The Catcher in the Rye

            The Catcher in the Rye, a classic American novel written by J. D. Salinger, tells the story of the main character, Holden, as he gets expelled from yet another school. The main direction of the story explains what Holden does to deal with getting expelled again, but it quickly turns into an examination of the mind of a teenager. The reader gets a first person view of Holden’s thoughts and mindset, so we get a better understanding of what Holden is thinking when he does what he does. As the story continues the reader really starts to question the sanity of Holden as he starts doing crazier and crazier things after leaving his school for the last time. A key factor the reader needs to realize while reading The Catcher in the Rye is the age of Holden. He is portrayed to be in his mid-late teens; almost finished with high school but not quite ready to face the real world. The sense of adolescence and uncertainty we get from reading the story through Holden’s eyes definitely shines light through the window of a teenager’s mind. Although the sense of adolescence in the story could be explained in many ways, it is best portrayed by the first person narrative, the uncertainty and rashness of Holden’s decisions, and the overall demeanor of his thoughts on the world.

            Salinger’s first person narrative is the first reason why Holden’s youth affects the direction of the story as a whole. When the reader of any story gets the information and events of the story from one point of view, it gets to the point where you might not know if the information being given to you is actually correct, or is biased by the narrator. This is definitely the case with Holden in The Catcher in the Rye after reading about his descriptions of the world and people around him. The main example of this in the story is how he calls everyone phony. The first couple people he talks about and calls a phony might actually be awful people that deserve to be called phony, but after a while it gets to the point where Holden’s view of people is questioned. Another example of Holden’s skewed view is when he is staying at Mr. Antolini’s house and he is woken by Mr. Antolini “sort of petting me or patting me on the goddam head.” To be fair this is certainly a little strange, but what is actually going on would be better described by a narrator who wasn’t just woken up and doesn’t know what’s happening. At times Holden gets worked up or mad for something small, inconsequential, or something that shouldn’t concern him. Take the instance near the beginning of the story with Jane and Stradlater. While it’s true (from what we know of him) that Stradlater is a womanizer, Holden literally fights him just because he went on a date with a childhood friend and Stradlater is being kind of secretive about what happened. From the outside, we realize that this really shouldn’t concern Holden, but for some reason he takes great offense and fights Stradlater.

            Taking offense at random things and making rash decisions about what to do next is another indication of Holden’s adolescence. In the beginning of the story, Holden misses the football game and returns to his room, a completely normal reaction to the situation. As the story goes on; however, Holden’s decisions and actions go in a downward spiral until the end of the story where he actually wants to run away. The spiral beings when he decides to leave the school and venture into the depths of the city, just because he got in a fight. It continues when he gets into the city and he starts making bad choice after bad choice that leave him hurting for money and depressed. Looking back on it, Holden seems pretty crazy. He tries to drink at a bar, but is denied because he’s a minor; even so he calls the guy a phony. After paying the bill of a group of women that he should have realized he had no chance with, he goes to yet another bar and gets hammered this time. Not only is he now making stupid decisions, but he’s making those stupid decisions while really drunk. After trying to hook up with multiple girls and even a prostitute over the next couple of days, he finally makes a decent decision to go home. All the action and adventure in the story seems to lead up to the point where he visits his little sister and decides to run away. After being persuaded against this course by his own conscious, he explains that “A lot of people, especially this one psychoanalyst guy they have here, keeps asking me if I'm going apply myself when I go back to school next September.” Things seem to have worked out, but due to the lack of information the reader really isn’t sure if they have or not.

            Another aspect of the novel that contributes to the theme of adolescence is Holden’s thoughts about the people and the world around him. Multiple times, perhaps because he just got kicked out of school, he asks himself why he has to go to school. In his fragmented opinion, school shouldn’t be that important because the people there are all “phonies” and the “classes” are stupid. This idea that school is useless brings about the notion of running away, “I decided I'd never go home again and I'd never go away to another school again.” He imagines a life for himself where no one bothers him and he can just raise a family; obviously this isn’t how life works, but he really thinks it does. At times he also does the opposite: he dismisses things that might actually be important. One example of this is when he’s leaving Mr. Antolini’s house. He just dismisses it immediately. Another example is given in the form of his sickness. We as the readers know that something weird is going on at the end of the book. He really seems to be out of his mind, but he doesn’t take it seriously at all and we are told at the very end of the novel that he gets sick. Holden says to himself too often that people are phonies and want bad things for him, instead of what seems like them trying to help him.

