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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 →

Howl’s Moving Castle

If you’ve never seen one of Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films, you are truly missing great works of art. Normally cartoons are intended for younger audiences, but Miyazaki’s films are just as much for adults. The story lines are smart (though sometimes a bit confusing) and interesting. “Howl’s Moving Castle” is no exception. Sophie is a young hat maker who, after an encounter with a wizard, is turned into an old woman by a vengeful witch called the Witch of the Waste. Sophie takes her transformation in stride and leaves her home in search of someone who can transform her back. … Continue reading →

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 →

Spirited Away (2001)

“Spirited Away” is another film directed (and written by) Hayao Miyazaki, who also did “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Howl’s Moving Castle”. His style of storing telling and animation is so unique, and so very different from Disney movies. Miyazaki doesn’t assume that kids can’t understand more complex plots or be interested in something for shorter periods of time (most of his movies clock in around two hours or more). “Spirited Away” is the story of young Chihiro, who is on her way with her parents to their new home. She’s not happy about it, and is quite pouty and immature … Continue reading →

Willow (1988)

“Willow” is about a small Nelwyn farmer who longs to be an apprentice sorcerer and ends up saving a world from an evil queen. Willow Ufgood’s world is one of magic, and one afternoon he and his children find a baby floating down the river on top of a leaf and branches that have made a makeshift raft. His wife immediately takes to the auburn-haired babe and even though he’s reluctant, the baby makes it obvious that she likes Willow as well. Later, Willow attends a festival in his village, where he hopes that the village sorcerer will choose him … Continue reading →