Up (Film)

Title: Disney/Pixar's Up 

Released on dvd and blu ray: Nov. 10th, 2009

Director: Pete Docter

Music by: Michael Giacchino

Running Time: 96 min.



Starring:
Ed Asner- As the voice of Carl Fredrickson
Christopher Plummer- As the voice of Charles Muntz
 Jordan Nagai- As the voice of Russell
 Bob Peterson- As the voice of Dug

Plot: Carl is a widow who is being pressured to sell his house. He is forced to move to a retirement community when he hits a construction worker over the head when his mailbox gets broken. He makes his house into a kind of flying blimp by attaching thousands of helium filled ballons to it. He plans to go to South America to live in Paradise Falls, which is what he and his wife had planned on doing before she passed away. Carl meets Russell, a Wilderness Explorer, who wants to assist Carl in some way so he can get a badge for helping the elderly. Carl sends him on a wild goose chase, and releases the balloons to set out for South America. What he doesn't plan on is Russell still being on his front porch while they are flying in the air! Not being able to stop now, Carl and Russell get to Paradise Falls, but adventure awaits them when they get there.

Genre: Film, Adventure

Interest Level: Ages 7 & up

Subjects/themes: Adventure, loss, friendship, love, travel

Awards:

• Academy Award for Best Animated Feature 2010
• Academy Award for Best Original Score 2010
• Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film 2010
• Golden Globe for Best Original Score 2010
• Nominated for Academy Award for Best Picture 2010*

*Only other animated film to be nominated for Best Picture was Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

Tiger Beat (Magazine)

Tiger Beat. (October 2010). Laufer Media, Inc. Glendale, CA.

Inside: Lots of pictures of famous teens like Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Nick Jonas, Selena Gomez, and many more. There's inside scoops of things like the new Camp Rock 2 movie on set, an interview with Justin Beiber, and don't forget gossiping with your favorite stars! Tons of other fun stuff for tweens, like quizzes and posters of teen heart throbs like Robert Pattinson from Twilight.

Genre: Entertainment, teen

Interest level: Ages 9-18

Subject/themes: Movie stars, television, gossip, fashion.

Personal thoughts: This is the kind of tween magazine that is read only because of all the pictures and posters, and girls will definitely put these posters all over their walls. The posters are of the "it" guys of right now, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, the Jonas Brothers. There wasn't much of anything with a lot of depth, nothing about teen issues or problems.

Glee (Television)

Episode Titled: The Rocky Horror Glee Show

Originally aired on October 27, 2010 on Fox at 8 pm.

Season 2

Plot: The students in the Glee Club are performing The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the school musical, which came about because club director, Will Schuster, wanted to impress guidance couselor Emma. This episode touches on ethical issues, due to the content of Rocky Horror and that high school kids will be performing it. It also deals with insecurities that the student have with their bodies, since some of the scenes are done in their underwear.


Starring:
Matthew Morrison as Will Schuster
Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester
Lea Michele as Rachel Berry
Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury
Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson

Genre: Musical comedy/drama

Interest level: Ages 10 & up

Subjects/themes: high school, insecurities, relationships, music, singing.

Awards:

• Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series 2010
• Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series 2010
• Golden Globe for Best Television Series- Musical or Comedy 2010
• Screen Actor's Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 2010

Personal thoughts: I really love this show, and I think it covers a lot of issues teens and tweens go through, like budding relationships, self expression, family drama, etc. And they support the arts, which gives kids an outlet for self expression and a way to display their talents.

More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Schwartz, A. (2010). More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishing.
Illustrations by Brett Helquist.

Plot: A collection of scary stories about ghosts, vampires, and other strange events. Many will probably sound familiar, like when a girl and boy meet at a dance, the boy drops her off close to her house, and goes back to ask her something and finds out she died in a car accident earlier that night! How about 3 men in a nursing home with only one window, and when one dies the next one gets to be by the window. There are two left, one man describes the view as beautiful. He dies and finally the last man gets to see the beautiful outside world, only to find himself staring at a brick wall! There are many more stories to send chills down your back in this collection.

Genre: Horror

Recommended reading level: Grades 5-7

Subjects/themes: ghost stories, scary stories, death, hauntings, thrills and chills.

Other Books in this series:

• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
• Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones

Annotation: Ever wonder what gives you those creepy feelings when you are all alone? Alvin Schwartz has come up with the answer with his collection of scary stories... read them, with the lights on!

