Top 3 birds

Birds are cool. Everyone knows that. But the real question is, what are the top 3 best birds?  That question I have already thought of, so here is the best bird trio.

Bird 1: Parrots

The first bird I will talk about are parrots. Parrots are quite different from other birds, although it might not seem like that at first. One way Parrots are different is because they are incredibly smart compared to many other birds and other animals. Part of how they become smarter is because they often replicate other sounds they hear, and it helps them learn quickly. An example of parrots copying sounds is when they hear what humans say, and they are able to repeat the words they hear. In fact, Parrots are the only animals that are able to talk. So, this is why parrots are one of the coolest and smartest birds of all time!

Bird 2: Ducks

Now, for the second bird, ducks. Ducks are very diverse animals, with over 100 different species, and all of them have waterproof feathers and webbed to help them swim… and they all eat rocks. The stones and pebbles that ducks eat are then gastroliths, which is a small rock used to help with digesting food. The ducks find these small stones usually by digging in mud. They also like to dig in the mud because the vibration makes the bugs come out to the surface, so the ducks can eat them. Once the rock is too smooth and isn’t good to digest food, the duck vomits the rock out, so the rock comes out smooth. Ducks also have a way of communication, which isn’t just quacks, as many people think. However, ducks making quack sounds is very common for ducks to do, but it is mostly used when the mother duck is calling her ducklings. They also squeak when danger is coming, and whistle in the morning sometimes to show they are happy and positive, and a couple other sounds.

Bird 3: Penguins

Last but not certainly least, penguins. One of the major differences between penguins and many other birds is that penguins can’t fly. But since they can’t fly, the do something called Tobogganing, where the penguin slides on its belly. This helps them move faster than waddling, and it conserves their energy, too. Penguins are also the fastest swimming birds in the world, specifically the Gentoo penguin, reaching speeds of 22 miles per hour. Penguins usually stick together in very large groups, and huddle together to share their body heat to get warmth.

Parrots, ducks, and penguins. These are the best 3 birds in my opinion for many reasons. Whether it is the interesting facts, or how they are funny and cute, I will always appreciate these three birds.

Want to read more about birds? Books about birds are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Teen Library Internship- applications accepted Aug. 7-21

Looking to gain real-world experience, leadership skills, and more? Check out the Teen Library Internship!

This is a paid position and there are 3 openings.

Internship will run from September 18 to December 15 (off 11/20-11/24).

Interns will work 15 hours per week (up to 5 hours from home).

There are 2 required days/times onsite per week. Mondays from 4:30 p.m.to 7:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 6:00 p.m.to 9:00 p.m.

Complete the application and questions here (starting Aug. 7): https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/missionviejo

Please reach out to me if you have any questions! ohoward@cityofmissionviejo.org

1984 Book Review

1984, by George Orwell is a suspenseful and disturbing dystopian novel that makes you anxious but excited to turn the next page. 1984 has very distinct and memorable characters which resemble real traits and qualities of a normal person.

The book is called 1984 because George Orwell wrote the book in 1948 and 1984 is how he imagined the future would be. Orwell’s prediction of the future was that nearly everyone was brainwashed by Big Brother and the Party which was an organization trying to control all of Oceania, where the book takes place. Despite the Party’s efforts not everyone is controlled by them.

Some things I like about the book were its explicit detail which allows you to imagine that the world of 1984 is real. Another thing I like about the book was the suspense that makes you want to keep reading. There are many other things I liked about the book including character development of Winston and the pieces learned of his past.

However, there were some things I did not like about the book. One of these things was that in the beginning there is alot of exposition and it is confusing and boring in this part of the book. Another thing is that the symbolism of objects can be confusing such as the glass paperweight which is related to Winston trying to connect with his past.

Despite the controversial opinion on 1984 I think it is a good book and Orwell tells and interesting but disturbing story to be mindful of how important it is to have your own thoughts and beliefs. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes dystopian books, or just looking for something to read.

1984 by George Orwell is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Let’s Make Sushi: Easy Recipe to Try at Home!

