the rating system in this issue - briarcliff manor public ...ship of the ring · the hobbit ·...

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.

In this issue

Bluestar’s Prophecy · Theory of Everything · Alanna: The First Adventure · Lies My Teacher Told Me · Born to Rock · The Juvie Three ·

Lord of the Flies · Brain Games · Guardians of the Galaxy · Winter · A Brief History of Time · Wild Magic · Lord of the Rings: The Fellow-

ship of the Ring · The Hobbit · Shadow on the Mountain · Lady Thief · The Killing · Into the Woods · Nobody’s Princess · Holes · Battle-

field Hardline · War Dance · The Rithmatist · City of Ember · The Lion King · The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies · Zendure A2 Portable

Charger · Scarlet · Interstellar · Matilda · Found · 2001: A Space Odyssey · Neon Pegasus · Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy · I Am

Malala · American Graffiti · Fantasia · Chicken Little · The League · Assasin’s Creed Unity · The Red Pyramid

The critics

Skittles

HUD5-TP

Morty Jr.

Grammarconda

M.C. Giggles

Totally Not Maxwell

WishMaker

Disney Fan

Mak Attack

Suit Up!

Kickstarter

Peanut

Paris

Athena the Wise M.

Stewie Griffon

The rating system Excellent = Too good to be true

Awful= Defenestration necessary

Good = Good enough to be true

OK = Socks with sandals

Bad = Regrettable

www.briarcliffmanorlibrary .org, Vol. 10, Issue 2, Apr. 2015

Meet the Critics on 0

Bluestar’s Prophecy

By Erin Hunter

Critic: Skittles

Rating: Too good to be true

Bluestar, strong, brave and

nobel leader of Thunderclan

has been an amazing

character since the beginning.

But what was her beginning

like? Bluestar’s past was filled

with many perils, hard

decisions, and mistakes.

SPOILER ALERT! Bluestar’s

sister Snowfur mates with

Thistleclaw, an evil cat, and they have a kit named

Whitekit (later Whitestorm). Snowfur is hit by a

car and killed and Bluestar must raise Whitekit by

herself. She then breaks the warrior code and

mates with Oakheart, a Riverclan cat, but she gives

her three kits to him to become deputy of

Thunderclan instead of Thistleclaw. This is my

favorite super editions, and I

highly recommend it for all

fellow Warriors!

Theory of Everything

Rated: PG-13

Critic: WishMaker


As most of you have heard,

this movie has won multiple

Oscars. It deserves every one of them. The story

about Steven Hawking’s very confusing marriage

is fascinating and watching his relationship with

his wife and science grow and change, in his life

that can never stay consistant with his

unpredictable ALS is also fascinating. If you like

science and/or unpredictable and unique

romance, this movie is for you.

Alanna: The First Adventure

By Tamora Pierce

Critic: Peanut


Women were not allowed to be knights in Tortall

although Alanna wants to be one really bad.

Her twin, Thom, doesn’t want

to be a knight, although

Tortall commands him to. So

they do the only good illogical

thing, they pretend to be each

other! Lucky for them, they

have a very scrambled up dad,

so it is realistic. Congrats.

Alanna (Alan) soon finds out

that being a student knight is

harder than it looks. (Although it looked really

hard; that should tell you it is really hard.) Soon

everyone finds out, and as you will soon find out,

keeping a secret is difficult.

Lies My Teacher Told

Me

By James W. Loewen

Critic: Totally Not Maxwell


This non-fiction book was so

great that I got the sequel. It

gives a thorough history of

our country that is relatively unbiased. It also

talks about why some textbooks distort the past

to make the U.S. appear spotless. It is very

interesting. I am running out of decently clever

things to say as this is my fourth review in ten

minutes. Totally Not Maxwell out.

The Juvie Three

By Gordan Korman


Rating: Good enough to be true

This book is about three

juvenile delinquents who are

chosen to participate in an

experimental rehabilitation

program. They live with a counselor, go to school,

and participate in large amounts of community

service. However, it all strats to unravel starting

with a major plot event that would be a spoiler.

Will they be sent back to prison? Read the book

to find out.

2

Born to Rock

By Gordan Korman



This realistic fiction book was

decent. A high school senior

about to graduate gets caught

cheating through he really didn’t

cheat on a test, and that ethics

violation cost him his Harvard scholarship. He, re-

markably, within a few days of this, finds out his bi-

ological father (he also finds out that his dad isn’t

his biological father) is King Maggot, punk rocker

from the 80s. Prince Maggot then becomes a

roadie for his father’s comeback tour, trying to get

money for college from him. Overall, highly

unrealistic but decently funny and entertaining. I

would recommend this book to anyone who likes

Gordon Korman’s other books.

