Sixteen year old Maisie follows a journey of recovering herself physically and mentally due to her face being destroyed in an electrical fire which she thinks has made her lose herself as she is in the process of being like her donor.
Personal reflectio n: Has this book inspired you or challenged your way of thinking? For example, has the book made you question the way you look at the world, inspired you to ethical principles?
Through reading this book I learnt many different scientific jargon words such as psychiatric, prosthetics, physiotherapy, immunosuppressive, craniofacial specialist, immunologist, microsurgery, anaesthesia and prophylactic. Made me realise how much people are affected by things such as these, something which doesn’t just help them survive physically but mentally makes them stronger.
Name: Ayan Sinha Form: 9MLA
Brief outline of the book (max 200 words):
Summer Reading Challenge
With a world of Instagram, Facebook, Sna pchat and Tinder depicting a world only of happiness and beauty, everyone needs to read and understand the real meaning of
Book title and author: Faceless By Alyssa Sheinmel
Maisie loves running following the most devastating event that happens as she is running one morning, a tree after being struck by lightning crashes on her face, and resulting in burns that kill the tissue in her cheeks, nose, and chin. Maisie is described as a pretty athlete but now she thinks of herself as nothing more than facele ss as all she contemplates is how others would react such as Chirag. Luckily (although Maisie won’t understand how lucky she is to qualify because lucky girls don’t get their faces burned off), Maisie qualifies for a face transplant rather than skin graf ting surgery that may not work. The recovery was harder than it seemed: she has to deal with the physical healing of her body, but she also has to take about twenty pills three times a day and go back to school, where everyone remembers how looked before t he accident. Asking herself…is it all worth it?
Many of the aspects of Maisie’s life are not something which she just discovered but also made me think wider about this book and realise what she is realising.
Change isn’t easy but we can get through it eventually.
Would you recommend this book to others and if so why? (max 300 words)
Faceless has very little action and drama although with a very strong emotional impact as she finds herself once again in the world of hidden beauty the pace of the book is gradual, just like her recovery similar to how the fog (depicted throughout many scenes of the book) is a form of pathetic fallacy shows t he uncertainty of the future as you can’t see the other side.
The open ended closing of this novel is one of my favourite things. Maisie is a character with lots of charisma due to her strength from getting back down when fallen through regaining her se nse of passion and possibility for change being a very important characteristic. For so long after leaving the hospital she challenged herself whether her presence was something she was committed to. The novel closes with the realisation that she will still be herself even if she is still with or without the same people and
beauty and what life is actually about. Especially after a pandemic which has changed everyone mentally and physically, not only is i t important to speak up about these problems but it is important to come to the realisation that perfect/ beautiful/ normal is different for everybody. This is what Maisie has to experience as she joins a group of people who have had similar people which a llows Maisie to understand herself better going on an adventure of self discovery. While she has to come into her own and have her independence for herself, especially with the divorce of parents at the end of the book, ultimately moving from her past se lf and acknowledging she is now different from all the experiences she has been through, Everyone has their own beauty and assuming how people feel from how they look can give a significant mental impact on them. Being a coming of age and with all the peer pressure and other effects this stage in our life has on us Maisie realises that ‘you have to learn to love yourself before you can love someone else. Because it's only when we love ourselves that we feel worthy of someone else's love’ which puts into per spective that we should be grateful for what we have. She also learns the meaning of luck and how fortunate she is to have succeeded in the surgery allowing us to learn with her as she matures.
People would enjoy this book because of curiosity due to its unusual subject matter. Although, this interpretation follows Maisie is surrounded by her family and friends such as Chirag (her boyfriend) and Serena (best friend) but the most ethical and personally best aspect of the book is how comprehensively it explores Maisie’s feelings and emotions as she adapts to her new face along with the implications of medication ( etc). It’s impossible for any of us to imagine what a cataclysm like that would actually be like, but the author gives us a chance to hit a little closer to the truth than we might otherwise need.
relationships she was before the accident. A slow paced but rewarding read.
