4th October, 2008

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

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To Harry Potter fans out there: Were you sad when you finished Book 7? Felt gloomy because there won’t be any more new adventures by Harry, Ron, and Hermione to follow? Yeah, that’s what I felt. I felt sad when I read the last page of this book. I have to accept that Harry’s adventures are over! Well, if I need to relive his adventures, I could just read the books over and over again.

It’s supposed to be Harry’s 7th year of schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry but Harry has more important things to do than go back to school. Albus Dumbledore had left Harry with an important job and that is to destroy Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Voldemort found a way to “divide” his soul so nobody can finish him off that easily. He then kept parts of his soul in various objects and these objects are called Horcruxes. Only Harry, Ron, Hermione and Dumbledore know about them.

Nevertheless, it’s not an easy job for Harry to do. Since Voldemort’s gaining power and spreading his influence to as many places and people as possible, Harry, Ron and Hermione are forced to carry out their mission in secret. Also, Dumbledore did not leave much information to help Harry make faster progress. But then, in his will, Dumbledore did leave a Snitch and the Gryffindor sword to Harry, a Deluminator to Ron and a copy of “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” to Hermione. They’re puzzled as to why Dumbledore left them seemingly-useless things but somehow, they know that these items would eventually help them destroy Voldemort.

As they try to find the remaining undestroyed Horcruxes, Harry, Ron and Hermione become more and more frustrated. Harry also begins to lose faith and trust in Dumbledore who was almost like a father to him. He also learns more about Dumbledore’s shadowy past which doesn’t improve matters at all.

Anyway, like the previous six books, this one is just as exciting and gripping. I read to see how Ron and Hermione are getting along, what will happen between Harry and Ginny, the extremely mysterious Severus Snape and more! What are the Horcruxes that Voldemort managed to make and how will Harry find them? Was Albus Dumbledore good or bad? Was he actually helping Harry to succeed or helping Harry to die? These questions were being played frequently on my mind while reading this page-turner of a book.

You can expect lots of twists and turns, just like before. Lots of pleasant surprises too! I’m amazed at how Rowling managed to connect the many events together so that they make sense and that not many loopholes occurred.

I also felt sympathetic towards Snape. In fact, I thought that he was the most unfortunate character in the book and that’s why I really felt sorry for him. You’ll have to read it to know why.

Sigh….I can’t believe it’s the end of the Harry Potter series! I’m pretty sure other Potter fans can’t believe it too. I felt close to the characters ever since I started reading the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I’ve read so many times about Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, the Weasley family, Dumbledore, the other professors and became so familiar with them that they’re almost like friends (even Draco Malfoy!)! Do you feel the same way? Do you cheer when your favourite character triumphs? Or do you feel devastated when some characters are killed off? I’ve read somewhere before that Rowling shed tears when she was killing off some of the characters! Well, it’s already hard to read about them dying let alone writing about it.

So, what are your thoughts on this book? I’d love to hear all about it!

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: gautami tripathy, nymeth, tanabata

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Posted in Authors R, Fantasy, Titles H at 11:36 pm | Comments (8)



1st October, 2008

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Finally I read the sixth book in the Harry Potter series. One more to go! I read Book 5 way back in 2004…wow, that’s like four years ago. I thought I had grown out of Harry and all his exciting adventures with his Hogwarts gang but no, I was so wrong. I was instantly hooked to the story right from page one until the very last page. Rowling certainly is a talented writer and knows how to pull her readers into the story. No wonder she’s one of the most successful children’s author in the world!

So, it’s Harry Potter’s sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and times are more exciting than ever. Voldemort, the evil enemy of all things good, is at large and his followers are trying their best to help him regain complete power of the wizarding world. Voldemort’s crew call themselves the Death Eaters.

As usual, Harry is always given special treatment and more attention than the other students. This time, he has to endure being called the Chosen One by the others due to some prophecy that he’ll be the one to finish off Voldemort for once and for all. Also, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, is giving Harry extra lessons during the weekends, supposedly to help Harry understand his enemy, Voldemort.

