Boy on a Wire by Jon Doust

Boy on a Wire
by Jon Doust

Jack Muir is a troubled child that gets sent to boarding school . At boarding school Jack learns quickly that if you are week terrible things happen to you . Jack fights back with a mixture of pranks and defiance . Jack grows up at boarding school with his older sort after brother .
Jack feels guilty that when he was younger he wished his brother dead and his scull got crushed by a car his brother survived but Jack never forgave himself.

This is a great book with interesting ideas about life at boarding school.

by Jessica Saul

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul - The Real Deal (Hayley)

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul - The Real Deal , School

This book is full of stories that real teenagers have written and wrote of situations that they have faced before, edited by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Deborah Reber. It also contains weird facts, quizzes and fun advices that could make this book more interesting.

The Real Deal is designed to help teenagers figure who they are or were and the stories written may be situations where we may have faced before or maybe something we might face later in high school life, but reading the stories may be an advice where negative situations can change positive.

Each chapter of this book is a heading which contains stories linked on with that title. As written on the cover of the book, cliques, classes and clubs are which all stories are related to. Each story may not relate to your teenage life but some bits may be what you have faced before and can be a really helpful advice from reading the writer's experience - yourself as the victim or the other.

The stories did not necessarily relate everything to my school, teenage life, but made me understand if i may have been the victim or the person who may have caused negative situations, it is hurtful to the person who has situations that let them down. It also helps you to be cautious of actions you may cause negatively to your school members and to realise if you are hurting someone, to understand how the victim feels and to stop the actions which have hurt them.

Overall, this is a good book full of advices which can help you live through school life comfortably.

My Book Review (Theo)

My book review "Cherub The Fall" Appears to be missing. How strange.

Cherub Mad Dogs (Theo)

Cherub Mad Dogs is James's most challenging and dangerous mission yet.

When two major gangs decide to have a go at each other, the outcome is nothing but messy. The Cherub ethics committee consider "Pulling the Plug" on the mission when Gabrielle O'Brien was nearly fatally injured when stabbed by a gang member when a gang fight arose. James is reluctantly sent in when Gabrielle is injured. The Cherub Ethics Committee understand the danger of the mission but also the significance of insight into some of the biggest, most dangerous and most powerful gangs around. James's mission is to infiltrate "Mad Dogs", a gang led by the notoriously dangerous, intelligent and deadly Sash Thompson.

The main plot of the book is to stop the shipping of cocaine inconspicuously hid within barrels of cooking oil. A lot hangs in the balance of this mission and each move must be made with caution.

CHERUB: Number One Best Seller.

Monika Dombay ECLIPSE OF THE CRESCENT MOON (IN HUNGARIAN: THE STARS OF EGER)

This is 5 reviews in one!Its also 5 books in one cover! I read it in Hungarian, But you can get the English version too.

ECLIPSE OF THE CRESCENT MOON (IN HUNGARIAN: THE STARS OF EGER)

This historical novel of Géza Gárdonyi is one of the best known stories in Hungary written in 5 parts. The book is compulsory reading in Hungarian schools and translated into many languages.

The main persons and historical events are true. Gergely’s early life and romance with his real wife Eva is fiction. It is fact that he is not a member of the nobility but his education and rank presumes a good education.

(The timeline of this story nearly coincident with the first 20 years of Elizabeth I. of England’s life.)

Part 1. WHERE DO HUNGARIAN HEROES COME FROM? (Around 1530)

Hungary is under Turkish invasion their armies are cutting a deepening wedge in the middle of the country.

Small raids come everyday events. Sometimes the population of whole villages is taken to the Istanbul slave markets. Young Hungarian boys are raised as Turkish soldiers (Janissary) girls are sold to the harems.

Gergo (Gregory) Bornemissza the 8 year old peasant boy playing by the stream in the forest with Eva Cecey the 4 year old daughter of a minor nobleman while grazing his master’s horse . The children are kidnapped by the one eyed janissary Jumurzak.

They are taken deep into the forest where other captives are waiting chained together.

They overhear that the Turks are planning to raid their village. During the night Gergo frees himself and Eva. Leading their horse and a Turkish horse the kids head back to the village.

On the way they met with Captain Istvan (Stephen) Dobo and his men who were on the trail of the Turks. The soldiers arrived in time to beat back the attack against the village and the children lead them to the hidden camp to free the captives.

