summer reading joanne

Joanne Ruf

Summer work 

Revyou

25.08.2013

Rabbit-Proof Fence

Doris Pilkinton

Garimara

non

Fiction

Rabbit-Proof Fence is about three girls who were brought to some nuns in a monastery, far away from there home Jigalong. They didn't like the food there and they were locked up with 20 other girls. They were not happy. Molly the oldest girl watched out for the perfect moment to brake out. They walked back home. Molly was at that time 12 years old. She was very ambitious, if she wanted something she got it. Gracie is her younger sister. She was always the afraid little girl. Daisy was the second youngest girl in this group. She wasn't their sister she was their cousin. She was a groupie little girl. Rabbit-Proof Fence was written from Molly's perspective. It was actually showing us how nice she had it before with here family and that you just need your family to be happy.

Rabbit-Proof Fence is a very interesting book. You could feel with them. Doris Pilkinton describes the emotions in a very exiting way. She shows how the world really is, because people are often very nice and kind but there are also very fake people who just want money. It is a well written book. You can see the culture of other people, what life they have. 

It is a book for people who like to know more about the reality. People witch are interested about other peoples life's and stories. It is a book with emotions. I would recommend it to people who are not so interested in fantasy stories. This book is best read in a place which is silent. Maybe somewhere in a nice wan you are alone.

Ruben Summer Reading (Unwind)

Ruben Anderson

24th Aug 2013

Grade 10

Book Review Format

A group of 3 people; Lev, Connor, and Risa, knowing that their parents have signed the contract to unwind them, run away from their homes and help each other escape to their freedom. Along the way, they meet several people whom they befriend and and get aided on their quest. On of the characters they meet is called Cyfi. Lev becomes more street smart with the help of Cyfi. The group meets other people that help them escape, for example Sonia. She helps them to get packed into packages and placed in planes.

Towards the end, one of the group members suffers a disability, and another one becomes the leader of the Unwinds. The group comes across many problems and conflicts throughout the story, but they all work out ways to solve them together.

I find this book amazing. I haven't read a book as this since almost 2 years ago, when I read a book called: “The Thief Lord” This book, Unwind, is a very creative story and put together very well. The author knew very well how to make the theme life-like. The emotions and personalities expressed by the characters stood out very well, and the storyline seemed very realistic. It felt like I was drawn into the story and can see every single detailed scene happening throughout the book myself. The author knew exactly how to connect the story with the readers mind. What surprised me was how the author likes to foreshadow, in certain chapters. It always kept me thinking on what was happening next in the story.

I would definitely recommend this book. Especially to those who enjoy Sci-Fi and Dystopian genres. The book is more suitable for readers who are interested in an adventurous story that features an amazing protagonist and antagonist.

"Incarceron" Book Review

"Only the man who has known freedom

Can define his prison"

Sonja Milekovic

Title: Incarceron

By: Catherine Fisher

Genre: science-fiction, adventure, romance

            Incarceron is a book that takes place in a futuristic world where time has stopped and technological advancements have been prohibited; while simultaneously occurring in a prison that is alive, a prison called Incarceron. The heroine Claudia, who is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is trying to help Finn, a prisoner to escape. Claudia must help Finn and his friends escape Incarceron before Claudia’s impending marriage to Caspar; the prince. If Finn escapes, he could help Claudia escape her marriage. What none of them realize is that Incarceron is more that what it seems and neither will escape their prison without courage, intelligence and the bravery to stand against everything they believe in. Catherine Fisher uses both Finn and Claudia’s perspectives to tell this story about courage, freedom, prisons, power and love.

            Incarceron is an extremely interesting book that analyses society, power and the courage to fight for what you believe in. I liked that it was written in a 3^rd person omniscient; so you can read about Claudia’s thoughts while getting just as much insight about other characters, like Finn. Being interested in societies and how they function made it easy to connect to the ideas of the book. However, at the start, it was difficult to immerse myself in the book because of the slow pace. It was immensely interesting to read about this world where technology is forbidden yet still used, where society is ruled by a monarchy and power is fought for at any cost.

