MANAMI'S SUPER READING BLOG

Swallow,Swallow, little Swallow, bring her the ruby out of my sword! I am s statue and I cannot move. (P, 16)      Happy Prince was a statue made of ruby, sapphire, gold foil and so on. He always thought about the poor in his town, so he asked a Swallow to deliver the part of his body the poor. Finally, because of this, the Swallow was very tired and dead, and Happy Prince who lost all jewelry was pulled down by the people in the town.      I learned the author, Oscar Wilde, in the history of English literature class, so I tried to choose this book. When I read, I found this was the story that I had read before in Japanese. I was so surprised because the book which I read in my childhood was written by him. I was moved by their kindness and proud of their self-sacrifice. On the other hands, I became very sad when I read the scene the statue of Happy Prince was destroyed by inconsiderate people. I found it is important to think about other’s happiness and act willingly. This was a v

The detectives send their reports every hour. Each one is sure he is following the elephant, but no one catches it. (P, 52)      A white elephant was send to the England’s queen as a royal present from Siam. However, on the way to the England, the elephant was stolen by someone. Inspector Blunt who was asked the deliverer to find the elephant discover the elephant at last. But the elephant was dead because of hunger.      I chose this book because it was written by the famous author, Mark Twain. I had known his great works such as “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” but I didn’t know this book until I read. The story was different from that I had expected. When I read the scene that the elephant was dead because of hunger, I remember a Japanese book named “Faithful Elephants” written by Yukio Tsuchiya. The death of living things is very sad because I had kept a dog. This book told me the importance of lives again, so I want to take care properly if

‘That is strange! I didn’t see it before,’ he said. ‘ And I didn’t see the moonlight.’(p, 13)      Mr William, an art dealer, bought an expensive picture. It was an old and boring picture, so he wandered why the picture cost so much. However, this picture gradually changed every time he saw and it was the key to solve the mystery.      Both stories in this book are horror, but I could enjoy reading. Especially, I interested in the former story. The last scene that the mystery was solved by the professor Green was thrilling. Some illustrations of the pictures helped my understanding although they were quite eerie. And I could enjoy reading because the most words in this book were not so difficult and more than anything the story itself was very interesting. If you don’t like horror like me, I reccomrnd you to read this book at the morning. M, R, James. (1998). The House in the Picture and Abbot Thomas’ Treasure. Oxford;UK. Macmillan.

‘No, I will never speak to Mr Townsend agin,’ the doctor replied. ‘And Iwiil never change my mind. Tell him that! You want to marry him. Very well! Marry him now. Or marry him after my death. But Mr Townsend will never have my money. I’ll give it to a hospital. Tell him that, Catherine.(p, 36)      Catherine is a daughter of a doctor and she was loved by her father very much, but she wasn’t interesting and she wasn’t beautiful like other giarls. One night, she met a young handsome man, Morris, at a party and they fell in love. They wanted to marry, but her father didn’t forgive it. The reason was he thought Morris’ real aim was his daughter’s money. So he never  forgave their marriage and said Catherine that his money will be given to a hospital after his death if they are married.      I thought father was a difficult role, because his happiness is not always the dautghter’s happiness. All fathers who love their daughter want her to marry with her dearest man, but they think abou

‘There are only five leaves on the vine now,’said Johsny. ‘ The last leaf will fall soon and then L’ll die. Did’t the doctor tell you about the leaves?’ (P, 26) Sue and Johnsy were artist. In December, Johnsy had heavy pneumonia because it was so cold. Sue cared for her very hard, but she losted her energy to live. Then she started to count the number of the leaves of the vine which she could see from her bed room and said the line. However, the last leaf would’t fall even though it was heavily rain. After I read this book, I found why the last leaf did’t fall.   When I know the reason I was deeply touched. I strongly recommend this book. I chose this book just because the illustration of the front cover was strange and odd, but the all stories in this book were very good. I want to read another book written by the same author and Japanese version of this book. However there were few illustrations in this, so someone maybe understand these situations hardly. O, Henry. (2005)

“Maybe you took it off the wall and put it on the chair,” Anna said. Janet was scared. The night both Janet and Anna heard somebody crying. They switched on the lights but there was nobody there. And when they went into the study the next morning the Mask was on the floor.(p, 22)      Janet visited Scotland because she had received a letter from her ex-boyfriend, Donald. Then she had good dinner with him, but she thought there was something different about him although she couldn’t work out what it was. It was a African mask that there were in his houses the time. Next day, she heard that Donald had died two weeks ago from his legal person...       While I read the first half of this book, I thought this is love story. However, continuing this book, I found this is a horror story. I read this alone in my room at the night, so I felt a little bit scare. It seemed that both Dnald’s death and the unnatural phenomenon were learned to the African mask. This book was easy to read becaus