Dobo gives to Father Gabor (Gabriel) the leader of the captives the right to punish Jumurzak. Father Gabor discovers that Jumurzak is one of the Hungarian boys enslaved in his childhood and let him go, but takes his talisman ring.

It turns out that the Turkish horse Gergo had taken, carries a pouch with money. This bounty belongs to Gergo. As Gergo`s widow mother died during the attempted raid, Dobo takes him under his guardianship and sends him with Father Gabriel to the castle of general Balint (Valentine) Torok to be raised as a page and be educated with noble boys.

Part 2 THE FALL OF BUDA (1541)

King Janos (John) is dead.

The Turkish army is on the way to attack the Hungarian capital. Gergo and Father Gabor are hidden by the roadside planning to blow up the Sultan to prevent the attack. By mistake they ignite the explosive under a richly dressed courtier. Father Gabor dies.

A spy who knows Gergo from Lord Torok`s castle saves him, acting like the young man is his own prisoner. A Turkish officer shows him a pile of papers. Gergo realizes that they are the detailed maps of all major Hungarian forts. He tricks the illiterate Turk telling him that they are powerful amulets, and if he tore them into small pieces and wears them on his body he will be invulnerable. He manages to steal one plan. It is of the turtle shaped fort of Eger.

Gergo heads to Buda to alert the widow queen and Lord Torok of the danger. In the castle he meets again with Eva and they fall in love. There is not much hope for a peasant boy - even for an educated one- to marry a noble girl.

Suleiman and his army arrive under Buda castle. The Turkish emperor makes a pledge that he will not fight against the widowed queen and the baby king. He asks the queen to let Turkish officers visit the castle while he entertains the baby king and the Hungarian generals in his camp.

Lord Torok is suspicious but it would be dangerous to offend the sultan. He is right because the Turks are invading the castle, the king (with half of the country) became the sultan’s ward and the generals are taken to prison in Istanbul.

Part 3 THE CAPTIVE LION

Gergos grown up (he is Gergely now) and on his way with his friend Istvan Mekcsey to join Dobo`s army. He hears the news that the Cecey family prepares for Eva’s wedding to Adam Furjes. He hurries to Eva who tells him that she is forced to the young noble. Gergely confronts old Cecey, who throws him out, regardless that he owes his gratitude for Eva’s life and the saving of his village to him.The young couple elopes and marries in secret.

Lord Torok’s son can not yield to his father’ fate. Torok Janos, Gergely , Eva (dressed as a boy) Mekcsey and his servant disguised as Italian musicians are travelling to Istambul to try to free the lord. Neither courage nor bribes can help them. The only thing they achieve, that they can sing in front of the prisoner and father and son can say a silent good bye.

Part 4. EGER IN PERIL (1552)

Nearly 2/3 of the country is under Turkish control there only few forts are standing between the Turks and the western world.

Gergely is in Eger, Eva with their small son Jancsika (Johnny) is in the western town of Sopron.

She receives a visit from Jumurzak in the disguise of a trader who heard about a ring in Gergely’s possession and wants to buy it. Eva carelessly blurts out that the ring is with her husband at Eger. She remembers only after the guest’s departure the night so long ago and the face of the threatening Turk. In panic she calls in her son from the garden, but Jancsika is missing.

Eger prepares to siege. Many people fled, others are trying to find refuge in the fortress.

Captain Dobo receives Gergely and Istvan Mekcsey as his lieutenants. The full count of the defenders is 2000.

The 2000000 Turkish soldiers surrounded the fortress. The Hungarians pledge to defend it until death.

During the first encounters, the Hungarian soldiers get hold of some bounty and in a chest find a little Turkish boy hiding.

It is customary to shout treats to the defenders to demolish their morals. So when Jumurzak appears under the walls offering Jancsika in exchange for the talisman ring Gergely doesn’t believe him, thinking that his son is in safety with his wife.

5. ECLIPSE OF THE MOON

Eva finds among her husbands belongings the talisman ring and the map of Eger. He dresses as a page and escorted by Miklós (Nicholas) a scholar. With the help of the map they find one of the secret tunnels into the fort. The opening is discovered by the Turks and they are following them. Milks sacrifices himself and blows up a barrel of gunpowder killing himself and many Turks and closing the tunnel. Eva reports to captain Dodo but he asks her not to announce herself to her husband and weaken him with her presence.

