Kelly Clarkson-My December

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Song Time: 51 Minutes and 39 Seconds

My December
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Season 1 American idols winner, Kelly Clarkson, is seriously talented. She’s one of my favorite artists currently. She’s come out with four full CD’s and two singles so far since winning American idol and many of her songs have made their way onto the radio. The only thing I have left to say is that she deserved her American Idol win; her voice is amazing.  This is her third CD, and the most unpopular. Keeping that in mind, this is my favorite CD of hers, and I think it’s simply fantastic.

One Minute- 8/10- This song isn’t one of my favorites in the CD, which is why I gave it a 7.9, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. Not quite an 8 but pretty close. It’s actually a very catchy. The beat is fast and it gets stuck in my head all the time. It’s a frustrated kind of song about her boyfriend who’s emotions and moods are constantly up and down. I had this great idea that the song would actually be one minute long. You know, to go with the title. But it’s not. It’s 3 minutes and 5 seconds. It would’ve been really cool if it was exactly one minute long. The very best part is the chorus. I actually really like those parts of the song. I like the song, and the anger in it, but it’s just not one of my favorites on the CD. Favorite Line: “One minute you laugh/the next minute your slowly/sinking into something black”.

Hole-8.7/10- Love this song. There’s some cool guitar and the melody is pretty good too. What I really like about it is the lyrics. Unlike, one minute which is angry, this song seemed to me sung with more desperation. The hopelessness would go well with the lyrics. It’s about how she’s lied and deceived so much it feels as if she has a hole inside her. It’s kind of sad really. But that’s one of the reasons why I like it. It has a good beat and the lyrics are pretty good. Favorite Line: “Tired/of everything around me/I smile/I don’t feel a thing, no”.

Sober-8.9/10- For me this song is just a bit better than Hole. But they are two totally different songs. Whereas Hole is a lot more going on, lots of sound and high notes, Sober is very mellow and peaceful. It’s a sad sounding song about a sad topic. After three months of being sober after her boyfriend left her, she begins to face her feelings of him, trying to help herself as a person with him gone. It’s a song I like to sing when I’m sad. Everyone needs one of those songs. It’s a great song. Favorite Line: “And I don’t know/I could crash and burn but maybe/at the end of this road/I might catch a glimpse of me”.

Don’t Waste Your Time-8.9/10-I love singing this song all the time. Around my house at the top of my lungs, down the street under my breath, in the school halls quietly like a complete freak; anywhere. Just because the title says don’t waste your time, it doesn’t mean the song is worthless. I really enjoy it. Basically a girl telling a guy not to waste his time on her because it’s completely, totally, over between them. Another sing-when-I’m-sad kind of song. But very catchy and a song to get stuck in your head. Favorite Line: “Don’t waste your time trying to fix/what I want to erase/what I need to forget.”

Judas-9/10- A betrayal song. Yes, very good. You can just tell from the title can’t you that it’s a song about a traitor. The melody is very edgy and her voice has an angry tone to it. What it there left to say, really? She’s betrayed and she’s pretty angry about it. That’s about it. One of my favorites though. Seeing a pattern? Yeah…I like angry songs and sad songs the best. Don’t ask,  just accept it (but if you are the type of person who adoreshappy-go-lucky, cheery songs…my reviews on music may not be the most helpful for you). Favorite Line: “Couldn’t believe, couldn’t believe/how you deceived, you deceived/never thought you’d do that to me.”

Haunted-9/10- This is a rather creepy sounding song. Slow and (ha, ha) haunting. It’s basically about a girl who can’t live without a guy (which is kind of annoying, but the song itself makes up for it) and is constantly haunted by the memory of him. There are some great high notes in this song, and it really has a good beat. Also, I love the ending. The last note is really weird, but that’s what makes it great. Check it out and see what I mean! Favorite Line: “Louder, louder, the voices in my head/whispers taunting all the things you said/faster the days go by and I’m still/stuck in this moment of wanting you here.”

Be Still-8/10- One of the slowest songs in the CD. If I had to use one word to describe it, the word would be soothing. It’s a very calming song, like a ballad almost. It’s basically just about to people getting through hard times together. Together being the key word in that sentence. It’s not my favorite because I still haven’t really listened to it that much. There wasn’t anything loud or intense in the beginning, so I always skipped it and went to the next song. But I’ve listened to it a bit more lately and found that it’s actually pretty good. Favorite Line: “Foolish one with the smile/you don’t have to be brave.”

Maybe-11/10- My favorite song on the CD.  Actually, one of my favorite songs ever. It starts off pretty slow and soft. After a minute or maybe a little more it starts to build and gets faster. It’s a really soulful song about how a girl is flawed but knows that some guy might just love her anyways. Yeah, it’s totally corny but I love it. I sing it all the time. So much, in fact, that I think my entire family knows all the words, even though they’ve probably only heard the actual song once or twice. This isn’t a song with good lyrics and a bad melody. Or a song with good melody and bad lyrics. It’s got amazing lyrics and a melody that fits the song nicely. No one could recommend you listen to this more than I am right now. It’s great. Favorite Line: “Someday, when we’re at the same place/when we’re on the same road/when it okay to hold my hand/without feeling lost, without all the excuses”.

