ncea 2 wide reading unit standard.. 3 credits. i passed. easy. here's an extract of mine. talk out yo ass and u pass.
“Northern Lights” Phillip Pullman
(winner of the Carnegie Medal, & the Guardian Award)
“Northern Lights”, book one of a trilogy involves an almost entirely different world, yet it was easy to follow. Humans all had a “dæmon”, a guardian angel type of companion with a link to your mind so as each knew what the other was thinking and could feel any physical pain they may be feeling. To touch someone else’s dæmon was an insensitive crime. In this adventure, the main character Lyra discovers that many of the children around are disappearing, and soon her best friend disappears. Later she finds that people are performing experiments on the children and their dæmons who, unlike adults’ dæmons, can freely change form. I think that if the world was like this, then it would be a much better place, as no one would ever be alone and people are able to know what people are like before meeting them by merely looking at the person’s dæmon and the form they chose to permanently stay. The experiments that were performed on the children was the severing of the bond between a child and their dæmon. This permanently damages the mentality of the child and dæmon, they become “lost” and many die. Problems like this naturally arise in the same way that abuse in reality does. However in Phillip Pullman’s world there is always someone to share the burden with.
“The Other Boleyn Girl” Philipa Gregory
I found the way this novel was written interesting and clever. Each chapter was one season of the year, this way nothing significant is given by the chapter title, yet it still had a meaning and varied in length due to events. It was based around the character Mary Boleyn, Henry VIII’s wife Anne Boleyn’s sister. Before I read the book I had a vague knowledge of Henry and his wives and thought Anne Boleyn was the most suited for queen. This was, however, not the case. The Boleyn family was a family which always stuck together and sacrificed much including the freedom of daughters, to bring the family higher in status and wealth. When her family found that the king had taken an interest in her, Mary was pushed forth to do whatever it took to become new Queen of England. She had always been loyal and faithful, especially to her Queen Katherine of Aragon. But she is forced on the king and becomes his “whore” and has and illegitimate daughter and son for him. Henry is a spoilt and greedy king and soon he falls for Anne. Mary is pushed aside with everything taken away from her. I thought that the book was interesting as it covered a significant length of time in addition to being integrated into facts so it is believable when many interesting events occur. I don’t think Anne deserved the throne since she was too ambitious and careless of those that loved her. They had the life of a courtier and their daily life was social and fun. I would love to meet one and see how they act in real life, but personally wouldn’t want to become one. In the end Mary chooses love and moves to live on a farm with her loving husband and children. This is true in history, which was the most satisfying conclusion a could have; it makes following your hearth the outright correct way to live.
“The House of the Scorpion” Nancy Farmer
(National Book Award Winner, Newberry Honor Book Winner, Michael Printz Award, three-time Newberry Honor author)
A unique futuristic novel which has become one of my favourites. What attracted me to this book was the three award medals printed on the front cover and the peculiar blurb describing the main character, a clone who was “placed in the womb of a cow” as an embryo. As I read the first chapter I suspected a queer scientific story to follow. As it turned out, the novel is actually about the life of Matteo Alacrán, clone of 134 year old El Patrón. Clones are considered monsters since their minds are demolished at birth. Matt is different. El Patrón, notorious drug dealer, and basically ruler of Opium (the new strip of country between Mexico and USA) is rich enough to break the law, so he kept Matt’s brain intact. Matt grew up with only María for a friend, but she treated him like a pet while everyone else treated him poorly leading him to think he was inferior. He struggled through life until at 14 he escaped after the death of El Patrón when he discovered clones were all used and created for the purpose of a supply of matching organ transplants. My favourite character is Tam Lin, Matt’s scottish bodyguard. Although he was a criminal who had killed a bus full of children with a bomb intended for an unjust prime minister, he was a fair person who treated everyone, including Matt, equally. He let Matt know that there is no way to tell the difference between clones and humans thus helped him escape to Mexico where no one would know who he was. He made friends immediately, showing that the only obstacle he had of making friends was being a clone.
