From the start, this was probably one of the most unique books that I’ve read, with a very good message behind it. Although it was definitely one of the longer ones I’ve read, it was well-written enough to keep any reader interested.
This book tells the story of 9 Americans who work together to prevent the destruction of forests within the U.S. The book starts in the 1800s with the story of the Hoel chestnut tree, detailing an important background for another character later in the story. The Hoel family had a tradition of taking pictures of the tree every year, and these pictures were eventually inherited by Nicholas Hoel, the great-great-great grandson of Jorgen Hoel, who planted the tree. After this chapter, the book fasts forward in time to the story of Winston Ma and his family, who escapes communism in China and becomes an electrical engineer in the U.S. He starts a family, and plants a mulberry tree. However, later, when everything falls apart, he takes his own life underneath the very tree he planted, leaving behind his daughter, Mimi Ma, who will be an important character later in the story.
There are seven more individual stories in this book, each revolving around a specific character in a different time period. Each of these nine individuals has seen their live impacted massively by nature, and each one of these stories are centered around a certain tree, as seen in the two early characters. The 9 characters eventually go on to formulate a plan to spread awareness for their cause, but It does not really go as planned. I won’t spoil what happens to each of these characters, but I will say that this book can have either a happy or sad ending, depending on one’s interpretation of it.
Overall, I think this book had a great message behind it, with the author clearly emphasizing the importance of nature to the world, as well as the importance of the continued existence of trees. This book is an amazing example of environmental activism through literature, and I would recommend this book to anybody interested in the environment and its preservation.
The Overstory by Richard Powers is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.
Many significant events took place in the month of April, and one of these events was the solar eclipse. The solar eclipse took place at the start of April, on April 8th, 2024. The last solar eclipse was on August 21, 2017. The solar eclipse is a rare astronomical event when the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon are all lined up so the Moon is blocking out the Sun.
The most phenomenal form of a solar eclipse is a total eclipse when the whole sun is seen to be blocked out by the moon. However, this isn’t seen by everyone and only seen by people in the path of totality. When a solar eclipse happens, it casts two shadows into the Earth, an umbra and a penumbra. The path of totality is the imaginary path that the umbra shadow makes. If a person is not in the path of totality, they will still see the solar eclipse, but they wouldn’t be able to see it fully, since they are not in the path of totality.
Regardless of the place, if you look up at the sun during a solar eclipse, it can be very dangerous and cause severe damage to your eyes because since the moon is blocking out the sun, your brain will think that it is not looking at the sun, so your pupils won’t dilate, thus making it dangerous to look at the sun during an eclipse. That’s why it is important to wear eclipse glasses to protect your eyes from the radiation of the sun!
I didn’t even know that there was a solar eclipse that day on April 9th. I only realized when everyone was talking about it. My 3rd-period teacher and many other teachers let their students go outside to look at the sun. Unfortunately, I didn’t have solar eclipse glasses, so I couldn’t see them, but my teacher and this chemistry teacher showed us the shadows and they were formed into crescents. Then my teacher’s friend let my class use her solar eclipse glasses and when I looked through it, I was amazed. It wasn’t a total eclipse but I found it cool how it was a crescent.
The Tortured Poets Department is the eleventh album from singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Before this album, I liked most songs on each one of her albums except for her first album because I do not like country music. The thing I found most interesting about Taylor was her relatable poetic lyrics matched with simple but occasionally interesting instrumentation. Personally, I am a huge fan of her albums Speak Now, 1989, and Evermore. In the past, Swift has received criticism for her singing ability and range. Over her past few albums, she was able to prove that she was a competent singer. Every single one of her albums she was able to improve on something people questioned her ability on, until this last album. Her massive rise in popularity the last two years has led to her receiving nearly no criticism. While her last album was good, it was not the best album that year, yet it still won “Album of the Year” at the Grammy’s over more deserving artists like Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, and Lana Del Rey.
This album, The Tortured Poet Department, is Swift’s most sonically one-dimensional and least unique album. The songs seem to all bleed into each other with the vocals sounding the same and it seems to be her most uninteresting instrumentation. Think back to albums like Red, which had a pleasant guitar present in almost every song, or 1989, which brought a new modernized version of 80’s synth-pop. This album seems to be reminiscent of Midnights but with more pianos and guitars, and sadly nothing truly different from what she has done in the past. More often than not, these songs are worse versions of her old songs or other artists’ styles.