Lord of the Flies

By William Golding

Critic: Stewie Griffin


Do you enjoy reading dark,

dystopian, or castaway

novels? Then you will love

Lord the Flies! This book

tells the story of a group of

school children stranded on a deserted island after

their plan crashes. As the boys struggle to survive

they verbally, and eventually physically, battle over

means of rescue, food, and even a position as

“chief.” If you read this book, you will find out that

everybody has a savage side to them.

Guardians of the

Galaxy

Rated: PG-13

Critic: Marty Jr.


Five intergalactic criminal/

delinquent refugees join

together to concor evil! That’s

pretty much it, but they have a

lot of funny and cool adventures through the

universe.

I am running out of time with this review so I AM

GROOT! P.S. You would like it if you are a

superhero fan or just like comedy/entertainment.

Brain Games

TV Show on National Geographic Channel

Critic: M.C. Giggles


Deceptions, and tricks

and...brain games. For

example: You are in a race. You just passed the

person in second place, what place are you in?

Like most people you probably said first. But, like

most people you are wrong. You just passed the

person in second so you are in second now. This

is a great show to train your mind and have fun at

the same time. For more questions like this watch

the show Brain Games.

Winter

season

Critic: Kickstarter

Rating: Socks with sandals

It’s ok overall. You can ski and snowboard,

sledding is fun for like the first hour. The snow is

also cool to watch and snow days are great. Only

“ok” because your parents make you shovel,

winter is cold, mobility is limited, traffic is

extremely common, and for some like me, grades

are worse than average. More time to eat pizza

and Netflix though so ya.

3

A Brief History of

Time

By Stephen Hawking



This book is a great introduc-

tion to physics. It talk about a

lot of physics that we haven’t

yet covered in school, and it is

all presented in a simple, but compelling way that

will entertain anyone remotely interested in

science. Thus, I would highly recommend this

book to anyone remotely interested in science.

Wild Magic

By Tamora Pierce

Critic: Peanut


Daine has a “talent” with

magic, that everybody believes

is magical. This power is noth-

ing anybody has ever seen as

a “gift.” Except Numair. He is

an expert in what he calls wild

magic and teaches her the things she can do and

her limits. Not only is she special, but she has a

certain Badger God looking over her teaching her.

Is she a god? Or a phenomenon? Just read Song

of a Lioness first, or you won’t understand a thing.

Just saying...

Lord of the Ring: Fellowship of the

Ring

By J.R.R. Tolkien

Critic: Skittles


Exciting, suspenseful, and

just plain amazing. The Lord

of the Rings follows the story

of a hobbit named Frodo

and his quest to destroy the

Ring of Power. With the help

of his trusty fellowship– made up of his gardner

Samwise Gamgee, his two loyal friends, Pippin

and Merry, a ranger named Aragorn (who just so

happens to be the King of Gondor) a man named

Boromir, an elf called Legolas (who has THE

greatest hair ever), and finally a fat dwarf named

Gimli. Frodo must travel to Mount Doomand and

cast the ring into the fire in which it was made.

But there are evils along the way. Orcs hunt their

every step. The evil eye of Suaron watches them,

craving the ring. Will they survive?

The Hobbit

By J.R.R. Tolkien

Critic: WishMaker


If you know anything about

fantasy in pop culture, you

have almost without a doubt

heard of this book. This

book is a classic, and right-

fully so. This is a masterpiece. The story is great,

and all of the secrecy, action and magic fit

together perfectly. It’s actually quite different

than the movies, and while I personally preferred

the book, I could see arguments for either being

justified. Overall, it was a fantastic read and lays

the foundation for a great series, and is arguably

just as good as the Lord of the Rings series

to follow. 4

Into the Woods

Movie Rated

Critic: Athena the Wise. M


A baker and his wife, a girl

with a blood-red cape, a poor

servant girl with a golden

shoe and a boy who sold a

white cow for magic beans…

oh yeah. And a witch with blue hair. Into the

Woods is a huge extravaganza based on a musical.

All of the songs will have you laughing, crying or

singing along. If you are a Disney fan, watch it. If

you’re not, watch it. I leave you with this: A cow

as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as

yellow as corn and a slipper as pure as gold—all

due by the night of the blue moon.

