Leave it to the Prose

Pinmei lives in a peaceful village far away in the mountains with her grandmother and her friend, Yishan. One day, the peace is destroyed when the evil emperor comes and kidnaps her grandmother, who the emperor calls the "storyteller". Pinmei, along with Yishan, must embark on a perilous journey to the Luminous Stone, which may be the only key to save Pinmei's grandmother. However, the friends run into problems as they realize the emperor is more dangerous than initially thought.  I've read Grace Lin's books before but When the Sea Turned to Silver  is probably one of my favorites. I felt that the amount of detail the author used really helped to illustrate a dramatic and heartwarming adventure between two friends. What I enjoyed most about this story was that Pinmei was written to have told many folktales to other characters, folktales that seemed almost unnecessary or random. However, in the end, readers can see how all of these folktales weave together to hel...

Overview: The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey is an intricate book about hope, identity, and what it means to be human. Set on our Earth, except aliens have almost completely taken over and the remaining 0.01% of the population is scavenging for resources while living in constant fear. 4 other "waves" have happened leading to the apocalypse which include an EMP, a bomb that flooded the coasts, a deadly plague, and alien hunters called "silencers" sent out to kill humans while looking identical to them. Cassie Sullivan is one of the survivors. She is 17 and is trying to find her lost brother Sam after he is taken away. While searching, she is shot but then subsequently taken in by a mysterious person named Evan Walker. As she learns about him and the fate of her brother she is put into a dangerous situation on who to trust. My Opinion (spoilers ahead): I have several conflicting opinions on this book. It may have been one of the most confusing books I have ever read. ...

Many of you have probably read, watched, or at least heard of  The Da Vinci Code . It is a mystery thriller written by best-selling author Dan Brown. It follows a Harvard professor of art history and "symbology" named Robert Langon (a recurring character in Brown's books) as he attempts to solve a murder and take on perhaps the most famous treasure hunt in the history of humankind - the search for the Holy Grail. The story begins in the Louvre one night when a curator, Jacques Saunière, is shot and killed. The police find his body naked in the pose of the Vitruvian Man  with a pentacle drawn on his chest in blood. Utterly confused, they call in Langdon, who is already in Paris for a talk, as well as a young cryptographer named Sophie Neveu. Neveu secretly informs Langdon that the police actually brought him in because they suspect him of murdering Saunière. Hiding from the police in the Louvre, Neveu and Langdon start to follow the trail of clues that begin at Saunièr...

Zev McManus After researching Shakespearean insults for our insult battle in Mrs. Rodem’s class, I was impressed by how easily one could get away with obscene and inappropriate language simply by quoting Shakespeare. In the chart below, I collected my favorite insults, along with a modern-day translation. Some of these insults may make certain people uncomfortable, so you may not want to read this if you’re easily offended. There is profanity, but please don’t get mad, as I am just quoting Shakspere. Feel free to comment with insults of your own. Insult Where it’s from Meaning/Translation  “A most notable coward, an infinite and endless liar, an hourly promise breaker, the owner of no one good quality.” All’s Well That Ends Well (Act 3, Scene 6) You are a coward, a liar; you break your promises and don’t have a single good quality. “I must tell you friendly in your ear, sell when you can, you are not for all markets.” As You Like It (Act 3 Scene 5) I hate...