            People who enjoy reading adventure and science-fiction novels should definitely read this book. Its insights on the inner workings of a society constricted to laws that forbid technology or anything not from that specific Era. I recommend reading this book in bed, while you have plenty of time because this book really makes you think about a miasma of situations and how you would react if you were put in such a position. Incarceron is best read when you have time and love a gripping novel that you have to read in three days.  

"Room" Book Review

Ladina Brunner

“Room”

Emma Donoghue

Fiction, thriller

“Room”, by Emma Donoghue is a dramatic fiction told from a five year old's point of view named Jack. When Jack's mother was 19 she was kidnapped and held captive in an eleven by eleven foot garden shed somewhere in the United States. Jack was born and raised in this shed which he calls Room, he has no concept of the outside world. It is Jacks mother's dream to escape from the confinement of Room, but Jack is terrifies by the real world. Reading the book allows you to follow Jack's everyday life and fully understand the way he thinks.

Personally, I had a love-hate relationship with the novel. I prefer books where there is a lot of action, which is why it was hard for me to say interested in “Room”. A lot of the book is a description of Jack and his mother's daily life in Room, which became repetitive and uninteresting at times. However, you become attached to the characters so when there is action during the novel, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. The fact that the book is written from a five year old's point of view makes it hard to understand at times; although this is inconvenient it also forces you to really think about the meaning behind the text. Overall, I Would say I enjoyed the book, but I also would have appreciated more action.

I recommend this novel to people who enjoy dramatic books. You have to be very attentive throughout the whole novel because there are a lot of underlying meanings that are mostly said by Jacks mother. I would say you have to be mature to understand the ideas and concepts in “Room”. I suggest reading this book when you have free time and are in a asituation where you can properly focus.

Review "I will plant you a lilac tree"

Caroline Werner


Book: I will plant you a lilac tree


Author: Laura Hilmann




Genre: Memoir

Review “I will plant you a lilac tree”







Hannelore was a German girl who lift in the 19th century. She wanted to join her family during the hard time of the jews deportation. Unfortunately it happened that she got passed around from one concentration camp to the other and tried to survive without her Family.Hannelore met a fiew people during these years of fighting against the nazi regime of Germany who gave her the strength to survive. Dick Hilman, a Polish soldier was one of them. Together with Hannelore they are the protagonists of the book. Without the love they shared for each other, they would not have had any chance or reason to fight successfully and survive this awful times. Their family had already been killed, so all they had were eachother. This book is written as a memoir. It is a real story of what happened to Hannelore and her family in the years of the second world war, where most of the jewish population of Germany and Poland was forced to work in concentration camps. But this biography is also a beautiful love story, as Hannelore found the love of her live time in one of these camps. The reason and the story behind the written lines, is to show how life can be like an ocean, Someday life is good and you don’t need to think about any problems. And on other days you encounter really high waves and you need to learn to fight against them no matter how hard it will be and how long it takes.






The book “I will plant you a lilac tree “is from my perspective one of the best books I have ever read. The fact that the book bonds you from the first page to the last is fascinating and likebul. The author tries to take you into the story from the first sentence. While reading it, you are able to draw your selfe a perfect picture of the situation Hannelore must have been in because it is written really clear and detailed. The english level is on a basic form and easy to understand, which gives you even more the time to think exactly how it has to feel living in a terrible situation like that. The book want to show people how it is important to fight in situations where you can`t see any light in the end of the tunnel, this is a connection I saw to my life during reading it, and which is really true and everybody should take in mind. What has me surprised, was that I did not know that a book can be explained so well, that you need to feel with Hannelore how it must have been the years for her, like you were with her all the time. So all in all, the book does not have any negative impacts which we could be talking about and I am sure for every person the theme will have an impact on their lives.


