Reviews

12
Nov
2021
Be Prepared

Be Prepared

by Vera Brosgol

Recently, I just finished an amazing graphic novel named Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol. It’s a slightly modified memoir from the author’s childhood. She came from Russia to America when she was five, and longed to fit in. Every summer, her American friends would go to a camp while she was stuck at home with her brother and baby sister, but this year was going to be different. Vera was going to go to a camp as well. A Russian camp. A place where she thought she would be accepted.

She arrived there in July, ready to have fun, but she was unaware of how disappointed she would be in the next coming days. She met her cabin mates, both named Sasha, and both 4 years older than she. No one wanted to be her friend, and the outhouse smelled terrible. Everyone treated her like an outcast, until she started to gift her drawings to everyone. They instantly wanted to be friends with her.

But, buying friends wasn’t the right way to do it. That’s why, when Vera took some of Sasha’s skittles, thinking her new friend wouldn’t mind, she got the whole cabin in trouble, and now no one wanted to play with her. But later in the book, Vera found a better friend. Someone who loved drawing and nature as much as she. 

This book reminded me heavily of an outdoor camp I went to this past summer. I went there with my friend from home, so I did not need to worry about losing any, and I definitely gained some more new friends. I had a lot of fun there, and all the counselors were very nice.

I thought that the author’s palette for this book was intriguing.The green really roughed out the nature in the camp, which I thought was unique. The ink also looked cool with the green and shades of grey. It just focused on the green parts in the scene a bit more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I think that it is fit for children ages 5 to 14.

Posted by cutiecupcake1288 in Books, Reviews, 0 comments
02
Nov
2021
Dune (movie starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya)

Dune (movie starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya)

Dune, a new movie about a futuristic earth, has just been released, and it’s definitely very cool. Paul, a teenager, is heir to the Duke of Caladan. Leto, his father, moves the family to Arrakis, a desert planet with valuable “spice” in the sand because he thinks they can become very rich and happy. They arrive, and the native Fremen people there are skeptical of whether or not Paul is the one that will save them according to a religious myth. After a few weeks, Baron Harkonnen mounts a stealth attack to wipe out the Atrides, and becomes the greatest power in the universe.

Eventually Paul’s side wins the war, and Paul becomes the new Emperor – although the movie ends right as Paul and his mother are chased into exile among the Fremen before his hero’s journey to regain power and defeat Harkonnen. 

I thought that this movie was a bit like Star Wars, with its ships, planets, and music. The flying ships had similar wings like the ones in Star Wars, and Star Trek. Star Wars also had a desert planet named Tatooine. The music was also very strange and ominous, making me think something bad was always going to happen. 

I thought the graphics were very good. It looked very realistic and believable. There were also some very gruesome and disturbing scenes, but most of it was calm, and relaxed. The blue eyes of the Fremen were a surprise to me, because I thought it looked strange for dark skinned people  to have eyes as blue as the ocean.

The story was very well thought out. You would never know what was going to happen next, but the film gives you subtle hints you have to piece together. The way they timed the plot was cool too. The movie showed us flashbacks of the dreams Paul has of this girl, whose identity we don’t know until the end.

Overall, I really liked this movie, because it was very mysterious, making me feel like a detective.

Posted by Hellen in Movies, Reviews, 0 comments
13
Oct
2021
Chronicles of Narnia – The Magician’s Nephew

Chronicles of Narnia – The Magician’s Nephew

by C. S. Lewis

Reviewed by Eve

In the first book of the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, Digory, a 12 year old boy and Polly, a 12 year old girl, are sent out of our world into another called Charn. Charn didn’t have a single living creature, until they accidentally woke up the evil queen. It was she who spoke the magical word that killed every single living thing in this world. She orders the children to bring her to their world so she can rule it. 

When they get back, the queen’s magical powers don’t work anymore, so she causes a commotion which gets the governor involved. Digory and Polly try to take the queen back into Charn but instead take her into Narnia. Narinia is a world run by a lion, named Aslan, and its citizens are all animals. The queen is now a witch, and she runs off to the westland. Digory and Polly return to their world to never bother in this mess ever again.

