Stories

Stories

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Book Characters

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Book Reports

Book Reviews

In their teams, my Class 7 pupils have recently read and presented their chosen books from the list.

Stories

 Most of my Class 6 pupils have recently completed the reading challenge when they read and presented the chosen stories.

Book Reviews

My Class 6 pupils have recently chosen and read on their own the graded readers in English and presented them to their friends:

Book Reviews

In groups or individually, my Class 6 pupils have recently read their first graded readers in English and presented them to their friends:

Classics

‘Pride And Prejudice’ Review

‘Pride And Prejudice’ is a book written by Jane Austen, where the main protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, experiences many twists in her life that accompany her family of two parents and four more sisters.
I enjoyed this story because the writer doesn’t just narrate a love story, she shows how people behaved and acted in 18th century, all the virtues and flaws they had, and we can even see the reflection of those times in the modern age.
The narrative pictures the differences in class and gender very well. For example, we can see Mr Collins, who is a distant cousin of the family, got all the inheritance despite Elizabeth’s father having five children, all because they were all daughters.
That is also why their mother, Mrs Bennet, wished to marry off her daughters as soon as possible. So they could live happily and with a nice home, since they wouldn’t inherit anything if their father passed away.
The divergence in class is clear when Mr Darcy, a prideful man, separates Jane, Elizabeth’s sister, from seeing Mr Bingley even though they loved each other. All because the Bennets behaved inappropriate and were poorer than the Bingley family, however Darcy later mentioned that didn’t apply for Jane and Elizabeth and that he was deeply sorry.
I recommend this book to people who like stories full of conflicting happenings. It is very dramatic, interesting and has a diverting ending.

Aleksandra Bajić, VIII1

Tom Jones

Choose two characters to compare and contrast.

The story is about Tom Jones and how he goes through all kinds of things, like his closest friend passing away or him cheating on Sophia. These things make him more mature and wiser.

Tom is a handsome man with blonde hair and brown eyes while Sophia has brown hair and, I think, blue eyes.

Tom is brave, strong and generous. His heart is from gold and has compassion for the poor, which at the time was very uncommon, but his fatal flaw is the lack of good judgement which is proved many times throughout the story.
Sophia is an exemplary woman who listens to her father. She is beautiful both from the inside and out. She is very mature and understands other characters despite her age. She is of strong will.

Tom treats other people nicely but he can be annoying at times. He likes Sophia and most of the people in his circle. Sophia treats other characters with understanding and care but that doesn't mean she won't talk back if you say something bad to her. She likes Tom and other people in her circle.

At first Tom is smart but not mature. As the story progresses, he becomes more mature and at the end he learns to have a better judgment. As the story progresses his dream is to marry the woman of his life, Sophia.
As for Sophia, I can't really say much. At the beginning of the story she is already very mature and smart and her character has already been developed at the beginning of the story, or that's what I think at least.

I've chosen these characters because I can relate to them. I've chosen Tom because he's brave and generous but also because he doesn't have a good judgement, like me. And I've chosen Sophia because she is mature and smart and I can be mature too if I want to.

I think I'm like Tom. Tom is brave and generous and so am I, but isn't too mature and lacks a better judgment, like me. But as the story progresses, he becomes mature and smart, and so will I as I grow up. 

Nemanja Vujin, VIII4

Kidnapped

Describe your least favourite character

My least favourite character was David's uncle Ebenezer Balfour.

When David's father passed away David needed to take the letter to his uncle. He walked 2 days until he got to the house of the Shaws. His uncle was living in that house. When David settled down his uncle told him to go outside and upstairs to get one box filled with papers. Because David's uncle didn't use lights David needed to go in the dark and he could easily die on those stairs. His uncle gave him also some money because he was supposed to give it to Alexander but he didn't. David knew something was going on because his uncle was trying to kill him.

Alexander was David's father. He passed away three weeks before David came to his uncle. That house belonged to Alexander and because he was dead the house was supposed to go to David. That is why his uncle was trying to kill him. Then he would not have to give the house to David.

Ebenezer is my least favourite character because he was trying to kill his nephew instead of trying to connect to David and to live with him.

