Book Report: ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

This book is called, ‘ANNE OF GREEN GABLES’, written by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Before I assist Anne in narrating her story (though she would be happy to do it herself), I want to ask you a single question: Have you ever known or faced the woe and bore an orphan experiences? If you have, well, you’ll be able to sympathise with Anne. If you haven’t, remain fortunate and be grateful for everything you have.

Anne Shirley had a thoroughly tedious life before she encountered the Cuthberts. If it hadn’t been for Anne’s sprawling imagination, Heaven knows how she would have survived in the Orphanage. However, after prolonged days of anticipation, Anne finally finds a foster home! Initially, the Cuthberts hadn’t wanted a girl. However, it is only when optimistic Anne arrives, that they start to accept her as family. Once again, it’s her considerate disposition and imagination as fervent as her hair that saves the day! Avonlea, the place where the Green Gables Household is situated, is an adventure! Anne has found her most intimate friend for life in Avonlea, Diana Barry. They attend the local school together, where Gilbert Blythe, a young boy who got off to the wrong start with Anne, struggle to form a friendship. In the end, however, the two realise their feelings for each other. Though trouble always seems to loom on Anne, she never makes the same mistakes twice! (I wish I were like that.) This, along with her impulsive and talkative personality, makes her a joy to be around!

L.M Montgomery! Wherever you are, from beyond this Earth, I hope this message reaches you. Oh, the book was truly wonderful, fantastic! Anne was so riveting and talkative (like me) and her speeches and daily talks took about two whole pages! She was always very descriptive in what she said. The first paragraph of each chapter is simply lovely : L.M Montgomery describes the season in perfect, picturesque terms. Here’s a passage from one of the chapters:

Spring had come once more to Green Gables- the beautiful capricious Canadian spring, lingering along through April and May with a succession of sweet, pink chilly days, with pink sunsets and miracles of resurrection and growth. The maples in Lovers’ Lane were red-budded and little curly ferns pushed up around Dryad’s Bubble. Away up in the barrens, behind Mr. Silas Sloane’s place, the Mayflowers blossomed out, pink and white stars of sweetness under their brown leaves. All the school girls and boys had one golden afternoon gathering them, coming home in the clear, echoing twilight with baskets and arms full of flowery spoil.

Isn’t that just blissful? It’s just so delightful for me, to read such descriptive and touching writing, of scenic views and delicate flowers. And ripe seasons. I also could connect to Anne of Green Gables in other ways. Especially Anne and her personality. For example, when Anne was shivering in the Woods, I was smiling to myself and making a connection to the time I jumped and got startled by every miniature sound in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. In the Daunting Woods, it was Anne. It’s great when you can actually relate something that happened in the book, to something that happened in real life.

And I loved the way Anne talks about her writing. Her writing in the story, is oh so soulful and heartwarming. I feel something in me want to read more, and more, and more! She writes about unbreakable friendships, then hate and bitterness, love, rescuing and many other romantic things. Finally, another thing that is quite helpful to me in this book, and will probably help others too, is the vocabulary and style of writing. I genuinely took a lot out of this book, in description, and speech. I sometimes do look back at Anne of Green Gables for description help (it’s like a ‘Descriptosaurus’! :P). It motivated me to keep my own Little Dictionary around me and add interesting words and phrases to it for later.

If you are looking for a good read and are a middle school reader between the ages of 9-13, I would absolutely recommend this book as your next read. In fact, you absolutely have to read this book. It’s a classic! A must-read in my opinion. The other books in this series are : Anne of Avonlea or Anne’s House of Dreams. I am yet to read these. But if you have read them, tell me what you feel about it!  

I would give this book a 10 out of 10 rating!

FIND OUT WHAT I MEAN BY READING ANNE OF GREEN GABLES!

