angelofboox

I remember reading this book when I was 16 (feels like ages ago though ) and I really did like it. Quite short though, wasn't it? I felt for the boys in the book, especially towards the end - and can see why it's so widely read.

I don't think it would traumatise a child. I don't think it's really right to limit what a child reads (yeah, I know, but I read all kinds of things and I'm not traumatised...) if they want to. It was quite sketchy on the details and seeing as Bruno's ignorance of the situation is how the book is narrated, it would be quite similar for a child if they didn't already know the details of the Holocaust, etc. This might be due to how I was brought up though. My parents always taught us to question things and they always gave us straight answers, no matter how complex the answers were. We didn't always understand everything, but we certainly understood the basics. And when we didn't understand everything we asked more questions. My mother often gave us books to help her explanations I'd like to see the film to see how they did get the childlike nature of the book across though...

A piece of chocolate cake that I made for my friend on Monday (it said "your mum" on it in chocolate chips ). It was very yummy.

I've read the first three books of the Saga of Darren Shan, and I did like them. It was a nice change from the usual fanged, cloaked, Transylvanian vampires! I didn't read the rest though. But I did meet Darren Shan and have his entire Demonata series signed by him to me and my sister. He came to my mother's school (she's a school librarian so she organised it) so got to talk to him and stuff, he was really nice. He did a reading for the year nines from the first Demonata book...sounded gory! The funniest thing was as soon as he finished reading his extract a boy sitting behind me said "Oh wow, I really wanna find out what happens! *more morosely* But then I'd have to read the book...." It made me laugh but that was the aim of the reading, to get him to read it!

I turn 20 in a few months! Eep! No more excuses that I'm a teenager (and therefore young and impressionable) to explain away my shortcomings

I have one Christopher Pike trilogy - The Party/The Dance/The Graduation. I've only read it once when I was a lot younger but I didn't find it scary, it was more like a sort of murder mystery for me. Didn't think they were bad, but didn't think they were that great - entertaining literature

Welcome I'm not surprised your rottweiler is useless as a cat!

I love children's books. I'm still a teenager though (just about!) Young adult fiction is, by no means, restricted to young adults and children. Just as adult fiction can be read by young children! It would be a shame that adults who thought children's books were beneath them missed out on some awesome books because of it. My mother reads children's books for a living! Some books that are classed as "children's" are almost definitely for adults too! Take His Dark Materials, Tolkien, etc. Some of my favourites can be enjoyed by almost any age. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Phantom Tollbooth, the Wind on Fire trilogy, Wi-...okay, I'll stop, the list is endless. They can all be enjoyed by adults (if that's to their taste) who don't mind reading books written for young'uns.

I read it as a child (think I was about 9 when I first read it) and I thought it was a great book, though my sister couldn't get into it. I definitely think it makes a difference what age you read it at. I wasn't concerned with period accuracy, or letting the canary starve - I liked the characters (they were all girls! yay for female protagonists even if most of them were a big wet flannelly). I adored Laurie. I've read it a couple more times since then, but not for several years now. Perhaps I should take a reread....

An omelette I suppose... I made a cake though! But it's for tomorrow.

I just read this book a few days ago and found it very moving. I had wanted to buy it when it came out but never got round to it and now that the film's come out I thought I'd best read it....so asked my mother to bring it from work. I'd always considered it a children's book, it being in the children's section of Smiths when I first saw it, but on reading it I felt as if it were an adult book (despite being very simplistic and from a child's point of view) but of course it's a kids' book too. It did have me in tears towards the end. At first I though the same as what a couple of people have said here, that Bruno was nine and that it was unrealistic for him to be so completely oblivious to what was going on. That I would have asked or found out, when I was nine. But then I changed my mind, because really, truly, if I had asked a question and nobody answered me correctly or truthfully, there wouldn't really be any other way to find out. That would have left him completely in the dark - they didn't have the internet and I doubt books or encylopoedias would have said anything... The only other source of information besides adults on the situation would be the newspaper. And I don't think many 9 year olds care to take an in depth look at the newspaper. So Bruno's information was patchy, and it did reinforce the emotion in the book. It was heart-wrenching that they didn't know what they were walking into.

