Easy A - Emma Stone, Penn Badgley

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Sunday, 31 January 2010

Phantom Of The Opera - Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, and Patrick Wilson

Posted on 20:37 by Unknown
Phantom of the Opera
Buy it here and support our blog
The Gist
Phantom of the Opera is a movie-musical about an opera house that is haunted by a phantom that has lived there his whole life.  No one has ever seen the phantom but he coaches a young girl named Christine in singing and she refers to him as “the angel of music”.  The Phantom also wears half of a mask on his face at all times to hide something that happened in his childhood.  The Phantom falls in love with her, but Christine is love with her childhood friend Raoul.  The Phantom is angered by this and will stop at nothing to win her back.


What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 143 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
I watched this movie the other night with a few of my friends because one, I love musicals.  Two, I’ve heard mixed reviews about this show and I’ve always wanted to see it to see my reaction to it.  Third, one of my friends had recently seen it on Broadway so she wanted to compare the two.  When we turned on the movie from the beginning I was drawn to the story, characters and of course the music.  By the end of the movie I had chills down my back and wanted the give The Phantom such a big hug.  The music in this show is unbelievable and the singers were fantastic.  I only have 6 words to describe it, Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius.  When I got home the next day I went and bought almost all the remaining music that I didn’t already have.  Songs to listen to would definitely be Music of the Night, Phantom of the Opera, and Think of Me.  The characters in this story were very well developed and everyone falls in love with The Phantom!  I really loved this movie and if you are a theater go-er then I bet you too will love this movie!
Real Teen Rating~ A: You MUST watch this movie



Reviewed by Dream Catcher
I’ve been listening to the music of The Phantom of the Opera for as long as I can remember. I would attempt to hit those ridiculously high notes while we blasted the music in the car ride home from where ever we had gone. I always loved the music, so I was really excited when my family and I went to New York to see the show on Broadway. Of course, that was amazing. But I had not seen the movie. It just seemed like something that had to be done. So when my friend said that she had wanted to see that movie for a while, I immediatly grabbed it at the movie rental store and we all went to my house to watch it. In summary, the movie was even better than I thought it would be. It was completely amazing. The music was phenomenal, and of course, the story was unique. I got attached to the characters, too. In the end I was practically crying, for the phantom’s sake. It seemed like he always got the bad breaks. And even though he was technically the “villian” of the story, he was the one who I felt the most sympathy for. The acting was good, even though they were singing probably 95% of the time. The only thing that I was a bit creeped out by was Christine’s facial expressions when she’s with the phantom. I think this was over-acted. Besides that, the movie as great. I would reccomend it to anyone, but especially those who love musicals and things like that. It was truly amazing.
Real Teen Rating~ A : You MUST watch this movie!


Reviewed by Living Destiny
Before I saw this movie last Saturday, I didn’t know much about it.  It was kinda like, ok there’s this opera house and there’s a phantom in it and some big complex love story.  Yay.  Honestly I wasn’t looking forward to watching it with North and Dream.  I would have rather have played apples to apples.  But then we watched the movie.
It was amazing!  I was enchanted by the characters.  The phantom was a great singer, and you felt like you HAD to root for him, even though he’s the bad guy.  Christine and Raoul were both great singers as well.  The whole story line was very cool.  Guy haunts opera house.  New owners come and new girl gets put in spotlight.  Guy falls for girl.  Phantom falls for girl.  Fight!  Fight!  Fight!  Just kidding…maybe.
The acting is awesome and the music is superb.  I only have three complaints: one, I couldn’t understand Carlotta half the time. Two, the actress who plays Christine, while an amazing singer, is a terrible lip singer.  Three, in the end, the phantom’s hair changes color and texture.  With no explanation.  What’s up with that?
The songs have been stuck in my head all weekend, and I’m not complaining!  ♪The Phaaaaantom of the Opera is heeeeeeere…insiiiide my miiiiiind!♪ TRUE AND I LOVE IT!!!!!
Real Teen Rating~ A : You MUST watch this movie!
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Posted in Dream Catcher Reviews, Living Destiny Reviews, Movies - A or B Ratings, Movies *All*, The North Star Reviews | No comments

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Dead is a State of Mind (Dead is... #2) - Marlene Perez

Posted on 22:31 by Unknown
★Check out our exclusive interview with Marlene Perez★





Dead is a State of Mind
Buy it here and support our blog
If you have not read Dead is the New Black, then read at your own risk, this contains spoilers!


