Author Archives: Nicole R.

Boracay Summer Vacation

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This may be a little late, but I wanted to share a place that I went to during summer vacation! For those who don’t know, Boracay is a famous island in the Philippines with many smaller islands to visit. There are plenty of fun activities to see and do and one of the most unique beaches because of the beautiful white sand and super clear water. 

During my trip, I went with my family for three days and by the end of it, I was exhausted. We did plenty of things. On the first day, we arrived by a small plane and checked into our hotel after weaving through narrow, busy streets. Our hotel was very nice, with four stories, a pool, a restaurant and a quick way to the beach. Our room was on the third floor and it provided a nice view of the floors underneath. For the most part, the first day, we just swam in the pool and the ocean and ate dinner. Every dinner, we could see a fire dance show, which was really cool to see. It was hard to take my eyes off of the performers and their tricks and it’s something that you should definitely see for yourself.

The second day was the most action-packed day of our trip. With a guide, we planned a day full of activities, starting off with visiting a different island and snorkeling. It was my first time snorkeling and it was very interesting. But we did have a little bit of a scare. If you’re aware of sea snakes, you should also be aware that they are extremely venomous (specifically the black and white striped ones). Unluckily for us, our snorkeling spot happened to have one of those snakes and at some point, we must have startled it as it left its resting spot and began to rise up to where we were snorkeling. Safe to say we left quickly onto our next destination, lunch.

After lunch, we had planned to go back to the hotel and save more activities for tomorrow, but after some convincing, we ended up doing the rest on that day. We changed boats and headed to a floating facility in the ocean that had the rest of our activities for the day. The first one was banana boating. A banana boat is a floating tube with handles on it and is pulled by a motor boat. On a banana boat, the goal is to hold on for the entire ride, but  as easy as it sounds, once you lose your grip, it’s difficult to get back up. My family managed to get through the ride without falling in (even though I almost fell in).

The last thing we did that day was parasailing. Most of my family were not on board with the idea, but I managed to convince my cousin to go with me. When I had first seen other people do it, they didn’t look like they were super high up, but then I got on it and looked down, it was a lot higher than I thought it was. Despite the elevation, the view was spectacular and definitely worth it. My cousin and I got nice and comfortable in the air, taking in the peaceful silence and the view of the ocean and land. 

The third day was much more peaceful. A calm walk down the beach, nice swim in the ocean and pool, and lively night walks on the beach, looking at various vendors to buy from. After that, it was time to go home (being where we stayed with our cousins in the main island of the Philippines). We knocked Boracay out early on the two month trip, but it was definitely a highlight.

I definitely recommend going to Boracay if you ever get the chance. Whether it’s to experience the beautiful beaches morning, midday, or night; or to participate in the various water activities they have, or to look at the culture, it’s undoubtedly a place you’d want to miss going to. 

-Nicole R.

Transformers: Rise of Beasts Movie Review

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Transformers: Rise of Beasts is the newest Transformers movie. Set in Brooklyn, New York in 1994 (7 years after Transformers: Bumblebee but 13 years before the first Transformers movie), we follow older brother, Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) who tries to help out his single mom and sick younger brother. They don’t have enough money to pay for his brother’s medical bills, so he turns to car stealing for some quick cash. At that moment, Noah meets the Transformers. In order to get home, they need the help of museum employee Elena (Dominique Fishback) and Noah. Noah and Elena have to team up with the Transformers to defeat another evil power, Unicron. The Transformers and their human allies team up with a new species (the Maximals) to save each other’s worlds. 

This movie was overall pretty great. I sat in the theater rooting on the protagonists, my mouth was left gaping open and I laughed at a good amount of the jokes there. I managed to jump right into this movie despite not having watched the last four movies of the franchise. In fact, my friend has never seen a single Transformers movie until now, but we both still enjoyed this movie immensely. It was super fun and had good tension, good jokes, and was really immersing.

