[EPBL] A Quick Guide to Ecocritical Perspectives

A Quick Guide to Ecocritical Perspectives (Full Version): https://goo.gl/vLkbjp 

How can an English course integrating ecocriticism be practiced in high school?

This course is designed to integrate with a set of school-based curriculum in National Experimental High School at Central Taiwan Science Park. The class is intended to invite students who are interested in observing environmental changes around their neighborhoods, reading contemporary Taiwanese nature writings, and critiquing various landscapes of nature and humanity in Taiwan. 

Each of students will be guided to learn the major theories in the field of ecocriticism with the nature writings of contemporary Taiwanese writers. Students will gain basic understandings of historic backgrounds of Anthropocene, environmental imaginations of nature, settler ecocriticism, landscapes of feralities, and environmental sentimentalism. The ecocritical theories are made easy with examples selected from environmental issues in Taiwan and abroad. Moreover, students will be instructed to read the Taiwanese nature writings and examine the texts with the ecocritical perspectives. The nature writings are selected to help students understand what the relationship between nature and literature indicates and revisit the landscapes of Taiwan literature in the contemporary Chinese writings. 

Following the ecocritical perspectives, students are led to observe the changing landscapes of their neighborhoods with a focus on the development of Taichung Science Park, a newly-built industrial park nearby their campus. They are guided to examine how the introduction of new industries and facilities would change the environment and how the locals have responded to the changes. Besides, they are also taught to think twice what nature means to them and what it really is. In the end of the course, students are required to present a report in a preferred format (a blog, a webpage, a digital portfolio or a video clip). Their projects will be uploaded to an interactive platform, which allows those who are interested in ecocritical perspectives and localogical studies to access what students in high school think about nature and how they respond to environmental changes in Taiwan. For the project, they can choose one of the nature writers in Taiwan and introduce the figure to the classmates. They can also find a nature text or a local landscape and examine the discourse of nature in relation to humans. Following the final presentation on their project, they have to make a column to introduce their work and compile a tabloid to promote their project.

Through the course, students will be guided to think about the environmental issues ecocritically and examine the nature texts independently. With the ecocritical perspectives in a critical mind, they are expected to expand their cosmopolitan attitude toward nature and rethink the position of humans in relation to nature. When engaging themselves in the environment, they become a freelancer, traveling between the boundary of nature and humans and transcending the border between humans and nonhumans.

[EPBL] A Quick Glimpse of Vietnam's History & Culture

A Quick Glimpse of Vietnam's History and Culture (Full Version): https://goo.gl/rPvAdq 

THE WORLD BEYOND YOUR IMAGINATION: VIETNAM FAR OR NEAR?

This course was designed to integrate a set of school-based curriculum in National Experimental High School at Central Taiwan Science Park. The class was intended to invite students interested in observing historical changes under the context of globalization and examining historical texts with a critical mind. Besides, this class also attempted to help students gain a better understanding of Southeast Asia and establish a connection with their life in the present and in the future. In this course, each of the students played the role of a historian and role-played their participation in a short essay on issues related to Southeast Asia’s history. To achieve the learning goals, they had to learn the historical development of Southeast Asia, elements of a historical argument, and procedures of the Big6TM. With the knowledge in mind and skills on hand, they illustrated issues about historical changes of Southeast Asia with their personal viewpoints, consisting of historical arguments without information problems.

Languages and cultures of Southeast Asia played a part in our daily life with the population of immigrants from Southeast Asia increasing in the recent two decades. Following the New Southbound Policy and the new Curriculum Guidelines, our school also made Vietnamese language learning available to our 10th graders. However, their knowledge of Southeast Asia was limited. The insufficiency of their background information resulted from the design of their history curriculum, in which the history of Southeast Asia was barely touched and discussed. In fact, even to those students taking Vietnamese as their second foreign language, they had a limited understanding of Southeast Asia for being bombarded with learning a new language within insufficient teaching hours (one hour per week on average). Most importantly, most of the students were indifferent to issues in Southeast Asia for their ignorance and misunderstanding of the world. As a result, the course attempted to help them gain a better understanding of Southeast Asia through the process of learning how to write a historical argument and solve an information problem. In the course, they were asked to observe the historical development of Southeast Asia and stated their viewpoints on historical changes related to Southeast Asia. Through the process, they had to identify their information problem and solve the problem by means of the Big6TM to clarify relevant issues and find solid evidence.

