storyLines

by Stephenie Meyer

Recently I read the vampire-based story called Twilight. As you may know its movie was recently filmed, and here is what I think about it.

The story begins with Bella Swan moving to a cold town called Forks with her dad after her mum goes travelling with her new husband. Bella attends the local school and comes across a beautiful boy named Edward Cullen. Bella gets closer to Edward each day, whether it be him saving her from a car accident or from being assaulted. Then she figures out that Edward is a vampire and everything starts to take a turn…..

Twilight is actually one of the best books I have ever read because it is filled with action, romance and drama. The action and the drama made me want to read the next book in this modern series.

Reviewed by V-man

From Stephenie Meyer’s Website: The story behind Twilight. If you have not read the book yet beware of spoilers in this article.

by Anthony Eaton, Random House Australia, 2008

In this fabulous book Eaton gives us a new take on the polar adventure. Having recently spent some time at Casey Station with the Australian Antarctic Division, he blurs the boundaries between what is true and what is invented in this account of an ill-fated Antarctic expedition, embarking from Hobart in 1921.

The narrator confesses (in an introduction bearing Eaton’s name) that he removed an expedition journal found secreted in the Casey library, intending to use it for his personal gain. Yet the journal has haunted his dreams ever since.

Eaton has done his homework and makes this expedition, secretly planned by Edward Rourke in 1921, very realistic. Rourke has gone to enormous effort and expense to avoid the pitfalls of his predecessors. The black ship is appropriately named Raven (and if “never more” comes to mind it is probably more than a coincidence). Rourke is wealthy but also driven, having in his youth been rejected by the likes of Scott, Mawson and Shakleton. But he also lacks in empathy for his companions, and even more so as things go on, and go wrong.

But the journal which is the major source of this story is written by Will Downes, a decorated hero of the First World War. Returning to his family property in Victoria and becoming engaged to his sweetheart, Elsie, has not completely cured Will’s restlessness. The expedition is a challenge – the challenge of a lifetime – and he makes a fateful decision to put off the settled life for a bit longer.

Eaton in the language of his narrative uses Downes’ memories of the war as a yardstick upon which to measure many of the occurences on the expedition. Will’s heroic nature and strong sense of conventional responsibility make him both a good leader and a loyal servant. But he is not without his flaws. His loyalty to Rourke may be one of those. Rourke is surely mad, but was he mad from the start, or did he, like other expeditioners, merely respond to the shocking conditions of their fate? But Downes was not the only one who let his better judgement be over ruled by fear of his leader.

Rourke is repeatedly referred to in the book as “the Leader”, recalling another man developing his leadership skills in Eurpoe at that very time .

But in spite of all, Downes is still a sensitive observer of life who is able to note in his journal quite late in the piece:

“It is a stunning place, this frozen world, and despite our ongoing predicament, at times … I cannot imagine that I might have lived my life without ever having experienced it.”

If you haven’t yet read an account of one of the great Antarctic expeditions then you will find some good places to start in Eaton’s bibliography. Bickel’s This Accursed Land recounts the horrors of Mawson’s 1910-1913 journey, for instance, and the TV production Shackleton is also excellent.

Reviewed by Mrs Thomson

Read another review of Into White Silence by a teen reader on the YARA website. If you have read this book please add a comment below.

~The boy who conquered the Nile

by Jackie French, HarperCollins, 2007

This is an excellent adventure about a boy born to be a leader. But Narmer has his birthright taken away in an incident which is physically debilitating and emotionally scarring. The worst part of this terrible ordeal is that it is caused by an act of betrayal.

But Narmer is mentally strong and has a chance to follow a completely different path with solid companions. He grasps this opportunity, and it is surely this decision which saves his life.

Thereafter we are taken on a fascinating journey through Ancient Egypt as this damaged boy regains his spirit and then his place in the world.

You can read a sample from Pharaoh using the publisher’s Browse Inside widget in this post.

Mrs Thomson

by Sean Condon. Penguin Australia, 2007

Michael Sweeney’s Method is a novel set in a private school somewhere in Australia. It is a gentle, humorous story that also touches on some sad topics.

