The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson

Synopsis

Tally doesn't want to go to a boarding school, but for the safety of herself she must obey her father for World War II is almost upon themselves. Getting to the school, she settles in easily and meets many good friends. One day, Daley, the principal of the school receives a letter inviting some students to go to Bergania to perform at an international folk dancing festival. Previously while at the cinemas with a friend she saw a travelogue about Bergania and wants more than anything to go there, so at this opportunity she bullies her friends into training for the dance and going with her. She had no idea what an important deed she would be doing there until she arrived...

Review

Category:
Age Group: 12+
Star Rating: 8/10

Verdict

I found this book, to put this simply, quite amazing. Ibbotson describes things in this book quite marvelously and her imagery use is very strong. When, in the book, she describes Bergania "A ridge of high mountains with everlasting snow, wide valleys planted with orchards and vineyards, and meadows where children herded goats like in Heidi." (Page 67, chapter seven: matteo's moan.) I was astonished. When I was reading that i could see, like I was watching a movie instead of reading, the actual land in my mind. That goes for all the other parts of the story as well.

The Tomorrow Series by John Marsden

The Tomorrow series consists of 7 books, beginning with Tomorrow When the War Began and ending with The Other Side of Dawn. During these books Ellie and her friends are constantly thinking up new tactics to try and defeat the enemy soldiers as well as trying to keep their lives going.

Personally, i think the series is quite good because once you've started reading you don't want to put the book down, or wait until you can get the next book in the series. I was quite sad when i reached the ending as there was nothing else i could go on to, but i was quite satisfied with the way Marsden ends it all off. Even though I wasn't expecting it to be closed off the way it did, i can't think of any other way else to make it such a great and interesting read.

Apart from all the fighting and (mild) violence, there are also other themes in the play such as romance and friendships. The series can be quite sad at times, such as when friends pass on, but most of the time the reader can enjoy the mighty adventures of Ellie and her friends.

Age Group: Teens

Star Rating: 9/10

Tomorrow Series by John Marsden

Tomorrow When the War Began is the first out of the seven books in the Tomorrow Series. In this book, the main characters go camping over a weekend in the bush, with no adults to accompany them. When they come back from their camp they notice that there was nobody left in the houses and they were all quiet; some houses had been broken in and ravaged through. The night before they had left to go back to the city was the night they had seen planes in many formations go by. This was the beginning of something big, something that would change their lives forever.

Age group: Teens/12+

Star Rating: 8/10

Warning: This book contains violence and death scenes.

Shadow by Michael Morpurgo

Shadow by Michael Morpurgo, is a emotional story about how hard life is for people living in third world countries and the huge impact of war on communities.

Shadow is about a boy (Aman) and his mother who have been through a lot to escape their country, but have been forced to return. During the war in Afghanistan, they escape their country, however, doing so is not as easy as it sounds. Aman and his mother come from a tribe that is disliked by those who are evading into their country and everywhere they go they could be facing trouble. However, wherever they go there is a dog that is following them that attracts a lot of attention.

The story is quite sad as it reflects many's lives even nowadays. The plot is also quite interesting; it is rather unexpected, so that adds to the excitement. This book is made up of many chapters, each with a different character narrating, which is a new twist on an old idea.

Age group: 11-15 years

Rating 7/10

By Alvie