Through the course, students were guided to think about the historical development of Southeast Asia critically and examine the historical texts independently. With the knowledge of being a critical historian of multicultural perspectives, they were expected to expand their cosmopolitan attitude toward the world and rethink the position on Taiwan in relation to Southeast Asia. In the language curriculum, they would be able to connect the language with the real context in their life. In the history curriculum, they would be able to think how their knowledge of history had been constructed and rethink whether such construction was valid and solid for them to understand the world in a cosmopolitan aspect. What’s more, when addressing multicultural issues in Taiwan or abroad, students could use a new spectacle to critique all the cultural phenomena with an open mind or a new historical construct. Most importantly, when engaging themselves in the sphere of Asia, they would become a freelancer, traveling between the boundaries of multiple cultures and transcending the regional borders of Asian nations.

[EPBL] Introduction to Vietnam's Popular Music

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20210B] Good Mind, Good Find

20210張翔喻 (CHANG, HSIANG-YU)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: Orca

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Mark Foster & Phillip Burrows

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2008

ISBN: 9780194234245

Good Mind, Good Find

Orca was about a group of people who were bored and wanted some new excitement, so they went on a trip to go around the world, while they were doing something incredible which happened,  an orca saved Tonya’s life. This sounded like a miracle but this was what the story was about and I’m very interested in it because I had a great interest in whales. This story was written on the bright side that creatures were assumed to be friendly and kind.

At the beginning, there were four friends whose life was lack of excitement. In the beginning, there were Jack, Max, Tonya and Sasha. One day when they were hanging around, Jack suddenly came up with the crazy idea and he said, “Let’s go sail around the world.” Others were shocked at first; however, they were so bored that they didn’t want to let go any chance to feel excited. So soon afterwards, they set sail for the world. While they were traveling, they accidently bumped into an illegal whale hunting situation with a sense of justice and empathy. Jack jumped into the sea to save the baby orca which was caught by the net. Even though the fishman hated them afterwards, they still felt proud of themselves. Then they carried on their trip but all of a sudden, it started raining and the rain became heavier and heavier. The boat started to shake while the wave got bigger and bigger. Then Tonya abruptly fell over the boat their friend searched for a long time but they didn’t find her so they decided to go back to the shore to call for help. On the other hand, Tonya found a log somewhere in the water and started floating. When she was almost dead, a miracle happened. The baby orca they saved appeared in front of her and started to drag Tonya to the shore. She was amazed by what the orca was doing and showed gratitude for its help. Soon after Tonya was dragged to the beach, Jack found her.

This story might want to tell us that “good mind, good find.” Sometimes helping other is a kind of way to help yourself. This doesn’t mean that you have to ask for rewards when you do something good for others. Your pay will come to you in the course of time. So next time, if you have opportunities to help someone, just do it.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20210A] A Romantic Meeting

20210張翔喻 (CHANG, HSIANG-YU)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: Red roses

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Christine Lindop

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2008

ISBN: 9780194234344

A Romantic Meeting

We can easily guess that the story is about love from the cover which is full of roses. Love sometimes comes without warning. This is a story full of romantic scenes and touching moments. This is a story about a boy and girl falling in love because of coincidence.

In the beginning, they were both strangers. One day when Anna was waiting for her friend Vicki to drive her to school, all of a sudden, she saw a man walking to her with a bunch of roses. A thought flashed through her mind, “He looks nice.” Meanwhile, the boy which she was looking at whose name is Will saw her, too. A thought flashed through his mind “what a beautiful girl.” he thought. Then he smiled at her. Anna’s face turned pink. Just when Anna was thinking what to do, Vicki arrived. After the romantic meeting, Anna was absent-minded every day. She was wondering what the man was doing with the bunch of roses, “Is it for his girlfriend?”. And on the other hand, she also wondered who the girl was. He asked his grandmother, who he gave the roses to, “Is there a girl with golden hair playing the guitar?” His grandmother paused for a while and said no. Then in the following days, they didn’t see each other until one day Anna went out to eat dinner with her friend, Tom. When they were about to head home, it suddenly rained cats and dogs; meanwhile Will was getting in his car which was parked in front of the restaurant the Anna and Tom went in. He saw his friend Tom and asked him if he went a ride. Tom thanked him and asked if Anna could take a ride, too. Will generously agreed. At the time, he didn’t recognize Anna because she was wearing a hat that covered her whole face. Then they hopped on Will’s car and headed home in the big rain. When Will heard that Anna’s home was Grandview Apartment, he started to wonder if she was the girl that he had been thinking recently. Same as him, Anna was wondering, “Will he be the man carrying the roses?” After a while, they arrived at the apartment, they got out of the car, and then they began to talk at the same time. They got shocked that he and she were the two persons. In conclusion, they got together. After that day, Anna’s balcony was full of red roses.

