Tomorrow when the war began – book series now the film!

Ok so the scenario might sound way out there, but there is a real sense of reality to John Marsden’s Tomorrow when the war began. Marsden manages to make you believe that this is really happening. I felt as though I was right there with the group of kids as they return home from a camping trip to find their town ambushed, abandoned and under attack. Ellie, Corrie, Robyn, Lee, Kevin, Homer and Fi find themselves up against an enemy who has invaded their town and stolen their family and friends.  They learn that everyone in the town has been locked up at the showgrounds, or rounded up and sent there. The big houses in town have been taken over by this invading enemy. The friends hide wherever they can, eat whatever they can find in the abandoned homes and come to meet up another friend in hiding, Chris, who fills them in on what has been going on.  

Ellie is the leader and narrator of the book (and the film), I felt as though I was in her mind right from the opening chapters. The description of the characters first reactions to this situation they find themselves in is really well written. The story asks some tough questions, “Would you fight? Would you give up everything?” Figuring out what to do next though becomes a defining problem for the group of teens.

Together they pool their resources, skills and  knowledge to fight against the enemy.  Overall, it a tale of survival, a fast paced read suitable for readers of all ages who enjoy the adventure genre.

I also liked the Aussie setting and the fact that John Marsden uses Aussie slang terms, I found this easy to relate to and fun to read. Tomorrow when the war began is the first book in the Tomorrow series and all can be borrowed from the Gold Coast Library Service. The film follows the book almost perfectly and the young, mainly Aussie cast do a fantastic job of making the story come to life. I recommend you read the book then go see the movie (the action stunts are worth making the effort to watch it on the big screen!!)

Writtten by Sam (Helensvale Library) also posted on Book Coasters!

Japan Love / Japan Ai

Let me start off by saying, I’m not known for enjoying graphic novels. Actually, I’ve only read a couple. But I did find one in the library that I think is pretty fab. Perfect for anyone who has ever felt a little different or out of place. It’s called… (drum roll please) Japan Ai – A tall girl’s adventures in Japan by Aimee Major Steinberger. I can really relate to the funny stories in this book, even though I would never be described as tall. (hmmm not anywhere near tall, more like short)

Anyway, this gn is a travelogue of all the cool things that Aimee experiences while in the land of the rising sun. It’s very funny! and short! and lots of pictures! My kind of book.

Give it a read and tell us what you think. What’s a great gn that you have read lately?

A great read finally made into a movie

First published in 1993 and soon to be released as a movie, Tomorrow when the world began by John Marsden is still a great read.  Although it is the first in a series it can be read alone and I was hooked on the story right through to the end.

This is a great book for projecting yourself as any one of the characters and questioning your mind and actions as to what you would do if you found yourself in the same situation. Could you cope? Could you keep your cool and engage the enemy without losing it? Would you be prepared to put your life on the line to save family and friends?  Or would you and your friends revert to a Animal farm (George Orwell) type dictatorship? 

The story details the invasion and occupation of Australia by a foreign power and how a group of teenagers wage guerilla  warfare against the occupying force. The story is told from the perspective of Ellie Linton, one of the group who go camping in the hills during school holidays to find on their return that the countryside has been invaded .

The movie is due out in Sept 2010 and for those of you who already know the characters they will be played by Caitlin Stasey (Neighbours) as Ellie Linton, Rachel Hurd-Wood (Peter Pan, Dorian Gray, Perfume) as Corrie McKenzie, Lincoln Lewis (Home & Away) as Kevin Holmes, Phoebe Tonkin (H2O – Just Add Water) as Fiona Maxwell, Deniz Akdeniz (When the Bell Rings) as Homer Yannos, Ashleigh Cummings (Home & Away, Razzle Dazzle) as Robyn Mathers, Chris Pang (Home Song Stories, Real Stories) as Lee and Andy Ryan (The Jesters) as Chris Lang.

A book well worth a revisit before the movie is released.

Movie Review: Alice In Wonderland

Sam from our Bookcoaster’s blog – has asked that I post this review for her: Alice in Wonderland 

I loved the story of Alice in Wonderland as a little girl and have read all of the series of books by Lewis Carroll. So I was very keen and excited to see the latest film instalment to see what adventures the older Alice gets up to. The 3D element was a nice added touch to a fairly enjoyable film, but the story did lack the cuteness of the original tale.

All of the characters are back, tweedle dee and tweedle dum my favourites. The film is visually delightful and the scenes in which the Mad Hatter (played by the ever talented Johnny Depp) does his thing are very funny.

