The Angel Experiment (Book)

Patterson, J. (2005). Maximum ride: The angel experiment. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: 978-0-316-06795-9

Interest Level: Ages 9 to 16
Genre: Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Action/Adventure, Genetic Experimentation, Teens living on their own,

Plot: Meet Max.  A 14 year old human-avian genetic experiment.  Max doesn't go to school or have any parents.  She lives in a house in the mountains with five other human-avian hybrid kids.  The group escaped four years ago from the lab that created them.  The lab, nicknamed the School, would subject the children to all sorts of physical and mental tests to see how far they could go.  The School didn't care if the sometimes the tests went to far and the kids were harmed or even killed. One day, Max and the group are ambushed by Erasers, wolf-human hybrid experiments that work for the School.  They kidnap Angel, the youngest member of the flock.  Max and two other members of the flock go to the School to rescue Angel before its too late.  At the School they learn more about how they were created, about who their parents are, and about why the School created them in the first place -- to save the world.

Personal Thoughts: James Patterson, a well established adult mystery writer, has now tried his hand at a young adult novel.  And the result is wonderful.  The story is filled with action.  If the children aren't seeking out a fight then one comes looking for them.  Max's inner dialog as well as the rest of the flock's dialog is the same you would hear from a real teenager, wings or not.  Each of the kids, ages ranging from 6 to 14, has their own unique personality and powers.  There is more then one or two plot lines going on which will have readers guessing about what will happen next.  A Must Read!

Series Info: Book One of the The Fugitive series

Sequel: Maximum Ride: School's Out -- Forever (2006)
Book Talk: Check out my 2 minute book talk for The Angel Experiment

Awards/Recognition:
YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2006)

Book's Website: Maximum Ride Website

Sonny with a Chance (TV Show)

Robbins, B., Bridgett, S. S., Feldman, M., & Marmel., S. (Producers). (2009). Sonny with a chance [Television series]. Burbank, CA: Disney Channel.

Interest Level: Ages 8 to 17
Genre: Family/Teen Sitcom
Subjects/Themes: Comedy, Fame, Teenage Actors/Actresses, Rivalry
Running Time:  23 minutes per episode
Rating: TV-G 

Plot: Sonny Munroe (played by Demi Lovato) has won the chance to star on her favorite comedy television show, So Random!.  Sonny is a good hearted, hard working, goofy and friendly individual.  The show is divided between Sonny's interactions behind the scenes with the So Random! cast and their rivals, the Mackenzie Falls cast, and clips from the So Random! and Mackenzie Falls shows.  Mackenzie Falls, one of the shows within the show, is a tween soap drama with overacting characters.  So Random! is a collection of comedy sketch shows similar to Saturday Night Live but for tweens. 

Personal Thoughts:  This show has a lot of different things going on in it, one of which will probably appeal to most tweens.  First there's the comedy sketches, then the Mackenzie Falls scenes, then the behind the scenes interactions, and then Sonny's interactions with her mother.  Sonny tends to act more like an adult then her mother at times but her mother is supportive and cares about Sonny a lot.  The So Random! cast is expectedly funny made up of Tawni (fashion obssed diva), Zora (a quirky genius), Nico and Grady (two pranksters who are best friends).  Chad is the star of Mackenzie Falls and has a love/hate relationship with the So Random! cast members.  He is spoiled and egocentric but also kind and sweet and times.  A good show for tweens interested in some good laughs.

Awards/Recognition:
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards: Favorite Comedy Show Winner (2009)
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards: Favorite TV show Nominee (2010)
Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Show: Comedy Nominee (2010)

Website: Disney Channel's Sonny with a Chance Website

Naruto (Anime)

Kishimoto, M. (Writer). (2006). Naruto Volume 1: Enter Naruto [Animated Television Series]. San Francisco, CA: Shonen Jump Home Video. ISBN: 978-1-4215-0698-2

Interest Level: 13 to 18
Genre: Anime Cartoon
Subjects/Themes: Ninjas, Good vs Evil, Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Supernatural Powers, Magic, Orphans
Running Time: 28 minutes per episode
Rating: T - for Teens

Plot: Naruto Uzumaki is a ninja in training in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.  But Naruto is not just any ninja student, he is also an orphan and sealed inside of him is the Nine Tailed  Fox Demon who once tried to destroy the village.  The rest of the village isn't allowed to speak of the demon and instead shun him because of the demon sealed inside of him.  Naruto, not knowing why he's being shunned, has made it his goal to become the next Hokage (village leader) in order to gain the respect of the village.  The majority of the series follows Naruto as he trains as a ninja, makes friends, and carries out his training missions.  As the series progresses, Naruto must also battle against enemies who would destroy the village and Naruto in particular.

