The Pact - Jodi Picoult

*New York Times Bestseller

*New York Times Bestselling Author

The Pact
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The Gist

The Hartes and the Golds are about as close as people can get.  All of them have known and lived next door to each other for 18 years.  The children Chris and Emily have been together since Emily was born (literally Chris as a child was in the room when she was being born).  They have never been apart and as they get older they discover they have feelings for each other and Chris and Emily figure out that they are soul mates.  That is until one day when in the middle of the night Gus Harte and Melanie Gold get a call saying that Emily has been shot with a bullet wound to the head and has not survived.  They had found Chris there holding Emily in his arms with a gun next to him with one bullet left in the gun.  After some investigation Chris is tried for the murder of Emily, Melanie won’t even speak to Gus who is basically her soul sister and peoples personality’s really start to come out.


What We Think

Reviewed by The North Star

Number of Pages: 496

I really enjoyed this book.  Jodi Picoult is a genius!  I don’t know what goes through her mind at times but it’s crazy!  This book had me sitting on the edge of my seat the entire way and the ending was completely surprising and I was really glad about how everything turned out even though many people might argue.  I recommend this to anyone.  People who have already read a Jodi book or people who haven’t read one of her books before.  From page one I was sucked into the characters and I felt almost as if I was Emily Gold and when Jodi retells the past I feel Emily’s pain and what is going through her mind.  Jodi Picoult uses awesome imagery and I can always picture the places that you are in.  There was nothing bad about this book everything was great and I guarantee you will love it!!!!!

Real Teen Rating~ A+: Why are you still reading this go buy the book NOW!!!!

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Love Happens - Jennifer Aniston, Aaron Eckhart, Dan Fogler-Lane, and John Carroll Lynch

Love Happens

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The Gist

Burke Ryan is a best-selling author after writing his book about coping with the loss of loved ones after his wife dies in a terrible car accident.  When at one of his seminars he meets a girl named Eloise who puts life back into perspective and he finally starts to live again.  When he starts to live again Eloise pushes him to do things he used to do all the time but now doesn’t do, (ride elevators, talk to his wife’s parents, and enjoy life).  When he pushes himself a little to far he gets mad and turns back into his old slump of life and expressing no emotion unless he is giving his seminar.  Now Lane, Burke’s manager must find a way to get them back together before Burke depresses himself again.


What We Think

Reviewed by The North Star

Run Time: 109 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

I saw this movie last time I took a plane because it was one of the choices on the mini-tv’s.  When it started i was kind of confused because it starts off with someone cutting lemons and like any movie I accepted it and continued watching it and I was glad I did.  It wasn’t the most spectacular movie that I have ever seen but I was entertained. The thing I most enjoyed about this movie was the fact that it wasn’t all lovey-dovey love but it was about love for family and lost ones.  The other thing I really liked about this movie was that it was a comedy too.  At one point when Ryan is trying to get Eloise to go on a date with him she pretends to be deaf and starts using sign language to make him go away.  Jennifer Aniston in my opinion was really good, (this is the first movie I’ve seen her in).  My favorite actor in this movie by far though was Walter (John Carroll Lynch).  He played one of the people who lost someone and was taking part in the seminar.  I thought he was completely believable and I even cried a few times for him .  This actor was brilliant it seemed as if it was actually him in real life but obviously it wasn’t.  To bring an end to my review I will put a quote from the movie that really inspired me!   “When one thing ends another begins and men are very hairy.”  

Real Teen Rating~ B+: Worth Watching!