The Gist
Prom is only weeks away, and Ryan still hasn’t asked Daisy to go with him. Daisy is beginning to worry, but her best friend Samantha Devereaux insists that Ryan will come through eventually. Meanwhile, a ghost is terrorizing Mort’s Mortuary. When the Giordano sisters go to investigate, the ghost turns out to be a passed high school student, who just isn’t ready to die just yet. Poppy immediatly warms up to the ghost and begins to trust him, even though he’s dead. Rose and Daisy warn her that it’s really not smart to become friendly with someone who isn’t alive, but Poppy could care less. So she speds all of her free time in a Mortuary, getting to know one of the dead.  While Poppy is having the time of her life, and Rose is off having a good time with her boyfriend, Ryan keeps canceling dates or not showing up. Samatha tries telling her that he’s just not feeling well lately. But Daisy doesn’t really know what to believe. To add to her stress, a teacher is found dead in Nightshade’s park, and the council is beginning to think that a werewolf is the culprit. Daisy wants to figure out this mystery before anyone else is hurt.


What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Number of Pages: 175
If you’ve read Dead is the New Black then you would guess that the sequal is quite similar. And it really is. This book obviously has the same writing style, and it is again in the mystery genre. But the story is different. This time instead of Daisy wondering if Ryan really wants to date her, she has to figure out whether or not he’s cheating on her. This gives the story a bit more drama. Though I like this element in the story, the way Daisy reacts annoys me. She’s either whiny, or uncaring. Other than that, I think I liked this book more than the first one. It was more exciting and definitally more dramatic. If you like the first book (or even if you didn’t love it) then you would like this even more. In my opinion definitaly worth the read.
Real Teen Rating~ B : Read it, but there’s no rush.
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Posted in Books - A or B Ratings, Books *All*, Dream Catcher Reviews | No comments

Friday, 22 January 2010

The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4) - Rick Riordan

Posted on 16:13 by Unknown
*New York Times Bestseller
*New York Times Bestselling Series





Battle of the Labyrinth
Buy it here and support our blog
If you have not read The Titan’s Curse , then read at your own risk, this contains spoilers!


The Gist
When Percy is attacked at school by empousai (a monster in greek mythology) cheerleaders he returns to camp only to find out about something called “the labyrinth”.  The labyrinth was designed a long time ago by a man named Daedalus for King Minos.  When Annabeth and Percy accidentally stumble into the entrance of the labyrinth they soon learn that Luke is going to invade Camp Half-Blood through the entrance of the labyrinth.  Percy soon finds an old friend and together him, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson travel into the Labyrinth to find Daedalus and try and save Nico from Kronos (after he finds out he is the son of Hades) meaning that he may also be the child of the prophecy.


What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Number of Pages: 361
Battle of the Labyrinth is my second favorite book in the Percy Jackson series.  I really enjoyed this book because they go so many places in the Labyrinth that it had little mini stories within the big story.  The reason I really enjoyed this book was because they brought back the character of Rachel Elizabeth Dare.  She makes a quick appearance in the Titan’s Curse and in this book she becomes a huge character.  Although at times she can get a little annoying she is a great add to the series.  I’ve said it time and time again Rick Riordan is the master at putting in new characters and making them feel like they’ve been there the whole time.  The other thing I LOVED about this book was the relationship between Percy and Annabeth.  Through all the books they fight but you can see the romance beneath it and even though it’s small something happens in this book that you just can’t miss.  Grover is also in this book and I love Grover he is the best character created ever!  You will not be disappointed!
Real Teen Rating~ A+: Why are you still reading this go buy the book NOW!
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Posted in Books - A or B Ratings, Books *All*, The North Star Reviews | No comments

