Summer Reads in Sixty(ish) Seconds

I love the summer holidays because you can sit and read a whole book in one sitting and not feel bad. Except for the inevitable numb bum, but it's sort of an okay pain.

First up this summer;

Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

My rating: ***** 5 stars

I'd been recommended this book for a long time. Perhaps my friends all think I need to get my priorities sorted! Anyway, as much as I'd love to prove them wrong, they totally hit the nail on the head. This is a challenging and very very readable book, asking us to take a look at the things in our lives which all too often take the focus away from God - the only God who deserves our time, money, enthusiasm, respect, pursuit, dedication and love. Keller deals with all the main contenders for our attention; money, relationships, status, approval. And it's an eye opener.

Next to be curled up in a beach bag and filled with sand;

Mud, Sweat and Tears by Bear Grylls

My rating: **** 5 stars

Make no mistakes, I am a big big fan of Bear Grylls, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked up his autobiography. Would it be all about his rise to fame as an extreme survival expert, or a how-to-survive book? Actually, I was pleasantly surprised as I read a very honest, sometimes very funny account of Bear's childhood and formative experiences growing up. From tales of evading a lashing at school, to climbing on rooftops, failing at getting girls and travelling on the long and painful road back from a serious spinal injury, this book is jam packed with stories and lessons which completely explain how Bear Grylls can do what we see on our TV screens today. The guy is a nutter, a gentleman and a true inspiration.

And finally, for a change of direction;

Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo

My rating: **** 4 stars

Yep, it's another kids book. You'd be silly to think it's an easy read though. Morpurgo has done it again - successfully writing a children's book that had me enthralled from the start and sobbing by the end. Inspired and shocked by the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, the Iraq war, and the rising problems of deforestation and illegal animal trade, Morpurgo tells the story of one boy who finds himself at the centre of all of these huge issues. The jungle comes alive through his brilliant descriptions, and the characters (including that of the wonderfully maternal Oona the elephant) are vivid. For me, the ending came too abruptly, though I understood why he did this, and that is certainly not enough to put me off recommending this book to Morpurgo fans and newbies!

And that's all my summer reading so far. Just over 2 weeks left, and I'm sure I'll fit some more in!

Books: A 5 Minute Summer Review

Back from Bulgaria, I actually may have developed eye-strain from squinting at my books in the insanely bright sunshine!

In an attempt to save time (but mainly because I'm feeling a bit lazy) I'm going to combine three book review here. It's a whistle-stop tour and I hope that I can do them justice! Here goes.

1. Alone on a Wide Wide Sea - Michael Morpurgo

I read this book with a view to read it with my Year 4s as part of our WW2 topic. I won't be doing that because it veers quickly away from the war as a topic. This aside, the book is interesting and engrossing (as I have come to expect from Morpurgo!). The story is split into two narratives, each with its own pace and style. The second half of the book mostlt taking the form of a series of emails sent back and forth from the narrator to her mum as she embarks on a round the world sailing journey. All of the characters are well developed and I found myself very satisfied with the ending. It seemed like the right way to end the story. My favourite part of the book was, however, in the first narrative section in which I felt much more attached to the characters and concerned about what would happen to them.

Though written for younger readers, the book does not shy away from sadness and injustice as was exeprienced by people who really lived the experiences written about. It is very realistic (no elephants to be found here!), witty and at times tragic. Morpurgo still has it. And I would like to know where he got it.

*** 3/5 stars

2. No and Me - Delphine De Vigan

This is a very sweet little book. Both profound and simple, it stayed with me long after reading. Through the narrative voice of the 12 year old Lou, who, distanced from her depressed mother and exhausted father, finds solitude in her 160pt IQ and the Gare Centrale in Paris. Here she meets No, a homeless 16 year old girl and they strike up an unlikely and, at times, unstable friendship. The two girls begin to share their stories with each other until Lou finally musters the courage to ask her parents if No can move in with them. Unbelievably, they agree. The story follows the two friends through the highs and lows of their relationship, and sheds light on a hugely relevant social problem that exists not only in Paris but in every large city in the western world. Lou has a unique view of the world and I spent a large portion of the story wishing I'd kept a pencil handy for underlining her little nuggets of wisdom.

