Category: A Bit Sad

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning

  • A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
  • Number of Pages: 162
  • Cool Words: associated, murmured, trifled, Gorgonzola

This book is about three children named Violet, Klaus and Sunny. They have to look for a new home, so their parents’ friend Mr Poe stays with them for one day and then gives them to Count Olaf. But why are there so many eyes in Count Olaf’s house? And why is Count Olaf so spooky and nasty?

I thought this book was the best book I’ve read so far, because its really really fun to read. The things that are happening are actually bad, but the book is fun somehow. Like when Count Olaf sends Sunny up to the tower, Violet and Klaus just waited and didn’t do anything. They should have gone up and seen if she was uncomfortable, or stolen her away and left, but they didn’t do that. But because they didn’t do that, it became really mysterious and I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Sunny is sent to the tower

Count Olaf is a funny character although he is a brat. He is always grumpy, but in a funny way. He is really tall, with a big nose and he is like a giant next to the kids.

Although I really liked this book, I think some of my friends might find it sad and cry at the sad bits. But when you read it you have to think that this is not real, it’s fiction and there is no need to get upset. Books that are real are non-fiction.

People who like mysteries will like the book. I think I would recommend it to 10 or 11 year olds and older, because it can be a bit dark.

Wizarding For Beginners

  • Wizarding for Beginners, by Elys Dolan
  • Number of Pages: 203
  • Cool Words: glossy, trotted, flagrant 
  • German Words: Dummkopfe (stupid), Schnell (quick), Unterhose (underwear), Ja (yes), mein Hintern (my bottom)

This book is pretty difficult to read because some of the words are in German. I already knew some of the words because my mom is part German, but the people who don’t know German will find it a bit tricky since Albrecht uses a lot of German words. 

the mean mirror

The story is pretty exciting. There is an annoying mirror that keeps telling the monster which is very very friendly, that it’s hair is awful. That makes the monster feel bad. It made me furious. I would frown at him and he’s lucky it’s just a frown! I think the mirror is a boy, because every time I read about the mirror it feels like its a boy.

The mirror is actually not really important in the story. The important characters in the story are Dave, Albrecht, Terrence the Terrible and Brain (I call him Brain, but his actual name is Belinda because he is only pretending to be a boy so she can be a wizard). Oh and there is also a beast that is important. I like the friendly beast (most beasts aren’t friendly). 

The story is also pretty funny and mysterious. There are parts that are sad, like when Terrence tries to cook Albrecht (he is a goat). Terrence is cooking him so that the tiger can eat him. Darcy in my class also likes to pretend to cook people and Heather has a toy tiger that says “Raaaar!”. 

Actually Wizarding for Beginners is a bit complicated because there are loads of different characters and loads of languages. I also didn’t like the illustrations so much. They have too much going on. Mrs Szczypka, my photography teacher, says to only take pictures on a grey surface or a gold surface or just a really plain surface so that there isn’t too much going on. Because if there is too much going on, people don’t focus on the main thing.

I would recommend this book to 10-year olds that are studying German. I think its not really good for 6-year olds. 

To Wee or Not to Wee

  • To Wee or Not to Wee, by Pamela Butchart
  • Number of Pages: 168
  • Cool Characters: MacBeth, Hamlet, Bottom, Lysander, Demetrius, Puck, Titania, Oberon, Helena, Hermia, Romeo & Juliet

This book is a Shakespeare and Pamela Butchart book. I read this one for Shakespeare week this year. Shakespeare wrote plays like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Macbeth, Tempest, Romeo & Juliet and The Twelfth Night. My favourite is A Midsummer Night’s Dream, because its really funny.

Even though I like some of the stories, I think Shakespeare plays are pretty much for older kids. Most kids don’t like sad things and many of the plays are pretty sad. And the language in the original Shakespeare plays is hard to understand. 

Imagine you were reading a Shakespeare play and your parents were working and you had to keep asking them ‘what does this mean’ and ‘what does that mean’? That’s pretty much what would happen if you read original Shakespeare and you’re under, maybe 13-years old. 

I watched the CBeebies Presents versions of some Shakespeare plays and it’s still pretty hard to understand because they use Shakespeare talk like “Doth” and “Art thou”… Although watching the shows is a bit easier than just reading the play, because in CBeebies Presents ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ they have Cook and Lime explaining what’s going on and in CBeebies ‘The Tempest’ they have Captain Captain explaining what’s happening. 

3 Witches in MacBeth

To Wee or Not to Wee is not hard to understand at all. It’s like an easy way to read about Shakespeare’s stories and Pamela Butchart makes everything funny. She can make anything, like sad things or angry things or things that are not so nice into funny things. In the book she uses Hamlet, MacBeth, A Midsummer Nights Dream and Romeo & Juliet.

One of my favourite parts of the book is when Jody tells Zack that he is being like Hamlet because he can’t decide on anything. I also like it when Hamlet says “To Wee or Not to Wee” although mom says that in the real play Hamlet says “To Be or Not to Be” -I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean though. How can you Be or Not Be? 

It’s a bit scary when they murder the King in MacBeth, but its super funny when Titania the queen of the fairies falls in love with Nick Bottom.

I would recommend this book, but not to kids in my class. I think you should be around 10 years old to read this because it can be a bit scary and a bit sad some times.