Author: Lisa Klein
Year: 2006
Genre: Novel
Reading Level: Young Adult
Plot Summary: This retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet focuses on Ophelia and her doomed romance with Hamlet. The story traces Ophelia's rambunctious childhood to her education and development at court and finally intersects with the events of Hamlet. Readers expecting the story to end with Ophelia's suicide will be surprised. Told from her own perspective, Ophelia offers a fresh take on a very familiar tale.
Red Flags: Character deaths, political intrigues, some men of a forceful persuasion
My Rating: B+. This is a good book. Klein is a good writer and her characters are fleshed out and interesting. I only have a few problems with this book. First, in an effort to make Ophelia a strong female character, Klein kind of turned her into a cliche. She's bookish! She's educated! She speaks her mind! Also, the romance element was not as strong as I expected. Besides a few scenes together there wasn't much interaction with Hamlet and Ophelia. Also, she spends half of the book thinking he never loved her, but hello, he totally did. Second, the last third of the book--SPOILER!--takes place at a French convent and it just seemed rather irrelevant. Or maybe that was just me. Third, I forget. Anyway, I liked it. It just got long and a little boring towards the end.
Showing posts with label historical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historical. Show all posts
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Author: Joan Aiken
Year: 1987
Reading Level: Intermediate
Genre: Alternate history, novel
Plot Summary: Young Bonnie Green's parents are leaving for a ocean trip to improve her mother's help. They've hired a governess, Miss Slighcarp, and sent for Bonnie's cousin Sylvia to watch over the house and keep her company in their absence. Sylvia is everything Bonnie expected and wanted in a companion, but as soon as her parents leave, Miss Slighcarp asserts her authority in the most unpleasant ways. She soon sends Bonnie and Sylvia off to a wretched orphan school, but Bonnie's determined to escape and take back her home.
Red Flags: Scary adults
My Rating: A-. It took a while to get into this book, and by the end I was still puzzled by the wolves. But after the intitial kind of "Huh?" of the first 40 pages or so, it was quite entertaining and strange in an appealing way. Also, it's all Victorian and stuff and that's cool. Final note: Simon reminded me a lot of Dickon from The Secret Garden (this is a good thing).
Year: 1987
Reading Level: Intermediate
Genre: Alternate history, novel
Plot Summary: Young Bonnie Green's parents are leaving for a ocean trip to improve her mother's help. They've hired a governess, Miss Slighcarp, and sent for Bonnie's cousin Sylvia to watch over the house and keep her company in their absence. Sylvia is everything Bonnie expected and wanted in a companion, but as soon as her parents leave, Miss Slighcarp asserts her authority in the most unpleasant ways. She soon sends Bonnie and Sylvia off to a wretched orphan school, but Bonnie's determined to escape and take back her home.
Red Flags: Scary adults
My Rating: A-. It took a while to get into this book, and by the end I was still puzzled by the wolves. But after the intitial kind of "Huh?" of the first 40 pages or so, it was quite entertaining and strange in an appealing way. Also, it's all Victorian and stuff and that's cool. Final note: Simon reminded me a lot of Dickon from The Secret Garden (this is a good thing).
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Little House on the Prairie
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Year: 1935
Reading Level: Intermediate
Genre: Western,
Series: Little House
Plot Summary: Laura Ingalls and her family move from their house in the big woods to find a new life on the plains. After the long trip to the West, her family builds a new house and tries to establish themselves in the land. Over the course of the book, the Ingalls family builds a new home, acquires a cow, fights a prairie fire and interacts with the local Indian tribes.
Red Flags: This book will make you feel incredibly lazy and unskilled because you can't make a door, dig a well, hunt for food or be really self sufficient at all.
My Rating: A
I'm pretty sure my mom read all of the Little House books to us when we were little, but all I can remember really is the bear in Farmer Boy. Anyway, this was fun to read, and it was interesting to read it knowing the author had lived it. Her writing isn't really awesome in the technical sense but it works for the story. And I always like Garth Williams illustrations.
Year: 1935
Reading Level: Intermediate
Genre: Western,
Series: Little House
Plot Summary: Laura Ingalls and her family move from their house in the big woods to find a new life on the plains. After the long trip to the West, her family builds a new house and tries to establish themselves in the land. Over the course of the book, the Ingalls family builds a new home, acquires a cow, fights a prairie fire and interacts with the local Indian tribes.
Red Flags: This book will make you feel incredibly lazy and unskilled because you can't make a door, dig a well, hunt for food or be really self sufficient at all.
My Rating: A
I'm pretty sure my mom read all of the Little House books to us when we were little, but all I can remember really is the bear in Farmer Boy. Anyway, this was fun to read, and it was interesting to read it knowing the author had lived it. Her writing isn't really awesome in the technical sense but it works for the story. And I always like Garth Williams illustrations.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Crispin: the Cross of Lead
Author: Avi
Year: 2002
Age Level: Intermediate
Genre: Historical
Series: Crispin
Plot Summary: After his mother's death, 13-year-old Crispin happens to overhear a mysterious nighttime conversation that leads to his being framed for theft. Escaping into the woods, Crispin begins a desperate journey to find safety. Along the way he meets a deep-thinking entertainer and together they work to outrun Crispin's pursuers and discover the secrets of Crispin's past.
Red Flags: Religious discussion and themes
Award/s: Newbery medal winner
My Rating: A
This was the first Avi book I've ever read and I am definitely going to have to pick up the next book soon. The writing is very good and Crispin is such a cute little character. It also has a nice level of historical detail--enough to fully set the stage, but not so much that it reads like an encyclopedia article.
Year: 2002
Age Level: Intermediate
Genre: Historical
Series: Crispin
Plot Summary: After his mother's death, 13-year-old Crispin happens to overhear a mysterious nighttime conversation that leads to his being framed for theft. Escaping into the woods, Crispin begins a desperate journey to find safety. Along the way he meets a deep-thinking entertainer and together they work to outrun Crispin's pursuers and discover the secrets of Crispin's past.
Red Flags: Religious discussion and themes
Award/s: Newbery medal winner
My Rating: A
This was the first Avi book I've ever read and I am definitely going to have to pick up the next book soon. The writing is very good and Crispin is such a cute little character. It also has a nice level of historical detail--enough to fully set the stage, but not so much that it reads like an encyclopedia article.
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