The Guns of Navarone (Parent guide)

                        The Guns of Navarone

 
                                                            By Alistair Maclean 

Please note that spoilers are marked in red

Positive messages: High

- This is not a case of angelic Allies against evil Germans; it shows that Germans are also humans.  There are both Germans and Allies that are really evil. 

-  The characters (or the team) do not just kill in cold blood, although they can be very ruthless if need be. What I like is that the strongest man in the team hates killing and regrets it every time.

- This also teaches that steady perseverance and mercy can get you to your goal.

Positive role models: High 

All of them are , strong, ambitous, and also have a good sense of humour. But a warning: As I already stated they can be very ruthless and can kill without thinking. An example: Mallory tells Andrea to stab a spy between the shoulder blades. He does not do it after all, but Mallory tells Miller later he would have shot him if need be.

Profanity: Medium: Infrequent

Infrequent use of bloddy, ba***rd, hell, damn, Jesus Christ, e.t.c.

Sex: None
One (I think) implicit reference.

Violence: Near extreme
Nearly all the time people get impaled, shot, stabbed, strangled, tortured, blown up and more.

Gore: High
An grisly description of a young soldier impaled. And a few other graphic descriptions.

Frightening: None really

Intense: Very high
Throught the book. And as Maclean is known as "The Master of Action and Suspense"  you can guess how intense it will be.

Smoking: Medium-High
Pretty many cases of smoking by Germans and Allies alike.

Drinking: Low
Very infrequent use.

   

The Satan Bug (Review)

                             The Satan Bug

Praise for The Satan Bug:

"Spine-chilling, Throat-clutching!" Books and Bookmen

"Utterly compelling" Punch

Review:

Five strands of high-voltage wire, 200 yards of bare ground patrolled by armed guards with dogs seperated Mordon Research Centre from the outside world. Yet behind the locked doors of E block, a scientist lay dead, and a new toxin of terrifying power had  vanished...

This was the novel that started me off reading Maclean. The action, suspense and not least the dry humour made me love it. The suspense is just unbearable at times, and I could promise you, normally you'd never guess who the villain is and what his game is. It is confusing at times as it has some sub-plots, but overall an amazing book by one of my favorite authors (now).

You can purchase this novel here (Amazon.co.uk) :http://www.amazon.co.uk/Satan-Bug-Alistair-MacLean/dp/0006157505/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429021920&sr=8-1&keywords=satan+bug+book

About Alistair Maclean

                                         About Alistair Maclean

Alistair Maclean, the son of a Scots minister, was brought up in the Scottish Highlands.In 1941 at the age of eighteen, he joined the Royal Navy; two and a half years spent aboard a cruiser were later to give him the background for HMS Ulysses, his first novel, the outstanding documentary novel on the war at sea. After the war, he gained an English Honours degree at Glasgow University, became a schoolmaster. In 1983, he was awarded a D.Litt. from the same university.

Alistair Maclean is now recognised to be the outstanding writer of our time in his own genre.
All of his novels have been worldwide bestsellers . Many have been filmed- The guns of Navarone, Force 10 from Navarone, Where eagles dare, Bear Island, Fear is the key, and When eight bells toll are among the most famous. He died in 1987.

The Satan Bug (Parent guide)

                                   THE SATAN BUG

                           By Alistair Maclean 
                                     (Fiction)

Parent guide:

 

Positive messages:  small 

No real positive messages except that if you keep going you might get there eventually.

Also around the end it's mainly about revenge.

Positive role models: medium

The lead character (Pierre Cavell) is a kind of enigma: He is not bribable and loves his family more than anything on earth. But  he's also extremy ruthless and does not hestitate to use torture and violence to find out what he needs to know.

Profanity:Infrequent 

Infrequent use of bloddy,bastard,hell damn,jesus christ e.t.c.

Sex: none

Very light romance as he's already married.

One implicit reference.

Violence: Medium (not that much)

People get shot, smashed, stabbed, tortured, hanged, thrown down from very high places.

 People and animals are poisoned.

Gore: High

A woman's head is smashed people are tortured beyond facial recognition. Lots of graphic

descriptions of people dying.

Frightening/intense: Medium high

For frightening see "Gore" above. Very intense novel, lots of despair and sad scenes.

Drinking: Medium-low

People mostly drink because of health. Some normal drinking.

Smoking (drug use): Medium-low

People smoke cigarettes. Not too much smoking.

Mood: Generally dark.

Actually a book for adults but I'll say teens above 13 should normally be able to stomach it.

You can buy the book here:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Satan-Bug-Alistair-MacLean/dp/0006157505/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1428936855&sr=8-3&keywords=satan+bug

Please email me if you see any mistakes and I'll be grateful.

Playstation Nation by Olivia and Kurt Bruner review

                                     Playstation Nation 

                                      Olivia and Kurt Bruner

                                                        Non-Fiction

Praise for Playstation Nation:

"If your child has or wants a video game system,you must read this book.Rarely has a problem among so many gone unchecked for so long.The Bruners have done parents and kids a big favor by writing PLAYSTAION NATION.

    -Dr Kevin Leman, author of Making children mind without losing yours

Are my children spending too much time playing video games?

Why don't my kids want to do anything else anymore?
Is it risky to let my adolecsent play online games?
How do I get my kids to turn off their game box and enjoy real life?

Olivia Bruner was one of the millions of parents asking these questions.
When she saw video games overtaking her young sons` lives she decided to learn the facts behind addiction. What she found was highly disturbing:That most games are designed to be highly addictive and that this fact was not concealed from video games creators.

Now I know this book is largely adressed at parents but as I normally read adult-targeted books I thought it would be fine to read. As I also was addicted to video games,this book gave me courage to face my addiction and to learn why we are addicted. Study shows that 1 in 5 kids are (or were as now they have way more sophisticated games) is addicted to video games.When I had finished this book I vowed not to play ever again. I have held that vow thanks to my my parents and family.

Nowadays it's hard to just not play becuase nearly everyone is playing no matter the age;from 4 year olds to 50 year olds play. But still better to suffer temporarily than permanently. I think everyone should read this book although I recommend that parents first read the book and then (If they think it's okay) let their child/children read it.

You can buy the book here:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Playstation-Nation-Protect-Addiction-Paperback/dp/B00HUC1HLM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1428754679&sr=8-2&keywords=playstation+nation