In catherine norman’s short story why not the writer tells us about her love of the sunrises and the sky. They do this through the uses of metahores and personifications creating a vivid imagine of what is her thoughts and feelings

metaphore –

personifications – I could tell him about the way the houses wink at me in the orange light. This personification is talking about giving light to something that is usually quite dull and the symbol of winking makes it seem happier and cheeky. Winking is also a short action and is not there for a long period of time gives the sense of something special is happening. Correlates to the other actions where its a moment in time

metaphor – It’ll spiral up and fly away with each passing minute. the fact that it’s precious and it’s only there for a limited

Hunger games 

Author: Suzanne Collins

Text Type: Dystopian 

Date Read: 25th September 

In what was once North America, the Capitol of Panem maintains its hold on its 12 districts by forcing them each to pick a boy and a woman (Tributes) to compete during a nationally televised event called the Hunger Games. Every citizen must watch because the youths fight to the death until just one remains. When District 12’s Tribute Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is chosen, she has little to believe aside from her hunting skills and sharp instincts when she is forced into an arena where she must weigh survival against love. The character I found interesting was the male tribute from District 12 Peeta Mellark. Peeta is crazy with Katniss and becomes her main ally and romantic interest during the Games. Peeta is best characterized by his love for Katniss and willingness to sacrifice himself for her. Katniss’s first memory of him, as an example , is from an event years before the Games during which Peeta willingly risked a beating to assist her. Katniss was starving and checking out food behind Peeta’s family’s bakery, and Peeta apparently burned two loaves of bread deliberately therefore the bakery couldn’t use them, then gave those loaves to Katniss. Peeta’s mother hit him for burning the bread, and Katniss believes Peeta must have known he would be punished for it. During the Games, he’s similarly selfless when he saves Katniss after she comes back to retrieve the bow but finds herself suddenly stunned by the tracker jacker stings. He shouts at Katniss to undertake and obtain her to flee “Go Katniss Go! Run! Get out of here.” to offer her enough time he then fights a courier from district 2 Cato and suffers a significant injury but manages to urge away. i assumed this was truth testament of affection because he’s willing to sacrifice himself to assist Katniss. This made me feel compassion toward Peeta because this is able to be the type of act that i might do if I loved someone then I connected to him on a private level. A message that I took from the Hunger Games was the sustaining power of affection . Love proves essential to keeping Katniss alive. Her love for her sister is what keeps her strong and helped her become the most provider for her family after her father’s death. She also wouldn’t have survived within the arena if it wasn’t for Petta and their love, the foremost obvious way of this was encouraging Haymitch to send her gifts. Well, hunger may be a main a part of stage , most of the people die from hunger or lack of water, so you would like to understand your resources. Even from the beginning , the entire book has references to hunger, when Katniss talks about being hungry and hunting and before Peeta gave her the bread. How District 12, you’ll starve in safety. How she notices all the food within the Capitol on her thanks to the games. How she notices food in her backpack and is relieved. How she gets food for Peeta when he’s injured, and them having a touch feast. How they appear for food after the thunderstorm. The Hunger Games isn’t almost stage , it’s about survival for hunger within the districts. this is often something I could never relate to as I sleep in a developed country where food isn’t a problem and that i am incredibly grateful as a result. I would recommend this book to young adults from ages 12-18 this is often because I feel that the younger audience would be disturbed by the book and doubtless won’t be ready to sleep in the dark . I also think that adults would enjoy reading this book but not the maximum amount because the younger audience. “May the chances be ever in your favour”

The Cry of the Icemark
Author: Stuart Hill 
Text type: Fantasy Adventure
Date Read: 17/6/2020

The Icemark is a kingdom in grave danger. Its king has been killed in battle, its enemy lies in wait, and its fate of the dominion rests on the shoulders of 1 girl. Thirrin Freer Strong-in-the-Arm Lindenshield, a princess and a warrior, must find how to guard her land from a terrible invasion. She will forge a unprecedented alliance of noble Snow Leopards, ancient Vampires, and ferocious Wolf-folk. She will find unexpected strength in her friendship with a young warlock. And she will lead her allies to victory together with her fierce battle cry: “Blood! Blast! And Fire!”

The character that I found interesting was Queen Thirrin. Thirrin is that the heir of the ruling house of Lindenshield. Although her father wishes for her to be well-learned, she hates the classroom, and would often preferably be out training with the Housecarls. She has wild red hair like her father and bright green eyes. At the start of the story, she is thirteen years old; shortly after the novel begins she turns fourteen at Yule, and is proclaimed the heir of the throne of Icemark. I really like Thirrin because we have a lot in common for e.g I would much rather be up skiing than in a classroom. She also has the attributes of a true Queen and never gives up hope for her country. Thirrin is additionally a bad-ass warrior and faces down an enormous ounce while saying “Small of not, Master Pussy Cat, i will be able to not return , unless in fact , I take your head as a trophy for my wall!” and then proceeds to slice off his whiskers. This was one among my favourite moments from the book.

The main message I took from this book was the courage, bravery, perseverance and determination it took for Thirrin to run her entire country in time of a crisis. I personally think that the majority people would break under the position that Trirrin has been forced into but not Thirrin. Thirrin never gives up and is decided to offer her country the simplest chance it’s . This was very impressive and added to her infamous character.

When Icemark heard the news that the infamous Polypontian Empire is coming to invade them, the country decides to sacrifice their entire army to delay the empire and provides Princess Thirrin time to collect as many allies before the empire sends a second army. Thirrin, a mere girl of 13 is left alone to run a whole nation by herself. Thirrin then makes it her mission to form as many allies as she will before her time is up. Throughout this point she travels wide and much and does everything in her power to assist her desperate country. The Cry of the Icemark was an appropriate title because this might be the top of the tiny fierce country within the north

I recommend this book for anybody between ages 10-16. This has been my favourite book ever since I’ve read it and I’ve read it 6 times. It is extremely captivating and hard to put down because every page has a new story.

