Countdown to Disaster

    The House with a Clock in its Walls is a novel with a whimsical story to tell. Witten in 1973 by John Bellairs the story is about a young boy named Lewis Barnavelt who moves in with his uncle Jonathan Bernavelt. They then discover there is a "ticking" time bomb embedded in the walls of the house in the form of a giant clock. Their mission is to stop the clock and save the world. This story features fantastical yet realistic characters and places that intrigue you and keep you wanting to know more.  

    Something that really interested me about the book is the way the author mixes fantastical characters and occurrences in a "real world" setting. The story takes place in New Zebedee, Michigan. This town obviously is not a real place but, John Bellairs was inspired by a place named Marshall, which is an actual town in Michigan. Bellairs does a wonderful job of seamlessly combining two genres as he makes the setting outside of Jonathan's house a fictional yet realistic town and environment, but once you enter the house you immediately enter a world of wonder and magic. 

    Lewis Barnavelt really transforms throughout the story. In the beginning, he is a fat, shy boy who is skeptical of his uncle and his uncle'ss peculiar neighbor Mrs. Zimmerman. As time goes on Lewis becomes accustomed to his uncle's antics and behavior. Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman are both wizards and have mastered the art of "laidback magic." Lewis becomes eager to learn his uncle's trade. When Lewis finds out about the clock that is set to destroy the world, a desire to find the clock and be a hero strikes Lewis. Overall, throughout the book, Lewis' transformation from an unpopular, unable to swim, bad at sports, and obsessed with the dustiest history imaginable kid to a hero really makes this book all the more interesting.

All in all, The House with a Clock in its Walls is a wonderful and whimsical story for readers of all ages. The plot, the characters, and the setting will have you wanting to keep reading for hours on end. It provides the perfect balance and mixture between fantasy and historical fiction. Jonathan's magic and attitude, Lewis' antics, and Mrs. Zimmerman's peculiar behavior certainly make The House with a Clock in its Walls a true literary masterpiece and I hope you will enjoy reading it.

 

Small Spaces are Hidden Treasures

    Small Spaces, a novel by Catherine Arden, tells the story of a girl named Olivia, Ollie for short. The story creates a world where things are not as they seem, and where shadows are abundant. The book throws elements of surprise at the reader throughout the story, and builds suspense with the ever ticking watch that counts down the time until sunset. Combining horror and mystery makes the book hard to put down, and it leaves the reader wondering what happens next.

Ollie isn't exactly an average girl; her mother died the year before and she lives with her dad in a house painted with a variety of colors, known as "The Egg." She's just trying to get through seventh grade when she finds a woman crying by the side of a river, about to throw a book in. Before she knows it, Ollie snatches the book out of the woman's hands and runs away with it, with the words of the woman still in her head, "Avoid large places at night. Keep to small." As she reads the book, she learns the story of the Websters, a farm family that lived in a place called Smoke Hollow. 

The story of Smoke Hollow is this; a girl named Beth grew up with her friends Caleb and Jonathan at Smoke Hollow. As they grew, the two boys competed for the love of Beth. One day Jonathan asked for her hand in marriage, and Beth said yes. Caleb was so angry at Jonathan he left Smoke Hollow and ran into the woods. He did not return. Days later, on a rainy evening, mist began to rise in the fields, the same mist that gives Smoky Hollow its name. Jonathan, in grief, left the house and cried to the rain "Please, I'm sorry, I just want him back. I'll do anything." At that a figure walked out of the mist and told Jonathan he could bring his brother back... at a price.

Ollie does not think much of the story until she visits Smoke Hollow itself and learns more of the story. Later that day, as she is heading home from Smoke Hollow with her classmates, a mist descends upon them and the countdown to sunset begins. Joined by two students, she sets out into the woods and ultimately into another world, one where scarecrows lurk in the shadows and night is a treacherous place to be.

In Small Spaces I learned about the values of teamwork, that not only does it make things more efficient, it can provide safety to team members, with the ultimate message being stick together and stay focused, and one can succeed. The story of Ollie and her fellow students is a creepy, interesting tale sure to hook you. I highly recommend reading Small Spaces, as it keeps you on the edge of your seat and is hard to put down, to say the least. Also- avoid large places at night.

