What We Read Last Week – July 6
I am sorry to say I didn't read anything that I think teens would be interested in last week (unless you are interested in web content management systems, human-computer interaction or marketing on the web–last week was a lot of work-related reading for me)…
But go ahead and use this thread to tell us about what you read last week! Now you can start winning prizes for your contributions as well!
Alan H is a web librarian at Toronto Public Library. He reads all over the place.
What have you read recently? Let us know by commenting!
64 thoughts on “What We Read Last Week – July 6”
Last week, one of the books I read was Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.
Firstly, I love the storyline of Thirteen Reaons Why. Hannah Baker committed suicide, and weeks later, after her death, the boy who had a crush on her and who made out with her at a party, finds an old shoebox at his doorstep. In the shoebox are 7 cassette tapes, all each with a number on them. It Following the map Clay was given, he listens to Hannah’s voice as he travels across the town. It all started with one rumor that was a chain reaction for everything else that occurred. It wasn’t her fault, but other peoples . . . Thirteen people, all linked together in some way, are the reasons why she chose to end her life. Clay is one of them.
With Clay’s character, he was always thinking . . . and wondering . . . and his feelings were often described in detail. I can only imagine how painful it was to have to listen to all of this from the girl he liked.
I liked Hannah’s character. She was honest, saw things differently, was bold at some parts of the book, who knew how to express herself. As each event unfolds and passes by, you can imagine why she would even want to kill herself in the end.
I loved how it went back and forth from Hannah’s tapes to Clay who is listening to the tapes.
It was a touching book, with a lot of raw emotion.
A gripping book, with a lot of different issues in it, high school in a way, isn’t easy for everyone. I would recommended this for teens or adults.
Last week, one of the books I read was Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.
Firstly, I love the storyline of Thirteen Reaons Why. Hannah Baker committed suicide, and weeks later, after her death, the boy who had a crush on her and who made out with her at a party, finds an old shoebox at his doorstep. In the shoebox are 7 cassette tapes, all each with a number on them. It Following the map Clay was given, he listens to Hannah’s voice as he travels across the town. It all started with one rumor that was a chain reaction for everything else that occurred. It wasn’t her fault, but other peoples . . . Thirteen people, all linked together in some way, are the reasons why she chose to end her life. Clay is one of them.
With Clay’s character, he was always thinking . . . and wondering . . . and his feelings were often described in detail. I can only imagine how painful it was to have to listen to all of this from the girl he liked.
I liked Hannah’s character. She was honest, saw things differently, was bold at some parts of the book, who knew how to express herself. As each event unfolds and passes by, you can imagine why she would even want to kill herself in the end.
I loved how it went back and forth from Hannah’s tapes to Clay who is listening to the tapes.
It was a touching book, with a lot of raw emotion.
A gripping book, with a lot of different issues in it, high school in a way, isn’t easy for everyone. I would recommended this for teens or adults.
Recently I read Unbelievable from the Pretty Little Liar Series by Sara Shepard. I just loved the book and it probably makes my top 10. From the very beginning the book grasps your attention and you can’t put it down until you finish it. The things that happened and the way the characters responded to them was pretty believable and some of their responses were pretty similar to mine. When you read the book you feel as if you are actually there watching these characters from your own eyes instead of reading it!
Recently I read Unbelievable from the Pretty Little Liar Series by Sara Shepard. I just loved the book and it probably makes my top 10. From the very beginning the book grasps your attention and you can’t put it down until you finish it. The things that happened and the way the characters responded to them was pretty believable and some of their responses were pretty similar to mine. When you read the book you feel as if you are actually there watching these characters from your own eyes instead of reading it!
Currently, I am reading The Dead Pool written by Sue Walker. It am still reading it and I am on the middle of this book. It is a mystery oriented book and I have no clue how to get the key to unlock the mystery behind the story.
I know I am not finished reading it yet, however, I am enjoying it very much.
Currently, I am reading The Dead Pool written by Sue Walker. It am still reading it and I am on the middle of this book. It is a mystery oriented book and I have no clue how to get the key to unlock the mystery behind the story.
I know I am not finished reading it yet, however, I am enjoying it very much.
I just finished the book “Mountain Girl River Girl” by Ting-xing Ye. It is unbelievable to know some of the black tricks between rich and poor people in recent China. I was shocked throughout the book. and felt pity for the 2 girls.
I just finished the book “Mountain Girl River Girl” by Ting-xing Ye. It is unbelievable to know some of the black tricks between rich and poor people in recent China. I was shocked throughout the book. and felt pity for the 2 girls.
I just finished reading “Rebel Angels” by Libba Bray, the sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty. This novel, the second in a trilogy, is an incredibly rich and vivid fantasy. The main character, Gemma Doyle, continues her journey to adulthood as she learns more about herself and her opinions about the world and her place in it. I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to read the third and final novel of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, A Sweet Far Thing.
I just finished reading “Rebel Angels” by Libba Bray, the sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty. This novel, the second in a trilogy, is an incredibly rich and vivid fantasy. The main character, Gemma Doyle, continues her journey to adulthood as she learns more about herself and her opinions about the world and her place in it. I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to read the third and final novel of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, A Sweet Far Thing.
To tell the truth I wasn’t able to go to the library last week because of the many events that are happening in my life. However I am proud to say I have read the nwespaper daily last week and found out it is just as great as a book. Not to mention the knowledge I hade gained from it. 😀
To tell the truth I wasn’t able to go to the library last week because of the many events that are happening in my life. However I am proud to say I have read the nwespaper daily last week and found out it is just as great as a book. Not to mention the knowledge I hade gained from it. 😀
I am in the middle of a book series named Cirque Du Freak. It is a horror book and it is quite thrilling. It is gory and violent but it won’t let me let go of it. It is quite cool how the author, Darren Shan, uses his own name for the main character.
This book is about this boy who becomes a half-vampire for best friend. However, the boy gave up his hopes and dreams to become a half-vampire. He goes to the mountain of vampire to join the other vampires but then he realizes that he is destined to fight with the vampaneze lord. The vampaneze lord was the mysterious leader of the vampaneze, the enemy race of the vampires. I won’t reveal whole story, but I recommend all of the readers who like scary and violent books to read it.
