The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Rated: 5 stars

Read: June 23, 2020

Eight years in between readings I think, meant to be perhaps because I learned more in the ensuing years. Had accumulated more backstory of the war through several mediums, most significantly after having read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, plus several fictions like Eye of the Needle by Ken Follet to more domestic locals in La’s Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith. Not least of which was my visit to Dover Castle, the tunnel tour.

It was heartbreak all over again, of course. It was damnation and redemption all in one told by the guy we all heard of, the one we’ll all have the chance to meet. The writing style took some getting used to then and even a little still now but I find I liked it because the use of similes, metaphors, and a technique I can’t quite pin down, they made paintings of scenes.

At the beginning of the book, the clinging, filthy, and bruised girl was in many ways similar to the end. She was still filthier, and battered and clung still to what she could. But she was different too.

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Book Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Genre: Young Adult, Fiction

10th Ed.: Jan 13, 2015, Penguin Random House

1st Ed.: March 3, 2005, Dutton Children’s Books

Read: November 2018 (first read in 2015)

Rated it: 3.5 stars 

What was okay for me:

1. Pudge. I can’t say I particularly too much for the guy. I mean, he’s smart and likable enough, sure. He can be exasperating, I’d kick his ass if I could. Self-centered but not in a conventional or conspicuous way. By the end of the book, however, he rose a few rungs in my esteem, not that he’d give a shit but whatever.

An Adventurous Cub Meets Nessssss by R. N. Dunne

• Age Range: 3 – 12 years
• Grade Level: Kindergarten – 6
• Paperback: 40 pages

Rated it: 4 Stars

I’ve received a free copy from Author Marketing Ideas on behalf of the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Cubs are eager to go on their very first camping trip. It follows the adventure and mishap of friends Darrel and Troy. The anticipation of the entire group was clearly palpable; I recognize the feeling precisely when I recall my first field trip to the big city when I was about ten. It’s like a new layer of the big wide world is being peeled away, a heady sensation and one easy to get carried away with.

For instance, when it comes to listening to the adults who know better when they tell you to not venture from designated safe areas and to not go beyond the specifically marked ones, in red no less. Unfortunately, these two got the message the hard way when they ignored the warnings. They encountered a certain critter by the riverside and to say the least things took a turn for the worse.

I was especially touched by Darrel’s thoughtful gesture to keep Troy warm before he ran off for help. It was informative also for Troy to note that he must stay calm and still to prevent further complications from a particular injury he sustained, and later in on the importance of not startling the critter with a loud noise. It’s excellent for children to know these useful bits of information when interacting with the environment. Then there’s Darrel’s quick thinking, taking the initiative with dealing with the second threat.

After having read this, kids can take away a reasonable set of knowledge from just thirty-four pages. Initially, I thought Nessssss had something to do with Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster because I’ve never