Personal Thoughts:  Naruto is an action packed anime that is filled with different storylines that deal with issues of friendship, betrayal, perserverance, good vs. evil, and growing up.  This cartoon has some major plot lines that are found throughout the different seasons as well as individual missions or stories that occur in an individual episode.  Naruto is a lovable character because of his determination, honesty, and empathy.  Some of his friends include Sakura (a female, straight A, medical ninja), Sasuke (a talented ninja, reserved, seeking revenge for his family's deaths), Kakashi (a high level ninja, trains Naruto and his teammates), and Iruka (was Naruto's first teacher, father-like figure to Naruto).

Originally shown in Japan, Cartoon Network shows an English dubbed version that has been edited to sometimes reduce the amount of alcohol, sexual innuendo, blood and death shown or alter how it was shown.  Watching both the Japanese subtitled and English dubbed versions, I have mostly noticed a use of some older language rather then the violence.

Note: There is also a Naruto manga series (which the anime was based on) and several animated movies.
Similar Materials: Fruits Basket [My Review]; Inuyasha [My Review]

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (TV Show)

Kallis, D. & Geoghan, J. (Producers) (2005). The suite life of Zack & Cody [Television series]. Burbank, CA: Disney Channel.

Interest Level: Ages 8 to 17
Genre: Family/Teen Sitcom
Subjects/Themes: Family, Siblings, Comedy, Hotel,
Running Time:  23 minutes per episode
Rating: TV-G 

Plot: The series focuses around Cody and Zack who are twin brothers living in the Tipton Hotel with their single mother.  Their mother works at the Tipton Hotel as a lounge singer.  Their father, Kurt, is a musician who travels around a lot.  The boys tend to get into a lot of mischief trying to pass the time or make some extra cash.  London Tipton, the rich hotel owner's daughter, is a bit air brained, gets what ever she wants, and also lives at the hotel.  Maddie works for the hotel as a candy counter girl and is the opposite of London being both smart and frugal.  Mr. Moseby runs the Tipton hotel and is often the person trying to stop the boys from destroying the hotel or disturbing the guests.

Personal Thoughts:  A great show for boys or girls.  Each of the characters have their strengths and weaknesses.  We also see the characters grow up in the series from childish pranksters to more social savvy teens.  The hotel setting offers a lot of different opportunities for the boys to meet different superstars, officials, and tourists that normal they would not come in contact with.  Each episode usually revolves around the boys coming up with some plan that ends up with them crossing paths with a Tipton Hotel vistor.  London and Maddie are often doing other activities or schemes that sometimes has them working with the boys.  The series ended in 2008 and was followed by the sequel The suite life on deck.  In the sequel, the boys and London are attending a semester away at sea on the Tipton cruise ship.  Mr. Moseby is also there as manager of the ship.  A great show for all ages, definitely a Must See! 

Awards/Recognition:
BMI Film & Television: Cable Award (2005 & 2007)
Young Artists Award: Best Family Television Series (Comedy) (2007)
Kids' Choice Award, UK: Best Television Series (2007)
ASCAP Award for Top Television Series (2008 & 2009)
iParenting Media Award (2008)

Website: Disney Channel's The Suite Life Website

Wizards of Waverly Place (DVD)

Lafferty, K. (Producer), Berendsen, D. (Writer), & Spiro, L. (Director). (2009). Wizards of Waverly Place: The movie [DVD]. United States: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Interest Level: Ages 6 to 17
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Subjects/Themes: Family, Secrets, Wizards, Magic,
Running Time:  98 minutes
Rating: TV-G
 
Plot: Unknown to the rest of the world, wizards are real and live in the human world.  Only one child per family is allowed to inherit wizard magic.  Siblings in wizard families must practice their wizard skills and then compete to determine who will be the sole possessor of the family's powers.  The Russo family is just such a wizard family.  The father, Jerry, is a former wizard who gave up his chance of being a wizard in order to marry a mortal, the children's mother Theresa.  The three Russo children are Max, Alex, and Justin.  In the movie, the family goes on vacation to Puerto Rico.  Alex was going to stay home but she gets in trouble right before the rest of the family leaves and is forced to go.  Alex gets in a fight with her mother and ends up wishing that her parents had never meet which ends up coming true.  The siblings must band together a quickly find the Stone of Dreams but end up being double crossed by another wizard.  Desperate since Max has already disappeared, Alex and Justin compete in the wizard contest in order for one of them to gain full wizard powers and reverse the spell.  Alex ends up winning and wishing for everything to go back as it was which ends up rewinding time.

