Reel Culture: 50 Movies You Should Know About by Mimi O'Connor

Reel Culture by Mimi O'Connor outlines fifty influential movies from the 20th Century.  These films have shaped our culture with memorable quotes, scenes, and characters.  From Audrey Helpburn's little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany's to Al Pacino's famous shootout in Scarface, O'Connor describes what has made these films endure in American culture.  Furthermore, she references more films outside of the main fifty that are related via director, actor, or film style.  The book also outlines the plot for each movie, and there are definitely spoilers involved.  All these elements put together give young readers a solid account of American pop culture in cinema in an accessible, easy-to-reference format.

I was very impressed by the analysis of the films given the target audience of the book.  O'Connor goes much deeper than the performance of actors and famous directors.  I learned the most from the analysis regarding film styles, especially the significance of films that pioneered certain genres such as film noir.  These tidbits contribute to a dimension of the book that serves as a very brief snapshot of film in an art history class context.

The only issue I have with the book is the spoilers.  I would advise readers not to read the complete synopsis if they are interested in seeing the film.  However, the plot summary is a necessary evil for the book to deliver on a variety of levels.  Some films are most remembered for a twist ending or the death of a character, and the cultural references described by the book would be limited without spoilers.  Furthermore, the most sophisticated film analysis books also do not hold back on spoilers.  It is needed to properly discuss the merits of a film.

Overall, with the suggested reader audience in mind, I highly recommend Reel Culture for movie lovers and the pop culture aficionado.

Reviewer Age:22
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota United States

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

Set in 19th century Russia, Katerina is a duchess who desperately wants to become a doctor, despite the fact that women aren't allowed to enter medical school. However, Russia is in an unstable time with evil forces threatening the tsar, and Katerina finds herself in danger because of her unique talent--being able to raise the dead. While she tries to learn the extent of her powers, she has to figure out who really wants to help her and who wants to use her.

My first reaction after reading the synopsis of this novel was that the author was trying too hard. I mean, really. She had fantastical elements and historical fiction, but I was pleasantly surprised. The fantasy worked surprising well with the setting. Unlike other fantasy novels, the vampires, fairies, and necromancers actually fit well into the story.

However, the main thing that made this novel extremely difficult to get through was the voice of the narrator. The author tries to make Katerina feminist by giving her the goal of becoming a doctor; she tries to make Katerina witty and sarcastic (all things I would normally love), but it didn't work because her voice throughout the novel was stuffy. Even though the novel is written in first person, the reader never feels connected with Kat and feels removed from the situations. I think one of the main problems is the author does more telling than showing, and she uses a lot of cliche phrases in her writing. When describing Katerina's romantic encounter with an evil prince she uses phrases like, "I thought I would melt into the floor," and "My heart raced until I thought it would burst" (Bridges, 125).

The other thing that made this novel unreadable was the plethora of difficult Russian names. There was too many characters and too many familial relations to keep track of. It's probably more realistic, but I feel like it distracts from the story line.

The Gathering Storm is the first book in a trilogy, and I most likely won't be reading the other two novels. It's not really my cup of tea, but if you like historical fiction and fantasy, then you might want to give this novel a try.  

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hinsdale, Illinois USA

Fated (Soul Seekers Series) by Alyson Noel

Daire has always had an odd life as the daughter of a makeup artist. But things get even weirder when strange visions of crows and dead people come into view. Reluctantly, her mother sends Daire to her eccentric grandmother on her dead father's side to get control of her visions. Throughout this whole time Daire has dreams of a beautiful boy who turns out to be real. Through her grandmother's help Daire becomes the Soul Seeker that she was always meant to be.  But will Daire be able to handle the changes in her life or will she run away from this life like her father?
I loved this book. All the characters were beautifully developed including some of the minor characters. The only thing I didn't like was that the boy from her dreams was not introduced as early as I would have liked. I for one had high expectations of this book because of Evermore and Fated defiantly met those standards. I recommend Fated to people who liked Evermore, House of Night series, Hush hush, and Nightshade.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Northglenn, CO US