Nancy Drew: The Mistletoe Mystery

Keene, C. (2002).  The Mistletoe Mystery. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Plot: It is the holiday season in River Heights, and Nancy Drew's friend Bess is working for a company called Special Effects, which is designing decorations for Albemarle's Department store. Bess has a good friend, Ali, who is working in the Wave department of Albemarle's and there was a huge theft of expensive dresses from there, and she is suspected of taking them. There has been some expensive equipment missing from the electronics department too. Bess knows her friend wouldn't do a thing like that, so she asks Nancy to investigate and find out who is stealing from Albemarle's and clear Ali's name.

Genre: Mystery

Recommended Reading Level: Grades 4-6

Subjects/themes: Detective work, Christmas, friendship, sleuthing

Other Books in this Series:

• The E-Mail Mystery
• Whispers in the Fog
• The Curse of the Black Cat
• The Secret in the Stars
• Mystery on the Menu

Annotation: Have you ever known in your gut that your friend was innocent of a crime they didn't commit? Well, Nancy Drew's friend Bess knows that Ali didn't steal the dresses from Albemarle's Department store, right? Find out who Nancy catches red-handed in this edition of the popular series by Carolyn Keene.

The Haunting Hour: Chills in the Dead of Night

Stine, R. L. (2001). The Haunting Hour: Chills in the Dead of Night. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Plot: 10 creepy stories ranging from two friends who go out on Halloween, get invited to a party for dead people, only to find they are dead too! How about a young kid who plays a trick on his friend, making him into a snowman. He thinks he left him as a snowman too long and is frozen when the friend jumps out and scares him to death! Stories to check out in this collection are: The Halloween Dance; The Bad Baby-sitter; Revenge of the Snowman; How to Bargain with a Dragon; The Mummy's Dream; Are We There Yet?; Take Me with You; My Imaginary Friend; Losers; Can You Draw Me?

Note: This book isn't very scary at all, so I wouldn't recommend it for older tweens.

Genre: Horror

Suggested reading level: Grades 3-5

Subjects/themes: Ghosts, horror, voodoo, death, scary stories.

Other Books by R.L. Stine:

• Goosebumps series
• Fear Street series
• The Nightmare Room series

Annotation: R. L. Stine brings you a collection of 10 scary stories for young children that will keep you up till late at night. Read this book at your own risk!

No Talking

Clements, A. (2007). No Talking. New York, NY: Atheneum Children's Publishing. Illustrations by Mark Elliot.

Plot: Dave Packer researched information on India for his social studies report and found Ghandi very influential. He is the kind of kid who likes to talk, a lot. Actually, his whole 5th grade class is like that. They are the loudest 5th grade class that Laketon Elementary has ever seen. Dave comes up with the idea of a contest among 5th graders, girls versus boys, to see who can go the longest without talking for 2 whole days. They can talk to adults at school, ofcourse, but only three words at a time. Lynsey is keeping score for the girls and Dave for the boys. Humorous antics arise when the principal and the teachers catch wind of what is going on, especially when they hear nothing but quiet during the first 5th grade lunch period.

Genre: Humor

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6

Subject/themes: School, life lessons, teachers, humor, friendship.

Awards:

• California Young Reader Medal
• Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award

Other Books by Andrew Clements:

• Frindle
• Lunch Money
• Lost and Found
• The Report Card

Annotation: Ever thought "Gee, girls talk too much!" Well, Dave Packer thinks that Linsey talks about nonsense and tells her so, and not nicely either. he comes up with a contest to see who talks more, boys or girls. When the school principal and teachers find out what's going on, the 5th grade class is on for some talking to. Read what Dave, Linsey and the rest of their 5th grade class learn from this experiment gone funny!

Nancy Drew: The Baby-Sitter Burglaries

Keene, C. (1996). The Baby-Sitter Burglaries. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Publishers.

Plot: Nancy Drew is on to a new mystery. There have been a string of burglaries in River Heights and each one is connected to a girl named Juanita Puentes, who has baby-sat for each family. What is more serious is that Juanita's boyfriend used to work for an alarm company, the same one used for each home burglarized. Nancy knows Juanita is innocent, so she is going solve this mystery and clear her name.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6

Subjects/themes: Mystery, sleuthing, friendship, magic, burglary, theft.