Alone on a wide, wide sea 

Author: Michael Morpugo 

Text Type: Fiction

Date Read: 1/2/2020

When orphaned Arthur Hobhouse is shipped to Australia after WWII, he loses his sister, his country and everything he knows. the approaching years test him to his limits, as he endures mistreatment, neglect and made labour within the Australian outback. But, Arthur is saved, again and again, by his love of the ocean . The character that I found interesting was Arthur Hobbhouse, this is often because through his life he was faced with numerous adversities and grief, an outsized portion of the book is about Arthur handling his grief. At the beginning of the book, he talks about saying goodbye to his sister and handling the grief of being on their lonesome and also about who he really is. 

“I should begin at the start . i do know that. But the difficulty is that I don’t know the start . I wish I did. I do know my name, Arthur Hobhouse. Arthur Hobhouse had a beginning, that’s surely . I had a father and a mother too, but God only knows who they were, and perhaps even he doesn’t know needless to say . I mean, God can’t be looking everywhere all directly , can he? So where the name Arthur Hobhouse comes from and who gave it to me I even have no idea. I don’t even know if it’s my real name. I don’t know the date and place of my birth either, only that it had been probably in Bermondsey, London, sometime in about 1940.” This highlights the utter difference between my life and Arthur’s. Grief wasn’t distant when he witnessed the death of Wes “Death, I discovered that day, isn’t frightening, because it’s utterly still. And it’s still because death when it comes, is usually over. There’s only terror in it if you fear it and ever since my first death, Wes’ death, I even have never feared it. it’s simply the top of a story, and if you’ve loved the story then it’s sad. And sometimes, because it was with Wes, it’s an agony of sadness.”

He makes friends with a boy named Marty. afterward within the book, he talks about Marty dying and therefore the challenges he faces when he loses his ally.The messages I took from this book were the enduring power of affection and survival and the way Arthur faced his grief above anything . Arthur is continually faced with extreme circumstances from a really young age. He has no choice in most of the items that happen to him and as a result, had to become very resilient and resourceful. “If I learned anything during this life, I’ve learned that you simply can’t cling on. Triumph and survival. When Authur and every one the opposite orphans were shipped off to Australia to figure for who the youngsters called “piggy bacon”. I assumed that this was extremely cruel because the youngsters were working for absolutely nothing and were being treated very poorly. “We were the slaves that attempted to carve his paradise out of the wilderness for him.” This made me feel sad but also very grateful for that incontrovertible fact that I’m growing up during a loving and supportive environment today At the beginning of the book, Arthur has lost everything and everybody he loves and is shipped off by himself to the opposite side of the planet . During this point he’s always meeting people and forming relationships but within the end, something goes wrong and he finishes up alone. At the top of the book, his daughter Allie decides to be by herself and sail all the thanks to England so as to seek out her dad’s long lost sister. I assumed this title was appropriate because it started with the challenge of being alone as he crossed the ocean to a replacement life and therefore the book ends together with his daughter alone on the ocean facing her own grief and demons in her quest to seek out Arthur’s sister in England. The main challenge that Allie faced during this book was when she was on their lonesome sailing from Australia to England, she felt helpless and very lonely. Throughout this point she was stretched to the bounds , emotionally, mentally and physically. She had a very tough time when she realised she had killed her Albatros. This was a really sad moment within the book because she talks about not just killing the bird but killing her dad too. “It’s not just the albatross whose wings I’ve stilled. I feel deep in my heart that I’ve stilled dad’s spirit too.” This was extremely sad and reduced me to tears. This book requires a deeper level of thinking than most children’s books due to the events that Arthur has got to undergo but i feel this book would be suitable for anyone above the age of 11. In fact, i might recommend it to adults. My Mum read the book and loved it.

Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth  

Text type: Dystopian 

Date Read: 15/7/2020

Divergent is about within the future dystopian version of Chicago that has been divided into five factions: Abnegation, Candor, Amity, Dauntless, and Erudite. The book is told from a 16-year old girl perspective from Abnegation and the way one decision will shape the remainder of her future.

The character that I found interesting was Betris Prior (tris), one among my favourite scenes was when she arrives together with her family at the choosing ceremony and is basically anxious about what she is going to choose. Her father is relying on her and her brother to settle on Abnegation. But when it’s her turn, she knows that choosing Abnegation would require an act of selflessness, but choosing Dauntless would require an act of bravery, therefore proving she belongs in either one. And her choice not only surprised her family but herself, by choosing to spill her blood on the recent coals rather than the rocks, therefore, choosing Dauntless. i assumed this was really cool because she went against everything she has known and decided to leap within the deep end.

The big message I took from the book was fear. Courage could also be what the Dauntless are known for, but actually , they’re more focused on fear. Throughout the book, we see Tris questioning the character of bravery and fear: Is true courage fighting someone or stepping up to guard someone? Is fear something you’ll leave behind or something you’ve got to beat every time? Eventually Tris involves realize that bravery isn’t about getting tattoos it’s about standing up for what she believes in “ordinary acts of bravery”. And because of the Dauntless initiation method which involves many “facing your fears” I need to see tons of what Tris is scared of .

The title of this book was appropriate because divergent isn’t a really commonly used word and it shows depth and mystery thereto which make the reader want to read more. The definition of divergent is “tending to vary or develop in several directions”

Throughout the book Tris is consistently faced with the challenge that her secret goes to be revealed. When she goes through the physical training stages she is merely faced with the challenge of getting through where as when she enters the mind and fear stages her risk goes to be hard to hide . i assumed that how she concealed her secret by getting help from Four (her lover/trainer) was very clever and it helped focus.