The siege continues. Greeley who became an explosive expert and built many inventive devices. Men and women fight side by side. They even hoist the cooking cauldrons to the walls to pour scalding water onto the Turks climbing the walls. An officer tries to commit treason and to lead the Turks to the fort. He is discovered and executed.

The long drawn siege tires the Turkish army, their supplies are run out and there are too may losses in lives. One morning the Turkish camp vanishes from under the walls of Eger.

A few hours later a Turk woman arrives leading Jancsika. The two mothers exchange their children.

Europe celebrates the victory.

I recommend this book to any one you like war, love, tragedy and a book that delves deeply in the characters lives, thought, and characteristics!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_of_the_Crescent_Moon

Eclipse of the Crescent Moon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eclipse of the Crescent Moon (Hungarian: Egri csillagok) is a historical novel by the Hungarian writer Géza Gárdonyi. It was first published in 1899 and is one of the most popular novels in Hungary.

Contents

1 Background

2 Plot summary

3 Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

4 External links

The story is set in the first half of the 16th century and covers a period of roughly 25 years. The main historical events that are addressed are the bloodless occupation of Buda, the seat of the Hungarian kings, in 1541, and the 1552 Siege of Eger (now in Northern Hungary) by the Turks that forms the major topic of the novel. The story also addresses some other historical topics like the impact of the Reformation, the discord between Hungarians and the Holy Roman Emperor, as well as many themes of general import like mercy, filial and marital love, friendship, trust and truthfulness.

Most characters of the book are historical figures, notably the hero Gergely Bornemissza himself, though most of them have been strongly romanticized according to the author's intentions. Gergely's life story in the novel is almost fully invented, except for his role as an officer during the siege of Eger. Éva Cecey, Gergely's love and later wife, was a real person, but nothing other than her name is known; her portrayal in the novel is based on Gárdonyi's "ideal woman".

Plot summary

The novel consists of five parts that tell the life of Gergely Bornemissza from the age of eight until the year 1552, when he is in his early thirties.

I. Gergely is a half-orphan and son of a poor woman, while Éva Cecey is the daughter of a landowner. They are nevertheless playmates. While playing in the woods, the two children are captured by a Turk named Jumurdzsák and have to join a trek of prisoners. Due to the cunning of little Gergely, the two children are able to escape and later also to free the other prisoners. Gergely's mother dies in a raid by the Turks, but the little boy is adopted as a foster son by the rich aristocrat Bálint Török, where he gets a good education.

II. Several years later, Gergely has to experience that Buda is captured by the Turks through deceit and his foster father Bálint Török is led away prisoner. Gergely meets Éva again, who has become a pretty young girl who is also an excellent rider and fighter. Their childhood love revives: they flee together and get married.

III. Gergely, Éva and some friends now plan to free Bálint Török from his prison in Istanbul. They go to the Ottoman city, but despite many adventures, they finally fail in freeing the Hungarian aristocrat.

IV. It is 1552, a force about 200,000 Turks is approaching the little town of Eger, the citadel of which is only defended by 2000 soldiers. István Dobó, captain of the citadel, calls on the troops of the emperor for aid, but no-one arrives. Gergely joins the forces who are preparing to fight in Eger, while leaving Éva home with their little son. Shortly after he has left, a stranger arrives and kidnaps the little boy. Éva realizes that the stranger must have been the Turk Jumurdzsák. She understands that there must be a connection with the siege of Eger, so she masquerades as a man and tries to enter the besieged castle.

V. Even though the forces of the Turks are overwhelming, the Hungarians in Eger are able to defend themselves. Éva finally arrives at Eger. Though the Ottomans attack again and again, the castle stands firm, with also the women of Eger joining in in the battle. Finally, the Ottoman forces withdraw. Gergely's and Éva's little son is exchanged for a Turkish boy who has been captured, and the family is finally reunited.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

The novel was adapted for film twice, in 1923 and in 1968.

Blood Water by Dean Vincent Carter (Reviewed by Brian)

They're all dead now. I am the last one.