Personal Thoughts: I love this TV series and the movie was just as good.  There are many different characters for viewers to enjoy watching and possibly relate to.  Justin is the older brother, smart, and follows the rules more often then not.  Alex is sometimes a trouble maker because she uses magic to cut corners whenever possible, isn't interested in work or school, and is most interested in having fun.  Max is the youngest brother, is very naive, and easily confused.  The TV series and the movie are both funny and full of good lessons about right and wrong.  The movie follows the classic lesson of being careful what you wish for because you might just get it.  Alex is extremely interested in her own life over that of her family's.  She's struggling with wanting to be treated like an adult and be independent at the same time.  There's a little romance as the children try to help their parents fall in love again.  There's also a lot of humor from the different antics.  There are also chapter books based on the TV series and on the movie available.  A great family or tween movie.  No need to be familiar with the TV series to understand and enjoy the movie.  Definitely a Must See movie!

Awards/Recognition:
62nd Primetime Emmy Winner for Outstanding Children's Program (2010)
Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Children's Program (2010)
Golden Reel Nominee for Best Sound Editing (2010)

Website: Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place Website

Chicken Soup for the Teen Soul (Book)

Canfield, J., Hansen, M. V., Meyer, S. H., & Meyer, J. (2007). Chicken soup for the teen soul: Real-life stories by real teens. Deerfield Beach, FLA: Health Communications, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-7573-0682-2

Interest Level: Ages 12 to 18
Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography
Subjects/Themes: Inspirational, Personal Conduct, Teen Life, Friendship, Family,

Plot: Chicken soup for the teen soul is a collection of short stories written by teens about their lives.  The stories cover different topics and events that have to do with friends, family, disasters, and everyday occurrences.  The stories are emotional and express how the different teens are feeling and reacting to the world around them.  The stories were all previously published in Teen Ink magazine over the years.  In the book, the stories are arranged into topic categories for easy browsing.

Personal Thoughts: The stories in this collection are very inspirational.  There are stories about family emergencies, such as a stroke or heart attack.  There are stories dealing with the death of a friend or family member.  There are stories that talk about first loves and kisses.  There are stories about handling peer pressure, mistakes, drug use and much more.  Each story is only about a page or two long for quick and easy reading and yet those two pages hold a lot of emotion and feeling in them.  A good book for any teen in any situation.

Other Books in the Series:  
Chicken Soup for the Soul: teens talk relationships: stories about family, friends, and love (2008); Chicken soup for the soul: teens talk middle school: 101 stories of life, love, and learning for younger teens (2008); Chicken soup for the soul: teens talk high school (2008); Chicken soup for the teenage soul on love & friendship (2002)

Website: Chicken Soup for the Soul Website

Inuyasha (Manga Series)

Takahashi, R. (2003). Inuyasha. San Francisco, CA: Viz Comics. ISBN [Vol. 1]: 1-56931-947-2

Interest Level: 13 to 18
Subjects/Themes: Manga/Anime, Friendship, Fantasy, Romance, Action/Adventure, Monsters/Demons, Past and Present, High School

Plot: Kagome, a modern Japanese high school student, can travel back and forth to feudal Japan through a well at her family's shrine.  In feudal Japan, Kagome comes across Inuyasha who is sealed to a tree and releases him.  Inuyasha, a half dog demon and half human hybrid, was sealed to the tree by the priestess Kikyo whom Kagome is the reincarnation of.  Kagome brought back with her the Sacred Four Souls Jewel which Kikyo had tried to destroy.  Now monsters keep attacking her trying to steal the jewel for its power.  The jewel is accidentally shattered and now Kagome must search the land to find the jewel shards and prevent them from being used for evil.  Inuyasha decides to travel with Kagome because she is the only one who can sense the hidden shards and he wants the power of the jewel for himself.  Their travels form a friendship and an almost romance complicated by the fact that Inuyasha was in love with Kikyo before he met Kagome.  They gather a group of friends (a lecherous monk, a sweet child like fox demon, and a demon slayer) who help them in their search.   

Personal Thoughts: This anime is for older teens as it does have some suggestive situations, violence, and alcohol or tobacco use.  The series is of the shonen manga genre which means it is primarily targeted towards a junior high and high school boy demographic with lots of action, humor, and camaraderie.  The illustrations in each volume are well detailed and composed of black and white sketchings.  There is also a "ani-manga" version of the series that uses color scenes from the anime cartoon based on the same storyline.  This manga is a constant battle between good and evil.  A lot of unfortunate events happen to the different characters that help to form who they are and how they act.  There is a lot of action and subtle romance throughout the series.  The cartoon anime series is very closely based on the manga.

