Tag archives for London
Posted by Meet the mascots of the London 2012 Olympic Games! Wenlock and Mandeville are made of steel, and are said to be made from the last girder of the Olympic stadium! Wenlock is the mascot of the Olympic Games, and Mandeville is the mascot of the Paralympics. The mascots are both customizable. You can create your own Wenlock or Mandeville on their official website.
This summer’s Olympic games begin on July 27. The Paralympics begin on August 29. What events are you most excited to watch?
Learn more about the London 2012 Olympics.
Get the facts on the United Kingdom on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Johnny Green, AP
Posted by BOOK NAME: The London Eye Mystery
AUTHOR: Siobhan Dowd
Welcome to August’s last book club meeting!
jindo2108, we agree with you! It would be disappointing to get this far and not have Kat and Ted solve the mystery. 2whitie, it’s true that a lot of mysteries have leads earlier in the story. Can anyone think why the author might wait so long to give readers a lead to follow?
We’ll be talking about the end of the book today. Click “See More” to jump into the discussion.
If you haven’t finished the book, stop here!
Read the whole post »
BOOK NAME: The London Eye Mystery
AUTHOR: Siobhan Dowd
Welcome, readers! Ready to talk about The London Eye Mystery? We are too. Let’s get started!
If you’ve read through chapter 27, click “See More” to talk about the book.
If you haven’t caught up, stop here!
BOOK NAME: The London Eye Mystery
AUTHOR: Siobhan Dowd
Welcome to the book club meeting. We’re reading The London Eye Mystery. The mystery is starting to unfold–Ted and Kat’s cousin Salim has gone missing!
If you’ve read through chapter 17, click “See More” to talk about the book.
If you haven’t caught up, stop here!
BOOK NAME: The London Eye Mystery
AUTHOR: Siobhan Dowd
Welcome to August’s first book club meeting! We’ve just started reading our book for this month, The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd.
If you have a copy and you’ve read the first five chapters, click “See More” to talk about your book.
If you haven’t gotten to chapter five yet, stop here!
August starts on Sunday, and you know what the beginning of August means—time to start a new book!
Our next book club pick is The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd. We’ll be reading the first five chapters for Wednesday’s meeting. We can’t wait to get started!
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Magician’s Nephew
AUTHOR: C.S. Lewis
Just mentioning Narnia sends me into a wonderland full of adventure and magic. This book is the first in The Chronicles of Narnia series and proves to be an engrossing beginning. There is some confusion about this book because most people may think that The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first book, but actually this book is the first. Because it is written by an English author, you’ll find that they spell “Hello” like “Hullo” and other spellings that seem odd to us. This book is absolutely beautiful in every aspect. I don’t always envision the illustrations the same as the artist (done by Pauline Baynes), but overall she still captures the scenes very well. I think it may have been hard to illustrate this book because honestly, Narnia is different for everyone.
The main character, Digory, is a boy who lives in London with his very strange uncle, a frail mother, maids, and an absent father (he’s away in India). So, really he can wander where he pleases. Very soon he meets a girl named Polly Plummer who lives next door to him. Since Polly and Digory’s houses are connected, they venture to the attic that connects the houses and find a door. Behind this door just happens to be Digory’s strange uncle. His uncle is making magical rings that will eventually lead them to Narnia where they bring an evil force that will haunt Narnia for hundreds of years. I can promise that Narnia will enchant you for years to come. It is a trip for your imagination and will inspire you. Whenever I have a bad day I just pick up one of these books and escape to Narnia. You should pay a visit too!
(NOTE: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first Narnia book published, but The Magician’s Nephew is the first book if you are reading in chronological order. -DogEared)
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Story of Cirrus Flux
AUTHOR:
Matthew Skelton
Cirrus Flux lives at the Foundling Hospital, where his father James left him when he was a baby. James Flux was doing work for the Guild of Empirical Science, and was on a quest to find the “Breath of God.” Set in 18th-century London, this novel is a breath of fresh air amidst all of the vampire books that dominate the young adult and even kids’ sections at bookstores and libraries. Every child who lives at the Foundling Hospital was left a token by their parent. These tokens are worn around the necks of the children. Cirrus is led to believe that he never had one, but this token is the focus of turmoil that is tearing through London like wildfire. Cirrus is one of the only older Foundlings left who hasn’t gotten an apprenticeship yet. His best friend has recently been apprenticed, and he is miserable.
Pandora is a foundling as well, and she was apprenticed to a woman who is after the Breath of God. Her mentor allegedly clears her patients of all bad memories, enabling them to get a new lease on life. Through a series of events, Pandora finds herself back in the Foundling Hospital and trying to help Cirrus escape.
The rest of the book is a chronicle of the adventures and events that occur after that point in the novel. Cirrus discovers that his token contains the last bit of the Breath of God, and all the major scientific powers of London are clamoring to get it. My favorite character in the book is Pandora. She is a unique, quirky girl who stands up for what she thinks is right and is not afraid to stand alone when she does so. She’s a great role model (as is Cirrus) and illustrates many characteristics that anchor concepts of true morality.
This book takes a while to get into, and it wasn’t the best storyline I’ve ever read. For me, the characters were what made reading it worthwhile. The values that were represented by each of the characters added depth to the plot where there otherwise wouldn’t have been any. It’s a good book overall, and I strongly recommend it for anyone wishing to embark upon a wild ride!
I think this book is fantasy, what with some of the things that happen later in the story. However, it is set in a real-time period London, with some twists. I prefer to think of it as an alternate universe, but I think that it’s open to interpretation! Read the book and comment to let me know what you think.
