書本介紹 – Lord of the Flies

抱歉這麼久才來更新，畢竟我有點不肯定這本書算不算童書…不過既然它是經典，也是不少英美學校的推薦閱讀教材，我又怎可以不推呢？

在這本書中，世界正處於核戰爭。一架負責把平民從英國運到澳洲的飛機在途中被撃落，在太平洋上的一個荒島墜毀。機上的生還者只有一群男孩，結果他們要設法在這個無人島上生存，還要想方法怎樣尋找救援。
無人島上不用上課不用做功課，更沒有什麼都管絮絮叨叨的大人，又有好吃的果實跟玩耍的地方…聽起來好像很棒耶，這根本是個夢寐以求的樂園啊！

一定不會出現什麼問題，對吧？

然而一切就在一位孩子聲稱看到＂怪物＂時變天…

在很多人眼中，小孩子都是天真無邪，像白紙般純潔的，就算是看到男孩子打架大家都會覺得他們只是在玩耍。只是一群小孩子在玩遊戲而已，這有什麼好奇怪的？
但是在這個島上，這已經不是什麼小孩子的遊戲。因為野心，因為不信任，更多是單純因為恐懼，小孩子們也會互相撕殺，原本的文明跟理性也隨之崩潰。
我們經常會聽到一種說法是＂學校是社會的縮影＂。同樣道理，這本書透過小孩子表達的是人類內心的黑暗面，還有文明社會在野性的衝擊下沒有想像中那麼堅韌無比。

到底人性是像三字經所說那樣性本善，還是如作者所說那樣每個人心中都有一頭把人導向野性的怪物呢？

作為經典文學作品，現在也有不少針對這本書的主題跟人物背後象徵的分析和解讀，有興趣的話可以在看完故事之後找找看喔！

Sorry for not updating sooner, after all I’m not very sure if this book counts as a children’s book…But considering how iconic this book is and how it’s a staple in many schools’ book lists, I guess there’s no reason why I shouldn’t recommend this book right?

In this story, the world was caught up in the middle of a nuclear war. A plane ferrying citizens from the UK to Australia was shot down, crashing onto an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The only survivors of the crash was a group of boys, who suddenly had to face the challenges of both surviving on the island and to find rescuers.

On this island there were no schools nor homework, and there were no nagging adults either. Instead there are fruits ripe for the picking and places to explore…this actually sounds pretty nice, almost like a paradise!

Surely nothing could go wrong, right?

However, everything changed when one of the kids claimed that he saw a “monster"…

To many people, children are supposed to be innocent and pure. Even when seeing a bunch of kids fighting, people would probably dissmiss it as nothing more than kids fooling around. It’s just child’s play, what’s the big deal?

On this island however, things are no longer mere child’s play. Because of ambition, because of distrust, or simply because of fear, even children can cause bloodshed, and what’s left of civilization and reason can fall apart.

As the saying goes, “the school is a miniature society". Similarly, the children in this book show the dark side of humanity, and how a civilized society isn’t quite the impenetrable fortress as you think.

So what is humanity exactly? Are people born with a kind soul as the Three Character Classic suggests, or is it like this book, where an animalistic monster lives in our hearts, waiting to guide us towards savagery?

Since this is a literature classic, naturally there are many analyses and interpretations based on the themes and symbols in the story. If you’re interested, feel free to check them out after you’ve finished reading the book!

 

 

書本介紹 – Esio Trot

大家小時候有沒有養過烏龜呢？雖然烏龜不像毛小孩那麼好動跟會跳上來撒嬌，但是小烏龜爬來爬去的模樣其實也挺可愛的嘛～

為什麼我會突然說起養烏龜？因為Esio Trot這本書正正就是跟烏龜有關，而Esio Trot這個書名其實是烏龜Tortoise倒著寫的結果。
故事的主角Mr Hoppy是一位住在大樓裡面的老人，多年來一直暗戀著住在樓下的Mrs Silver。雖然他們會在露台上聊天，但是害羞的Mr Hoppy還是沒辦法跟她表白。更何況Mr Hoppy現在也是跟別人爭寵呢…

啊不對，那個不是人，是烏龜喔。

原來Mrs Silver養了一隻名叫Alfie的烏龜，Alfie對她來說就跟自己的小孩一樣值得寵愛。倒是有一點讓她煩惱：為什麼Alfie這麼多年來也是長不大的呢？他又不是不會吃飯，可是為什麼一直都是個小不點呢？有一次她跟Mr Hoppy提到了這個問題，於是Mr Hoppy答應了會讓Alfie開始長大。

Mr Hoppy能不能成功解決問題，抱得美人歸呢？

跟Roald Dahl的其他作品相比，Esio Trot這本書好像沒有帶出什麼大道理，也不是什麼天馬行空的歷險，它只是一個輕鬆的愛情小品而已。不過這不代表這本書沒有亮點喔！Mr Hoppy解決問題的方法可以透露出作者一貫的想像力，Mr Hoppy跟Mrs Silver之間的互動也會讓人會心微笑呢～至於小小的Alfie，也許也想不到自己會變成中間穿針引線的人（龜？）吧？

Have you ever owned a tortoise as a kid? Although tortoises aren’t as lively as cats and dogs, nor could they jump onto you to show affection, but the sight of them crawling around is actually kind of cute.

