Coraline (Neil Gaiman)

When I saw Coraline by Neil Gaiman at a library book sale, I knew that I had to buy it. I had never read it before and had mostly heard about the animated film that was made from it. I ended up watching the animated film after reading the book and I liked how they interpreted the book when it came to the imagery, but I found it a bit strange that they added a completely new character, a young boy named Wybie that wasn't in the book whatsoever, to help Coraline. Of course, this new character has a grandmother from whom he finds out some information but I didn't like how suddenly Coraline has someone who helps her rather than her being the true heroine in the end as she was in the book. He was an interesting character and I guess Wybie helping her showed teamwork between children but it was as though the filmmakers were saying that she couldn't do it all on her own; she still needed help from a boy. This was my feminist point of view of the film and I'm sure that it would stand out for anyone who has both read the book and watched the film. With this little rant over, let's concentrate on the book that I absolutely adored.

Coraline is bored of her own life. Her parents don't pay enough attention to her when she just wishes that they would take some time out of their busy schedules to spend time with her. She ends up finding a door in their new house that is bricked up. It used to lead to the room on the other side of the wall but was blocked when the house was split up for several families to live in. The first time unlocking the door shows the bricks but the second time Coraline looks through the door, she finds herself in a parallel world with other parents that look exactly like her own but have buttons in place of their eyes. This parallel world appears to be better but she knows that she belongs in her real home with her real parents and she sees that this parallel world is all just an illusion and a trap.

Coraline is the heroine of the story. She works alone with only the help of a cat and, later, three ghost children. Even though she has this help, she is the character that ultimately saves the day in the end. She is an explorer and she treats this tough situation as an adventure. Bravery is also very important in the story. Coraline faces her fears and never gives up. A really important thing that Coraline says is "When you're scared but you still do it anyway, that's brave." She was scared but she made it through in the end and saved everyone. Even though she was scared, she convinced herself that she was brave and that she was an explorer and could make it through this adventure. I connected with her so much in some of the ways that she felt about fearful situations. These include things that you cannot see being easy to be afraid of, whistling when she was afraid that something would jump out at her (in my case when I am scared of the bush at night at my camp I start saying random things out loud or kind of saying things in a sing-song voice), and hugging herself and telling herself that she was brave when she was afraid (I often put my arms around myself when I'm scared or worried).

At the back of the book, there is information about the author, Neil Gaiman, his own description of how he wrote the book, as well as an interview with him. In his description of writing the book, he ends by saying,"It was a story, I learned when people began to read it, that children experienced as an adventure, but which gave adults nightmares." This perfectly describes the mix of adventure and nightmare that Coraline experiences and she herself recognizes it as both. Perhaps this is because she is an older child? So maybe she sees it as both an adventure and a nightmare because she is still a child but she is growing up. We definitely see her growing up a bit in the story since she takes on the responsibility of saving the day and she learns new life lessons along the way. She certainly showed more of the child that she is since she reminded herself that she was an explorer but she did that because she was scared from seeing how the situation was a nightmare. I love the idea of taking a scary situation and seeing it as an adventure. It's turning something negative into something positive. I think that maybe we need to channel our inner child in that way sometimes.

Another important lesson in the story is that once Coraline knows that this other world is all just an illusion and that her other mother in this world has simply created it to seem perfect, she realizes that perfection isn't important to her. Perfection and getting everything you want isn't actually a great life. She accepts that things might not be perfect in the real world but her parents still love her and she loves them. She doesn't want to stay in this other world and fights her hardest to set things right and save the day by saving her parents that the other mother has trapped and by freeing the trapped ghost children and getting back to her real home. Perfection is all just an illusion. Nobody's life is perfect but it is the imperfections that actually do make it perfect.

There is a lot of positivity and lessons in this book. Being brave even when you're scared, seeing challenges as an adventure, and accepting that life isn't perfect but that's what makes it perfect are all amazing things to remember in life. I love how, if you really take a good look at children's books, we see these beautiful messages.

Cheers,
Kaylie

Lumberjanes Vol. 6: Sink or Swim (Boom! Studios)

I absolutely adore the Lumberjanes comic book series as you would know after reading my thoughts about Lumberjanes Vol. 1-5. I read them as they come out in volumes and I am always checking when the next volume comes out. The friendship between April, Jo, Mal, Molly, and Ripley is so strong and they go on all sorts of crazy adventures together! What's not to love? This series is so refreshing and different from other comic books and it has some great messages mixed in. It makes me long for adventures in the great outdoors and makes my imagination run wild. The stories continue to get more and more interesting and I'm always wondering what will happen next while also making some guesses.

Lumberjanes Vol. 6: Sink or Swim has a theme of oceans and sailing. April is working on the badges for the nautical life skills section of the camp handbook and wants to prove to the new counselor Seafarin' Karen that her cabin is a good team after finding out that everyone in the cabin has to be a good team and all tie good knots to earn the "All For Knot" badge. After only thinking of herself and her love of mermaids in the previous volume, she doesn't want to let down her friends again. The girls end up finding out that Seafarin' Karen's ship has been stolen by selkies that keep taunting her and keeping the ship within view but protected by whirlpools and that Seafarin' Karen is a werewolf. Weird things don't surprise the girls so much anymore and they decide to help Seafarin' Karen and also show her how great a team they are. The group actually splits up with Molly and Ripley going to see if the bear woman knows anything about selkies and April, Jo, and Mal trying to help Seafarin' Karen figure out a plan to get her ship back.

Molly wishes that she was something more interesting like all of the people that she has met who are involved in the supernatural and that she didn't have to leave it all to go back home when the Summer ends. She is given the choice of sticking with the bear woman to learn more about the supernatural but she chooses to go help her friends and the bear woman says to herself that she's not ready yet. Maybe the story will return to this in the future when Molly is more ready since she seems to have more potential in the area of the supernatural than the others, especially in the end when the spyglass, which is used for spotting supernatural things, shows that all of the girls are glowing after being involved with the supernatural but Molly is glowing more than the others. Earlier in this volume, Molly mentioned how she remembers the bear woman saying something about the woods and how it changes people and wants them to stay so maybe the woods have chosen Molly. We have already seen hints of how she loves being at camp and dreads going back home because there isn't an exciting life waiting for her back there. Camp has also helped her figure out who she really is. It means a lot to her so maybe this supernatural life is where she is meant to be.

