Tears of the Giraffe

Tears of the Giraffe
by Alexander McCall Smith
Penguin Readers, level 4

The book we have in our school library is a simplified edition published by Pearson Education. It is level 4 intermediate and has 4 CDs available.

It is a detective and love story which happens in Botswana, a country in south Africa.

The main characters are Ms Ramotswe and Mr JLB Matekoni. She is a private detective and he works as a mechanic fixing engines. They are engaged and want to become a good wife and husband but they are getting to know each other and their life-style. While Ms Ramotswe is resolving a murder, Mr JLB Matekoni is making an important decision for their future family.

There are other characters: maids, orphan children, clients, friends, policemen, a secretary... Although some are bad people like murderers, stupid maids, thieves, most of the characters are very good, kind and generous people in this poor African country.

In the end, the detective woman resolves her case and they can have a happy family.

I would like to recommend this book because you can enjoy the story and learn vocabulary and how to use verb tenses at the same time.

Ana Soler Linés, 1st year Intermediate Level

The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck
Penguin Readers, level 5

This book shows the life of the Joad family after losing their farm, because of the Great Depression, which lasted through the 1930s. By 1933, 16 million people were unemployed and the Joad family is one of them. They travel from Oklahoma to California. They have been farmers for many years. They decide to move to find some work in the fruit and cotton fields, but they find poverty, illness and hunger.

This story tells us about the hard life of these people that have to drive thousands of miles in search of jobs. They work for low wages or for food.

I recommend it because you can learn to value your life.

Lina Salvatierra, 2nd year Intermediate Level

Double Cross

“Double Cross”
Philip Prowse
Cambridge English Readers, level 3
Thriller

An interesting international thriller set in Scandinavia, London and South Africa. The former Soviet Union has tens of thousands of nuclear weapons already and the Russian army wants to destroy them but it hasn’t got enough money to do it, so Sweden decides to help Russia to achieve it, to prevent terrorists from getting the weapons.

In Stockholm, an important Swedish politician is the victim of an attack and he almost dies.

Monica is an agent for the Swedish Military Intelligence and she has to find out who tried to kill the politician. She is helped by an agent of the British Intelligence.

During the investigation Monica meets a guitarist and both of them have a nice time.

Personal opinion:
I would recommend its reading because it is very entertaining and the interest is kept along the whole book.

Pili Lanuza, 2nd year Basic Level

Casablanca

I love this film!. It's a classic and essential one. It was filmed in 1943.  It's considered as a master work and the second best film from all the times, after "Citizen Kane". In my opinion is one of the best romantic movies in the cinema history. It was nominated for 8 Oscar and won 3 of them.             I enjoy a lot every time I see it and I always feel the same deep emotion, it doesn't matter the times I have watched.             On the one hand, the leading actress, as well as the leading actor did some magnificent performances, I would say that Ingrid Bermana (Lisa) was gorgeous, perhaps better than Humphrey Bogart (Rick), but I don't know, I can't be sure because I adore Bogart. My mother loved him too and she always told me. We watched "Casablanca" together several times.             It's said at first the actress was Michael Morgan but she wanted to earn 50.000 dollar and Ingrid Berman was ready with 25.000. I'm sure that Michael Morgan shouldn't have done like Ingrid Berman.             On the other hand, the music is fantastic, like the memorable song: "As time goes by". I wouldn't tire to listen to it, although I should do 1000 times, in fact I usually listen to.  It's known, when the movie was finished,  the composer Mas Steiner wanted to change the song "As time goes by" shooting the stage again, but he coudn't do it because Ingrid Berman had had her hair cut to film with Gary Cooper "For whom the bell tolls". I celebrate it shouldn't be so!            There are some unforgetable phrases in the movie such as:                       "Play it again, Sam", Lisa tells Sam when she arrives in Rick's café and she listens to it once more "As time goes by", then Rick listens to it too and goes to the piano, where Lisa is...            "You played it for her, you can play it  for me", Rick tells Sam that night, after seeing Lisa...            "We will always have  Paris", Rick says to Lisa, in an exciting stage...            "It's my less vulnerable part", Rich answers to police chief after he told Rick "Remember, I'm aiming you at you heart"            "I think it's the beginning of a good friendship", Rick told police chief at the end of the film.             I would write much more about  this marvellous movie because there are a lot of saying. This is only a little summary.            Have a good time!            Pili Lanuza - Basic 2nd.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Do androids dream of electric sheep?
Philip K Dick
Oxford University Press, level 5
Science fiction

by Antonio Estaún, 2º nivel intermedio

The book is about a future world where there has been a war in our planet  (World War Terminus) and radioactive dust has covered the Earth. After the war a lot things have changed. Many people have emigrated to Mars and other planets to have a better life, the animals have died and the sun has stopped shining. In this future world there are androids; they’re machines, but they look human. Every person who leaves to another planet can have an android.

In San Francisco there is an android killer, his name’s Rick Deckard, he lives with his wife. He works for the police department. He has to kill six androids which have escaped from Mars, because they have killed some human beings.

Peoplehave android animals as pets. If Rick kills those androids, he’d buy a pet. At the end of the story, he gets to kill them, but nothing is what it seems: is Rick a real person? or is he really Wilbur Mercer?