Why did I suddenly start talking about owning tortoises? That’s because this book is about tortoises, and the book title “Esio Trot" is actually “Tortoise" spelled backwards. The star of the story, Mr Hoppy, was an old man living in an apartment. For many years, he had a crush for Mrs Silver, who lived right beneath his flat. Although they often chatted while standing on their balconies, Mr Hoppy was simply too shy and quiet to let her know about his feelings. Besides, he’ll be fighting for attention with someone else…

Well, not exactly someone. More like some tortoise.

Mrs Silver owned a pet tortoise named Alfie, and she loved Alfie as if the tortoise was her son. However, there was something that worried her: Why didn’t Alfie grow any bigger over the years? It’s not like Alfie refused to eat or anything, but why was he still the same pipsqueak as before? One day she brought up this question while chatting with Mr Hoppy, and Mr Hoppy promised to help Alfie grow up.

Will Mr Hoppy succeed and win Mrs Silver’s hand in marriage?

Compared to Roald Dahl’s other works, Esio Trot doesn’t really attempt to teach any life lesson, nor is it any kind of bizzare adventure. In its core, Esio Trot is simply a short but sweet love story. That doesn’t mean that it’s a boring read though! The way Mr Hoppy solves his problem still shows the same imaginative mind the author is known for, and it’s hard not to smile when reading about the interactions between Mr Hoppy and Mrs Silver. As for little Alfie, I bet he wouldn’t have expected to become the “red string" connecting the two together, right?

 

書本介紹 – Exploralab

相信有不少小朋友的夢想是要當科學家，對吧？穿著帥帥的白袍在高科技的實驗室中探索科學的奧秘，聽起來很棒耶～不過科學家好像也很不容易當，小朋友聽到要讀到博士有多難可能會被嚇倒了吧…

但是也不用氣餒，當不成那種科學家，就把實驗室搬到家裡去，來當小小科學家吧！

這本書是Exploratorium的出品，那Exploratorium到底是什麼來著？這是一個位於三藩市的著名博物館，以富有趣味性的互動展品跟輕鬆好玩的教學手法見稱。走進Exploratorium就好像走進一個科學家的遊樂場，而館內的展品就是科學家的玩具。小朋友當然最開心啦，但是成年人來參觀也許也有機會當回一次小朋友呢！

而這本書可以說是把Exploratorium變成一本書。雖然內容肯定沒有真實的Exploratorium那麼豐富啦，不過說到以互動形式讓小朋友認識科學，這本書絕對是成功了～因為這本書不只是用來看的，而是用來玩的！由於Explorabook的取材都以日常生活為主，所以裡面的活動用到的物資也是能夠在家裡找到的，小朋友看書的同時也能夠動手動腳一起做小實驗，把自己的家變成實驗室。
透過這本書也可以發現，原來我們日常生活中也藏著不少學問，就算小如一個鬧鐘也大有來歷喔！

當然啦，Explorabook最好還是由家長跟小朋友一起看。小朋友看不懂的話還有家長幫忙解說，而且做小實驗的時候有家長陪同也會安全一點呢。

I’m sure that there are plenty of kids who dream of being a scientist, right? Wearing a snazzy white labcoat, exploring the secrets of science in a high-tech laboratory, it sure sounds awesome…But it’s not easy being a scientist, chances are some kids would freak out if they realized how tough it is to get a doctorate…

But there’s no need to fret. If you can’t become those scientists, then let’s bring the laboratory into our home and become little scientists!

This book is produced by the Exploratorium, but what exactly is the Exploratorium anyways? It’s actually a world-famous museum in San Francisco, well-known for its intriguing, interactive exhibits and it’s informal and fun teaching style. Entering the Exploratorium is like entering a scientist’s playground, and the many exhibits are their toys. Obviously the kids will have a blast in this museum, but even grown-up visitors might have a chance to relive their childhood fun too.

This book is pretty much the Exploratorium in book form. Sure it’s contents are not as jam-packed as the actual museum, but it certainly delivered when it comes to introducing kids to science in an interactive way. This book isn’t just for reading, but it’s also for playing! As the Exploralab’s content is based on everyday life, a lot of its activities use household items. While reading this book, kids can also roll up their sleeves, do little experiments and turn their home into laboratories.
Moreover, through this book we also find that our everyday life is full of things to learn, even something as small as an alarm clock is more than meets the eye!

