The Best of Roald Dahl

THE BEST OF ROALD DAHL

by Julio Riverola – Second year advanced level

The Best Of Roald Dahl is a book which collects some of the best short stories of this English writer, approximately twenty of them.

A famous writer because of his stories for children, this book is absolutely dedicated to adults. In it, we can find very interesting stories, easy to read but always with an amazing and surprising ending. Furthermore, cruel and dark endings fill the book.

Dahl tells us about topics like betting with outlandish rewards. For example, in one of them, the gambling men bet their own fingers. Another of these stories shows us how a rich man bets his virgin daughter against an expert taster of wines who is invited by himself to a luxurious dinner.

Another topic that Dahl writes about is babies. Two examples of this: the first one, Royal Jelly, tells the story of the desperate parents of a child who can not get weight. Suddenly, the baby begins to get fat. The mother is happy at first but then is worried because of that incredible change. The father finally confesses that he is putting a magic substance in the baby’s bottle. Soon, the baby undergoes a metamorphosis. In the second example, which Dahl presents as a real story, he perfectly describes the successful birth of a child whose parents have lost all their three previous sons. Finally we can see that it is a happy birth for the family and a tragedy for the rest of the world.

Another interesting story tells us about an innocent and unlucky boy that wishes to become a famous cook. He is writing a book with hundreds of recipes without any kind of meat, because he has never eaten meat. The first time he goes to the city, he finally eats meat and he can make a very close visit to a slaughterhouse.

The last story I want to mention tells about a traveller who is hosted by a rich man in his palace in the middle of the desert. He tries to win the rich man’s extremely beautiful wife’s and daughter’s heart and finally he gets go to bed with a woman, but not one he wished.

To sum up, an enjoyable book that gives food for thought and perfect to devour story by story in sleepless nights.

The Sense of an Ending

Reviewed by Carlos Liesa (2nd year advanced level)

Outstanding Short Stories

Outstanding Short Stories
various authors
Pearson Longman, level 5

It´s a highly enjoyable book with seven different stories by Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allan Poe and other famous writers. All of them are adapted for upper-intermediate students.

The book is really pleasant. Of course, some stories are more gripping than others but on the whole it is really interesting. If you began a story you won´t be able to put it down without finishing it.

The book includes 5 CDs which let you practise your listening at the same time you are reading. Also, if you don’t know a word, you can look it up in a word list at the end of the book.

Regarding the stories, some of them are really short, which is marvellous in order to improve your listening while you are driving, cooking… and later you can read them, and maybe you will see that you understand more English than you think.

In a nutshell, in this book it is all advantages. What are you waiting for to read it?

Raquel Sarasa

A Death in Oxford - Book Boy

A Death in Oxford
Richard MacAndrew
Cambridge English Readers, Beginner
Thriller

I recommend this book because it is amusing and easy to read. It has easy vocabulary and the ending is good. If you like the TV series CSI, you will like to read this book.

Book Boy
Antoinette Moses
Cambridge English Readers, Beginner
Human Interest

It is worth reading because this is a human interest book on the problem of drugs in the young. I also recommend it because it has easy vocabulary. The beginning of the book is sad for me but then it has a happy ending. I recommend that everyone reads it.

Mari, 1st year Basic Level

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?