Alone In Berlin

 by Emily Moody

 

Alone in Berlin is a novel by Hans Fallada, inspired by a true story.  It follows the story of a working class couple in Nazi Germany, in Berlin (as suggested by the title), who quietly start to oppose Hitler after they learn that their only son has fallen in the taking of France. The novel was one of the first anti-Nazi books to be printed in Germany after WWII. Its first English release was in 2009, where it became popular almost instantly.

The story mainly follows a working class couple, Otto and Anna Quangel, in Berlin under Nazi control, struggling to keep afloat within all the chaos that has divided the German society. We learn, within the very first chapter, that their only son, Otto Quangel, has died in the war, as a telegram is delivered to them. This greatly upsets and troubles Otto and Anna, as well as Trudel, dead Otto Jr.’s fiancée. Otto and Anna quietly begin to oppose Hitler, blaming him for the death of their only son. They drop postcards, in crowded buildings with messages like ‘Mother! The Führer has murdered our son. Mother! The Führer will murder your sons too. He will not stop till he has brought sorrow to every home in the world.’ Otto knows that even this small bit of resistance could cost both of them their lives, but he continues to drop the postcards.

This scheme soon turns into a cat and mouse game, with Inspector Escherich of the Gestapo, who attempts to catch the mysterious postcard writer. We see Escherich as an intelligent detective who is able to make clever inferences based on the smallest of clues. It seems that Otto is soon going to be found out, yet each time he manages to escape Escherich. Otto also refuses to join the ‘Party’ at work, even though it costs him a promotion, refusing any submission to the Nazis, who murdered his son.

There are also other little plots going on within the book, although all of the protagonist take residence, or have connections, at 55 Jablonski Strasse. There are lots of different characters that live in the range of apartments, from Baldur Persicke, a Hitler Youth Leader who puts Hitler and the Nazis before his own family, to Enno Kluge, who is determined to stay out of the army on health grounds, to Frau Rosenthal, an old Jewish woman whose husband has been dragged off by the Gestapo.  A mix of all types of people, 55 Jablonski Strasse is an allegory to Nazi Germany, and how the Nazis had split even the tightest of communities.

Alone in Berlin is based upon the true story of Otto and Elise Hampel, who started opposing due to the loss of Elise Hampel’s brother. They started committing deeds of civil disobedience, like writing leaflets and postcards, and dropping them in crowded areas and post boxes, despite knowing that this was a capital offense.  They worked for a year, until they were betrayed, and arrested. They were tried by a Nazi and sentenced to death. Soon after they were executed in Plötzensee Prison.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

by Sean Williams

A book review by Ryan Chapman

 

The book of the award-winning videogame by Lucas Arts is a actually a more tense, futuristic expereince than playing the game itself. The story takes place before the adventures of Luke Skywalker and after the events of Anakin Skywalker and his transformation into the evil Darth Vader.

 

The hero is clone of the original hero Starkiller, who was murdered by Darth Sidious during an attempt to free his captured allies (which he did). So, Darth Vader, in secret, decided to clone Starkiller and kept him a hostage, training him in the use of the Dark Side.

 

The way the book is written makes you feel like you're at the edge of your seat. Every moment there's an adventure round the corner. The setting at the beginning is dark and rainy, on a lonely base floating on a stormy ocean. That is where Starkiller's clone is held.

 

The author, Sean Williams, has made the main character, Starkiller, a lonely man, always off in his own mind, learing about with every step he takes.

 

The book is aimed at young adults and teens aged 13 + (I guess).

 

 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

By a student in Y8!

I chose this book because it is a deeply disturbing story about a monstrous creation. It is an excellent horror novel that has terrified and chilled readers since its first publication in 1818. It can still terrify readers today because it portrays how cruel, selfish and inconsiderate man can be.

The preface alone captures your imagination: 'The event on which this fiction is founded has been supposed, by Dr. Darwin and some of the physiological writers of Germany, as not of impossible occurence.'

I will not ruin any more surprises. You have to read it to believe how great it is. It is a truly good piece of writing that still captures our imagination will even capture the imagination of generations to come.

     The narrator of this tender and funny book is eleven-year-old Harrison Opoku, the second best runner in Year 7.  A recent immigrant from the African country of Ghana, along with his mother and his older sister Lydia, Harrison has a unique perspective on his life in a London council estate, dealing with gangs, knives, unfashionable training shoes and a talking pigeon. But his life is changed forever when one of his friends is murdered. Harrison decides to act, turning council-estate detective, but he ends up endangering the protection for himself and his family his mother has worked so hard to create.This is a great novel and could be read by adults or students. Some of the themes are quite tough and hard-hitting, so probably not recommended for very young readers!

 

 

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. A review by Hannah Bullamore

The most interesting incident in this book is when the three part book changes back to Bella’s point of view and she wakes up after being transformed into the undead… She wakes as a vampire and sees for the first time her newborn daughter Renesmee. Although Bella had only been unconscious for three days, and that’s how old Renesmee is she looks like a four month old! Her alarming growth gradually slows and that, although still worrying, is pushed behind Bella as she prepares to battle her worst enemies, the Voltori.

I loved the book and all of the previous ones too. It ended on a good note but left room for another book.

The most interesting character in this book is Renesmee as she is half vampire and half human, she can read people’s minds and show people what she wants them to see. She grows rapidly and looks at least twice her age.

The Haunted by Jessica Verday. A review by Hannah Ainsworth

The Haunted is the sequel to The Hollow. This book continues with the main character Abbey after she returns from her stay with her Aunt Marjorie. She had been away for a while, whilst trying to forget the hallucinations she was supposedly having. The most interesting part of this book is when Abbey goes to work for her Uncle at an ice cream shop. She works behind the counter with a girl from school named Aubra. One night Aubra’s boyfriend, Vincent, comes into the shop; they must have had an argument as Abbey could hear shouting. One night when Abbey got back from the shop she went up to her room and found rose petals on her bed. She thought it would be Caspian, but no, it was Vincent. He trashed her room and threw her around the room. Caspian came charging into the room but he was to late, Vincent had taken her.This shocks me as the book, like the hollow, leaves it as a cliff hanger. I hope there is going to be another book because I want to read what is about to happen to Abbey.

I find Vincent very interesting because the way he acts is quite scary. He scares me even though I know he is just a character from a book. At the end of the book it mentions that Vincent is the same as Caspian in many ways except everyone can see Vincent. They are mortal enemies.

The Hollow by Jessica Verday. Reviewed by Hannah Ainsworth

The Hollow is the first book of two, about a girl called Abbey living a tough life after her best friend, Kristen, disappeared. Although Kristen had never been found: her parents held a funeral to mark her death. At the funeral Abbey met a boy called Caspian. Several weeks after the funeral Abbey kept bumping into him and eventually they spoke. To Abbey, Caspian was a normal person who didn’t go to her school but he had a secret, he was a ghost. Abbey and Caspian carried on meeting up and eventually they fell in love. The most interesting part is when Abbey told her parents about Caspian being a ghost, they thought she was going insane, Abbey moved to her Aunt Marjorie’s for a while, until she could realise that he was really dead. The book ended on a cliff hanger.

I find Caspian the most interesting character because he is an illusion for Abbey. Caspian is described with white-blonde hair and a black streak standing out amongst his pale hair colour. Caspian tells Abbey he is there to help her get through life without Kristen but that’s not the only reason he is there for. He says no-one can see him apart from her which must mean something.