I purchased this book on a whim while in Powell’s Books, Portland, with my family- I needed something to read on the plane ride back, and the cover had caught my eye. I don’t usually read self-help type books, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. 50 steps seemed excessive and even scary at the time, but when I started reading, I found that each one was small, simple, and easy to implement. The addition of stories, anecdotes, and illustrations throughout the chapters kept me engaged and interested as well. After applying some concepts found in the book, I can definitively say that I’ve improved my life.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who (like me) has issues with procrastination, laziness, and otherwise bad habits. You won’t regret it! In addition, it’s a great book to help you get started on all those New Year’s resolutions 🙂
-Vaidehi B.
Hello, Habits by Fumio Sasaki is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.
Gathering Blue is the sequel to the first book, The Giver, also by Lois Lowry. However, this story does not follow the main character of The Giver, Jonas. Instead, Gathering Blue follows a new protagonist named Kira.
Kira lives in a village in which its society does not accept those who have disabilities, such as Kira. Kira has had a damaged leg since birth and the society does not accept her. Recently, her mother died, leaving her with no parents, giving her no protection from society. She is put on trial to be sent to the Field where the dead, disabled, or seriously injured are brought. In the end, the council decides that she will work as The Weaver. Her friend, Matt, helps in gathering her belongings and brings them to where Kira will stay. As her job, Kira repairs the robe of the Singer (another person given a special task), and over time, meets and befriendsThomas the Carver. As the story progresses, Kira, Matt, and Thomas grow close and together, and they uncover the dark secrets of the village.
Gathering Blue was a good book and it has some similar elements as The Giver. Both books have a type of society that does not accept those who are not up to standard and each has a place for those kinds of people. There are many similarities between The Giver and Gathering Blue, but each book is its own book. As I followed Kira, I got to understand her want to be useful or wanted and I was able to see her growth throughout the book. And along with her, I got to find out more about the village and the secrets that are kept. I found Gathering Blue to be a calmer book than The Giver. It wasn’t as exciting and was more complex in its plot. The plot itself was a little boring, but I did find the small clues to secrets to be interesting. Although the plot wasn’t amazing, I did like the characters and their relationships.
Kira was a very shy girl in the beginning, but still wanted to be able to stick up for herself. By the end of the book, she had grown into an independent and strong character, who was confident despite not being accepted into society. Thomas was a good friend to Kira, supportive and kind, but still made his own decisions. He wasn’t involved in the plot of the story too much, but he had a nice personality. Matt was a young kid, by the way he talks and acts; it was easy to see that. He didn’t have many manners and it was like he was living on the streets. He was a funny character but wanted to make Kira happy. He disappears midway through the book to go on an adventure, but comes back after acquiring something for Kira at a new village he had discovered. His personality was loud and ambitious and stuck out.
Overall, Gathering Blue was a good book. Although it wasn’t as good as The Giver and wasn’t as exciting, it made for a good short read. I finished it in a couple of weeks, but I found it too short, without any real buildup. The plot was too calm and it felt like there wasn’t a climax; like it didn’t contribute to anything in the series except to introduce new characters. It felt like a filler book. Some of it felt rushed and I didn’t like the transitions into new parts of the story. Once I finished the book, I found that it ends in a cliffhanger. I have the third book of The Giver Quartet, The Messenger, and I’ll get to reading that soon.
-Nicole R.
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowery is available for checkout at the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.
As finals and AP season is fast approaching, it can become an increasingly stressful time for high schoolers. With the school year coming to a close, events are being crammed at the last minute and there isn’t much time for things outside of work. With so much to do, it can be hard to find time to relax and make sure that we as students aren’t getting too stressed out and overworked.
With finals happening at the end of May and AP testing at the beginning, it can be hard during April for students to find time off. Yes, we do get Spring Break, but even that is spent studying for tests that we have when we come back. Some things I do to try and make things easier is always setting a schedule for myself the day before. I try not to put too much on my plate at once, knowing that I will most likely not be able to get it done.
I also work on trying to make sure that I do the work as soon as it is assigned rather than letting it pile up. Typically, teachers give multiple days to do assignments. The issue with that is that they’re easier to put off until the last minute. Doing the assignments the day they are assigned, rather than the day they are due, means that I have more time later on in the day or week to do things that I want to do for myself.
I also try to always create a group of people in each class that I can reach out to if I need help studying for something. Though I sometimes think I understand it, my friend might have a different way at looking at something that makes more sense. This also allows me to be social because I can study and hang out at the same time.
The next few months can be overwhelming, but if we as students just try to get the work done when we get it and focus on what we can control, it will be less stressful. Having a good school support system is always good, so that you can keep being social while also getting things done for school.
