To take part in the I Book Festival “ Discover the Magic of Reading!” at our school,

the students of Bachillerato have written some book reviews of important books, plays

and novels for us.

You will find different opinions about a wide range of literary genres from fairy tales,

such as Little Red Riding Hood or Cinderella, to contemporary novels such as The

Hunger Games. You will also notice that there are reviews about books that were

written in different languages: Spanish, Galician, French, Italian and English!

If you look carefully at the front cover, you will be able to discover all the titles that are

being reviewed.

We hope you find your book, as we have already done.

La Celestina

La Celestina is a wildly romantic book by a good author, Fernando de Rojas. This book

is one of the best plays in Spanish literature.

The story is set in the 15th century in Spain. In this work, Fernando de Rojas deals with

the topics of love and tragedy. Calisto is in love with Melibea, but Melibea does not love

him. Celestina helps Calisto so that Melibea falls in love with him.

The book has some downsides; it is thick, complicated and has a lot of difficult words.

The most attractive scene is the last one when Melibea falls off the tower. In my

opinion, the book is interesting but difficult to understand.

Miguel Álvarez Pena

1ºBAC

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a very romantic play by an amazing writer, William Shakespeare.

He was born in a small place called Stratford-upon-Avon, 26th April 1564. He married

Anne hatchway and had three children. Two of them were twins. He is considered one

of the best writers of all times.

Romeo and Juliet is set in the 16th century in Italy, where the main characters are

Romeo, Juliet and their families. Romeo and Juliet meet and fall in love, but they

cannot be together because their families hate each other. The characters of Romeo

and Juliet are described as wild and young and they change throughout the play

becoming more mature.

The important problems the play touches upon are unfulfilled love and family problems.

It is a very interesting but very difficult book. I really recommend this book because it is

worth reading.

Álvaro Atanes Romero

1ºBAC

Operación Kioto

Operación Kioto is a book by the author Ángel Burgas, who writes an action story

keeping the suspense to the end. The title made me read the book up to the end as it is

very interesting.

The story is set in London, where the main character Pol, a young boy, lives an

unforgettable journey. He goes to London with his godmother, who is another character

but they have some problems. When Pol arrives in London, he is immersed in an

adventure full of undercover cops, who are incidental characters.

Personally, I love this book and I recommend it because it is attractive to read how a

guy goes to London and he is kidnapped in the airport.

Alejandro Borrajo

1ºBAC

Escucharás mi corazón

Escucharás mi corazón is an imaginative romantic novel by the brilliant author Alessio

Puleo. He plays with the feelings of those who read the novel very well.

The story is set in the 21st century in Italy, where the main character Ylenia has to go.

She is ill and moves to Italy with her parents Giorgio and Ambra. She does not know

she is ill. She is a very beautiful and kind person. In that country, Ylenia makes new

friends, Virginia, Claudio and Alex, her love.

In his book Escucharás mi corazón Alessio touches upon a significant theme. We have

to enjoy life because it is very short. Personally, I enjoyed reading this romantic story

and I believe that everyoneshould read it because it is very interesting.

Yolanda Díaz Nanín

1ºBAC

Cinderella

Cinderella is a fantasy book by Charles Perrault, a French author. He published this

book in 1950. It is a fairy tale.

The story is set in the 17th century in France, where the main character, Cinderella, a

young woman, works as a servant for her stepmother and sisters. There are some key

characters such as the Fairy Godmother, the Prince and her stepsisters.

In his book, Charles Perrault touches upon the issues of love and youth. It is a fantastic

book for little children. Personally, I recommend this book because I liked it very much

when I was little.

Cristina Fernández Ferrón

1ºBAC

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a fantastic novel told from the point of view of a

young boy and written by the Irish novelist John Boyne. This novel is his most famous

work so far and it has sold more than five million copies around the world. Also, it has

been translated to more than thirty languages. At first sight, the title seems puzzling.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was published in 2006 and tells the story of Bruno, a

child who is nine years old during the Second World War in Germany. Bruno is the son

of a high-ranking SS officer. He lives in Berlin but he and his family have to move to

Auschwitz in Poland. Bruno is bores and one day sees a person wearing “striped

pyjamas”. He decides to explore the area although his parents do not let him go

anywhere. Bruno meets Shmuel, a Jewish boy, and they become friends.

John Boyne’s aim was to write a novel for children since he began to study this

historical period at school. However, many people think that the novelist had other

intentions.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I believe that everyone should read it.

Lidia Fernández Roca

2ºBAC

Sorry If I Call You Love

Sorry If I Call You Love is a delightful book of love in the romantic streets of Italy. It was

written by Federico Moccia. This book is a love story and the third by the author with

numerous sales.