For me, this book was quite intense and required tons of concentration to remain focused but at an equivalent time was very captivating and interesting. i might recommend this book from ages 12-18 because it does involve violence and things that the younger audience wouldn’t understand.

The Power of One 

Author: Byrce Courtenay 

Text type: Historical Fiction

Date Read: 3/2/2020

It’s 1939 in South Africa, the country is in shambles and is divided by racism and hatred. One day a 6-year-old boy called Peekay learns that small can beat big. Armed with this knowledge he sets off on a journey to resolve the injustices and of his country and become the welterweight champion of the world. ‘The power of one is in particular things the facility to believe yourself, often well beyond any latent ability you’ll have previously demonstrated. The mind is that the athlete, the body is just the means it uses to run faster or longer, jump higher, shoot straighter, kick better, swim harder, hit further, or box better.’ Bryce Courtney

For me the characters that I found interesting were Peekay and Hoppie. The author identifies “Peekay” as a regard to his earlier nickname “Pisskop”: Afrikaans for “Pisshead.”, early after he wets his bed at private school . He takes back his power by using the name Peekay after a pleasant man shortened his name. I like that he started out as a victim of an ugly name but in an act of independence, he adopts the name and makes it his own, empowering himself to define his identity and his future

Hoppie: Hoppie is the champion boxer of the railroads. Hoppie inspires Peekay to become a boxer himself. Even though he only spends at some point with Peekay, he modifies his life by giving him hope and a goal, when he was at a coffee point in his life and needed direction.

The hope is that the concept “little can beat big.” Hoppie beats massive Jackhammer Smit after a tough fight, and it inspires Peekay to believe that he could someday beat the Judge and therefore the jury, and every one the mean kids who torture him at college .Peekay’s goal is to become the welterweight champion of the planet , and this is often a task that Hoppie inspires Peekay to try to to from almost the primary minute he meets him. Peekay takes the task very seriously and dedicates subsequent several years of his life to following Hoppie’s orders, with Hoppie’s famous advice, “First with the top , then with the heart” . Hoppie was a positive influence and came into Peekay’s life at a time when he had lost faith and Hoppie restored it. Hoppie showed him that amidst the injustice and prejudice, there’s hope. This resonates with me as I have been taught to always be grateful and see the good in people

Throughout the book, the lessons that Peekay is taught the most are that of race and prejudice and downright injustice. When he crosses paths with many of the characters in the book they almost always used his race against him. “What is a rooinek?” “I am English” “Yes, I know man! But how do you know you’re a rooinek?” “I–I just know. Sir.” Peekay. Peekay, deals with some horrible violence and racism during his childhood in South Africa within the mid-20th century. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out how to deal with really-big-deal injustice, like when a whole system is designed unfairly or someone who is in power uses their position to hurt the people around them. And for a kid, it is virtually impossible to really make a difference in those situations. But Peekay is a trooper. Through tons of thoughtful observation and reflection, and also through meeting very special folks that teach him great lessons, Peekay finds how to think for himself and to not give in, even when the odds are against him. I admire this enormously.

The Power of 1 may be a good title because the thought of “the power of one” may be a recurring theme within the novel, and Peekay brings it up several times as he grows up. The first time he comes across it’s when he has got to return to“Hoppie had given me the facility of one—one idea, one heart, one mind, one plan, one determination.” Doc also will give Peekay some superpowers: “Doc had taught me the worth of being the odd man out. The power of 1 was supported the courage to stay separate, to think through to the reality , and to not be overcome by convention or the persuasive arguments of those who expect to maintain power. It’s interesting that Peekay learns the facility of 1 only through his relationships with people . It’s like you need more than one to have the power of one.

The novel is narrated by the most character Peekay reflecting on his life from the ages of 5 until 17. His childhood is extremely traumatic due to bullying and a difference in race between him and his peers. This leaves him with both emotional and physical scarring which he battles for the remainder of the novel. Although Peekay rarely passes judgment on others unlike many around him and loves all people no matter their race, which may be a reflection of his many mentors. I try to do this in my life. I admire Peekay because he always rises above and uses his trials as strength to grow. His resilience is amazing. Peekay is supported and mentored by those around him especially Hoppie, Doc and Geel Piet. His mentors are all of different races and each face prejudice due to their individuality. The political background of the facility of 1 is unmistakably war II and therefore the beginning of the apartheid era in South Africa . This book really made me think how far South Africa has come in terms of apartheid and racism, but in the world, we have a long way to go as it keeps rearing its head. Read below:

I was only 11 when I first read this book and I did not fully understand the complexities of the theme of racism. I understood its full meaning once I read it again earlier this year. Racism and prejudice were highlighted in New Zealand with the Christchurch attacks. Although the term ‘apartheid’ was only formed in 1948, white supremacy existed on a wide scale in South Africa long before. It is rearing its head in New Zealand.

Eragon

Author: Christopher Paolini

Text Type: Fantasy 

Date Read: 16/1/2020

A boy named Eragon finds a dragon egg within the wilderness at some point , and once his dragon hatches, it sets him off on a journey which will take him across the land of Alagaesia and beyond. Eragon acquires magical powers and an educator named Brom, but he becomes wanted by the king for his powers as a Dragon Rider. Eragon and Saphira travel outside the boundaries of their land to fight on the side of the Varden, the enemies of the king. Eragon is in a position to kill a strong wizard, the Shade named Durza, and save the Varden and therefore the dwarves.

The character that I found interesting was Saphiria, she could also be a dragon, i feel she’s one among the foremost important characters within the book. In fact, although this book is named Eragon, without Saphira there’d be no Eragon. He would still be in Carvahall, hunting within the spine and living off scraps. i assumed it had been very interesting when Sapira chose Eragon as her rider, she obviously saw something in Eragon that no-one else did and she or he wasn’t wrong. once they visited battle within the Uru’baen they were formidable and that they took on a shade and won. But the most reason Saphira is my favourite character is because she may be a dragon, i really like dragons and once I was reading the book i could not await Saphira to stay growing and obtain bigger.

