Monday, February 19, 2018
TV Show Review: Miraculous Ladybug (video)
Updates have been a little slow recently, and unfortunately that is probably going to continue. In the meantime, here is the video review for Miraculous Ladybug! We also have a written version here on the blog. Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Book Review: Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Book: “Just Ella” by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Genre: Fairy tale retelling with a little romance, action, and plenty of sass thrown in there for good measure
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Times I have read this: At least 6
General Setup: A retelling, of sorts, of Cinderella - except this story begins after the ‘happily ever after’ starts. And it isn’t quite as happy as they said.
Characters: I really enjoyed Ella as a character. She had a lot of spunk that brought the story to life and made it unique. Haddix does a great job with the other characters as well. The only character that seemed flat was the prince, but I think that was the point.
Plot: Even though “Just Ella” is based off of a pre-existing storyline, it has enough original elements that it becomes its own story. For example, there is a war going on. These new elements add to the story and shape it so that is can stand alone from the original material. Another thing I enjoyed were the use of flashbacks. Often, flashbacks can be annoying and interrupt the natural flow of the story. However, with “Just Ella,” Haddix places the flashbacks well so that they add important information and do not interrupt the flow of the narrative.
Ending: With the addition of unique plot elements, this story heads in an entirely different direction. The book certainly ends differently than the fairytale. However, I still liked the ending. It gave a good sense of resolution and really showed how much Ella had grown as a character.
Other media: Margaret Peterson Haddix is the author of many other books, including a two companion volumes to “Just Ella.” These are “Palace of Mirrors,” and “Palace of Lies.” Together the three books make up the Palace Chronicles series.
Ideal audience: I would recommend this book for readers middle school age and up. Some adult themes are touched on lightly.
Genre: Fairy tale retelling with a little romance, action, and plenty of sass thrown in there for good measure
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Times I have read this: At least 6
General Setup: A retelling, of sorts, of Cinderella - except this story begins after the ‘happily ever after’ starts. And it isn’t quite as happy as they said.
Characters: I really enjoyed Ella as a character. She had a lot of spunk that brought the story to life and made it unique. Haddix does a great job with the other characters as well. The only character that seemed flat was the prince, but I think that was the point.
Plot: Even though “Just Ella” is based off of a pre-existing storyline, it has enough original elements that it becomes its own story. For example, there is a war going on. These new elements add to the story and shape it so that is can stand alone from the original material. Another thing I enjoyed were the use of flashbacks. Often, flashbacks can be annoying and interrupt the natural flow of the story. However, with “Just Ella,” Haddix places the flashbacks well so that they add important information and do not interrupt the flow of the narrative.
Ending: With the addition of unique plot elements, this story heads in an entirely different direction. The book certainly ends differently than the fairytale. However, I still liked the ending. It gave a good sense of resolution and really showed how much Ella had grown as a character.
Other media: Margaret Peterson Haddix is the author of many other books, including a two companion volumes to “Just Ella.” These are “Palace of Mirrors,” and “Palace of Lies.” Together the three books make up the Palace Chronicles series.
Ideal audience: I would recommend this book for readers middle school age and up. Some adult themes are touched on lightly.
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