Review! Death of a Bacon Heiress

Authors: Lee Hollis

320 Pages--Teen (and up)

Published by: Kenshington on March 29, 2016

Summary (from leehollismysteries.com):

When Hayley is invited to do a cooking demo on one of daytime’s most popular talk shows, it’s a welcome distraction from her empty nest blues. And the newfound fame certainly has its perks–especially when Olivia Redmond, the posh bacon heiress of Redmond Meats, offers Hayley a writing gig with a juicy paycheck.

But Hayley’s good fortune fizzles fast. The heiress is found dead with her pet pot-bellied pig, Pork Chop, squealing bloody murder beside her body, and clogged arteries aren’t to blame. It turns out Olivia’s inherited a wealth of enemies over the years, and as Hayley trims the fat off a mounting list of suspects, it’s clear that being rich and hot-tempered can be a recipe for disaster…

Review! The Secret Life of Pets

Runtime: 90 minutes

Release date: July 8, 2016

Budget: $75 million

Summary:

Max (Louis C.K.) is a spoiled terrier who enjoys a comfortable life in a New York building until his owner adopts Duke, a giant and unruly canine. During their walk outside, they encounter a group of ferocious alley cats and wind up in a truck that's bound for the pound. Luckily, a rebellious bunny named Snowball swoops in to save the doggy duo from captivity. In exchange, Snowball demands that Max and Duke join his gang of abandoned pets on a mission against the humans who've done them wrong.

Review! Scooby Apocalypse #2

Writer: Keith Griffen, J.M. DeMatteis

Artist: Howard Porter

32 Pages--Teen

Published by: DC Comics on June 15, 2016

Summary (from dccomics.com):

The apocalypse continues as Scooby and the gang explore a mysterious facility that may hold the key to their survival. Little do they know that a particularly powerful puppy and his gang of mutated mutts are waiting in the shadows—and they’re ready to attack!

 

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! and the Millennium Pack

Sometimes nostalgia hits me hard.

When Yugioh first came out I adored the show and it’s various tie-ins. Yes, I know the show was cheesy. Yes, the concept was a bit wack—people in that world take a child’s card game way too seriously. Nonetheless, I loved it. I even bought some of the game boy advance games and started collecting the cards to build my own deck. Sure, my deck wouldn’t win a duel with a pro guy, but it was serviceable. I remember my first ever Yugioh card; I found it in the parking lot of a local high school. The card was Castle Wall and it was bent, had a few small tears, and a large crease down the middle like it had been folded in half, but I decided to keep it all the same. It was the first card in my collection and it still remains my favorite. Sixteen years ago when Yugioh Gx came out, I stopped collecting the cards but I still watched the show sporadically. Then there was that whole fiasco with 4Kids not dubbing the last season, instead skipping to Yugioh 5D’s. I was disappointed, but I switched and watched the first two or three episodes and I didn’t really like them so that was the end of my Yugioh fandom…until yesterday.

Wacky Raceland Issue #2

Writers: Ken Pontac

Artist: Leonardo Manco

22 Pages--Teen+

Published by: DC comics on July 13, 2016

Summary (from dcomics.com):

As the Racers roar through the ruins of San Francisco, Dick Dastardly takes a detour that uncovers a shameful secret from his pre-apocalypse days. Dick has a difficult decision: repeat the mistake that shattered his past, or man up and do the right thing? But does Dick even know what the “right thing” means? Meanwhile, Peter, Penelope and the others face a swarm of flesh-eating nanites that threatens to strip them to the bones.

 

Review! Scooby Apocalypse #1

Writers: Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis (script), Keith Giffen & Jim Lee (story and character designs)

Artist: Howard Porter

28 Pages--Teen

Published by: DC Comics on May 25, 2016

Summary (from amazon.com):

Those meddling kids-Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and their dog, Scooby-Doo-get more ghost-debunking than they bargained for when faced with a fundamental change in their world. The apocalypse has happened. Old rules about logic no longer apply. The creatures of the night are among us, and the crew of the Magical Mystery Machine has to fight to survive-because in the apocalyptic badlands of the near-future, the horrors are real!

S.C.O.O.B

Release Date: September 21, 2018

Director: Tony Cervone (Space Jam, The Looney Tunes Show, Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated)

Producers: Charles Roven (Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed), Richard Suckle (Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed), Allison Abbate (The Iron Giant, The Lego Movie)

Written by: Matt Lieberman (Dr. Doolittle: Tail to the Chief)

S.C.O.O.B.

Release Date: September 21, 2018

Director: Tony Cervone (Space Jam, The Looney Tunes Show, Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated)

Producers: Charles Roven (Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed), Richard Suckle (Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed), Allison Abbate (The Iron Giant, The Lego Movie)

Written by: Matt Lieberman (Dr. Doolittle: Tail to the Chief)

Review! Girl v. Boy

Authors: Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

320 Pages–Ages 12 and up

Published by: Disney-Hyperion on December 27, 2011

Summary (from author’s website):

Fifteen year old Luisa Perez is not going to win any awards for school spirit. In fact, she and her friends make it a point to avoid all activities considered "extracurricular." So when her English teacher volunteers her to be an anonymous columnist for the school paper, Luisa's first impulse is to run. But, unlike her high-school dropout sister, Luisa does want to go to college—it may be her only ticket out of a life spent working at the cowboy-themed diner where she waitresses part time—and it would be nice to have something to put on her applications.

Her first assignment is to cover her high school's latest fund-raiser, which pits the girls against the boys. Luisa will cover the events from the female point of view, while another anonymous writer provides the male perspective—or, at least, that's how it begins. The two columnists soon find themselves engaged in an epic battle of the sexes—a battle that Luisa is determined to win, even if it means risking the best relationship she's ever had.

Review! The Black Sheep

Authors: Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

368 Pages--Ages 12 and up

Published by: Disney-Hyperion on May 1, 2007

Summary (from author's website):

Fed up with her parents and all their ridiculous rules (they keep a binder full of them), fifteen-year-old Kendra Bishop writes away to The Black Sheep, a reality TV show that offers the chance to swap families with another teen. But when the camera crew, led by brash TV producer Judy Greenberg, shows up at her Manhattan apartment, Kendra starts to have second thoughts.

Too late. Kendra is whisked away to Monterey, California, to live with the Mulligan family in a household that couldn't be more different from her own—complete with hippie parents, their five kids and a pet ferret. Of course, when Kendra falls for Mitch, the Mulligans' seventeen-year-old son, it only complicates things further, especially since Mitch despises the reality TV show and everything it stands for. But given the chance, Kendra might just be able to juggle first love, her new stardom, and a pushy producer who will stop at nothing for higher ratings.

In this hilarious and touching novel, Kendra learns to live under a new roof but finds true refuge in the unlikeliest of places—her own family.