Dr Morrow has found a new creature that is probably as advanced as human in terms of intelligence. This black, seaslug-looking creature can get into a animal through the mouth, control the victim, learn from its memory, and kill when it becomes useless. Morrow hides the creature, but somehow, it manages to escape. Meanwhile, Sean gets bored and sneaks out to check out the river that is about to flood. There, he witnesses a man puking a black substance and dying.

Blood Water is third and the latestest book written by a fantasy horror fiction author, Dean Vincent Carter and I have to say this is not something that I would expect, in terms of quality, from an auther who has written 2 books. The book is short and easy to read, but sometimes the creature does things that has not been shown or explained to the reader and the book has unnessary parts.

As the story progresses, the creature 'persumably' evolves. As mentioned before, it controls the victims and learns from their memories

It's Not Easy Being Mean (Christine)

It's not easy being mean is a novel in The Clique Series written by Lisi Harrison. In the 7th book of this series, the Pretty Committee is back and in the 7th grade. Massie now has a new goal, to find the key that unlocks the ah-mayzing secret room at Octavian Country Day!

The key is in the hands of an alpha eighth-grader, Skye Hamilton, and she stashed the key in the bedroom of one mysterious Briarwood boy, but who? And whoever gets trhe key will get to keep it for the entire year, and the honour and prestige that comes along with it. But when a normal girl Layne seems to be getting closer to the key, what will happen?

Looks like the Clique will have to figure it out themselves.

Chicken Soup for the Soul-extraordinary Teens (juyoung park)

Chicken Soup for the Soul(extraordinary Teens) edited by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Kent Healy, is a book filled with inspiring stories and advice for teenagers. ‘Extra Ordinary Teens’ is a book from the series of ‘Chicken Soup for the soul’. This is a book you can turn to, to cope grief, for personal stories and advice from today’s most inspiring youth.

‘The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just a little bit extra.’ –Kent Healy.

I would recommend the series of ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ to everyone. Extraordinary Teens explores the thought that every teenager will have once had-why am I so different? Every book can help you whether you have lost your pet or broken up with your girlfriend or had a death in the family. This is a book which can inspire you and most of all, revive you soul…

Birthday Cake and I scream(juyoung park)

Birthday Cake and I Scream written by Fred E. Katz is a fictional horror story about a boy named MacKenzie. It is MacKenzie’s 12th birthday and he plans to take a few of his best friends to a paintball party only to find it booked for the day. With all other birthday plans booked, MacKenzie’s mum turns to ‘Spookie the clown’s house of pizza’.

MacKenzie agrees to the deal of a room full of recently released games and all the pizza you can eat! Spooky the clown has a misunderstanding and shows up some games of his own. Soon, all the kids want a chance to get out!

“I whistled and strolled out the doors to the sidewalk. As the doors swung shut behind me, I was sure that I heard someone saying in a raspy, gritty, dead voice, ‘Birthday boy.’ I ran to the van’” MacKenzie.

‘Birthday cake and I scream’ is a spooky ‘spinechiller’ series. It is recommended for children than 10. This book explores the theme of deception and trust. Trust between the five friends is essential for the ticket out! Will Mac Kenzie be able to celebrate being 13?...

Indie girl by Kavita Daswani ( jessica saul )

Indie girl
by Kavita Daswani

Indie is a 15 year old Indian that has a passion for fashion . Aaralyn Taylor an editor of a well known fashion magazine "celebrity style" visits her school . Indie has sent in an application to the magazine . She chases after the limo as it leaves school grounds and Aaralyn gives Indie a job baby sitting her 2 year old son Kyle . Indie takes the job in the hopes of impressing the editor and getting a job at Celebrity style .
Indie has Indian parents with strong beliefs , they are trying to get her out of her 'improper job .'
Indie is battling to keep her dream of working at a fashion magazine a reality .
Things start to go wrong with a boss that has mood swings , a badly behaved toddler and parents that want her to keep the traditions .
Indie Girl shows how being different and having big dreams has it's ups and downs .
I recommend this novel to girls that have a dream .

written by Jessica Saul

Break Every Rule an insiders novel by J. Minter (stephanie)

Break Every Rule by J. Minter is a fun, easy read perfect for reading before you go to bed. This book is based around the lives of five best friends. Micky, David, Arno, Patch and Jonathan. These boys have been mates ever since they were little, but lately have been drifting apart.
David and Arno become good friends with Rob, Jonathans troublsome step brother. Mickey is in a rough relationship and starts going to couples councelling also he is getting into nude artwork. Patch is trying to figure out what to do with life and what truly makes him happy. Annoyed at Arno for winning the Hottest Private School Boy title and in a steady relationship, is Jonathan going to ruin this with Jelousy? Will the boys relationships survive this confusing time or will everything go beyond repair?
I enjoyed this book because its not just from one persons perspective, you actually get all sides of the story. Follow the guys through all the secrets and scandals in this enjoyable, comic story.