Thursday, 21 January 2010

27 Dresses - Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, and Malin Akerman

Posted on 20:59 by Unknown




27 Dresses
Buy it here and support our blog
The Gist
Jane (Katherine Heigl) is a normal woman with a very abnormal hobby. And that hobby is being a bridesmaid. She’s been to 27 weddings and been a bridesmaid in every one of them. Up until her 28th wedding - which happened to be her sister’s – things in her life are fine. She has a good job, some friends, a loving father, and a unique younger sister. She may be in love with her boss – who is completely out of her league – but she feels that she can deal with that. Then her sister Tess (Malin Akerman) comes to town. Before Jane can even comprehend what is happening, her boss, George, and Tess are dating. Tess lies about everything; her personality, her habits, her hobbies. Everything of importance she lies about, to seem more attractive to him. When Jane finds this out she is furious. She has to decide between revealing her sister’s secrets, or covering them up. To add to her stress, a cynical journalist named Kevin Doyle (James Marsden) enters her life. His only purpose to cause more problems for her. Soon Jane begins to wonder if her 28th dress will really be her sister’s bridesmaid dress. It could, in fact, be something else entirely.


What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Run Time: 111 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
I had a good time watching this movie. At first I was a bit hesitant because the whole concept seemed a bit off to me. But then my friend persuaded me to watch it with her and I loved it. It’s really funny, romantic, and has good acting. I can’t tell you how many times bad acting has ruined a movie for me. This movie was the opposite. I didn’t think I would like it until I saw some of the acting. It really made the movie for me. The characters were really lovable. You felt bad for them when something horrible happened. You smiled when something good came their way. You laughed at their sarcastic comments (well…maybe that was just me. I love sarcasm more than anything in a movies). The only thing I can say that’s bad is that it was predictable. I could tell within the first five minutes who was going to fall in love with who, and what the ending was going to be like. But, like I said earlier, the other good points of the movie made up for that. I didn’t mind the predictability of it so much. In my opinion, this was a movie worth seeing.
Real Teen Rating~ B+ : Worth Watching!
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Posted in Dream Catcher Reviews, Movies - A or B Ratings, Movies *All* | No comments

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3) - Rick Riordan

Posted on 18:37 by Unknown
*New York Times Bestseller
*New York Times Bestselling Series

If you have not read The Sea of Monsters, then read at your own risk, this contains spoilers!





The Titan’s Curse
Buy it here and support our blog
The Gist
Artemis the goddess of the hunt has gone missing and the rumor is that she was kidnapped.  Again it’s up to Percy and his friends to find out what happened.  Now with the help of two new friends Thalia and Bianca.  They must find Artemis before the winter solstice, her vote at the council could swing the issue about war with the titans.  Percy also has to figure out what Artemis was hunting before she disappeared because it is said that this monster is so powerful it could destroy Olympus forever!!


What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Number of Pages: 304
The Titan’s Curse is the third in the Percy Jackson series and is extremely important.  Of course all the books are important but this book especially important because it sets off a chain-reaction of events that drive the rest of the series to their climax’s.  The thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the same thing as the last one.  With three new characters Riordan incorporates these new characters really really really well.  It almost feels as if these characters have been there all along and you just haven’t noticed them.  Thalia is definitely one of my new favorite characters because she is a strong woman who knows who she is and she isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes in.  I really enjoy her character because it creates someone else for Percy to talk to about having parents of “The Big Three” besides Tyson.  The other thing I really like about Thalia is that she is exactly like Percy.  Annabeth actually says at one point, ” You guys are so alike it’s scary. Either you would have been best friends, or you would have strangled each other.”  Thalia may also now be the child in the prophecy.  This book has also has a very big surprise in it and when I was reading it I couldn’t believe that it had happened.  Hopefully, you’ll read this book so you can figure out what it is!!
Real Teen Rating~ A: Go Buy Now!
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Posted in Books - A or B Ratings, Books *All*, The North Star Reviews | No comments

Seven Pounds - Will Smith, Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson

Posted on 15:28 by Unknown






Seven Pounds
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The Gist
Haunted by something that happened in his past Ben Thomas(and IRS worker) sets out to help 7 people he doesn’t know.