I laughed for about 10 minutes after she asked Darcy for a favour and then he came out of the water drenched, in his white shirt. Curious to see what happens next time.

For me I don't think it's different to any other book. Religion exists in the world, like rainbows and torture methods and war and love, and I'm happy to read books which involve all of those. It's nice knowing what other people think. Or...y'know...write about. A book with religion as its theme has never made me change any of my beliefs (I'm agnostic but was [sort of] brought up Sikh). Not that I've read that many, but a few, certainly. I don't actively seek out religious books either though...but I rarely actively search out a type of book. I'll read anything, me

One day, I am going to design a car park that looks like that.

Ooh yes, The Old Kingdom trilogy is good too (although the first few chapter of Sabriel can be hard to get through). I've not read his other books but heard they're not as good. Exodus is great too; it also has a sequel called Zenith. Not quite up there with the others, but Philip Reeve's Hungry City Chronicles (beginning with Mortal Engines) are enjoyable too.

I read an amusing review in the Metro of this (did anyone else catch it?) and then watched it later the same day (I sky plussed it). The article remarked that the first scene with the dancing girls looked as if it were out of America's Next Top Model and the guys were in general were too cleaned up - so not as gritty as the book was, really (and the only previous adaptation I've seen that came on TV several years ago? I was quite young, but remember it vaguely). I didn't think it was too bad, but Arterton's accent did make me laugh. Still, it's very different to the role I saw her in St. Trinian's, so her difference in character makes me think she could be a good actress.

I love fantasy books <3 (I'm 19). How about the Wind on Fire trilogy, or the His Dark Materials trilogy? Maybe the Earthsea series. Or for something simpler, the Bartimaeus trilogy... Lot of trilogies aren't there? Unfortunately, I haven't read The Lost Years of Merlin, so can't help you there.

Apparently my sister's reading it, that's the reason why it was there

Many more than the bookshelves I pictured! We have four toilets...but the house originally came with one! Five of us live here (at the moment) so we're not outnumbered... My dad sort of...likes to take things into his own hands. He built the corridor one for us to house our overflowing books (it has 7 shelves about 2m long and goes almost from floor to ceiling) but we still had more than could fit! He put a toilet in the bathroom (they were separate when we moved in), a toilet downstairs and one in the attic (where he did a loft conversion now comprising my sister's room and an en-suite).... Think it might be time to build another wall worth of bookshelf though!

Ooer, I adore the under stairs bookcase. Wish I had one! We have a few in my home, but they're all overflowing. No room in my house doesn't have books in (yes, that includes our four toilets...don't ask). This is the bookcase I have in my room, the bottom of which also has books in . In the toilet you get your Readers' Digest, newspapers and ocassionally other books... And this one is built into our downstairs corridor, courtesy of my father. (Apologies for the blurriness, will replace it with a better one in the daytime maybe Also, I couldn't figure out how to make thumbnails )

How old is she? If vampires are necessary, maybe The Saga of Darren Shan? Although they're quite different to the Stephanie Meyer books, methinks...

I just finished reading this book, so came a-searching for this thread. I really liked the book (though I don't think it would get into my favourites or anything but I still thought it was great). At first the narrative kind of grated with me, especially the paragraphs flicking from one time to another or from one series of events to another simultaneous series of events explaining the current affairs of state (war, etc) but I think after a chapter or two I really got into it; I did like the writing style. I thought it was a really good length, too. There were no parts of the book where I thought the story dragged on and I was never bored. In other news, I could do with some help! I run a private book club on another forum (no plugging, really) and this is our chosen book. I'm just not sure what sort of questions I could pose/ask or what conversation I could start that might help the discussion along. Any suggestions?

Well, personally I'd find, "So, have you read any good books lately?" a much better chat-up line than, "I've lost my phone number, can I have yours?"

They only do it slowly because they fear sudden movements might cause something unmentionable to happen.