【書籍介紹】 書名／Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes 推薦者／高雄高工‧李承恩 內容簡介：

What is the secret of the goose that swallowed a priceless blue carbuncle? How is a woman murdered when she is alone in locked room? What is the real purpose of Red-headed League? You can get all the answers to the questions in The Adventure of the Red-headed League. In three mind-boggling cases, Sherlock Holmes solves one by one with his calm thinking, keen observation and an excellent capability of inference. Sherlock Holmes’ best friend, Dr. Watson, is his capable assistant. In The Adventure of the Red-headed League, in fall, Dr. Watson found out a strange case in which a red-haired store owner was involved. The Red-headed League used a scheme to make the store owner leave his shop, and then they dug a tunnel in the store as the access to the bank. Finally, Sherlock Holmes exposed the illegal acts and saved the gold coins in the vault of the bank. In The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, the gem stolen was hidden in the belly of the goose. Sherlock Holmes figured out the mistakes made by the criminal and succeeded in solving the crime as the criminal took the wrong goose away. Again, Sherlock Holmes’s vwit and logic thinking beat the crime.In The Adventure of the Speckled Band, Helen’s twin sister got killed at the night after being engaged. Before she was killed, she told Helen that she had heard the mysterious sound of whistle at night. Now, Helen was engaged as well. After moving into her twin sister’s room, she heard the whistle too. She felt very scared. It is a wonderful story of chamber killing. The author used a variety of sounds to tell the story. While I was reading the story, I felt as if I witted the scene. Risking his life, Sherlock Holmes entered Helen’s room to investigate the crime. It turned out to be the twin sisters’ stepfather’s conspiracy. As Sherlock Holmes says, “If a smart person uses his brain for bad thing, it’s really terrible!” As a result, Sherlock Holmes makes the most of his intelligence to deal with crisis.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Spirit Bound 推薦者／高雄女中‧黃靜瑄 內容簡介：

The book comprises all dimensions of experiences a student goes through, including friendship, love, and self-growth. The author fuses adventurous elements in intriguing plots, which makes this book incredibly interesting. First, the main character—Rose, and her three close friends—Lissa, Eddie, and Christian, showed a model of true, loyal friendship. In the beginning of the book, Rose’s lover—Dimitri, was turned into an evil vampire, which was called “Strigoi” in the Vampire Academy. Thus, Rose had an adventure to save Dimitri from his evil state. After Eddie knew Rose’s plan, he promised Rose to help her without hesitation though it was an illegal trip that could ruin his bright future. Eddie said, “Does it sounds crazy? Yes. But you’ve always had good reasons for what you do, and I help you because you need me.” These words definitely showed Eddie and Rose’s strong friendship. Moreover, when Rose finally found Dimitri, Lissa and Christian cooperate together to plunge that stake charmed with spirit into Dimitri’s heart and transferred Dimitri back to a dhampir. The work was nearly impossible to be done, but three of them did it based on their trust on one another. As for love, it was the reason why Rose risked her life. She loved Dimitri so much that she felt she saves him. As a Strigoi, Dimitri did many horrible things to Rose, but Rose’s love for him was never changed. Rose always stayed positive, believing that one day Dimitri would be saved. After Dimitri was saved, he felt so regretful that he’d done those things to Rose, but Rose didn’t blame him. Instead, she forgave him. This part really touched me because it’s very difficult to love a person again once he or she tortured you. As a whole, this book really shows the process of Rose’s self-growth—from a timid girl to an assertive guardian. Everything she faced in her adventure all morphed her into a better person. If you’re looking for a book that describes an admirable friendship, a book that can shed light on your mind, or a book that has countless climaxes to make your adrenaline flows—then Sprit Bound is doubtlessly the book you should read.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Coraline 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧張意筑 內容簡介：

The story Coraline describe how a little girl named Coraline, adapted herself to a new life in a new apartment. Her neighbor included two old retired actresses, and a strange old man who lives upstairs and trains mice circus. In spite of these weirdness, Coraline feels bored and neglected by her parents, since there’s no friend and her parents are busy working all day. One day, Coraline discovered a black door, with a brick wall behind it. During that night, she crossed the passage and ffound a world similar to her own, but everything was better (the caring parents and delicacies) And everyone has buttons on their faces instead of eyes. Coraline’s other mother invited her to stay forever if she let her sew buttons. Coraline refused and soon realized that this alternative world was just a trick to lure her, so the other mother could eat up her soul. Coraline heads back home. When she got home, her real parents are missing. She finds that that’s her other mother who kidnaps them, and she can not but go back to the creepy world to rescue them. Coraline challenged the other mother, and she gets her parents back in the end. In the meanwhile, she saves the souls of three ghost children, who have been trapped in the other world for a long time. During her adventure, she also ran into a black cat that could talk, and it helped a lot when fighting the other mother. When the night Coraline finally won her parents’ love and returned home, she dreamed of the three children whose souls are saved by Coraline, and they warned her that her task is still not done. The other mother’s right hand followed her to this world and attempt to get the key, which can open the door between two worlds. Coraline used her wisdom and courage to beat the other mother again. Coraline returned to home, greeted by her strange neighbor’s circus, and then was ready to go to the new school tomorrow. Coraline abundantly showed her bravery, wisdom, and independence through all the book. One of my favorite parts in the story is when she was about to fight with the other mother, she told the black cat, ”When you are scared but you still do it anyway, that’s brave.” It deeply touches me. Despite the fact that I am alone in the worst circumstances, I got to be brave and fight for what I love.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Holes by Louis Sachar 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧黃子潔 內容簡介：

Stanley Yelnats, a 14-years-old student, is wrongly convicted of the stealing of a pair of shoes which is owed by famous baseball athletic Livingston. The shoes are expected to donate to a shelter to raise money. So Stanley is sentenced to Camp Green Lake, which is full of juvenile offenders. Every camper has to dig a hole every day. Warden says it can help to build character.”If they find anything interesting, they will have the rest of their day off.But it is totally a scant.The truth is the warden want to find the treasures which are under the Camp Green Lake. Meanwhile, Stanley makes a friend calls Zero, who is often ridiculed by other teenagers and tutors. One day Stanley can not endure it, so he escapes from the camp. Stanley is worried about whether he has a life-threatening emergency in the desert. Few days later, he decides to search Zero. Fortunately, he makes it success. They successfully survive wtih the onion and water which are buried under the mountain. In the mountain, Zero admits that he is the one who stole the athletic shoes. Stanley forgives him and they discover the secret of the Camp Green Lake together. One day, they stay at the mountain few days to rest. Later on, they return to camp and unearth the treasures. Unforutunately, the warden tries to prevent them. But the warden is too afraid to approach them because lots of toxic creatures surround Stanley and Zero with onion odor. At last, Stanley's lawyer comes and uncovers the truth. Camp Green Lake will soon become a Girl Scout Camp. To my impression, the author tells about generation reincarnation. At first, Stanley blamed his bad lucks on his ”no-good-dirty-rotten pig-stealing-great-grandfather.” But he finally turns his fortune around and find the treasure. The story gives the inspiration that we should keep working hard and we can make things successful. The author tells the story humorously. The part that I like most is the friendship of Stanley and Zero who find the treasure together with their perseverance and both of them go to a happy end. In addition, I learned that I cannot take advantage of people, or I will be regretful just like the warden.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Holes by Louis Sachar 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧顏慧姍 內容簡介：