How I Feel-8.5/10- So a girl can’t find the right guy. She blames herself and is angry at the guys that have hurt her and is pretty sure she’s going to end up alone. That’s pretty much the gist of the song. The melody is a little weird (but this is just my opinion…)but not necessarily in a bad sort of way. I have to say I really do like the lyrics. Sad, but that certainly doesn’t keep it from being a  good song. Overall, not my favorite…but I do find myself singing it when I’m in an angry mood. So I guess that must mean it’s a good angry song…or maybe that’s just me. Favorite Line: “Oh, I’m getting tired of leaving/even sicker of pretending/that it’s not so bad, just wait it out.”

Yeah-9/10- I know what you must think when you see the title. Wow, this is so obviously going to be a stupid song. Yeah, that’s what I thought too. It’s a weird title but the guitar and the drums in the background are really awesome. The lyrics also aren’t that bad (though the chorus consists of a lot of Yeah’s). It’s one of my favorites on the CD and I always replay it a bunch of times when it comes on my iPod. Favorite Line: “I don’t read minds but I’m trying my best to read your’s”.

Can I Have A Kiss-8.5/10- Another slow song. And as for what it’s about, I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. Can I have a kiss? That’s basically it. I hadn’t listened to it until pretty recently, because it sounded kind of boring at first. But I found that I really liked it.  Definitely not the best, but it’s really pretty. And sad of course. Favorite Line: “I tried to warn you, I’ve been a mess since you’ve known me/I can’t promise forever but I’m working on it”.

Irvine-12/10-This is another of my favorites. This is a really sad song, but that’s kind of what makes it so good. One thing that’s really great about it is the fact that it’s basically just her voice and a guitar. It sounds really natural and peaceful.  I think it’s the sound of the melody combined with the lyrics that makes the song so meaningful. It says that the song is eight minutes and forty-six seconds. Really, the Irvine song is only around four minutes. But if you wait a minute (listening to silence) another song begins. And it’s called Chivas. This song is also acoustic, but it’s extremely bitter. But like Irvine it’s great. Favorite Line (Irvine): “Why is it so hard/why can’t you just take me/I don’t have much to go/before I fade completely”. Favorite Line (Chivas): “Guess I fell too fast/guess I learned my lesson/so much for true love/I’ll take the Chivas instead”.

Dirty Little Secret-9/10- This comes along if you buy the entire CD. It’s a bonus track, and it’s really good. I know I may sound like a broken record, but this was one of my favorite songs. The chorus is awesome to sing along to. As you might have guessed, it’s about  a guy who cheats on a girl and she finds out. So it’s kind of an angry song, but it’s really powerful. It’s definitely one of my favorites on the CD, right after Maybe and Irvine. Favorite Line: “Why you runnin’ ’round in circles/tryin’ so hard to discourage/tellin’ secrets that’ll surface/one way or another”.

Okay, so there are really two more songs on the CD, but they’re both the same song done over differently. They’re Kelly Clarkson’s single Never Againmade over to be more dance music than good music, if you know what I mean. Really, it’s a great CD that I would definitely recommend. There’s variety and meaning. In my opinion, it was a CD that should have been her best.

Real Teen Rating~ A : Worth Buying!

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The Tenth Kingdom – Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Scott Cohen, John Larroquette, and Dianne Wiest

The Tenth Kingdom

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The Gist

Virginia Lewis is a normal girl living in NYC.  She is in her twenties, and lives with her dad in rundown apartment building which her dad does repair work in.  Meanwhile, in the 4th kingdom, three trolls and the wicked stepmother escape from high security prison and turn Prince Wendell of the 4th kingdom into a dog, turning the dog into Prince Wendell.  When Prince Wendell (who is really a dog) escapes into our world, the trolls are sent to follow him and capture him.  So is a half-wolf man named Wolf.  Prince Wendell runs to Virginia, and after a few escapades in our world, Prince Wendell, Virginia, her dad Tony, Wolf and the three trolls all end up back in the 4th kingdom.  There begins an adventure to return Prince Wendell to his rightful body before the wicked stepmother (a.k.a the Evil Queen) brings her dastardly plan to take over the 4th kingdom to blossom.


What We Think

Reviewed by Living Destiny

Run Time: 417 Minutes

Rating: (none, it's a TV series)

Just so we all know, that was not the best gist I’ve ever written.  But, considering this movie is seven hours long and I was trying to be brief, it wasn’t bad.  And yes, you read that right.  Seven hour movie.  That’s because The Tenth Kingdom was originally a short tv type series.  There were, I think, 9 episodes.  Then, some ingenious but certainly crazy person decided, hey, let’s smush all of these episodes together to make a movie.  And it was a very good movie.  Like you’d think, being seven hours long, it would just get annoying and boring and we (my friends and I) would just turn it off.  But no, we watched it start to finish, and ended up staying awake until at least 2, probably 3 in the morning to finish it off.  (We of course had a couple breaks, otherwise my butt would have been so far asleep it would be in a coma).