Sushi is one of the most popular foods in our country, and I love to eat it every day if I could. It’s one of the most nutritious foods because of the combination of ingredients used to make sushi. Also, it’s not deep fried, so there’s no worry about cholesterol or fat. Sushi is delicious and nutritious; each sushi roll includes high-quality protein (fish or caviar). We all need protein for repairing and rebuilding tissues, muscles, and everything else in our body. Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids essential for the brain and heart. Also, it helps in the reduction of inflammation and lower chronic diseases. All the vegetable in sushi provides abundant mineral and vitamins necessary for overall health.
So what are we waiting for? Let’s make a sushi roll together and see why every kid should have sushi once in their lifetime.
First, gather all your ingredients. Here is what you need:

  • 2 cups of cooked sushi rice, aka short grain rice cooked; follow the directions on the rice’s box.
  •  4-6 sheets of seaweed (raw or roasted)
  •  4 -6 oz smoked salmon
  •  1 small cucumber sliced into long sticks
  •  1 medium carrot cut into small finger-size sticks.
  •  1 Avocado sliced.
  • Caviar for topping (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon Rice vinegar 

Instruction: 

1. Cook the short-grain rice according to the instructions on the box.

2. Once cooked, add 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar to the rice and 

 stir to incorporate.

3. Lay a sheet of nori seaweed on a bamboo sushi mat with the shiny side facing down.

4. Spread a thin layer of cooked rice evenly over the nori sheet leaving about an inch at the top uncovered.

5. Layer smoked salmon, cucumber, carrot, and avocado on the rice. 

6. Use the bamboo mat to roll the seaweed like you roll up the sleeping bag; the tighter, the better. Starting from the bottom end.

7. Use a sharp knife and cut about an inch per piece or the size that fits perfectly in your mouth. Top with caviar if you want more omega or just want to be fancy.

Now, enjoy your hard-earned labor!

Bella H.

Movie Review: Creed III (2023)

As this movie came out in March, I became interested in the movie after an amazing trailer and rewatches of the previous two movies of the Creed series. I watched the movie twice — once with my family the week after it released, and another with my friend — and I was not disappointed with the film. Despite the unfortunate and controversial absence of Rocky (Sylvester Stallone), the film really did well as it cemented the legacy of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) and gave Jordan a great showing in his directorial debut.

In the movie, Adonis Creed lived a great life, as he became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and retired happily after a significant win in a rematch with his opponent in the first film, Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew). Creed lived happily with his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and his daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). He ran a gym alongside his trainer Little Duke (Wood Harris) as they trained various boxers, in particular the new heavyweight champion after Creed’s retirement, Felix Chavez (Jose Benavidez Jr). However, Creed’s world turns upside down after his former friend Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors) showed up out of the blue after Creed negotiated a fight that pitted Chavez against his former rival, Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu).

The past between Creed and Anderson came out to be tragic. The two were friends as kids, however they faced abuse at the hands of their adoptive father, Leon. As they grew older, Anderson actually came out as a boxer focused on going professional, while Adonis was the ring assistant to Anderson. After a Golden Gloves championship win by Anderson, the two encounter Leon, which eventually led to a physical altercation that led to Anderson getting arrested after pulling out a gun and Adonis escaping after he abandoned the scene.

After Anderson came back, he focused on revenge and restoration of his path towards professional boxing. He manipulated Creed’s guilt and help as he hatched a plan that consisted of injuring Drago’s hand and taking his spot against Chavez, where he fought in a dirty fashion and won the heavyweight championship from Chavez. After he won, he publicly insulted Creed, his family, and his legacy, claiming that Creed only got his status due to the fact that Anderson was left in prison, which led to Creed coming out of retirement and challenging Anderson.

As Creed got ready for his fight, he realized that he had to let go of the past and focus on his situation. Despite him feeling guilty and shutting himself out from Bianca and his loved ones, he corrected his mistake and opened up to Bianca as she and Amara supported him. He became forced to dig deep and became ready for the fight — physically and mentally — thanks to Little Duke and an unexpected ally in Viktor Drago, who returned to help Creed train with his hand recovered.

In the fight between Anderson and Creed, the two face off in a cinematic masterpiece that left me in awe in the theater. The personal battle that these two fought became apparent in various ways as they left it all out in the ring in a grueling yet captivating war. After a brutal fight that consisted of 12 rounds, Creed defeated Anderson to reclaim the title. However, the two truly put their differences behind them and restored their friendship as Creed apologized to Anderson and Anderson accepted while also showing respect to Creed and his abilities. Creed then went on to share a heartwarming moment with his family to end the movie.