Nobody’s Princess

By Esther Friesner

Critic: MC Giggles


Nobody’s Princess is about the

classic story of Helen of Troy.

But with a twist. This book is

about her childhood. It takes

you through her loyal broth-

ers, her prissy sister and her journey through her

life. She grows a passion to sword fighting like

her older brothers. Read the book to find out her

journey of love, fighting, and other troubles in

Nobody’s Princess.

Holes

By Louis Sachar

Critic: Grammarconda


Holes is an awesome book.

Stanley Yelnats is caught

doing something he did not

do. He is sent to a camp to

dig 5 feet deep and 5 feet wide holes. It is

torture! Stanley is now teaching a kid named Zero

how to read. Stanley has come across the camp’s

biggest secret. Will he ever get home? Will Zero

ever read? Read the book to find out!

Shadow on the Mountain

By Margi Preus

Critic: Kickstarter


A book with an original and

interesting basis but hardly

fulfilled. Germany has

busted the King of Norway

and reformed the

Norwegian way of life at the

beginning of World War

Two. You’re Espen who

teams up with his soccer

friends to push toe German

war machine out of Norway.

An overall good plot on a fun journey. Characters

are varied and satisfying. The book seemed to fly

by too quickly though. The ending was also quite

disappointing so don’t expect anything much.

Lady Thief

By A.C. Gaughen

Critic: Paris


The second in the Scarlet

series (I already reviewed the

first), this is more classic than

the first. The climax and plot

is centered around the archer

contest between Robin Hood

and the Sheriff of Nottingham. But, of course,

there are twists. So now that Scar and Rob are in

love, everything has become more romantic and

more things are stake. The biggest obstacle in

this book is that Gisbourne has returned to take

Marian as his wife. (!Spoiler Alert for the first

book!!!!) And unfortunately, Scarlet and Marian

are the same people. This novel has ups and

downs of emotions, ecstatic moments and tragic

deaths. You will not be able to put this book

down. I know I didn’t.

5

City of Ember

By Jeanne DuPrau

Critic: Hud5-TP


This book is one of those

strong female character ones,

with a strong male character

mixed with a dystopian future.

Imagine you have lived in a city underground your

entire life (like Rapture for those who get that

reference). But now the whole place is going

crazy Anarchy style. Read this book to learn more.

The Lion King

Movie Rated PG

Critic: Disney Fan


What more needs to be said.

The changes of someone hat-

ing The Lion King are as likely

as a plant marrying a lamp.

The flim is about a young lion

named Simba who is the son

of King Mufasa. At a young age he can’t wait to

be King. But a tragedy unfolds and Simba runs

away and adopts a carefree lifestyle Hukuna

Matata. But his evil uncle Scar has taken over the

kingdom. So Simba must go back to stop Scar.

This movie is impossible to hate. It is full of great

music and characters. If you haven’t for some

reason seen it yet what are you waiting for? Go

see it.

The Hobbit: Battle of

Five Armies

Movie Rated

Critic: Grammarconda


The conclusion to the Hobbit

trilogy was definitely not as

good as it could be. For instance, there were way

too many cgi characters. Though they were very

entertaining in their battle sequences. Also

Thorin’s transition into dragon sickness in the

book is long and painful, yet in the movie

the transition was just like...that. Over the

movie is not Peter Jackson’s best.

Battlefield Hardline

Video Game

Critic: Stewie Griffin


A Battlefield Hardline is the

fifth installment in the Battle-

field series. In this game, you

are a police officer who is stuck in a whirlwind of

crime. The campaign is insane, and the

multiplayer is buggy. Now, I kjnow what you are

all thinking: Is it better than Call of Duty? If you

enjoy driving vehicles, large maps, random

scenerios, realism, and trolling like a boss, then

Battlefield is way better than C.O.D.! Get it today.

Scrub!

War Dance

Documentary Film

Critic: Hud5-TP

Rating: Defenestration necessary

This is a “oh we want you to

cry while informing you” kind

of documentary. Actually

that’s all documentaries in a

nutshell. But I digress, this documentary is about

kids who are survign a terrorist group in Africa.

It’s a weird and boring movie as it goes. I have

nothing more to say.

The Rithmatist

By Brandon Sanderson

Critic: Peanut


Are you an artist and wish

your drawings came to life?