Transformers: Rise of Beasts stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback; the human allies. They were wonderful and really enjoyed watching them throughout the movie but I really wish they had more interaction so they could create a deeper bond. I also wish that the movie was longer as I didn’t feel like there was enough time for all the characters. There were some that I wish had more screen time and interactions. If you were to watch the movies in chronological order, there would be a good amount of characters you would wonder about after. I barely have any information on newly introduced characters. The movie only gives you a good surface view of who the characters are but doesn’t go deep into depth or show you who they really are. However, that would be the only thing that I would improve despite the movie already being two hours long. If the movie was longer, I don’t think I would have minded. 

The plot of the movie, character developments, and new characters were really good. The only thing I could have wished for was more character bonding. I would definitely recommend this movie to others, whether they’ve seen previous Transformers movies or not. I did enjoy the movie and I can’t wait to see what comes next in the franchise.

-Nicole R.

Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare

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Ending my first year of high school, we read the famous Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet. I will say I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Last summer, I watched the play live thanks to Shakespeare by the Sea, and I thoroughly liked it. But now that I’ve read it, I know that I definitely didn’t understand everything I was hearing. I understood parts of it but some details went in one ear and out the other. Reading the book was enlightening, informative and very interesting; especially in how we can see glimpses of issues that are still happening today.

As many already know, Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy in which Romeo and Juliet are two star crossed lovers who end up taking their own lives. While their deaths are a big part of the tragedy, there are so many other deaths and unfortunate events that come up before the end. Many times, I tend to forget that this story is much more than just some young kids who fall in love and die. The true desperation and helplessness of these two children make things much sadder. The fact that they saw death as their only option can really connect to today’s society. While it may be stupid to die just because you can’t be with your beloved, it’s the fact that they see death as the only option left for them, like many young people today. Young people today may not have the same issue as Romeo and Juliet, but they may feel the same helplessness and the same feeling of being trapped.  It may seem simple to find another way out of this dark situation, but like Romeo and Juliet, people sometimes end up going to the extremes first. Shakespeare was very good at connecting his plays and other writings to reality, and this is just one of the many examples. 

After reading this, I also found that there were so many other people who were affected other than Romeo and Juliet, those mainly being Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris, and Benvolio. I thought Mercutio and Paris had to suffer the most. Mercutio got caught in a feud he wasn’t even a part of and Paris had no desire to fight and only wanted to be with his love. And yet (SPOILER) Romeo and Juliet cost them their lives. And then there was Benvolio, who lost everyone around him. He lost his two best friends to a feud that didn’t have any reason to continue. Sometimes innocent people suffer some of the worst consequences. While Romeo and Juliet are already sad by themselves, the deaths of innocent lives truly make this play a tragedy.

Previously, I had liked the play. I thought it was pretty fun, hearing dialogue between each character, watching scenes play out, especially those with Mercutio. Mercutio was my favorite character in the play, probably like most people who have watched or read the tragedy. His Queen Mab monologue was fantastic and I found it a really interesting choice for his character. After reading the play, I enjoyed it more. It isn’t just fun now, it’s truly a tragedy. This play was fun at times, but after reading, I understand how sad it is, for these young people to feel trapped, for them to die so young, for them to suffer. If you ever want to read the famous Romeo and Juliet, I would definitely recommend it as long as you can understand or have a small translation of Old English. I used the Folger’s library edition that includes small translations of words and phrases on the side. Shakespeare was a huge influence and he made some amazing works. I can’t wait to read more of his works in the future! 

-Nicole R.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Review

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I just saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and wow. This one was a ride, but so is every Marvel movie. You would think I would be immune to this feeling by now, but I guess not. So let me give you a quick rundown on the story.

We start off with some already dark undertones; everyone is kind of struggling and the song Creep is playing in the background. As if they weren’t already having a rough time, the Guardians and the planet of Knowhere are attacked, leaving Rocket standing at death’s door. Now the Guardian’s have to find a way to save him before it is too late, uncovering secrets of one’s past and overcoming the hurt and trauma along with it.