I think every person should ones in her life read a memoir or a story from the times the nazis took over a part of europe, to see that it was even worth then everyone think it was. I read a view books which played in concentration camps but I need to say that I suggest everybody to read this book of a girl from Schindler`s list. It shows you on the best way, how it was and how their conditions were. This is also the reason why I would recommend this book to persons over twelve years old because it was a terrible time and it is a true story, so maybe too upsetting for one or the other. I would also propose to read this book at a quiet place where you are able think a lot. Do not read it before you go to bed because the story is written so interesting that you do not want to stop reading and if you stopped, it is hard to fall directly to sleep because there is so much you are able to think about later on. So, definitely read it but take care when or where.

"Room" Book Review

Renua Raje

Title: Room

Author: Emma Donoghue

Genre: Fiction

To Jack Room is all there is, its where he was born and all he has ever known while growing up. Jack lives with Ma in Room, this where he eats sleeps and learn as though he was just like every other child,  at night Ma puts Jack to sleep inside the closet, before waiting for their captor Old Nick to visit. Room is a story about a five year old and his Ma being held captive, Room is a garden shed 11 feet both ways that only has the very basics for a living environment. The five year old Jack treats the inanimate objects in the room as though they are alive; he refers to them on multiple occasions as his friends. Jack is oblivious to the situation him and his mother are in. Room was Jacks utopia while to Ma it was her dystopia. Room is written in Jacks perspective meaning the gloomy and haunting point in the novel were written lightly, the story is made light due to his naivety. Due to their captors cunning abilities the room seems almost impossible to escape. The overall story-line of the novel is very dark but seems light due to jacks innocence.

Room is written in Jacks point of view this helps you create a connection with his character throughout the novel; this was a part of the novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. Due to it being in his point of view you understand how he sees the world and how he analyses the different situations he is put in. The beginning of the book moves at a quite slow pace to help you get connected with the characters and really understand what the situations is like for them. I connected with the book by creating sympathy for the characters throughout the novel. When i first started reading the novel i was surprised at how the author referred to such gloomy subject with “humor” and happiness.

I would recommend this story for people who are interested in fiction and non-fiction stories because although it is not based on a true story, the events of the story happen. I would also recommend this story to slightly older readers due to the harsh subjects taken place in the novel. The language in this novel is very basic due to it being written out of a five year old vocabulary, i would recommend it for people who may not be native English speakers. I think this book has multiple topics included in it that are very relevant in society today. The book grabs your attention from the start and I recommend it.

      

Friday night lights

Richard Matalewski

Title : FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Author : H.G. Bissinger

Genre : Sportsbook

I have read the book „Friday Night Lights“ during the summer . It plays in a little town called Odessa in Texas. In the little city there is a High School football team, called „The Permain Panthers“, with the dream to win the state championship. To reach this goal they must win all the qualification games to go to the state championship. The book has also parts of political themes or the conflict against white and black. It is a sports book ,so it is written like one . It has not a really  main story or character. The characters are the different players of the team , teachers or the team coach. At least one of the special features, is that the book has pictures of the players inside.

                                               

I had never read a sports book before, so it was a completly new experience for me. 

At the beginning it has really get me bored. But after a few sites it gets very interesting to me and it changed my whole mind of the book completly . The ambition of the players and how famous the are at their town is impressively .They all are  in the same age as you . In some moments you can identify them with yourself . After a while , it is still the same because they play one game after another .  But it is still a very good book . I like it very much.

                                              

I like the book very much because i can imagine that i would read it a sekond time . It gives you a special atmosphere and a very good expression of the everday life of a High school football player. I would recommend it to everyone who is interested in sports spezially in football . But it is also a nice book  for people who search a new style of books. It is a book that you can read in the train  or at the beach but also at home.

Room - Caroline van Winkel

Caroline van Winkel

Room

Emma Donoghue

Literary fiction, novel

Five year old Jack grew up in a locked room with only his Ma. He never knew about the outside world, until his Ma tells him that she had been kidnapped when she was 19, that all the kids Jack sees on TV are real, and all the other things he’s missing out on. After 7 long years, Ma is desperate to escape. However, the best plan they come up with, requires Jack to escape first, so he can tell the police and save Ma. This is tough for Jack, but he does manage. Once both Jack and Ma are free, they have to get used to basic things like sunlight, wind, and having almost no time.