Finding Grace by Alyssa Brugman (stephanie)

Finding Grace by Alyssa Brugman is an intriguing story about Rachel, a girl who has just left school and thinks she knows everything. When Rachel gets her first job she is terrified of Grace the 'monster' she has to look after. Grace was in an accident and can no longer speak or do things without instruction. She seems to have dull, emotionless eyes that often stare right through rachel and scare her.
Throughout the book Rachel meets Graces friends who talk about their experiences with her and what they thought she was like, but who is she really? Who is Grace? Suddenly Rachel realises that she doesn't know everthing, infact she knows hardly anything especially about Grace.
The 'spooky box' which rachel finds in Graces closet is filled with letters and memories from her past. Will this help Rachel discover who Grace really is and find out the truth about her horrific accident.
I liked this book because it covers many themes including life,death and love. The start was hard to get into but well worth the wait, as many mysteries are revealed and resolved throughout the rest of the book. I recommend this novel not only to teenagers but to people of all ages because it is an inspirational story.

Left Behind (Reviewed by Isaac)

Left Behind
Piloting his 747, Rayford Steele is musing about his wife Irene's irritating religiosity and contemplating the charms of his "drop-dead gorgeous" flight attendant, Hattie. First Irene was into Amway, then Tupperware, and now it's the Rapture of the Saints--the scary last story in the Bible in which Christians are swept to heaven and unbelievers are left behind to endure the Antichrist's Tribulation. Steele believes he'll put the plane on autopilot and go visit Hattie. But Hattie's in a panic: some of the passengers have disappeared! The Rapture has happened, abruptly driverless cars are crashing all over, and the slick, sinister Romanian Nicolae Carpathia plans to use the UN to establish one world government and religion. Resembling "a young Robert Redford" and silver-tongued in nine languages, Carpathia is named People's "Sexiest Man Alive." Meanwhile, Steele teams up with Buck Williams, a buck-the-system newshound, to form the Tribulation Force, an underground of left-behind penitents battling the Antichrist.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would read look up and it would be dark and i would never notice time past. This is part of a twelve book series which is sitting by my bed side threating to topple.I loved this book and really recommend it.

Sadako And The Thousand Paper Cranes By Eleanor Coerr

This is a story about this young girl called Sadako. Her city Hiroshima was bombed when she was a little girls just 1 year old. She was running on a track at school when she collapsed and was taken to hospital. Later she I diagnoses with leukemia “the bomb disease” which comes as a shock to the whole family

This book is set mostly in the hospital where she has to stay for the time it takes for her to recover or pass away. At the start of the book it is set in the carnival where the people put candles in the water for the sprits that were taken in the bomb and the wars.

The main characters in this book are Sadako who is the girl and then there is her best friend Chizuko her family which includes her mother her father her older brother and her younger sister and her younger brother.

There is a old saying that if you fold 1000 paper cranes then you get one wish form god her best friend tells her and starts her job and her attempt for that one wish. She folds 644 paper cranes the end comes.

Written by Courtney Russell

I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale (Sarah Vergeer)

Fourteen year old Kirby is an ordinary girl who comes home one day to find her Mum pale with news that Kirby didn't expect to hear; They were moving to Wellington, but the worst was still to come. On the car drive down to Wellington, her Mum tells her she's going to Africa to help with a refuggee programme and Kirby was to live with her brother, Uncle Caleb, and his family: Aunt Naomi, Daniel,Rachel and Rebecca, Abraham, Luke and Maggie. They all believed in The Children of the Faith. Kirby who's been a free-willed girl was forced to live under the Faith's rules.
Forced to change her name to Esther, to give up her clothes and style, forced to lose her choice in friends, she was beginning to lose her true self and the spirit she had, as she carried each task that was required of her by the Faith. She was becoming Esther and kirby was starting to die. Kirby's only hope was now at school through the school counsellor, Ms Fletcher who Kirby saw out of Uncle Caleb's radar. Kirby then starts to begins to question her Mum's past. Why did her Mum leave The Children of the Faith? Why hadn't her Mum contacted her yet? Who was Miriam? Each misdoing in finding and figuring out the answers to these questikons left her in loneliness and silence in the discipline room where it all caved down on her and became a nightmare. The biggest question was would she be able to get out of the Faith and Uncle's custody in time?