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Wings (Wings #1) - Aprilynne Pike

Wings
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The Gist

Laurel isn’t like other girls. And she knows it. She can only eat fruits and vegetables – otherwise she gets violently sick. She wears tank tops in the winter and is perfectly content. She needs to be out in the sun for most of the day. Those these characteristics are odd, they’re things she can live with. But when Laurel’s parents decide to move from their quaint wood cottage surrounded by forest to Crescent City, things really start to get weird. Laurel must switch from homeschooling to the public school system while her parents work at their new bookstore, and she’s not sure if she can handle the change. At first, Laurel has a hard time adjusting, but everything get better when she meets David – a kind and accepting boy who seems attracted to Laurel immediately. For a while things are pretty much as good as they can get. But then a bump forms on Laurel’s back. Soon that bump grows and grows until a full-grown flower erupts from her back. Unlike her eating habits, or her need for the sun, the blossom isn’t something she can hide easily. She decides that it’s for everyone’s own good that she figure out what’s happening to her. With the help of David, Laurel begins to discover who – or what – she really is.


What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Number of Pages: 294

This is most definitely a girl’s book, just in case anyone had any doubts. Just thought that I’d warn you. It’s from a girl’s first-person point of view. The plot is unique to say the least. It’s also one of those books that’s really slow in the beginning but the gets better toward the end. So keep with it even if you aren’t loving the first twenty pages. I do have to give the author credit for coming up with the idea, though, because it gets really interesting. The amount of detail put in this story is amazing. It was very well-thought-out. The writing itself is simply good. Not fantastic, or phenomenal. But good. Over average, most definitely. Keeping that in mind, you do get attached to the characters. So I’ll give the author the credit she deserves and say that her writing is very good. Still not fantastic or phenomenal. But very good. Moving on. Though this book doesn’t revolve around it, there is romance in this novel. It is definitely romance-y. But, there is also some adventure and even – brace yourself – the tiniest, tiniest bit of science. Not enough to make me feel like I was back in biology class, but there is some in there. Considering all of these factors, I’d say it was a pretty good book. But be warned: it is an easy read for teens. My younger sister was the one who told me I had to read this in the first place, so… if that puts things in perspective (my sister’s only a two or three years younger than me so don’t freak). Surprisingly, there is some teen content in this book. So maybe that will make things a bit less kid-ish for you. It was a good book, but – I must admit – the book sat in my locker for a week or two. I wasn’t at all motivated to read it. I later realized I had paused at the most dull part in the entire book. Once I got myself to start reading it again I deemed it a decent read. More toward the end the book was very good, which is what got it it’s high rating.

P.S. I thought it was funny that the grade I gave it turned out to be exactly what I did. I waited for vacation. 

Real Teen Rating~ B+ : Wait for Vacation.

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Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief - Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddaio, and Pierce Brosnan

Real Teen Award
-Most Anticipated Movie in 2010 that was a letdown

The Gist

The Lightning Thief
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Percy Jackson is normal kid until he finds out that he is the son of Poseidon.  Percy and his best friend Grover then run to Camp Half-Blood with Percy’s mom.  She soon gets taken away by a minotaur and Percy will top at nothing to save her.  Percy soon meets Annabeth and he has an attraction with her right away.  When news reaches the camp that Zeus’ lightning bolt has been stolen and Percy is the prime subject Percy, Annabeth, and Grover sneak out of camp to find the bolt and save Percy’s mom.


What We Think

Reviewed by The North Star

Run Time: 118 Minutes

Rating: PG

I was fortunate to get to see this movie opening night (I was happy because I am a die-hard fan) with my friends and was surprised. I’m going to warn you right now that if you are someone who hates movies that are not true to the book DO NOT go see this movie what so ever.  This movie leaves out so much from the book, they cut out complete characters (Dionysus, Clarisse, Ares, and KRONOS).  While this movie was entertaining it completely didn’t follow the book and I am one of those people who think the movie should follow the book for the most part.  The thing that annoys me the most about not following the book is the stupid scenes they added in, that don’t make any sense when they could have added a scene from a book. The great thing about this movie was the guys.  Percy Jackson was really hot and that made the movie just that much better.  My friend thought that Poseidon was hot even though he is really old but he was attractive.  The best character was Grover though (he is also the best in the books).  He provided great comic relief and every time he was making a joke I laughed and Brandon T. Jackson did a fantastic job of portraying Grover.  If you haven’t read the book I would highly recommend you see it and if you have read the book I would say to see it but it completely doesn’t follow the book at all!