This movie is dark. First it was Spider-Man, then Doctor Strange, then Wakanda, and then this. At first I was honestly a little bored. The humor they were trying was just not getting to me and it felt out of place. But then I realized maybe it was supposed to feel awkward. The entire tone of the movie was anything but comical. It was serious, dark; it even felt like a horror movie at some points. Of course there were happy moments and a couple of good one liners, but the movie made me feel very bittersweet. The movie was packed with action, amazingly directed scenes (that really helped set the tone of the movie), great song choices, and fantastic character development. 

I realized some major themes/thematic topics in the movie. Friendship, family, letting go and overcoming the past were huge aspects. Throughout the movie, you find the Guardians mention how friends are there for each other, that they care about each other because they are a family, and how they have to let go of the past. The main focus is on three groups: Rocket and his past, Gamora and Quill, and then Nebula with Drax and Mantis. These three groups go through each of these themes, in their own ways. It was fantastic to see each character grow by the end and it was even better to see how they got there. We learn about Rocket and what he went through in his past, we see how different things are now with Gamora and Quill, and we see Nebula learn more about her teammates and friends, Drax and Mantis. And of course, there is Groot, who doesn’t have too much drama, but is instead just there for his friends.

This movie was a fun one. Each scene was intense, bringing out different emotions each second. At times it would have me dancing in my seat as the characters fought, and other times it had me sitting as still as a rock as I watched traumatic events. This was an amazing movie that had me clapping at the end. I would definitely recommend watching it at some time. It was definitely worth it to see how characters grew and what they ended up doing in the end. If you’re looking for a good movie to watch, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is definitely one to take a look at.

-Nicole R.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

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As usual, school has required readings. The third book required for me this year was The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. I’m sure many other people know of it. Majority of my friends said they loved the book and remember reading it. 

This coming-of-age novel is split into vignettes–short chapters or episodes–told in the perspective of the main character, Esperanza. She tells stories about things that happen in her life, but in no particular order. It starts with her and her family moving into their new house which is on Mango Street. As she grows up in the new neighborhood, she tells plenty of short stories of different people, what has happened to her, and what has happened to them. 

This is a very short book but it’s still a great read. Most of the book is told in an almost childlike way using simple words and many variations. But even with its simplicity, it holds some very detailed descriptions and symbols. I know that a lot of people would rather not pick out the symbolism and figurative language when they read a book, especially if the book is just for enjoyment. Trust me, if it weren’t for school, then I probably wouldn’t have either. But if you’re willing to look deep into the story and really pick apart a few phrases, then it can make your reading of this book, and others, much more interesting.

This book has so many symbols that really help convey the message more clearly than it already is. It adds so much more to the theme of the book and while you don’t have to pick out symbolism and such, it can enhance this book a lot more.

While it may seem like a fun and happy story, there is a surprisingly darker undertone if you take the time to really look at it. If it didn’t have this other side to it, I don’t think I would have really liked this book. If you’re considering reading this book, just keep in mind that there are some dark messages and scenes that can definitely make you a little uncomfortable. 

Overall, The House on Mango Street was a pretty good read for me. Taking a deeper dive into the symbolism and finer details of the book was fun for me. I think I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a short, good read. But I’d mostly recommend this to people who are a little older, really anyone out of middle school. It’s a great book and a good choice if you’re looking for something to read and really delve deeper into.

-Nicole R.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Odyssey by Homer (Using translation by Robert Fitzgerald)

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I’m sure many people know of this book. Whether you have heard of it or have even read it yourself, I’m sure that a good majority of people know of The Odyssey by Homer. It is completely fine if you don’t but do be warned, this can be a very difficult read without proper background knowledge. I had to read this in school and I couldn’t be more thankful that my teacher had given us extra pages to brief us. These papers were from Edith Hamilton’s Guide to Mythology and taken from the chapters about the Trojan War. These two chapters were relatively short but hold a lot of important information regarding the Trojan War and prior events to The Odyssey. If you can find these anywhere, they would be great to read before reading The Odyssey. You can most likely find this as a PDF online and I’m serious when I say this was one of the crucial things when it came to my understanding of this book. 