            Overall, the adolescence in the story really brings it together and makes the story completely different from one written from an adult’s perspective. Every example of the first person perspective through Holden’s choices and views adds to the novel as a whole. Clearly The Catcher in the Rye remains a classic today because it tries to enlighten readers on the angst and adolescence of teenagers.

by Top Lee 
10th grade
The Georgetown School of Arts and Sciences
Georgetown, SC 

I need essays from other people, as well!  Parents and grandparents, I'm sure your kids have essays that they write for school.  Send them in to littlesquirrelbookreview@gmail.com!    -- TOP 

Chapter one

           “Chasius, you overslept again!” Katarina yelled, “You know Mentor doesn’t like it when you’re late!”  Leaping out of the simple straw bed he shared with his loving wife, Chasius threw on his crumpled shirt, leather tunic, and simple linen pants and ran to the kitchen soon after buckling on his blunt practice sword.  Reaching the kitchen in a whirlwind, Chasius found Katarina sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of herbal tea in her hand and another held out for him.  Taking the tea he sat down across from her at their plain wooden table in the rustically furnished kitchen.  Sipping the tea because it was very hot, Chasius and his wife chatted for a moment or two before he got up to head out for the day.  Katarina got up as well, “Be careful and work hard, my love,” she whispered in his ear.  After a quick kiss, Chasius headed out the door to get to Mentor’s house on time. 

Blinking in the rush of sunlight that filled his piercing blue eyes, Chasius looked around at the simple village he called home.  Small wooden houses with smoke rising out of the bare chimneys told him that his neighbors were up and about; everything as it should be.  Brushing forward the short, dark hair that covered his head, Chasius began walking down the packed earth that acted as a path for the villagers.  At one side of the village the path led to a grassy field where crops thrived and animals rested in their pens.  On the other side of the village was a dense forest; the gleaming eyes of dangerous animals peeking out of the shadows.  Mentor, the only know inhabitant of the dark forest, lived in a small wooden cabin, not unlike the ones that the villagers lived in.  This is where Chasius headed. 

Stopping before the edge of the forest, Chasius did some basic exercises and stretches that prepared him for the day to come.  After he felt suitably warmed up, he headed into the forest, taking the hidden path unknown to all of the villagers except him.  Pushing his way through the tangled undergrowth he knew all too well, Chasius finally reached the small clearing where Mentor resided.  

-Top Lee
Excerpt from my new short story, Hell and Back

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The Giver

            The characters in the novel, The Giver by Lois Lowry, have been introduced to a life that contains the most meaningless of feelings and the dullest hues in the color spectrum. They only know of emotions that are inspired by dreams and daily experiences, and they’re traditionally accustomed to sharing these emotions with family and peer groups. Citizens in the community are not aware of the concept of secrecy or introversion. The only people that keep to themselves and have sentiment outside of physical interaction, are the Giver and Jonas. As much as they would like to share the warmth of color, the two cannot, as it is a requirement in their training to never speak over their memory transfers. Within his own friend group, Jonas is almost like a flamingo in a flock of pigeons. He recognizes the importance of color, sound and deep feelings. Others have accepted an existence of blandness and raw emotion.

            The effect that color can have on people is greatly expressed throughout this novel. Jonas is aware that life can be more than just different shades of gray; the Giver tries to give him that sort of life. Red evokes pain and love for Jonas, which greatly confuses him based on how different the two feelings are. Green provides a sense of birth and creativity through its bright shimmer. Blue calms Jonas but also sets him closer to depression. Yellow bathes him in the warmth of curiosity. And the most fascinating color to Jonas is white.

At the beginning of the Receiver’s training white represents the snow that brings him recreational joy. That first wonderful snow ride with the cool air whipping against his face and the bundles of powder being churned up underneath the sled’s runners. The memory of snowfall excites Jonas greatly. Then towards the end of the story his passion for white spirals downward into a negative connotation. White is the final color he sees before he dies with Gabriel wrapped in his arms. The pounding, freezing, buckets of snow coming down on him. He is reminded of the danger that some of the best memories can carry. During his final moments the chilling weather and blaring shards of ice overwhelm him. The bright thoughts of yellow sunshine and orange embers escape him. On the brink of death, our main character learns that color can be just as malevolent as it is magnificent. Elegance cannot fully veil malignity; Atrocity cannot cover benevolence. A pretty face can have an ugly attitude, too.

