A review of "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a story told in words and pictures. The story describes the story of a orphan boy named, yes, Hugo Cabret who lives in the clockworks of the train station Paris Gare Montparnasse. In the time Hugo has between evading the Station Inspector and winding the clocks, he repairs an automaton that his father had been working on before he was tragically killed in a fire at a museum. He continues to acquire clockworks for the automation by stealing pieces from a little toy shop.




Then one day his life is changed forever when the old man who runs the shop catches Hugo stealing the parts to a clockwork mouse toy. The old man takes away his notebook, where all his plans for the automation reside. The old man threatens to burn the notebook. Hugo is furious, and is extremely sad at the loss of his notebook. Then, he meets a girl, the girl that he has seen many times at the old toy shop. She informs him that the notebook is NOT burned and Hugo is very relieved. However, Hugo is prepared to bet the next day that the girl is lying, because the old man calls him over to the shop to give him his notebook. It is in ashes. The girl once again tells him that the notebook is NOT burned. How can this be you ask, find out in this entrancing book by Brian Selznick. The pictures in the book are simply wonderful, with their grey, detailed style. This is a wonderful invention, this book is. I highly suggest that you read it.

(PS. Next week, stories by the author of this blog!) 

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A review of Gregory Maguire's "Wicked"

Divided into five stunning sections Wicked, by Gregory Maguire, is the life of Elphaba, or as she is better known as, The Wicked Witch of The West. When Dorothy stumbles into Oz she assumes that Oz is a magical place where everyone is happy, but as The Witch has grown up in Oz she develops a fuller view of how the Wizard is taking away Animal rights, (Capital A’s mean that that Animal has spirit and can talk and think, opposed to an animal.) and banning Animals from public transportation. In the book, Doctor Dillamond (a Goat) discovers more of this, and The Wizard sends a tiktok machine to murder him.

         The story begins when Elphaba is being expected by her mother Melena and her father Frex. The first chapter is called “The Root of Evil,” which might lead the reader to think that the parents are the making of Evil, this idea is even more encouraged by the author in chapter three, entitled “The Birth of a Witch.”  In this first part of the book the father, Frex has some strange experiences with a traveling show that is called The Clock of the Time Dragon which presumably can tell what the future holds, and makes the past clearer than ever. A Quadling glassblower stays at Melena’s house when she is pregnant with Elphaba and his visit is probably the cause of   Malena’s next child, Nessarose (Witch of the East) and, at the end of this section of the book Elphaba is a little girl and is predicting the arrival of the “Wonderful” Wizard. “Horrors,” she says, “Horrors.”  The next part of the book describes Elphaba time at Shiz, a respectable collage. There she meets Glinda, and other people who become important in the story.  The Third Part, entitled “City of Emeralds” tells of Elphaba’s relationship with her school friend Fiyero and how she begins to become a rebel.  “In The Vinkus” is when Elphaba lays low after a serious injury and the death of Fiyero. All of these events are, of course, leading up to the Murder of The Witch. The famous melting. That part is the same as the original story. “Wicked” is also a wonderful musical which I recently saw at the Segerstrom, and there is also a sequel to Maguire’s novel called “Son of a Witch.”

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A Review of Lois Lowry's "Anastasia Krupnik"

Anastasia Krupnik is a ten year old girl who is trying to decide a lot of things, all at the same time. This story begins when she decides to write a different type of poem than the kind her teacher, Mrs. Westvessel is looking for and gets an F as her grade. She comes home and writes in her green notebook a list of, THINGS I HATE and puts her teacher's name under it. Later at dinner she tells her parents about the poem and her father, who as it happens is a poet, tells her she needs some extra letters after that F in fact the letters A-B-U-L-O-U-S and Anastasia is astounded that she wrote such a good poem. In this short novel she has many little adventures such as this one, including whether she is in love with an obnoxious 6th grade boy named Washburn Cummings, and whether she wants to become a Christian. However all through her adventures the story's main plot is that her parents are having a baby, without telling Anastasia!!! Anastasia is furious, and to calm her down her father tells her that she will be allowed to name the baby anything she wants. Another story I must mention is her grandmother coming over at Thanksgiving. Anastasia doesn’t like her much because she is so old and can’t remember anything. A brief conversation with her is all it takes to make Anastasia feel very sad and loving to her grandmother. At the closing of the story Anastasia’s grandmother dies in her 90’s and the baby is born. Anastasia, who planned to name the baby a terrible name, decides to name the baby Sam, after her grandmother’s husband. This is a great book and there are other books about Anastasia and her little brother Sam. A wonderful book.