All the same, what’s going on with Harry’s best friends, Ron and Hermione? Hermione, as usual is the one who’s obsessed with studying and being the only one enthusiastically answering teachers’ questions in class. Ron, on the other hand, is still jealous of Harry at times. But this time around, he’s a prefect and playing Keeper in Gryffindor’s Quidditch team. Therefore, his self-esteem isn’t really low nowadays. Harry’s the Quidditch Captain, by the way.

There’s some romantic tension between Ron and Hermione but neither one would admit that they like each other. I was quite annoyed when Ron started going out with Lavender Brown instead of going out straight with Hermione. I wonder if other people thought the same thing too, that Ron should be with Hermione. Anyone else who thinks otherwise? And speaking of love, Harry secretly likes Ron’s younger sister, Ginny, but she’s already in a relationship with Dean Martin, one of Harry’s friends. See, I told you times were exciting.

We are also introduced to a new professor, Horace Slughorn, who’s also the new Potions teacher. The previous Potions teacher, Professor Snape finally got his dream job, which is teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. Slughorn plays favouritism rather openly, showing interest in students who are connected to famous people or students who are just smart and different from the others. Harry is definitely one of them.

Throughout the book, we are also suspicious about Snape’s loyalty. Harry insists that he’s on Voldemort’s side but Dumbledore is adamant that Snape’s on their side. Harry frequently wears his Invisibility Cloak when he’s spying on the enemy and discovers some very interesting facts.

I was also guessing who the half-blood prince could be. Harry’s been using an old Potions textbook which belonged to The Half-Blood Prince. The Prince seems smart and made a lot of useful notes in the book. Thanks to the book, Harry’s doing really well in Potions class, a subject he has always been weak at.

All right, this has been a pretty long post for a book which I think most of you have already read. Now I’m off to read Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: nymeth

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Posted in Authors R, Fantasy, Titles H at 2:21 pm | Comments (6)



21st September, 2008

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Another book on the Holocaust. The last book I read which was set during the same time was The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne. Such books are always sad and get the readers all worked up with all its horror and misery. Makes you relieved that you didn’t have to go through all of it.

I was sobbing away while reading the ending of The Book Thief. Yes, this book has that effect on you especially if you’re an emotional kind of person. I don’t wish to reveal the ending but I’ll tell you the beginning.

This book received a lot of attention and praises that I had really high expectations from it. However, the first 50 or 60 pages didn’t impress me much. I wasn’t used to the odd, short paragraphs and short sentences. But as I went on, the reading became enjoyable and I found myself lost in the Liesel’s story.

As most of us who have already read or have an idea on what the book’s about, the narrator is Death. Death? Sounds frightening and morbid, don’t you think? Actually, it’s anything but that. Death sounds kind of melancholic and it’s (or he???) obsessed with talking about colours. I did not care about the colours though. Also, it’s not a totally depressing book. There are parts that can make you laugh too. Seriously, Death can also joke.

Okay, so I read about Liesel’s story. She’s the book thief because she steals books so she can read them later. While travelling to Munich with her mother and brother on a train, her brother dies. He was only six. Liesel would be sent to live with foster parents at Himmel Street. That was in 1939. She does not meet her mother again.

Liesel’s foster parents are Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Hans is a really cool and kind foster father. The total opposite of his loud-mouthed, cursing wife, Rosa. Because of his caring and calm nature, Liesel warms up to him. He comforts her when she wakes up from recurring nightmares of her dead brother and he teaches her to read after those nightmares. He’s like the father she never had.

Oh, I have no idea where or who or what her father is. He’s deemed as “missing”. Was he a Jew or a German? Why was he missing? I assume that Liesel’s mom’s a Jew because Liesel overheard Hans and Rosa talking about what “they” might have done to her? Well, if Liesel’s mom was taken away, how come Liesel’s safe? I think I had better read up more on my history. Perhaps there are exceptions for kids? Hmmmm….. (ETA: I just found out that Liesel’s parents were Communists!)