The plot is rather simple as an older Alice returns to her wonderland, reunites with her quirky friends and embarks on a quest to end the Red Queen’s reign of terror. The film is much darker than the original, a true Tim Burton adaptation, but does manage to stay fairly kid friendly.

If you get the chance, go see the film in 3D, even to just see the Mad Hatter do his thing (I won’t go any further as to not spoil it for those of you who plan to see it!) If you haven’t read the books yet, go directly to your Gold Coast library to borrow them – they are a real delight!

Friday Five: Quick Supernatural Picks

 

In the spirit of vampires, supernatural and the like I decided to do five quick reviews of some YP books I have recently read.

1.  Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia

I read a review for the book Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia a few months ago on Amazon and it sounded really good.  After checking to see if the Gold Coast City Council Library Services had it, which they didn’t, I put in a recommend to purchase request through the online catalogue.  I was pleased that they purchased the book and put me on hold for it.  I enjoyed this book.  It is a modern fantasy type story about a teenage boy called Ethan, who lives in a small town where nothing ever happens.   When Lena Duchannes moves into town, she is quite strange and unusal things start to happen when she is around.  Beautiful Creatures is an interesting read and has a lot of history too which is a little bit different.  You can order your own copy of Beautiful Creatures here.

2.  Fallen by Lauren Kate

This book has the supernatural elements of a young girl Luce being sent to reform school after a mysterious fire occurred and her ‘boyfriend’ was killed.   We follow the story of her meeting and making some friends at reform school and there are some mysterious male characters, Daniel and Cam who you spend the book trying to figure out if they are good or bad.  I liked this book just for the fact that it had the supernatural element, but it was not vampires!! Wondering what they are? Check out this book here.

3.  Immortal by Gillian Shields

Another newbie that passed across my desk and I confess I thought the cover looked interesting and took it home to read it.  This is another book where the main character, Evie Johnson is sent to boarding school at Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies after her grandmother is taken ill and her dad is sent away with the military.  Evie is very lonely at the school and doesn’t fit in.   She meets a young man called Sebastian whilst she is at school and they start hanging out together, but Evie feels he is keeping secrets from her.  This book has romance, suspense and keeps you guessing what is going to happen. You can get your hands on a copy here.

4.  The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

This book revolves around the paranormal.  Chole is put into a group home and is diagnosed with schizophrenia.  Although we later learn that she actually has the ability to see dead people and other youth in the home also have supernatural abilities.   When Chloe’s roomate is taken away for special treatment, they begin to suspect something terible is going on at Lyle House.  This book is a great read and makes you look forward to the next book to find out what happens.  See if you can find a copy on the library catalogue.

5.  Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan

Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan is the first book in the series Sweep (also known as the Wicca series).  This was recommended to me by a collegue and I am really enjoying it.  The books are not too long which is great if you want something light and they are addictive.  I have read a couple and I am going to order some more.  If you haven’t realised by the series title, these books are about witches and wicca. You can find Book of Shadows here.

These are my five quick picks, anyone got any suggestions for what I should read next?

Soundwave2010

I went to Soundwave on Saturday and I have the sunburn to prove it! It was such a hot day and all I had was my little pink hat to protect me from the sun’s rays. (mental note – I need a huge umbrella hat for future festivals)

The highlights of the day were Motion City Soundtrack, Taking Back Sunday, Placebo, AFI and Faith No More oh and the shower I had when I got home. Some people said Alexisonfire were pretty good, but that’s when I decided to put my ear plugs in, so I’m really not sure. You’re probably wondering how Paramore was…? Well, it seemed as if the main stage audience increased exponentially!! (great word!) when they came on. They seemed to go down well. I was just amazed at the influx of bodies. 🙂

The lowlights of the day were waiting in line to buy HOT! $4 bottles of coke, no TP in the toilets and I’m sure there were too many people in the grounds.

Anyone else get to Soundwave? Let us know your highs and lows.

Unrelated note:  Alice in Wonderland arrives at the cinema March 4

Fantastic Mr. Fox: A (very brief!) Movie Review

 

So, I had intentions of seeing Fantastic Mr. Fox at the Moonlight Cinema – had my tickets booked and paid for, picnic packed – and then it rained. Four weeks later, I have finally managed to see one of my highly anticipated films of 2009, albeit a little too late!

Fantastic Mr Fox is obviously a film adaptation of the Roald Dahl’s much beloved book of the same title. The director Wes Anderson, with the help of his brother Eric, used Dahl’s characters from the book and gave them life through personalised wardrobes, celebrity voices (including Meryl Streep, George Clooney and Bill Murray) and stop-motion animation. The result is beautiful, quirky and incredibly cool.  You can see some of the masses of detail that must have been out into the creation of each character here.

