‘Ruby Red’-by Kirsten Gier (originally written in German but translated into English by Anthea Bell)
Gwyneth Shepherd, born in 1994, is now 16, the age at which those few who have inherit the time-travel gene start to travel at unexpected times into the past. This can obviously be quite inconvenient as well as dangerous, so a sub rosa society evolved: “The Guardians” – who not only act to keep the trait itself a secret, but help exert control over the traveling impulse. They developed a “chronograph” to send gene carriers to specific periods on a regular basis, thus rendering the activity more harmless. I really enjoyed this book; it is full of twists and untold mysteries that I fully enjoyed along with the really likable characters Gideon and Gwyneth and her friends and family.
‘Cross my heart and hope to spy’-by Ally Carter
This mind-blowing book is set in a school for spies, The Gallagher Academy for Girls. This big mansion is a home for a lot of intelligent trainee spies and of course the interesting teachers who teach in it. This book is not only excellent in all different categories but interesting too. There are many different clever things that make the book even better like, the girls at the Gallagher Academy learn fourteen different languages and accents and they have to speak a specific language or accent at every meal they have in the mansion. I think that the reason why I love this book so much is because it's mysterious, smart and it makes the idea of being a spysound very appealing.
‘The help’-by Kathryn Stockett (star review)
The Help is an unforgettable story told from the viewpoints of three very unforgettable women: Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child; Minny, forever losing jobs due to her sassy tongue; and Miss Skeeter, an aspiring writer who has been raised by black maids all her life. In a time when even talking to a black person was shunned, these three women team up on a project that will put them all at risk in an attempt to change the minds of the Jackson residents. The way in which Stockett has written about her characters is so believable that I didn't find myself thinking 'no-one would have said or done that.' As I was reading this book, it didn't cross my mind at all that it was fiction because everything Kathryn Stockett wrote about seemed thoroughly believable, particularly coming from such different characters. It is told in alternating viewpoints from the three main characters, so we get to see from both sides of the story in this book; from the League ladies such as the truly venomous Miss Hilly, to the maids who work for them and basically raise their children single handedly. It's hard for me to fault this book, except I feel that Skeeter did not quite understand the danger she was putting the maids in to help her write the book, as there was much more risk for black maids to tell stories about their employers than it was for Skeeter to write them. However, the characters were well built and the plot was very intriguing. It's definitely a hard subject to write about and we see that from both Kathryn Stockett's and Skeeter's writing. The Help changed the lives of the women in the book and I feel as if somehow it changed my life too. The Help really is a special book and I encourage anyone and everyone to check it out.
‘If’-by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling created a solution to life's problems in his clever piece 'IF'. Written to his son with tender care, he offers a variety of commonsensical advice that is practical which stands the test of time. This poem was written in 1895, written to his son it is a memorable evocation of Victorian stoicism, self-control and the ‘stiff upper lip’ that popular culture has made into a traditional British virtue. These wise words can be applied even now, almost a hundred years after they were penned, and by a greater audience than the one originally intended. The skillful manner in which the poem is written allows any reader to fall under the paternal spell created by Kipling.
‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’-by William Wordsworth
This poem reflects both the author and the Romantic age, in which it was written. The Romantic Age was an amazing time for many poets; it let Wordsworth embrace the strong felt emotions, the appreciation of nature and realisation of the importance of the imagination. The poem starts with him walking lonely along the coast, he then comes across a field of daffodils. They overwhelm Wordsworth strong feelings that appreciate the beauty of nature. He then reflects on not only the powers of nature but also on the imagination and memory. It is a very sweet poem which I would gladly read again.
By Tati C.W
