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.