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Hazel (1853 KP) rated The One Safe Place in Books
Dec 7, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Review of an uncorrected bound manuscript.
<i>The One Safe Place</i> is a gripping tale by Tania Unsworth aimed at older children, although completely enjoyable by teens and adults too. Written in the third person and set in the not so distant future, we follow Devin’s story.
In the future the climate has changed, the temperature has risen and rain is very rare. The opening scene reveals Devin, a young boy, on a farm, digging a grave to bury his grandfather who has recently died (presumably of old age and not something sinister). Devin, now alone, decides to head to the city, a place he has never visited, in order to find some help for the farm. The problem is he has never once left the farm and knows nothing of the real world. Here he meets Kit, a young girl on her own living on the roof of a building, and decides to tag along with her. But then they meet Roman who promises them a safe home. Although skeptical, they decide to trust him and thus they arrive at the <i>Gabriel H. Penn Home For Childhood</i>. The place is amazing and has everything a child could want: toys, games, clothes, individual bedrooms, a swimming pool, and most importantly, food and drink. So why are all the other children walking around in limbo, uninterested in everything around them?
Devin, with the help of his friends, and his synesthesia, soon discovers and pieces together what is wrong about the home. The pace picks up as they plan their escape leading to the exciting ending.
<i>The One Safe Place</i> is a book young readers will love. Well what child would not love a book where the children outsmart the adults?
Review of an uncorrected bound manuscript.
<i>The One Safe Place</i> is a gripping tale by Tania Unsworth aimed at older children, although completely enjoyable by teens and adults too. Written in the third person and set in the not so distant future, we follow Devin’s story.
In the future the climate has changed, the temperature has risen and rain is very rare. The opening scene reveals Devin, a young boy, on a farm, digging a grave to bury his grandfather who has recently died (presumably of old age and not something sinister). Devin, now alone, decides to head to the city, a place he has never visited, in order to find some help for the farm. The problem is he has never once left the farm and knows nothing of the real world. Here he meets Kit, a young girl on her own living on the roof of a building, and decides to tag along with her. But then they meet Roman who promises them a safe home. Although skeptical, they decide to trust him and thus they arrive at the <i>Gabriel H. Penn Home For Childhood</i>. The place is amazing and has everything a child could want: toys, games, clothes, individual bedrooms, a swimming pool, and most importantly, food and drink. So why are all the other children walking around in limbo, uninterested in everything around them?
Devin, with the help of his friends, and his synesthesia, soon discovers and pieces together what is wrong about the home. The pace picks up as they plan their escape leading to the exciting ending.
<i>The One Safe Place</i> is a book young readers will love. Well what child would not love a book where the children outsmart the adults?
Erika (17788 KP) rated Star Wars: Queen's Shadow in Books
Apr 9, 2019
What a disappointment. I'm so bummed out that the first novel in the new canon about Padme was so boring.
Firstly, they should have given Padme to Claudia Gray, who has proven she gets the Star Wars Universe; her characterization of Leia has been amazing. Secondly, this would have worked as a political novel, had it been written for adults, rather than for the Young Adult crowd. I didn't have a problem with Johnston's Ahsoka novel, because it was Ahsoka. This is Padme for Christ's sake. I'm just so fricken disappointed because I've been waiting for more about Padme for 20 flipping years. I'm so glad I borrowed this from the library.
Firstly, they should have given Padme to Claudia Gray, who has proven she gets the Star Wars Universe; her characterization of Leia has been amazing. Secondly, this would have worked as a political novel, had it been written for adults, rather than for the Young Adult crowd. I didn't have a problem with Johnston's Ahsoka novel, because it was Ahsoka. This is Padme for Christ's sake. I'm just so fricken disappointed because I've been waiting for more about Padme for 20 flipping years. I'm so glad I borrowed this from the library.
Smrfgrll (3 KP) rated Magic: The Gathering in Tabletop Games
Dec 10, 2018
This is a bit of a difficult game to learn because the possibilities are endless. It's a deck building game that has been around for years so there's literally thousands of cards at your disposal depending on the game format you want to play. It can be as simple as picking up a starter deck that is premade and playing against someone else who has a deck in the same format. The game is very good at motivating younger children to read as well as helping with basic math skills. My nephews have been playing along with adults since they were very young around 8 or so and still love playing to this day and they are 13+.
