5 must-read books for back-to-school season
"Go, my child, be brave, this world is yours, step through the school gate and a magical world will open up" ("The School Gate Opens" - author Ly Lan). This quote implies that children need to come to the world of books this school year. Here are 5 books that you must definitely read.
1 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the first part of a 7-book series about the young wizard Harry Potter as he arrives at Hogwarts. |
Orphaned boy Harry Potter has to live in a cramped room under the stairs at the house of his strict aunt and uncle, who are not satisfied with anything related to him.
On his 11th birthday, he received hundreds of letters from a strange-sounding school, Hogwarts. More specifically, a bearded giant with a bushy beard came with a crushed birthday cake, and said that he was a wizard, and a very famous wizard in the wizarding world.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the first part of a seven-part series aboutHarry Potterwhen he comes to study at Hogwarts and the battle between good and evil to protect the things most familiar to him.
The Harry Potter series has been considered one of the most famous works for children since its launch in 1997. To date, Harry Potter has been translated into 73 languages and sold more than 600 million copies worldwide.
September 1, 2017 marks the moment 19 years after the final battle at Hogwarts, which is also the moment when the next generation of Potter wizards arrives at platform 9 ¾ to board the train to study at the most famous wizarding school in England.
2017 is also the year that fans around the world celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, opening a new era in British fantasy literature in particular and the world in general.
Author JK Rowling, from a single mother living on welfare, has now become the richest author in the world. According to Forbes magazine, she earned more than $95 million between May 2016 and June 2017.
Rowling is also currently turning to the detective genre with works about detective Cormoran Strike under the pen name Robert Galbraith.
2 - Three Idiots - Chetan Bhagat
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Three Idiots tells the story of three Indian youths' most valuable student experiences. |
Three young men just entered the Indian Institute of Technology with the idea that student life is a precious time of freedom, must be enjoyed. So, with all the pranks, cheating, but also stories about friendship, love, teacher-student relationship, the three fools overcame all the barriers to turn them into the most valuable experiences of their student life.
First released in 2004 in India, 3 Idiots was a hit with readers, but the book only really gained popularity after the film adaptation of the same name was released worldwide. 3 Idiots became the highest-grossing Bollywood film in Indian history, breaking all box office records until 2013.
Chetan Bhagat is an Indian writer, hailed by the New York Times as “the best-selling English-language novelist in Indian history”. He was also named among the “100 most creative people at work” by Fast Company magazine (USA).
Besides Three Idiots, Bhagat's other famous works include The Three Mistakes of My Life, Love Takes Courage, Better Days Will Come, Revolution 2020.
3 - The Miracle - RJ Palacio
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Miracle tells the story of a boy's life at school with a congenital facial deformity. |
10-year-old August was born with a facial deformity and was homeschooled by his parents. But one day, they decided to send him to a real school, where he was teased and bullied because of his ugly face.
Thanks to the encouragement from loved ones, along with his optimism and love of life, August accepted to face difficulties and challenges at school to integrate into normal life like other children.
RJ Palacio is an American author, art director and graphic designer. After more than 20 years of designing book covers, she has finally fulfilled her dream of writing and illustrating her own book. Wonder is Palacio's first book, and she has also written two other story collections related to the book, 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne's Book of Precepts and Auggie and Me.
Wonder, published in 2012, was written after Palacio feared that her 3-year-old son would react negatively to seeing a girl with a congenital facial deformity sitting next to him while they were waiting in line for ice cream. The title was also inspired by the song Wonder by singer Natalia Merchant.
In 2017, the book was made into a movie starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay. The movie, directed by Stephen Chbosky (author of Dancing with the Stars), will be released in November this year.
4 - Time Bottle - Prabhassorn Sevikul
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Time Bottle is considered one of the most favorite works of Thai teenagers, having been reprinted more than 20 times within 10 years. |
Time Bottle recounts memories of a quiet unrequited love, the shock of early life when the family broke up and social events in Thailand in the 1970s that caused two brothers Nat and Ning to drift in the middle of life.
The book recreates the image of youthful impetuousness but memorable, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, with light and dark interwoven, and leaves an unforgettable impression in the reader's heart.
Time in a Bottle is considered one of the most favorite works of Thai teenagers. The book has been reprinted more than 20 times in 10 years as many generations of Thai people still love the work. The title of the book is taken from the song Time in a Bottle by American rock singer Jim Croce which once ranked number one on the Billboard charts.
Author Prabhssorn Sevikul was born in 1948 in Bangkok, is the author of more than 60 novels, many of which have been made into films. He is a famous diplomat and writer whose works have captivated generations of Thai youth.
Prabhssorn Sevikul also edited and wrote the introduction for the Thai translation of Give Me a Ticket to Childhood.
5 - Totto-chan at the Window - Kuroyanagi Tetsuko
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Totto-chan at the Window has been a bedside book for many children, parents and educators for over 35 years. |
Little Totto-chan was expelled from school as soon as she entered first grade, but luckily she found the most wonderful school, with a respectable old principal and train-car classrooms waiting for her to explore.
Consisting of many short stories, Totto-chan at the Window shows readers a completely different school that is completely real and a unique approach to students in Japanese education.
First published in 1981, Totto-chan: The Little Mermaid has been a staple for children, parents, and educators for over 35 years. The book has been a huge hit, not only in Japan but around the world, with millions of copies sold since its publication.
Kuroyanagi Tetsuko is a famous Japanese children's writer, actress and television host. Totto-chan at the Window is her memoir about the real Tomoe School, which is little known in Japan because Tomoe School was completely destroyed during World War II.
Kuroyanagi is the founder of the Totto Foundation, named after the little girl in her most famous book, Totto-chan. In 1984, she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund, the first Asian to hold the position.
During the following years, she focused her activities mainly on supporting and helping children around the world.
According to Kienthuc
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