Fortnight (feat. Post Malone):
The main message in the song is that “I love you, it’s ruining my life”. She talks about living next to your ex and wanting to kill his wife. She describes only being with this man for a fortnight (14 days). It features Post Malone, however, he does not have a verse. Instead, he is background vocals for most of the song. This seems to be a habit of Taylor Swift when she collaborates to relegate other artists to a very minimal role such as Lana Del Rey, Chris Stapelton, and HAIM. However, her duets with Bon Iver are some of her best songs in my opinion. I would have loved to have seen something similar here. The song has a mid-tempo pace, boring lyrics, and a meaningless-sounding instrumental.
The Tortured Poets Department:
This song really reminded me of the “Mariners Apartment Complex” by Lana Del Rey, but not as good. She explains in the song to her ex-lover that no one is going to love them like she did. I actually somewhat enjoy the chorus of the song, when she says “You’re not Dylan Thomas, I’m not Patti Smith. This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel, we’re modern idiots”. This is one of the rare times in this song where her figurative language is catchy likely on her past albums. It seems that not just on this song but on the whole album she is making things as poetic as possible, however, it is just not catchy and does not make sense. Like when she says “You fall asleep like a tattooed golden retriever”.
My Boy…Down Bad/So Long, London
I personally love “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys.” I loved the concept of Taylor being a doll that people would look at, but this guy took her out of the box. One of the best choruses and bridges on the entire album. “Down Bad” was a song really did not like. She curses unnecessarily throughout the song. I found it interesting that Taylor admits that “everything comes out teenage petulance”, but it shocked me that she did not do anything to remedy this. There are other concepts of the album, like her struggles with fame, and the thought of someone new (Olivia Rodrigo) being better than her. It would have been better if she had gone into these ideas more. “So Long, London,” the quintessential Taylor Swift track 5 (which should have been loml), has a weird instrumentation like she is going on a run and the lyrics are just racing through her mind. However, Taylor does not stop running, there is not a change in instrumentation, and seemed unusually rushed though it’s over four minutes long.
But Daddy I Love Him/Fresh Out The Slammer
This seems to be an older more mature version of Taylor’s first hit song “Love Story.” Not only did “Love Story” have a better instrumentation and used the symbolism of being this novel kind of forbidden love. It also made more sense because at the time she was around 18 years old and living with her parents, now Taylor is a 34-year-old billionaire. In “Fresh Out The Slammer,” she describes getting out of relationships and wondering who she is going to call. This is a little odd because of Swift’s many songs explaining how hard it is to get over guys. Just like nearly all of the songs there really is no change in pace and seems a little one-dimensional.
Florida (feat. Florence + The Machine)/ Guilty As Sin?
While these songs sonically sound probably the best, with more of a rise and fall in the music, it has probably the worst topics on the album. “Florida,” for instance, is a song where she describes going to Florida to escape her worries. However, lyrically it seems like a Lana Del Rey song off the album Honeymoon. The feature is much more prevalent than the Post Malone song, however, this does not feel like the right song for Florence + The Machine vocals. “Guilty as Sin?” is a song where Taylor admits to wanting to cheat on her boyfriend. She explains because it did not happen then she can’t be guilty as sin. This is beyond hypocritical considering how many songs she has written bashing people for cheating (“Better than Revenge,” “Should’ve Said No”).
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me/ loml
“Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me,” is a good example of Taylor Swift, just being overdramatic and painting herself as a victim. I do not deny that fame affects some people like Britney Spears, there are people like Britney who have suffered and gone through way more. While she has gone through a lot over the years, the idea she describes as being raised in an asylum, when she grew up in a mansion with a Christmas tree farm and her parents protected her best interest. “Loml” on the other hand is easily my favorite and the best song of the album. One of Taylor’s best songs period, it is far sadder than something like “All Too Well.” Swift explains how she allowed herself to believe this man’s promises of marriage when there were signs to show her otherwise. The lyrics are poetic and make sense. Musically it is a simple piano ballad, but it really allows her lyrics to shine through.