I am in the middle of a book series named Cirque Du Freak. It is a horror book and it is quite thrilling. It is gory and violent but it won’t let me let go of it. It is quite cool how the author, Darren Shan, uses his own name for the main character.
This book is about this boy who becomes a half-vampire for best friend. However, the boy gave up his hopes and dreams to become a half-vampire. He goes to the mountain of vampire to join the other vampires but then he realizes that he is destined to fight with the vampaneze lord. The vampaneze lord was the mysterious leader of the vampaneze, the enemy race of the vampires. I won’t reveal whole story, but I recommend all of the readers who like scary and violent books to read it.
I started “a complicated kindness” by Miriam Toews who knows how long ago before my exams even started, due to my lack of commitment towards reading a book consistently even if I really like it. 🙂 Despite that, I’ve found the novel to be really, really good so far. The story is narrated by a girl recounting her life before her sister and then mother left her family, and after, and so on. It’s really humourous, the story, because the narrator is this clever, questioning, sort of jaded person who retells her life in this, detached, yet still completely attached, peculiarly honest perspective. A complicated kindness would be good for people who like reading novels, if this is for them, that would ask them to open their mind, question things, and be strangely…compelled.
Anyway :]
I started “a complicated kindness” by Miriam Toews who knows how long ago before my exams even started, due to my lack of commitment towards reading a book consistently even if I really like it. 🙂 Despite that, I’ve found the novel to be really, really good so far. The story is narrated by a girl recounting her life before her sister and then mother left her family, and after, and so on. It’s really humourous, the story, because the narrator is this clever, questioning, sort of jaded person who retells her life in this, detached, yet still completely attached, peculiarly honest perspective. A complicated kindness would be good for people who like reading novels, if this is for them, that would ask them to open their mind, question things, and be strangely…compelled.
Anyway :]
I just read the first book in a series called ‘Beka Cooper’ the first book is called ‘ Terrier’ and it’s by Tamora Pierce
The book is about a really shy girl who wants to become a part of Provost’s dogs guard- which is basicly the police in the book, she’s assigned to the lower city and has to learn fast because the lower city is the toughest part of Corus (the city the book is set in)
The book is spiced up from the normal police hunting crimal story with magic, talking cats with purple eyes and the terms used in the book (which are very funny sometimes and completly orignal).
The fact that it is her diary makes it intersting because in some areas of the book she gets so angry or embarassed she won’t write it down untill the next day write in the journal.
I just read the first book in a series called ‘Beka Cooper’ the first book is called ‘ Terrier’ and it’s by Tamora Pierce
The book is about a really shy girl who wants to become a part of Provost’s dogs guard- which is basicly the police in the book, she’s assigned to the lower city and has to learn fast because the lower city is the toughest part of Corus (the city the book is set in)
The book is spiced up from the normal police hunting crimal story with magic, talking cats with purple eyes and the terms used in the book (which are very funny sometimes and completly orignal).
The fact that it is her diary makes it intersting because in some areas of the book she gets so angry or embarassed she won’t write it down untill the next day write in the journal.
I’ve recently finished reading “Night World 3” by L.J. Smith. It’s similar to the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer in the sense that it is about vampires and werewolves, but different in every other way. This book actually comprises of 3 stories that used to be sold seperately in the 90’s but were put together to make up “Night World 3.”
Each story deals with the “Soulmate Principle” which is the idea that there is a soulmate for everyone in the world. Soulmates don’t have to be the same, meaning that a human’s soulmate can easily be a vampire or a shapeshifter. In addition, once you meet your soulmate, you never be truly happy without them. This makes love very dangerous as death is the penalty for humans who discover about the Night World (the society made up by vampires, werewolves, witches, and shapeshifters.)
I honestly believe this book (and the two previous books in the series) to be MUCH better than the Twilight Series (that I liked.) The writing isn’t as simple and the plot for each book is so much more exciting, making you want to read more.
I’ve recently finished reading “Night World 3” by L.J. Smith. It’s similar to the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer in the sense that it is about vampires and werewolves, but different in every other way. This book actually comprises of 3 stories that used to be sold seperately in the 90’s but were put together to make up “Night World 3.”
Each story deals with the “Soulmate Principle” which is the idea that there is a soulmate for everyone in the world. Soulmates don’t have to be the same, meaning that a human’s soulmate can easily be a vampire or a shapeshifter. In addition, once you meet your soulmate, you never be truly happy without them. This makes love very dangerous as death is the penalty for humans who discover about the Night World (the society made up by vampires, werewolves, witches, and shapeshifters.)
I honestly believe this book (and the two previous books in the series) to be MUCH better than the Twilight Series (that I liked.) The writing isn’t as simple and the plot for each book is so much more exciting, making you want to read more.
Recently, I’ve finished reading a book called “What Looks Like Crazy” by Charlotte Hughes. I really liked this book, because it’s funny and I really couldn’t put the book down for a minute. The main character Kate Holly, is trained to deal with everyone’s problems, except her own. Her character was very stong through out the book, especially when she started getting mysterious threats plus dealing with other problems of her patients at the same time. The writing as well, is very strong and keeps you reading until the very last page.
Recently, I’ve finished reading a book called “What Looks Like Crazy” by Charlotte Hughes. I really liked this book, because it’s funny and I really couldn’t put the book down for a minute. The main character Kate Holly, is trained to deal with everyone’s problems, except her own. Her character was very stong through out the book, especially when she started getting mysterious threats plus dealing with other problems of her patients at the same time. The writing as well, is very strong and keeps you reading until the very last page.
I’ve just started reading the Twilight series(by stephenie Meyer). I’ve watched the movie, and I’m a big fan of the storyline(not the movie).But it looks like such a long book!
I’ve just started reading the Twilight series(by stephenie Meyer). I’ve watched the movie, and I’m a big fan of the storyline(not the movie).But it looks like such a long book!