This book is grrrrrrreat! -Tony the Tiger

    The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald shares the exciting stories of a group of upper classes individuals in the Roaring 20s. The book challenges our way of thinking about the "American Dream" and makes you debate whether the characters are good, bad, or somewhere inbetween. In addition, the book contains many vivid descriptions and scenes of romance, suspense, and comedy. 

    The part of this book I found the most interesting was the complexity of the characters, especially Jay Gatsby. Throughout the book I questioned whether Gatsby was great as the title suggests or a criminal. For context, Mr. Jay Gatsby is Nick Carraway, the narrator's neighbor. Gatsby is very wealthy and lives in a giant mansion in West Egg, he is known for his many spectacular parties but not much is known about his past. Eventually he reveals his complicated past to Nick. Nick learns that Jay Gatsby was born "James Gatz" a poor farmer. One day he saves the life of a wealthy man named Dan Cody. Cody hires Gatz and Gatz learns all about the lives of the upper class and aspires to live in a similar manner. He has one problem, he has no money. Right before leaving to fight in World War I Gatz/Gatsby falls madly in love with Daisy, a girl born into a very wealthy family. When Gatsby returns to the US he finds out Daisy has married but he is determined to win her back. 

    With only this knowledge I assumed Gatsby was in fact great man. He is an example of the American Dream that anyone from any background can become successful and wealthy. However, what Nick learns later makes me questions my original judgement of Gatsby. Nick learns Gatsby makes his money through a illegal business with Meyer Wolfshiem involving gambling and bootlegging. With his new money Gatsby buys a mansion across the bay from Daisy and her husbands and throws extravagant parties in hopes to meet her again. 

    After learning about how Gatsby earned his money my immediate response was to think that he was no longer a great man. But after thinking more about his motives I sparked a debate with myself about Gatsby's morality. Is Gatsby's shady business justified if he is doing it to win back his true love Daisy? Is it shallow or smart for him to want Daisy to see how much money he has? Is Gatsby trying to win Daisy back because he still loves her or is it just to validate his success in life. These are some of many questions I considered. 

    I highly recommend this book for all readers especially those who enjoy deep thinking. The author's detailed description paint lifelike imagery and you feel as if you know exactly where you are and everything about the people around you.   

Arcady's Goal: The Boy With a Dream

 Arcady's Goal is a story about a young boy living in an orphanage in Communist Russia, who dreams of making a better life for himself by pursuing his life-long wish of becoming a professional soccer player. Written by Eugene Yelchin and published in 2014, Arcady's Goal is a story that never gets old. It is full of excitement, fear, anger, and an incredible desire for a better life. Something that really stands out about this book is the character development and the connections between characters

 Arcady is a 12-year-old boy whose parents were considered "enemies of the people" which basically means that they did not stand with Communism. This led to Arcady losing his parents and being put in an orphanage. Here he develops an undying love for the sport of soccer. Meanwhile, far from the orphanage is a man named Ivan Ivanych. Ivan also lost a very important person to him due to Communism. 

Ivan comes to the orphanage and watches Arcady play. Arcady describes that the field is "a yard with a fence on all sides, the stakes of the fence are sharpened to knifepoints. The barbed wire above the stakes keeps us from climbing" (Yelchin 1). Arcady is the most gifted player out of all of the boys at the orphanage and Ivan is quick to realize that, and decides to adopt Arcady.    

Arcady goes through great change when he moves in with Ivan. At first, Arcady is a bad-mouthed, dirty boy who has not been truly loved in years. As he spends more time with Ivan, he becomes more well-mannered and begins to exude cleanliness as he begins to realize that he now has an adult in his life who actually cares for and loves him. Arcady tells Ivan that his dream is to become a professional soccer player and play on an actual team. Ivan and Arcady grow closer than ever when trying to fulfill Arcady's desire. They go through both disappointing and exciting times and these make the bond they have even stronger. Ivan really becomes an actual father to Arcady and turns his life around completely. Both main characters go through an immense amount of change which makes this such a compelling book. 

The reason you should read this book is not only because it is an amazing story of hardship and triumph, but because it also presents a strong message about how incredibly important family is and how even when you are in a seemingly dark time, there can always be a light at the end of the tunnel.