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Reviews you can trust.
critics
Vol. 2, Issue 3
www.briarcliffmanorlibrary.org/
contents
June 2007
Books. Movies. Games. Anime. and more...
Reviews:
Holes
The Protector of the Small
Trickster’s Choice
Mr. Holland’s Opus
Gerald Morris books
City of Ember
Sabrina comics
Hoot
Futuristic Word Find In
side
Meet the Critics:
Aaron Choi
Crystal Art
Samm Kimm
Jenna Taylor
Shannon Louie
-LRachel Isaac
Sadie McMurrin
Kynan Welsh
Learn more on page 6
The Thumbs
Excellent
Good
OK
Horrible
Join the Club
Do you want to be a critic?
Contact Amy Kaplan, Children and Teens
Librarian at Briarcliff Manor Public Library.
733-3612 or [email protected]
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, and music choices.
2
MIDDLE SCHOOL critics
Holes
By Louis Sachar
Critic: Sadie
McMurrin
He’s unlucky. Period. He’s been
unlucky for almost 200 years. It all
started with his no-good-dirtyrotten-pig-stealing-great-greatgrandfather, and it comes up to
present day Stanley Yelnats the fourth. On the
last day of school, as he walks home with a soggy
marble notebook in hand, his unluckiest, noluckiest part of his life starts! In this book, you’ll
meet X-ray, the leader, Zig-zag, Armpit,
Mr. Pendanckey, Mr. Sir, the warden and the
secretive Zero. Be prepared as this book takes
you from a filled-up lake to a dry, barren
Wasteland, from an outlaw by the name of Kissin’
Kate Barlow to a greedy female warden. A young
man with an unlucky past, to a lucky future! (for
grade 4 and up)
The Protector of the Small (series)
By Tamora Pierce
Critic:
Louie
Shannon
Tamora Pierce’s third quartet in the Tortall series,
The Protector of the Small, follows The Immortals
quartet. In this adventure, 10-year-old Keladry of
Mindalen, Kel for short, dreams of becoming a
lady knight. Even since Alanna the Lioness, the
first female to become a knight by disguising
herself as a boy, the knighthood ordeal has been
open to noble females as well. Kel is the first to
use this law to her advantage. Upon meeting one
of Kel’s only friends, she meets other bullies who
don’t believe girls belong in the castle. They
would booss her around and pull pranks on her,
such as urinating on her room door and
vandalizing her room. Kel is unhappy about that
and Alanna is forbidden to help her; otherwise
suspicions will rise of Alanna using her magical
Gift to help Kel. Kel is forced to prove to everyone that she deserves her shield and girls
shouldn’t be afraid to pursue their dreams of
knighthood.
Squire’s Tale, etc.
Books By Gerald Morris
Critic: Samm Kim
If you like King Arthur then you will
like these books. The most popular
stories rewritten and retold from
another view, with a few twists. In
the first book, Squire's Tale you
meet Terence and Sir Gawain. Terence, a small boy
brought up by a hermit in the middle of the Forest,
becomes Sir Gawain's personal Squire and also has to
save.......... well read the book to find out. Just read
them — they are amazing. You may know the story of
Beaumains but until you read his third book The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf you don't really know the
story. So read them, they are good.
This Summer.
Get to Know
Your Library.
Prizes. Book Discussion. Brain
Teasers. Prizes. Game Night.
Teen Exchange. Prizes.
Finally...a Summer Reading Program
that is not for the little kids. It’s just
for you. Learn more online:
www.briarcliffmanorlibrary.org/ynk.html
Did we mention, prizes??? What prizes are
worth signing up for? You vote. You decide.
www.briarcliffmanorlibrary.org/prizevote.html
3
MIDDLE SCHOOL critics
The City of Ember
Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen
By Tamora Pierce
By Jeanne DePrau
Critic: Gracie Schulz
Critic: Shannon Louie
These two books are another
continuation of Tamora Pierce's
books. Once again taking place in
Tortal, though this time centering
around Alanna’s disappointing child
Aly. Trickster's Choice and
Trickster's Queen are another
thriller. Aly feels confused, her
Dad, George, is the spy master of
Tortall and her Mom, Alanna, is a
living legend and both want her to
get a move on in her life, but the
thing that she wants to do is the
only thing her parents don't want
her to do. Aly wants to go be a spy but both her
parents say no. When her mother comes home
and immediately she and Aly start fighting Aly
thinks it would be a good idea to go on a voyage.
