6. Crossover Books - The boy in the Striped Pajamas

The first impression that I had of the book was that it was a very interesting book. I heard about the story before, because a friend of mine had already read it. He said that he liked the book but also very painful to read how conditions were in World War two. Most books about world war two are very sad and sometimes also a bit boring, but this book had an interesting plot, as my friend told me. I couldn’t stop reading till I finished the book. I loved it from the moment I started reading. I think World war two is very interesting , so for me it was great to get to know another story which might have happened back then.

What I loved about this book is the way it is written. The book has a very interesting concept. As the reader, you see through Bruno’s eyes, but you know more than the things he sees. Bruno doesn’t know his father is a commandant in a concentration camp, but the reader does know this.  I also like the story because of its layers. I understand now why it is a crossover book. What I disliked about the book is that it is a bit unrealistic. Bruno is able to speak with Shmuel even though Shmuel is in a concentration camp. During the World War two I can’t imagine it would be so easy for the Jews to be so close to the end of the camp. This is a bit unrealistic and that kind of bothered me while reading.

I think this book would be suitable for children aged 12 to 14, and older. This book is actually pretty easy to identify with, because you see life through the eyes of a young boy. Any reader ever was 9 in his/her life and could understand the way Bruno thinks and why he acts the way he does. It is a quite hard story, so I don’t think it is suitably for children aged under 12.

In class we talked about this book and it was pretty funny that the reactions were the same as mine. Very good book, but somehow a bit unrealistic. I also heard classmates talking about Bruno, how they loved him and the way he acts. He is absolutely not a typical hero, he is just a normal boy who is at the wrong place at the wrong time. Classmates also liked the book because after reading the book, you still think about the issues that it raised.

On the internet I found some very insulting blogs about how Nazis are evil and deserve a son to die. I couldn’t agree with that. Blogs state that the death of a not Jewish boy seems more sad than the fact that thousands of Jews died. This is absolutely not the message, it think. This book is about the switch war can have, and how everyone is involved. The ‘good’ and the ‘bad’.

I would recommend this book to my students, because I think it is very important that student know how World War two was like, even though this is a story with little information about it. Yes, my students must read this.

5. Fantasy - The Hobbit

I had heard of The Hobbit before I started reading this book, but I never saw the movie or read the book. I do know everything about The Lord of the Rings, so the hobbit definitely got my attention. I did already know that the book is going to be spread into 3 films, which also made me curious. People warned me before I started reading the book, that the writing style is pretty difficult and hard to understand. While reading it I was surprised I actually liked the writing style of J.K.K. Tolkien. I had difficulties with reading but I did understand it, and I thought his writing style is quite artistic.

What I absolutely loved about this book is that the main character Bilbo isn’t perfect. If a main character makes mistakes or shows that he is scared etc., then you can more easily identify with him/her. Bilbo is a character like that. I liked to read how Bilbo grows as a person while getting on in the book. What I didn’t like about the book was that there were some things which didn’t make it realistic. Ofcourse it is a fantasy world, but like the dragon, he could talk. I didn’t like that at all. It makes it harder to imagine. I really like fantasy worlds, especially when it is written as it could really be true. A dragon who can talk with humans is not real.

In class we discussed how fantasy books like this one are written. The lesson was mostly about how the writers learned to make their fantasy story appealing to readers. They try to make their characters very humanlike, so it is easy to relate to a character. The reader is in this way introduced in a new world (fantasy), but the characters are just like the reader, which makes it a lot of fun to read.

I think the Hobbit would be suitable for 14 to 16 year olds (and older). I think because the writing style is a bit hard to read my students wouldn’t be able to understand the story when they are younger than 14. At this age you can understand what is going on in the book and you can definitely like it. Children younger than 14 might also find it a scary book.

On the internet I found some interesting things about the book. I found on a blog post that Tolkien wrote two versions of The Hobbit. This kind of surprised me and makes me wonder how the other one is like. The internet also said that the theme of the book is mostly about growing as a person and how to deal with conflicts. I liked to read about that, because this was exactly what we also discussed in class.

I would recommend this book to my students, but only when they ask me to be able to read is. It has a difficult writing style, which makes students unmotivated about reading English I am afraid. When students would ask me if they can read it I would encourage them to, because they will learn a lot from the book.

