Monthly Archives: March 2021

A Return to Pokemon Go

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The popular game Pokemon Go, a free app might I add, is once again making a comeback in 2021. If you had the app and forgot about it, or if you never quite bought into the experience, let me try to explain why you may want to give this another go.

The Pokemon Go game is formatted to get you outside and walking. You have to go to Poke stops often located near parks, sports fields, hiking and walking trails like the Oso Trail, and even shopping centers like the Irvine Spectrum. Our own Mission Viejo Library has Pokestops you might want to come to visit if the game sounds like something you might try. Once you go to the Poke stops, you can spin the stops to collect items you will need to play. This makes you go seek out Poke stops and move around your city in order to play the game.

What you do in the game is try to catch pokemon that you would like to keep and/or evolve. It starts off easy to catch the little pokemon and it gets harder the better you get in the game. You will join a team once you have played for a while, choose your team color, and advance to placing your pokemon in gyms to get them experience and earn you credit in the game as well.

How far you go in the game is up to you and this is part of the fun. When you go out poke hunting, you will soon hear fellow pedestrians talking about the Bulbasaur that is near, and you will know you are part of a larger community who is also out there hunting as a part of the game.

-Preston V.

A Guide to: The Office

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After fifteen years, The Office continues to be one of the most popular and loved shows, and for obvious reasons. It’s one of those shows that one can just watch again, and again, and again. Its relatable characters and original comedy contuse to pull its viewers in. I, for one, am a huge fan of The Office. After watching the entire season through around four or five times, Id like to share the episodes that keep pulling me back.

When you need a good laugh…..

“The Dinner Party”

By far my favorite episode of The Office, The Dinner Party (Season 4. Episode 13) combines humor, drama, and awkwardness to make a hilariously uncomfortable episode that will have you rolling on the floor. This episode begins in the office, of course, as Michael Scott forces everyone to stay late in order to work on a supposed corporate assignment, however; as everyone will soon find out, it’s all just Michael’s way of ensuring that Jim, Pam, Andy, and Angela can attend his dinner party that evening. After Jim admits to not having any plans that evening, Michael cancels the supposed corporate assignments, forcing Jim and Pam to accept his invitation to his house. And so the torment begins, and all four of the employees are forced to endure a painful dinner party, which ends in complete disaster.

When you’re in need of comfort….

“Niagra”

After many long years, Jim and Pam finally tie the knot, however; with the whole office in tow, their wedding does not come with setbacks. Pam and Jim have a rather difficult time before the wedding, having to deal with her grandmother’s disappointment on her premarital pregnancy. To make matters worse, a co-worker seriously injure himself and has to be rushed to the hospital. Despite these inconvencies and many more, we witness a wonderfully joyous moment as Jim and Pam are married and everyone dances down the aisle.

When you need to cry…

“Michael Leaves”

This episode is without a doubt the saddest episode in the show. Not only was the departure of Michael Scott as a character absolutely devastating to the show itself, but it was heart-wrenching to see all of the Dunder Mifflin employees say they’re good-byes. In a particularly touching scene, the office gathers in the conference room for Michael’s last meeting. Together, they surprise Michael, and actually the actor himself, with a song dedicated to him. Though this, one sees not only the characters themselves saying goodbye to their boss, but real actors saying goodbye to a co worker. The show was never the same without him, and the loss of his presence was truly felt by all.

-Yvette C.

Film Review: Pride and Prejudice

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Pride and Prejudice is an intriguing romance movie that creates an interesting
narrative using past societal expectations. As for the movie itself, while it is not
something that I would personally watch, I did enjoy watching it with my friends and
found that the movie was good overall. I would personally recommend the movie if you are really looking for older romance movies as what you get out of the movie is still satisfying regardless of whether you like the category or not.

In terms of what I liked about the movie, the characters feel as if they each had a role and portrayed well what they were designed. Given that I have not read the book or do not watch many romance movies, I cannot speak for the plot itself although it felt as if there were some holes towards the end in terms of the story and resolution which could be fixed with more time in the movie. While the story between characters feels somewhat unexplored for most of the movie, the characters themselves do a good job at foiling each other and create an interesting dynamic.

As for the way the movie portrays a story overall, it felt as if separate pieces of a story were put together, rather than it being one cohesive story as many parts of the movie often left me wondering how characters got there in the first place. While many characters are well written, it also feels as if some characters were entirely unnecessary and played almost no role. Some characters even felt so pointless that they were taking away from the main
characters, although, given the short time of the movie, it is possible that there was no effective way to portray all the characters in the way the directors wanted to. In addition,
while the movie was mostly enjoyable, there were some scenes that, by more recent
standards, felt more awkward than funny which is their presumed intention.

Overall, while I have many complaints about the movie, I would still recommend
seeing it as it was still an enjoyable experience to watch with friends. The ending is still
satisfying which is the goal of the movie and it still portrays the themes of the title well,
presenting both sides and helping define the meaning of the title overall.

-Benjamin L.

Pride and Prejudice is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

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The book starts off as Heidi is being brought to her constantly upset grandfather who has had nothing to do with her (yet) by her aunt Dete. Heidi, an orphan, was raised by her aunt after both of her parents died a long time ago. Heidi soon meets her grandfather, who seems to be very unhappy about this situation. He doesn’t want anything to do with the girl but nevertheless takes her in. 

Heidi is a very active and happy girl. This book is the story of her being raised in the Swiss Alps by her grandfather. ‘Heidi’ follows the main character and protagonist, Heidi. She attends school and plays in the mountains with her new found friend Peter the shepherd and her grandfather’s two goats.