Anyway, Liesel makes new friends with the kids from her neighbourhood, particularly with her neighbour, Rudy Steiner, who obviously likes Liesel a lot and is always asking her for a kiss whenever the opportunity seems right. Rudy and Liesel become best friends and they always go on stealing sprees together.

I guess my favourite character in the book would be Max Vandenburg. He’s a Jew and with the Hubermanns’ help and permission, he hides in their basement. He feels sorry for putting them to so much trouble but they can’t turn away a man whose father once saved Hans’ life. The sub-chapter, “Liesel’s Lecture”, was an emotional one. It’s where Hans tries to make Liesel understand the danger of spilling out an absolutely dangerous secret, which will ultimately cause unpleasant events.

Liesel and Max, they too become friends. Liesel would find newspapers for him to read and do crossword puzzles. They would sit together in the basement, each doing their own reading. They share a strong bond and you could feel Liesel’s sadness and sorrow when they’re separated later.

All in all, it’s a riveting and keeps you glued to the pages kind of book. It does not have a strong introduction but if you keep on reading, you won’t regret it. Of course, I assume that you’ll keep on reading to find out what happens to all the characters. Read the book and I hope you’ll like it like I do.

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Nymeth, Laura, Leah, Kristine, Reading Monk, Rimi, Natasha

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Posted in Authors Z, Historical Fiction, Titles B, Young Adult Fiction at 11:10 pm | Comments (16)



5th September, 2008

The Rat-A-Tat Mystery by Enid Blyton

Published in 1951
ISBN: 1-84135-172-5

Do I even need to review this book??? I mean, it’s an Enid Blyton book, for goodness’ sake! :D Well, I’ll write about it anyway.

This is the fifth book in the Barney mystery series. Barney, Diana, Roger, Snubby, and Snubby’s dog, Loony, appear in all the Barney books. Diana and Roger are sister and brother while Snubby’s their cousin. He has no parents so he’s always sent to live with relatives during his school holidays but he enjoys spending his holidays with Diana and Roger. Barney is their friend. He has a pet monkey called Miranda. Pretty name, huh?

By the way, it’s the winter holidays for the kids. Barney has finally found his father after an endless search for him and he’s spent Christmas time with his newfound family. After Christmas, Barney invites Roger, Diana, and Snubby to stay at a house owned by his grandmother by a lake and surrounded by hills. Of course, Roger and Diana’s parents agreed to let them have fun by themselves. A Mrs. Tickle will be cooking their meals, washing their stuff, and just basically looking after them.

So at the house, the children spent their time skating and tobogganing down the snowy hills and having the time of their lives. Meanwhile, at night, they hear mysterious knocking sounds like ‘rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat’. Haha! Can you imagine such sounds? To me, it sounds odd but there you go.

As usual, the children being their inquisitive selves and with a huge sense of adventure, they decide to investigate the sounds. They even found a large glove on the ground outside and Snubby thought he saw somebody standing outside looking at the house. Therefore, they found reason to suspect that something was wrong.

I’ve now read 4 of the books in the Barney mystery series. The other three are The Rockingdown Mystery, The Rilloby Fair Mystery, and The Ring O’ Bells Mystery. Being an Enid Blyton fan and one who has grown up reading her books, I find them enjoyable and a great way to ‘relive’ my childhood.

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Posted in Authors B, Children's Books, Titles R at 12:49 pm | Comments (8)



14th August, 2008

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I had no idea this book was written way back in 1998! I thought it’s a fairly new book since I’ve only just heard of it. Man, am I outdated or what!

All the same, I immensely loved the movie! Now that I’ve finally read the book, I found that it’s quite different from what I saw on the big screen. But it still was a magnificent read. Although the book looks like it’s meant for children, it certainly is not. There are parts and words in it which would not be appropriate for younger readers at all. That was another surprise to me too. I’ve always thought it’s a children’s fantasy book but it’s not.

