Gangsters-Ramon Ybarra Rubio

Synopsis

This book is about the true stories of some of the most famous gangsters in the history, and it talks about some of the films that that have been made about their lives. It also shows how Organised crime started in the United States, even though the origin is Italian and how this new style of life spread all over the world. The first and one of the worldwide known gangster is Al Capone, born on January 17th 1899 and whose origins are Italian. He was one of the most successful gangsters of his time. He is one of the good examples of the second generation of gangsters who controlled organised crime during prohibition, a law which made production, transport and sale of alcohol illegal. He was introduced into a life of crime by Frank Yale, a small criminal in his neighbourhood. Since then, Al Capone started growing as a criminal and he became the “king” of Chicago, as he controlled all the illegal operation in the city. He used violence with people who resisted. In total, he was responsible for more than 300 deaths, but he went to prison for 11 years because he never paid his taxes. While he was in prison, the doctors found that he had very advanced syphilis. This disease attacked his brain and diminished his intellectual capacities. He was released from prison because of his illness and he died on January 25th 1947. Many films were made about his life, like for example The Untouchables.

 
Personal Opinion

In my opinion,it’s a very interesting book to learn about gangster’s origin and the way their lives used to be, and I found it really interesting and easy to read. 

Student's name
Daniela Berciuc

Solo Saxophone-Jeremy Harner

Synopsis

London, June 22nd, 1995. At first, it was a day like any other. Katy got up, showered, had breakfast with Paul, listened to the news. Then, she went to her job, the offices of “The Daily Witness” newspaper. Her phone rang and that’s when Katy´s life started to change. She was asked to go to Sarajevo, because her boss wanted more of younger riders to take an interest live in Sarajevo and Katy was very good attracting younger riders. She went home to tell the news to Paul, her husband. When she went into her house she saw Paul with a girl in their bed, Katy left the house very angry. Katy arrived to Sarajevo, a city under siege. There, a journalist explained to her that they shouldn't be too near, because it wasn't their war. But Katy ignored him and she discovered the beauty and power of true hope...

Personal Opinion

With this book of fiction I have been intrigued until the end. The author, Jeremy Harmer, usually wrote about “How to teach English” but also has written some fiction books as this one. In this book, he tells us an interesting and emotional story. I really recommend to read this book. It seems a little bit difficult but as you are so intrigued you read it very fast.

Student's name
Sara Elzaurdi

Don’t look know-Daphne du Maurier

Synopsis

This book which was written by Daphne du Maurier tells us about John and Laura. They have gone on holidays to Venice trying to get over the death of their daughter in an accident. One day, while they were drinking something in a bar John said to his wife that two old women were looking at him all the time, it was very strange. They were sisters. John thought that they were not two old women. He said that they were men dressed up in women’s clothes. Suddenly, one of the two women stood up and went to the bathroom that’s why Laura decided to go after her. When she went back to her husband, he thought that she was ill or something like this but no, she was happy because the old woman had said that her sister had seen their daughter. Eveything was ok, but while they were having dinner they saw the two tall, thin and old women again. They went to the hotel and the receptionist gave them an envelope. It said that Christine's husband was ill in hospital. When they were in the room, Laura rang the doctor and he said that he would need a small operation. When she heard that, she went out of the bedroom and John went with her. By the time she went to the hospital, the two old and strange women tried to kill her. After that, Laura and John told the difficult situation that they had lived and they rested with Christine's husband in his hospital room. 

Personal Opinion
It is easy to understand and you can read it quickly. I like this type of books because they are mysterious and you can hook easily to them. 

Student's name
Irati Goikoetxea

Miñan-Amets Arzallus

Sinopsia

Ibrahima kamioi batean zebilen aprendiz, anaia txikiak etxetik alde egin zuela jakin zuen arte. Honek lana utzi eta haren bila joatea erabaki zuen, bidean hainbat oztopori aurre egin eta gosea, egarria eta mina ezagutuz.

Iritzi kritikoa

Liburua oso hunkigarria iruditu zait, familia askok egunerokoan bizitako egoera latza islatzen baitu, irakurlea bere egoeraz hausnartzera bultzatuz. 