Awards:
Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen title of the year (2002)

Similar Materials: Fruits Basket [My Review]; Naruto Series Anime & Manga;

Eragon (Book)

Paolini, C. (2002). Eragon. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 978-0-375-82669-6

Interest Level: Ages 11 to 18
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Magic, Dragons, Action/Adventure, Revenge

Plot: Eragon is a simple country boy living on the outskirts of the Empire when he comes across a strange blue rock.  To his amazement, the rock is actually a dragon's egg.  The egg hatches a dragon named Saphira who has scales as blue as the egg was.  Eragon raises Saphira in secret until the Ra'zac come looking for the egg and burn down Eragon's house, killing his uncle.  Seeking revenge, Eragon decides to go after the Ra'zac but before he can leave the village he is stopped by the storyteller, Brom.  Brom convinces Eragon and Saphira that they need his help and they all start traveling together.  Brom teaches Eragon about the Dragon Riders and how to work magic.  Their travels take them far from home when Brom is killed protecting Eragon.  Eragon continues his travels, gets captured, gets rescued, and helps to rescue an elf.  His travels then take him to the Varden, a group of dwarfs, elves, and humans who resist the Empire's evil ruler.

Personal Thoughts: A very well developed world and storyline.  The reader sees Eragon grow from a simple country boy into a Rider and then into a wizard.  He starts becoming an adult with responsibilities that he is just beginning to understand.  A lot of the of the time Eragon acts before thinking or understanding the consequences of his actions.  Luckily he has friends around who help explain the bigger picture to Eragon and help him deal or learn from the consequences.  While there is a lot of magic and fantastical things going on around Eragon, he and the reader learn that the reality isn't always so wonderful.  Magic is hard work and if your not careful you can kill yourself.  Dragons and the freedom of being a Rider aren't really that free and come with lots of responsibility.  A good coming of age story with lots of action and adventure.  The next two books in the series have a lot of the same qualities and I heartily suggest reading them.  Definitely a Must Read!

Series Info: Book One of the Inheritance Cycle
Sequel: Eldest (2005)

Awards:
Book Sense Book of the Year
Beehive Awards (Utah): Young Adult Books
BILBY - Books I Love Best Yearly (Australia) : Older Reader
Buckeye Children's Book Award (Ohio): Grades 6-8
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (Rosie Award)
Gateway Readers Award (Missouri)
Golden Archer Awards (Wisconsin): Middle/Jr. High School
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona): Teen Book
Indies' Choice Book Awards: Children's Literature
Iowa Teen Award
Nene Award (Hawaii)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Awards: Grades 6-8
Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Choice Book Award (Illinois)
Rhode Island Teen Book Award
Sequoyah Book Awards (Oklahoma): Young Adult Books
Soaring Eagle Book Award (Wyoming)
South Carolina Book Awards: Young Adult Books
Surrey Schools' Book of the Year Award (British Columbia)
Teen Buckeye Book Award (Ohio)
Virginia Readers' Choice Award: Middle School (Grades 6-9)
Young Reader's Choice Award (Pacific Northwest): Intermediate

Other Books by the Author: Eragon's guide to Alagaesia (2009); Brisingr, or, The seven promises of Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular (2008)

Author's Website: Alagaesia Website

Manga University’s How to Draw Manga (Website)

Website: http://www.howtodrawmanga.com/

Interest Level: Ages 12 & up
Subjects/Themes: Manga, Drawing Techniques/Tutorials, Anime, Videos 

About the Website:  Manga University is a free site maintained by Japanime Company Ltd., a publishing company based in Kawaguchi, Japan with offices in Sacramento, California. They offer free step by step drawing tutorials are both a mixture of illustrated lessons and video’s provided through YouTube.com. They also offer fee based tutorials and art packages that drawing enthusiasts can purchase. The website also conducts interviews with popular manga creators who offer insight into drawing techniques, the manga industry, and special tutorials. There is advertising throughout the site, mostly offering Manga University products, such as print tutorials, learning japanese guides, and cook books, as well as other sponsor's products.

Personal Thoughts: A very well made site with full animation and video that is likely to appeal to teens. A little more difficult to navigate then some other sites, I found myself resorting to main tabs or the back button in order to return to a selection of choices. They have a good amount of free materials that teens can access and learn from. The advertising does make ordering materials from the website quiet tempting though. The site is updated regularly with new materials and videos. The drawings are clean with no violence or nudity that I found.

Similar Websites: Manga Tutorial's Website [My Review]   

Manga Tutorials (Website)

Website: MangaTutorials.com

Interest Level: Ages 10 & up
Subjects/Themes: Manga, Drawing Techniques/Tutorials, Anime,  

About the Website:  The website is run and owned by Rio who is a self-taught artist. Rio is also the creator of a majority of the drawing tutorials found in the website though there are others who also contribute. The website has over 80 drawing instructions about everything from basic manga drawing to publishing tips. It is completely free and requires no membership to access the site. There is some basic advertising included in the site. The website also has a forum for anyone interested in sharing their own drawings. The drawings included in the site are subject to evaluation and are free of overly suggestice poses, nudity, or violent images. Weapons are included in some of the pictures, but mainly as props.

