Book Reviews

Writing Has Changed

Opinion by Lorelai M.

April 2020 Issue

*This article may contain spoilers for "The Count of Monte Cristo," "Pride and Prejudice," and "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Please be cautious if you are planning on reading the books or are currently reading these novels.

Words that once had different meanings that were strong and commonly used by society had now been warped into meanings that these words were not intended for. When you read a classic novel, whether it be "Pride and Prejudice" or "The Count of Monte Cristo," you must be aware of word usage and how the language differs from today’s. Even the style of writing and combinations of words change the point of the story. When reading books that use an older form of writing, you must take your time and be certain that you comprehend descriptions.

Details are very important, and so is understanding the culture, such as in "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas. The story tells a story of a young man named Edmund Dantes. After a wicked and twisted turn of events, Edmund is sent to prison the night of his wedding out of the selfishness of three men. After years of prison, he escapes to punish his enemies. Throughout the book Edmond assumes code names, however, the book does not tell you whether or not the young man is Edmond or not. The book describes Edmond recently out of prison, then adds descriptions of “Sinbad the Sailor” and “The Abbe.” By comparing the two descriptions and subtle similarities, the reader can safely assume the character is none other than Edmond Dantes.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray," "The Count of Monte Cristo," and "Pride and Prejudice" use words that have separate meanings today and in the time frame the book was written. Each novel uses the word “gay” to describe a celebration or somebody’s mood. This word is not used to describe a relationship between people, but instead means “jolly” and “joyful.” In "The Count of Monte Cristo" (ch. 37, pg. 335) the word is used likewise, “so much they were occupied by the gay and glittering procession they now beheld.” In this part of the novel, Albert de Morcerf and Franz d’Epinay are at Rome celebrating Carnival and are participating in the parade for the first time. Everybody was throwing flowers and goods, laughing and celebrating. Those who could not afford a carriage would throw confetti from a balcony. This word is used very similarly in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" written by Oscar Wilde and "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen to describe an event or a person’s mood when partaking in a social event. In all of these books, the authors use the word to describe happiness. Likewise for books written around the same time frame.

The culture of which these famous novels have been written in is vastly different from the culture we experience today. During the time frame it was considered rude and uncultured to refuse to dance at a ball or party. In "Pride and Prejudice" Elizabeth was astonished by Darcy’s blatant refusal to dance with her. In addition, when a woman would go out for a walk in a populated area, she had to be accompanied by another person. To add, any group of people doing an activity together would commonly be considered a “party.” There are also other forms of culture high class citizens would participate in. Whenever a person had stopped by a house and the occupant was not home, that person would leave a card bearing their name and perhaps a little note. Notes are commonly used in many classic novels. In "The Picture of Dorian Gray," Dorian recited notes from Lord Henry informing him of events before he could arrive to discuss them, or to request a social visit.

"Little Women" Book Review

Opinion by Kara C.

December 2019 Issue

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a historical fiction story about four sisters growing up in the 1800s. This book is the first in a trilogy that continues the story. The novel is full of delightful characters and includes an interesting plot. It is very believable and is an essential read for anyone who enjoys books about everyday life!

Little Women centers around these four sisters; Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. At the beginning of the story their ages are 12-16. The girls live with their mother, and their father is off in the military. Meg is a perfect embodiment of a proper young lady during that time period. Jo is a wild girl with a fiery temper who needs to settle into the life of a woman. Beth is a sweet, caring young girl. Amy is very beautiful, which makes her vain and self-centered. Another main character is Laurie. He is a young teenage boy who enjoys hanging out with the girls. These characters are very realistic, because they all have faults. And it makes the story believable.

Although the story is very happy and exciting, but it also has its fair share of sad times. The story has illnesses and deaths which, again, makes the novel very believable. An interesting fact is that the story is loosely based off of the author's life experiences. It is said that Louisa was similar to her characters Jo and Amy. This may explain why the story is so true to life.

Little Women is an amazing book. I would give it a 9/10. If you are looking for an interesting book to read, check it out!

Harry Potter vs. Percy Jackson Series Book Review

Opinion by Ayesha F.

October 2019 Issue

Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers. If you are already familiar with both the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson Book Series’ or don’t want too much info on the books, ignore the second two paragraphs.

Both the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and Percy Jackson and The Olympians Series by Rick Riordan are faced with a common question: which one is better? Both series’ are based around a world of fantasy and magic, where a trio of friends are trying to stop a powerful foe.

