An Open Book

The Witch of Blackbird Pond . Elizabeth George Spear. New York: Yearling, April 1987. 249 pp. Katherine Tyler, who left Barbados to stay with her relatives in New England, realizes that her dream was not to live in the stern Puritan community. All she understood about life, that her late grandfather had taught her back in the isles, was a wonderful world with books, flowers, and servants. Now, in this new land, she had to adapt and found new friends who share the same longing that she had. However, because of her befriending the old woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, she was accused of witchcraft. Who could guess that the love she is waiting for is all the way on a ship that had brought her to this land of her mother's sister? This book has got a Newberry Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Literature for Children. It tells about love, belief and friendship. Taking place in the setting of the 1600s in a Puritan community, this story is really a distinguish...

Maniac Magee . Jerry Spinelli. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1990. 184 pp. Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his friends. Moving from one place to another, he experiences that living as an orphan he could not run all the time from the tumult in his heart. He even could change a racially divided small town. For the timebeing, "Maniac Magee" realized that he longs for something called home.  It's a story full of humanity wrapped with humor and enthusiasm. Lessons that today's teenagers should learn about life. Written by Jerry Spinelli, the Newberry Award-Winning Author, this book has tied the reader to read up to the end and continue with the author's other works.

Celengan             Denting koin-koin dalam brankas kasir bagaikan musik di telingaku. Aku harus merayakan hari ini, kataku dalam hati. Bukan karena pekerjaan pertamaku dengan ijazah yang kuperoleh setelah kuliah empat tahun, melainkan karena hari ini aku dapat menjalankan rencanaku. Bayangkan saja, dalam waktu 2 minggu, aku telah mempelajari situasi dan mendapatkan hasil. I’m smart, aren’t I? No, I’m very smart .             Tidak ada yang tahu kecuali aku, dan celenganku. Tuhan? Ah, yang begini urusan kecil. Celengan ini sudah menemaniku sejak aku merantau  untuk kuliah. Namun, karena kehidupan mahasiswa tidak memungkinkan bagiku untuk menabung, maka celengan pemberian kakekku ini masih sekedar pajangan di atas meja belajarku. Celengan ini tidak begitu istimewa dalam penampilannya. Hanya saja karena ini buah karya kakek, aku tetap menyimpannya sebagai kenangan akan dia ...

Across Five Aprils . Irene Hunt. New York: Berkley Jam Books, January 2002. 212 pp. This book is another touching historical fiction. A nine-year-old boy, Jethro Creighton, has experienced the hardship of pioneer life. Most of his time, he helps his parents on the field in southern Illinois. The Civil War that broke in 1861 made him be a man too soon his age. His three brothers and one cousin should assign and that left him, his sister, Jenny, his sister-in-law, Nancy's family, mother and father. His parents had suffered much since the death of their other daughter Mary. Now, their son are also taken from them to serve the country. One of their son betrayed and assigned for the enemy of the Union soldier, that really broke the heart of the family. For four years, Jeth learned from his experience to overcome the war happening not only out there but also in his heart. His crave for knowledge and love for his family, made him able to pass the hard times. Even the President, Abraha...

10 Days Anne Frank . David Colbert. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, September 2008. 152 pp. Anne Frank, a girl of thirteen, is experiencing twenty-five months in the secret annex,  in order to hide from the Nazy Germany. Being an ordinary schoolgirl, she knew how to be treated as a Jew in the Netherlands, how to live in hiding, how to be separated with her family when sent to different camps. She knew how it felt to accompany her sister to her death hour because of typhus in the concentration camp. Her story is recorded in her diary that tells us more than we could imagine about the holocaust. The author is highlighting the ten crucial days in Anne's lifetime through this book. What I expected was to read the translation of her diary. To feel her happiness, curiosity, and even the fear through her words. However, the author has summarized the crucial days of her lifetime quite well. Many facts and pictures contribute to the understanding of Anne's circumstance at that time. ...

The Giver I could feel the pain, the search for love, color and feelings in this story, written by Lois Lowry. In the last pages, the author describes the struggle of the 12-year-old boy Jonas, who became the Receiver of the memory from the Giver. Just imagine a world without pain, feelings, and color. All people in the community are in the Sameness, no identical person, everything is controlled and predictable. This is the world that Jonas is trying to save by the help of the Giver. The Giver is giving him enough memory of the love, color, even pain that the world in which he is, has not currently. That means that Jonas has to endure the memory by himself as the next Receiver. However, the community has to bear their own burdens, memory and not let the memories be burden to only one person. So, Jonas and the Giver are making a plan, that needs bravery to risk taking. Title: The Giver Author: Lois Lowry Publisher: Dell Laurel-Leaf, New York Reprinted by: Houghton Mifflin Company...

Fokus Hidup Pernah suatu kali saya mengobrol dengan seorang bapak setengah baya ketika sedang berteduh di penitipan motor sepulang kerja. Sambil memandangi hujan yang lumayan deras, ia mengajak ngobrol tentang keluarga. Awalnya saya tidak begitu tertarik untuk mengobrol, pikiran saya masih tertuju pada "sayangku" yang masih berusia 8 bulan saat itu. Saat ia mulai bercerita tentang keluarganya, bagaimana dia membesarkan anak-anaknya, mempunyai harapan untuk anak-anaknya, saya mulai tertarik untuk mendengar. Saya berpikir ini pelajaran berharga buat saya siapa tahu jadi masuk untuk membesarkan putri saya. Tiba-tiba dia bertanya, "Menurut pandangan Ibu, putri Ibu sebagai apa dalam hidup?" Saya tidak memberi jawaban langsung, malah pikiran bahwa selama ini yang memenuhi pikiran saya adalah anak saya. Sepertinya semua yang saya kerjakan saat ini adalah untuk dia. Tanpa menunggu jawaban saya, seakan bisa membaca pikiran saya, dia meneruskan, " banyak orang berpi...

Waktu, Siapa Tuanmu? Pernyataan "Waktu berjalan sangat cepat", atau "Tidak terasa waktu sudah berlalu", atau "Sepertinya baru kemarin ketemu", dll, sudah sering terdengar. Apalagi di akhir bulan Februari lalu yang hanya 28 hari. Sepertinya Waktu itu sebuah kuasa yang membuat manusia terengah-engah mengejar Waktu , mempersingkat Waktu , mengisi Waktu . Tidak ada yang berkuasa menghentikannya atau mengembalikannya, kecuali Tuhan yang menciptakan Waktu itu sendiri.  Kita pasti sudah pernah mendengar "jangan mau diperhamba oleh apapun juga di dunia ini". Tapi bagaimana dengan Waktu? Mau tidak mau manusia harus mengikuti jadwalnya Waktu. Segala jadwal makan, berangkat kerja, rapat, deadline, kunjungan, pernyataan, dan berjuta kegiatan di dunia ini diatur oleh Waktu.   Saya mencoba memandang dengan kacamata yang lain. Jika Tuhan menciptakan Waktu bukan untuk menjadi tuan atas ciptaanNya yang lain, yang lebih berharga dan sangat dikasihiNya, maka Wa...