Personal Thoughts:  A good site for teens interested in learning to draw manga or anime characters. The website itself is easy to navigate and the tutorials do well explaining different techniques. The nice part is the absence of nudity and violence that can sometimes creep up on the unaware in manga. As the site restricts that type of material from being posted, a parent can feel safe knowing that their child is learning drawing techniques and not being exposed to unwanted materials. The advertising is very low key, no more than you would be exposed to while checking your email. Definitely check out the "Oekaki" tab where there are a lot more postings from fans as well as contest entries.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (DVD)

Heyman, D. (Producer), Newell, M. (Director), & Kloves, S. (Writer). Harry Potter and the goblet of fire [DVD]. Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video.

Interest Level: Ages 13 to 18
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 157 minutes
Subjects/Themes: Wizards, School, Magic, Competitions, Friendship, Good vs Evil, Fantasy 

Plot: Based on the fourth book of the popular Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling.  The story picks up right before the start of the new school year.  Harry is having nightmares about Voldomort and his minions.  Harry attends the World Quidditch Cup with his friends where they set up a campsite with the other spectators.  Death Eaters, Voldomort's followers, attack the camp and destroy everything.  At school, the students are surprised by the announcement of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, which is a competition between three wizarding schools.  Harry's name is chosen by the magical goblet even though a Hogwarts champion was already chosen and Harry is too young to compete.  Harry and the other champions have to face a number of challenges that will test their minds, magic and physical abilities.  These challenges prove to be almost deadly and in the past champions have died.  Eventually Harry and Cedric, the other Hogwarts champion, make it to the final and choose to win the competition together.  This proves deadly as the finish line was a magical booby trap with Voldomort's followers waiting for them and they kill Cedric.  They use Harry's blood as well as other items to create a body for Voldomort.  Harry barely manages to escape with Cedric's body and returns to school to warn everyone that Voldomort has returned.     

Personal Thoughts: The movie is well made and stays close to the main storyline found in the book.  The graphics and special effects are almost flawless and serve to make the Harry's magical world a very believable one.  This volume of the Harry Potter series has a darker tone too it and this is also reflected in the look and feel of the graphics.  Characters are being killed and Voldomort is growing in power.  Harry's relationships with his friends are also getting stress as a result of all the different things going on.  We really start to see the characters grow up in this movie as they deal with more grown up issues in grown up ways.  Unlike the early parts of the Harry Potter series, which to me are beign enough for younger tweens, this is the part in the series where things start to become more violent, dark, and depressing to some degree and you may want to wait to show the rest of the series to til the viewer is a little older.  The previous DVDs inthe series were rated PG.  This is the first in the series that was rated PG-13 so parents should be aware of that and take proper consideration.

Movie Note: Part 4 of the Harry Potter Series
Prequel: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2007)
Sequel: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Awards/Recognition:

Academy Award for Best Art Direction [Nomination] (2005)

Teen Choice Awards - Choice Movie Drama Winner (2006)

BAFTA Award for Best Production Design Winner (2005)
Kids' Choice Awards - Blimp Award Winner for Favorite Movie (2006)

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (DVD)

Lafferttty, K., Sacks, A. (Producer), & Hoen, P. (Director). (2006). Camp rock 2: The final jam [DVD]. United States: Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

Interest Level: Ages 10 to 18
Rating: G
Running Time: 94 minutes
Subjects/Themes: Friendship, Musical, Summer Camp, Singing, Rock Stars

Plot: The Camp Rockers return to summer camp for another year of sharpening their musical skills.  They learn that Star Camp, run by a rival owner, has opened on the other side of the lake. Some of the campers and camp conselours are lured away by the money and by the luxery of the other camp.  The returning campers volunteer to act as substitute consulors in order to prevent the camp from closing.  The two camps challenge one another to a televised rock performance competition where voters will decide the winner.  It is expected that the losing camp will close forever as a result of the bad publicity.  When Camp Rock loses the competition, they find out instead that campers would rather go to Camp Rock since they know how to have the most fun.

Personal Thoughts: A sequel to Camp Rock, this movie follows much of the same format as the first.  There are a lot of singing and dance scenes.  Mitchie (Demi Lovato) and Shane (Joe Jonas) are struggling to balance learning more about one another and helping out at the camp.  Nate (Nick Jonas) and Dana, the daughter of Camp Star's owner, end up falling in love.  Mitchie ends up trying to run the camp more like a workplace and starts taking the fun out of all the activities.  In the end her friends help her out and the harmony of the camp is restored.  This movie teaches teens to remember to have fun and not stress out so much.  Also the romances in the movie stress the importance of learning about one another's likes and dislikes and searching beyond the surface.  A Must See movie for tweens and teens who enjoyed the first movie.    

Prequel: Camp Rock (2008);

Similar Movies: High School Musical (2006) [My Review]; High School Musical 2 (2007); and High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008);

Fruits Basket (Anime Cartoon)

Daichi, A, & Miyazaki, N. (Directors). (2001). Fruits Basket [DVD]. Tokyo, Japan: FUNImation Entertainment.

