Author Archives: Megan V.

Manga Review: Fairy Tail, by Hiro Mashima

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 fairy_tail     Hey, have you heard yet?
     Of what?
     Of  Fairy Tail.
     Of course I’ve heard of them. You’ve got to living under a rock in order to have not heard of the top magic guild.
     Well, guess what. They’re making the Council angry at them. Again.
     What did they do this time?
     Well, I heard about  this one guy. I don’t know his real name, but he’s nicknamed Salamander. Anyways, he supposedly blew up a whole town. Fortunately, the town was abandoned.
     What a monster!
     I guess that you could call him a monster. However, he is very comical.
     Well, I prefer Titania, the Fairy Queen. I forgot her real name, too, but she is so hot and powerful! 
     Salamander isn’t my favorite; I personally like the exhibitionist.
     Who?
     I don’t remember his name, but he’s very funny because he takes off his clothes off a lot.
     Fairy Tail’s weird.
     I know, but that’s what makes them special. They may be crazy and weird, yet they are the one guild that I feel is the only one that develops a friendship within the guild and treats their other guild mates as if they are best friends…

That conversation you just heard was one from Fiore, a country where magic exists and wizards can perform jobs involving magic in guilds where bonds are formed. Wizard Lucy Heartfilla has been hearing rumors about Fairy Tail for a long time; about how crazy they are, how popular they are, and how devoted they are to one another. When she finally gets the chance to join Fairy Tail by a man with a scarf and his talking blue cat, Lucy unknowingly embarks on a journey that can not only change her life, but others as well. Not that she knows it either, but evil wizards are a-lurking.

I found this manga series very comical, since every part of the above conversation actually happened in Fairy Tail. There’s magic and action, but I personally was blown away by the plot twists. If you like magic, Hiro Mashima makes every wizard have a different magic, which is anything from fire magic to the ability to summon magical weapons and armor. And did I mention that there are dragons?If you don’t like long stories, then I won’t recommend Fairy Tail unless you like stories where there are a lot of plot twists. So far, there are at least 41 volumes with over 378 chapters (not including side chapters listed as “.5”), and it will continue on for quite some time.

The recommended age is for teenagers, but some 12 years might be able to read this series, too. A warning is suitable to kids under the age of 13: there are a few bad words said every once in a while, one guy is usually walking around in his underwear, and some of the girls wear revealing outfits (no private parts shown).The evil characters always seem to play with the character’s minds, some bad words are said, and since there is action, there is a bit of blood and screaming.

Overall, I really like this series. It’s super hilarious, I started even rooting for some of the romantic couples to confess their love, and Hiro Mashima is very good at the plot, as in he makes you think one thing is going to happen, but something else entirely different happens. In conclusion, the part I like most about this series is the devotion Fairy Tail members have to others, even ones not from their guild. The thing they’ll mostly likely do could be anything, from willing to sell their soul to save someone or attacking a whole group of over 50 people just to get one apology.

-Megan V., 8th grade

Book Review: Fahreinheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

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fahrenheit451_coverFahrenheit 451: the temperature at which books burn. Books: the very objects that cause all the evil in this world.

This is what Guy Morgan used to think whenever he was out his job as a fireman, which was to burn books. However, that all changed when a girl started asking questions that didn’t matter to him before. Soon, he starts seeing things questionable, such as killing a woman who wanted to die with her books.

Through master science fiction writer Ray Bradbury comes a story from the 1940s of a world that is set in our timeline and would stir up an internal “fire” in the heart of book lovers anywhere.

Even though Fahrenheit 451 is a very old book, it can be very appealing to teenagers. For example, one of the characters gets you to look at objects through a different perspective. Secondly, there is action, where the main character is in a rush to run, hide, or just get something that can save his life.

Whether you are a fantasy fan or an action lover, Fahrenheit 451 is a book that you would treasure for the years to come, especially since one of the characters says something that I personally would never forget as a book lover:
“[M]agic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garmet for us.” Dr. Faber page 83

Megan V.

Eighth Grade

Book Review: My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters, by Sydney Salter

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my_big_noseHave you ever wanted to physically change a part of you? Maybe this book would help you reconsider.

Jory is a seventeen year old girl who has a big nose, and hates it because while her parents get the model style looks and her brother is a teenage Adonis, she gets the plain looks and her great-grandfather’s nose. However, in the summer before her last year of high school, she decides to work as a driver for a cake and flower delivery service so that she can raise enough money to fix her nose with plastic surgery and get the attention of her crush, Tyler. However, many things happen during that summer, such as meeting a violinist boy who works with jewelry, finding out that one of her once sensible best friend is making some bad choices, and finding out Tyler’s shocking secret.