"Keep my red umbrella. I like this umbrella. It's a lucky umbrella. This is my lucky day!' (p, 16)      Carla bought  a red umbrella which cost ten dollars for seven dollars, so she said "This is my lucky day!"  Then she went  to a cake shop. However her smart umbrella was stolen by a woman while she bought some cakes. She got angry and said "It is not my lucky day!" When she walked to the town square, a young man whose mane was Paul spoke to her. She walked away quickly because she didn't know who he is. In fact, he met up the woman who stole Carla's umbrella and thought Carla was the woman. Thanks to these accidents, Carla and Paul drank coffee together and got along with. Carla said "This is my lucky day!" again.       Stealing something is very bad behavior no matter what. It makes people sad or angry . However, in this story, Carla finally became happy. This is my favorite point of this book. When I saw the title of this book

'You get in now, Manuel,' said Leon. 'I'm going last.'  'No, you're not,' Manuel replied. 'Your arm is broken. you can't get into the boat alone. You need help. I'll help you.'  (p,22) Leon, Manuel, Pedro and Joe were working in a forest  to look for iron and other metals. Leon was the boss of the team and he wanted to get back to base because it was likely to rain, but they couldn't because Joe and Pedro were still in the forest. Unfortunately it began to rain and the ground became very muddy, so the truck on which they   were stopped. When they managed to push the truck, Leon's right arm was broken. They had many trouble sometimes, but after the accident they helped each other. This is the quote which I chose from my best memorable scene. I was moved because they thought about each other even though they had an argument. After I read this book, I learned that troubles make the team's bond stronger and cooperating is the b

"I believe a man has to find the answers to his own problems and look after his family, said Freeman." (p.  37 )       This is the story of a New York private investigator who found "the dark side of the city" whle he suarched another accident. It is drag dealing. The owner of the pet store whose name is Ellis Freeman was not a suspect of the accident but also a victim. One day, Ellis's wife needed a big operation at the hospital and it cost a lot of money. Then he borrowed money from the bank because he didn't save much mony. Although his wife conquered her desease thanks to the operation, he couldn't return the money for  the bank. So he began a crime by helping drag dealing to get money. He should have consulted other people but he didn't. The reason was he hed a belief that  a man has to find the answers to his own problems and look after his family. When I read this scene I thought he was very kind and loved his family very much. He had been

Now Anna was sure. Sam was a bad man, and dangerous too. He was a criminal. Anna must be careful. She must get away from him quickly. (p, 6) It was Anna's first journey away from home. Her father told her "Don't talk to any strangers," so she didn't say anything when a man whose name was Sam spoke to her on the train. He was very big and he had a ugly face. For a while, she saw a newspaper on the Sam's seat. There was a Sam's photograph on the back page. Above the photograph was a headline: This man is a dangerous fighte. T hen she thought Sam was a criminal. If you read this book you find it was a serious misunderstanding! Actually, Sam is a very very good man and the scar on his face which made him ugly resulted from his kindness. I became quite sad when I read the Sam's line, " You're different now. You didn't talk to me before ." (p, 27) Although Anna had went past her destination and gotten lost, she finally could reach the

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fai rest of us all?" (p, 24) Queen who is Snow Whitw's stepmother is beautiful and she asks the magic mirror wheter she is the most beautiful woman in the world. One day, the mirror replied Snow White is the most, so she got angry and planed to kill Snow White. Snow White was loved by evryone and fortunately all Queen's plot ended in failure. As you know Snow White will get marry with a prince, but the end was quite different from what I had thought. I had thought Snow White could come back to life thanks to the prince's kiss. That's why I was surprised to read this book. After my finish reading I thought envy is a scary feeling. If Queen had confidence in her looks without the mirror's admission, she would not try to kill Snow White. As is often the case with women, we tend to be worry about our appearance. Now there are various cosmetic surgery, many kind of cosmes and diet foods  to satisfy with women's