Michael himself tells the story which takes place during his final year of high school. He has one true friend, Dud. These two are very different on one level – Michael is sensitive and nervous and often behaves in a way which belies his intelligence (which is really quite high). Dud is a jock and seems a bit dumb but shows his intelligence in the way he behaves as a true friend.

One day Michael decides that they should befriend the new American kid before the creeps do. Tom (the American) turns out to be okay, except all three start to find themselves in trouble from the time they get together. But what is the secret about Tom’s dad? He is apparently famous, but for what?

Meanwhile Michael meets Lucy (or is that Edna?) and falls in love.

But nothing is that simple.

Somehow the boys get involved in a theatre production and even more complications arise as life rolls on.

There is very little in this book about studying or final exams so one must conclude that it is set in a sensible place which doesn’t have anything like the dreaded NSW HSC.

Michael is an unusual and believable character, with the odd, not too tragic flaw. He struggles with life in a realistic way, retains his sense of humour and loves his dog. Michael Sweeney’s Method is worth reading just for the dog subplot, but there’s much more to enjoy in this book.

Mrs Thomson

by Garth Nix

Arthur Penhaligon is not supposed to be a hero. He is supposed to die. But then he finds a key, discovers a mysterious house and meets the sinister Mister Monday…
Prepare for seven breathtaking adventures as Arthur fights to save his world.

From the Garth Nix Website

The Keys to the Kingdom is a series of seven books by Garth Nix. I’m going to try to tell you about them without giving too much away.

They are fantasy books about worlds in different dimensions and that involve a bit of adventure as well. The main character is Arthur Penhaligon and he becomes friends with Suzy. Arthur becomes the “Rightful Heir” after Mister Monday gives him half of his key. The Great Architect created everything and made a Will. The Will becomes a woman who calls herself, Dame Primus.

If you are a good reader, or even not that good a reader, I believe you will like this series.

Reviewed by AdrianB

Would you like to share your thoughts on one of the Keys to the Kingdom books? Add comments below, or use the contribution link at the top left of the page to have your review published.

Google doesn’t quite rule the world yet but is infiltrating new regions every day.

Last year Penguin Books commissioned writers and designers to create six digital stories. Each pays homage to a well know traditional story. Explore them all at We Tell Stories.

One of the new stories created is The 21 Steps by Charles Cumming. The design people at Six to Start mashed the story with Google Maps to produce a story where you follow the characters across the map. In this case the story goes from London to various locations in Scotland. This means that The 21 Steps is clearly in the setting as well as the genre of its 1915 predecessor, The Thirty-nine Steps by John Buchan.

Please road-test The 21 Steps (and The Thirty-nine Steps for that matter) and let us know what you think by commenting below.

You might also like to investigate Google Lit Trips for another way of using Google with literature.

This last term with Year 8 we have been exploring the literature of the First World War and have heard stories from personal accounts of these times and the literature inspired by the horror, the heroics and the sheer waste and sadness of these terrible events of the past.

In our last session we are looking at the part played by members of our own school community at that time, and the responses of those who remained at home. We are fortunate to have a wonderful resource in our school magazine, whose bound volumes grace the shelves of our library, dating back to the 1880s. From within the school network we can also access The King’s School Magazine in digital format.

The Australian National Archives has done tremendous work in making available the records of those who served Australia in World War I. Mapping Our Anzacs is an online tool which gives us many ways to find out about these men and women. You might like to research one of our well known old boys,  like Alan Mitchell, or have another person in mind for whom you wish to search. You can even start with a place name and find links to those who enlisted or were born there.

Alan David Mitchell (1903-10), who was Secretary of the Old Boy’s Union from 1912 to 1913, died of wounds sustained at Gallipoli in 1915. In his memory, the Old Boys’ Union founded a prize. It is to honour the best all-round boy in the school.

Brisingr is the third exciting instalment in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle (formerly trilogy).

In this new book, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira (the main characters) are thrown into a net of promises he may be able to keep. Promises that will take him all across Alagaisia, through many battles, and confrontations with the most dangerous creatures, each time coming one step closer to the evil King Galbatorix.

This book is perfect for any fantasy lover from 11 and up. Brisingr is rich with both history and mystery, and is complete with everything magical from dragons to dwarves and much more!

It is amazing to see the amount of detail Paolini has put into the races of his fantasy world, creating languages, religions and customs for each one. The reader will be buried in the magical world of Alagaisia and its history and people, and will be reluctant to put it down, even when they have finished!