As with every volume, there is an emphasis on friendship, getting along with each other, and working together. This is always evident with the girls of the Roanoke cabin but in this volume it is also evident with Seafarin' Karen and the selkies since they are enemies that turn into friends. The selkies stole Seafarin' Karen's ship because they thought that she stole one of the selkies' pelts but in reality the pelt was stuck in a magical portal in the water. The ultimate reason why it was there in the first place was because Seafarin' Karen had it in her mouth and was tossing it around while in wolf form and it ended up in the water. Due to all of them helping each other while caught in a stormy sea of magical portals, they forgave each other for all of their anger and hurt towards each other and decided to sail away together. And the girls of the Roanoke cabin earned their "All For Knot" badge. Such a happy ending!

Cheers,
Kaylie

Secret Path (Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire)

Secret Path written by Gord Downie and illustrated by Jeff Lemire is both an interesting collection and an interesting way to tell a story and teach some of Canada's history. It includes a book in graphic novel style, a whole album of music, and a mostly animated film. This collection follows the story of Chanie (misnamed Charlie) Wenjack and his journey of running away from a residential school in Ontario, Canada to try and get back home to his family, sadly dying along the way. The first thing that I noticed about the book before I even opened it is the size. It is a large square book measuring 12x12". The size reminded me of the large size of coffee table books. I wondered if this could mean something because it personally made me think that the size was saying that just like a coffee table book is left out in the open for everyone to see, Chanie's story should not be hidden away on a book shelf but instead be out in the open for everyone to know.

The book itself follows a pattern: a page with the lyrics to one of the songs from Gord Downie's album followed by several pages of graphic novel style illustrations with no words or dialogue (except for a "goodbye" from Chanie as he leaves his body in the end) to describe the part of Chanie's story that the song describes. This pattern is repeated for each of the other songs for a total of ten songs. Every time I came across a song as I was reading, I would read the lyrics while I actually listened to the song and then I would look at the illustrations. It was a very emotional experience. Listening to the songs that are filled with so much emotion and then seeing a visual depiction of the lyrics really makes you feel the story and understand what Chanie went through instead of simply knowing what he went through. It was great to watch the animated film after having gone through the book. It follows the same pattern of showing a visual depiction for each song. The same illustrations from the book were animated for the film and the songs are played in order while each of the visual depictions are shown. Seeing the book come alive on a screen was beautiful and even more emotional. I definitely found myself crying by the end.

The colours of the illustrations are really important to the storytelling. The illustrations in grey, black, and white show all of Chanie's sad moments and memories while all of the colourful illustrations show his happy memories. It's a great way of showing Chanie's emotions. The main setting of the story is the train tracks. As he walks along them while running away from the residential school to get back home, he has flashbacks mostly to his time in the residential school. The flashbacks start, however, with his life before the residential school when he was happy living at home with his family and from then on show all of the bad memories from the residential school. It is as though the train tracks are the trunk of a tree and the memories are branches. In the structure of the story, Chanie is thinking of all of these memories because he is running away therefore it all results from walking along the train tracks. Walking along the train tracks to get back home is the important part of the story and his memories show us why he is trying to go back home. His home is what he wants to go to and the residential school is what he is trying to get away from. Both are the reasons why he is running away. Things that he sees or are seen by us in the illustrations make the train track and memory scenes flow together with them being connected through imagery. Having the illustrations show his thoughts and feelings as he tries to go back home draws us into the story and makes us feel along with him.

I also found some of the messages and meanings hidden in the story, among the obvious message of the fact that we need to be more aware of Canada's history regarding Indigenous people, to be very interesting. "Here, Here, And Here" is a very haunting song about death. I see it as saying that we are all connected. We don't just feel, hurt, live, and die in one place but all over the place because we are connected to so many places and so many people. Another meaning that it could have could be that feeling, hurting, living, and dying happens in many parts of our body like our mind, heart, and soul. A raven shows up several times throughout the story which is important to note since the raven has a lot of symbolism in Aboriginal culture. The raven has many meanings but some of the meanings that I think are important to this story are transformation, exposing the truth behind secrets, and healing. Chanie wanted to go back home and did not want to stay at the residential school where he was taught to be something that he was not so I see him transforming as he runs away because he is figuring out who he wants to be rather than what they told him to be at the residential school. This story is showing us some of the true history of Canada that we haven't really learned about and so it is exposing the truth behind some of the history that was kept a secret. Healing will hopefully come from opening up this part of the history book for all to know and understand. At the end of the story, I thought about how Chanie needed to get back home within his own country when his own country was supposed to be his home and I feel that that is important to think about because it makes us see that this country that we see as beautiful, free, friendly, and as our home has some dark times in its history. We have begun to learn more about the things that really happened in Canada and we continue to learn and must learn more. We are now such a welcoming country to people who come here but the people who first came here from other countries weren't accepting of the people who were actually here first. This was the home of the Indigenous people and yet other people came and tried to change everything.

This is only the beginning of a conversation. There are so many stories of residential schools and all of the other difficulties that Indigenous people in Canada have faced since people from other countries came to this land. Secret Path is a powerful story and sometimes we need a powerful personal story to get us to start looking further into the situation. Just learning about the residential schools is not enough. We need to understand and really feel what happened. History has already happened but we need to learn about and understand what happened in the past so that the truth is known and things can change. We need to understand the past so that it will not be repeated. I apologize if I have misunderstood any part of the story or the messages and meanings in the story. I am always learning. I think that we need to dive deep into the story and how the collection has been presented to us to really understand and we should share our thoughts and feelings that come from experiencing this collection in order to open up conversations about what has happened in Canada.

May we continue to learn the untold history of Canada, understand, and create a better today and a better future.

