Spirited Away

Spirtied Away


By: Hayao Miyakaz
Reviewed by: Alucard, 16.8
Rating: It was amazing!


Spirited Away is an animated film. The film's theme speaks without words. Like what John Lasseter says, "You are so lucky to get to see this film." Spirited Away is truly a magical film about a young girl, Chihiro, a selfish young girl, who finds herself stuck in the Spirit world and finds work in a bathhouse for spirits to cleanse their soul. Along with her work, she matures and develop a beautiful character.

Although the running time of the film may require some patience, Spirited Away is a really wonderful film, and familes will love it. This film will live in your heart.


Recommended to: Family

True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet : a Novel

True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet: a Novel


By: Lola Douglas
Reviewed by: Lisa R, 14
Rating: Really liked it


Morgan Carter is a famous movie star but has an alcohol problem. She is sent to a small town, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to have the experience of a normal life and to rehabilitate. She disguises herself as "Claudia Miller" and begins her acting. She soon finds out it is harder to live a normal life without telling anyone how you feel or the truth. This is going to be a movie on Lifetime staring JoJo in August. I really enjoyed the book.


Recommended to: Teen Girls

Snow

Snow


By: Tracy Lynn
Reviewed by: Lisa R, 14
Rating: Really liked it


This book is a twist on the classic fairy tale Snow White. Jessica, or Snow, escapes to London before her stepmother could kill her. She meets some strange creatures and learns to live with them. She is then tricked into meeting her stepmother and thus falls into a sleep. Her friends need to find a way to wake her and the normal "kiss" won't work. I thought this was a cool and interesting way to perceive the story.

Recommended to: teens

Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle


By: Diana Wynne Jones
Reviewed by: Alucard, 4squared
Rating: It was amazing!


The truth is. I have yet to read the actual book. But I have seen this film. The film, Howl's Moving Castle, was directed by Studio Ghibli's legendary Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Toshio Suzuki. Howl's Moving Castle is a book and also an animated film.

It is about a girl, Sophie, who meets a wizard, Howl. Because of her encounter with Howl, the Witch of the Waste-jealous- casts a spell on Sophie which turns her into an old lady. Sophie's spell won't let her tell anyone about it, and even the Witch does not know how to break it. From there, Sophie travels to the Waste to find a way to break her spell. On a hill in the Waste, Sophie finds a stick in a nearby bush, thinking it would be a good cane to use. However, when she takes it out, it turns out to be a scarecrow, which she calls Mr.Turniphead. Later she asks Turniphead to find a place for her to stay. Ironically, Howl's Moving Castle appears, and thus the story and characters grow.

Howl's Moving Castle is a wonderful film...and I, personally, think that it is so romantic. It is an eye-opener.


Recommended to: people who love something as glorious as the Olympics

Death Note: Another Note: The L.A. B.B. Murder Cases

Death Note: Another Note


By: Nisioisin
Reviewed by: Alucard, 16.8
Rating: It was amazing!


The L.A. B.B. Murder Cases was better than amazing. It was wickedly AMAZING!!!

Well, first off...it is better to have a bit of backround information about Death Note. Death Note actually began as a manga and later to an anime series, and there are even three live action films of Death Note. The original Death Note was about the Kira cases about a boy named Light who stumbled across a Death Note notebook and he also met a Death God(because light had his notebook). The Death Note can kill a person if you write someone's name on it. Because there were so many deaths later, the detective L decided that he would solve this case and find out who was killing all these people. However, this plot of the original Death Note has nothing to do with the Kira cases. In fact, it was before the Kira cases.

Raised from the Wammy House, Beyond Birthday--also"B"--challenges L-smart detective-. The challenge is whether or not L can catch B before the next person he murders. He leaves clues to the next crime scene, which the clues are the unthinkable.

That's all the information I can leak. It's so good! I love this book so much. It's only about 100 pages--which was so uncool--but the book was so awesome. It was so good, my eyes were glued to it all night. So good that it scared me. It's a thriller.

Recommended to: readers and non-readers

Animal Farm

Animal Farm


By: George Orwell
Reviewed by: Alucard, 16.8
Rating: It was alright...


The theme is the only good part of the story. In order to catch the theme, you have to read the whole book. And I had to read it for a school assignment. Although it's only about 100 pages I felt like it wouldn't end. But it's really not a hard book to read. It's about how animals are treated badly by humans, and the animals rebel and believe they can live better off themselves. Then again...aren't humans also animals?


Recommended to: Obama, Clinton, & McCain

TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY

TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY


By: Jay Asher
Reviewed by: Alucard, 16.8
Rating: Really liked it


Do you like cassetes? Well, this book revolves around a set of cassetes that will blow your mind how a person can plan a death with such careful reasons. In the cassetes are 13 reasons why Hannah Baker killed herself, and Clay is wondering why he is responsible for her death. All he has to do is listen to the cassetes to hear when his name comes up. But when? This book is quite interesting. It's not like any of the books we have to read for school assignments.

Recommended to: YOU.......!........

Veronika Decides to Die

Veronika Decides to Die


By: Paulo Coelho
Reviewed by: Alucard, 16.8
Rating: It was alright...


