Reading
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As you may know, I love to read. I adore being able to forget about the real world for a few hours, the stress and the worries, and be transported to the story that I am reading, learn about the characters and their secrets, and follow their adventures as if I were living them myself. In fact, since I remember, read is one of my passions.
With this said, a few weeks ago when I went to Madeira for the Easter Holiday, I was admiring my modest collection of books when I had this sudden desire to review the books that I loved to read when I was a kid. For a while I kept pulling books off the shelves, flipping through them, reading excerpts, watching the pictures, rereading my favourite episodes ... It was like I was a child again, and the sensation of evasion was great.
Furthermore, I decided that I would do a post about my most beloved collections of books of when I was little and share my thoughts on it. I hope you like it!
Uma Aventura (An Adventure) - by Ana Maria Magalhães and Isabel Alçada, illustrated by Arlindo Fagundes.
Uma Aventura (An Adventure) is a Portuguese collection aimed at a young public, with about 60 books fulfilled with adventures lived in the most diverse corners of Portugal and the World. I remember that my first two books of this series were given to me as birthday presents, and after reading them I immediately wanted to expand my collection.
Each book tells an exciting adventure lived by a group of five friends: the twins Teresa and Luísa, Pedro, Chico and João. All of them have different personalities, yet their friendship it's true and special. I like all of the books that I have read in this collection, but a few stand out when I think about it, namely:
- An Adventure at Quinta das Lágrimas (Uma Aventura na Quinta das Lágrimas): The group goes to Quinta das Lágrimas, that has a mysterious garden and a very special fountain because on the bottom rocks there is a red stain that nothing and nobody has managed to erase. They get to know that the red stain is a mark of an ancient and terrible crime. Then they are drawn into the most inexplicable events;
- An Adventure on the High Seas (Uma Aventura no Alto Mar): the group wanted to see the sunrise, so they climb a cliff to pursue their goal. Then, after what was supposed to be a funny experience in the sea goes wrong, they find themselves asking desperately for help on the high seas, being later rescued by a boat. What seems to be a normal crew is, after all, a group of criminals, and the five friends somehow will end up in the South Pole;
- An Adventure in the mysterious Labyrinth (Uma Aventura no Labirinto misterioso): The group goes to a labyrinth with more than 100 years of mysteries and legends. Some say that the labyrinth is cursed and that is the only explanation for those who enter it and get dizzy or faint. But how to explain those who are not affected by the same symptoms? There is definitely an enigma, and Pedro, Chico, Teresa, Luísa and João want to solve it.
Uma Aventura (An Adventure) is an astonishing collection, the stories are captivating, and the reader always learns something new. One of the things that I liked the most about these books is that the adventures were connected to History, facts and legends. Honestly, I am very proud of my reasonable collection of this series.
Tales from Pixie Hollow - by Kiki Thorpe, Kirsten Larsen, and Laura Driscoll
This collection is, as you can imagine, magical. If you know Peter Pan movies, you know Tinker Bell. Well, these books are all about the world of Tinker Bell and the other fairies. I loved these stories, each one is focused on one particular fairy and her adventure. It’s a lovely lecture.
My favourite ones of this series of Tales from Pixie Hollow were:
- Vidia and the Fairy Crown: Vidia is not the typical fairy. She has a strong personality and a terrible attitude. She made some mistakes in the past and she can be very selfish. One day she is accused of stealing the crown of Queen Clarion. She is innocent, yet no one has a reason to believe in her. This way, she starts investigating the case in order to clear her name.
- Beck Beyond the Sea: Beck has an immense curiosity to know the World outside Pixie Hollow. Curiously, an opportunity emerges when the fairy meets a flock of Explorer Birds who are her ticket to see what's beyond the sea. Vidia helps her, giving her special pixie dust, so she can fly faster and farther than ever before. Finally, Beck has her chance to live her dream. However, why would Vidia be so nice to her suddenly? What's her reason? Why would she want to see Beck far away from Pixie Hollow?
- A Masterpiece for Bess: Bess is a bright fairy, she lives her life doing what she loves the most every day, that is, painting. She is creative, determinate and does not care about what the other fairies may say about her. This until one day Bess life changes when her portrait of Tinker Bell reaches major fame, and she finds herself in a whirlwind of attention. Every sparrow man and fairy in Pixie Hollow wants Bess to do a portrait. As a consequence, Bess starts to lose passion for her talent, since for her suddenly it seems more like a chore than a joy.
As I said previously, Tales from Pixie Hollow is a lovely collection. I remember that when I was little while reading these books, I also wanted to be a fairy and live in Pixie Hollow...
A Casa (The House) – by Ana Teresa Pereira
Ana Teresa
Pereira is a Portuguese writer, more specifically she is from Funchal,
Madeira... my Island. I get to know about this collection due to a work for
School, and I was instantly interested. I found it very unusual that all the
books action happened in Madeira. Each episode occurs in a specific and particular
house in the wonderful island, where the group of friends - the brothers David
e Cristina, the cousin Mónica and the friend João - lives an adventure. I
believe that I read each book that I own countless times. For this collection I
had two big favourites: A Casa das Sombras (The House of Shadows) and A Casa do
Nevoeiro (The House of Fog). This series has what we can call a repetitive formula,
since in every episode the friends go to a mysterious house, then detects a
suspicious case, develops an investigation, lives a dangerous situation, and
finally solves the puzzle having a happy ending. However, I found the books very entertaining.
To sum up,
these collections were an important part of my childhood. I enjoyed reading the
countless adventures of these groups of friends or the fairies, and even with
the typical repetitive formula that is present in books directed to a young
audience, I was addicted to my readings and drawn into the experiences. Besides
this, the typical happy ending, although we know that it doesn't always happen
in real life, it's always satisfying to read in these books in which everything
is possible, from the incredible luck to live an adventure to everywhere you
go, to magic.
What were
your favourite books when you were a child?
I do not own any of these images and I am not trying to infringe copyright.
I hope you
have a lovely week!
Mariana Nunes
Books
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