My rating for this book Colour the stars
When researching about Isaac Asimov one of the quotes I saw from him was this which I think has some connections to the topics he brings up in the book. This qu ote also allows for Asimov’s thoughts and beliefs on life to shine through: The soft bonds of love are indifferent to life and death. They hold through time so that yesterday’s love is part of today’s and the confidence in tomorrow’s love is also part of
Form: MLA
The book allowed for a reformation within this genre of science fiction, firstly embedding facts within the fiction novel. The book is set in the future on a barely remembered Earth where humans have inhabited the galaxy. Hari Seldon is a brilliant vision ary and psychohistorian who uses probability to forecast the future. Although Seldom can’t prevent the future (the decline of humanity) that he predicts. To stop the human decline Seldom groups together the most intelligent people/ scholars in the galaxy t o preserve human knowledge and lead a new civilisation sprouting on art, science and technology. This new sanctuary is called the Foundation made with an ignorance of darkness, barbarism, and warfare which he predicts will continue for 30,000 years. Hari knows what the future will hold with the intense barbarism watching them or a mutant intelligent creature which could destroy everything within its vicinity.
Name: Ayan Sinha
Book title and author: ByFoundationIsaacAsimov
Brief outline of the book (max 200 words):
Along with this Isaac Asimov brings up issues about religion describing it as if it is a drug which controls a significant mass of the population while science is on the rise as its own new faith for humanity.
Personal reflection: Has this book inspire d you or challenged your way of thinking? For example, has the book made you question the way you look at the world, inspired you to hold a different attitude to ethical principles?
Science and religion have a long history of friction as diametric opposi tes. But some of humanity’s greatest minds have found in science itself a rich source of spirituality, from Albert Einstein’s meditation on whether scientists pray to Richard Feynman’s ode to the universe to Carl Sagan on the reverence of science to Bucky Fuller’s scientific rendition of The Lord’s Prayer to Richard Dawkins on the magic of reality.
Summer Reading Challenge
People who enjoy Star Wars and Star Trek would enjoy this book as these franchises seem to have taken inspiration from this book. This book is for a visionary, due to a few problems with it. Scientists and politicians take up all the characters being powerful and driven, all having their own purposes. Throughout the book none of the characters have a character ark or development. Although, that’s not the purpose of this story. This book was made to display how a nation, of an empire, across many, many decades. This made it hard for me to be fully indulged within the book. Also, any scenes without Harry Seldon felt forgettable as he glued the book together.
As mentioned before he brings up issues about religion describing it as if it is a drug which controls a significant mass of the populatio n while science is on the rise as its own new faith for humanity. Which shows how people can have different perspectives on things that many might think passionately about or choose to change how we live our lives. Asimov went back to write it to make the transition from the Foundation's religious control to its economic influence more understandable and believable.
This quote while displaying his opinion also shows how commitment and confidence is a beneficial aspect of life and is worth the time. Concluding in the fact that we are all one should work together having a little bit of everyone within us no matter how different we are on the outside or insidious somewhere in our ancestry we have memories of others.
Would you recommend this book to others and if so why? (max 300 words)
My rating for this book - Colour the stars
Due to this there is no undertaking of missions or proper zenith. Lack of emotions and real human feelings were not created. Although, it is made by a genius which make s it hard to sympathise with the character or care about the plot due to everything being objectified. It is more of a show than describing/ telling. It would have been hard to tell the story any other way but I felt as though it lacked human feelings.
The plot was great in the book although the storytelling was lacking which is vital to keep the audience engaged. The star felt very bland making it quite deceiving when comparing it to the intriguing plot. I almost gave up with it, but I’m glad I persiste d.
today’s. And when one dies, the memory lives in the other, and is warm and breathing. And when both die I almost believe, rationalist though I am that somewhere it remains, indestructible and eternal, enriching all of the universe by the mere fact that once it existed.