Well i recently went on a book craze. read more than 20 books in a week and a half. and yes it’s possible if you stay up nights. anywayss but my favorite out of all of the was deadline for sure a wonderful book about love, life, and death. a great read indeed. really got to me too
Well i recently went on a book craze. read more than 20 books in a week and a half. and yes it’s possible if you stay up nights. anywayss but my favorite out of all of the was deadline for sure a wonderful book about love, life, and death. a great read indeed. really got to me too
Like many others i finished the Twilight series. Im so glad i read them. it’s amazing series with a great storyline (as Simran stated) i believe that the movie could have been way better, but the books make up for it (in my opinion). If you like romance, comedy, and action, this is 100% your kind of book. And i read on another blog that Twilight is aparen’tly a “chic book” but i believe it’s also an amazing book for guys (especially “breaking dawn” jacobs view). in fact i was just talking to a friend the other day and he said that he LOVED all four books.
Read this book! ITS AMAZING
Like many others i finished the Twilight series. Im so glad i read them. it’s amazing series with a great storyline (as Simran stated) i believe that the movie could have been way better, but the books make up for it (in my opinion). If you like romance, comedy, and action, this is 100% your kind of book. And i read on another blog that Twilight is aparen’tly a “chic book” but i believe it’s also an amazing book for guys (especially “breaking dawn” jacobs view). in fact i was just talking to a friend the other day and he said that he LOVED all four books.
Read this book! ITS AMAZING
I am reading this book called “inexcusable” by Chris Lynch. Kier loves Gigi and would never do anything to hurt her. So Keir carefully recounts the events leading up to that one fateful night, in order to uncover the truth. Clearly, there has beem a mistake.
But what happened is indeed someting inexcusable.
GREAT book! its a m a z i n g
I am reading this book called “inexcusable” by Chris Lynch. Kier loves Gigi and would never do anything to hurt her. So Keir carefully recounts the events leading up to that one fateful night, in order to uncover the truth. Clearly, there has beem a mistake.
But what happened is indeed someting inexcusable.
GREAT book! its a m a z i n g
just starting to read the boy in the striped pjs
just starting to read the boy in the striped pjs
I just finished Bliss by Lauren Myracle and I have to say it was absolutely fantastic! The plot was great and the main character’s point of view was very realistic. This book focused on supernatural things such as seeing the future and communicating with ghosts while at the same time it focused on realistic issues such as war and murder. The characters were very appealing and it was very hard to put the book down once you started reading. Although, the ending totally took me by surprise and left me sort of disappointed I have to say its a must read. I am hoping that the author does a sequel for this book!
I just finished Bliss by Lauren Myracle and I have to say it was absolutely fantastic! The plot was great and the main character’s point of view was very realistic. This book focused on supernatural things such as seeing the future and communicating with ghosts while at the same time it focused on realistic issues such as war and murder. The characters were very appealing and it was very hard to put the book down once you started reading. Although, the ending totally took me by surprise and left me sort of disappointed I have to say its a must read. I am hoping that the author does a sequel for this book!
Like Nare, I’ve also read the Twilight Series. I believe that books are always better than the movie, but I believe that they could have done way better. I’m excited for New Moon, because I love Jacob character. I think that even though most people believe that it is a chick book that almost anyone can relate to one or more of the characters (other than the fact that they are either vampires or werewolfs).
The books that I was able to read this week are “Getting the Girl” by Susan Juby and “Hold On” by Alan Gibbons.
The book ‘Getting the girl’revolves around this story plot. Every girl at Harewood Tech fears being D’listed, which means becoming a social out-cast–ignored by all the other students. Sheran likes Dini so when he fears that she is in danger of becoming D-listed, he goes undercover to find out who is responsible.
The book ‘Hold On’ about John Sorrel commits suicide. His only friend Annie vows herself of uncovering the truth about his short life. She finds herself into some trouble on the way, and falls in love with the wrong person.
Like Nare, I’ve also read the Twilight Series. I believe that books are always better than the movie, but I believe that they could have done way better. I’m excited for New Moon, because I love Jacob character. I think that even though most people believe that it is a chick book that almost anyone can relate to one or more of the characters (other than the fact that they are either vampires or werewolfs).
The books that I was able to read this week are “Getting the Girl” by Susan Juby and “Hold On” by Alan Gibbons.
The book ‘Getting the girl’revolves around this story plot. Every girl at Harewood Tech fears being D’listed, which means becoming a social out-cast–ignored by all the other students. Sheran likes Dini so when he fears that she is in danger of becoming D-listed, he goes undercover to find out who is responsible.
The book ‘Hold On’ about John Sorrel commits suicide. His only friend Annie vows herself of uncovering the truth about his short life. She finds herself into some trouble on the way, and falls in love with the wrong person.
Sarah C, I’ve also read the Night World Series, I believe that it is an awesome series, and at times it can be better than Twilight. The Series talks more about the soul mate principle which is also found in Twilight. The thing that i enjoyed best is that all the story revolve around teh samee thing yet they are all different in its on way. The last book is the only one I can’t find and it is KILLING ME. I REALLY WANT TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS. I’m still seaching, so if any advice please tell me thanks. (L)
Sarah C, I’ve also read the Night World Series, I believe that it is an awesome series, and at times it can be better than Twilight. The Series talks more about the soul mate principle which is also found in Twilight. The thing that i enjoyed best is that all the story revolve around teh samee thing yet they are all different in its on way. The last book is the only one I can’t find and it is KILLING ME. I REALLY WANT TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS. I’m still seaching, so if any advice please tell me thanks. (L)
Ashante
you can put a hold on the last book though…
Ashante
you can put a hold on the last book though…
Devi,
Your soo right, I guess I never really thought of that, I soo used to walking in and getting the book. I’ll try, thanks for helping. I feel soo dumb, I should have thought of that. But thanks again.
(L)
Devi,
Your soo right, I guess I never really thought of that, I soo used to walking in and getting the book. I’ll try, thanks for helping. I feel soo dumb, I should have thought of that. But thanks again.
(L)
This week I (re)read Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Persepolis 2, two amazing graphic memoirs about the author’s coming-of-age. The first tells the story of her childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution; the second shows us her teen years in Austria where her paren’ts have sent her fearing she is too outspoken for life in Iran at that time. The drawings are simple yet arresting, and Satrapi is an amazing storyteller, alternating between poignent and moving stories of loss and destruction and moments of fun and laughter. A movie was made of these two books. It is really great, too. It’s told in the same black-and-white cartoon style as the books are.