In this book, there are some things that the reader should look out for. First of all, there is some weird humor. Secondly, there is use of alcohol and talk about people who like others of their same gender. Finally, Jory has the wrong image of what interests a boy in most of the story and also has a bit of jealousy later on.

However, this story does teach a good moral. Jory laters learns that no matter what, you should be okay with just  who you are, even if have a big nose.

-Megan V., 8th grade

Book Review: Paper Towns, by John Green

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paper_townsHave you ever met someone, maybe a person who is a huge influence on life, who you immediately had a first impression from them and you were also swept away when you found out that your first thoughts weren’t true? If so, then you’re on league with Quentin Jacobsen, a senior in high school who is in love with Margo Roth Spiegelman.

Quentin (nicknamed Q) is Margo’s neighbor, and has been her friend since they were young. Margo is like an enigma to him. She is the one who is adventurous, has run away four times, and once dressed up as a ninja in order to take Q on a wild adventure. Now, she has run away for a fifth time, and left clues to find her again. Only this time, Q finds out how different she is.

While this book is filled with comedy that anybody over the age of 13 would find funny, there are some scenes that some people might find inappropriate for people under the same age. For example, one time Q went out alone with Margo, who just happens to be the prettiest girl in high school, and when his friends found out about that, they made him write a term paper (30 pages min.), draw a realistic picture, make a sculpture, and write a poem describing the female anatomy. (pg 88) Additionally, some male anatomy parts are mentioned.

However, this book actually teaches an important lesson in the life of first impressions. Q has to learn that the adventurous girl that he thought he knew “was not a miracle…not an adventure…not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.” (pg 199)
-Megan V., 8th grade

Book Review: Eighth Grade Bites, by Heather Brewer

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eighth_grade_bites_coverAre you tired of waiting for the next Rick Riordan book to come out, or sad that the Harry Potter series is over? If you said yes to either of the two questions, then Eighth Grade Bites might be the next thriller for you.

Meet Vlad Tod, a boy who has been a vampire all his life. The only few people who know this are his dead parents, his best friend (who’s human) and his guardian (also human). However, all he wants to do is to live a normal life, even though he has to put on sunscreen every day, his teacher is too mysterious, and some evil vampire is chasing after him. Besides that, he’s just your average middle schooler who gets bullied, doesn’t have good grades, and is in love with the most popular girl in his
class.

While this book is about vampires, it’s not a gushy romance like Twilight. For one thing, there is no mention of guys taking off their shirts, since it is through a guy’s point of view and not a girl’s. Secondly, while Vlad does fall in love, it’s more like a teenage crush than soul mate sort of love.

I believe that fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson would love this book. First of all, Vlad believes himself to be the only vampire in existence before he meets others like him. Secondly, like in Percy Jackson and the seventh book of Harry Potter, someone is always chasing after him. Finally, he has to face the decision of being a special “chosen one” and what is happening in his mind. However, Vlad, like Percy, is very comical and pretty clueless sometimes.

This book contains some materials that are not suitable for anybody who is under 13. These materials include bullying, numerous mentions of blood, talk of what boys desire in girls, and movies that have gore in them.

I would give this book a very high rating. Brewer makes Vlad so realistic with him having average teenager enjoyments and problems, making him seem like he is not a vampire at all (except for the fact that he drinks blood every day after school). Additionally, Brewer puts in some many plot twists that it would make readers want more and learn about some important characteristics of books, especially if the reader doesn’t always read books.

-Megan V., 8th grade

Manga Review: Kitchen Princess, by Natsumi Ando

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kitchen_princessFans of food and want to cooks: here is the perfect book series for you! Kitchen Princess is a comical manga (Japanese comic book) that will warm peoples’ hearts for generations to come.Imagine that there’s a recipe for a realistic fiction book. The main ingredient in the recipe calls for a really famous private school in Japan that has a special class full of talented people. Some really important side ingredients are two cute brothers, one named Daichi who keeps trying to ignore his relationship with the school, and the other named Sora, who is loathed by his brother and loved by most of the girls in the school. The next ingredient is a model named Akane, who is jealous of the main girl because of all the attention she gets. Finally, there is a special ingredient that changes all of the other ingredients. Its description is of a middle school orphan from Hokkaido named Najika, who is the best cook ever, loves to eat, tries to make new friends and find the “flan prince who saved her life, gave her some flan and a spoon with a certain symbol on it.