Love comes in an accident. They didn’t tend to fall in love but love crashed into them by accident. So, don’t be sad that love doesn’t come. Just wait for it and it will come someday.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20240B] Mystery in London

20240顏玉傑 (Yan, Yu-Jie)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: Mystery in London

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Helen Brooke

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2000

ISBN: 9780194234283

Mystery in London

The subject of the story is about me, looking for clues about the murderer of hurting girls myself by following cues  in London in the year of 1898 for finding out the murderer. With the information above, we can surmise that the author may like suspenseful novels. For readers who enjoy the fun of cracking cases themselves, the author writes this book and wants to share with everyone. The content of the story shows it is subjective and optimistic because the clues which the reader follows have been set by the author although there are many choices we can choose and develop, and the story finishes clearly.

In this book, I act Mycroft Pound, the famous detective. In one cold November evening, a London police knocked my door and asked for my help. There was a woman bleeding on the street. The police thought that it was the Whitechapel Killer again who had already killed six women with a long knife. I arrived in Whitechapel. The woman was lying on the street. She was very ill, so she couldn't talk to me. For clues, I asked people in the Rose and Crown nearby, asking her best friend, and finding a letter in her house. Finally, I got a piece of news of his boyfriend that Jack might be the killer. I quickly went to the London docks, and looked for the ship called California. Jack was really  there. In his pocket, there was a knife with blood on it which showed that he was the killer. The captain helped me and arrested him. I took him off the ship and gave him to the police.

The story is interesting, and the killer is so stupid.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20240A] Sherlock Holmes and the Sport of King

20240顏玉傑 (Yan, Yu-Jie)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: Sherlock Holmes and the Sport of King

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2003

ISBN: 9780194789202

Sherlock Holmes and the Sport of King

The subject of the story is about two detectives, Holmes and Watson, looking for clues about the death of John Straker on Thursday at Dartmoor and King's Pyland for finding out the murderer by their smart brains. With the information above, we can surmise that the author may like suspenseful novels concerning Holmes. For bringing surprise to readers who like suspenseful novels and Holmes, the author writes this book and wants to share with everyone. The content of the story shows it is subjective and optimistic because the author just records what Holmes has done and the story finishes clearly.

On the Tuesday morning, people saw the famous racehorse, Silver Blaze, disappeared, and his trainer, John Straker, was killed. Mr. Ross, the owner of the horse and Inspector Gregory, the Darmor police asked for Holmes's help. On the first day to King's Pyland, Holmes used horseshoes to check the footpoint and find the place where the horse went to. He kept his promise that Silver Blaze joined the race on time. For another event of John Straker, Holmes raised up some problems. Curry had a very strong taste, stronger than opium, so people would eat curry without the taste of opium, but how could the killer know the dinner tonight was curry? Why didn't the dog could bark when the stronger came? What was the use of the eye knife used by the doctor in the hospital? Why were some sheep lame? Holmes found the murderer from these questions.

The story is interesting, and Holmes is intelligent.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20237B] Treasure Island

20237蔡宇倫 (TSAI, YU-LUN)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: TREASURE ISLAND          

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1918

ISBN: 9780194791908

Treasure Island

Treasure Island is an adventure tale. At the outset of the novel, Jim was  timid, but by the end he became matured incredibly. He outwitted pirates, took over a ship, and saved innumerable lives. Jim became an adult in character if not in age. At the start of Treasure Island, Jim Hawkins was living with his mother and father at their inn, apparently intending to finish his life there. He hired Jim to keep a watch out for other sailors, but despite all precautions, he was hunted out and served with the black spot that meant death. Jim and his mother barely escaped death when Blind Pew, Black dog and other pirates descended on the inn in search of the sea dogs. Jim snetched up a pocket of papers to square the sailor’s debt, when they were forced to retreat from the inn. The pocket contained a map showing the location of the pirate Flint’s buried treasure, which Jim, Doctor Livesey and Squire Trelawney determined to find. Fitting out a ship, they hired hands and set out on their adventure. Unfortunately, their crew included one-legged Long John Silver, a pirate also in search of the  treasure, and a number of his confederates. Jim hid in an apple barren, and he warned his comrades. The battle between the pirates and Jim’s party was an exciting and bloody one, taking place both on the island and aboard. Jim escaped from the ship and discovered the marooned sailor. Finally, the victors got safely aboard with the treasure.

