Obernewtyn chronicles: The Farseekers

Author: Isobelle Carmody

Book 2: The Farseekers

Obernewtyn has changed now. Once it was the dreaded place where Misfits were sent to work. Now it has become a heaven for Misfits. Rushton has become the Master of Obernewtyn and the Misfits have been separated into guilds based on their special abilities. Elspeth is now the leader of the Farseek Guild for those with the same ability as  Elspeth, to see into the minds of beasts. Then Elspeth finds an extraordinary Talent from far away, and a group of Misfits set off to find the unusual Misfit. But the ability they find is unlike anything they have encountered before...

I like the big change from the terrifying Obernewtyn to the new Obernewtyn ruled by Rushton.

Obernewtyn chronicles: Obernewtyn

Author: Isobelle Carmody

Book 1: Obernewtyn


In this book, Obernewtyn is a place where Misfits are taken to be tested on and enslaved. This is quite different from the other books in the series.


Elspeth Gordie is a Misfit, a child born with a mutation that is not immediately clear at birth. She lives in an orphanage, keeping her mutant ability to see the thoughts and memories of all animals from everyone except for her brother. Then a lady from Obernewtyn comes to search the orphanage for Misfits, who are to be taken to Obernewtyn to live. Elspeth is discovered and taken to Obernewtyn, where a large group of other Misfits are waiting for her. The rulers of Obernewtyn, who are mean and cruel, are searching for the same ability that Elspeth has. Elspeth sets off on an adventure inside the walls of Obernewtyn to discover the truth of Obernewtyn.


At some points in this book I got a bit distracted, but not for long. It's mostly exciting, and my favourite book out of the series so far. I like it because the danger of Obernewtyn in the first book adds extra excitement.

Why Headless Chickens Run and other bonkers things you need to know

Author: Michael Cox

This book is filled with completely bonkers facts and stories, such as WHICH chicken ran around headless for 18 months, HOW many children get marbles stuck up their noses, WHO decided to make a palace out of ice and a whole heap of other bonkers facts. 

This book was probably my favourite in the bonkers books series. My favourite parts are probably the bits about the eccentric people, such as Charles Babbage, Sir George Rearsby Sitwell and Turkmenbashi.

Warriors Book 2: Fire and Ice

Author: Erin Hunter


Firepaw has become a warrior now, earning himself the name of Fireheart. Shadowclan's leader has been defeated and all seems to be at peace. But Windclan have not yet returned, and the wilderness needs four Clans to rule it. So Fireheart and Graystripe are sent off to retrieve Windclan and return them to their territory. But when they come back, Fireheart is still suspicious of Tigerclaw, Thunderclan's mighty deputy. What is he really up to?


I love how my suspicions about Tigerclaw flicker through my mind as I read, one moment I might think he's guilty, but as I read on I wonder if he really is guilty. This book is unpredictable.

Warriors Book 1: Into the Wild

Author: Erin Hunter


Rusty is an ordinary house cat that lives with humans. But one day, Rusty strays into the great forest and meets the Clan cats of Thunderclan, one of the four great Clans of cats that rule the wild. So Rusty joins the Clan, and earns his new name, Firepaw. Then he begins to train as a Warrior and is made an apprentice. But Shadowclan is growing stronger and is a threat to the other clans. Firepaw is suspicious of murders within his clan. And how will his clan deal with the treacherous Shadowclan?


I think this book was really well written. The battle scenes in particular were thrilling. I sometimes get confused which cat belongs to which Clan, but thanks to the list at the front of the book I soon worked it out. I got completely absorbed in this book.

Here is a map of the clans and their territories.

Thunderclan

Leader: Bluestar- blue-gray she-cat, tinged with silver around her muzzle.

Deputy: Redtail- small tortoiseshell tom with a distinctive ginger tail.
            Apprentice: Dustpaw

Medicine cat: Spottedleaf- beautiful dark tortoiseshell she-cat with a distinctive dappled coat.

Warriors: Lionheart- magnificent golden tabby tom with thick fur like a lion's mane.
               Apprentice: Graypaw

Tigerclaw- big dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws.
Apprentice: Ravenpaw

Whitestorm- big white tom.
Apprentice: Sandpaw

Darkstripe- sleek black-and-gray tabby tom.

Longtail- pale tabby tom with dark black stripes.

Runningwind- swift tabby tom.

