Author Archives: Leila S.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

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bravenewworld_aldoushuxleyDo you sometimes wish you did not have parents? Would you like to have free time to do whatever you wish? Would you rather not choose a favorite color?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, maybe you should move to the utopian society pictured in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World.

But on the other hand, maybe not…

The setting of this novel is a society where all people are decanted rather than born. Before they are ‘born,’ they are predestined to their position in society. For the Epsilon Semi-Morons, this means having their intelligence and growth stunted or even being part of a Bokanovsky Group, where one will have at least 50 identical twins. For an Alpha Plus, this means becoming an individual, because these are the people who will grow up to be World Controllers.

The people in the novel are encouraged to take part in whatever activities bring them pleasure, including erotic play. Additionally, there is soma, the drug that brings the person away from the problems of the world, in something called a soma-holiday. There is no such thing as God in this world; they worship Henry Ford. Their calendar system is based off the invention of the Model-T Ford.

One day, however, in this seemingly perfect world, Bernard Marx and his girlfriend for the week go to a savage reservation in New Mexico, where life is still going on as it was before this civilization developed. His girlfriend, Lenina, is revolted by the fact that people here have their own children, that they can grow fat, and that people get married and stay dedicated to one person their whole life! Here, Lenina and Bernard meet John and Linda, two people with surprising ties to civilization. The decision to bring them back to their society, as expected, causes conflict.

My favorite part of the novel was how thought out this futuristic society is. Though to me, it is very disgusting, and I would definitely not want to live there. It seems very realistic that it might occur even today, thought the novel was written in 1932. Also, though sad, the very end of the novel was poetic and very eloquently written.

I would definitely recommend this book to older teens. Some of the ideas and descriptions in the novel are certainly for older audiences. Additionally, I found that there was a lot of vocabulary that was new to me, and I had to keep looking up new words, so that is something to consider. But if you do decide to read this book, you should enjoy it. It is a very fascinating novel.

-Leila S.

Brave New World is available for check out from the Mission Viejo Public Library and Overdrive.

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

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mysisterskeeper_jodipicoultIn The Fault in Our Stars, John Green says his novel is not a “cancer book.” Well, neither is My Sister’s Keeper. Bound to bring the reader to tears on more than one occasion, this novel faces tough issues of today.

When Kate Fitzgerald was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) at age two, the doctors realized she was going to need a matched donor for stem cells in the near future. So Kate’s parents selectively chose a sperm and an egg to make Anna, in order to use the stem cells in the umbilical cord to save Kate. But Anna’s donations did not stop there. Blood transplants, bone marrow. Basically every time Kate was hospitalized, Anna was there too, donating something else to her sister.

Now Anna is thirteen. Kate is beginning to die of kidney failure, and the Fitzgeralds have asked Anna to donate one of her kidneys. But Anna is fed up, and she sues her parents for the rights to her own body. Needless to say, this causes major conflicts among the family.

This novel discusses the moral effects of having a designer baby, as well as how far one should push for their child to donate for another child. Do the Fitzgeralds love Kate more, so much so that they had a second baby just to save the first? What is it like to live in a family with a child dying of cancer?

Seems straight forward, right? Anna sues for the rights to her own body, and she either wins or loses. But, if she wins and does not donate a kidney, her sister dies. If she loses and donates a kidney, she and her sister have to go through a complicated transplant that doctors think Kate may not be able to withstand.

No matter what happens, both outcomes prove to be a loss for Anna. What do you think? Is it right to have a baby just to save another child’s life? Is it right to be forced to donate parts of your body, without making the decision yourself? Is it right to stop being a donor for someone when they are sure to die without your help?

Combined with drama between the lawyers, the delinquent son of the Fitzgerald family, and some pretty major plot twists, this is a fantastic read. The novel is so captivating, especially because it’s told in the perspective of each character. I think anyone 13 and older can handle the heavy concepts, as long as you accept the fact that you will likely cry. But isn’t that what makes a book so captivating?

Leila Salem., 9th grade

My Sister’s Keeper is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Public Library.

Movie Review: The Prophet

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theprophetThe Prophet, adapted from Kahlil Gibran’s work of the same name.

Kahlil Gibran is a Lebanese-American writer, poet, and artist, whose best known work is The Prophet. Published in 1923, this is a collection of “poetic essays” on various life topics, including love, death, marriage, children, work, and freedom.