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Book Report: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

This book is called, ‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’, written by Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. Unlike what you might expect, it’s only edited by J.K Rowling. It all begins with Harry Potter’s miserable son, Albus, struggling under a colossal family legacy he never desired. Albus and his friend, Scorpius Malfoy, go on a perilous journey back in time to save a man who was killed. His death was deemed unfair, though nothing can really halt Voldemort. Or his daughter for that matter. Can Albus, Scorpius and Harry fight against Voldemort’s manipulative daughter?

Unlike J.K Rowling’s other novels, this one has been written in playscript form. Though it is comparatively agreeable, even interesting to see a different form of writing, I very much preferred the original Harry Potter books. The playscript is fun to read, but I find the more descriptive nature of the books magical. To me, the bliss of reading is in the description. The playscript is a very light read (as I had been warned by an adult, when I first received a copy). Whereas, the actual Harry Potter books, take on much greater depth of  characters and emotions.

However, I have to give credit to John Tiffany and Jack Thorne for this book. They have miraculously weaved their own style in and out of the book, leaving utmost suspense in the air in places. We have no hint of who Delphi is, at first. She is in fact, cleverly, portrayed as ever so innocent. However, the way she reacts to everything in the book makes her shrouded in an unsolved mystery. I also admire the way that these two writers were able to co-author this book. Though a light read, the plot is still quite complex : we are thrust in and out of the different scenes, questions being raised ahead, only to be answered in many scenes later.

This book, like so many other in the Harry Potter series, contains more than one, simple genre. Any conversation about Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, will be a long conversation, I assure you. This is a book of revenge, sacrifice, mystery, love and growing up. So many varied genres bundled up in one bestseller!

Overall, I would call this a good read and really recommend this book to all ages. Yes, all ages. It’s not very often that you find books, which are recommended for middle year readers, young adults and adults, so I find it quite remarkable. I would recommend though that if you have never read any of the other books in the Harry Potter series, you should first read a few of them before you read Harry Potter And The Cursed Child. There is an assumption that you already know who the characters are, so there is little context given to the characters or the setting. In that sense, even though it is a good read, it only makes sense after you have read some of the earlier books. And if you are a confirmed Harry Potter fan, then this is a MUST read, if only to be ‘in the know’ amongst the Harry Potter Club.

You can buy the book here….

Book Report: THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH

This book is called, “THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH”, written by Ali Benjamin. It is a deep story about growing up and forgiving. The main character is Suzy and she doesn’t talk anymore. Not after her best friend, Franny, who was an excellent swimmer drowns while swimming at sea. Suzy assumes that the only possibility for Franny to have drowned was that a deadly jellyfish stung her and she couldn’t fight it any longer. Determined to uncover the mystery of why her best friend died, Suzy goes to great lengths; she researches a few Jellyfish Experts and finds Jamie in Australia. Jamie, inspite of not being in her presence, becomes Suzy’s source of confidence. Suzy then decides to fly away to Australia, where Jamie is, to try and meet him face to face. So, Suzy steals some money from her parents and brother and then makes her way to the airport alone- without adult supervision and without informing her parents. Children are allowed to travel in the States alone if they are twelve and above but Australia is out of the United States of America. Although she is teenaged, she is denied access and starts to cry until her mother and brother arrive. Suzy explains her intentions to the two of them and then apologises about the money. She finally realises that Franny maybe just died and she’ll have to give her up. Suzy starts to talk again and all is well.

My Feelings and Thoughts about This Book:

• This story was very visceral. Everything seemed so realistic and it seemed like I was Suzy, getting hurt so badly by a friend but determined to try and uncover what killed her. It talks about the pain of giving up and having to let go of something and somewhere inside, I was touched.
• I actually cried reading this book. There were little diary entries dating back in time to when Franny and Suzy were ultimate best friends and then the diary entries started to show the time when Suzy and Franny grow apart from each other and become frenemies. On one occasion, Franny was so mean to Suzy that she even spat on her! I cried a bit that time. This is quite a big thing since I’ve hardly ever cried over a book before.
• At first, after reading the blurb to know what this fantastic story would be about, I thought that since it’s a mystery story and the blurb focused on trying to solve the mystery, it would be in third person. But, I was so wrong. This book, despite the fact that the main plot was to try and discover what killed Franny, is about growing up and letting go. So, Suzy has written this herself in first person.