Treasure Island unlike other children stories includes some characters who are not examples of virtue but on the contrary led a sinful life. However, it was normal since they were pirates and it was what you expected of them. They were the villains of the story and their evil ways were not condemned. Pirates were, as Jim said, some of the wickedest men that God ever allowed upon the sea. Jim Hawkins, Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey were on the contrary characters who throughout their adventures showed virtues like courage and honesty.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20237A] The Railway Children

20237蔡宇倫 (TSAI, YU-LUN)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: THE RAILWAY CHILDREN

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: EDITH NESBIT

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1905

ISBN: 9780194791281

The Railway Children      

Bobbie, Peter and Roberta were distraught when their father went missing. After a trip to London, they discovered the thrill of the railway and began to unravel the mystery of their father’s disappearance.

This is a story of three children, Bobbie, Peter and Roberta, who lived in a respectable suburban villa with a wonderful mother and father and a cook and servants, until one day great disgrace and poverty fell on them. Father was taken away to prison, and they had to move to a poor cottage in the country near a railway line.

Mother wrote stories to earn what little they lived on and they used to be poor and had to learn not to steal coal from the railway station, even if they had so little to keep warm by. Sometimes they argued and had crises, as one did, but in time they made many new friends, and amusing adventures happened near the railway and the canal. They developed the habit of waving to the train as it went past and sometimes the people in the coaches waved back. Their friendly habits made them one special friend in particular, who although he mostly just went by in the train, eventually got to know them, and helped them out in various ways. And somehow all the good things that they did added up together and ended up coming back to them, and there was a happy ending to it all. The story was so realistic and alive that I felt like I was with them! And I’d love to be in a part of those adventures theses children had taken.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20236A] Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2

20240劉騏維 (Qi-Wei Liu)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Jeff Kinny

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2007

ISBN: 978-0-8109-8758-7

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2

This book talks about Greg who adopted to a new high school. What impressed me most was that their school set up a music club and Greg was interested in it at that time so he joined the club. However, just after a week, he was tired of it, so he wanted to drop out the club, but his mother didn't agree. After this, he had a stupid idea. He threw away his own instruments, so he would not have to practice anymore. When his mother discovered it, she was angry and scolded him.

After reading this book, I think that it is suitable for all ages, because the book was written with simple words. Although the book recorded Greg's life by a diary, it was not boring, but in a humorous tone to express the ordinary trifle in life. I always look forward to what the writer would like to bring us to the next page.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20236A] Diary of a Wimpy Kid

20240劉騏維 (Qi-Wei Liu)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Jeff Kinny

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2007

ISBN: 978-0-8109-8758-6

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

This book talks about Greg's summer vacation. When his summer vacation began, he just wanted to stay away from the sun and play video games in his room, just like me. But Greg's mother didn't think it was good. She wanted Greg to go outside and get engaged in outdoor activities. This caused a lot of stupid things.

After reading this book, I think that it is suitable for all ages. Even a junior high school studiet can read, because this book is written with simple words and different from the traditional material. Honestly, when I read this book, I think for this diary, the way of writing should be very boring. But it's not true. It surprise me that the diary can be written in this way.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20233B] The Facade of Beauty

20233廖昱霖 (LIAO, YU-LIN)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: The Giver

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Lois Lowry

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1993

ISBN: 978-0-00-757849-8

The Facade of Beauty

It is a story about the darkness that the boy discovered in his community. The community is cut off from the rest of the world, and people here all lived in happiness－except the Receiver. The Receiver knew everything in the world, he/she bore the pain that others didn’t know, and the boy was chosen to be the Receiver. He discovered lots of things he hadn’t known before, and he finally decided to escape from the community.

There were countless rules and laws in the community. They are asked to speak precisely and use correct vocabularies; everyone had one job, and the job of each one was chosen by the Observer; children who grew too slow or elders who were too old would be released. All in all, people in the community had no choice. The boy called Jonas had a special talent, and he was chosen to be the Receiver, who would be told everything by the Giver. The Giver had wisdom, and he/she would pass on to the Receiver his/her wisdom. Both the Giver and the Receiver tolerated the secrets that couldn’t be told to the neighbors. Before Jonas is selected to be the Receiver, he had thought that he lived safely, peacefully within the community. There was no war, no hunger and no pain. However, he discovered dark secrets when being the Receiver. For instance, the behavior which was so-called Release is actually mercy killing. The perfect community which he thought before had shattered. Finally, he decided to undertake a journey to escape from the nightmare. There was no explicit end of what happened eventually. The story ended up with the beautiful scene in Jonas’ journey.

