Dear Junior readers,
The Junior Observer launches 'Junior Readers’ Club' to which we invite all you Junior Readers to join up! The Junior Readers’ Club will hold activities and competitions to encourage you to read and read and read more, for fun and to learn. Do join in!
One activity will be to introduce books for you to read. We will introduce a book from Vijitha Yapa Bookshop and tell you about it in our 'Book Review'. You are also invited to write in and tell us about a book you have read and liked. Write up to 150 words and email your entries to [email protected] or post them to Lake House, 35, D.R. Wijewardane Mawatha, Colombo 10.
NOTE: Vijitha Yapa Bookshop will give away prizes for a write-up on a book available in their bookshops. The best book review will receive a book as first prize, and the second will be a gift voucher from Vijitha Yapa Bookshop. Contact the Junior Observer on 2429239 or 2429234 to collect your gifts.
Brilliant detective
Reviewed by Ryhanna Salie
Would you like to meet the world's best detective to find out how he solves mysterious crimes? Three Adventures by Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a collection of the short stories "The Speckled Band". “The Five Orange Pips” and “The Crown of Diamonds”. “The Speckled Band” tells an intriguing story of the mysterious death of a young girl, who is about to be married. No one knows for sure whether this is a murder or an accident. However, Holmes suspects it is a murder and sets off on a journey to find the truth. Holmes solves the mystery using his observation skills and analytical mind.
“The Five Orange Pips” is about the mysterious death of Elias Openshaw after writing his last will. The house and money was left to his brother and nephew. The story becomes more mysterious when Openshaw's brother also dies. His son John suspects that the apparent accident is a murder, and it is only one person that John can think of to solve the mystery – Sherlock Holmes!
“The Crown of Diamonds” is about a young lady named Mary who refuses to marry an unsuitable man – Arthur. But Arthur is not how he appears to be and Sherlock Holmes is on a mission to find the truth.
The short stories give the reader an insight into the mind of a brilliant detective who solves crimes with his sharp mind.
First PrizeL:
Narnia
I have read many books and out of these I have selected The Chronicles of Narnia as my favourite series. It is a collection of vivid stories written by C.S. Lewis and published by Harper Collins. The stories bring out all sorts of mythical creatures to life such as dwarfs, giants, dryads, naiads, fauns and talking animals!
C.S. Lewis creates a clear and rich imagination in our minds. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is my favourite book. Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter are the four main characters. Lucy, the youngest, is the first to discover Narnia inside a wardrobe. She meets the faun, Tumnus and makes friends with him. At first the others do not believe Lucy's story, but when they themselves get to Narnia they believe her. But alas! Will they be able to stop the evil witch and bring Christmas to Narnia? I like this book because it teaches us lessons about courage and heroism.
A. Imeth Ayuka De Silva,
Grade 8, S. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia.
Second Prize :
Brer Rabbit
My favourite book is The Brer Rabbit Collection. This book is about a rabbit who is a rascal, and he always plays tricks on his friends. The other animals try to trick Brer Rabbit too, but they often fail. Sometimes Brer Rabbit gets caught in his own tricks too. This book was written by the famous children's author, Enid Blyton. Brer Rabbit and all the other creatures are formed by her. This story is very funny. Brer Rabbit also plays tricks with the help of his friend, Brer Terrapin, who is a tortoise. I like this story because it is very funny, amazing and wonderful.
Lihini Wijesekara,
Grade 7,
Lyceum International School, Wattala.