Wiillowpelt- very pale gray she-cat with unusual blue eyes.

Mousefur- small dusky brown she-cat.

Apprentices: Dustpaw- dark brown tabby tom.

Graypaw- long-haired solid gray tom.

Ravenpaw- small, skinny black tom with a tiny white dash on his chest, with a white tipped tail.

Sandpaw- pale ginger she-cat.

Firepaw- handsome ginger tom.

Queens: Frostfur- beautiful white coat and blue eyes.

Brindleface- pretty tabby.

Goldenflower- pale ginger coat.

Speckletail- pale tabby, and the oldest nursery queen.

Elders: Halftail- big dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing.

Smallear- gray tom with very small ears. Oldest tom in Thunderclan.

Patchpelt- small black-and-white tom.

One-eye- pale gray she-cat, the oldest cat in Thunderclan. Virtually blind and deaf.

Dappletail- once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with a lovely dappled coat.

Moomin: Moominsummer Madness

Author: Tove Jansson


One day, a volcano causes a massive wave to hit Moominvalley and flood it. The Moomin family and their friends see a mysterious building float past and decide to take refuge in it. Emma, an old stage rat that lives in the building, tells the Moomins that the building is called a theatre. So the Moomins set off on a great voyage in their theatre
and have many little adventures. Finally, the day of the play that the Moomin family decided to perform comes and the friends are all brought back from their adventures.

I love how the characters get split up and go on their own little adventures, and then they are all brought back together again by the flyers for the play.

Moomin: Moomipappa's Memoirs

Author: Tove Jansson


In this book, Moominpappa reveals his amazing life story. As a child, Moominpappa was left on the doorstep of an orphanage, but he ran away soon after. It was then that he met his friends, Hodgkins, the Joxter and the Muddler, who shared his great adventures with him. Hodgkins, an intelligent inventor shows his friends the marvellous ship, The Oshun Oxtra ( misspelling of The Ocean Orchestra. The Muddler was painting the name on the side of the ship, but he accidentally misspelt it. ) on which they sail on and encounter many great adventures.


I love the new characters that I met in this book. All of Moominpappa's friends are the fathers of Moomintroll's friends, except for Hodgkins. I would like to know more about Hodgkins's family.

Moomin: Finn Family Moomintroll

Author: Tove Jansson

One day, Moomin, Sniff and Snufkin discover a magical top hat on top of a mountain. Unaware of its strange powers, they take it back to Moominhouse. After a game of hide and seek, they discover that whatever put into it will transform. So the family decides that the hat is to be thrown into the river to get rid of it for good. But Moomintroll and Snufkin get it back secretly at night. Soon after that, Thingumy and Bob turn up with a mysterious suitcase, containing a large bright ruby, the King's Ruby, which they stole from the Groke. Then Moominmamma's handbag disappears but it is found by Thingumy and Bob, who were using it as a bed. A great party is held in honour of Thingumy and Bob finding Moominmamma's handbag. During the party, the Hobgoblin turns up with his black panther, searching for the King's Ruby. Thingumy and Bob refuse to hand the ruby over, but when the Hobgoblin grants everyone a wish to thank them for finding his hat, Thingumy and Bob wish for the Hobgoblin to have his own ruby, the Queen's Ruby.

This book is my favourite in the whole series. I love all of the characters, but in this book my favourite is Thingumy and Bob. They speak in spoonerisms, for  example: "Man you cake it out?" asked Thingumy. "Mot nutch," said Bob. Thingumy wears a red cap. Only the Hemulen seems to understand their language.

Moomin: Comet in Moominland

Author: Tove Jansson


One day, Moomin and his friend Sniff find a strange symbol, a comet. They begin seeing the symbol everywhere, and so they go and ask the Muskrat what to do. He tells them that in order to find more information, they must travel to the observatory in the Lonely mountains and talk to the professors. On their journey, they meet several friends, and when they return they find that they must hide in the cave in order to escape from the comet. But will the comet actually hit Moominvalley?


I really love the characters in this series. My favourite character, well, one of them, is Sniff. He is quite greedy and loves jewels. He is always thinking of new ways to make money. He looks a bit like a kangaroo. He is also a bit of a wuss.

Maurice Sendak's birthday

Today, 10th of June, is Maurice Sendak's 85th birthday. Maurice Sendak died in 2012, but today he would have been 85. Google put up a special Maurice Sendak animation with all of his characters in it.