Charlotte’s Web, describes the adventures of the pig, Wilbur, the youngest kids in the pig family. In the story, Wilbur is less nutritious than all the other pigs. As a result, the farm owner made a decision to kill Wilbur. But the farmer’s daughter couldn’t bear to see the pig killed. She appealed his father to save the innocent life and requested him if she could keep the pig as a pet. Farmer agreed to it. Wilbur was an optimistic guy who always made everyone happy. Much to everyone’s delight, he gets some like-minded friends on the farm. After several weeks, Wilbur was sold to the other farm and it became lonely. Fortunately, he met a new friend, Charlotte, who change his life. Someday, a sheep told to Wilbur astonishing news that Wilbur would be eaten up on Christmas. Wilbur was panic and asked Charlotte for help. Charlotte kept a promise to Wilbur that she would try the whole bag of tricks to save it. One day, Charlotte came up with an approach that praises Wilbur’s advantages. Charlotte weaves the words, “Some pig” with web. Only when Wilbur became famous would it not be killed. Thanks to Charlotte, Wilbur got a big reward and survived from an untimely death. After delivering many baby spiders. Mother Spider, Charlotte, was dead. Wilbur made an effort to protect her descendants. Later on, Wilber become the best friend in their life. The most impressive plot of this book is the firm friendship between Wilbur and Charlotte. In the beginning, everyone deems Charlotte as a heartless and fierce spider. She hunts insects with webs. In fact, she lives on insects. Not until she met Wilbur did she learned the pure friendship. I am moved by the unforgettable plot that Charlotte scarifies her life in order to save her friend, Wilbur. Simultaneously, I am envious of what they have. Saving others is the precious thing in everyone’s life. A good fiend will support the others in needs. On the other hand, I think Wilbur is just who never judged a book by its cover. Wilber always kept a tolerant attitude toward everyone. To appreciate what Charlotte did, Wilbur raised her descendants as his own children. After all, this book is both entertaining and informative. In addition, the skill of interpersonal relationship, the importance of friendship, and self-control of emotion are much impressed.

【書籍介紹】 書名／The Greek and Roman Myths 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧陳芷綺 內容簡介：

“What began with an apple must end with a horse.” said Athena. In Greek mythology, there was a serious war between Troy and Sparta, said to have been caused by a competition of the fairest goddess. On the wedding of Peleus and Thetis in the book, Eris, who was not invited to the ceremony, was furious and determined to make arguments. She threw an apple with the words “For the fairest goddess.” In the feast, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all wanted to get the apple. So they argued with one another. Without an objective evaluation, Zeus asked Paris to decide who the winner was. In order to win the contest, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite offered Paris power, battle skills and the most beautiful woman in the world named Helen. Eventually, Aphrodite won the apple and then brought Helen to Troy. For the sake of taking his wife back, the Spartan King declared a war to Troy. Then there has been battle for a decade. During the war, Athena, raging about the failure of the competition, helped the Spartans’ advice, “What began with an apple must end with a horse.” Listening to the suggestion of Athena, the Spartans built a hugly wooden horse with a number of soldiers hiding insides. Looking upon the horse as a symbol of surrender, the Trojans accepted it and carried it into the Trojan city. It is at night that the Spartan soldiers came out from the horse and opened the gate for the army outsides. As the Spartan army successfully attacked the Trojan city, they finally won the Trojan War. According to the mythology, multiple phenomena are worthy discussing. First and foremost, during the war, it was not the human beings but the gods who controlled the entire war. By only saying several words, Athena made the Spartans to won their victory easily. These remind me of an experience that students may often be controlled by parents, teachers, and even their classmates. They usually make the students do what they may not actually want to do, such as being an extraordinary person and earning a great amount of money. Nonetheless, I consider that we should live a life we want by making sure we are on the right track. By doing so, we can have a joyful life. Secondly, the gods in the mythology were responsible for the troubles they made. The true fuse of the war was the argument among the three goddess. However, the debate was ended up by a human-killing war! I regard these as someone who always made troubles and did not want to be responsible for what they have done are really awful. In conclusion, “The Trojan War” really inspires me a lot. It is absolutely a worth reading book

【書籍介紹】 書名／The Monkey's Paw 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧謝宜臻 內容簡介：

After reading the boo, The Monkey’s Paw, I got not only entertainment but also inspiration. In the book, the White family are visited by their old friend. Sergeant Major Morris, just returned from military service in India. During the pleasant conversation, fragments of memories flash into Mr. White’s mind that Morris mentioned something about a monkey’s paw. In order to find the mystery out, they asked it as well. Reluctantly, Morris took a dried-up paw out from his pocket, telling them, ”It only brought misfortune.” as well. To their curiosity, the Whites wondered about the monkey paw. Morris showed people how to make a wish on the miraculous paw, and left a warning that the family to wish only for sensible things. The White wished for two hundred pounds, and the paw squirmed as soon as they made it. The next day their son went to work. A knock came from the door with a man showing up. Much to Mr. and Mrs. White’s fright, the man notified them of a terrible accident that had occurred at the factory which their son work in. Their son had been killed by faulty machinery. The man recouped the Whites two hundred pounds—the definite number which they had wished. Feeling disappointed, Mrs. White suddenly remembered the paw after their son’s funeral. They made a wish once again to reborn their boy, even though Mr.White resisted with trepidation. Moments later they heard someone knocking outsides. Mr. White knew it was their son. While Mrs. White desperately tried to unlock the door, Mr. White grabbed the paw and made the last wish. The sound ceased, and when Mrs. White opened the door, but they found none over there. After reading the story, I got some lessons. First, it is important to face the lesson in our life. Through the story, I saw that the Whites desired to get some money; however, they brought about serious disasters that their son was killed tragically by the terrible accident. Actually, the monkey’s paw had been casted a spell on by an Indian miracle worker to prove that people shouldn’t try to interfere with fate. Much to my surprise, the consequence of their wish is very miserable. Therefore, we should hard work to face every tight squeezes instead of hoping something miracle to change our fate. On the other hand, we can shift our focus away from self-image, worry, and other stress-including concerns. It is crucial to think from another perspective to change our bad mood. In addition, I learned that I have to control my life and forgive something regrettable. So I can lead a life with hope. On the other hand, there is a negative impact of Whites’ greed. Many people are greedy by nature. So they do not control it. If people get along with their greed well, it may push them to reach more goals. People can make money by themselves instead of using the monkey’s paw.

【書籍介紹】 書名／The Devil Wears Prada 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧陳韋廷 內容簡介：

The Devil Wears Prada , written by Lauren Weisberger, is the book that changes my perspective for the fashion. In the book, a graduate of Brown University, Andrea Sachs, always pursues her dream of working for The New Yorker, which is a famous publishing house in New York. In order to accomplish her dream, she thinks that if she could get some experience from the magazine industry, it might be more likely for her to reach her objective. Therefore, she sends her resume to lots of magazine in New York. Fortunately, she is hired as an assistant for Miranda Priestly, the chief editor of the fashion magazine, Runway. Little does she know about the fashion world, she is told that “a million girls would kill that job”. If she can work for Miranda just for one year, basically she can choose any each publishing house she wants to work for in New York. But she soon realizes that one year is long and difficult for her to be an assistant of Miranda. Miranda is notorious for her bad temper and being sadistic. After a few months, Andrea is exhausted. Both her boyfriend and her families think that she has been sick, and ask her to quit that job immediately. But, with the determination of achieving her goal, she doesn’t want to give up so quickly. After a fashion shoe in Paris, she receive a ruthless demand again. This time, she can’t stand Miranda anymore. She decides to quit that job. This novel gives me a huge impact about the fashion industry. To most of people’s knowledge, working in fashion companies or magazines is a wonderful job. Since people can wear the latest clothes from the world famous brand, there are more scandals behind this beautiful scene. To make the models fit the clothes which are always hard to wear it for normal people, the fashion companies control food diet on these models. I think this is a bad phenomenon that nowadays people’s perspective for the fashion has been twisted. It also causes the models’ mental and health problems, some even are dead because of suffering from anorexia. In addition, most of people working in fashion industry always live their life under the enormous pressure. For instance, even they’re on the vacation, they still have to answer the phone from their bosses whenever it rings. As a result, everyone seems to have to make a choice between a person’s families and his job, just like what Andrea is struggling. In my opinion, people should enjoy their life rather than get job at the cost of their life.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Hunger Games 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧黃詠琦 內容簡介：