My favorite message from the book was the friendships that Eragon formed through the book. This showed me that albeit Eragon may be a Dragon Rider he must depend upto the support of his closest friends. My favorite relationship was the one between Eragon and Bron. In his younger days Brom was a Rider himself and when he learns that Eragon may be a Dragon Rider he instantly makes it his mission to coach him and teach him everything he knows. During this point the pair do regular training sessions and Bron begins to show Eragon magic but Eragon isn’t very patient and needs to be ready to roll in the hay immediately . An example of this is often when Eragon first tries to lift a stone using magic, “Eragon looked back at him, confused. “I don’t understand.” “Of course you do not ,” said Brom impatiently. “That’s why I’m teaching you and not the opposite way around.

The title of this text doesn’t really signify much, it only shows the name of the most character. Although saying this Eragon isn’t a really common name and invokes mystery. A submission from Georgia, us says the name Eragon means “Dragon rider” and is of Unknown origin. consistent with a user from Italy, the name Eragon is of Albanian origin and means “Morning wind”. A user from Australia says the name Eragon is of Unknown origin and means “Stone of water”.

Throughout the book Eragon faces many challenges but my favourite was once they were being chased to the supposed rebel stronghold. These couple chapters were very tense and always kept me captivated. The scene starts with Eragon, Saphira and Murtagh rescuing Arya Dröttningu from Druza in Gil’ead then fleeing as fast as they will . Druza then retaliates and sends an elite army of urgal after them as they race to urge to Uru’baen. This was a challenge because Eragon was having to cater for not just himself but an unconscious elf, 2 horses and Murtagh also as trying to outrun the fastest army in Alagaesia. During this point Eragon remembers a bit of data that Bronn told him once they were training“The greatest enemy is one that has nothing to lose.”

Although Eragon is additionally a movie i feel the books are far better and have tons more depth to them. Eragon is additionally the primary book during a series of 4 and every book you read, the higher they get and that i wouldn’t put the last one down until I’d finished it (it took 9 hours). Saying that i might still recommend this book to anyone who features a love for dragons and adventure.

How to play Layla by Eric Clapton on guitar 

Hi everyone my name is Red Simpson and today I’ll be showing you how to play Eric Clapton’s acoustic version of Layla on guitar. Layla is originally a rock song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon and released by their blues rock band Derek and the Dominos in November 1970. 

The story behind Layla was inspired by a book Clapton had been reading, The Story Of Layla And Majnun, the 12th-century tale of an Arabian princess whose father marries her off, leaving her true love in despair. 

Layla was originally unsuccessful on its initial release but has since been hailed among the greatest rock songs of all time. 

There are two versions that have achieved amazing success. The version that I just played for you was Eric Clapton’s acoustic version which he played live at the MTV awards in 1996. 

Einstein once said: “Life without playing music is inconceivable to me. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music… I get most joy in life out of music”. And as it turns out, Einstein was onto something

many studies show a correlation between musical training and academic success. Learning to play an instrument stimulates the brain, improving functions like memory and abstract reasoning skills, which are essential for maths and science.

Layla is graded at an Excellence level in level 1 music, and I chose to perform it as one of my solos this year. 

We are going to start the song on a Dm chord 

Hunger games 

Author: Suzanne Collins

Text Type: Dystopian 

Date Read: 25th September 

In what was once North America, the Capitol of Panem maintains its hold on its 12 districts by forcing them each to select a boy and a girl (Tributes) to compete in a nationally televised event called the Hunger Games. Every citizen must watch as the youths fight to the death until only one remain. When District 12’s Tribute Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is chosen, she has little to rely on other than her hunting skills and sharp instincts when she is forced into an arena where she must weigh survival against love. 

The character I found interesting was the male tribute from District 12 Peeta Mellark. Peeta is in love with Katniss and becomes her main ally and romantic interest during the Games. Peeta is best characterized by his love for Katniss and willingness to sacrifice himself for her. Katniss’s first memory of him, for instance, is from an incident years before the Games in which Peeta willingly risked a beating to help her. Katniss was starving and searching for food behind Peeta’s family’s bakery, and Peeta apparently burned two loaves of bread deliberately so the bakery couldn’t use them, then gave those loaves to Katniss. Peeta’s mother hit him for burning the bread, and Katniss believes Peeta must have known he would be punished for it. During the Games, he is similarly selfless when he saves Katniss after she comes back to retrieve the bow but finds herself suddenly stunned by the tracker jacker stings. He shouts at Katniss to try and get her to escape “Go Katniss Go! Run! Get out of here.” To give her enough time he then fights a courier from district 2 Cato and suffers a serious injury but manages to get away. I thought this was the true testament of love because he is willing to sacrifice himself to help Katniss. This made me feel compassion toward Peeta because this would be the kind of act that I would do if I loved someone and so I connected to him on a personal level.
A message that I took from the Hunger Games was the sustaining power of love. Love proves essential to keeping Katniss alive. Her love for her sister is what keeps her strong and helped her become the main provider for her family after her father’s death. She also would not have survived in the arena if it wasn’t for Petta and their love, the most obvious way of this was encouraging Haymitch to send her gifts.
Well, hunger is a main part of the arena, most people die from hunger or lack of water,  so you need to know your resources. Even from the start, the whole book has references to hunger, when Katniss talks about being hungry and hunting and before Peeta gave her the bread. How District 12, you can starve in safety. How she notices all the food in the Capitol on her way to the games. How she notices food in her backpack and is relieved. How she gets food for Peeta when he’s injured, and them having a little feast. How they look for food after the thunderstorm. The Hunger Games is not just about the arena, it’s about survival for hunger in the districts. This is something I could never relate to as I live in a developed country where food is not an issue and I am incredibly grateful as a result.
I would recommend this book to young adults from ages 12-18 this is because I feel that the younger audience would be disturbed by the book and probably won’t be able to sleep at night. I also think that adults would enjoy reading this book but not as much as the younger audience. “May the odds be ever in your favour”