This book is about two characters, who are Niki and Alessandro. Niki is a teenager who

is doing her year of secondary education. Alessandro is a hard worker who has just left

his girlfriend after a few long years of relationship. One day, these two people meet and

gradually fall in love despite the age difference between them.

I think that the author is trying to tell us that there is not a perfect or ideal age for love.

For me, this book is very nice because I like love stories. If you want to cheer up a bit,

go for it!

Cristina Folgoso Fernández

2ºBAC

Crónica de una muerte anunciada

Crónica de una muerte anunciada is a fantastic book by Gabriel García Márquez.

García Márquez has written many novels and he tries to show a weird and strange

world as normal. At first sight, the title tells us that someone is going to die, so we know

that death is present in the novel.

The novel takes place in a village of Colombia in the 19th century. Santiago Nasar, the

main character, decides to visit the Bishop and when he is coming back home, he is

killed by the Vicario brothers, because they need to clean their sister’s, Angela Vicario,

honour. All of them are main characters but in the novel there are a lot of secondary

characters who are the family and friends of the main characters.

In this novel, García Márquez touches upon a significant theme that is the problem of

honour in the society of the time. The author wants to show that honour and revenge

can be dangerous and have serious consequences, such as death. The thing I enjoyed

most was reading how the Vicario brothers hunt Santiago Nasar. I believe that it is a

good novel to read because we can learn a lot about the problem of honour in that

time.

Jorge Gago Carrera

2ºBAC

Cinderella

I remember reading Cinderella when I was a little girl. Cinderella has many different

versions but the most popular was written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. It is a fairy

tale that represents the world of magic and the triumph of love.

The story is set in the 19th century and the main character, Cinderella, is a servant for

her stepmother and her two stepsisters. The king’s son, the Prince, is giving a party at

the castle, but Cinderella’s stepmother does not let her go, although the invitation is for

all the young ladies of the kingdom. Nevertheless, Cinderella finds a way to go with the

help of her fairy godmother and her friends, the mice.

In this fairy tale, we can see that good actions have a reward. I think that this is a book

that children like a lot. Moreover, it shows the importance of being a good person. I

believe everybody should read it.

Laura Mª Garrido Pérez

2ºBAC

Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood is a very imaginative fairy tale by a fantastic author, Charles

Perrault. He was a very good writer.

The story is set in 1697 in the forest. Little Red riding Hood is a child, who goes to visit

her grandmother. When she arrives at her grandmother’s house, there is a wolf waiting

for her. The wolf wants to eat her. The main character is the girl and the second main

characters are the wolf, her grandmother and a man who helps Little Red Riding hood.

The author treats the girl’s changes through the story to become more mature and

intelligent.

The important problems the story touches are the trust in strange people and people

we do not know. The message of the story is not to talk to strangers when you are a

child because something bad can happen to you.

It is a beautiful story and I really recommend it.

Santiago Gil Fernández

1ºBAC

Plenilunio

Plenilunio is an interesting book whose author is Antonio Muñoz Molina, an author who

writes an intriguing and puzzling book. The title reveals that the story develops at night.

The story takes place in a village in Andalucia in the 1990s. There, the main character,

the inspector – we do not know his name- investigates the murder of a young girl and

an attempt of murder of another girl. He is a man who fears for his life because he is

chased by ETA. The antagonist character is the killer or murderer. Other characters are

the inspector’s wife and his lover, the forensic surgeon, the victims and Father Orduña,

the village priest.

The novel is about current issues such as violence, love and terrorism so that is why,

for me, this is an excellent story and therefore, I recommend it. Also, I think it is exciting

because from the very first moment you can know who the killer is and why he commits

the crimes.

Francisco Gómez Gómez

2ºBAC

A nosa cinza

A nosa cinza is an autobiographical book by a Galician author, Xavier Alcalá, who

spent his childhood in Ferrol. The title of the book is clear since the book is about

Xavier’s ancestors and past.

The story is set in the 20th century in Galicia, where a happy family lives. The main

characters are the child, his friends and his grandfather. The middle child loves his

grandfather very much and when he dies, the boy is extremely sad. The rest of his life

and existence will be affected by this death. The boy grows up and we see how he

undergoes a process. In the end, he is 24 years old and although his friends have led

him in the wrong way, his grandfather is still the most important person for him.

The message of the story is the importance that grandparents have on the life of

teenagers. The most important and attractive scene for me is when the child finds his

granddad dead. This book is very interesting and beautiful. I definitely recommend it.