So, at the beginning, Dunstan Thorn crosses the gap that separates Wall, England and Fairie or Stormhold. Fairie is nothing like Wall. Wall is like our normal world while Fairie is a magical place with creatures and objects you will not find in Wall. Dunstan then meets a pretty slave girl and falls for her. They slept with each other and nine months later, a baby was delivered to Dunstan. That baby was Tristran Thorn.

Tristran grew up to be an ordinary young boy with some extraordinary features like an ear which is almost pointed for example. He’s also in love with the beautiful Victoria Forester. Unfortunately, she’s not that interested with him. She’s broken lots of hearts anyway, so why should she show interest in an ordinary boy like Tristran?

However, one evening when Tristran managed to walk Victoria home, they witness a falling star. Hoping to win her heart, Tristran promised Victoria that he’ll find the star for her. In return, she should grant him anything he desires. Because of that, the love stricken young man bid farewell to his family and set off to find the star in Fairie.

During his journey, he meets a little man who helps him. He gives Tristran a special candle and a thin silver chain. In the movie, his mother gave him a Babylon candle and the chain instead.

Now, Tristran isn’t the only one who’s looking for the fallen star. The witch-queen is looking for it too. She and her sisters are old hags but if they eat the heart of a star, their youth and beauty will be restored for a while at least. Michelle Pfeiffer did a really good job acting as the witch in the movie.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell how the star fell in the first place! Well, she was hit by the topaz necklace which was released by the dying Lord of Stormhold. The son who manages to retrieve the necklace will be the next Lord of Stormhold.

Nevertheless, when Tristran and the star, Yvaine first meet each other, they didn’t get along well. She didn’t get along with him actually. She was just a miserable, bad-tempered fallen star and he was only interested in bringing her back to his true love, Victoria.

All in all, it was a great book. The movie’s fabulous too. I’ll watch it again and again. Oh, Captain Shakespeare’s not in the book. It’s Captain Johannes Alberic instead and his role was very small unlike Robert De Niro’s in the movie! This book was kind of serious with not much humour in it. Hmm, I don’t think there was any humour at all but I’m not complaining!

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Care, Robyn, Kim, nylusmilk

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Posted in Authors G, Fantasy, Titles S, Young Adult Fiction at 10:45 pm | Comments (15)



9th August, 2008

1984 by George Orwell

This book was weird. I didn’t really understand Part 1 of Chapter 1, so I looked up Google and Wikipedia. This website helped me understand the story better.

So, the story’s about Winston Smith who lives in London, Oceania. It’s the year 1984 and there are only 3 countries in the world: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. Oceania is always at war with both countries but will always insist that it has been at war with one country at all times. Meaning, if they’re at war with Eurasia now means that they’ve always been at war with Eurasia. But then, they’ll suddenly be warring with Eastasia and then they’ll say that they’ve always been at war with Eastasia. Anybody who contradicts will of course be punished severely. Then, they’ll be altering newspapers, books, documents so that ‘mistakes’ will be cleared. It’s pretty stupid actually but then that’s how it is in Oceania.

Winston works in the Ministry of Truth. One day during his lunch hour, he goes back home and starts a diary secretly. No one was allowed to keep a diary. No one was allowed to have personal thoughts. And no one had privacy. There were telescreens in the houses of those who belonged in the Inner Party and Outer Party. The telescreens transmits and receives, like an advanced CCTV (closed-circuit television). Meaning those in charge will be monitoring your daily lives.

The Party rules Oceania. Big Brother is the leader and he’s always right. No one knows if Big Brother exists but his posters are everywhere to remind everyone that he’s ‘watching’ them. Big Brother is like the symbol of Oceania. Anyone who has thoughts of going against Big Brother will be caught by the Thought Police and will be tortured and brainwashed so that they’ll really love Big Brother again. To even think of something bad about the Party or of Big Brother is called ‘thoughtcrime’.

Thoughtcrime is a word in the Newspeak language. Newspeak is the official language of Oceania. According to Syme, one of the characters in 1984, ‘Newspeak is the only language in the world whose vocabulary gets smaller every year’. You’ll encounter new words like ‘doublethink’, ‘crimestop’, ‘doubleplusungood’, and so on in this book. These are words in Newspeak. Oldspeak is what we’re speaking now.