     "Poor Beast," said Beauty, her heart filling with pity. "I'll stay with you, if you like." (p, 31)      I think this is one of the most popular story in the world. There are many materials based on the story such as books, movies, and animations, so most of you know this. However I didn't know the story's detail because I haven't read or seen them. After my first reading this book, I thought Beauty is very kind girl. She loved her father and sisters although the sisters are mean to her. Furthermore she is kind to the Beast. If I ware her, I couldn't be kind to the person who were mean to me and nonhuman beings like the Beast. The most memorable scene is last. It is the scene that the spell was broken by Beauty's love. Most Disney princeses broke spells by their kiss, but the princes in this book was different. If you haven't seen "Beauty and the beast" yet, please read this book. And if you love disney princeses, please

 　 Then Cassy was given a medal. It was the proudest moment of her life. She was a hero.(p, 60) Cassy is a clumsy crocodile. She got a new job at big department store. She worked there very hard, but she mistook some times. The department's owner scolded her, so she felt depressed. One day, two thieves came to the department to steal a expensive jewel. She met the thieves by chance, and she caught them thanks to her regular mistake. The department's owner greatly appreciated her work and held a party to give her a medal. This was the proudest moment of her life.  Although Cassy is clumsy and mistake some times, I like her because she always tries to do her best. Of course mistaking is not good, but I think it will be meaningful if we change our mind and action. I often mistake at my part time job like her, and then I try not to d same mistake any more. Felicity, Everett. (2003). The Clumsy Crocodile. US. USBORNE YOUNG READING.

      But the fun couldn't last. First, the cannon was invented. It was soon strong enough to blast holes in the biggest castle. Then lords stopped fighting each other and banded together to fight other countries. Finally, lords and ladies decided they didn't want to live in cold, dark, noisy castles. They wanted grand homes instead.      So, they stopped building castles altogether. Castles had their stones stolen for new buildings, or were simply left to collapse. Hundreds of years went by...      ... until today, when very few castles are lived in at all. Some have completely disappeared. But you don't have to look for to find a ruin, just waiting to be explored. (p, 61,62, 63)           This book tells us the history of castles in Europe, for example why they were built, how they were developed and why they were vanished. In many countries, castles had been built in the past. There are some old castles in Japan. If the country is different, so the way of building c

He looked so cheerful that several people said, “Morning sir! Merry Christmas!” Scrooge thought those the most beautiful words he had ever heard. (p,5) This book was based on the story by Charles Dickens and one of the most popular story in UK. Scrooge is a grasping, greedy, gruesome old man and his face looked frozen. In the season of Christmas, Scrooge met three ghosts. First ghost took him to past, second ghost took him to now and third ghost took him future. And then, he found how stupid he was and he will be deserted like he had done. The meeting between Scrroge and the three ghorst changed his mind, and he became kind person. Finally he came to like Christmas although He hated it at first. So he said   “Morning sir! Merry Christmas!” in the final paragraph. After I reading this book, I thought any people has a room which will be changed their mind or character by something. Charles, Dickens. A Christmas Carol. (2003). USBORNE YOUNG READING. UK.

Peter began to cry. He wanted to go home. But he did not know how to get there. This book is written by Beatrix Potter. This is one of the most popular story in the world.  Of caurse I have known this charactor but this is the first time for me to read the book. Peter is a naughty rabit. He doesn't keep what his mother said, so he is some times involved troubles. While I read this book, I thought Peter's actions and illustrations were cute. And I was  excited by scene that Peter likely to be cought by Mr. MacGregor. This is not short book, but I can  enjoy reading because there are many and big cute illustretions in this book. Beatrix, P. (1997). The Tales of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny. WE BOTH READ.

"Can I take Josefina?" (p,5) Faith wanted to take her pet Josefina to California together. But her father didn't allow to do that because Josefina was too old to lay eggs and too tough to eat. When I read this part, I was sorry for her. I have been keeping a dog for many years. So if I were her, I would be sad because I should leave him alone. I thought Josefina is a member of her family too. Eleanor, Coerr. (1986). The Josefina Story Quilt. NY. I Can Read.

"Oh, no!" he thinks. "There's no money! There's only an apple!" The woman comes to him. "You have the wrong bag!" she says. "I have the money here. The girl has the secret plans. (p,10) Today I read "I  Spy". This book's length is 1,280 words. Edgar starts a new job and it's a spy. His first mission is carrying the bag packed secret plans. However, he took the wrong bag to the destination. He was missed! He robbed of a boy's bicycle to go after the girl who has his bag. Besides he hit a woman and dogs and made them angry. After I read this book, I thought steeling someone's things and making someone upset to satisfy own goal is very bad. Waring, R., and Jamall,W. (2006). I Spy. Boston,MA. Thomson ELT.

