Rakkety Tam (1)

Rakkety Tam, by Brian Jacques, is the thrilling story of two squirrels named Rakkety Tam Macburl and Wild Doogy Plum and their adventures. They were wandering around and looking for a home. One day, these two adventurers found the land ruled by the Squirrelking Aaraltum and Queen Idga. The Squirrelking and queen were recruiting soldiers in order to take over the lands surrounding their kingdom. Rakkety and Doogy decided to join the army because it seemed like an easy life as a soldier: There was lots of food and the homes were good. However, the Squirrelking and Queen were weak, pompous, and self centered. When the royal banner was stolen, the squirrel mercenaries were offered freedom if they could retrieve the banner. Rakkety and Doogy went out to search for the stolen banner. The banner were stolen by Gulo the Savage and his band of evil foxes. In the mean time, Gulo was searching for his brother, Askor who held a symbol of power: the Walking Stone. Gulo's army was heading to Redwall Abbey. It seemed that Rakkety and Doogy were on a collision course to Gulo's army. The two squirrels did not seem to have a chance to defeat Gulo's band of evil foxes even though Rakkety and Doogy were excellent fighters.

At this point of reading, I believe that somehow, the mercenaries will receive help to fight Gulo's army. Brian Jacques built the plot very well. There were multiple events happening at once, so that the reader could understand what was happening in every place: Gulo's armies camp, Redwall Abbey, and what the two squirrels were doing. All the books in this series (the Redwall series) end with a final confrontation, usually ending with the Redwallers winning. However, I think that this book may end up with lots of smaller battles.

There is an amazing variety of vivid characters: honest squirrels, fighting hares, caring mice, warlike otters, and evil foxes. There are even a few monks!

This book is full of suspense, partly due to the multiple events. When one important event is about to occur, Brian Jacques switches to another one. Overall, I believe this is an excellent book to read.

Sea of Trolls (theme)

Sea of Trolls has many important themes. The brave young Jack did not give up after he and his sister were captured by the berserkers. He tried every possible way to protect his sister and himself under dangerous conditions. He knew he needed to build a strong relationship with his captors. Eventually, he became good friends with his captors, especially Olaf, who was the leader of the berserkers. Jack was also trying to protect Thorgil, a young female berserker. In return, Olaf and Thorgil saved Jack from the attack of the troll-bear and dragon while they were searching for Mimir's Well.

I also learned that we should believe in ourselves. In the beginning, Jack thought that he couldn't do anything. Of course, that caused some of the berserkers to think that he really was useless. However, he proved that he was a very good bard. Eventually, another bard showed him that it was very important to believe in yourself. If you have confidence, you will find a way out, even during a messy or dangerous situation.

We should be optimistic as well. In the beginning, Jack thought that he would be killed. When he decided to try and save himself and his sister, Lucy, things started to get better. He and Lucy successfully returned home.

Sea of Trolls (Plot)

In the exposition of Sea of Trolls, the characters were introduced. Jack was an 11 year old kid who worked on a farm. He was also taking lessons from the village Bard. He learned to sing, dance, and do magic. He had a sister named Lucy who was only 5 years old. Lucy believed that she was a princess who had gotten lost in the woods one day. It was a very peaceful setting in a village. The villagers had food, drink, houses, and peace-until the berserkers attacked them. The berserkers were fierce warriors who robbed and killed people for fun.

One day Jack and Lucy were captured by the berserkers. They had to think of a way to escape, but Lucy didn't help. She thought that someone from a palace would come to save her. They were almost sold as slaves, but Jack's skill as a bard saved them. The leader of the berserkers, Olaf One-Brow, was very impressed by Jack. He decided to keep the kids.

