In This Issue the Rating System the Critics
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School Middle Critics www.briarcliffmanorlibrary.org, Vol. 12, Issue 2, April 2017 The critics The Rating System Miss Bookworm Cassidy A. Sloane Excellent: Rainbow Llamas General Nuisance Shakespeare Good: Hey, That’s Pretty Good America’s Favorite Hannah Epstein Fighting Frenchman Madeleine Martinez Okay: Satisfied Meet the Critics on Page 9 Bad: Hey, That’s Pretty Sketchy Horrible: Defenestration necessary In This Issue Saffy’s Angel • Mortal Instruments, Book 1 • Santa Clara Diet • Fairy School Dropout • The Breakfast Club • Under a Painted Sky • The Second Mrs. Gioconda • Les Pilleurs de Sarcophage • Avalon High • Good Omens • Brooklyn • Graceling • Shipwreck • The Karate Kid [original] • Black Chalk • A Series of Unfortunate Events [Netflix series] • Eve and Adam • La La Land • The Girl Who Drank the Moon • A Tree Grows in Brooklyn • Whittington • Persepolis • Hush • Five Nights at Freddy’s—The Silver Eyes • That Poppy • Mortal Instru- ments, Book 3 • There Will be Lies • A Christmas Carol • Revenge of the Sith • When You Reach Me The opinions expressed in the reviews are not necessarily the opinion of the Library. The appropriateness of the materials reviewed is not for the Public Library to determine and the students are encouraged to review whatever they’d like— therefore, we encourage parents to be involved in and be aware of their children’s book, movie, television, gaming, internet and music choices. All non-original images are property of their various copyright owners. -2- Saffy’s Angel house showing. Before you know it, Sheila the Mombie turns into a zombie. In a matter of days, By Hilary McKay I finished the first season (which is unfortunately Critic: Cassidy A. Sloane the only season as of now). I should probably Saffy’s Angel is the first book in a include an obvious gore warning at this point as series of books a bout the Cas- well. Nonetheless, I strongly encourage you to son family. Eve, the mother is an watch and see how the family overcomes new artist, the father that lives in struggles, zombie related or not. Rating: London is also an artist. Their Rainbow Llamas kids are Caddy, Saffy, Indigo, and Rose. Early in the book, Saffy finds out she is adopted. She’s Fairy School Drop-Out the daughter of Eve’s sister. By Meredith Badger When the grandpa dies, Saffy becomes determined to find the stone angel that Critic: Madeline Martinez he left to her. This is a really good book, but it Welcome to Elly’s world. By can get a little bit confusing at times. Overall, I the way, she’s a fairy who recommend this book. Rating: Hey, That’s hates being a fairy! She does Pretty Good everything wrong until one day she meets a human and Mortal Instruments, gives her...OOPS! I said too Book 1, much! Anyway, you should go read this book. It’s the best. Rating: Rainbow Llamas City of Bones By Cassandra Clare Critic: Hannah Epstein Riddle When Clary sees three people Critic: Hannah Epstein murder someone, but her friend Imagine you are tied to a chair over lava. doesn’t see the people, she Sharks are swimming. You only have a knows she is special. When the people take her to knife. Randomly, you could fall. How do their home, they are very curious. She finds out you escape? that the people are Shadowhunters. Their names are Jace, Alec and Isabel. They have weird marks all over them and scary weapons. Earlier that day, her mom disappears and Clary finds out she has a The Breakfast Club father she never knew about….What does she do?! Movie Rated R Rating: Rainbow Llamas Critic: General Nuisance I’ve spent too many years not having seen this movie, the Santa Clara Diet classic, the legend, the one and T.V. Series only. Perhaps that’s an exag- Critic: General Nuisance geration, but this is definitely one of my new favorites. This brand new Netflix series is There’s really not much to say about the plot it- possibly one of my favorites. self, as every moment is hilarious and suspenseful The comedy starring Drew Barry- and anything would be a spoiler, but I will say that more and Timothy Olyphant fea- I love the concept of the whole movie taking place tures a loving couple of realtors in one room over the course of one day. Overall? and their teenage daughter Abby 10/10. Rating: Rainbow Llamas with a next to perfect life. All is well, until a tiny tiny incident occurs during a imagining. stop You answer: Riddle -3- Under a Painted Sky Les Pilleurs de By Stacy Lee