Takaya, N. (1999). Fruits basket. Los Angeles, CA: Tokyopop. Vol. 1 ISBN: 9781591826033

Interest Level: 10 to 18
Subjects/Themes: Shojo Manga, Anime, Friendship, Orphans, Fantasy, Romance
Running Time: 26 episodes; 21 minutes each
Rating: Unrated

Plot: After her mother's death, Tohru Honda begins living in a tent in the woods in order to stay in school while her grandfather's house is being remodeled.  She also works part-time cleaning office buildings in order to pay for her tuition.  She had promised her mother that she would finish school no matter what.  Yuki Sohma, the most popular guy in her high school, discovers Yuki's living conditions and invites her to live with him and his cousins.  In return for room and board, Tohru cooks and cleans the house.  Unfortunately, the Sohma family is cursed.  As a result of the curse they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac when under extreme stress or when hugged by the opposite sex as Tohru quickly finds out.  Tohru promises to keep their secret.  If Tohru fails in some way, then the head of the Sohma family will demand that her memory and therefore her firendship with the Sohma family be permently erased.      

Personal Thoughts: This anime is extremely uplifting as well as being sweetly sad.  The characters are dealing with inner turmoil and trying to make the best of life.  Tohru is an extremely uplifting personality, without being stupidly naive or fake.  She's mourning her mother's death, struggling to find her identity, and despite everything trying to do what's right.  Throughout the series different themes about self-identity, bullying, standing up for yourself, speaking your mind, and friendship are explored.  The boys in the series are strong academic as well as martial art students.  The Sohma family is full of dark secrets, most of which are only hinted at during the story.

Notes: This review is based mostly on the anime series and not the manga series.  The anime is closely based on the first eight volumes of the manga series.  The manga series has 23 volumes total.

Awards (for Manga version):
Kodansha Manga Award in the shōjo manga category (2001)
American Anime Awards "Best Manga" (2007)
Animage Anime Grand Prix Award (2001)

Similar Materials: Sailor Moon cartoon series; Tokyo Mew Mew manga series;

Graceling (Book)

Cashore, K. (2008). Graceling. Orlando, FL: Harcourt. ISBN: 978-0-15-206396-2


Interest Level: Ages 13 and Up
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Magic, Medieval Worlds, Princesses, Romance, Violence/War, Politics

Plot: Katsa is the niece of King Randa of the Middluns, but that's not why people fear her.  They fear her because she is Graced with the art of killing.  A Grace is something people are born knowing how to do perfectly like magic.  Katsa's uncle uses her Grace in order to enforce his rules, scare those who question him, and to kill his enemies.  But Katsa also works to keep peace between the kingdoms, she has formed a secret Council spread throughout all the kingdoms that works to help innocent people.  Then Prince Po, seemingly Graced with the art of hand-to-hand combat, comes to court looking for his grandfather only to find out Katsa's secret.  This starts Katsa on the path of taking back control of her life, publicly standing up to her uncle, and eventually joining Po on his quest to find out more about what happened to his grandfather.

Personal Thoughts: A great fantasy book! It has recieved "Starred Reviews" from Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal.  The book is divided into three sections that discuss Katsa's life growing up under her uncle's rule, her travels and romance with Po, and her quest to save Princess Bitterblue.  The book is filled with with all sorts of action scenes as should be expected from Katsa's Grace.  A few older concepts for readers to be aware of is that it is stated that Katsa and Po do become lovers, though no details are given.  There is also a lot of violence and killling in the action scenes, though the lack of gory details balances it out.  Katsa is a protector of the weak and strives to teach them to protect themselves.  A lot of good themes about friendship, loyalty, justice, and survival.  A Must Read!

Awards:

Amelia Bloomer List for Young Adult Fiction (2009)

Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Older Readers Category (2008)

Mythopoeic Award for Children's Literature (2009)

School Library Journal Best Books (2008)

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (2009)

Other Books by the Author: Fire (2009)
Author's Website: Kristin Cashore Website

Cicada (Magazine)

Cicada, 13(2). (2010, November/December). Chicago, IL: Carus Publishing Company.

Interest Level: Ages 14 and Up
Genre: Serial (Periodical, Newspaper, Magazine, etc.)
Subjects/Themes: Magazine, Youth's Writings, Adult Writings,

Content: Cicada magazine is targeted towards teens 14 years old and above and is published bi-monthly.  The magazine offers stories and poems written by adults and young adults that illustrate the issues, topics, and feelings that accompany growing up.  Cicada is 48 pages long and filled from cover to cover with writings.  No outside advertisements are included.  The magazine is created by the same company who creates the Cricket magazine for children and is suggested as the next step for children who have outgrown Cricket magazine.  A yearly subscription costs just under $34 or you can find it at your local library. 

