This summer, children and adults visited Tri-City libraries to participate in reading clubs and while away the hours with a good book.
At Coquitlam Public Library, ESL adults also participated in the Summer Reading Club for Adult Learners, to read books in English and write book reviews. Here are a few book reviews written by this year’s participants:
• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, reviewed by Tuan Nguyen Ngoc: “The book is a story about Robinson Crusoe’s life with many adventures. He went to sea, became a slave and then a survivor, lived alone on a small wild island for a long time and finally he came back to England. I like this story because I know many things from it — how wild people lived, that in the past people could become slaves so I understand how important it is to have human rights and what a person had to do when he lived alone on a wild island.”
• In from the Cold by Deborah Ellis, reviewed by Liqin Wang: “This book is about Rose and her 10-year-old daughter, Hazel. Rose killed her husband by accident and then lived in a shack hidden in the bushes. At night, they look for food in garbage bins; in winter the shack was cold. Hazel missed her friend and wants to go back to school. The story is very exciting and the relationship between Rose and Hazel is very truthful and smooth. I like this book because it tells us how they ended their cold life and changed their minds.”
• Laura Secord by Terry Barber, reviewed by Touran Abbasi Ghane: “The U.S. wants to take over British Canada, so Britain and U.S. go to war on June 1, 1812. U.S. troops take over the Secord home and Laura makes dinner for them so she learns about the troops’ plans and decides to warn Britain. She must walk 20 miles in a lot of danger but, finally, First Nations people take her to Fitzgibbon and she tells him about the U.S. plan. In 1814, the war ends and Upper Canada remains British. In 1860, the prince of Wales sends 100 gold coins for Laura Secord because her story is a great one and her act changes the history of North America.”
• The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie, reviewed by Yan Jiang: “A famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, received an anonymous letter every month before the murder happened. There were no clues except a published railway guide ‘ABC’. Mr. Poirot finally found the real murderer after the fourth murder happened. I like this book because it is more interesting than other novels. The ending of the story is unexpected.”
• Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend by Velma Wallis, reviewed by In Hee Lee: “This book is about two old women who were abandoned in a brutal winter by their tribe and had to decide to survive or die trying. I love the part when one old woman’s daughter gave her mother a bundle of rawhide strips and a grandson left his hatchet on a tree for his grandmother so the two women could survive. Why I love this story is the two old women had hope, friendship and forgiveness. This book inspired me to greater efforts for my life.”
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Janice Williams works at Coquitlam Public Library.
