Welcome back to my countdown. Sorry it took so long, I had a few school things to do and sort out. In other words, do the stuff that I find important and dump the other stuff that I don't think is important. So let's skip the intro and cut to the chase.
3. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee.
Now most of us know this book. Some of us have seen the film other than read the novel. It's in the views of a little girl nicknamed Scout who is the daughter of a lawyer who is trying to defend an African-American who was framed for raping a white woman. Now we know about this; rascism is bad but the novel is different because it's in the views of a little girl, someone who doesn't fully understand rascism. Which is actually a pretty good idea. The part in the book I really wanted to read was the trial. I wanted to see the evidence that the African-American was innocent. Now I liked Scout and I did like her other advetures she experienced. Even though they were technically fillers, it was still pretty interesting. Like the time she meets the new teacher who doesn't want her to read and write very well, the new old woman who is snobbish and she and her brother finding things in a tree. Now I'm not sure about the film. The only difference I noticed so far was the father Atticus was the main character not his daughter. I'm not sure if I want to watch it; I loved the book and everyone loves the film. I just don't want to watch dramas on TV, reading books is different even though there both dramas. I don't know, I can't figure out why I don't want to see the film, I know the ending is good. Oh well, I change my mind and might watch it, but don't worry I won't make a comparison between the film and the book. I'll just talk about the ones that's completly different from each other.
2. Kensuke's Kingdom - Michael Morpurgo.
Michael Morpurgo is one of the greatest children's authors in the world. I remembered in Primary school the teacher read the story "The Butterfly lion". Yes another drama book but it's also an adventure. Kensuke's Kingdom is a wonderful book about a boy called Michael who got washed out of his parents boat and he and his pet dog find themselves in another island. A modernish Robinson Crusoe but when Michael starts getting hungry, the next morning he sees food and water. He starts to learn that an old Japanese man called Kensuke is stranded on the island as well. Kensuke no bits of English and has some kind of friendship with orangutans. Michael and Kensuke start to become friends; working together to survive, Kensuke teaching Michael a bit of Japanese and other things. Kensuke starts explaining more about his past and how he became friends with the orangutans. But what is great about this book is the climax. We now that Michael misses his parents but it is hard since he made great friends with Kensuke and later on Kensuke admits Michael is like a son to him. Not much to give away but the ending is lovely, sad but lovely. Try and read this book, it's quite a surpise if you never heard of Michael Morpurgo or read his books before.
And the number 1 favourite book is...
Unhooking the moon - Gregory Hughes.
This is a beautiful book, believe me it is. It's a classic road trip book about two prairie kids who are now orphans and are on there way to New York and find their uncle and live with him. Their mother died along time ago and their father died after a school play he wasn't at at the time. The chief was thinking of sending the kids to a home so they could get foster parents but they didn't want to. Now I know it's stupid that these kids don't want foster parents even though they are basically parents. But remember they're kids, they don't know a lot of things, they just don't want foster parents because...they just don't want any. They want to be raised by their uncle even though they were told he was a drug dealer. Wow. So yeah it's just a basic road trip adventure but the surprise is the main character, Marie-Claire Debillier or as she is nicknamed The Rat. She is addressed as The Rat from her brother Bob (the narrator) because of her ratty features like her pointed ears. She is awesome! She's obsessed with soccer (football), rapping and skateboarding. Yeah most girl book characters are like that but The Rat does good impressions and she always has these feelings like knowing is something bad is going to happen and who is good or bad. She has a strange insight in death; When her father dies she doesn't kneel next to him and weep uncontrolably like her brother but just rushes to the phone and calls the chief and doesn't even shed a tear. She's like that because she knows her father is up in heaven with his wife. She was sad but she was happy that he was in heaven. She has these spontaneous spasm attacks which pass by at times. Her father was always there to comfort her and bring her back from her spasms but since he was dead I wanted to see how Bob dealed with it. Bob is only 12 and is more mild-mannered than his little sister, but he isn't always strong and followed his sister everywhere. Their father is incredibly nice. He is always having fun with his daughter, always waking them up early when it's not a school day, a Frank Sinatra lover and is always great drunk or sober. And he does have good parenting skills, when The Rat has a nightmare of a Native American monster about to attack her, her father warns her that there are monsters in real life called paedophiles which The Rat calls "goddamn paedophiles". And that's a good idea; parents should warn their children about paedophiles, it really does explain why they must never to talk to strangers. The kids make friends on the way: A cigar smuggler, a hustler and a famous rapper. Yeah, those are weird friends but The Rat knows whose good and who isn't. But the book has a lot of heart, she sometimes has a vision in her spasms and says she is in a white room all alone which some people asume it's not the home. Bob says that even if she is in the craziest part of an asylum, he is still proud to be her brother. That...is beautiful. But what is great is the ending which we needn't go into, all I'm going to say is it is bitter sweet, that's it. Go and read this book; its a wonderful adventure with a lot of heart and a ending that comes out of nowhere.
And that's the countdown, I know that's a lot to talk about for the number 1 spot but that's because it was so good. I know it's strange that "Catcher in the Rye" and "To kill a Mockingbird" is not in the number 1 spot since they're big hits, but it's my countdown. Plus "Unhooking the moon" is brilliant, go and rent it or buy it from a library. If they don't have it make a order. If the order doesn't arrive, use Amazon.com.
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