Other Nancy Drew Books by Carolyn Keene:

• The Vanishing Veil
• The Nutcracker Ballet Mystery
• The Wedding Day Mystery
• Mystery on Maui
• The Ghost of the Lantern Lady
• The Mistletoe Mystery

Annotation: Nancy Drew is onto a new mystery! Can she find out who has been burglarizing the people of River Heights before the police arrest her friend Juanita Puentes because she is connected to all the families? Read the book and find out!

A Long Way From Chicago

Peck, R. (1998). A Long Way From Chicago. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

Plot: Joey and his sister Mary Alice visit their Grandma in a small town in Illinois for a week every summer from 1929 to 1935, and hilarity ensues every time. Grandma Dowdel is like no other grandmother you know. She is feisty, and takes no nonsense from anyone, plus she is kind of mischievous. Every summer something amazing happens, like Joey and Alice see their first dead body, which is odd because they live in Chicago in the time of Al Capone! Grandma Dowdel also wittingly got Joey a ride on an airplane when only Blue Ribbon winners at the fair were supposed to get them and she came in second place. What other shennanigans will she and kids get into?

Genre: Historical fiction, humor

Suggested reading level: Grades 5-8

Subjects/themes: The Great Depression, small towns, family, history, growing up.

Awards:

• Newbery Honor Book
• National Book Award Finalist
• ALA Notable Book

Sequel to this book:

• A Year Down Yonder

Other Books by Richard Peck:

• Ghosts I Have Been
• The Teacher's Funeral
• On the Wings of Heroes
• The River Between Us

Annotation:  Have you ever had a family member who is big, tough as nails and can wield a rifle like nothing? Was it your grandma? Well Joey and Mary Alice's Grandma Dowdel is like that and sneaky too. They visit her in her small Illinois town for a week every summer from 1929 to 1935, and every time funny events take place that you will not want to miss, so read this book!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Kinney, J. (2009). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. Amulet Books.

Plot: Greg Heffley wants only to stay inside, play video games and sleep in late. His mother has better ideas. She wants him to read, go outside, check out the community pool. Jeff doesn't like to read, he'd much rather stay inside in the air conditioning and he is scarred by the images of hairy men in the showers of the community pool locker rooms! Follow Greg's summer days as he gets into trouble, fights with his best friend Rowley and tries to spend "quality" father-son time with his dad.

Genre: Humor

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-7

Subjects/themes: family, summer, vacation, friendships, humor

Other Books in this Series:

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth

Annotation: What do you like to do on your summer vacation? Greg Heffley likes to stay in and play video games, but his mom wants him to go outside and hang out with his friends. The thing is, when Greg gets out of the house is when he starts to get in trouble. Find out what happens in the fourth book of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series!

The Witches

Dahl, R. (1999). The Witches. Turtleback Books. Illustrated by Quentin Blake.

Plot: A young boy who has recently lost his parents is living in England with his Norwegian grandmother. She is an expert on witches, and teaches him how to look out for them. On a vacation at a hotel they find themselves among hundreds of witches, for they are having their annual convention at the same hotel! The young boy finds himself locked in the same room with these witches, they turn him into a mouse and he must get to his grandmother because the witches are plotting to turn all the children in England into mice!

Genre: Humor, Fantasy

Subjects/themes: witches, death, magic, family

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6

Other Books by Roald Dahl:

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• The BFG
• Matilda
• Fantastic Mr. Fox

Annotation: Do you know how to spot a witch? They aren't easily recognizable. They could be any woman, your next door neighbor, the woman walking across the street, your teacher even. There are witches everywhere, and if you want to be prepared (and I think you should be) then you will want to read this book!

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Choldenko, G. (2004). Al Capone Does My Shirts. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Plot: It is 1935, Moose Flanagan and his family have moved to Alcatraz because his father is working as a guard and it is cheaper to live on the island. This is a lot for a 12 year old boy to take, living on an island that houses some of the most notorious criminals like Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. Moose befriends some of the other kids living on the island, one of them being the warden's mischievous daughter Piper. She has a money-making scheme Moose wants no part of. With both parents working all the time, Moose must take care of his older sister Natalie because she has what we know today to be autism. His parents want more than anything to get Natalie into a school, Esther P. Marinoff, for people with her needs. She's been turned down before, so it is up to Moose to do what is best for Natalie while trying to stay out of trouble, and hopefully not run into any convicts!

Genre: Historical fiction

Recommended reading level: Grades 5-8

Subjects/themes: Autism, prison life, San Francisco, family, friendship.

