My Top 10 Favourite Childhood Books

By Sarena D.
*Article first appears on www.youthareawesome.com
 So, I was feeling a touch of nostalgia and decided to compile a list of my favourite novels from my elementary school years. Many of these I would go back to and read again today, and I encourage you all to have a read too. Have a childhood favourite? Comment below. In no particular order, here it goes:

1. Anne of Green Gables Series by L.M. Montgomery
   Prince Edward Island’s famous redhead has been an inspiration in my life for many years. I enjoyed every one of the eight books wholeheartedly, and even read the prequel, Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson.
2. Famous Five Series by Enid Blyton
   A group of best friends/cousins, check. An adorable dog, check. A mystery to solve, check. My aunt in England had me hooked on this series by a famous British author.
3. Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton
   This is a series about girls at a boarding school in Cornwall, England. This series follows the protagonist through all three terms at her school. The best parts of the book for me were the times when the girls played tricks on their teachers, which had me in tears of laughter. This is an inspiration for all April Fools days to come.
4. Little Giant Book of…
   These tiny books pack a huge punch. The collection includes books on every topic imaginable. My favourites included: The Little Giant Book of Optical Illusions, Ghost Stories, Jokes and Dinosaurs.
5. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
   The main character, Milo, has the time of his life when he ends up in the Land of Expectations. The book is a big play on words, and includes two warring princes (one of mathematics and the other of English), the kidnapped princesses, Rhyme and Reason, and the mathematical creature, The Dodecahedron, as well as other strange creatures. I loved journeying with Milo to the Island of Conclusions (you have to jump to get there), and to the enemies’ kingdoms of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis, as well as to other fantastic places.
6. Our Canadian Girls Series
   This is a truly inspirational series about girls in Canada surviving the toughest of challenges, including The Halifax Explosion, The Great War of Europe, and the racial tensions in Nova Scotia.
7. Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene
   This is another set of mystery series which has fascinated me for years. It’s little wonder that, presently, all I watch on television are crime shows.
8. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
   This is one of my favourite sci-fi fantasies. The series centres on a young girl whose father (a government scientist) disappears after working on a project called the tesseract.
9. The Bobbsey Twins Series by Laura Lee Hope
   Again, this is another set of mystery series, where two sets of twins in a family go on a variety of adventures. Seeing a trend?
10. Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
    I think this is a given. I have grown up with Harry Potter (I started reading the series in Kindergarten). So far, I have read the books over thirty-five times. 

Student Speak

By: Grace. F
What clubs are you in right now? What for?  What do you think about Western’s club selection? Should we have more or less clubs?  If you can choose any club to be included in Western Canada, what would it be and why?

Jade Z. and Helena M. - I’m in Yearbook right now, and I really enjoy it so far. Yearbook gives me the chance to learn about design which is something that I’m really interested in. We get to try new things, and it’s a really great experience overall!

We should definitely have more clubs. I’d like to see some book clubs being added because I personally enjoy reading, and I think it’s always great to have a group of people reading the same book and have a lively discussion! There should be clubs that are similar to P.E because IB students don’t get the chance to take P.E in grade 11 or 12. There should also be clubs that allows students go to other student for help on homework.
I would personally want Design because it’s something that I’m interested in and I’d like to work with people who have the same interests as me. I want the club to be really broad so that it could include computer design or fashion design, and then there would be a lot more people who I will be able to meet and work with. I believe that students at Western should be able to recommend or put in their ideas for clubs so that the administration can see what the students want.

Laurie L.G. - I’m in the Franco-Western club. One of the best things about this club is that there are bonus marks awarded for people in the FSL classes, and that’s one of the reasons why I decided to join the club. The club only lasts for one semester, but I think it should be offered throughout the year because it gives students a chance to practice their French with other students. This is the other reason why I joined the club. It’s really helpful when you can talk to other students who are also learning French.

There should be more clubs! Western has an extremely diverse population, and we all have many different interests. Clubs should be there to give the opportunity for students to show their talent. As well, it can also show students that there are other people out there who might share the same interests as them!

I don’t have a particular one that I think should be added, but clubs that other people are interested in should be included.