Hunger Games provides me with a wonderful imagination. This is a series of books about a president overseeing twelve districts which fight for freedom. The reason why citizens search liberty is the annual coming activity called Hunger Games. Although government calls it “games”, it is a way to control people and cause them to regard to every district as an enemy or an opponent. According to the rules of games, each district should send one boy and one girl ranging from twelve to eighteen called tributes. Twenty-four tributes are put in an arena to kill each other. After two weeks, there will be a winner and will be paid for abundant food, gain even some kinds of precious delicacies. Katniss Everdeen is a young brave girll. Because of her little sister selecting to join the games, she volunteers as a tribute. And another character called Peeta Mellark is the boy who is the represent with Katniss to enter the games. During the competition, Katniss is trying to save a girl in the different district. The movement arouses all different districts to unity together. But the rules have been changed at the moment. There can be two tributes to share the victory. This two must attribute to same district. At the end of the games, Katniss and Peeta eventually succeed. It was the first time having two victors together, and challenged the president. It is the first time I have read such a thrilling novel. The novel constantly tells readers how valuable the freedom is. And I see numerous people sacrifice to death but not afraid of death. All of them devote to liberty and can not stand the president’s autocracy anymore. The victory of revolution finally made after killing thousands of lives. At the end, I’m glad to see the peace and struggling to success deeply touching my heart. How poor and unable to fight with government they are. But they still achieve the goal. Someday, I meet similar difficulty as they, such as how to chase my dreams, my career. I will do it whatever the goal is far, the objective is difficult. I also realize the ruling authority can not look down the hearts of people. The cruel regulation will drive them to initiate revolution. What I should do is listen to others and try to bridge the gap between people and I, reflect on myself and make a thorough decision on my own.

【書籍介紹】 書名／The Bet 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧朱佑蓁 內容簡介：

In the beginning of the story, an old banker was pacing from corner to corner of his study room, reminding of the party he had given in the autumn. In the autumn, several journalists and intellectual men, opposed of the death penalty fifteen years ago. In their point of view, the death penalty ought to be replaced with imprisonment for life. The young lawyer said, “To live anyhow is better than to be killed.” “It's not true! I'll bet you two million that you wouldn't stay in solitary confinement for five years. ”The banker said. However, the young lawyer took on the bet, and he can stay for fifteen years. The banker provided meals and any daily supplements. The young lawyer felt lonely at first year, and asked banker to buy a piano for him. In the second year, the piano was silent in the room, and he started lose his vitality and optimistic attitude. After fifteen years, the bet had expired. The banker went into the lawyer's room. The lawyer looked skinny and had no energy. In the short, the lawyer refused the money he was won. All he desired was “freedom.” After I read this book, I got some inspiration. In the beginning, the lawyer resolutely took the bet. Maybe he wanted to prove that the life imprisonment was better than capital punishment. Nevertheless, the lawyer was more and more depressed as time went by. To the lawyer’s surprise, staying alone in the room was harder than he imaged, and outside the room is full of freedom and vitality. Compared with being killed, I think being confined is worse. Well goer a saying, “The deepest loneliness is not a person for a long time, but in the heart without any expectations. ” If you lose the expectations, your life will be dark suddenly without any hope. In my point of view, freedom can never be measured by money or anything else. Freedom is above all. If I were this lawyer, I would not take on the bet, because the price of it is too high. Even there is huge price, I resist the temptation of money. Most important of all, I learn how to be a master of my own life.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Frankenstein 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧張鎧翔 內容簡介：

Victor Frankenstein, born in the town of Geneva in Switzerland. Thanks to their parents love, Victor learned that how to be loving and patient. In his university days, Victor was inspired by his professor and started to find the secret of life. When he was a child, he saw a huge fork of lightning hitting the tree and destroyed it. After that, he was blown away and decided not only to use electricity to help people but also to know how to make living things. The harder he worked, the more answers he knew about life. One day, Victor bought or stole all the pieces of body to make a living thing. At first, he wanted to make a normal man. But in the end he made an ugly monster with a terrible face. Simultaneously, he knew the secret of life. After the lightning came and hit the body of the monster, he was successful to make a living thing. But for Victor, it was much more horrible that he escaped from his laboratory and was filled with fear at what he had done. Because of his ugly appearance, voctor’s monster named Frankenstein became sad and angry. Gradually, its hatred grew stronger than before. After Frankenstein was betrayed by Victor again, he decided to kill everyone. So Victor would pay price for what he did. After I read the Frankenstein, I learned a lot from this book. First, Victor learned how important to love and to be patient when he was young. When he saw Frankenstein’s body beginning to move, it was so horrible that he run away and didn’t notice that even a monster still needed to be loved and care just like others baby needed. In the end, he paid price for the consequences made by Frankenstein such as murdering innocent people. The story show me that no matter what we decide to do, we should finish it with our responsibility. Besides, we should not judge people by their appearance. Those who born with Imperfect face or body need more time to open their mind and be concerned a lot. We should pay attention to them so that they will not be alone forever and live happier life than ever.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Wonder 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧陳映蓁 內容簡介：

August was born with TCS that made his face deformable. August has had uncountable operations, so he has been homeschooled before his fifth grade. In his fifth grade, Jack went to a real school. At first, most of the students are rude to August while the others could accept him. One of them, Jack Will, is nice to him. But things get worse on Halloween, August overheard what Jack said that he just pretended to make friend with August. August felt betrayed and alienated. After that, Jack realized that August became quiet with him, he felt very sorry and wanted to make a friend with August who wanted to be accepted by other students as well. One day, a student told Jack that it was not worthwhile to make friend with August. It made Jack angry and Jack punched the guy. After Jack returned to school, he made an apology to August and they made up like before. Through so many conflicts, lots of students started to help August. One day, the fifth graders went on a trip at nature reserve. August encountered the seven grade kids trying to hurt him. Fortunately, three boys who used to be mean to August came to save him. Eventually, August won an award for his courage and kindness, and he receive a lot of applaud on his graduation day. So his mom called him “Wonder.” The reason why this book “Wonder” is highly praised by the readers is because its plot close to everybody’s life. Despite the fact that we don’t have any deformation on our body or face, we care about how others leave comments on us. Initially, August was afraid of being bulled by other kids. But he started to get used to it and he knew he couldn’t be liked by everyone. Since he summoned up the courage to accept himself. In our growth experiences, we avoid being the odd one out as a result of caring about how people look upon us. Therefore, we are likely to follow the majority, so is Jack. Unfortunately, Jack got a dilemma whether he should follow the majority or just make a friend with August. Later on, Jack was changed because of the courage of August. Now he has the guts to have different perspectives among others and did what he wanted. On the first school day, one of the teacher wrote a statement on the chalkboard that “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose being kind.” I think it means a lot in this book. Though everyone is not perfect, Wonder in this book tells us that no matter how tough we have gone through, we should be kind to defeat any discrimination and reduce the conflicts. Just like August who made the world better.

【書籍介紹】 書名／The one who walks away from Omelas 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧蔣和軒 內容簡介：

The setting of this book is a city, Omelas, which is a perfect utopia. There’s no war, disease or poverty. They also have cutting-edge technology invention such as floating light-sources and fuelless power. None of those who live in Omelas are unhappy. Omelas is like a city that exists in fairytale. Every citizen is delighted and joyous everyday. It’s too perfect to believe that this utopia is really exist. But there’s one sorrowful fact in this city. That is, the health of their kids, the happiness of their life and the perfectness of their city, depend entirely on a child which is confined in a narrow, gloomy and messy basement without windows. This child could talk before but now it just makes a kind of whining. It not only lives on a bowl of corn meal and grease a day but also sits in its excrement without clothes. None of who lives in Omelas don’t know the child is here. Some of them will come to see it, but they can’t tell it is a boy or a girl. Then burst into tears on the way home. Some of them choose to ignore it. Even though the guiltiness in their mind is truly overwhelming, few of them trying to save the child. If the child is released from the basement, all of the incredible buildings and happiness life they own will be destroyed. Although they used to face the dilemma of save it or not, as time goes by, the guiltiness was gradually eliminated. They consider that it’s not worth to sacrifice all citizen’s welfare to exchange a child’s freedom. Even though the child still remember the sunlight and its mom’s voice. Nevertheless, not everyone’s guilt can be erased. As for those who can’t forget the moment that they saw how miserable the kid is and what kind of torment it face, they neither back to home with tears nor say something. They leave. They leave Omelas, an utopia which build on a tragedy, without hesitation. Have you ever been to the city likes Omelas before? You might think it’s too perfect to exist and the way they maintain prosperity is too cruel to implement in reality. However, the truth is ruthlessness. That is, we all live in Omelas. After reading this book, I just can’t understand why the citizen in Omelas are so merciless. I thought the writer simply make the novel more dramatic at the outset. But now I realize, the writer is narrating a story that truly happens in our life every day. When we enjoy the cozy house and the tasty delicacy, there’s hundreds of people in the other hemisphere died of famine. They have neither a place to neither live nor clean water to drink. They don’t desire anything. All they want is survive. Nevertheless, it is an ordeal foe them to meet fundamental needs. Isn’t it similar? They are the people who are confined in the gloomy, messy basement in Omelas. That big company made those poor people be workers. To survive, they were asked to do the risky work. They pay high price, such as health, happiness and even life to make a living. Much to their disappointment, they didn’t get the equaled treatment. The glorious and flourishing we enjoy are building on their suffering. Omelas is not a fairytale. It is a epitome of our world.

