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Author: Antoine De Saint-Exupéry Publisher: Harcourt Brace & Company Call No.: JF/EXU Sources: School Library |
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The Little Prince is a very famous book. It tells the exciting adventures of a boy from another planet had. On his way of traveling from one planet to another, he meets many interesting people and living creatures on various planets. You will surely love the story as well as the colorful pictures drawn by the author.
On the planets the Little Princess visits, he meets a drunkard, a king, a lamplighter who is very loyal to his job etc. All of them are oddly interesting in some way. However, my favourite character is the lamplighter. Although the lamplighter’s job is very boring and tiring, he still insists on doing his work well. It is trivial but he is dong something meaningful to both himself and the others. The lamplighter is also the only one whom the Little Prince could make friends with.
As we read the conversations between Little Prince and those he meets, we get a chance of thinking from a different perspective, reflecting on our own daily life, reevaluating what we used to believe and follow.
What do you think is the difference between children and adults? According to the Little Prince, adults love figures very much. What would you ask when you first meet a friend? Would you be interested in what he likes doing most when he is free? Or do you want to first know about his age, how many brothers of sisters he has, how much his father earns etc., just like many people do? By asking yourself questions like these, you may then have a clearer idea of what things are important to you.
I am sure you will enjoy the exciting and interesting adventures of Little Prince and get plenty of insights from his words.
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Author: L. Frank Baum Publisher: Oxford Bookworms Source: English Room |
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The Wizard of Oz is a very famous children book. There are many interesting and classical characters in the story, such as the scarecrow who wants a brain in his straw-filled head; the coward lion; the tin woodman who always melts into tears. Like the worldwide popular novel ‘Harry Potter’, the story takes place in a world of magic. The main character, Dorothy, is blown miles away from her home. She tries to find her way home and she hears of the Great Wizard of Oz who has the power to make any dreams or wishes come true. On her way to the town of Oz, she met many friends. As the friends put their strengths together, they are able to accomplished the difficult task given by the Wizard of Oz. They finally learn the great secret of the Wizard of Oz and a lesson from him.
Apart from the fascinating storyline, as an young adult, you will also find the will power from the words of wisdom by Oz. Here are my picks:
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Do you feel afraid in face of dangers? Do you feel weak at those times? Would you blame yourself for not being strong and brave enough? Oz tells us that when you feel weak, all you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid. |
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Do you want to be smarter? As you read on, you would find that ‘brains’ are of no important for human beings. What you need instead are the faith, patience and endurance in your mind. The key of success lies in experience which would help you improve over time. |
Another reason I recommend this book is that the language in this book is simple and vivid. There are copies of both the unabridged and the simplified versions available in the English room. I am sure you will find reading this book a fruitful experience for both your language skills and mind.
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Author: Mary Shelley Publisher: Oxford Call No.: ERS.1233/J Sources: English Room |
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If you know the traditions of Halloween well, you must have heard of the scary character Frankenstein. But how well do you know about the horror yet touching story of Frankenstein? As we enjoy the excitements brought by the horrifying storyline, we also get a chance to reflect on our own values and attitudes towards some crucial issues in our daily lives.
Frankenstein is a young scientist. His life starts to change as the robot created by him drips its tail in the human world. Because of his abnormal appearance, the robot encounters many difficulties in communicating with the people he meets. As the acquaintance of Frankenstein are found murdered one by one, the scientist is sure that he has created a horrible murderer.
As you read until the end of the story, you will realize that one gets the full picture only when you view the events from different perspectives. The shocking truth comes clear as the same events are retold by different characters in the story. However, the truth comes too late. While people’s prejudice over the robot’s appearance plays a part in the tragedy, judging and making conclusions based on inadequate knowledge are equally disastrous.
With the swift development of technology, we are meanwhile facing the challenges of striking a balance between the convenience and the adverse effects brought by it. Have you ever had the experience of drowning in the sea of information while surfing the Net despite it’s widely claimed that the Net grants us the ‘convenient’ access to information worldwide? Is the technology saving us time or consuming our time indeed? Have you ever experienced the frustrations when your computer breaks down without allowing you the time to save your nearly-done files?
As we become so involved in playing the computer games, we should be aware that we may have already been kept under control by them. The fact that the story written 180 years ago serves as such an alarming reminder for the readers to reflect on their present situations adds extra value to this classic.