So, the characters were really interesting in this monster-of-a-movie.  Being a fantasy series, there were some interesting species to deal with.  There are four trolls who are main characters, not to mention the whole prince-inside-a-dog-while-dog-is-inside-prince thing.  The special effects were killer.  And you could tell the characters were really thought through.  They all had little quirks they would do, like the trolls would scream ‘suck an elf’, and Wolf would scratch his ear and say ‘huff-puff’ (which my friends and I now jokingly copy when we’re annoyed).  I especially like the Wicked Queen and Snow White, but Virginia was a good one too.  The dad and the prince both sort of bothered me at times, but they were totally strong characters.  Then there’s Wolf.  My friends really loved him.  They thought he was amazingly cute.  I will admit he grew on me, and I really liked him, but there were times where he was a serious sketch.  It was creepy.

The plot was very easy to follow for such a long movie.  This can be attributed to the fact that it was a tv show, so it had to be followable.  It never gets slow ever, which is difficult even for a tv show.  The plot was so twisty, and the characters were so funny and entertaining that I just never lost interest.  There was a little bit of everything in there, like a tossed salad of theme.  There were some intense scenes, some romantic scenes, a lot of funny scenes, and a few morbid scenes.  (I admit I laughed at the morbid scenes.  It sounds horrible, I know, but I always laugh at gruesome things.  Dead body on the news?  Arson at a church.  That’s funny!  To me anyway.)  There’s definitely something for everyone!

This whole movie was just epic.  I went into with some apprehension (I mean come on, a seven hour movie?), but I came out of it thoroughly entertained.  I totally recommend this movie to anyone with the patience to sit through it.  It’s worth it.  And if you don’t have the patience?  Find it.

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


Reviewed by ShoreWhisperer

So I introduced this movie to North, Living and Dream. Ever since I was little fairy-tales have entranced me. So when I saw my parents watching this short series I watched it with them. Then I saw it at Blockbuster one day and had to rent it. I watched it at least ten times. Then I rented it again. I can flat out say that this is my favorite “movie”. I can’t really say that this is a movie, though. It’s SEVEN HOURS long. That is a VERY long time. I love the acting. Kimberley Williams isn’t a well known actress and this was the first time I saw her act. She really did very well in this movie as Virginia. Then Scott Cohen is the most amazing Wolf that there ever could be. I love him… he is my favorite character. He is quirky and cute. The whole plot of the story is unique and that’s what captures me every time :the history of the kingdoms. The way they incorporate every little fairy tale is amazing. After you’ve watched it so many times and as you grow older you pick up on little things here and there it’s like you’re watching the movie for the first time every time you watch it. There isn’t a way to describe this movie easily. What is the genre? Fantasy but the movie also has comedy, romance, horror, sci-fi and bits and pieces of everything so it doesn’t fail to satisfy. Even saying that, the movie is different. That is what might turn people away. You have to give this movie a chance it’s totally worth it. Watch it in one sitting or not you will be satisfied by the one-of-a-kind plot, acting and effects. This is a movie that can please the whole family, you have princesses, trolls, romance and fighting. It’s really worth your seven hours.

Real Teen Rating~ A+ : If you haven’t seen this movie you are a deprived soul!!

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The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

      * #1 New York Times Bestseller      

The Hunger Games
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The Gist

 In the future, North America is divided into districts.  Twelve districts, plus the Capitol.  In district 12, most people are poor, work in coal mines, or die of starvation.  About half the districts are in similar predicaments.  Once a year, the Capitol calls up 24 kids, 2 from each district, to fight to the death in an arena.  The last one living becomes rich and famous.  But the Hunger Games aren’t a light event.  They are a constant punishment for the rebellion started against the Capitol, back when there had been 13 districts.  When Katniss Everdeen’s little sister, Primrose, is chosen to be a tribute, she leaps up and volunteers in place of her sister.  Katniss and the other tribute from district 12, Peeta Mellark, are sucked into the chaotic world that is the Hunger Games.  Suddenly, it’s a fight to survive, on national television, with a hope that ‘love’ can win out.  But will the Capitol have the last laugh?


What We Think

Reviewed by Living Destiny

Number of Pages: 374

That was a rather dramatic gist.  Well, this is a book that tries to be dramatic.  It also tries to be funny, romantic, touching and intense.  I’m not sure it succeeds at any of these.  Sure, there were some parts that really caught me, but there were also a few parts that fell flat.

I had moderate expectations for this book.  So many of my friends have been raving about the series for a while.  I even had a teacher recommend it (and not my english teacher, either).  So when one of my more forceful friends pushed the book into my hands in the hall one day and said read it, I decided to give it a shot.  And I’m not saying it went downhill from there, but it certainly didn’t break the awesome line either.  The beginning was dull.  I was really kind of bored for the first, like, six chapters.  There are a few random things in there that really don’t have anything to do with the story.  Sometimes that’s ok, but these ones stuck out like sore thumbs and were not ok at all.  Then, they get to the Capitol, and it’s just weird, and a little bit stupid.  These people don’t seem to have any sense.  They’re like, let’s just set these kids on fire and parade them around in a chariot!  I’m not even joking.  Then there’s the end of ‘part one’.  Most awkward thing ever.  And I’m the girl who lives for those awkward moments.  I literally thrive in awkward, and almost never feel awkward.  This part made me squirm in my seat.  And then it made me really angry.  And then the Games started and it got sort of interesting.  It was definitely the part that hooked me the most.  But even that part got annoying and irritating.  And then the end went back to pretty lame, so it came full circle.  The very end of the book, like the last three pages, were so totally horrible I almost threw the book across the room.  Two words: NOT COOL.