【書籍介紹】 書名／The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧陳姿妤 內容簡介：

At the age of twelve ‚ I bought a book which was often mentioned in my favorite drama “My Love from the Star.” Its name is “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane”. The protagonist of the story is a ceramic rabbit called Edward ‚ he can’t move or talk ‚ but can think and feel the changes beside him. His first owner was a little girl called Abilene which always talks to him and share her feelings to him ‚ but Edward felt bored about her. In an accident, Edward fell into the ocean, then began his journey. The first person he met is an old fisher who had taken him from the sea, him and his wife treated Edward as their own child, but then, their daughter throw him in the trash. Few years passed by, a dog dug Edward out of the garbage mountain and gave it to a tramp, the tramp made him new clothes and brought him to travel together. After that, Edward had met several people. Each of them giving him a different experience, after multiple separations, Edward knew what love is. At the end of his journey, Edward sat on the display case in a doll shop, waiting someone took him home, suddenly, then door opened, a woman and her daughter walked into the store, looking at the woman, Edward felt giddy , miraculously, its Abilene. “If there is no love, how can there be a happy ending?” That is, love is an important connection among people, without love people are just little potatoes. At the beginning of the story, Edward · Tulane took Abilene’s love for granted and had no thankful heart, but during to journey, he started to be a listener, he listened to the story about the experience of the tramp wandering around the country and the memories between the time the passengers spent on playing with their children. Edward started to recall the memory of what Abilene have done for him, he felt ashamed, and he really miss her. People will never know the importance of their family or friends unless went through something tough, I think the story is trying to tell us to have empathy and value those who usually give us a hand. To me, the most attractive part of the story is when Edward met his fifth owner - an ailing girl, the girl’s brother brought him home and gave it to the girl as a gift. The girl is happy as so hold Edward to sleep .unfortunately, the girl passed away after a year, Edward felt heartbroken. It is impossible for us to predict what will happen, all we have to do is be grateful to every single thing happen in our life, live in the real moments.

【書籍介紹】 書名／The monkey's paw 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧袁卉蓁 內容簡介：

The Monkey’s Paw, written by W.W. Jacobs, gives me inspiration. It is about a magical monkey’s paw. One day, Mr. White’s old friends, Sergeant Major Morris came to visit them and told them some entertaining things happening when he was doing the military service in India. No other thing in the long talk is more interesting than the monkey’s paw to the White family. “ It had been casted a spell by an Indian miracle worker to prove that people shouldn’t try to intervene with fate.” Morris explained. “ Although it can let three people’s three wishes come true, it will bring misfortune at the same time.” Morris said and threw the paw into the fire, but Mr. White quickly rescued it. Eventually Morris showed how to make a wish on the paw, cautioning them not to desire unreasonable things. To test the monkey’s paw, the White family wished for two hundred pounds. The next day, a man notified them that their son had been caught in machinery and was killed. The man gave Mr. and Mrs. White two hundred pounds to compensate this tragedy. After Mr. White’s son’s funeral, The monkey’s paw came to Mrs. White’s mind. “ Make a wish to let our son alive again.” Mrs. White said to her husband. Mr. White thought this is not a good idea but he still makes a wish to the monkey’s paw. Moments later, their son came back from grave. But when Mrs. White rushed to open door for him, Mr. White made his last wish. After Mrs. White open the door. No one was here. The story tell us some philosophies on life. First and the most important is that people shouldn’t try to give in to their fate. We should right to decide what I am. In the story, the White family didn’t hear Morris’s warning, making wishes to the Monkey’s paw. As a saying goes, “ No pain, no gain.” They obtain the two hundred pounds which they have wished, but they lost their son’s life. If you want to yield to your fate in a unreasonable way, you will become more misfortune. The right way to change your life is to strive for self-improvement. The second is people should count your blessing. At first, the White family is a happy content family. After Mr. White rescued the monkey’s paw and made wishes to it, they became shatter and incomplete. If their greed didn’t drive them to do that, the tragedy wouldn’t arise. Third, people should take other people’s caution. In the story, Morris had told them that something sensible. But they didn’t put Morris words in mind and deserve for what they done, just as the saying runs “ When you ignore the advice an old man, you are going to get burn.” After reading this story, I learn the conduct of life. This book made me a better person.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Jane Eyre 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧黃薇瑾 內容簡介：

Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte. The story impresses me a lot, and it gives me not only entertainment but also inspiration. Jane was an orphan, lodging her aunt's house. She was straightforward and studious. One day, Jane crept into her cousin's room where a large number of books were piled. While she was reading the books, her cousin came. They had an argument and fight. Jane's aunt was so furious that she sent her to a boarding school. The life in the school was terrible, because the principal was strict with the students. During this time, Jane suffered from much wretchedness. Hard as the life was, she still finished her studies. After graduating, she went to Thornfield hall and taught the manor owner's adopted daughter. Rochester, the manor owner, was an eccentric person. At first, Rochester was unable to get alone with Jane, however; Jane's sincere touched his heart finally. Just when they planned to get married, Jane heard a bad news. It was that Rochester had gotten married. Sorrow overwhelmed Jane, and that she left the manor in tears. During the period she left, Rochester's ex-wife burn down the manor, and Rochester injured seriously. As soon as Jane received this news, she went to visit Rochester. Seeing disabled Rochester, Jane not only forgave him but also decided to guard him for lifetime. There are many obstacles in Jane's life, but she always held a positive attitude toward her tragic life. In her childhood, she showed her strong perseverance and kept learning new knowledge, although in a tough environment. Being faced with past hated, she chose to forgive. Because her best friend, Helen, once said "Life is too short, should not be used to bear grudges.", and this passage influenced Jane deeply. In the term of love, Jane advocated freedom and expressed her views generously, never bound by the traditional concepts. In the conservative era, women were considered to be obedient and cowardly. And people were strict to women to follow the ethics. It is brave of Jane that she broke the traditional concepts. Confronting the adversity, she against all odds, and found her happiness in the end. This point is extremely worthy for us to appreciate.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Eight Great American Tales 推薦者／高雄高工‧洪振祐 內容簡介：

After reading this book called Eight American Tales, written by O Henry, I found some stories worth mentioning. The writer give all the characters “life” in these stories. The background of these stories was set at New York in the United States from 17th to 18th century and the book mainly describes people’s life at that time, such as loving, caring, saving and so on. The most impressive story among these eight stories for me is “Last Leaf,” in which it tells the story of a lady who got seriously ill and lay on a bed with nothing to do but kept watching the leaves outside. One day, she thought she was dying and said “if the last leaf falls, I’m going to die. ” The old man who was a painter and lived in the room downstairs heard this. Therefore, he took a ladder and climbed on the wall by the window beside the lady’s bed to paint a leaf during a night with the strong wind and heavy rain. By so doing, he hoped to try to save the lady’s life. Next day, the lady got much better after seeing, in surprise, the “leaf” still persistently on. However, the old man died because of the serious sickness. From the story above-mentioned, we can see that O Henry successfully depicts the real feelings about looking after someone. He also wants to send the meanings behind these stories to his readers, hoping to help us reflect upon ourselves deeply. In addition, O henry is really good at arranging the storyline of his stories. He doesn’t tell stories in a plain and flat manner; instead, he likes to create the climax and hide the ending perfectly to make the readers hard to guess. By doing this, the readers will get surprised in the end, and are always attracted to move on quickly to the end and to the next story. Eight American Tales is invaluable for the reader young and old, for it contains so many meaningful stories about life for us to ponder and to learn. Eight American Tales is also a convenient book to read because it uses only Basic English, which makes it easy for every reader to get to the core meaning the writer tries to convey. Finally, Eight American Tales is inspirational given that as long as the reader can “pick up” the last leaf O Henry paints for us, we learn that life is always here for us to experience and to break through.