Room is written in Jack’s perspective. This means that there are some grammatical errors, and that the vocabulary is not very advanced. The book is all about how important the first years of your life are, and how hard it can be to adapt. Emma Donoghue was inspired by the Fritzl case, where a father kept his daughter captive in their basement.

I liked the book a lot. The book is not hard to read, but it is about serious events. Room grabbed my attention immediately, but it faded away towards the end of the first chapter (there are 5 chapters). In the second chapter my attention came back. I was surprised by how Ma reacted to being free, but I understand her too. I really tried to imagine Jack’s life, and really felt with him, throughout the whole book. Emma Donoghue did a great job describing Room, and Jack’s life.

I would recommend the book to many people, both boys and girls. The book is not unrealistic, so people who like fantasy books would probably not like Room. I personally like realistic fiction books, and this book was great. People who like easy reads should not read Room, because Room is relatively serious. If you really want to connect to the book, you should read it in your room, with the door closed.

Feed: Reviewed by Ambre

Ambre LelievreFeedM.T. AndersonScience-Fiction

Feed is set in the future time of North America. Titus is the main character, he is an ordinary teenager, which has fun with his group of friends. Link, Marty, Quendy, Loga and Callista have been Titus' friends for years. Their new addition to the group is Violet-- Titus' girlfriend. Violet is different from the others, she is a rebellious, independent thinker which cares about what is going on in the world. Though she is different they all have one thing in common: they are all connected to the Feed. Through the course of the book you witness the day to day life of Titus; His relationship with his friends, with his parents and with Violet. At the beginning the group is hacked while visiting a club on the Moon. The hack is the key point of the story. Feed's concept of having a computer wired into your brain- which accesses your personally to figure out your preferences, is very well though of. The book revolves around realising the value of independent thinking-- as Violet believes that the government is conspiring against them and forcing them into well defined moulds. While Titus is ignorant and innocent minded. The book was written in a very dry structure, with futuristic slang-like language. There was no clear climax, resolution no morals. The structure held no excitement.
Personally I like the futuristic concept of having a Feed, but I thought the story structure made the book a disappointment. I didn't connect to the characters at all, since the story was not relatable. The only thing I felt close to personal was Violets point of view on the government and the conformity. I was surprised that the book was written so drearily. And I think writing about this concept would have been better in a theoretical-documentary style.I would recommend Feed to anyone interested in Sci-Fi. But if you’re just looking for a good story book then I wouldn't recommend it. I think Feed is best read in a plane, because you don't have too many distraction, which is good because you have to concentrate on the language of the book. Overall a okay book to read for the summer.

Brave New World_Kai Ohlig

Kai Ohlig

Anna Klasen

English 10

25th August 2013

Summer Reading: Book Review

Book: Brave New World

Author: Aldous Huxley

Genre: Fiction

            The story is set in future London, England, where babies are transfused into bottles and everybody belongs to everybody. The idea of this novel is to show how stable and identical the world could become and how everybody will love his/her job (p.33,34). Throughout the book the author gives good reasons why the world is like it is, e.g. how controlled growth of babies in bottles makes them look and be perfect for the world (p.22).However, by having three major characters, Aldous Huxley is able to represent different perspectives about this world: Lenina is completely confident in the system, while Bernard Marx is unhappy and feels uncomfortable (p.55, 78). On the other hand, John hasn’t been in this civilized world as a child and can’t adapt to it at all (p166, 167). This is how the story begins.

            The action starts when Lenina and Bernard travel to Mexico and rescue a civilized person by the name of Linda, who had been stuck in Mexico (p.100, 101, 117). Badly, she had given birth to John, which is completely absurd for a civilized person. The story advances with the struggle for John to fit into society and how the perfect seeming environment of the world becomes a barrier for him…

            Overall, I like the book, especially because the story doesn’t end as I had expected. In the middle of the book the plot advances into a completely different direction than it does at the end, which was very surprising. However, I won’t give any references for that, since I don’t want to spoil anything. I also enjoyed the style of the book. By putting in three important characters the author made me think that the world was perfect and at the same time warned me that nothing can be perfect at all. I connected to that, because it remembers me of everyday life and even I had troubles with thinking that someone else is perfect. However I learned very fast that those people only acted as if they were. Therefore I had personal reasons for liking this book as well.