Sending peace,
Kaylie

Angel Catbird Vol. 1 (Margaret Atwood, Johnnie Christmas, and Tamra Bonvillain)

Wow, so what can I say about the first volume of Angel Catbird written by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Johnnie Christmas, and coloured by Tamra Bonvillain? Well, it's definitely interesting. I first heard of it when I saw that Margaret Atwood would be at Fan Expo 2016 in Toronto to promote the graphic novel. Unfortunately, my brother and I couldn't go to the panel/book signing because we had another panel or photo op to go to but I had already met Margaret Atwood at Laurentian University in the Fall of 2014 so I wasn't too worried about missing it, even though I would have liked to have gone because Margaret Atwood is a very interesting person. I wanted to read it later, though, because I knew that it should be interesting due to the title and the fact that Margaret Atwood wrote it. Now that I actually have a cat, I thought that it was the right time to read it. And it definitely turned out to be... interesting (wow, I just said "interesting" a lot in this paragraph).

This graphic novel is about a man named Strig Feleedus who becomes part cat and part owl (while still being part human). His head is a combination of human, cat, and owl while his body is mostly human with the exception of the cat tail, large angel-like bird wings, and feathery legs with talon feet. He is later given the name Angel Catbird due to all of this. I expected him to be the only one of his kind and to just be a hero of sorts but the story isn't that simple. There are other people who are part cat. They call themselves half-cats. And they can also switch between their forms. For example, humans who are half-cat can switch between their human-cat form and their human form but cats that are half-cat can switch between their cat-human form and their cat form. Then there are other people who have other animals in them. In Strig's case, he is part cat and part owl. Count Catula is part cat and part bat as well as being a vampire. Ray is half-raven. And the villain, Dr. Muroid? He's half-rat. Obviously he wants the half-cats gone while he and his rats take control.

These half-cats also have their own sort of community. They have a nightclub just for them and they prefer to hang out with each other rather than with normal humans. I was confused by some of their names at first. For example, some of the cats in the nightclub have names like Trash, Cataclysm, and Alley. I wondered why one of the half-cats (and Strig's love interest), Cate Leone, kept saying these words. I started thinking that maybe these were swears that the half-cats use since Cate also says "Holy cats!" as a sort of swear and there are a lot of cat-themed references. It wasn't until I looked at the collection of labelled sketches at the end of the book that I figured out that these were the names of characters and that whenever she said them, she was talking to them. I feel really sorry for the cat living with the name "Trash." Because of all of these cat references, I was reminded of a lot of children's books that do the same thing. It gets kind of cheesy after a while but it's still kind of fun. I would not recommend that children read this however, since there are parts where Strig and Cate think about sex with each other but in a cat way. For example, there is one part where Cate is thinking about how cute Strig looks in his cat-owl-human form and she thinks about how they could maybe get together next time she's in heat. In another part, Strig thinks about how he'd love it if Cate had his kittens or laid his egg. These parts are both sexual (especially the part about the next time Cate is in heat) and there are other scenes that seem a bit sexual as well. So, I'd say this book is more for adults.

A big part of this book is about spreading the message that cats should be kept indoors rather than being outdoor cats. Indoor cats live longer because there are many dangers that they could face if they were outside. Also, keeping cats indoors means that wild birds are also safe from them. There are little boxes at the bottom of certain pages with information provided by Nature Canada. The information is all about the risks of letting cats be outdoor cats and the benefits of indoor cats. There is even a website that they encourage readers to visit: catsandbirds.ca. These messages are even included in the story. At the beginning of the story, Strig tells his pet cat that he has to stay inside since he is an indoor cat. Before Strig changes into Angel Catbird for the first time, his cat escapes from the house and he yells that it's dangerous outside before his cat runs onto the street after a rat and ends up getting hit by a car. When the half-cats who change to cat form when they are not in half-cat form change into cats so as to lie low until the dangers that the half-cats are facing are figured out, they state everything that could happen to them outside like getting hit by cars, chased or eaten by other animals, or getting rabies. The message really jumps out at you in these parts of the story. You can see that they were deliberately placed there. I actually find that they don't fit in... smoothly, I guess? As though they are forced into the story. Then there's the big part of the story that addresses the issue of outdoor cats and the safety of wild birds from cats: Angel Catbird himself. He is part cat and part bird. So, he knows the dangers that cats face outside and he also knows the dangers that birds face from cats. He understands what both species are going through. I really like this part. It fits in nicely, even if it's weird.

So, will I read the next volume? Probably, especially since this graphic novel series is different from other graphic novels that I read and it also has that great message about cats and birds. Now that I'm a cat owner, I know the importance of keeping cats indoors. As someone who also owns pet birds and loves wild birds, I know how important it is to keep them safe too.

Cheers,
Kaylie

Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror (Chris Priestley)

I was intrigued by Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror (part of the Tales of Terror series) by Chris Priestley when I saw it at a library book sale and decided to buy it. The first thing that caught my eye was the cover of the book. I love the illustrations! Such creepiness but at the same time, there is some innocence to it. Once I read the description on the back, I knew that this was a story that I wanted to read. A young boy named Edgar visits his Uncle Montague to listen to his stories. His Uncle tells him several scary stories and Edgar realizes that objects from these stories are in his Uncle's house. Weird things also happen while Edgar is at his Uncle's house and eventually he learns that his Uncle has a part in a scary story that brings all of the scary stories together.

This is a children's novel and you can tell that it is geared towards children but it is still very good. I think that some of the stories might even be a bit too scary for some children, but children are exposed to a lot nowadays so who knows if they would actually be scared. I found that the first two stories had very predictable endings and weren't very scary or disturbing but the third story and the rest after that were actually kind of scary. They made you ask yourself what you would do in that situation or at least made you imagine yourself in that situation and I found myself feeling uncomfortable. Most of the stories expressed the same message: If you are bad, bad things will happen to you. It's something that we as know as karma.

I loved how Edgar and his Uncle Montague are sitting in front of a fireplace and drinking tea during the storytelling. It made me think of the act of telling ghost stories around a campfire. It was interesting to also see a sort of "break" after each story where Edgar and Uncle Montague chat a bit about the story or strange things happen in and around the house. Instead of simply having your own reactions to the stories, you are able to see how a fictional character would react to them. You also get glimpses into all of the stories eventually coming together in the end.

