Top 5 Books Coming Out in 2016

Top 5 Books I’m excited to see come out in 2016 (with some honorary mentions because there are so many good ones!)

Review! The Good Dinosaur

Pre-Thoughts:

I felt like there really wasn’t a lot of marketing for this movie. I figure that this movie is about a dinosaur and a human that learn to become friends and eventually learn to become a family. Honestly, from the trailers it looks like a pretty standard film, and if it weren’t for the fact that it was Pixar I don’t know if I would be that interested in seeing it.

Review! The Naughty List

Authors: Michael Fry and Bradley Jackson

240 pages—Ages 8 to 12 (and up)

Published by: HarperCollins on September 22, 2015

Summary (from harpercollins.com):

When Bobbie's hilariously bumbling efforts to save her brother's Christmas actually land him on Santa's Naughty List, she must travel to the North Pole to make things right again and save Christmas. Bobbie suddenly finds herself on an epic holiday adventure complete with rogue elves, dysfunctional reindeer, a lazy Santa, and more.

Fans of the Big Nate and Diary of a Wimpy Kid series will love this laugh-out-loud funny Christmas adventure packed with comic illustrations.

Review! Disney Fairies: The Trouble with Tink (#1)

Author: Kiki Thorpe (author) and Judith Holmes Clarke (illustrator)

129 pages--Ages 6 to 9 (and up)

Published By: Random House on January 10, 2006

Summary (from amazon.com): 

Tinker Bell is supposed to be the best there is at fixing pots and pans, but when she loses her hammer, her talent goes with it. Tink is desperate to reclaim her skill. But does she have the courage to face up to her past?

Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure (Book #1)

Author: P.B. Kerr

368 Pages--Ages 8 and up

Published by: Orchard Books on October 1, 2004

Summary (amazon.com): 

Meet John and Philippa Gaunt, twelve-year-old twins who one day discover themselves to be descended from a long line of djinn. All of a sudden, they have the power to grant wishes, travel to extraordinary places (and not necessarily on public transportation), and make people and objects disappear. Luckily (and luck does have something to do with it), the twins are introduced to their eccentric djinn-Uncle Nimrod, who will teach them how to harness their newly found power. And not a moment too soon!

Review! Unfriended

Author: Rachel Vail

288 Pages--Teens

Published by: Viking Juvenile on September 25, 2014

Summary (from rachelvail.com):

When thirteen-year-old Truly is invited to sit at the Popular Table, she finds herself caught in a web of lies and misunderstandings, made unescapable by the hyperconnected social media world.

Review! Book Scavenger

Author: Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

368 pages--ages 9 and up

Published by: Henry Holt and Co. on June 2, 2015

Summary (from bookscavenger.com):

Twelve-year-old Emily is on the move again. Her family is relocating to San Francisco, home of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger, a game where books are hidden all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles. But Emily soon learns that Griswold has been attacked and is in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold and leads to a valuable prize. But there are others on the hunt for this book, and Emily and James must race to solve the puzzles Griswold left behind before Griswold’s attackers make them their next target.

Review! Masterminds

Author: Gordon Korman

336 pages--ages 8 and up

Published by:  Balzer + Bray on February 3, 2015

 

Summary (from amazon.com):

Eli Frieden lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else. The thirty kids who live there never lie—they know it’s a short leap from that to the awful problems of other, less fortunate places.

Eli has never left Serenity . . . why would he ever want to? Then one day, he bikes to the edge of the city limits and something so crazy and unexpected happens, it changes everything. Eli convinces his friends to help him investigate further, and soon it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. The clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, connecting their ideal crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents.

Review! Diary of a Wimpy Kid #10: Old School

Author: Jeff Kinney

224 pages—Ages 8 and up

Published by: Harry N. Abrams

Summary (from amazon.com):

Life was better in the old days. Or was it?

That’s the question Greg Heffley is asking as his town voluntarily unplugs and goes electronics-free. But modern life has its conveniences, and Greg isn’t cut out for an old-fashioned world.

With tension building inside and outside the Heffley home, will Greg find a way to survive? Or is going “old school” just too hard for a kid like Greg?

News! Guest Post at patsobo.com

I wanted to let you all know that I have written a guest post for a different website!

The article was about the Navier-Stokes equation and it's use in the entertainment industry. For those of you who don't know, the Navier-Stokes equations describes different fluid properties and predicts how a fluid will move within a particular environment. My article talks about how the Navier-Stokes equations are used in different video games and animated movies to make the movement of water and smoke more realistic.

The article is posted on patsobo.com, a personal blog focusing on technology run by a college student named Patrick Sobolewski. I encourage you to read my article and check out the other articles Patrick posts about! I hope you like it!

Here's the link to my article: http://patsobo.com/guest-post-navier-stokes-in-the-entertainment-world/

Review! Artemis Fowl

Author: Eoin Colfer
277 Pages—Ages 10 and up
Published by: Viking Press

 

Summary (from amazon.com):

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius-and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories; these fairies are armed and dangerous.