This book showed me that one small thing can lead and create a massive outcome. Passion and commitment drive dreams leading outcomes to their full potential and this is perfectly displayed within this book throughout. Showing that you don’t need tangible equipment to become or create dreams/ accomplish thoughts which is something highly necessary within this time of high increase in inflation. This being a true story emphasises this point and especially with her life story being a story within the latter part of World War 2 depicts her resilience and how her family and herself pushed through this tim e of hardship. Chester Zoo promotes a centre of excellence for conservation breeding and
Name: Ayan Sinha
Book title and author: Our Zoo
Brief outline of the book (max 200 words):
Our Zoo is a captivating personal perspective of June Mottershead who is the daughter of George Mottershead (founder of Chester Zoo) and her memories of the zoo growing up. She talks about the story of the zoo’s unassuming beginnings in Upton, shortly after World War One, up until its prosperous success in the years after World War Two. Tracking the events of the Mottershead family and their team of animals through their ups and downs of success. The story proves how even when all the odds are against them such as money and war their resilience leads them through their family allowi ng them to build not only a successful and still prevailing Zoo but also one focused on animal centred needs and most importantly a zoo without bars.
Personal reflection: Has this book inspired you or challenged yo ur way of thinking? For example, has the book made you question the way you look at the world, inspired you to hold a different attitude to ethical principles?
Summer Reading Challenge
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By June Mottershead
Without much support from anyone and especially their community who subsequently disregarded them, bankruptcy endangered them and then World War Two’s events didn’t help this situation. Nightly bombing attacks made their dream into a nightmare and finding food for the animals became a constant challenge sacrificing their lifestyles for others. Yet George's resilience, resourcefulness and tenacity eventually paid off to create the zoo which we know today as Chester zoo.
Would you recommend this book to others and if so why? (max 300 words)
This book made me sometimes forget the book was a true story because of how extraordinary the story was. Yet it never felt anything but real and down to earth, which sold the book for me. Despite being slightl y chronologically confusing at points, it was beautifully written and uplifting to read.
management. The survival of endangered species is increasingly reliant on the sustainability of zoo populations. Which not only created a whole new era for the maintenance of zoos but also allowed for a healthier lifestyle for animals without bars. The story portrays a man determined to make his dream of a zoo without bars come true and who managed to make it a success against all odds with the help of his family.
June's personality was very shone through in the novel with a lot of emotion. I especially liked her friendships with other animals such as Mary the Chimp. However, it was this emotion in the writing that made you feel the pain of the family when they struggled with death, money, war and an abundance of other issues.
Due to all the perspectives being by June it sometimes just makes me wonder how her father actually coped with al l the hardships which were maybe better presented in the TV show. Mew, who dedicated her life to the zoo, went away in the war and effectively never came back. Although this was interesting, it was an incomplete one which left me a little
My rating for this book Colour the stars
style is incredibly easy to get on with many different anecdotes throughout. The chatty/ informal style makes it feel very personal and more of a conversation than a novel. However this does lead to confusing chapters which chronologically were al l over the place, the story was still there.
Theunsatisfied.writing
Brief outline of the book (max 200 words):
Book title and author: The Ghost Map By Steven Johnson
follows the week in September 1854, when the Cholera outbreak was at its height. John Snow, a doctor and anesthesiologist, whose theory (a used medical fact today) that cholera was contracted through drinking contaminated water was at odds with the then popular theory of “miasma,” or that people got the disease from cholera through inhaling contaminated air. Henry Whitehead, a vicar in the Golden Square neighbourhood, is known for his vast intellect. While Whitehead was initially sceptical of Snow’s theory Whitehead was persuaded by the accounts of Theysurvivors.alsotravel
The first cholera victim Lewis whose nappy went into the cesspool at the foot of their Lewis household. The cesspool contaminated the nearby well, infecting
Personal reflection: Has this book inspired you or challenged your way of thinking? For example, has the book made you question the way you look at the world, inspired you to hold a different attitude to ethical principles?