In this destined to be a clas-

sic book there is a God that decides if you are

worthy of becoming a Rithmatist. A Rithmatist is

someone who has the magical power of being

able to make chalk come to life! But wild

chalklings (things that can actually kill you) are

running loose and this book becomes a murder

mystery. Sightings of broken Rithmatist Circles

and little drops of blood appear all over the

campus. Does everyone die? Read this book! 6

Interstellar

Movie Rated

Critic: Morty, Jr.


This is a great movie but it is a

takeoff of 2001: A Space

Odyssey. It is also a space

exploration movie. It is about a

father who lives in future dying earth and

accidentally stumbles onto NASA and becomes an

astronaut. See it to find out what happens next!

Matilda

By Roald Dahl

Critic: WishMaker


This book seems to have

woven its way into main-

stream culture, with a movie

already made and a broadway

play that came right from London, but that’s

rightfully so. This book is fantastic. The

characters are unique (as Roald Dahl’s characters

always are) and well developed. They feel like

people, not words on paper. The story offers a

mature view of childhood, and it works. Matilda is

mature and intelligent beyond her years, and find

good use for her unusual brain power. Read more

to find out!

The Missing Book

One: Found

By Margaret Peterson Haddix

Critic: Athena the Wise M.


Found was an excellent book

with mystery and

unpredictable plot. In this first

book of a remarkable series,

Jonah, a 13 year old boy, always knew he was

adopted, but he doesn’t know from where.

Suddenly he and many others get a letter saying:

They are coming back to get you! To find out

what happens to Jonah read this book.

Zendure A2 Portable

Charger

Portable charger

Critic: Kickstarter


A portable power bank for any USB charger.

Works with just about every phone, tablet, etc.

6000 mAh if you know that that even means. It

should charge your phone from 0-100% about 1.5

-2 times. (2-2.5 if you have an iphone 6 or 6+)

charge the power bank then charge your device

(will take about 3 hours to charge the power

bank)> Comes with a very inefficient charging

cord (Works with everything but iphone) so use

the charger that comes with your device. Very

durable and very fast. Very thick so it will fit in

everything but your pocket. Rating 8/10.

Scarlet

By A.C. Gaughen

Critic: Paris


The first of the series, Scarlet

is an amazing twist on the

classic Robin Hood tales.

Will Scarlet is often known

as Robin’s best friend. In

this story, Scarlet is basically

Robin’s best friend, except he is a she. No one

else knows that Scarlet is a girl except Robin. The

plot is centered around the famous rivalry

between Robin Hood’s Band of Merry Men and

the Sheriff of Nottingham. These adventures lead

up to a MAJOR plot twist. If you know anything

about Robin Hood, like romance, and are ok with

violence, this is a wonderful fresh new book for

you.

7

I am Malala (Young Read-

ers Edition)

By Malala Yousafzai

Critic: Peanut


Have you heard of how

terrible women are treated in

the Middle East? If you’re

interested about how one girl

stood up for her rights because she loved to learn,

read this book. With the help of her father, a

person who would stand with his daughter any

time, Malala successfully informs people about

how women should get equal rights as boys.

Everything goes smoothly, until Malala is shot in

the head. Does she live? Read this book.

American Graffiti

Movie Rated

Critic: Hud5-TP


This movie is by the famous

George Lucas (creator or Star

Wars). This movie is a very

different change from the sci-

fi theme we know. This movie is about four teens

in the 60s. Two of them are about to go to

college and they each go their separate ways in

the story. One goes to a dance. Another cruising.

This would have been better if this movie wasn’t

so long.

Fantasia

Movie Rated G

Critic: Disney Fan


If you have not seen this

movie you must. It’s like a

concert with animated visuals.

Adapting classic music like The

Rite of Spring, The Dance of

Hours plus Mickey Mouse as The Sorcerer’s

Apprentice. One thing I really like is how the stars

are only the composers and animaters. Fantasia is

a classic to behold forever.

Neon Pegasus

Song

Critic: Skittles


Colorful, catchy, and slightly strange, famous

youtube song-writer Parry Gripp has made his lat-

est hit. You may know his more famous songs,

“Do You Like Waffles,” “Jumpin on a Trampoline,”

“Space Unicorn,” or “Raining Tacos,” but “Neon

Pegasus” is just as great, and in my opinion

whould be up there on the famous list. This song

is about a neon-coloered Pegasus flying through

space and finding her freedom. Parry Gripp has

don it again! I highly recommend looking this up

in your Youtube search bar.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to

the Galaxy

By Douglas Adams

Critic: Disney Fan


This book is about a man

named Arthur Dent who is

taken off planet Earth by this alien friend, Ford

Prefect, before the planet is destroyed to make

way for a galactic freeway. These two begin a

journey through space along with the three-

headed president of the Galaxy, Zaphod

Beeblebrox, his girlfriend, Trillian and the

depressed robot Marvin. This is a very funny

book. If you want to know what the meaning of

life is read this book (the answer is in chapter 27

on page 181). Don’t panic, just read the book.

