BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS TWENTIES GIRL BY SOPHIE KINSELLA 2B Chueng Lok Mang
Twenties Girl was written by Sophie Kinsella, a British author who is famous for writing the Shopaholic series and other books such as Can You Keep a Secret? This is a fun light read which combines mystery and romance. For me, my favourite character in this book is surely Sadie. I think Sadie is a fabulous character—outgoing, talkative but also incredibly nice and rather prone to teenage strops. I enjoyed finding out exactly who took the Dragonfly necklace when I read the book. At first, I found Sadie quite annoying, however, near the end of the book, I found out that Sadie was actually an easy-going girl. I think Sophie Kinsella described the 1920s fabulously. I can imagine the dresses that Sadie wore, and the music played when Lara and Ed danced. Twenties Girl is a charming book that I really couldn’t put down.
A CHILD CALLED IT BY DAVE PELZER 2E Wong Kar Po Clara
This book is an account of bizarre tortures inflicted on the author, telling his own story as a young boy being starved, stabbed and brutally treated by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother, treating him as an ‘it’. His dad did not protect him, but instead, an alert schoolteacher did. This story is saddening yet very inspiring. Whenever I was grounded by my mother, I would think that my life is ruined, when I actually have no idea what physical and verbal abuse is. This book is definitely a page-turner which tells life stories.
THE TENTH CIRCLE BY JODI PICOULT 3C Tina Wong Tin Man
This book is about love and care for family. When we reach puberty, some problems and questions will be raised, especially the issue of sex. This story is about a 14-year-old girl Trixie who was raped by her boyfriend, despite her father Daniel trying his very best to protect her from getting hurt. They had been so close but when Trixie became older and older, Daniel noticed that his little girl was gone. However, this tragedy brought them together again and the story shows a great family love.
THE SHADOW OF THE WIND BY CARLOS RUIZ ZAFÓN 3C Fung Wai Yun The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, is a fusion of romance, suspense, humour, horror and even a bit of action. In the Cemetery of the Forgotten books – a labyrinthine library of forgotten titles – Daniel pulls from a dusty shelf an extraordinary book called the Shadow of the Wind, written by Julián Carax. When he searches for more of Carax’s books, he can’t find any – every copy of every book the Carax has ever written was destroyed by a certain someone. Why, though? Grasped by curiosity, Daniel looks into the life of Julián Carax, which later becomes entangled with and even endangers his own. ‘Step by step the narrative split into a thousand stories, as if it had entered a gallery of mirrors, its identity fragmented into endless reflections.’ This is Daniel’s comment on Carax’s the Shadow of the Wind. Funnily enough, it is also the perfect description of the real Shadow of the Wind.
THIRTEEN UNPREDICTABLE TALES BY PAUL JENNINGS 3C Fung Wai Yun Have you ever used the photocopying service of our Calder Path Library? Very convenient, eh? But apart from your thick stack of school notes, have you ever dreamed about copying 3D objects like your watch, your favorite ice-cream, or in this case – even you yourself? Don’t ever try that, because it brings about a disastrous consequence – in ‘The Copy’ by Paul Jennings, a fine young man does the exact same thing, and later finds his clone kissing his girlfriend, and even trying to replace and erase his master. This amazingly imaginative piece is only one of thirteen equally incredible stories, all packed into the Thirteen Unpredictable Tales by its author Paul Jennings. Even my brother who normally refuses to read finds these wacky and extraordinary stories wonderfully enjoyable.
THE THIRTEENTH TALE BY DIANE SETTERFIELD 3D Lam Oi Yee The Thirteenth Tale is a rich, colourful Gothic tale. It is as beautifully woven as a piece of embroidered material. The unpredictable plot brought ’wows’ and unexpected surprises to me as I was dragged into a world of secrets, confused identities, and lies through the pages. The title of the novel was taken from the first book of Miss Vida Winter, a popular writer: Thirteen Tales of Change and Desperation, a collection of twelve stories with a mysterious thirteenth left out at the last minute before publication. The thirteenth tale, the missing one, was the story of Miss Winter herself which was to be revealed by a young biographer named Margaret Lea. The tragic and violent past features the willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. The
story leads readers to the door of Miss Winter’s life where ghosts haunted both Vida and Margaret who become, finally, transformed by truth itself.
LET ME GO, MOTHER BY HELGA SCHNEIDER 3D Lam Oi Yee There are always dark sides of history which people choose not to remember… Instead, the author of the book chose to remember. Having a mother who once sent millions of Jews into toxic gas rooms, bringing them into “experimental rooms”, the suffering Helga went through was the same as that of the Jews in the concentration camps. The sensitive topic of the macabre horrors of the Holocaust (the extermination of the Jews) is further discussed from the point of view of a Nazi general’s daughter, including the situations faced by German generals in the post-war period, how it feels to have a cold-blooded mother, and issues related to family, obedience, responsibility and redemption.