Name: Ayan Sinha
Summer Reading Challenge
Form: 9MLA
back into the past and forwards into the future. It traces the origins of cholera a disease that has been around since ancient times and that still affects many disadvantaged communities and explains the complicated behaviour of bacteria. The conclusion celebrates the diversity and inherent creativity of city living while exa mining the challenges that city dwellers face today terrorism, and global warming.
Thecitizens.book
The book details how Snow put so much effort to prove his idea of the cause of cholera that the disease was a water borne illness. The author laid the reason and the community to develop video games a nd reality TV based on these mental science analogies. The author sees a soul mate in Snow, who with his friend had to together put the prominent beliefs of science’s principles to wrong that all disease was attributable to "miasma," or putrefaction of t he air.
The book concludes that John Snow and Henry Whitehead were not just important people because of their discovery regarding cholera, but since they helped to conduct the everyday idea of cities as spaces of progress and urbanity.
Also explaining that, while the miasma theory is consistent with the human instinct to stay away from things that smell bad, it also confirms a variety of typical human prejudices: namely those against the poor. While wealthy people can often afford whatever strategies their societies have pioneered to avoid bad smells (and in 1854 many wealthy people had already equipped themselves with flush toilets), poor people don’t always have that luxury and in some cases, the trades that are available to poor people bring them into contact with unpleasant smells.
Would you recommend this book to others and if so why? (max 300 words)
The epidemic of Cholera in 1854 in London was the main topic of the story. The author builds on edge moments as Dr John Snow and Henry Whitehead go on their adventures of discovery to encounter the origin of the illness as it knocks back the
He was interested not only in how innovative theories are developed but also in how faulty ideas can persist. He shows how London officials were so convinced foul smells caused the illness that they tried to purify the air by flushing waste out of cellars and into the Thames, which poisoned the water supply and made the cholera epidemic possible. Showing that even if certain things are said to be set in stone that may not be as certain a lot is yet to be discovered.
In Victorian London, cities were condemned as physical and moral cesspits. Steven Johnson argues that even though still occasionally known as the home of pollution and social ills, cities are also the home for humankind's survival in the modern age with problems such as the lack of m aterials/ resources. If life in the big city (Johnson lives in Brooklyn) led to the creation of Ghost Map, then that's strong evidence, indeed. He notes how the expansion of cities and the wider collected intelligence from different fields within a small p lace not only helped solve the cholera crisis but also shaped the world we live in today.
My favourite types of nonfiction are ones which allow for a vast amount of genres to collide which is what this book is a prominent example of. It is an easy option to categorise this book as History but easily slides within the Science and Sociolog y classes. This is because Johnson makes many references to Victorian books, especially that of Dickens. He also makes a surprising turn toward the political side in his epilogue covering facts such as climate change and terrorism which is you are interested in these subjects and that style of writing this book is for you.
Johnson allows readers to fully understand the topic of miasma through the complications of disease transmission. This allows him to state most diseases are due to bad smells. Of course, m things that smell bad corpses, doo doo, stagnant water – also carry disease, but the agents that cause disease are not transmitted directly by the smell. Making this book is not for the squeamish!
city's inhabitants.
My rating for this book - Colour the stars
SummerReadingChallengeName:
Mark Watney is an astronaut and six days ago he held the legacy to become one of the very first people to walk on Mars. Now being stranded off Earth he will certainly be the first person to die there.
A central theme to the book is the fear of being alone. Mark Watney copes by recording himself on his orbiter computer and p lanning out what his next step should be to save lots of himself. After three continuous days of an absence of mental input (i.e. nobody to speak to, no tasks to complete to stay your mind busy) an individual will begin to induce mental damage because of t he acute boredom. Having people to speak to and seek advice from is significant to maintaining a healthy condition however. I notice even in myself that I can wildly swing from being happy to discouraged without someone to disclose to. The book gets its psychological horror from this, as you see Mark Watney constantly struggle totally on his own without help. He keeps a positive attitude basically through sheer willpower and determination. One thing that I disagree about within the book is how effective per severance against loneliness is as Matt
Personalreflection:Hasthisbookinspiredyouorchallengedyourwayof thethinking?Forexample,hasthebookmadeyouquestionthewayyoulookatworld,inspiredyoutoholdadifferentattitudetoethicalprinciples?