            That is why I definitely recommend this book to every person, because it’s different compared to many other stories. If one doesn’t like usual action stories then this book is worth a try. When a nerd searches for a book with a lot of logic included, then he/she should also read it. The story offers a lot of connections if someone decides to analyze it. I actually tried to go into the story and found an undefined number of connections. I was able to dig deep without hitting the ground. It made me become very interested, because I wanted to read on to go even further down and get a definite answer to all of my questions. When you get interested in the story then it doesn’t matter where to read it, it will always hook you. However, I wouldn’t recommend the book for English class, because some students will not be able to control themselves and read beyond their assignments. Others may take longer to get the whole picture as well. Otherwise it is good for journeys, rainy days, in the bed, even in the bath tub if you decide to read it there. Even though this was an assignment for school, which had to be done over the summer break, it felt like holiday for me.

Flight, by Julian Pohl

Julian Pohl

Flight

Sherman Alexie

Fiction

25.08.2013

            The novel „Flight“ is about an orphan Native American boy in the USA who has to face cultural problems and stereotypes that are held against him. His real name is a secret kept to himself, he doesn´t want to share his real name with anyone because he believes he is not important anyway. Therefore he calls himself Zits, due to many pimples on his face. During the novel Zits gets very mad at everyone surrounding him because he feels that too many Native Americans are being discriminated for no reason.

He believes in a legendary dance of his ancestors, which can bring back Indians, who died in the American Indian movement, and would let white people disappear. Zits has a feeling to take revenge on the white people for killing his ancestors and other Native Americans in 1975. With this absurd idea he walks into a bank with loaded guns and he dances and shoots his guns like a maniac. Due to miracle events Zits time travels into different people´s bodies and learns about violence and morality from tragedies happening to these people.

What I personally like about this book are the tragedies happening to all the characters in the book. It teaches the reader about many lessons and you can see how Zits is being affected by these lessons. Zits learns that some people don´t always have choices about their actions and he is taught the theme ”Before you judge someone, you have to step in their shoes”, as well as many other very important themes. I connected to the book by events or situations that I have once been in. I could understand how the characters felt and why they reacted the way they did because I reacted the same as them. What surprised me about the book is how Zits time travels as well as into whom he time travels. Without spoiling too much I can say that Zits doesn´t always like the people who he is set into, which makes him act very unsure and confused about what his next step is going to be.

            I would recommend this book for non-native speakers or people who have some difficulties with English. It is an easily understandable book and there are only rarely words that you may have to look up in the dictionary. I also think with only 180 pages it is a very short book and for those who might don´t like reading a lot, I would recommend it to those too. I personally don´t like reading on holiday nor do I read in my free time, but I have to admit that I did like this book and that I enjoyed reading it when I was bored, even though I was on Holiday. I read the book at home in my room or at other places where it is was quiet. I can´t read and concentrate if it´s not quiet enough. If there are disturbing noises I have those noises in my head, though I continue on reading, but when I think about what I just read, I can´t remember a word. Everyone can read this book where he wants to, but remember to mark, note and underline important phrases, because then it is a whole lot easier to write your Summer Reading Texts and Reviews like this one.

Book Review of Feed 

Jaclyn Parris

Feed

M.T. Anderson

Science Fiction; Post Cyberpunk

            This book is written with a lot of slang for it is written from the perspective of a teenage boy; Titus. It takes place in a futuristic society in the United States where 73 percent of American’s have feed or computers implanted in their brains. Ordinary teenagers of the time Titus, Marty, Link, Calista, Loga, and Quendy travel to the moon. There they meet Violet a weird, curious, home schooled girl. She tagged along with her new normal friends to a club where her life was changed. Titus too changed; he never felt quite the same about the feed afterwards. The book tries to get people to be less ignorant and dependent on their technology.  It makes people listen to their own beliefs and not conform to society’s perception of normal.