The story overturned my thought. Most of people thought that utopia was the paradise which everyone was yearning for. However, I changed my mind now. If utopia’s peace was caused by the rules, it was actually a hell. No one had choice to choose what jobs they want to do, what kinds of people they want to be. How sad it was. Utopia, the real one, was brought about by everyone’s unity, virtuousness which evolved from our hearts. Although it seems difficult to achieve, actually, it might not be achieved forever, we just have to do our business and make the world better.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20233A] Giving Is Taking

20233廖昱霖 (LIAO, YU-LIN)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: Last Chance
NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Mark Foster & Phillip Burrows
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2008

ISBN: 978-0-19-423436-8

Giving Is Taking

The story is about a cameraman who was going to be laid off, and he had a last chance to make a film to retrieve the heart. Therefore, he went to Hawaii and wanted to take an amazing photo of an erupting-volcano. But there was a lady trapped in the volcano, so the man gave her a rescue without hesitation. By accident, the scene was recorded by the camera and the boss was hit by the film. Finally, he still worked in the company and received appreciation. The author told us to help others by using a positive description.

The cameraman was Mike, but his boss wasn’t satisfied with his film, and told him that it was the last chance to make film. If the film didn’t hit him, he would be fired. One day, Mike saw a newspaper on his desk, and there was a picture of an erupting-volcano in Hawaii. Thus, he decided to go there and take a breathtaking photo. Though the way to the volcano was full of danger, he went there desperately. When he approached the erupting-volcano, he started to take photos. Suddenly, he heard someone crying for help. He saw a lady lying behind the rock and couldn’t move. He gave her a rescue without a second thought. Although his camera was lost in the volcano, he was not upset. Soon, a rescue helicopter came and saved Mike and the lady. After arriving at his company, everyone gave him congratulations. When he was confused about the congratulations, his boss had him get into the office. Unexpectedly, the boss took out Mike’s camera and gave it back to him. Mike was stunned but happy. Accidentally, there was a film in the camera. The scene that Mike saved the lady was recorded by the camera. The boss watched it, and decided to retain Mike.

It is a positive story. It talks about the love between people, and I think that the plot like this is more suitable for children. To be honest, the words and sentences in the book are very simple. It’s a good book for whoever just begins to learn English. Actually, the story’s plot is not very attractive. We could expect what would happen next. With regard to the main idea that the author wants to tell, I think it is closely related to our life. There are a lot of obstacles and difficulties in our daily life. We should try to cry out for help. On the contrary, when other people get into trouble, we should give them a hand, too.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20232B] Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secret

20232廖昱瑋 (LIAO,YU-WEI)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secret
NAME OF THE AUTHOR: J. K. Rowling
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-58292-6

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secret

The story talks about that Harry settled down the problem in the first part. He met a big trouble which his elf left nothing to stay at his uncle’s house. After some efforts, he finally arrived at Hogwards and found the big plot on the school’s dark side.

After the awful experience in Hogwards last year , Harry and his friends now became braver than before. In the new semester, there were still many challenges waiting for them. On the first day to the school, Harry was prevented by his family elf, Dobby. It said that there was something terrible and harmful to Harry, but Harry didn’t listen to it. After he went to Hogwards, his classmates were petrified one after another. He decided to begin the inquiry. In the process, he met lots of difficulties.

Finally, he found that the monster always went to a private room at the end, so he decided to enter the private room and fight with the monster. Harry once was knocked down by the monster; suddenly, a phoenix gave him a sword which was belonged to a hero in the past. Harry used that sword to kill the monster and protect Hogwards once again.

The second part was more fantastic than the first part. The characters’ interaction was more harmonious than before. Their steady friendship made them better.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20232A] Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

20232廖昱瑋 (LIAO,YU-WEI)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
NAME OF THE AUTHOR: J. K. Rowling
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-58288-9

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

The story talks about a little boy whose parents were killed by the big villain named Voldemort. Voldemort also wanted to kill Harry in the future days. Before Harry entered Hogwards at eleven, the watchman of the school,bHagrid came to the house Harry lived to pick him up. After that, they went to the Diagon Alley to buy the things he needed, including the magic wand. All the things were ready after they left the Alley. It was the time for Harry to enter the school and expect the classification which was carried out by the sorting hat. Afterwards, he was sorted to a college which his parents studied.