This week I (re)read Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Persepolis 2, two amazing graphic memoirs about the author’s coming-of-age. The first tells the story of her childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution; the second shows us her teen years in Austria where her paren’ts have sent her fearing she is too outspoken for life in Iran at that time. The drawings are simple yet arresting, and Satrapi is an amazing storyteller, alternating between poignent and moving stories of loss and destruction and moments of fun and laughter. A movie was made of these two books. It is really great, too. It’s told in the same black-and-white cartoon style as the books are.
I read Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. It’s really good, although I admit it only comes in second place – first place goes to Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre”.
I read Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. It’s really good, although I admit it only comes in second place – first place goes to Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre”.
Ashante,
Glad i could help:D
Ashante,
Glad i could help:D
Last week I read the book “Avatars – the Kingdom of Twilight” by Tui T. Sutherland. This was the last book of the Avatars Trilogy. I found it really intense and unpredictable, and it was hard for me to stop reading. The series is about 5 kids who wake up and are the last people on earth. It mixes greek mythology, romance, action/adventure and mystery. It’s awesome and you should read it if you like fantasy books! The first book of the series is called Avatars – This is How It Ends.
Last week I read the book “Avatars – the Kingdom of Twilight” by Tui T. Sutherland. This was the last book of the Avatars Trilogy. I found it really intense and unpredictable, and it was hard for me to stop reading. The series is about 5 kids who wake up and are the last people on earth. It mixes greek mythology, romance, action/adventure and mystery. It’s awesome and you should read it if you like fantasy books! The first book of the series is called Avatars – This is How It Ends.
I read The Pearl by John Steinbeck and honestly, its such a good book! It was only 90 pgs, it was more like a short story but it was soooo goood! It was really short and I found the characters very realistic…….the plot also revolved around a very realistic issue which many people are facing in today’s society! I strongly recommend anyone who’s interested to read it! 😀
I read The Pearl by John Steinbeck and honestly, its such a good book! It was only 90 pgs, it was more like a short story but it was soooo goood! It was really short and I found the characters very realistic…….the plot also revolved around a very realistic issue which many people are facing in today’s society! I strongly recommend anyone who’s interested to read it! 😀
last week i finished reading the mortalinsturments series by cassandra clare its a really good series. its exciting and adventurous
last week i finished reading the mortalinsturments series by cassandra clare its a really good series. its exciting and adventurous
Last night I read the book “Ingo”!
Sapphire and her brother Conor live on the Cornish coast in a cottage on the cliff-tops. One day just after Midsummer Eve, their lives change for ever when their father disappears while out in his boat one evening.
Everyone else thinks he has drowned, especially when his upturned boat, the Peggy Gordon, is found wedged between rocks at the foot of the cliffs a few miles down the coast. But Sapphire and Conor believe he is still alive, and they make a vow never to give up their search until they find him.
Through their quest for their father Sapphire and Conor discover that they have the power to enter the mysterious world of Ingo. They meet a Mer brother and sister, Faro and Elvira, and voyage deeper and deeper into the world beneath the sea, where you travel by surfing currents and must learn the ways of dolphins, sharks and whales. Soon they are drawn far away from their life in the Air. Sapphire and Conor learn that although they are human, they also have Mer ancestry. When they are in Ingo their Mer blood grows strong, and they have powers they never knew they possessed …
It’s really exciting and you should READ IT!!!!!
Last night I read the book “Ingo”!
Sapphire and her brother Conor live on the Cornish coast in a cottage on the cliff-tops. One day just after Midsummer Eve, their lives change for ever when their father disappears while out in his boat one evening.
Everyone else thinks he has drowned, especially when his upturned boat, the Peggy Gordon, is found wedged between rocks at the foot of the cliffs a few miles down the coast. But Sapphire and Conor believe he is still alive, and they make a vow never to give up their search until they find him.
Through their quest for their father Sapphire and Conor discover that they have the power to enter the mysterious world of Ingo. They meet a Mer brother and sister, Faro and Elvira, and voyage deeper and deeper into the world beneath the sea, where you travel by surfing currents and must learn the ways of dolphins, sharks and whales. Soon they are drawn far away from their life in the Air. Sapphire and Conor learn that although they are human, they also have Mer ancestry. When they are in Ingo their Mer blood grows strong, and they have powers they never knew they possessed …
It’s really exciting and you should READ IT!!!!!
The world of Ingo has once again brought to life in Helen Dunmore’s newest spellbinding sequel “The Tide Knot.”
Sapphire and Conor can’t forget their adventures in Ingo, the mysterious, fascinating world beneath the sea. They long to meet their Mer friends Faro and Elvira again.
But they’ve moved from their cottage on the cliffs, and from the cove which was their gateway into Ingo. Their mother wants to start a new life in the seaside town of St Pirans, away from the haunting memories of their father who disappeared at sea the year before.
A threat is growing deep beneath the surface of the sea, where the wisest of the Mer, Saldowr, guards the Tide Knot. Ingo is restless, danger is close, and soon both Sapphire and Conor will hear the call of the Deep. Their courage will be tested to the limit as the worlds of Mer and human come face to face.
——————————————————————————–
I wake with a shock out of a deep, dreamless sleep. I’m completely disorientated, and have no idea how long I’ve slept. It must be morning. But my alarm clock reads 21.32, and someone is banging on the door downstairs. And shouting. It’s Conor. His voice is loud and urgent. There’s something wrong.
I jump up, fling open my door and rush downstairs. Roger is already at the front door, and there’s Conor on the doorstep, with Mal, both of them streaming wet with rain.
‘ Conor! What’s happened?’
‘ Dolphin stranded on Polquidden,’ gasps Conor. He must have run all the way up. ‘Mal’s dad was night fishing – found it lying on the sand just now. Must’ve got stranded after dark. He’s down there now.’
‘ Is it alive?’
‘ Just about. In a bad way though. We’ve called the emergency number and there should be a rescue team here soon. Is Mum still at work?’
