On The Fence by Kasie West

Charlie Reynolds isa total tomboy, most like because she lives with her three brothers, Nathan, Gage and Jerome, as well as her dad. But when she finds herself working at a chic boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, it's all girly. and everything she's not. Charlie is lost in this crazy unfamiliar world. To cope with the stress of her job and her dad lecturing her on her speeding ticket, she goes out to the fence in her backyard every night. Talking to her neighbour and almost-brother, Braden, Charlie discovers that there's something her family isn't telling her about the disappearance of her mother. She's on a mission to figure out what happened in her past. Has something in her changed towards Braden? Suddenly, Charlie's life is a mess, and she has to figure it out.

Sword Art Online: Phantom Bullet vol.1

This book is the sequel to the 'Fairy Dance' series, Phantom Bullet.

Today I am reviewing the book called ' Sword Art Online Phantom Bullet vol. 1'. The characters are the same with some new side characters and a new main character named 'Sinon'. In this book it will be going off track and instead of a medieval fantasy world, we get a new sci-fi world with some aspects of the previous books, like there are swords in a world of guns. It is a bit strange and it seems like something the author wrote to keep Kirito the strongest which I think is unfair.

The character I thought changed a lot was Kirito. In the previous books he was and acted like a hero and as a solo player, he was one of the best in the game. But in this book he enters a game which he has never been in or even played the genre which is First Person Shooter (or F.P.S. for short). In this game his character avatar looks like a girl. He uses this to get Sinon to help him in the beginning. After she finds out out he is a guy, she slaps him and is mad at him. After Kirito meets Death Gun, he is shaking and is scared. This is the first time we see him act differently compared to his usual cool and collected self. The only time we saw him act like this is when Sachi in Sword Art Online and when he got out of Sword Art Online.

"Shadow Bound" is an action packed story filled with conflict, villains and interesting characters.  If you like magic and strong protagonists this story is for you.  From the very first chapter your eyes will be glued to the page and you won't be able to turn away.  I would recommend this story to anyone who like long books in fantasy settings.  This book displays the meaning of family, friendship and how a bond of family can get through anything.  There is a lot of character development in this story and it makes the story a lot more interesting and easier to read.  I really liked the authors vocabulary and story telling skills. I would rate this story 7/10




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

The Color Purple

"The Color Purple" is an amazing story. Celie is a young black girl growing up in America. Her father is a cruel man who is constantly abusing her. She is forced to marry a mean man. Her life is a miserable mess for several years until she meets Shug Avery. Shug is beautiful and talented. Celie's life keeps getting better. There is one thing missing from her though, her sister Nettie. When Celie married she was no longer able to see her beloved sister. I loved reading this book. I give it 9/10. My favourite character was Shug Avery. At first Shug came across as mean, rude and ignorant. Once Shug realised that Celie had done so much for her she began being nice. She was a very unusual character. She wasn't afraid to stick up for herself and others. When Shug loved someone she really did love them. She was very expressive and spoke with meaning.

Animal Farm

                                  

The main characters in the book are Mr.Jones, Napoleon and Snowball. Mr.Jones was very harsh on the animals and made them work too hard and so the animals took over the farm. They changed the name of the farm from Manor Farm to Animal Farm. The animals needed a leader to guide them and so Napoleon,a wise horse took the reigns. However,the power went to his head and he started changing rules for his own benefit. A group of the animals thought that this was unfair and so overthrow him. The character who i liked in the book was Snowball. He was a small pig whose views were his own. He thought that Napoleon was treating some animals better than others and this was true. When Snowball confronted Napoleon, Napoleon denied it and started spreading rumours about Snowball trying to overthrow him. Snowball had no other choice other than leaving and from then on when something went wrong on the farm, they would blame Snowball.

Brooklyn

"Brooklyn" by Colm Tóibin is a very interesting tale of a young girl  called Eilis struggling to find a job in Ireland. When the opportunity to move to Brooklyn arises Eilis grabs it she soon adapts herself to the hustle and bustle of the States."Brooklyn" is  very true to life and has a very believable story-line.The characters develop well during the story.

      Eilis Lacey is a young woman who is unable to find work in Ireland during the 1950s. Her older sister Rose organises a meeting with a  priest called Father Flood who just came back from New York, he tells Eilis of the wonderful opportunities awaiting her in New York.  Because of this she moves  and lives in Brooklyn and takes up a job in a department store while taking night classes for a bookkeeping course. Working in a boring job and living in a boarding house run by the strict Ms Kehoe, makes her life seem very mundane and Eilis begins to doubt her initial decision. Letters from Rose and her Mother make her feel homesick, but she soon settles down.

     Eilis meets an Italian plumber named Tony and they soon fall in love with each other. Months later Tony proposes to Eilis and she accepts. Eilis receives terrible news from Father Flood that her sister Rose has died. When she returns to Ireland she is reunited with her friends and family. She meets the man she was once interested in before she left, Jim and starts a brief relationship with him. Eilis's mother is desperate for her to stay in Ireland and marry Jim so she has to break the news to her mother that she is engaged to Tony. Eilis realises that she still loves Tony and returns back to America.

I really enjoyed reading "Brooklyn" and I rate it 8/10.

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr

I liked Zwirn Gasthof, her Mother's hard work and Max's improvement in school work. I liked the Zwirn Gasthof  because it was like a vacation resort with its stunning view and beautiful lake. It was also a great place for the family to relax without the threat of Adolf Hitler on their doorstep. I like her Mother's hard work because it meant the appartment was clean and neat for the children to do their study and homework. She also put plates of food in front of them even with the shortage of money and fixed tears in their clothes and bought new shoes for Anna.

 I liked Max's improvement because they had sent him to Lycée for boys which was a French high school and it was costing their parents a large amount to send him there. Max's report at the end of the year had positive comments from all his teachers and it showed how people can change. I didn't like Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, the German family who stayed briefly at the Gasthof Zwirn and the French depression. I didn't like Adolf Hitler and the Nazis because they judged a person based on their religion and created concentration camps to torture them with their own frustration and also, he put a dark cloud on Germany from that point on. 

I didn't like the French depression because it put so much pressure on Anna and her family who still had very little money to spare because of financial issues. It was set in Berlin, Germany then Zurich, Switzerland and it finishes in London, England. The storyline is when Anna and her family flee Germany because her Father openly critcised the Nazis and they were Jewish. I thought that this book was believable and I'd rate it 9.5/10.