Monthly Archives: July 2021

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Posted on by
Reply

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner is the second book in the Maze Runner series. It’s another very good read like the first book in the series. This book starts the second the other book ends in the story so it feels like you are still in the hectic moment that was the end of the first book. In this book, the characters learn more about the world that is outside of the maze and they find out that life outside might be worse than life inside because there is a virus called the flare virus that is taking over the population and turning people insane and zombie-like. In the story, they call people who are infected and zombie-like Cranks.

Overall this book is a great read just like the first book. This book gives us as readers more information on the characters that we have grown to love and also gave us more insight into the even more dangerous situation that the teens have now gotten themselves in. Also, the movie version of this book is good as well but the book is better in my opinion since they change some things in the movie which differentiate it from the book.

-Howard M.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.

Authors We Love: JK Rowling

Posted on by
1

Arguably one of the best writers of modern times, Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born in Bristol, England on July 31, 1965. Better known as JK Rowling, she is the author of the famed Harry Potter series. Harry Potter is definitely in my top five favorite book series, but the story of JK Rowling is just as captivating.

Growing up in Gloucestershire with her younger sister, JK Rowling loved books. In fact, she wrote her very first book about a rabbit when she was just 6 years old. She went to school at Wyedean Comprehensive School, and later attended the University of Exeter where she studied French and Classics.

The idea of Harry Potter first occurred to Rowling on a delayed train to London in 1990. Throughout the next couple of years, Rowling planned the next few books of the series.

After many rejections, Bloomsbury Publishing House finally accepted Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The novel became a bestseller, and its movie was made in 2001. 

In 2012, the digital platform “Pottermore” was released, which sparked a new craze of Harry Potter in the digital world. (Seriously, who hasn’t taken the House Sorting Quiz on there?)

As for her personal life, JK Rowling married Jorge Arantes in 1992 and had a daughter, Jessica, in 1993. J.K. Rowling has been married to Dr Neil Murray since 2001, and they currently live in Edinburgh with their son and daughter.

The impact of the Harry Potter series is one of  high importance. Before Harry Potter, children’s literature sales were dropping, due to the fact that children were not reading very much. With the publications of the Harry Potter books, children became very interested and excited to read! 

Plus, in the midst of a global pandemic, JK Rowling launched “Harry Potter at Home” in March 2020, which allowed more people around the world to enjoy Harry Potter while they stayed at home through videos of celebrities reading the books out loud as well as the ebook and audiobook becoming free.

If you are reading this post, I’m sure that you are aware of the wonderful possibilities and opportunities that open up to children every time they flip the pages of a new book.

Of course, we cannot forget some of JK Rowling’s other works, which include Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as well as a crime fiction series called Cormoran Strike, which Rowling wrote under the pen name of Robert Galbraith.

As a huge fan of the Harry Potter series, I believe that JK Rowling’s work is truly magical. The details of her books are so vivid; I can easily visualize myself walking through the Great Hall and watching first-years get sorted into their house. I have seen dragons and mermaids; I have heard the chugging of the Hogwarts train and the voice of Headmaster Dumbledore addressing the school. In my opinion, the most admirable quality of the books is that readers of all ages can enjoy them, as new generations continue to discover the magic of JK Rowling’s works. 

-Ayati M.

The works of J. K. Rowling, including biographies, are available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. They may also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.

Movies We Love: Cars

Posted on by
Reply

Cars is an iconic movie that most people have seen but if you haven’t seen it Cars is a movie about Lightning McQueen who is a race car who is one of the best out there.

At the beginning of the movie, McQueen is very self-centered and he does not respect his team around him and he thinks that he is a one-man team and doesn’t go in for a pit stop which made the race ended in a three-way tie for first place. Over the rest of the movie, some events happen like him being stranded in this random town. This town ends up helping McQueen get back on his feet and help him become a better person. When it comes to the end of the movie he has the choice of winning the race or doing the right thing and he decides to help his friend end the race after a big crash. That is one example that shows how much McQueen has grown as a character over the movie and also an example of what makes this movie something special. Even though this movie is quite old I would still urge you to rewatch it sometime because it’s quite nostalgic rewatching an old movie.

