Literature Young Adult Fiction » Guest Review http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com YA Readers Reviewing Books. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:18:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Movie Review: Eragon directed by Steen Fagmeier http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/movie-review-eragon-directed-by-steen-fagmeier/ http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/movie-review-eragon-directed-by-steen-fagmeier/#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 09:43:42 +0000 cookcutlery http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/?p=1074

by Cook Cutlery, guest reviewer

Title: Eragon
Director: Steen Fagmeier
Duration: 104 minutes
Rated: PG

Summary: Eragon (played by Ed Speleers) sucks at hunting and one day when he’s out trying to hunt a deer he comes across a blue stone. But when it hatches Eragon is flabbergasted to meet Sapphira (voice by Rachel Weisz) who is a dragon. She’s the one who chose Eragon to be her Rider. Is it a mistake to make such a pathetic boy the last of the Dragon Riders? I think not!

Why I watched this movie:

Because I recently finished reading Eragon.

Likes:

  • I really liked Brom because he was willing to train Eragon when he didn’t have to do so. He was also very wise all that he did and he risked his life to save Eragon from getting pierced through the chest by Durza (an evil Shade). Jeremy Irons was the perfect choice for Brom and a good actor.
  • I also liked the way they did the special effects throughout the movie with spell casting, battles, and Sapphira. She looked real and not like she was C.G.I. She matched the world they built.

Dislikes:

  • I didn’t like the fact that Brom dies in the movie while trying to protect Eragon. It’s too sad.
  • I didn’t like that quite a bit of stuff was cut out of the movie, that was in the book. For instance they leave out when Brom and Eragon go off to different places in order to find more information about the Razac—specifically how to locate and kill them.

Differences between the movie and book:

  • Araya (played by Sienna Guillory) was portrayed with long red hair in the movie, but the book says her long hair is black.
  • In the book when he had reached the Varden Eragon had to go through the examination where the Twins entered his mind and probed through it looking into his thoughts and checking out his intentions. In the movie it just shows that he goes right Ajihad.

Buy: Eragon (Widescreen Edition)

Movie Rating: 4 Treasure Chests.

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by Cook Cutlery, guest reviewer

Title: Eragon
Author: Christopher Paolini
Format: Papberback
Page Count: 497
Reading Grade Level: 7th-9th Grade

Summary: A normal farm boy was hunting in the forest and when he saw a huge flash of blue light. An invesitagtion led to a big sapphire stone which he brought home. But it wasn't a big sapphire gem at all. It was actually a dragon egg. When it hatched for him, Eragon became the last of the Dragon Riders. Many thought the Dragon Riders had been killed off and thought the eggs were gone and that the Age of the Dragons would never rise again. But word of a new Dragon Rider spread fast and soon the existence of Eragon and his dragon, Sapphira, had reached Galbatorix and the Elves, Varden, and the Dwarves. Now Eragon is in a race to stay alive and keep his dragon safe. He has only two choices to succeed and one is unacceptable. He won't serve Galbatorix so he must find the Varden.

Why I started this book:

I started Eragon because it was lying around. I bought it a few years back and hadn't gotten around to it before now. Plus, I had seen the movie and like it. So I thought why not?

Likes:

  • What I liked about this book was that it had a lot of action. Once you settled in to read, the world sucked you in from one thrilling chase to the next harrowing adventure. It was really hard to put the book down when you got to a really good part.
  • I really liked Sapphira a lot because she had a lot of wisdom when she spoke to him even though she was younger than him in physical years she was still wiser and older in her mind.

Dislikes:

  • I didn’t like that the author had a ton of made up words in the story even though it had a dictionary in the back of the book saying what they meant. It was very tedious looking back to see what they meant all the time.
  • I didn’t like the fact that Brom died. I thought he was a very good character and served as a really good mentor.

Differences between the book and the movie:

  • In the movie we don't know why Sapphira got her name. Eragon bestows it on her after he went to talk to Brom and got the history of the name from him.
  • In the movie it doesn’t tell how Eragon came to Palancar Valley. But when his mother was pregnant with him she was very poor and went to her brother Garrow (Eragon’s Uncle) asking if he would help her until the baby was born and then take care of it after it was born. Once she gave birth to Eragon a while later she left him with Garrow and never returned.

Buy: Eragon (Inheritance, Book 1)

Rating: I give this book 4 out of 5 treasure chests.

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by Bookwatch, guest reviewer

Title: A Girl Named Disaster
Author: Nancy Farmer
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 320 pages
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: This is a story about an African girl whose mother was killed by a leopard, whose father had gone away, and who soon will be married to a cruel man who already has three wives. She is only 11 years old, but she posses an intelligence, curiosity, and intuition far beyond her years. She is protected by her grandmother who encourages her to escape from Mozambique to Zimbabwe, a journey alone on a river in a stolen boat that should take her only 2 days. She instead gets turned around and it takes her many months to reach her destination. Along the way she has to overcome incredible dangers and learn to survive alone.

