The Hunger Games (Film Adaptation)

At the beginning of this section, I promised you, the readers, stories about movies. Well the time has now come to fruition. I saw the Hunger Games on Sunday and found it a perfect adaptation of the book with only one or two slight differences. The movie takes place in a not-so-distant future in the country of Panem. Where President Snow rules unchallenged, peace-keepers keep the law upheld but abuse their power, and every one of the twelve districts must offer up one boy and one girl between the ages of 12-18 to compete in the Hunger Games. A sadistic competition that pits kids against each other in a fight to the death until one person stands last. Katniss, a loving sister that hates the capitol, volunteers to take Prim's place in the games. She gets sent to the capitol along with the male from her district, Peeta. She experiences the wastefulness in the Capitol and is appalled that they eat so much and the districts eat so little. She wears a dress on fire made from Cinna, her only true friend from the capitol. She enters the Hunger Game's Arena. Read the book to find out the rest. This will be my last article for CMS and it has been an honor. Until we meet again, Happy Hunger Games.

Heores of Olympus Book Two: Sons of Neptune

My Book of the Month for February should come as no surprise. The Percy Jackson series has always been a personal favorite, behind the Harry Potter series. I was thrilled to learn that Rick Riordan was continuing the series. The Lost Hero was the first book in the second half of the Percy Jackson Series called The Heroes Of Olympus. That book was phenomenal and raised many new questions of which few were answered in the second book called Sons of Neptune. I do not want to give too much away, but there is a Roman Camp filled with demi-gods as well. Thantos the god of death is missing and the dead will not stay dead. So how will Percy and his Roman counter-parts free the god of death who is surrounded by monsters that will not die. To find out how and read the book, buy it, borrow it, check it out at your local library.

January Book of the Month Jaguar Stones Book 1: Middle World

Middle World is a fantastic book. It is Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and Indiana Jones all mixed into one. The story is based on Mayan mythology. It follows the same path as the Percy Jackson series did, however, no one is a demi-god. It is about a boy named Max. He is a spoiled,brat of a child. He gets pampered by his mother and over looked by his father. He gets frustrated because his parents miss almost every moment of his life because they are archeologists. max says they spend more time with the dead Mayan civilization then with their own son. One day, he is supposed to go to a brat camp called Camp Wilderness, when his maid, Zita, gives him a ticket to San Xavier, where his parents are. He arrives in San Xavier only to arrive in the monsoon season. He goes to his estranged Uncle and learns that his father and mother are missing. Strange mysteries, a girl named Lola and the Jaguar Stones await him. Check it out in the library, written by Jon Voelkel.

Diamonds In the Shadow

Diamonds in the Shadow is December's book of the month! The story is organized through different view-points of every character. Basically, everyone tells their own side of what is happening. The plot is about an African refugee family which fled civil war in North Africa and are now coming to America. They get sponsored by a the Finch family. To their surprise, they have to take in the African refugee family, the Amambos. The father is Andre, the mother is Celestinje, the daughter is Alake, and the son is Mattu. The kids are in their late teens and Andre only has one arm. Alake does not speak and barely moves. They do not seem like a family at all. The Finch family consists of the Dad, Mom, Martha, and Jared. They are your typical American family. Martha, commonly reffered to as Mopsy, is a silly kid in her early teens. Jared is a stubborn child in his late teens. The Finchs' have a tough time training the Amambos to get used to American life. However, the Amambos are always scared when someone comes to the door. Also, when they landed, they were trying to get away from the fifth refugee named Victor. Victor is the fifth refugee, he is surrounded in mystery for most of the story. Mattu is seen throughout the story carrying a two boxes that supposedly carry his grandparents' ashes. One day Mopsy accidentally knocks over the boxes and sees something gleam at the bottom . Is it nothing, a bit of bone, or something much more devious? Read Diamonds in the Shadows for the complete story. Check it out at your school library!

Dani Noir- Book of the Month!!!

I recently read a interesting book that is by all means not typical. I am not talking about a crazy alien riddled adventure. It is a complicated story about a girl discovering a secret about her friend that will probably destroy her friend's world. My book that I read was Dani Noir. It is available at the Canonsburg Middle School Library. For anyone who is currently taking french, this is a great book to read. It is because it contains a fair amount of french words. The book in itself may not be that thrilling, but it makes for an interesting read. The main character is a girl by the name of Dani. Her parents recently divorced after her mother discovered her dad was having an affair. She goes through an internal conflict trying to deal with her complicated relationship with her father. Dani also discovers a secret about her family friend that adds to her shocking summer. Not to mention, that tons of old movie talk is found in this book. It is a great book to rekindle your interest in reading. My book for the month of November is Dani Noir!