Egilea
Leire Mendizabal

8 Ghost Stories-S H Burton

Synopsis

This book is composed of 8 different Ghost stories: Oldcastle Hill; Room 7; The doctor’s last visit; Mrs Wood comes home; The ghost in the garden; Roger Wingate’s new car; A friend of our family and A birthday card for Mrs Rogers. Each one tells a story where ghosts appear, and every single story is completely different to the others. The story that scared me the most was Mrs Wood comes home. The book is about a man that every holiday went to his friends house to stay there with them. One Easter holiday, something frightening happened that made him want to go back home. They went to a pub to talk a little bit about what had happened in the village since he left, and they told him that Mrs Wood had moved to Australia with her soon. He didn't know who that woman was, so they explained him that she used to live in the house across the street and that she was a really naughty old woman. His friend’s wife, Annie, used to help her and one day, the woman treated Annie really badly, and she and her husband, Jack, decided that she wouldn't go to help her again. After having dinner, he went to bed and started looking through the window and he took some photos of the house which was across the street. Suddenly, he saw someone in the window of that house. An old woman was staring at him. He felt afraid because it couldn’t be possible for Mrs Wood to be there, so he thought that another person had bought the house. Even so, he didn’t sleep well that night, and he didn’t enjoy his holidays. When he returned home, the photos he had taken during his stay in Porchester arrived, and he was afraid of what he was going to see in the photo he took to Mrs Wood’s house. Obviously, the woman was staring at him. Suddenly, the bell rang. It was Jack. He rushed into the bedroom. He took the photograph from his hands and he claimed that the woman there was Mrs Wood. He told Bill that the woman had died in Australia. Her ghost had returned home, and because of that, his wife had died the night before. The fear killed her when she saw Mrs Wood’s spirit had come back home. 

Personal Opinion

It’s a great option if you like scary stories and if you are not afraid of reading them at night. Being realistic, it’s a very good book, but personally, though, I was very very afraid when I was reading the stories because I started reading them at night, and in the future, I don’t think I would choose this types of books. But even so, it’s is a very good book as I said before and I think the feeling I felt is the one that this type of books should make you feel. 

Student's name
Daniela Berciuc

The Island of Dr Moreau-H G WELLS

Synopsis

Prendick was one of the few passengers that had survived in an accident on the Lady Vain ship. He was with other two men, but both started fighting and died. So Prendick was alone, he didn't have any food and water so, soon he was going to die too. But he was very lucky because a ship appeared and helped him. He made a new friend called Montgomery. He told Prendick that he was getting out of the ship with other two friends in an island and that they were going to live there for more than a year. Prendick decided to go with them. When they arrived, Moreau, who was one of Montgomery´s friends, started working in a laboratory. They told Prendick not to go out, because the forest in the island was dangerous, but Prendick didn't stand the screams of pain of the animal which was in the laboratory, so he decided to go to the forest. There,he saw some strange people. The next day, Prandick realised that Moreau Montgomery and the other man were hiding something to him. He looked at the laboratory and saw a man who was screaming of pain too. He thought that they were going to experiment with him like they have done with the other animal-men that were in the island, so he ran away. The three men followed him and Prendick prefered to kill himself instead of being an experiment. When we were going to enter into to the sea Moreau said to him that he would explain him everything. Moreau told him that he had been trying to change an animal into a person for a long time that's why he had seen those strange people in the forest. After knowing the truth, everything came back to normality, but after many days, the animal-men killed Moreau and some days after Montgomery. Prendick was alone, he befriended some of the animal-men. After some days a ship arrived, Prendick took it and went away.

Personal Opinion
In my opinion, this book is very interesting because it seems fictitious but at the end there is a paragraph where the protagonist said that this story is real and that no one has never believed him so that has removed me a lot.

Student's name
Elene Sarasola

The Wizard of Oz-L. Frank Baum

Synopsis

Dorothy lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry in a little house on the gray Kansas. When a cyclone comes Dorothy and her dog, Toto, appear in the magical Land of Oz. the place is beautiful but Dorothy wants to return home. The only person who can help her is the Great Wizard of Oz.Iin order to go to the Emerald city, where the wizard lives, Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road. As she travels along the road, Dorothy meets a Scarecrow, who wants brains, a Tin Man who wants a heart, and a Lion who wants courage. After a difficult trip and after killing the Wicked Witch of the west the four friends realize that the Wizard is a humburg, in reality he is an old man. The old man promises that he would do something to help them. He calls the scarecrow, Tin Man and the Lion one by one and, theoretically gives them what they want even if it isn’t true. But it is the self confidence what makes them feel better. The only one left is Dorothy, and after thinking, the wizard promises driving her by balloon to Kansas. The balloon is ready when Toto disssapears and Dorothy needs to find another way to return home.In this situation The Good Witch Glinda helps her return home. 

Personal Opinion
I think that it is a good book. I saw the film some years ago and I liked it a lot.It taught me that if I believed in me I was able to do whatever I wanted.