Personal Thoughts: A straightforward magazine that reads like the collection of short stories and poems its meant to be.  The illustrations are simple.  The lack of advertisements refreshing.  The writing of high quality with a mix of humor.  The stories while sometimes full of deeper issues still have an uplifting inspiring tone to them.  One of the stories told about a recovering alcoholic grandmother, her angry daughter, and the granddaughter stuck between them and how they all find a way to laugh over Pluto’s demotion from plant to a plutoid.  Another hinted at a world or witches, wizards and elves, and an infant who mistakenly drank some magic potion and is now as aware as an adult and yet unfortunately hampered by his age.  If you have a young inspiring writer, then they may enjoy reading the works of others and this would definitely be a good suggestion of where to start reading.

Awards: Parents' Choice Recommended Magazine (2010)

Company Website: Cicada Website

Similar Materials: Teen Ink Magazine (check out my review), New Moon Girls Magazine (check out my review), Cricket Magazine,  

Guinness Book of World Records (Book)

Guinness World Records Limited. (2011). Guinness world records 2011. London.

Interest Level: Ages 12 and up
Genre: Serial (Periodical, Newspaper, Magazine, etc.)
Subjects/Themes: Curiosities and Wonders, Unusual Facts, World Records,

Content: The Guinness Book of World Records is published once a year.  Inside are different lists of records, superlatives, and unusual facts in different subjects such as business, crime, the natural world, technology, war, the arts, music, fashion, and sports from around the world. Pictures are included throughout the book of the different people, places and things mentioned in the book. 

Personal Thoughts:  Some studies have shown that tween boys tend to prefer non-fiction.  For those boys, this book's for you.  Filled with pictures of people and animals setting the different world records, this book is sure to delight all sorts of readers.  The "Human Beings" section is my favorite.  In it you can see pictures of different category winners such as the longest beard, the most needles in the head, longest toenails, and much much more.  There are also other (less gross) records on topics such as recycling, disasters, and animals.  The book is full of fun facts that might surprise you.  For instance, I now know that California has three of the top ten fastest roller coasters in the world (two at Magic Mountain and one at Knott's Berry Farm).          

Company Website: Guinness World Records Website

Similar Materials: Scholastic Book of World Records (2010); Top Ten of Everything 2011 by Ash;

Teen Voices (Magazine)

Teen voices. (2010, Spring/Summer). Boston, MA: Women Express, Inc.

Interest Level: Ages 12 to 19
Genre: Serial (Periodical, Newspaper, Magazine, etc.)
Subjects/Themes: Magazine, Youth's Writings, Youth's Artwork, Youth's Reviews and Editorials

Content: Teen Voices is a magazine targeted towards junior high and high school girls and is published biannually.  The magazine's mission is to "helping teens share their own voices, while developing reading, writing, creative and critical-thinking skills" (Taken from the Teen Voices' website).  The magazine uses a journalism mentorship program where approximately 85 teenage girls from low-income or minority families living in boston recieve training as editors and writers and help run the magazine.  The magazine contains a collection of advice columns, reviews, writings, and artworks written by teenage girls for teenage girls.   

Personal Thoughts: Written by teenage girls for teenage girls, interesting that the first thing I noticed was how much this magazine has the look and feel of a "real" magazine.  The rich graphics, text format, and quality is such as seventeen magazine or people, except with inspirational articles instead of how to snag a boyfriend advice.  This particular issue had articles on how to handle bullying, a response to Calvin Klein's advertising, online behavior tips, sex trafficking dangers, college essay help, racism, food poisoning, and homemade beauty tips.  I especially liked the the "Dear D" section that addressed what to do when your getting bad grades.  Compared to some of the other teen magazines I've reviewed so far I haven't seen any mention of what to do when struggling in school.  I felt this was important because while there is a focus on teen writers and artists, I don't think its fair to assume that all the magazine's readers find school easy.     

Company Website: Teen Voices Website

Similar Materials: Teen Ink Magazine (check out my review), New Moon Girls Magazine (check out my review)

Teen Ink (Magazine)

Teen ink, 22(1). (2010, September). Newton, MA: Young Authors Foundation.

Interest Level: Ages 12 to 19
Genre: Serial (Periodical, Newspaper, Magazine, etc.)
Subjects/Themes: Magazine, Youth's Writings, Youth's Artwork, Youth's Reviews

Content: Teen Ink is a magazine targeted towards junior high and high school students and is published monthly from September to June.  It is run by the Young Authors Foundation, a non-profit organization "devoted to helping teens share their own voices, while developing reading, writing, creative and critical-thinking skills" (Taken from Teen Ink's website).  The magazine contains a collection of articles, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and reviews written by teens.  There is also information about colleges and special thematic subjects, for instance this issue was about remembering 9/11.