4. Search for Identity – The Story of Tracy Beaker

I never heard of the book of Story of Tracy Beaker before, and wasn’t really excited to read it. When I started reading this book I was actually surprised how good it was. I had seen some parts of the TV show ( I knew there was a show of it, didn’t know it was based on a book) , but that didn’t appeal to me at all. It was very boring, stupid and childish. The book however was a different think, and I loved every bit of it.

What I liked about the book was that it was written like it was some sort of diary. The drawings in the book and writing style made it feel that way. It is also not a typical children’s book, even though it does look like one, because there is no harmony restored at the end of the story. This is why the book is also nice to read for older students. I didn’t like the fact that the book doesn’t have a happy ending. It doesn’t fit in the writing style of a children’s book. Somehow I also kind of like it when children read books which don’t end happily, because its life. I’m just very fond of happy endings, that’s why I disliked that part of the story. Another part of the story I did like was the storyline with Tracy. She tried to be tough and all. It was really nice to read.

In class we discussed about the nice parts of the book. There also was a discussion about the not happy ending. This is very rare, what I already thought, for a children’s book. This is maybe why the book is a good book, because children see and learn that not everyone has parents and are capable of taking care of children. There was also a theory that the writer wanted children to be more happy with their own home and parents. I could really understand that theory and I’m interested if it really works that way. Children age 8 to 10 are maybe not able to understand such things.

Now that I said a certain age, I think this book is suitable for children aged 8 to 10. It is absolutely a children’s book, but it is maybe too sad and too hard to understand for children aged under 8. Above the age of 10 is possible, but I think 13 year olds would find the book boring and childish already.

I wouldn’t recommend this book for my students, or read this book in class, because I think they wouldn’t like it and think it is a very childish and uncool story. I think my students wouldn’t find it very interesting to read.

On the internet I couldn’t really find theories about the book. The other books of this course were actually very easy to find theories, but this one is maybe not popular enough. I tried to find some other meaning behind the pictures in the book, the drawings, and paid some time reading a blog about the TV show. I decided to watch the show once more, and surprisingly I liked it a lot.

3. First Love - Twilight

Before I started reading the book I already knew what it was about. The books of the Twilight Saga are also put in movies, and I had seen them all. I also read the book during my high school period, so I figured the words would come unsurprising to me. I did like to read it again though, because I had already forgotten about all the things that happen in the book.

I liked it again, for the second time, but realized other things. The first time I read it I was extremely enthusiastic about it. I liked the story from beginning to end. Now reading it for the second time, made me look differently at the story. I figured it is actually a bit boring, accept from the fact that Bella’s boyfriend is a vampire.

You can easily identify with Bella, as she is a quite insecure girl who thinks she’s ugly and not important. The way this book is written shows pretty good the way Bella thinks and why she acts the way she does. In this way I could easily understand her. Especially a teenage girl would identify with Bella.

We also discussed this book in class. It was remarkable that no one in class liked the book. It is probably because it is such a love story that it becomes boring. I find it a bit disappointing that everyone was so

I think this book would be suitable for children aged 13 to 15. It is also more a book for girls. At this age girls get their first crushes and are beginning to think about boys in a different way. For younger children it is maybe not really understandable to love someone like Bella and Edward love each other, and it is also a bit scary for children because of the vampires. For children older than 15 years Twilight would become boring maybe.

I don’t think I would use this book in my classes because it is a fantasy book and it is too much for girls. On the other hand, I must say that the English language is pretty difficult for 13 to 15 year olds. So if a girl in my class wants to read it I would definitely recommend it. Reading is always good of course. I could also use this book as a bonus book for girls who really like to read.

I found some theories online, one was about how annoying it is that Bella depends so much on Edward. They thought it was a bad ‘sign’ to girls. I must say that I think they are kind of right. Bella becomes less independent while hooking up with Edward. She accepts his bad and abusive behavior in the beginning, for example when Edward kind of stalks Bella when she is out with friends buying dresses, and when he shows her how strong he is. Although I could imagine myself acting the same, if the boy would be a vampire. I can’t really identify with Bella, but I do understand her somehow.