AyanSinha Form: 9MLA
Briefoutlineofthebook(max200words):
Mark was nearly killed within a dust storm forcing the rest of his colleagues and crew to leave him and evacuate from his destined deat h. The Rest of his crew thought that he was dead which left Mark finding himself stranded by himself with no way of getting back home Earth. No one on Earth even had communication with him to know that he had survived! Besides, even if he had communication, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Mark’s resilience was something that could not be outweighed by the thought of death. With Mark’s intelligence, engineering skills and his continuing resilient attitude he was able to confront one seemingly impossible task. Will all his skills equip him for the task which is at the forefront of his mind while he is against impossible odds?
Book title and author:
ByTheMartianAndyWeir
The theme of cooperation is additionally heavily explored during this book. Aft er Watney is found to be alive on Mars, NASA tries to do everything in its power to bring him back; teams in NASA communicate and work together to plan for a way they must bring him home. One notable occurrence of this is often the rear and forth cooperation between the NASA administration and also the reaction propulsion Laboratory to construct a vessel to hold supplies in an incredibly short amount of time. There's even cooperation between the CNSA and NASA when the primary iteration of the provision rock et malfunctions, and NASA uses the NSA's resources to launch another rocket and resupply the Hermes. The book compares these themes in an exceedingly way that has a rather unique feeling of both individual and group achievement.
It was, nevertheless, a pleasing change of pace that this book capitalised on the simplest and more selfless aspects of attribute when it involves taking care of others, however unrealistically these intentions manifested themselves.
Damonthe author chooses to ignore the hardships and constantly move forward. But I suppose that’s why it's a book and not a real story.
The novel could have been an summoning of a forbidding, and perhaps beautiful landscape along the lines of Edward Abbey’s as dry as a bone terrain or Joseph Conrad’s impenetrable darkness. It potentially could explore the different facts
The book has cliffhangers interwoven with cliffhangers throughout reading more like a survival manual than a narrative.
I really enjoyed the book because it reconciled scientific endeavours and also the will of the people, additionally because of the government, to assist others. In the course of the book, we see samples of folks that are willing to sacrifice something in their own lives for the well being of somebody else. The crew of astronauts, a more obvious example, was willing to risk a future in space travel; the likelihood of state chargers; potentially even their own lives; for the prospect of rescuing a colleague and friend.
Wouldyourecommendthisbooktoothersandifsowhy?(max300words)
The author uncovers many different types of technical problems that happen when Mars is known as home but fails to address the feelings and emotions which a person would feel if they were to be all alone such as being in abysmal loneliness, impersonal landscape etc. Nuanced dialogue, imagery, and subtlety are deficient in a novel that could have intensified the reader’s sympathetic identification with Mark Watney’s grief and joy.
Myratingforthisbook - Colour the stars
The story itself is entertaining, but often predictable. We often have a few unexpected plot twists although from a reader’s perspective it can seem very stable as a plot. One of the flaws of the book is that it often contains Mark Watney having to explain every situation which befalls his writing. Some may find this boring but I thought it was fascinating. According to the author, the entirety of the novel is scientifically accura te in theory.
of separation from familiar and discover the unknown. Although, due to this novel being a particular science fiction, it probably does not need any of those things most of all it requires science (which it does deliver on)! This kind of writing demands closer and slower reading and engages us in higher order thinking. Even though the novel is stylistically lacking. As a pragmatic and fast risk taker, Mark demonstrates qualities that we want to instil in ourselves and could definitely motivate us as people.
Name: Ayan Sinha Form: 9MLA
A Time Traveller has dinner before telling a story on their topic last week about the fourth dimension and his time machine which he completed.