Anyway, a woman from the Fiction Department, Julia, secretly hands Winston a note. He thought she’s a spy and that she’ll report him to the authorities sooner or later. However, this was what’s in the note:

“I love you”

Since then, they’ve begun a secret and illicit affair. It’s not allowed to love another woman so what they’re doing is going against the Party. Like Winston, Julia hates the Party and will do anything to go against them discreetly. They also know that they will be caught. Winston knows that they are as good as dead.

Oceania would be a really scary and tough place to live in. There’s no chance to be an individual. Everything is for the Party. Everyone must love Big Brother and the Party. The three slogans of the Party are:

War Is Peace
Freedom Is Slavery
Ignorance Is Strength

I finally read this book because my lecturer mentioned it in class. I’m glad I read it. You should pick it up soon so you’ll know how terrible it is to live in a country where there’s no freedom to do what you want, to believe in what you feel is right, to be a unique individual, etc.

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Laura

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Posted in Authors O, Modern Classics, Science Fiction, Titles A at 9:54 am | Comments (6)



1st August, 2008

Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer

I don’t quite remember when I started reading this book, probably at the end of June or beginning of July and I only finished it tonight! I’m already not a fan of romance books but I thought I’d give this book a try as it was sent from Sourcebooks.

This was my first Georgette Heyer book and at least, it’s better than Austen. It is still dull for me, the story was slow and I really couldn’t wait to finish the book! So I’m really, really glad it’s over.

Anyway, what day were you born on? I was born on a Wednesday and I guess I’m full of woe. :D Friday’s child is loving and giving, which describes Hero perfectly. Hero’s an orphan and she’s been under her cousin’s care ever since she was young. Well, her cousin wasn’t really fond of her and her life’s actually quite miserable.

The hero in the story would be Sherry or Lord Sheringham. He has asked the Incomparable or Isabella for her hand in marriage but was rejected. Feeling indignant that he should be married right away so that he can have full control of his money, which was left to him by his late father, he vowed that he’d marry the next girl he meets. Sherry’s quite addicted to gaming and he is in a lot of debts.

And it’s no other than Hero Wantage who’s about to be sent to Bath to become a governess. She’s also Sherry’s childhood friend and adores him completely. When he suggests that they get married, she agrees on the condition that they don’t interfere in each other’s lives. It’s like they’re free to do what they want but in a discreet way, I guess. So, they set off to London and Hero says goodbye to being a governess.

With the help of Sherry’s cousins, Gil and Ferdy, the wedding goes smoothly. They nickname Hero ‘Kitten’. After that, life goes on as usual. Hero gets along very well with Gil, Ferdy, and another of Sherry’s friend, George, who’s completely smitten with Isabella and has always been trying to win her heart. Thanks to the characters of Gil, Ferdy, and George, as they make the story much more interesting! What would the book be without them?

Hero also lands herself in a number of scrapes and Sherry helps her out since he’s her husband and he’s responsible for her. But for how long will he tolerate it all? Hero utterly worships him and would do anything to make him happy. Whatever he says, she follows. She doesn’t really have a mind of her own but then when it comes to love, can’t blame her, right?

If you want to try Georgette Heyer’s books, I’m not sure if you should start with this one. I have more Heyer books to go and I hope that they might be better than this.

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Ames

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Posted in Authors H, Historical Fiction, Romance, Titles F at 11:02 pm | Comments (7)



30th June, 2008

The Poem I Turn To edited by Jason Shinder

Most people ignore most poetry because most poetry ignores most people.
~Adrian Mitchell~

I found this quote here. Sounds interesting, huh? I don’t know what Mitchell meant by poetry ignoring people. Can somebody step up and share your thoughts on it?