I WOULD GIVE THIS BOOK A 8 OUT OF 10 RATING!

FIND OUT WHAT I MEAN BY READING THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH!

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Book Report: JUNGLE BOOK

This book is called, ‘JUNGLE BOOK’ written by Rudyard Kipling. It is about a human boy named Mowgli whose Father was killed by a tiger. Since then, Mowgli lives with a pack of wolves who treat him like family. One day, Mowgli makes friends with the mischievous monkeys who are up to no good. The monkeys kidnap him and take him to their area, trying to make him their king. Baloo, Mowgli’s bear friend, and his Panther friend, Bagheera, save him and he get’s taken home. But suddenly, when Shere Khan (the lion who killed Mowgli’s father) threatens to kill Mowgli, Bagheera tells him that he has to go back to the human village where he is safest. Mowgli argues but Bagheera takes no heed. That night, Mowgli creeps back into the Wolf Territory with ‘The Red Flower’ or in other words, fire. He wants to use this to fight Shere Khan. Shere Khan laughs it off but then when Mowgli fights like a man with lots of fire, Shere Khan gets defeated. Mowgli is now a proper man.

What I like about the book:

• This lovely book is a very popular book all over the world. I have seen the cartoon movie an innumerable number of times and the book was definitely as good. I would recommend this book to people of all ages as it’s funny and adventurous. It’s also a little bit sad.
• At first, I thought Mowgli was a girl because of his long hair. But when I was reading the book, I finally realised that he was a boy.

• I learnt two lessons in the book. The first one is to know that out there, somebody loves you very deeply and somehow, you will fit in. The second one is to stand up for what you believe in, This is best portrayed in Mowgli, who fights for the wolves, and who fights for himself.
• Rudyard Kipling was sent away to England with his sister, Alice, to attend boarding school. The author was not living with his family and was sent away to live with other people whom he didn’t get along with very well. Doesn’t this connect a little bit to The Jungle Book? He might have gotten a bit of inspiration when he experienced this.
• At the end of the book, there were some tips and prompts for writing your own animal story. One was: How would you feel if you were raised by animals? I found this very interesting and might even write a story on it. Would you?

I WOULD RATE THIS BOOK A 9 OUT OF 10 RATING!

FIND OUT WHAT I MEAN BY READING JUNGLE BOOK!

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Book Report: LITTLE WOMEN

This book is called, ‘LITTLE WOMEN’ written by Louisa May Alcott. It is about the lives of four girls living in poverty and how they grow up. Their names are Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Each with their own different personality, they lead a very hard life. Their mum (Marmie) and housekeeper (Hannah) both live with the four girls while their father is away at war. Amy is the youngest and the sassiest one, Beth is the second youngest and the quietest, Jo is the second oldest and sportiest and Meg is the oldest and most romantic. They each encounter many experiences, which better their personalities. First, Beth who is the best in music, impresses their neighbour by playing on their Grand Piano for him. Laurie’s (the neighbour) grandfather, Mr. Laurence, hears the first few notes and is impressed. Beth’s sisters urge her to play to Mr. Laurence and she finally does. From then onwards, Beth and Laurie’s grandfather are great friends. After this, Amy enters the Valley of Humiliation. She buys limes to gain attention and show off in school. She feels very proud of herself. Amy’s enemy tattles on Amy and Amy’s teacher, Mr. Davis, then humiliates Amy, makes her throw the pickled limes into the backyard and delivers many blows with a stick on Amy’s little palm. Amy is outraged and leaves her school ‘forever’ at recess. Her family take her side but Marmie tells Amy calmly that she shouldn’t be conceited. However, not everything is solved. One day, Jo gets angry with Amy for being nosy and Amy gets quite upset. The next day, Jo is looking for her manuscript which she has taken ages to write but realises that Amy has burnt it up. Jo consults Marmie about her hot-temper and takes some advice. Amy and Jo then forgive each other and move on.  Lastly, Meg is embarrassed by going to her rich friend, Anne’s, house where they try to make a fool of her because they give her their clothes and tell lies about her. Meg is in a rage when she realises that Anne’s friends only like her because they believe Anne’s lies. She goes home in embarrassment and confesses what she had experienced. Marmie and Jo tell her to think twice about luxury and not to take chase it. Just then, they get to know that their father is very ill and so Marmie has to go to support him. Later, when father and Marmie come home, all the girls are much more matured and are now, little women.