What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 123 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
I watched this movie last weekend with my mom when we decided to watch a movie.  First of all this movie starts off by telling you what happens in the end and I’m not a big fan of that.  This movie is also very, very confusing and for the first 20min I was scratching my head wondering what had just happened.  In the end everything makes sense but for the first half of the movie you sit there extremely confused trying to piece it all together.  I think the reason it was so confusing was that it jumped between the past and the present.  The acting in this movie was pretty good.  Will Smith is always fantastic but the other actors were just OK.  The other person who was really good was Woody Harrelson.  He plays a blind man who works for a meat company.  I thought he did a great job of playing a super nice genuine guy.  Although this movie had many twists again it was very confusing because when the movie first opens up he says the ending to the movie.  The last thing I’m gonna say is that if you are a Will Smith fan then I would go see this movie but other than that it wasn’t fantastic but wasn’t so terrible I really wanted to stop watching.
Real Teen Rating~ C: If there’s nothing else to see…
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Posted in Movies - C or D Ratings, Movies *All*, The North Star Reviews | No comments

McDonald’s

Posted on 08:11 by Unknown
Reviewed by Dream Catcher

This restaurant (and I use the term loosely) is not one of my favorites. In my opinion, McDonald’s is your absolute last resort when it comes to getting something to eat. Well…unless you want some french fries…but still, there are better options. The food is fatty and not great quality. Whenever I went the service wasn’t too good either. The person at the register always looked as if they’d rather be dead than working at this place, and I could practically hear them chanting in their head “at least I get paid, at least I get paid, at least I get paid” as if trying to think of an upside to their situation. All I’m saying is that they could look a bit more cheerful (oh, and if any McDonald’s employee is reading this, I apologize, I didn’t mean for this to be offensive). The only time I ever really eat at McDonald’s is when my family and I are traveling on the road and we get really hungry. Then we see those signs on the highway that say ‘rest stop two miles’, or something like that. You know with the restaurant and gas station logos? That’s basically the only time I ever go there. The chicken tenders and fries aren’t that bad…but not great either. Sorry all McDonald’s fans, but this restaurant gets an EF…for epic fail.
Real Teen Rating~ Epic FAIL!
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Posted in Dream Catcher Reviews, Random | No comments

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy - Sonya Sones

Posted on 20:12 by Unknown
*Christopher Award
*Claudia Lewis Award for Poetry
* Myra Cohn Livingston Poetry Award
* ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Stop Pretending

Buy it here and support our blog
The Gist
This book is a collection of poems that make up a story about a girl who has schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a mental disease that makes you hear voices, see hallucinations, smells odors that other people don’t smell, and even feel things like fingers grabbing your arm even though nobody is around.  It is a very serious condition and the main character in this book has a sister who has it. Cookie’s sister had always been normal. Then one night, completely out of nowhere, her sister goes crazy. She’s locked in a mental hospital and isn’t allowed to leave until the disease is cured. Cookie has to deal with her friends shunning her when they realize that her sister is a schizophrenic, her parents fighting twenty-four-seven, and her sister confiding all of her crazy thoughts to her. Cookie has to concentrate on keeping her own sanity in check, so she doesn’t end up rooming with her sister in the psych ward.


