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Miyazaki: Master of Animation, Pt. 2

“Each cell of (Miyazaki’s) movies is a painting you’d want to hang on the wall.” –Kathleen Kennedy, Executive Producer, “Ponyo” English language version Today I’ll conclude my look at Miyazaki’s films, and consider what makes him such a great animator. Whisper of the Heart (1995; adapted by Miyazaki). Based on a comic by Aoi Hiragi, “Whisper of the Heart” is unique for Miyazaki in that it’s set in modern-day Tokyo and is not a fantasy. This is another coming of age story with some Germanic influences and a gorgeous violin soundtrack. It follows teens Shizuku and Seiji as they determine … Continue reading →

An Exchange of Gifts – Anne McCaffrey

An Exchange of Gifts is sweeter and more innocent than most Anne McCaffrey tales. It reads like a forgotten fairy tale, including the happy ending. The pages have an elaborate pen and ink border illustrated by Pat Morissey. The border also attributes to the fairy story ambiance. In this world everyone has a special gift. Princess Anastasia’s special gifts are the Green Thumb and the Curing Hand. Her royal family does not encourage such a gift. They are not happy that Anastasia want to dig in dirt and crush herbs. They also want her to marry a man she does … Continue reading →

The People of Sparks – Jeanne Duprau

The People of Sparks is the second book in the Book of Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau. When the first book, The City of Ember, ended twelve year olds Lina and Doon had just discovered a way out of their underground city. In this second book, they wait anxiously hoping that the rest of their city will follow their lead and find their way out. Lina and Doon are overjoyed when their friends, families and neighbors pour out of the underground. All the people are amazed at the world above the ground. They follow a road to a town called … Continue reading →

The City of Ember – Jeanne DuPrau

The City of Ember is a very popular book with fourth and fifth graders. It’s also an ALA Notable Book. I’ve been hearing about it for years. The brief prologue explains that when the city of Ember was built, the builders wanted the people to stay in the city for 200 years. The builders provided instructions for eventually leaving the city in a special box with a timed lock. When the story begins, two hundred and forty one years have passed. The city of Ember is dying. The stored food is coming to an end. Everything is reused and remade. … Continue reading →

The Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan

A few months ago I had never heard of author Rick Riordan or the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series. A few months ago I never would have imagined that my ten year old twins would be fascinated by Greek mythology, or that we would have spent many hours reading these books. The premise of the series is that the Greek gods are not only real, but still around in present day. Some of them have even had children with mortals. The hero of the series is such a child – a demigod, or “half-blood”. Percy is an unlikely hero; … Continue reading →

Media Week in Review January 6th – 13th

We have such a great selection for all types of interests this week in Media Review. Last week, Tristi interviewed author Anita Hackley-Lambert. They discussed writing as therapy and the inspiration and research behind her latest book. Plus here’s a review of that non-fiction book on the civil rights pioneer F.H.M. Murray – First Biography of a Forgotten Pioneer for Civil Justice. Tristi also interviewed screenwriter and novelist Carole Schutter about the challenges of writing both books and screenplays. Is Regency romance more to your liking? Try My Dearest Friend by Hazel Statham. Looking for a fun picture book? Try … Continue reading →

Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones

In fairy tales, it’s always the youngest who saves the kingdom, wins the fortune, or outsmarts the dragon. The heroine of Howl’s Moving Castle knows this because she lives in the land of Ingary, where not only is there such a thing as a Royal wizard, but where there are things like boots that let you take twenty-one mile steps. Alas, Sophie is the eldest. She resigns herself to a boring life. No part of Sophie’s life, or this book, is boring though. She has many adventures as she grows into her own gifts and abilities. Sophie’s own brand of … Continue reading →