Fairy Tale

Fairy Tale


By: Cyn Balog
Reviewed by: JNoto, 12
Rating: Really liked it


Morgan Sparks and Cam Browne have been best friends since the day they were born - now they’re an item. Born on the same day, they decided to have a joint sixteenth birthday party.

But a week before they have their extravaganza, Pip – who Cam introduces as his cousin – shows up, claiming Cam is really a fairy and that he and Pip were switched at birth.

Morgan is dubious at what Pip says, but over time proof starts to surface. Cam starts to become more and more like a fairy while lanky Pip starts to buff up. When Pip confides to Morgan that there might be a way to keep Cam in the real world, Morgan is all for it. Until she realizes sacrifices have to be made…

This is a good book for fantasy and romance lovers. It almost made me cry, but not quite. Still, it’s a really good book and I encourage anyone to read it.


Recommended to: Fantasy lovers

Patiently Alice

Patiently Alice


By: Phyllis Reynolds
Reviewed by: JNoto, 12
Rating: It was alright...


Alice and her friends are at it again, signing up as assistant counselors at a camp for disadvantaged children. But during their time at camp, Alice finds out about an unsatisfying dilemma; the wedding for her dad and Sylvia has been postponed until further notice.

Just when Alice feels like the worst has happened, more issues come up. Her brother is given an offer that he can’t let go by, her friend, Pamela, is trapped in a corner when her mom, who ran off with another man two years ago, shows up and want to get back together with her dad, and Alice’s ex boyfriend Patrick has come to her for help – something that has never happened before.

Alice discovers nothing in life comes expectantly, and that people who you thought you knew inside and out can still bring surprises not anticipated.

The books in the Alice series have problems that a lot of people go through – family, boys, and so much more.


Recommended to: Teens

Wait for Me

Wait for Me


By: An Na
Reviewed by: JNoto, 12
Rating: It was amazing!


Mina struggles to balance everything in her life. Between taking care of her little sister who is hearing impaired and helping her parents out with their dry cleaning business, Mina is seen as the perfect daughter. On the outside, she’s supposedly the daughter every parent hopes for; flawless report cards, president of the Honor Society, and Bound for Harvard. But on the inside, she knows that nothing about her is true and that she is living in a tangle of lies.

Feeling stuck in the dark, she becomes smitten by a young man her parents hire. She sees hope when he offers her a light for the dark reality she’s living.

I love books by An Na! They really hit home and I think anyone should read them.


Recommended to: People that like different cultures

A Step from Heaven

A Step from Heaven


By: An Na
Reviewed by: JNoto, 12
Rating: It was amazing!


After emigrating to the U.S. from South Korea, four year old Young Ju and her family struggle with learning English and adapting to life in America. Her parents, particularly her father, dislike how Young Ju is not acting like ‘a Korean girl’ as she gets used to the American lifestyle. To top it off Young Ju’s father doesn’t act like how he used to… to the point of becoming violent. Can Young Ju’s family keep going like this…..?

The second I started reading this book, I was hooked (I even stayed up part of the night just to finish it!). It made me feel mad, happy, sad, and a whole array of other emotions. All in all just a really fantastic book.


Recommended to: People that like different cultures

The Fold

The Fold


By: An Na
Reviewed by: JNoto, 12
Rating: It was amazing!


Joyce Park feels like an ugly duckling compared to her sister, Helen. Helen’s pretty, smart – she’s even the most responsible! After Joyce’s crush, John Ford Kang, mistakes her for another person when he’s signing her year book, Joyce wonders if she is beautiful enough to even stand out of the crowd.

Once her aunt wins some lottery money, Joyce is given a golden opportunity… plastic surgery to get double eyelids – 100% covered by her aunt. But Joyce is hesitant. Her best friend, Gina, said not to pass out on a free once in a lifetime offer that could get John to pay interest in Joyce. Helen, on the other hand, is shocked that she would even consider going under the knife. Joyce isn’t sure what to do – if it’ll make her pretty enough so that John will notice her, she’s all for it.

After a consultation with a plastic surgeon, Joyce is delighted when she finds out that she looks just as gorgeous as Helen with double eyelids. She decides that surgery would be worth it if she were as pretty as her sister. But in the end, she finds out that even a jade can have flaws…

The Fold is a really great book. Once I started to read it I couldn’t put it down! It’s also written in a point of view that most teens think, so it was really easy to relate to. A must read for people that like reading about beauty and other cultures.


Recommended to:

Anthem

Anthem


By: Ayn Rand
Reviewed by: Kayleigh , 16
Rating: Really liked it


Equality 7-2521 knows only “we” not “I”. His futuristic society he lives in adopted the socialistic government and now everyone is equal…to an extreme. Forbidden are you to speak your mind. Living for the sake of your brothers is the only reason you live. And favoritism towards a single brother is considered evil. So goes this mindless life. Only one man is willing to fight for his freedom.