What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Number of Pages: 149
I originally read this book at a friends house. I was visiting for two weeks and saw it when she had left the room for a few minutes. I read the description and was instantly sucked into the story. When my friend came back from the bathroom, she found me immersed in the book, not about to put it down. She told me I could borrow it until I finished, so I did. I ended up giving it back to her the next day. That’s how long it took for me to finish this. An hour or two. That was one thing I wasn’t thrilled about; it should have been longer. The poems in this story are free-verse, so it seems like Cookie is talking to you. It really got me into the story. I felt like I was one of Cookie’s friends, and she was explaining what was happening to her sister while I listened to her story. It’s a true story, which is also something I found cool about the book. The author obviously changed her name from Sonya to Cookie for this story, but hardly any of the other main characters even had names. Her sister was simply called Sister. Her mother called Mother. Her father called Father. The fact that her family had no names gave the story a creepier feel, like it was also part horror, and not just a non-fiction. Not only is this an interesting book to read, but you can pass it off as a school book too. I had to read a book for a psychology project, and this fit the description of what I had to read perfectly. I didn’t have to suffer through a horribly dull biography. I read something that really made me think about how hard it was to live with schizophrenia, and how hard it is to live with a loved one who has schizophrenia. So…in summary, this book was good, not the best book I’ve ever read…but still worth reading.
Real Teen Rating~ B: Read it but there's no rush.
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Posted in Books - A or B Ratings, Books *All*, Dream Catcher Reviews | No comments

Ninth Key (The Mediator #2) - Meg Cabot

Posted on 18:58 by Unknown
*New York Times Bestselling Author





Ninth Key
Buy it here and support our blog
If you have not read Shadowland, then read at your own risk, this contains spoilers!


The Gist
Suze Simon is just settling into her new life in Carmel, California.  She is vice president of her class at Junipero Serra Mission Academy and is being invited to lots of parties.  There’s a cute boy interested in her.  And she hasn’t been visited by any ghosts for a while.  Well, except for the one that lives in her bedroom.  But when she’s visited in the middle of the night by a screaming ghost sobbing for Suze to ‘tell Red it’s not his fault I’m dead’, Suze is thrown right back into the game.  The mediator game.


What We Think
Reviewed by Living Destiny
Number of Pages: 287
This is the second book in The Mediator series, but it’s just as good as the first one.  The plot is really exciting, and there are a couple major twists in there that totally threw me for a loop.  The book introduces some new characters, but they are worked into the story very well, so there isn’t any awkward transition.
My favorite part of this book, besides the huge twists of course, is the whole relationship between Suze and Jesse (the ghost in her room…but if you’ve read the first book you already know that. If you haven’t…SHAME ON YOU).  They have a very personal relationship, even though they’ve only known each other for about a month.  I love how through the whole book, Suze struggles to get a grasp on her true feelings for Jesse.   It’s a pretty cool concept that a human girl could even think she has romantic feelings for a 150 year old ghost living in her bedroom (even one as hott as Jesse).  Also, Jesse is a strong character.  He is different from the other major players in the series, not just because he’s a ghost, but because he speaks differently and acts differently.  He is a perfect gentleman from the nineteenth century, and it makes him stand out.  Well done Meg Cabot!  Keep it up with the next four books!
Real Teen Rating~A: Go Buy Now
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Posted in Books - A or B Ratings, Books *All*, Living Destiny Reviews | No comments

Monday, 18 January 2010

Living Nightmare (Cirque du Freak #1) - Darren Shan

Posted on 20:24 by Unknown
Real Teen Award
-Best Male Character Read in 2010: Mr. Crepsley




A Living Nightmare
Buy it here and support our blog


The Gist
Darren Shan and his best friend Steve get tickets to see the Cirque Du Freak (a freak show).  After the show Steve recognizes one of the performers as a vampire and when Steve confronts the vampire at the end of the show Darren learns some interesting information about his friend.  Later when Darren and Steve get into some trouble and Steve’s life is on the line Mr. Crepsley offers to help but only if Darren will become his assistant.  Darren has to then choose between saving his best friends life and leaving his family and friends forever to become a creature of the night.