Happy Mall Story is one of the best simulation games I have played in a very long time. It has a very simple objective and that is to run a successful mall. There are a lot of ways to customize your mall, from adding different decorations to changing the colors of your stores. This game is a perfect game if you just need something to do in your spare time.
My favorite aspect of this game was making sure I had multiples of most buildings on each of the floor to increase the customers’ happiness. You can also buy items from some of the stores themselves to use to increase the stats of the store, like appeal or price and things of that sort.
Another good thing is that this game does not have any ads unless you want to activate frenzy mode which happens every 5 minutes anyways without ads so you do not even need to watch them. It makes me so happy when I find a game as good as this one that does not have ads. That is pretty hard to find nowadays because most free games on the App Store are LOADED with ads.
That is why I think that this game is worth your time to download and play it.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one of the best racing games out right now on any platform. It has 48 different areas to race in which change after every lap to give more variety. It has online play and lots of different modes to challenge yourself with.
The main function of this game is to provide a fun experience made for playing with multiple people. Sure, you can play online with people from around the world, but in my experience, the best memories I have that are associated with this game are when I was playing it with my family.
They recently added a DLC for the game which is an extra 16 stages from the earlier games in the series. This is definitely a purchase that is very worth its price.
Another thing to do is the ghost runs. You choose the option and you do all of the races and you are racing yourself to get a new personal best on the specific track. Once you complete these you get the golden ghosts which are much harder to beat and require every ounce of skill you can get to beat them.
All in all, this is a fantastic game to play anytime and is well worth the cost.
As an author known for his horror novels including It and The Outsider, Steven King lives up to his reputation once again through this novel. Despite being less gory than his other novels, Pet Sematary is arguably one of the most terrifying novels he has ever written surrounding grief, loss, and heartbreak—emotions that exceed the limits of even the most moral individuals.
The Creed family moves into a town called Ludlow, Maine, with their cat named Church. Louis Creed—the director of the health service in the University of Maine—meets his neighbor, an elderly man named Jud Crandall. The old man warns the Creed family about a dangerous highway that passes their house and shows them the “Pet Sematary” behind their home where children often bury dead pets who died from highway incidents. Following a series of traumatic events and nightmares for both Louis and his wife, the death of their beloved cat brings a major turn of events for the entire family.
Considering how much of the plot ties into the ending of the novel, there’s only so much that can be summarized without spoiling the book. Setting aside the terror and horror of the novel, the way King depicts grief and loss truly resonates with his readers including myself. King often puts flaws in his characters which creates a realistic perspective on the idea of death and loosing a loved one. As seen in Louis Creed’s parental decisions (or lack thereof), King does a fascinating job in showing readers what a true human does during times where rationalizing is no longer an option. Although it seems terrifying, emotions can bring out the best and worst in people, and that’s what makes them human.
As for the plot itself, its an extremely slow build. Similar to most Steven King novels, it’s best to read his books when you’re given enough time to do so. The longer you stop reading, the harder it becomes to understand the plot. Unfortunately, there’s not much to be said regarding King’s use of horror without spoiling the rest of the novel, but it’s definitely more scary psychologically than physically. Pet Sematary is a must-read for any horror fan and a novel I highly recommend for anyone willing to read this unsettling story.
– Natisha P.
Pet Sematary by Stephen King is available for checkout at the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.
This story begins with a pair of twins who loved the stars and loved each other so much, they were as intertwined as the constellations themselves. They have been together through everything and Mara always found comfort in her brother’s, Owen’s, presence. However, all of this changes when news spread about her brother potentially raping her friend, Hannah Prior. Mara is forced into this conflict where she must choose between believing the story of her brother or her friend dealing with this situation while she acquires her own conflict between her ex-girlfriend and her brother’s friend who caught her eye recently. Not only that, she also needs to confront a secret she kept buried inside for too long to truly feel free of the burden life has placed on her shoulders.
I am surprised at the contents of this book from the cover of the book but I guess that is why they say to never judge a book by its cover. I thought it would be a happy book dealing with beautiful stars and amazing relationships but I couldn’t have been more wrong. However, I still enjoyed this book very much. Blake did a very good job at writing emotional scenes, kicking me right in the gut, and weaving the symbolism of stars into the story, creating more possibilities and connections to what a star could and should be. There were some scenes that made me cringe a little but if I had the choice to read this book again, I would have accepted it without any hesitation. I recommend everyone to read this book if they can handle the brutality about rape, victim blaming, sexual violence toward girls, anxiety attacks, PTSD, and physical abuse.
-Saanvi V.
The Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.