Real Teen Review~ If you’ve read the book: B- : Well…..I guess you should see this….

Real Teen Reivew~If you haven’t read the book: A: You MUST watch this movie


Reviewed by Dream Catcher

As predicted by myself, the movie did not live up to my extremely high expectations. The movie is never as good as the book. You’ve heard that before. This is one of those tragic cases where that statement is horribly – terribly – correct. It killed me to see how they twisted the plot and the characters to be something they weren’t. I squirmed in my seat for the better part of two hours, pointing out every flaw I could find until the people sitting around me began to get visibly annoyed. Keeping this in mind, for those of you who haven’t read Percy Jackson and the Olympians – The Lightning Thief you won’t have these problems. Other than the fact that it was nothing like the book, the movie was very good. The acting was great, the special effects were excellent, and the plot (though nothing like the book) was interesting. Something to think about: they said the name of the movie (the Lightning Thief) about a dozen times in the dialogue. For example, “You are the lightning thief!” or “I am not the lightning thief!”. I think that this is ridiculous. I felt like telling the screenplay writer “Okay, I get it. The movie’s called the Lightning Thief. Get over it.” But that may just be me. To recap: If you read the book you’ll be annoyed by the movie’s lack of the original plot… but you should see it anyways. A definite “must see” for the readers of Percy Jackson. And about the actors…I wouldn’t have mentioned it, but since the North Star brought it up…the guy playing Percy was indeed hot. May I just say that I was not the friend who thought Poseidon was hot (though I did see the movie with the North Star). I actually didn’t think about that until another friend brought it up, because he was around thirty years older than me. Grover is amazing, in the movie and the book. Now back to a normal review: if you have not read the book you should definitely see the movie. Then, after seeing it, you must go out a read the book! I don’t care if you borrow it from the library, from a friend, buy it at the bookstore, or pick it out of a dumpster. You just have to read the book. If you liked the movie you’ll like the book even better, I promise.

Real Teen Rating~ If you’ve read the book: B- : Well… I guess you should see this…

Real Teen Rating~ If you haven’t read the book: A- : See it with some friends. 


Reviewed by Living Destiny

I saw this movie the day it came out in this remote little theater.  There were maybe ten people in all watching (and my friends and i probably made them all a little mad).  I wasn’t expecting anything outstanding.  I mean, I’d been critiquing it since it came up on IMDb and the casting was slightly screwy.  (Excuse me, Annabeth is blond!  Grover is…well…not black!)  The movie, however, dipped lower than my already lowered expectations.  Of course I know we can’t expect any movie based on a book to be perfect, but this was a little horrifying.  Seriously.  I mean, the movie was incredibly entertaining and I enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong.  But they cut out SO MUCH important stuff.  The whole plot of the book revolves around a few characters, and two of them were Ares (Greek god of war) and Kronos (king of the titans).  Guess what two characters weren’t in the movie AT ALL?  Yea that’s right.  Ares and Kronos.  Can anyone say fail for me?  And really, Persephone?  First of all: not in the book.  Second of all: made to look like…well if you see it you’ll know but it’s a little disturbing (in my super Greek mythologied-up opinion).  Even though the plot was lacking a lot of important detail from the book, the movie was quite good.  The special effects were epic.  Like seriously epic.  I’m talking huuuge five headed hydras, water storms consuming the tops of buildings in NYC and a decapitated head that looked very realistic.  And the acting was incredible!  The actor that played Percy-soooooo hott!  And the actor that played Luke?  Pretty much same story.  The actor that played Poseidon was…handsome I’d say.  Not hott.  (I was not the friend that called him hott either.)  Overall the movie was fun to watch, even though I was criticizing everything that was different from the book.  It’s a good movie to watch.  Oh and if you haven’t read the book?  READ THE BOOK IT’S AMAZING!!!!!!