-Howard M.

Cars is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Staying Focused During Summer

Posted on by
1

Making sure to stay focused and on task is hard during the school year, but it can be especially hard over the summer. With little to no daily structure to keep us in check, we often fall into the pattern of waking up late, doing little with our days, going to bed late, and repeat. I find myself falling into this routine every summer, then finding it hard to bounce back when the school year starts again. So I’m setting goals for myself this summer and I urge you to do the same. 

One of the big things that I think helps is to make sure that the routine we keep during the school year stays around the same during the summer. Sure, waking up at 4:45 A.M. is unreasonable to ask of anyone, but maybe being awake by 8:30 A.M. is more manageable. By getting up at the same time every day, we are training our bodies to make sure that we have a schedule for the day. The same goes for going to bed. Try to go to bed at 11 P.M. rather than 1:30 A.M. With a solid schedule in place, you might find yourself with more free time than you thought. This then creates not only more time to do any summer school or reading that needs to be done, but also more time for hanging out with friends. 

Also making sure our brains stay engaged is important. Making sure that we are doing little things to stay on top of our learning, such as finding a book or topic that interests us and learning more about it, can help us as we go into the next school year. I have found in years past, and this year with summer starting out, that I am able to ease back into the school year much better with a routine and something to keep my brain focused during this break. So in between sleeping in more than usual and hanging out with friends, make sure to take the time to create your own routine and keep engaged. 

-Danielle B.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Posted on by
Reply

The Giver by Lois Lowry follows a young boy named Jonas and the rest of his community. They all live in a utopia, a place that is perfect and everything is the same. A place where there is little conflict and problems. In the community, they know no pain, no loss; everyone is kind and respectful and everything is fair. When Jonas turns twelve, he is assigned the job as the new Receiver. He must undergo training from the Giver who passes on memories to Jonas of real pain, true anger, love, and things they have never seen or felt before in the community. These memories change Jonas and his beliefs. He changes and begins to feel true emotions and starts to see things differently. Once Jonas starts to realize the truth behind their perfect world, Jonas fights for what he thinks is right and takes a stand.

The Giver explores themes like individuality and the ability to choose. It shows that being different can be a good thing and it isn’t always enjoyable to be the same as everyone else. It also expresses that being able to choose something is important even if the thing being chosen isn’t important, it’s the fact that you get a choice that is important. I liked how the author portrayed the memories and the emotions in them. The author described them in an amazing way which made it interesting. There were small twists and reveals in the book, but nothing too big which made it simple.

I liked Jonas’ character development in the story. I like how he made his own decisions and created his own opinions unlike earlier in the story. Jonas decided to choose what he wanted to do instead of following what everyone else does and I really enjoyed him in the story. All the other characters were also enjoyable. I especially liked Asher; Asher was a funny character and stood out from the rest as he made mistakes and liked to have fun. Another thing I like about The Giver was how there weren’t many filler chapters; it was always straight to the point and explained things well. The Giver was a good short book and I really enjoyed it.

-Nicole R.

The Giver by Lois Lowry is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive. 

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Posted on by
2

I decided to read this book on a complete whim, and I couldn’t be more glad that I did. We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal is a riveting read, filled with beautifully descriptive, poetic writing, complex, multilayered characters, an ancient land under a curse, a dangerous quest, and looming darkness.

Seventeen-year-old Zafira is known far and wide as the fearless Hunter who ventures daily into the Arz, a dark, cursed forest that moves threateningly closer by the day. Hidden under her father’s cloak, she goes into the forest that many never return from every day to hunt in order to feed her people. 

One day, she is sent a mysterious invitation to go on a dangerous quest to the island of Sharr, which lies beyond the trees of the Arz and the waters of the Baransea, and retrieve something that can help to bring back the magic that once thrived in Arawiya and has since been gone for hundreds of years. After thinking it over, she bravely decides to embark on the journey, despite knowing she may never return.