So when I heard that this book was made into an animated film, I was eager to see it.

I was impressed by the film. I have not seen a lot of movies where the theme is comprised of feelings and ideas, so I felt that the way the film was portrayed was effective. The story followed a young girl named Almitra, who had been mute ever since her father died two years before. She steals from all the bakers/shops in the village, causing her and her mother to gain a bad reputation. One day, instead of going to school, she follows her mom to a cottage, where Almustafa has been kept prisoner for seven years. Though she doesn’t speak to him, they connect, and he begins to tell his tales, in the form of poems and songs. What I liked about those parts was the pictures representing the theme of the song. Some were paintings that morphed into different scenes. Others were geometric shapes, like colorful birds and profiles of people.

The film was very enjoyable. I appreciated that there was a plot, though a rather simple one, which accompanied the philosophical teachings of Kahlil Gibran. Because I am still relatively younger than the average audience for the book, some of the topics were clearly for those with more life experience, i.e. I found the poem about marriage difficult to comprehend.

However, I still could connect with some of the topics. For example, the section regarding how to raise children.

“You [the parents] may give them [the children] your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls.
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.”

– Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet: On Children (18)

I agree with his logic in that children should be allowed to make their own decisions, within reason. Children should not be expected to blindly follow what their parents think is the right thing to do, because everyone has their own moral compass guiding them. And after all, do we always learn a lesson just by listening to our parents? No. Often it takes trial and error. And I believe many of life’s lessons are learned through experience not purely by listening to teachings or lectures.

Overall, I would definitely recommend reading the book and/or watching the film. Both are educational and inspirational, in ways that can apply to everyone.

– Leila S. (10th grade)

The film’s source material, The Prophet, is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Public Library. 

I am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak

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iamthemessenger_markuszusakHave any of you read The Book Thief? Marcus Zusak’s novel about World War II? I recently found that Zusak had written another novel, by the name of I am the Messenger. Having enjoyed The Book Thief, I decided to try this new book out.

I was not disappointed.

This novel follows Ed Kennedy and the mysterious cards he receives in the mail. Sent all over town to help various people, Ed must help each person with whatever is ailing them, whether it be loneliness, preaching to an empty church, sibling rivalries, etc. The list goes on and on.

What I liked best about this book was the end, of course. On the surface, this is a very simple novel, with each new card like its own short story. Readers get to know Ed and his town in more detail. But not until the end does there really seem to be a point to the whole story. I was not even reading this book for an English class, but for once, the theme of a novel was staring me in the face.

I think this novel would make a great movie. There are so many scenes that I would just love to see in a movie. I do not normally like the movies better than their novels, but I feel that in this case I just might.

I would recommend this book for anyone over 13. However, I would caution that some scenes in the book are not ‘G’ rated because of their mature content. I feel that The Book Thief was a better novel, but I am the Messenger gives the reader a lot of food for thought about the type of life one chooses to lead.

– Leila S., 9th Grade

I Am the Messenger is available for check out from the Mission Viejo Public Library. 

Book vs. Movie: To Kill a Mockingbird

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killamockingbird_harperleeAs a required reading book for 9th grade English, I was not too excited to read this novel. All my friends who had already read it said it was great. But to tell you the truth, I did not believe them. For my class, we had to annotate each chapter, and by chapter 2, I was already annoyed with the book.

But please don’t follow my footsteps. This is a great book! I soon found out why. I know others have written reviews on the novel, but as a brief summary, this book is about the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama. Here, Atticus, the father of Jem and Scout, is appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, against the accusation of raping Mayella Ewell. Through the novel, Atticus has to guide his children who are exposed to the racial inequality felt in the south in the 1930s. The children are disgusted by what they see of the real world and look to their father to help make sense of what they experience.

The novel was wildly successful when it was published and made into a movie in 1962, starring Gregory Peck. As part of my English class, we had the opportunity to watch this film in addition to reading the book. To me, the movie and the book both offer great benefits.

Reasons the book is better:

  1. You get to know the characters better, because more description is given, and you read the narrator’s (Scout’s) thoughts.
  2. More emphasis is given to show the separation between whites and blacks in the town.
  3. The book focuses more on the other lessons taught by the novel, incorporating the visit to the Finch’s Landing and the arrival of Aunt Alexandra, whereas the movie eliminates this all together, focusing instead on Tom’s trial and Boo Radley.

