John GRISHAM, The Rainmaker

By Guillermo García, 1º Bachillerato EFL

Rudy Baylor is an American student of law who wants to practice as a lawyer and is sent to a hospital where he meets the Blacks, a couple who are suffering because their son Donny has leukemia, and the insurance company refuses to pay the treatment. Rudy decides to help the family fighting against the company and taking it to the courts. Meanwhile, unfortunately, the boy dies. Rudy wants to sue the company but he has to face a great group of experimented lawyers and he hasn't even finished his studies. Finally Rudy manages to get rid of the company and make them pay a great compensation.

Nice book, especially if you want to get started with more difficult ones. Although the plot was interesting and mainly intense and exciting, some of the parts were very slow, with no action.

I would recommend this book for those who want to know what law is about.

This book has been recommended before (see May posts)

Sarra MANNING, Diary of a crush (French Kiss)

By Eliana Lale Kahn, 2° ESO A

I think that this book is excellent because even though it is a book for teenagers it has a lot of good vocabulary and useful words. Also, the story was very well adapted to normal day to day teenage problems, which made the book more realistic. It was full of exciting and stressful moments which pulled you into the story and made you keep on reading.

I recommend this book for girls from 12 to 18 and rate it 4 stars.

Susan Eloise HINTON The Outsiders

By María Pérez González, 1º Bachillerato EFL

Ponyboy lives in a slum with his brothers, Sodapop and Darry. They belong to the lower class and always are faced with the upper class. Darry does not like his brothers to get involved in fights because they are orphans and they could be sent back the orphanage. His best friend is Johnny whose parents do not worry about him. Ponyboy and Johnny have a fight against the members of other gangs and Johnny kills one of them to protect Ponyboy. They escape to avoid jail and ask Sally for help. The boys cut their hair so that they are not recognized. Suddenly they see a fire in a church where there are children and feel guilty for leaving behind some of their cigarettes, so they decide to save them with serious consequences for themselves.

I recommend this book because it tells a very interesting story about a very appealing topic for young people. When you start to read it you have to continue because you want to know more about the story. The language is easy to understand because the writer uses a colloquial register, and the story is a current issue in contemporary days.

I think it is especially suitable for young readers, although everybody may like it.

To find out more about the writer &her books: http://www.sehinton.com,

and for The Outsiders: http://www.theoutsidersbookandmovie.com/

Emily BRONTE, Wuthering Heights,

B2 2300 Headwords, Penguin Readers

By Ysaura Rodicio Orea, 1º Bachillerato EFL

This is a book of romance and revenge. Heathcliff is a gypsy boy adopted by Mr. Earnshaw. He grows sad with his new “family” because he is treated like a servant, so he runs away looking for Catherine, the woman he loves. But she had decided to marry Edgar Linton. After this marriage she became a materialistic person. When she died in childbirth, Heatchliff returns home to take his revenge with the family that ruined his life.

This book is very interesting because it isn't just a romance, there is also revenge and emotion. Maybe it's a bit difficult to understand because there are a lot of connections between people with strange names.

Jean GIONO (1962), The Man Who Planted Trees The Harvill Press London

By Pablo Fernández, 1º Bachillerato EFL

Elzéard Bouffier was a man who lived in the period of the I and II World Wars. However, he was so isolated that he didn't participate in any of those wars. He didn't even hear anything about them until one friend of his went round to his hut and told him what had happened. He had lost his son and his wife but, despite being alone, he was happy. He had an odd hobby: planting trees. Elzéard lived in a hut surrounded by nothing; there was no life where he lived. He managed to find water and started to create life by planting thousand of trees.

The story is told by a narrator whose name we do not know. One day, while he was crossing the Alps, he found a shepherd who invited him to sleep at his hut. The next day, the narrator followed the shepherd everywhere he went to, and he started admiring him. He didn't know how a person could live in such an isolated place and yet be happy. So he started going to visit this shepherd every year. But unfortunately, he participated in the 1914 and 1939 wars and he couldn't see how the trees were growing. After the war, he went for the last time to visit his friend and he saw something he didn’t expect.

Maybe the part of the book I liked the best is when we can see that the trees which the shepherd, with his willpower, had grown for fifty years are very beautiful and give life to that place. At the beginning of the story, the shepherd lived in a hut surrounded by nothing, there were no trees, many rivers were dry and no one lived there. But after fifty years planting trees, the place where he lived was gorgeous. There were thousands of young and lively trees, the rivers had water, and many people were repopulating a village close to this new forest. This scene made me think that everyone can do whatever they set their minds to.