The main character, Katniss, was whiny.  Sometimes she was caring, or even insightful, but mostly she just whined.  Do they like me, what am I feeling, blah blah blah.  Just shut up already.  Peeta Mellark, on the other hand, has become the next Edward Cullen.  You know how after Twilight, all these teenage girls were running around saying I wanna marry Edward Cullen?  Yea, enter Peeta Mellark.  Now all I from those of my friends who have read this book is i love Peeta, marry me Peeta, I would totally be Katniss.  Really?  You would throw yourself into destruction and danger and despair for a fictional character?  Well, have fun with that.  I’m not saying I don’t like his character.  (In fact, he’s my second favorite character, right below Cinna).  I just think people need a tighter grip on reality.

This book was such a bunch of blah.  At least the writing was good.  The plot idea was pretty good, I just don’t think it was executed well enough.  My final thought on this book?  EH.

Real Teen Rating ~ C- : Read it if you’re bored…


Reviewed by ShoreWhisperer

I, unlike Living, was in love with this book. I had never read anything so good.  I was used to cheesy romance books with the same plot and most times the same ending. This took a different route. It transferred you into the future, and it wasn’t coated over with sugar. It was straightforward and blunt. Not hiding anything from the gruesome idea of what our future will be. Everyone thinks about what the future of out world will be. Most times it’s the flying cars and wacky fashion styles. That idea of course incorporated, but isn’t the main theme of the book. That is what made me love it so much. The way that the people lived in the districts were so different of that of the Capital that it showed the immense power that the rich have over the people in this book.  Then the whole idea of the Hunger Games is one of the most vile things that I had ever read and it made me happy to see someone writing a young adults novel that was so intense. Usually you don’t get plots like that until you read Stephen King and other harder books. Suzanne Collins then adds the whole issue with Katniss and Peeta. This I think made the book. Peeta Mellark may be super sweet but I can assure you that he will not be the next Edward Cullen. He has a totally different composure to himself and I know people who prefer Gale over him. This book might come with the fan craze of Twilight but it is definitely worth the reading. You will be entranced by the book and forever living in the suspense of the Hunger Games. If you haven’t read it already, this is one book that should be on the top of your list. It is extremely entertaining and enthralling.

Real Teen Ratings~ A+: Why are you still reading this, go buy this book now!

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The Host (the Host #1) - Stephenie Meyer

* #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

*New York Times Bestseller

The Host
Buy it here and support our blog

The Gist

 The world is over. But Melanie Stryder has managed to hang on to the life she knows she deserves. When the world was first taken over, no one actually knew it was happening. Secret aliens who refer to themselves as souls have invaded countless planets before Earth. They’ve gone in undercover and took over the minds of creatures who didn’t know about what was going on and slowly took over every creature on that planet, until they all looked exactly like they had always looked, but now they were controlled by a tiny silver “worm” in the back of their heads, their entire beings basically the souls’  bodies now. Entire planets now populated with Souls instead of  what was supposed to populate them. Now, Souls have taken over the Earth and those few humans who have managed to escape them within the first few years of attack have to hide for their lives. Souls set out to find rebel humans still alive and capture them, at once turning them into Souls. Melanie is on the run in Arizona with her brother Jamie when she first meets Jared; a rebel human, one of the few left, and now her only hope.  When she’s captures and forced to become one of the enemy, she refuses to let go, and she remains in the back of Soul’s head, an annoyance and humiliation. Wanderer, the soul to take over Melanie, is just trying to find her place in the world. She wants to fit in and feel strong. But that’s kind of hard when there’s a rebel human’s voice nagging you in the back of your mind. Human resistance when the soul is already in the body was not normal, and she feels disgraced. Finally, after living with Melanie and her memories for too long, Wanderer cracks and does what Melanie tells her. They drive into the middle of a desert where Melanie is sure a group of rebel humans live so she can see Jared and Jamie again. And a group of humans who just might be able to get Wanderer out of her.


What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Number of Pages: 619

The famous and infamous Stephenie Meyer. I know what you must be thinking. Somehow this must be another Twilight in disguise! But it’s really not. It’s much better. Though my long and rambling gist may not have been enough to convince you of that. This book (unlike Twilight) has a complicated and very interesting plot that kept me eager to read more. Though some of the characters reminded me of those from the Twilight Series, the Host characters were even better in my opinion. The only thing was, you either absolutely loved a character, or you hated them. At least when I read it. There were no characters were I was on the fence, really. There was only one character that I didn’t like butwanted to like. And that was Jared. So I guess he as kind of in the middle for me…but still things should never be so black and white in a book. Another thing: this was science-fiction, aliens-taking-over-the-world book, but it wasn’t stupid. It wasn’t real geeky science-fiction. It was really cool. The whole idea was really great and I was constantly interested. The writing, of course, was phenomenal, as it is in everything else Stephenie Meyer has written (though some wouldn’t like to admit it, I suppose). Overall, I thought this book was much better than the Twilight series, so those of you who hate Twilight, give this a shot anyways because it’s totally different (no vampires included). And for all you who loved Twilight and are incredibly obsessed, I won’t have to tell you twice, will I? And then there’s the category who didn’t really care so much about Twilight. Don’t love it, don’t hate it; in between really. Read it. It’ll be worth it. And the people who haven’t read Twilight? Why shouldn’t you read this? So you wouldn’t read Twilight under pain of death. So what? This isn’t Twilight and I would certainly recommend it to most everyone.

