J.K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard: Review by Nathan W.

The newest J.K. Rowling book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, is what Harry Potter fans have been waiting for. For the past year and a half, Potter fans have been trying to cope with the ending of the series and trying to find other books to satisfy themselves.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard is mentioned in the final Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and is a great read for both hardcore Potter fans and those who simply want to read a new book. There are five short stories in The Tales of Beedle the Bard : “ The Wizard’s Hairy Heart,” “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump,” “The Fountain of Fair Fortune,” and “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot.”
My favorite story was “The Wizard’s Hairy Heart” due to its darkness and its ending, which is Romeo and Juliet- esque. This is a story of a young man who refuses to fall in love and removes his heart, which becomes hairy and moldy after its removal. When he finally falls in love, the wizard realizes his mistake and kills himself (his lover also commits suicide). “Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump” was a bit of a disappointment for me. I was expecting a happy, cherry rabbit-based story; instead, reader read about an old woman who makes a fool out of a charlatan. “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” as Harry Potter fans know, was mentioned in and was instrumental in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This story tells of the deathly hallows: the elder wand, the resurrection stone, and the invisibility cloak.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard comes with commentary from Albus Dumbledore, our favorite Hogwarts headmaster. The commentary is funny. Another ode to Harry Potter fans is that the book “was translated from the original ancient runes by Hermione Granger.” The proceeds from the book go to the Children’s High Level Group, a charity that helps orphaned children. While Harry Potter fans have to wait for J.K. Rowling to finish her Harry Potter encyclopedia, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a great way to pass the time, and reader will donate to charity in the process
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L.A. Meyer's My Bonnie Light Horseman - Review by Becca L.

In this latest installment of the Bloody Jack series, Jackie has gotten herself into the most far-fetched bit of trouble yet. We've stuck with her through cross-dressing, finishing school, piracy, slavery, and grand theft nautical. Even I, Jackie's biggest fan, cannot swallow our heroine as a spy/ballerina/burlesque/French soldier. Yes, she tackles all these roles in a single book. One day she's gaining information on French troop movements via pillow-talk, the next she's delivering the orders that save Napoleon's bacon. And the author tells us this is not the end of it!

I have never been a supporter of neat, tidy, gift-wrapped endings. In fact, I am highly offended by them. But would it kill L.A. Meyer to give it a ending? Every book ends in the middle of something very important. Just send her back to England with Jaimy already! She can get in plenty of book-worthy trouble when she's married.

I am all for suspense, but I have been waiting with baited breath for far too long. I have another bone to pick with you, Mr. Meyer. When did Jackie become gentrified? A large part of her charm stems from her cockney upbringing. I cannot have a properly educated Cheapside scammer! It simply will not do! I demand that you return her to her humbler speech patterns that must be read aloud to be understood!

Still, I can never stay mad at Jackie for long. She holds a special place in my heart as the one heroine I actually like who can be snuck into the "realistic fiction" box of required reading. I shudder to think what the seventh book will bring. I doubt there is anything left to subject her to.

Olivia Birdsall's Notes on a near life experience

Divorce is all over. In movies, TV shows, with her friends, etc. Mia never expected to have it happen to her though. Suddenly, after having an almost perfect family with tons of routine and tradition, she’s 15 and her father decides to move out with no notice. As her family life crumbles, her love life picks up. Her longtime crush, Julian, has finally noticed her. However, Julian happens to be her older brother, Allen’s best friend. Allen… isn’t exactly thrilled to have Julian want to spend more one on one time with Mia. As this is happening, Mia’s mother is disappearing more and more into her work, Allen is starting to skip school and is becoming very mysterious, and her father just brought home a woman from Peru.

“Notes On A Near-Life Experience” was an interesting book. The family drama added to the new dramatic love life was totally addicting. I really enjoyed all the topics that Birdsall included. Although, might have been a little too much. It easily could have been broken up a little more and been made into a series. Despite that fact, it was an awesome book.
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Review of Jason Reitmans' Juno By Jocelyn H.