Unfortunately she is captured by Copper Isle
pirates and sold into slavery. In the Copper
Islands, Aly is taken in by the Balitangs, a family
of mixed race and white nobility, who are on the
outs with the increasingly unstable Islands
monarchy. She learns the history of the white
conquest in the Copper Islands, and the history of
the natives of the Islands. She makes a deal with
Kypriath the trickster god who promises to send
her safely home to Pirates Swoop if she can keep
the Balitang children safe throughout the
summer. Aly finds what seemed easy is actually
quite difficult when unexpected difficulties come
up, like when the Crow-man, Kywat, shows up
and Aly might, just might, like him a lot more than
she should.............
Sabrina the Teenage Witch comics
By various authors
Critic: Crystal Art
A great magical
comic book series that seems as if
it will never end!
It is finally Assignment Day. Students
of Ember have been waiting for this
day to come and to be given a job at
the age of 12 in honor of their beloved city.
Desperately wanting to become a
messenger, Lina Mayfleet draws the
rare, worst job of Pipeworks Laborer.
Lina still longs to be a messenger, to
run around her city and deliver messages to people.
Messengers connect everyone to everyone.
When Doon Harrow draws the job of messenger from
the bag, he surprisingly asks Lina to trade her dreaded
job with him! Doon doesn't long to patch up old pipes
underground, but he does want to work underground.
Doon has ideas to fix and improve the generator that
is kept underground and powers the city of Ember.
The great lights, and the only source of light in Ember,
have recently been flickering on and off constantly,
leaving citizens worried about their fragile city in total
darkness.
When Lina gratefully accepts Doon’s offer, they both
head out to their new jobs, but also into an unexpected journey that saves the crumbling City of Ember.
MIDDLE SCHOOL critics
t You Haven’t Read
9 Amazing Books I Be
el Isaac
(But Should) By Rach
Uglies (and the rest of the trilogy) by Scott Westerfield. This
is an amazing book. So amazing, in fact, you will have to read the
other two in the trilogy. The story falls under the fantasy genre
because it talks about earth in the future. It says that our civilization
has died and now there is a much better one called a Utopia. In this
civilization, when you turn 16 you are given a wonderful
operation that makes you perfect in everyway. Crooked smile? Gone.
Ugly birth mark? Bye bye. Not only des the operation make you look
good, it makes you think happy thoughts and never be angry. Sound
perfect? For Tally Youngblood, this is all she wants. Then, one day,
she meets another girl, Shay. The two become instant friends. But
Shay isn’t so sure she wants to be pretty. She wants to run away to
a special secret community called the Smoke where no one becomes
pretty. Shay runs but Tally doesn’t. A few days later, when Tally is
going for her pretty operation, some people stop her. They take her
and tell her she can either show them where the Smoke is or Tally
will never become pretty. What will Tally do? Read to find out! An
awesome book. GREAT cliffhanger. Once you read the first one,
you’ll want to read the other two.
All Creatures Great and Small By James Herriot. For the
animal lover. And I’m not just talking about cats, dogs, and
hamsters. I’m talking about everything. Horses, pigs, sheep, cows,
and house pets, of course. This is the totally true story of James
Herriot and his many adventures as a traveling vet who goes to
farms. A warning for those of you that cry when they read, and
even people who really don’t, there are some sad stories in here.
There are also some really funny ones, too. For example, a lady who
feeds her dog everything and anything except proper dog food. In
the end, All Creatures Great and Small is an excellent book that
really shows just how much people love their pets.
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. This book is about a girl who
gets hit by a car one day and dies. Okay, stop! Sound depressing?
Well, it isn’t. This book is all about what happens after you die. The
author creates an afterlife called Elsewhere. In Elsewhere, You live
backwards. For example, if you die when you are 75, you will come
to Elsewhere at 75 and then at your next birthday, you turn 74. This
goes on until you turn zero. Then, you are transported back to earth
as a new baby and live your life over again as a new person. This is
where Liz Hall finds herself after dying from a hit and run taxicab.
When she gets to Elsewhere at first, she is upset. She wants to turn
sixteen, go to prom, and drive a car. She wants to give her dad his
present that she hid in her room but she can’t and this makes her
sad. She throws herself into watching people on earth through a little
viewer. She does this all the time, everyday. But she is just watching. She has to realize that she will never be a part of her family’s
life. Is her new, backwards life, really worth living? Will she find
happiness? You MUST read this book. It’s amazing. It’s interesting,
mind expanding fiction that will really suck you in and make you
wonder.
You Are SO Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah! By Fiona
Rosenbloom. I have to be honest. I only picked up this book
because of its hilarious name. But once I read it, I realized it was
4
pretty good. It’s all about a girl named Stacy who is getting ready
for her Mitzvah. All she really wants is the perfect dress, three good
mitzvahs, and her crush to want to date her. What she ends up
getting is a horrible dress, three mitzvahs that go wrong, and her
best friend’s betrayal. Will Stacy’s life be ruined? Read it!