Charlotte (184 KP) rated Victory Lap in Books
Mar 20, 2021
Trying to put feelings into words is always difficult but with Victory Lap it's harder.
I love Kiki, her resilience, how she knows who she is, the beautiful soul that shines from within......I also ache for her.....becoming your true self isn't easy, especially with bullies always there. The support that a "normal" girl would get from their parents is lacking on her father's side, I hate him, his outdated ideas and his constant verbal abuse.
Josh is like a lot of people....blind to the signals of interest. I feel for him as it does cause a few issues.
He also has his own identity to look into and work out what he wants from life. So on the whole I like him but he'd definitely be the mate I sigh about the most.
It hurts knowing that this brilliant piece of fiction mirrors so many people's lives. Worse that it's the young that have to behave like adults and deal with things that adults themselves seem unable to wrap their heads around.
Regardless of who you are, where your niche is READ THIS!!
I love Kiki, her resilience, how she knows who she is, the beautiful soul that shines from within......I also ache for her.....becoming your true self isn't easy, especially with bullies always there. The support that a "normal" girl would get from their parents is lacking on her father's side, I hate him, his outdated ideas and his constant verbal abuse.
Josh is like a lot of people....blind to the signals of interest. I feel for him as it does cause a few issues.
He also has his own identity to look into and work out what he wants from life. So on the whole I like him but he'd definitely be the mate I sigh about the most.
It hurts knowing that this brilliant piece of fiction mirrors so many people's lives. Worse that it's the young that have to behave like adults and deal with things that adults themselves seem unable to wrap their heads around.
Regardless of who you are, where your niche is READ THIS!!
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Losing Normal in Books
Mar 15, 2019
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
Losing Normal by Francis Moss is relatively short, less than 300 pages, but do not let the length fool you into thinking it does not have a lot to say. There is a lot of action in this short book.
Alex, a highly-functioning autistic boy, likes things to stay the same. He knows how many steps it is from school to home and, to him, that is normal. He knows all the answers in math. That is normal. The strange giant television screens that are being put up all over are making him forget and that is not normal. Only the "defective" kids, those that are immune to the televisions, like Alex can save the world from becoming television watching zombies. What ensues is an interesting novel that shows how quickly technology could take over.
Losing Normal is not a post-apocalyptic novel. It shows the collapse of society by our rapidly advancing technology getting out of hand and beginning to think for itself.
This novel would be appropriate for those as young as middle school to read but it is an interesting story adults would enjoy too. I found it to be a quick, easy, enjoyable, and thought provoking read.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 3/14/19.
Losing Normal by Francis Moss is relatively short, less than 300 pages, but do not let the length fool you into thinking it does not have a lot to say. There is a lot of action in this short book.
Alex, a highly-functioning autistic boy, likes things to stay the same. He knows how many steps it is from school to home and, to him, that is normal. He knows all the answers in math. That is normal. The strange giant television screens that are being put up all over are making him forget and that is not normal. Only the "defective" kids, those that are immune to the televisions, like Alex can save the world from becoming television watching zombies. What ensues is an interesting novel that shows how quickly technology could take over.
Losing Normal is not a post-apocalyptic novel. It shows the collapse of society by our rapidly advancing technology getting out of hand and beginning to think for itself.
This novel would be appropriate for those as young as middle school to read but it is an interesting story adults would enjoy too. I found it to be a quick, easy, enjoyable, and thought provoking read.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 3/14/19.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Lego Batman Movie (2017) in Movies
Dec 30, 2017
So much fun
This may look like a kids film, but it’s just as appealing to adults, especially those of us that are young at heart!
The animation is fantastic, and the jokes are nonstop throughout the entire film, even with Batman narrating the opening credits. The few songs included are funny and so catchy and clever. There’s a lot of references here back to other Batman media (including the shark repellent from the Adam West days) as well as a lot of characters from outside of the DC universe. Not many other films could get away with fitting in gremlins, Sauron and Voldemort! What had me in stitches the most was the characters voicing the gun shot noises - genius!