Reasons the movie is better:

  1. You see a physical description of Maycomb and its inhabitants, as well as getting a better understanding of the culture in the South.
  2. ***SPOILER***The scenes with Bob Ewell and his confrontation with Atticus and the attack against the children are scarier on screen.
  3. The relationship between Scout, Jem and Atticus is more pronounced, which makes the story more touching.

So it’s up to you…for those of you who have read/watched both the book and the movie, which was better in your opinion? Normally, I would automatically say the book was better. But in this case, I don’t know which one wins in my book.

– Leila S., 9th grade

To Kill A Mockingbird is available for check out from the Mission Viejo Public Library, Overdrive, and Axis360. 

Book Review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

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between_shades_grayBetween Shades of Gray is not your everyday World War II book. For example, Hitler and the Jewish people are not the main characters. Instead, this novel focuses on Joseph Stalin. Before reading this book, I knew nothing about Stalin. I thought that Hitler was the only thing going on during this war. Maybe you thought so, too. If so, this is a fantastic historical fiction novel which provides another side of the conflict. It was not only Jews who were affected during this time frame.

The story follows Lina Vilkas and her family through the hardships they face after being deported from Lithuania. After months of travel, in a crowded train car, they are brought to a place much different than Lithuania, and here they are forced to work every day, with a small piece of bread as their payment. After some time, the family is again transported. However, this time to a much harsher climate, where surviving is even more difficult. They face disease, severe weather, the deaths of close ones, and brutal treatment from almost all of the NKVD guards. Through it all, Lina keeps track of what happens in journals and drawings, in hopes that she might one day contact her father again.

This novel is very touching. I would not recommend it if you are sensitive to the somewhat graphic treatment of death in this novel. Stalin’s repressive measures against his people and the imprisonment and execution of “enemies of the Soviet people” were heavy themes throughout the book. Nevertheless, I learned a lot about this important part of history.

My favorite part of the novel was the very end. You’ll have to read it for yourself to understand, but the epilogue was a perfect conclusion to this novel.

-Leila S., 9th grade

Book Review: Orchards by Holly Thompson

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orchardsAn unfortunate incident at school during Kanako’s 8th grade year sent all her friends away for the summer. They were sent away to cope with the loss of Ruth, a bipolar student at their school who committed suicide because she was bullied.

As the story unfolds, the reader finds out about Ruth’s life. Ruth had a hard time communicating how she was feeling because of her condition. Only one boy, Jake, understood how she felt, since his sister had a similar condition. When one day a popular girl throws a mean comment in Ruth’s direction, she decides her life must come to an end and hangs herself in an orchard. All it took was that one mean sentence, uttered in jealousy, which caused so much harm to another person, her family, and her friends, not to mention the rest of her community.

Though she didn’t know it at that time, the popular girl was a bully and her verbal abuse led to another’s suicide. It’s so sad that something as horrible as that could happen, but it does.

The narrator of the story tells of her summer, living with her mother’s family in Tokyo, coping with the loss apart from all her friends. Kanako makes several references during this time to events that remind her of Ruth, like the orchard where the family routinely picks fruit.

The story seems to be coming to a conclusion as the summer ends, but all of a sudden, the story hits a sharp turn in the road. It then veers off into a sadder direction, regarding another of Kanako’s peers. This last major event, as well as Ruth’s suicide, really leaves a mark on the reader, emphasizing the severity of bullying of any kind, verbal or not. This novel deals with direct bullying, through in-person contact. However, other kinds of bullying, especially online or through social media, are also a serious problem in today’s world.

Last year, I went to a Character Forum through my middle school that was sponsored by the City of Mission Viejo, which discussed this issue of virtual bullying in more depth. I learned that people either don’t know how to stop the virtual bullying or fear that their involvement will make them the bully’s next target.

Though this novel deals with several heavy topics, my favorite part was the ending, because it was so sweet and uplifting and incorporated a unique Japanese tradition. I also enjoyed the freestyle way the book is written. The approach is free verse poetry and is very different from the poetry you read in school. It really lets you see what the narrator is thinking all the time.

As one of the first novels I’ve read dealing with the subject of suicide, I thought Orchards was a good introduction. The bullying which led to Ruth’s suicidal actions stayed with me even after the story ended. Whether bullies outright attack their victims in person or hide behind an anonymous screen name, they always inflict harm in their actions. In Ruth’s case, the seemingly insignificant bullying which led to her suicide showed me that every little thing said or done can hurt and affect someone, possibly even causing irreparable harm. While it’s hard to know what to do, the 7th and 8th graders that attended the Character event learned that a person’s character is the most important thing in such a situation. Everyone has to care for one other and demonstrate this in their actions whether interacting with others or posting a comment on social media. Together we must take a stand against bullying.