After one time, Juno MacGuff becomes pregnant with the child of her best friend, Paulie Bleeker. However, Juno and Bleeker aren’t dating and they definitely don’t plan on raising a kid. So Juno decides to get an abortion without even telling her parents. Juno couldn’t go through with the abortion and told her parents and she decides to resort to adoption. The adoptive family is Vanessa and Mark Loring, but there then become issues with that too. And of course what happens to Paulie Bleeker and Juno’s friendship. Juno is an amazing movie! It really is, Juno (the character) is very unique and awesome and I think that’s why people took to her so quickly! It’s very unique and now the whole amazingness of the movie will probably be lost because more people will want to steal this idea! I give Juno 9.3 out of 10!!!!

Review of Jim Hensons' Labyrinth by Joselyn H.

Sarah is a fifteen year old still trying to live her live in a fairytale. She’s very misunderstood by her wicked stepmother and her father. It gets even worse she’s always stuck home babysitting her baby half brother Toby! Toby continuously cried and would not stop, driving Sarah insane! Sarah calls on the goblins, characters from her favorite book, to take Toby away…but it actually worked. When Sarah realizes what she’d done she meets with the Goblin King. The Goblin King took Toby to his Castle in The UnderGround. Sarah is more determined than The Goblin King would think to get her baby brother back. But she only has thirteen hours to try to find the castle and rescue her brother before he’s turned into a Goblin himself and the only way to get to the castle is by solving the labyrinth that surrounds it! Plus, there are many traps and enemies along the way!

I love this movie so much! It’s very long but it’s very worth it. Sarah’s a bit of a spoiled brat, but it’s ok! This is an amazing movie and its by Jim Henson! Some parts are very weird but that only adds to awesome! In conclusion, I wish the Goblins would come and take me away right now!!!!
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"Sweeny Todd" Review by Jocelyn

Benjamin Barker Returned to London as Sweeny Todd for one mane reason, to get revenge on Judge Turpin. Judge Turpin transported Barker for life and stole his wife.

Barker moves back to London as Todd into his apartment above Mrs. Lovett’s meat pie shop where she sells the worst pies in London due to her inability to pay for meat! After learning about his wife’s death Todd is more determined than ever to get revenge on the Judge.

After killing someone who recognized him as Benjamin Barker, Sweeny Todd and Mrs. Lovett contemplated what to do with the body. Then they came up with the brilliant idea that Todd will slit the throats of every man who comes for a shave and Mrs. Lovett will use the meat from the corpses for meat pies!

Sweeny Todd is a very strange & twisted movie. Tim Burton did wonders to that=2 0musical! Johnny Depp is a pretty good singer too! I admit, towards the end I was disappointed. But Tim Burton redeemed himself 30 seconds later! If you are touchy about the subject of cannibalism then this is not the movie for you. The gore and blood isn’t that bad but it is something to take note of! This movie was made for the sick and strange! I give it 8 out of 10.
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Sarah Dessen's "This Lullaby" Review by Alexis M.

Remy doesn’t believe in love, at all. Every relationship she has, she knows to end right after that initial romantic rush, before things get too serious. Plus, she has a very useful resource… her own mother. She’s been married 4 times and is in the process of wedding number five. However, when she meets Dexter, things change.

Suddenly Remy finds it hard to follow her own relationship rules. He’s everything she hates; messy, disorganized, impulsive, and worst of all, a musician like her father. Remy never knew her dad. The only connection they have is his one and only famous song, “This Lullaby”, that he wrote the day she was born. Dealing with her relationship with Dexter, she finally starts to realize what all those love songs are about.

“This Lullaby” was incredible. I totally loved it and didn’t want to stop reading. The connection between Remy and her friends alone is over powering. Let alone her and Dexter. Truth Squad was an interesting group as well. I definitely would like to see I sequel to see what happens after Remy goes to college and Dexter goes to pursue his music.
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