INTRODUCTORY POST
You cannot escape malice!
MALICE!
by:Chris Wooding
Wooding, Chris. Scholastic Press 2009
Number of Pages: 379
Synopsis: Children around the world are disappearing into a place called Malice, a world that exists inside a comic book. Very few kids will survive this experience. Seth and Kady didn't believe this silly myth, but then their friend Luke vanishes and this leaves them wondering if these rumors are really true. How is this happening and why is this happening? Kady and Seth don't realize what is waiting for them when they start the journey of looking for their friend.
VOCABULARY POST
1. Piteous
Sentence from the Book: The scratching stopped and there was another piteous mewl from behind the door.
Meaning: Deserving pity.
My Sentence: The piteous mewling of the injured kitten made me sad.
Synonym: pitiful, sad
Antonym: cheerful, happy
2. Incapable
Sentence from the Book: It was just that they were incapable of understanding him.
Meaning: Lacking ability to do.
My Sentence: I'm incapable of memorizing important information for my test.
Synonym: inadequate, unable
Antonym: capable, competent
3. Evasive
Sentence from the Book: Kady got a sense that he was being evasive, but she couldn't be bothered to chase him on it.
Meaning: Not straight forwarded.
My Sentence: When I was answering a question I was evasive because I didn't understand what was being asked.
Synonym: ambiguous, unclear
Antonym: direct, straightforward
4. Embroidered
Sentence from the Book: It was made of a papery material and embroidered around the edges with spiked designs.
Meaning: To decorate with designs sewn on with thread.
My Sentence: I embroidered the napkins with flowers.
Synonym: pattern, decorate
Antonym: simple
5. Pudgier
Sentence from the Book: Everyday they sat in front to the TV and everyday they got a little bit pudgier and duller.
Meaning: To get fatter.
My Sentence: My friend eats a lot of candy everyday and this has resulted in her getting pudgier.
Synonym: chubby, plump
Antonym: thin, skinny
6. Traumatized
Sentence from the Book: "Excuse me, Mrs. Galesworth, we'd just like to ask your traumatized son a few things?"
Meaning: Emotional shock that may have long-lasting effects.
My Sentence: His car accident was a traumatic experience and has resulted in him not wanting to drive.
Synonym: distress, bother
Antonym: calm
7. Rebellion
Sentence from the Book: It was their little shared rebellion against Alana.
Meaning: A struggle against any authority.
My Sentence: The American Revolution was a rebellion by the colonists against the British.
Synonym: defiance
Antonym: peace
8. Mechanic
Sentence from the Book: Mechanics with grimy faces joked with one another as they lay beneath cars.
Meaning: A person who is skilled in repairing and operating machines.
My Sentence: A mechanic fixed our car.
Synonym: repairman, technician
9. Alopecia
Sentence from the Book: "Alopecia" Kady said absently.
Meaning: Loss of hair, usually due to illness.
My Sentence: Most cancer patients will develop alopecia after chemotherapy.
Synonym: baldness, hair loss
10. Impulse
Sentence from the Book: Seized by an impulse, he hugged her.
Meaning: A sudden feeling that makes a person act without thinking.
My Sentence: An impulse made me give my new baseball glove to my friend who had lost his.
Synonym: instinct,
Antonym: predictable
JOURNAL ENTRIES
Quote #1: "Going shopping? In London? What do you want to do that for? You can just go to Leicester. There’s everything you need in Leicester." Page 53
The quote is important because since Luke disappeared they had been searching everywhere for him. When they were searching in his room they found a comic book called 'Malice'. Firstly, Kady and Seth thought that it was important because they have heard stories about that comic book. Secondly, Kady went on Luke's computer and found a map for this address in London. Secondly, they both thought that maybe this is where Luke might be. While searching his computer they also found an address for another comic book store where they could look for another issue of 'M''. Neither of them told their parents the real reason they wanted to go to London, hence the quote above where one of their parents is questioning why they want to go shopping in London. Finally, I chose this quote because I thought it's really sweet that they would put their lives in danger to go find their friend.
Quote #2: "You didn't ask what kind of incident?” Page 123
It is important to the text because Seth did all the things that the comic book said and he got to Malice on purpose. When another child came up to Seth and asked him how he got there, Seth lied to him because he didn't want anyone to find out. Seth had to lie to him because no one in their right mind goes to Malice on purpose. Malice is a dangerous place, you can get killed and it is very hard to get out. Those who do get out lose their memories and cannot remember what happened to them when they were in Malice. Seth wanted to go to Malice because he wanted to help free the children who were stuck there and he wanted to defeat Tall Jake. I chose this quote because I think if you do not ask the right questions you will not get the answers you are looking for.