‘Yes,’ says Roger. He’s already pulling on his boots and waterproofs. ‘I’ll come down with you, Conor. I’ve done basic training on live strandings.’
Of course, you would have, I think. Is there any field in which Roger is not competent? I slide my bare feet into my own boots, and find my waterproof. I don’t care if I’m grounded, I’m going, and no-one’s going to stop me. Roger glances at me, but says nothing except, ‘Don’t bring Sadie. She’ll stress the dolphin even more.’
We slam the door, remembering too late that none of us has a key. Conor has left his at Mal’s. But there’s no time to think, because we’re already running down the street, turning the corner, and down the slippery rain-wet steps to the beach. The tide is out. It must be on its way in by now, but it’s still far away. The dolphin would have got stranded on the falling tide. What happened to make it come so close inshore? Maybe it was sick, or injured, or it had been hurt in an encounter with a trawler, or something else had disorientated it –
We splash over the wide, empty beach, through the shallow pools that the sea has left, over hard ridged sand, towards a faint, bobbing light over by the rocks way down on the left hand side of the beach. The light is shrouded by rain.
‘ Where’s Mal gone?’
‘ To fetch more help.’
We run as fast as we can’towards the light. It seems near, then far, and sometimes there seems to be nothing on earth but rain and darkness and our own labouring breath. But we’re getting close. Now we can see shapes in the darkness ahead. Roger raises his torch. There’s a man – Mal’s dad – and a curved bulk on the sand. It glistens with rain, like a wet black rock rising in a hump from the sand. But it’s not a rock, it’s the dolphin.
I have never understood what ‘stranded’ means, until the moment I see the dolphin lying there. The most graceful creature of Ingo lies helpless as a sack of sand. It cannot move. It cannot escape.
Roger’s up ahead of me and Conor, shouting to Mal’s dad. ‘All right, Will? How are things?’
‘Female, weighs about half a ton. It’s not looking so good,’ Will calls back. ‘She’s struggling.’
Struggling to survive, he means. She’s not moving. Out of her element, stranded on the hard sand. She lies on her side.
‘ Don’t reckon the tide’ll come in fast enough for her.’
‘ Low water was about eight, that right?’
‘ That’s right. Where are we now, half-past nine? Water should be back to her by half ten, eleven time.’
‘ Is she injured?’
‘ Bleeding from cuts on her flank. They’re not too serious though. It’s the pressure that’s getting to her.’
‘What pressure?’ Conor asks.
‘Once she’s out of the water,’ says Roger quickly, ‘her own weight starts to crush her internal organs.’
Mal’s dad swears softly. ‘How many strandings is that round Cornwall this year? ‘Bout eight hundred?’
‘Twice what it used to be.’
‘Terrible, it is. I blame those trawlers pair-fishing.’
All the time they’re talking, they’re moving around the dolphin cautiously, assessing her condition.
‘Problem is,’ says Will, ‘could be a while before the emergency team gets here tonight. There’s a live bottleneck stranded over at Gwithian, they’re still busy up there, can’t leave it. Bottlenecks are rare enough, let alone a live stranding.’
So this dolphin has only got us to help her. But the tide’s rising, Maybe things are not so bad.
‘Won’t the sea float her off safely, as soon as the tide comes in?’ I ask.
‘It’s not as easy as that. Soon as she’s out of the water, see, her own weight starts to damage her, like Roger here said. We don’t know what that damage may be. We need pontoons to support her, and a vet.’
More lights are coming down the beach.
‘ I hope Mal’s not roused too many,’ says Will, ‘a crowd’s the last thing she needs. Die of stress, a dolphin will.’
But it’s only Mal, and a couple of older boys I recognise from the surf shop. And another figure, not as tall, face hidden by a cagoule hood.
‘Sapphire?’
‘Rainbow!
‘
She pushes back her hood. Her short, bright hair shines in the light of the lantern she’s carrying. Her smile is so warm you’d think I was her oldest friend.
‘Why are you here?’ I ask. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean you shouldn’t be here -‘
‘Patrick told me about the dolphin. That’s Patrick over there, he’s my stepbrother.’
They’ve brought more torches as well as the lantern, buckets and a bundle of what looks like cloth. Tarpaulin, Patrick says.
‘Flat sea tonight, thank God,’ says Will, ‘Heavy surf come in on her now, she’d have no chance.’
No chance. No chance. But she mustn’t give up. I kneel on the wet sand, by the dolphin’s head. Rainbow crouches down beside me.
‘Don’t touch her,’ says Roger sharply.
‘We’re not touching her.’
I want to shield her from the light of the torches and lantern. It’s too much for her. She’ll be even more afraid. She has never known a world without the strong salt sea all around her, buoying her up and taking her weight.
‘Hold on,’ I whisper to her. ‘We’re trying to help you. Please hold on.’
She says nothing, but her eye looks into mine. She is very tired, very far away. She has retreated deep inside herself, trying to survive. She doesn’t want to give up her life, here on this cold hard earth.
‘What can we do?’ Rainbow whispers. ‘She looks as if she’s dying.’
‘Don’t say that. She’ll hear you.’
‘I’ll get some water to pour over her skin. You’re supposed to keep dolphin’s skin wet, aren’t you?’
It’s still raining hard, but maybe sea water would be better for the dolphin than rainwater. It might comfort her.
‘That’s a good idea.’
Rainbow stands up, takes one of the buckets and heads off to the sea. She’s right, it’s good to do something practical to help, but I can’t leave the dolphin. She feels so alone. She doesn’t understand the air and the smell of land and the way we tramp round her in our big boots. Everything hurts.
Behind me there are low, angry voices. Mal’s dad is arguing with the boys.
‘ You can’t lift a live dolphin in a tarpaulin. That’s for a dead stranding. You’ll do more harm than good.’
‘But she’ll die if we do nothing,’ insists Mal. ‘Isn’t it worth trying?’
‘ Manhandling a dolphin like that? You’ll kill her. She’s suffering from shock as it is.’
‘I’m only trying to help.’
‘Well, you’re not helping, boy.’