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


Reviewed by ShoreWhisperer

I haven’t met a person who hasn’t liked this book. Many people who first look at the book are put off by the fact that Stephanie Meyer wrote it. To all you Twilight haters out there, just because she wrote the Twilight Saga it doesn’t mean that her other books are the same. For example, Living was stubborn and refused vehemently whenever the rest of us suggested that she read Twilight so when I heard she was reading The Host I was surprised. I will let her tell you what she thought of it but she was not disappointed. You have to give this book a try. The writing is a hundred times better than her other books. The characters, although you can relate them back to her other books, seem to be real. They seem to leap off the page. The memories she puts into the story make it seem like you are best friends with Melanie and she also uses them to make you sympathetic, hateful and other things towards characters. The writing is skillful and still easy for teenagers to read even though the book was aimed at an older audience, at first. Supposedly this book is the sci-fi book for the people that like sci-fi. But even though there is a lot of sci-fi in it, you don’t notice it, it’s nothing bizarre and crazy that will creep you out so don’t let that hold you back. This book is good for everyone, I would recommend it to anyone. There are no dull points in this book, and the setting and time period have you never wanting to put down the book. Not only does the book have the page turner effect, it has you feel every different type of emotion physically possible in the span of 619 pages that contains the story. Not only that but then there is the additional chapter that is now being passed around. This book will not let you down so put it on the top of your “To Read” lists.

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


Reviewed by Living Destiny

As I know I’ve already stated somewhere, I did not read the Twilight series.  And I’ll freely admit that when I saw North Star and Dream Catcher reading this book I thought ‘Oh great, another Twilight for me to hear about’.  But over the summer North told me to read the book, and I figured if I didn’t give it a try, North and Dream might just attack me.  Not that I couldn’t take them, but I figured I’d just avoid the carnage.  So I took The Host with a smile on my face, and decided to just get through it.  When I started it, I really wasn’t that into it.  It was a cool concept and everything, but the writing and the story wasn’t catching my attention very well.  It got better though, and by page 70-ish I was fully engrossed.  I ended up totally sucked in, and I found myself eagerly devouring page after page.  I finished it less than two weeks after I got it, lounging on a dock on a lake in Maine, hanging with my cousins and basking in the sunlight.  Wow do I ever miss summer.

So, the book: it really was incredible.  I admit that part of me didn’t expect this book to amount to anything.  I was wrong.  The  characters were the absolute best part of the book for me.  I liked Melanie and Jeb, and most of the other characters too, but my favorite characters were definitely Wanderer, Jamie and Ian.  The was only one character I really didn’t like, and that was Jared (although, like Dream, I felt like I should have liked him).  He was too angry and twitchy, and something about him just made me want to punch things.

The whole plot of the story was very entertaining.  It made me think about what it would be like if I was put into Melanie’s position (and if a book or plot makes me think, then it’s a good one).  Another thing that I really loved about this book was the fact that it broke so many labels.  At first, it was labeled as an adult novel (written, as Shore said, for an older audience).  However, it turned more towards YA after Twilight fans felt themselves clamoring for more Stephenie Meyer.  Also, a lot of people say this is a science fiction book.  While I see where that comes from, this book shouldn’t be judged solely on that.  Maybe you aren’t a fan of sci-fi; that’s fine, but there’s still a very good chance that you’ll like this book.  It really can’t be squished into one classification.  It has a little bit of everything!

I loved this book.  I really did.  I hate being wrong (as any of the others will tell you), but in this instance, I appreciated being proved wrong.  I feel the need to thank Shore for totally putting words in my mouth in her review, but at the same time, she’s right: I wasn’t disappointed, and you won’t be either.

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

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Paramore- Riot!

Real Teen Award
-Best Band of 2010

Reviewed by The North Star

Song Time: 38 Minutes and 58 Seconds

Riot!
Buy it here and support our blog

I have loved Paramore ever since I first heard them on the radio with their signature song “Misery Business”.  The sound of their music is brilliant and very different from the new mixed stuff that you hear of the radio today.  Even when they do songs for movies they are still songs that you hear on the radio on a pretty regular basis (Decode).  Hayley Williams who is the lead singer of Paramore is a fantastic singer.  She has a cool edge to her voice which makes the songs not sound just pop it makes them sound also like rock.  The other great thing about her is that she just came out with the new song with B.o.B (Airplanes) and the funny thing about it that I like her part in the song better than B.o.B’s rapping part.

Riot! is Paramore’s second CD but the most successful.