2. Imperfect World - Hunger Games

Before reading this book I already knew what it was about. I had seen the movie a year ago, and I loved it! I was very curious what the book would be like, because books are always better than the movie based on it, and yes, of course this was the same case. After reading the Hunger Games I was surprised by the important parts which didn’t show up in the movie. The book is also way more exciting and because I didn’t know about everything I wanted to keep reading until I finished it.

I absolutely loved the way relationships were described in the book. Especially between Katniss and Cinna and Katniss and Peeta. While reading you really see what Katniss things and how she feels. In this way you really get to know her and understand her. It was nice to read about Katniss, also because she isn’t perfect at all. In that way I could easily identify, because I am not perfect too. The only thing Katniss wants is to survive the hunger games and get back to her mother, sister and Gale.

In class we had a discussion about the theme the book has. We couldn’t really find one particular theme. Most classmates thought the theme was ‘Rebellion’, but I think that’s absolutely not the point. It is about love and hope. Katniss is not thinking about being a rebellion in this book, however I know in the next 2 books she is. She only wants to be freed from the hunger games.

This book would be suitably, in my opinion, for 13 to 15 year old children. It could be read by younger children but I don’t think it is good for them. The book is pretty hard in describing how people kill each other and how hard the game is. The Hunger Games on itself is also pretty scary for children aged under 13. The fact that it is another kind of world makes it for 13 year olds less scarier I think. Katniss is also not a very kind person in the book, which makes it hard for children to identify, because they want their main character to be kind and perfect.

I could definitely use this book in my classes. It is about surviving and her age is the same as my students. It will be interesting for them to read and that makes it more fun to read English. I really want my students to not notice the English anymore, but just let them feel like they are reading a book.

I found some information about the book on the internet about how the game works. Apparently the hunger games used a lot of mathematics to determine who will be picked to enter the game. There is a man who described how well thought the game is. Another woman described how the book refers to our daily lives. This was a very interesting theory about the game, and how human beings choose between one another.

I’ve learned from this lesson about the Hunger Games that everyone has another sight at things. This book has a lot of different themes, such as hope, love and rebellion. My classmates all had another idea of what the book is supposed to say to the reader. This was very interesting.

1. Classic Texts - Alice in Wonderland

The first impression I had of the book Alice in Wonderland was that I thought it was more a book for children, not for adolescence. I like the book, now that I have finished it, but I find the book a bit boring. I actually thought, since Alice in Wonderland also has film versions, that the story would be fast-paced and that it had a real message. I never saw any of the movies made based on the book Alice in wonderland. After reading the book I wanted to see the movie, but it seemed boring to me as well. In my opinion the book didn’t have a real message.
During class I realized that my classmates had a totally different opinion. Some classmates actually liked the book and thought it had a very clear message of growing up and the journey of being a girl to being an adolescence to being an adult. Some also thought it was a bit boring, but it hasn’t got much pages so it didn’t really matter. Some classmates came up with a theory during class I didn’t understand. It was a theory that states that a lot of the encounters Alice has in the book, are actually sexual metaphors. So when the white Rabbit jumped in his rabbit hole, it should have a sexual meaning. I couldn’t identify with this theory.
The book is suitable for HAVO and VWO 1 classes I think, because it’s writing style is pretty easy to read and the story isn’t hard to understand for beginners. I think this book would be suitable for an age group of 10 to 12 years old, as we speak of the age group of the Netherlands.
I couldn’t really identify with any of the characters of the book, because I don’t see any similarities. The only one I can actually understand is the White Rabbit. At the point that Alice is inside his house, and she grows after drinking a potion she found in white rabbits room he acts pretty normal. Like a stranger is inside his house. It is a very funny scene in the book according to me, because something actually happens here. I think Alice in Wonderland is a bit boring because not really thrilling things happen, so when something happens you keep that in mind. That’s a good thing. I remember myself thinking oh no not another growing bigger and smaller part, when Alice is with a frog on a Mushroom. That was probably the thing that annoyed me the most, Alice growing bigger and smaller in every happening. However after discussing the book in class I must say I liked it a bit more, because I could talk about the weird things that happen. I think children really like this book, as I said, aged 10 to 12.  I wouldn’t recommend it to my students because it’s too easy and too boring for a teenager to read, at least that’s what I think. If I would teach at a primary school I think I would use it.