Mr Pollicutt's thrilling Year 9S and their musings on the world of Literature!

Book reviews, yes, but so much more as well!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Speech tips

http://www.speakoutchallenge.com/pages/tipsfromstudents

Speech tips

http://www.speakoutchallenge.com/pages/tipsfromstudents

Friday, April 23, 2010

The Sorceress: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel


by Micheal Scott.

I feel awesome and so decided to blog about this new book I read.


It is a sequel to the last book in the series which is called 'The Magician'.

The book continues the story of the legendary twins Josh and Sophie on their adventure to save the earth from the evil elders. Of course, Nicholas Flamel was there to guide them towards doing so, however, he has lost his immortality and only have a few week left until he turns old and crumples and dies.

I thought that the book was good until the writer introduce William Shakespear (happy birthday) and Billy the Kid as immortal beings, living in our modern society.

Aside from that, the book is quite interesting and is full of cliff hangers, making the readers want to read more.

I do recommend others to read this book, however, they should read the first book of the series, which is called 'The Alchemist' first.

P.S: I don't like writing personal statements.



Monday, April 5, 2010

When dogs cry - Markus Zusak


When dogs cry, also known as Getting the girl, is a novel for young adults written by Markus Zusak - the author of the Book Thief. Starts off with Cameron Wolfe - quiet and confused in the Wolfe family. Not a soccer star like his brother Steve. Nor a charming fighter with a new girl every week like his other brother Rube. Cam is sick and tired of being a 'loser', of standing behind Rube's shadow and not even able to touch it.

Rube is always the one who gets all the girls. Not Cam. For him, winning isn't natural. First of all, he's dirty. That's what he always considers himself to be - dirty, small, not worth much. But Cam's had enough of that. He's so hungry to actually be somebody that it hurts. And he found Octavia, Rube's latest girlfriend. She was different from other girls Rube brings home, she's got beautiful green eyes and a big heart. And for once, Cam thinks, maybe, it's his turn to win.

And everything changes: winning, loving, losing, the Wolfe brothers, and Cam himself. I like how Cam writes down his 'words'. They give a glimpse into his inner-most thoughts, they tell his true feelings and through them you can see how much he's yerning to define himself within his family and how hard he's fought to become the person he wants to be.

Better than any reality TV show, this book is not recommended for those with small dogs or those who are offended easily. It is definitely recommended for you.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Thirteen Reasons Why

By: Jay Asher


This book is centered around the suicide of Hannah Baker, a seventeen-year-old girl who took a handful of pills while her parents were away from home. Everyone is left in shock when she does not return to school the next day, and the mystery is repeated throughout their minds: why did Hannah kill herself?
Two weeks after the incident, Clay Jensen receives a package on his doorstep with no return address. Inside it is a shoebox, and inside that are seven audiotapes, each side labeled with its own number. In all, there are 13 sides. And guess who the tapes were left by? Hannah Baker.
With each tape that Clay listens to, her reasons behind the suicide are explained and places the blame on 13 particular people- one being himself. As he gets closer to the last tape, he slowly uncovers the secrets of Hannah's life, and the reasons why she took it.

I think that the book is very well-constructed and has an easy layout to read between the seperate dialogues of Clay and Hannah (over the tape.) The story line really pulls you in, and when I began I couldn't put the book down after that.
It's a must-read for anyone our age, anyone! The plot twists very smoothly and the scenes all fit together, but it can be creepy at times and make you feel like someone is standing behind you.

All in all, the novel is amazing and one of my favorites this year!


Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The World To Come


by Dara Horn

Since I am bored and just finished a book, I decided to blog about it.



This is an interesting book because it is very similar to one of the book that I've read, which is called Generation-X.

It seems to be fragments of memories that has been put together. At first the book is hard to understand but as it progress, everything seems to make more sense. Benjamin Ziskind is the main character and he's a depressed game show researcher whose twin sister remains his only adult friend.

Also, Benjamin happens to steal a one million dollars painting by Marc Chagall. This is because he was sick of everything that is going on in his life and upon recognising the painting that used to be on his wall, he grabs it and run.

And at this moment, everything seems to be broken down to little stories.

Overall, I think that this book is deep but it is too broken up. However, I do recommend others to read this as well.