     She pulled off a lesf and let it glide down to the ant. "Here you are," she cooed, and flew away.      The ant struggled onto the leaf. He breathed a sigh of relief as he floated to safety. (p,19 to p,20) Today I read The ant and the dove . One day, friendly dove discovered drowning ant. Then he pulled off a leaf and gave it for the ant. Thank you for his help the ant was saved. The following day, the dove was saved by the ant although he was caught. After I reading this book, I thought  being kind for someone will be good for me too. And I thought however small is he, he can help his friend. Finally, I learned the moral that "One good turn deserves another". Watson, C. (2007). Aesop's Fables. London, UK: Usborne.

 Your nanobots are made to go inside the body. They fix sick and damaged cells. Thousands of nanobots work together to find the bad cells and destroy them. You control your nanobots using a special helmet and gloves.       The story of this book is created by your choice while you read it. So the end of this book is depend on the reader. After I read this book, I thought nanobots were very interesting and helpful robots. I was so surprised that nanobots were even smaller than the cells in our bodies! If we can use nanobots properly, human can overcome many kind of deseases which are torturing us now. Howeveer, in this story, nanobots somehow coused trouble for the patient and researcher. A lot of nanobots were created in the patient's brain without order, and they made the patient automatically. Although the patient's desease was cured, it was meaningless for him to live without humanity. I strongly thought that mental health is much more important than body health. I'm s

' What's his name?' asks Tunui Epati. Epati is an inspector in the Cook Island police.  ' His name is Wolfgang Peters,' she answers. 'Some people call him the "Minute Man".' 'Why?' Epitai asks. 'Because one minute he's there and the next minute he's not,' answers Hunter.  'And why do you want him?' Epati asks. He looks at the photo. ' He steals,' answers Hunter. (P,6,7) Wolfgang Peters is a famous thief in New Zealand. He often steals many beautiful decorations and jewels by pretending to be a bussiness man. One day Hunter and Epati get an information that the thief will try to steal the Manihiki Necklace next. The necklace is a beautiful one of black pearls. So  the two plice inspector have started investigating the case... This book was very easy and not so long. Besides this story's development is too plain to enjoy reading, although this is mystery novel. So if you want to read a substait

Until I  first saw him, I didn't think very often about being deaf. It's all I've ever known, and I can't do anything to change it. And all of my boyfriends have been deaf. But after I saw the young man, I wanted to be like most other people. I didn't want to be different. (p,11)      This is thye story about deaf girl. Sam. One day she fall in love with Jim who works at the shop near her house. Few weeks later, they meet at their friend's party and love in each other. However, Sam is told that Jim is a musician by his ex-girlfriend. Sam is shocked she didn't know the fact and thinks Jim didn't tell her because she is deaf...      After I reading this book, I thought a girls in love tand to lose confidence and feel fear, especially if thgey have disability. It is natural for them to hope not being different from other people. If I were Sam, I would be shoked like her although Jim didn't intend so. This book told me the emotion of the girl with dis

A new life begings for everybody, but there are still secrets from the pat, and Valjean wants to tell them. He feels old and tired. Death is coming for him at last, he feels. He calls Cosette and Marius to his bedside.      "Listen,dearest Cosette, to the story of your mother," he says. Cosette hears thge stiry of Fantine's sad life. She learns thet Valjean is not her real father, but in her life there is only father, and that is Valfean, she tells him. (p,43-44) After I read this book, I thought this is a story about brave, love, and mercy in the time of the France Revolution. I could read this book easily and enjoy reading. The reason is this story was made into a movie and I was watched it before. Jan Baljean was punished because of his stealing, but he changed his mind when he met a merciful minister. This story starts such scene. I was very moved by this book, so I want you to read this book too. If you feel dificult, you can watch the movie. I'

Can you find my doughter? She left home five weeks ago. Just walked out. Took all her things, and walked out. And not a word from her. No phone calls. Not even a text. Nothings. (p,2) I read this book, because I was recommended it by my friend. I like mystery movels and this book was mystery so I could enjoy reading this. This book was mystery, but it was not so difficult. Since this story dealed with everiday family subject, we can imagine and read easily.  Also  many illustrations in this book can help us to read easily. The words are simpl and the number of words is just for me. I really recommend you to read this book. Please check it out. Jennifer, Bassett. (2012). Shirley Homes and the Lithuanian Case. UK. Oxford Univercity press.