<<寄小讀者 <<寄小讀者>> 寄小讀者>>
冰心 三丁梁栢熙
這本書是以記敘的手法,記述了她從家鄉遠赴外國, 再返回祖國的過程. 冰心 為了令這本書更為有趣、親切, 採用書信的形式, 致函親人與小讀者. 書中常常 記述她與母親同處時的往事, 可見冰心對母女之情的重視。
<<打噴嚏 <<打噴嚏>> 打噴嚏>>
九把刀 三丁梁栢熙
這本書的題目,《打噴嚏》, 令我立刻聯想到打噴嚏那 一刻的醜態, 卻完全無法想像這竟是一本充滿熱情的愛
情小說. 「妳身邊的那人, 也許不是妳的真命天子, 但他或許是妳的專屬超人」. 超人, 就是英雄. 男主角從小在孤兒院單戀著比他年長好幾歲的女孩心心, 他不 想整天被心心保護著, 決心要日後做一個能夠保護心心的男人。可他沒有超能力, 只能用自己的拳頭保護最愛的人, 為的就是得到她的芳心…
<<告白 <<告白>> 告白>>
湊佳苗 二戊汪嘉寶
故事講述一位日本中學女教師發現自己四歲的女 兒意外溺斃的真相後，在畢業禮當天向全班學生告白 真相，並透露了她的復仇計劃，在學生們的心底種下 恐懼的因子。全書透過每位敘事者的告白，揭示使「罪」 與「受罪」的關係，讓讀者在追看的過程中對人性有所 領悟。
<<怨女 <<怨女>> 怨女>>
張愛玲 三丙王天敏
這本張愛玲晚期的長篇小說，針對大時代下女人被命運撥弄而扭曲的一生，可 見作者一生從未停止過對女性的嚴肅思考。 「麻油西施」銀娣受夠了苦生活，因此 才答應下嫁於姚家的瞎子少爺，但她最初不懂豪門貴族中處身之道，受盡羞辱， 後來生活黯淡苦悶，過了寂寞的一生。此書揭露了當時豪門貴族腐敗的生活，也 突顯了舊社會舊家庭扭曲人性的悲劇，而女人總是在大時代下的屈服者和犧牲品。
《換心》 換心》
茱迪． 茱迪．皮考特 二乙張樂萌 二乙張樂萌
「你願意接受死刑犯的器官移植嗎？而且他正是殺害你至 親的兇手！」這是一個兩難的問題──要生存還是要執着無補 於事的仇恨？在《換心》一書中，作者茱迪帶出多個具爭議性 的問題，令讀者跳出了本來狹窄的生活空間，嘗試代入書中角
色的處境。閱讀此書時我反思到香港沒有死刑，只有終身監禁，這給受害者及其 家屬一個寬恕犯人的機會，可見生活在香港是一件十分幸運的事。世界上有些人 卻不像我們那麽幸福，可以活在這樣一個法治健全的社會，這讓我明白在日常生 活中要多加思考，批判社會上不公義的事情，好成為一個對社會有所承擔的公 民。《換心》一書在情節上充滿衝突，提示美國社會階層的不平等，及死刑在當 地的意義等，發人深省，時下青年可通過這本書反思個人價值觀，認識異地文化。
《倚天屠龍記》 倚天屠龍記》
金庸 三己勞幸蕾
《倚天屠龍記》為「射鵰三部曲」之三。以元朝末年為時代背景，更有真實的 歷史人物。此書主要以明教為首的「邪派」和以少林、武當為首的正派之爭，以 及起義軍和朝廷的對抗為主線。其中小說除了描繪了精湛的武藝外，更有豐富的 愛情原素，那就是張無忌與小昭、 、周芷若、 、殷離和趙敏的愛情故事。張無忌不僅 武功卓絕，更有複雜的個性，既有仁厚、慷慨，重俠氣的一面，也有不夠堅定的 一面，甚少憑自己的主見決定大事。雖然他沒有那種瀟灑風流的氣慨，卻能令這 四位女子對他那樣着迷，可見他還是充滿魅力的。書中結合多種故事原素，這正 是能吸引讀者的一個重大原因。 。
《笑傲江湖》 笑傲江湖》
金庸 三己勞幸蕾
書中許多人物都能反映出社會上各種類型、性格的人，有正義之士 (如令狐沖)， 也有敗類；而書中的正派中人，卻未必是正直的人(如岳不羣) 。書中以各派掌 門自相殘殺為結局，說明權力鬥爭的結局必定是悲劇。而金庸所說的權力鬥爭是 指政治鬥爭，這是當今政治舞台上常見的現象。另一方面，金庸想借此書諷刺自 由──人不能得到過分的自由，我們往往都要受某種東西所束縛，比如令孤沖就 被愛情所約束。看完《笑傲江湖》後，我真真正正地了解到人的真實面目，體會 到政治場上的黑暗，獲益良多。
SHARINGS SO MANY BOOKS, YET SO FEW SUCCESSFUL ONES 2B Chueng Lok Mang Nowadays, it is largely marketing and public hype that determine the success of a book, at least in terms of sales. So what are the qualities of a book that make it popular? Firstly, it should captivate the reader. It is already difficult to get people to start reading your book—the title and the blurb have to be interesting enough—but to make them keep turning the pages requires even more skill, and not all authors have that. J. K. Rowling, the author of the famous Harry Potter series, is able to create suspense and excitement in her stories that makes the reader want to read on until the very end of the book. Secondly, a successful book should have a good plot, unique characters that the reader can relate to and a thrilling but believable storyline. A perfect character will not engage the reader’s interest as there would be no element of surprise, no “twists and turns” in the story. Nobody is perfect, so creating a character that encounters difficulties will make the reader relate themselves to the main character. In this way, the reader may identify himself with the main character when reading the book and this may release their pressure in daily life. This is why fiction is more popular than non-fiction. Thirdly, the author of a popular book should have his or her own style when writing the story. Whether it is romance, fantasy or science fiction, the reader wouldn’t want the story to seem like it were written by “just another ordinary author”. The portrayal of characters, the use of humour, the flow of sentences… these are all things that an author can work on. In conclusion, a splendid book must relate to readers, have a good
plot, and a unique character that encounters challenges in the story. For example, Bella in the Twilight Saga is an ordinary girl that goes to school and has all the usual teenage troubles, but then fate brings her to encounter a vampire. The book should also have its own style for it to stand out from the numerous books available in bookstores today.