For a lot of the stories, it felt like the ending was too abrupt. It felt like the story wasn't completely over even though it was for the purpose of telling that major scary part of the character's life. In the case of some stories, the character didn't die like they did in the other stories so it actually wasn't over for them. The characters would have continued on in the state that the scary situation put them in. I just found that the stories could have each continued a little bit past their endings if the character was technically still alive. I even found the final ending to be a bit disappointing. Uncle Montague walks away with the children, who are the children that died in the stories and who were the ones that actually told him all of the stories that he told to Edgar. He must look after these children forever as his punishment for being a bad person in the past. Edgar walks back home, realizing that the boring life that he is going back to is actually the kind of life that he yearns for right now after finding out about Uncle Montague's secret. It seems as though Edgar is never going to visit Uncle Montague again. I guess I would be scared if I was in Edgar's shoes but I myself would be intrigued and want to spend more time with Uncle Montague because his life is quite interesting and he seems to have changed from the bad person that he used to be. Why would I want to go back to a boring life if I could have some part in a more interesting one? I think Edgar should have been more open-minded.

Illustration by David Roberts on page 19 of Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley

I can definitely imagine this book being animated into some kind of film using the same style as the illustrations. I could imagine Tim Burton directing it and Vincent Price giving his voice to Uncle Montague, even though Mr. Price unfortunately passed away in 1993. His voice would have been perfect! The illustrations are so well done that you can imagine them moving as you look at them. I think it's due to all of the amazing etching work. The above photo is my favourite illustration in the book, mostly because I love tea and fireplaces but also because it's a good one for imagining it animated. I can see the movement of Edgar bringing the tea cup to his lips and the movement of the flames with the sound of the fire crackling. I can also imagine the branches on the walls moving while Edgar listens to his Uncle, too absorbed in his stories to notice. There is no mention in the book of the branches on the walls moving (there's not even any mention of branches being on the walls) but I feel that it would add even more spookiness if the book was ever animated.

Cheers,
Kaylie

Ms. Marvel Vol. 6: Civil War II (Marvel Comics)

The messages and ending of Ms. Marvel Vol. 5: Super Famous were beautiful but wow, did things ever go downhill for Kamala in Ms. Marvel Vol 6: Civil War II (part of the 2015-2017 collection). Things started out pretty good and then they just seemed to get worse and worse until the last chapter which wasn't so heartbreaking. Ms. Marvel definitely learned some lessons but things are still not quite fixed so it definitely has me wondering if things will work out. I am excited to read the next volume but let's talk about Volume 6, shall we?

There was definitely another message about friendship here. There were problems with Kamala's friendship with not only her closest friends in her everyday life but also one of her most important superhero influences, Captain Marvel. All of it is caused by a new crime fighting tool that Captain Marvel is trying out called predictive technology. There's a new Inhuman called Ulysses who can determine events that are going to take place and Captain Marvel has put together a team that will use these "predictions" to stop crime before it happens and detain the criminals until the time when they would have committed a crime has passed to ensure that they do not commit that specific crime. Of course, some people think that this is great but others don't like it and think that it's not fair to arrest someone before they even commit a crime.

A student that Ms. Marvel knows, who is also the ex-boyfriend of one of her friends, gets arrested because something that he was going to do to scare people was going to get out of control and cause a fire in the high school. The team detains him and Kamala's friends find out and are very angry, especially Bruno who knows that Ms. Marvel is really Kamala. He doesn't like what she and the team are doing. Bruno ends up going to the building where the criminals are being kept and blows up the door but ends up hurting himself as well.

Ms. Marvel ends up really mad about everything that is happening. The team is being way too serious and strict about using Ulysses' predictions and Kamala starts seeing how it isn't really fair to hold people for something that they haven't even done yet. She tries to show that this new system is flawed but it doesn't really work out as planned. She gets into a bit of trouble and calls Captain Marvel who she becomes angry with and she ends up upsetting. She also finds out that Bruno is still upset with her and doesn't want to have anything to do with her. Kamala says to herself: "We're all bound up in the people we love--the people who make us who we are. So who am I without them? Who am I now?" (end of chapter 11). She doesn't know who she is anymore without the people that she cares about. The people who helped and encouraged her. The people who always stayed by her side. The people who helped her define herself. She goes to Pakistan to visit family and try to find herself again. She ends up learning a lesson about thinking about a situation more before acting on it.

In this volume, Kamala learned how we can become torn between the different opinions that two friends might have about something. Captain Marvel thought that the prediction system that she put into place was right but Bruno, Kamala's best friend, didn't think so. As Ms. Marvel, Kamala became torn between Captain Marvel and Bruno. Did she want to listen to her great influence, the amazing superhero Captain Marvel, or did she want to listen to her best friend in the whole entire world, Bruno, an actual every day citizen in the city? Just like figuring out who to listen to, was she going to look at this situation as superhero Ms. Marvel or citizen Kamala? In the end, she learns that not only does she need to think like a superhero, but she needs to consider what the citizens think as well. She needs to consider how it might affect them before she does something. Think before you act. We can all learn from this.

Cheers,
Kaylie

J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Book, Screenplay, & Film)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a fun collection from J.K. Rowling since there is a book that is meant to be Newt Scamander's book that he wrote about magical creatures from the wizarding world of Harry Potter and now there is a film with the screenplay written by J.K. Rowling herself! So, we get to read the actual magical creatures book and then we get to find out a bit of the story behind the "author" and his magical creatures that he researched for the book. We also get to read J.K. Rowling's writing before watching the film (which is the proper way that her stories should be enjoyed) by reading the published screenplay for the film before watching the actual film.

The story of the film is centered around Newt Scamander, a man from Britain who was kicked out of Hogwarts and has a deep interest in magical creatures. He carries a leather suitcase which is filled with magical creatures that he has collected over time and which he cares for. He has been doing research into these magical creatures and observing them in order to be able to write a book about them. Some of his creatures get out of the suitcase while he is in New York in the 1920s and problems arise in the city, while an even bigger problem is of concern.