Of course, it’s best for parents and their kids to read the Explorabook together. Parents can help explain things if their kids don’t understand what they’ve read, and it’s safer to have a grown-up around when doing little experiments too.

書本介紹 – The Frightful First World War & The Woeful Second World War

之前我已經介紹了整個Horrible Histories系列，所以理論上不太需要另外介紹系列裡面的某幾本書。但是因為最近發生的一些事情，我覺得也該是時候拿這兩本書來說說了。

我的本科不是歷史系，但是也曾經自修會考西方歷史科（畢竟我媽是西史老師）加上在約克這個古城讀大學的時光，歷史對自己來講沒有那麼遙遠。

可是始終因為地理跟時光的差異，西方歷史還是會有一點距離感，學生覺得那邊的歷史只是一堆要硬生生吃下去考試時吐出來的知識也不是沒有原因的吧？對我來說，真正感受到一二戰的震撼，除了參觀波蘭的奧斯威辛集中營之外就是參觀曼徹斯特的戰爭博物館…..

還有這兩本書。

Horrible Histories系列的特點是用輕鬆幽默的手法去介紹歷史，讓小朋友對歷史有多點興趣。但是看過這麼多本系列作品之後，我敢說這兩本講述一二戰的書是系列中最正經的。
當然啦，正經不代表沉悶，作者的一貫風格在兩本書也不是看不到的。只是論內容來講，作者很清楚哪些時候適合搞笑，哪些時候要把笑臉收起來，有哪些界線是不能跳過去的。看這兩本書還是會笑，只是笑中絕對會有淚的。

另外兩本書跟英國戰爭博物館有一些共通點。大家都會講述一些一二戰時發生的大事沒錯，但是兩者的集中點都不是歌頌盟軍有多棒痛罵納粹有多邪惡，而是戰爭下的一般人。一些有血有肉，有自己的家庭生活工作夢想的普通老百姓。
約克城堡博物館的一戰展覽我有去看，整個展覽的設計是跟著幾位住在約克的平民在一戰爆發之後的經歷。我們在展覽中認識到他們在參軍前的生活跟參軍後的去向，很簡單地就把現代人跟當年的人連在一起，一戰的歷史也不再那麼抽象和難以代入。
同樣道理，戰爭博物館跟這兩本書有不少篇幅就是講述普通的平民跟軍人在一二戰時的設身經歷和生活方式，這時候大家感受到的不是勝利者在強調自己有多勇敢，而是戰爭的殘酷跟人們對和平的渴望。

兩本書中印象最深刻的，是Woeful Second World War中的一小段，當中是圖文並荗地講述一次針對某個小城鎮的轟炸。當時城鎮剛好有馬戲團來表演，大家都為了能夠短暫忘掉戰爭的恐怖而樂透了。然而在戰機的猛烈轟炸之下，小城鎮化為烈火，原本開心的歡笑聲也變成慘叫跟求救聲。

這時候大家的直覺就是，這是德軍在轟炸小城鎮對吧？

但是很抱歉，作者筆下的這個小城鎮其實在德國。而無情轟炸的劊子手，是英國皇家空軍。

歷史是由勝利者寫出來的，加上這系列本來是寫給小朋友看的，如果作者把這些事情省略掉不說也沒什麼好驚訝的。但是作者沒有這樣做。作者筆下的兩次戰爭不是單純的邪不能勝正，而是要強調戰爭中大家認定的＂正方＂也會幹出殘害無辜平民的事，＂反方＂的國家也是戰爭的受害者之一。戰爭有勝有敗，但是會有真正的贏家嗎？

一二戰的歷史除了日本侵華那一段之外大家也許會沒什麼感覺，但是對地球另一邊的人卻是心中的傷痕。所以真的，不要拿這種事情來亂開玩笑。這已經不只是國際觀的問題，而是很簡單的一種對歷史的尊重的問題。Horrible Histories的作者很清楚，我也希望大家也一樣那麼清楚。

Since I’ve already introduced the Horrible Histories series as a whole, arguably there is no need for me to focus on any particular books within the series. However, following the events happening these days, I figured that it’s about time to start talking about these two books.

My major isn’t history, but I did self-study CE-level world history (since my mom is a world history teacher herself). Combined with my university life in York, a town steeped in history, history isn’t quite as far away as I thought.

However, considering the physical and time differences, there’s still some distance between us and western history, and there’s a reason why some students view western history as nothing more than a bunch of facts to swallow up and spit out during exams. To me, the biggest shocks the two World Wars gave me was during my visits to the Auschwitz concentration camp and the Imperial War Museum in Manchester…

And these two books.

Horrible Histories is most iconic for its relaxed and humourous take on history, in a bid to get kids interested in history. But after reading so many books from the series, I daresay that these two books are the most serious of the lot.

Of course, being serious doesn’t mean being boring, and it’s still possible to find shades of the author’s usual style in those books. It’s just that when it comes to the contents, the author understands when to crack jokes, when to hold those smiles back, and which lines should not be crossed. You can still laugh when reading these books, but there will be tears mixed into it.