Artemis thinks he has them right where he wants them but then they stop playing by the rules.

 

News! Tangled TV Show

There is going to be a new Disney Channel Original Series based on the Tangled movie!

Personally, I would have liked another movie, but you have to work with what you got. Let's face it, even without seeing the tv show I know that it will not be as good as the movie and it will not have all the elements that made the movie a big hit, but it has the potential to be something halfway decent (maybe).

I have mixed thoughts on this new project of Disney. As most of us know, Disney has made plenty of TV spin-offs from their big box office movies, but  not all of them can be considered a critical sucess. My biggest fear is the way that the show will be animated and my biggest comfort is that much of the original talent will be returning to take part in the show.

Review! Flunked (Fairy Tale Reform School #1)

Author: Jen Calonita
257 Pages--Ages 10-13
Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky on March 3, 2015

Summary (from amazon.com):

Full of regret, Cinderella's wicked stepmother, Flora, has founded the Fairy Tale Reform School with the mission of turning the wicked and criminally mischievous into upstanding members of Enchantasia.

Impish, sassy 12-year-old Gilly has a history of petty theft and she's not too sorry about it. When she steals a hair clip, she gets tossed in reform school—for at least three months. But when she meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there's more to this school than its sweet mission. There's a battle brewing and she starts to wonder: Can a villain really change?

Review! Flunked (Fiary Tale Reform School #1)

Author: Jen Calonita
257 Pages--Ages 10-13
Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky on March 3, 2015

Summary (from amazon.com):

Full of regret, Cinderella's wicked stepmother, Flora, has founded the Fairy Tale Reform School with the mission of turning the wicked and criminally mischievous into upstanding members of Enchantasia.

Impish, sassy 12-year-old Gilly has a history of petty theft and she's not too sorry about it. When she steals a hair clip, she gets tossed in reform school—for at least three months. But when she meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there's more to this school than its sweet mission. There's a battle brewing and she starts to wonder: Can a villain really change?

News! Candymakers Sequel

There's going to be a Candymakers 2 book! Yay!

You probably can't guess how excited I was when I found out this little morsel of information on Wendy Mass' (the author) website. I absolutely adored the first book with all the compelling characters. When I finished the first books a part of me was reluctant to leave the characters behind because I just wanted to know more about them, but another part of me was satisfied with the ending knowing that their story was just beginning but it didn't demand a sequel (but we all wouldn't mind one). As a reader, books with endings like that are my favorite because it's a perfect balance between wanting to spend more time with the characters and feeling as if the story is complete and over.

News! Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

This isn't really a review because the book hasn't come out, but I wanted to say a few words on what I think of the future book series. I was in Barnes and Noble the other day and as I was looking at some books I saw little book samples for Rick Riordan's new book Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Summer Sword. I have previously read Rick Riordan's other mythological stories (as has much of the younger population) such as Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Kane Chronicles, and most of the Heroes of Olympus series. My favorite is no doubt the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, most likely due to the fact that I read them first and they introduced me to the wonderful, colorful writing of Rick Riordan.

Review! Goddess Girls: Persephone the Daring

Authors: Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
257 pages-Ages 8-12
Published by Aladdin on August 6, 2013

Summary (from Amazon):
Orpheus is a mortal rock god, and the girls at Mount Olympus Academy are wild about him! With his lyre and singing voice, Orpheus can charm pretty much anything—even things like stones and trees. But Hades and the other MOA boys aren’t charmed. In fact, they are less than thrilled that the girls are so gaga over this guy.

His fans are especially excited about his latest song about the girl he loved and lost, Eurydice. Orpheus was devastated when he lost Eurydice to the Underworld, so he asks Persephone to help get her back. Though it means breaking some very serious Underworld rules, Persephone pushes Hades to return Eurydice to the living world. But restoring Orpheus’s one true love might jeopardize Persephone’s own chances with her biggest crush...

Review! Grimmtastic Girls: Cinderella Stays Late (Book 1)

Authors: Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
192 Pages--Ages 8-12
Published by Scholastic Inc. on March 25, 2014

Summary (from Scholastic):
The authors of the hit Goddess Girls series put a fun and girly twist on another super-popular theme: fairy tales!
Once upon a time, in faraway Grimmlandia?
A Grimmtastic girl named Cinderella is starting her first week at Grimm Academy on the wrong foot. Cinda's totally evil stepsisters are out to make her life miserable. The Steps tease Cinda, give her terrible advice about life at the academy, and even make her look bad in front of her new friends, Red, Snow, and Rapunzel! But when Cinda overhears the Steps plotting a villainous deed that could ruin Prince Awesome's ball, Cinda, her new friends, and a pair of magical glass slippers have to stop them--before the last stroke of midnight.