Harry Potter Series Recap

In the Harry Potter series, Harry, Ron, and Hermione go through a series of steps to defeat Voldemort, more commonly known as You-Know-Who by most characters in the series. The characters in the series are young witches and wizards going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to help expand their special abilities. In the beginning of the series, Harry, Ron, and Hermione recover the sorcerer’s stone from Voldemort/Professor Quirrell, but don’t know who they are up against. They previously believed that their Professor Snape was trying to steal for Voldemort, but didn’t know Voldemort had recovered some power, and was able to share a form with a mortal. In the second book, Harry goes into the Chamber of Secrets, a chamber hidden in the school to save Ginny, Ron’s sister) and goes against Tom Riddle (A.K.A Voldemort, his original name) and his Basilisk snake. In the third book of the series, the trio learn more about Voldemort and defense against the dark arts, and Harry finds out about more of his family's past. In the fourth book, Hogwarts is having a competition with two other wizarding schools where only one witch or wizard can participate per school. Harry’s name is pulled out of the hat (goblet of fire, actually) fourth, which leaves everyone dazed. For the last part of the competition, the contestants go through a maze where Harry and his fellow student Cedric Diggory end up going through a portal and end up in a graveyard to face Voldemort yet again. The series keeps going on with the characters encountering Voldemort and trying to defeat him, ultimately making this the character’s primary ambition.

The Percy Jackson Series Recap

The Percy Jackson series has a similar set-up where Percy, Annabeth, and Grover go through different trials to defeat the titan Kronos and his accomplice Luke. Percy and Annabeth are demigods, or half-bloods, because they are half human and half god, and are children of Greek gods. Percy is the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea and Annabeth is the daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom, weaving, and battle. Grover is a satyr, and is human above the waist, but is goat waist and below. They live in Camp Half-Blood, a camp for Greek demigods. While she was trying to get to camp, Percy’s mom was kidnapped by a minotaur. Initially, Percy is blamed for stealing Zeus’s master bolt, for he is the only mortal son of Poseidon. Portrayed throughout the first book is the journey the trio take to get the master bolt and return it to Zeus and find Percy’s mom, even going through the underworld to do so. They find out the bolt was taken by Luke, an accomplice of Kronos. In the second book, Grover leaves on official satyr business trying to find Pan, the god of the wild. While he is gone, Percy is united with Tyson, his cyclops half-brother, but they soon find out Thalia’s tree at camp isn’t doing so good. It was poisoned by Luke. Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, had sacrificed her life for Grover, Annabeth, and Luke. She was turned into a pine tree by Zeus before she died. Grover makes a magical connection with Percy, and alerts him that he was attracted by a powerful magical force he thought was Pan, but was kidnapped by the cyclops Polyphemus. Annabeth soon figured out that the powerful force Grover was attracted to was the Golden Fleece, which was just what they needed to save Thalia. Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson sneak out of camp to save Grover and retrieve the Golden Fleece. They even went through the Bermuda Triangle (A.K.A. the sea of monsters) to rescue their friends. When the Fleece went in contact with Thalia’s tree, the tree not only got better, but Thalia was well, alive, and human. In the third book, Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia try to save Bianca and Nico di Angelo from a manticore and encounter the Hunters of Artemis (Artemis is the goddess of archery, hunt, etc.). They say that Artemis might be missing and is not in contact with them. While they were fighting, Annabeth fell into an abyss. Throughout the book, Percy, Grover, Thalia, Bianca (now a huntress of Artemis), and Zoe (Artemis’s lieutenant) go on a journey to rescue Artemis and Annabeth, who are under the weight of the sky- quite literally -and have to defeat the titan Atlas (Zoe’s father). The series goes on with the demigods of Camp Half-Blood going on and eventually defeating Kronos.