Aleksandra Ilijin, VIII1, 19 December 2019

Time to Read

Divided in groups, my Class 8 students chose, read and shared their thoughts about different books:

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

The story takes place in England, in the 19th century.
The main characters are David Copperfield, his mother Clara, their servant Peggotty and his aunt Betsey Trotwood.
David was a blonde, small boy that went through a lot of character development and childhood trauma. He is sweet by heart, innocent but naive.
Clara was a young woman and mother to David. She is fateful and loves her son very much.
Peggotty was an older lady that was gentle and selfless and that basically kept family together. She was really nice.
Betsey Trotwood was David's aunt that first appears as strict, but later we find out she is very nice as she agrees to take care of David when he was homeless.
They are very likeable characters.
David was really inspiring throughout the book because he really went through a lot of bad things and he managed not to give up.
Peggotty is our favourite character because she always made sure her family was alright.
This story is about David's life and the difficulties he experienced.
Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. As David was a little kid, his mother married a strict and rough man Edward Murdstone. His stepfather beat him everyday for a lot of little mistakes and later made him go to a boarding school. He met some really good friends, though. However, he meets one of them later in life, James Steerforth, that turns out not to be so good as David thought.
David, with his aunt's help, studies to become a lawyer. As he does, he meets Mr Wickfield who also helps him, but his assistant Uriah Heep makes him feel weird at the start. It later turns out he wanted to be the one in charge, not Mr Wickfield, and made him become drunk and not capable of working.
However, David also meets Agnes, Mr Wickfield's daughter that helps him figure out Steerforth wasn't as good as he thought and they become closer as Uriah wants to marry her. They later in life marry each other, but, before that, he meets Dora. He fell in love with her at first sight. Even though her father doesn't support their relationship, they marry. But, she dies because she was a very fragile and a weak woman. Her last wish was that Agnes should continue her role in David's life, meaning, she should become his wife.
In the end, they are happy and have a lot of children around them.
The book's not bad, but we think that it lacks description. The emotional scenes were pretty bland.
Our favourite part was when David ran away and his aunt decided willingly to take care of him. The moment his stepfather and his sister were in front of Betsey's house, we think that her reaction was priceless, as she shouted, 'Don't ride on my grass!' It was very funny.
The scary bits were the fact that David went through so much. His stepfather beat him often, he started working while being ten years old and his mother and spouse died. He had it very tough.
We learnt that we should never give up, and that there's always light at the end of the tunnel.
We recommend this book to everyone, just not kids younger than 10.

Aleksandra Bajić, Milica Jovanović and Aleksandra Ilijin, VIII1

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (book review)

The book is about a man who survived the shipwreck and lived on an island for seventeen years.

It is an exciting adventure book. The main heroes are Robinson Crusoe and his friend Friday.

Everything is happening on the island.

Robinson survived the shipwreck and was now safe on shore. He walked about and looked round to see what kind of place he was in. He was wet and had no clothes to change into or anything to drink. He walked inland to see if he could find any fresh water to drink, which he did, to his great joy. As it was growing dark, he decided to get up onto a thick tree and sit there all night. Being very tired, he quickly fell asleep.

When he woke up, the first thing he saw was the ship, now very near the shore. During the next thirteen days he made eleven trips to the ship and brought back food, clothes, tools and a gun. On one side of a small hill he found a big rock with a hollow place like a cave. There he decided to put up a tent. He built a fence round it and brought all the things from the ship.

Robinson stayed on the island for many years. It was a hard life and he was all alone. He had to find food. He learned to grow wheat, made his own furniture, wrote in his diary, and the time passed.

Then, one day, as he was returning from the other side of the island, he sat down for a few moments. He was very tired and fell sound asleep. But, what a surprise when he heard a voice calling out his name, 'Robin, poor Robin Crusoe! Where are you? Where have you been?' Was he dreaming? The voice went on, saying, 'Robinson Crusoe.' He was very frightened. Then, he saw his parrot Poll on a nearby branch. He was far from home, but Robinson immediately knew that it was Poll who spoke to him. He held out his hand and called the parrot by the name Poll. He came to Robinson and sat upon his hand. Poll went on talking to him, 'Poor Robinson Crusoe,' and ''How did I come here?' This was the first time Robinson heard any words but his own on the island. Poll seemed happy to see Robinson again, so Robinson carried him home.

Robinson tried to make his life more comfortable. He made a boat and sailed around the island. One day, at about noon, as he was going towards his boat, he suddenly saw a print of man's foot in the sand. He was very surprised. He listened and looked round him, but could hear nothing. He went up a small hill to look round. He went up the shore, but could see nothing. He went back to the footprint to see if there were any more. He was curious how it got there. Very frightened, he went home. Every two or three steps he looked behind him.

He did not sleep that night. He was wondering if there were other men on the island, how they got there and where the ship that brought them was. Then he thought that the footprint could be his. He felt a little better.

A few days later he went back to the beach. The footprint was still there, but Robinson realised that his foot was smaller. Again he was frightened. For the first time in fifteen years he was not alone on the island!