Why I Started this book:

As you know I am a big fan of Newberry Honor books. I would like to recommend another Newberry Honor book for your Young Adult Fiction list.  It is called A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer. It was published in 1996 by Puffin Books.

Likes:

  • All along her journey she learns and communicates with the mystical spirits who guide and encourage her. I felt like these were symbols of her own courage, confidence, and intuition.
  • As she journeys, she finds her value, home, and freedom.
  • This book attributes her survival and triumph to spirit forces. I felt that her suvival was the result of her own intuition and the love of her grandmother, who, even though she wasn't with her, had given her a sense of who she was as a person, who her mother was, and why she was valued and should value herself.
  • Her own intelligence, imagination, and curiousity were sources of courage and strength, always with her, always taking her to the next step she should take.

Last Minute Thoughts: I give A Girl Named Disaster your highest ranking.

Buy: A Girl Named Disaster

Rating: 5 Treasure Chests

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by Cook Cutlery, guest reviewer

Title: Maximum Ride: Schools out Forever (Book 2)
Author: James Patterson
Format: Paperback
Pages: 412
Grade Reading Level: 7th - 12th Grade

Summary: Maximum Ride and her 3 brothers and 2 sisters were taken as babies and were experimented on and are far from normal humans. They were all turned into avian-hybrids which mean that they have wings and are able to fly. The kids have been on the run ever since they escaped the School (the place where they were experimented on.) Sooner or later Erasers (people who turn into wolves) will find them and attack them forcing them to stay on the move. When a kind woman offers them sanctuary at a new school the kids agree to attend... all seems to be well but conspiracies abound everywhere.

The Characters:

  • Maximum is the older of her sisters.
  • Her younger sisters are Nudge and Angel. Nudge is the middle sister and Angel is the youngest sisters.
  • Fang is the oldest brother, followed by Iggy.
  • Iggy is blind because the white coats (scientists) tried to give him better night vision but messed up so he lost his vision permanently.
  • Then Gasman (Gazzy) is the youngest of the 3 brothers.  None of them are really related to each other except Angel and Gazzy, and they are actually brother and sister.

Likes:

  • It had a ton of action in it. Max was trying to keep everyone safe. There was a lot of busting out of places. For instance, when the kids get into a fight with the Erasers, Fang gets badly injured. Then when they land on the beach to see what had happened Max couldn’t believe how hurt he really was.
  • All of the kids personalities. They're very vivid and entertaining.
  • I really like that all the kids care about each other even though they're not really family. They have such a strong bond with one another.

Dislikes:

  • The head-hopping bugs me. I don't like how the book jumps from talking about one person to another without much transition.
  • Some parts of the book got very confusing because you couldn’t tell who did what or said what and required a second or third reading to understand what happened.

Buy: School's Out - Forever (Maximum Ride, Book 2)

Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

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by Cook Cutlery, guest reviewer

Title: The Bad Beginning (Book 1) Series of Unfortunate Events
Author: Lemony Snicket
Illustrator: Brett Helquist
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 162
Grade Reading Level: Ages 10+

Summary: Violet, Kluas and Sunny Bauldilair were at the beach when Mr. Poe comes and tell them that their parents had died in a fire. At their house all they find are ashes. Arrangements are made so that the kids live with Mr. Poe at his house while he tries to find them a relative to live with on a permanent basis. Mr. Poe finds them a place to live with Count Olaf. At Count Olaf's many bad things happen to them... in a series of unfortunate events!

Like:

  • I love Violet. She is always trying to invent something. For instance, later in the story Violet invents a grappling hook out of old clothes and old wire. How does she think of things like that so quickly? I would be hard pressed that is for sure.
  • Justice Starauss is very kind to the kids. He lets them use the library and helps them buy food so they can cook for Count Olaf and the troupe of people living with him.
  • Klaus and Violet are always taking care of Sunny and making sure she doesn’t get into trouble. I have a hard time with one sister that's closer to my age! So while it might not be very accurate in normal circumstances, the Bauldilair kids are a whole other ball of wax.

Dislike:

  • Mr. Poe doesn’t believe them when they are trying to tell him that Count Olaf is a terrible man and gives them way too many chores to do. Mr. Poe should know what sort of kids they are from when they lived with him and it's really important for adults to take kids seriously when it comes to stuff like that.
  • When Count Olaf puts on a play that is called the Marvelous Marriage. In actuality it is not a play but a real marriage ceremony. He wants to get the Bauldilair fortune that they were left with and does it through trickery. Plus, can you imagine being married to the guy? Gross!