Book:

I wanted to read the book before watching the film so that I'd know the end result of Newt's research and also to give me some information about the magical creatures that I would be seeing in the film. The book that Newt Scamander wrote about magical creatures (actually written by J.K. Rowling with the proceeds going to Comic Relief) is a textbook used at Hogwarts and the copy that was made available to Muggles is a copy that was owned by Harry Potter and shared by Ron Weasley because his copy apparently fell apart. The book therefore has little notes written on several pages by Harry and Ron (as well as a few by Hermione), which are quite comical and also remind us of certain events and characters from the main book series. The book starts off with an introduction to magical characters, some information about the history of magical creatures, and the Ministry of Magic classifications for magical creatures. The rest of the book is an A-Z list of  the magical creatures with information for each one.

It was interesting to read about each of the magical creatures and it was fun to imagine that I was reading a Hogwarts textbook as if I was an actual student at the school. There are specific creatures that readers will remember from the main book series and there are other creatures that were not really mentioned in the books. It's a fun read but it is definitely a comedic informational text and not a story.

Screenplay:

Just like with the book, I decided to read the screenplay before watching the film. Some people might think that to be a bit odd since reading the screenplay would mean that I'd know exactly what happens in the film. It's different from reading the novel of a story before watching the film because with a film adapted from a novel, you still don't know how they adapted it whereas a screenplay reveals all of the dialogue, actions, etc. of the film. You're basically just "reading" the film. I chose to read the screenplay before watching the film, however, because J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplay and so I wanted to keep up my tradition of reading her writing before seeing the films and I wanted to really appreciate the work that she put into this film. There were still surprises when I eventually watched the film since I had pictured things in my head while reading the screenplay and now I finally got to see what the filmmakers actually came up with for costumes, locations, props, etc.

Firstly, I just want to mention how much I love the cover of the published screenplay and all of the little illustrations inside, most of which were illustrations of the magical creatures. The style of the cover and illustrations definitely gives the printed book that 1920s feel and it was fun to get an idea of what the magical creatures look like in a 1920s style of illustration.

The story is very interesting, especially since it's a story set in the wizarding world of Harry Potter but it doesn't involve the character of Harry Potter. I loved Newt Scamander's concern and caring nature towards magical creatures. He wants them to be protected rather than killed. Other characters were afraid of the creatures and some would prefer that the creatures be destroyed but Newt showed that the creatures can be very nice if you are simply careful and show kindness towards them. It can be compared to animals in the human world. We need to be careful around certain animals because they can hurt us but we can learn to live in harmony with them. After all, we all share this planet.

I also loved how friendship was shown to be very important, just like in the Harry Potter books. Newt works together with fellow magical people, Tina and her sister Queenie, as well as a non-magical person, Jacob. He sees how he is able to change their thoughts towards magical creatures (they are scared of them at first but then they become interested and they start caring about the creatures) and they all contribute, in some way, to solving the problems at hand.

The story also touches on racism. Newt mentions how in America they don't allow magical people to marry or even become friends with non-magical people. Any non-magical person who finds out about magic has to be obliviated meaning that they forget everything that they learned about magic. We see how Newt, Tina, and Queenie become friends with Jacob and eventually don't want him to be obliviated. Especially Queenie, who falls in love with Jacob. On the non-magical side, the non-magical people who know about witchcraft are against it because it scares them and they see it as a threat. They only see it as being a bad thing. We see that one of these characters, however, wants to embrace magic because he is magical himself, although he tries to hide his magic. This is where we also see ties to what some LGBTQ+ people go through in real life.

The screenplay is very good and has some great messages of friendship and challenges. I think J.K. Rowling did a great job for her first time writing one!

Film:

It was interesting to watch the film after reading the screenplay because, as mentioned before, I knew every line and every action but it reminded me of reading Shakespeare plays in high school and then watching a film adaptation of the plays. I loved getting to see the screenplay visually and seeing how the actors interpreted the script. So, I actually don't have a whole lot to say about the story of the film since I already talked about that when explaining what I thought about the screenplay. Instead, I'll talk about what I thought about the acting and seeing everything visually.

I loved how Eddie Redmayne, the actor who played Newt Scamander, acted quiet and shy. He really fit the character of someone who is more comfortable with animals than he is with people. On the other hand, I thought that Alison Sudol, the actress who played Queenie, should have spoken louder. I understand that maybe she had a lighter, more quiet voice to go with her innocent, flirtatious personality but I personally thought that her flirtatious personality would be the thing that would make her voice a bit louder and less soft to match her more talkative, outgoing self.

I really thought that the special effects were great. I loved seeing Newt and Jacob go into and out of the leather suitcase, especially when Jacob made it bounce as he tried to push his way through. It all looked so real! I also really liked seeing the magical creatures that I had to picture in my head as I read the screenplay and which I also read about in the "textbook." My favourite creatures were the bowtruckle and the demiguise. The bowtruckle that Newt carried around was so cute and the demiguise ended up being a sweetheart.

I loved the film and I am really excited to see what happens in the next four films since this was just the first of five!


Cheers,
Kaylie

Lumberjanes Vol. 1-5 (Boom! Studios)

I wish I were a Lumberjane! Why couldn't I have had more of a Lumberjanes experience when I was in Girl Guides (Canadian version of Girl Scouts)? That is mostly what I thought as I read through volumes 1-5 of the Lumberjanes comic book series published by Boom! Studios. "Lumberjanes" is the name of a type of girl scouts that go to Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types (that was not easy to type, hehe!), a summer camp for girls led by its director, Rosie. Their motto is "Friendship to the max!" and friendship is therefore very important at this camp, as well as to the story. At this summer camp, the girls stay in cabins, partake in various activities, and earn badges. It seems like a somewhat normal summer camp except for the fact that there are supernatural creatures in the surrounding woods and all sorts of crazy, magical things happen!

Back Row (Left to Right): Jo, Molly, Mal
Front Row (Left to Right): Ripley, April

The main characters that we follow throughout the stories are five young girls that have become best friends. These girls are Jo, Molly, Mal, April, and Ripley. They are all in the same cabin, the Roanoke cabin, which is led by a counselor named Jen. These five girls somehow end up being the girls at the camp who experience the most encounters with the supernatural creatures around them. The various types of crazy creatures that they encounter include dinosaurs, Greek gods and goddesses, and mermaids, just to name a few, and the girls go on the most amazing adventures!