‘Call the rescue service again,’ suggests Conor. ‘Ask them what’s best to do if they can’t get here themselves.’
The dolphin is so big and so helpless. Another squall of rain hits us, and the roar of the tide is suddenly loud. But the white edge of breaking waves is still too far away to save her. No new lights bob down the beach. No rescue is in sight. Rainbow comes back with her bucket of sea water, and pours it carefully over the dolphin’s back, avoiding her blowhole. She runs down to the sea again with the empty bucket. Does the dolphin like the salt water? Yes, I think it comforts her, but it torments her too. It has the smell and touch of home. Her home is within sight, but it might as well be a hundred miles away. The dolphin is helpless to move. I feel so frustrated I want to scream. The tide’s rising, but not fast enough to save her.
Before long the water here will be so deep that I won’t be able to stand. In less than an hour, maybe. The dolphin will float free. But by that time she might be dead. Why has the tide got to come in so slowly? Why has Ingo always got to follow its laws, when the law of tides might mean death for one of its creatures?
Maybe it doesn’t have to. The dolphin is so afraid. She is so alone. She is calling inside herself, for the other dolphins of her pod. But they are somewhere out in the dark water, and they can’t hear her. They’ll be desperate too, trying to call her and find out where she is, but the air blocks their voices. She’s so afraid of dying alone, out of the water, among strangers.
‘You’re not alone,’ I whisper to her, ‘I won’t leave you, whatever happens.’
I lean closer. She wants me to touch her. She can’t bear the touch of the sand, and yet her weight is making her sink deeper into its gritty harshness. Roger said her own weight could crush her internal organs. That means her heart, her liver, her lungs, all those vital parts of her. The thought of the dolphin’s heart being slowly crushed makes me shudder.
‘I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.’
Rainbow is back again. She sluices sea water over the dolphin’s back, then kneels down beside me. The dolphin’s tension and fear rise in her like a tide. She doesn’t know Rainbow. Rainbow is part of earth, and threatening.
‘ Rainbow,’ I begin awkwardly, not sure if she’ll understand or be deeply offended, ‘The dolphin, she’s getting stressed with both of us here. She doesn’t understand that you’re trying to help.’
‘I don’t want to be with her,’ Rainbow answers, getting up. Her voice is full of pain. ‘It’s horrible to see her suffering like this, and we can’t do anything to help. I wish – I wish it was all over.’
‘Don’t say that! Fetch more sea water.’
Roger and Will are also down at the sea’s edge, filling buckets. Rainbow wipes her hands on her jeans, and picks up her own bucket again. Then, like an echo of my own thoughts, she says,
‘Tell her I’m sorry.’
Mal and the other boys are digging a channel in the sand, so that the rising tide will reach the dolphin as soon as possible. Should I help them? I weigh it up quickly, and then make my decision. The dolphin needs the trench to be dug, but her shock and fear are the greatest threat to her life. I am sure – almost sure – that I can support her –
‘What are you doing, Saph?’ asks Conor quietly, in my ear.
‘She’s so afraid, Con. She’ll die of fear before the tide reaches her.’
‘Roger said you shouldn’t touch her.’
But my Mer blood is rising, growing stronger in answer to the call of the dolphin’s desperate need. Ingo is powerful in me tonight. I know it. The touch from my hands is a Mer touch now, salt and reassuring. I am sure I feel the dolphin’s anguish ease a little under my hands. But that won’t be enough to save her. If only the sea would come quickly. If only Ingo would come to her daughter’s rescue now. I stare down through the darkness at the pale line of foam where the tide is coming in. With all my heart I wish for Ingo to come. With all my heart I wish for Ingo to come.
I put my arms around the dolphin. I can feel her heart beating inside her, with slow, deep strokes. Her gaze in the lantern light is full of suffering. She must not die. I can’t stop myself, I’m crying now, swallowing tears and tasting the salt.
‘Hold on. Hold on, hwoer kerenza. They are all waiting for you out there. As soon as the water’s deep enough, they’ll come in to help you. You mustn’t give up hope now.’
The world of Ingo has once again brought to life in Helen Dunmore’s newest spellbinding sequel “The Tide Knot.”
Sapphire and Conor can’t forget their adventures in Ingo, the mysterious, fascinating world beneath the sea. They long to meet their Mer friends Faro and Elvira again.
But they’ve moved from their cottage on the cliffs, and from the cove which was their gateway into Ingo. Their mother wants to start a new life in the seaside town of St Pirans, away from the haunting memories of their father who disappeared at sea the year before.
A threat is growing deep beneath the surface of the sea, where the wisest of the Mer, Saldowr, guards the Tide Knot. Ingo is restless, danger is close, and soon both Sapphire and Conor will hear the call of the Deep. Their courage will be tested to the limit as the worlds of Mer and human come face to face.
——————————————————————————–
I wake with a shock out of a deep, dreamless sleep. I’m completely disorientated, and have no idea how long I’ve slept. It must be morning. But my alarm clock reads 21.32, and someone is banging on the door downstairs. And shouting. It’s Conor. His voice is loud and urgent. There’s something wrong.
I jump up, fling open my door and rush downstairs. Roger is already at the front door, and there’s Conor on the doorstep, with Mal, both of them streaming wet with rain.
‘ Conor! What’s happened?’
‘ Dolphin stranded on Polquidden,’ gasps Conor. He must have run all the way up. ‘Mal’s dad was night fishing – found it lying on the sand just now. Must’ve got stranded after dark. He’s down there now.’
‘ Is it alive?’
‘ Just about. In a bad way though. We’ve called the emergency number and there should be a rescue team here soon. Is Mum still at work?’
‘Yes,’ says Roger. He’s already pulling on his boots and waterproofs. ‘I’ll come down with you, Conor. I’ve done basic training on live strandings.’
Of course, you would have, I think. Is there any field in which Roger is not competent? I slide my bare feet into my own boots, and find my waterproof. I don’t care if I’m grounded, I’m going, and no-one’s going to stop me. Roger glances at me, but says nothing except, ‘Don’t bring Sadie. She’ll stress the dolphin even more.’