– Leila S., 9th grade

Book Review: Sleep No More by Aprilynne Pike

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sleep_no_moreHave you ever wished you could have magical powers? What would you desire? The power to see the future? That’s exactly what Charlotte Westing can do. But that is also what gets her into trouble.

In an attempt to change the future when she was six years old, an accident killed her father and permanently injured her mother. She has spent the past ten years fighting every vision that comes to her, pulling an imaginary black curtain over the scene. No one else knows her secret, except for her Aunt Sierra. Charlotte has lived her life covering up this secret, claiming to suffer from sudden migraines. But one day, a vision stronger than ever before greets her, one that she doesn’t have the strength to fight: One of her classmates being murdered. Afraid to tell her aunt, the only other Oracle she knows, Charlotte keeps this to herself.

After the second such vision, she gets a message that someone can help her stop these murders from occurring. Eventually, she gives in and receives help from someone, who makes up his name as Smith.

Also during all of this, her crush since fourth grade, Linden, becomes more interested in her, claiming she helps distract him from the brutality of the murders.

And then, like every good book, everything becomes twisted.

I loved the creativity of this novel, and I found it excruciatingly hard to put down. I could not wait to find out what happens next. The novel has so much going on. It was interesting to learn that this novel was dedicated to the survivors of Newtown and the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy.

-Leila S., 9th grade

Book Review: The Odyssey by Homer, interpereted by Robert Fagels

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odysseyYou may have heard about the two great epic poems of Greece, purportedly written by a blind poet, Homer: The Illiad and The Odyssey.

It was required reading for my English course to read The Odyssey. Warning: It is not a quick and easy read. I read the poem version, and that was 485 pages of verse. Though it may seem like an odyssey in itself to read this book, I found it to be surprisingly good, given the time period in which it took place.

An odyssey is a long journey. This epic tells of the odyssey of Odysseus, a great hero who left his hometown of Ithaca, Greece to fight in the Trojan War. The entire poem tells of the trials and hardships that Odysseus encounters in his attempt to return home after the war. The book is full of daring adventures, the whims of the immortal gods (mainly Zeus, Poseidon, Athena), and lots of bloodshed.

Given that the novel is in verse and was written so long ago, the names and places are now abstract to present day audiences, but that did not necessarily take away from the poem. To me, this aspect of the poem made it seem even more like a fairytale, since many of the names and places are so intangible and seem made up.

I would not necessarily recommend going out of your way to read this book, but when you have to study it for an English class, keep in mind that it is not a terrible book as may have been rumored by other students. Be grateful that we now have access to ways of reading books both on paper, audio books, and electronically, because in Homer’s time, this entire poem was passed down through oral traditions. That means this 485-page poem was memorized in its entirety! That was probably the most shocking part of the whole reading experience!

– Leila S., 9th grade

Book Review: The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater

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scorpio_racesKate Connolly, also known as Puck, is in danger of losing her house. Her parents both died several years ago. Gabe, her older brother, is leaving the island and going to the mainland, leaving Puck and her younger brother alone. The only solution Kate has is to ride in The Scorpio Races.

Sean Kendrick, the most famous rider in the Scorpio Races also has high stakes for winning the race this year. His boss, Benjamin Malvern, owner of practically all of the island, has changed things up this year. Sean has never been so desperate to win.

The Scorpio Races is the story of these two young adults who live on Thisby, an island whose lives revolve around the capaill uisce, the deadly water horses. The Scorpio Races are the main attraction of the island, where riders compete to control their horses and to win the race. Not everyone will survive. Puck and Sean cannot both win.

To be honest, I enjoyed this novel greatly. It seems to have a dark storyline, but I was fascinated by the mystical water horses and captivated by the parallel stories of Puck and Sean. Unlike many teen novels I have read, this book did not have much romanticism; it was pretty clean. Additionally, though somewhat subtly, this book had a message of the feminist movement, since the Scorpio Races were a male-dominated event until Kate arrived.

Overall, I found this novel to be a good read. It is definitely different than most books you could pick up from the shelves, but I would certainly recommend it.

– Leila S., 9th grade