Overall, this movie proved to be an amazing movie from start to finish. However, what really connected with me and stood out to me was the lesson of being there for the loved ones in your life. In particular, Adonis showed it in his character arc as he realized his mistake of leaving Anderson without any form of contact for years, as well as pushing away Bianca when she tried to know what was going on between the two. However, he learned from his mistakes as he opened up to Bianca and finally apologized to Damian as they moved forward and put their past to rest. I would heavily recommend seeing this movie, as it competes highly with its predecessors for the best movie of the current Creed trilogy.

Creed III  is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Five Seconds Flat- Lizzy McAlpine (Album Review)

Lizzy McAlpine is a young musician who was born in Pennsylvania and started writing music when she was in 6th grade. Her second alternative album that she released in 2022 is called, Five Seconds Flat, which consists of 14 tracks and features from FINNEAS, Ben Kessler, Jacob Collier, and Laura Elliot. This album describes the loss and deep thoughts that go through her mind and the love that she has always imagined for herself along with hypothetical thoughts.

The song, Ceilings, became very popular overtime and depicted the idea of a nonexistent relationship feeling like a movie. Towards the beginning of the song she sings, “it feels like the start of a movie I’ve seen before” and at the end of the song she sings, “it feels like the end of a movie I’ve seen before” coming back to reality and realizing it was all a fantasy. A relatable lyric in the song is “I would say all of this but I don’t want to ruin the moment” which can mean trying to not to risk anything yet making memories.

My personal favorite on the album is track 11, Hate to Be Lame (feat. FINNEAS) which is a mellow and suspenseful song. In this song she admits her true emotions and feelings to others. She also describes how she makes excuses for herself in certain situations, “tell myself it’s not the right time or something dumb”. My favorite part is halfway through the song when the beat starts to pick up, and the volume of their voices increases, ending with FINNEAS’s deep voice and joining the two together in harmony to wrap up the entirety of the song.

All of her songs on the album are unique with different meanings and even though the songs Ceilings and Hate to Be Lame (feat. FINNEAS) are amazing and popular (in my opinion) her other songs have more to offer and can be relatable and nostalgic. I very much recommend this album and her music in general!

Book vs. Movie: Love & Gelato

After her mother’s death, Lina is sent to Tuscany, Italy where she discovers her mother’s old journal. Although she is first apprehensive about the idea of living in Italy, she begins to become more accustomed to Italian life as she meets a young boy named Lorenzo who helps her find out the truth about her biological father and her mother’s time in Italy. Despite this, there are many differences between the book and movie.

  1. Lina’s Home in Italy
    • Book: After arriving in Italy, Lina stays with Howard in a cemetery.
    • Movie: Lina lives with Francesca in a fancy, Italian mansion.
  2. Lina’s First Meeting With Her Biological Father
    • Book: Lina originally had a very heated conversation with her biological father, Matteo Rossi. During this conversation, Matteo accused Lina’s mother of being obsessive and blackmailing him, resulting in him being forced to resign from his job as a professor at the Fine Arts Academy of Florence.
    • Movie: Lina doesn’t talk with Matteo and instead storms out of his office after seeing him.
  3. Thomas Heath
    • Book: Thomas Heath was a handsome, British boy who Lina temporarily dated.
    • Movie: Thomas is not featured in the movie but is replaced by a rich boy named Alessandro Albani who Lina was also in love with.
  4. Lorenzo’s Passion
    • Book: Lorenzo is passionate about soccer.
    • Movie: Lorenzo is passionate about cooking and aspires to become a professional chef.
  5. Lorenzo’s House
    • Book: Lorenzo lives in a gingerbread house with his mom and little sister.
    • Movie: Lorenzo lives in a typical house with his two moms and grandmother.
  6. Hadley’s Journal
    • Book: Lina’s mom, Hadley, originally sent the journal to Italy as a gift to Howard.
    • Movie: Hadley told Francesca to give the journal to Lina after she arrived in Italy.
  7. Howard’s Profession
    • Book: Howard worked in the cemetery where he took care of a World War II memorial.
    • Movie: Howard is an art professor at a fancy prep school.
  8. Sonia
    • Book: Sonia worked alongside Howard in the cemetery.
    • Movie: Sonia is not featured at all.
  9. Lina’s Trip to Italy
    • Book: Hadley planned for Lina to visit Italy only after her death.
    • Movie: Hadley originally planned to go to Italy with Lina.

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Book Review: What If? by Randall Munroe

Have you ever wondered from what height you would need to drop a steak for it to be cooked when you hit the ground? There’s a book that can answer questions just like that.

