A Good Read
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney Of course this month children all over the country said goodbye to the long summer holiday and trudged (many of them reluctantly) back to the classroom. So this month we have a ‘back to school’ theme with the first book in the smash hit US book series.
Greg Heffley is finding his way through the minefield that is middle school. As he points out at the start of the book this isn’t really a diary. In his own words there is none of this ‘dear diary’ rubbish and he won’t be discussing his ‘feelings’.
It’s a journal, and as a journal
it takes us through the school year from the all-important decision of where to sit on the first day of class, to the embarrassment of playing a tree in the school production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (and
not even being able to throw apples at annoying Patty who is playing Dorothy!).
Along with his best friend, Rowley, he plans a Hallowe’en haunted house to raise some money but unfortunately they only manage one terrified guest before Rowley’s dad brings it to an end. But as we find out, that was not quite the end of the matter and it takes a full school year before the consequences of Hallowe’en night are fully realised.
Described as ‘a novel in cartons’ this is a perfect book for both those who love reading and those who are ‘reluctant readers’. Yes, it’s an American book, but there are no issues with readers relating to the culture: school is school, wherever you are in the world!
Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon This engrossing novel is the first in the ‘Outlander’ series and introduces the reader to Claire Randall.
It is 1945 and Claire is on a
second honeymoon with her husband after being reunited with him following the end of the war. The Scottish Highlands seems idyllic although she accepts that the real reason for the destination is for her husband, Frank to research his family history. Claire visits a stone circle at Craigh na Dun and faints after hearing a strange buzzing noise. When she comes round she finds herself transported back in time to the 18th Century.
Not knowing when or if she will ever return to 1945, Claire sets about surviving in an alien culture. She falls for Jamie Fraser, a young Scottish warrior, who is about as different from Frank as you can possibly imagine. She learns of his life and how it crossed paths with Captain Randall: the ancestor that her husband is researching back in 1945. Her heart and passions are divided between Frank in 1945 and the Scotsman she is forced to marry to save her life.
Winner of the Romance Writers of America’s award of ‘Best Romance’ when it was first published, the story has recently been adapted for American television and is shown here on Amazon Prime. Gabaldon has created a rich world for her characters set against the romantic Scottish Highlands. The central characters of Claire and Jamie are complex and they carry the reader through the story. Even the many smaller characters have a voice of their own: from Dougal MacKenzie who leads Jamie’s clan to Geillis Duncan, an unexpected ally for Claire. At 880 pages this may seem like a daunting read, but before you know it, the pages have sped by.
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