The plot centers around Mr. Fox and his family, and their battle with three bully farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean. There are a couple of very close calls for Mr. Fox, as well as an upsetting kidnapping, but with the smarts of his friends and family Mr. Fox manages to come out on top, quite literally.

This is one of those children’s movies that’s not really just for children. Yes, it is based on a novel aimed at kids, but there are jokes that will be picked up by teens and adults that smaller children will miss entirely. There really is something in it for everyone. But be quick: considering there’s currently only one screening of this film at most major cinemas on the Coast, this lovely film won’t be around on the big screen for too much longer.

Blue Moon or New Moon, you decide!!

A while ago, I reviewed Evermore by Alyson Noel… do you remember that post?

Well, I have had the opportunity to read the sequel to Evermore – Blue Moon.  It is the continued story of Damon and Ever their intertwined destinies.  The story begins shortly after the last books climax, with Ever still reeling from the events.  While I don’t want to tell you too much, the events that transpire really put poor Ever in a difficult place.

Let me know what you thought of Blue Moon!  Do you think it is a better sequel than New Moon?  Which characters do you like better??

Yes, this book is still for an older teen reader!

Where the Wild Things Are: A Movie Review

Yesterday was the opening of the highly anticipated Where the Wild Things Are, and I rushed from work to see it on opening night. I know we’ve carried on about it a bit leading up to the release, so it’s no surprise that I had pretty high expectations.

The original story of cheeky Max venturing away to the world where the wild things are has obviously been padded out substantially thanks to one of my favourite authors, Dave Eggers. The beginning sees a somewhat lonely Max seeking attention from his older sister and newly dating mother and obviously missing his Dad, wherever he may be. This introduction works really well and Max Records, who plays Max does such a wonderful job. Max is an adorable and imaginative boy with very intense emotions, and eventually this intensity builds to a point which brings him to flee to the world where the wild things are.

And oh, the wild things! I promised myself I wouldn’t fill my review simply with my affection for these loveable monsters and their perfect voices (James Gandolfini who voices Carol is just so perfect), but it’s going to be difficult not to. At first I felt amazement seeing the monsters move, speak, smile, cry etc., but beyond that point I didn’t think about people in suits, actors in a studio or clever animatronics and CGI. They were simply characters as real as Max was. They were all hilarious, scary and heart-breaking at the same time.

Without giving away any spoilers, I definitely have favourite parts. I loved seeing how elements in Max’s world and the people in it are reflected in the traits of each monster. Bob and Terry really made me laugh and the closing scene almost had me in tears. This movie really swept me up and away and I loved that.

All the elements just sat right for me: the actors, the music (done by the wonderful Karen O and a bunch of kids), the Victorian forest… Maurice Sendak recently said in an interview that this isn’t just a film version of his books, rather Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are and I think that’s pretty spot on. It’s more a re-creation.

So please, go out and see it and tell me what you think! Don’t worry about expectations, you won’t be disappointed.

Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol”

Since the “Da Vinci Code”, it’s been a long wait for Dan Brown’s latest. But, at last I have read it, and consumed it with zeal. It’s entitled “The Lost Symbol”.

Robert Langdon (Harvard symbologist) is back. This time he is thrown into another  heart-pounding “save the the world” scenario. This is, of course expected by we readers, not Mr Langdon).

Involving Freemasons, Noetic science, ancient codes(of course!), and many little known and interesting facts about Washington D.C. and its grand history;

this neatly written romp gives us what we expect (including plot twists) from Mr Brown.

It is no literary tour de force, but it is a fun tale that kept me engrossed partly due to its “fact-based” scientific, historical and architecture references, but also for its protagonist, the professor himself, the rather boring Robert Langdon.

Besides being a fit, tall, bookish man in his forties, we know Robert is a strong swimmer, unattached, and a long time sufferer of claustrophobia. But that’s about it. Really he is quite dull. But this, I think, is a key to Mr Brown’s terrific storytelling.

Such a pedestrian academic main character allows him to be boring, unadventurous and prone to lecturing. Thus giving Mr Brown a voice for important facts, historical details and otherwise “out of place” dialogue and narrative.

This does give the reader “an ordinary man in an extraordinary situation” stereotype, but he can be so ordinary we even relish his regular mistranslation or miscalculation of an important clue, giving way for the ever extreme villains to exploit and gain ground.

I loved “Angels and demons”, liked “The Da Vinci Code” and I also liked “The Lost Symbol”. Give it a go!