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Đang hiển thị bài đăng từ Tháng 2, 2016

Review: Flunked by Jen Calonita

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Flunked Jen Calonita Genre: MG  Fairy Tale ,  Fantasy Hardback: 256 Pages Publication: March 3, 2015 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky Would you send a villain to do a hero's job? An exciting new twisted fairy tale series from award-winning author Jen Calonita. Full of regret, Cinderella's wicked stepmother, Flora, has founded the Fairy Tale Reform School with the mission of turning the wicked and criminally mischievous into upstanding members of Enchantasia. Impish, sassy 12-year-old Gilly has a history of petty theft and she's not too sorry about it. When she lifts a hair clip, she gets tossed in reform school-for at least three months. But when she meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there's more to this school than its sweet mission. There's a battle brewing and she starts to wonder: can a villain really change? Review FLUNKED is a charming revisit to the world of fairy-tale princesses and their villains. This is a novel that you have to be in the right moo...
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Review: Some of the Parts by Hannah Barnaby

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Some of the Parts Hannah Barnaby Genre: YA  Contemporary ,  Organ Donor Hardback: 304 Pages Publication: February 16, 2016 by Knopf BFYR Sometimes bad things happen, and we are not the same when they are over. For months, Tallie McGovern has been coping with the death of her older brother the only way she knows how: by smiling bravely and pretending that she's okay. She’s managed to fool her friends, her parents, and her teachers so far, yet she can’t even say his name out loud: “N—” is as far as she can go. But when Tallie comes across a letter in the mail, it only takes two words to crack the careful façade she’s built around herself: ORGAN DONOR. Two words that had apparently been checked off on her brother’s driver’s license; two words that her parents knew about—and never confided to her. All at once, everything Tallie thought she understood about her brother’s death feels like a lie. And although a part of her knows he’s gone forever, another part of her wonders if findi...
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Movie Monday: Risen

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Risen Directed by: Kevin Reynolds Genre: historical, mystery Running time: 107 minutes Released: 2016 Distributed by Columbia Pictures Risen  follows the epic Biblical story of the Resurrection as told through the eyes of a non-believer. Clavius, a powerful Roman Military Tribune, and his aide Lucius, are tasked with solving the mystery of what happened to Jesus in the weeks following the crucifixion, in order to disprove the rumors of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem. Risen  is a powerfully moving story about what the disciples' journey would have looked like through the eyes of a Roman centaurion (and non-believer) following the resurrection of Jesus. The film opens with Clavius leading Roman soldiers against rebel forces, Jews who profess one true God. This scene is significant for two reasons. It clearly portrays Clavius as a nonbeliever and warrior (one guess as to which Greek God he worships). It also gives insight into some of the Roman fighting tact...
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Review: What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

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What We Saw Aaron Hartzler Genre: YA  Contemporary Hardback: 336 Pages Publication: September 22, 2015 by Harper Teen The party last Saturday night is a bit of a blur. Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone’s house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early—the feeling that maybe he’s becoming more than just the guy she’s known since they were kids. But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details, and begins to ask questions. What really happened at the party after she left? Who was still there? What did they see? When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question: Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed? Review What We Saw is a powerful story and one that n...
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Review: The Heir by Kiera Cass

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The Heir Kiera Cass Genre: YA  alternate history ,  dystopian Hardback: 346 Pages Publication: May 5, 2015 by Harper Teen Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible. But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests. Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought. Review The Selection  books are definite...
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Movie Monday: The Revenant

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The Revenant Directed by:  Alejandro González Iñárritu Genre: Western, Epic Running time: 156 minutes Released: 2015 Distributed by 20th Century Fox While exploring the uncharted wilderness in 1823, legendary frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) sustains injuries from a brutal bear attack. When his hunting team leaves him for dead, Glass must utilize his survival skills to find a way back home to his beloved family. Grief-stricken and fueled by vengeance, Glass treks through the wintry terrain to track down John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), the former confidant who betrayed and abandoned him. The Revenant is based on the true story of the legendary American frontiersman Hugh Glass and his grueling tale of survival and retribution. The film is every bit as harsh as the rumors about its filming conditions were, and the cast’s suffering seems to have been worth it. The Revenant captures the splendor of nature and the baseness of human nature. Leonardo DiCaprio plays frontiersman H...
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Movie Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Directed by: Burr Steers Genre: Comedy, Thriller/Action Running time: 108 minutes Released: 2016 Distributed by Lionsgate In the 19th century, a mysterious plague turns the English countryside into a war zone. No one is safe as the dead come back to life to terrorize the land. Fate leads Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James), a master of martial arts and weaponry, to join forces with Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley), a handsome but arrogant gentleman. Elizabeth can't stand Darcy, but respects his skills as a zombie killer. Casting aside their personal differences, they unite on the blood-soaked battlefield to save their country. Last Wednesday (January 27th), I had the privilege of seeing an advanced screening of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies . I wholly confess that I probably wouldn't have gone to see this film if my roommate hadn't invited me to go with her. I am terrified  of zombies. Instead of terribly horrifying zombies, however, what I found was highly...
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Movie Monday: Room

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Room Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson Genre: Drama, Thriller Running time: 117 minutes Released: 2015 Distributed by A24 Films Held captive for years in an enclosed space, a woman (Brie Larson) and her 5-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world for the first time. Room seems like a small-scale film, but it does so much with so little. Most of the film centers on just two characters, a mother and her son, and takes place inside of a small room. However, even with the seemingly small focus of the film, there are heavy internal struggles as they adjust to a completely different world and their new lives in it. Half of the film centers around 5-year old Jack and his mother who is simply referred to as Ma and their lives as they are contained to a single 10-square foot room that they call ‘Room.’ Ma was kidnapped and held captive 7 years ago by a man they call Old Nick and has since had a son five years ago. There is a daring e...
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Movie Monday: Jurassic World

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Jurassic World Directed by: Colin Trevorrow Genre: Science Fiction Adventure Running time: 124 minutes Released: 2015 Produced by Amblin Entertainment Located off the coast of Costa Rica, the Jurassic World luxury resort provides a habitat for an array of genetically engineered dinosaurs, including the vicious and intelligent Indominus rex. When the massive creature escapes, it sets off a chain reaction that causes the other dinos to run amok. Now, it's up to a former military man and animal expert (Chris Pratt) to use his special skills to save two young brothers and the rest of the tourists from an all-out, prehistoric assault. Review The dinosaur amusement park that John Hammond dreamed of setting up has finally been created, and Jurassic World is a real spectacle. While the characters feel flat and the writing is nothing special, the film brings incredible scenery, great camerawork and visuals, and thrilling action. It does a great job of breathing life back into the Jurassic P...
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Review: Change Places With Me by Lois Metzger

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Change Places with Me Lois Metzger Genre: YA  mystery ,  science fiction Hardback: 224 Pages Publication: June 14, 2016 by Balzer + Bray Rose has changed. She still lives in the same neighborhood and goes to the same high school with the same group of kids, but when she woke up today, something was a little different. Her clothes and hair don’t suit her anymore. The dogs who live upstairs are no longer a terror. She wants to throw a party—this from a girl who hardly ever spoke to her classmates before. There’s no more sadness in her life; she’s bursting with happiness. But something still feels wrong to Rose. Because until very recently, she was an entirely different person—a person who’s still there inside her, just beneath the thinnest layer of skin. Review Lois Metzger has a talent for writing dark, unsettling novels. Novels that, despite their dark mysterious nature, draw you deeper and deeper into the story. That, plus the complex nature of humanity that Metzger showcases...
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