The Cry of the Icemark
Author: Stuart Hill 
Text type: Fantasy Adventure
Date Read: 17/6

The Icemark is a kingdom in grave danger. Its king has been killed in battle, its enemy lies in wait, and its fate of the kingdom rests on the shoulders of one girl. Thirrin Freer Strong-in-the-Arm Lindenshield, a princess and a warrior, must find a way to protect her land from a terrible invasion. She will forge an extraordinary alliance of noble Snow Leopards, ancient Vampires, and ferocious Wolf-folk. She will find unexpected strength in her friendship with a young warlock. And she will lead her allies to victory with her fierce battle cry: “Blood! Blast! And Fire!”

The character that I found interesting was Queen Thirrin. Thirrin is the heir of the ruling house of Lindenshield. Although her father wishes for her to be well-learned, she hates the classroom, and would often rather be out training with the Housecarls. She has wild red hair like her father and bright green eyes. At the beginning of the story, she is thirteen years old; shortly after the novel begins she turns fourteen at Yule, and is proclaimed the heir of the throne of Icemark. I really like Thirrin because we have a lot in common for e.g  I would much rather be up skiing than in a classroom. She also has the attributes of a true Queen and never gives up hope for her country. Thirrin is also a bad-ass warrior and faces down a giant snow leopard while saying “Small of not, Master Pussy Cat, I will not go back, unless of course, I take your head as a trophy for my wall!” and then proceeds to slice off his whiskers. This was one of my favourite moments from the book.

The main message I took from this book was the courage, bravery, perseverance and determination it took for Thirrin to run her entire country in time of a crisis. I personally think that most people would break under the position that Trirrin has been forced into but not Thirrin. Thirrin never gives up and is determined to give her country the best chance it has. This was very impressive and added to her infamous character.

When Icemark heard the news that the infamous Polypontian Empire is coming to invade them, the country decides to sacrifice their entire army to delay the empire and give Princess Thirrin time to gather as many allies before the empire sends a second army. Thirrin, a mere girl of 13 is left alone to run an entire nation by herself. Thirrin then makes it her mission to make as many allies as she can before her time is up. Throughout this time she travels wide and far and does everything in her power to help her desperate country. The Cry of the Icemark was an appropriate title because this may be the end of the small fierce country in the north    

I recommend this book for anybody between ages 10-16. This has been my favourite book ever since I’ve read it and I’ve read it 6 times. It is extremely captivating and hard to put down because every page has a new story.

Alone on a wide, wide sea 

Author: Michael Morpugo 

Text Type: Fiction

Date Read: 1/2/2019

When orphaned Arthur Hobhouse is shipped to Australia after WWII, he loses his sister, his country and everything he knows. The coming years test him to his limits, as he endures mistreatment, neglect and forced labour in the Australian outback. But, Arthur is saved, again and again, by his love of the sea.

The character that I found interesting was Arthur Hobbhouse, this is because through his life he was faced with so many adversities and grief, a large portion of the book is about Arthur dealing with his grief. At the start of the book, he talks about saying goodbye to his sister and dealing with the grief of being all alone and also about who he really is. 

 “I should begin at the beginning. I know that. But the trouble is that I don’t know the beginning. I wish I did. I do know my name, Arthur Hobhouse. Arthur Hobhouse had a beginning, that’s for certain. I had a father and a mother too, but God only knows who they were, and maybe even he doesn’t know for sure. I mean, God can’t be looking everywhere all at once, can he? So where the name Arthur Hobhouse comes from and who gave it to me I have no idea. I don’t even know if it’s my real name. I don’t know the date and place of my birth either, only that it was probably in Bermondsey, London, sometime in about 1940.” This highlights the utter difference between my life and Arthur’s.

Grief wasn’t far away when he witnessed the death of Wes

“Death, I discovered that day, is not frightening, because it is utterly still. And it is still because death when it comes, is always over. There’s only terror in it if you fear it and ever since my first death, Wes’ death, I have never feared it. It is simply the end of a story, and if you’ve loved the story then it is sad. And sometimes, as it was with Wes, it is an agony of sadness.”  

 He makes friends with a boy named Marty. Later on in the book, he talks about Marty dying and the challenges he faces when he loses his best friend. 

The messages I took from this book were the enduring power of love and survival and how Arthur faced his grief above anything else. Arthur is continually faced with extreme circumstances from a very young age. He has no choice in most of the things that happen to him and as a result, had to become very resilient and resourceful. “If I learned anything in this life, I’ve learned that you can’t cling on. Triumph and survival.

When Authur and all the other orphans were shipped off to Australia to work for who the kids call “piggy bacon”. I thought that this was extremely cruel because the kids were working for absolutely nothing and were being treated very poorly. “We were the slaves that tried to carve his paradise out of the wilderness for him.” This made me feel sad but also very grateful for that fact that I am growing up in a loving and supportive environment today 

At the start of the book, Arthur has lost everything and everyone he loves and is shipped off by himself to the other side of the world. During this time he is always meeting people and forming relationships but in the end, something goes wrong and he ends up alone. At the end of the book, his daughter Allie decides to be by herself and sail all the way to England in order to find her dad’s long lost sister. I thought this title was appropriate because it started with the challenge of being alone as he crossed the ocean to a new life and the book ends with his daughter alone on the ocean facing her own grief and demons in her quest to find Arthur’s sister in England

The main challenge that Allie faced in this book was when she was all alone sailing from Australia to England, she felt helpless and extremely lonely. Throughout this time she was stretched to the limits, emotionally, mentally and physically. She had a particularly tough time when she realised she had killed her Albatros. This was a very sad moment in the book because she talks about not just killing the bird but killing her dad too. “It’s not just the albatross whose wings I’ve stilled. I feel deep in my heart that I’ve stilled dad’s spirit too.” This was extremely sad and reduced me to tears 

This book requires a deeper level of thinking than most children’s books because of the events that Arthur has to go through but I think this book would be suitable for anyone above the age of 11. In fact, I would recommend it to adults. My Mum read the book and loved it.

Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth  

Text type: Dystopian 

Date Read: 15/7/2019

Divergent is set in the future dystopian version of Chicago that has been divided into five factions: Abnegation, Candor, Amity, Dauntless, and Erudite. The book is told from a 16-year old girl perspective from Abnegation and how a single decision will shape the rest of her future.

The character that I found interesting was Betris Prior (tris), one of my favourite scenes was when she arrives with her family at the choosing ceremony and is really anxious about what she will choose. Her father is counting on her and her brother to choose Abnegation. But when it’s her turn, she knows that choosing Abnegation would require an act of selflessness, but choosing Dauntless would require an act of bravery, therefore proving she belongs in either one. And her choice not only surprised her family but herself, by choosing to spill her blood on the hot coals instead of the rocks, therefore, choosing Dauntless. I thought this was really cool because she went against everything she has known and decided to jump in the deep end.  

The big message I took from the book was fear. Courage may be what the Dauntless are known for, but in reality, they’re more focused on fear. Throughout the book, we see Tris questioning the nature of bravery and fear: Is true courage fighting someone or stepping up to protect someone? Is fear something you can leave behind or something you have to overcome every time? Eventually, Tris comes to realize that bravery isn’t about getting tattoos it’s about standing up for what she believes in “ordinary acts of bravery”.  And thanks to the Dauntless initiation method which involves lots of “facing your fears” I got to see a lot of what Tris is afraid of.

The title of this book was appropriate because divergent isn’t a very commonly used word and it shows depth and mystery to it which make the reader want to read more. The definition of divergent is “tending to be different or develop in different directions”

Throughout the book, Tris is constantly faced with the challenge that her secret is going to be revealed. When she goes through the physical training stages she is only faced with the challenge of getting through where as when she enters the mind and fear stages her risk is going to be hard to conceal. I thought that how she concealed her secret by getting help from Four (her lover/trainer) was very clever and it helped focus.    

For me, this book was quite intense and required a lot of concentration to stay focused but at the same time was very captivating and interesting. I would recommend this book from ages 12-18 because it does involve violence and things that the younger audience wouldn’t understand.

The Power of One 

Author: Byrce Courtenay 

Text type: Historical Fiction

Date Read: 3/2/2019

It’s 1939 in South Africa, the country is in shambles and is divided by racism and hatred. One day a 6-year-old boy called Peekay learns that small can beat big. Armed with this knowledge he sets off on a journey to resolve the injustices and of his country and become the welterweight champion of the world. 

‘The power of one is above all things the power to believe in yourself, often well beyond any latent ability, you may have previously demonstrated. The mind is the athlete, the body is simply the means it uses to run faster or longer, jump higher, shoot straighter, kick better, swim harder, hit further, or box better.’ Bryce Courtney

For me, the characters that I found interesting were Peekay and Hoppie. The author identifies “Peekay” as a reference to his earlier nickname “Pisskop”: Afrikaans for “Pisshead.”, early on after he wets his bed at boarding school. He takes back his power by using the name Peekay after a nice man shortened his name. I like that he started out as a victim of an ugly name but in an act of independence, he adopts the name and makes it his own, empowering himself to define his identity and his future 

Hoppie: Hoppie is  the champion boxer of the railroads. Hoppie inspires Peekay to become a boxer himself. Even though he only spends one day with Peekay, he changes his life by giving him hope and a goal, when he was at a low point in his life and needed direction.

The hope is the idea that “little can beat big.” Hoppie beats the gigantic Jackhammer Smit after a hard fight, and it inspires Peekay to believe that he could someday beat the Judge and the jury, and all the mean kids who torture him at school. Peekay’s goal is to become the welterweight champion of the world, and this is a task that Hoppie inspires Peekay to do from almost the first minute he meets him. Peekay takes the task very seriously and dedicates the next several years of his life to following Hoppie’s orders, with Hoppie’s famous advice, “First with the head, then with the heart” . Hoppie was a positive influence and came into Peekay’s life at a time when he had lost faith and Hoppie restored it. Hoppie showed him that amidst the injustice and prejudice, there is hope. This resonates with me as I have been taught to always be grateful and see the good in people
Throughout the book, the lessons that Peekay is taught the most are that of race and prejudice and downright injustice. When he crosses paths with many of the characters in the book they almost always used his race against him. “What is a rooinek?” “I am English” “Yes, I know man! But how do you know you’re a rooinek?” “I–I just know. Sir.” Peekay. Peekay deals with some horrible violence and racism during his childhood in South Africa in the mid-20th century. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out how to deal with really-big-deal injustice, like when a whole system is designed unfairly or someone who is in power uses their position to hurt the people around them. And for a kid, it is virtually impossible to really make a difference in those situations. But Peekay is a trooper. Through a lot of thoughtful observation and reflection, and also through meeting very special people that teach him great lessons, Peekay finds a way to think for himself and to not give in, even when the odds are against him. I admire this enormously.
The Power of One is a good title because the idea of “the power of one” is a recurring theme in the novel, and Peekay brings it up several times as he grows up. The first time he comes across it is when he has to go back to“Hoppie had given me the power of one—one idea, one heart, one mind, one plan, one determination.” Doc will also give Peekay some superpowers: “Doc had taught me the value of being the odd man out. The power of one was based on the courage to remain separate, to think through to the truth, and not to be overcome by convention or the persuasive arguments of those who expect to maintain power. It’s interesting that Peekay learns the power of one only through his relationships with other people. It’s like you need more than one to have the power of one.
The novel is narrated by the main character Peekay reflecting on his life from the ages of 5 until 17. His childhood is extremely traumatic due to bullying and a difference in race between him and his peers. This leaves him with both emotional and physical scarring which he battles for the rest of the novel. Although Peekay rarely passes judgment on others unlike many around him and loves all people regardless of their race, which is a reflection of his many mentors. I try to do this in my life. I admire Peekay because he always rises above and uses his trials as strength to grow. His resilience is amazing. Peekay is supported and mentored by those around him especially Hoppie, Doc and Geel Piet. His mentors are all of different races and each face prejudice due to their individuality. The political background of The Power of One is unmistakably World War II and the beginning of the apartheid era in South Africa. This book really made me think how far South Africa has come in terms of apartheid and racism, but in the world, we have a long way to go as it keeps rearing its head. Read below:
I was only 11 when I first read this book and I did not fully understand the complexities of the theme of racism. I understood its full meaning when I read it again earlier this year. Racism and prejudice were highlighted in New Zealand with the Christchurch attacks. Although the term ‘apartheid’ was only formed in 1948, white supremacy existed on a wide scale in South Africa long before. It is rearing its head in New Zealand

