“On the fifteenth of June, 1767, Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò, my brother, sat among us for the last time.” Chapter 1: The Rebellion The novel opens with twelve-year-old […]
American literature
The Tale of Despereaux
“Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark.” Book the First: A Mouse Is Born The story begins in the castle of Dor, where a […]
English literature
The Night Circus
“The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, […]
English literature
The Amber Spyglass
“You cannot change what you are, only what you do.” Part One: The Enchanted Sleeper Lyra Silvertongue and Will Parry, now in possession of the subtle knife, travel […]
English literature
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” — Epigraph from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Chapter 1: The Dark Lord Ascending Voldemort gathers his Death […]
English literature
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” — The Marauder’s Map Chapter 1: Owl Post Harry Potter is spending another miserable summer with the Dursleys […]
English literature
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” — Albus Dumbledore Chapter 1: […]
English literature
The Hobbit
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party Bilbo Baggins, a respectable hobbit, is visited by the wizard Gandalf and thirteen […]
English literature
Through the Looking-Glass
“The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday—but never jam to-day.” Chapter 1: Looking-Glass House Alice, sitting in her drawing room, wonders what the world is like on […]
English literature
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
“Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice. Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit-Hole Alice, a young girl, grows bored sitting by the riverbank when she spots a White Rabbit in a […]