Real Teen Rating~ If you’ve read the book: B : go ahead and watch it with your friends…

Real Teen Rating~ If you haven’t read the book: A : You MUST watch this movie!

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Shorts - Jimmy Bennett, Jolie Vanier, and Trevor Gagnon

Shorts
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The Gist

Toby Thompson (Jimmy Bennett) is bullied to no end by Helvetica Black (Jolie Vanier) and her brother Cole. Though Toby’s sure it’s because Helvetica is secretly in love with him, knowing this fact never seems to help his circumstance. When Toby’s friends Laser (Leo Howard) and Loogie (Trevor Gagnon) find a mystical rainbow rock everything begins to go downhill from there. When holding the rock, any wish you say aloud will be granted, no strings attached. But when the rock falls into the hands of this story’s evil villian, everyone has to work together to defeat him. Toby and his friends must team up with Helvetica and her gang to save the rainbow rock and their home town, Black Falls.

What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Run Time: 89 Minutes

Rating: PG

This movie was bad. There. That’s all there is to it. The acting wasn’t good, the script wasn’t well written, the whole idea had been used before, and some of the scenes were extremely bizarre. It was directed by the same people who directed Spy Kids.  So if you’ve seen that movie you’ll have some idea of what this one is like: the kids save the day and everything goes back to being perfect and happy. Yay. Well, it’s not “yay” for those of us watching. I know what you must be thinking: if the movie was this bad you could probably tell by the previews. And yes, I could. It looked like the corniest movie ever (which it was). So why did I go and see it? For laughs. To make fun of it. The worse the movie is the more entertaining it is to make fun of with friends. So if you’re looking for the perfect movie to make fun of, watch this one. If not – if you’re looking for an actual decent movie – avoid this at all costs. It was a kids movie gone WRONG. So, like I said, if you’re looking for a movie to laugh at, pick this one. If not…well, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.

Real Teen Rating~ D- : I wouldn’t bother at all


Reviewed by Living Destiny

Woo boy…I’m not even sure where to begin with this one.  Shorts was a movie my friends and I decided to see because the ads looked horrendous and we vowed to see it and mock it. Let’s just say this movie wasn’t ‘Short’ enough. It was even more horrible than the ads implied.  First of all, the whole story (a series of ‘short stories’) was told out of order.  So imagine buying the Harry Potter series to read for the first time and reading them in this order: 4, 2, 6, 1, 7, 5, 3.  That was this movie.  It really wasn’t that funny at all, and the kids were all total dweebs while the adults were all stupid and couldn’t do anything right.  The plot was dumb as well.  A magic wishing rock?  Give me a break.  The acting wasn’t much better.  There were a couple funny parts, but not nearly enough to make up for the lack of anything good.  This movie was just plain bad, and there is really nothing more to say about it.  If you value good entertainment, steer clear.  If you want to ridicule a terrible movie…well step right up to see Shorts!

Real Teen Review~ D-: I wouldn’t bother at all

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The Prophecy of the Stones - Flavia Bujor

The Prophecy of the Stones
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The Gist

Opal, Amber, and Jade are three girls who come from three completely different backgrounds. Amber comes from a loving and poor family. Opal from a remote village where she doesn’t really fit in. And Jade from a palace with endless wealth and a famous father. When the girls all turn fourteen they’re told they were adopted and are then given velvet purses containing powerful stones. Jade gets jade, Amber get amber, and Opal gets an opal. They learn that they must fufill a prophecy by destroying the Council of Twelve – an evil council determined to eliminate all good in the world, including those three girls. Meanwhile, a boy known only as the Nameless One searches for his identity. In the present day, a girl named Joa is slowly dying of disease. She dreams of the story of those three girls whenever she can get to sleep in hopes that maybe some story will bring some life back into her.