I Can Do It With A Broken Heart/Clara Bow
These songs conceptually are quite good. However, the instrumentation is a little bit odd sounding in “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.” It sounds like the 1989 vault tracks or Midnights but it does not sound right for this song. In “Clara Bow,” Taylor sings about how the “it-girls” over the years have been replaced and compared to their predecessors. In the final verse, she says “You look like Taylor Swift, in this life. We’re loving it, you’ve got that edge she never did”. I think this is about Olivia Rodrigo, who is clearly the biggest young female artist, who already has records that Swift does not with only two albums.
Overall I think this is Taylor’s worst album since her debut. However, I think because of the Era’s tour and the level of success she is at now, Swift will receive little criticism. I think she has far better albums like Speak Now, Red, Lover, and Evermore to name a few. I think it would be a real shame to praise this when she was capable of so much more in the past.
Looking for a hidden gem among video games? Celeste is a platforming game created in 2018 by the indie studio Maddy Makes Games, and it’s a strong choice for gamers ages 8 and up. In this game, you play as a mountain climber named Madeline. The mountain is actually a metaphor for overcoming self-doubt and anxiety. As you climb the mountain, you face another aspect of Madeline’s personality that tries to stop you and you must learn to work with her if you want to reach the summit of Mt. Celeste. In this way, the game’s story arc is a metaphor for self-acceptance.
One of my favorite aspects of this game is the exceptional music. As you play through the game, you listen to an amazing soundtrack composed by Lena Raine. Lena Raine’s music was so good that she got to create a few songs for one of the most popular video games in the world: Minecraft.
Celeste also boasts quite a lot of content with a full 9 chapters to dash your way through. 8 of the chapters 3 even have harder versions called B and C sides. This game also has lots of collectables like strawberries, hearts, cassette tapes (for unlocking B sides), and golden strawberries (for beating a chapter deathless). As you play, you can work to obtain these with the game’s incredible movement techniques and physics system.
The physics are buttery smooth throughout the game; Madeline always feels very responsive and precise when going for any jumps. She can jump, climb, and dash in 8 directions once after leaving the ground. The dash can be used once again when landing on the ground, which allows for lots of fancy ways to combine dashes and jumps to make Madeline fly across the screen. You start off with all of your abilities already unlocked but the game introduces new obstacles and mechanics each chapter to keep variation. Celeste’s visual design is very atmospheric and has lots of depth. All of the art is done in a pixelated style that fits in perfectly.
If you’re looking for a game with emotional depth, great music, and striking visuals, I definitely recommend Celeste.
I personally am a big fan of snails. I think these little critters are so misunderstood and I have always had a soft spot for them. So, to make them seem less weird and hopefully convince everyone to stop looking at them with such disgust I have complied some fun facts about them that I have learned throughout the years of being a snail lover!
Snails have the most teeth of any animal
When I discovered this fact I too was very surprised but although you may not see them, snails have up to 20,000 teeth. If that wasn’t impressive enough, some species of marine snails are said to have the strongest teeth in the game and it is said that they can withstand the pressure that is used to make diamonds!
Snails don’t have jaws Now I know what you’re thinking, but wait you just shared that they had 20,000 teeth! Well I wasn’t lying they do indeed have up to 20,000 teeth but they aren’t connected to a jaw like ours are, instead they grow along this thing called a radula which is an elongated sac that snails use to scrape their food along and digest it instead of chew.
Snails can sleep for up to 3 years
If you didn’t know, snails need constant moisture to survive which is why they are so slimy. If the snail senses that the environment is getting too dry for their liking, they shut down and go into a sleep to preserve their mucus and stay moisturized. These “sleeps” can last anywhere from a few hours to 3 years! This is why they are my favorite animal, I wish I could sleep for 3 years.
Snails can be Omnivores or Carnivores
These animals maybe small but they sure are mighty! Snails can eat anything from some tree bark to small insects they may find. Sometimes if they come across cement or limestone rock they can take that into their little radula and digest it. They truly can adapt to anything.
The biggest snail is 12 inches long
I would like to highlight the biggest snail of them all: the Giant African Snail. Although this snail is large and in charge, it is actually considered to be an invasive species in many parts of the world due to its rapid reproduction rate and large appetite. These snails are herbivores which means they’ll eat any plant material they may find, whether that is fruit or tree bark they are down for a good feast.
This is my list of some of my favorite snail facts. I hope these can show you that snails are actually super cool!