Moreoever, there are some similarities between those two books and the War Museum in the UK. Although both will describe the major events in the two World Wars, their focus isn’t about how great the Allies are or how horrible the Nazis are. Instead, they talk about ordinary people in the war. Just average joes with their own lives, families and dreams.

I’ve been to the World War 1 exhibition in York’s Castle Museum, and the whole exhibition is designed to follow the lives of several yorkshiremen after war broke out. We get to know more about their life before and during the war, and in a way the exhibition connected the people in the past and in the present. World War 1 is no longer as abstract and difficult to relate to as it used to be.
Similarly, the War Museum and the two books spend a lot of words talking about the life of ordinary people and ordinary soldiers under the war. What we see isn’t a winner emphasizing their bravery, but the terrors of war and hope for peace.

The most memorable part of those two books is one small section in “The Woeful Second World War", illustrating the bombing of a small town. Back then there was a travelling circus performing in the town, and people were overjoyed to forget about the war, even for a short moment. However, as the planes drop their bombs from above, the town was soon engulfed with flames, and what used to be laughter soon turned into screams of help.

At this point, you’d probably think this is a bombing from the Germans, right?

I’m sorry, but the town the author described was actually in Germany. Who did the bombings? The UK’s Royal Air Force.

History is written by the winners, and Horrible Histories is written for children, so it won’t be surprising if the author decided to omit this bit. But the author didn’t do so. Under the author’s pen, the two World Wars are not simple cases of “good will pervail over evil". During wartime, even the “good" side can murder innocents, and even the “bad" side can be victims as well. There are winners and losers in war, but is there a true “winner" in the end?

The two World Wars, aside from Japan’s invasion in China, may be something we don’t give much thought about. But to the people living in the other side of the globe, those wars are real scars in their hearts. So please, don’t joke about things like this lightly. It’s no longer just a matter of understanding the world, it’s also a matter of respecting history. The author of Horrible Histories understands this, and I hope everyone can do the same.

書本介紹 – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

雖然這本書很值得介紹，但是要介紹這本書可一點也不容易。

要寫一篇書評少不免要透露書本的內容，畢竟讀者不了解內容又怎會知道這本書是不是他們的菜呢？但是看過這本書之後，我覺得這次要剛好相反。

我不能透露任何內容，讀者開始看這本書時，最好是除了書名跟封面之外對它一點認識也沒有。
這樣的狀態下去看，才能最切實的感受到故事帶給讀者的震撼與心理上的衝擊。（我就是之前聽說過故事內容所以有了心理準備，結果看的時候真的有差別…如果當初沒被劇透就好了）

不過真的要略略談一下的話…（書評這樣草草了事可不行嘛）

這是一個跟兩個孩子的友情有關的故事

這是一個有關於兩個世界的故事

這是一個很沉重的故事

這也是一個很真實的故事。也許人物都是虛構出來的，但他們的經歷在現實世界可能曾經發生過，甚至現在世界上的某角落也在上演著同樣的事情

我們能祈求的是，這樣的故事將來不會再發生。

Although this book is definitely worth recommending, trying to introduce this book is not an easy task.

Usually when it comes to book introductions or reviews, you’re bound to write about the contents of the book at some point. After all, how would readers figure out if a book is their cup of tea when they don’t even know what the book is even about? However, after reading this book, I realized I have to do the opposite.

I cannot reveal anything about the book’s contents. In fact, it might be for the best if readers have no clue what the book is about, aside from the book title and the cover design.

That way, when you first read the book you’ll be able to experience the full brunt of the mental shock the story gives you. (I’ve already heard of some of the story’s contents, so I was mentally prepared when tackling this book. It certainly felt different, and I wish I didn’t get spoiled beforehand)

But if I really have to talk about the story in brief… (It’s not right to end the book review this sloppily, after all)

This is a story about the friendship between two boys.

This is a story about two different worlds.

This is a heavy story.

This is also a realistic story. Sure the characters might be made up, but the things they go through might have happened in real life before. Perhaps they are also happening right now, in some corner in the world.

All we can pray for is that, this story will never happen again in the future.

