The Lost Symbol

Robert Langdon, a renound Harvard scholiast, has an almost normal life, if you consider normal deciphering the Da Vinci code and saving the Vatican City in Rome from destruction.

Robert Langdon is asked to give a speech at National Statuary Hall in D.C. by Peter Solomon’s assistant. Peter Solomon is one of Langdon’s good friends. When Robert gets to Statuary Hall something is wrong. No one is there. Langdon calls Solomon’s assistant. The person who claims to be his assistant isn’t actually his assistant. He is the one they call Mal’akh. Mal’akh asked Langdon to come to D.C. to help him find a lost treasure of the Masons. Robert has to decipher the code in exchange for Peter Solomon’s life. After this call, there is commotion in the Capitol Rotunda, a ancient invitation with 5 symbols.

I recommend this book if you like adventure stories that have a nonfiction side to the story and are fiction at the same time. In all of his books all historic and current information about landmarks are accurate. Even if you don’t want to read the book you can just read it to find out about historic landmarks, or just history.

I loved this book because Dan Brown has a cliff-hanger strategy. The chapter ends right when things get good. The story is told in a very fast, exciting sort of way. This book is in 1^st and 3^rd person. Here’s one of the most suspenful passages from the book on page 148:

Anderson stepped into the doorway and shone the light on the floor, tracing carefully down the length of the barren dirt floor. This room was like the others-a long, narrow space. The sidewalls were rugged stone, giving the room the feel of an ancient prison cell. But that smell . . .

“There’s nothing here,” Anderson said, moving the beam farther down the chamber floor. Finally, as the beam reached the end of the floor, he raised it up to illuminate the chamber’s farthest wall.

“My God . . . !” Anderson shouted.

Everyone saw it and jumped back.

Langdon stared in disbelief at the deepest recess of the chamber.

To his horror, something was staring back.

Chapter 36

“What in God’s name . . . ?” At the threshold of SBB13, Anderson fumbled with his light and retreated a step.

Langdon also recoiled, as did Sato, who looked startled for the first time all night.

Sato aimed the gun at the back wall and motioned for Anderson to shine the light again. Anderson raised the light. The beam was dim by the time it reached the far wall, but the light was enough to illuminate the shape of a pallid and ghostly face, staring back at them through lifeless sockets.

A human skull.”

Check out

The Lost Symbol

at our Peet Library, or the Cedar Falls Public Library. I don’t think you’ll regret reading this book.

Book Review: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Frankie Landau-Banks has always been intelligent.  But before her sophomore year at a private boarding school, she grows into her body and becomes a knock-out as well.  Dating the most popular senior on campus opens her to a world of opportunities she didn't previously know existed, including inside information about the elusive secret society, The Order of the Basset Hounds, of which her boyfriend is a part.  When she isn't allowed to join because she's a girl, she finds other ways to be involved, which ultimately risk her reputation, friendships, and clean criminal record.

What would you do with instant popularity?  Would it include leading a Canned Beet Rebellion, for example?

I loved this book, primarily because of E. Lockhart's writing style.  The story is told in a sharp, fast-paced way, and even though it's in third person, insights into Frankie's thinking are hilarious and insightful about teenage power structures at the same time.  Lockhart has a keen way of foreshadowing that keeps you on your toes and makes you want to find out what happens next.  Here's an example, starting on page 23:

"Other facts about Alabaster [the school] that are of actual importance to this chronicle:
1.  Frankie's roommate, Trish, was a freckled, horsey blonde who'd spent the first half of her summer doing Outward Bound and the second half on Nantucket helping out in a stable...
2.  Artie, Trish's boyfriend, was a member of the Audio-Visual Technology Club (AVT), which meant that he carried keys to quite a number of buildings on campus...
6.  And last: many of the buildings, built in the late nineteenth century , were connected by steam tunnels--utility tunnels intended for the maintenance of heating pipes that run underneath the ground.  These tunnels were locked, and student access to them was explicitly forbidden by the administration. But there wouldn't be a story here if there weren't a way of getting in."

Check out The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks from our classroom library or another place.  I can't imagine you'll be disappointed.

Off to a Great Start!

I just wanted to write a quick post to welcome you to our class blog and give you a space to comment or question on aspects of class.

We have spent our first week discussing what literacy means, getting acquainted with class routines, and reading Edward P. Jones's "The First Day."  Our first reading skill to practice was asking and answering questions, which we'll continue using through the whole year.  We'll spend our first few weeks working on short stories and reading narratives before we work on writing our first couple of pieces in October.

If you're checking in for the first time, please comment.  What are you reading right now, or what is your favorite book you've read?