The Odyssey is one of Homer’s epics, completely centered around Greek mythology. Specifically, the Greek hero, Odysseus and his journey after the Trojan War and how he gets home. He journeys through different lands, meeting many other popular characters in Greek mythology such as Calypso, Circe, and many more. The Odyssey also includes Odysseus’ son, Telemachos, who goes on his own journey in hopes of finding his father to save their island, Ithaka. The short version of the story is that while Odysseus is out fighting in war and disappears for 10 years, his home is overtaken by suitors trying to take his wife Penelope’s hand in marriage. Telemachos cannot let this happen, so with Athena’s help, he journeys out to find news about his father. While this happens, Odysseus, who has been stuck on Calypso’s island for many years, has escaped her grasp and tries to make his way home, explaining how he had ended up on Calypso’s island and what had happened to him after the war. However, he is not done with fighting yet as when he comes back home, he must fight for it back.

I remember I tried to read this book over the summer before school started. I couldn’t understand it at all and I got frustrated and gave up on it. But when my teacher explained it all, I ended up enjoying the book a lot. There are plenty of Greek values and conventions in the book which help the story make a lot more sense if you know about them. 

Despite having given up on it before school had even started, once everything made sense, I actually enjoyed this book. A lot of people I know don’t like it or dislike it. They are in the middle of the two which is fine. I liked the unique way of storytelling. It was funny to read about the absurd things that happened like how over 100 men came to pursue Penelope’s hand in marriage. Other times, the book would have five chapters that would just be Odysseus explaining what had happened. While it may sound boring, it was really interesting to read about the places he went to and what he had done to get him to where he was now. I also enjoyed picking apart the characters and analyzing them. Many of the characters are heroic and different in their own way. 

The Odyssey is not an easy book to read due to its way it words certain phrases, the different types of spelling, and is especially hard to read without any prior knowledge. If you don’t know much about Greek mythology but are interested in reading this, I would highly suggest researching and trying to find Edith Hamilton’s Guide to Mythology which is available online. While it may take a while to get used to reading this book, The Odyssey was still enjoyable to me, even though I had to re-read a few pages every now and then. I would definitely recommend this to a Greek mythology lover and even would recommend it to those who have little to no knowledge in that area – with some hesitation.

-Nicole R.

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Treasure Planet Movie Review

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Disney’s Treasure Planet isn’t the newest movie but it definitely is still super enjoyable. Over holiday break, I decided I wanted to watch Treasure Planet again; besides, I had basically forgotten what it was about. It was a great decision; the characters, the animation, the dialogue, everything I just loved. It truly is an underrated masterpiece.

Treasure Planet, inspired by Treasure Island, came out in 2002. The story is set in space on the planet Montressor, and follows Jim Hawkins, a clever teenage delinquent, eager for an adventure and to be seen by the world. One night, an old pirate gives him a mysterious map that reveals the path to Treasure Planet; the very planet that Jim has read about since he was young. It is said to contain all of Captain Flint’s spoils. With the help of Dr. Doppler, a family friend, Jim sets sail with Captain Amelia and her crew, working in the galley with John Silver, the crew’s cook. Jim not only hopes to go on this adventure but he also hopes to bring money back to help his mom. 

There is a lot to say about this movie, all of which are good things. To start: the characters. Jim had an amazing character arc. He started as naïve, stubborn and a troublemaker, without ever meaning to. He was an adventurous person throughout the whole movie, but he changed himself to make that adventure into something good and not something that could hurt himself and others. Once Jim finally went on his first adventure, it finally broadened his horizons to see what he could look forward to in the future, changing from stubborn to open minded. Going on this adventure helped him face the realities he didn’t see before and disciplined him into a true leader with a new personality. Watching the movie and seeing him change like that was really amazing. Another character I found had a pretty cool character arc was John Silver. Despite him being the cook, he had some other plans which I won’t get super into for spoiler’s sake. But despite having ulterior motives, he grows a bond with Jim like he has never had, softening them both up. Seeing their relationship grow made me think of ‘Found Family’. Silver acted like he could be one of Jim’s parental figures, and he is even compared to Jim’s dad in the film. It was really wholesome to see that relationship and how it played an important part later in the film.  