I stumbled across this book at the UCSB library when I was at camp and I was so excited to read it when I realized it was written from Paulo Coelho. "OMG" I thought...because The Alchemist was such a great story, I thought this book would be just as good. But things turned around. This book is not nearly as good as The Alchemist. However it does have a good theme about life. Veronika Decides to Die is about a girl who tries to understand her place in life. She is someone with a good life and one day decides to kill herself, but wakes up in a mental hospital. Through her experiences in the hospital she grows and gives herself the choice to value life and the people around you, or feel like you are an outcast.


Recommended to: people who text all day.

The Alchemist

The Alchemist


By: Paulo Coelho
Reviewed by: Alucard, 16.8
Rating: It was amazing!


This book is about a sheperd boy who searches for his personal legend. He has a dream of a child who tells him to go to the prymaids to find his treasure. In the story, he encounters people that will lead him to accomplish his personal legend. One person he meets is a gypsy lady who tells him to follow what the dream told him, because if a child was in his dream and he told him to go to the pryamaids, then it was true that there really was a treasure waiting for him in the desert. This story writes in a very strong universal language. It is so powerful and it has very deep thoughts. Sometimes I feel sorry for people who don't get to read the same things that I do. Please read this novel. Every page(seriously) cannot be misread. The Alchemist is truly one of the best universal books.


Recommended to: the people of the world

Poseur

Poseur


By: Rachel Maude
Reviewed by: Lisa R, 14
Rating: Really liked it


This book is about four totally different girls with one passion: fashion. Janie, Charlotte, Melissa, and Petra are put together in a club to design a label. They fight a lot but in the end learn to accept their differences to create a one of a kind label. This book is funny and has a pinch of romance. It also has some really cool sketches throughout the book.

Recommended to: teen girls

Evil Genius

Evil Genius


By: Catherine Jinks
Reviewed by: Pavin, 16
Rating: Really liked it


"Evil Genius" by Catherine Jinks This book i would also recommend to the teen who is bored at home and has made the consious decision to not watch Television and read a book. The book is a great example of the classic Evil genius in up-bringing. This is really a novel you cant guess through one minute you will be reading about a simple "system" Cadel solves and the next there will be suddenly an issue between life and death


Recommended to: Teens

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp


By: Rick Yancey
Reviewed by: Pavin, 16
Rating: Really liked it


"The Extradordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp" by Rick Yancey This book i would recommend to any teen, page gripping material under the classic topics of adventure, fighting, romance, and the knight of the round table! Yes, thats right but I cant give anymore away than what I have already posted you will just have to read the book yourself!

Recommended to: All Teenagers

The Cup of the World

Cup of the World


By: John Dickinson
Reviewed by: Pavin, 16
Rating: It was amazing!


"The Cup of the World" by John Dickinson This book is a fine piece of literature that i would recommend to most but not to those of small maturity level. This book contains mature content such as gorey scenes, romantic scenes, and some obscene language. After we get past these small details of the book, this book would be satisfactory for the teen. It contains at first the classic story tale beginning, then the main character is plunged into a sudden change of events that are balancing her upon the blade of a razor swayying her from good or evil. This book is not a boring page flipper but one that will keep your eyes glued to the 12 sized font printed upon the page..

Recommended to: Mature Teen/ Young Adult

Babyface

Babyface


By: Babyface
Reviewed by: Erika S., 16
Rating: Really liked it


if you love love songs then you have to listen to babyface

Recommended to: everyone

Fever 1793

Fever 1793


By: Laurie Halse Anderson
Reviewed by: Erika S., 16
Rating: Really liked it


this book is about a young girl who wants to succed in life and is interrupted by a fever that goes around killin people. she is force to survive alone. this book will make you cry and teach you a history lesson in return.

Recommended to: everyone

Nana

Nana


By: Ai Yazawa
Reviewed by: Erika S., 16
Rating: It was alright...


Nana is the main character and shes going trough life tryin to find that right person missing in her life and Theres another girl with the same name tryin to make it in the music business, there both tryin to figure out who they are. The book has some humar in it too. these seris if for those who have questions about love and life. hope you dont mind crying because this series is surely to make you cry! (fantasy)

Recommended to: teen girls

Fushigi Yugi (the mysterious play)

Fushigi Yugi (the mysterious play)


By: Yu Watase
Reviewed by: Erika S., 16
Rating: It was amazing!


This book made me cry happy and sad tears.the main character is named Miaka and she travels through a book and she was named the chosen one and she has to make the decision if she wants to save there world or not. She struggles through a long journing, fighting, losing her friends and finding love and not being able to be with him. If you like action and love stories then this series of books is for you and I hope you dont mind crying because this series is surely to make you cry! (fantasy)

Recommended to: teen girls

The Cursed Sword

The Cursed Sword


By: Yeo Boep-Ryong
Reviewed by: Erika S., 16
Rating: Really liked it


The main character is named rev and its about him going through life tryin to figure out who he is, between a demeon or a human. He finds love and loses some of his closets friends. Its a fantasy but its also has some true life lesson.

This book really shows how in life you have to make important decision and sometimes you have to hurt the people around you. If you love action and some lesson about life on the way then i recommend this seris of books!

Recommended to: boys teens