Personal Thoughts: This is a great magazine for teens by teens.  The writings included have a high level of construction and insight.  The reviews were especially appealing as they reviewed various items such as colleges, movies (new and old), books, and music that were appealing to teens.  Thought is refreshing that not all items reviewed were necessarily new publications or movies.  Some of the items were those that teens were just discovering, like the Godfather movies or I Am Messenger by Zusak.  The stories and poems covered a range of topics from health, heroes, points of view, and the environment.  The magazine also includes teen artwork, both drawn and photographic, throughout.  Overall a very inspirational magazine.  There is some advertising in the magazine and on the website, but its what I would call mostly positive advertising by colleges, book vendors, and the random online banner vendors that most of us have learned to ignore.  A Must have magazine for any public library or school library.      

Company Website: Teen Ink Website

Teen Ink Books: a series of anthologies created from collected selected writings previously published in the Teen Ink magazine.

Teen Ink: Our Voices, Our Visions (2000) ISBN: 978-1558748163

Teen Ink 2: More Voices, More Visions (2001) ISBN: 978-1558749139
Teen Ink: Friends and Family (2001) ISBN: 978-1558749313
Teen Ink: Love and Relationships (2002) ISBN: 978-1558749696
Teen Ink: What Matters (2003) ISBN: 978-0757300639
Teen Ink: Written in the Dirt (2004) ISBN: 978-0757300509

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (DVD)

produced by Leslie, E., Donner, L., (Producers), Weitz, P. (Director & Writer), & Helgeland, B. (Writer). (2010). Cirque du freak: The vampire's assistant [DVD]. Universal City, CA: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Interest Level: Ages 13 to 18
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 109 minutes
Subjects/Themes: Friendship, Vampires, Freaks, Horror

Plot: Darren and Steve go to a freak show where they meet Larten, a vampire.  Steve begs Larten to make him one of them but Larten refuses.  Meanwhile, Darren steals Larten's poisonous spider, Octa.  After Octa bites Steve, Darren becomes Larten's apprentice, a half vampire, in order to get an antidote for Steve.  This means that Darren must fake his death and leave his family in order to learn how to control his powers.  Mr. Tiny finds the grieving Steve and turns him into a different kind of vampire, the kind that kills to feed.  Mr. Tiny sets events in motion to start a war between the two kinds of vampires by pitting the two friends against one another.

Personal Thoughts: This movie is based on the first two books in the Cirque du Freak Series by Darren Shan.  The movie is rated PG-13 for the violent actions scenes, disturbing images (in one scene Darren has his neck snapped in order to fake his death), and some language.  Possibly a good vampire movie for those who wanted more action and less of a love story than what was found in the Twilight movies.  The movie has a dark and deadly feel throughout, full of shadows and mist.  There are themes of friendship and not judging people by what they look like.  Suggested for older tweens and teens.  If they like the movie then they'll probably be reaching for the next book in the series to see what happens next.  While there was a lot going on in the movie, there was still a lot of unfinished business.  No wonder though since there are ten more books that follow the first two.  

 

Author's Website: Darren Shan Website

Dealing with Dragons (Book)

Wrede, P. (1990). Dealing with dragons. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN: 0-606-01813-1

Interest Level: Ages 10 to 16
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Animals, Magic, Medieval Worlds, Wizards, Princesses, Humor,

Plot: Cimerone is the seventh princess of a very traditional royal family and is expected to do proper princess things such as learn embroidery, dance at balls and marry a prince.  The only problem is that Cimerone doesn't like any normal princess activities.  Instead of getting married to a prince, Cimerone runs away following the advice of a talking frog.  She volunteers as a dragon's princess where she cooks and cleans for the dragon Kazul.  Cimerone is allowed to cook, learn Latin and magic to her heart's delight and  is finally happy.  Now all she needs to do is convince the knights and princes to stop trying to rescue her and find out why those magic hungry wizards are snooping around and life would be perfect.  

Personal Thoughts: I love this series.  It has strong female characters that break out of traditional roles to find happiness.  Cimerone and Kazul both use logic, thinking and a little magic to outwit their opponents.  There is enough action and humor in every chapter for any tween.  The story's world is one where the traditional fairy tales are expected in everyday normal life.  For tweens who love this series, I suggest other fairytale spin offs such as Ella Enchanted and The Fairy's Mistake by Levine for tweens and The Five Hundred Kingdoms series by Lackey for older teens or adults.   

Series Info: Book One of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles
Sequel: Searching for Dragons (1991)

Awards:
Minnesota Book Award (1991)
YALSA 100 Best Books of 1950 to 2000

Other Books by the Author: Lyra Series; Frontier Magic Series; Kate and Cecelia Series;
Author's Website: Patricia C. Wrede Offical Website