Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2012 - (Page 36)

off the shelf The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern review by Amy teske after her mother dies, six-year-old Celia shows up on the doorstep of the father she’d never met: the famed illusionist Prospero the enchanter. Prospero’s fame comes not from simple tricks such as producing doves from hidden cages, but from his ability to alter reality, to physically manipulate his surroundings to his will, and no one can discover his secrets. When Celia breaks a glass without touching it, and then repairs it without touching it, her father discovers that she has the same gift. for the next several years, he teaches her how to refine it. Unfortunately for Celia, her father has a running feud with another magician, and the two have been competing vicariously through their students for decades. Prospero now offers up his daughter to this deadly game, as his enemy volunteers his own student—marco, an orphan with no apparent magical gifts. over time, with relentless training, both children become masterful illusionists. When they are young adults, the venue for their competition is set: a traveling circus called Le Cirque des Rêves, the Circus of dreams. their goal is to keep adding to the circus as it travels, using their powers to keep the fair alive. for example, Celia creates a carousel in which animals are suspended by ribbons, but there is no ceiling to attach them to. marco, on the other hand, designs an intricate snow garden that never melts. they constantly add attractions to maintain the circus’s popularity, as well as to prove to the other that they are the more powerful illusionist. gradually, they find that they are not the only ones manipulating the game. the circus, they realize, is not just a setting for a competition, and their unseen opponents aren’t as distant as they first thought. The Night Circus is an intriguing story that shows that magic is not just the wave of a wand, but the skill of turning one’s imagination into reality. While the plot can be slow at times, the seemingly insignificant details and characters fall like pieces into a puzzle at the conclusion, revealing a more complex plot than the reader could have expected. this drawn-out plot provides room for complicated subplots and character development, unlikely romance, and beautiful prose. the author’s lush descriptions of the Circus of dreams make the reader hungry to see, smell, hear, taste, and feel more—and, like the circus-goers in the novel, reluctant to leave. in this book where nothing is exactly what it seems, a world is brought to life that lets characters and readers explore the blurry line between fantasy and reality. morgenstern paints a vivid picture of a turn-of-thecentury circus so fantastic and quixotic that you may find yourself a rêveur, too. Amy Teske is a high school freshman whose passions include english and theater. she participates in ten extracurricular activities, including the annual play and forensics, and she hopes to start a writing circle for the other english nerds in the community. Also recommended Catching Fire by suzanne Collins this sequel to The Hunger Games is a must-read for anyone who liked that book (or the movie). the storyline moves a little slower than in the first book in the trilogy, but this allows the reader to learn a lot about Katniss, the districts, and the politics at play in the whole series. While there is not as much focus on what happens in the arena, there is still plenty of action and lots of cliffhangers to make you want to dive right into the third book, Mockingjay. —Peter Won, 14, dC Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Don Quixote is a hilarious story about an old man who suddenly gets the idea of becoming a knight-errant. he desires to go around the world with his squire, sancho Panza, whom he coaxed into coming along. there are two parts to this book; the first describes his adventures just roaming around, and the second describes his encounter with a duke and duchess, who play cruel jokes on him, making him further believe that he is a knight-errant. this book will be a fun read for anyone. —rohan rani, 13, CA 36 imagine may/Jun 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2012

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/june 2012
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Building Green
Learn and Build
Tinkerer’s Dream
The Healing Touch
From Jupiter to the Moon
Building a Better Landmine Detector
Designing the Future
27 Pipes
Better Than Wikinotes
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Exploring Our Political Legacy
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2012