On final thought, though, and I'm not going to lie. I hated the last page. I loved the ending of the story, but I hated the last page. It could easily be torn out...

**** 4/5 stars

3. The Princess Bride - William Goldman

The film adaptation of this book is one of my firm favourites, so I came to the novel expecting to enjoy it. Interestingly, Goldman also wrote the screenplay for the movie, which explains why much of the dialogue in the book reads exactly as in the film. I could imagine the actors saying their lines. Hilarious. However, to say this is 'just as good as the film' would be to sell it short. In its own right, this story (an abridged and translated version of the original by S. Morgenstern) is brilliantly satirical, full of adventure, romance and delightfully colourful characters.

As the 25th anniversary edition, this copy also afforded me an insight into the film making process, and Goldman also goes to great lengths to explain why this story was so important to him as a young boy suffering with pneumonia. There are little italic inserts throughout the text where Goldman steps in to justify why he has cut certain sections of the story (usually because he felt Morgenstern was babbling about trees or the monarchy!). From the hulking giant Fezzik, to the vengeful Spaniard, Inigo, and dashing Westley (aka Farm Boy aka Man in Black aka Dread Pirate Roberts) to the terrifying Prince Humperdink, there is not a single character that could be cut or watered down. This book offers something for everyone - off-the-wall humour, action, adventure, romance, swashbuckling, a miracle man, giants, princesses and evil six-fingered men. It should be a firm favourite on every bookshelf.

***** 5/5 stars

Done. Films coming soon. Click on the words in red to find out more about the books/films mentioned.

Books: The Elephant in the Garden

The Elephant in the Garden - Michael Morpurgo

What I love about Michael Morpurgo is that he writes wonderfully real, moving stories and then something wacky, like an elephant for example, turns up. Morpurgo has long been a firm favourite of mine amongst the children's literature canon. The first time I read Private Peaceful I was absoltely stunned by its simplicity, emotion and boldness. I love his style of writing and the delicacy with which he deals with big subjects, many of which would be entirely alien to many of his young readers.

And so, The Elephant in the Garden (Or Elephant as I will now call it) is set in Dresden, Germany and follows a small family - and their elephant - as they must travel to find shelter after their house is destroyed by RAF bombers. The story is narrated by Lizzie, now an old woman in a home, retelling her story for her carer and her son, Karl. Dismissed as slightly batty, Lizzie's stories about keeping an elephant in her back garden has been dismissed by the carers at the home. When Karl visits, however, he believes instantly. Eventually persuaded to listen, Karl and his mother sit together with Lizzie as she tells the story, from her time before the war, through family arguments about the Hitler uprising, the dreadful and hellish Dresden bombings and into post-war life.

Morpurgo creates the beatufully vivid characters of Karli, Mutti, Papi, Lizzie and Peter, the rescued canadian RAF navigator, and inserts them into the real events of that horrendous allied attack on Dresden. I cared about the characters. I wanted them to survive the bombings. And then there's the elephant. Named after Marlene Dietrich, the family will not go anywhere without their pachyderm companion (adopted by the Mutti who works at Dresden zoo). Remarkably, it is Marlene that diverts attention from the fact they are harbouring an RAF serviceman, as every policeman and refugee they encounter believes their story about rescuing the elephant from certain death at Dresden zoo. The journey is not without its obstacles but Marlene's persistance, solidarity and strength carries the tired travellers to their eventual destination.

It is a lovely book, beautifully written in a way that will interest children. It is bold to write a WW2 story set in Germany and from a German's perspective but Morpurgo is, as ever, sensitive with his subject matter and characters, and therefore with his readers.

My rating **** 4/5 stars

Recommendation: Read the Morpurgo back catalogue. I suggest Private Peaceful, The Butterfly Lion and Warhorse (soon to be a Spielberg smash hit!).