1984 written by George Orwell is a great book if you want to get into the classics, if you read his other book, Animal Farm, you might like this book as well.
A grotesque take of a corrupt communist society, 1984 follows Winston Smith, a cog in the machine in the records department of the Ministry of Truth. His work forces him to work with the documents of the “erased,” those who have committed atrocities towards the party and therefore are erased. Winston struggles with the meaning of how to be human in a world that does not value the creativity of the individual but rather the longevity of the party under their leader, Big Brother. People in this society are blatantly brainwashed consistently throughout the novel and the only one bothered by this seems to be Winston. He buys a contraband journal where he writes these thoughtcrimes and eventually finds a woman that shares the same thoughts as him.
It’s interesting to see the parallels between this book and our world today where Uncle Sam represents our country, and communist Vietnam former president Ho Chi Minh is referred to as “Uncle.” Big Brother always watching is also symbolic of North Korea, where it is custom for every room to have portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-un watching over their citizens at all times.
I would recommend this book to those who enjoyed: Zone of Interest, The Creator, Oppenheimer, All Quiet on the Western Front, or the Matrix. The similar theme among these are humans versus their government and their allegiance to their morality party.
1984 by George Orwell is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.
Cars have always needed drivers at the wheel; otherwise, they could not function. But recently, a new technology has begun to prove otherwise. The rise of self-driving cars has become a popular topic of debate. Ernst Dickmanns built the first model in the late 1980s. Only semi-autonomous cars are on the market today, while fully autonomous ones are still developing. Self-driving cars are a new technology that presents solutions and concerns.
Self-driving cars have many benefits and uses. According to SWARCO, a traffic technology corporation, “99% of all accidents are due to human error” (1). These include exhaustion, inattentiveness, or improper driving etiquette. Self-driving cars have technology that eliminates human error, which can prevent most accidents. Additionally, it helps transportation be available to people who can’t drive. Whether it be disabilities or age, self-driving can improve accessibility by driving for people who can’t. Autonomous vehicles can also help decrease traffic. With advanced communication between the cars, it can “improve traffic flow and increase road capacity” (SWARCO, 2). A benefit of self-driving cars is they utilize advanced and accessible technology.
Besides the many uses, self-driving cars have problems and concerns. A car that always utilizes data and observation cameras is prone to hackers and other online viruses. This can put your safety and privacy at risk. Furthermore, if an autonomous car commits a traffic violation, “no real person can be prosecuted” (SWARCO, 4). Traffic laws must change to fit the presence of self-driving cars. Finally, the car program must learn to drive with humans safely. They have to be able to adapt to any sort of situation with human-driven manual cars. Autonomous cars still have some concerns that need to be addressed.
Self-driving cars do have their technical challenges, but they also have many benefits. Only time will tell if these cars are truly the future of transportation.
I like a lot of bands, most of which are relatively unknown. I’d like to introduce you to one of them, Mad Caddies.
Mad Caddies is a ska band from around Solvang and Santa Barbara here in California. They’ve been around since 1997 with their debut album Quality Soft Core. I first learned about them from, of all places, the radio of our Uber driver’s car in Portugal over summer break in 2022, and I’ve been a fan of theirs ever since.
I would like to highlight a few albums by them, starting with Rock the Plank. Rock the Plank is sort of pirate themed, but also has some other themes, like a bar fight themed song. My favorite Mad Caddies album is Keep It Going, which has a great opener and closer in “The Dirge” and “End Dirge” respectively. The album also has some great songs like “Lay Your Head Down,” “Coyote,” and “Tired Bones,” but especially “Backyard” and “State of Mind.” “Backyard” has some of the best lyrics/advice of any song I’ve heard, and also leads into “State of Mind,” which I think has some of the best instrumentals out of any of their songs.
I also went to a mini-festival that had Mad Caddies as the closing band. It was at the Garden Amphitheatre in Garden Grove, California, and they played a ton of great songs. It was only around 300 people, but they put on a great show and it had good energy.
So, have you ever heard of Mad Caddies? Do they sound interesting to you? Why don’t you give them a listen and tell me what you think in the comments!
Listen to the Mad Caddies on Freegal, free with your Mission Viejo Library card!