Sarcophages (Tomb Critic: Miss Bookworm Raiders) This book is one of the best By Odile Weulersse books ever. A girl named Samantha lost her father, her Critic: Shakespeare only relative, to a fire. The This book is in French. Now, landlord, Ty Yorkshire, then don’t get me wrong, books in assaulted Samantha. Horrified, French are sort of ok. Ish. But she killed him with a scrubbing brush. Samantha this book...the only good part is when the bad guy met a runaway slave named AnnaMae and they pushes one of the good guys down a well. In a both went on the Oregon Trail to California. tomb. And he dies. Oh well. So back to the However, they disguise theselves as boys. Sammy beginning. Tetiki is the main character, and he and Andy. They travel with three cowboys, Cay, goes on a quest to steal the gold in King Taa’s West and Peety. They all form strong bonds and tomb, to prevent bad guys from taking it to use it go through many adventures. But here’s the twist: in a war. Don’t worry, Tetiki will eventually return Sammy and Andy cannot be found out at all costs. it. If he gets out alive that is. Full of not exciting Plese read this book. That’s all I have to say. and totally predictable plot twists, this book is a Okay? Goodbye. The end. So long, farewell... bore. And kind of long, for absolutely no Rating: Rainbow Llamas character development and plot development/ excitement/climax. Quite a disappointment. Rating: Defenestration necessary Avalon High By Meg Cabot Critic: Cassidy A. Sloane Avalon High is a book about a girl named Elaine who is a new kid at school. Her parents are The Second Mrs. Gioconda professors of medieval history, and they are on a sabbatical, By E.L. Konigsburg which is basically a year off so they can write Critic: Cassidy A. Sloane books. Elaine was named after a person from a The Second Mrs. Gioconda is a medievel poem, so people call her Ellie. She book that asks the question meets a boy named Will, his girlfriend Jennifer, “Why did Leonardo da Vinci and his friend Lance. There is a major plot twist spend three years on a painting which I can’t reveal. It is a really good book, with of the wife of a merchant when so many surprising moments. Rating: Hey, dukes and duchesses were beg- That’s Pretty Good ging for one?” It sounds really good, but this question is not addressed until the very end. The three main characters are Da Vinci himself, his apprentice Solai, and a “plain-faced” duchess named Beatrice. There are many events that are unimportant to what’s supposed to be the main idea. This book is interesting, but it has a confusing plot and sort of climax. Rating: Satisfied -4- Good Omens By Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman Critic: Miss Bookworm It’s the apocalypse. Yup, that’s right. And it is an absolutely hilarious ending. Aziraphale, an angel, and Crowley, a fallen an- gel are given the task of making Graceling sure the world ended. However, neither wants the By Kristin Cashore humans to go. A boy, Adam, is the son of the devil and was put into the human world as a Critic: Shakespeare wealthy family’s child. His parents don’t know A child is born. The parents who he actually is. Crowley and Aziraphale’s job is wait. If they do not develop for Adam to control his power and do something different colored eyes, they horrible. Rating: Rainbow Llamas breathe a sign of relief. If they do, nooooooo! For if their Brooklyn Grace (a special ability) can be useful for the kind, Movie rated PG-13 the baby gets taken away. In comes Katsa, whose Grace is to kill. She then begins to train with the Critic: General Nuisance King, and becomes his enforcer. Until Po comes, It’s been a short while since I’ve who Grace is to fight (But not really *wink*) and seen this movie, but it most then they go on an epic journey to overthrow the definitely deserved more King becuase Po’s grandfather has been captured. attention (resuling in this As an added bonus, Katsa and Po fall in love on review). It’s a drama following a their journey. It is an awesome world with young Irish woman who leaves awesome magic so if you love magical worlds that her family to move to the are awe striking, then read immediately. Rating; United Sates in the days of Ellis Rainbow Llamas Island. Through family tragedy and the difficult paths of love to choose between, the little moments are just so touching, not to Shipwreck mention the comedic houseemates. If it weren’t for such a heartbreaking ending, this would By Gordon Korman definitely be a 10 out of 10 from me.