Eragon

Author: Christopher Paolini

Text Type: Fantasy 

Date Read: 16/1/2019

A boy named Eragon finds a dragon egg in the wilderness one day, and once his dragon hatches, it sets him off on a journey that will take him across the land of Alagaesia and beyond. Eragon acquires magical powers and a teacher named Brom, but he becomes wanted by the king for his powers as a Dragon Rider. Eragon and Saphira travel outside the boundaries of their land to fight on the side of the Varden, the enemies of the king. Eragon is able to kill a powerful wizard, the Shade named Durza, and save the Varden and the dwarves.

The character that I found interesting was Saphira, she may be a dragon, I think she’s one of the most important characters in the book. In fact, although this book is called Eragon, without Saphira there’d be no Eragon. He would still be in Carvahall, hunting in the spine and living off scraps. I thought it was very interesting when Sapira chooses Eragon as her rider, she obviously saw something in Eragon that nobody else did and she wasn’t wrong. When they went to battle in the Uru’baen they were formidable and they took on a shade and won. But the main reason Saphira is my favourite character because she is a dragon, I love dragons and when I was reading the book I couldn’t wait for Saphira to keep growing and get bigger.
My favorite message from the book was the friendships that Eragon formed through the book. This showed me that even though Eragon is a Dragon Rider he must depend up to the support of his closest friends. My favourite relationship was the one between Eragon and Bron. In his younger days, Brom was a Rider himself and when he learns that Eragon is a Dragon Rider he instantly makes it his mission to train him and teach him everything he knows. During this time the pair do regular training sessions and Bron begins to teach Eragon magic but Eragon isn’t very patient and wants to be able to do it straight away. An example of this is when Eragon first tries to lift a stone using magic, “Eragon looked back at him, confused. “I don’t understand.” “Of course you don’t,” said Brom impatiently. “That’s why I’m teaching you and not the other way around.
The title of this text doesn’t really signify much, it only shows the name of the main character. Although saying this Eragon isn’t a very common name and invokes mystery. A submission from Georgia, United States says the name Eragon means “Dragon rider” and is of Unknown origin. According to a user from Italy, the name Eragon is of Albanian origin and means “Morning wind”. A user from Australia says the name Eragon is of Unknown origin and means “Stone of water”.
Throughout the book, Eragon faces many challenges but my favourite was when they were being chased to the supposed rebel stronghold. These couple chapters were very tense and always kept me captivated. The scene starts with Eragon, Saphira and Murtagh rescuing Arya Dröttningu from Druza in Gil’ead and then fleeing as fast as they can. Druza then retaliates and sends an elite army of Urgal after them as they race to get to Uru’baen. This was a challenge because Eragon was having to cater for not just himself but an unconscious elf, 2 horses and Murtagh as well as trying to outrun the fastest army in Alagaesia. During this time Eragon remembers a piece of information that Bronn told him when they were training“The greatest enemy is one that has nothing to lose.”
Although Eragon is also a movie I think the books are much better and have a lot more depth to them. Eragon is also the first book in a series of 4 and each book you read, the better they get and I would not put the last one down until I’d finished it (it took 9 hours). Saying that I would still recommend this book to anyone who has a love for dragons and adventure. 

First-person. Internal struggle. A difficult decision concerning the secondary character

Creative Writing Assesment 

The New Kid

Only when the twig poking into my back gets too annoying, do I sit up and open my eyes. The sunlight blinds me for a moment. I realise that I must have dozed off. It doesn’t surprise me. I barely got any sleep last night. I have a look around to try to find my friends and spot them playing a game of football in the middle of the field. It is a scorching hot day, and nobody looks very motivated. The grumbling in my stomach interrupts me and I look to my bag dumped with all the others. With a groan, I get to my feet, grab my wallet and head over to the canteen.

 On the way, I’m joined by one of my mates who was playing football 

“Hey Jack, mind if I join you? It’s getting a bit too hot out there” he calls to me. 

“Oh hey Alex, yea sure, I’m only going to the canteen though” I reply.

“All good” he nods.

We get to the canteen and take our place in line. I get bored pretty quickly and look around to see if I recognise anyone. My eyes rest on two figures sitting on a bench beside the playground, instantly I’m alert and know the person sitting on the left is Katie Hall but on her right is a guy I’ve never seen before. I point this out to Alex and ask,

“Who’s the guy with Katie?” he follows where I’m looking and replies,

“Oh yea that’s Charlie Almazan, he’s the new kid from Spain.”