Anyway, The Poem I Turn To – Actors & Directors Present Poetry That Inspires Them is a book of collected poems. Jason Shinder went out and asked various actors and directors to share their favourite poems and explain why they like them. These actors and directors would include Alan Arkin, Adam Arkin, Peter MacNicol, Carrie Fisher, Jane Fonda, Stanley Tucci and lots more! So, if you happen to be a fan of theirs, then you may get to know them a little bit better by knowing what poem inspires them.

Well, what kind of poems do celebrities like? Shakespeare? Poems by Robert Frost? Yeah, there are some sonnets from Shakespeare in it. It would be relatively surprising if nobody actually turned to Shakespeare’s words. Besides that, the simplest poem in it would be ‘Alone’ where there’s only one lone word in it, Alone. It is one of Stanley Tucci’s favourite poems.

Oh, do you like listening to poems being read aloud? I do! This book is accompanied by a CD where you can listen to some of the actors read their favourite poems. I didn’t really like Paul Guilfoyle’s (from CSI Las Vegas) poetry recitation. His voice was soft and he read the poems way too fast! Is that supposed to be a style? If I weren’t holding the book as well as reading and listening to the poem at the same time, I wouldn’t catch what he said. By the way, there are 30 poems being read aloud on the CD. And if you don’t like hearing other people read them, why don’t you read aloud yourself and record it? :)

All the same, this hardcover book has a lovely cover although it’s quite wordy. But I like it! Somehow I have a good feeling when I look at it. I’ve always liked poems. The poem I like most in this book would be The Guest House by Rumi. If only we had learnt more English poems in school. The only poems we were exposed to were:

Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
If by Rudyard Kipling
Monsoon History by Shirley Lim
There’s Been A Death In The Opposite House by Emily Dickinson
Si Tenggang’s Homecoming by Muhammad Salleh
Life’s Brief Candle by William Shakespeare
The Dead Crow by A. Samad Said
The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W.B. Yeats

Still, it’s a good start.

So…which poem do you turn to? :)

A heartfelt thanks to Sourcebooks for sending me a copy of this wonderful book.

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: John Mutford, Kim

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Posted in Authors S, Poetry, Titles P at 11:29 pm | Comments (11)



29th June, 2008

Crazy Fool Kills Five by Gwen Freeman

This would be a good mystery book to read on a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Murder, a plane crash, court cases, kidnapping, spying……these are what you can expect from this mystery story. You’ll also follow the heroine, Fifi Cutter and her unemployed, good-looking half-brother, Bosco, who assists her with her investigations.

There are a lot of details in it and it’s quite hard to follow thoroughly, actually. Therefore, my lazy Saturday afternoon wasn’t that lazy after all, as I was figuring out what I was reading. You can also expect twists and turns, so you had better not be sleepy while reading this book, if you want to keep up with the pace.

Anyway, let’s look at the title. Who’s the crazy fool? He was Jim Farnswell, ex-employee of Skyblu Charter Jet Service. What did he do? Well, he apparently hijacked a private plane where there were two Chinese businessmen on it, killed the two pilots, and then crashed the plane. Unfortunately, when it crashed, it also killed an Earl Rayburn, a retiree who was just sitting in his home, relaxing.

Now, the matter has been brought to court. Reginald Wong of Wong, Wu & Chu is representing the families of the dead passengers and VJ Smith, Fifi’s close friend, is representing Earl Rayburn’s widow who’s seeking justice for her husband who did not do anything wrong but only happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. On the defendants’ side, Dan Boatwright represents Skyblu and Janet Porter is for Grund Aviation Technologies who was blamed ‘for not putting a locking door from the cabin into the cockpit’, which may have prevented Farnswell from shooting the pilots.

Let’s go back to Fifi now. In the first chapter, she was hired to tail Steven Burton, an ex-employee of Wong, Wu & Chu. He claimed to have a back injury due to helping out at the office last Christmas and was claiming compensation for it. However, Reg Wong does not believe him entirely. That’s why he sent Fifi to follow him around secretly and get evidence to prove that he does not seem to suffer from back injury. Well, it wouldn’t be exciting if Fifi didn’t land herself in some trouble while on the job, right? Right.