Then, he met two classmates. Their friendship was so harmonious, owning to each others’ help. They can overcome many crises. One day, they found that there was a secret stone which could let people live forever. Because of the particular ability, Voldemort wanted it very much. They began to conflict with each other. In the climax, Harry and his friend found that there was a mystery cellar which was guarded by a three-head dog. After they conquered many difficulties they came to the final challenge. They saw that there was a professor which taught magic in the school, who vowed loyalty and devotion to Voldemort. After their fierce battle, Harry won, and finally protected the secret stone.

This story was a fantastic one. There were pressing tempos and thrilling scenes. Like the final paragraph, the narrative was the richest that I have ever read.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20230B] Greedy, Love and the Death Code

20230陶占皓 (TAO, CHAN-HAO)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: Sherlock Holmes Short Stories

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2008

ISBN: 978-0-19-479071-0

Greedy, Love and the Death Code

　　This book talks about three classical stories of Sherlock Holmes, but in Watson’s viewpoint. The first story is about a strange case.

　　One day, a young woman found Holmes and asked for help. Because she thought her life was in danger, just like her sister two years ago. After listening to her story, Holmes went to the woman’s room at night and acted the part of the woman. Finally, the truth was that the woman’s father put snake in her sister’s room and killed her sister , and now he wanted to do it again. The second story is about Holmes’ love story. In the beginning, the king of Bohemia came and asked for help, and he said he needed to take back the photo from Irene Adler. Holmes used his witness to solve the problem. The third story is about a strange killer’s organization "KKK." In the beginning of the story, a man received a letter, and he died soon. However the man didn’t escape death from the killer, but Holmes found the truth of this case.

　　Sherlock Holmes was the most famous detective in the world, and he could use few details to find out what the truth was. There was no one who could escape from his eyes and his brain.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20230A] Freedom and System of Values

20230陶占皓 (TAO, CHAN-HAO)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK: Les Misérables

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Jennifer Bassett

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2012

ISBN: 978-0-19-479440-4

Freedom and System of Values

This is a book written by a fan of Les Misérables who wants to share the story. It is not an objective book, and it only talks about the revolutionary army and sided with them.

This story is about the "June Revolution," in the beginning of the story, 1815. Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread for his hungry family nineteen years ago, and now he finally could leave the jail. However, he was an ex-convict, so no one wanted to help a man like him except the bishop of Digne. The bishop even gave him his silver candlesticks after he stole all the other sliver objects in the church. This action made Jean Valjean swear to be a kind-hearted man. Then the story described about Fantine who had a daughter and worked for the factory. One day, the executive of the factory wanted to expel Fantine because she had a lovely child, and Jean Valjean was there. He wanted to stop it, but he couldn’t make it. When he was the mayor, Jean Valjean found Javert, who managed him in jail, wanted to catch him back, so he shrunk back. Because of losing her job, Fantine had no choice but to sell her hair, teeth and even body. When Jean Valjean met her again, she got terribly sick, and she wanted Jean Valjean to take care of her daughter, Cosette. When Jean Valjean found Cosette, Javert knew his real identity and wanted to catch him back, so Jean Valjean took Cosette to flee. After many years, Cosette became a teenager, and Jean Valjean became an old man, Cosette met her prince charming Marius. They loved at first sight, but Marius was the important member in the revolutionary army, and they were going to launch a revolution soon. Later, the revolution started. After the fierce fight, Marius got hurt. When Jean Valjean carried Marius and wanted to save him, Jarvert sunk into confusion, and finally he jumped into the river to kill himself. In the last, Marius restituted and married Cosette. Jean Valjean left them and died in peace.

This story made me impressed for "What is the good and evil?" There was no absolute good or evil. Javert thought he was on the good side, and Jean Valjean was the absolute bad guy. But in many readers’ eyes, Javert was too persistent for the absolute good, and maybe Jean Valjean was the best in the whole story. It told us that there was no absolute good or evil thing. All was resolved by your position.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20229B] The Wizard of Oz

20229 陳威宇 (CHEN, WEI-YU)

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TITLE OF THE BOOK:  The Wizard of Oz
NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Frank Baum
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1998

ISBN:  978-0-19-478926-4

The Wizard of Oz

This is a story about Dorothy, a little girl that lived in Kansas and one day got sucked up by a cyclone. By the time she woke up, she was in Oz, a world of wizards and magicians. Dorothy’s mission to find a way home began. The author of this book might be someone who lived in Kansas before or felt the pain of cyclones. The purpose of this story is to tell the readers about the adventure that Dorothy had been through. The author wrote the book for anyone who enjoys reading fantasy and fiction stories. This story is subjective, the characters and stories were mainly made up.

