Books on Screen

The Reluctant Dragon

In the 40's, Disney created a number of short films including this one based on a short story by Kenneth Grahame. While the movie lacks the elegance of the original story it remains true to the spirit of the tale and adds a bit more humor. The dragon's head-tuft things are quite expressive and a joy to watch. There were a few changes made that I didn't quite understand (like replacing Saint George with the generic Sir Giles) but that doesn't really detract from the movie on the whole. The cartoon is only about 20 minutes but is preceded by an inside look at Disney animation studios at the time and includes the Goofy short "How to ride a horse."

WWW Wednesdays

What are you currently reading?
A Bird on Water Street by Elizabeth Dulemba
In Coppertown, everyone is connected to the mine. Jack's whole family has worked there and it's expected that eventually Jack will too. The thing is, he's not sure that's what he wants. He finds himself wishing for more, for a place where things grow, where there are trees and birds.
This coming of age tale combines parental expectations with societal and ecological issues. It reminds me somewhat of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, one of my favorite books when I was in middle school.
 
What did you recently finish reading?
Buzz Kill by Beth Fantaskey
After finding the high school football coach dead, Millie teams up with mysterious football player Chase to track down the murderer. In the process a number of other secrets come to light.
This was a pretty solid mystery, though I found the construction of the chapter ends got a little old after a while.
 
What do you think you will read next?
Second Star by Alyssa Sheinmel
I'm a big fan of retellings, so this new version of Peter Pan is likely to be right up my alley.

Guest review - Uglies

When I first started blogging, I knew I wanted to include others on here. So today I bring you the first of what will hopefully be many posts by friends and coworkers. This particular coworker prefers to remain anonymous online and has selected the pen name Elizabeth Murphy. Elizabeth said she really enjoyed the review process and intends to write several other reviews for me.

Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Genre: science fiction
Similar books: The Program by Suzanne Young
                     The Circle by Dave Eggers
Rating:

Summary: A new society and way of looking at life. If everyone is made "pretty" it makes all people equal. But does it really work that way? The problem arises when some of the characters question the society (like all teenagers should).
Your opinion: A great page turning book, even if it is a little far fetched. The society seems very real as does the great new technology. Things change very quickly towards the end and the last scenario leaves the reader waiting for the next book. Maybe too much up in the air.


Thanks Elizabeth for the review! Stay tuned. In a few weeks I hope to have a side by side review with my coworker Abby.

Baby shower gifts

I enjoy getting invited to baby showers, mostly because I enjoy making gifts for babies. As I just went to a shower yesterday, I thought it would be fun to share a few of the gifts I've made with all of you.

This onesie was an idea developed by my sister and myself. The bow tie is fabric sewed down just under the collar. The suspenders are drawn on with fabric marker.

This owl is made out of t-shirts. I'm quite fond of the combination of purple stripes and the green belly.

In between those two I had made another onesie and a t-shirt elephant but I don't seem to have any photos of either of those.

My Effie Trinket face

When we decided to do a Catching Fire program, there was no question as to whether or not we would do any costuming. After a lot of debate I decided to model my costume after a resident of the Capitol. Green pants, green shirt over a yellow shirt, and gold suspenders with yellow sprayed hair and lots of gold make-up. I certainly got a lot of weird looks.

Not sure what this face was about

This hair took a prodigious amount of colored hair spray. It was quite hard to the touch.

Book Review: Riot

Title: Riot
Author: Sarah Mussi
Genre: dystopian thriller
Similar books: Little Brother by Cory Doctorw
                     Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy
Rating:

Mostly thrilling, but a bit of a let-down

Summary: Life in Great Britain is at a boiling point. Unemployment and crime are at a record high. Businesses are failing. Cities are overcrowded. In an effort to fix things, politicians suggest a radical move: cut funding to support systems for the poor and force sterilization on drop-outs, criminals, and other "problem populations." Outraged, Tia and her hacker friends organize protests. They find themselves caught up in something much larger.
My Opinion: Probably 98% of this book was thrilling, nail-biting action. Tia and Cobain are thrown from one dangerous situation right into the next. There isn't a lot of lingering in one place to think over their decisions or lament how badly their lives are going. So, it's not particularly introspective but the sheer amount of action makes up for it. The 2% that let me down was the end. Without giving too much away, just know that I'm not a fan of Hollywood endings and this one definitely dips into that territory. In spite of that, still well worth reading.
More Information: Riot is published by Hachette Children's Books of Great Britain.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Graphic Novel Spotlight: Friends With Boys

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks

It's a ghost story. It's a coming of age story. It's a tale of the ways we change in high school. The visuals are amazing. Faith Erin Hicks has this fantastic ability to express emotions on cartoon faces with simple lines. Lucy's enthusiasm for pretty much everything is present in every panel in which she appears. This is another graphic novel that really benefits from black and white art. I feel like color would have made it too cluttered. Also, this is a great one to watch the details in the background. Hicks sneaks a lot of little, cool stuff in there that adds to the larger story.