I liked how Lewis incorporated our normal world into this story, so that the odds of going into other worlds are not impossible. Lewis wrote this book in the 1950s but this book is set in London, in the late 1800s which I thought was a strange choice. After some thought, I realized it all tied together in the series because the second book is set when Digory is an old man, in the 1940s. All the characters in the books were much more proper, and they used words such as jolly. Lewis’s writing allows our minds to extend farther into the imaginary, making it more exciting and fun to read.

I thought Narnia was breath-taking because it seemed so magical. There are talking animals, never-ending turkey delight, and you can plant anything in the soil there and it will turn into a tree that breeds what you planted. I really like the trees because it’s kind of like a source of never ending food. If I got to go there, I would bring some sushi along with me, plant it and eat it.

Overall, I thought this was a very  interesting and magical book. The reading level is just right for kids ages 9 to 13, but you can start reading it when you are as old as 50, because of magic that comes from inside the books.

Posted by Hellen in Books, Reviews, 0 comments
08
Oct
2021
Vivo the animated film with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Vivo the animated film with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Vivo is a children’s movie about a rainforest honey bear who spent his life as a street performer with his elderly human partner, Andre in the country Cuba. A few days later into the movie, Andre receives a letter form his long time friend, Marta who’s moved to Florida and become a famous singer, inviting him to come visit her. Andre had always loved Marta, but he couldn’t confess to her before she left for Miami. So, he wrote a song for her. But, before he could get to Miami, he dies. Then vivo decides the song must be delivered. He gets in a ride with Andre’s great niece, Gabi. They fly to Florida and overcome obstacles to get to Marta’s farewell concert. In the end, we find that Andre and Marta have always loved each other.

My favorite character from this movie is Gabi, a ten-year old girl with purple hair. Even though Gabi can’t sing well, the messages she has in the songs she creates can express a lot. “My Own Drum” is a great song about following your dreams and doing what you want to do,not the standard set by parents or society.

I also enjoyed how funny Gabi can be. Vivo and Gabi make the perfect combo. Vivo can understand music and is not tone deaf. Gabi is tone deaf but is really talented with drums. It’s amusing to see them together, trying to work out problems while they are so different.

The songs were pretty catchy, too, so if you are a musical lover, you will definitely enjoy this movie / musical whose creative minds include Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Overall this a is a great movie about love and friendship.

Posted by Hellen in Movies, Reviews, 0 comments
18
Sep
2021
Quidditch Through the Ages

Quidditch Through the Ages

Quidditch Through the Ages is a very informative book, about the history of a wizarding sport (played on broomsticks) called quidditch. The rules of quidditch are simple. The objective of the game is to score more points than your opponents. Each goal is worth ten points and catching the Golden Snitch is worth one-hundred and fifty points. The game ends when the Snitch is caught. 

In this fictional history book by wizard Kennilworthy Whisp, the amount of things I learned was extraordinary. It turns out, the sport got its name from Queerditch Marsh, the first ever recorded version of the game. I also found out that, before Bowman Wright invented the Golden Snitch, wizards were trying to catch and crush a bird called a Snidget. The brooms in the early 12th century were very unreliable and could only get a few feet off the ground, and travel at most 20 mph. Overall, I really liked this book.

 

Check out my review of the other titles in the Hogwarts Library series: Tales of Beedle the Bard, Fantastic Beasts

See my review of the original Harry Potter series here.

Posted by Hellen in Books, Reviews, 0 comments
03
Sep
2021
Tales of Beedle the Bard

Tales of Beedle the Bard

by J. K. Rowling

In the book Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling, there are 5 stories with a lesson to learn. This book is also a part of the Hogwarts Library. The 5 stories are, The Hopping Pot, The Fountain of Fortune, The Hairy Heart, Babbity Rabbity and the Crackling Stump, and the Deathly Hallows. Personally, the Fountain of Fortune is my favorite one, but yours may be different.

The Fountain of Fortune is about this group consisting of 3 elderly women, and one handsome young knight. They all would like to have a nice fortune by splashing themselves in the magical water the fountain possesses. One Of the women lost her valuables, another lost her true love, and another is very very sick.soon. The Prince would like to become rich and happy. So, they all set off on a journey to fill the emptiness caused by these events.

