Holes By Louis Sachar Review
Basic info and Story Line:
Holes is a 1998 young adult mystery comedy novel written by Louis Sachar and first published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. It won the 1998 U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the 1999 Newbery Medal for the year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". In 2012 it was ranked number 6 among all-time children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal.(Source:Wikipedia)
Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck, so when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre (which isn't green and doesn't have a lake) he is not surprised. Every day he and the other inmates are told to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, reporting anything they find. The evil warden claims that it is character building, but this is a lie and Stanley must dig up the truth.
Review:
I have posted a review on this, kinda long ago, but what I wrote was wrong. I recently re-read this book, and it's actually my favourite book for young adults. It's wit,humour,drama,story, I mean, everything about it is near perfect! But I would first like to quote CommonSenseMedia's review of it, as it sums it up perfectly:
Sachar pulls together this complicated story with unusual characters, dark humor, inventive plotting, and some Dickensian coincidences. The harshness of the situation is mitigated by the multifaceted mystery and by the strangely lighthearted way the author tells the story. At the end the author deliberately leaves a few holes in the plot for the reader to fill in. Sachar has a bizarre imagination, and in this vivid, many-layered book he puts it to its most compelling use yet.
This book is completely unique in my opinion. When I first read it, it wasn't special and didn't really appeal to me, but now that I'm much older, I can really appreciate it.
First of all, the story is completely unique, and it takes a very imaginative mind to think up something like this. Then the humour is hilarious, as it isn't the silly-clowning around kind of humour, but dry, deep, and completely unexpected. And the themes and symbolism which are dealt with in this book are numerous: racism, crime and punishment, society, redemption, honour, religion, love, God, etc.
This book is technically for teens, but many, many adults have read it, and loved it. So if you're 11 and up, I definitely recommend you to give it a shot. Amazon UK link:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holes-Louis-Sachar/dp/1408865238/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461874057&sr=8-1&keywords=holes
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My Thoughts on Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie is an American western drama television series, starring Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, and Karen Grassle, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. (Source: Wikipedia)
Episodes List: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071007/episodes?season=1
Straight out, I love Little House on the Prairie! It was a TV milestone, and is a classic which will still be loved, watched, and cherished a hundred years from now.
I (and millions of others), love it for so many reasons: most notably, the story lines that provide valuable lessons in life and the outstanding performances by regulars and guests.
However, some episodes I would prefer to watch alone (in fact, nearly all of them!), as they're too sad, and I hate showing tears in front of others, and I don't like people crying in front of me, as I then get embarrassed and seek for a way out. Anyway, this series can inspire, move, and make you cry.
But this series does have a problem: I only really love the seasons from 1 - 4, like Dexter and after that, the seasons slowly begin to get less original, and more modern, and less beautiful, and so on. For instance, I HATE the romance between Almonzo and Laura, I just think she behaves like an idiot; Every now and then, individual episodes rise high again, only to let the later episodes fall into darkness. And as Laura gets older, Charles and Caroline get less and less important, and those are my favourite characters! And then Albert comes, and then James and Cassandra come, and the whole classic and original feel get evaporated so that it becomes just like any other series.
(And the episode Sylvia has to be the worst I've ever seen; Albert behaves like an idiot, Sylvia herself isn't exactly pretty and she behaves stupidly, the whole themes are kinda unrealistic, and if you have to make an episode dealing with rape, you could have made the scene (and afterwards) a bit more realistic. In all, the episode left me with the uncomfortable feeling that someone had accidentally screened the wrong episode of another series.)
My favourite Characters are Charles and Caroline Ingalls (CI+CI, HAH!).
If you're wondering why there aren't any of the Ingalls girls, it's because they often behave stupidly. Charles nearly never does anything stupid, and I don't love/like Caroline in only one episode where she becomes a full-blown feminist (in season 7, exactly!). I do like the Ingalls girls a lot most of the time, but they do do stupid and unnecessary things pretty often.
So, in conclusion the seasons 1-4 are absolute must-watch, the later ones until season 8 can be bought, but if I were you (Which I'm not, of course) I'd only buy them for a very low price and don't expect too much.
Amazon UK link to Season 1: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-House-Prairie-Season-DVD/dp/B0009PGTEC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461271006&sr=8-1&keywords=little+house+prairie+season+1
Anne of Green Gables Review
Basic Info:
Anne of Green Gables is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Written for all ages, it has been considered a children's novel since the mid-twentieth century. It recounts the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan girl who is mistakenly sent to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister who had intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in Prince Edward Island. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town. (Source: Wikipedia)
Review:
Okay, I admit it, I am a teenage boy that reads 'Anne of Green Gables'. So what?
Maybe it's not one of the best books ever written, but it's timeless. So let me start with
Why I like this Book:
The characters are real, they come alive through the pages, you feel for them, you can understand them, you know why they're doing something even if you don't agree with them. My favourite characters are Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, Gilbert Blythe, and (kinda) Anne herself. Although she does talk a lot, and somehow I have the feeling that if every time Anne talks, her words would have been shortened only a few paragraphs, the book would probably be shorter by about a hundred pages.
But on the other hand, Anne is shown to be intelligent and different, not in a bad way, but just different in a good way; she sees the world differently and with imaginative eyes, for example: Anne changes the name of Barry's Pond to Lake of Shining Waters.
Things I kinda dislike about this book:
Anne is over-dramatic: Either she's floating on the wings of happiness or she's drowning in the depths of despair. She cries a lot, and often because of small (but hilarious) misunderstandings. Another thing: If she hates someone, she hates him with all her soul. She hates Gilbert Blythe for a time of incredible 4 years! But the good news is that by the time she's sixteen, she's more mature, and talks less than before.
And just on a side note: This book is written in the style of Louisa May Alcott: There's no main story-line or quest, but a series of small adventures or problems.
Bottom Line: I recommend this book for anyone above 8 or 9 years of age, of any gender, and who like Drama-comedies. (But if you're looking for a full-blown romance, this is not one you would choose. I would suggest trying Louisa May Alcotts Jo's Boys or if you wanna go full sentimental and teary, try (ugh!) Romeo and Juliet)
