Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Reviewed by Milly (14)

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a  tragic book about the life of a pair of migrant workers and their dreams.

You see the pair of men first on their way to work. The bus driver dropped them off 14 miles from the barn so they spent the rest of the day walking when they finally rest at the side of a water bed. In the book the place they stopped is described in the book with very descriptive and almost poetically by Steinbeck. Here is an example of his style of writing: 'On one side of the river the golden foothill slops curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees-willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter's flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool.'

 After the text above it introduces Lennie and George as opposites but, they still manage to have a bond as tight as brothers. George, a realist, is smaller and weaker than Lennie, but he is the smarter one. Lennie, on the other hand, is a huge guy with a brain as big as a peanut and the strength of a lion. Lennie is a dreamer.

Lennie forgot everything he was ever told but always remembered the story about the rabbits. The story is dream that the pair shared to rise there hopes. It starts off by George saying that men like themselves are lonely as hell cause they got no one and have no home to go to. But not them cause, as Lennie said excitedly, "I've got you and you got me an were gonna get a house together with chickens and a cow and rabbits and I can tend to them and grow alfalfa for them!".

The book Of Mice and Men has the theme of belonging and people's rights. It shows this mainly through the characters Cooks, a dark-skinned man, and  Curly's Wife, who likes talking to the other workers.The time this book was based there were little to no rights for women and black people. For example, Cooks was to sleep in the stables cause he was black and he was so lonely because no one would talk to him. Curly's wife is also lonely because she is not allowed to talk to anyone other than her husband (who is not a nice guy). That is all because of how they look and their gender. They also show how unwelcome Curly's wife is--through the whole book no one mentions  her name because it didn't matter, all they needed to know was she's Curly's wife.

This book made me cry and cry (I still cry if anyone mentions the end) but it was worth it. Steinbeck is an amazing writer and  makes you create a bond with each character. When Mum told me I should read it I said ok, but I was not expecting this piece of art. If you haven't read this book yet then you NEED to read it.

I rate this book out of 5 paper dolls: 

I LOVE THIS BOOK! but I don't think I could read it again, too sad.

Graceling

Gracling by Kristin Cashore

Reviewed by Milly 14yrs. old - Book Reviewer and Sometimes Baker

Graceling by Kristin Cashore is an exciting and enticing fantasy that starts with a girl in a fantasy realm called The Seven Kingdoms. Katsa is almost like every other girl, except for the fact that she has a talent for killing things. This is an interesting trait, but she is left with the notion that it's every person for themselves. She is a Gracling. Graclings are just people who have a special gift, some more useful then others. You can tell a graced person by their eyes, they are different colours. One day Katsa meets a boy with the most spectacular eyes, one silver and one gold. The day she meets Po? That's the day her life changes. 

Katsa has always been an obedient assassin and thug for her greedy uncle, the Kind of her realm, but Po makes Katsa start to question her role. When Katsa disobeys the King for the first time, she now finds herself an outlaw on the run. She may as well follow Po on his mission to stop an evil Gracling. 

I liked Katsa, she is brave, strong and willing to do anything to protect her friends. She is really inspiring. All the characters in this novel were well developed, like Bitterblue, even though she's a little kid and traumatised, she has moments of strength. Po seems to be a lighthearted character, but he will be tested.

This thrilling action is so fast paced, you won't want to put the book down (I know I didn't). The thing that stood out about it compared to other fantasy stories is it's written from the point of view of not only a girl, but a girl who is a warrior at heart. I love this amazing book and I give it out of 5 paper dolls:

I will definitely be reading Fire and Bitterblue in this series!