I finished reading 'Go Set a Watchman' in September. We are now approaching the end of October and I have only just willed myself to begin writing my review. This book didn't excite me. I knew, when I first began reading, that it wouldn't be nearly as good as 'To Kill a Mockingbird' yet I was still intrigued to read what else Harper Lee had written.

'Go Set a Watchman' was written before 'To Kill a Mockingbird', and is essentially its first draft. Scout, now 26 and living in New York, returns to Maycomb in Alabama to visit her elderly father, where she discovers disturbing truths about her family regarding their views on African Americans. This particular time period also happened to correspond perfectly with my current History A Level topic of 'U.S. Civil Rights for African Americans' so I really enjoyed the contextual aspect of the book.

Scout - or Jean Louise as she was known in this book - had grown up to be exactly who I always thought she would be. Scout's character development, from what we saw of the stubborn, self-willed child in 'To Kill a Mockingbird', to the outspoken, plucky feminist in 'Go Set a Watchman' was seamless.

The book certainly had its charming moments, namely in the flashbacks to Scout's childhood, such as young Scout's confusion as to whether she was pregnant or not. Although this was amusing, it did also reflect the attitudes to women and such taboo subjects, and how little was known about such issues at the time. Despite enjoying this particular flashback I found most of them quite unnecessary. Other than giving the reader some insight into Scout's childhood - which we already had having read 'To Kill a Mockingbird' - these stories did not advance the plot at all. It almost felt as if Lee was struggling for things to write and really preferred writing about the young Jean Louise.

In addition to this, it took an extremely long time for anything to really get going in the book.In fact not a huge amount did happen until the final few pages which were a lot more dramatic than the entire novel. This only made the book feel even more dated, and I couldn't help but think that, if it had to be released at all
, it should have been published years ago.

Recently I went to see the movie adaptation of 'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children'. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the film but, considering it was directed by Tim Burton, I had reasonably high expectations.

I'll begin with the first part of the film. I absolutely loved the opening title sequence and getting to see Tim Burton's interpretation of the pictures that really make the book what it is. We don't often see long opening title sequences in film anymore so this was an interesting, unique addition that gave it an old-fashioned feel. I loved the huge dramatic build up to what turned out to be simply a sunny Florida beach. The film was full of little comedic moments such as that which I really enjoyed. Plus I can't go without mentioning baby Jacob who was absolutely adorable. I will say however that I wasn't one hundred percent sure about the acting during the first few minutes. Whether that was the fault of the script, the actors, or the directions they were given, I wasn't convinced by Jacob and his granddad's "close" relationship.

The cinematography was haunting and very Tim Burton-esque, and the locations were perfect. The Welsh pub Jacob stays at with his father was exactly as I had imagined when reading the book. Even Miss Peregrine's school was almost identical to the picture I had in my head. Tim Burton's style and aesthetic perfectly fitted the story.

The children were also wonderful. Of course I could be completely wrong and they all happened to connect incredibly quickly on set, but it felt as though Tim Burton had made sure the Peculiars bonded pre-filming to really get across the fact that they had been living together for a hundred odd years. The friendship between them was clear on screen, and little details such as Enoch holding Claire's hand were both adorable and added to this.

I know a lot of people were angered by a few of the changes from the book, one being the choice to swap Olive and Emma's peculiarities. Personally I didn't find this swap at all detracted from the film so didn't make a huge difference to me. However neither did this change benefit the plot which made it all the more unnecessary. I will also say that I wasn't such a fan of Emma's personality in the film. She was such a fiery character in the book, and she didn't come across nearly as headstrong. Of course I can't go without mentioning the most obvious and bizarre change: the ending. Even if I could have separated the book from the film I'm still not sure if I would have enjoyed this "battle" scene. I was all right with this alteration, as it didn't hugely impact the overall plot, until the final few minutes. So much was changed for no particular reason: Abe ending up alive, Jacob going through various time periods to get back to Emma, and Miss Peregrine being revealed in her human form. The latter particularly frustrated me as it completely destroyed any possibility of making 'Hollow City' and 'Library of Souls' since the plots so heavily rely on Miss Peregrine being stuck in her bird form. Perhaps they chose to leave it as one film but at least they could have allowed themselves the chance to make the next two if they wanted. Then again, who am I to tell Tim Burton what to do with his movie?

All in all I did really enjoy this film, and had fun watching it which is arguably the most important aspect. The cast were brilliant and surprisingly mainstream (Judi Dench, Chris O'Dowd, Samuel L Jackson and Rupert Everett all made appearances); the cinematography was haunting; and the children were perfectly cast. My only real issue with the film was the ending and the fact that, should they choose to adapt the next two books, the plot will have to be entirely different.