Quote #3: "You mean they provide the food and water?" Page 134
It is important to the text because that is the only place they could get food and water. The only thing that was unfortunate was that this place was guarded. The machines that were guarding the food had orders to kill anyone that was not welcome. Seth was shocked when he heard the food was guarded. I thought this was important because there was only one place in Malice to get food and this place was guarded. I can't imagine going down to the kitchen in my house and seeing someone guard our food.
Quote #4: "Skarla?" Page 219
It is important to the text because if you can find Skarla, you can ask her any question you want to know. Seth wanted to know how to stop Tall Jake. In order to find Skarla there were many obstacles he and his friends had to go through which could kill them. Seth took this challenge but he did have some help from his friends. I found this quote very important because if Skarla can tell them how to stop Tall Jake everyone that was trapped in Malice could go home to their families.
Quote #5: "Is it all like the clock tower?” Page 226
This is important to the text because the clock tower is where the timekeeper is. The timekeeper is important because he is responsible for stopping and starting the time. When the time stops the trains stop as well. Seth and his friends went to the clock tower to start the movement of time. This was a very dangerous thing for Seth and his friend and Seth almost got killed. They wanted the trains too start up again so they could go to another place. Once they got the time moving Seth and his friend got to the other place called Oublietge. Seth thought it looked scary and then he was wondering if it was as bad as the clock tower.
Quote #6: "All right, I'm outta here." Page270
This quote is really important to the text because when Kady found out that she had already been to Malice and her parents had not even told her, she was angry. Firstly, Kady didn't remember anything because her mom had hypnotized her to think that she was in San Francisco. Kady was so upset with her parents that she wanted to run away from home. In summary, this is important because this is when Kady finds out she had all rigthy been to Malice.
SUMMARY OF MALICE
Something strange is happening to children in this book, they seem to be disappearing. The book starts with three characters: Luke, Seth and Kady. Firstly, it all started when Luke, one of the characters in the book, bought a comic book called ‘Malice’. He started to read the comic book and then recited the chant in the book. All of a sudden, he was trapped inside the comic book. The next day when no one saw him, everyone started to get worried. Although, people were convinced he had been kidnapped or he ran away. The police were called and they started to look for Luke.
Luke’s two friends, Kady and Seth decided to go to his house to search for clues. They both felt that the police didn’t look hard enough. It seemed that the police felt that Luke ran away, but they still weren't sure. While searching Luke’s room Kady and Seth found the comic book ‘Malice’ that Luke had bought. They had both heard bad stories about this book. Kady decided to open the book and start to read, however, when she opened it there were no words just pictures. They both thought it was odd that this book had no writing in it. They decided to take the book with them, maybe it was a clue to his disappearance. Kady thought it might be a good idea to find another Malice comic book. She went on Luke's computer and found a map of London.
Kady and Seth decided to go to London to a comic book store to see if they can find the book Malice. They found a store that sold comics and decided to go in. The worker at the store was a creepy looking man and he kept looking at them strangely. Seth decided to ask him if they had a comic book called ‘Malice’. He immediately said “No” and sounded very defensive. Seth knew right away he was lying so Kady distracted the worker by knocking down a bookshelf and Seth snuck though to the back to look for the comic book. As soon as the worker realized what was happening, he got really angry. They both managed to get away though and luckily Seth managed to get an issue of the comic book.
Kady was in her room and when she went in her closet she found a newspaper which had an article about a boy named Henry who had lost his memory. He and his brother were home one night and his brother disappeared but Henry had no memory of what had happened. Seth and Kady decided to go visit him and ask him some questions. When they got there they asked him some questions. He could not answer any of their questions at first since he did not remember anything. After asking several questions Kady finally managed to help him remember. He told her everything he could about Malice including remembering his brother reciting the chant in the book. Seth and Kady figured out that Malice is not only a comic book, but a place where children get trapped.
This made Seth very angry to know that children were getting trapped inside the book. He decided he was going to go into the book and see if he could put a stop to this. The first time he recited the chant it did not work because his mom was in the room with him. He tried it again when he was alone and it worked. Seth met many children at Malice that had been trapped because they read the comic book and recited the chant.
