Second Quarter Outside Reading Book Review
Mossflower by Brian Jacques, Penguin Group, 1988
Genre: Fantasy
Mossflower is the second Redwall book and is the prequel to Redwall. This story is a tale about Martin the fabled warrior that is scarcely described in Redwall. Martin is captured by Kotir soldiers for carrying a weapon. When Martin gets presented to Verdauga or Lord Greeneyes who is basically on his death bed, the eventual new Queen of a Thousand Eyes Tsarmina breaks Martin’s father’s rusty old sword and jails Martin in the cells beneath Kotir. Martin vows that he will pay Tsarmina back for breaking that sword. Martin eventually gets away and starts plotting with the woodlanders on how to take down Kotir, the castle where Tsarmina resides with her stoat and weasel army. Bella of Brockhall, a badger, decides Martin should go off and search for her father Boar the Fighter who lives far off at Salamandastron to help them. Martin sets off with his mouse-thief friend Gnoff and a mole named Dinny. They encounter many obstacles on their way to find Salamandastron. While they are away Skipper the otter, Lady Amber the squirrel, and Bella start to plot to destroy Kotir. In the end Martin faces off against Tsarmina and fights valiantly almost to the death.
The book cover reads “Packed with action and imbued with warmth…Richly inventive.”-Kirkus Reviews.
Brian Jacques likes to write about talking animals that do exist. I have read other fantasy books like the Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and The Fellowship of the Ring. In all of those books there are unreal beasts like centaurs, dragons, griffins, hobbits, elves, and such. The characters in this book are different then characters in other fantasy books I’ve read.
I think Brian Jacques tries to fit a lot of content into his book without boring the reader with description. I have read some J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and sometimes he will bore you with a little too much description. All the description in Tolkien’s books makes them a longer read. There are some times in Mossflower where you have to read a sentence twice, that’s when the moles talk. The moles have excessive drawls which also make for a somewhat difficult read.
“It was the sword! Double edged, keener than a razor, it lay glittering and twinkling, a myriad of steely lights. Its tip was pointed like a mountain peak in midwinter, the deadly blade had a three-quarter blood channel. It was perfectly balanced against the hilt, which had been restrapped with hard black leather and finished with a ruby-red pommel stone and curving scrolled crosspiece where it joined the marvelous blade.” (316) [description of Martin’s re-forged sword]
I liked how Mossflower was so intriguing to me. I had dropped this book twice in the past year or so but this time it was much more interesting. I never imagined a book about a bunch of wood land creatures would be so interesting.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The Fellowship of The Ring: Book Review
The Fellowship Of The Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954. Genre: Fantasy
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three books that tells about Frodo Baggins son of Drogo and his quest to cast the Ring of Power into the fires at Mt. Doom in Mordor. The story takes place in Middle Earth and begins in the Shire where Frodo is living with his elderly cousin Bilbo Baggins. Frodo is left with the ring and leaves with Sam, Merry, and Pippin to bring the ring to Rivendell. During their journey they are repeatedly bombarded by Black Riders from Mordor. Then when they make it to Bree they find a ranger named strider who is really Aragorn and a king. Aragorn leads the four hobbits to Rivendell where they take council with Gandalf, and Elrond. During the council Frodo volunteers to take the ring to Mordor, and so the fellowship was formed from the elf Legolas , the dwarf Gimli, and the men, Aragorn, and Boromir, and the wizard Gandalf, and the four hobbits. Then they go through the land to get to Mordor through the long abandoned mines of Moria, to Lorien, and down the Great River.
The book jacket reads “Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron.” – C.S. Lewis
This book is written by J.R.R. Tolkien who uses a lot of description to draw a picture for a reader. He uses similes and metaphors and describes everything to the fullest extent. He sets up an exciting atmosphere for the reader. I have read only one other J.R.R. Tolkien work and that was The Hobbit.
J.R.R. Tolkien also uses much description in The Hobbit. The Hobbit is about Bilbo Baggins and The Fellowship of the Ring is about Frodo Baggins. Also in The Hobbit Bilbo finds the ring and his goal is to help a group of dwarves take back Dale from the Dragon Smaug. The Fellowship of the Ring is a tale about Frodo and how he is trying to destroy the ring. The two stories build on one another like one whole story and the four books act like all one story.
“It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as if a cloud had bent over it. Then with a rush it leaped across the fissure. The flames roared up to greet it, and wreathed about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air. Its streaming mane kindled, and blazed behind it. In its right hand was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it held a whip of many thongs.” (321) [the description of the Balrog].
I love the Lord of the Rings series not only because it is fantasy but because J.R.R. Tolkien can draw me into his story with intense scenes and an intriguing story line. This novel shows that even the smallest creature can make a big difference. I have always been small and I think that size does not matter it’s your courage and effort that makes you great.