Student's name
Elbereth Fernandez

The double bass mystery-Jeremy Harmer

Synopsis

Since Penny’s first visit to Barcelona started with her orchestra, she has had problems.. As soon as she reaches the airport, her double bass disappears from the truck which was carrying all the instruments of the orchestra. Then the typical problems of couples with her boyfriend starts, his strange behaviour towards her, some mysterious smiles to her friend, lies, his sudden disappearance, and with this all, their orchestra manager’s sudden and unexpected crime. With the police help, they get to solve the problems one by one as Penny gets to know about the whole truth about everything.

Personal Opinion

I enjoyed reading this book as I found it interesting. It was also easy to read and really nice and full of mysteries.

Student's name
Amna Rumaisa

The Real McCoy & Other Ghost Stories- Lesley Thompson

Synopsis

The 6 stories are very different, but the objectives of all are to talk about ghosts - friendly, sad and bad- from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, America and Egypt. Some stories are a little scary. I’m going to talk about one of the stories. 4 friends Duncan, Fiona, Heather and Gordon will spend the weekend in a hotel. The hotel’s owner is Fiona’s aunt, and she tells them that Mccoy died in a hotel room and that at night his ghost appears and that’s why no one spends the night in that room. Gordon doesn’t believe Fiona and tells him he’s gonna spend the night in that room. That night Gordon hears strange noises, will the sound be the ghost of Mccoy? 

Personal Opinion
In my opinion the stories which are told in this book are very interesting because you don’t know what will happen until the end,and some of them are a little scary. 

Student's name
Yara Rostro.

Miñan-Amets Arzallus eta Ibrahima Balde

Sinopsia

Amets Arzallusek Ibrahima Balde izeneko etorkin baten istorioa kontatzen du, nola bere anaiak ihes egin zuen eta bere etorkizun planifikatua aldatu zuen, bere bila joan behar izan zuelako. Bidaian zehar irainak, tortura , mespretxuak eta sufrimendua jasango ditu, bere anaia aurkituarren eta Europara iristearren.

Iritzi kritikoa

Kontakizuna nahiko tristea da egia esan, baina oso interesgarria. Erabat ulergarria da, zailtasun lexiko edo gramatikalik gabe. Gainera, liburu aparta da Afrika barnetik Europara etortzen den jendearen istorioa ezagutzeko eta haien lekuan jartzeko, milaka Ibrahima baitaude. Nire ustez, liburu guztiz gomendagarria.
Egilea
Iñaki Bereciartua

The innocent victim-Simon Betterton

Synopsis

It was Richard´s birthday and his girlfriend Alison was going to give him a present. It was a motorbike helmet. But when Richard arrived home, he faced some bad news. Someone had stolen his motorbike. Alison thought of Anthony. He had been her friend but he was jealous of Richard so they did´t get on very well. Alison suspected it was Anthony. The followig day a jewellery shop was broken into and Richard was found guilty because of an evidence which was a mistake. Alison, her girlfriend, went to Scotland to vistit her family and while she was in a pub she listened to a man offer jewellery and when she saw his face she recognised him. He was the robber. So Richard was innocent and he got out of prison Alison and Richard decided to break up and Alison started going out with Anthony.

Personal Opinion

In my opinion, this story is really interesting but ficticious because I don´t think the police would commit this big mistake of arresting someone without having enough evidence.

Student's name
Elene Sarasola

The white oryx-Bernard Smith

Synopsis

Mandy Brown is taking some photos of the oryx with Abdullah, who  is an oryx ranger. Mandy is going to write a book about the animals of Arabia, that is why she is taking some pictures. Suddenly, Abdullah hears a noise that comes from the radio. There´s a problem in Wadi Bidbia. Abdullah is near there, so he decides to go with Mandy to defend the oryx from poachers. Poachers shoot the oryx and they sell their heads, sometimes they catch young oryx and sell them. They see the tracks in the sand. After a while following them, they stop and find an oryx mother under the tree with a gigant blood stain and with a big hole in her neck, she´s dead. Mandy and Abdullah get in the car again and start following the poachers to help the young oryx that have them. The police is with their helicopter following them too. In that instant the track of the poachers disappears. Abdullah drives into some small trees and stops the car. One of the poachers shoots them but the police arrives with the helicopter in that moment. The police are with the poachers. Meanwhile Abdullah and Mandy are looking after the young oryx, checking if she is dead or not. She isn´t. Finally, Mandy is taking photos of the police arresting the poachers and of the oryx and Abdullah for her book.

Personal Opinion

It´s an emotional book, a little bit sad but with a happy ending, I recommend it a lot. It is easy to read and understand.

Student's name
Helen Hidalgo