Heart of the House
Games
App Watch
Destroy the evil at the heart of a haunted manor! As an orphan, you discovered your ability to...
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I Escape: The Great War's Most Remarkable POW
Book
Of all the daring PoW escape stories that have come to light in the last 100 years and immortalized...
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated IA: The Origin Novels (Books 1-3) in Books
Nov 15, 2019
The origin story involves Naz, a teenage boy who lives with his sister and aunt in the Exclave, a ghetto suburb of a large city. Naz is unusual in two ways - he can't remember anything before two years ago and he sometimes hears voices in his head. He doesn't like to draw attention though so keeps his head down and looks after his sister.
After an incident on the way to school, things start to change. He grows as a person and also begins to discover his past, and his potential for the future. Just perhaps one person can make a difference. As he continues on his journey it becomes clear that he may not be entirely on his own.
The stories are set in a near future, with the Exclave being a rather grim backdrop for a tale that concentrates on character. There are light touches of what could be termed science fiction throughout, both with Naz's backstory and in the world around him. The hero shows very real weaknesses and flaws as well as strengths as he battles through bullying, fitting in to new environments, love and loss.
Winston is an extremely talented author and these stories demonstrate why novels termed 'young adult' are frequently worthy of being read by an older audience. The character development shows a strong arc for all the main players - and even the bit parts are memorable.
If you are looking for a strong series of books that will keep you thinking and entertained long after you have finished the last page, this fits the bill to a tee.
Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History
Book
From Eduardo Galeano, one of Latin America's greatest living writers, author of the Memory of Fire...
Jolly Phonics Letter Sounds
Education and Entertainment
App
Thank you for all the feedback we've received. It's great to hear that the app is helping children...
GT Racing 2: The Real Car Experience
Games and Entertainment
App
GT Racing 2: The Real Car Experience is a true-to-life automotive journey featuring the most...
Lonely Planet New Orleans
Lonely Planet, Amy C. Balfour and Adam Karlin
Book
Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet New Orleans is your passport...
The Story of My Teeth
Christina MacSweeney and Valeria Luiselli
Book
Gustavo 'Highway' Sanchez is a man with a mission: he is planning to replace every last one of his...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The LEGO Movie (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The comforting, self-aware, almost self-deprecating tone that has found its way into the LEGO videogames that have been hitting the markets lately that defines The LEGO Movie. The film takes place in a world made of LEGOs, and the characters all have snap-on/snap-off hair and can merrily disassemble the world around them and build again from the ruins. And while it’s not filmed in stop-motion (which was more disappointing than I thought it would be), the characters have the pleasantly stiff and jerky movement that is the trademark to the style. It’s essentially a film with the rules of a young boy at play, just making it up as things progress.
Even the story felt like it was straight from a children’s book. An average, run-of-the-mill, Joe… well, Emmet (Chris Pratt) falls unsuspectingly into an adventure involving freedom fighters, superheroes, and villains in a very Matrix-esque plot. When he stumbles upon the legendary Piece of Resistance, the only force that can undo the Kragle, a mysterious weapon being used by Lord Business/President Business (Will Ferrell), Emmet begins his journey to fulfill the prophecy and become the best “master builder” in all the world. Along the way he is helped by a plethora of recognizable, and not so recognizable, characters including Batman (Will Arnett), Shaquille O’Neil (Himself), Vitruvious (Morgan Freeman) and Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks).
Most children’s films these days, especially in the CGI genre, tend to be lighting fast paced, basically overloading you with unfunny material hoping to distract your from how lame the movie really is. While The LEGO Movie is frantic, it feels like controlled chaos. It has a point. There is a direction where all this weird wild silliness is headed. And while The LEGO Movie would be fine were it just a frantic and clever child’s comedy, it additionally bothers to reach beyond its bounds and address its own artificiality in a plot twist that was way more clever, daring and meaningful than anything seen in most modern adult thrillers. But I don’t want to spoil that for you.
So here it is again, my “Would I buy it” test. Absolutely. The LEGO Movie is great fun and a joyous celebration of the chaos I recall as childhood.
Lonely Planet the Italian Lakes
Lonely Planet, Anthony Ham and Paula Hardy
Book
Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet The Italian Lakes is your...