For a Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic-7.5/10- This is a really good song over-all.  Like all Paramore songs it has a good beat, but this isn’t a song that you can listen to on repeat for hours on end.  After listening to this song a couple of times I wanted to switch it because I was kind of sick of hearing it.


That’s What You Get- 10/10 – This is my second favorite song on the CD.  This is probably their second most famous song on the CD.  This song is about people who let their heart cloud their judgment and this is something a lot of people experience.  This song has a really good beat and a great song to sing-along to in the car or in your room with your friends.


Hallelujah-8.5/10- I like this song because it starts off slow and slowly gets bigger and bigger until it reaches the top which is awesome.  The problem is that once it gets to the top it stays there and they keep repeating themselves and then the song end.  I was expecting to keep escalating.  Other than that the song is pretty good and not what you would expect from a song titled Hallelujah.


Misery Business- 10/10- This song is tied at second with That’s What You Get.  This was their first big hit and is very catchy.  After listening to this song it gets stuck in your head for days.  This song is about a girl who basically steals another girls man, and she is bragging to this other girl about how she won this guy over.  Not the most creative story line but still very real to high school/ college life.  Again this song has a great beat and you will find yourself singing it in the hallways.


When It Rains- 8/10-There is nothing really wrong with this song, it just isn’t my cup of tea.  It is one of the slower Paramore songs, and that’s fine but there is just something about the song that I don’t really like, but you may really like it.



Let the Flames Begin- 7/10- This song is just OK.  It has a nice beat but the entire song it stays one volume and they never really take it down to a slower part.  This song is something you would hear at a rave that you kind of wish they would shut off because they are playing too loud.  This is not my favorite song but it’s not terrible, the lyrics are nice when you actually listen to them.


Miracle-9/10- When I first heard this song I thought that is was going to be on the radio but it never made it that far.  This is a song that you would think would be on the radio and for a couple of months people would obsess over.  The whole song is very current pop, the lyrics are sad but covered up by a great tune so then the overall song sounds happy and up-beat.  A pretty good song overall.


Crushcrushcrush-8/10- This song isn’t my favorite on the CD but I really like the beat and feel the song has.  The lyrics are just decent but this is one of the those songs that you would hear at a party or a dance where everyone is either singing along really loud or head banging.


We Are Broken-6/10- This  is my least favorite song on the CD.  I usually like slower songs but by Paramore (who is a more up-beat band) it is harder to pull off.  This song is depressing and even though those songs can most of the time be good this one just isn’t.  By the middle of the song I get tired of it and switch it to the next song.  If you are just buying songs on iTunes or something then I wouldn’t recommend buying it.


Fences-11/10- This is my all-time favorite Paramore song.  The beat is great and makes you just wanna dance.  Whenever I listen to this song it makes me smile because I really like the message.  It’s all about whenever you screw-up and say the wrong thing to someone or someone says the wrong thing to you, that you should just walk it off and forget but go out in style.  The other reason that I really enjoy this song is because it has a cool pop-jazz feel to it and it really shows through Hayley Williams voice.


Born for This-9/10- I really enjoy this song.  Everything my Ipod turns to this song turns on I get up and start dancing in my room, especially when it gets to the part when she is going back and forth with a crowd.  I love the message in this song and I think this is a song that most people will fall in love with when they first hear it, listen to it a million times, forget about it, and a couple months later rediscover it and remember what a great song that it is.


Paramore is a band to go down in the record books for sure and if you ever are in need of a good CD with good variety then I would not hesitate to buy it!!

Real Teen Rating~ A: Worth Buying

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How To Train Your Dragon – Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, and America Ferrera

Real Teen Award
- Best Actor/Character 2010: Jay Bruchel

The Gist

How To Train Your Dragon
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Hiccup is a young viking who dreams of fighting dragons.  When he manages to hit a Night Fury (the most deadly and mysterious of all dragons), he sets off to find where it landed and kill it.  When he finds the dragon, he can’t bring himself to kill it, so he sets it free.  Hiccup and the dragon, who he names Toothless, strike up an unlikely friendship.  When the adult vikings try to find the dragon nest, things get complicated, and it’s up to Hiccup and Toothless, along with the other viking teens, to stop things from turning into total catastrophe.

What We Think
Reviewed by Living Destiny

Run Time: 98 Minutes

Rating: PG

This movie is based on the book How To Train Your Dragon, by Cressida Cowell.  When I heard this was coming out as a movie, a distinct memory of receiving the book for Christmas a long time ago was unearthed.  When I searched my bookshelves, I found the book, so I decided to read it before I went to see the movie.  The book was so very lame.  It was really pretty horrible.  The movie, I’m happy to report, is like 30 times better than the book.

The characters in the movie were very entertaining.  The main character, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), was very funny.  He was sarcastic, occasionally witty, and self-deprecating at times.  Astrid, the tough female viking (voiced by America Ferrera) wasn’t as sarcastically funny as Hiccup, but she was funny during the dragon fighting training, and she was clever.  She was a really good addition to the movie (because her character wasn’t in the book.)  The twin vikings (Tuffnut and Ruffnut) were super annoying, but their stupidity was funny.  (I’m using the word funny a lot.  Suffice to say this movie was pretty funny.)  Gerard Butler was really well cast as Stoick, the head of the viking tribe and Hiccup’s father.  Stoick was an ok character.  He aggravated me with his awkward bluntness about his disappointment in his son, but he was supposed to be aggravating, so he was a successful character.