The animation is fantastic, and the jokes are nonstop throughout the entire film, even with Batman narrating the opening credits. The few songs included are funny and so catchy and clever. There’s a lot of references here back to other Batman media (including the shark repellent from the Adam West days) as well as a lot of characters from outside of the DC universe. Not many other films could get away with fitting in gremlins, Sauron and Voldemort! What had me in stitches the most was the characters voicing the gun shot noises - genius!
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated The Moon Coin in Books
Jan 12, 2018
[The Moon Coin] by [Richard Due] was an adventure into childhood for adults like me, and a great trip through imagination for young people. I know as I was growing up I wished that the lands I heard about in stories were real and that I could travel there. What [Mr. Due] has created is worlds of imagination, to which he has allowed his characters travel. Unfortunately, what they find is not exactly what the stories portrayed.
I encourage everyone who has an imagination, and those in desperate need of one, to take the journey to the Moon Realm with Lily and Jasper. Of course, at this point we know more than Jasper so I guess I must read on!
I encourage everyone who has an imagination, and those in desperate need of one, to take the journey to the Moon Realm with Lily and Jasper. Of course, at this point we know more than Jasper so I guess I must read on!
How do a group of students survive after being trapped in their high school after a huge blizzard that never seems to let up? The story line and characters of the book seemed to react appropriately to the situation at hand with different cliques and personalities. I only had a few issues with how they would react like having your teacher go out in the snow storm and he never returns but nobody seems to be very concerned that he's probably dead? I think the girl's especially would be freaking out about this. Other than that and what seemed to be a slightly rushed ending this is a great book for young adults giving them a mix of suspense and survival.
Michael Packner (32 KP) rated The 'Burbs (1989) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Rather tense at times for a horror comedy. (4 more)
The three main characters.
Corey Feldman gives one of his better performances.
The villains are surprisingly creepy.
The ending.
Pretty crazy 80s comedy/horror about neighbor paranoia with a young Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, and Corey Feldman. That sounds like a recipe for success to me. This typical film usually involves kids or teens investigating due to paranoia, but here we have adults which adds a level of comedy to it in itself. Love how the ending pulls a twist and then twists back. As a first time viewer you have no fucking clue until the credits roll. And all he wanted to do was enjoy his vacation by relaxing at home. I can relate.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated In the Mouth of the Wolf in Books
Jun 5, 2019
In this short book, “In the Mouth of the Wolf” , we’re privy to fascinating insights into the life of children’s fiction author Michael Morpurgo’s Uncle Francis who narrates in the first person at the age of ninety years, reminiscing about his life. It is a heartfelt TRUE story (hence the reason why this has made into my non-fiction category over at Goodreads) and one that is aimed at kids and young adults, but adults will get plenty from this, too.
The artwork within is tremendously well-done by award-winning artist Barroux, and set against a backdrop of World War Two. You’ll find it packs an emotion punch, whilst being a fast-paced read filled with outstanding wartime courage and love. Brotherly love, too.
What a treat this was to discover, since it reads like an fictional story, yet has some intriguing, real people pictures at the back of the book, so you can meet the real characters of these true events. It’s no wonder Morpurgo is such a talented storyteller if he’s heard family stories like this.
In fact, this is such a lovely story, it brought tears to my eyes on more than on occasion. Damn you, Micheal Morpurgo and your wonderfully tear-inducing story-telling skills!
The artwork within is tremendously well-done by award-winning artist Barroux, and set against a backdrop of World War Two. You’ll find it packs an emotion punch, whilst being a fast-paced read filled with outstanding wartime courage and love. Brotherly love, too.
What a treat this was to discover, since it reads like an fictional story, yet has some intriguing, real people pictures at the back of the book, so you can meet the real characters of these true events. It’s no wonder Morpurgo is such a talented storyteller if he’s heard family stories like this.
In fact, this is such a lovely story, it brought tears to my eyes on more than on occasion. Damn you, Micheal Morpurgo and your wonderfully tear-inducing story-telling skills!