What I like about the book is:

• My favorite character was Jo because she had a strong personality and was a tomboy. Jo’s life- infact all of the sisters’ lives- consist of experiences from which lessons are learnt and they try their best to fix it. This was one of the things I really liked about the book.
• Louisa May Alcott was trying to show us how life was back in the nineteenth century. One of the main topics depicted in the book was how unfair and differently they treated men and women. Men were allowed to go outside and work but women weren’t and they had to sit at home and sew. They weren’t allowed to be boyish like Jo but they had to do all the housework like how they were expected to do. I feel quite strongly about this so when anyone nowadays is being a bit unfair towards women, I fight back to tell them that it’s not right.
• There were many different lessons I learnt while reading this book. One of the biggest lessons were: out of every bad, comes a good. Some other side lessons were: not to be conceited, which is portrayed best in Amy when she tries to show her limes off. The second one was to try and control your feelings, which is portrayed best in Jo when she consults Marmie about her hot-temper. The third one was not to be too shy because if you are, you may miss out on many opportunities in life. This is portrayed best in Beth and Mr. Laurence as Beth was shy at first but then she overcomes her shyness and builds a strong relationship with Mr. Laurence. And last but not least, you shouldn’t take anything for granted. This is portrayed best in Meg when she wants to live a luxurious life and takes it for granted but then figures out that her friends like her because of false lies.
• Finally.. FUN TIME! Read the book and answer the questions:

1. Laurie and Jo are good friends. True or False?
2. Does Meg marry at the end of the book?
3. Who does Meg marry?
4. What is a little strange about their marriage?
5. What is father’s occupation?

I WOULD RATE THIS BOOK A 9 OUT OF 10 RATING!

FIND OUT WHAT I MEAN BY READING LITTLE WOMEN!

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Book Report: PERCY JACKSON AND THE TITAN'S CURSE

This book is called, ‘PERCY JACKSON AND THE TITAN’S CURSE’, written by Rick Riordan. It is about a boy named Percy who has dyslexia. He is a half-blood which means he is part God and part human. This puts Percy in many dangers. (Percy has appeared in another book report with his friends, Grover, and Annabeth). He and his half-blood friends find two new half-bloods. They try to keep them safe. However, in the process, one of Percy’s friends, Annabeth and The Goddess of Hunting Artemis, get kidnapped while escaping. Zoe Nightshade, the best Hunter of Artemis, takes a few heroes for her quest and they embark on a perilous journey to restore order in Camp Half-Blood. Percy and his team save Annabeth and Artemis and defeat the monster, Atlas.

What I like about the book:

• This book is the third in the Percy Jackson series. It has been one of the most intense Percy Jackson reads so far. Rick Riordan’s style is mysterious and action-packed. It opens up a new door in my mind to take on action-packed stories.
• I like how Rick Riordan joins everything and every little detail and concept up so well. It’s like rope hanging and joining from one end to the other! He leaves the rope hanging for us to solve the mystery and joins it up in an amazing way. I really like this about his books! For example,
• One lesson that I learnt in the book was not to trust blindly because you may not see the danger coming otherwise. This is best portrayed in Atlas and Zoe because Zoe is Atlas’s daughter and then he kills her! At least I know my parents would never do that :)
• Finally… FUN time! Read the book and answer the questions:

1. Zoe, after she dies, turns into…?
2. Annabeth and Luke are best friends and love each other. True or False?
3. Thalia is 7 years old. True or False?
4. What is the name of the manticore?
5. Who is Bianca Di Angelo?