This story has an amazing, kind of unexpected ending. The book is captivating, sort of disturbing but gets your heart racing. Fleur Beale did a good job in displaying Kirby's spirit throughout most of the book. I enjoyed the way Beale showed Kirby's personality and relationship's with the other characters, the descriptions of what Kirby was feeling was well brought out and touching. Another thing I liked about the book was that it based in New Zealand, making the story a lot more realistic but the story did not reflect much about or on New zealand, it just used the names and locations. Overall I rate thhis book nine out of ten and recommend it to be read by mature readers. This book made me apprecaite my life much more than I did.

Tom Clancey's Splinter Cell - Operation Barracuda (Julian Chu-Tan)

Tom Clancey's Splinter Cell - Operation Barracuda is written by David Michaels.

It is based on one of Tom Clancey's best selling games Splinter Cell. Although it is based on a video game, this is a book you don't want to miss.
The story is written in first person. The main character is a man named Sam Fisher who works for the Government of the United States. But, to be more specific, he works in an NSA (National Security Agency) sub-branch know as Third Echelon. It is a top secret angeny that carries out Black Operations or secret operations, for the Government. Third Echelon sends out field agents that use state-of-the-art equipment and have to be passed through a gruelling training program, where they learn to take in torture and to feel no pain, no emotion and have no mercy. Sam Fisher is one of those field agents. He is the best of the best. He, is a Splinter Cell!

The story starts in the Ukraine where Sam has been dispatched to find information about an illegal weapons deal. Throughout the book, the story jumps around and tells you different stories that slowly piece together. With danger around every corner,Sam must be very careful and learns quickly to trust no one. The story ranges from the U.S to Europe and Asia. Throughout his travels Sam begins to piece up the puzzel which leads to the discovering of a plot to use neuclear weaponry against the United States and start a neuclear war. Can Sam stop it or will the World descend into Armaggedon?

I immensely enjoyed this explosive, action packed novel. Although there are a few slightly gory sections it is still an enjoyable read. I recommend it to those who enjoy thrillers, action or maybe even just explosions and most definitely to fans of Tom Clancy.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne

BOOK REVIEW: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne

Bruno is a small boy who lives in Berlin with his mother, father and sister Gretel. One day he is told by his maid that their family is moving to “out-with”, which is actually Auschwitz. Their new house is next to a big concentration camp, but Bruno and Gretel do not know, and think that they are in a holiday home. Bruno is curious and finds the fence outside his home, and spots a boy about his age inside the fence. He quickly becomes friends with the boy, Shmuel, and wants to help him escape, but can he succeed in a plan and keep it secret from his family?

This book gives readers a real understanding of the horrors of the Holocaust. The author captures the curiosity and intrigue of children and how a simple misunderstanding can cause catastrophe.

The word structure is simple and understandable, and I recommend this book to teenagers aged 10-14.

Alice Morgan

The Definitive Book of Body Language (McLeod Owers)

The Definitive book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara is truly an interesting read. This handy book goes into detail about more than just body language it shows why the human mind chooses certain body language gestures in certain situations.

An Example of how the human mind chooses certain body language is in chapter 10, page 214, there is a text that says "The foot-forward position - pointing at where the mind wants to go." Another Example of this in the same chapter, page 217, there are two drawings. On the left the drawing is explaining how the body shows how the mind wont open up to another person. On the right it is showing how someone is opening up to the other person. This Example is using more than just the foot, it is involving the hands, feet, and stance.

An interesting part of this book is chapter 5, page 111, there is a paragraph called "Why we're all becoming American" where it explains how due to American Advertising and the younger generations of all cultures are now developing a generic form of North American body language. Example: In the sixties an Australian will identify the British 'Two fingers up' gesture as an insult whereas an Australian teenager is more likely to read it as the number two and will recognize the American 'Middle finger raised' as a main form of an insult.

