Briar Rose
Jane YolenDoes everyone knows the story of Sleeping Beauty? Of the forest of thorns? Of the handsome prince? Of the evil witch who eventually gets what’s coming to her? Well, forget that one! This one is the true version. Rebecca, known as Becca to her family, travels to Europe to find out about her grandmother’s missing past. All she has to go on is a couple of old pictures, the word ‘Kulmhof’ and a old fairy story Gemma would tell her grandchildren at bedtime.
This is a story of the Holocaust, a search through the past to find a princess, a castle, and the truth.
Okay, so this all sounds poetically gooey but it was a nice soppy tale. Beautifully written with descriptions of scrum-diddlily-umptious food. To put it mildly.
Definitely wait until you’re fifteen or older before reading this. It’s a gorgeously romantic story whioch probably won’t appeal to the male reader but what the heck! (And the introduction’s pretty good too!!!)
~ Rosemary (16)
Stop Pretending: What happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy
Sonya SonesInspired by events in the author’s life, Stop Pretending: What happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy is a touching compilation of poems. The poems are in chronological order, and the book is intended to be read cover to cover.
Although truthful and touching, the poems lack the obscure charm of individual pieces. That aside, Stop Pretending is brilliant, to the point, and it makes you think.
~ Mereana (14)
The Kite Rider
Geraldine McCaughrean(SPOILERS!)
I had never read a book like The Kite Rider before. The Kite Rider was about a boy called Haoyou, who lived in Ancient China, whose father had been killed testing the winds on a kite. His father was killed for a reason, though it does not seem like somebody planned his death. He is killed by his father’s workmate, Di Chou. Di Chou wanted to marry Haoyou’s mother, but Haoyou’s mother didn’t want to because Di Chou was a selfish monster who had no feelings! While Haoyou’s mother pondered the idea of getting married again, Haoyou started making kites, so he could sell them to support his family. But Di Chou burned Haoyou’s house down, in an attempt to ruin Haoyou’s business. This meant that Di Chou would have to marry Haoyou’s mother, so their family had some support.
One day, Haoyou flew a kite and rode it with his cousin Mipeng. He and Mipeng were discovered by Miao, a circus director, and Haoyou was paid brilliantly for riding kites at circus shows and Mipeng was paid well for telling the future. He had never seen so much money in his life, but working at the circus brings Haoyou lots of troubles!
Though you had to concentrate, and read everything carefully, so that you actually understood what was going on, The Kite Rider was a fabulous book of a young Chinese boy trying to do something with his life. I would recommend this to people who like kites, are daredevils, and are thinking about riding a kite, or people who like to accept life and seize opportunites.
~ Davina (15)
Anywhere But Here
Ella WestAnywhere But Here was a really good book. But the end kinda made me mad because Paul, Tina, Shelly and Jake all get caught but Nicky has to spend the rest of the freedom she has hiding.
My favourite character was Nicky because of her bravery and her being stuck between one boy she has been with longer and another where she finds out her true feelings.
My favourite part was when Nicky realised that she, as well, loved Jake and Jake loved her even though he was dating Tina. The worst part for me was when Nicky told Paul about her and Jake and Paul completely flipped out. That part made me really angry. Paul had to go off with the guardian who was also his dad. I felt for Nicky as she was alone and scared.
~ Lunetta (13)
The Three Musketeers
Alexandre Dumas, translated by Lord SudleyContrary to the title of this classic, the main character, d’Artagnan, is not a Musketeer himself. He goes to Paris to seek his fortune, where he befriends three musketeers, and begins a life of romance and adventure.
When Dumas wrote this in the 1800s (Lord Sudley notes in the introduction) he was using “modern language”, rather than that of the 1600s (the era in which the tale is set). Still, it’s sometimes hard to understand!
Although daring, The Three Musketeers is lacking in emotion. Still, the fact that it’s harder to relate to doesn’t make it any less appealing.
~ Mereana (13)
Waiting for the Weekend : Vol 2
Various artistsContains many cruisy songs that are great (as the cover suggests) for the weekend. Relaxing songs you can just shill out to as it contains a range of recent famous singers, usually played on the radio. Suprisingly I found, they were mainly male artists which was a shame because as a female, it’s nice to hear some female artists too. Didn’t know that many songs when I looked at the playlist at the back but it was ok.
~ Jessica (17)
Pegasus in Space, by Anne McCaffrey
This story was a really good read and I am giving it 5 stars. This story revolves arround Peter, a Kinetic who is also a Paraplegic. At the beginning of the book he moved his body with Kinesis and by the end he could walk normally thank to a Micro-Talent Amariayah. I recommend anyone to read this book.
~ Zach (15)
This isn’t a review of a CD but it’s topical nonetheless!
Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer
This is an amazing author, she knows exactly what people want from a book and she gives it, and more! Her books are about romance. And not the kind of puppy love that you get in high school and can’t even remember the name of when you’re older. This is the kind of love that exists until the end of time, that renders both parties useless and unable to survive without the other. Everyone who I have talked to has read this book and absolutely loved it, because it’s not just about vampires that only fantasy lovers read. This is a book everyone loves because although it’s about the supernatural it’s so completely human that it makes you want to cry. This is a truly amazing end to a mystical, magical spell-binding series about true love that conquers everything.
~ Alex (15)
Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!