The story introduces Dorothy, a happy girl who lived in Kansas. But one day, a cyclone came and blew her house away from Kansas to a Oz. Dorothy wanted to go back home and stay with her family. People in Oz told Dorothy that the wizard of Oz was the only person that could help her. On Dorothy’s way to the wizard, she met Scarecrow, who wanted a brain, the tin man, who wanted a  heart, and the coward lion, who wanted to be brave. They followed the yellow brick road to where the wizard was at, the Emerald city. As they got to the city, they went to the wizard’s castle and met up with the wizard. The wizard look different from each one of Dorothy’s friends, but wanted them to do the same thing, to defeat the bad witches. Therefore, Dorothy and her friends went on another adventure to defeat the witches who lived in the east and the west. But as they went back to the wizard again, they found out that the wizard was nothing but an old man who also came from Kansas, and got stranded here with his hot air balloon.

After that, he started to rebuild his hot air balloon, filled the scarecrow’s head with a bottle of Brain, stuck a heart pendant on the tin man’s chest, and fed the lion a piece of Bravery. By doing so, everyone was happy. Dorothy and the old man went back to Kansas by his balloon. But as the balloon took off, for not leaving Dorothy’s dog Toto, she didn’t got on the balloon. So she went to the south to find the good witch. The witch of the south told Dorothy that by casting a spell “East, West home is the best,” she could go home instantly. So Dorothy successfully went back to Kansas and lived on with her family once again.

After reading this story, I think it is very heartwarming, because Dorothy’s friends weren’t missing anything in their body, but faith in themselves. The wizard didn’t do anything either, and he just gave them faith, and it was the part which I enjoyed the most. Traveling is sure to be fun, but after the journey, home is the best place to stay.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20229A] Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

20229陳威宇 (CHEN, WEI-YU)

[BOOK PROFILE]
TITLE OF THE BOOK: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Lewis Carroll
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1994

ISBN: 978-0-19- 479051-2

             Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

This is a story about Alice,  who was having a boring afternoon with her sister under a tree. She saw a rabbit wearing lens and a suit. Chasing after the rabbit, she fell into a rabbit’s hole to the wonderland. I think the author wrote this story because he might have a similar dream which led him into writing this story. The purpose of this story was to tell us about the adventure that Alice had been through. The author might be someone who was a fan of fantasy stories and a child book’s writer. This book is for anyone who enjoys this kind of stories, especially children. This is a subjective story, mainly made up of fictious characters.

The story began from Alice and her sister taking a rest under a tree. Then a rabbit with a watch on his hand and wearing a suit ran by. Alice chased after it out of curiosity, but fell into the rabbit’s hole and to the wonderland by accident. She first found herself inside a dark room. She found a key, and opened up a tiny door which led to a garden, but she was too huge to fit in. Then she drank a bottle wrote “drink me” on the top. A few seconds later, she shrunk into a size that couldn’t fit through the door. But the door was now at a tall place that Alice couldn’t get to, so she wandered off to another way. She met a caterpillar, who told Alice that she could change her size by eating the mushroom on the sides of the road. She met the Cheshire cat and the duchess. She went to the mad hatter’s tea party. Last, she played with the card queen and king in the croquet games and got herself into a judgement of who stole the tart. In the middle of all that, Alice became larger and larger. Finally, she lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself napping under the tree where she and her sister took a rest. Everything seemed to be a dream.

After reading the story, I thought it was very magical, like all the characters that appeared in the story, the rabbit, the cheshire cat, the caterpillar and the card queen. They were something that we wouldn’t be able to see in the real life. This story involved all of them, so I enjoyed this story a lot because I was a fantasy fan, too. I wish one day I could go on an adventure as exciting as the one that Alice went through.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20228B] Sally’s Phone

20228陳信權 (CHEN, SHIN-CHIUAN)

[BOOK PROFILE]
TITLE OF THE BOOK: Sally’s Phone
NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Christine Lindop
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2003

ISBN: 9780194234269

Sally’s Phone

It is a story about a relationship because of a smart phone. I think the writer had a terrible relationship. He or she wanted to tell us that people should be a liberal-minded guy.

