Tag: ya books

The Lineup: Anni

Anni’s Lineup

TV Show: White Collar

A TV show that I have been watching is White Collar. This TV show is really funny and enjoyable for the whole family. This show ran several seasons. It is about the FBI White Collar division and several cases they handle on a daily basis. The lead actor Matt Bomer plays Neal Caffery, a notorious art thief and con man that is doing his time by helping the White Collar division catch thieves and con men. Neal uses several tactics, most of which are not FBI approved and he always gets out of trouble. His handler/assigned detective grows close to him and eventually calls him family. This show was funny and heart warming with a tad bit of mystery all in one. I liked this especially when I had a long day and needed something to laugh at and something to calm down to. It quickly became a routine to watch after getting off work.

Available for checkout from the Derby Public Library

Game: What Do You Meme?

Currently I am playing a board game called ‘What do you Meme.’ This game is really fun to play with friends and family. I play it every Wednesday night with a group of 7 friends and we always end up laughing and having a great time. There are different variations of the game, but I like the Tik Tok version. It is a lot of fun.

Available for purchase through Amazon, Walmart, or Target.

Emoji: Smiley with hearts

My favorite emoji is the smiley emoji with the heart eyes. I use this emoji a lot because it tells people that I am super happy. I am pretty sure that I use it 20 or more times a day.

Book: The False Prince

I am currently reading The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen. I am enjoying this book so much. I have read it several times and every time I read it, the book gets better. I love the thrill of going on an adventure to pick out a false prince and con the king and queen, but is it really a con?  I love the mystery and the new little bits I pick up from reading it over and over.

Several copies are available for checkout from KanShare Libraries.

Soundtrack: Encanto

My favorite soundtrack right now is the Encanto soundtrack. I am loving the upbeat and catchy music. Every time I hear it I just want to sing and dance along. In the soundtrack, my favorite song is We Don’t Talk About Bruno because it is really catchy, plus it tells the story really well.

Available for checkout from the Derby Public Library

Teen Volunteer Book Review: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

Book Review by Rachel Johnson

Rachel is fifteen years old and currently a 2021 Summer Teen Volunteer

    When I picked up The Ruins of Gorlan, I did it to escape the constant heckling of my school librarian. According to her, the book was infinite in virtue and would never be praised enough.

    Right off the start, the author caught my attention with his – shall we say interesting – writing. Take the first line for example:

“Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, former Baron of Gorlan in the Kingdom of Araluen, looked out over his bleak, rain-swept domain and, for perhaps the thousandth time, cursed,” – Flanagan pg 1.

That quote gives you a pretty good idea of what the rest of the book is written like. The dialect is interesting and is not unrealistic. Even though the book is set in feudal times, the book is never hard to read and is easy to follow. 

    The Ruins of Gorlan is an exciting adventure that I couldn’t put down. The book starts with an orphan named Will, hoping he is chosen to be a knight, like his father. Though that wish is not fulfilled, he does find happiness being trained to become a ranger by Halt,the mysterious man who lives in the forest. Then Morgarath, lord of a whole bunch of depressing stuff – as was shown in the quote – hatches an evil plot and Will and Halt team up with a few side characters to take care of it. The ending was riveting and plausible. Let’s just say Will got his chance to save the day and prove himself, and leave it at that. 

    Not only is the book interesting, it also encourages hard work. Will starts out with nothing and no one, but through working hard to become a Ranger, he gains skills, admiration, and a few close friends. Will doesn’t get all that stuff for free – he has to study and practice with his bow and knives to earn his triumph. 

    In The Ruins of Gorlan even the side characters are interesting. Firstly there is Alyss, who trains to become prominent in the diplomatic service. She is interesting, strong, and witty. Horace takes Will’s dream and makes it become a reality for himself. He struggles through Battleschool, and truly has a hero’s journey as surely as Will does. He starts out bullying Will, then after joining Battleschool and working harder than ever before, he has a few adventures with Will and they end up as best friends. Halt is perhaps the most interesting of the side characters. He starts out as grumpy and enigmatic. Then through Will’s young and cheerful influence, he becomes cheerful and begins to love Will like a son. One of the most interesting plot lines in the story is Will discovering Halt’s mysterious past.

    I enjoyed this book a lot and owe a big thank you to my school librarian. Even though I might not have enjoyed it quite as much as she did, I still liked it a lot. Since reading the first book, I read the whole series and found each of the books to be just as – if not more interesting than the first. I would recommend this book to anyone who can read and is older than ten.

FYI: There was a little action and violence, but no more than one might expect in a fantasy adventure.