The Mint ChicksI liked the fact that the Mint Chicks are a New Zealand band. The titles of their songs were original e.g. ‘ She’s back on crack’. I liked their use of guitars. I think that you should listen to this CD in its entirety because then you really get the feel of the music. My favourite track was no. 10 – ‘Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!’ The message that the CD gives to me is that you’re unique & just because you’re crazy doesn’t mean you’re dumb. The cover artwork was unique because they had a guy on a green bull with red horns. The guy on the bull says the last word of the CD title, it’s in his speech bubble. They used all the colours of the rainbow, so the CD is really colourful. I’d recommend this CD because it’s a pretty good CD & you should support NZ music.
~ Anneke, 15
It’s that time again… we got some interesting reviews again this week (keep sending them in). Here’s one that grabbed our attention:
Machina: the machines of God
The Smashing PumpkinsMachina is a rock album with soul. The lyrics to all the songs are deep and meaningful, and the band experiments with a range of different instruments to support Billy Corgan’s signature (almost whiny) voice.
Without damaging the album’s flow, The Pumpkins explore various music genres. ‘The Everlasting Gaze’ has a relatively fast pace, and a hard edge to it, whereas ‘I of the Mourning’ (one of my favourite tracks) is slower and softer. Billy Corgan’s vocals range from heartless to heartbroken … he has complete control over the amount of emotion he expresses in his voice.
Overall, Machina is a brilliant album, but it just doesn’t compare to Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (another of The Smashing Pumpkins’ albums). Still, I would DEFINITELY recommend it.
~ Mereana, 13
This is the fourth Review of the Week for this, er, week. There were other reviews that have been awarded a bonus draw for the final prize. The quality of all the reviews has been outstanding; thanks to all of you!
Coming Back, by David Hill
When Ryan’s car hits Tara and sends her flying, the world falls out from under both their feet. In the confusion that follows, both must find a way of coming back.
David Hill’s writing is honest, often blunt; the voice of an utterly convincing teen. He explores concepts such as guilt, love, and determination. I recommend that you read this book at least once – I’ve lost count of the times I have.
~ Mereana (13)
See Ya Simon, by David Hill
See Ya Simon is an emotional book about a young boy, Simon, with Muscular Dystrophy (MD) and his best friend, Nathan. It is told in first person by Nathan, as he tells the story of the last year of Simon’s life. David Hill cleverly enters the mind of a young teenage boy dealing with his best friends illness. By having Nathan narrate the story Simon is presented as a brave and fun boy without it revealing his inner worries about his impending death.
Being a person who knows someone with MD, this story was extremely touching and gave a great, realistic look at the illness.
This story teaches you a lot about MD, and I strongly recommend it to everyone because of the characters, jokes and writing.
~ Emma (16)
Another New Zealand book that might grab your fancy, reviewed with flair…
Tanith by Sherryl Jordan
Full of suspision and anger at the girl that their Chief brought home one night, the villagers took it out on Tanith. Calling her “wolf-woman” and generally being mean to her, Tanith finds solace with a pack of wolves. The villagers find more and more reason to suspect Tanith of witch craft when a pledge son comes to love her. To destroy her “power” the villagers kill the pack of wolves. I really got into Tanith and just had to read it in a day, but unfortunately night came all to soon and I had to put it down just to continue it the next day! The only thing I didn’t like was the ending… Tanith should have gone with the wolves, and the pledge son should have gone with her. My favourite character would have to be the wolf cubs, they just sounded sooooo adorable. Over all a good book.
~ Ana (15)
Thanks to everyone who submitted reviews this week – you’re in with the chance to win (the draw will be on Monday)! If you reviewed a New Zealand book then you have an extra chance: quite a number of you did (it’s good to see you reading New Zealand stuff). Here’s the first of our highlighted reviews for this week:
Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox
This was my second attempt to read this book, and I was surprised at how easily I got through it this time. With the main character in hiding at the start, and everyone feeling confused and annoyed after the events at the end of the previous book, the start possibly wasn’t the most grabbing. But once the story got away from its prequel and started into its own, things became more interesting. Laura, the heroine, slowly slips back into society, along with her father who had become a fugitive from the Dream Regulatory Body, who control the dreamhunters (people who can enter the mysterious Place and catch dreams to perform for others).
Laura knows that Cas Doran, head of the regulatory body, is up to something, which she doesn’t discover until she journeys deep into the Place. This discovery sets off a chain of events that ends with discovering the true nature of the Place.
Also, Laura falls in love with another dreamhunter called Sandy, and is pregnant at the end of the book. It’s very sweet.
~ Sylvia (14)
This is the third of the reviews from last week that earned their writer a bonus entry in the final draw. Even if your review isn’t featured on this website, don’t despair; you will have been rewarded for your efforts.
Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer
This book is the final in the ‘Twilight‘ trilogy. It is an in-depth look at the mind of a teenage girl faced with the age old problem of true love. The only difference for Bella is that her love, Edward, is a vampire! He doesn’t think they should be together because they are from two different and potentially dangerous world. In the second book, he even goes so far as to leave the country to try and make her forget about him. They are both too miserable without each other, although at the end she finds solace in an old friend, Jacob. Ultimately Bella has to make the decision, does she want friendship and safety, or passion and to always be living life on the edge. She has to choose between Edward and Jacob, and the strings that come attached with each. Can she overlook true love or lose her friendship with the only person who was there for her during Edward’s disappearance? A truly moving and inspiring story about love, friendship and the obstacles one has to overcome to achieve both.
~ Chloe (15)
Uglies, by Scott Westerfield
The way that Uglies is written gets you sucked into the story, and when you have something sorted out, your beliefs are shattered in the next papagraph. This book has you crying, laughing, and yet unable to put it down. Tally is really a part of everyone, as she is forced through her life, and seems to always make the wrong decision, which relates to everyone in a way. I would recommend this book to all who love a good read.
~ Hannah (13)
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