Andrea González Prada

2ºBAC

The Little Prince

The Little Prince is a wildly imaginative book by a brilliant author, Antoine de Saint-

Exupery. He is a great French writer, one of the best of his time.

The story takes place in six different planets. The narrator, an airplane pilot, crashes in

the Sahara desert. The crash badly damages his airplane and leaves the narrator with

very little food or water. As he is worrying over his predicament, he is approached by

the little prince, a very serious little blond boy who asks the narrator to draw him a

sheep. The narrator tells us that the little prince meets a king, a vain man, a drunkard,

a businessman, a lamplighter, and a geographer, all of whom live alone and are overly

consumed by their occupations. He also meets a snake and a fox.

I really enjoyed reading The Little Prince and I think it is worth reading.

Darío Lo Giudice Conde

1ºBAC

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring is a wildly imaginative book by the

brilliant author JRR Tolkien. Tolkien was a British philologist, writer and poet that

created this epic fantasy novel published in 1954. At first sight, the title suggests that

we are talking about a man who has more rings, but who knows.

The story is set in the Third Age of the Middle- Earth, a fictional place inhabited by men

and other strange races such as the hobbits, the elves or the dwarves, and many other

real and fantastic creatures. The novel traces the journey of the main character, the

hobbit Frodo Bolsom, to destroy the one ring and the consequent war for recovering it

as the ring is the main source of power of its creator, the dark Lord Sauron.

Years after the publication of the novel, there were some reviews that described it, and

even the author himself, as racist and fascist, because the good side races were white,

while those in the dark side were brown-skinned.

I personally liked the story and it is one of the books I have ever read.

Andrés Macía Couto

2ºBAC

Plenilunio

Plenilunio is a book written by Antonio Muñoz Molina. Muñoz Molina has written many

narrative stories. This is a mystery novel. Although the title seems clear and revealing,

the whole novel is intriguing to the end.

The story is set around 1990 in Andalucía, where the author was born. The main

character is a policeman who moves to Andalucía from the Basque Country because of

the terrorism, leaving his wife there. He is looking for a killer, the second main

character, who kills a girl at night when the moon is full. He tries to kill another girl two

months later, but he fails. The policeman falls in love with Susana, a divorced teacher

who has a fourteen-year-old son. In the end, the policeman arrests the killer who has a

mental disorder and gets to save the girl.

An important them the book touches upon is violence. Personally, I think it is worth

reading because it is exciting. If you like mystery books, this is your book.

Diana Meire Prol

2ºBAC

Plenilunio

Plenilunio is a novel by Muñoz Molina. The meaning of the title refers to a phase of the

moon, but the topics dealt with tin the novel are love, crime, kidnapping and means of

communication.

The places where the action takes place are not real, but I think that it is Muñoz

Molina’s birthplace because there is enough information to believe so. The inspector is

investigating Fátima’s murder, the first victim. He falls in love with Susana Grey,

Fátima’s teacher, but he is married. There is a second victim, Paula, another girl and

information to believe that the nurderer is a boy with mental problems.

Plenilunio deals with the terrorism although it does not have a main message. In my

opinion it is a good book but very long. My recommendation is for everybody to read it

because it is very interesting and deals with lots of current issues.

Adrián Miguélez Martínez

2ºBAC

Little Red Riding Hood

The last book I have read is called Little Red Riding Hood written by Charles Perrault.

The story is about a little girl who goes to visit her grandmother.

The main hero is the Red Riding Hood and another important character is the Wolf. At

the beginning of the story, Red Riding Hood tells her mother that she is going to visit

her grandmother and she prepares a basket to take her. The girl has to cross a forest

where a wolf suggests her taking a path that is supposedly shorter, but it is not. The

story ends when the child enters her grandma’s house and she finds the wolf tucked in

her bed. The wolf runs away and Red Riding Hood and her mother are happy again.

The most interesting scene of the story for me was when Red Riding Hood and the

Wolf meet. The message of the story is that we have to take care and be aware of

people we do not know.

Pablo Nogueiras Miranda

1ºBAC

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is an imaginative book by a brilliant author, John Ronald Renel

Tolkien or J.R.R. Tolkien. He was an English writer, poet and professor, best known for

being the author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.

The story is set in the third age in the Middle-Earth, where the main character, Frodo

Bolson, a courageous young hobbit, has to destroy the ring. At first, Frodo does not

want to destroy the ring but with the help of Samsagaz Gamuyi, the second main

character, he goes to destroy the ring.