Some other things I wanted to talk about were the dialogue, animation and plot in general. The plot was great, of course it was based off of one of the greatest adventure stories, Treasure Island. Despite never having read or seen it, this movie makes me want to take a look. The animation was very good. The action scenes were very well done and entrancing. It had tension and was pretty intense at times. The dialogue was very fun, with jokes, lots of emotion, and overall really good. 

One final mention is the music. The music and entire soundtrack for Treasure Planet was spectacular. Whether it was the backing music in particular scenes or Jim’s theme, “I’m Still Here” by John Rzeznik, the music was a pleasure to listen to. 

Treasure Planet was a fantastic movie and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for something fun to watch or needing to pass the time, or really any scenario. It is super underrated and more people should at least check it out. One place you should be able to find it is Disney+, so if you get the chance, have the time, Treasure Planet is a great film to watch.

-Nicole R.

Treasure Planet  is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Movie Review

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For my brother’s birthday, he decided he wanted to watch the new movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. I went straight into this, having no idea what was going to happen, only knowing that it was a dedication to the actor, Chadwick Boseman. The movie had its fun parts but overall, it was extremely emotional. 

Right off the bat, we see Shuri and her mother, Queen Ramonda who are mourning the loss of the brother and son, T’Challa, the Black Panther. In mourning, they both take a mother and daughter trip as a new character is introduced, Namor. He is a merman that can fly and is the leader of a Meso-American tribe. They possess a great deal of vibranium which the rest of the world wants. Namor hopes to get help from Wakanda to protect his people and to go to war with the rest of the world. If they refuse, he won’t hesitate to also take down both the world and Wakanda.

This movie was a rollercoaster. At times, there would be some really nice, fun moments. However, more than half of the movie was very sad and grim. Shuri has a hard time grieving and accepting the loss of her brother. She shows great character development as she learns to live with the loss of family members while also deciding on her morals. The cause of her growth is Namor. While being Shuri’s villain, he has good intentions. Marvel has always been good at making great villains. I found Namor to be a good person and good leader, but the execution of his plans made it difficult to side with him. While I empathize with Shuri, I could also do the same with Namor. The personality of these characters and who they are really presented well. 

The plot of the movie overall was very well paced and pretty easy to understand. Everything is pretty clear and is explained. The visuals were very impressive and pleasing to look at. As per usual, Marvel is amazing with their aesthetics and storyline. Something I did find interesting though, was how fast it went by, at least for me. There were some portions I wish I got to see a bit more of and some characters I wish had more screen time. I wanted to see a bit more growth in character relationships whether it was with another character or places a character was at. It would have been cool to see a bit more of how Namor’s underwater kingdom works and I really wanted to see more of Shuri and a new character work together while creating a deeper relationship. 

While I long for some more details and more time with certain characters, the story was still great and had me even tear up. I can’t help but wonder what will come next for Shuri and I especially can’t wait for whatever Marvel has in store. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a really good, sad movie that I would definitely recommend.

-Nicole R.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special: Review

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My brother is the real Marvel fan of the family, but my mom and I watched the holiday special of Guardians of the Galaxy with him anyway. Although I’ve missed a good amount of Marvel films and the ones I have seen I forgot a bit about, the premise of this special was very clear and easy to understand. I had fun with it; it was mostly a comedy and mainly just a cheerful holiday film. 

Yondu, like the Grinch, ends up ruining Christmas for Peter Quill (not really). Set after Avengers endgame, Quill is sad without Gamora, Mantis makes up her mind to make Quill happy and to save his Christmas.  In order to do that, she and Drax make their way to Earth to get a Christmas gift; the one and only Kevin Bacon. Mantis and Drax take a fun trip to Earth while also successfully capturing Kevin Bacon. Quill is however not too pleased with the idea of human trafficking. Despite having not been too thrilled to have been kidnapped and taken to space, Bacon decides that he’s going to teach Peter and the rest of the people on Knowhere what Christmas is and what it’s all about. In the end, Peter didn’t really need to meet Kevin Bacon to be happy, but instead he and Mantis just needed to learn a little about who they are. 