The leading role, Sally, changed her smart phone with a man in an accident. Sally thought he was a polite man. Sally’s boyfriend always asked Sally to do something. She wanted to  break with her boyfriend. Finally, Sally and the man had an appointment and got their correct phone. The man invited Sally to a party with him.

I thought the story was funny. Everyone should value their lover. Sally’s boyfriend felt no value of Sally and it caused them to break up. I would cherish my lover and be a gentleman.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20228A] Taxi of Terror

20228陳信權 (CHEN, SHIN-CHIUAN)

[BOOK PROFILE]
TITLE OF THE BOOK: Taxi of Terror
NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Phillip Burrows and Mark Foster
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2000

ISBN: 9780194234184

Taxi of Terror

The story tells a drunk man helping  the police arrest the Wolf. I think the writer had been robbed when he/she was young. He or she wanted to tell that people should be of wisdom, and that people weren't alert to the surroundings in danger.

The characters were a robber, a taxi driver and a drunk man. The drunk man was going to have a new job. His colleagues held a party for him. After the party, he requested a taxi but a robber also got into it. The robber made him lie in the boot of taxi. It occurred  to the drunk man that he could use his new phone that his colleagues gave him to call the policeman. The police were the robber finally.

The story was short but meaningful. It told me that it was important to be arrested to the surroundings. When in difficulty, don't be nervous. The drunk man was wise and clam, so he could be safe and sound.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20225B] Surviving War: Flying Disaster

20225邱宸 (Chiu, Chen)

[BOOK PROFILE]
TITLE OF THE BOOK: Hatchet

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Gary Paulsen
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1996

ISBN: 9781416936473

Surviving War: Flying Disaster

The book, Hatchet, talking about a boy trying to survive in the wild after his parents’ divorce and a air crash. The author, Gary Paulsen, took the awards from this series of novels. The subject of this book is to ask people not to give up at any moment, because if the 13-year-old child could do that, why not? The teenager would be attracted by the adventure in the forest and how he survived.

The main character, Brian Roberson, was on his way to visit his father who just got divorced with his mom, but having an air crash in the Canadian wilderness only with a hatchet, and he was the only one survivor. Luckily, the airplane dropped into a lake, so Brian didn’t need to search for water, but the most important thing was fire. It would give you warmth, hot foods, and clean water. It could keep away bugs and animals. The most difficult situation was a bear near his shelter, but he knew that he should not climb on the tree. He used fire and his hatchet to scare the bear away. Brian tried to find which fruits and huts could be eaten first and he made some would spare to shoot chickens and rabbits. Then, he made to use fish fork to have some fish, but the reflection made him fail for the first time. After their practices, he could make a lot of food for his own. In the wild, it would be the disaster when you were hurt or sick. You would not die immediately, but you would have big trouble.

The author must go crazy. How was a child  made alive all by himself? And the air crash did not make him break a leg or an arm? He only had a little shock over his brain. It was impossible that a child in the city could survive in wilderness full of danger. But it was still  a very attractive book when I were ten. Now, I just thought the author was taking drugs when he wrote the books.

[FUN WITH READING 2018-20225A] Hunting:The Dreadful Killer

20225邱宸 (Chiu, Chen)

[BOOK PROFILE]
TITLE OF THE BOOK: The Hunger Game
NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Suzanne Collins
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2009

ISBN: 9789810844516

Hunting:The Dreadful Killer

If you were under a lot of pressure, you should try this book. Katniss, the actress of this book, who had to try to survive in an arena with other 23 people from another district. The hunger game started on May 8 every year. All of them would practice together for a month, and then the game began. In the game, you must do what could be eaten and how to beat down the enemies.

Katniss, would replace her young sister for the hunger game, and the hunger was a quite difficult game. Without the capability of surviving, you would be starving, thirsty and hunted. Katniss was good at shooting arrows, so she hunted for food, escaped from enemies, and got together with her teammate. In the end, they were escaping from wolves and found out the last team of enemies. They climbed up the trees and made their enemies drop down from the trees and won the 74th hunger game. They brought their honor back to their hometown and changed their life from poverty.

I like this book very well, and the world in this book is big. I like Katniss so much, because her courage changes her life. If you don’t try it, you will not know who will gain victory.