At the end of each book of the ten book series, Najika gives a recipe of each dish that was mentioned in each current book. However, despite the title, boys might actually like this series because it can teach them for future references what girls like and hate.
Readers should note that in Kitchen Princess, there is bullying, one scene where the guy has his shirt off, a kiss on the lips twice, a time where two people die near the middle of the series, and depression. Because of all those reasons, I would recommend this series to people 13 and up.

Although the hardships are tough, Najika and her friends learn some lessons and also teach them to others, such as when Najika tells everyone in the school that they shouldn’t make fun of someone when they do something weird for an unreasonable reason.

-Megan V., 8th grade

Book Review: Her Majesty’s Wizard, by Christopher Stasheff

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her_majestys_wizard_coverEveryone knows the qualities of a fantasy story: a hero, a dragon, a damsel in distress, an evil wizard, and people who can choose to be helpful or harmful to the hero. However, what happens when the hero is a couple of smidgens higher than useless in a world that he doesn’t know much about?
All that-and more-happens when Matthew Mantrell recites poetry that’s written an old piece of paper in a language that doesn’t exist. And so Matthew gets pulled into a world where reciting poetry performs magic. Since he has also promised Princess Alisande to help win back her kingdom from an evil sorcerer, he has to travel through an unknown land where evil clearly rules.
Her Majesty’s Wizard can be inappropriate for some audiences, especially for kids under 13, because there are some scenes of violence and women that try to take off their clothes. Also, this book goes into depth about the Catholic religion and emphasizes the fact that God exists. On the other hand, no one says any bad words because just saying “Damn” would bring an angel’s wrath upon you.

However, fans of famous historical events, such as the  Crusades, might love how Stasheff rewrites history, such as saying that Remus won instead of Romulus. Since there are also magic and dragons, fans of Eragon would like this book, too.

Besides historical references and having relations to other books, Her Majesty’s Wizard is written with:
  • Comedy, especially when Matt says something about his world that no one else knows,
  • Famous songs and poems, such as Greensleeves,
  • And some real life advice about love.
Finally, as an example for love advice, Stasheff writes when Matt meets a girl who doesn’t, “Matt felt his chest puffing out a bit; this was the first time in his life he’d really had a chance to impress a girl! Then he remembered what pride goeth before,” (Stasheff 49).
Whether you’re a history geek or devoted to religion, Her Majesty’s Wizard will capture your heart and always remind of its remarkable characters.
-Megan V., 8th grade

Book Review: All-American Girl, by Meg Cabot

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Top 10 reasons why people would love to read All-American Girl:
10. Samantha Madison, the main character, always does a “Top 10 reasons” explanation every couple chapters, which explain Sam’s problems in a clear and easy to read way.
9.Smart people and fans of National Geographic would like Rebecca, Sam’s twelve year-old genius sister, who has watched every episode of National Geographic.
8. Fashion lovers would want more of Lucy, Sam’s popular seventeen year-old sister.
7. Art lovers would adore Sam’s art school, friends who enjoy art, and the art competition Sam has to judge.
6. Girls looking for a romantic comedy would laugh and enjoy the romance story between Sam and a very comical yet attractive boy named David.
5. Teenagers with sibling problems would understand the crazy problems that Sam has to deal with because of Lucy and Rebecca.
4. Fans of the band No Doubt and Gwen Stefani would be thrilled that Sam is a fellow fan, too.
3. Citizens of America who are fans of the White House would be dazzled by the little-seen places of the President’s home.
2. Readers would love the comedy that Sam uses. For example, she gets invited to the White House for dinner and flushed her whole dinner down the toilet because she was a picky eater. Later, she ended up thinking that the next day’s headline would say something like this: MOST FAMOUS GIRL OF THE CENTURY CAUSES WHITE
HOUSE PLUMBING TO BLOW BY STUFFING ENTIRE DINNER DOWN TOILET.
1. Meg Cabot, the author, teaches a very important lesson that’s true for everyone.
What else would readers like about the realistic fiction book All-American Girl? Well, they would like Sam because:
  • She saves the President’s life, fascinating Americans with her loyalty and bravery
  • She teaches an important lesson that we should learn. Earlier, Sam always thought that it would great to be someone else, such as her favorite singer, Gwen Stefani, but she’s says in the end that “the number one reason I’m glad I’m not Gwen Stefani: 1. Because then I won’t be me” (Cabot 398).
Boys should be warned that since the main character is a fifteen-year-old girl born between two more girls, Sam isn’t aware that boys might read her story and openly talks about girl stuff, such as a girl’s private areas. Also readers should not do everything Sam does because she’s in love with her sister’s boyfriend and doesn’t pay attention in German class.
However, she proves that anybody can be a hero can be a hero, even a girl who mourns for the generation by wearing black and draws celebrity pictures in German class.
-Megan V., 8th grade