What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Number of Pages: 386

This was a very odd book. The plot was unique, but very weird, the characters were weak, and the writing wasn’t very good. I could blame all of these faults on the fact that the girl was only fourteen when she wrote this. But I won’t. I expect a book to be good if it’s published. And I was disappointed. The fact that the publisher only published this book because they found it remarkable that a fourteen year old could finish an entire story annoys me. I really have a hard time thinking of something good about this book. I felt very detached from the characters. I didn’t really care what happened to them. Also, the writing was choppy. Sometimes things weren’t explained enough, and other times they were explained too much. It was weird. Finally, the PLOT. One word describes it: bizarre. Half the time I didn’t get what was happening. It was confussing and a bit too ”out there” for me.  Some people may like this book (maybe..) but t was definitely not for me.

Real Teen Rating~ D : It passes the time… I guess…

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The Uninvited - Emily Browning, Arielle Kebbel, and Elizabeth Banks

The Uninvited
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The Gist

After a fire that killed her mother, Anna (Emily Browning) is never quite the same. When she’s finally released from a mental hospital, she can’t wait to return home and see her father and sister for the first time in months. But when she gets there she finds an unwanted guest in her house. Rachael (Elizabeth Banks), her mother’s old nurse – and her father’s new girlfriend – struts about the house as if she owns the place. Anna’s sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel) is convinced that Rachael is nothing but trouble. Meanwhile, Anna is getting ghostly messages from her mother, warning her of Rachael. Anna and Alex plan to fiure out the mystery of Racheal Summers before its too late.


What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Run Time: 87 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

This, in my opinion, was a really good movie. When I first saw the preview I immediatly decided that I would never see this movie in my lifetime.  Horror is really not my thing. I never saw the point of watching something just to scare yourself. But then one of my friends old me how good this movie was. It’s not just mindless blood and gore, or a bunch of zombies jumping out at you. It has an interesting plot and a huge twist at the end that you would never expect. The acting was also pretty good. The actresses really made me believe that Rachael was some creepy psychopath and Anna was just an innocent girl caught in Rachael’s trap. It was a very unique story. Though it is considered a horror film, I found it more creepy than keep-you-up-at-night scary. If you really don’t like scary movies of any type, I would recommend that you don’t watch this movie. Though I did say it’s not horrifying, it is a bit scary. So only watch it if you don’t mind being a little freaked out. I think it was definitely worth watching. Perhaps a good Halloween night movie to watch with friends, if you do that sort of thing.

Real Teen Rating~ A : You MUST watch this movie!

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The Giver (The Giver #1) - Lois Lowery

*1994 Newbery Medal

*The Boston Globe- Horn Book Honor Book

The Giver
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The Gist

Jonas is a twelve year old boy who lives in a place that is perfect.  When he is given the job of The Receiver,  from his first meeting with his instructor he learns some of the dark secrets behind his so called “perfect” community.


What We Think

Reviewed by The North Star

Number of Pages: 179

Last year I had to read The Giver as a required book for Language Arts and I really enjoyed it.  This book was like none other that I have ever read before.  The plot line was crazy.  Lois Lory gives you a town that is perfect in every way shape and form.  Every night the kids come home and the whole family has dinner together and talks about there day.  Everyone likes each other and there are no problems, that is until Jonas gets the job of The Receiver of Memories and now he learns crazy things about his town.  Who could think of this stuff!  Jonas was a really great character because he isn’t a wimp in most books and he handles things great and when he has something on his mind he is sticking to it no matter what.  I feel bad for a lot of the characters in this book because they have no idea what is going on in there society and they are basically living in the dark.  That may be for the better though because if people knew some of the things that Jonas finds out panic would ensue all over the town.  Besides that if you have to read this book in school then don’t worry because I’m sure that you will for the most part love it.  If you don’t have to read this book for school then you should read it anyways because I really enjoyed it and a lot of the people in my class loved it too.

