If You Could Only Read One Book For the Rest Of Your Life, What Book Would It Be? Article 4

By Elizabeth Webel, Senior Editor and Media & Arts columnist

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Hello, all my faithful (and unfaithful) readers! I apologize for neglecting to post for quite a while. My duties as senior editor as well as finding people who will actually answer my questions (*glares at attempted interviewees*) were constant difficulties in writing this article.

As usual, I have asked three people the torturing question, “If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what book would it be?” Then followed up with some questions about the book they chose.

1.  What is the plot of the book?
2. Who are/is the main character(s)?
3. Why do you like the book so much?
4. What is your favorite part of the book?
5. Would you recommend this book to others? If so, at what age? And why would you recommend it?
6. What is your favorite quote in the book?

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Keeley Tomlinson – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs

1. Jacob, the main character of the story, and his father travel to a remote island for a holiday after his grandfather is murdered. Jacob finds an old abandoned mansion that had been struck by a bomb in the war, but the next day he finds the mansion untouched and filled with “peculiar” children, or children with special paranormal abilities, watched over by Mis Peregrine. They live in a time loop, where they re-live the same day over and over again. Using the time loop, they hide from a host of villains trying to her them, and Jacob discovers some amazing secrets about his grandfather that had been hidden.
2. The main protagonist of the book is Jacob, a young and lonely boy who finds out about the secrets of his past. Miss Peregrine is the headmistress and protector of the peculiar children. She is fiercely protective and intelligent. Emma is a “young” girl who can create and control fire and is romantically involved with Jacob.
3. “The world that the author creates is so intriguing and absorbing, the dialogue is natural and fun. The characters are so authentic and likable. I don’t know, I just love it. I couldn’t put it down when I first read it.”
4. “One thing I love about this book is the photographs that are included in it. The author was inspired to write the story by a selection of strange, paranormal photographs he found and he includes them in the book, so that is really interesting to see the inspiration for the novel included in the book.”
5. “Yes, definitely. It’s a young adult novel but I think it’s good for anyone who likes fantasy or science-fiction. Some of the scenes can be a little scary so I would suggest fourteen or older is a good age to read it. IT’s a wonderfully rich world and story that you can really get absorbed into!”
6. Ms. Keeley’s favorite quotes from the book are,
   “We cling to our fairy tales until the price for believing in them becomes too high.”
   and
   “One day my mother sat me down and explained to me that I couldn’t become an explorer because everything in the world had already been discovered. I’d been born in the wrong century, I felt cheated.”

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Anna Webel – Makilien Trilogy (Truth, Courage, and Trust) by Molly Evangeline

Note: My sister responded with an entire series instead of simply a single book as required due to the fact that her version of the series is all in one physical book, thus she counts it as a single book. This is stretching the rules a bit, but I’m letting it slide just this once.

1. Anna gave me a plot for each different book, but each one of the plots she gave me were extremely long, so I took the liberty to shorten them a bit, otherwise, none of our readers could make it through this article in a single sitting.

   Truth (first book):
   Makilien, the main character of the story, is trapped in a village that nobody is allowed to leave, but the questions burning inside her about life in the world outside leads her to escape the village when a stranger comes to town, telling stories about the outside world. When she leaves the village, however, she soon learns that she must be careful about who she trusts and that evil lurks in all places. She makes new friends. But as a battle looms closer, one which will determine the fate of all, she must decide whether to believe in the  One who is the truth or fall prey to the lies of the enemies.

   Courage (second book):
   Makilien faces daily threats and hardships but is determined to follow the will of Elohim (God). However, Zirtan, the antagonist of the series, amasses a devastating force to take control of the land. Even after gathering all their allies, their hope and courage must rest in Elohim in the end, or no one will prevail.

   Trust (third book):
   Struggling to cope with the losses of battle, Makilien seeks to live each day in the trust of Elohim’s plans. The conflict of hope and reality war in her mind, but Zirtan’s men have been scheming and more evil is on the horizon. Makilien finds herself a witness to a shocking act of treachery and is thrust yet again into the very center of dangerous plans. Those who she least expect are failing her trust, but Makilien must find trust in Elohim and only then will she survive this battle with her freedom intact.

2. Makilien is the main character in all three books, who journeys far and wide, all the while testing her faith with God. Aedan, her best friend, receives a little spotlight while the book focuses on some of his emotional, mental, and physical problems. Deirren is a young man in love with Makilien, but she has no feelings for him, mainly because he does not believe there is a God.
3. “I like these books because they are exciting, Christian, and still has fiction stuff such as Goblins and Elves.”
4. “I don’t know if I have a favorite part… It’s all great!” Anna says, she’s probably trying to avoid having to choose a single part.
5. “YES!! I would totally recommend these books to others. I would say this book can be read from any age such as 12 and up. It is not a too simple read, but it’s fun and it’s Christian. The good vs. evil plot adds an exciting touch to it. Plus, it still has fictional things and a bit of romance.”
6. When I asked Anna for a quote, she answered, “Can I quote the whole series??”, and started laughing.

 

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Mary Anne – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

1. A witch controls Narnia, a magical land where animals talk, with her evil magic and four kids escaping to the countryside during World War 1 find Narnia through a magical wardrobe. Aslan the Lion, who originally created the land of Narnia, returns to save Narnia, and the four kids attempt to assist him, but Aslan might have to die to save Edmund, the third oldest of the four siblings, and there is no assurance he will find another way.
2. Aslan is the lion who created Narnia and is a Jesus-figure in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Peter is the eldest of the four siblings, Susan is the second oldest, Edmund is the third oldest, and youngest is Lucy, who first finds the magical wardrobe and Narnia. The White Witch is the antagonist who controls Narnia with evil magic.
3. Ms. Mary Anne answered that she loved the book because “It’s a good picture of what Jesus did for us.”
4. “When Susan and Lucy are upset that Aslan died, he came back to life and killed the witch. That is my favorite part.”
5. “Yes! I read it in fifth grade, so anyone around that age should read it, and older than that too, it is a very good book! I’d recommend it because it is well written with a good story plot.”
6. “It’s a beaver! He shouldn’t be SAYING anything!”

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Thus ends my long and hopefully fascinating article on books that people must read! If you would like to be interviewed, simply email us at silverneedle.magazine@gmail.com and answer the interview questions. If needed, you can use an alias instead of your real name. I hope to hear from some of my readers with some good reading of their own!!

Also, heads up to all those writers out there, Silver Needle allows guest writers! If you want to share poetry, artwork, creative writing, or anything fitting into our columns, simply email us and we’ll get you published!