I really enjoyed reading this book because of the amount of details that were put into it, like how something smells or feels. The book is definitely very interesting and I would highly encourage you to read it.

I would recommend you to read this book whether you do or do not enjoy reading classics. The storyline was great, the events that took place were exceptional, and the novel remains exciting throughout the whole story. 

This book remains as one of my favorite novels. It is a good book to read if you like calm yet active storylines and characters. I also liked that Heidi is very kind to everyone she meets, whether she knows them well or not.

I would rate this book 10/10.

-Peri A.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Authors We Love: Marissa Meyer

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Marissa Meyer is my absolute favorite author. Her ability to retell stories we’ve heard a million times is impeccable as her imagination reshapes these stories into something completely new.

Meyer was born on February 19, 1984 and began her passion for writing very early on. At age 14 she started off writing Sailor Moon fanfics on fanfiction.net (as most of us do, let’s be honest) under a pseudonym named Alicia Blade. In fact, if you’re interested enough, you can still log on to the website and read a younger Marissa Meyer’s works of fanfiction under the same pseudonym. In college, Meyer continued to pursue her passion for writing, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and a Master’s in Publishing later on.

I first discovered Marissa Meyer when I picked up her first series titled the Lunar Chronicles. In this series, she puts a futuristic spin on many of the classic fairy tales we’ve heard in our childhood: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White. With cyborgs, robots, a few romantic side plots, and a classic evil queen, a crew of our fairy tale girls soon form to save not only the fate of their kingdom, but the world as well. This series was so well written and put me on an even bigger emotional roller coaster than the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series combined. I know that’s a big claim, but trust me on this one. Meyer did a fantastic job in her first series; the world building was spectacular and the characters were so easily lovable in their very own way.

I’ve also read one of Meyer’s standalone books called Heartless which is a backstory about how the queen of hearts from Alice in Wonderland became the way she was. Like the Lunar Chronicles, this book had me so emotionally invested that I forgot the queen of hearts was the bad guy! I remember rolling in my seat out of excitement when I got close to finishing the book because of how invested I was! So if you’re looking for a love story in Wonderland, I definitely recommend this book for you.

Meyer has also released another standalone book this year titled Instant Karma and wrote a trilogy about superheros titled Renegades in 2017 which are both definitely on my “To Read Next List.”

If you haven’t heard of Marissa Meyer, or if any of her books sound interesting to you, I definitely recommend you check her out!

The works of Marissa Meyer are available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Film Review: Phineas and Ferb: Candace Against the Universe

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Phineas and Ferb were one of the biggest childhood shows of this generation, and the attention that this movie received is no doubt due to the many nostalgic memories many people had. The show sheds light on Candace, one of the main characters and older sister of the two brothers who create all the inventions. I would recommend and rate this movie fairly well as it provides a new view on a childhood favorite.

The movie overall was good and had many standout aspects. What story and character
development lacked, the soundtrack and environment did more than made up for it. The soundtrack especially was outstanding given what the show is meant to portray, and the songs fit the situation and character interactions perfectly. The movie also has the same witty humor that the show had when it aired, with minor interactions between characters livening up the movie and creating a fun atmosphere. The story was not necessarily deep, but it allowed the characters themselves to shine rather than detracting too much of the viewer’s attention while still being relevant to the development of the main characters. One minor issue I had with the movie is that many side characters were just there to be in the show, rather than having some sort of impact. They felt more like afterthoughts rather than side characters that were important in one of our favorite childhood shows.

Overall, I would still say this movie is one of the most entertaining animated movies to have
come out recently and is worth watching for not only the nostalgia but a great time overall as there are many comedic and wholesome moments throughout the movie that remind us why this franchise is one of our childhood favorites.

-Benjamin L.

Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott

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Jo’s Boys: the final book of Louisa May Alcott’s precious series, beginning with the famous Little Women. 

Jo’s Boys is a fast-forward of ten years after the events that take place in Little Men, and is, once again, just as lovely as its previous two installments. It features all of the characters that were at the forefront of Little Men and takes the reader through what everyone’s life looks like ten years later. Jo is now a successful children’s writer, and the children are now all grown up. 

Just like the other books, Jo’s Boys never fails in showing the beautiful relationship between the parents of the story and their children, and showing the differences in wisdom and in youth, and the lessons and beauty that can be derived from each.  I enjoyed Jo’s character in this book more than ever, as she is such a wonderful mother and incredibly loving, wise, and warm as a character. 

Her advice that she gives throughout the book to these young individuals is always one that is heart-warming and insightful as she helps the young men and women of Plumfield navigate the beginning of a new chapter of life. And with the beginning of this new chapter, this gentle entrance into adulthood, the book closes the chapter on childhood and instead focuses on growing up, navigating through life’s difficulties, and staying true to your morals and beliefs. 

Unfortunately, despite this being such a wonderful book and the last of the trilogy, I did not find myself enjoying the last few pages as much as I thought I would have, but, nevertheless, this series now owns a new spot on my list of favorites, due to the beauty in this simplistic series. The wonderfully life-like characters, the writing style, the moral lessons, the descriptions of different aspects of life, and the passing of time all make up this book as well as the other two, and it is for these reasons that I have enjoyed them so much.

One thing I enjoyed quite a bit was how this book made certain references, often in conversation, to events that happened in the first book. This made the books feel like a continuous stream of life, like an inside look at the March family, rather than just a fictional set of stories. I also enjoyed seeing how each of the Plumfield pupils turned out later in life, both in terms of career path and character. All in all, I would recommend Jo’s Boys, and the entire series, for that matter, to anyone from any season of life.

-Aisha E.

Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.