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Alex Adair is seventeen years old and hiking her way up to Lake Superior to say her final goodbyes to her parents when an extremely powerful electromagnetic pulse (EMP) strikes. The pulse knocks out everything computer based. Cell phones, traffic lights, even cars. That 's not the worst of it. Some people have gone insane. They' ve become animals, very dangerous cannibalistic animals. On the run with Ellie, a cranky eight-year-old whose grandfather was killed by the EMP, Alex meets a young soldier by the name of Tom. The three make a rather unorthodox family. Together they fight to survive in a world devoid of the technologies we take for granted and full of the things of nightmares.

This book is fabulous. Written in first person, the book shows a post-apocalyptic world reminiscent of I am Legend. In this book the title, Ashes, carries a much deeper meaning than you often see. The word is used many times in the story; all with different contexts and all with slightly different meanings. I particularly liked this because it s uncommon. Most titles are fairly literal and it s refreshing to have such a symbolic meaning hidden in this one. The emotional journey in this book is astounding and you' re with Alex every step of the way. Her thoughts and feelings are so well conveyed it 's almost difficult to separate her feelings from yours. I have one warning for the reader; this is a gory book. There isn 't really a way for it not to be. That said, Ilsa J. Bick does an admirable job of toning down the blood and guts to a reasonable level. All in all I give this book five stars!

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Cibolo, Texas United States

Intruders by C. J. Cherryh

The book Intruder is a very political book. It is about two characters who interact and help each other with politics. One is an eight year old Atevi and the other is a human named Bren. It is based on another planet that is home to the Atevi. The continent is in turmoil and the two characters are caught in the midst of it.
I thought this book was a little boring. It took me a while to get into it and the plot was predictable. I feel that if there was more action in the book it would be better. If you like politics this book is for you. It has political nuances that I probably missed. I would recommend this book to older readers.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hunting Valley, OH United States of America

Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

Cammeron Morgan (a.k.a. the chameleon), in the fifth installment of the Gallagher Girls series, went out to find what the circle of Cavan wanted from her, and came back with a blank memory of her entire summer. Bruised and battered, she finds herself in convent wanting to know why she was injured, and how she got there. Figuring she escaped the circles clutches, she returns home, not only having lost her memory, but also the trust of her friends, family, and the CIA. Lost and confused with new and frightening skills she cannot remember acquiring, Cammie sets out to regain the affections of her friends, and semi-boyfriend Zach while still trying to recover what she learned over the summer. With new enemies and old friends around each corner, and the circle closing in, hopefully Cammie can find who she can trust, who is trying to kill her, and why they want her dead.
I can honestly say this is one of my favorite books. Ally Carter is a magnificent writer with many wonderful books preceding this one, and Out of Sight, Out of Time lives up to, and even exceeds my expectations. It was really creative, and kept me guessing the whole time. The series is fantastic, and I recommend it to anyone who loves spies, creative adventures, wonderful writing, and a little romance thrown in the mix. It s humorous, serious, and adventurous all at the same time. 

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Colorado Springs, Colorado United States of America

Talisman of El by Alicia Stone

Charlie Blake was ten years old when he became an orphan.  For the past four years he has been living at Alpha Children's Home and at potential homes to be adopted into. Now he is hoping to be adopted by a man named Jacob Willoughby who lives in West Sussex. Things are looking good until a week after going there when he wakes up from a nightmare like the one he had before his dad died. Soon after that he learns some disturbing secrets about Jacob. Then Charlie meets a very mysterious being who seems to follow him. That being may be friend or foe.
When I was reading it was hard to stop and put the book down. The characters seemed very realistic and I think that they could have been kids at my school. The plot was Intriguing and always made me want to continue reading. At the end of the book I was wishing I could just pick up and start the next one. Some of the book's concepts have been left unanswered and I hope they will be answered in the next book. The one thing I would have different would be that it was too much of a happy ending. I still would definitely recommend this book to people.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Grand Island, NE United States

