Chisaki's Book Reviews

'John, these waste products are dangerous!' she said. 'We've got to stop putting them in the river!' (p. 19) The job was too good. There had to be a problem - and there was. John Duncan was an honest man, but he needed money. He had children to look after. He was ready to do anything, and his bosses knew it. They gave him the job because he couldn't say no; he couldn't afford to be honest. And the job was like a poison inside him. It changed him and blinded him, so that he couldn't see the real poison - until it was too late. When I was reading this book, I remembered about Minamata disease. John nust have thought whether he say about poison or not. He told true things, but he became poor. I thought that it is strange. Vicary,T. (1991). Chemical secret, Oxford Bookworms library

'Vancouver' - ... and we can meet at the Empress Hotel, Victoria, Vancouver island, on Friday afternoon ... (p. 5) Nick Lortz is sitting outside a cafe in Whistler, a village in the Canadian mountains, when a stranger comes and sits next to him. She's young, pretty, and has a beautiful smile. Nick is happy to sit and talk with her. But why does she call Nick 'Mr Hollywood'? why does she give him a big kiss when she leaves? And who is the man at the next table - the man with short white hair? Nick learns the answers to these questions three long days later - in a police station on Vancouver Island. Nick didn't do bad thing and he is not involved. Mystery girl and her father didn't apologize. I don't like her and her father. I sympathize Nick. Escott,J. (1997). Goodbye Mr Hollywood. Oxford Bookworms Library

'I'm going now, Sarah. But don't be afraid. You're going to be all right - I'm sure of it!' (p. 34) Sarah Harland is nineteen, and she is in prison. Ate the airport, they find heroin in her bag. So, now she is waiting to go to court. If the court decides that it was her heroin, then she must die. She says she did not do it. But if she did not, who did? Only two people can help Sarah : her mother, and an old boyfriend who does not love her now. Can they work together? Can they find the real criminal before it is too late? I thought that her mother was very strong and loved Sarah deeply. I knew that this title; 'White death' is heroin. Vicary,T. (2000). White death. Oxford Bookworms Library

'Go and find the Lord of Tears. And take away the Mirror of smiles.' (p. 11) One night Sarah and Ben have the same dream which the Lord of Tears is going to remove a smile and make everyone sad. However, they don't know how to meet the Lord of Tears. So they explored and found the Lord of Tears. At last, they could make the Lord of Tears smiling. A dream sometimes means something important. In a dream, feeling and life often reflected. In this story, what happened in the real world, too. And smile has a lot of power. This is common both in this story and our world. Holzmann,C. (2007) The lost smile. Helbling Langusges 

They worked for the top man in the Brussels office of EDI, and only for him. (p. 2) In EDI (the European Department of Intelligence in Brussels) there are some very secret files - the Omega Files. There are strange, surprising, and sometimes horrible stories in these files, but not many people know about them. You never read about them in the newspapers. Hawker and Jude know all about the Omega Files, because they work for EDI. They think fast, they go all over the world, asking difficult question in dangerous places, but they don't always find the answer. I don't know whether this organization exist or not. I was scary for this situation. I wonder Japan do something behind, too. Bassett,J. (2002) The omega files. Oxford Bookworms Library

And she ran quickly across the field after the Rabbit. She did not stop to think, and when the Rabbit ran down a large rabbit hole, Alice followed it immediately. (p. 2) This is the story of Alice's dream, one hot summer day long ago. A dream of Wonderland, where the White Rabbit wears gloves and the Caterpillar smokes a pipe ... where the Mad Hatter is always having tea with the March Hare, and where the Queen of Hearts wants to cut off everyone's head. It's all very strange, but then, anything can happen in a dream world. I thought that Alice was unafraid. If I was Alice, I don't follow the rabbbit because I'm scary. At the end of story, I realized that this story is Alice's dream. Carroll,L. (1994). Alice's adventures in Wonderland. Oxford University Press

'I understand now,' he said quietly. 'What a terrible letter! How could she do that to you ... and to me?' (p. 31) In a house in Oxford three people are having breakfast - Carol, her husband Jan, and his father Josef. They are talking about Prague, because Carol wants them all to go there for Christmas. Josef was born in Prague, but he left his home city when he was a young man. He is an old man now, and he would like to see Prague again before he dies. But he is afraid. He still remembers another Christmas in Prague, many long years ago - a Christmas that changed his life for ever. I was impressed the beginning of this story. I don't know everything about my family, and my family doesn't know everything about me. Everyone may have some secrets. Hannam,J. (2000). Christmas in prague. Oxford Bookworms Library

