A review of Mio's Kingdom

Title: Mio's Kingdom
Author: Astrid Lindgren

First reading out loud: Gustavo Iglesias (my father), last year (I was 5)

Second reading out loud: Ellen Duthie (my mother), January 2015 (I was still 5).

This review is dedicated to my grandfather Pa (heart of ice, claw of chicken).

What it's about: It's about fear. A little boy called Mio lives with his aunt and uncle, who are not very nice to him. In fact, they are horrible. For example, they don't let him play, they don't let him invite friends to his house and they want him to go to other people's houses as much as possible to get rid of him. One day at the grocer's the grocer gives him an apple and asks him to post a letter. Mio reads it and it is addressed to the King of Farawayland.

Shortly after he finds a bottle and he sees a genie inside, but the way out is blocked with a stick. The genie says 'I will do anything for you if you free me from this bottle'. So Mio takes him out and asks to go to Farawayland. The genie tells him only one person can go to Farawayland, a boy with a golden apple. Mio holds up the apple from the grocer and the genie says: 'Oh! it is you.'
So that's how Mio's life changes. In Farawayland he meets his father, the King of Farawayland, and a friend, Pompoo. Together, they will fight Sir Kato the baddie of Farawayland. He's not just a baddie, he's the worst baddie ever. He's mean, and cold, with a claw of iron and a heart of stone. There are many dangers, but in the end Sir Kato dies because Mio has a sword that can cut through stone.

What I like about it: It's very poetic with beautiful language and beautiful words. I like everything about it. Sir Kato is a very good character. It's got one of the most gripping beginnings ever:

"Did you listen to the radio on October 15th last year? Did you hear the news about a boy who disappeared?"

I recommend it for people aged four and more. (4+)

My First Book Review: The Hobbit

Title: The Hobbit.
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

First reading: July 2015 (my age: 6)
Reader out loud: Gustavo Iglesias (my father)

Second reading: August 2015  (my age: 6)
Reader out loud: Ellen Duthie (my mother)

What it's about: It's about a little hobbit* called Bilbo Baggins who doesn't have a lot of power. Suddenly he has to face a great danger. It is the story of how a Baggins got into an adventure doing and saying unusual things.

What I like about it: Gollum. Even though he is a baddie, I'm quite interested in him because he is mean. I also like that Bilbo gets a sword. It's very interesting, even though some reviewers I've read on the Internet say it's very boring because the explanations are very long, I don't really agree with that because that way you understand it better and you have to be patient. I like that the main character doesn't defeat Smaug (the dragon in the lonely mountain guarding the treasure that Thorin wants). That's different from other books, because the goodie doesn't beat the baddie.
The coolest part of the story is the adventure with Gollum and riddles in the dark.

It's good for the reader who is reading out loud to have a good voice for the characters.

I'd recommend it for everybody in the world, except for newborn babies and babies in general, who might not follow it.

* Hobbit: a little person, normally a bit chubby. A grown-up hobbit is only as tall as me. By the way, I am six.

Added on 2nd of October, 2015:
A few weeks ago, we did a very fun thing with The Hobbit. We looked up all the descriptions of the different characters in the book and drew them based on that description (instead of based on the film, or on other images we have seen). They look much better in person than in the photos, but they now keep me company next to my desk when I'm doing my school homework.