ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell 144 pp. Penguin Group. £8.99. (Ages 13 and up) ISBN 9780141182704 Rating: ? Stars This book is set in a future when animals are much cleverer than now. And because of their cleverness, the pigs started a revolution against the humans. Pigs could speak fluently in English unlike the other animals, and that gave them the power to be leaders. But, the story that follows only happened a few years after that... Their first leader, Old Major, was kind and fair who knew animals should be equal. But when Napoleon became the leader it was very unpleasant. He made a rule that allowed the pigs to have better food and that forced all of the other animals to work crazily hard every day and night. That wasn’t enough, Napoleon wanted more power. He decided to kill his brother, Snowball, so that he would be the only leader. Snowball was admired because he came up with a clever idea to build windmill. Sn...
Hades is Haute
Hades, the god of the underworld, forces bickering frenemies Meg and Shar to become special-assignment Sirens. Finding the delicate balance between their old and new responsibilities turns out to be harder than they expected, especially when an entire pantheon of Greek deities decides to get involved.I finally got the chance to read Sirenz
by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman. I met them in the summer of 2011 and got my copy signed. I'm ashamed to say it took me this long to get around to it, but that was in part due to the fashion aspect of the book. I have no interest in fashion and most books, movies, shows, etc... that revolve around the fashion world just don't interest me. I don't like or enjoy them. But the other main part of the book was Greek mythology. And it included Hades, god of the Underworld, who I love! So I started this book feeling wary. I really wanted to like it. Charlotte and Natalie are such nice, cool people, and I'd feel awful if I couldn't write a good review. And...Once I picked Sirenz up, I didn't want to put it down. The chapters alternated between Meg and Shar's point of view. Shar is tall, thin, blonde, and really into fashion. Meg is a short brunette who is pretty much Shar's opposite. They are in a special program for their final school year. They're free from their families but are stuck together as roommates. The book picks up at winter break where they meet a sexy, handsome guy that both girls want to date. It doesn't take long for things go horribly wrong.
But as luck would have it - maybe - Hades shows up and promises to fix all of their problems. In exchange for them helping him with one. He needs new sirens. For those who don't know, sirens are half bird/half woman creatures. (as pictured to the left) If they can use their powers to bring Hades the person he's looking for, they're free. But if they fail, they will be forced to spend eternity in the underworld cleaning up after Cerberus. But he's a god, and deities have a long history of not being forthcoming and playing with lowly mortals' lives.I'm really glad I read Sirenz when I did. I was definitely in need of something light and fun, and this book definitely hit both of those. If you're into mythology, I think you'll like this one. Charlotte and Natalie twisted a bit of the Hades/Persephone myth, but explained why things are different than the original telling. I don't mind when mythology or folklore is changed, as long as it is explained in a way that makes sense instead of some random change that we never understand. And if, like me, you're concerned about the fashion aspect... I found that to be a minor aspect of the story. Sirenz had made laugh out loud moments, and I'm definitely looking forward to Sirenz 2: Back in Fashion!
And now for a giveaway!
I have a pack of swag, including bookmarks, buttons, bracelets, and a guitar pick. Some swag is Sirenz and some is not. All you have to do to enter is follow this blog and fill out this form.
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