Tuesday 3 September 2013

Task 4

I don't agree with the writers ideas because from my knowledge the teenagers that read tend to be the quieter ones at school. While a lot of the kids are out socializing at break time and lunchtime the readers spend theirs in the library in a world of a book. However I do agree that reading should be encouraged on teenagers as it can keep the brain working which will help them to learn for GCSEs and A levels. Although I believe it is a good idea for reading to be encouraged through school, it is presented in the wrong way to children. Children should think of reading as a pleasure but now it is related to much to school making it seem more like work which is something they shouldn't do during their spare time. If books were presented more like games consoles or toys then children would be more enthusiastic about them. Giving teenagers a free choice in what they can read will make it a lot more fun for them as they can actually choose something they enjoy and can talk about with friends. Doing this will make teenagers more social as they get older it will make them more intercultural and will encourage that to be a key part of a persons personality.

Task 3 - Private Peaceful Review

The FANTASTIC best seller private peaceful, written by Michael Morpurgo, is one of the greatest children books ever. The book was so successful it was made into a film last year which captured the awful irony of the novel.

Although Private Peaceful is a children book it was a bit of a tough read. This was because it made you think about the sadness and hopelessness of war. Set in the countryside Devon and the battlefields of WW1, the whole story is written in the past tense of the main character 'Tommo' and builds up to present tense. This allows tension to be built up and keeps the reader gripped for the whole story. The story is based around three brothers, Big Joe, who has an intercultural disability, Charlie and Tommo. Morpurgo created Big Joe to be disabled to show no matter what you are you still have just an important opinion as everyone else.

Charlie and Tommo share the same childhood sweetheart which Charlie goes on to marry and have a child with. The novel also tells the story of love and loss as the reader really feels for Tommo as he looses his love to his older brother.

Morpurgo uses the novel to underline the hatred of war and expose the humane dream of peace. This is demonstrated in one of my favorite scenes. A Nazi spared the life of Tommo and showed he too wanted peace in Europe and to befriend Tommo. This shows the humanity is war and the care between two soilders surviving war.

I found that as I got further through the book I got more and more drawn in. I could visualize the terrible life the soldiers were given. The more I read the more I loved the characters and the more I hated war. This made me reflect on each event and got me to think of a world without war and full of love and peace.

Morpurgo wrote the novel in a way you could easily understand how horrible war must be. Now that I have read it I now understand how much of an issue war is and feel strongly about it.

After reading the novel I often thought what if this happened or what if they did this instead. After watching them go from the peaceful life of the countryside to the terrifying battlefields of WW1, you really feel for the characters. The story engages you so much that you can even feel the same emotions that Tommo is feeling and you cant stop worrying for him and Charlie.

Even though Private Peaceful was extremely sad and full of emotions I am very happy I read it. I would recommend the novel to people of all ages as anyone can enjoy this heartbreaking story.

Task 2

Q1: As a child my favorite books were the Cherub series. Although they were not as challenging as other childhood books, The Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter, I enjoyed the amusing easy read Cherub gave. I was about 11 when I started reading the series. I couldn't put down the thrilling adventures of James and friends as they entered the challenging world of the MI5 secret organisation CHERUB. One of the many features about the Cherub series was, although it is a childs book it includes some mature content which made it even more special and exciting for a child of that age.

Q2: I would say my favorite genre to read are fantasy books. My favorite trilogy is the Lord of The Rings, I loved to imagine the elfish town of Rivendale or the Dwarven mines of Moria. I think books that push your imagination to the limit are the most amusing to read and this is one of the main differences with fantasy. I think of fantasy books as a place that I can escape to. If I've had a hard day or its just a boring rainy day, the world of fantasy is somewhere I can escape to and forget about all the worries in the real world.

Q3: The adventures of a new world can engage me for hours. Making the reader use their imagination is the key feature to writing a sell out book. Forcing  the reader to think will engage them with the story and almost feel like they are actually there. This makes the story fun for the reader and will engage them for hours.