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three books that tells about Frodo Baggins son of Drogo and his quest to cast the Ring of Power into the fires at Mt. Doom in Mordor. The story takes place in Middle Earth and begins in the Shire where Frodo is living with his elderly cousin Bilbo Baggins. Frodo is left with the ring and leaves with Sam, Merry, and Pippin to bring the ring to Rivendell. During their journey they are repeatedly bombarded by Black Riders from Mordor. Then when they make it to Bree they find a ranger named strider who is really Aragorn and a king. Aragorn leads the four hobbits to Rivendell where they take council with Gandalf, and Elrond. During the council Frodo volunteers to take the ring to Mordor, and so the fellowship was formed from the elf Legolas , the dwarf Gimli, and the men, Aragorn, and Boromir, and the wizard Gandalf, and the four hobbits. Then they go through the land to get to Mordor through the long abandoned mines of Moria, to Lorien, and down the Great River.
The book jacket reads “Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron.” – C.S. Lewis
This book is written by J.R.R. Tolkien who uses a lot of description to draw a picture for a reader. He uses similes and metaphors and describes everything to the fullest extent. He sets up an exciting atmosphere for the reader. I have read only one other J.R.R. Tolkien work and that was The Hobbit.
J.R.R. Tolkien also uses much description in The Hobbit. The Hobbit is about Bilbo Baggins and The Fellowship of the Ring is about Frodo Baggins. Also in The Hobbit Bilbo finds the ring and his goal is to help a group of dwarves take back Dale from the Dragon Smaug. The Fellowship of the Ring is a tale about Frodo and how he is trying to destroy the ring. The two stories build on one another like one whole story and the four books act like all one story.
“It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as if a cloud had bent over it. Then with a rush it leaped across the fissure. The flames roared up to greet it, and wreathed about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air. Its streaming mane kindled, and blazed behind it. In its right hand was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it held a whip of many thongs.” (321) [the description of the Balrog].
I love the Lord of the Rings series not only because it is fantasy but because J.R.R. Tolkien can draw me into his story with intense scenes and an intriguing story line. This novel shows that even the smallest creature can make a big difference. I have always been small and I think that size does not matter it’s your courage and effort that makes you great.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Chicken With a Side of Baseball by: Nathaniel
Money, “Money makes the world go round”, “Everyone’s lives revolve around money.” In this world that we live in money is everywhere, and everyone wants it. There are reality and game shows that give away millions of dollars every year. With so much money is there anything that is truly priceless.
I walk out onto the green field on a fresh spring day. I sniff the air; I look up above the field at the geese flying against the light blue sky. The sun shines brightly and brilliantly down upon the diamond. I take a jog to warm up, and ease my muscles.
I jog onto the field with my teammates and I begin to play catch. I catch the ball, then take it out of my mitt, and with a flick I send the ball back. I then go out to my position on the field and swipe the dirt with my feet. I get ready and wait for the ball. The coach begins hitting to all the positions. He goes to 3rd, short stop, 2nd, and then 1st. He smacks the ball off the bat to the ground and I charge the ball and throw to first base.
The umpires come dressed in dark blue and we take the field. We throw the ball around the infield to get our arms ready. The pitcher throws to the catcher, the catcher’s glove goes pop, pop, pop. The umpires are grouped together discussing the game and who is going to be the home plate “ump”. Finally they come out and yell to us “play ball.”
The sunlight that is gleaming down through the clouds warms my back as I get into the ready position. I’m up on the balls of my feet awaiting the pitch. The pitcher is in the windup, and throws. BANG! The ball is hit and the batter bolts out of the box and turns into an Olympic runner, down the first base line. I see that the ball is hit and I run after it upon the infield dirt. I quickly realize that the only way to reach it is with a dive. I dive, I catch, I hop up and I throw hard to first base just in time.
* * *
I take a glimpse of the food on the plate, its BBQ chicken. The BBQ sauce is flowing over the chicken breast. The chicken is not alone, it is accompanied by an army of rice and a forest of garlic cauliflower. I look at the food with joy, knowing that this is a special meal with only the components that I like.
I pick up the sharp knife and start to cut the chicken. I cut and see layers upon layers of chicken. I use my fork to pick up the piece that I have cut. Then I take the chicken off the fork with my mouth and I experience a wonderland of flavor and zest.
The cauliflower is next. The white veggie trees flecked with garlic look appealing. I take my fork and drive it into them. I take the cauliflower and stick it in my mouth, and savor the great flavor.
I have saved the best for last. The rice is the survivor of the three foods but not for long. The rice cowers in the corner and I quickly scoop it up. My stomach grumbles as I bring it nearer. Then with one last whomp the rice is gone and my stomach is satisfied.