This novella is a quick and easy read, but has such a deep meaning, you find yourself thinking about it even after you have read it. Who am I? This becomes the question the main character asks himself and through his exploration, you find out a little bit about yourself. Through this journal-like novella you see the impact of socialism and the quest to finding yourself.


Recommended to: sci-fi and inspirational literature fans

Legend of the Seeker - Season 1

Legend of the Seeker - Season 1

Created by: Sam Raimi, Terry Goodkind
Reviewed by: Kait, 16
Rating: It was amazing!


So if any of you kids checked out my last review for "Wizards First Rule" (yeah, I'm aware of the major typo in the fact that the title of the book should be underlined, not put in quotation marks, but seeing as I have ZERO clue how to do that y'all are just going to have to chill while my OCD beats me up. That being said...) which I'm sure none of you actually did (though now you totally should because I'm guilting you into it HAHAHA!)you would know that "Legend of the Seeker" the TV show is based upon Terry Goodkind's series "Sword of Truth."

This makes me so dang happy.

Why?

Because now we all get to see incredibly attractive New Zealand actors portraying one of my new favorite book series :DDD

Ladies: Craig Horner (who plays the protagonist Richard Cypher, the first true Seeker of Truth in the last thousand years) does many scenes sans shirt. You think Taylor Lautner is hot? Think again.

Boys: Bridget Reagan ain't too hard on the eyes either ;)

Both: Same story line! Yeah, most of the individual episodes are hybrids of the plot from the story, so the series is BASED upon the books, not a literal translation. BUT this is okay because you still meet a lot of the same characters (Like Zedd, Rahl, Giller, Denna, etc.) even if you lose out on some (Yeah the mud people don't even exist here. Whatevz.). But there are random surprises like Cara (a Mord S'ith from the third book "Blood of the Fold") who pops up in the last episode of Season 1 (and all of Seeason 2).

So the gist?

I basically watched all 22 episodes in one weekend. That's how good this is. Same characters, same plot, same purpose, plus actors and special effects (The sound effects on the agiels is so tight I swear - Jessica Marais [who plays Mistress Denna] actually recorded several screams, which the tech people warped into this high-pitched shriek of the agiel :D SO TIGHT).

Your homework for the week?

Borrow this DVD from the library. I'll return it pretty quick and you can all fight over it (request lists ftw) and make me proud! (Aren't my little ones all grown up!!!) Then you can get hooked on it like me and borrow all of the books (there are 11 total) and join Team Cypher like my and my best friend. I believe in you, and that in and of itself should be more than enough motivation my duckies.

Peace kids :D


Recommended to: Series? Anyone over 14. Books? Anyone over 16 (there are some raunchy scenes). Fandom? Everyone. I expect housepets, imaginary friends, and unborn children to be Team Cypher.

Orphan

Orphan


Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Reviewed by: Jerry, 15
Rating: Really liked it


A film that is somewhat both creepy and existing.

The movie is about a family that adapted a girl named Esther from an orphanage. Ester somehow had a strong dislike for the mother, and when she complains to her husband he don't believes her. One day, Ester killed the head of the orphanage with the help of Max(she didn't know Ester's true intent), the mother's daughter, and forced her to not to tell anyone. As the story progresses, Ester began to even try to kill Max and Daniel, the son. Unfortunately, the only one suspecting her of all the wrong-doing was only the mother. More later on in the movie, a surprising ironic twist will occur in the story that will make the movie far more interesting and exciting.


Recommended to: everyone

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


Directed by: David Fincher
Reviewed by: Jerry, 15
Rating: Really liked it


The story-lines are truly amazing. In addition, there are also great actor like Brad Pitt.

The main character of the story was a guy named Benjamin. He was born with a rare disorder that made him aged backward(so basically he was born an old man and as he ages he turns into a young man). As a baby, he was abandoned by his father and brought to a nursing home. One day he met a girl called Daisy, who was visiting her grandmother, they became friend and later on they began to have feeling for each other. As the story progresses, Benjamin began to work for a boat and Daisy began to peruse her dream as a ballet dancer. Later on when they met again and finally fall in love, Benjamin realized the difficulties he will pose to her if he finally turned into a baby.

The story is rich with details of Benjamin's life, and the way the movie was played out will definitely leave a deep scar into the person mind when they finished watching.


Recommended to: everyone

The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees


By: Sue Monk Kidd
Reviewed by: Jerry, 15
Rating: Really liked it


I read this book in the summer; while my memories on the book is still clearly displayed in my mind, I decided to write a book review. The story focused on
a girl called Lily Owen who not only tried hard to bring the memories of her dead mother back but also tried to search for her past. She lived with her uncaring father and Rosaleen, a black housekeeper. As the story progresses, she will meet a group of black women (with the help of some stuff belongs to her mother) and realized the power of the female community. The story also shows the unsightly sight of racism and how Lily overcomes it.


Recommended to: depressed female reader