It's my phone. Yes! I can phone for help. (p. 14) 'How does it work?' Jack asks when he opens his present - a mobile phone. Later that night, Jack is a prisoner in a taxi in the empty streets of the dark city. He now tires his mobile phone for the first time. Can it save his life? I firstly didn't know why a bad man let taxi driver drive fast. He maybe late for plane. I think good that senior woman who was hurt by the man cracked the man at the end. Burrows,P&Foster,M. (2000). Taxi of terror. Oxford Bookworms Starters

Let's put it under the cross - nobody goes there We can take it there tonight.(p. 28) Tom Sawyer does not like school. he does not like work, and he never wants to get out of bed in the morning. But he likes swimming and fishing, and having adventures with his friends. And he has a lot of adventures. One night, he and his friend Huck Fine go to the graveyard to look for ghosts. They don't see any ghosts that night. They see something worse than a ghost - much much worse. I'm not brave different from Tom. I can't  go to the ghost house because I don't like ghost. Tom is clever, so finally Tom got a lot of money. Twain,M. (1998). The adventures of Tom Sawyer. Oxford Bookworms Library

'Oh, Juliet! I loved you more than anyone else in the world. I wanted you to be my wife, but now you're dead.(p. 35) When Romeo, son of Lord and Lady Montague, falls in love with the most beautiful girl he's ever seen, he finds out that it does matter. It makes all the difference in the world, because both families hate each other bitterly. For a time, Romeo and Juliet manage to keep their love secret. But when Romeo is sent away from Verona, and arrangements are made for Juliet to marry Paris, a friend of her father's , hope begins to die. Can any of their friends help the young lovers to be together for ever? This story is very sad story. I thought that Romeo and Juliet loved each other deeply. Shakespeare,W. (1999). Romeo and Juliet. Oxford Bookworms Playscripts

How did the car come off the road? Why saw it so far from the road? There was nothing wrong with the car. Karen Silkwood was a good driver. (p. 1)       This is the story of Karen Silkwood. It begins with the death. Why does her story begin where it should end? Certain people wanted her death to be an ending. Karen Silkwood had something to tell us, and she believe that it was important. Why didn't she live to tell us? Will we ever know what really happened? The questions go on and on, but there are no answers. This is a true story. It happened in Oklahoma, USA, where Karen Silkwood lived and worked... and died. I thought that She was strong. She found bad things of factory and get evidence. Even more it's regrettable that her death. I surprised that this story is non fiction. Hannam,J. (1991). The death of Karen Silkwood. Oxford Bookworms Library

'How much?' Mr. White asked, very quietly. He did not want to hear the answer. 'Thirty thousand pounds,' the stranger said. (p. 31)      Outside, the night is cold and wet. Inside, the White family sits and waits. Where is their visitor? There is a knock at the door. A man is standing outside in the dark. Their visitor has arrived. The visitor waits. He has been in India for many years. He has brought the hand of a small, dead animal - a monkey's paw. Outside, in the dark, the visitor smiles and waits for the door to open. They firstly didn't believe about monkey's paw, so they easily made a wish that they get thirty thousand pounds. As a result, their son died and they got thirty thousand pounds as compensation. So they realize that monkey's paw is true. I think it is lucky to come true wishes. But if there were scary things, I don't want to make a wish. W.W.Jacobs. (1989). The Monkey's Paw. Oxford Bookworms Library

"Fireball is dead!" Then he tells him the story of Blue Feather's illness and Fireball's heart. (p. 24)      Chief Wise Owl's people always tell the truth. But Chief Strong Buffalo doesn't believe him. He thinks of a plan to get Dark Eyes, the Indian who look after all of the tribe's horses, to tell a lie. When I was reading, I was tricked by Blue Feather. He is kind man to try help her. It was good that he told truth. If we do wrong things, it is important to tell truth. Puchta,H. (2007). Fireball's Heart. Helbling Languages

"This is no ordinary case. We must move carefully. And we must keep it secret." (p. 14)      This is the story of royal white elephant. The elephant is on its way from Siam (Thailand) to England as a gift to the Queen. When it disappears in New York City the famous detective, Chief Inspector Blunt, leads the investigation. However finding a missing elephant is a much more difficult job than it seems. The amount of the prize money jumps up. After all, the elephant was found but he was dead. The reason why the elephant was not found first is that inspector Blunt was hided the elephant, I think. Twain, M (2007). The Stolen White Elephant. Helbling Languages