【書籍介紹】 書名／The Giver 推薦者／高雄中學‧楊竣喆 內容簡介：

The Giver is written by Lois Lowry. It is also the first book of “The Giver Quartet.” The book is about a boy named Jonas, who is assigned to be the next Receiver of the community. His trainer is the Receiver at that time, who is also “the Giver” to Jonas. The Receiver’s job is to hold the memories of the community and give advice to “the Elders.” Now it is time for the Giver to give the memories to Jonas. As he starts to receive memories from the Giver, he finds out that lots of phenomena in the community are very different from his previous memory. So, he wants to leave the community because the community makes him feel uncomfortable, and he also wants to find the “Elsewhere”. The Giver makes a plan to help him leave the community. In the end, Jonas does leave the community, but he is faced with many serious problems, such as hunger and cold weather. The story is left with an open ending because Jonas couldn’t tell if the “Elsewhere” exists in real life or just in his dream. Utopia or Dystopia? This book makes me reflect on what kind of society we really want. Everything seems to be perfectly controlled by the community, but is it really a utopia? The story’s background is a society after war. To form a “peaceful” community, their forefathers use two different ways to reach this goal. First of all, they “take away” some abilities by changing people’s genes. For example, people don’t have feelings. Though they have feelings sharing every night, those are not real feelings. Also, when they show curiosity about the opposite sex, they have to take pills to prevent the feelings from appearing again. The second approach is to make everything assigned by the community. For instance, in the community, people’s jobs are assigned by the community, controlled by the Elders. They assign the tasks based on their observation of the younger generation. Another example is that couples are decided by the community. The two don’t need to love each other to form a couple. Furthermore, if they want to have a child, they have to apply for one. Babies are produced by birthmothers. There are a lot more examples like these. Readers will keep reflecting on his/her own society while reading through the pages. Above all, it makes us cherish the freedom we have and think about what an utopia is.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Oliver Twist 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧葉宜艷 內容簡介：

Oliver Twist was an orphan born in a workhouse and was taken to the orphanage which just like a jail in a hurry to be an apprentice afterwards. However, he still couldn’t get away from the fate of being abuse. Treated badly and often beaten by the host’s wife, Oliver fled again. While wandering on the streets of London, he met a boy, Dodger, who brought him to a den of thieves. In spite of living with the thieves, Oliver still kept a pure spirit and didn’t get involved with them. On one occasion, Dodger and his friend stole a gentleman’s handkerchief. Much to Oliver’s astonishment, he ran away and was taken as a thief. It wasn’t until the trial that he was proved innocent as well as given a shelter by that gentleman. Little did he know, he was brought back to the den again by one of the thieves, Nancy, while running an errand for the gentleman. He was confined in the room soon. Once again, the gang aimed to break into the rich man’s house. Oliver was the only boy that could complete the mission. Unexpectedly, not only did the mission fail but he also got several shots. Fortunately, the kind-hearted inhabitant raised him up. Before long, Oliver turned to a quite cultivated boy. At the same time, those thieves still persisted in looking for him, intending to get him back to the gang. Soon after, Nancy had the information about the whole ruse, running the risk to tell the family which brought Oliver up; therefore, she was beaten fiercely by her boyfriend. Oliver’s family members and the gentleman got hold of Oliver’s biological brother, who was the person that proposed all the vicious plan. They also knew Oliver and Rose’s original ancestry. Eventually, Oliver was adopted by the old gentleman and led a happy life. As for those villains, they were brought to justice. Oliver Twist did make a great impression on me. The characters were absolutely deeply depicted by author. Apart from the bright characters like Oliver, those who living in the gloomy corner were really striking. Poverty sent them into the depths, so they had no choice but to steal and trick children to their den. Devastating life as they lived; nevertheless, among them was a virtuous girl, Nancy. She was the person that brought Oliver back to the desperate environment and assisted him in escaping from the thieves. I was confused when reading the part Nancy paid a visit to Rose. I couldn’t realize why Nancy didn’t want to leave until she said they were her family. She was raised by them and had already had emotions for them, which was exactly the answer to my confusion. At the end of the story, Nancy was killed, grief overwhelming me.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Silverwing 推薦者／高雄中學‧張育緯 內容簡介：

Silverwing is the first episode of a trilogy. The story can be divided into two parts. First of all, the author makes up an imaginary story with his vivid imagination based on the bats’ nocturnal habit. Second, he tells us the story concerning how the main character-Shade-finds his dad. Though seemingly unrelated, the two plots weave each other closely. Shade is a newborn bat belonging to the Colony-Silverwing. His dad was gone on mission before his birth. He is weaker than any other bats of the same age since he is a premature one. Though born with a fragile body, he is gifted with bravery and intelligence. There is an ancient unfair treaty restricting bats from seeing the sun because the bats stayed neutral in a war between birds and beasts. However, Shade decides to take a look at the sun to prove that he is not a coward. His act is found by an owl. Thus, the king of the owl destroys the bats’ habitat. It accelerates the migration of the Silverwing towards the Hibernaculum. During the migration, the colony is struck by a fierce storm, which separates Shade from his colony without mercy, and he is all alone and loses his direction after the storm. Fortunately, he meets a clever bat, Marina, who belongs to the Colony-Brightwing but is isolated by her colony. Marina decides to assist Shade to get to the Hibernaculum. On the journey, both of them encounter multitudes of hazards. What on earth can they do to overcome the adversities? At the same juncture, a vast bat, Goth, from South America escapes from humans. His existence will definitely bring an incredible influence on Shade. Will Goth be the catalyst to help Shade reduce the time he travels, or be the obstacle that keeps bothering Shade and hindering his plan? The novel consists not merely of engrossing plots but also of meaningful words and beautiful descriptions for readers to savor. It is no exaggeration to say that readers will be totally impressed with how the author presents clear pictures simply with some plain words. Upon reading it, readers will be absolutely mesmerized by the world the author creates. It is really a compulsive read. If you are fond of fantasy novels, the book is undoubtedly the best choice.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Tuesdays with Morrie 推薦者／高雄高工‧張百成 內容簡介：

Tuesday with Morrie talks about a story between an old professor, whose life was being taken gradually by a serious illness called ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), and his favorite student, Mitch, who promised to keep in contact with Morrie but didn’t. However, after knowing the bad situation of Morrie, Mitch decided to visit him, and the class, that they met once a week on Tuesdays, started. The lesson went on till the fourteenth Tuesday. On the fourteenth Tuesday, they said good-bye and Morrie died. Morrie didn’t give any test during those last fourteen lessons. Instead, he taught Mitch how to detach the feelings after he experienced it; he taught Mitch how to deal with family things; he taught Mitch that even a dying person should not stop caring about the world and he taught nearly everything about living one’s life appropriately as a social person and as a family member. I love this novel. With every lesson Morrie taught and every word Mitch wrote, Mitch, the author of this novel, described the story in a vivid and straightforward manner. This is the book which can both “give” and “take” a lot of things about life. From the book, we learn that we should care about not only ourselves but also other people around us. In other words, don’t hesitate to give love to the people around, for life is short and things are always unexpected. From the book, we learn that we shouldn’t let our feelings disturb our precious lives. After experiencing everything good and bad in life, we should remind us to move forward with the good and leave the bad behind. Finally, from the book, we learn that we should never give up no matter what conditions we might face. On the contrary, we should try our best to go through them so as to lead a more colorful life.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Les Misérables 推薦者／高雄高工‧洪郁雯 內容簡介：