Book Review: The Lost Sun, by Tessa Gratton

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 Are you interested in the upcoming Thor movie, or any other movies associated with the other Asgardians, such as Odin or Loki? If so, then The Lost Sun by Tessa Gratton is the perfect book for you.This book is the first book of The United States of Asgard series, where the Norse gods rule alongside humans in America. For example, Odin is the vice president–always. However, when the most popular god of them all, Baldur, disappears, Soren, a warrior with an uncontrollable power of strength, and Astrid, a celebrity prophet, go on an expedition to find him. Even so, Soren learns that saving this god could change his destiny, but could also make him lose the things that he loves the most.

In my opinion, I thought that this book was a very great book, with a high rating of 9/10 points. In it, Gratton shows off her excellence by:

  • Retelling the myths for people who don’t know Norse mythology,
  • Doing some clever renamings of American places and times,
  • Describing very good details for each setting,
  • And writing some very surprising twists for the readers, including a very unexpected but satisfying ending.
I would recommend this book to fans of Norse mythology or of any Rick Riordan book, such as Percy Jackson or the Kane chronicles.However, readers should note that since Soren is the narrator of the story, he talks about some things that might be a bit upsetting for others, such as having a power that seems very great, but is actually the world’s worse curse. In the beginning of the book, he says that he and his mother had “both dreaded the day Dad’s curse would flicker to life” (Gratton 1) inside of himself. However, readers should learn now, if they haven’t learned already, that anything you have is a gift, rather than a curse.

Finally, Gratton creates some unforgettable characters whose stories share some key vaules and morals that are important in everyone’s lives.

-Megan V., 8th grade

Book Review: Pawn of Prophecy, by David Eddings

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Even though some books haven’t been turned into movies, they may actually be very good books. David Eddings wrote books that never would be movies, yet those books have attracted readers ever since the 1970s with their comedy, romance, adventure, and magic.

Pawn of Prophecy is the first book that attracted those readers. In the book, the Orb of Aldur, a jewel created by a god that can do almost anything, is a key item. Torak, the evil god of the Agnaraks, would do anything do get that jewel, yet it would burn anyone except one pure of heart. However, Torak is dead, killed by the Rivan ruler, who was led by Belgarath the sorcerer and Polgara the sorceress. Yet prophecies still say that if the Orb was taken from Riva, then disaster may follow, which wasn’t much of a problem because even though the Rivan line has been dead for centuries, a substitute has been preserving the throne.

Garion has heard these legends ever since he was a boy. However, even though all the legends contained magic, he had never seen it, since Sendaria was the only place that had no central god, a kingdom with mixed cultures. Even so, he couldn’t expect much from it.

But when an old and fantastic storyteller comes back to Faldor’s Farm, Garion’s home, after five years of absence with news of something being stolen, Garion, his aunt Pol, and a couple of others have to embark on a journey across the western world, encountering monsters, kings, romance, adventure, magic and much more!

Yet even though Garion is fourteen, he doesn’t know what’s going on, and nobody, not even the voice inside his head with a mind of his own, would tell him what’s going on. For Garion’s destiny has brought himself into a conflict so deep that even if he returns to Faldor’s Farm, he would never be normal ever again. I would give this book the highest rating ever known. Eddings is famous for:

  •  his spectacular comedy
  • the fantastic/comical “why me?” statement, which is said by the main character a lot, the main woman character who’s very motherly
  • the realistic details
  • and the fact that he made the adventure scenes very intriguing.

In the end, I couldn’t relax and put the book down until I read the last the last page of the last book. Eddings really put his mind into his books,  and wanted to make sure that kids have fun reading. However, readers should note that the prologues are big spoilers, some people die, and there is quite a bit of romance.

I would recommend this book to fans of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, since it’s set in a medieval sort of world with the different kingdoms, with the fantasy elements of gods and sorcerers. The age appropriate group would be any teenager, and maybe a few preteens.

In conclusion, it’s safe to say that books that haven’t been turned into movies aren’t always bad, just different.

Megan V., 8th grade