Similarities Between the Two Series

As I said before, both book series’ are similar and are about a trio of friends trying to defeat a foe around a “world” of fantasy and myth. Both book series’ are loved by many people around the world and are on the New York Times Best Sellers List. In both trios of heroes, they each have the smart girl: Hermione in Harry Potter and Annabeth in Percy Jackson, the hero: Harry Potter in Harry Potter and Percy Jackson in Percy Jackson (pretty self-explanatory), and the funny and mostly scared friend: Ron in Harry Potter and Grover in Percy Jackson. In both books, the main characters live in some type of settlement for their kind, like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter series, and Camp Half-Blood for Greek demigods in the Percy Jackson series. At both places, there are some sort of adult supervisor whose wise words guide the characters on their mission. In Harry Potter, Professor Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts throughout most books. He gives the trio a lot of direct and indirect help when it comes to defeating Voldemort. In Percy Jackson the camp director is Chiron, the centaur. He sends the trio on the quests they take in order to defeat Kronos. Both books also share some of the same mythological monsters. For example, Annabeth encountered the sphinx in the fourth book of the series, and Harry also encounters the sphinx in the fourth book of the Harry Potter series. They also encounter centaurs, dragons, 3 headed dogs (Cerberus in Percy Jackson, Fluffy in Harry Potter), and many more. And finally, both stories revolve around a prophecy. The prophecy in Harry Potter says "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...." This means that the person who will defeat Voldemort is born in late July. It also says that one must die in the hand of the other. In Percy Jackson, the Great Prophecy says “A half-blood of the eldest gods; Shall reach sixteen against all odds; And see the world in endless sleep; The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap; A single choice shall end his days; Olympus to preserve or raze.” This prophecy is meant to be unfolded as the characters continue their journey, but the basic part means that a human and mortal child the eldest gods (the eldest gods are the children of Kronos) shall reach 16, no matter what happens. It also means that a blade will end a hero’s days and he will make a decision that will either destroy Olympus or prevent it from being destroyed.

Differences Between the Two Series

Though the book series’ are very similar, but they have many things that aren’t in common. For example, the authors writing styles differ. J.K. Rowling wrote her books in third person, and the things that happened aren’t in the view of the characters. On the other hand, Rick Riordan wrote the Percy Jackson series in first person in Percy’s point of view, and made the books more humorous through more figurative language. Another thing that differs in both books is that in Harry Potter the characters channel their magic through wands and are limited to the spells they know. Whereas in Percy Jackson, the powers that the demigods have are only what they have inherited from their godly parents. For example, if you are a child of Poseidon, you would be able to control the water, talk to horses, talk to fish, and more. Harry Potter is also more inclined towards magic in general, while Percy Jackson is more inclined towards the characters repeating that of what Ancient Greek heroes did in various myths.

My Final Conclusion

Therefore, I personally like both books equally, but one is better than the other in certain aspects. For example, the Percy Jackson books are better in humor. Even if you just read the chapter names, you will definitely find that they are funny. The Percy Jackson books also have more action throughout the book, but the Harry Potter books have better action face-to-face with the foe. Harry faces Voldemort more than Percy faces Kronos, but Percy faces Kronos’ minions often. Which book series do you like better?

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"Keeper of the Lost Cities" Book Review

"Pegasus" Book Review

Opinion by Lorelai M.

April 2019 Issue

THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP. Ever since Pegasus crashed on Emily’s apartment roof, her life changed forever, literally. While hiding from the CRU (Central Research Unit), Emily learned she was the Flame of Olympus. Sacrificing herself in the temple of the Flame she gained new powers, as well as saving the Olympians. With her new powers Emily, Pegasus, Joel, and Pealen go on amazing adventures to, New York, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and London.

The Pegasus series is one of my favorite book series. Pegasus and Emily have amazing adventures that really intrigued me. Every chance I got, I would pull out my book and start to read. When the CRU (and other conflicts) came into the book, I would try to get my homework done as quickly I could, just so I could read my book. When I finished the series I was upset, but I quickly got over it. I could always dream about the adventures that could happen, so all good things don’t, necessarily, have to come to an end.

"Mary Poppins" Book Review

Opinion by Sophie V.

April 2019 Issue

Are you looking for a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious book to satisfy your taste for fantasy, adventure, and humor? Look no further than the Mary Poppins books series, written by P. L. Travers. I recently finished reading the first book, entitled “Mary Poppins,” and I am currently reading “Mary Poppins Comes Back.” The familiar English nanny takes the Banks children on wild adventures that nobody would ever think possible, like traveling all around the world with a magic compass, or jumping inside of a chalk drawing. If you are a fan of the classic Disney movie “Mary Poppins,” you are sure to love the book series. However, there are a few significant differences. First of all, Mary Poppins is very crass and sharp in all of her actions and words. She is mysterious, for she never reveals what she is thinking, and she is rarely pleased. Secondly, there are two additional children in the book- John and Barbara, the twins. In the movie, Jane and Michael are Mr. and Mrs. Banks’ only children. Also, there are an array of different characters that are not in the movie. Robertson Ay, the Starling, Maia, and Mrs. Corry are just a small assortment of the characters you will meet if you read the book. Finally, Mary Poppins and the children go on amazing excursions more frequently than the movie, so if you want more fantastic adventure, this book is for you. In conclusion, the Mary Poppins book series is just as charming as the movie, and its playful, imaginative essence is so captivating that you will want to read it all in one sitting.