Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ---Parts One and Two---

by J.K. Rowling

Reviewed by Paul Daniel

Book Review: Fall 2016

11 November 2016

REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

THE STORY:

Albus Potter, son of Harry potter starts his wizarding adventure in Hogwarts.  He befriends a boy named Scorpius Malfoy who is the son of Draco Malfoy.  Albus is not in a good relationship with his dad.  The only person he can trust is Scorpius.  Albus was different than other potters, he was the first to be in the house of Slytherin.  Albus finds out that a man named Cedric died partly because of Harry

The Tale of Despereaux

by Kate DiCamillo

reviewed by Anthony Chan

Fall 2016

REVIEW: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

ISBN#: 9780439701679

THE STORY:

A mouse, a princess, a rat, and a servant girl living in a castle from the medieval times in the nineteenth century. All of them are tied together by fate and destined to meet each other. Despereaux, the mouse, was born the same day Chiaroscuro, the rat, first stepped into the light upstairs. Roscuro, shortened name of Chiaroscuro, caused the death of the princess’s mother by falling into her bowl of soup after he heard the princess call her a rat as he was swinging on the chandelier. His first experience upstairs led him to a broken

Peter Pan

by J. M. Barrie

Reviewed by: Nailah Ahmad

Fall 2016

REVIEW: Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

ISBN#: 9781503290280

THE STORY:

Wendy, John, and Michael are three ordinary children who live with their mother, father and dog, Nana. Nothing exciting ever happens to them except in their dreams, where they go to a magical place called Neverland. One night, a young boy named Peter Pan came through the children’s window and tells them they can fly to Neverland with him. With help from a little fairy dust, Wendy, John, and Michael fly off with Peter Pan to Neverland where they hope to go on many adventures. What they don’t know is

The Golden Compass

by Philip Pullman

Reviewed by Naomi Khosalim

Fall 2016

REVIEW: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

IBSN#:9781407106397

THE STORY:

Lyra Belacqua and her daemon Pantalaimon first hear news about mysterious rumors and research when they secretly hear the meeting between her uncle Lord Asriel, the master of Jordan College, and many scholars. Throughout the streets of Oxford, the rumors of kidnappers called Gobblers had spread fear to children. Lyra does not take notice in the

The Lost World

By Arthur Conan Doyle

Reviewed by Ahana Bandyopadhyay

Fall 2016

REVIEW: The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle

THE STORY:

Edward Malone, a reporter from the Daily Gazette, is sent to interview an interesting, yet cranky man named Professor Challenger, who has gained lots of fame for his claims about his recent journey to South America. Edward tries to gain information from the man by pretending to have an honest interest in the professor’s claims, but is soon discovered and thrown into the streets by Professor Challenger’s workers. The professor

by Brandon Mull                                                                                          

Reviewed by Rashmi Ramchandra                                                                  

REVIEW: Fablehaven Keys To the Demon Prison by Brandon Mull

ISBN#: 1606412388

THE STORY:

Siblings Kendra and Seth Sorenson never knew that they would be holding the fate of the world in their hands. Learning about their grandparents magical haven only a few summers ago, they had gained many miraculous powers. Kendra had become the queen of the fairies’ human friend and Seth could talk to the dead. With these many powers, they must stop the Sphinx from opening the demon prison, Zzyzx. The Sphinx, and his demon allies, had gained much power due to the artifacts that they held. Ever-lasting life from the Sands of Sanctity, infinite view from the Oculus, and fast transportation from the Translocator. If Zzyzx would open, darkness would spread and all of humanity would be in peril. The siblings race against the clock with their fellow comrades,The Knights of Dawn, to stop the opening of the prison. Traveling to the most exotic preserves, flying on dragons, and seeing mass bloodshed, unleashed their max potential and maturity. Along the way, they learn many lessons. They learn the lessons of love, friendship, and heartache. One example of this is when Seth finally accepts a narcoblix,Vanessa, into their group. She had betrayed them before, but then became loyal to their side because her heart was crushed by the Sphinx. She saved the life of Seth many times and put up being in a prison for many months. The Sorenson siblings make very unlikely allies and find traitors very close to their circle of friends and family. By each event, they grow stronger and stronger. With their new-found strengths and maturity, they tackle the most unlikely task put in front of them, saving the world. (275)

MY OPINION:

