Orphans
This is another book-from-childhood. It’s a great adventure in which an orphaned brother and sister, both with mysterious powers, run from a pursuer and toward those like them.
I was struck, rereading this as an adult, by the opportunity the author took to comment on various issues like gun control. It felt a little agenda-like to me but would not be noticed by children and did not detract from a compelling story.
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I resisted these books for years, thinking they were not quality. Boy, was I wrong. I absolutely love this series and have read it many times. One of the most impressive things to me is how good a writer Rowling is—she mentions things in book one or two, then fully develops them into plot twists in future books. The attention to detail, humor, characterization, and gifted storytelling combine with a novel setting to make each book a compelling read.
This first book introduces Harry to the wizarding world. I love the descriptions of secret passageways and quirky castle magic and Harry’s whole introduction to this life. An important point to note about this series is that books 1-3 are more benign. The story gets increasingly dark with subsequent books.
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Annika is an Austrian orphan raised by servants. Though she loves her new family and her friends, she dreams of her mother arriving one day. When this actually happens, the subsequent events are not quite as Annika dreamed. She suffers and is mistreated but is ultimately rescued. Essentially, it was all an act to steal valuable jewels Annika did not even know she had.
I was delighted to discover this author when my daughter brought this book home from her school library. Between the generous amount of Vienna history, the character of Annika, and the mysterious nature of the jewels and Annika’s fate, this makes for a fast-reading book.
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This story is uniquely told using a combination of images and text. It is the story of Hugo, a Parisian boy who lives and hides in a train station in 1931. Hugo, an orphan, finds himself entirely alone in the world, but a series of connections and coincidences ends up changing his life.
This story has elements that will appeal to many audiences. First, the drawings can help to capture the comic book crowd. There is a mystery to solve, gadgets and mechanisms, history, old movies, and characters to understand.
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