The Northern Lights

You know the book is more than often going to be awesome if it is titled something like "The Northern Lights". Frankly, they should have chosen something other than The Northern Lights because it gives away what happens in the end of the book and some thirteen-year-old girl is probably going to spoil it for you. (That girl is me.)
  You should know by now that the book is called The Northern Lights. If you don't, then I have absolutely no idea what you were doing while you read the first paragraph. The novel is written by Philip Pullman, and was made into a film in 2007 called The Golden Compass. This book is the first book in the His Dark Materials series.
  The story is set in a world similar to our own, but with everyone having a personification of their soul called a dæmon. The place where our main cast travels to is similar to Russia and the Baltic nations.
  The main protagonist is Lyra Belacqua, an 11-year-old girl with her dæmon Pantalaimon. She has spent almost all her life in Oxford with her best friend Roger and her father figure Lord Asriel. Lord Asriel is bent on researching a supernatural force called "Dust" and plans to travel north to, of course, see the Northern Lights, which is connected to Dust. At the same time, the children Lyra always play with are starting to spread rumours about Gobblers, monsters who kidnap children.
  At dinner, Lyra meets Mrs Coulter, a charming yet mysterious woman. Mrs Coulter requests Lord Asriel that Lyra stays with her and becomes her assistant. Before leaving Oxford, the Master of the College gives her an alethiometer, which resembles a golden compass and is the last one of its make.
  Lyra finds out that a certain somebody (not going to spoil the surprise for you) is actually head of the Gobblers, then tries to run away from her. She soon discovers that her best friend Roger and a gyptian boy named Billy have been captured by the Gobblers. She, too, is pursued by Gobblers until Ma Costa, Billy's mother rescues her. Together with Billy's family, Lyra sets out to the north to rescue the missing boys.
  On the way, she meets an armoured bear who calls himself Iorek Byrnison, an outcast banished by his own people. After helping Iorek get his armour back, he becomes Lyra's travelling companion and bodyguard.
  I really can no longer say more without spoiling it, so I'll stop writing here.
  This is definitely an interesting read, and I recommend it to everyone out there who enjoys fantasy adventure and an endless mystery waiting to be solved.
  Bye bye!


- Chan Yi Ying, Year 7 student and self-proclaimed fairytaler.