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson. You don’t want to,
but you have to. Here’s a really good book that will only take about
2 hours to read. The main character, Bobby, gets his girlfriend
pregnant and takes care of his daughter, Feather. It talks all about
him, the difficult choices he has to make and what happens to his
girlfriend. This is a very interesting book.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is the story of
Melinda. At a middle school’s over party, Melinda is having a great
time with her friends. Suddenly, for an unknown reason, Melinda
decides that she has to call the police. After the party is busted,
everyone blames Melinda for crashing the best party ever. No one
wants to talk to her at school. She feels like an outcast. Melinda
lives in her own little world, talking, in a humorous, and imaginative
way, that gives not only a view into her life, but explains what really
happens at the party.
Leaping Beauty and other short stories by Gregory
Maguire. This collection of short stories for children were written
by Gregory Maguire, the author of the popular book, Wicked, that
went on to be a popular Broadway musical. These stories are all
humorous adaptations of classics fairy tales using various animals
for characters. Check out this book if you’re looking for a good
laugh.
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. This is a unique and
interesting book about a girl named Julianna and a boy named
Bryce. One day, Bryce moves next door to Julianna and her family.
He takes one look at the dirty, cluttered yard, and the odd girl
running over, and he can’t get away fast enough. Julianna, on the
other hand, falls in love right away. The book trades off with each
character telling their side of the story and the odd relationship they
have with each other every other chapter. Read this book, and by
the end, your opinions might just flip!
The Book of Lists for Teens by Sharon and Harry
Choron. This is a really good book to learn something new, stay
in the know, and just have fun. It includes everything under the sun
including:
Reasons to keep a private journal
Things your teachers don’t want you to know
Your legal rights
Ways to fight censorship
Totally random, useless facts
Tips for buying sneakers that fit
And a whole lot more!
Check this really good book out.
5
MIDDLE SCHOOL critics
Hoot
By Carl Hiaasen
enough time to write his symphony, but his life
writes it! See this movie, but be ready to see
something you’ve never seen before!
Critic: Gracie Schulz
Moving to Florida wasn't the
greatest move yet. Roy Eberhart
misses his previous home in
Montana and is now stuck in
Coconut Cove, California. Roy's father works for
the government so Roy's adjusted to becoming
the new kid in school. That means new friends,
new teachers, new classes, and don't forget: new
bullies. If it wasn't for Dana Martherson, school
bully, Roy would have never noticed the mysterious running boy. Because of this incident, Roy
soon sets himself in an adventure of a life time.
Through this, Roy comes across a few unharming
dangerous reptiles, a new female friend, a
construction foreman, a transferred police, and
finally the mysterious running boy . Oh, and most
importantly: the owls now one gives a "hoot"
about.
Al Capone Does My Shirts
by
Gennifer Choldenko
Critic: Kynan
Welsh
Imagine you come
home from school
and your parents tell you you’re
moving. Not just anywhere, but
Alcatraz: an island prison where only the baddest
of the bad convicts are held. Moose, his sister
who is severely autistic, and his parents move to
Alcatraz. I likes this book because after we read
it, we discussed it. Definitely a good read!
This issue of the
Middle School Critics Newsletter
Was brought to you by:
Mr. Holland’s Opus
Movie Rated: PG
Critic: Sadie McMurrin
If you are a history, romance and
music lover, then this is the
movie for you! With Mr. Gwen
Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) as the
most loved Music teacher at
Kennedy High School, you’ll learn
a little more about music in your heart, soul, and
life. This movie is wonderful because next to
showing you how to really play music, it teaches
you a little more about family and history and
romance! As a teacher and a father, Mr. Holland
is absolutely surprised at finding that his baby boy
is deaf. And, on top of that, he has a little thing
going on with a student in the school play! Of
course you will learn about true music, but not
like you would think! Mr. Holland may not have
Acorns-R-US
Happy Acorn Month!!
Future: Not as good as we Think.