Along with Zafira, the story is also told from the perspective of Nasir, the son of the cold-hearted sultan. Twenty-year-old Nasir is a skilled assassin, carrying out murderings left and right by order of his father, and has, as a result, been deemed “The Prince of Death” by all those who know of his blood-stained reputation. 

So when Nasir learns that the sultan wants him to go on a mission and kill the well-renown Hunter as well as take the magic-promising artifact back to his father, he has no other choice but to obey and sets out on his journey to the deadly island of Sharr.

Filled with darkness, magic, love, and sacrifice, this book is a worthwhile read. I also loved how nearly every chapter, the perspective would be changed from either Zafira’s or Nasir’s point of view, adding more depth and nuance to the story. 

This book is absolutely enchanting; I highly recommend it!

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Posted on by
Reply

This book was one of the first books that made reading more interesting for me, as it started off with some background information about how nine children, referred to as Garde, were tasked with saving Earth after their home planet, Lorien, was destroyed from the evil Mogadorians, from the planet Mogadore, that are planning to take over Earth, with mentors known as Cepan tasked with helping the Garde realize their abilities. Each of the nine were separated, however the Mogadorians have already killed three of the Garde. The story takes place in the narrative of Four, who takes on many aliases before the story but settles with the identity of John Smith, and his Cepan Brandon takes on the name Henri.

When I go back and read this book, I love how they always make it clear that John feels like an outcast compared to the rest of the high school kids in Paradise, Ohio, the city and state that he and Henri settle in, as he feels alone in this new school and doubts who he can trust to stay alive. Along with the emphasis of Four being a new student, he also deals with common high school issues that people deal with today, such as a high school bully in Mark James, a crush in Sarah Hart, and a best friend in Sam Goode. Although Four is meant to be a defender of Earth, the author does a very good job in humanizing Four and his struggles to balance his duty of survival and his personal life, relating to many teens in high school today who have to balance school, sports, and personal life.

Also, throughout the story, I found it interesting how John and Henri clash in their different viewpoints of the path moving forward. Although Henri feels endangered after his life was nearly taken while looking for answers on the Mogadorians, John wants to stay in Paradise, as he feels a strong connection and love for Sarah and a closer friendship with Sam, as Sam has little connection with his family. Since Sam finally has a friend in John and treats him like family, it is understandable why John does not to leave and argues with Henri. I found this similar to how kids often have to move schools due to their parents getting new jobs and moving houses and possibly even states, and have to leave friends behind. The tension between John and Henri over this decision is clear, but in the end, Henri supported John’s decision and fought to protect John like a father, even sacrificing his life to save John.

Overall, this book is a good read and worth taking a look into, as everything comes full circle in the story. I believe that high school students in particular would really enjoy this novel, as it highlights struggles to fit into a new school and make new friends, something that really shapes a high school experience. However, what always pushed me into reading this novel over and over again was how John perfectly fit into normal high school life and struggles, despite his difference in origin and powers. This kickstarted my interest in the Lorien Legacies and helped me find more interest in exploring all the possibilities in new books, which I believe will do the same for anyone that reads this book in the future.

-Lawrence B.

I Am Number Four by Patticus Lore is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.

2021 Summer Reading: Book Recommendations

Posted on by
2

I am a bibliophile, and I am proud to admit it. I look forward to the summer as it gives me the time to spend more time with my books. Though I always look for new books to read, sometimes I just simply reread the books which has left a mark on me. Here is a list of my favorite books, not in any particular order. All of them are the ones which I have truly enjoyed and would recommend to my fellow bibliophiles:

  1. Wonder by R J Palacio: An awe-inspiring story about the journey of a boy with a craniofacial difference, who starts school for the first time after being home schooled for years.
  2. Auggie and me by R J Palacio: Stories about different characters from Wonder
  3. Matilda by Roald Dahl: A story of a bright little girl, who finds her inner powers to outwit those who don’t understand her.
  4. Where the Red Fern grows by Wilson Rawls: A novel about a friendship between a boy and two hunting dogs.
  5. Hoot by Carl Hiassen: A suspense novel where a newcomer makes two new friends and one enemy, and joins an effort to stop an activity which would destroy certain wildlife colony.
  6. Scat by Carl Hiassen: A mystery novel about a missing teacher and panthers
  7. The Giver by Lois Lowry: A story written from the point of view of an 11 year old boy, living in a futuristic society.
  8. The Maze Runner by James Dashner: A teen dystopian science fiction.
  9. The Outsiders by S E Hinton: A novel which details the conflicts between groups divided by socio economic status.
  10. Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle: A novel about journey through space and time, from universe to universe.
  11. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan: A series of five fantasy adventure novels based on a boy who discovers he is a demi-god
  12. Divergent Series by Veronica Roth: A powerful story about a futuristic dystopian world in which society is divided into factions
  13. The Harry Potter Series, by J.K. Rowling: Series of 7 fantasy novels chronicling the life of young wizards and witches
  14. The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins: Series of three young adult dystopian novels that take place in a futuristic society which used to be North America
  15. The Hobbit Series and The Lord of the Rings Series by JRR Tolkien: A children’s fantasy novel of a boy on a journey through treacherous lands filled with dangerous creatures

-Anya P.

Are movie and TV show adaptations better?

Posted on by
Reply

When a book series gets popular, they often get turned into movies or TV series. Then begins the debate between readers and movie watchers about which is actually better. Many times, the book becomes popular first and then once it becomes a live action event, those who were avid fans of the books, and those who didn’t have the time to read them rush to watch. 

Now with series like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Divergent, and Hunger Games, the movies actually turn out to be pretty good. They can act as an addition to the book that brings it to life, rather than bring it down. It often happens with the TV series that they begin to stray more to add more drama to more seasons and more episodes than a book might carry.

Personally, I always prefer reading a good book at my own pace to watching a movie or show where stylistic decisions are made for me. I like to immerse myself in the book and decide for myself what certain characters look like, or where things might take place. When watching something on a screen the directors and producers are the ones in charge. While sometimes that can turn out okay, such as the magnificent Great Hall in the Harry Potter movies, other times I feel let down. 

The thing I struggle with the most however is when the live action starts to stray a little too far from the books. When they add characters that don’t carry a purpose, or remove others who they feel are unimportant, I find they are taking characters rather than the actual plot and writing that I fell in love with when I read the books. I often have to tell myself before watching a film adaptation that this is entirely different from the book in order to fully enjoy it like I did when I read. 

All in all, I think that a movie or TV show adaptation can work for some people and film makers if they are able to stick close enough to what originally made people want to make the series. If they stray too far from what was the original, it becomes an unnecessary change to something that was already good. 

-Danielle B.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Posted on by
5
The Mysterious Benedict Society (The Mysterious Benedict Society, 1): Stewart, Trenton Lee, Ellis, Carson: 9780316003957: Amazon.com: Books

The Mysterious Benedict Society is a classic mystery and adventure book, that I would highly recommend for you to read! The style of this book is similar to Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate events, and comes in a series for you to read! The book’s main characters are four young kids named Reynie, Constance, Sticky, and Kate. The book features only Reynie’s thoughts and insights, which is one downfall of the book. Personally, I would have enjoyed reading the book from all the character’s points of view.

Reynie is an orphan who has always felt out of place at his orphanage. Reynie decides to take a test from a mysterious sign he saw in his town, where he meets the other three kids who also happen to be orphans that passed the test. Shortly after, they meet Mr. Benedict, a strange old man who invites all four kids to help him with a secret mission. If you want to hear more about this thrilling story, you’ll have to pick up your very own copy of The Mysterious Benedict Society!

-Anusha M.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.