Awards:

• Newbery Honor
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
• ALA Notable Book 2005
• Publisher's Weekly Best Book 2004

Other Book in this series:

• Al Capone Shines My Shoes

Teenage Dream (Song)

Song Title: Teenage Dream

Album: Teenage Dream

Released: 2010 by Capitol Records

Artist: Katy Perry

Genre: Pop

Time: 3:47

Interest Level: Grades 6 & up

A few of the lyrics:

You think I'm pretty

Without any makeup on

You think I'm funny

When I tell the punchline wrong

I know you get me

So I'll let my walls come down, down

Before you met me

I was a wreck

But things were kinda heavy

You brought me to life

Now every February

You'll be my valentine, valentine

Let's go all the way tonight

No regrets, just love

We can dance until we die

You and I

We'll be young forever

You make me feel like

I'm living a teenage dream

The way you turn me on

I can't sleep

Let's runaway

And don't ever look back

Don't ever look back

My heart stops

When you look at me

Just one touch

Now baby I believe

This is real

So take a chance

And don't ever look back

Don't ever look back

Thoughts:

This is a really catchy song by Katy Perry that makes a person think about when they were young and in love for the first time and all the feelings you had. I think a lot of young teenagers can relate a bit, with new romances blooming and having crushes on eachother.  

Superfudge

Blume, J. (2002). Superfudge. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.

Plot: Peter Hatcher is very unhappy about the fact that his mother is going to have another baby, plus the family is moving to New Jersey while his dad works on a book. Fudge, Peter's younger brother, is the biggest pain and isn't liking that he is no longer the baby. Peter has a hard time getting used to the changes in his life, leaving friends home in New York City and going to the same school as Fudge, who is now in kindergarten even though he is only four, because he's smart.

Peter, or Pee-Tah as called by Fudge, goes through some hilarious situations during the year he and his family live in Princeton like finding out Fudge knows Santa isn't real but pretends he is or teaching Fudge how to ride a bike, scrapes, bruises and all. In the end it is back to New York and to his friends, but he learned quite a bit during his time away!

Genre: Humor

Subjects/Themes: Family, siblings, friendship, divorce

Recommended reading level: 4-7

Other books by Judy Blume:

• Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
• Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret
• Blubber

Annotation: Have you ever had a little brother or sister really work your nerves? Has the thought of another one coming into the world set you off and make you want to run away? Well, Peter Hatcher knows what that feels like because he is big brother to Fudge, a four year old who knows big words but doesn't always use them correctly. Peter is facing big life changes when his parents decide to move without consulting him. How will Peter cope with the move and being away from his friends in the big city? Read and find out!

Falling In

O'Roark Dowell, F. (2010). Falling In. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Plot: Isabelle Bean is different from the other children at her middle school and from her mom. She doesn't have any friends, either. She likes to talk in riddles and dress different, like wearing these red, pointy-toed boots. One day she notices buzzing in her ears and starts listening to it rather than her teacher, who isn't amused and sends her to the principal's office.

Isabelle falls through a door at the school nurse's office into a different world where everyone is afraid of a witch, so parents have their children moved around differnt camps so the witch won't find them and kill them. When she wanders into one of these camps the children there think she is a witch. So she goes in the direction where she can find the witch because she's curious and likes adventure. She meets Hen, who has lost her siblings on their way to camp.

Isabelle and Hen are found by an old woman named Grete, an herbal healer. Isabelle has hurt her ankle and Grete nurses her back to health. While staying with Grete because it is safe, Isabelle finds some very interesting things about herself, Grete and her mother, as well as the tale of the wicked witch supposedly terrorizing this other world.

Suggested reading level: Grades 5-8.

Genre: Fantasy

Character description:

Isabelle Bean- Always knew there was something different about herself, finds out what it is while in another world.

Hen- Scared of the evil witch, has to take care of her siblings, has a knack for herbal medicine.

Grete- Once married and had a family, child taken by fairies, knows herbal medicine, lives in the woods.

Jacob- Hen's brother, thinks Grete is a witch and almost kills her, by accident.

Other Books by this author:

•  Shooting the Moon
• Chicken Boy
• Where I'd like to be
• Dovey Coe

Annotation: What would you do if you fell into another world that is being terrorized by a witch? Would you go looking for that witch? Isabelle Bean plans to do just that, and her lifelong feelings of knowing that she is different and wanting to know why will be answered during her adventure.