It’s always fun to remember the simpler times of our childhood. Personally, literature has always been a big part of my life, and I know a lot of other people feel the same way. There is just something special about old childhood favorites. Let’s revisit some of my– and maybe yours as well– beloved books from years ago.
Percy Jackson series
Percy Jackson is such a creative and enjoyable book series! Personally, I love learning about Greek mythology and history. Reading this was so much fun for me– it was absolutely my favorite in middle school. I heard they recently made a show adaptation! I have watched the movie adaptation before, but have yet to watch the show.
Dear America series
These books were so eye-opening and captivating for me. I actually cried over a few! Especially the story of the enslaved girl. If you don’t know already, these books are fictional diaries capturing the lives of girls from historical America. Most of them are very sad, but they helped me gain new perspectives and appreciation for the life I have. I think this is a very important experience every child should have.
Wonder
Most of the time, when I am forced to read books for school it is a grueling experience. With all the reports, essays, and book logs, it made reading boring. However, this one I didn’t mind. In fact– I loved this book! Similar to the Dear America books, it opened my eyes to new perspectives. It also had such a heartwarming story throughout. Weird to think that I’m around the same age as Via!
The Magic Treehouse
This was one of my favorite book series. I read these over and over again throughout elementary school. It has such a creative plot and it was written beautifully. I was always immersed in the spectacular magic, timelines, imagery, and plot of every world they explored.
Junie B. Jones series
I absolutely loved these books. They have such a neat charm to them. I remember spending my recess reading Junie’s misspelled diary entries and her dramatic attitude. Remember when she locked herself in school to avoid riding the bus? 2nd-grade me couldn’t believe it!
Among the many novels that I have read, A Door in the Dark had me at the edge of my seat with my eyes wide open, longing to flip to the next page. I was at the bookstore one day when this novel caught my eye. I read the description on the back and assumed that it would be a decent read, but as soon as I began reading, a million different emotions hit me at once. I read of friendship, hatred, love, and every one of these things felt so real and relatable. If you enjoy adventure and excitement, then you have found the perfect novel, but keep in mind, this novel is not for the faint of heart.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
A Door in the Dark takes place in a magical and highly elitist city known as Kathor. Unlike all the magical worlds that you know of, the magic in Kathor is distributed by the wealthy families and is limited amongst the citizens. The magic is known as Ockleys and they can be bought by coins and are stored in objects known as vessels. Amongst Kathor’s residents, Ren is an intelligent and hardworking girl born into the Lower Quarter (the poorer area of Kathor). Nobody seems to take her seriously because of this, despite her high intelligence, but with her father dead, she must find a way to support her mom and herself. Due to her high performance in school, she is invited to attend Balmerick, a prestigious school. In her free time, she enjoys creating new spells and hopes to earn a position in the Shiverian House, but her hope is crushed when her interviewer for House Shiverian does not show up.
One day, Ren Monroe, her best friend, Timmons, and four other students break out in a fight in a waxway room on campus and are accidentally transported to the wilderness. In their new location, the students discover that one of them is dead. Everyone is shocked by this and has trouble processing it, but to get back home, the party must push on through rough terrain, frigid weather, and many other things getting in the way of their return home. Over their journey back home, the students grow closer and get to know each other, but just as soon, the students are killed one by one by a monster chasing them that will only stop when all of them our dead. Ren is forced to make important choices, even of saving one person from death or the other. How many of the students will make it back to Kathor alive? Will anybody?
Intensity Rating 5/5
For this specific novel, there are many parts that have you holding your breath and clinging to the side of your chair. There are many chasing sequences that are not scary, but definitely make you brace yourself!
Profanity/Drug Usage 3/5
This novel contains some mild language, so make sure that you are aware of this before reading this book. Also, there is a made up drug called “Dragon’s Breath” used by most of the main characters throughout the novel
Overall Book Rating 5/5
Of the many books that I have read, this has been one of my favorites! The novel describes the emotion and setting so well that I almost feel like I been inserted right into the story line. I highly recommend this book if you like magic and adventure!
(I chose to use monster to describe what was chasing the students, but as you progress in the book, you will understand that the monster in not necessarily in the form of a monster, I only used that term to identify what was chasing them in a way that will not spoil the plot in case you would like to read this novel.)
A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.
Mission Viejo Library Teen Voice 