By Carlos Silvestre 2EL

Title : Vampire Tales

Author : David Grant

Publisher : Burlington Book

Level : 3º E.S.O

Plot : The book tells three stories about vampires.

• The first was about two men that went to travel together, and one, Anthony, fell in love with a girl who died. Then he promised his friend that he wasn’t going to tell anyone how she had died. When his friend died he used to see him everywhere.
Anthony’s sister was going to get married and his husband was Anthony’s friend, at the end they got married and Anthony went crazy.

• The second is about a boy that lives in a house. In that house there is an evil spirit. First he is afraid of the spirit but at the end he tries to burn the spirit. No one knows if the spirit died or if it got away…

• The last is about a man who doesn’t believe in vampires or in the spirits either. One day he goes to a road where suicides were buried and there he got lost because of the fear that he felt. Once in the forest, he thought that a storm was coming and he tried to hide in a sepulchre. Inside he saw a girl, and then a vampire caught him and tried to kill him but some soldiers saved him. When he recovered he received a letter from Count Dracula where he said that he told the soldiers that the protagonist was under his protection.

The character I liked most : it was without any doubt the vampire that appears in the second story behind the protagonist. I like it because he can’t be reflected in the mirror.

Personal opinion : I liked this book because I have learnt some things about vampires and because I really like the books that tell short stories but very interesting all them and related to a common topic.

By Arturo Gutierrez 2EL

TITLE: A Secret Fear.

AUTHOR: Celia Starr.

PUBLISHER: Burlington Books.

LEVEL: 1º E.S.O

PLOT: The book tells the story of two boys (Joey and Kevin). One day of summer they’re making a tent in Joey’s garden. The boys go into the tent, it’sdark in the tent and Kevin tells ghost stories. But Joey has a secret fear. He’s frightened of the dark.

The next day Joey reads the e-mail from his friend Jamie. Jamie is celebrating a party on Saturday night and they are telling ghost stories. Joey must make an excuse to Jamie.

After school Joey discovers that his friend, Kevin, has got a secret fear, too.

Kevin is frightened of high places.

The boys decide to go in the lift but the lift is broken, the doors closed and the light off. Kevin and Joey are talking and to forget the fear and they surpass the fear.

THE CHARACTER I LIKED MOST IS: Jamie, because he hasn’t got a secret fear.

PERSONAL OPINION: It’s a good book but the level is low.

BY ALVARO ALCALA 2EL

TITLE: KIDNAPPED

AUTHOR: Robert Louis Stevenson

PUBLISHER: Burlington Books

LEVEL: 3rd ESO

PLOT: The kidnapped story is about a boy who lives with one of his  parents’ friends because they died. He lives at Queensferry.
David is 17 years old and one day receives a letter that says where his uncle lives. He goes to visit him to a house called the house of Shaws. But his uncle wanted to kill him, because he didn’t want him to get his inherit. The uncle pays a sailor to take David with him to America.

In the ship David knows a gentleman and they become friends. They plan to kill the captain and his sailors, but in the middle of the fight, a wave throws them to the sea and they arrive to the coast. David goes to talk with Alan and he tells him that the English soldiers want to catch them. Someone kills the Campbells and they stand accused, and they have to escape. Alan tells David that he has a friend that can help them and they go to visit him.

David gets ill and he stays in bed for one week, and they go back to Queensferry and they go to visit his family lawyer. Then they talk about David's uncle and they make a plan to get David’s inherit.

They go to the house of Shaws and talk with David's uncle, and he says he will pay his inherit. But he wanted to stay at the house of Shaws and they agree. Then David's friend goes to France and David decides to work as a lawyer.

THE END

My favourite character was David.

PERSONAL OPINION: I didn’t follow the story because it was very boring.

by Paula García

Title: The Secret Garden


Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett


Publisher: Burlington Books


Level: 2 ESO

Plot: The book tells a story about a ten-year-old girl called Mary Lennox, she lives in India with her

parents, and she is a very spoiled girl. She has no friends, because she is not at school, she has a tutor.

One day Mary got up from the bed and Ayah was not in her room, then she went to the garden to play and

saw his mother talking to a British businessman. Then she entered the kitchen because she was hungry

and saw the servants crying. The cook told Mary that Ayah was very ill yesterday and died a few minutes

ago. Mary was told that her parents had died. Then she had to go to London to live in her uncle's house,

she was reluctant, but he had no choice. When she got there she found her uncle's room. The servant took

her to the house and told her that the house was about 600 years old or so ... and had a huge garden. The

next day, she got up and saw a girl called Martha, who was in her room. Mary went to the garden and saw

a gardener, Ben.

Mary discovers that through a door there is a really big garden. The next day out into the garden there is a

very handsome boy, he asks her if she is called Mary, and she says yes, and asks him who he is, he says

he is Martha's brother Dickon (his servant). Mary tells him if he can help her open the door, they enter the

garden, and there is a pitirrojo walking across the grass and they find a key. Mary and Dickon came at last

to the super yard, Mary notices that this garden is very dead and from then on she and Dickon go every

morning to fix the garden and it is very beautiful and alive.

