English 

Entering the world of texts.

The most wonderful way to enter another world is through reading. We can be led into new experiences, some conceivable, others not so. We can embrace difference or take heart in finding people and lives similar to ours. We can read until the reality of the pages becomes the vision inside our head. The magic between the lines allows us to escape from the four walls of our room to a place where imagination has no limit and no end. The benefits of reading are endless.  Vanessa Sayers – Year 12

The Harry Potter Novels by J. K. Rowling

Reviewed by Kiannah Haggett , Year 7

I really enjoyed the Harry Potter movies. When I found out that they were in book form, I was so excited to read them. I absolutely love reading about what crazy things Harry drags Ron and Hermione into. I also love how fun it is to imagine the scenes when you’re reading. I always get so much joy out of reading about Hogwarts and the wizarding world, and I always find it fascinating with how much detail there is and how you could literally imagine what is going on inside the book. My favourite books by far, have to be ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ and ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’. I loved how in ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’, Harry goes through so much to save Ron’s sister, and in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’, Harry saves Cedric and they both end up in the grave where Tom Riddle was buried, (because Mundungus Fletcher used Polyjuice potion to turn into Mad eye Moody so he could switch out the cup for a port key). My favourite scene to imagine is Harry Potter fighting the basilisk in the pipes. Another thing I like about Harry Potter is how creative the plots are and how the stories end. I am always so intrigued to keep reading and see what the next plot will be.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Reviewed by Emma Dawson

Jurassic Park is an action-packed adventure following the main characters, Ellie Sattler, Alan Grant, Dr. Hammond and many more. You follow these characters through a dangerous island in which genetically modified dinosaurs roam in a manmade theme park, but things do not go to plan when the dinosaurs escape their exhibits. This book was very enjoyable with a lot of science, action and horror. The characters were enjoyable and it was a pleasure to read this book. It was extremely descriptive and captivating, as if you were really there with these characters, experiencing the joy and horror of genetic recreation. This book was amazingly written and it was extremely addictive, as if your eyes where physically glued to each page using flex tape enhanced with shards of hard blu-tak. The creator of the book, Michael Crichton, did an amazing job at making a very interesting world and it is confusingly great to have the knowledge to make such a great creation. I would rate this book 9/10, one mark removed for the fact that the amber wouldn’t have saved the DNA. 

The Dune Series by Frank Herbert

Reviewed by Tiara Sok

The Dune book series is a wonderful science fiction series written by Frank Herbert. The book focuses on science fiction from the year 10191, on the planet Caladan. I enjoy reading about the future, what life could be and how different it is to the present. I like the variations of character ethnicity and that the book is loosely based on dystopian fiction. The universe it takes me into blows my mind.