December 2001

Mixed Media

December 2001

Welcome to this site

In this issue:

Book Reviews, Music and Poetry

Have you ever felt like a misfit? Completely different than everyone else? Then you know how Lirael feels. She is different from all of the other Clayr. She has black hair instead of blonde, brown eyes instead of blue, and does not have the sight that all of the Clayr are supposed to have.
In the Old Kingdom, something is going on, but nobody knows what it is. As thousands of southerlings cross the wall every day they are mysteriously killed. Some evil necromancer is using their bodies to attempt to conquer the Old Kingdom. The king and Abhorsen go to Ancelstiere to try to stop the southerlings from crossing the wall. Prince Sameth, Abhorsen-in-waiting, and his sister Ellimere are left to rule the kingdom and bind the dead. Lirael and Sameth must meet up later in their quest to find the source of the trouble and Sameth's friend, Nick. They think Nick is near the lightning trap, a mysterious mound near the town of Edge, where evil necromancers are digging to find something. What are they looking for? Is Nick involved with them?
This book is the sequel to Sabriel. The book finishing Lirael's plot is due to be published at the end of 2002. I really enjoyed this book. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

The Juskarath clan is seeking a new leader, a fearsome beast known as the Taggerung. Said to be swifter than lightning and more powerful than a badger, the Taggerung brings luck to the clan that should find him. The vermin are rather surprised when their Taggerung is really an otter from Redwall Abbey. Despite their misgivings, their leader, Sawney Rath, takes in the small otter and trains him in the ways of the Juskarath. When the Taggerung grows older, however, he realizes that the vermin life is not for him. He sets out to find his true identity and home, ever followed by a gang of vermin determined to kill him and claim his title. Meanwhile at Redwall Abbey, Cregga Badgermum is getting old, and deems it time to find a new abbess. Now the whole abbey is caught up in a search for the ancient clues laid down by abbess Song to find the worthy beast.
I enjoyed this book. The plot was different, and the dual plot format built up the suspense. If you enjoyed the other books in the Redwall series, then you will surely enjoy this latest edition as well. 4 out of 5 stars.

Samurai Cat Goes to the Movies is a hilarious book, and the series makes fun of everything. They are very literal. If someone spills the beans, they have to clean them up. The book stars Tomo Kato and his nephew, Shiro. Both are samurai with master skills in every technique ever made. In this book, they take on the Terminator, Mexican bandits, and the Wizard of Oz! The characters make many references to the author. The few illustrations add a small amount more than one might think. Overall, this is a great book with only off color humor!
My least favorite part of this book was that it was a bit repetitive, especially in the army vs. Samurai Cat battles. Also, a few of the puns were terrible groaners!

It's about a girl named Ellie. Ellie has a big family. She is the youngest. Ellie has four other sisters: Eunice, Wanda, Linda, and Martha. And no brothers, but of course she has a mother and a father. Her mother was nice and so is her father, but her father got drunk and a lot. The whole book is when Ellie is 11 years old to her twelfth birthday. It tells all of the strange and weird things that happened that year was that her father got so drunk that he drove his truck into a mountain! If you want to know if her father lives and the other stuff that happens around her, read this book.
I thought it was pretty good. It wasn't so boring really at all. It wasn't scary, just interesting.

The book Homecoming is a touching novel emphasizing the need that everyone needs a home. Dicey, the main character, develops leadership and the need to make the right decisions for her and all of her siblings. I like the style of her descriptive writing and give this book 3 ½ out of 5 stars. Anyone in middle school would like this book if you like sad, dramatic stories. This book is a tearjerker, so get out your tissues!

Wayne Grover and his friends are diving for treasure in the water off Florida's Southeast coast just as a storm comes, he finds a golden chain on the bottom of the ocean, and his dolphin friends are no where in sight! By the time Wayne got to the surface, the boat was gone. Wayne is stranded with waves crashing all around him and sharks closing in. Will his Dolphin friends come to his rescue?

The Golden Compass is the firs book in the series "his dark materials". It is about a girl named Lyra who is destined for greatness. In Lyra's world people's souls are impersonated in animals called daemons. Lyra uncovers a scheme that her evil mother is planning to cut souls away from children. But this is only the beginning of the problem, children are mysteriously disappearing and word of new worlds is heard. This book is very good but I recommend you read all three books in the series.

"Thank you, for trying, Jemma" said Jemma's drama teacher. Jemma got very caught up in herself when she thought she was getting the lead role in a play. The snobby, untalented, new brat in the class got the role.
This is just one of the characters and one of their problems- the others characters are Sumitha, Chelsea, Daniel, Laura, Jon, and their parents. Each character has specific needs and wants that they're not getting.
I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's a great book because it focuses on issues that impact 12-16 year olds today in a fun and attention grabbing way.

The dog star Sirius had been falsely accused of murder. His sentence: take on the body of a mortal being and search for alleged weapon, a zoi, on a world where it is suspected to have fallen. Sirius must combat his clumsy dog body and weak memory to find the zoi before he dies, or worse, before someone else should find it. Sirius must seek the aid of Sol, Moon, and Earth before the darker forces should find the zoi and use it to destroy the universe.
This book was very interesting. Although Sirius seem acts similarly to most other dogs, his intelligence is very different. As the story is set in Sirius' point of view, it is interesting to see some of the thoughts that penetrate the "dog" layer of his brain. The urge to bit Duffie, his owner's mean aunt, for example. The luminary parts are also very interesting, as Sirius can converse with any planetary body, and makes good friends of Sol, our sun. The ending is a surprise twist that shows some of the "darker" forces of the earth, and Sirius is combating uncomfortable memories as well as material oppressors. 5 out of 5 stars.

Witness is about the Ku Klux - group thinking is small town Wermount in the year 1924. Though differently written, was excellent and touching. Ester Hissh is a Jewish girl who moved with her father to Sara Chickening's farm. Ester quickly befriends Leanor Smitter, a "colored" girl. Then two K. K. K. members are sent out to chase Reanor and Ester out of town, they both fail. Mr. Hirsh, though badly wounded from a bullet fired by Mr. Harvey Pettione and Merlin wouldn't poison the - well because he was spotted by Reanora, Merlin runs out of town and is accused of firing the gunshot. Merlin eventually comes back to town - that he was followed by the town preacher, who jumped off a bridge the day after Merlin left. - - Leanor and Ester - now clear Merlin's name. Will Merlin's name be cleared? Will Mr. Pettione admit that he was the one who fired the bullet? Read Witness to find out.

The book Terrorist is about a boy named Billy. Billy and his family just moved to London. Billy and his friends were racing to school. His friends were way ahead of him! All of a sudden someone grabbed Billy's arm and, "one of your friends dropped this!" said the man as he gave Billy a package. Billy said "Thanks!" Billy was thinking that his friends didn't have any packages! All of a sudden, BOOM! The package blew up and killed Billy. The explosion also killed a baby and blew the leg off of the baby's mother. I highly recommend this book because it is addictive. You can't put it down. Go and get this book immediately! It is very unbelievable who blew him up!