書本介紹 – Discworld

之前說好要寫的嘛～先聲名一下：我是這個系列的忠實粉絲，所以廢話跟發廚可能會比較多（？）不過也希望能夠好好介紹這個系列吧！

之前已經說過這系列是作者Terry Pratchett最有名的作品，那麼Discworld為什麼會這麼特別呢？先從世界觀開始說起吧！Discworld直譯就是碟子世界，看起來就是這樣子：

真的就是碟子般的圓盤型世界，由４隻大象支撐著，下面還有一隻名叫Great A’Tuin的超巨大海龜，在無邊無際的外太空中漫游著。Great A’Tuin為什麼要漫游，漫游到哪裡去一直是Unseen University的魔法師們之間爭論不斷的問題，不過倒是有人提出他是想生兒育女，而這個說法就叫作The Big Bang Theory。

嗯，Discworld就是這樣的一個故事。

在Discworld裡，除了我們熟悉的物理跟自然定律之外，一個很重要的法則是Narrative Causality。簡單點來說，一些我們經常看到的故事老梗在Discworld裡可以說是變成了定律。有些看似不可能的事情會發生其實真的是因為劇情的要求。說個例子吧，＂萬中無一的機會＂理論上應該真的是萬中無一，但是在Discworld裡，＂萬中無一的機會＂幾乎一定成功。主角以一敵眾能夠開無雙開爽爽這個老梗，在Discworld也是金科玉律。有不少故事人物都會知道而且利用這些故事老梗呢

如之前所說，Discworld的特色在於它對這些老梗的諷刺跟惡搞，但是隨著作者文筆的進步，Discworld的重點不再只是惡搞，而是要寫出一個好故事。另外作者也會在故事中透露出自己對人生的見解以至對人性跟社會的反思，讓作品增加不少深度，值得讀者好好思考

Discworld也算是很長壽的奇幻小說系列，單是主要的作品就有４０多本，還有一堆主線以外的番外篇作品。你可能會覺得這可不行啊，要把４０多本通通看完不知道要看到民國多少年啦！其實也不用太擔心，Discworld跟別的系列有一點不同：它的故事主線不止一條，而是擁有多條故事線跟主角群，雖然有些故事線會互相連結（例如在最大城市Ankh-Morpork發生的主線）但是把這些主線分開來看也沒問題的。所以慢慢來慢慢看就好～

Discworld大約有５條主線：跟著膽小鬼魔法師Rincewind遊歷世界的Rincewind主線；以死神為主角，探討死亡的Death主線；以住在Lancre的巫婆三人組為主角，大玩故事老梗的Witches主線；以Ankh-Morpork的特警隊為主角，可以說是Discworld版偵探小說的City Watch主線；還有以Discworld裡的科技變遷和對它的影響為題的Industrial Revolution主線。番外作品除了探討宗教觀的兩本書和科普作品Science of Discworld系列，還有對象是青少年，跟Witches主線有連結的Tiffany Aching主線。

哪本書是哪個主線？要從哪一本開始看？當然要先看懶人包：

雖然有一兩本新書沒有被加進去，不過算是很完整的懶人包，跟著它就OK了！我是從City Watch主線開始看的，以這個作為起點應該不錯說！
當然啦，你也可以從一切的起點Rincewind主線開始看，不過老實說，The Colour of Magic跟The Light Fantastic都是很早期的作品，不論文筆還是對人物的描述都沒那麼好（有些人物的性格在這兩本書跟之後的作品分別大得根本就是兩個人。對，Vetinari，我說的就是你）
不過看了這兩本再看後期的作品，可以切實感受到作者文筆的進步呢～

至於哪幾本書最最值得看的？不少粉絲公認的選擇就是Small Gods跟Night Watch這兩本。不論是故事的張力，人物的刻劃還是對社會的探討，這兩本都是系列的最高峰。對Discworld有興趣的話，這兩本是不看不行der

雖然Discworld在外國超級有名，但是只有City Watch主線的書出了官方中譯版，其餘的好像都是有生之年系列…嗯，算是一大遺憾吧…可是想到要原汁原味地保留Terry Pratchett那種獨特的文筆跟幽默感，Discworld系列可以說是一個很難翻譯的作品啊。不過既然定位差不多（？）的Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy系列也能出中譯，翻譯Discworld應該不是不可能的任務吧？然而個人覺得最好還是看原作，這樣才能感受到Terry Pratchett最原本的才華！

可惜作者已經過世了，系列也在The Shepard’s Crown這本作品中告一段落…不過正如Great A’tuin依然在漫遊著，Discworld在讀者心中也是長存的吧？

謝謝你，Terry Pratchett！一路好走！

書本介紹 – The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents

對啦這又是一個有關會說話的老鼠的故事，但是跟之前的那本Rats of NIMH十分不同。

這本書的作者Terry Pratchett是十分著名的奇幻小說作家，他的成名作Discworld系列以各種玩弄跟吐槽奇幻小說老梗為名，這本書當然也不例外。有聽過pied piper魔笛手的故事嗎？吹笛手吹出音樂，神奇地把一大群老鼠從小鎮帶走的那個童話可以說是家喻戶曉。

但是如果你手上有一堆有智慧，會說話的老鼠呢？Maurice跟你講，這是商機啊喂！

結果Maurice跟一個看起來笨笨的吹笛手找來了這群老鼠，便開始自編自導自演了這個童話故事，就這樣騙回來不少錢。可是老鼠們開始抱怨這樣的做法很不道德，Maurice只好硬著頭皮應承只騙多這麼一次，之後大家分好錢就各散東西。眾人來到了一個小鎮裡面，老鼠們倒發現了一個奇怪的事情：小鎮似乎抱受鼠患困擾，到處都是抓鼠用的工具，但是居然一隻老鼠也找不到。鎮上的老鼠到底跑到哪去了？