word search
Future
I V F O U N T A I N O F Y O U T H P V E O F S C G C U T E E
W R T S P I H C E G D E L W O N K T E N K E H L L D X M O U
E K N M O N K E Y P R O F E S S O R S T O U R O V R O G T L
A U N D E R G R O U N D B U S E S Y V H M T N U S E B N I R
H O V E R I N G C O W S U H R E R S S A N I S D R K R I M T
F L Y I N G P I G S N R R A N I H R N R N U A C A O E M E O
U S E D O L P X E D L R O W L I E M E G G W T A C O N R M A
O M T K N M M O A A S N I B R V A E R C E O G S G C N A A E
Y C O D O N U T S P R A Y T O G O I U C L R D T N T I W C N
E S O L A R P O W E R C S H N T E T T S I M S L I N S L H E
E C N I N V I S I B L E P E O P L E U R U D A E Y A N A I O
S N O I T A C A V Y R A T E N A L P F R D E O S L T H B N T
O M O O N C O N D O S S J E T P A C K S U A I O F S O O E A
E S P Y L A C O P A V I R T U A L S T U F F P O O N E L D P
T T S E C I V E D N O I T A T R O P E L E T F V O I O G L R
M R T K L T N E P L G Y F P C U L O S N P N S A S T G R U E
MOONCONDOS
UNDERGROUNDBUSES
FOUNTAINOFYOUTH
INSTANTCOOKER
MONKEYPROFESSORS
FUTURE
TIMEMACHINE
DONUTSPRAY
FLYINGCARS
TELEPORTATIONDEVICES
INNERBOX
FLYINGPIGS
INVISIBLEPEOPLE
CLOUDCASTLES
CLONING
WORLDEXPLODES
KNOWLEDGECHIPS
HOVERINGCOWS
JETPACKS
SOLARPOWER
HOVERSHOES
TVSHIRTS
VIRTUALSTUFF
ROBOT
HUMANMAGNETS
GLOBALWARMING
PLANETARYVACATIONS
APOCALYPSE
s
MIDDLE SCHOOL critic
Aaron Choi On the surface, Aaron is a quiet
8th grader. Really, she’s a green
martian with 3 eyes sent to earth to save the
world from Demons! Shhh! She’s undercover.
Don’t tell anyone.
Crystal Art
She likes adventure books, and fantasy and realistic fiction. She loves
books and she hates homework; and
she likes movies and comic books.
Samm Kim
Samm Kimm is a 7th grader thought to be
crazy. To his friends, he is a steadfast and
true friend. He is ready to stand up for his
friends and help save the world!! Though most
people don’t realize it. Samm is very observant and training to be a spy. His friends
know to watch what they say because he remembers everything. A great Artist and a
member of the best club, Critics, he reaches
out for the better of the school, community, and even the
world. A secret Nobel Peace Prize winner, Samm is not as
crazy as one thinks he is.
-L-
Mysterious detective able to solve the
case. His true identity is unknown,
but he goes under the name Hideki
Ryuga at TO-HO University. Currently
working on the Kira case, he has two other
identities. Penevue and Eraide Coil. At age 19, -L- is a
genius, and the only person able to contact him is another
mysterious man named Watari. Hopefully -L- will stop
Kira soon so he can do more reviews.
Gracie Schulz
Gracie Schultz is a well known Seventh
Grader who is a student at Briarcliff Middle
School.* She owns vicious, fish-eating
snails and an adorable dog, named Shannon. She also has two older brothers, Tim
and Charles. Gracie enjoys reading thick books and
writing. One author she is very fond of is Tamora Pierce.
She is not only sophisticated, but athletic, too. She is a
spectacular soccer player and the best friend you ever
wanted! Gracie Schultz currently has one belly button.
*Gracie is also an undercover spy ninja. She kicks butt everyday and frees the
world of evil!!
7
Sadie McMurrin
She lives in Briarcliff Manor, New York in
the middle of America. She was born at
8:30 pm in Vermont in Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. When she was eight years
old, she moved to New York with her
mom, dad, and younger adopted sister, Grace. She is
now 12 years old, and goes to Briarcliff Manor Middle
School and is in the 6th grade. Her sister scares her
sometimes.
Shannon Louie is an
Shannon Louie
average eighth
grader, with average
looks, an average smile and average friends. She isn’t too crazy or too annoying or too angry. She
seems just like every other girl in the Briarcliff slew.
But Shannon Louie is an amazing saxophonist, made
the JV softball team, plays a mean game of soccer,
gets distracted easily and is the biggest Mets fan
ever. With an average little brother and superheroes
for a Mom and Dad, Shannon knows quite a bit. She
will get her powers when she is fifteen and not before. Her soon to be sidekick Happy is now disguised
as her bird and she hates it when people get too close
and signals Happy to bite people. She is still cool
with nice people and has the best seventh grade
friends ever, who she met in spy training class, Samm
and Gracie.
Rachel Isaac
Rachel Isaac is 14 years old and lives
in Briarcliff Manor. She lives with her
mother, father, brother, and dog,
Archie. Her favorite author of all time
is Roald Dahl. She plays the saxophone and loves running street races.
Kynan Welsh
Age: 13, 7th grader
Favorite Genres: Adventure,
Realistic Fiction, and Fantasy
Disliked Genres: Mystery, and
Non-Fiction
Favorite Book Topics: Animals, and Fictional
Creatures
Disliked Book Topics: Sports
Some Favorite Books:
Artemis Fowl series Chicken Boy
Spy Cat
Kite Fighters