What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Number of Pages: 272
I actually found out about the Cirque Du Freak series when I went to the movies and saw a trailer for the movie.  The movie looked interesting so I went and got the book (I always read the book before seeing the movie).  I couldn’t put this book down and luckily I had bought the first three books because I had read the first two books in a day.  These books were really really interesting and a whole lot better than the Twilight books (which I do like so…).  The writing in this book is phenomenal.  Darren Shan really makes you think because I have never read a book where the name of the main character is the name of the author (besides in non-fiction).  This book is also not like the other vampire books because although some of the main characters are vampires it is not at all anything like Stephenie Meyer’s vampires.  These vampires are way more awesome and traditional.  The other thing I really liked about this book/series was all the twists and turns it takes.  When my friend and I were reading it at the same time she even fell for some of the tricks that he planted in there and she never falls for those things.  Even when your expecting something to happen something else happens it’s crazy you always have to expect the unexpected.  The other great thing about this book is that it’s not just a girl book, anybody can read it.  Darren Shan has such a fantastic writing style any gender can read it because it is not leaning towards one or the other.
Real Teen Rating~ A+: Why are you still reading this go buy the book NOW!


Reviewed by Dream Catcher
I love this book. It’s really good. But, I have to disagree with the North Star. Darren Shan’s writing isn’t phenomenal. It’s average. There’s nothing wrong with average writing of course, especially if it’s backed up with a good plot line and unique ideas. Personally, I don’t think it was the best book I’ve ever read, or the best writing I’ve ever seen. Don’t get me wrong, I love this book, and it’s series, but it’s just not my favorite. I’m not a fan of a lot of exclamation points when it comes to writing. Put too many in and the story begins to sound childish. Unfortunately, this book had a few too many exclamation points for my taste, but that’s just my opinion. On a happier note, I love the characters in this story. You get attached to them and feel what their going through with them. They made you interested in reading the second in the series, and then the third, and then the fourth.  All in all, a very good series, definitely worth reading.
Real Teen Rating~ A: Go Buy Now.
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The Lovely Bones - Mark Wahlberg, Saorise Ronan, and Jack Abel

Posted on 18:32 by Unknown






The Lovely Bones
Buy it here and support our blog
Real Teen Award
-Worst Movie Based on a Book in 2010

The Gist
Susie Salmon is an average girl.  She has a crush on a boy, has friends, and loves taking photos.  That is until one day when her neighbor lures her into a trap and kills her.  From heaven she looks down on her family as they try to figure out who killed her before he gets to someone else.


What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 136 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
I saw this movie with a couple of friends yesterday and was excited because I had read the book and all the reviews had bashed the movie, but I was keeping an open mind.  At the end of the movie all I could think was that, that movie was just plain terrible.  The whole time my friend and I were discussing how much it didn’t relate to the book and how the only thing they got right was that she was murdered.  Even the death scene (which obviously had to be glossed over) was wrong and if i had not read the book then I never would have known how this girl died.  Besides the fact that it didn’t follow the book it was a boring movie.  The only interesting part is when the sister sneaks into the guys house.  There was one good thing about this movie though, Stanley Tucci.  He played the perfect George Harvey.  When he tries to hide things from the police he thinks of everything.  Even though when watching the movie you think to yourself how stupid the police are, and how they didn’t notice obvious things but in this case the police weren’t being stupid.  Besides that this movie was terrible and I would not recommend it unless you want to see a train wreck or have read the book and see how off it was from it.  MOST DEFINITELY READ THE BOOK!!!!!
Real Teen Rating~ D: Use it as an excuse to do something


Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Unlike the North Star, I haven’t actually read the book the Lovely Bones. I’ ve wanted to ever since my friends recommended it to me, but when I mentioned the book to my mother, she insisted that I not read it. And when I say insisted, I mean that I can absolutely never in my life read that book under her roof.  So, since I haven’t read the book, my review on the movie will most likely be very different from the North Star’s.  As you probably guessed, I was one of the friends that the North Star went to the movies with. I was also really excited to go to the movie. I’d barely been allowed to go at all. When my mom finally gave in – hearing that it was only PG-13, and that it “glossed over” the murder – I was elated. I’d heard so many good thing about the book. And who really trusted movie critics and their reviews, anyways? So I went there with my friends and got ready for a good movie. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t disappointed by the movie. Of course there were a few corny lines that I had to make fun of, but that didn’t bother me. I liked the movie, and didn’t find it boring at all. I thought that the whole story was really creative. How Suzie was trapped in a world between heaven and earth…and she could still almost communicate with people. Overall, I liked the movie a lot.  I wouldn’t mind seeing it again (if my mom ever let me, that is). I would recommend it to people because it’s a good (yet very creepy) story.
Real Teen Rating~ B+: Worth Watching!