At the climax, Jack had to live in Olaf One-Brow's house. Although his title, bard, showed that he was better than a slave, the berserkers still treated him like a slave. The other slaves made him do a very dangerous task: cleaning out a troll-boar's pen. He almost got killed, but when he sang to the troll-boar, he calmed it down. The other slaves stopped mistreating him at that point. He also gained respect from the berserkers. When he accidentally caused Queen Frith's hair to fall out, he and two berserkers went on a quest to find a cure. One berserker was Olaf. The other was a girl named Thorgil.

Jack realized that if he wanted to escape, he would have to complete the quest. It was very dangerous: He had to fight off a troll-bear, a dragon, and a giant spider. Still, he became friends with the berserkers, and they were willing to sacrifice their lives for each other. Olaf died while protecting Jack from the attack of the troll-bear. Torgil also killed the dragon to save Jack. Jack managed to put the fearsome giant spider to sleep so that they could escape back to the queen.

Jack restored Queen Frith's hair, but she had overdone it. The hair covered her body, and she turned into a wild animal. Still, King Ivar allowed Jack and Lucy to return to their village, which they had been away from for more than a year. When they returned to the village, Jack gained respect from the villagers, since he had become a true bard. This book ended very well, as the Bard listened with great interest about the adventures Jack had gone through.

Sea of Trolls (Character)

Jack is the main character in the book, Sea of Trolls. As an eleven year old apprentice bard in the village, he learnt entertaining skills such as singing and dancing, and even some magic tricks. When the village was attacked by the berserkers, Jack and his sister, Lucy who was 5 years old, were captured by the berserkers. He had to face and survive many challenges to save his sister and himself. He had to deal with psychic trolls, savage berserkers, and mysterious Norns. Jack was a brave person, and could always find a way to solve his problems and get out of dangerous situations. Jack's sister, Lucy, believed herself to be a lost princess, and even thought the whole ordeal was an adventure that she would have to survive to gain the throne. She did not realise how much danger they were in.

Thorgil was a 12 year old berserker. In the beginning of the book, she and Jack hated each other. However, at the end, the two young kids became very good friends. Jack helped Thorgil when the other berserkers were teasing her, saying that women couldn't make poetry. When they were being attacked by a dragon, Thorgil protected Jack. Olaf One-Brow was the leader of a group of berserkers. Jack and his sister were almost sold as slaves by Olaf. But Jack managed to show his talent as a bard, which amazed Olaf. Olaf decided to keep Jack and his sister on their boat. Jack and Olaf eventually became friends. While Jack was performing a song to the queen of the berserkers, he accidentally put a magic spell on the queen that caused her hair to fall out. They heard that there was a Mimir's Well in Jotunheim that could give them unlimited knowledge to get anything they wanted. Together, Thorgil, Jack, and Olaf set off to search for Mimir's Well.

They were facing many challenges on their way searching for the Mimir's Well. Unfortunately Olaf died while he was protecting Jack and Thorgil from a troll-bear's attack. When Jack and Thorgil were attacked by a dragon, Thorgil protected Jack and killed the dragon. Eventually, Jack and Throgil finally found Mimir's well. They drunk the water from the well and went back to the queen. They managed to restore queen's hair. Jack and Lucy went home safely at the end of the story.

Sea of Trolls (chapter 1-12, setting)

The Sea of Trolls, by Nancy Farmer, is a story full of adventure and suspense. Jack was an 11 year old child of a farmer in a small village. Set in England during the time of Vikings, Jack's small village was a target for an attack by berserkers. Berserkers were warriors who robbed and killed people for fun. Jack was captured by a group of berserkers while protecting his sister, Lucy. Lucy was only 5 years old. She thought it was an adventure, where a group of knights was taking her to her palace. She did not realize the tough time ahead. The siblings were taken out to sea. Then they were taken to slave trading place where they were almost sold as slaves. Fortunately he learned entertaining skills such as singing and playing the harp from his viliage bard. Jack was trying to avoid the bad fate by acting like he had magical skills. Jack's effort paid off. The boss of this group of berserkers, Olaf, was very impressed by Jack's abilities as a bard. He decided to keep Jack and Lucy so that Jack could make a praise-song about him if he died in a battle. They were taken back to the ship.