            The majority of individuals in the book allow themselves to be tracked. Most do not care that the market is recording everything they do so they can make a better customer profile and a larger profit. I like that the book focuses on something that will become imminent reality. And the society does not notice the extent that the marketing industry controls them. I can connect because like the characters in the book I never realized how prominent marketing is today.  Retailers have already begun to market specifically to the customer, it is interesting to see this taken to the furthest extreme. Thomas Gray once wrote “ignorance is bliss,” I feel this applies almost perfectly with the story. It connects because the citizens live a very happy life with the feed because they don’t know any different; no one realizes how damaging life with the feed is. And it is surprising that this is not so far from or reality.

           I would recommend this book because the theme of the book is so pertinent to our lives. And because the characters reacted to the marketing industry in a way which would be shocking to us, but truthfully society now is just as ignorant. And it is a Utopian society pictured in the book so you also have to be interested in ideas of the future and be willing to admit how likely parts are to happen. This book really makes you think about the direction our world is going; I would suggest this book be read for something more than entertainment. Unfortunately this book I would say is better suited for girls because it focuses a lot on a romantic relationship and in most cases guys are not interested in that. But overall it is a good book if you are prepared to wonder about the future.

Feed Book Review by Cédric Hyafil

Cédric Hyafil

Title :Feed

Author :M.T Anderson

Genre :Science-Fiction,PostCyberpunk

      Feed is a book that takes place in a futuristic world where all the human have a computers implanted in their brain. They use the « Feed » for  researches ,work…etc.

The book starts when Titus and 4 of his friends go on the Moon to have fun. They meet a girl called Violet. They visit the Moon when a hacker hacks their feed. None of them has important damages except for Violet who is dying slowly….. The book is written in slenght from our period, M.T Anderson made up new words for novel such as upcar which is a car which can fly or youch which means physically attractive. M.T Anderson  uses Titus’s perspectives for the  theme of Love and Friendship, Violet’s perspective for Illnesses and the feed for Intelligence.

        Feed is an extremely bad book with no intrigues,transparent characters and an after-tase of déjà-vu. The main problem would of course be the universe itself, it is empty an not interesting. We never really have a description of how the « New World » looks like,which nations are the strongest ,what resources are the most important…etc.  The description of the Moon is catastrophic. The moon is one of the biggest mystery of the universe. Since the Antiquity, human dream to walk on it. And this wish was fulfilled the 21st July of the year 1969.When Titus and his friends visit the Moon there are no emotions, no excitement,there is nothing. This reaction is impossible especially for an American. The characters in this book are all the same,they all have no personalities. Every time I tried to imagine characters from the book, they would all look the same.

          I don’t feel any connections with this book. PostCyberpunk is probably my favorite genre, this connection to the years 1950-1960-1970 are very interesting, the conquest of space, cold war, new technologies. When I was reading this book , I never felt exciting  by the universe and the new technologies.

Nothing in this book really surprised me, after the hacking , the book is following a obvious path with no surprises. Violet dies a little bit more everyday until then end.

I would never recommend this book to anyone,the beginning is boring,the middle is boring and the end is boring. I can’t find anything good in this book.  No epicness, no humor, no interesting characters, an the emptiest universe I have seen in my whole life.  

Feed is probably the worst book I have ever read. The ideas were probably very good, but overall nothing worked. Maybe the people who have never read or watched a Science-Fiction or a Cyberpunk novel would like this book but otherwise, I don’t get how people could like this book. If you like those genres I would of course recommend Dune  or the Planet of Apes. For movies, I would recommend Star Wars which is the best science-fiction novel ever. I would also recommend Mad Max which is an interesting movie about what happened if there was a shortage of oil. And for video games, I would recommend Fallout 1,2 ,3 and New Vegas,the story takes place in a Post-apocalyptic world and also Mass Effect ,the famous FPS/RPG.