I would recommend this book to people of fifteen and over.

Roald DAHL Matilda

By Guillermo García, 1º Bachillerato EFL

This book was written by Roahl Dahl and it was published in 1988.

The novel tells the story of Matilda, an extrordinarily gifted five-year-old girl who lives with her unintelligent parents. Matilda has to deal with the people around her at home and at her horrible school, she feels completely misunderstood surrounded by idiocy. Fortunately, Matilda meets Ms. Honey, someone who will change her life drastically.

I recommend this book to children around 10 years old because it is easy to read and maybe they feel misunderstood, too, just as the main character in this book.

To find out more about the writer & his books, http://www.roalddahl.com/

Jack LONDON, White Fang A2, 600 headwords

By Sergio Gómez Sánchez-Crespo – 1º Bachillerato EFL

The story starts in Alaska’s forests. There are two men: Henry and Bill. They should arrive at a closed fort by dog’s sled. They are carrying common tools and the corpse of the lord who paid for the trip. But the journey is disturbed by a pack of hungry wolves which kill some of the team’s dogs every night. There is a main character, White Fang, a dog who makes the survival of the group possible.

I think this novel is quite good to make you learn how to work in a team and how important it is. I enjoyed the first part so much because of the action it contains and the fantastic characters that appear. The vocabulary is a bit old, but in the adaptation I read, it wasn’t too difficult. I would recommend this book to young readers who love action stories.

This book has been recommended before (See March posts)

David BENIOFF, City of Thieves,

By Toni Munar, 1º Bachillerato EFL

City of thieves is a story based on the Second World War in Russia, where it was really difficult to get food. The two main characters are accused of stealing and deserting, and they’re sent by a captain to find twelve eggs for his daughter’s wedding. They go around the USSR trying to find the eggs, and the story basically tells how they get them.

In my opinion it’s a great story. I really liked it because I love History and adventure stories. The author makes you feel you’re inside the story, that you’re a tree or something like that, but that you witness what’s happening.

Although the book is quite long, the language is really easy to understand. Once you know the plot is finding the eggs you just have to focus the story on that.

I would like to recommend it to any person who likes History books.

Ian FLEMING, Goldfinger, B2, 2700 Headwords, Macmillan Readers

By Ysaura Rodicio, 1º Bachillerato EFL

This book talks about James Bond, a great spy. He meets Goldfinger. Bond's boss orders him to find out how Goldfinger can take away the gold from England. Then Bond follows Goldfinger and he discovers that he wants to steal the gold from Fort Knox. Bond warns the American Secret Service and Goldfinger’s business is destroyed. At the end Bond gets a girlfriend.

I would recommend this book to people who like James Bond or his films because there is a great difference between films and books. Also to people who want to read an adventure novel.

John STEINBECK Of Mice and Men

By Helga Puigdomènech Sanjuán, 2º Bachillerato EFL

This is a short novel about the life of George Milton and Lennie Small, and the difficulties they have to face in the times of Great Depression: finding a job and trying to make their dream of having their own land come true. It is indeed a very passionate novel where you may find similarities with your own life and dreams.

John Steinbeck uses a wide range of interesting vocabulary. This may be the reason why I wouldn't recommend this book to beginners. It is easy to lose track of the story if you are looking up all the vocabulary you do not understand.

David BROOKS, The Social Animal, New York Times books (pocket edition)

By Juan Diego Ruiz, 1º Bachillerato EFL

This is a short novel which talks about love but it is also about mystery. The book is divided into two parts, one about Harold and the other about Erika. Both are young New Yorkers who are living parallel lives. However, they don't know and they've never seen or even heard about each other. Both are successful people who have prestigious degrees, fantastic jobs where they earn a huge salary, and the respect of their family and friends. They're even envied by a lot of people. They're not very beautiful people but everybody knows that they're destined to success. They never fall in love with anyone because they've never met anyone who understands their feelings and emotions. That's how two people living parallel lives in the same district of the same city die without any special person next to them.

I can't say that I liked this book, because I actually did not. However, it is interesting to see how the two main characters are looking for somebody with the other’s characteristics but never find each other.

