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1_kurs_English

XI.Read an example of book review. Harry Potter

J. K. Rowling's books about Harry Potter have been one of the most sensational successes of recent years, and judging by the first volume, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, they are a fine addition to English children's fantasy literature.

The central character, Harry Potter, is orphaned when his parents are killed by the evil wizard Voldemort, and is taken in by his aunt and uncle, who are Muggles (ordinary, non-magical people). Harry is rather out of place with his relations, but things improve greatly for him when he goes to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - except that one of the staff is in league with Voldemort. The miror characters such as Ron and Hermione are very clearly drawn, and the three form a closely-knit team of friends.

The plot centers on Harry's struggles to save the world, and part of the attraction of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone comes from the setting of an English public school, complete with houses and schoolboy adventures. Rowling adds some delightful novelties of her own, such as Quiddich, a seven-a-side ball game played on broomsticks, and the whole book is pulled together by some excellent story-telling.

The Potter books, however, are by no means perfect. The limitations of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone become clearer when it is compared with another children's novel in which a neophyte wizard attends a school for wizards - Ursula Le Guin`s A Wizard of Earthsea. This works just as well as a story, but is far more imaginative. Where Rowling simply re-uses superficial popular ideas about magic, Le Guin constructs a complete new world of her own. Le Guin also deals with subjects such as coming of age, and her hero is rounded in places where Harry Potter is no more than one-dimensional.

So Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone would be a great Christmas present for children who haven't read it yet. Mum and Dad will enjoy it too. But A Wizard of Earthsea is all that and more, and should not be overlooked simply because it is less well known.

  1. Use the given tips to retell the book\story you have read.

Some Tips on How to Work with the Book\Story

    1. Here is the title of the story. What do you think the story is about?

    2. Skim the text very quickly and find the answers to the questions.

    3. Give a short summery of the story.

    4. Divide the text into 3, 4 etc. parts, give the title to every part.

    5. Find the word(s) in these sentences that do(es) not refer to the text.]

    6. Answer the questions to the text.

    7. Find the key sentences in the text (in each part).

    8. Can you give another title to the story?

    9. Prove the fact that…

    10. Tell your classmates what you think about the main character of the story.

    11. Describe the hero’s appearance.

    12. Read the story and formulate its main idea.

    13. Read the story and try to retell it using the given words and word combinations.

    14. Pick out the sentences in the text which might explain the title.

    15. Say which of the proverbs following the story makes the best nding to it.

    16. Look at the pictures, choose the one which describes the episode from the text.