As a middle school student, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The suspense and major plot twists kept me reading up until two in the morning. The book was filled with a colorful array of preserves and mythical creatures. I got to experience a whole different aspect on mythical beings. In my mind, before I read this book, I had always imagined that fairies were very nice. After reading it, I realized that fairies were very two-faced creatures, because Mull portrayed them as arrogant. I now understand, that each author that writes about anything, has a different view on it. With a few complex words in the right places, the book felt sophisticated and elevated. The magical aspect let me enjoy my childhood fantasies and open my mind to different points of view on various topics. The subtle messages in this book, were illustrated beautifully with epic scenes of love, death, and action. The one downfall of this book was that you had to read the other books in the series to understand this one. If you read the other books a long time ago, like I did, then you have to refresh your mind to be fully able to understand this book. I think this book would be good for older elementary schoolers to middle schoolers because the violence could scare younger children. I would rate this book nine and a half out of ten stars. I would definitely read this book again. (243)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

                                                FIRST SECTION

1. What is Seth? What is one of his powers?

        1a. Seth is a shadow charmer and one of his powers are that he can hear the minds of the the undead. (pg. 22)

2. Why was Kendra brought along on the mission?

           2a. Kendra was brought along on the mission to recharge the artifact if needed. (Pg. 53)

3. Where was Seth taken to after he became a gas human?

            3a. Seth went to Living Mirage after becoming a gas human. (Pg. 94)

4. Who did Seth meet in his prison cell in Living Mirage?

           4a. Seth met a unicorn named Bracken in his prison cell in Living Mirage. (Pg. 139)

5. Who wishes to meet Seth in person?

5a. Nagi Luna wishes to meet Seth in person. (Pg. 173)

Revved (Pg. 21)

Balmy  (Pg. 53)

Subterfuge  (Pg. 84)

Saltlick  (Pg. 145)

Communiqués (Pg. 196)

                                                     MIDDLE SECTION

1. Who was the masked traveller? What type of creature did she bring with her?

1a. The masked person was Grandma Larsen. She brought a dwarf with her. (Pg. 196)

2. What happened to Kendra and her grandmother at Living Mirage?

2a. Tollin, the dwarf, betrayed Kendra and her grandmother by leaving with the Translocator and letting the guards catch them. (Pg. 211)

3. What did Seth do that brought the downfall of Fablehaven?

3a. Seth revived Granulas with the Sands of Sanctity. (Pg. 231)

4. What happened to one of the eternals? Who brought Kendra and Bracken to the eternal?

4a. Roon, the eternal, was killed in a huge bloodshed. Rattus brough Kendra and Bracken to the eternal. (Pg. 375)

5. Who is Seth going to meet, so he can find Vaslis?

     5a. Seth is going to meet the Singing Sisters, so he can find Vaslis. (Pg. 391)

Virulent (Pg. 218)

Gambit (Pg. 233)

Chastisement (Pg. 306)

Adamant (Pg. 310)

Narcoblix (Pg. 391)

                                                 LAST SECTION

1. What are the three things Seth offers to the Singing Sisters?

    1a. Seth offers Vasilis, a wraith, and a gift of their choosing that he will retrieve himself. (Pg. 405)

2. Where did Seth go to get Vasilis? Who did he defeat?

    2a. Seth traveled to the Totem Wall to get Vasilis and he defeated Morisant, a wizard who created Zzyzx.(Pg. 445)

3. Who were the last two Eternals? What happened to them?

    3a. The last two eternals were a lady named Civia and a man named Mark. They both died. (Pg. 429/Pg. 474)

4. Where do Seth and Kendra need to go and how do they get there?

    4a. Seth and Kendra need to go to Shoreless Isle and they get there by using the ghost ship, the Lady Luck. (Pg. 501)

5. Who did Seth kill? Who did Kendra kill?

    5a. Seth killed the demon, Granulas, and Kendra killed the demon king, Gorgrog. (Pg. 549/Pg.554)

Conjoined (Pg. 400)

Incarcerating (Pg. 424)

Animosity (Pg .489)

Coruscating (Pg. 553)

Narcoleptic (Pg. 580)

 

Summoner Book One: The Novice

By Taran Matharu

Reviewed by Alex Chen

Fall 2016

Review: Summoner Book One: The Novice by Taran Matharu

ISBN#: 9781250080059

The Story:

Fletcher Wulf, an orphan, apprentice blacksmith discovers that he can summon demons.  His journey through this begins by receiving the journal of an old demon summoner who found the way to summon his salamander demon called Ignatius.  He is now chased from his village of Pelt for a crime he did not commit.  He soon travels to an academy devoted to teaching those adept at summoning demons how to summon demons.