The Definitive Book Of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease is a highly recommended book if your looking for an informative and interesting read or if you are interested in certain behaviors or if you want to learn what is acceptable in one country while in another it is considered insulting, than this book will be right up your alley.

The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien (Reviewed by CWP)

Bilbo Baggins, a member of the minor group of hobbits, lives a quiet and peaceful life. But one day old wizard Gandalf and thirteen accompanying dwarves come and shatter his eventless life - they plan to go on a quest to reclaim their treasure from the monsterous dragon Smaug. Biblo who is required to play a role as a burgular gets terrified - and terrifying it is, he and his accompanying dwarves go on a life threatening adventure in hopes that the quest will end in success. What obstacles and enemies would they meet? Would they make it? Read the book.

-Reviewed by Chan Woo Park-

Starship Titanic (Theo)

The Starship Titanic is the greatest ship ever made. It's miles tall, miles long and created by the greatest genius the galaxy has ever known, the most spectacular feat of engineering and the cause of the fall of two planets economies. As the massive ship is unveiled, countless men stare in awe and countless single teenage mothers say to their children: "Your mummy made that". Then suddenly, in a flash, the spectacular creation undergoes what will later be known as SMEF or Spontaneous Massive Existence Failure. The ship is gone...

Starship Titanic is a novel by Terry Jones (a friend of Douglas Adams the person who originally came up with the idea of Starship Titanic). The book starts when the Gat of Blerontis is holding the opening ceremony for the greatest spaceship of all time. The designer of the spaceship (Leovinus) cannot be found... The day before the opening ceremony of Spaceship Titanic, Leovinus is interviewed and the media, after much discussion, figure that there has been material cuts on the ship and that its construction has not gone according to plan. After the Starship experiences Spontaneous Massive Existence Failure it does not (as expected) disappear but does on the other hand go right to the most distant parts of the universe. There it crash-lands, bisecting an old rectory, the brand new home of Dan and Lucy, friends of Nettie and Nigel.


Later, Nettie, Dan and Lucy wake up on the ship, each in their own bedroom and each having a conversation with a talkative robotic lamp. They find each other and decide that they should do their best to get off the Titanic, or as they know it; the weird and somewhat scary but yet fascinating technologically advanced space ship. Lucy finds a strange man with orange eyes in the onboard infirmary, who believes there is a bomb on the ship. He inadvertenly arms the bomb and sets it to explode in sixteen minutes. Where this man comes from, "Press to Arm" means "Please Press Dog" and he acts purely out of curiosity. The rest of the book is centered around working out how to disarm the bomb and save the magnificent "Starship Titanic", although as expected there are many complications which I will not mention as to stop readers enjoying the book.

I conclude that the book is funny, whacky, and almost totally unrelated to science (as you would expect from anything written by Douglas Adams or Douglas Adams's friend). It is a thoroughly enjoyable and continually interesting book. I definitely recommend it.

Starship Titanic (Theo)

The Starship Titanic is the greatest ship ever made, it's miles tall, miles long and created by the greatest genius the galaxy has ever known, the most spectacular feat of engineering and the cause of the fall of two planets economy's. As the massive ship is unveiled countless men stare in awe and countless single teenage mothers say to their children, "Your mummy made that".Then suddenly, in a flash the spectacular creation undergoes what will later be known as SMEF or Spontaneous Massive Existence Failure. The ship is gone.

Starship Titanic is a novel by Terry Jones (a friend of Douglas Adams the person who originally came up with the idea of starship titanic). The book starts when the Gat of Blerontis is holding the opening ceremony for the greatest spaceship of all time Starship Titanic. The designer of the spaceship leovinus cannot be found...The day before the opening ceremony of Spaceship Titanic Leovinus in interviewed and the media after much discussion figure that there has been material cuts on the ship and that it's construction has not gone to plan. After the Starship experiences Spontaneous Massive Existence Failure it does not (as expected) disappear but does on the other hand go right to the most distant parts of the universe where it crash lands on the

BOOK REVIEW: Just Listen – Sarah Dessen

BOOK REVIEW: Just Listen – Sarah Dessen

Annabel Greene is the “popular” girl at school, ie. the girl who has it all. When anorexia nearly kills her sister, things in her life start to fall apart. Shortly after that, she is accused of sleeping with her best friends boyfriend when actually he was trying to rape her. She becomes the social outcast at her school and ends up eating her lunch in front of a brick wall alongside another outcast; Owen, who is obsessed with music. They then develop a close relationship, and Annabel starts wondering if he can change her world so that it becomes more like the way it was. Can he help her forget everything and start over?