THE EXPERIENCE OF READING 2E Wong Kar Po Clara Joseph Brodsky once said, “There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” To me, I think there is more treasure in books than in the entire pirate's loot on Treasure Island, and that is why I enjoy reading. Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself. You bring to a novel, or anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history when you read it in your own terms. You see a totally different picture in the same book. You will not find yourself feeling bored when re-reading a book, but instead, be able to explore the story deeper. I believe when we read, we enter another world, and we know we will never feel lonely when a book is able to fill our hearts. When we have a really heavy workload, when we think the world is turning upside down and nothing feels right, we are more likely to ignore books, which we usually think are a burden – while a book can actually inspire us and strengthen our soul. If we develop a good reading habit, we will soon find that reading is a discount ticket everywhere. Carrying a book everywhere is a great way to pass time and gain knowledge at the same time. Setting a
goal of reading a certain number of books would help too. Most importantly, I think making reading time your most pleasurable period of time every day can definitely increase your passion for reading. So, from today on, throw your TV set away, and in its place install a lovely bookshelf on the wall. Have fun reading!
DREAM ON TILL YOUR DREAM COMES TRUE 3C Fung Wai Yun Paul Jennings is a writer of amazingly creative stories; a master of twists and turns. He won the Young Australians’ Best Book Award 16 times, and even received the Order of Australia for his enormous contribution to children’s literature. Do you have a dream? Yes, of course you do. Well, have you ever found yourself on the verge of tears, or near breaking down, because however hard you try, your dream still seems a million miles away? I bet you have. But don’t be dispirited. Never give up. I know it sounds clichéd – but the details below offer a living proof that determination pays off and can lead to success. Paul Jennings was born in April in 1943, in the midst of the Second World War. He spent a brief infanthood in his birth place, Middlesex, England, and when he was six, he emigrated from England to Australia and has been living in Melbourne ever since. Paul had discovered the delight of reading and dreamed of being a writer at an early age. His love of words and his innate talent made him a massive success at school. When he was 16, he sent an original story to the Woman’s Weekly, hoping it would be published. It wasn’t. This rejection turned to his dejection; he was disillusioned, and was convinced that his ambition was nothing but a dream.
Two and a half decades later, Paul decided to pick up his pen again. He received little publicity – but this time, he persevered. He worked as a part teacher part writer for four hard years, and finally in 1985, his short story collection Unreal! won the favour of Penguin Books and was published. Almost instantly it became an international phenomenon. That marked the beginning of his sensational writing career. Is this Destiny? Maybe. What can be said without doubt is that, without his determination, Paul Jennings would have never succeeded, whatever talent ‘Destiny’ granted him. This is a story for everyone: if you’re willing to hold onto your dream, no matter how many times you fail, you will eventually be able to write the happy ending to your own story.