In his book The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien touches upon a significant theme –

the power of friendship. Personally, I enjoyed reading this fantasy story as it is exciting

and thought-provoking.

Jesús Novelle Álvarez

1ºBAC

Canciones para Paula

Canciones para Paula is book that made me read the story up to the end. It was written

by Blue jeans, a brilliant author that has a lot of followers on the internet. He normally

uses the technique of reeling his readers in to the point that you become another

character of the story.

This story takes place in our days, where the main character, Paula, a teenager, meets

Ángel on the internet. The day they have arranged to meet, Ángel does not turn up, so

she goes into a nearby café. There, she meets a funny boy, Alex. When she decides to

go home, Ángel appears and apologizes. He is a journalist and and had had a meeting

with Katia, the singer of the moment.

In his book, Blue Jeans talks about how infidelity and unfaithfulness are never good.

Personally, I enjoyed reading this romantic story. I think that reading a romantic story is

always a good choice for boring evenings.

Alba Ríos García

1ºBAC

Plenilunio

Plenilunio is a mystery book by a Spanish author, Antonio Muñoz Molina. The tile of the

book refers to the part of day when the criminal commits his crimes.

The story is set in the 20th century in Andalucía, where the detective, an intelligent

man, is transferred from the Basque Country to investigate a new murder in the city.

The first murder is that of a young girl who appears in the park. The second is that of

another girl, who manages to survive. This last girl helps the detective to find the killer.

In the end, he discovers that the murderer is a local fisherman. Apart from all that, the

detective falls in love with the girls’ teacher and starts a relationship with her despite

being married.

In his book, Muñoz Molina presents the ETA’s activity in Spain too since the detective

and his wife are hounded by the terrorist organization. For me, the most attractive

scene is when the detective meets the teacher in a bedroom.

In my opinion, Plenilunio is a very interesting book, which I recommend because you

will have a good time.

Susana Rodríguez Prol

2ºBAC

Songs for Paula

Songs for Paula is a book by a brilliant author, Blue Jeans. Blue Jeans writes a story

which is based on the real life of teenagers nowadays. At first sight, the title does not

seem intriguing in meaning, but it made me read the story up to the end.

The story is set in Madrid and the main character is Paula, a teenager of 17 years of

age. She goes on a date with Angel, a twenty-two-year-old man. She is very nervous

but the man does not turn up and she goes into a nearby café. There, Paula meets

Alex, an unknown boy who is reading the same book as her. When Paula goes back

home, angel appears and says he is sorry for being late. He is a journalist and that

evening he had a meeting with a famous singer.

In my opinion, I liked the book a lot and it has fun scenes. However, the best is that you

can imagine the characters and their lives too. I definitely recommend it. It is worth

reading!

Patricia Ruibal Fernández

1ºBAC

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is a wildly imaginative book by the brilliant author Suzanne Collins.

Collins is well known for this book. This story is part of a trilogy. The main theme is the

fight to survive.

The story is set in Panem, a place divided in twelve districts. The main district is district

12, which is the poorest and whose inhabitants have to fight the other districts in a

stadium, which is a forest. Each district has different characters: Katniss Everdeen and

Peeta Mellork are the main characters on District 12 and they will be the winners. They

will fight to death against the other districts.

In my opinion, this is the best book I have ever read. I would read it again and again.

Esteban Sanmiguel Salgado

2ºBAC

Une si longue lettre

Une si longue letter is a wildly imaginative book by a brilliant author, Marianna Bâ. She

is Senegalese and she wrote this book to tell her own story. It is her biography.

The story is set in the 20th century in a city where the main character Aicha falls in love

with a cold man, Madou. The man is very poor, Aicha helps him and they get married.

Aicha’s parents do not accept the marriage because he is very poor. When Madou

becomes a rich man, he marries three women because it is legal in the Muslim religion.

The main issues the book touches upon are polygamy and love. The most attractive

scene that caught my attention is the final scene when Madou becomes poor again

because of his wives.

Personally, I enjoyed reading this story as it is truly exciting and thought-provoking. I

believe everyone should read such a good book and consider the consequences of

their actions.

Mame Binta Sylla

1ºBAC

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Snow White is an imaginative book by the Grimm brothers. They published the book in

1812.

The story takes place in the forest where the seven dwarfs work and live. One day,

they find a girl called Snow White and take her home. One handsome prince falls in

love with her and the wicked witch, who wants to kill her, finds out that she is alive

thanks to her magic mirror. She tries to kill her again and, fortunately, she fails.

I believe that everyone should read such a good book as it is an excellent fairy tale.

Diana Vázquez Gavilanes

1ºBAC