We slam the door, remembering too late that none of us has a key. Conor has left his at Mal’s. But there’s no time to think, because we’re already running down the street, turning the corner, and down the slippery rain-wet steps to the beach. The tide is out. It must be on its way in by now, but it’s still far away. The dolphin would have got stranded on the falling tide. What happened to make it come so close inshore? Maybe it was sick, or injured, or it had been hurt in an encounter with a trawler, or something else had disorientated it –
We splash over the wide, empty beach, through the shallow pools that the sea has left, over hard ridged sand, towards a faint, bobbing light over by the rocks way down on the left hand side of the beach. The light is shrouded by rain.
‘ Where’s Mal gone?’
‘ To fetch more help.’
We run as fast as we can’towards the light. It seems near, then far, and sometimes there seems to be nothing on earth but rain and darkness and our own labouring breath. But we’re getting close. Now we can see shapes in the darkness ahead. Roger raises his torch. There’s a man – Mal’s dad – and a curved bulk on the sand. It glistens with rain, like a wet black rock rising in a hump from the sand. But it’s not a rock, it’s the dolphin.
I have never understood what ‘stranded’ means, until the moment I see the dolphin lying there. The most graceful creature of Ingo lies helpless as a sack of sand. It cannot move. It cannot escape.
Roger’s up ahead of me and Conor, shouting to Mal’s dad. ‘All right, Will? How are things?’
‘Female, weighs about half a ton. It’s not looking so good,’ Will calls back. ‘She’s struggling.’
Struggling to survive, he means. She’s not moving. Out of her element, stranded on the hard sand. She lies on her side.
‘ Don’t reckon the tide’ll come in fast enough for her.’
‘ Low water was about eight, that right?’
‘ That’s right. Where are we now, half-past nine? Water should be back to her by half ten, eleven time.’
‘ Is she injured?’
‘ Bleeding from cuts on her flank. They’re not too serious though. It’s the pressure that’s getting to her.’
‘What pressure?’ Conor asks.
‘Once she’s out of the water,’ says Roger quickly, ‘her own weight starts to crush her internal organs.’
Mal’s dad swears softly. ‘How many strandings is that round Cornwall this year? ‘Bout eight hundred?’
‘Twice what it used to be.’
‘Terrible, it is. I blame those trawlers pair-fishing.’
All the time they’re talking, they’re moving around the dolphin cautiously, assessing her condition.
‘Problem is,’ says Will, ‘could be a while before the emergency team gets here tonight. There’s a live bottleneck stranded over at Gwithian, they’re still busy up there, can’t leave it. Bottlenecks are rare enough, let alone a live stranding.’
So this dolphin has only got us to help her. But the tide’s rising, Maybe things are not so bad.
‘Won’t the sea float her off safely, as soon as the tide comes in?’ I ask.
‘It’s not as easy as that. Soon as she’s out of the water, see, her own weight starts to damage her, like Roger here said. We don’t know what that damage may be. We need pontoons to support her, and a vet.’
More lights are coming down the beach.
‘ I hope Mal’s not roused too many,’ says Will, ‘a crowd’s the last thing she needs. Die of stress, a dolphin will.’
But it’s only Mal, and a couple of older boys I recognise from the surf shop. And another figure, not as tall, face hidden by a cagoule hood.
‘Sapphire?’
‘Rainbow!
‘
She pushes back her hood. Her short, bright hair shines in the light of the lantern she’s carrying. Her smile is so warm you’d think I was her oldest friend.
‘Why are you here?’ I ask. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean you shouldn’t be here -‘
‘Patrick told me about the dolphin. That’s Patrick over there, he’s my stepbrother.’
They’ve brought more torches as well as the lantern, buckets and a bundle of what looks like cloth. Tarpaulin, Patrick says.
‘Flat sea tonight, thank God,’ says Will, ‘Heavy surf come in on her now, she’d have no chance.’
No chance. No chance. But she mustn’t give up. I kneel on the wet sand, by the dolphin’s head. Rainbow crouches down beside me.
‘Don’t touch her,’ says Roger sharply.
‘We’re not touching her.’
I want to shield her from the light of the torches and lantern. It’s too much for her. She’ll be even more afraid. She has never known a world without the strong salt sea all around her, buoying her up and taking her weight.
‘Hold on,’ I whisper to her. ‘We’re trying to help you. Please hold on.’
She says nothing, but her eye looks into mine. She is very tired, very far away. She has retreated deep inside herself, trying to survive. She doesn’t want to give up her life, here on this cold hard earth.
‘What can we do?’ Rainbow whispers. ‘She looks as if she’s dying.’
‘Don’t say that. She’ll hear you.’
‘I’ll get some water to pour over her skin. You’re supposed to keep dolphin’s skin wet, aren’t you?’
It’s still raining hard, but maybe sea water would be better for the dolphin than rainwater. It might comfort her.
‘That’s a good idea.’
Rainbow stands up, takes one of the buckets and heads off to the sea. She’s right, it’s good to do something practical to help, but I can’t leave the dolphin. She feels so alone. She doesn’t understand the air and the smell of land and the way we tramp round her in our big boots. Everything hurts.
Behind me there are low, angry voices. Mal’s dad is arguing with the boys.
‘ You can’t lift a live dolphin in a tarpaulin. That’s for a dead stranding. You’ll do more harm than good.’
‘But she’ll die if we do nothing,’ insists Mal. ‘Isn’t it worth trying?’
‘ Manhandling a dolphin like that? You’ll kill her. She’s suffering from shock as it is.’
‘I’m only trying to help.’
‘Well, you’re not helping, boy.’
‘Call the rescue service again,’ suggests Conor. ‘Ask them what’s best to do if they can’t get here themselves.’
The dolphin is so big and so helpless. Another squall of rain hits us, and the roar of the tide is suddenly loud. But the white edge of breaking waves is still too far away to save her. No new lights bob down the beach. No rescue is in sight. Rainbow comes back with her bucket of sea water, and pours it carefully over the dolphin’s back, avoiding her blowhole. She runs down to the sea again with the empty bucket. Does the dolphin like the salt water? Yes, I think it comforts her, but it torments her too. It has the smell and touch of home. Her home is within sight, but it might as well be a hundred miles away. The dolphin is helpless to move. I feel so frustrated I want to scream. The tide’s rising, but not fast enough to save her.
