today, as it was four hundred years ago.