Each girl is different and has her own strengths. April, for example, is physically strong while Mal comes up with good plans. Jo can be quite serious and Molly is sweet and caring. Ripley is just plain cute and comedic. Everyone needs someone like Ripley in their life! Also, aren't Molly and Mal the cutest couple ever? Each character in this comics series is designed so perfectly, each with their own strengths and flaws, that they are each so lovable and it is hard to pick a favourite.

A huge part of the Lumberjanes comics is about how girls are strong and smart and can have amazing adventures just like anyone else can! There are messages of how being physically strong can help in certain situations but being mentally strong and smart can help in other situations. And, of course, the biggest message of all is that friendship is important and you don't have to go through life's challenges alone. If you work together with your friends, you can accomplish anything! The Lumberjanes even work together with the Scouting Lads at the boy scouts camp nearby and make a new friend there named Barney who they work together with several times during the comics.

These two pages are some of my favourite pages in all of the Lumberjanes comics that I've read so far. The dialogue on both of these pages shows how part of the comics is about the characters trying to figure out who they really are as people, which the summer camps contribute to in both Molly and Barney's cases. The first page is from chapter 12 in Lumberjanes Volume 3: A Terrible Plan. Molly admits to Mal that she didn't really know who she was before she went to camp, she just knew the kind of person that she didn't want to be. She doesn't really want to go back home after summer camp is over because she doesn't know who she is back home but she does know who she is when she is at camp. The second page is from chapter 16 in Lumberjanes Volume 4: Out Of Time. Barney asks Jo if she has ever felt like, deep down inside, she belonged somewhere else. In other parts of the comics, we see that Barney wishes that he could be a Lumberjane because he's more interested in the adventures that they go on rather than what the Scouting Lads do. Both of these pages show instances of characters admitting that they questioned themselves as people and they have been figuring out who they are deep down inside.

These comics were such fun reads and I look forward to reading more! I think that they are great for people of all ages to read, whether you are a kid or an adult. It was a bit hard for me to get into the story at first because such strange things happen and the language and story structure is geared towards kids, but as I kept reading, the crazy adventures became really interesting and kept me wanting more.

The only big problem that I had with these comics was the excerpts from the Lumberjanes Field Manual at the beginning of each chapter/comic since each one had English errors and typos in it. I kept wondering how so many errors and typos could slip by into all of the published books. These excerpts were the only places where I found errors (so many errors) though, so I wasn't cringing through the dialogue of the comics... just the excerpts (so so many errors).

I still encourage everyone to read them, though, to enjoy these fun stories about strong female characters and their awesome adventures!

Cheers,
Kaylie

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two (J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne)

Wow! Was 2016 a great year for J.K. Rowling or what? Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (based on a story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne but with the script written by Jack Thorne) was released as a play (directed by John Tiffany) and then the script was released for the whole world to enjoy! And not only that, but the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film came out in theatres and the screenplay, which was written by J.K. Rowling herself (her first screenplay!), was also published for the world to enjoy! So much Harry Potter-ness in one year! So much!

For me, this year got busy during the Summer and then got crazy during the Fall so I didn't get around to reading the newest Harry Potter story until the beginning of December. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was incredibly exciting for Harry Potter fans all over the world because it finally gave us a new Harry Potter story along with a glimpse into his life now... with a family consisting of a wife and three kids... plus a frustrating job... and the stresses of being an adult. But the focus of the story isn't on Harry! The story revolves around his youngest son, Albus Severus Potter, who is the middle child of Harry's three children.

Albus is an interesting character. You can't help but love him. He is different from his siblings as well as his dad. He feels like everyone is expecting him to live up to the Potter name and yet he knows that he never will in the way that people think since he knows that he is different. One of the first things that happens is that he becomes best friends with Draco Malfoy's son, Scorpius Malfoy, who is also different from his own father. Scorpius is intelligent, sweet, and dorky. He is also rumoured to actually be Voldemort's son, which makes him frowned upon by other people and so it doesn't look good when Albus becomes friends with him. But Albus doesn't care! Scorpius, like Albus, is an outsider. Both of them just don't fit in.

Things don't go so well for Albus at Hogwarts and he begins to hate it, unlike his father who loved it there. We find out later that Scorpius loves it at Hogwarts whereas his father didn't have such a great time there. Both kids are different from their fathers and different from each other at the same time. Their friendship is strong, though, and that is one of the main messages of the story. A strong friendship can be very important in life. I loved how this message was continued in this script from the main Harry Potter books!

Another great thing about this script is that there is time travel involved (bring on the time turner!). So, we get to see characters and events from the other Harry Potter books which is amazing! I love how this story basically gives us a chance to relive some of the other Harry Potter books again while also giving Albus a chance to see what his Dad lived through. I think it really strengthens their bond since they both struggle to get along with each other. It was also interesting to see that Harry doesn't get along with his son because we see a whole new side of him that way. We love Harry Potter but this story really makes us, as readers, take Albus' side in some situations. I actually didn't like Harry in a few moments because of the way that he was acting. It just wasn't like him to act in certain ways that he did but I guess that just shows us that we're all human and we all have certain times when we aren't very likeable. Also, the changes in Harry, Ron, and Hermione show that we all change as we grow up.

I also really enjoyed this story because of the fact that it is a script. Having taken a screenwriting course in university and learned the basics of screenwriting, I have developed a great appreciation for screenplays and scripts and can never watch a movie or play the same way again without thinking about everything that went into the writing to make it happen. Reading a script is very different from reading a novel. The scenes in a script can be very short and don't always have a whole lot of dialogue and yet they make the message of the scene very clear. In my screenwriting course, I learned that each scene should show the thesis of the story in some way. I think that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child did a very good job in this way. Whenever I read a scene, I could see the themes of the play. Friendship was seen everywhere as well as messages of doing what's right.

Overall, I loved Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, even though the script itself wasn't written by J.K. Rowling. Reading this story in script form was different but interesting and I was constantly picturing the events in my head, imagining how they might look and be acted out on stage in the actual play. Now if only I could go to London to see the real thing!