The two siblings did not like the new home at all: A rocking, swaying ship was no place for two children who had spent most of their life on land. The weather made the matter even worse. The cold winter storms rocked the ship, and Jack became very seasick. The ship was a stout boat, though. It weathered storm after storm. Overall, this book is very absorbing so far. I cannot wait to read more about the fate of these two young children and the berserkers.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove

I really enjoyed this book. The author (Yoko Kawashima) wrote it beautifully about her own experience. It was impossible not to feel the emotion she had when she wrote this story. At many points, I could almost imagine it happening. The suspense built up, almost to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. Then the family was reunited and the story came to an end. I thought the story ended too quickly. For example the author skipped the falling action and resolution (two parts of the plot) and went straight from the climax to the end. That is the only part where I think the author could have extended the story further.

Overall, however, this book seems to be an argument against war. It was a window into a time when war was destroying countries. It showed that when war happens, many innocent people from all sides can die because just a few people started the war. It reminded me of the Yuan Dynasty in China (period of Mongolian rule). The Mongolians invaded China and massacred many innocent people. The native Chinese were discriminated and treated cruelly. In the end, the Chinese overthrew the Mongolian power in the same way the Koreans overthrew the Japanese. It was a lose-lose situation: both Japanese and Korean civilians were killed even though they were not soldiers.

Overall, this book is very good. The story told us we need to be strong and brave to survive in the harsh environment. It also tells us how cruel a war is to everyone. I think we should also read books about how the Koreans and Asian people suffered when the Japanese invaded their countries to get a full picture about the history.

So far From the Bamboo Grove (chapters 4-7)

Hideyo, Yoko's brother, was working at the ammunition factory when it was attacked. He saw almost all the other workers got killed by Korean soldiers. Meanwhile, Yoko, her mother, Mrs. Kawashima, and Ko were at the port of Pusan. They got on a boat to Fukuoka, Japan. After that, they rode a train to Kyoto. In Kyoto, Ko and Yoko were signed up for schools. Their mother went to their grandparents' house to see how it was going there.

The part where the Koreans attacked the Japanese escapees brought a deep sorrow on me. Those people were just civilians trying to get away from a war-torn country, but they were killed just for being Japanese. Even if the Koreans had been oppressed for years, it was hard to believe that they would kill innocent people. I can understand that they would want to destroy the ammunition factory, since it was making weapons that would be used to kill Koreans, but civilians should be left out of the horrors of war.

The train station of Seoul was very crowded. It was full of thieves and beggars. Yoko, Ko, and their mother took turns to take care of their belongings and saving each others' spots. They were the target of a thief, but the family was able to protect themselves. At the same time, they searched any trains for Hideyo, but could not find him. The warehouse in Pusan was also very crowded, but with Japanese refugees. By then, Yoko was very sick (from her chest wound caused by a bomb's explosion earlier). An older man was telling her to get up and kicking at her to make room for him, but Yoko had to lie down. Her mother, using the sword, scared the man away. The whole family had to pretend to be boys, because the Korean men were "hunting maidens for their pleasure".

The Kawashima's stopped in Kyoto to sign the girls up for school: Yoko at the Sagano Girls' School, and Ko at the University. This showed that she believed that a good education led to a good life. This is similar to Confucianism (historical note: The Japanese adopted Confucianism, but did not believe that the emperor had to be honest, since he was considered to be divine).
Mrs. Kawashima valued bravery, strength, honesty, compassion, and generosity. The girls generally shared those values. On the hospital train that got bombed, they shared blankets, food, and water with sick people. On the train to Pusan, they shared their food with an elderly man who had helped them got on the train. When there were explosions around them, they did what they had been trained to do by lying down flat on the ground. They didn't panic.