Seth was thinking about Kady and how he had left her a letter letting her know what he was doing. When Kady found the letter she was sad that Seth did this, but was also very angry that he didn’t tell her in person. Kady would have tried to stop him and he knew this.
Kady wanted to get more information about Malice so she went back to London and followed the worker at the comic bookstore. She managed to sneak into his house and listened to his conversation with his mom Mrs. Benjamin. Kady managed to get another comic book about Malice. Mrs. Benjamin heard a noise and found Kady. Kady ran out and got away before Mrs. Benjamin could catch her. Kady managed to get on the train but didn't realize that Mrs. Benjamin caught up to her. She gave her a warning to never talk about Malice or she will find her and kill her. Kady kept the comic book hidden but she decided not to read it.
When Kady got home she went on her computer and chatted with her cousin in San Francisco. She told her cousin she had a lot of fun with her in San Francisco. Her cousin told her she never came to San Francisco. Kady told her she remembered coming. Her cousin told her she had been missing for three months. When she comes back she didn't remember anything that happened. So her mom hypnotized her to think that she was in San Francisco the entire time. This is when she realized she had already been to Malice. Kady was so angry she decided to run away. She packed a small bag and went to the train station. When Kady was on the train she ended up in Malice.
In Malice she found ran into Seth and Justin. Justin was someone that Seth met when he came to Malice. They were both heading to Skarla to ask her to help them defeat Tall Jake. Kady decided to go with them. Skarla would answer only one question that you wanted answered. When they found Skarla they asked her how they could stop Tall Jake, the person who is responsible for trapping children in this comic book. Skarla told them to find the four people that she knew that can help them defeat Tall Jake. One of the persons was living in an ornament that Kady knew she had back in their world.
Seth went back to the world where they live. Kady managed to send him back because he had a white ticket. When Seth got back he didn’t remember anything that happened so he wasn't able to get the ornament to help Kady and the children trapped in the comic book.
In summary, all these children were still disappearing and now you know where. The book continues in another novel called Havoc.
CHARACTER PROBE
KADY: In this story there is a lovely sweet girl called Kady. She has brown hair. Kady has two friends in the beginning Seth and Luke but one day Luke disappears and Seth and Kady go look for him. That tells me Kady is adventurous. Although, in the book Kady gets scared very easily. When Seth gets trapped in Malice, Kady goes on an adventure by herself. The adventure she went on was very dangerous but she still went on it to see if she could save her friends. You can see that Kady has changed, she is more brave than she used to be. Kady is important to the text because without Kady's help they would probably have had as much of information as they have now. For example, if Kady did not find those newspapers they would have never met Henry and still would have not have been sure if the comic book Malice was a real place. In addition, in the beginning Kady was scared to go on the adventure and then in the end she follows the comic book worker home to get more information on him even though she knew she could get caught. In summary, I can tell you Kady has changed quite a bit since the beginning of the book.
Seth: In
this story there is a brave boy called Seth. He has black hair. Seth has two
friends in the beginning, Kady and Luke.
One day Luke disappears and no one knows where he is so Kady and Seth go
looking for him. That tells me he is a great friend. Seth even risked his own
life trying to set all the other kids free, he even went on these adventures
with someone he met in Malice. Seth is important to the text because if he had
not gone to Malice, Kady would have never gone on those adventures to find more
information. For example, if Seth did
not go to London with Kady they would have never gotten the comic book and Kady
probably would have no clue how Luke had disappeared. Also, since Kady was too
scared to go on the adventures, Seth talked her into it.
Justin:
In this story there was this boy named Justin who had been trapped in Malice
for many years. He was not scared of anything and this made him a very brave
person. When Seth was going on his adventures, it was Justin who accompanied
him. Justin wanted to help Kady and Seth free the other kids and he also wanted
to defeat Tall Jake. Justin is important to the text because if he did not go
with Seth on his adventures Seth could gotten killed or lost. For example, Justin helped Seth get to the
clock tower and to the Oubliette because he knew the way around Malice.
THEME
REVIEW
I would recommend this book to kids who love to read adventure books and scary books! You never know what's going to happen next! There is always something surpising in this book. The ending is very surprising. My favourtie part of the book was when Kady found out that she had already been to Malice. It really surprised me and made me want to continue reading. When I read this story I loved it, so I hope you get this book right now and start reading. I know you will like it.
Visuals
This is a
trailer of the book Malice. Also here is an interesting viedo you might like.
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