The Tale of Two Iron Men

Ted Hughes' gigantic Iron Man 

"Taller than a house, the Iron Man stood at the top of the cliff, on the very brink in the darkness ... His great iron head, shaped like a dustbin but as big as a bedroom ... His eyes, like headlamps glowed white, then red, then infra-red..."

This is a description from a book I read recently.  It is THE IRON MAN by Ted Hughes.  The title attracted me as I get excited with anything robot and I thought the story would be as exciting as Marvel's Iron Man.  But I was wrong!

The story is about an enormous robot that fell from a cliff one day and broke into pieces. Instead of becoming scrap metals, the scattered pieces started to look for its body parts.  The chapter which describes how the various body parts began looking for each other is the funniest and most interesting in the book.  The rest of the story is boring with little actions. Even the battle between the Iron Man and a Space Being, with its head as big as Italy, does not excite me much.  All they did was to put themselves into fire to challenge each other to a test of strength.

THE RISE OF IRON MAN from Marvel is a much more interesting book.  It describes the powers the Iron Man has and how he fights the villains using his powers.  Marvel's Iron Man is INVINCIBLE!  He has weapons like lasers, repulsor rays and a force field for added protection.  He can also fly at great speeds.  Of course, all those are gadgets invented by Tony Stark, the person in the Iron Man suit.

Though Ted Hughes' Iron Man has no powers BUT it has endurance, determination and courage. It endured the high heat from the fire and was determined to defeat the Space Being.  Even when he nearly got melted away, he didn't give up.  Tony Stark does have such qualities but it is not shown very obviously.  I think he is a vain person who likes to show off.  That's the only thing I dislike about Marvel's Iron Man.

I wonder if both Iron Men were to fight against each other, who will emerge as a winner?

Daniel Lock.

《妈妈满分》和《十二岁半》

最近， 我读了一本很精彩的故事书叫《妈妈满分》。故事里十二岁的小星不喜欢她的妈妈。因为小星的妈妈为了追求写作的梦想把家务全推给爸爸。爸爸不只要做工，还要接五岁的小月（小星的妹妹）放学，又要每天买午餐和晚餐。

对小星来说，她的妈妈是一个不及格的妈妈。妈妈不会做饭菜也不喜欢做家务，只会每天看电视，找灵感。小星也常怀疑妈妈有没有爱过她，关心过她？可是，一次的意外改变了一切。在那意外中，小星的妈妈不顾自己的生命保护了小星。因为这样，小星明白了妈妈对她的爱是深厚，无私的。

这本书让我深深地被感动。故事让我知道，不管我自己的妈妈有多么多的缺陷或有多么的唠叨，她对我的爱永远没少过，永远是满满的。也因为这样，我对妈妈的爱也要是满满的。

另外，我也读了《十二岁半》这本故事书。故事里的佳耘以为考完了PSLE，可以轻松，愉快地享受她的假期。但她没想到她的轻松，愉快将变成悲伤。因为父母通知佳耘他们要暂时分开，也因为这个原因，父母决定让佳耘读一所寄宿学校。如果佳耘去了寄宿学校，她就不能和她最好的朋友，惠盈，一起读同样的中学。突然之间，佳耘觉得她快乐的童年没了。

当佳耘住在外婆家时，她认识了一个叫阿浩的男孩。佳耘起初不喜欢顽皮的阿浩，但渐渐地，他们俩成为了好朋友。

之后，发生了一个意外，佳耘的父母决定不离婚了。佳耘，惠盈，阿浩也上了同一所中学。真是个快乐的结局！

《十二岁半》虽然有趣和温馨，但我还是比较喜欢精彩，感人的《妈妈满分》。

—卢宣—

The Girl Who Could Fly

by Victoria Forester

This book is about a girl called Piper McCloud.  Piper can fly!  Ever since she was a baby, Piper could hover a few feet above the ground.  Everyone in Lowland Country thinks Piper is a freak.  So, it seems only best for Piper to attend I.N.S.A.N.E, a school for special children like her.

Piper's new friends have powers such as telekinesis, x-ray vision, ability to shrink and so on.  Everyone in the school idolises Dr Hellion, the Head of the school.  However, they soon realise that she is the most dangerous person to be with.  Her hidden agenda in setting up I.N.S.A.N.E is discovered by the students and they are tortured to no end.  At this point, the selfish and cruel behaviour of Dr Hellion saddened me greatly.  I cannot imagine an adult exploiting and abusing children!

I took a journey of sorrows and joys with Piper and her friends on their most dangerous escape from I.N.S.A.N.E.  As my tears flowed for the helpless Piper and her friends, the author turns the story around with a triumph ending.

This book is a definite page turner full of roller-coaster rides of surprises jumping out everywhere.  For those who love to fantasise themselves having super powers and the movie X-Men, this book is perfect for you.

Victoria Lock.