He is in 802,701 AD, in a paradisiacal peaceful world of small people called Eloi. After investigating this world his machine disappeared. The night comes, and creatures called Morlocks roam around. An Eloi called Weela was saved by him after she was drowning, therefore becoming friends. The Time Traveller goes to find his time machine he figures matches are a good defence against the Morlocks. He takes Weena to try to find a saf e place from the Morlocks. Once they retreated through the woods a fire started along with a battle. Dead bodies were stacked Weena included. At the pedestal, the Morlocks nearly win but he goes to the future in his machine.
The Time Traveller makes mor e visits. He stops on a shore where he is pounded by giant crabs. The red sun sits motionless in the sky. Thirty million years into the future: the air is thin, with only a black blob living. He sees a planet eclipse the sun. He then returns to the current time before leaving again but never returns.
This book has made me realise that conflict is needed to lead to a discussion which hence leads to growth and saying things from different perspectives creating progress. One reason why the Eloi were so vulnerable was that they were so pea ceful and didn’t speak up due to their peacefulness and graceful perspectives on life due to human development. Making the moral of the story for me is that it is still important to make choices and act. Trust is also something which is a common abstract n oun that is referenced throughout the book as the whole premise shows that this story was told and read due to forms of disbelief and if the men learnt to trust with evidence and believe this book may not have been resulted like how it did. The ‘enemies’ w ithin the story were known as the Morlocks but one key detail which was mentioned in the story is that these
Brief outline of the book (max 200 words):
By H.G. Wells
Summer Reading Challenge
Personal reflection: Has this book inspired you or challenged your way of thinking? For example, has the book made you question the way you look at the world, inspired you to hold a different attitude to ethical principles?
Book title and author: The Time Machine
For people who enjoy Sci Fi as their genre, I am sure they would enjoy this book along with the time travel jargon throughout. Although many topics I think could be developed to a further extent allowing for a more immersive read. Due to the book being only 90 pages I think that the pacing of the book could be handled better. The suspenseful moments have a very hard hitting emotional impact which creates an atmosphere appropriately leading onto t he next topic with fluidity and cliffhangers having consequences to his personality. The moral of the story is that it is important to make choices and act being very influential making the character feel relatable as many people wish for a ‘perfect’ world but once it has been accomplished and we have found out ‘destiny’ something just doesn’t feel ‘perfect’. The prospect of meeting the future and seeing how all problems have been solved makes us hopeful yet here we have turned our back on ourselves.
The Eloi species are described as having a world that is disease free. It may be possible to get rid of parasites and viruses. To kill bacteria is impossible if it were to happen this ecosystem will fail. This is because it will result in no decomposition, and no plants leading to no Eloi. Due to the necessity of bacteria, eventually, diseases will occur, because bacteria can mutate into many things very quickly.
In my mind, I think the Time Machine is a running metaphor for the single social descent prediction. The future is shown as the upper class living in a world in which people can live leisurely and peacefully without the disruption of global crises. Due to thi s leisurely lifestyle, the rich have become foolish and soft. Making the working class desire revenge. This is the author’s perspective of the widening gap between the rich and poor in Victorian England. This exaggeration between the Morlocks and Eloi is t o warn the British government that the social inequities of the day would prove fateful if not corrected. Ultimately, warning everybody that our dream world, one with no tension or career, would have the consequences of fate for this human race. Allowing f or there to be an
‘bad guys’ are humans having evolved showing that these beings are a small part of each of our personalities as greed, anger and supremacy. This al so displays how one target can lead you to many events such as this emotional rollercoaster on which the scientist had embarked. The target is to discover the future and prove his comrades wrong which made him go through all this trauma and thoughts of des pair.
First, the Time Traveller describes the land as being empty of fungi. The preliminary decomposers in an ecosystem are fungi leaving them out having a captivating landscape will not be possible.
Even if this story is science fiction and partly fantasy there are still many scientific mistakes, here are a few:
Would you recommend this book to others and if so why? (max 300 words)
intriguing twist.
My rating for this book Colour the stars