Buy: The Bad Beginning (Hardback), The Complete Wreck (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-13), The Trouble Begins: Books 1-3, The Situation Worsens: Books 4-6, The Dilemma Deepens: Books 7-9 , The Gloom Looms: Books 10-12

Rating: I give this book 3 out of 5 treasure chests.

Originally posted 2010-01-05 03:55:33.

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by Second Mate Embry, guest reviewer

Title: I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls)
Author: Ally Carter
Format: Hardcover
# of pages: 288
Grade Reading Level: 7-10 Grade

Summary: Cammie Morgan goes to a school for geniuses (but really it's a school for training spies). Cammie's schedule is just like a regular kid's - she has PE, sure it's advance martial arts, but it's still PE. One of her class assignments is to go to a carnival and find out what one of her teachers likes to drink with a funnel cake. There she meets Josh – which is both wonderful and terrible!

Why I Started the Book:

I started this book because it had an interesting premise. I like the idea of a teenage spy in training. It sounded very cool to me, sort of like Agent Cody Banks, but for girls.

Likes:

  • I like the training that they did and their class schedules. It actually seemed very spy-like, which was good. I was afraid that it would be kind of hokey.
  • I like the character Cami a lot. She wasn't a valley girl or a drama queen which was refreshing. She was smart and capable.

Dislikes:

  • They had to mind-wipe Josh at the end which I hated!
  • The romance between Cami and Josh was kind of weird. Cami and her friends aren't sure if Josh is trying to infiltrate the academy or if it's “true love” so they investigate him. They even went through his trash … gross and weird!

Buy: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls)

Book Rating: I give this book3.5 Treasure Chests!

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by Cook Cutlery, guest reviewer

Title: George’s Secret Key to the Universe
Author: Lucy and Stephen Hawking
Format: Paperback
# of pages: 295
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: It all starts one day when George was going to feed his pet pig, Freddy, that he got on Christmas one year and found that Freddy was missing. Thus begins the search for him which ends in this old abandoned house. George meets Eric who lives in the house with his daughter, Annie, and he shows him Cosmos, the most powerful computer in the world. Before Eric can show George what Cosmos can do, he has to swear not to tell anyone about it. George is dumbfounded by what he sees Cosmos do. Then the next day by mistake George tells his teacher Dr. Reeper (nice name huh?) about Cosmos which then leads to many other problems.

Like:

  • The main ideas of the story such as George trying to find his pet pig, or helping Annie find her missing father that got lost and George trying to win the science fair at his school so he can get a computer, something he has always wanted.
  • The illustrations drawn by Gary Parson are very cute. I like the style and the kids look like how I pictured they would look.
  • The scientific picture files that are through out the book that talked about astronomy such as the planets, stars, and black holes.
  • The little sideline summaries that are scattered throughout the book. They talk about science and the universe. For example: what is a comet?

Dislike:

  • The way Ringo and his boys act. I know I'm not supposed to like them, but I thought they were really mean because at some parts they would chase George home or they would take stuff of his when he wasn’t looking. I'd hate it if someone did that to me.
  • Mr. Reeper, who wants to use Cosmos for evil. Not my favorite character by any stretch of the imagination. He wants to use Cosmos to gain control of the universe so that he can become king of the universe. No Noble Peace Prize for him!
  • That Eric doesn’t believe George when George tries to tell him that the letter he got about a place that could support the human race was actually from his evil teacher, Graham Reeper (Dr. Reeper).

Buy: George's Secret Key to the Universe (Paperback)

Rating: I would give this book 3 out of 5 treasure chests. It was a good book. I enjoyed it a lot.

Originally posted 2010-01-01 03:28:36.

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by First Mate Keira, guest reviewer

Title: The Wrath of Mulgarath (Book 5: The Spiderwick Chronicles)
Author: Tony Diterlizzi and Holly Black
Format: Hardcover
# of pages: 136
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: In the final book the Grace children must rescue their mother. They will have to fight their way past Mulgarath’s defenses and get into his palace fortress made of garbage to do so. Without the Field Guide for clues, will they know what to do or can they do it all on their own?

Why I Started the Book:

It’s the last in the original series which I want to finish before renting the movie.

Likes:

  • The dragons – where they come from, how they grow, what they can do. I don’t want to give too much away as it was pretty neat.
  • Bryon, the griffin Simon rescued earlier in the series, shows tremendous loyalty to the kids. He gives them a lift to Mulgarath’s fortress at the junkyard and protects them from dragons. He’s a very handy fellow.
  • Hogsqueal proves to be trustworthy, which is great. He helps get the Grace children into the junkyard and winds up being a huge help in the fight against Mulgarath.
  • Timbletack the house brownie also stops being so difficult and pledges himself to the kids to help rescue their mom. It’s because of his actions Simon and Mallory escape with their lives.