這裡的設定跟Rats of NIMH不一樣，後者所有動物都會說話，但是前者只有Maurice（他其實是隻貓）跟這一群老鼠才有這個能力。也許是因為這樣吧，這本書對人性跟獸性的討論明顯比NIMH還要多。會說話，會思考的老鼠自覺跟普通吱吱叫的同類有所分別，但是他們又是不是真的能夠丟棄作為老鼠的天性呢？他們的人性會不會比想像中脆弱？

說到這個，這本書對角色性格的描寫也比較深入。NIMH的角色性格鮮明討好不是壞事，但是始終是比較童話式的故事所以說不上特別立體。但是Terry筆下的角色也有軟弱的時候跟成長的空間，Hamnpork作為年老的領袖要面對自己突然擁有的思考能力跟群中權力的流動，Maurice這種現實主義（倒不如說自私）的貓又會為自己對這群老鼠的迷之同情而感覺錯愕，這些都突顯出他們是多麼的有血有肉。

雖然這本書是改編至童話，但是內容一點也不童話，倒不如說是一種對人性，社會的刻劃跟反思

至於Discworld系列嘛？雖然這系列不是童書不過也是很值得推薦，安利文之後才寫吧！

Sure this is yet another children’s book with talking rats, but this is a much different book compared to Rats of NIMH.

The author of this book, Terry Pratchett, is a world-famous fantasy novel author. His iconic creation, the Discworld series, is known for its satire of the genre, and this book is no exception. Remember the story of the pied piper? The tale of the piper who led a plague of rats away using a magic pipe is well-beloved by kids all over the world.

But what would you do with a bunch of intelligent rats that could talk? According to Maurice, it means getting rich quick.

Maurice, together with a stupid-looking piper and said talking rats decided to hatch a scheme. By recreating the pied piper story themselves, they cheated money out of towns here and there. However, the rats soon figured out that this is rather dishonest, and managed to convince Maurice to make this show their last one and split their earnings afterwards for good.
Arriving at a town, the rats noticed something off: Even though the town appeared to have a rat problem judging from the sheer amount of traps and poison, they couldn’t find any local rats (or “keekees") at all. Where have they gone?

Unlike Rats of NIMH where most animals can talk, here only Maurice and the Clan of rats can do so. This might be the reason why the book spends more time discussing the nature of humans and animals compared to NIMH. Those intelligent rats are aware that they are not like other rats, but can they throw away their ratty instincts? Is their humanity a lot more fragile than they’ve thought?

Speaking of which, the characterizations in this book is also a lot deeper. NIMH’s characters are certainly colourful and likable, but being a more fairy-tale-esque story they aren’t exactly 3-dimensional. Here, Terry’s characters have their struggles, moments of weakness and chances to grow. Hamnpork, the old leader of the Clan, needs to get used to his new-found thoughts while dealing with power-shiftings within the group; Maurice, a pragmatic (or rather selfish) cat, also tries to figure out why he’s actually caring about those rats. It’s those struggles that show how “human" those characters are.

Even though this book is based on a fairy-tale, the story itself is clearly more than that. In fact, it’s a reflection of both humanity and society as a whole.

As for the Discworld series? Although it’s not exactly written for children, the series is definitely worth recommending. Expect an introduction to it in the future!

書本介紹 – Holes

之前介紹了Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes，這次就來介紹一下作者Louis Sachar的成名作Holes吧！

故事主角Stanley Yelnats因為祖先的關係至幼被不幸困擾，因為一次很不幸的巧合而被當作小偷拘捕了。為了不被關進監獄，他選擇了住進Camp Green Lake，一個類似少教所，大概是為了讓犯了罪的孩子改過自新而建立的地方。
但是這個訓練營跟一般的少教所很不同。對營長來說，孩子要建立自己的方法不是教育宣導，而是在營地前的土地上挖洞。他們每天唯一的工作就是在無情的陽光下挖一個指定大小深度的洞，日日如是永無間斷。奇怪的是挖洞聽起來很無聊（其實真的很無聊），但是營長要孩子這樣做似乎另有目的…？乾涸而滿佈坑洞的湖底下面是不是隱藏了些什麼？

這本書寫的不只是＂現在＂的故事還有＂過去＂的故事。劇情中現代跟100年前的事情互相交織穿插，讓讀者看到過去是如何影響現在，主要人物們又如何因為這微妙的命運而連在一起。看這本書其實也很像挖洞，就是把不同迷團的真相一層一層的發掘出來。當然啦，這畢竟不是偵探小說所以劇情說不上很曲折離奇，但是一邊看一邊把蛛絲馬跡串連起來也很有趣的呢！

Since I’ve talked about Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes, I might as well introduce Holes, one of the author’s most iconic works!