The Wolves of the Beyond: Watch wolf

Author: Kathryn Lasky



Faolan has become a member of the Watch where he is respected. But then he hears that a wolf has stolen a young grizzly bear cub. Faolan and Edme must return the grizzly bear cub to its mother otherwise a war will start between the bears and the wolves, who have lived together in peace for many years. For Faolan, it is very hard. His second Milk Giver was a grizzly, but Faolan himself is a wolf.

My favourite part in this book is when Faolan, Edme and Arthur the owl are saving Toby the bear cub from Old Cags, the wolf with the foaming mouth disease.

The Wolves of the Beyond: Shadow wolf

Author: Kathryn Lasky

Faolan, the wolf with the splayed paw, has become a clan wolf. He joins the clan as a gnaw wolf, the lowest ranking wolf in the clan. Heep, a mean gnaw wolf, becomes jealous and blames Faolan for the murder of a malcadh pup. But Faolan is innocent and the gaddergnaw games are coming. All gnaw wolves from different clans will compete in the games. Can Faolan and his friends show that he is truly innocent and can Faolan win the games and become a member of the Watch?

I like the characters in this book, particularly Heep.☺☺

The Wolves of the Beyond: Lone Wolf

Author: Kathryn Lasky

A wolf pup is born. A malcadh, wolf language for cursed one. The rules must be obeyed. The parents of the malcadh are to be cast out of the clan forever, they are to join new seperate clans and start a new life. The malcadh is to be taken by the "Obea" to it's tummfraw to die. But the pup does not die. It is swept down the river where it gets snagged on the foot of a great grizzly bear. The bear ends up adopting the pup and the pup gets to know the grizzly as Thunderheart. Thunderheart names the pup Faolan. Fao means river as well as wolf and Lan means gift. Faolan survives. But Faolan learns that he must join a clan. Then he is mistaken for a wolf with the foaming mouth disease. Any wolf with this disease must be killed immediately. Can Faolan survive? And what will life be like when he joins a clan?

I often get mixed up with all the wolf words for this and that but I still like the way the wolves and bears have all of their names for everything.

The Cloud Road

Author: Isobelle Carmody


Brothers Zluty and Bily, along with the Monster and Redwing travel across the desert in search of a new home. The group travel to the end of the desert where they find the cloud mountains. There they meet the diggers, which are quite different to the diggers that Zluty and Bily found at their old home. Then the brothers are told of the evil Monks and the story of the Makers and the Listeners. But Zluty is then taken hostage by the Monks who will turn his head into into metal. Can Bily save his brother?

I really like the story of all of the Makers and the Listeners and whatnot. I also like how Zluty and Bily learn about all of these new things, like blizzards, although the brothers learn what they really are at the end of the book. I can't wait until Book 3: The Velvet City comes out!

A wind in the door (Book two of the time quintet)

Author: Madeleine L'Engle


One afternoon, Charles Wallace Murry tells Meg Murry that there are dragons in Sandy and Dennys's vegetable garden. But Charles later finds out that they are not dragons. It is Prognioskes, a cherubim (which is actually plural for a cherub but he may as well be because he has multiple wings and eyes but he's rather like a seraph) . Blajeny, a mysterious man who insists on being a teacher, tells Meg, Charles and Calvin O' Keefe that they will have three tests. Meg and Proginoskes' first test is to name the real Mr. Jenkins out of three. But later, Meg finds inside the mitochondria of Charles Wallace, trying to save her sick brother who will die if he is not saved.

I like the characters in this book and the way they kythe, which is like telepathy, to talk.

---> Mitochondrion <---

Samuel Morse's birthday

Today, 27 of April, is Samuel Morse's birthday. Samuel Morse is the inventor of morse code.

                                       This is morse code -->

A Wrinkle in Time (Book 1)

Author: Madeleine L'Engle


It was a dark and stormy night. Meg Murry meets Charles Wallace Murry's friends, Mrs Who, Mrs Which and Mrs Whatsit, who take  them off to find their father who disappeared whilst he was working on a tesseract project. Charles, Meg and their new friend Calvin travel to faraway planets in search of their father. When they arrive at the planet their father is trapped on, Charles is kidnapped by the master of the little town they arrive at. Can Calvin and Meg get Charles and Mr Murry back?

I like how on the planet that Mr Murry is trapped on everyone does everything exactly the same, like robots.