I recommend the first and second books of the Inheritance Cycle also. They are Eragon and Eldest.

Reviewed by TommyA

Find out more about Brisingr.

a story by NickB

I pulled my jacket collar up against my neck to shield me from the wind as I hurried down the abandoned street. There were leaves and newspapers scattered through the streets by the oncoming storm. I quickened my pace as I glanced down at my watch: 5:30. My mum will kill me for being this late. I decided to take the shortcut, instead of walking around the park. The shortcut goes right past the cemetery.

I turned off the street into the shortcut alley when I saw a woman looking at me through a window. But this was no ordinary woman. She was wearing a yellowing wedding dress that looked decayed, as if she had worn it for years, her finger nails were long and hooked and she held a rotten bouquet of roses in them. But it was the ghastly face that frightened me, her skin was rotting away and had a dank, greenish tinge to it; and her eyes were nothing but sunken, hollow pits. I focused on her and saw deep in her sockets the squirming of maggots. I turned away and doubled over. With the bitter taste of bile in my mouth I turned back to the window to find that she was gone. I quickly continued down the alley.

I spent the time in silence praying that what I saw was just my imagination. As I was thinking I had the sudden urge deep down in my stomach to stop. I wondered why and looked up to see where I was, there in front of me were the large iron gates of the cemetery, looming down like the gates of hell itself. A sudden icy chill raced down my spine like the raking fingers of a skeleton, but when I turned I saw nothing. I shivered and turned again to see a long yellowing dress disappear around through the gates. I ran to them and looked inside: nothing. Maybe it was just a piece of newspaper blowing away. I turned again before a feeling of being watched stopped me. I glanced to my left and there she was.

The woman stood over six feet tall, her body was muscular, well defined and quite beautiful, but her face shattered the illusion of beauty. She raised her arm and beckoned me with one finger before gliding off further into the graveyard. It felt like she needed my help so I sprinted after her. As I descended deeper into the heart of the graveyard, I lost sight of her several times only shown where she was by a fleeting glimpse of her dress. As I ran, I started to get tired. The graveyard just went on forever.

Finally I lost her, there was no fleeting dress to guide me this time, I was all alone. I looked around and saw a beautiful marble staircase with healthy gardens on either side. I noticed there were a lot of trees around making visibility low. In the background I saw the statue of a man which served as a base for a glimmering fountain. That was when I noticed how thirsty I was. I slowly ascended the staircase, the strange light glimmering off the marble as if it had been recently shined. As I got closer and closer to the fountain, the quiet trickling of the water was increasing in volume, filling my head with an unbearable urge to drink.

The water had a slight tinge of pink in it and looked delicious. I cupped my hands and dipped them into the water. As I brought the water to my mouth I realised that it smelt of rotten, decaying roses and I threw it away immediately. From the water rose a plume of black dust, it turned into a swirling vortex and took on the form of the woman. She glared at me with her hollow eyes and I felt as if something was stabbing into my brain. The pain in my head was growing and then I heard her voice, but her mouth wasn’t moving it was in my head “Drink!” she commanded. “No” I screamed at her, again the voice commanded me “drink”. My body started to move, bending down to the water against my will.

My hands cupped themselves and filled with water, I raised my hands to my mouth and felt the control this woman had over me weaken as she was already infatuated with her own success. The loss of control gave me strength, I took the water and threw it into her eyes, it wouldn’t harm her but it gave me a chance. I made a dash for it. I turned just in time to see the oncoming tree and knocked myself out cold.

I awoke in my bed with the sound of my alarm buzzing in my ears. I was drenched in sweat and breathed a huge sigh of relief when I realised I was back in my bedroom. I grabbed the glass of water on my bedside table and had a long drink, the water tasted rotten. Suddenly my vision started to go a strange pinkish colour and I started to sit up against my will, with the last ounce of willpower in my body I sniffed the water: decayed roses.

The photo used with this story is from Flickr Creative Commons and is The Cemetery by alterallensteiner.

We are seeking one or more original illustrations to go with The Cemetery. Use the “Contribute to storyLines” link at the top left of the page or contact Mrs Thomson if you would like to submit one.