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Review of the Jeff Kinney series "Diary of a Wimpy Kid"

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is a thrilling Tale of minor crises in the life of a kid in middle school, Greg Heffley. Greg is not popular, or cool, or handsome, or particularly smart. Greg has a friend named Rowley who fits this description even more than Greg. In the first book is their first year of middle school. Greg has plans to be popular and cool, he imagines that this will be a good time for him, but every time he tries to fulfill his plan, whether it is trying out for the school play, or becoming a safety officer, Rowley blunders in and ruins it. Greg knows that Rowley is not that smart and he is always trying to take advantage of it. For example, in the latest book Greg wants Rowley to sign up for student council so Greg can tell Rowley what to do, since Greg can’t run. This is a great and exciting series which I have read over and over again. It is written by Jeff Kinney, who has a wonderful imagination.  I highly suggest these books. 

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A review of "Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes"

Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes is Jonathan Auxier’s first book and a very good one too. The story begins by introducing the main character, Peter Nimble, a blind boy who is forced into a life of crime by a cruel beggar-monger by the name of Mr. Seamus. Peter is, although he may not know it, is the very best of thieves Mr. Seamus does know that though and he takes advantage of this. One rainy afternoon Mr. Seamus sends Peter out with his burgal-sack to steal from honest citizens, as usual. Peter does not expect a successful day because of the rain but is quickly drawn in by a hat seller whose carriage, he senses, is completely covered in locks! Accepting this as a personal challenge, Peter unlocks every single lock on the carriage. In doing so he unlocks the door to a wild adventure involving a cat/horse/man (Sir Tode), talking crows, and a giant dogfish named Fredrick. In my opinion Auxier’s first book is a great success. In fact, I almost read I over again but then started on a new one. The illustrations are also fantastic, even if they are only at the beginning of the chapters they help the story come alive. The characters of Old Scabbs, and Mr. Pound, Mrs. Molasses, you will remember long after you are done. This book educates you a lot - about thievery. Soon you will be wanting your own burgal-sack.

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A review of "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

This is the last book in the Percy Jackson series and it is the most exciting one in the series, in my opinion. Will Percy and his friends prevail over the newly restored titan Kronos? The story begins with Percy sharing an afternoon with his friend Rachel Dare when Percy’s Pegasus, Blackjack, lands on the car Percy is driving and tells him that his powers are needed elsewhere. So Percy, hoping to return soon, zooms off to help his friends. After coming back sad from a loss of a friend and  a completed mission, Percy and Blackjack return to Camp Half-Blood, a camp that trains Greek Demigods, they meet up with Percy’s friends Annabeth and the satyr Grover. They gather together the camp and they ride to Manhattan and to the Empire State building, on top of which is Olympus, palace of the gods. The camp is soon joined by the Hunters of Artemis and together they set up defenses. Of course they are out numbered one to ten and none of the gods can help them because they’re all busy fighting the monster Typhon. This book which I highly recommend and which I have read many times reminds people of old mythology and if you enjoy this book, Rick Riordan has written many others.


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A review of “Artemis Fowl” by Eoin Colfer

One of my favorite parts of this story happens to be the prologue, from which I will quote:

                          The story began several years ago, at the dawn of the twenty-first century.   Artemis Fowl had devised a plan to restore his family’s fortune. A plan that could topple civilizations and plunge the planet into a cross-species war.
                          He was twelve years old at the time.

      As you can see, the author shows wit and humor as he captures his readers in an engrossing battle of humans against Fairies. Artemis and his manservant, Butler acquire a copy of the fairy bible and use it to capture one Holly Short, a captain in the agency LEPrecon because a fairy can not leave a human settlement without permission from the owner. Holly is trapped Artemis is not going to let his prey leave. The entire population of fairies is amazed that there secrecy is being threatened by three people, a twelve-year-old boy, a giant manservant, and a teenage girl obsessed with wrestling. As Artemis’s brain is challenged trying to think up new ways to survive, Butler and Holly briefly work together to battle a troll. This is truly one of the best books I have ever read and I also strongly suggest one of his other books, Half Moon Investigations. Artemis Fowl is part of a series which I am not sure involves fairies in general but I am sure we will see Holly Short again. I am sure Eoin Colfer’s other books are just as wonderful as this one was.


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