I love both playing Baseball and BBQ chicken for different and the some of the same reasons. I love playing baseball because it gives me a feeling of happiness. After a long day at school I enjoy going to a baseball game or practice. Also, baseball gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment if I do something well.
BBQ chicken is different than playing baseball because it can be replaced and duplicated. Also BBQ chicken is a food and baseball is a game. I love BBQ chicken because it cheers me up at supper time. Sometimes when I am feeling sad, I will eat the chicken, cauliflower, and rice and feel better afterwards.
Even though playing baseball and BBQ chicken are almost completely different they have their similarities. Both playing baseball and eating BBQ chicken make me happy. They also have the ability to cheer me up after a bad day.
Playing baseball provides me with exercise, accomplishment, and fun. The exercise is easy because it is fun to do. Baseball also gives me that feeling like nothing else, it makes me giddy and excited and gets me high on endorphins. When I eat BBQ chicken I am provided with satisfaction, and pleasure. I get the satisfaction from being full and enjoying what I ate. I am able to get pleasure from the BBQ chicken because it tastes good to me. In the end the BBQ chicken is an object of price and financial worth, but playing baseball is priceless and no financial object can replace the feeling I get when I play it.
I walk out onto the green field on a fresh spring day. I sniff the air; I look up above the field at the geese flying against the light blue sky. The sun shines brightly and brilliantly down upon the diamond. I take a jog to warm up, and ease my muscles.
I jog onto the field with my teammates and I begin to play catch. I catch the ball, then take it out of my mitt, and with a flick I send the ball back. I then go out to my position on the field and swipe the dirt with my feet. I get ready and wait for the ball. The coach begins hitting to all the positions. He goes to 3rd, short stop, 2nd, and then 1st. He smacks the ball off the bat to the ground and I charge the ball and throw to first base.
The umpires come dressed in dark blue and we take the field. We throw the ball around the infield to get our arms ready. The pitcher throws to the catcher, the catcher’s glove goes pop, pop, pop. The umpires are grouped together discussing the game and who is going to be the home plate “ump”. Finally they come out and yell to us “play ball.”
The sunlight that is gleaming down through the clouds warms my back as I get into the ready position. I’m up on the balls of my feet awaiting the pitch. The pitcher is in the windup, and throws. BANG! The ball is hit and the batter bolts out of the box and turns into an Olympic runner, down the first base line. I see that the ball is hit and I run after it upon the infield dirt. I quickly realize that the only way to reach it is with a dive. I dive, I catch, I hop up and I throw hard to first base just in time.
* * *
I take a glimpse of the food on the plate, its BBQ chicken. The BBQ sauce is flowing over the chicken breast. The chicken is not alone, it is accompanied by an army of rice and a forest of garlic cauliflower. I look at the food with joy, knowing that this is a special meal with only the components that I like.
I pick up the sharp knife and start to cut the chicken. I cut and see layers upon layers of chicken. I use my fork to pick up the piece that I have cut. Then I take the chicken off the fork with my mouth and I experience a wonderland of flavor and zest.
The cauliflower is next. The white veggie trees flecked with garlic look appealing. I take my fork and drive it into them. I take the cauliflower and stick it in my mouth, and savor the great flavor.
I have saved the best for last. The rice is the survivor of the three foods but not for long. The rice cowers in the corner and I quickly scoop it up. My stomach grumbles as I bring it nearer. Then with one last whomp the rice is gone and my stomach is satisfied.
I love both playing Baseball and BBQ chicken for different and the some of the same reasons. I love playing baseball because it gives me a feeling of happiness. After a long day at school I enjoy going to a baseball game or practice. Also, baseball gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment if I do something well.
BBQ chicken is different than playing baseball because it can be replaced and duplicated. Also BBQ chicken is a food and baseball is a game. I love BBQ chicken because it cheers me up at supper time. Sometimes when I am feeling sad, I will eat the chicken, cauliflower, and rice and feel better afterwards.
Even though playing baseball and BBQ chicken are almost completely different they have their similarities. Both playing baseball and eating BBQ chicken make me happy. They also have the ability to cheer me up after a bad day.
Playing baseball provides me with exercise, accomplishment, and fun. The exercise is easy because it is fun to do. Baseball also gives me that feeling like nothing else, it makes me giddy and excited and gets me high on endorphins. When I eat BBQ chicken I am provided with satisfaction, and pleasure. I get the satisfaction from being full and enjoying what I ate. I am able to get pleasure from the BBQ chicken because it tastes good to me. In the end the BBQ chicken is an object of price and financial worth, but playing baseball is priceless and no financial object can replace the feeling I get when I play it.
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