Review! Hades and the Helm of Darkness (Heroes in Training #3)

Authors: Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
Illustrated: Craig Phillips
128 pages--Ages 6-9
Published by Aladdin on April 02, 2013

Summary (from Simon and Schuster):
The Heroes in Training are entering the Underworld—if Hades can conquer his canine fears, that is.
The Underworld usually isn’t really meant to be a fun place—but tell that to Hades! He loves the dark and the stinky smell of sulfur. However, there is one thing that Hades is not a fan of: dogs. And when Zeus and his fellow Olympians encounter Cerberus—a snarling, three-headed dog—Hades must conquer his fears and tame the hound so everyone can continue into the Underworld and deposit their Titan prisoner, Oceanus, back where he belongs!
But with magical water that causes forgetfulness, hot beds of lava, and another epic battle with two more Titans standing in their way, will Zeus and his heroes make it out of the Underworld with everyone intact?

Review! The School for Good and Evil: The Last Ever After (Book 3)

To be honest, I don't really have many feelings toward this book (or really about the whole series in and of itself). The books keep me entertained when I read them and I don't have any trouble finishing the books, but once I finish them I have no desire to read them again. In addition to that, after a few days I don't really remember what has happened in the novel. Also, I don't really like most of the characters.

I had hoped that this book wouldn't rely too heavily on what happened in the previous books even though the stories are directly connected. Soman Chainani does a great job of not relying on the details from the previous books to build this story (mostly). Of course, that's not to say you can/should read this book without reading the first two.
One of the only things I remember from the first book was Hort and how he fell for Sophie. In the second book I vaguely remember Hort being Sophie's friend when Sophie was a boy. In these two books Hort was definitely my favorite character, so I was psyched when he showed up in this book and that he had a relatively large role. That being said, I was sad that in the end Sophia, Agatha, and Tedros got their happy ending but poor Hort didn't.

(Possible) News on Disney's Descendants Book Sequel

I was skimming the news section for Disney's Descendants and I saw that someone had posted an article about a possible sequel to Isle of the Lost: A Disney Descendants Novel by Melissa de la Cruz. This was originally posted on the blog A Stitch Kingdom, who calls themselves: "The number one unofficial site for news on The Walt Disney Company." Since they are unofficial, the news that they deliver is questionable, but according to them during Bookcon Melissa de la Cruz announed that she is working on a sequel titled Return to the Isle of the Lost. 

Review! Murder is Bad Manners

Pre-Reading Thoughts:
Recently, I’ve been having trouble finding any books that looked good enough to read. I have been in the mood to read mystery or adventures books, and to be honest, I’ve been having trouble finding anything that looked good. Don’t get me wrong, I was able to find many books that are part of the mystery or adventure genre, but none of them looked really interesting. I saw this one amazon, and after reading a few customer reviews decided to go to my local library and check it out.

Review! Isle of the Lost (A Disney Descendants Novel)

Pre-Reading Thoughts:

I’ve read some reviews on Amazon for this book and I have also read the 17 page preview. I’m extremely excited about this book, but I am a bit worried that the characters won’t be consistent with the movie. I had the hardest time deciding whether I wanted to read the book before the movie or watch the movie before the book. Obviously, no matter what I do one will influence the other and I figured that if I read the book first then I would have preconceived notions about how each of the characters look and I would be disappointed (probably) with the movie counterparts, but if I watched the movie first then I would already know what the characters look like and I would just imagine them when I read the book.

From the reviews on Amazon, I am confident that I will like this book and I can't wait to start reading!

Review! Disney Descendants Movie

Pre-Viewing Thoughts:

After viewing the trailer I must admit that my interest has been peaked in the movie. Although this isn't a high budget film that will be shown in all the theaters, I still have hopes that it won't be completely terrible. I can't say that I am a huge fan of the costumes, because they look kind of...cheap/tacky. The costumes seem to be designed well in terms of style, but making them actually look good in reality is a bit more difficult.
Judging from the trailer, there will be a romance between Mal (daughter of Maleficent) and the Prince whose name I currently don't know (son of Belle and the Beast). Can't say I'm really psyched for this either. Romance is always so hard in a Disney film, because in my opinion Disney TV can't really do it justice and for most of the time I just feel awkward when the romantic scenes play. In fact, often times when I re-watch movies with those kinds of scenes, I just skip them altogether.

Review! Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

(This book was the first review I wrote, so there isn't really a pre-thought and post-thought section; I sort of combined them into one)

 

 

This book originally piqued my interest because of the interesting premise that the inside cover summary presented to me. I was hoping that this book would be a real adventure with lots of puzzles and witty solutions. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t everything I hoped it would be. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad by any means, it just wasn’t something that kept me at the edge of my seat like other stories of its kind can normally do.

Hello world! I'm under construction!

I've just started this website, so there isn't much on it (as you can see). The point of this website is that it's for me to share my thoughts on current media. I will mostly be posting reviews on books and movies, but I will occasionally post on other topics related to media!

Sorry for all the clutter as I get this website up and running! And I hope you check back with me soon!