Although this book is quite short, the length doesn’t begin to capture the amount of feeling that is expressed. There is intrigue, anguish and anxiety, alongside happiness, romance and friendship, and all of these emotions mesh together to create an exciting read.

The dialog between Owen and Annabel makes the reader feel like he/she is in their shoes. The fact that the book is set in first person makes the characters easy to relate to and understand.

I liked this book and found it a very easy read. I would recommend it to ages 11-15.

Alice Morgan

Starship Titanic (Theo)

The Lady Of The Sorrows - Cecilia Dart-Thornton (Sandy)

The Lady of The Sorrows, the second of the Bitterbynde trilogy, Irmhein, now no longer mute or deformed, but still without memory, must disguise herself as another, and becomes Rohain Tarrenys, from the Sorrow Islands, where few outsiders venture. She heads off to the royal palace, to request an audience with the King-Emperor, to tell him of the sildron mine in the waterstair, and the treasure found, for all sildron and any sildron mine is the property of the King-Emperor.
The King-Emperor is away for an unknown amount of time, so Rohain must learn to live in the courts as a lady, learning proper table manners, how to speak like a lady and treat the servants, with her new maid Viviana, and not be cast Out.
Later, another lady finds out that Rohain is not Rohain, nor from the Sorrow Islands, and is told she must leave, or her secret will be spread to all other royalty in the castle.
Rohain leaves, and heads back to where she started, in Isse Tower, but no longer as a servant to the Tower, but a lady visitor, so she can go to the Hunting Towers, an accursed place nearby where she was first found, full of unseelie wights. There, she hopes to find something of her past, recognition, a memory, something left, anything...

An excellent fantasy sequel, I recommend this to all fantasy lovers, and anyone who enjoyed The Ill-Made Mute, The first in this series.

The ill-Made Mute - Cecilia Dart-Thornton (Sandy)

The Ill-Made Mute is the first in The Bitterbynde trilogy, and an excellent fantasy based in another world, Eirth, mostly in Isse Tower, a tall castle-like structure housing many people A mute, scarred and despised creature, with no memory, is found, and he is forced to work as a servant in the tower.
Eventually he sneaks aboard a windship to escape the cruelty of Isse Tower, when the windship is attacked by pirates, who kill or capture everyone on board. The creature, later, standing on the edge of the pirate ship and is pushed off, and a pirate, Sianadh, jumps off after him, with a parachute. They land in the forest, where few men dare to go and even fewer survive the unseelie wights, little food and cold nights.
Finding out later that he is really a she, Irmhein and Sianadh travel to find a place on a map long ago given to Sianah, to find a place in the mountains, the Waterstair, where a rich sildron mine is, and many other treasures worth a thousand fortunes lie.

Irmhein now must survive the perilious journey through forests and hordes of unseelie wights, theives, hunger and cold to find her fortune, and to hopefully find something out about her past, who she is and what happened to her...

Fans of fantasy novels will find this an excellent read, and a great introduction for those who don't read fantasy, and is refreshingly different from the usual dwarf, elf, troll mix of good vs evil.

I am not Esther by Fleur Beale(reviewed by JoonSu)

"I am not Esther" written by Fleur Baele (a NewZealand author) is about a teenage girl called Kirby.
She was living a ordinary life but one day she was told by her mother that her mother is going away and Kirby was sent to relatives she has never heard of. Her relarives were members of strict religious cult. They dont have Tvs, they dont read newspapers, they dont even look in the mirror, just because they thought it was the only way to keepn Gods way. Kirby was forced to change her name to Esther, and it is where the title of the book came from. In pg23 it says I shook my head, twisting it from side to side."I am not Esther." I repeated."I am Kirby." Kirby was also told to wear long,modest clothes. As the time goes, she starts to search for her mom and eventually found her near the end of the story.The story ends with a happy ending where Kieby and mom found each other and Daniel also escaped from the 'religious' family.
I found this book interesting because there were things i have never experienced or heard about. I dont think that kind of strict religion fits the 21 century.