LCE 6th grade Electronic Book Review Form

1. Student Reviewer’s Name: Marne F.
2. Date of review of book: February 21, 2008
3. Complete Book Title: A Company of Swans
4. Author of Book: Eva Ibbotson
5. Year the book was published: 1985
6. Genre: Historical Fiction
7. Student rating of the book (1 the highest, 5 the lowest): I rate this book a 1.

8. Main conflict in the book: Harriet Morton is unhappy with her controlled and boring life in Cambridge, England. Her stuffy Aunt Louisa and her father allow her only to do ballet. Yet, when a Russian ballet master comes, and wants Harriet to join them on their trip to the Amazon, she is not allowed to go. At this point, Harriet is so upset that she runs away with the Ballet Company. As they travel throughout the Amazon performing many ballets, little does she know that her father and unwanted fiancé are tracking her down, and planning to take her back to her old life.

9. Setting of the book: (place and time) This book is set in Cambridge England, 1912

10. Main Characters and part they play in the book:
(1) Harriet Morton is the star who loves ballet and her life in the Amazon with the Ballet Company. She would do anything not to go back to her old life, and marry her would be fiancé.

(2) Rom Verney is the man that Harriet falls in love with in the Amazon. He will do anything to protect her, and keep her from going back to England. He also owns the opera house that the ballet company performs in.

11. Are the characters believable and interesting? Yes, they are. They are believable, because they seem like regular people who want to make the best life. They are interesting, because they show what life is like in a ballet company.

12. One excellent direct quotation from the book: (include who said it, page number, and
quotation marks!)

“You are offering me a job, you would take me?” she said slowly. Harriet said this on page 19.

13. Good reasons to read the book: There are many good reasons to read this wonderful book. First of all, it gives an extremely good explanation of what life in England was like in 1912. Also, it describes how life in the Amazon was. Along with that, it shows what life is like as a professional dancer in a company is like. So, if you like dancing, this book will really fascinate you.

14. Any reasons not to read the book? The only reason, if any, not to read the book is if you do not like dancing. You may become a little bit bored.

15. Did you like this book or not? And why…. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked it for many reasons. One is that I am a dancer, so it shows what life would be like if I were to become a professional dancer. Secondly, it gives a lot of history about England, which really fascinated me. Lastly, it made me appreciate how much freedom and fun I have in my life compared to some people. These are the reasons I loved this book, and recommend it to everyone.