Tesseract

Summer and Bird

Author: Katherine Catmull


Sisters Summer and Bird wake up one morning to find their parents have disappeared. Their mother has left them a picture note, so Summer and Bird find that they have to wander into the forest which is close to their home. Summer and Bird find talking birds and stories of their mother and father and stories of birds. The evil Puppeteer captures Bird and convinces her that she will be queen of the birds. Bird is taken to bird court and she does not realise that the great swan who is queen of the birds is actually her mother.

I like the character called Ben in this book. He is half bird, although Summer does not realise this at first.

A Quote from Mark Twain

“In a good bookroom you feel in some mysterious way that you are absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books through your skin, without even opening them.”

- Mark Twain

The Word Hunters Book 2 The Lost Hunters

Author: Nick Earls


One day, Lexi and Al find the "& more" button glowing on the page of the dictionary. Once more, they are transported into the past. But this time they are looking for the lost word hunter, Alan Hunter, Lexi and Al's grandfather, who mysteriously disappeared into the past. With the help of Will Hunter, another lost word hunter, the word hunters are determined to find the lost hunter.

The Word Hunters Book 1 The Curious Dictionary

Author: Nick Earls


Lexi and Al Hunter come from a family of word hunters, although they don't know it. Then they find a dictionary hidden in their school library. Al and Lexi get transported to the past by the dictionary and find out that in order to make their way back home they have to travel further into the past, hunting a word, until they can come back to their own time in the 21st century.

The composer is dead

Author: Lemony Snicket


A murder has taken place at the concert hall. The composer is dead. The Inspecter is called in to interview the sections of the orchestra one by one. But he finds that none of the orchestra members are guilty. Then the Inspector realises that he has forgotten one more person...
I like the illustrations in this book. This picture book comes with the CD with music written by Nathaniel Stooky and narrated by Lemony Snicket.

The Composer Is Dead Concert Video narrated by Lemony Snicket

The illustrator of this book is the same illustrator of Wildwood and Under Wildwood

Greylands

Author: Isobelle Carmody


One night, Jack gets sucked into his own bathroom mirror and finds himself in a world without any colour or scent. Then Jack finds that he is being chased by wolvers. Alice, a girl who lives in the mysterious world, comes and goes to guide Jack through the grey world. But Jack is curious about her. What does she carry in her mysterious glowing bundle, what else is she hiding from him and does she have wings beneath her cloak? What had Jack's dead mother said about having wings and will Jack ever escape the Greylands?

 I like the way that the worlds and characters in this book are related.

A Hat Full of Sky

Author: Terry Pratchett


Tiffany Aching, a witch in training, leaves Chalk to go and work for Miss Level (a witch with two bodies) doing chores around the village. Petulia, a pig witch in training takes Tiffany to a small group of witches in training, led by Annagramma, a bossy witch in training who is disliked by most of the group. Tiffany tells the group about the imaginary hat she has but the girls don't believe her. Tiffany goes back to Miss Level's cottage and shuts herself in her room. Shut in her room, the hiver attacks Tiffany and takes her over. The hiver steals Mr Weavall's money, kills one of Miss Levels bodies and scares Annagramma. The Nac Mac Feegle start a mission to kill the hiver. The Feegles go inside Tiffany's head and find out that they must find three particular objects to wake the real Tiffany up: sheep's wool, turpentine and Jolly Sailor tobacco. Tiffany fights the hiver out of her head but the hiver is not dead...

The hiver is a creature that goes into the head of powerful people and takes over them. Everyone the hiver takes over becomes part of the hiver itself. When the hiver left Tiffany's head a bit of another of the hivers victim was stuck in Tiffany's head. The hiver cannot be killed.

I like Oswald, a spirit that helps around the house.

The Wee Free Men

Author: Terry Pratchett


 The Queen of Faires has stolen Tiffany Aching's younger brother Wentwell. Helped by The Nac Mac Feegle / Wee Free Men / pictsies, she has to travel to the land of fairies where she meets dromes that take her through several nightmares to get her brother. On the way, she meets Miss Tick the witch finder who chooses her to be a witch. And on the way back she meets the most famous witch, Misstress Weatherwax.

My favourite characters in this book are Daft Wully Feegle, Rob Anybody Feegle, Hamish and Not as Big as Medium Sized Jock but Bigger than Wee Jock Jock.