I recently got to reading the book What If? by Randall Munroe, the creator of the webcomic xkcd, a satirical take on science and life questions. I enjoyed how the book took real life outlandish scenarios and used scientific concepts to explain them in detail while still being funny and engaging at the same time. The hypothetical scenarios are submitted by readers. Overall, this book is sure to give you a good laugh while opening your eyes to the great, wide world of science.

One of my favorite hypothetical questions from the book was what would happen if a baseball was pitched at 90 percent of the speed of light. I enjoyed how it gave a step-by-step, detailed explanation of what would happen. I also enjoyed the sarcastic humor, as with the rest of the book. The descriptions also paint a good mental picture of what would happen in the questions, helping to keep the book interesting.

Comics are interspersed between the questions as well, keeping the book engaging by helping to convey the outlandish nature of the questions. They will also keep you laughing as you read, as they will occasionally accompany the text with a sarcastic or witty joke.

The book greatly appealed to my sense of humor, with its sarcasm and dry wit. The book even has the bonus of connected online resources and interactive games. These activities connect to the questions in the book, such as a calculator to see how far you could throw various objects, but come with a humorous twist.

Overall, What If? was a great and entertaining read, and I would recommend that more teens look into reading this book, as well as the other books in the series. These include What If? 2 and How To. Both deal with more hypothetical scenarios, approached with the same sense of humor. Not only is this book a great resource, it also helps you to gain a greater enjoyment of science, but above all, What If? is a hilarious book that you can read anytime.

What If? by Randall Munroe is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

‘Stress-free School Year’ workshop – earn community service hours!

Our Teen Library Interns are putting on a special program this Saturday- come check it out!

When: Fri., July 28, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Where: The Kershaw Garden at Civic Center, 100 Civic Center, Mission Viejo

Stressed about going back to school? Students age 13 and older are invited to join subject-matter experts and library staff for a de-stressing workshop at the library. 

The free workshop includes a presentation on mindfulness, and in-person yoga lesson, and hands-on crafts. Please bring your own yoga mat or towel. Light snacks and stress-relieving kits are also provided.

Finished crafts are eligible for service hours!

Register at https://cityofmissionviejo.org/stress-free-school-year-workshop-registration

Manga Review: Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

Contains minor spoilers for the manga!

Fifteen year old Edward Elric is a state alchemist, who uses alchemy for the good of his country. Although young, he has experienced much more than your average teen. At the age of 12, Edward and his brother, Alphonse, tried to bring back their deceased mother with a complex alchemy process called human transmutation. This is one of the biggest crimes against Alchemy. But the ritual fails, and the cost of trying to bring back a human is grave. Edward loses an arm and a leg, and Alphonse’s whole body is disabled. After finding the right mechanic and doctor, Alphonse inserts his soul into a hallow suit of armor (making him nearly invincible) and Edward replaces his limbs with prosthetics. In their time serving for the state, they discover that there is someone sacrificing thousands of lives to make a powerful object called a Philosopher’s Stone. It lets you create and destroy without needing any other source of energy. But beyond that, it also bring people back from the dead. Even with this discovery, Edward refuses to use a Philosopher’s Stone to help him. He and his brother make shocking discoveries on their quest to return to their original bodies, and they start to realize just how flawed the human race really is.

Fullmetal Alchemist is a dark story that dives deep into the nature of humans, revealing true intentions and then surfacing with brutal truths. A recurring statement in the series is the law of equivalent exchange, that explains that to receive, you must give something of equal or greater value. It’s shown when the Elrics break the law of attempting human transmutation, and for it they paid dearly. Edward had lost a lot, but in the end all of it gave him purpose to defeat the antagonist. I believe this is one of the morals of the series: To gain anything, you have to lose something first. Mistakes are just steps towards success.

The antagonist’s goal was to create the perfect being, seeing humanity as a lower, weaker form. Perfect beings may be able to make the best choice in situations, but what the antagonist underestimated was the sacrificial and relentless instinct of humans. The antagonist could not understand the way that people were driven by emotions like grief or anger, instead of deterred by them. Ultimately, that was his downfall. This is the second lesson I learned from the series. It presents that humanity is flawed, but those flaws are what pushes us to be better. Imperfection is perfect in it’s own way.

This manga is definitely one worth reading. Although it has some serious themes, it still has humorous moments and it’s easy to follow. Consider giving it a go!

-Ellie K, 7th Grade

Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.