The animation in this movie was outstanding.  And I mean outstanding.  The vikings all looked realistic, but the best part was the dragons.  They were like works of art, all the different breeds looking distinctive and gorgeous.  Toothless was adorable.  He was a supposedly terrifying dragon, but he was so so so cute.  I just loved him.  And the flying scenes were well executed too.  The dragons soaring through the clouds and over the water was amazing and fun to watch.

The end of the movie was epic.  I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say it was totally intense.  I didn’t want to even blink, I was so afraid to miss anything.  It was touching too.  The whole theater was so into the movie.  There were lots of *gasps* and *awwws*.

This movie totally rocked.  I thought it was going to be a little silly, seeing as it was a kids movie based on a really bad kids book, but DreamWorks pulled it off.  Me and my friends had the same last thought leaving the theater.  What was it, you ask?  I totally want a dragon now!

Real Teen Rating~ B+: Worth Watching

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

The first time I saw this was with my cousins (under five years old), my parents, and my sister. I really loved it and thought it was a great movie for kids. The second time I saw this was with the North Star and Living Destiny.  And I loved it just as much as I had the first time. It was really good. I even wouldn’t mind seeing it again. Maybe not seeing it too soon, but I’d definitely see it again. And if I want to see it again it has to be pretty good. I thought the screenplay was funny, witty, and definitely above average for kid’s movie standards. The dialogue really kept me interested in the movie and occationally got me to laugh.  The main character was also pretty sarcastic and cynical so I enjoyed that.  Sarcasm and cynicism automatically make me like a character.  The animation was also really great. The main dragon, Toothless, was extremely adorable. Another thing… his personality reminded me of my dog. Which was both weird (considering Toothless was a dragon) and really cool because these characteristics made him seem almost real. Overall I thought this movie was great for kids and even for some teenagers that are as crazy as us.

Real Teen Rating~ A- :  See it with some friends.

Reviewed by The North Star

I wasn’t crazy about this movie.  When I first saw it was coming out I thought that it may be a movie I want to stop by and check out when I have time but Dream and Living insisted that we go because Dream had already seen it and she wanted to see it again.  They really wanted to go and after much convincing I agreed to go.  After the movie I thought that it was cute for littler kids but just a little too little for me.  The main character was really funny and very sarcastic and don’t get me wrong Toothless was extra cute.  The problem I had with this moving was that the plot was lacking and I really don’t like movies that have no story.  You can have as many special effects as you want but if you don’t have a good story then the whole movie kind of falls apart.  It was basically about this boy who no one liked and then he made a friend who happened to be a dragon and then he gets good at things and everyone loves him.  The story line wasn’t that original so that bothered me a little.  My other huge pet peeve with movies is unnessacary love interests and this movie had one of those.  There was a girl that would have been a better best friend but instead of course they made him fall in love with her and vice versa.  In summary, this is a perfect story for kids under11 but kids older than that it lacks a little, but still a cute movie.

Real Teen Rating~ C+: Just Average

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Werewolf

Mystery Science Theater 3000
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The Gist
After digging up strange bones, a man becomes a werewolf.

What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
I know that is a very short gist but it was all I could come up for this movie.  First off, Mystery Science Theater is a show where they take terrible movies and they watch them and during the movie make hilarious comments about what is going on.  Werewolf the movie that they chose to do for this episode was so terrible.  I have seen a lot of Mystery Science Theaters and this one was one of the worst.  I was so confused because all of the characters were randomly turning into werewolves and the main 2 guys looked exactly a-like so you had no clue what was going on.  With bad movies though comes hilarious comments.  This MST3000 was narrated by Mike and some of their comments were so funny that almost everyday my friends and I will quote the movie while walking in the hallways.  In MST3000 throughout the movie they will do little skits and usually they aren’t that funny but there is one song that sing in a skit that is pure genius.  The other great thing about this episode was that not all the jokes were fall on my back im laughing so hard some were just a chuckle or not funny at all and with a show like this not every joke has to be hilarious. If you ever have extra time then you should check out any Mystery Science Theaters but this one is a winner so if you have never watched Mystery Science Theater then pick this one because you won’t be disappointed.
Real Teen Rating~ The actual movie:  D- : I wouldn’t bother at all
Mystery Science Theater: A: You MUST watch this movie

Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Okay, first of all, the actual movie is about archeologists who, on an archeological dig, find the bones of a dead werewolf. They then proceed to have a horribly unrealistic fist fight where one of the archeologists falls over the bones and scratches himself.  He becomes a werewolf because of this and attacks the innocent by night. So, in short, one of the worst plots ever created. The funny thing is I’m not sure which was worse, the terrible acting or the terrible plot. This makes it the perfect Mystery Science Theater movie. As for the whole package (mystery science theater comments and the movie itself) it was pretty good. The comments made were pretty funny but most weren’t hilarious. A few I still quote when I can slip them into conversation. Of the mystery science theaters I’ve seen this has the best skits, but not the best comments during the movie. Overall, it was an above-average funny Mystery Science Theater but not the funniest of the ones I’ve seen. If you’re in the mood for some giggles (and one of the most predictable endings to a movie ever) pick up this Mystery Science Theater and watch it with some friends – you won’t be disapointed.
Real Teen Rating~ The actual movie : D- : I woudn’t bother at all.
Mystery Science Theater: A : You MUST watch this movie.