The first book of the Brotherband Chronicles The Outcasts by John Flanagan, is a 434-page book set in the same world as the Ranger’s Apprentice. The book follows Hal and his crew of outcasts a group of Skandians. As Skandians are usually big and strong and Hal and his are not set aside and with nobody wanting to be with them they are outcasts from everyone else. The group of outcasts form the team the Herons. Using their skills they fight against the other teams at sea, As they fight other teams to win glory and a chance to prove themselves.
The story introduces many new terms about boats and sailing for those who are not familiar and it might take some time to get used to some of the new words and remember what they mean. However it does not take away from the book but helps it as it uses accurate sailing terms. The book is great for those who love reading the underdogs who use their skills and smarts to win when they are not expected to. Its set in the same world as the Ranger’s Apprentice and has some connections so any fans of that series should read this book as well.
Overall the book has a good storyline and sets the foundation for the sequels that come after it. The book has lots of background helping readers understand character’s motives, and is well written. With tales of friendships, smarts, action its book many can enjoy.
-Luke G.
Brotherband Chronicles Book 1: The Outcasts by John Flanagan is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.
Purpose: This should be the first part to consider when you create your protagonist. The purpose is how the character creates the plot of the book. What is the character trying to accomplish? What obstacles is your protagonist facing and why are they doing it? These are things to consider before fleshing out your main character. The plot will help you decide what traits to give your character.
Personality: This is arguably the most important part of creating your character because this is what will make the reader either put down the book or continue reading. When giving your character personality traits, make sure to give them traits that are relevant to the story and further the plot. The protagonist’s personality should be relatable and realistic. Everybody wants to read about positive traits and unique skills, but they also want to see flaws. We all have flaws, and sometimes the flaws in protagonists help to advance the plot of the story. How about a knight who is extremely timid? Mixing stereotypes with unique flaws and traits is the ideal way to create your protagonist.
Physical Traits: While personality is most important, the physical traits of your main character can also help draw in readers. For example, this could be race, gender, or physique. Especially nowadays, there is a lot of diversity within books regarding gender and race. This broadens the audience and allows certain readers to connect deeper with your character. Gender plays an important role in modern books because typically, girls read more than boys (not to say boys don’t read or there aren’t amazing male protagonists.) Finally, the physique of your character is important for two reasons: it helps draw in certain groups of readers, and it should reflect your plot. A character who has to carry a broadsword and armor, should have muscle. A character who spends a lot of time inside with little sleep, should appear ghastly. These are all simple ideas that could help you with creating your protagonist.
There are 13 books in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Each one looks at a different part of the 3 Baudelaire siblings’ lives and misfortunes as they grow and learn more about the strangeness of the world. It’s a story about finding one’s moral compass, the failings of guardians, the wickedness that plagues society, and the importance of associating with good people.Â
In the first few books we learn about the tragedy that took the Baudelaires’ parents, and about their nemesis/first guardian, Count Olaf, a wicked man who cares about nothing but getting his hands on their fortune. We are also introduced to the siblings: Violet, a genius inventor; Klaus, a genius researcher; and Sunny, a baby with sharp teeth who eventually becomes a genius chef. As the siblings grow in their strengths and move from failed guardian to failed guardian, they begin to learn more about a secret organization known as V.F.D. As the books progress and the children grow past the need for awful guardians, they begin to dive into this organization and the story becomes filled with more secrets and mysteries. It is at this point that I think the series really gets going and becomes phenomenal. The last 6 books in the series are particularly amazing, gripping stories that leave you asking more questions than you get answered. I often dislike endings, whether it’s in movies or in books, even music. For this reason, it’s high praise for me to say that A Series of Unfortunate Events might have my favorite ending of any book series. It’s a perfect culmination of character growth, surprises, and just enough answers to leave you satisfied. With the Baudelaires finally finding somewhere that seems safe, they learn that safety comes with a steep price.Â
While the stories are certainly amazing, I can’t overstate how important Lemony Snicket’s unique style of writing and narration is to the story. His tone alone is fascinating, with the stories being a sort of optimistic melancholy. His vocabulary is interesting, with him often explaining what words mean or having characters explain it. The way he inserts the narrator’s story into the series without ever explaining who he really is is simply remarkable. Lastly, he will repeat words and phrases to the point of boring you, just for you to realize that in the middle of his repetition he has left a secret message. It’s just wonderful how he manages to incorporate so many things into his storytelling and narration, that you can’t help but smile while you read it. Whether you are a child, a teenager, or an adult I’d highly recommend reading the books, or at least watching the amazing Netflix adaptation!
-Parker K.
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.
Mission Viejo Library Teen Voice 