Sameness protects the citizens of the community from the dangers of color, yet it still shields them from the possibility of long-standing joy. Dreams could actually mean something if people could imagine the retro colors of the galaxy and the earthy hues of our planet. People’s expressions could change with the pigments on their face. Sound could also play a new part in the way they think on a standard basis. Music would feed them with new ideas and strange outlooks on life. The government doesn’t agree with the joys of color and music, though. They believe that it inspires rebellious mindsets and wildly inventive aspiration. Jonas knows in his mind that this is far from being correct. For nobody can change overnight, but he is willing to put forth the knowledge that will give every pigeon the feathers of a flamingo. There is nothing wrong with standing out and showing off unique talent. With a good ear for melody and a distinct eye for natural beauty, the Receiver will straighten a path for the members of the community to lead a better future


by Simon Shore, 8th grade, Lowcountry Prep School

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Plastic Ocean

A bunch of us went to the lecture by Capt Charlie Moore.  He wrote Plastic Ocean.  Buy it here.  It's awesome.

The Son of Neptune

           In  Rick Riordan's new novel, The Son of Neptune, he adds many new characters and ancient Roman things to an already amazing group of people.  He adds many new characters and the Roman version of the Greek gods to an already huge cast of Greek heroes and gods; however, three groups of people and ancient architecture really stand out.  First, he adds a new group of heroes.  This group of heroes are Roman and they have a new camp, instead of the camp that the Greeks have.  They believe in the Roman gods instead of the Greek gods as is in Rick’s other books so far.  Second, Rick gives the gods Roman names and new personalities that make them seem like new characters, even though they really aren’t.  This makes them seem new and exciting because you think you might know them, but then they really surprise you by doing something completely different from what they did in his other series.  Finally, Rick adds random myths from Roman mythology, instead of the usual Greek mythology he’s been using up to this point.  One example is not a myth, but a real fact.  In the Roman camp there is a town that demigods retire into once they just want to settle down.  It has some Common Era things like a university and coffee shops and such, but it also has a variety of Roman architecture such as a coliseum and an old meeting hall.  These examples of architecture are not myths at all and were real buildings back in Ancient Rome.  All in all, Rick Riordan’s new book has quite a few shocks to hard core Riordan fans, but in the end is a great addition to his wonderful collection of books.  

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by Top Lee, Lowcountry Prep

Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony

            Have you ever seen a movie that was based on a book?  I have seen a few that were okay, but there are some novels that I think would be really cool as movies.  One of them is Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer.  It would be wonderful as a movie for many, many reasons, but a few seem like the best. 

            First, Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony has interesting and exciting characters.  For example, it has eight entire races of fairies who live underground and in another dimension.  There is also a boy genius, Artemis Fowl, and Butler, the highly trained bodyguard of Artemis.  To top it all, most of the fairies have magical powers that can heal and control people.  All of them together would make an excellent cast of characters for a movie and another book, but they work together best in Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony.       

            Its amazing plot is the second reason that Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony would be great as a movie.  The whole thing is about a time spell unraveling and the cast of characters trying to save the demons who created the spell.  If they fail, the demon tribes of Hydras will pop up on Earth and face extinction from the humans or be blasted into space and never seen again.  This is made way more complicated because there is another child genius who wants a demon for herself, not realizing it could affect mankind forever by exposing fairies to humans.  This story ends in a huge surprise, so read Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony to find out how this amazing plot ends. 

            Before you go off and read it, however, my final reason that this book should be a movie is that it has many technological things very advanced from what we have today.  My favorite is the iris cam, invented by Foaly, the tech centaur.  The iris cam is a fake contact that can record video and switch to night vision or x-ray vision.  Another one I like is the shimmer suit.  It is a special suit designed by Foaly to have all sorts of functions including air conditioning, built in wings, and cam foil, which makes you almost invisible.  Foaly has made hundreds of other gadgets and gizmos, but those are the ones used the most and that would be really cool brought to life! 
     All in all, Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony would be an excellent book to make into a movie.  Check out the link below to buy it now from Amazon.  I know you will love the ending and the rest of the book, too.