The Rock of Ivanore by Laurisa White Reyes

Find the mythical rock that can build up kingdoms.  This is the task that the city of Quendel has given Marcus, an orphan, along with the other 14-year-old boys in the city, Jerrid, Zody, Clovis, and Tristan.  They must venture through dangerous terrain, cross the country, and fight odd creatures to get to the rock.  However, they aren’t the only ones who want the rock; there are dangers from over the sea that also want the rock of Ivanore, and are willing to kill for it. So what happens to Marcus on this quest? Find out in this amazing book!

I believe that the author’s purpose was to provide an interesting adventure story, and I believe they achieved it.  The book not only had a great story, but the plot keeps you interested with some unexpected twists.  The story keeps you guessing, and you never know the end until the end. I would recommend this to anyone that appreciates a certain amount of suspense in their reading material, and anyone who likes adventure stories.  I personally enjoyed this book.

Content: 1

Rating: 9

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Dickinson, Texas United States

Earthling! by Mark Fearing

Earthling by Mark Fearing is a sci-fi graphic novel for readers ages 8 to 12. It is about Bud, a boy who one day gets on a bus that he thinks is his regular school bus, but instead it is actually a bus to a school in outer space called Cosmos Academy.This is where he meets an alien boy named Gort who teaches Bud all about the planet and informs him that Earthlings are the most feared creatures in his whole universe.They decide to tell the rest of the class that Bud is a Tenarian exchange student to keep the class from being afraid of him. Bud thinks this is a good idea at first until, he finds out the the Tenarians are excellent at sports and Bud is terrible at them. The school has not won a single anti-gravity zero ball game yet and they are counting on Bud to change their luck. Will his true identity be discovered when it is found he is not good at sports or is this new game for him going to be something that he is actually really good at and save the day?

This book was engaging and kept me wanting to continue reading. I really enjoyed the characters and bright and fun colors used to illustrate the book. I liked the fact that it was a graphic novel because I feel it makes the story easier to follow and allows the reader to see exactly what is happening at that time. This is good book to read after a long day to help the reader unwind. I hope that Mark Fearing continues this storyline and makes it into a series of books because he is one of best graphic novel authors I have read. He does a great job at keeping the story exciting and funny while keeping it at the reading level he describes the book at.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Henrico, Virginia USA

The Witch's Revenge by D. A. Nelson

Morag lives in the tiny kingdom of Marnoch Mor, which is hidden from the rest of the world by a white stone called the Eye of Lornish. One day, the kingdom is disrupted by the disappearance of two critical magical things, one being the kingdom's master wizard, Montgomery, and the other being an exceedingly powerful tooth from a long-dead witch. Morag and her three friends, Shona the dragon, Bertie the dodo, and Aldiss the rat, escape to rescue Montgomery from the Darkisle of Murst, where they are certain he has been taken. Once they reach Murst, they discover that Montgomery is a prisoner of the evil witch Mephista, who is trying to use the power of the tooth to help bring her father, Devilish, back from the dead. Morag must hurry to bring Montgomery home, because if she doesn't, Marnoch Mor may tear itself apart.

This book is impossible to put down. Morag and her friends are an unlikely trio; a dodo, a dragon, and a rat, along with a girl who is not originally from Maarnoch Mor. Morag had run away from her foster parents because she hated them. I liked how even though the stinky Klapp demons at first appear extraordinarily stupid, they managed to trick Mephista by using the body of her dead father to raise an ancient evil being. The connection between Montgomery and the Eye of Lornish was interesting, with how they had to be near each other to be safe. I would recommend this book to everyone who can partially believe the idea of a magical kingdom somewhere, hidden from the searching eyes of the outside world.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake City, IA USA