Later, Fifi gets involved in the Skyblu case when she’s hired as a document clerk, Steven Burton’s old job. Her job may seem boring but boring was not in her vocabulary. Someone is out to get her or get something from her. In the meantime, she and Bosco try to figure out the puzzles that appear in this Skyblu case. She also begins an unlikely friendship/romance with the ‘enemy’, Dan Boatwright who’s the opponent, much to VJ’s chagrin.

I mistook ‘Crazy Fool Kills Five’ as a kid’s book because of its bright, attractive cover. But then, the title and the picture on it are certainly not kid-friendly. Nevertheless, I thought the book was just okay and there wasn’t much suspense in it. Fifi didn’t really stand out as a strong character even though she’s the main one. It was a fun read though. You’ll enjoy the conversations/arguments between Bosco and Fifi.

I’d also like to thank Gwen Freeman for sending me an ARC of this book. :)

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Lisa, Kris, Maryann

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Posted in Adventure, Authors F, Mystery/Thriller, Titles C at 2:03 pm | Comments (10)



25th June, 2008

Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

I would give ‘Does My Head Look Big In This?’ a rating of 7 out of 10. The whole story is told from Amal’s point of view. Amal is 16 and she considers herself as a young Australian-Palestinian-Muslim girl. A few days before the start of a new school term, she contemplates whether to don the hijab or not.

To help her decide, she compiles a ‘To Wear or Not To Wear’ list with 2 columns. The column on the left contains the names of people who will not treat her like an outsider whilst the names in the right column are bound to make her life a living hell if she wears the hijab. Well, so far, the list looks balanced but it’s still a huge decision. Wearing the hijab is not a small matter. In her new school, it’s probably social suicide if somebody wears that every single day.

Anyway, I think you know that she does wear it on her first day of school and got a lot of stares from her schoolmates. Luckily she has the support of two close friends, Simone and Eileen. However, she’s disappointed when her crush, Adam Keane, failed to strike up a conversation with her during the first week of school. Tia and her obnoxious friends, on the other hand, are not exactly kind to her.

Amal also turns to her other two best friends from her old Hidaya Islamic College, Leila and Yasmeen. Leila is extremely intelligent but her mother can’t wait to marry her off while she’s still young. Therefore, there’ll be eligible suitors coming to dinner every time. Yasmeen is the carefree one and simply adores shopping.

As the story goes on, Amal, Simone, Eileen, Adam, and another boy, Josh become fast friends in school. They’ll spend lunch time together, joking with one another, and of course, waiting to see how things will turn out. Simone likes Josh but isn’t sure if he feels the same way. Adam seems to be giving Amal the signals and she’s giving them back.

I enjoyed reading about Amal’s grumpy Greek neighbour, Mrs. Vaselli and how she accuses Amal of doing things like throwing empty cigarette packs in her garden. Amal insists that she doesn’t smoke but Mrs. Vaselli will only repeat what she said. But as Amal gets to know the old lady better, she sees that there’s sadness behind her grouchiness.

It’s impressive that the author has managed to write about a serious issue like wearing the hijab in a light-hearted way. There are hilarious moments at the beginning of the book but as it progresses, it becomes serious as we follow Amal through her trials and tribulations. In the place where Amal lives, the act of covering one’s head in the name of religion is frowned upon as it is not part of their culture. However, in Malaysia, it is normal to see tudung-clad (tudung = headscarf) Muslim women walking around and nobody bats an eyelid.

So, to sum it up, being different is a tough thing and being ridiculed for being different makes things even tougher. In Amal’s case, even her parents fear for her if she chooses to wear the hijab full time. This book tells the story of a gutsy young girl who is determined to stick with her own beliefs even though it’s in a place where not everyone approves of them. Well, we don’t need everyone’s approval, do we?

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Culture Squad, KittyCat, Alessandra

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Posted in Australian, Authors A, Humour, School Stories, Titles D, Young Adult Fiction at 11:26 am | Comments (13)


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