Before long the water here will be so deep that I won’t be able to stand. In less than an hour, maybe. The dolphin will float free. But by that time she might be dead. Why has the tide got to come in so slowly? Why has Ingo always got to follow its laws, when the law of tides might mean death for one of its creatures?
Maybe it doesn’t have to. The dolphin is so afraid. She is so alone. She is calling inside herself, for the other dolphins of her pod. But they are somewhere out in the dark water, and they can’t hear her. They’ll be desperate too, trying to call her and find out where she is, but the air blocks their voices. She’s so afraid of dying alone, out of the water, among strangers.
‘You’re not alone,’ I whisper to her, ‘I won’t leave you, whatever happens.’
I lean closer. She wants me to touch her. She can’t bear the touch of the sand, and yet her weight is making her sink deeper into its gritty harshness. Roger said her own weight could crush her internal organs. That means her heart, her liver, her lungs, all those vital parts of her. The thought of the dolphin’s heart being slowly crushed makes me shudder.
‘I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.’
Rainbow is back again. She sluices sea water over the dolphin’s back, then kneels down beside me. The dolphin’s tension and fear rise in her like a tide. She doesn’t know Rainbow. Rainbow is part of earth, and threatening.
‘ Rainbow,’ I begin awkwardly, not sure if she’ll understand or be deeply offended, ‘The dolphin, she’s getting stressed with both of us here. She doesn’t understand that you’re trying to help.’
‘I don’t want to be with her,’ Rainbow answers, getting up. Her voice is full of pain. ‘It’s horrible to see her suffering like this, and we can’t do anything to help. I wish – I wish it was all over.’
‘Don’t say that! Fetch more sea water.’
Roger and Will are also down at the sea’s edge, filling buckets. Rainbow wipes her hands on her jeans, and picks up her own bucket again. Then, like an echo of my own thoughts, she says,
‘Tell her I’m sorry.’
Mal and the other boys are digging a channel in the sand, so that the rising tide will reach the dolphin as soon as possible. Should I help them? I weigh it up quickly, and then make my decision. The dolphin needs the trench to be dug, but her shock and fear are the greatest threat to her life. I am sure – almost sure – that I can support her –
‘What are you doing, Saph?’ asks Conor quietly, in my ear.
‘She’s so afraid, Con. She’ll die of fear before the tide reaches her.’
‘Roger said you shouldn’t touch her.’
But my Mer blood is rising, growing stronger in answer to the call of the dolphin’s desperate need. Ingo is powerful in me tonight. I know it. The touch from my hands is a Mer touch now, salt and reassuring. I am sure I feel the dolphin’s anguish ease a little under my hands. But that won’t be enough to save her. If only the sea would come quickly. If only Ingo would come to her daughter’s rescue now. I stare down through the darkness at the pale line of foam where the tide is coming in. With all my heart I wish for Ingo to come. With all my heart I wish for Ingo to come.
I put my arms around the dolphin. I can feel her heart beating inside her, with slow, deep strokes. Her gaze in the lantern light is full of suffering. She must not die. I can’t stop myself, I’m crying now, swallowing tears and tasting the salt.
‘Hold on. Hold on, hwoer kerenza. They are all waiting for you out there. As soon as the water’s deep enough, they’ll come in to help you. You mustn’t give up hope now.’
Ingo and the other series r awesome
its a must in reading
read it !!!
Ingo and the other series r awesome
its a must in reading
read it !!!
hi again!!!!
I also just finished reading Twilight!!!
It was really long and I didn’t find it much of an interest!!
It was a so-so for me!!,but my bff’s really enjoyed it!!!!
And I also just started to read the second series
NEW MOON!!!
I find it more interesting then the first series!!! Its has more “SHAZAAZ”!!! MORE ACTION!!!! BUT IT’S SAD BECAUSE “edward left bella”…I wonder whats gonna happen next????
hi again!!!!
I also just finished reading Twilight!!!
It was really long and I didn’t find it much of an interest!!
It was a so-so for me!!,but my bff’s really enjoyed it!!!!
And I also just started to read the second series
NEW MOON!!!
I find it more interesting then the first series!!! Its has more “SHAZAAZ”!!! MORE ACTION!!!! BUT IT’S SAD BECAUSE “edward left bella”…I wonder whats gonna happen next????
Another book I would reccomend would be “A CORNER OF THE UNIVERSE”!! It is really sad because Adam…the crazy uncle of Hattie hangs his self in the garden shelf because the love of his life, Miss Angel Valentine, was already taken by this other man…with gave a heavy thud in his heart and made him heart broken…but why???/ find out for your self…. But this is all I will tell you….
This summer, Hattie turns twelve. Her predictable, small town life is turned on end when her uncle Adam returns home for the first time in over ten years. Hattie has never met him, never known about him. He’s been institutionalized; his condition involves schizophrenia and autism.
Hattie, a shy girl who prefers the company of adults, takes immediately to her excitable uncle, even when the rest of her family has trouble dealing with his intense way of seeing the world. And Adam, too, sees that Hattie is special, and that her quiet, shy ways are not a disability.
thats a short summery of this book…ENJOY!!!!
Another book I would reccomend would be “A CORNER OF THE UNIVERSE”!! It is really sad because Adam…the crazy uncle of Hattie hangs his self in the garden shelf because the love of his life, Miss Angel Valentine, was already taken by this other man…with gave a heavy thud in his heart and made him heart broken…but why???/ find out for your self…. But this is all I will tell you….
This summer, Hattie turns twelve. Her predictable, small town life is turned on end when her uncle Adam returns home for the first time in over ten years. Hattie has never met him, never known about him. He’s been institutionalized; his condition involves schizophrenia and autism.
Hattie, a shy girl who prefers the company of adults, takes immediately to her excitable uncle, even when the rest of her family has trouble dealing with his intense way of seeing the world. And Adam, too, sees that Hattie is special, and that her quiet, shy ways are not a disability.
thats a short summery of this book…ENJOY!!!!