Cheers,
Kaylie

Ms. Marvel Vol. 5: Super Famous (Marvel Comics)

As you might already know, I love the new Ms. Marvel comic series. I already blogged about Volumes 1-4 so go check that out if you haven't already! Kamala Khan is such an amazing character and she really shows the struggle of trying to balance normal life with superhero life like I've never seen before with any other superheroes. Ms. Marvel Vol. 5: Super Famous (part of the 2015-2017 collection) came out in July but I didn't read it until later on in the year so let's talk about it, shall we?

I didn't really know what to expect from this volume since volume 4 showed the city almost coming to an end. How would the city rebuild itself and recover from the devastation that it was left in? What would Ms. Marvel be up to now after this crazy event? Ms. Marvel is now extremely well-known in the city, to the point where she's super famous (thus the title of the volume). She is even a part of the new Avengers (of course, I don't know too much about the new Avengers since I've watched the Avengers movies but haven't read the comic books)! She is now not only struggling with juggling family, friends, school, personal life, and superhero life, but is also dealing with being famous.

Everything going on in Kamala's life starts to become overwhelming. She isn't sure how to do it all but keeps trying and ends up making mistakes because she is trying to achieve everything. She wants to be a good daughter and sister, a good friend, a good student, and a good superhero but she doesn't slow down. She doesn't take the time to focus on one thing at a time and she becomes exhausted. She tries to find solutions for multitasking, which don't end up so well in the end, and she starts missing important things in her life.

I think that this volume did an excellent job at showing us that we need to slow down in life. We are so busy trying to fit in as much as possible that in the end we either start to slip up, miss things, or end up breaking down. Living in the present moment and taking the time to focus on the things that are important to us is extremely important to our mental well-being and, by the end of this volume, I felt that that was the message that the writers were trying to get across to us. Kamala's family and friends are some of the most important things to her and she realizes in the end that she has been so busy trying to be a good superhero that she hasn't really been there for the people that she loves the most and who love her the most as well. These people bring her joy and help her in her life but she has pushed them to the side and that has taken a toll on her. After all, caring for yourself and those closest to you is just as important as caring for other people in the world. How can she possibly be a superhero for other people if she can't even be a superhero for herself and the ones that she loves the most? It reminded me a lot about what I talked about in my post about finding inner peace before outer peace.

When we see Kamala come to this realization, we also realize how important these lessons are for our own lives. We need to focus on the things that are important to us and bring us joy. They are essential to our happiness and we need happiness in our lives otherwise we would just be going through day after day without truly feeling alive. We need to learn how to balance things without letting things come in the way of each other too much and we need to stop multitasking all the time. When we learn to balance things properly, everything else in our lives can come together. For someone like me who wants to do everything that I want to do and do it all at once, it's an important lesson to remember.

Cheers,
Kaylie

Return to the Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz

Melissa de la Cruz has done it again! She has written another great novel for the Disney's Descendants book and film series! First she wrote The Isle of the Lost which was the prequel to the Disney's Descendants film. I read that novel and watched the film, both of which I wrote about in a previous post. If you haven't read the prequel or seen the film, I recommend that you read my post about both of them and then read/watch them. If you've already done that, and enjoyed both of them, then you'll be excited to know that now she has written Return to the Isle of the Lost, which comes right after the film!

The story in this novel starts after the events of the film. Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos are still attending Auradon Prep, a school for the children of Auradon, otherwise known as the children of Disney heroes. Although Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos are the children of Disney villains, they have decided to be good and continue learning to be good which was Prince Ben's intent when he invited them to attend the school. Ben is now the king of Auradon, having had the title handed down to him by his father, the Beast. He is also Mal's boyfriend. All of the children from the Isle of the Lost receive strange messages telling them to go back home to the Isle. They find these messages to be very strange and are unsure of who sent them. Was it their parents or someone else from the Isle of the Lost? How did someone even get these messages to them in the first place? Strange weather has also been happening in various parts of Auradon as well as reports of a strange creature in Camelot which requires the attention of King Ben. The story then follows the villain kids as they find out more about why they are needed back on the Isle on the Lost as well as Ben's investigation into the strange weather and creature.

I realize that the books and film are meant for a younger audience, but an older audience can enjoy them too! As I mentioned in my post about the prequel novel, there are references to popular culture but changed to fit into the world of the story in this novel too. The characters are also interesting since they possess personalities similar to their parents but are different in so many other ways and, in this novel, you can see just how much they have changed! The stories in the books and film are very structured, as is the Disney style. I especially noticed in this novel that it really follows a "fairy tale" way of telling the story. Each of the "villain" heroes has their own challenges that they must overcome and each one gets their turn in the spotlight. My only problem with this book was that I found that the ending seemed a bit too fast and the reveal seemed a bit too sudden. I had no idea who the culprit of the strange weather and creature could be and felt that there could have been more of a build-up or more clues to it before the big reveal. I also thought that the whole situation of the characters dealing with the culprit after the reveal could have been dragged out a bit longer as well (it only took up one chapter). I still enjoyed the story, however, and look forward to more!

Cheers,

Kay

Cineplex's Lily & the Snowman

The last time I went to the movie theatre with my family, there was a segment during the previews about the making of Cineplex's Lily & the Snowman, an animated short film that can be viewed for free on the Cineplex website. The makers talked about working on various aspects of the short film like the animation, the music, etc. I was instantly intrigued. I also saw an advertisement for the short film in the Cineplex magazine, a free magazine that you can get at Cineplex theatres. The full page advertisement looked like a movie poster with the title at the top, an image for the film in the center, and a sentence at the bottom of the page reading "Don't let the world get in the way of what you love." I loved the simple image and inspiring phrase on this page so I cut the advertisement out of the magazine once I got home. I planned to watch the short film. After all, it was a short film so it wouldn't take very long and it looked interesting.

It actually took me quite a while to finally visit the Lily & the Snowman page on the Cineplex website and finally watch the short film. When I did finally watch it, however, I was touched. It is such a heartwarming film and I almost cried at the end. This charming animated short follows the life of a young girl as she builds a snowman who comes to life and creates shadow puppet shows on the fence in her backyard, very much like little films. The little girl is fascinated and excited by these shows and she enjoys them every winter as she grows up. For her, they are a sense of wonder! Over time, however, life gets in the way and pulls Lily and the snowman apart. This friend and these shows were something that Lily enjoyed and yet she lets herself fall into the habit of following a repetitive road of everyday life. What happens in the end? Well, you'll just have to watch it to find out!