Real Teen Rating~ A- : Read it!  

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American Idol - FOX

The Gist

American Idol is a reality TV show where normal, every-day people try-out in front of the three infamous judges Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler to get a chance at becoming the next singing sensation. The first few weeks the judges get to decide who gets to go through and who doesn’t. The weeks following, America gets to do the deciding and vote for who they want to stay on the show. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the preformance show and the elimination show. Watch and pick your next American Idol.


What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Number of Seasons: 10

This is one of my favorite reality TV shows. I always make sure to catch it on tuesdays and wednesdays to vote for my favorite singer. Sometimes I even vote more than once for this person. For example…once when two of my friends were over we watched the show and voted for one guy 1000 times. Literally 1000 times. But that was just us going over-board and being crazy. Most people only vote once or twice. The weirdest part of this show (besides the bad contestants) is the judges. They are each given set roles to fit into. Simon is the bitter, mean yet truthful one. He’s also my favorite judge because he takes the competition seriously and only puts through people who are good enough to make it in the music business. Randy can only be described as a few words “Cool dog!” Because that is basically all he says throughout the whole show: “Dog, that was cool, yo. Don’t change your style, man.” Sometimes he gives good advice, but usually he’s too busy calling everyone “dog” to be of much help to anyone. Last season Paula Abdul played the role of “crazy-woman-who-has-no-idea-what-she’s-doing”. She was purely an annoyance. Whenever I watched the show with my family my dad always had a lot of things to make fun of with her there. She’s probably 5% human, 90% botox, and 5% crazy. Kara is left to play the wise one, who knows oh-so-much about the music industry. Sometimes she can pull it off. Sometimes she can’t. I’ll let you decide whether or not she is a good judge. The italicized text is what I wrote before Simon left, Kara left, Paula left, and Ellen DeGeneres came and then promptly left. Randy stayed and they added on Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler so it wouldn't become the Randy Jackson Show. At the beginning of this latest season I had a sinking feeling that the show was about to crash and burn. But the new judges actually surprised me and are doing well and are pretty funny. Some people have just stopped watching this show because they don't like the thought of new judges. That's how I thought at first too, but I think you should all give it one more chance. Even if you don't like the judges the show at the very least is entertaining. The music is usually great and it’s a lot of fun voting for who you think deserves the title of “American Idol”.

Real Teen Rating~ A - : Watch it!


Reviewed by The North Star

American Idol used to be my favorite reality show to watch… that was until this season.  When this show started out it was amazing!  There was actually a lot of talent and then this show reached its 7th season with the two David’s and went downhill from there.  The next season we gained a judge by the name of Kara Dioguardi and everyone was excited because there was going to be a new judge.  That excitement all died down when everyone realized how annoying she was and how every chance she got tried to steal Paula Abdul’s spotlight.  Luckily we had some talent on that season (Adam Lambert, Kris Allen, and Alexis Grace) but only a few people who were OK.  Then we got Season 9 and I think everyone died on the inside.  First, they got rid of Paula and replaced her with Ellen DeGeneres.  I think that Ellen is really funny but she was really awkward to watch on the show and she seemed like she didn’t belong there.  Second, no offense to the contestants but there was NO TALENT!!  After the first couple of rounds I stopped watching and I never ever do that with a show EVER!!!!  There was no point in watching this season and it became more about the judges than the contestants.  I’m done ranting and there are some good things about this show.  The concept of the show is really cool and we have gotten some impressing singers from this show (Carrie Underwood, David Cook, David Archuleta, Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks).  The other great thing about this show is that it is always fun to have favorites and compete with family and friends as to who will win and whos CD you will buy once the competition is over.  All in all, this show used to be really great and one of the best but recently has gone down hill.  Hopefully Idol will be able to clean themselves up for Season 10.

This grade is based off all the seasons combined together, not just one is particular.

Real Teen Rating~ C- : If there’s nothing else on TV and you want to watch something…

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