Les Miserables is a story about people of lower classes and the dark side of society. The poor people are always the victims. At the beginning of the story, Jean Valjean is arrested because he stole a loaf of bread for his hungry family. Nineteen years of his life are in prison. After being released from the prison, he can’t be accepted by people because of his ex-convict identity. At this time, a bishop’s kind heart touches him. So Jean Valjean moves to Vigo and changes his name to Madeleine to begin a new life. Soon he becomes the mayor and a factory owner. But there is still a man called Javert who knows his identity. One day Javert arrests a woman called Fantine. She used to work in Madeleine’s factory. She has a child but wasn’t married. She needs money but lost her job. So she sold her hair and two front teeth. But the Thénardier families still make excuses for more money. After Fantine dies, Jean Valjean takes her daughter Cosette away from the Thénardiers and cares for her as if she were his daughter. Nine years later there is unrest in Paris. People are speaking against the government. Students are planning the revolution. And Cosette falls in love with a young man Marius. He is a member of Friends of the ABC. But Valjean and Cosette will move to England soon. Marius feels sad when he hears the bad news. So he is determined to die in the revolutionary times. He almost dies in the battlefield before long and Valjean saves his life. At the end of the story Cosette and Marius become a couple. In their wedding Marius knows Valjean is the guy who saves his life. So they come to see him. Unfortunately, they are too late and find Valjean dying. Eventually, Valjean passes away in peace after telling Cosette her mother’s name. We can’t really understand the hardship and poverty of people at that time though. But the novel can let us feel it and experience the dark side of the society.

【書籍介紹】 書名／THE REPORT CARD 推薦者／高雄中學‧陳焌瑋 內容簡介：

Do you think the tests are necessary for students? Many people, including me, think it to be a truth, but for the main character in this story, Nora, she doubts it and decides to put a stop to tests in school. It’s cheerful to read this novel because the words used in the story aren’t difficult so that everyone can enjoy the story. On the last test Nora, such an intelligent girl, got all Ds. She did it on purpose because she worried about the whole idea of grades. Students in class started competing and felt good getting good grades. Student who did bad thought they were dumb, and others felt like winners and smarter because of excellent grades. I think it is a fact but disappointing. She wanted to change this situation on her own for Stephen, who is stressed. In fact, Nora was a genius but she pretended to be an average student because she wanted to be normal, while now most cleaver students are always showing off their good performances in the school. It’s not supposed to be like that because the better grades don’t mean the man is better. A student does thing well and carefully and is nice to everyone, but he does poorly on study. He is still a nice person, isn’t he? Teachers in the story said that they hated the tests, too. I think our teachers also agree with it, but why they still gives tests to us? Perhaps, we make them do it. Many students wouldn’t study hard if there were not any tests. If we can learn without tests as hard as we study for exams, I think there will be not any quizzes and exams. Tests bring much competition, sadness and depression, and few of us like them. However, before we complain these annoying exams, we should be more self-motivated for study. Nora had an IQ test and she got anr 188. Soon everyone wanted her to be in gifted programs but she didn’t like it. She wanted to be with friends, played soccer and listened to music. Instead of complying with it, she got three zeroes to resist. Actually, it’s brave to do that but not appropriate. We should discuss things we don’t want to do with the teachers and our parents. Indeed, smart students are usually put into special programs, and I don’t think it’s bad. It’s good for them to be better and stronger. Of course, that Nora chose to be normal is great, too. I enjoy the story because I’ve never though of the meaning of tests. I’ve tired of having lots of tests and homework for long, but frankly, I don’t have any courage to act like Nora. Although I can’t change the situation, I realize grades don’t mean anything but a number. It doesn’t mean we can abandon our study. Instead, it reminds us to think and improve our attitudes and performances, not for the competition but for our responsibility.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Jurassic Park 推薦者／高雄中學‧藍世璁 內容簡介：

Jurassic Park is a well-known science fiction novel written by Michael Crichton in 1990. The story is about the creation of extinct dinosaurs by a billionaire called John Hammond. The creative genius extracts and clones DNA of dinosaurs from mosquitos, which were trapped in amber after sucking blood from dinosaurs. By acquiring the vital DNA, John and his company, InGen, establish a dinosaur theme park in the island off the coast of Costa Rica. However, during the building of the theme park, some workers were injured by the dinosaurs, which spooked the investors. In order to pacify their concerns, John invites three professionals, including a paleontologist, a paleobotanist and a mathematician, to the island and assumes that they are willing to give endorsement to this first-ever plan. Upon arriving at the island, the three experts go on a tour around the park accompanied by John’s two grandchildren. Meanwhile, the chief programmer of the park, Dennis Nerdy, is planning to steal precious dinosaur embryos and to sell them to the rival company of InGen by deactivating the security system. However, Dennis is trapped by a coming tropical storm on his way smuggling the embryos and is killed by a Dilophosaurs. With the security system deactivated and no one able to recover it, the dinosaurs easily escape from the electrified fences. To make things worse, the power supply for the whole island goes out due to the tropical storm. Under the circumstances, the guests on tour are attacked by a Tyrannosaurus, causing many casualties and John’s grandchildren losing their way inside the park. Many are killed during the blackout, including John himself. After some thrilling adventures, the three scientists and John’s grandchildren eventually made their way back to escape from the wilderness of the dinosaur island. Before leaving the island, the experts insists on taking hold of the situation of the island by counting the nests and hatched eggs inside the park. They soon set out on doing so and return successfully without anyone injured or killed. Finally, the Costa Rican Air Force comes to rescue, and, after learning that several people are killed in this disaster, they destroy the island with bombs. When they return to mainland Costa Rica, however, the experts are then told that there are unknown creatures eating corps and chicken in the jungles, leaving a foreshadow for the sequel of this book. This story tells us that trying to interfere how the unpredictable nature world works might end up having opposite effects, or even disasters sometimes. Jurassic Park is a great science fiction filled with intense plots and professional knowledge that’ll definitely entertain and inspire you. So why not give it a try now?

【書籍介紹】 書名／The Fault In Our Stars 推薦者／高雄女中‧陳亭安 內容簡介：

There may be no cure for lung cancer, but the moment Augustus stepped into her life, Hazel Grace found the true remedy of all time—the redemption of spirit, instead of any solid treatment. Hazel Grace, a sixteen-year-old girl tragically suffering from thyroid cancer, met a boy who was in remission of the tumor in his leg. Two young teenagers have their story begin in the place called “Jesus Heart”, where cancer patients gathered to pray. Meeting each other in the difficult time of life, they found themselves stuck in similar position without having the same outlook on life. Augustus, always wearing a crooked smile, believed that he should be remembered to become an immortal figure in the world, whether the life is short or not. However, his opinion seemed to have offended Hazel, who only wanted to leave the world secretly when the critical moment came, slowly fading in everyone’s memories. The reason why she was so pessimistic could be traced back to her childhood. Before meeting Augustus, Hazel rejected most of the friendship from the peer. She had great fear that once she got a friend, her existence would hurt others when she was about to pass away. As a result, she was isolated from the crowd. Nevertheless, the ice wall surrounding her heart gradually crumbled as Augustus’ tried to stroke her trauma with words and actions, in his own humorous, funny, but a little warm way. Precious feelings surging up inside her heart, Hazel was deeply touched. Time after time, they got to discover things about each other more, and then, both became a support for each other to get through the tough way of receiving treatment. I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once. In the book she described. Though in the first place she was a little afraid of this unfamiliar emotion, it was Augustus who let her have the courage to “love”, rather than always standing far away from a person. For the first time in their life, the couple began to explore the joyful moments together. They share many things about the world and the meaning of life, from the eyes of two old friends of cancer. Hazel’s original opinion started to change since Augustus became an essential part of her life, for she didn’t want to let go of the valuable feelings between them. She used to reject everybody’s care, yet now, she had a soulmate who she was unwilling to lose. No matter what was waiting for them in the future, they believed they were able to create infinity within the numbered days, and it is the last thing they will regret.