4/5

As someone who loved these books as a child and has watched the 1974 film at least 10 times I adored the nostalgia and memories it brought back to me. Granted I was slightly distracted by my parents who don't seem to have grasped the concept of whispering but nevertheless this new adaptation made me desperate to go back to the Lake District and even to go sailing again which I haven't done in years. The brief shot of Catbells in the background reminded me of the extremely satisfying experience of walking up my first mountain. The overall look of this "reboot" was, despite obviously being much updated, almost identical to the original film. The locations, such as the chidrens' camping spot on the island and their "secret harbour", looked extraordinarily similar to these places I remember so well which only added to the nostalgia.

'Swallows and Amazons' is based on Arthur Ransome's 1930 novel. The story takes place during the Walker family's summer holiday in the Lake District. The four oldest children sail - in their borrowed boat 'Swallow' -  to a deserted island in the centre of Coniston Water. However the island turns out to already have been claimed by Nancy and Peggy Blackett co-owners of 'Amazon'. The two families battle it out on their boats to win the island, naturally putting aside their differences to discover the truth about the mysterious James Turner who lives a secluded life on his houseboat.

The Walker children - excluding the baby of course, although she was very cute - all looked like they could easily be siblings. The family blonde hair certainly helped but the four of them also acted just like brothers and sisters. The chemistry between them was lovely to watch and I actually enjoyed their little sibling tiffs since it made the entire family dynamic much more realistic than the perfect Walker family we see in the books. I feel like I can't review this film without at least mentioning the decision to change Titty's name to "Tatty". I'll agree the change was necessary since I found myself sniggering at her name even when I was 10. I can't help but think that her name should have been changed entirely or at least to something such as "Tilly" as "Tatty" isn't really much better than "Titty" in my opinion. That aside, the children, including the Blackett sisters, were absolutely believable and their childhood innocence was wonderful to witness.


Of course there was the odd change from Ransome's book. The most drastic being the addition of two Russian spies chasing after James Turner (or the pirate, Captain Flint as the children call him). I'm in two minds about this addition to the plot. Firstly, I can understand why it was felt the film needed a little more thrill and drama particularly for a modern audience who, let's be honest, have become almost accustomed to and expectant of explosions and car chases. I didn't feel like it affected the overall plot too much but acted as an exciting extra to a tale which, at its core, is about six children waging a "war" over the right to name an island. On the other hand that's all it is: six children waging a war over the right to name an island, and that's what gives the story is innocent, nonthreatening charm. Having said that the childish appeal was definitely still there along with the genuine comedic moments.

I've read various reviews that have called the film"not timeless but outdated". Who knows, maybe they're right but I certainly felt myself tearing up for pure nostalgic reasons. Some not so good reviews also seem, in my opinion, to have forgotten the target audience is children when they've complained about there not being enough action and blockbuster-esque scenes but I certainly remember being scared out of my wits during their night sail when I was a child. I'm not sure how people who have never read the books or watched the original might react to this new film but I personally loved the humour, excitement and memories it brought back for me.

4/5 stars

If you've been absent from planet Earth since June 2015 you may not be aware of the latest addition to the world of Harry Potter: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. So, for the benefit of those of you who have been living under a large rock for several months, I'll explain what this newest instalment entails.

The play - written by Jack Thorne and based on the concept by JK Rowling - is in two parts and follows Albus Severus Potter, whom you may remember from the many debates and arguments throughout the Potter fandom relating to his name. New Hogwarts student Albus, struggling with the burden of bearing the Potter name, sets out on an adventure with his best friend Scorpius Malfoy (more on him later).

I adored being given the opportunity to to revisit one of my favourite fictional worlds and see the characters I loved so much as a child have children of their own and deal with the trials of adulthood and parenthood. It was no surprise to me that Hermione had become Minister for Magic, and that Ron now ran a joke shop just like his older brothers - although I couldn't help but feel that Ron had reverted back to his role as comic sidekick after we'd seen him grow so much throughout the seven books. The use of the time turner and paintings was a wonderful way of allowing us to see characters I wasn't expecting, like Snape, Dumbledore and even Umbridge! However I would have liked to have seen more of my favourite characters from the original books. Neville was mentioned, but what is Luna up to? What about the rest of the Weasleys?

I also felt that we missed out on an opportunity to learn more about the next generation. Teddy Lupin wasn't featured at all, and James and Lily Potter and Rose Weasley - a perfect combination of her parents - we didn't see nearly enough of. Having said that I loved getting to know Albus and Scorpius. Scorpius quickly became my favourite character and he wasn't what I was expecting at all. He was wonderfully nerdy and dorky and nothing like his father. As a proud Slytherin myself, it was truly refreshing to see Slytherins in a new geeky, heroic light.

I also couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed by the extremely dark events involving the return of Voldemort considering the final line in 'The Deathly Hallows' is "All was well". And, as much as I would like to discover  more about this next generation, I really do hope all is well this time.