8

Chicken Little

Movie Rated G

Critic: Disney Fan


Have you ever wondered

what it was like if a well-

known fairy tale was altered

into an alien invasion movie?

If you are that is strange and

unnatural but then this is your movie. After his

infamous Sky Falling Incident, Chicken Little is

trying to find a way to redeem himself and earn

the respect of his father and the town. He later

discovers that aliens are coming to presumably

take over the planet and it’s up to him to stop

them. This is not your average Disney film. It’s

lower than your average Disney film. While the

humore is great and some of the characters are

good, it has a very mean tone on how the town

treats the main character. It’s not bad, but it’s no

Disney masterpiece. 6/10.

2001: A Space Odyssey

Movie Rated

Critic: Morty Jr.


This isa movei not unlike Inter-

stellar (which was in theaters

recently!). It is a space explo-

ration movie that explores the

wonders of space. It shows humanity at all of the

important changing points through times and it is

just a cool movie. Who hasn’t seen the scene

when the pre-human human throws the bone into

the air and it changes into a spaceship? So go see

it, and enjoy!

The League

Thatcher Heldring

Critic: Mak Attack


This is a great book where

middle schooler Wyatt Parker

has to decide whether or not

to lie to his friends and family

to do what he loves; play

football. What will Wyatt choose? Read this cliff-

hanger book to find out.

Assassin’s Creed

Unity

Video game

Critic: Suit Up!


Unity is the newest and the best AC game yet. It

takes place during the French Revolution. It is an

extremely violent and fun game. During the game

you are trying to hunt down the man who killed

your girlfriend’s father.

The Red Pyramid

By Rick Riordin

Critic: Suit Up!


If you like Percy Jackson you

will like Kane Chronicles. The

Kane Chronices is an Egyptian

version of it. It’s full of Egyptian gods.

The Killing

By Robert Muchamore

Critic: Mak Attack


The Killing by Robert

Muchamore has you on the

end of your seats. Janes gets

recruited on a mission to try to find out who killed

this mysterious person named will. It’s scary, it’s

super, it is The Killing by Robert Muchamore. 9

HUD5-TP

Hello. I am HUD5-TP but

my friends call me Hudstrap

(If I had any). Wow it’s dub-

stop time wub-wub-wub,

drop unch wub-wub-wub-

wub-unch-unch-unch

Grammarconda

Eat. Sleep. Read.

Skittles

Books, Minecraft,

animals, Pokemon,

FNAF, and Caramel.

That’s really it...

Stewie Griffon

I love

sophisticated

toddlers too!

Disney Fan

I am in love with Disney

movies. My favorite is The

Hunchback of Notre Dame.

You can expect reviews of

many Disney movies from me

this year.

WishMaker

Some spin-off of

the cliché genie

wish stereotype, but 4 wishes

because it’s my favorite number.

No extra comment needed.

Totally Not Maxwell

See! I wasn’t Erica! But

am I Maxwell? Or am I

really Amy?

Sparkles, glitter, more

sparkles, sequins and

most of all giggles

#LOL

M.C. Giggles

Paris

Bonjour! I am

in ze 8th grade.

I like ze Disney.

I don’t take

French.

Suit Up!

Seven Half-Bloods shall

answer the call. To storm

or fire the world must fall.

An oath kept at the final

breath as foes bear arms at

the doors of death.

P.S. Suit Up!!!

Kickstarter

Trap, house, big bass kicks

and 808s are too much for

my $30 Apple earbuds.

Guess who.

Meet the Critics

Morty Jr.

Baseball is love,

baseball is life. I have hand(s).

Turquoise. Roman soldiers. For

the Win. #TeamFurious

Mak Attack

I love reading.

Enough said.

Athena the Wise. M

I ♥ Books. And

knitting and I’m

smart.

Peanut + Books = Life.

That’s all there is to

say.

Peanut

10

the rating system in this issue - briarcliff manor public ...ship of the ring · the hobbit ·...

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