I liked this special being only 44 minutes long; short and fun. It was mostly focused on Mantis and Drax, and I personally would have liked to see more of the other guardians but, Mantis and Drax are a great comedic duo and definitely had great moments. Despite being entertaining, some parts of the special were not what I expected and not my type of thing to watch. The middle of the film was pretty entertaining and the end was just as good. However, there were portions that were just not my kind of comedy and didn’t appeal to me, making me feel bored and awkward at some points. Honestly, I couldn’t figure out what audience they were trying to target, because some of the jokes and dialogue felt like they were for kids, but some scenes were more targeted towards teens. Even though there were some things I didn’t enjoy as much as others, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is really just a simple, feel-good film, something that should just be a quick watch along with other holiday shows and movies, and something to enjoy with your family. 

Overall, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was fun to watch and had some good moments that got me to laugh, but it wasn’t my exact cup of tea when it comes to comedy. I still think it was enjoyable just not my type, but I would still encourage people to take a look at it and give it a try, because the acting is great, plot is nice and simple, and it is a good film to watch for the holiday season. 

-Nicole R.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

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The Help by Katheryn Stockett was the first book I had to read when I entered my freshman year. They gave it out as a summer reading assignment and now, we’ve been doing essays and connecting it to other stories we’re reading. 

The Help is a historical fiction novel, and is set in the 1960’s in Mississippi. Skeeter, a young woman straight out of college who aspires to be a writer, begins to interview and befriend the black women of her town in order to write about their lives in hopes to help them and show what they go through and the racism they face. Aibileen and Minny, two black women who work as the help, or housekeepers, in the town are the first two that Skeeter interviews and befriends. Despite their differences in society, they each work together to get other black women to help and create their book. As the story goes on, these three grow and learn more about themselves and others around them.

The book is told through three different perspectives. First is Aibileen, a black woman that is the help, or the housekeeper, of one of Skeeter’s friends. She is a hard worker and has been working for a long time as a help. She is kind and is the first person to help Skeeter write her book. Minny is another black woman who is Aibileen’s friend and the help of another one of Skeeter’s friends. Minny is stubborn and hot headed. She takes much more convincing than Aibileen to help with Skeeter’s book due to her distrust in white people, but she eventually comes around as the story goes on. Skeeter on the other hand, is a white woman, young and aspires to become a writer, despite what other people’s views of her are. 

This book was a fun read, despite having to write and take assessments on it. To be honest, I had fun writing essays on this book because I understood the story and the characters even more. Skeeter was one of my favorite characters. She broke the society norms, had her own dreams and goals, and really grew throughout the story. Two other characters I enjoyed reading were Celia and Johnny. Celia was Minny’s boss and Johnny was Celia’s husband. They were immediately different from all the other characters. Despite the time period and the fact they were white, they didn’t mistreat Minny and really cared for her. Like Skeeter, they were kind and weren’t racist like many of the other white people in their town. Treating others with human decency is a pretty low bar, but considering the time period, this is a pretty important and unusual thing to see. I’m glad Stockett included these characters, otherwise, it would have been very difficult to read this book. 

The plot overall was really good; each character had their own story and path with their own aspirations, needs, and problems. Aibileen has lost her own son and wants to teach young kids the right things while taking care of them, but also wants to become free to live her own life. Minny wants to care for her own children; wants them to have a good life. Skeeter wants to pursue her dreams although society is against her. Each character has their own set of issues they must overcome and their own story to complete while also creating their own story together, both within the story and plot wise.

The Help is a great book and would be a book I’d recommend if you were looking for one in this genre. Historical fiction is definitely one of my favorite genres but I’m sure that even if it wasn’t one of your favorites, it could still be a fun read.

-Nicole R.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.