Book Report Title: The Golden Compass Author: Philip Pullman Setting: Oxford, Bolvangar and Svalbard, England

Characters: Lyra Belacqua is the main character of The Golden Compass (also known as Northern Lights in the U.K.) as well the entireHis Dark Materials trilogy. She's a 12-year-old orphan living at Jordan College in Oxford, England, when the first book begins, but she has a much greater destiny awaiting her than being a simple schoolgirl, of course. Marisa Coulter is a beautiful widow who heads a section of the Magisterium called the General Oblation Board. Also known as the Gobblers, this faction of the church is believed by many of the common folk around the Jordan College area to be responsible for the rash of child kidnappings that have been going on. In fact, this is correct, and the purpose of Coulter and the General Oblation Board's actions is to use the children as guinea pigs in their experiments involving removing the daemons from kids in an attempt to take the sin away from them. Lord Asriel is the powerful and mysterious uncle of Lyra Belacqua, a scientist and explorer who is on a mission of potentially worlds-changing importance. Having discovered the connection between the many parallel worlds of the multiverse, Asriel seeks to find a way to travel from universe to universe -- and he's intent on doing so despite the Magisterium's instructions to the contrary. Iorek Byrnison belongs to the race of sentient, armored bears also known as Panserbjorne. He is a faithful friend and ally to Lyra Belacqua and the Texan aeronautLee Scoresby, and a force to be reckoned with in the battle against the Magisterium. Lord John Faa is the leader of the band of water gypsies known as the Gyptians. As King of the Gyptians, it falls to Faa to act when the General Oblation Board begins kidnapping the river people's children. He leads a band of men to the north in order to save these kids, and Lyra Belacqua accompanies this group on their voyage to the Arctic after the Gyptians rescue her during her initial escape from Mrs. Coulter. It is also Faa and his people who reveal to Lyra her true relationship to Coulter and Lord Asriel. Farder Coram is a valued leader of the band of water gypsies known as the Gyptians. He works as an advisor and second-in-command to Faa, though their truest bond is as friends. Serafina Pekkala is the enchanting witch queen who rules over the clan of Lake Enara Northern witches. The centuries-old Pekkala often helps Lyra Belacqua in her adventures, and even serves as something of a mother figure to the girl. Lee Scoresby

is a Texan who works as a prospector and a hot-air balloonist/aeronaut. He aids Lyra Belacqua and the Gyptians in their journey north in The Golden Compass when the water gypsies hire him for the use of his balloon after the abduction of the Gyptian children by the General Oblation Board. Beyond that first adventure, Scoresby continues to aid Lyra throughout the His Dark Materialstrilogy as she pursues her destiny. A grizzled veteran, he's tough yet wise, hard but warm. Ma Costa is part of the group of water gypsies known as the Gyptians, and the mother to Billy Costa and Tony Costa. When Billy and many other Gyptian children are kidnapped by the General Oblation Board and taken north, Tony travels with Lyra Belacqua and other Gyptians in an attempt to save the lost kids. Summary: Meet our protagonist, Lyra, and her daemon Pantalaimon (the shape-shifting animal that is her soul), or Pan for short. They live at Oxford University's Jordan College, among scholars and other brainy-types. Lyra is an orphan whose parents were killed when she was very young. Her uncle, Lord Asriel, is her guardian. He's a powerful and sometimes scary man involved with politics. For the most part, though, she is cared for by the scholars at Oxford University, where she is also friends with a kitchen boy named Roger. When the book opens, Lord Asriel has returned from the North, where he has been conducting experiments involving something called Dust. What is Dust? Well, it's something very, very important in the book, and we later learn that the Church thinks Dust is, more or less, the equivalent of original sin. We also find out that Dust develops in children when they get older and their daemon stops shifting and takes on the form of a specific animal. Plot: The novel begins in an alternate world that is similar to Earth. Lyra Belacqua, a young girl who has been given shelter by the scholars at Jordan College at Oxford University, and her daemon, Pantalaimon, hide in an off-limits wardrobe in the Headmasters rooms. (In Lyras world, daemons are the external forms of peoples souls.) Lyra and Pantalaimon learn that Lord Asriel, Lyras uncle, is about to be poisoned by the Headmaster for mysterious reasons. They warn Lord Asriel in time to save his life. Later, they overhear Lord Asriel telling the scholars at Jordan about a strange substance he is researching called Dust. Lord Asriel is able to convince the scholars to fund his further explorations of Dust, which require him to travel to the northernmost reaches of the globe. All of this greatly excites Lyras curiosity about Dust. Conclusion: The story of such an outstanding composition was a very fun and adventurous book to read with. I think that the fact that Philip Pullman made it was already a big hit. One of the most popular novels around the globe which got plenty of recognitions from different organizations and famous authors deserves to be renown by todays generation. Recommendation: I highly recommend this fantastic book to someone outstanding, Mr. Lorenzo Estoye. As one of the writers of The Lathe, I know that this will be of great help to him not only as a simple writer as an inspiration especially the lessons of the said novel. I have already watched the movie based on this novel and its a must see, believe me. Moreover, I really hope that I can grab the book for him and hand it over personally.

Reading response: (sulatan mo ha..)