Stanley Yelnats was plagued by misfortune due to a curse put on his ancestor, and one case of “being in the wrong place in the wrong time" caused him to be arrested for thievery. As he didn’t want to be jailed, he chose to be sent to Camp Green Lake, a boy’s detention centre said to help them turn a new leaf.

However, this was no ordinary detention centre. In Camp Green Lake, kids build character not by education, but by digging holes. Day after day, the campers had to dig identical holes all over the camping grounds. Even though digging holes sounds boring (alright, it is pretty boring), seems like the warden wanted those holes dug for a reason…? Was there something hidden underneath the bone-dry, hole-ridden lake?

This book isn’t just about the “present" but also about the “past". In the book, events in the present and 100 years ago criss-cross and weave together, showing how the past affects the future and how the main characters are connected with each other by this peculiar thing called “fate". Reading this book is in fact quite like digging a hole, since readers have to dig down layer by layer to unearth the truth about the mysteries surrounding both the characters and Camp Green Lake itself. Of course, this is no detective novel so don’t expect anything too complicated, but it’s still pretty fun to connect the dots as you read!

書本介紹 – Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

聽到這樣的書名，大家當下的反應可能會是＂NIMH？什麼是NIMH？＂單是書名就已經讓人很好奇呢！不過也別擔心，迷團自然會在書中解開的啦～

那麼故事是怎樣的呢？我們的主角Mrs. Frisby其實是一隻田鼠，在丈夫過生之後獨自照顧４個孩子，一家人便住在農民Mr. Fitzgibbon的花園中。有一天，最小的孩子Timothy不小心得了肺炎，雖然Mrs. Frisby從醫生Mr. Ages那裡找來了藥，但是Mr. Ages跟她說Timothy這幾天都要好好休養不能外出。問題來了，原來Mr. Fitzgibbon很快就要把花園的泥土翻鬆預備播種，不快點搬到別的地方的話Frisby一家人都會遭殃。可是Timothy還在休養所以不能搬家耶，該怎麼辦？

結果一位智者貓頭鷹叫她去找從NIMH的老鼠來幫忙搬家。但是這些老鼠有什麼特別之處？神秘的NIMH又是什麼地方？

這本書能夠獲得紐伯瑞獎絕對是實至名歸，不論是Mrs. Frisby還是NIMH的老鼠們的歷險都十分引人入勝，而且老鼠們的技術力跟背景對我來說也挺意想不到的（其實有猜中啦只是沒想到真的是這樣寫，畢竟我也想不到童書也會有這種題材）
不同的大小人物都有自己的特別跟可愛之處，Mrs. Frisby更能表現出母愛的偉大，小小的田鼠也會為了孩子而變得很有勇氣呢！不過作者也能透過小小的互動把配角描寫得活靈活現，我個人其實挺喜歡有點傻氣但重情義的烏鴉Jeremy呢～

After one look at the book title, your first reaction would probably be “NIMH? What’s NIMH?" Seems like the book title alone is enough to pique your interest, eh? But don’t worry, we’ll soon find out as the story unfolds!

Our protagonist, Mrs. Frisby, was a field mouse who had to take care of her 4 children by herself after the death of her husband. The Frisbys lived in a garden owned by Mr. Fitzgibbon, a farmer. One day, the youngest son, Timothy, was sick due to pneumonia. Although Mrs. Frisby was able to get some medicine from Mr. Ages the doctor, she was also told to keep Timothy from going out while he’s still weak.
There’s one problem though. Mr. Fitzgibbon was about to plow the garden so he could start planting seeds, and the Frisbys had to move out or else they won’t survive. However, Timothy was simply too weak to leave the house. What should they do?

Asking a wise owl for pointers, Mrs. Frisby was told to find help from the rats of NIMH. But what’s so special about these rats? What is this place called NIMH?

This book was one of the winners of the Newbery Awards, and with good reason. The adventures of both Mrs. Frisby and the rats are intriguing, and it was surprising to see how much those rats could accomplish. As for the background story of the rats, I have to admit that I’ve guessed it beforehand, but it was pretty surprising to see this kind of subject brought up in a children’s book.

The characters, big and small, are all interesting and endearing in their own ways. Mrs. Frisby is a very good example of how powerful a mother’s love is, being able to make even a tiny field mouse become much braver than it looks! Some small interactions also introduced us to a cast of lively side-characters, in particular I’m pretty fond of Jeremy the crow, although he’s quite childish at the same time he’s one dependable friend!

