I have always been a big fan of “The Hunger Games” book series and when I heard that the film “Mocking jay: Part 1” was coming out, I couldn't wait to see it. November 26th couldn't come sooner. When my sister and I walked into the cinema at 9:00 PM we were overwhelmed with excitement. The theater appeared packed full of people and we weren't even inside yet. We waited in line for about 10 minutes. We finally got our tickets and went into the theater. It was a bit loud, there was a crying baby and a lot of excited teenagers. As the movie was starting, I expected everyone to get quiet, but they started to cheer instead!
So now for my review of the movie. I’ll be honest this movie was a little bit boring at beginning. In fact it felt like the first quarter dragged. Thankfully, though the movie picks up towards the end and became more exciting. There were moments where we were on the edge of our chairs waiting to see what happened next. Jennifer Lawrence gave an amazing performance, as Katniss Everdeen and so did the handsome Liam Hemsworth, as Gale Hawthorne. The ending of the movie was incredible and suspenseful.
Overall, I would say this movie is a close second to my favorite film in this series, Catching Fire. On a five star scale, I would rate this movie as 4.5 out of 5. I recommend this movie on DVD. I know I’ll be watching it again, too. The run time is 123 minutes and it is rated PG-13. If you haven’t read the book “Mocking jay” yet, it is an AR book worth 15 points.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
By Phoebe Charpentier
Have you heard of the book Slated by Teri Terry? If you haven’t, then you’re missing out on a great read! It takes place 34 years in the future in London. There is a special hospital there that erases peoples’ memories.
The term they use for the procedure is slated. Kyla is the main character of the book, and like everyone else she has been slated. Government officials make her believe she is terrorist and that this is her last chance at life. She tries to stay quiet, but thinks she may remember things from her past. Kyla sees things in her dreams and she can’t tell if they are real or not, but something about the visions makes them feel like they are a real memory.
Kyla has many friends who try to help her sort through her troubles. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know who or what to believe. If you want to know more, then this is a book definitely worth reading. There are also two more books in this series; Fractured and Shattered. This book is not yet in our library, but if you are interested in this book, Mrs. Reiss in 3B has a copy. It is a 3.9 book level, and is worth 12 AR points.
Forza Horizon 2 or The Crew
By Garrison Kunst Wow!! I've never seen such beautiful graphics in a video game. Which is better: The Crew or Forza Horizon 2? The Crew is an open-world, arcade, racing MMO. That means you point your car in the direction you want to go and you can drive there.Arcade means it has a loose handling model (very easy to steer). MMO, means that it is a role-playing game, you decide how you want to play. The Crew, when it releases, will be the largest open-world game ever, beating the game FUEL, which took 1 hour and 25 minutes to access the world.
The Crew takes an astonishing 1 hour and 45 minutes to do this. When trying to get your first ink, you have to drive from Michigan to LA, a full hour drive in real time! There are skill events, which are like mini-games, on every road. Along with mini-games there are multiplayer/single player events. These are events that you choose if you want to be on your own or if you want to play with friends. The customization on the cars allows you to change parts in your engine and see how to parts change your car. There are six different vehicle classes, full stock (no change to the car), street (slight tuning), dirt (rally car tuning), performance (street racing tune), raid (strength tuning), and circuit (full race car tune). If you want to spend time unlocking special features, there are a few cars to look for on the side of roads.Now on to Forza Horizon 2.Forza Horizon 2 is an arcade racer that puts you in the driver seat of many exotic, tuner, and muscle cars.In Forza Horizon 2, cars are raced in Eastern Europe. The game uses Drivatars to give races a realistic feel. There are also road trips, races, tours, and championships to compete in. There are also barn finds in Forza that lead you on a hunt for cars, such as the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta or the Ferrari GTO. One of the best things to do in Forza Horizon 2 is to go to the online car shows. This is when you can show off your cars to other people. Unfortunately, the career is very short in Forza and most people complete the game in only a few hours, unlike The Crew, which takes over 100 hours to complete. The map in Forza Horizon 2 takes 25 minutes to cross, in a tier 1 car. If you have a XBOX ONE or XBOX 360, you can get both games but if you're on PS4, you can’t get Forza.
Diary of the Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
By Aryana Agli and Savannah Rivers “The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul” is a children’s novel written by Jeff Kinney. It is the ninth book in ‘The Diary Of a Wimpy Kid’ series, preceded by The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck. On April 28, 2014, Jeff Kinney announced the book’s name, as well as it’s cover. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is a fictional book with the interest level of grades 5-8. It’s A.R. level is a 5.4 and is worth 3 points. The book was published on November 4, 2014.
If you have already read the other “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books, we recommend you read this one too. If you enjoy adventure and comedy in books, we suggest you try the whole series. This series is good for our age group because the main character is around our age and goes through problems similar to our own. We thought this book was funny and relatable. Everyone knows our parent’s childhood wasn't the same as ours and that their idea of fun isn't so 21st century. Family vacations they experienced are not our thought of fun.
The story all starts with Greg’s mom announcing that the family is going on a road trip. Greg isn't thrilled but his mom insists that the trip will be great. Greg’s father says he has too much work and he won’t be able to go, but Susan Heffley, Greg’s mom, says that nothing’s more important than spending time with your family and that everyone has to go. After innumerable amounts of problems the family sets off on their road trip, packing the car to the brim with luggage and even Frank Heffley’s, Greg’s dad, boat. Greg ends up in the trunk of the car, buried under tons of luggage, in an unbearable position while the rest of the family sits comfortably in their own seats. While staying at a gruesome motel Greg bumps into some issues. First, he disrupts another family’s vacation making the father mad.
Then, Greg runs into the same family at a fair where Manny, Greg’s youngest brother, wins a baby pig. But those are only a few of the things that go wrong in this adventurous story. We would say more, but we don’t want to spoil the whole book for you.
Here’s what the Google review reads, “The Heffley family road trip starts off full of promise, then quickly takes several wrong turns with everything from a fender bender to crazed seagulls. Even the worst road trip can turn into an adventure, and this is one the Heffley’s will not soon forget.”