“Owl” Joanna Orwin
NZ author Joanna Orwin writes an adventure set in New Zealand based on the Maori myth of Pouakai, the giant man-eating eagle. Hamish MacIntyre makes the discovery of the century when he finds perfectly preserved and clear Maori cave drawings hidden under a cave roof. What he doesn’t know is with the right combination of taking photos and accidentally capturing a the kaitiaki stone of protection, he once again releases the lengendary bird, indestructible by normal means. The MacIntyre family farm had been struggling since Hamish’s father’s death and with the eagle out killing lambs and ewes, they have little chance to make it. But with the assistance of Tama, Hamish’s new friend and helper on the farm, they find these recent events were all preordained and it’s up to them to decipher the code and save the neighbour’s and their farms. At first I found the title Owl denotation and the pair of wings on the front cover mislead me. However having read the entire book, I encountered many connotations and a deeper meaning. Owl is Hamish’s nick name, the translation of Ruru, the ancestor of the Ngati Ruru tribe who ensnared Pouakai 500 years ago. Tama is a member of this tribe and together with Hamish, they are the only ones who can trap Pouakai. This book was educational and entertaining with a touch of comedy and mystery, but some mysteries were too easily solved while the characters spent an age to find the solution. This made the characters seem dim-witted; yet they amazingly answered extremely difficult questions in a few seconds. Despite this confusion, I enjoyed this story as it was very descriptive, allowing images to flow easily while reading, as though Pouakai had been entrapped in it.
“Macbeth” William Shakespeare
Macbeth, a valiant and loyal warrior for his king and cousin Duncan, starts as the classic hero of the story. But on the way back to the castle, after an extraordinary battle and victory, he and his best friend stumbles across three mysterious beings not knowing it would ultimately cause the death of both them and many others. A tragic play involving deaths, including King Duncan, servants, Macduff’s family, Banquo, Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth, can not be all and only kill kill kill, to become a piece of literature worth being thoroughly studied by many it must have deep morals and meanings. This mainly done by a range of conflicts occuring inside the minds of many individual characters. At first Macbeth has frequent soliloquys on whether to kill or not, but as the play progresses his conscience shuts down for a while. The release of this murdering monster was blamed on Lady Macbeth, but in my opinion Macbeth began as a murderer, the only difference was that in the beginning his violence was channeled as a soldier for his country, and even then there were gruesome description such as Macbeth gutting someone “from nave to belly”. In the finale, after all his friends had deserted him, he wakes from his nightmare only to be surrounded by a nightmare in reality, and he realises it’s him against an army, whom’s numbers I thought unnecessary, and he knew he would without a doubt die. He had lost everything, even his wife andpartner in crime, so he decides to try and regain his reputation and die fighting.
“Howl’s Moving Castle” Diana Wynne Jones
Distinctly different from the animated film, the novel tells a much more complicated story more elaborately explained. Sophie Hatter, the eldest daughter of a hat store owner lead a simple life until she was turned into a 90 year old woman by the Witch of the Waste. I found this to be an interesting way to portray a character. As an old lady she felt free to express her thoughts and abandon the burden eldest daughters carry in Ingary and seek her destiny. Unable to walk any further, she hires herself as the widely feared Wizard Howl’s cleaning lady in his moving castle. Together they live with the young apprentice, Michael, and the fire demon, Calcifer as they try to lift the curse, free Calcifer from Howl’s contract and save Howl from the Witch of the Waste. The secret to Howl’s evasive ability, other than multiple identities is the four different places the one entrance door of the castle leads; the moving castle, a shop by the sea, a stable near the palace and the secret location to which only Howl is allowed to access. Although the book never confirms, through hints such as a “box” which when pulled “by the roots” the “picture on the box vanished” the future, our present time, is suggested. I really enjoyed the fantasy and imaginativeness, incorporating my favourite element of fiction, magic.