【書籍介紹】 書名／The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian 推薦者／高雄中學‧胡凱翔 內容簡介：

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, published in 2007 by Sherman Alexie, is a New York Times Bestseller and Winner of the National Book Award . This novel is filled with humor, at times black , and offers a glimpse to the racial and economic inequality that impacts Indians ‘lives in America today . Junior , a native American boy living on an Indian reservation , was trapped in a tough dilemma of staying in the school on the “rez.” that did not line up to his expectations , or pursue better education in a mostly-white high school several miles away . Though faced with possible racial discriminations, Junior eventually decided to seize the opportunity to go to the new school and prove everyone wrong. From Junior’s perspective, white people often have many misunderstandings about the Indians, such as the fact that the anesthetic is only half of the whites. But Junior had to overcome more than racial discrimination. He was born as thin and sick, and he was often teased. At the old school, he was often bullied because of his disabilities and become a “panda.” Another important message of the book is , we should show our love and take the initiative to care for the people around us , especially the disabled ,the elderly and the poor families . If everyone is willing to give love, and have faith in people like Junior, then they shouldn’t have to live so humble. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, a novel based on the memories of an Indian teenager, exquisitely expresses the injustice of racism. To sum up, it is really worthwhile for everyone to read because of its novel way of expression.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Robinson Crusoe 推薦者／小港高中‧陳皓偉 內容簡介：

"Robinson Crusoe" is a well-known, adventurous and inspiring classic. It is worthy of recommending to young people to read. "Robinson Crusoe" was written by the British writer, Defoe. Robinson is a young man who loves adventure and embraces ideals. He encountered a storm on a sea voyage, but only Crusoe survived and drifted to a desert island. In such a difficult environment, there was no water and electricity. What he could rely on was his strong belief to survive and was not easily defeated by the environment and destiny. In order to survive, he looked around for woods from the wrecked ship and the forest to build a house to shelter from the rain and wind, but the difficulty was food. Then, he started to hunt for food. Days passed. Crusoe began to think about how to survive on the island for a long time. He deeply felt that he must have a sufficient source of food supply, so he began to gather, sow grains and dry raisins, and even domesticated goats on the desert island. In a difficult situation, Robinson overcame all the obstacles. However, the challenges did not come to an end. Faced with repeated attacks by horrific and barbaric cannibals, he showed great courage and wits then successfully rescued his good friends from them. At the end of the story, Robinson still did not give up any hopes of survival. He defeated a rebellious sailor of a British merchant ship, rescued the captain, and returned to his hometown. Crusoe used a diary to record his own adventures on the desert island. From "Robinson Crusoe" readers can strongly feel that Robinson don't bow to the fate, no matter what difficulties or challenges he faces. Even in a harsh environment, never be changed or defeated by the cruel fate. Robinson always believes that after rain comes sunshine, and the bright sunshine and hope will greet and embrace us.

【書籍介紹】 書名／The Norwood Mystery 推薦者／高雄高工‧郭怡函 內容簡介：

Detective novels are normally very exciting. I especially like Sherlock Holmes series because his perceptive abilities are remarkably admirable. The process of Sherlock's investigation is typically full of surprises, especially when the mysterious criminal and the techniques of crime almost come out in the wash after the big mystery has been cracked. The resolution of the case is the most exciting part of the whole novel. Unfortunately there are few impressive detectives nowadays. However, reading detective novels can always take me into the world of protagonists as if I was working with Sherlock to solve the case. One person's attachment to a loved one, if it involves possessiveness and a deep desire for control, might turn into hatred. This is exactly what happened to Jonas, a rich but old and wicked architect. One day he was found dead. The policeman considered John to be a highly likely suspect, though John claimed that he was not the murderer. Without any favorable evidence, he was so helpless that he sought Sherlock's help in resolving this murder case. No matter how clever the murderer was in committing the crime, Sherlock could use his superior skills to crack any outstanding case. At the beginning of the story, Sherlock first questioned the people close to John and Jonas, though the words of these parties were completely different. But things progressed in the following several days, after the crime scenes were searched. When he put all the collected clues together, the solution to the murder mystery revealed itself. None could ever expect that this case would develop like this. The murderer lied to everyone but was unable to deceive wise Sherlock. I think the detective novel genre effectively combines reality and imagination that therefore can satisfy the readers' desire for life-like fantasy. Although we may not be as smart or thoughtful as Sherlock and other detectives, when reading a novel and featuring these characters, I feel that I have become a detective, challenging myself to discover the murderer prior to the conclusion of the case. If one day I can put together the clues of the case before Sherlock, this would be the greatest pleasure as a reader.

【書籍介紹】 書名／The BFG 推薦者／高雄中學‧黃輔君 內容簡介：

"The nose is as sharp as a knife, and above the nose there are two bright flashing eyes, and the eyes are staring straight at Sophie. The terrifying description of the BFG creates a vivid picture in my mind. Sophie, an adorable girl full of courage, has a glimpse of the BFG and is silently taken by it. By asking few questions, Sophie knows that he is the only giant who has no interest in human beings, which leads him to be bullied by other giants. To stop other giants from eating humans, the two embark on a journey in order to expel those cannibal giants. In this unprecedented journey, the BFG takes good care of Sophie. No matter how dangerous the circumstances are as they walk past hundreds of giants lying on the meadow or when Sophie flees from them, the BFG always protects her from being eaten. Before long, they build an unbelievable relationship with each other. What will move the readers a lot is the BFG’s courage. He knows he’s different from the others and he refuses to be abused simply because of his being different. He is so brave that the readers will be inspired by the courage he shows. Another part of the book I like is that the BFG has an extraordinary ability to help children fall asleep quickly. He first captures the dreams flying around the sky and collects them into a glass bottle. Then he will blow them into the children’s dreams with a lot of blessing. Maybe it’s all because of the “BFG”, we can comfortably enjoy our sleep every single day. In sum, the book puts emphasis on “courage” over and over again. Kids can learn this from the book, so can teenagers like you and me. In fact, anyone who has experienced obstacles in his or her life knows how crucial courage is.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Engines, Energy and Entropy 推薦者／高雄中學‧楊振華 內容簡介：

The book introduces the history of thermodynamics, an important part in physics. The author, John B. Fenn, is an excellent chemist, and also a Nobel chemistry prize winner. This surely increases the credibility of the book. Furthermore, instead of using a lot of technical terms to bore the readers, the author uses simple explanations and vivid descriptions to make the book more readable to the general public. It even creates a character Charlie, who represents people living before the 19th century and simply using their sense of touch and vision to feel temperature, heat and so on, because they know nothing about thermodynamics. In the beginning, people think heat is a kind of object. However, with collective efforts, scientists find heat is an interaction among materials, not a material itself. And then they propose many theories to gradually build the foundation of thermodynamics gradually. The most impressive part of the book is the “Carnot Cycle,” which greatly helps the development of engines. Carnot is also called the “Father of thermodynamics.“ He only lived 36 years and publishes one book only. However, his masterpiece Reflections on the Motive Power of Fire made a big difference in thermodynamics. In it, he finds that the most efficient engine is without waste of energy. That is, the highest efficiency of engines is one hundred percent. Besides, he finds energy can’t move from low temperatures to high temperatures without inputting heat in it. His basic theory helps scientists to explore engines and entropies deeper. Another interesting part about the book is that the author points out the points most scientists are puzzled about and the reasons why they are blocked in their research in their time. Then, with time passing by and more and more equipment established, scientists can eventually find out the truth. During the whole process, they encounter different kinds of obstacles, and the book records them in detail. The book is definitely suitable for both the starters and the readers who are interested in physics. By using simple words and funny ways to explain the abstract concepts and difficult formulas, the author brings the readers to the world of physics. The book is so perfect that I would like to recommend it to anyone who is interested in the subject.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Thirteen reasons why 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧莊凱昀 內容簡介：