Reviewed by Living Destiny
I’m going to have to agree with The North Star on this one.  I went to see the Lovely Bones last sunday (gee, who do you think I went with?), and it was terrible.  The movie was well made, but if you’ve read the book, it doesn’t really phase you that the movie had good special effects or strong acting.  What you see is that it just barely follows the book.  And I mean JUST BARELY.  They got the murderer right.  That’s pretty much it.  Susie Salmon is the dead girl.  I guess that’s accurate too.  But her best friend up in limbo?  Fail.  The total focus on the father character?  Fail.  The lack of focus on the sister charater?  Epic fail.  So many little details were messed with, screwed up, or left out completely.  The movie pretty much enraged me.  Through the whole movie, I was either ranking on it with The North Star or explaining parts of the book to Dream Catcher, because the details were left out of the movie but were necessary knowledge.  I was happy that they got the ending right (sort of).  The most exciting part was definitely when the sister was in the neighbor’s house.  I knew what would happen, and my heart was still pounding.  If you haven’t read the book, watching the movie is a good alternative (maybe), although I suggest reading the book (so you can find out HOW she dies, because the movie doesn’t tell you). Otherwise, maybe watch it to laugh at it?
Real Teen Rating~D+ It passes time….
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Posted in Dream Catcher Reviews, Living Destiny Reviews, Movies - A or B Ratings, Movies - C or D Ratings, Movies *All*, The North Star Reviews | No comments

The Awakening (Darkest Powers #2) - Kelley Armstrong

Posted on 12:14 by Unknown
*New York Times Bestseller
*New York Times Bestselling Series

If you have not read The Summoning , then read at your own risk, this contains spoilers!

The Awakening
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The Gist
 After attempting to break out of Lyle House, Chloe and Rae are locked up in  new kind of prison. Now there are locks on every door, bars on all the windows, and a surveillance camera around every corner. All Chloe wants to do is  to find a way out so she can  get to Simon and Derek. But Rae seems perfectly content with her new home.  She could  care less about what happens to the guys. When an opportunity arises for Chloe to break free of the jail she takes it. Using her powers, Liz’s ghost, and some help from Tori (much to her surprise) they try to find Simon and Derek so that they can finish what they started. 


What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Number of Pages: 368
I liked this book as much as the first, if  not more. In the first one you’re just getting to know Chloe’s situation, and all of the new characters. But in the second one things start to get interesting. You find out the answers to questions that were asked in the  first book.  There’s more adventure. And there’s even a hint more romance, which I thought made the book even more exciting. The end of this book was a mini-cliffie (otherwise know as a miniature cliffhanger) which has me waiting (impatiently) for the third one to come out. I promise when reading this book you will not be disappointed. (p.s. the third book, The Reckoning, comes out April of 2010). If you liked the Summoning, then you will love the Awakening, I guarantee it.
Real Teen Rating~ A+: Why are you still reading this, go buy this book NOW!


Reviewed by The North Star
I also loved this book but I think I liked it a lot more than the first book.  As Dream Catcher said in the first book you only start to learn her situation but in this one you really get to learn about the characters, about there powers and a whole lot about the secret “Edison Group”.  Again like Dream Catcher said there is a little hint of romance!! It makes the book so much more enjoyable because it is so cute, (won’t say anymore I don’t want to give away what happens).  This book asks a whole lot more questions that leave you hanging, but it answers almost all the questions asked in the first book.  This book also has a whole lot more action.  In the first book they are cooped up in the Lyle House, but in this book they have to run away from the “Edison Group” so as you can imagine, it has a lot of action.  The Awakening was also great because you got to learn about the character Tori a lot and she even though she played a semi-big part in the first book, in this one she is huge and you learn a lot about her backround.  If you have read The Summoning you must read this book because it is magic!!! (:
Real Teen Rating~ A+: Why are you still reading this, go buy the book NOW!
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