After many days of adventure and sacrifices, they finally reach the fountain. But, only one can bathe in it. The woman who lost all of her valuables says that she doesn’t really need the money anymore while the sick woman was cured during the journey. That only leaves the heartbroken one and the knight. The heartbroken one decides that her love is gone forever and there is no more hope for her. So, the knight says he will jump in the fountain. After a nice refreshing bath, he felt very successful and asked the heartbroken woman if she would like to dance and live with him. She said yes, and the 4 of them left happily and lived a nice long life. But, they never knew that the fountain was not magical at all. 

I really liked this story because of all the humor and the lessons taught at the end of it. Though this story was meant for wizards and witches, all non-magical beings can understand the moral of it too. You don’t need magic or money to be happy and live a good life. You just need to be with the right people.

I didn’t like the story of The Hairy Heart because it was too gruesome. I don’t think it’s suited for kids under seven years old. 

The least impressive story was actually The Deathly Hallows. This is mostly because I already knew the story from reading the last volume of the original Harry Potter series. There was no surprise. 

All in all, J. K. Rowling was a very convincing narrator as Beedle the Bard. It must be a fun challenge as a writer to pretend to be a different person, especially a historical one, and create with the new voice.

 

See my review of the other books in the Hogwarts Library series: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages

See my review of the original Harry Potter series here

Posted by Hellen in Books, Reviews, 0 comments
24
Aug
2021
Harry Potter – the original seven volume series

Harry Potter – the original seven volume series

by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter 7 book covers

The original Harry Potter series included (1) The Sorcerer’s Stone, (2) The Chamber of Secrets, (3) The Prisoner of Azkaban, (4) The Goblet of Fire, (5) The Order of Phoenix, (6) The Half-Blood Prince, and (7) The Deathly Hallows.

The seven volumes of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is very popular with kids. A wizard with no parents named Harry Potter is introduced to the Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the age of 11. There, he meets his forever loyal friends, Ron and Hermione.The books follow Harry and his friends on a journey to defeat the Dark Lord, Voldemort. The “8th book”, is a script of a play called The Cursed Child, which is about one of Harry’s children, Albus Severus Potter.

My favorite book out of all of them, would have to be the 6th one, The Half-Blood Prince. In this book, Harry discovers more of Snape’s secrets and learns to prevent Voldemort from entering his mind. Snape is my favorite character and this book is mainly focused on him. I like how Snape is very intelligent and gifted in the art of potion making, and beyond loyal to his true companions. As I learned more about Snape’s past, I learned that he was a tortured and lonely soul, which only gravitated me towards him more. 

Sadly, there was a book I did not enjoy as much as the others. The 3rd one, named The Prisoner of Azkaban. It is about Harry’s Godfather, Sirius Black, who was falsely accused of murder and betrayal, and sent to a prison called Azkaban. Many may argue that this was the best book, but I disagree. The whole plot is very confusing, because of everything that’s happening. Peter Pettigrew is actually a servant of Voldemort, Sirius is a dog, Lupin is a werewolf, and Hermione has a time turner to save a Hippogriff. 

Books tend to be much better than the movies, and I agree. The Harry Potter books have so much more details, uncover more secrets and have more characters than the movie, for the movies have a limited amount of time. No one wants to sit and watch a 6 hour movie just for one book. No thanks. 

Overall, I loved these books. I am a huge fan of Harry Potter myself, no matter if I disliked anything. I have already read the books twice and if I forget the books and need to start reading again, fresh in my mind, I would.

See my review of the Hogwarts Library series: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Quidditch Through the Ages

See my impression about the main character in the 8th book The Cursed Child here.

 

Posted by Hellen in Books, Movies, Reviews, 0 comments
12
Aug
2021
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

by J. K. Rowling

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a part of the Hogwarts Library by J. K. Rowling. In this book, a fictional author Newt Scamander describes each and every creature that is considered a beast, or a non-human being with magical abilities. There are the commonly known unicorns, fairies, and centaurs, but there are also the less famous jabbers, demiguises, and erklings. 

What was most interesting to me is that this book overturned many common assumptions about magical creatures. Muggles, as non-magical beings are called, often display fairies as cute, minute human-like beings who possess magical powers and the ability to talk. However as I found out in the book, fairies are actually unintelligent beasts measuring 1-5 inches and are often used as a decoration. I enjoyed this book because J. K. Rowling put a different perspective on these mythical creatures whom we normally perceive as whimsical and wonderful.