“You can’t stop the future. You can’t rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret is to press play”. Follow the story of Clay, Hannah’s classmate, on the way home as usual. Clay noticed that he got a package with no return address. In the package were a map and seven cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his crush, who had committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells the listeners that she holds the evidence that they have the responsibility for her death. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why his name is on the list. The rules for the thirteen listeners are simple. First, listen to it. Second, pass it to the next person on the list. If anyone decides to break the chain, a separate set of tapes will be released to the public. In order to hide the secret about what they did to Hannah, the only way is pass these cassette tapes down. Justin, Hannah’s very first kiss, who started to spread the rumors that they had done more than just a kiss. Alex, who voted Hannah “The Best Ass in the Freshmen Class”. Jessica, one of the three transfer students, was upset about the vote and left a scar on Hannah’s forehead. Tyler, who took away the one and only safe place that Hannah had. Courtney, a hypocritical girl, started another rumors that Hannah had sex toys in her bedroom. Marcus, getting matched up with Hannah in a Valentines activities. He showed up late on the date with Hannah, and then molested her in a booth. Zach, who stole the notes which encouraged the most important thing to Hannah. Ryan, whom Hannah had trusted. However, he published the very personal poem from Hannah. Clay, who didn’t deserve to be on the list. As he had confessed his feeling to Hannah, they kissed. At the same time, Hannah thought of Justin’s rumor. Justin allowed another one to rape Jessica while she was unconscious. Jenny offered Hannah a ride home and hit a stop sign. Without the stop sign, a fatal accident had happened. Bryce, the one who tried to sexually assault to Hannah, making thought of killing herself grow in her mind. Mr. Porter, Hannah’s guidance counselor, who didn’t take her seriously as she told him that she was trying to suicide. By the end of the tapes, Clay mailed the tape to Jenny. As he walked past Mr. Porter’s classroom, he saw Skye, the sorrowful girl he saw on the bus before. Clay reached out to her because he presumed that Skye, like Hannah, might be suicidal.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Me Before You 推薦者／瑞祥高中‧王芊予 內容簡介：

Me Before You is a romantic novel written by Jojo Moyes. This book is about finding courage, and about what to hold on to, and what to let go. Sometimes perfection has to be built on imperfection. Although it was tragic ending for Will’s family and Louisa, it set Will free. Will, the main character in the story, was a once active young man who had everything in his life. However, everything had changed after being hit by a motorcycle. What’s worse, he was confined in the wheel chair. It not merely made his world full of gloom and misery, but let him feel hopeless in his own corner. The only thing he wanted to do is end his life as soon as possible. Lousia, on the contrary, a cheerful country girl, who just lost the job she loved. To help raise her family, she went to meet Camilla Traynor (Will’s mother) for an interview without any experience as caretaker. When Will and Louisa first met, they seem to despise each other. Will was incredibly rude and cold blood. Moreover, he rejected her help. It even got worse and worse when Will knew his ex-girlfriend was going to get married to his best friend. In spite of Will’s behavior, Louisa still tried to make him be as optimistic and open-minded as before. While Louisa thought everything was going smoothly, she found out Will wanted to end his own life. Nonetheless, she did not want him to give up his life. Thus, she started to plan some activities which Will hadn’t done since the accident. She wanted Will to feel that life is meaningful, even if he was not the person he used to be. Even though Louisa did so many things for Will, he still insisted on carrying out his original plans. Staying with the person he loved was blessed, yet the pains still could not let him keep holding on. Perhaps everything happens for the best. Not only did it give him a chance to decide for himself, but it also made for a perfect ending to his life.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Hatchet 推薦者／高雄中學‧陳偉翰 內容簡介：

The book I am going to introduce is Hatchet, and this book is Gary Paulsen’s best-know novel. This novel has received numerous awards, including the 1987 Newbery Honor. It tells a story about how a 13 years-old boy survives in a Canadian forest for 54 days. Brian Robeson is a 13 years-old boy, and one day he is on his way to visit his estrange father, who works in an oilfield in Canada forest. Suddenly, the pilot of his small prop plane has a heart attack and there are only two persons on the plane, Brian and the pilot. But the pilot is dead, and Brain doesn’t know how to fly a plane at all, so he is forced to crash-land the plane in a lake to stop it. Climbing out of the plane, Brian finds himself lost in the middle of a remote Canada forest with only his cloth and the hatchet his mother gives him as a gift before he left to see his father. In the next few weeks, Brian learns how to make a fire, catch fish and build a shelter. He even builds a raft in order that he can get the survival kit from the plane. After 54 days surviving in the forest, Brian is found by a fur trader. In the end, Brian comes back to the society safe and sound. This novel is suitable for teenagers since the words used in this book are quite simple, and the protagonist, Brian, is only 13 years old. Readers can easily relate to a character if they are in the same age group. In addition, this novel also has a lot of knowledge about how to survive in the wildness, which may be useful if we encounter a similar situation. While reading this novel, I gained pleasure from seeing Brain use everything he has at hand to live. In the contemporary society, the chance to get close to nature is getting less and less due to the expansion of cites, so it is a good opportunity to realize what we will face in a remote area and to think what we can do in such an environment by reading this book.

【書籍介紹】 書名／The Firelight Girls 推薦者／福誠高中‧陳繐妤 內容簡介：

How do you often spend your summer vacation? Maybe you'd like to hang out with friends, study, or go to a summer camp. If you choose to go to a summer camp, what does it mean to you? Interesting, boring, or something else.? But to some people, it has an important meaning. In this story, a summer camp on a lake in Washington called Camp Firelight is about to be closed. Some former campers come back, hoping to enjoy a good time as they had before. Ethel, who was the first camp there in 1940, became a counselor after ten years. She doesn't enjoy her job——cleaning the camp and making it ready to be sold. She meets her life partner, Haddie, and their friendship lasted so long. Even after Haddie dies, Ethel still lives with her (Because Ethel draws a face on her urn and attaches a yarn wig to it). She calls her camp alumni to help her clean the camp out by sending emails, and those who come bring both memories and problems. The first one to arrive is Ruby, who is Ethel's bosom buddy. However, pressure forced her to end their friendship. She is looking for forgiveness now. Soon, Laura and Sharron come. Both the women are in their forties and have some situations to face by themselves——Laura is thinking about divorcing her husband, and Sharron just gave her teaching career up. To their surprise, there is a 15-year-old girl, Amber hiding in one of the cabins. She just escaped from her terrible family (Her mom's boyfriend wanted to rape her). They have their own difficulties to solve, and the camp has become their "home." The story is about the past and present, heart-break and healing, with love. In my opinion, the novel is worth reading.

【書籍介紹】 書名／Hansel and Gretel 推薦者／六龜高中‧鍾瑞恩 內容簡介：

Once upon a time, in the small village lived two kids whose names were Hansel and Gretel . Their father was a wood cutter, their mother was a homemaker. When I read this, I felt sad for this family. It is because their father was a wood cutter, it was difficult to earn enough money, and their mother just a homemaker, so I think they might not make ends meet. One day, Hansel and Gretel realized that they had no more wood. They walked into the forest. They dropped some breadcrumbs on the road for fear they might get lost in the forest, but the plan didn’t go very well. Although I think that Hansel and Gretel wanted to help their parents, It was dangerous for two kids to wander in the woods. Suddenly, Hansel and Gretel saw a candy house. They ran to the house quickly because they were both hungry. When Hansel tried to eat the door made of chocolate, an old lady came out and invited them to her house. The old lady let them drink some water and soon Hansel and Gretel fell asleep. The old lady was really a witch. She put Hansel in a cage, and she waked up Gretel, making her light a fire. However, she helped her brother and they killed the witch. Finally they ran away from the house. I think Hansel and Gretel the smartest kids that I’ve ever seen because they were not afraid of the witch. We can learn from bravery and cleverness, but we still need to remind ourselves of the possible risks we might face. So, go and read the classic story now.