The next day Mary decided to explore the house of his uncle, she found a room where she could not go,

but she went anyway. In that room there was a boy with long brown hair, he was invalid and could not

walk. He was the son of his uncle, his cousin, called Colin, The next day Mr Craven, who is Mary's uncle

tells he is going to Europe a few days, and Dickon tells her to go to visit the animals with Colin because

he loves animals. The next day Mary and Dickon walked around the garden and Colin said that was

where his mother died. Dickon and Mary had helped Colin to be put on feet and walk, Colin got it. After

a while Mr Craven had come from Europe and saw his son walking perfectly. Then he embraced him and

congratulated him. Dickon and Mary at the end fell in love with each other. And so ends this story.

The character I like most: My favourite character is Dickon is a big person!

Opinion: This book it's very interesting, because it has mystery, romanticism, this book it's funny!

By Paula García 2 ESO L

Gladiator

Title: Gladiator

Author: Dewey Gram

Publisher: Pearson Education Limited

Stage/Level: 4 Intermediate

Characters: Maximus and Commodus

Setting: Ancient Rome

Time: 180 A.D

The most important action: For the betrayal of Emperor Commodus kills family of Maximus. Maximus goes from the Roman army general, a prisoner, then slaves, and finally a gladiator.

You have to earn the respect of people in the arena of the Colosseum, fighting to stay alive to fulfil his revenge.

The End: Finally struggle against the Emperor Commodus, kills the emperor, and minutes later, Maximus dies and is reunited with his family

Personal opinion: This book is very well told and the movie is very good.

Salvador Pla, 4 ESO

The mummy returns

Title: The Mummy Returns

Author: John Whitman

Publisher: Penguin Readers

Level: 2

Characters: Rick O'Connell , Evelyn O'Connell and her son Alex

Setting: In Egypt

Time: In the ancient Egypt

Plot: Rick O'Connell and his wife Evelyn live happily in his London home with his son, ten years after the adventures in Egypt and their struggle against the Mummy. But peace has come to an end because the fearsome Mummy is again alive on the land called by reincarnation. Together again, their plans to conquer the world pass by reviving the Scorpion, a brutal, legendary warrior who sold his soul to the god Anubis, in order to defeat him and take command of his monstrous army. Again, Rick and his friends must try to save humanity.

End: Rick O'Connell's son Alex saves the humanity

Personal opinion: The movie is much better, if you see the movie, it is easier to read the book.

Jonathan Fuentes, 4 ESO
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Title: The MUMMY Returns

Author : John Whitman

Publisher: Penguin Readers

Reading level : 2 Elementary (600) words / American English

Characters: Rick O'Conell, Evelyn O'Connell and his son Alex

Setting: In the ancient Egypt

Time: Ancient Egypt

Plot: The book is about a story that happened many years ago in ancient Egypt, the Scorpion King led a large army, but when he sold his soul to Anubis, the Scorpion King was erased from history and it is unclear whether it existed or it was a myth. Rick and Evelyn O'Connell are still discovering new artifacts with his son Alex, who is 8 years old. They discover the bracelet of Anubis. But the high priest rose with the intention to control the Scorpion King's army through the bracelet of Anubis.

The best of the book: The final fight (pages 32-37)

The end: They manage to save humanity.

Personal opinion: The book is pretty good, but seeing the movie, I prefer the movie best. Also, the vocabulary used in the book is very well chosen and it is easy to read.

Roberto Sena, 4 ESO

Love Story

TITLE: Love Story

AUTHOR: Erich Segal

PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press

CHARACTERS: Oliver and Jenny

SETTING: Harvard University

PAGES: 55

LEVEL: 3

PLOT: Oliver Barrett meets Jenny Cavilleri. They fall in love, and they get married and make a home together. They work hard, enjoy life, they make plans for the future. Then they learn that they won't have much time left.
PERSONAL OPINION: I have liked it very much, the story is very nice. I would advise the people to read this book. With this story you will cry and you will spend a good moment.

Andrea Fernández, 4 ESO

The mummy

Title: The Mummy

Author: David Levithan

Publisher: Penguin readers

Level: 2

Characters: Imhotep, O’Conell, Evelyn, Jonathan, Beni, Anck-su-namun.

Setting: In Thebes, Egypt.

Time: 1290, before Christ.

The most important action: “Hello,” said Evelyn. Burns turned around and she screamed. Burns had no eyes. He fell on the ground. Evelyn turned away, but she came face-to-face with Imhotep, Imhotep with Burns’s blue eyes.

The End: Evelyn put her arms around O’Conell and they kissed. Maybe this wasn’t the end. Maybe it was the beginning.

Personal Opinion: It is an entertaining book. Although the reading in general is complicated, I have liked this book because it speaks of an interesting subject. I recommend the students to read this book.

Kevin Alapont, 4 ESO