Mr Men: Mishaps & Mayhem
Entertainment and Games
10.0
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Are you the best mischief-maker? Take the challenge now with this collection of 15 HILARIOUS,...
A Spoonful of Sugar
Book
'They say you can never truly love a child that is not your own, but that goes against every...
Queen of Swords (Wilderness #5)
Book
It is the late summer of 1814, and Hannah Bonner and her half brother Luke have spent more than a...
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Stargirl (Stargirl, #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Stargirl</i> is a popular young adult novel by Jerry Spinelli, originally published in 2000. But what is it that has kept it a favourite sixteen years later? The story is told by Leo Borlock, a student in the 11th grade at Mica Area High School. This year there is a new girl who calls herself Stargirl and, like her name, is completely different from everyone else. She has an outlandish dress sense, plays the ukele at lunchtimes, knows and celebrates everyone’s birthdays. The only word the school can think of to describe her is “HUH?”
Despite the weirdness surrounding her, Stargirl quickly becomes popular. People are entertained by her, want to be with her, want to be her. Leo is equally fascinated by her and is shocked when she begins to pay him attention. However, after a while the novelty of Stargirl wears off. Students begin to despise her and shun her. Stargirl does not care, but Leo does. He tries to change Stargirl, tries to make her act normal like everyone else.
<i>Stargirl</i>, like the titular character, is a breath of fresh air. It is quick and easy to read with the benefit of added humour. It also contains a powerful message. Although Stargirl is not affected by the behaviour of her fellow students, it is shocking the extent that the entire student body goes to in shunning her. This is a form of bullying, something that a child in the real world faces everyday. And that child will be bothered by it, will be hurt, and will be upset. It will probably affect their future.
Leo’s behaviour is something that everyone will be able to recognize in themself. Conforming to the norm. Leo wanted Stargirl to change, to go by her real name, Susan. To stop wearing eccentric clothing. To stop drawing attention to herself. Ultimately, what Leo was asking was for Stargirl to stop being herself. And that is really sad. I have lost count of the times people have said to me “Just be yourself,” but do they mean that? Perhaps they are really saying, “behave like everyone else, and you’ll fit in”?
Spinelli’s most important message in <i>Stargirl</i> is that we should not be afraid to be ourselves. It is unlikely that anyone is as bizarre as Stargirl, yet if everyone stopped being so scared to reveal their true feelings, likes and dislikes etc, perhaps schools would become less intimidating places?
<i>Stargirl</i> is suitable for teenage and adult readers who want something quick to devour. It will entertain, and, although it has a rather ambiguous ending, nothing disastrous happens in the book. It will hopefully leave you feeling as care free as its main character.
Kaz (232 KP) rated Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) in Movies
May 24, 2019
Wilder has some fantastic one liners and the children are brilliant, playing the obnoxious winners of the Golden Tickets. Charlie Bucket is very likeable and you feel for him, as he and family struggle to survive.
The only part of the film which I don't particularly care for, is the 'Wonkatania' boat scene, I found this particularly disturbing as a child.
The songs in this are very memorable. Considering the fact that I have probably watched this film 100's of times, I could sing all of them at the drop of a hat! This film has been a part of my life for so long, that most of my family could recite most of the film too!
This is one of my all time favourite films and a guilty pleasure. I have watched the Tim Burton adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel this film is based on and, although it had some nice additions from the original text, which did not feature in this version of the story, I much prefer this version.
If you want to watch a film full of magic and wonder, I suggest watching this film.
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7.6
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Children's Rights Law in the Global Human Rights Landscape: Isolation, Inspiration, Integration?
Eva Brems, Wouter Vandenhole and Ellen Desmet
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Looking back from Ireland, Miss Madge Perfect remembers the time when social work was her life -...