I WOULD GIVE THIS BOOK A 9 OUT OF 10 RATING!

FIND OUT WHAT I MEAN BY READING PERCY JACKSON AND THE TITAN’S CURSE!

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Book Report: PERCY JACKSON AND THE SEA OF MONSTERS

This book is called, ‘PERCY JACKSON AND THE SEA OF MONSTERS’ written by Rick Riordan. It is about a teenage boy named Percy Jackson who is a half-blood. A half-blood is someone who is part human and part God. Though being a half-blood may sound very fun, it puts Percy and his fellow half-blood friends in many dangers. This story is about how Percy and his half brother and friend, Tyson and Annabeth, save Percy’s friend and restore power in the camp. Percy’s best friend at camp, Grover, has gone on a mission and gets kidnapped. He communicates with Percy in his dreams because they have created an empathy link with each other. The camp is in danger because someone has stolen the source of power, guarding the camp. S0, Percy escapes to try and save his best friend and restore power in the camp. Annabeth and Tyson accompany him on his journey. They go into where Grover and the power are and reach the Sea of Monsters. On the way, the three heroes encounter many obstacles. Annabeth frees Grover and when Percy’s group is in trouble, Tyson comes to the rescue! The two brothers fight and defeat the Polyphemus (the monster) well. Will the half-bloods be able to save the Fleece and restore power in Camp-Half-Blood? Join Grover, Percy, Tyson and Annabeth to find out!

What I like about this book:

• The book has a lot of Greek mythology in it, which I find very intriguing. Percy is the narrator and talks about his own feelings toward the Gods while giving deep descriptions about them. Rick Riordan has made these feelings very vivid to me so I can very much imagine what is happening.
• Rick Riordan writes in a funny and casual way. It’s like he’s writing his diary. Percy has dyslexia (though the spellings are right in the book). The description of dyslexia in the book made a big impact on the way Percy is shaped and how he is depicted. He is not the typical cool boy you find everyday and is actually a person who is not so extraordinary at school but powerful when he is near water (as he is the son of the Ocean God). Reminds me of the ‘WRINKLE IN TIME’ character, Meg. (Here is the link for my book report of A Wrinkle In Time’.)
• I learnt two deep lessons while reading the book. The first one is to follow what your heart and instinct tells you and not to let what others do bother you. This is portrayed best in Percy because he thinks about saving his best friend and restoring power without a second thought. The second one was to appreciate what you get out of other people no matter how embarrassing they are. This is portrayed best in Tyson and Percy because Tyson is not very good- looking and Percy is embarrassed when Tyson becomes his brother because everyone thinks Tyson is ugly. However, later in the book, Percy  regrets his objections towards Tyson and realises how much his brother has done for him.
• Finally.. FUN time! Read the book and answer the following questions:

1. Who is Ares?
2. Clarisse is Annabeth’s sister and best friend. True or False?
3. Percy gives Tyson a strawberry when Tyson comes to save him. True or False?
4. Annabeth and Percy are both..?
5. Does another character appear at the end of the book?

Though I really liked his style of writing, I think the book was quite complex. Maybe, Rick Riordan could’ve made the story a little more clear. Overall, though, I recommend this book and the series to readers 9-12 years old.

I WOULD GIVE THIS BOOK AN 8.5 RATING!

FIND OUT WHAT I MEAN BY READING PERCY JACKSON AND THE SEA OF MONSTERS!

YOU CAN BUY IT HERE ON AMAZON FOR $6.00!

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