Megan+Be+Reading

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Reading Task Term 4
Title: The Door of No Return Author: Sarah Mussi Genre: Thriller/Adventure ISBN:  978-0340903216 No’ of Pages: 391 Zac Baxter enjoys living with his grandfather but finds the twisted, old story that his grandfather tells about his family being the long lost descendents of a African king and there being lost treasure hidden deep down in Africa a bit weird. But when his grandfather is murdered on the street and their old apartment burgled Zac realizes that they must be after something so there ought to be some truth in his grandfather’s stories. With only the dying words of his grandfather (which make no sense) and a few old diary’s (in a different language) to guide him, he starts trying to uncover the mysteries to find the map to the gold. But he is being followed. These people frame him for his grandfathers grave being mysteriously dug up, and as a punishment he is send to a camp in Africa, right where his grandfathers stories rumor the treasure to be hidden. After being brutally treated in the camp he realizes that it might have all not been a big coincidence, but instead a ploy to get him to lead ‘them’ to the treasure. When he finally realizes that the lost map is the actually the marks carved into his back when he was seven, he escapes with two people he could trust. Following the map etched in Zac’s back they make itthough a deep forest, right to where the treasure is said to be hidden. I really enjoyed this book, it was different from what I usually read, and I think it was because of this that I enjoyed it. It was very exciting and I didn’t want to put it down while I was reading it because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. There were also a few unexpected twists that helped to make this book even better. I liked the characters, they were exciting to read about and seemed they seemed almost lifelike. Although I found that it was hard to relate to them because they were undergoing things that I struggle to even imagine doing. My favourite character would have been Zaz because he stuck to what he believed in and persevered even when it would have been easier to give up. Because of this, he did the impossible and managed to decipher the almost impossible clues that his grandfather left for him. There were also a lot of characters that I didn’t like, -who were willing to do anything to get what they wanted even murder and treachery. I think that Sarah Mussi did a really good job with this book, and there is nothing that I would change. There was a lot of information and history about slavery and this got a bit confusing at times. But at the end of the book everything started to make sense. I think without these facts the book wouldn’t have made sense and been as good as it was. I would rate this book nine and a half out of ten as it was never boring, for 11-14 year olds or confident readers who enjoy exciting books that also have small amounts of history and facts in them. Megan Bethell

Reading Task 2 Term 3 2009
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Reading Task 1 Term 3 2009
Title: A little Piece of Ground Author: Elizabeth Laird ISBN: 0-330-43743-7 Genre: Real Life/Adventure No’ of pages: 213

For twelve year old Karim Aboudi, living in a country where life is controlled by Israeli isn’t easy. The curfews that go on for days stopping Palestinians going outside, the check points where Palestinians are forced to wait at for hours, and the random pot shots Israeli soldiers take at passers by are a frequent occurrence in Karim’s life. On one of the curfews Karim makes a list of what he wants to do with his life, champion footballer of the entire word, inventor of an acid formula to dissolve Israeli tanks, liberator of Palestine are just some of the things that Karim aims to do.

But then one day Karim (and his best friend Joni) meet Hopper a rebel from the nearest refugee camp and things start to change, the three boys start making a small piece of ground theirs, they turn an rusty half hidden car into a hideout and an old building site into football ground, which Karim nicknames ‘Hoppers ground.’ But then one day the Israeli Soldiers take over ‘Hoppers Ground’ and in the rush to escape Karim sprains his ankle. Unable to get away he hides in the old car the boys had been using as their base. The soldiers instead of moving on (like Karin hopes) stay put, so Karim is forced to stay in the car until the soldiers leave and the curfew breaks. Finally Karim thinks the soldiers have left and he tries to make his escape, but he is wrong, one soldier is left and he fires, Karim is shot just above the knee. Hidden behind a pile of rubbish and losing blood rapidly he is ready to give up and hand himself over, but Karim’s brother Jamal arrives and he takes the half conscious Karim to the local hospital.

I really enjoyed this book, it was written from a boy’s perspective which is different from the type of book I usually read but I still enjoyed it. It also wasn’t too difficult to understand. It made me realize how some people have to live and that I am lucky to live in New Zealand. This book is well written and very realistic, it could have easily have been based on a true story.

I enjoyed reading about the characters they seemed to almost jump out of the page. One of my favorite characters would have been Hopper (Karim’s friend) he was a daredevil and not scared to stand up for himself and his country, but at the same time he was also respectful to his elders. My other favorite character was Karim, at the start of the book he was all set to be a famous footballer or the liberator of Palestine, and he wondered why someone didn’t try and stop the Israeli’s. But then as the book progressed he began to realize that all he actually wanted in his life was to be a normal person. He also started to understand that two wrongs don’t make a right and that treating the Israelis how they were treating Karim and his family, would make them just as bad as the Israelis themselves.

I think that Elizabeth Laird did a really good job there is nothing that I would change in this book, it is interesting and gives a good, realistic view into the lives of people living in Palestine under the rule of another country. I would rate this book 9 out of 10, and I recommend this book for 9-13 year olds who want a good easy read, and who are interested in what is happening overseas.