Dislikes:

  • A trip to the elves and a promise to return the Field Guide gives Jared a few moment’s with Arthur Spiderwick. Arthur’s help is extremely minor as he has no experience directly with dragons and warns Jared to stay away from the ogre, Mulgarath.
  • Bragging as the source of Mulgarath’s downfall. It’s what ogres (and most villains) love to do best, so I get it, I just wish it wasn’t done in so obvious a manner.

Last Minute Thoughts: I found the last book to be of a better length for a children’s novel. I still would have liked them more if they were combine in one large volume or were extended and therefore larger and longer for older readers. The series is a great way to introduce young readers into fantasy. I would recommend it for 3-5th graders and 2nd too, most definitely if read aloud to them.

Buy: The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 5), The Spiderwick Chronicles (Boxed Set; Books 1-5)

Book Rating: 3 Treasure Chests
tc3

Keira runs a book review blog for readers by readers on romance novels entitled Love Romance Passion. She’s been reading romance since she was in her teens and began blogging about romance so she could share her passion for her favorite genre. She loves reading paranormal, Regency, historical America, and highlander most of all and completely adores blind and wounded heroes.

Originally posted 2009-12-25 03:49:43.

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by First Mate Keira, guest reviewer

Title: Lucinda's Secret (Book 3: The Spiderwick Chronicles)
Author: Tony Diterlizzi and Holly Black
Format: Hardcover
# of pages: 108
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: Thimbletack has stolen the Field Guide (or so the Grace children believe) and they want it back. However they are not the only ones who want it --- goblins, elves, ogres want it too just to name a few. Whatever will they do?

Why I Started the Book:

This is the last of the Spiderwick books I got at the library. I will need to get more so I can continue the story. They’re still too short, but the illustrations more than make up for it.

Likes:

  • The phooka – a half rabbit and monkey creature. It reminds me of the Cheshire Cat in Alice Wonderland.
  • All the Little People speak in rhyme which at a quick reading can be tricky to make anything of and leave one a little confused. I like it though and think it’s part of the charm of this series.

Dislikes:

  • Crazy Aunt Lucinda might not be so crazy, she’s the only adult that we know of who would believe the Grace children about the fairies because she made friends with some of them, but she certainly isn’t a character who makes a difference to the story. At least not yet.
  • The kids barely escape entrapment by the elves. They want the book and they are not above holding hostages to get it. The elves are supposed to come across noble and sinister at the same time and I'm not so sure it works here.

Buy: Lucinda's Secret (Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 3), The Spiderwick Chronicles (Boxed Set; Books 1-5)

Book Rating: 3 Treasure Chests
tc3

Keira runs a book review blog for readers by readers on romance novels entitled Love Romance Passion. She’s been reading romance since she was in her teens and began blogging about romance so she could share her passion for her favorite genre. She loves reading paranormal, Regency, historical America, and highlander most of all and completely adores blind and wounded heroes.

Originally posted 2009-12-23 03:39:48.

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by First Mate Keira, guest reviewer

Title: The Seeing Stone (Book 2: The Spiderwick Chronicles)
Author: Tony Diterlizzi and Holly Black
Format: Hardcover
# of pages: 109
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: When Simon is captured by goblins, Jared and Mallory must find a way to get him back. Thimbletack knows what to do but he’ll only rhyme and give clues. Angry, Jared attacks Thimbletack and gets the seeing stone. Suddenly all things fey come to light!

Why I Started the Book:

I got three Spiderwick novels at once so I could read them back to back. This is book number two.

Likes:

  • The goblin species – part frog in appearance with wicked looking teeth that are not their own.
  • Hogsqueal, the hobgoblin. His spit allows the Grace children to see the fantasy kingdom right under their nose.
  • The troll in the lake. Good thing he’s not very smart or the kids would be in serious trouble.

Dislikes:

  • Tibbs getting eaten. Poor cat! How gruesome!
  • Thimbletack the brownie/boggart is one wicked little creature who makes a lot of mischief. I’m not sure he’ll stay as a dislike as I read more of the books, we’ll just have to wait and see what he does.

Buy: The Seeing Stone (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 2), The Spiderwick Chronicles (Boxed Set; Books 1-5)

Book Rating: 3 Treasure Chests
tc3

Keira runs a book review blog for readers by readers on romance novels entitled Love Romance Passion. She’s been reading romance since she was in her teens and began blogging about romance so she could share her passion for her favorite genre. She loves reading paranormal, Regency, historical America, and highlander most of all and completely adores blind and wounded heroes.

Originally posted 2009-12-22 03:46:39.

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