Black Beauty

This novel is in the collection purely because, as a horse mad kid I loved it when I was in year 7. The narrative is told from the first 'person' perspective of, a horse. Yep, and it makes sense when you start reading the novel because all of the action and events are being experienced by the horse characters so why not tell it from their perspective.

Mind you, you don't have to be a horse crazy girl to enjoy this novel. If you are interested in different perspectives on life and the elevation of the ordinary to adventure-like status. It is also an interesting story in the fact that the characters are not naturally agents of change but are instead reactionary; at the whims of chance and the humans who use the horses for work in a time before machines were popular.

It's an oldie but a good one. 3 out of 5 stars.

Little Women

Little Women, a novel written by Louisa May Alcott and set in the late 1800s that follows the lives of the March sisters and they face the trials and tribulations of life.

This is the sort novel that you just want to snuggle down into whilst sitting in your comfy clothes and sipping hot chocolate. The novel is beautifully written in a descriptive almost poetic prose that allows the reader to fully immerse him/her self into the world of these sisters where you will literally laugh and cry along with them.

This is not a high spirited adventure novel, this is a quiet and comforting narrative that introduces the reader to fully formed characters that will become like your own sisters. My only real criticism of the novel is not the antiquated dating and marriage preoccupation but instead is that each sister seems to have a particular motif or theme- kind of like the Spice Girls or One Direction (read it you'll see what I mean).

This novel is like a cosy catch up with a group of close friends, 3 out of 5 stars.

The Outsiders

Originally published in 1967 by a young woman who began writing the 'coming of age novel' at the age of 15, this novel titled 'The Outsiders' is essential reading. The narrative follows the story Ponyboy who hangs with his two brothers and a gang of teenage boys in the 1960s, the Greasers who live on the wrong side of town and live life on the edge. 

The story centres around the long running feud between two rival gangs, the Greasers and the Socs and through this mechanism S.E. Hinton shows the reader the brutal reality of social class in a capitalist society. In addition to showing us the reality of prejudice and poverty, Hinton also asks the reader to question the definition and appearance of heroism as the characters react to the world around them and make choices that are not always in their best interest. 

This novel is gritty and violent but has a sensitivity that is introduced with the rough innocence of characters such as Ponyboy and Johnny. 

I would give this novel 5 out of 5. One that will stay with you as it stayed with me after I read it in Year 8. The movie (of the same name) is also brilliant. 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' is an absolute must read for, well pretty much anyone. Written by Roald Dahl it explores a range of themes from honesty, entitlement, humility and social class all with the customary wit and satirical writing style Dahl uses throughout his novels. The novel has been brought to the silver screen twice with mixed results, if you're looking for the classic go for the older Gene Wilder version, what it lacks in technological advancements it gains in the portrayal of a Willy Wonka by Wilder.

The original Willy Wonka- Gene Wilder

Johnny Depp as Wonka, meh. 

Although the novel follows the story of Charlie Bucket, the use of a third person narrator means that the reader is not hamstrung by a single character perspective. Instead we as the reader feel as though we are an unseen participant in the story, undertaking this weird slightly off putting factory tour through well essentially Wonka's mind. What's always engaging in a Dahl novel is the quirkiness of the characters, no one is perfect and no one is a stereotype; they all have something slightly off kilter about them and it is through these characters that Dahl reveals the narrative. Although often dealing with serious issues, the way in which the author approaches these issues primarily through a use of humour allows the reader access the themes and issues in a non-threatening process.

Roald Dahl gets additional kudos for making the most unlikely kids the heroes of his stories which makes the narratives and the absurd adventures charmingly relatable.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Tomorrow When the War Began

Written by Australian author John Marsden, 'Tomorrow When the War Began' (also now a film) is set in a 'micro-dystopian' Australia immediately after the invasion of the country by a foreign army. All the characters of any note are kids and it is the sort of book that looks at the social dimensions found in novels like Lord of the Flies and films such as Red Dawn (1984) and (2012). It is essentially an Australian version of Red Dawn- check it out.

I found the setting of the narrative relatable given my own experience of living in a small country town during my childhood. The use of typically Australian expressions and language also helps to enhance the setting. The location is believable and at the conclusion of the novel Marsden actually provides some real Australian places that are said to have inspired those in the story.

Frustratingly I found that there was not enough detail in the narrative, a lot of telling but not enough showing. By this I mean that there are numerous occasions where exciting things happen in the novel but instead of joining other characters on the adventure we end up following the story of the protagonist and narrator, Ellie. This in turn means that although we get to hear about her exploits we only ever hear second hand recounts of what the other kids in the group have been up to. This is increasingly frustrating when important missions are at hand and we only follow a quarter of the action. The other consequence of teen first person narration is that a lot of the conversations are boring and give little chance for the reader to interpret the characters without Ellie's judgements about them.

I'm also not a big fan of the teen romance angle, it slows the action and in a short novel like this, the reader needs that time to get a greater sense of who else escaped the invasion (there is talk of people hiding out in the town) and who the invading army actually is. I understand that this is a young adult novel but some of the political context would be nice because as it reads right now it seems that the Indonesians (assumed) randomly wake up one morning and decided to invade, not  the top half of Australia, but instead the bottom half.

I'd give it 3 out of 5. Worth a read but I wouldn't cross the road for it.