Thomas Lee, Waccamaw Intermediate

Buy this book now for your Kindle!  It's awesome!!!

Catching Fire

This is the follow up to The Hunger Games.

Have you ever read a sequel to a book that is even better than the first book of the series? I have just read a book exactly like that called Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Catching Fire is the second book of The Hunger Games trilogy. Even though The Hunger Games was an amazing book, Catching Fire is even more entertaining and exciting! Catching Fire is much more amazing than The Hunger Games for many reasons, but a few of them stand out.

The first reason I enjoyed Catching Fire is because it has much more action. Just like the Hunger Games, there is a fight to the death in the book. This fight has more action because it is a special fight called the quarter quell. This is the 3^rd quarter quell and the special rule is that contestants must have already won another of the hunger games (a fight to the death over food and money). That means everyone who is in the competition has already won, so they already have experienced the fight and know what to do to survive.

Catching Fire is much more futuristic than The Hunger Games which is another reason I liked it better. Katniss (the main character) is kidnapped by hovercrafts! In the arena where the hunger games are located, it is like a big mechanical clock, every section unleashes some kind of obstacle to overcome. The cool thing is that there are 12 sections and each one releases its horror on the hour. While in the arena, trackers and cameras follow their every move and broadcast it to the entire country of Panem, which would be hard to do now because the contestants might see the cameramen and kill them. In the books they are invisible and programmed to follow the contestants.

The final reason I really like Catching Fire better than the first book in the series is because it has so much more suspense. It actually has examples of Katniss openly defying The Capital which does not happen at all in The Hunger Games! When I get to parts like that, I just cannot stop reading! Catching Fire ends on an extremely suspenseful moment. When you finish Catching Fire you need to have Mockingjay on hand or you will be dying to know what happens and could not possibly stand the wait!

Without a doubt, Catching Fire is a much better book than The Hunger Games, even though they are both amazing books. If you decide to read the series, have all of them on hand to enjoy and remember them for a long time to come. Check the Amazon link below to order Catching Fire and the rest of this amazing and wonderfully written series by Suzanne Collins.

Thomas Lee

Waccamaw Intermediate

The Fellowship of the Ring

I'm sure this is one you're all familiar with, a classic.

Have you ever read a book that you cannot put down?  I’m reading one right now called The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.  It is a wonderful book filled with many wonderful things, but a few of them stand out.  In the beginning, Frodo, the main character, is sent on an epic quest to destroy the Master Ring.  He goes through many towns and travels on many paths, trying to evade the terrible Black Riders from catching him.  If they caught him, they would return the ring to its master, and the world would be plunged in chaos!  Another reason that I cannot put this book down is that Frodo meets many friends along the way who help him on his quest.  Frodo’s first friend has been his friend for a while, but in this adventure Gandalf will be a big helper. He has other friends that start with him as well as Gandalf, but not as important.  Along the way Frodo meets many new friends including strange humans, wise elves, and stout dwarves.  Finally, I can’t wait to see what happens in the end of The Fellowship of the Ring!  I am not sure if they succeed, but I sure hope they do!  I believe that there will be an exciting battle where they just manage to win and cast the ring into the fire that can destroy it.  Clearly, if you want to read an amazing book, take my advice and read The Fellowship of the Ring!

The Lost Hero

Again, one of my earlier book reviews.  I really enjoyed this book.

If you liked Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief, you’ll really like The Lost Hero, too, because they are really similar.  First of all, both of them involve Greek gods.  One thing that is different is that The Lost Hero involves Roman gods as well as Greek gods. Another way they are alike is that they both have some of the same characters and places. The Lost Hero has most of the same cool characters that are in The Lightning Thief, although they are not main characters in The Lost Hero. Finally, both books have main plots that are mostly the same.  Even though The Lost Hero is really similar to The Lightning Thief, it is still fun to read.  Without a doubt, you should read The Lost Hero if you like Rick Riordan. 

The Hunger Games

This is the book report I have written for tomorrow.  This book is cool because it is being made into a movie!  The date is March the 23, 2012!  Be prepared for awesomeness!

