Персі Джексон та інші

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The Heroes of Olympus

The Trials of Apollo

Rick Riordan

Для вас ім’я Ріка Ріордана може бути не дуже знайомим, бо українською його досі не переклали, але у моїй маленькій школі світ Ріордана швидко набирає популярності. І недивно. Світ наповнений міфологією, монстрами і богами. Рік пише так майстерно, що навіть найпроникливіший читач не зможе відрізнити, де сховані «нудні факти» про міфологію, які вчать у школі, а де працює фантазія автора. Ріордан сам колись працював учителем літератури та міфології, тож він знає, як робити навчання цікавим.

Книжка захоплює тільки тоді, коли є цікаві персонажі, а персонажі в Ріка Ріордана – на ура. Так само, як і з персонажами «Гаррі Поттера», ми можемо порівнювати себе з ними, бо, крім неймовірних пригод та магічних негараздів, у них такі самі проблеми, як і в інших дітей їхнього віку. У більшості напівкровних (дітей богів і людей) – синдром розсіяної уваги та дислексія, зате в них розвинені здібності на полі бою. Але в школі та буденному житті це їм аж ніяк не допомагає.

Я заходила на сайт Ріка Ріордана і знайшла там купу цікавих речей. Він дає багато підказок письменникам-початківцям, щодо розвитку персонажа, діалогів, планування сюжету. Зокрема,  Ріордан каже не боятися використовувати справжніх людей як моделей, але й не обмежуватися цими людьми. Також не обов’язково розповідати читачеві все, що вам відомо про героя. Якщо хочете ще – купу підказок та порад можна знайти тут.Що виокремлює Ріордана від інших авторів сучасної фантастики – це те, що він переводить з серії в серію своїх персонажів і продовжує писати про їхні пригоди. Одна серія-бестселер не зупинила його (так само хвалю Касандру Клер – авторку серії «Місто кісток»). Окрім того, Ріордан дописує на своєму сайті й у твіттері.

Дякую Ріку Ріордану за те, що він написав такі чудові книги з неймовірними персонажами і що не розчаровує своїх фанатів. Хочу ще! ;)

"The town was paper, but the memories were not"

Paper Towns

by John Green

This book was awesome
You would like this book if you like Suspense
Review: Its a really good book with plot twists and turns. I think that the story is really good and really well developed. The most interesting is how the characters took a road trip based on clues. I would really have liked to be in the story with the characters or visit the places where they went. I really like Margo because she is mysterious, likes sneaking off and running away and is well liked by the people at school, although she doesn't necessarily like them or trust them. "Paper towns" is mentioned a few times in the story, under different circumstances. One is when Margo says that everything in their town is made made of paper, isn't real. "Paper houses, paper people. It's a paper town." And when Quentin is looking for Margo he looks in towns that were suppose to be build, but never were, "paper towns". There are also more things in the book that imply that "Paper Towns", is a really good title. There are several different covers, one where there's a thumb tack in a map, like in the book, and one where Margo and Quentin are standing side by side and her hair is blowing in his face. And one where there is a city made of paper just standing there (once again implying that it's a "paper town". I like all of them. Overall the book the is very good and the author is an amazing one, and I very much recommend this book to almost anyone. 
"For some people, those strings just snap." Quentin doesn't want Margo to be one of those people (aha moment). 
"The town was paper but the memories were not." 
(Just a warning, there isn't really a happy ending)

Three times lucky

Three Times Lucky
      Sheila Turnage

OK, hi! Sorry I haven’t written for so long. We moved! I had to pack, unpack and help around both houses. I was too tired to write. Oh by the way, if you are 5 years or under don’t read this without parent permission. All right, all right .Once upon a time… No?!! This is a seriously good book! Okay here we go.

I’ll begin with a story: A man and a lady were in love. They decided to go on a honeymoon; somehow the man went to Tupelo Landing and crashed.

Eleven years ago during a hurricane a man had a car crash by the river in Tupelo Landing. In the river he found a billboard with a baby tied to it. He named the baby Moses. Too bad he didn’t know that it was a girl. Since the man lost all of his memories people started calling him the Colonel. He lived with Miss Lana (the woman he once loved). They were like a mother and father to Mo. And Mo helped at their café.

Mo’s best friend was a boy named Dale. Mo searches for her ”Upstream Mother”. She sends messages in bottles. She also writes an autobiography called the Piggly Wiggly Chronicles.

Miss Lana often went to Charleston and brought Mo presents. One time she brought a scrapbook. It had pictures of her as a child, and her and Mo together. It also had a letter that the Colonel wrote. I can’t find the letter in the book, but here’s my favorite part:

“I’ll always love your mother for letting you go, Soldier, and you for holding on.

P.S. I’m sorry that I named you Moses. I didn’t know that you were a girl until it was too late.”

One day when Mo and Dale were working at the café a stranger came. His name was Detective Joe Starr. The next day the café’s crankiest customer Mr. Jesse turned up dead. Joe Starr was on the case. And he got two deputies to help him. But it was Mo who actually found the murder weapon.

Later, the Colonel leaves. He doesn’t call for 5 days, which is breaking the family rule – call every 3 days. On the sixth day Miss Lana is kidnapped. Mo thinks that one of the deputies that are helping Joe Starr is really her friend and understands her. But later she tries to shoot Mo and Dale and they find out that she was working with Slate, the dude that killed Jesse, and kidnapped Miss Lana and the Colonel. Starr makes them both go to jail.

At the end they find out that the Colonel was a lawyer (Which is kind of weird since he hates lawyers). Mo finds a bottle in the river and thinks that it’s from Upstream Mother. Really it’s just one of her own messages. But when Dale says “I’m sorry about that, Mo.” She says ”Thanks. Thanks for saying that Dale, but there is nothing to be sorry for, the Colonel and Miss Lana are my family. And I’m not looking for Upstream Mother anymore. I’m happy just the way things are!”

The End!