There were many things I didn’t know, such as the fact that centaurs actually preferred to be called beasts, and that erklings are elfish creatures that eat children. J. K Rowling really expanded the world of Harry Potter by introducing us to more previously unknown things, which I thought was really creative and exciting.

In the original seven volumes of the Harry Potter series, Rowling mentioned many of the beasts by name. This book helps a lot because most of the time, J. K. Rowling did not go into much detail about the beasts in the original series, leaving die-hard Harry Potter fans wanting to know more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Since I’m a big fan of Harry Potter, the setup that allowed me  to “loan” some books from the Hogwarts Library was particularly satisfying. Perhaps one day I can become an expert of magical things, too. 

Posted by Hellen in Books, Reviews, 0 comments
31
Jul
2021
The Queen’s Gambit

The Queen’s Gambit

by Walter Tevis

The Queen’s Gambit is a book about a young chess prodigy’s journey as a growing teenager. In this book, Beth Harmon is 8 years old when she loses her parents and moves into an orphanage. She learns chess from the janitor, Mr. Shaibel, who noticed her talent and potential to become a chess champion. She gets adopted by Mrs. Wheatley and they travel all over the USA for chess tournaments. Mrs. Wheatley dies suddenly. Beth is then chosen to compete in Russia, the chess country. She wins the tournament against powerful Russian players and becomes the world champion.

One thing I liked about this book is how the author described Beth’s emotions in detail, often using analogies. For example, when Beth was in her first competition in Kentucky, she was described as experiencing “the feeling you get when you go up in an elevator.” It helped the reader understand more vividly the emotions and relate to the visceral sensations of the character.

Another thing I liked was how the author informed the reader of almost every chess move in each game. This helped the reader picture what is happening. It was very informative. Although many people may not understand it, we are thankful that the author took his time to write out the steps.

A challenge I had with this book was the vocabulary which was confusing. There were many words I didn’t understand or comprehend and I had to search them in a dictionary. This took time off my reading and interrupted the flow of the story. It would be very beneficial to me and other young adults if there were a children’s version of this book, especially since the protagonist was a child, then a teen.

Overall I really liked this book and I look forward to watching the TV series.

 

Posted by Hellen in Books, Reviews, 0 comments
31
Jul
2021
The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a book about a futuristic dystopian society. In what was once North America stands a nation called Panem, consisting of 12 districts and the Capitol. Each year, the Capitol hots an annual murder game, called The Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen, the main character, volunteers to be a tribute in place of her sister at the reapings, which is a ceremony where fighters are chosen for the Games. Katniss and her partner Peeta must find a way to kill off the other 22 tributes in the Games and later, one of themselves to win.

One part I liked in the book was how much detail the author put into each moment. Collins would use many types of figurative language and lots of references to the mockingjay, a fictional bird. Whenever Katniss had an injury, major or minor, the author connects her injuries with the bird by saying it was an act of rebellion or it was a sign that the rebels will win. 

Another part I liked about the book was how the story was told and presented. It was told in first person by Katniss and I really liked the idea of the story being told from a character’s perspective. I enjoy it more when it’s told from a first person point of view because you get to understand the character’s actions more clearly. You know why they did what they did and you also know how they feel and why they feel that way, an advantage of listening to a story told by a certain person in a book from their point of view. You can tell if a book is told from first person if you hear the words I and me, when describing something not in a dialogue.

One part I did not like was how the author did not reveal secrets or the why in the actions of other characters. Collins decided to choose ignorance as a trait for Katniss which made her mad much of the time and closed the doors to everyone she loves. Little does she know that they are trying to help her. When I was reading, I knew why the other characters did what they did which made the wait for Katniss to know become agonizing.

Overall, I think that this book was extraordinary. Every time I discover a secret, it makes me want to keep on reading to discover the next. I also liked the plot of the story, with the Hunger Games, an idea no one would have thought of if it were not for Collins.

See my review of the second Hunger Games book Catching Fire here.

See my review of the third book Mocking Jay here.

Posted by Hellen in Books, Reviews, 2 comments