This little film made me think of my own interests and passions. There are so many that I enjoy that have been pushed to the side for far too long. I'd love to start practicing piano and flute again. I'd love to draw and paint more. I'd love to start writing more. The problem with me, however, is that my interests get pushed to the side because I have trouble concentrating and I'm beginning to think more and more that my having trouble concentrating is actually more of a problem than I previously thought. I might start working on something only to put it aside for a while or sometimes a very long time because I just can't concentrate on it for very long. Sometimes I have trouble even getting started on it. I even have trouble writing blog posts sometimes because of all of this. That's one of the differences between Lily and I. Her life is what gets in the way of what she loves whereas for me it's the fact that I have trouble concentrating that gets in the way. I can still take away the lesson from the film to help me in my own life, though. I'm determined to try harder to concentrate on my interests and to find ways to help me concentrate. I'm determined not to let my concentration problem get in the way of what I love.

I ended up watching this short film several times which was easy to do since it is only a little over two minutes long. I also watched the video about the making of Lily & the Snowman which I had seen before and can also be found on the same page. The song "Follow You Follow Me" by VAPOR feat. Adaline (originally by Genesis) is lovely and definitely works well in the film which has no dialogue. The music adds to the emotion needed for the film as well as spreading the message. And the message is a good one!

Cheers,
Kay

Locke & Key Graphic Novel Series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

This graphic novel series officially became my favourite series after only the first book! Locke & Key (yes, that's L-O-C-K-E... it's the last name of the family in the story) is written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez. When the father in the Locke family is murdered, the mother moves in with her brother-in-law in the Locke family home, known as Keyhouse, in Lovecraft with her three children: Bode, Kinsey, and Tyler. This house is no ordinary house, however, which the children soon find out. They find magical keys hidden all over the property. Each key does something different when a door is unlocked with it. For example, one key turns the person who passes through the door into a ghost while another key can transport the person anywhere. There is a mysterious person who is also after the keys and will stop at nothing to attain all of the keys for their own evil plan.

I really loved this series because of all of the mystery and emotion in the story. People are hurt and people die but there is a lot of love in the story as well, the love of family and the love of friends. The writing and illustrations are excellent and I especially enjoyed the smooth and interesting transitions to other scenes, using words or objects related to both the last scene and the new scene to connect the two. This is a great series that is definitely worth reading in its entirety. I'm so glad that I borrowed all of the books from the library at once instead of taking out one at a time.

Cheers,

Kay

The Good Neighbors Graphic Novel Series by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh

I was intrigued by The Good Neighbors graphic novel series written by Holly Black and illustrated by Ted Naifeh when I saw all three books at the main library in downtown Sudbury. I enjoy reading graphic novels and I especially enjoy reading whole graphic novel series. I borrowed them from the library and entered the wonderful fantasy world of The Good Neighbors.

The story starts with the disappearance of Rue's mother and her father is suspected of her murder. Rue learns, however, that her mother is a Faerie, making Rue half-Faerie. She also finds out that her mother went back to the Faerie world after Rue's father broke a promise not to hurt Rue's mother in any way, a promise which he made to the Faerie king, who just happens to be the father of Rue's mother, when he wanted to marry her.

The storyline that continues through the first, second, and third books is that of the Faerie world refusing to hide from the human world. They want to take over the human world and be free to do whatever they please. Rue must decide which side she wants to be on: her fellow humans' side or her fellow Faeries' side.

If you like fantasy graphic novels with a strong and interesting female main character, then this is a great series to check out!

Cheers,

Kay

Ms. Marvel Comic Series

I read the first three books of collected comics in the Ms. Marvel comic book series last year and then read the fourth more recently since it just came out in November. I wasn't sure what to expect from this series at first but I heard that it was good so I started reading the first collection of the comic books and I was hooked!

It was a bit confusing at first because I didn't know very much about Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) and therefore didn't know that she herself started off as Ms. Marvel. The Ms. Marvel in this series is a completely different person. Her name is Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American high school student in Jersey City, and she gets affected by Terrigen Mists and has a vision of several superheroes, one of which is Captain Marvel. Kamala admits to Captain Marvel that she would love to be her and then she turns into the Ms. Marvel version of Captain Marvel. She eventually is able to remain herself when using the shapeshifting powers that she has gained and she comes up with her own costume but still uses the name "Ms. Marvel."

Throughout the comic books, Kamala Khan struggles with her family life, school life, and life as a superhero. All she wants to do is help people but she is still trying to perfect her superpowers and doesn't feel that she is doing the best job at helping people.

Kamala Khan also meets other superheroes that are a part of the Marvel Universe and they help and encourage her. Starting off as a young superhero can be hard, and they seem to understand that. They see a lot of potential in Ms. Marvel and believe in her.

Cheers,

Kay

Year 1 of the Doctor Who:The Tenth Doctor Comics

I received my first Doctor Who comic (published by Titan Comics) for Christmas last year, and since then, I buy the newest ones whenever I see them being sold. Of course, I only read the Tenth Doctor's comics since he's my favourite Doctor. It has been amazing to read these comics, reading about adventures that we never saw during the Tenth Doctor's time on Doctor Who. These adventures take place right after he leaves Donna. He meets a new companion, Gabby Gonzalez, an artistic young lady from New York. It all works in the world of Doctor Who, as well, because since the Doctor can travel through all of time and space, he has many adventures that we never get to see in the TV show. But we get to see them through different ways, one of which is the comics. That is the magic of Doctor Who. We can still enjoy more adventures by all of the Doctors, even after they have already regenerated. Year 1 of these comics was fantastic and I am now enjoying year 2.

This particular story, "The Arts in Space," was one of my favourites from year 1 of the Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor comics. In this story, Gabby and the Doctor visit an art gallery in space, with the Doctor hoping to visit an artist friend of his so he can introduce Gabby to her.

This story, "The Weeping Angels of Mons," was another one of my favourites from year 1. It has the weeping angels (my favourite Doctor Who villains!) in the trenches of World War I. Enough said.

Cheers,

Kay