Anne’s House of Dreams, the fifth book in the Anne series, packs quite a punch. My favorite novel of the series, Anne’s House of Dreams begins with Anne’s lovely wedding to Gilbert in the orchard of Green Gables. The story continues as they move to their first home on the other side of Prince Edward Island, as Gilbert begins his medical practice, and as Gilbert and Anne start their family and their married life together.
While this novel is enjoyable, Anne of Windy Poplars is the weakest of the Anne series. Written partly in an epistolary style, the book allows the reader to see the world of Windy Poplars and Summerside High School from Anne’s perspective, as she writes love letters to her fiancée Gilbert, a medical school student in Nova Scotia. Parts of the book retain a traditional narrative style, but many of the characters and anecdotes echo too closely those previously described in earlier books of the series.
Marin has a promising future ahead, as a top achieving student and editor of the school paper. Her goal is to attend Brown University, an achievement her English teacher, Mr. Beckett, assures her is within reach. Marin looks up to Bex, and maybe has a tiny crush on her teacher. When he takes things too far and tries to kiss Marin, she feels shocked and terrified. By the time she decides to come forward, no one believes her story. Marin questions everything she had done with Bex, had she somehow given him the wrong idea, or did she misunderstand his intentions?
Science Comics: Dogs by Andy Hirsch, is a graphic novel that explains the science and history of Dogs in the fashion of a story. We follow a dog named Rudy as he time travels throughout history, looking for his tennis ball. At first, Rudy discusses where dogs fall in the taxonomic system, as well as how genes and alleles work, bringing certain wolves earlier in history to be more friendly towards humans, and making them eventually turn into dogs.
Warriors: Escape from the Forest is a graphic novel, an extra of the main Warriors series by Erin Hunter and the second book of the miniseries Tigerstar and Sasha. This book talks about Sasha, who was the first Tigerstar’s mate at one point in the first series The Prophecy Begins. It starts with Tigerstar discussing his plan to join Shadowclan and ally with Bloodclan to defeat all the others and rule the forest. Sasha disagreed and left him since she didn’t want to be part of all the bloodshed.
Science Comics: Cats by Andy Hirsch is a graphic novel that explores cats, with their history, domestication, and distinct features that we may not know about. We learn not just about domestic cats, but also a little about wild cats. It follows the journey of a stray kitten named Bean who eventually finds a friendly group of stray cats and then a human to live with. Cats' physical features are discussed at first, with their jaws and claws, and fur adaptations.
Dogman: Fetch-22 is a graphic novel, the eighth book of the Dogman book series. At the end of the last book, Petey and his robotic moth defeat Dr. Scum. Big Jim (calling himself “Commander Cupcake”) luckily caught Dr. Scum and the Fleas. It turned out that Grampa was pretty mean, and we went to jail for stealing Petey’s belongings. Petey and Li’l Petey visit Grampa in jail, who disguises himself and walks out of jail with the kitten.
Dogman: For Whom the Ball Rolls is a graphic novel, the seventh book of the Dogman book series. At the end of the last book, Dogman eats the evil clay taco and barfs him up to stop the fire in the theater. The Fleas are once again defeated. Petey is being a good cat but still has to go to jail because of the previous things he had done. Dogman feels better about being different because all his friends tell him that everyone is unique and special.
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki Ruth Ozeki is a struggling writer who lives in a small town near the coast with her husband and beloved cat. Strange treasures often wash up on the shore near her residence and so she doesn’t think twice about throwing out an old journal that washes up one day. However, her husband convinces her to read the journal before they part with it, leading Ruth to realize that the diary may be residue from the devastating tsunami that occurred in Japan, 2011.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a philosophical novel that follows the journey of Santiago, a young Andalusian shepherd, who dreams of discovering a treasure hidden near the Egyptian pyramids. Along the way, Santiago meets various characters, including a gypsy woman, a king, and an alchemist, who guide him toward understanding the deeper meanings of life.