Victor HUGO (1862). Les misérables, C1 3000 Headwords, Penguin Readers,

By Toni Munar, 1º Bachillerato EFL

Jean Valjean was a terrible assassin and thief in France, and really known in Paris. He had been in prison for nineteen years and it had changed him. The last time he stole was in a cold winter when he had nothing to eat, but that theft made him rich and let him start a new life as Monsieur Madeleine. One day he met Fantine, and promised her that he was going to rescue her daughter from the Thenardiers' and give her back. He did that, but by the time he got Cossette, Fantine’s daughter, Fantine had died. That’s why Jean decided to help Cossette all he could, and give her a good life. Marius was a boy from Paris, the son of a colonel in the battle of Waterloo. He met Cossette and fell in love with her. Both Cossette and Marius could see that their love was something impossible, but in the end they got married and lived very happily

I found Les Misérables very interesting, I do really like stories set in the past, which have a bit of history but that at the same time tell a great story. I always said that I would have loved living in the 1800s or 1900s; I think it would be something wonderful finding all that’s described in the books. At the beginning I thought the book was going to be a bit boring, but while I kept reading I liked it more and more, because of the atmosphere of the French revolution.

I would recommend the book to any person who likes history and action and love stories, because the descriptions of the places and people are extremely good and the plot is really good, too. I particularly chose the book because I saw the musical advertised and I wanted to know what it was about. One thing I found particularly interesting was the way people at the time trusted other people without knowing them. It really caught my attention because nowadays you wouldn’t trust someone you had just met but, as I said before, that’s because of the era and things change. That’s the main reason why I liked this book so much and I recommend it.

Victor HUGO, Les Misérables, C1 3000 Headwords, Penguin Readers

By Álvaro Conesa, 1° Bachillerato EFL

Jean Valjean is a poor man who was sent to jail because he stole a baguette. Once he was free he went to a new town. Here, no-one wanted to know him because he had been in prison. Only the Bishop helped him and invited him to his house. However, Valjean stole the Bishop’s silver cutlery. Within hours Valjean was arrested. The townsfolk were going to judge him but the Bishop defended him. The Bishop told everyone that the cutlery had been a present for Valjean. The Bishop saved Valjean’s life, but told him that he had to change and become a new man.

Valjean did so and years later he became Minister of Justice, changed his name (now he was Monseniur La Marie) and adopted a little girl (Cossette). However…

I think it’s an interesting book. I would recommend it to people who enjoy novels and those who would like to know how France was during the French Revolution. I consider that this is a great book because it shows how a poor man changed his life with effort. He never surrendered. Also, I would like to point out the Bishop’s behaviour. He helped Valjean even when he knew that he had stolen from him. The Bishop is an example of a good person. For me, the moral of this story is that we don’t have to be afraid of the problems that surround us, we need to be brave and face them. Moreover, we have to keep up our hope and never back down.

Lauren OLIVER, BEFORE I FALL, (1977, renewed)

By Alicia Pliego, 1º Bachillerato EFL

This book is very different from the other books I have read. It is very interesting because the plot and the themes are extravagant. The plot repeats the same day, the day of Samantha’s death, several times, until she gets to do something to avoid that moment when she dies and thus she can live as before.

It is a book of mystery and it shows the ambitious nature of a group of young people going to a party and the party ending badly, in an accident. It tells about all the opportunities that Sam has to stay alive, so it helps her to realize that all she had been doing was wrong. Another important theme is love, because there is a romance throughout the story between Samantha and a gullible guy.

I would recommend this book to teenagers and people who like different - and more original- stories. It is a fantastic book, really easy to read and understand! So I will rate it 4,5 stars.

Richard CURTIS, (1999), Four Weddings And A Funeral, B2, 2300 Headwords, Penguin Readers

By María Pérez, 1º Bachillerato EFL

Charles falls in love with Carrie at a friend’s wedding, but they must be separated and never see each other again until the next wedding, which will be Carrie’s. Garreth, one of Charles’s friends, suffers a heart attack on the wedding. Finally, Charles decides to marry his ex-girlfriend, but at their wedding, Carrie appears saying that she has divorced. In the end...

In my opinion, Four Weddings and a Funeral is an entertaining book but very predictable from the beginning. In parts it is similar to other comedy books and does not introduce anything new.

It is a book that reads very quickly. I would recommend it to young people who are learning English, between twelve and eighteen years old, although I believe that there is no specific age to read it.

This book has been recommended before (See March & May posts)