書本介紹 – Artemis Fowl

還記得之前提過的奇幻小說常見老梗嗎？住在森林裡的精靈跟人馬，地底的矮人堡壘什麼的，反正奇幻小說都是那種老樣子吧？

但是假如他們住在現代都市呢？假如他們不是用刀劍弓箭而是很高科技的工具呢？

在Artemis Fowl這本書中，這些奇幻種族都生活在地底下的都市中，盡量隱藏自己不被地表上的人類發現。他們的科技水平遠超我們，一些我們夢想擁有的科技對他們是等閒事。不過魔法依然是存在的，只是功能遠沒有大家印象中那麼多就是了

至於Artemis Fowl本人嘛？這傢伙是個天才罪犯，善於以周詳的計劃確保自己的目標能夠達成，也是個為了成功可以不擇手段的那種人。雖然他聰明絕頂但是同時以冷酷無情見稱，加上作為有錢人家的身份，除了身邊的家人跟僕人能夠稱為朋友的少之又少。

喔對了，Artemis只有12歲。

Artemis的父親在三年前離奇失蹤之後，不但家族的事業一直走下坡，Artemis的媽媽還因為傷心過度而失去理智。為了解決家族的難題，Artemis決定做一件史無前例就是狂的事：勒索精靈族。
經過一番資料搜集，Artemis深信精靈族是存在的，只是沒被發現而已。從一位藏在胡志明市的精靈拿到精靈族的聖典之後，他開始找機會綁架一位精靈然後向精靈們勒索贖金，結果找上了一位精靈族警察：Holly Short。從此之後，Artemis和他的家族跟精靈族們結下了淵源…

這個系列的特別之處除了打破一般人對奇幻小說的刻版印象，把奇幻種族帶到現代（還有點科幻小說影子）之外，還有帶點黑色幽默的文筆跟緊湊刺激的劇情。看這本書就像進戲院看荷里活動作片…只是剛好有精靈族的出現而已。
主角Artemis跟一般的兒童文學主角不同，雖然他的目標（醫治媽媽）算是挺正當的，但是不論是他的性格還是他為了實現目標而幹過的事，都能看出Artemis不是什麼好人（頂多只能稱為反英雄吧？）但是同時間你又很難因此而討厭他。跟很多正氣的主角相比，這樣的設定還挺特別的呢～
不過隨著跟精靈族的關係愈來愈緊密，Artemis的性格也會有所成長，雖然依然說不上是很正直的人，但至少也沒有以前那麼過份。邊看著劇情發展邊留意他的改變，也是看這個系列的樂趣之一

當然，別忘了這傢伙是個罪犯，所以無論你覺得他的表現有多帥，好孩子真的不要學喔

 

Remember what I last said about classic fantasy story tropes? Stuff like elves and centaurs living in magical forests, dwarves building mountain fortresses, the works? What else would you expect?

What if I told you that they lived in modern cities, just like us? What if they ditched the swords and sorcery of old and embraced technology?

In the world of Artemis Fowl, fairies were very much a thing, except they lived in modern cities deep underground, taking care not to catch attention from the humans on the surface. Their technology far surpassed ours, to the point that technology we dreamed up in science fiction were a walk in a park to them. While magic indeed existed, its abilities were a lot more limited than what you’d expect.

As for Artemis Fowl himself? He’s a genius and a criminal mastermind, with a knack of making detailed plans to ensure his success. Being a very pragmatic person, he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, even if it meant using less than legal means. However, despite his intellect, Artemis was known to be a rather ruthless person. As a result, he barely had any friends outside his family and servants, and the fact that he was born with a silver spoon certaibly didn’t help things.

Oh, and did I mention that Artemis was 12 years old?

Things weren’t going too well for Artemis ever since the mysterious disappearance of his father 3 years ago. Not only did the family fortune suffer a hit, but his grieving mother was slowly losing her mind as well. To solve his family problems and return the Fowls to their former glory, Artemis decided to do the unthinkable: Steal from the fairies.

After extensive research, Artemis was more than convinced that fairies do exist, except hidden from the humans. A trip to Ho Chi Mingh city nailed him a copy of the fairies’ holy book from a fairy living in disguise, and he began to formulate his plan to kidnap a fairy. The moment he captured police officer Holly Short was the beginning of a long history between the Fowls and the fairies…

The most intriguing thing about this series  isn’t just about how it defies what you’d usually expect from fantasy novels, but also both the action-packed plot and the author’s darkly humorous writing style. Reading this series is like watching a Hollywood action film…except with fairies.

Artemis is also much different from your typical children book protagonist. Although he has good intentions (healing his mother), his personality and actions prove that Artemis is not exactly a good person (at most he’s an antihero). However despite all that, you’d find it pretty hard to hate him. I’d say this makes him stand out from the many noble characters from other books

Still, as he gets tangled up with the fairies more and more, Artemis gets to recieve character development. Sure he’s not quite reformed just yet, but at least he’s no longer as terrible as he used to be. It’s actually pretty fun to trace his character growth throughout the series too

A word of warning though! No matter how cool he sounds, Artemis is still very much a criminal. So kids, don’t try this at home.