My mind is going a million miles an hour, Why is he sitting with Katie? And how does Alex know who he is? These questions tumble around my mind like clothes in a washing machine. Alex then turns to me and asks, 

“You still like Katie aye?”

“Sure do” I reply distractedly.

“Damn how long have you liked that girl bro,” He asks

“Only like three years,” I say, still looking at Charlie and Katie, surreptitiously.

“Well looks like Charlie seems to be going for her too!” Right on cue Katie lets out a laugh and smiles sweetly at Charlie. I grind my teeth. 

“Not on my watch,” I mumble under my breath. 

As if he heard me, Charlie turns and looks me dead in the eye, smirking. He then gets up, says something to Katie and starts walking straight towards me. I instantly look at my feet and pretend to study them, but it doesn’t work, and Charlie proceeds to stand right beside me in the queue. He then turns to Alex and asks 

“Yo Alex, how’s it going?” Alex reaches over me to fist-bump Charlie and replies, 

“Not much I got bored of playing footy, so I’m just chilling with Jack”. I’m still looking at my shoes when Charlie turns to me and exclaims “Wait, I know you!” I look up at him, confused “You do?” I say quietly.

“Yea, Katie was just telling me about you, you’re the guy who has liked her for like five years” he laughs, I go bright red and hang my head. 

“Actually it’s only three,” Charlie puts his hand on my shoulder I look back up as he mimics with a wink 

“Good luck getting her, she’s a very nice girl”. He then turns and walks away. My face burns with humiliation, and I take a step forward to try to follow him, but Alex steps in front of me and whispers, 

“Leave it!” I stop and watch as Charlie swaggers back to Katie. My mind is a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts. I’m bigger than Charlie I think to myself, what’s stopping me from going up to him right now and knocking his perfect teeth out? I look directly at Katie, and I realised if I was gonna confront Charlie, I wouldn’t want Katie watching. So instead of going up to Charlie and smacking him into next week, I turn away and walk back towards the field. 

“Where are you going?” Alex calls out to me.

“I lost my appetite,” I reply without looking back.I take my seat at the back of the room and look out of the window as my mind wanders back to the confrontation with Charlie, I didn’t even know he existed until today, what have I done to make him hate me so much? Then it hits me, he’s after Katie! Of course! Why else would he have come up to me? He must want me to back down… wait, but why? It’s not like Katie has ever shown me any interest… unless she has! Unless she does like me and she hinted it to Charlie, that would explain why he wants me out of the picture. The bell wakes me from my thoughts, and I look to the door, I know what I need to do.

I went to the shop on Monday morning.

My favorite color is purple.

The house was creaky old and damp, but i wasn’t scared

I could picture the smooth oval of laura’s face and her neatly pinned chignon, the dress she would have been wearing: a shirtwaist

“Nothing there,” said Peter, and they all trooped out again – all except Lucy. She stayed behind because she thought it would be worthwhile trying the door of the wardrobe, even though she felts almost sure that it would be locked. Surprising her it opened quite easily, and two moth-balls dropped out

1 They turn right. The high hedge curves into them. The interest around the table sharpens palpably. Someone stiffened, Another fidgeted, they all gazed up at Snape and Voldermort

2 They pick up the main road around 10. The sky is clouded over now and the is no warmth from the January sun. Inside the Volvo is boiling. Ben tries to turn the heater down for the second time, but Justine turns it right back up each time.

3 This morning, she is running

Storm clouds had been gathering for several hours, and the ship’s captain knew they were in trouble…

Captain Cook of the HMS Endeavor looked over the vast expanse of ocean and watched the clouds descend like the evening sun. Their voyage had been a trainwreck from the start. When he first heard the rumor of a new island off the coast of Australia, he knew this would be the big break he’d been looking for. They set off from England almost 2 months ago now and their supplies are almost empty, he’d had to cut the rations down to a half just yesterday and he knew the crew’s patience was wearing thin. He promised them glory fame and gold but all they’ve gotten so far was dried beef, stale ale, and a never-ending ocean. He shakes his head to clear the thought, if only they can last another couple days, “we’re so close” he says to himself quietly. Beside him his 1st mate grunts “whats that cap’n?” Cook turns and starts to walk back up to the helm and replies “nothing Charles get the crew ready we’re in for a rough night”.

Metaphors:

Life is a road, the only way to go is forward

Life is a willow tree, flexible and strong

Death is a

Similes:

Life is like the weather, you never know what’s on the other side

Life is like the ocean, you can never predict what’s going to happen

Death is like a

Greif holds him like a cage

My home is like a diamond in the rough

My home is my oasis

My home is like the weather, changing by the day

The image is the calm before the storm

Death is like jellyfish, you never when they’re gonna sneak up and take you

Love is a conductor waiting to strike

Table-Sat Emotionless Sturdy Lifeless Hardy 

Headphones-Screeching Soothing Shout Scream Annoying

Book- Intelligent gripping funny open wise

The moon, shining sulkily “its very rude of him, to come and spoil the fun

Personification

The trees limbs flexed, ready to stride

hiding behind the fog, the tree holds his breath

the clouds slowly creep towards the tops of the mountains

The loney bench sits quietly biding its time

The grass claws at the foundations desperately trying to find a way in

Prepositions

exact middle, going, beyond, going in, other side, not quite straight, onto, on and on

they help build a connection between the things in the scene

proposition photo

In the middle of the room sat a little girl on a blue chair. Surrounded by books she sat quietly reading. Beyond the little girl, you could see books flying away with minds of their own. Above the girl was a lamp that shone brightly illuminating her delicate features. Scattered around her lay books that once were read but now they sit, staring lifelessly at the night sky. Beside the girls sat stacks and stacks of every type of book you could imagine. Behind the girl was a city that was about to be shown the shadow of the night. By the girl were houses of books that were being blown away