WE ARE BOOK LOVERS 3D Lam Oi Yee
If you are in the campus of SPCC, you will realise you are surrounded by books. In fact, reading is and has always been an important tradition for us SPCC students. Every SPCC student is taught the importance of reading starting from the first day here; it is not only advocated by the teachers, but the presence of books already reminds students of the importance of reading -- we can always see a book casually lying on the shelves in each classroom or in the music room, geography room, art room… books appear everywhere. Besides having a large collection of books at school, set books are recommended by teachers in order to boost the passion of reading in the school in addition to occasional library lessons. As students
are exposed to the reading environment anytime and anywhere, this is the major reason that explains the enthusiasm for reading among students. “Which book are you recently reading?” is an often-discussed topic among students. Due to the fact that people love reading different kinds of books, some students initiate groups among themselves to share their books in a particular genre. This habit is very rewarding, according to my friend who loves reading science fiction. “Usually they come in series and most of us only have some of the books in each series. By sharing, we are able to finish the whole series and it’s such a good utilization of our books.” Other than sharing of books among students, heated debates on books is also a common phenomenon in our school. Usually there are dilemmas faced by characters or issues addressed on which students develop certain points of view. In fact, “Book Lovers’ Tuesday” provides a platform for students to voice their ideas about different books and themes We are book lovers and we are proud of it!
TWILIGHT VS. TWILIGHT? 3C Wong Tin Man Many of you will have read the Twilight Saga or watched the movie Twilight, or both. There are many significant differences between the book and the movie. Many people claim that the original book is much better than the movie adaptation. I am certainly one of them. The book is better than the movie in many ways. Regarding the plot, the movie is too brief and it even skips some important plot details which are essential in characterisation. For
example, there is a long description of the history of the Cullen family in the book. Each member has his own story. However, the movie either explains it very briefly or in certain cases, does not mention it at all. It is very difficult for the audience to empathise with the characters in the story without knowing the background of the vampires. Another important thing is that the book is in the first person while the movie cannot show this. The story was written from the view of the main character, Bella Swan, and is about the romantic encounter with the new handsome guy in school, Edward Cullen, who is actually a vampire. Therefore, in the book, the personality of Bella is very obvious and the readers can understand her thoughts while they know little about Edward. This creates a mysterious image for him, compelling the readers to read on. However, for the movie, we mostly watch it in the third person and it becomes less interesting. There are still many good books which do not have a film adaptation. Let’s hope the directors of film adaptations of much-loved books remain faithful to those books as far as possible.
三己勞幸蕾 三己勞幸蕾 武俠小說一向受普羅大眾歡迎，有些作品更被拍成電影，登上大屏幕；也被改編 成舞蹈作品，躍上大舞台。 金庸的武俠小說出版幾十年來，令無數年輕人愛不釋手。武俠小說的吸引力究竟 從何而來？
縱觀金庸的作品，不難發現它們全都有特別的歷史背景，如《鹿鼎記》講述清初 時的社會眾生相，並提及醞釀中的反清復明勢力；《射鵰》、《神鵰》則記錄了 宋朝抗禦元兵的艱苦時期。歷史背景能加強作品的真實感，也能反映當時社會的 情況，令讀者留下更深刻的印象。此外，小說中人物性格鮮明，各具特色，如《倚 天屠龍記》的張無忌有俠義心腸，卻因憂柔寡斷而誤大事；《射鵰英雄傳》的郭 靖生性笨拙，卻懷有一個無人可及的正義感，這都令讀者對人物們的好感油然而 生。另外，有些武俠作品透過故事質疑社會標籤的準確性，多部金庸小說皆暗示 看似正派的人物，未必全是好人；而邪派的人物，也未必是壞的，可能懷有一顆 赤誠的心。 武俠小說情節豐富，往往令讀者樂在其中，如同身歷其境。作者將武俠、愛情、 社會的原素加入小說中，令它們縱橫交錯，最後成了一個個悲喜交加的故事。
三丁梁栢熙
在我心目中 ,理想的學校圖書館應該是非常寧靜的, 使讀者們都能在這個地方放下自己所有的擔憂, 開 開心心, 痛痛快快地閱讀書籍. 我希望讀者們都 能夠沉醉在此地, 不能自拔, 嚮往在學校圖書館 度過的每一分,每一秒. 另外, 現代科技日新月異, 所以我認為理 想的學校圖書館必需與時並進, 擁有最新,最 快的電腦, 不會在使用時突然故障，也不會出現 運行速度像龜爬行一樣慢的情況. 有了新電腦，便可以幫助到 同學們用電腦輔助學習,；同時也會令同學們為學校有新電腦而感到自豪, 從而使圖書館變成同學們眼中的”聖地”. 另一方面 ,理想的學校圖書館面積要夠大, 提供每位學生都足夠的自修空間. 而且書架上除了要有各種類型的學術藏書外 ,也應該加添一些富娛樂性的書籍, 如別富生趣的漫畫和雜誌等. 這樣不但能夠增加同學們對閱讀的興趣,也能增廣 同學的見聞, 可樂而不為? 我相信只要我們肯努力，打造理想的學校圖書館絕不是夢…