Robinson Crusoe had a lot of adventures before he finally returned home in England.

I suggest that everyone should read the rest of the book because it is fantastic.

Boris Škapik, VIII2, April 2009

The Chronicles of Narnia (book review)

C.S.Lewis wrote a lot of books. Between 1949 and 1954 he wrote 'The Chronicles of Narnia', the seven-part novel. I have read four parts so far, but I prefer most a part called 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'.

At the start of the Second World War, four kids, Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy are evacuated from London to the house of Professor Kirke. 

One day, they discover a magic wardrobe, which is a passage to Narnia. There, they meet a faun (half-man, half-goat), a family of talking beavers and other interesting creatures.

Edmund meets the White Witch without the others and makes a deal with her to bring the others to her. At the beavers' house the children find out that they are destined to come and help Aslan, the great lion to defeat the Witch.

They are soon hunted by the wolves sent by the Witch. They nearly escape. Little by little, they are on the run to Aslan's camp. On the way there, Father Christmas gives them some weapons. At the camp, they meet Aslan. They all fight against the Witch's troop and win. The Witch then arrives claiming that Edmund is her property, based on the 'Deep Magic' of Narnia. It says that the traitor belongs to her as a lawful prey and that she must kill them on the Stone Table. Aslan negotiates with her and sacrifices himself for Edmund. He is humiliated and stabbed to death, but is resurrected because there is deeper magic than the Witch knows.

Aslan then brings all the available troops for the final battle. They win again and the White Witch is killed. All four kids are pronounced kings and queens of Narnia.

This is my favourite book because it is very easy for reading and is very imaginary.

Pavle Mandić, VIII2, 3 December 2008

Deadlock by Sara Paretsky (book review)

This is a murder mystery and the main hero is Vic I. Warshawski. She is a private investigator in Chicago, USA.

People imagine private detectives to be tired-looking men in raincoats, but Vic is a female. She is tough, beautiful, carries a gun - and goes on asking questions until she gets answers.

When Boom Boom, a former ice-hockey star, dies in an accident by falling under a ship, the city mourns. Nobody suspects murder. But, Boom Boom was Vic's cousin and she was very fond of him. She wants to know how and why the accidents happened, because she does not understand how a strong young man can just slip and fall into the water like that. 

Then she finds Boom Boom's girlfriend going through his personal papers in his apartment. And, Vic did not even know that Boom Boom had a girlfriend!

Soon Vic realises that she is conducting a murder investigation. Somebody else knows it too, because another murder quickly follows, and some rather strange accidents as well. But, Vic has a very personal interest in the case. Nothing is going to stop her!

If you want to know what happens next, if Vic finds a murderer, you have to read the book. 

I enjoyed reading the book because it is a murder mystery and I like mysteries.

Ivana Grubišić, VIII2, 2 November 2008

The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter (book review)

The name of the book that I have recently read is ’The Dead of Jericho.’ It is a murder mystery, written by Colin Dexter, which takes place in the old part of Oxford - Jericho.

When Chief Inspector Morse met a beautiful woman called Anne Scott, he did not know that she would hang herself only six months later.

He hears about the sad news and investigates it, even if it is not his case. He finds out a lot of things – that there were no curtains upstairs, that the front door was unlocked... He interviews most of Anne’s neighbours and the city’s blacksmith. He manages to get the key from Anne’s back door.

One night he gets into the house and notices a lot of details. When he finishes investigating, he goes out of the house, over the garden wall and then he gets caught. He is pushed into a police car. The man who catches him is Constable Walters, the helper of Chief Inspector Bell, in charge of the case. They drive to Morse’s home and exchange information.

The next day, while Morse is on the Summertown Bridge Club talk, given by Charles Richards, the second murder happens in Jericho. It is Anne’s neighbour, George Jackson, who gets killed.

Morse is puzzled, but the Assistant Chief Commissioner wants him in charge of the case. Morse takes the case and exchanges information with Bell once again.

In the next few days, he finds out about a blackmail, some letters and a lot of other details. In the end, he catches the murderers – Charles and Conrad Richards, Anne’s lover and his brother.

The characters of this story are Morse and Lewis, his Sergeant, Charles and Conrad Richards, Charles’s wife Celia, some members of the Bridge Club, the Murdoch family...

The main character is Chief Inspector Morse. He is intelligent, but he has three flaws: beer, Mozart and women. He is very much like an ordinary person, not like an inspector. That is what makes him so special.

I liked this book very much. It is interesting and exciting, but sometimes it can be scary and that is what I like.

Dunja Ilić, VIII2, 26 October 2008