Tag: Writing

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Submitted by Emma

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
By J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne

Spoiler Alert!!!

 

 

 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play which is a continuation of the Harry Potter saga, by J.K. Rowling. This story is the adventure of Harry Potter’s son, Albus Potter, and the hardships of living in his father’s shadow. On his first trip to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express, Albus meets Scorpius, the son of Draco Malfoy, once the sworn enemy of Harry Potter. Albus and Scorpius go on adventures together to rewrite the outcome of what happened in the Triwizard Tournament (for reference, see book 4). Each time they travel back in time using a stolen Ministry of Magic time turner. When the 1st challenge sends them back to the present, Albus finds he is in Gryffindor and his aunt is no longer Hermione Granger. And when they come back to the future from the 2nd task, Scorpius finds that Voldemort won the battle of Hogwarts and that Harry Potter is dead. Truly great feats of magic happen in each turn of time. Albus and Scorpius face their fears and overcome the dangers that await them in every new present, past and future.

Albus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy and Delphi Diggory are the main characters in the Cursed Child. At the beginning of the play Albus is scared and angry at his father and his life, while Scorpius is sad and lonely. When they meet Delphi, the resentment, anger and sadness fuel them to make hasty decisions — jumping off a train, going back in time, and breaking into the Ministry of Magic. In the end, Albus and Scorpius become happier, start to enjoy school more, and Albus becomes closer with his father.

This story is told in the form of a script for a play, so that means it doesn’t have one person’s view, but is omniscient. The tone of this novel is sad, suspenseful, and chaotic. If you go to the theatre to see the play you will see what I mean. With all the bright wand flashes and special effects, it feels as if you are practically living in that moment, but you must keep track in the beginning because everything happens quickly, while the end is more slow going.

I enjoyed this book and play for 3 main reasons. The plot was a full serving of suspense, mystery and sadness with thrilling twists and turns. The special effects and acting in the play where amazing and finally I loved how this magical Wizarding World felt so real.

Emma is a grade 7 student and a library monitor

Book Review: And Then There Were None

Submitted by Alice

And Then There Were None Classic Edition: Amazon.ca: Christie ...The book, And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christi is a murder mystery about ten people who are sent to a place called Soldier Island. None of the guests know each other, or why they were summoned there. On this island there is only one huge eerie mansion in which the guests are supposed to stay in. Inside, there are two things that catch everyone’s eye. The first object is a framed poem titled, Ten Little Soldier Boys. The piece explains how at the beginning of a mission there were ten soldiers. While on their journey, one after the other dies from a specific cause until there were eventually none left. The second things the guests quickly notice are ten clay soldier figures on a table.

Coincidentally, every night a person in the house is murdered. One by one, the people in the mansion die of the same causes as the soldiers in the poem, and every time someone perishes, one of the clay soldiers mysteriously disappears. The survivors constantly search for an escape, but somehow all sources of communication have been cut off. One by one, the people go mad, and one after the other gets killed until everyone is dead.

The ten main characters in this story are Vera, Justice, Armstrong, Philip, Blore, Emily, Anthony, MacArthur, and the two servants, Thomas and Ethel. At the beginning of the book all of the characters are excited to be on a supposed “vacation.” As people start to mysteriously die day by day, the guests become terrified, paranoid, and suspicious of each other. Some even go mad, and give up on trying to protect themselves. Overall, the feelings of the characters towards the end of the book are chaotic and maddening.

And Then There Were None is written in first person, and also has many unexpected twists and turns. This makes the tone of the book dark, mysterious, and horrific.

I love reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christi because it is full of cliffhangers and clever plots, which never fail to entice me to read even more. It’s always the little things that make a book great.

 

Alice is in grade 7 and has volunteered her time as a library monitor.

Poetry Month Day 8

Today we are going to do a fun poetry exercise. We’re not actually going to write poetry (although you TOTALLY can… and I’d love to read it!) but it’s a way to get our wordy brains warmed up.

Ready?

First, think about your 5 senses:

  • sight
  • smell
  • sound
  • touch
  • taste

Grab a piece of paper and divide it into three columns and title the columns “Good,” “Neurtal,” and “Bad.” Next, label a row for each sense. Like this:

Good Neutral Bad
Sight
Smell
Sound
Touch
Taste

Now turn on your best word imagination! Try to think of an example of a word to fit in each category.
For primary students: try to think of a thing (noun) to go in each box.
For intermediate students: try to think of a, adjective to go in each box.

This exercise helps us develop our skills in connotation and perspective. When we write poetry we want to be able to express exactly what we feel or observe Often it’s not good enough to say “The smell of the supper my sister was cooking reached my nose.” Maybe you’d rather say “The aroma of the supper my sister was cooking reached my nose” OR “The stench of the supper my sister was cooking reached my nose.” Those conjure very different feelings and assumptions!

Have fun!