Reviewed by Living Destiny
The actual movie was so incredibly pathetic it wasn’t funny.  Well ok, it was a little funny.  But the Mystery Science Theater crew completely decimated the movie, and it became hilarious.  Unlike North Star, I usually like the skits they have (unless they’re really lame), and these ones were so so funny.  The song one was definitely the best one I’ve ever seen, and I still go around singing it in school (drawing some very weird looks.)  The comments during the movie were very funny too.  This episode was a Mike episode (as opposed to a Joel episode), and I am learning to like Mike the more I watch him comment on.  Crow and Tom Servo were, as always, so so funny.  They made all these great comments about the main girl, making fun of her accent.  There was also one really funny-but-bad pun that was just perfect.  Puns are amazing.  Gypsy wasn’t in this episode, but then she’s not in many episodes, so it didn’t make a difference at all.  This was a really good episode of MST3000, and I would know, because I’ve seen some terrible episodes.  Great movie (and even series) to watch with friends at a sleepover!
Real Teen Rating~The actual movie: D- : I wouldn’t bother at all.
Mystery Science Theater: A: You MUST watch this movie.

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Trunk Bay - St. John

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

A long, long time ago (just this February) I went on vacation to the Virgin Islands (beautiful place, by the way) and more specifically, St. Thomas. While vacationing there my family and I took a day trip to St. John – only twenty minutes away by ferry – and spent the day at a beach called Trunk Bay. It was probably the most beautiful and natural beach I’ve ever been on. For one thing it seemed to go on forever; I never saw the end of the beach. Also, it was so natural and not commercial - unlike some other beaches I went to when vacationing in the Virgin Islands.  It was a national park, too, so they took really good care of it and didn’t let tourist trash the place. They had a little beach shack that served food that was pretty good as far as beach shack food goes. I saved the best for last: AMAZING CORAL REEF. Seriously. You could rent snorkel equipment and go out into the ocean by this HUGE mound of rocks and see millions of kinds of exotic fish. It was completely amazing. I could have spent all day out there.  With the help of my sister I took an excessive amount of photos of tropical fish and about twenty photos of a large barracuda we saw. I was psyched to see the barracuda. My sister screamed bloody murder. So I got all the pictures of that one.  Like I said, I could have spent all day in the coral reef, but we had to catch a ferry back to St. Thomas, so…but I would recommend the beach to everyone. If you’re ever in the area, check out Trunk Bay, and I guarantee you’ll have a great time.
Real Teen Review: I wish I was there right now!

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The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5) - Rick Riordan

* New York Times Bestselling Series

*New York Times Bestselling Author

If you have not read The Battle of the Labyrinth, then read at your own risk, this contains spoilers!

The Last Olympian
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The Gist

 After just escaping the Labyrinth and making a new friend along the way (Rachel Elizabeth Dare), Percy and the gang have started a new year, but not to a great start.  Some of their closest friends are dying as a result of the war and Kronos is gaining power very quickly as more people join his army.  Percy starts to put together an army to face of Kronos when he arrives in New York and his prophecy quickly starts to unfold, mysteries are brought up, things resolved and a battle that puts an end to everything.


What We Think

Reviewed by The North Star

Number of Pages: 381

I thought that it was finally time that I reviewed the final Percy Jackson book so here it goes.  This was one of my least favorite of the Percy Jackson books.  Then thing I didn’t like about it was that not a lot really happened.  I mean they had this huge battle but reading the book it was a little dry.  The ending parts of the book was amazing but the beginning and middle part of the book were just ehh for me.  I also didn’t like the character of Rachel Elizabeth Dare in this book because she was very whiny and there was this weird relationship between Percy and her.  There were things that I did like about this book though.  The whole big fight was great and all the things in the past books that you were scratching your head about where all cleared up in this book.  All in all I think that it was a really good end to a series and although Rick Riordan will probably not right another Percy Jackson book for a while it’s OK because the ending was very satisfying.  If you have followed the entire series then you should most definitely finish the series off with this book!!!!!

Real Teen Rating~ A: Go Buy Now!


Reviewed by Dream Catcher

I couldn’t believe that this was the last book. I was so excited for this book to come out, but also a part of me didn’t want it to.  I wanted the series to comtinue. I didn’t want it to end. But still, I got the book the first day I possible could and read it that same day. And finished it. One day was all it took to read one 300-something page book. That’s an accomplishment for me. Out of all the Percy Jackson books I have to say this one might me my favorite. It answered  so many questions and had a lot of sweet Percabeth (Percy+Annabeth) romance. You finally get to learn about Percys prophecy and watch as he takes steps to defeat Kronos and his army. I also found this one of the saddest Percy Jackson books, but I won’t say why. Hint: they are in the middle of a WAR after all. This is the epic conclution to a stunning series. Read, laugh, cry, and complete the truly amazing Percy Jackson series.

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

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