Have you ever read a book you cannot put down?  I have read lots of books like that, but one that really stands out in my mind is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  One reason I like this book is because it is full of action.  The whole plot of the book is about a fight to the death in a huge arena!  Twenty-four contestants take this challenge, a boy and a girl from each of the 12 districts, to receive prizes and food for their district.  The Capitol controls everything just for entertainment.  Another reason I like The Hunger Games is that it is set in the future.  It is realistic enough to actually be a possible future for America; not a desirable future, but possible nonetheless.  If this were the future, there would have to be a huge nuclear war and thousands of people killed.  The final reason I like The Hunger Games is all of the suspense.  You really don’t know who’s going to die and who’s going to win.  Collins’ really stretches out the exciting parts to make them last much longer and have way more suspense.  My favorite suspenseful part is when the main character (Katniss) is running for her life in the arena.  Obviously, this is an amazing book to read if you want to be on the edge of your seat!  Check it out now at your local library.

The Two Towers

The second book in the lord of the rings trilogy.


        Although many books are filled with fantasy, none more so than the second part of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Even though there are many aspects of The Two Towers that give it the qualities of a fabulous fantasy book, a few characteristics really stand out.  First of all, many of the characters are magicians and supernatural.  For example, Gandalf the White seemed to fall to his death in a really big pit, but weeks later come out alive through a long tunnel!   Next, The Two Towers takes place in a totally fictional world.  There are magical forests full of strange elves and large mountain caves full of sturdy dwarves.  The world in the Lord of the Rings is full of other magical things and wonderful phenomenon.  Finally, it’s full of supernatural events that define the world.  In The Two Towers, ents are awakened from their deep slumber inside of legends.  Evil powers and Strange mysteries are revealed in this brilliant work of fantasy.  Without a doubt, if you want to read an amazing fantasy novel, you’ve got to read The Two Towers!  Before you read The Two Towers, check out the other great books by J.R.R. Tolkien!

Erak's Ransom

     If you want to read a good book, check out Book 7 of the Ranger's Apprentice.  This novel, written by John Flanagan, is called Erak's Ransom and describes a rescue mission for the leader of the Skandians in the middle of a desert on a fictional world.   You'll love this book for many reasons.  First, you'll really like the action.  For example, the three rangers are very good at scheming and thinking beyond their enemy.  Another awesome part of the book is the setting.  It takes place in a hot and barren desert where they go on a rescue mission for a leader named Erak.  You'll find yourself imagining how one of the Rangers feel as he goes through the desert without much water and without knowing where he is or where to go next.  Finally, you'll really like on of the last major scenes.  In this chapter, you'll see how the Rangers make a plot to rescue Erak straight from his captor's home base.  When they put their plan into action, it's very exciting and thrilling.  Anyone who likes reading a good fiction book would like the Ranger's Apprentice series.  Book 7 is a great part of that.

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch

This is another one of my early reviews.

            If you want to read a scary, but action packed book, check out The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delanie.  Any boy about my age and above would really like this book for many reasons; however, I think several really stand out.  First, it is filled with terrifying moments when you just don’t know what’s going to happen.  My favorite is when the Spook’s old apprentice comes to find his new one. Another reason you might like this book is when you just get terrified out of your mind!  I got scared when the old witch who was trapped got out and attacked people. Finally it has a great ending that really makes you think “what’s going to happen next?” I know everyone loves a good ending to a great book.  Without a doubt, this is one of scariest, fast-paced books I have ever read.  Check it out! 

The Battle of the Labyrinth

My first book report was not very good, but here it is.

        If you are a producer and you want to make a great movie from a book, you’ve got to read The Battle of the Labyrinth.  I think it would be a super movie for several reasons.  First, the scenery is very interesting.  Sometimes it’s in an empty underground passageway and other times it’s in a busy city.  Second, it is very intense and full of action which would be a good movie plot.  An example of a good scene of action is when they fight the Titan army next to Zeus’s fist.  Finally, I think it would be really cool to see all of the monsters fight and what they look like.  It would be so awesome to actually see what they are like!  I really hope someone makes a movie of The Battle of the Labyrinth, and I hope you enjoy the book!