Bookish Wednesday: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m back with a classic novel. It’s The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton!

Plot: The plot was pretty good to me when I was a kid although looking back it’s got too much angst for my tastes now. It deals with two rival gangs of young adults who are called the “Greasers” and the “Socs” (short for social). That being said it’s also highly controversial since the story details gang violence. Personally I have no problem with the story itself, I think I read it when I was 11 years old but I could be wrong and read it earlier. A couple fun facts about The Outsiders, it takes place in Tulsa, although that’s never stated explicity in the story. Secondly it was written when Hinton was only 16 years old. Considering that this book is highly controversial even today that’s pretty darn impressive for such a young woman to write.

Characters: Ponyboy is our main character and narrator, and while I don’t particularly like him now, he is rather well written and I did enjoy his character when I was much younger. The rest of the cast is great, although I think my favorite is Cherry if only because she’s written rather well.

Overall: This is a must read novel, if only because it’s been banned in some places because it’s “too violent”.

For those who like: High School Drama, Gang Stories, Drama, Action, Great Cast of characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

 

 

Bookish Wednesday: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Hey all I’m back with a book I’ve been trying to remember the title for since I started writing my blog. It’s Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli!

Plot: The plot is okay, it deals with lots of issues that were highly uncommon for the intended reader’s age range at the time, including racism and being homeless. Honestly it’s all dealt with a bit poorly, it’s framed as a legend so it doesn’t really convey the seriousness of the subject matter at times. That isn’t to say that a kid won’t pick up on those lessons, but it’s not as reinforced as more contemporary books might handle the issue, and certainly not like Huck Finn does.

Characters: The cast is okay, honestly I don’t particularly like the cast all that much, but I remember reading this book as a kid and enjoying the story. Still the cast felt a bit forced for me at the time, which is partly why I couldn’t remember the title of this book.

Overall: A decent kid’s book, which has apparently been made into a movie according to Wikipedia.

For those who like: Fiction, Semi-controversial Topics.

Not for those who don’t like: Either of the above.

Bookish Wednesday: Holes by Louis Sachar

I’m back for this week’s Bookish Wednesday with another classic novel I read when I was a kid. It’s Holes by Louis Sachar!

Plot: The plot is a mix of interconnected stories with characters from the 18th century to the present day. It’s all pretty interesting, although a younger kid, who isn’t like me, would most likely be confused by the constant timeline changes that take place over the course of the book. Still it was a good story and I enjoyed it as a kid despite not meeting the “advised” age. Of course considering I’d read books like War and Peace, The Stand and Stranger in a Strange Land by the time I was 12 that isn’t too surprising.

Characters: The entire cast is pretty good, although my favorite character was Stanley the protagonist. Still every character is unique and has their own “charm” so I don’t dislike them all that much, though when I was younger I definitely had some characters I wouldn’t mind tossing into a few holes myself.

Overall: A solid book, and definitely worth a read if you never read it before, this is a book for almost anyone of any age, except maybe kids younger than 8, unless they are oddballs like myself.

For those who like: Triparite Storylines, Great Plot, Good Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Bookish Wednesday: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Hey all I’m back with a book that has taken me years to remember the name of for this week’s Bookish Wednesday. It’s The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster!

Plot: Let me get this out of the way, this a book meant for kids. Anyone older than twelve will not either appreciate the book because they find it boring and they’ll miss the entire meaning behind it or they’ll already know it and not really enjoy the story for what it is except for the puns. Now as I have stated before I despise Literary Analysis, but this meaning was very blatant and was a big reason I stopped hating school as much as I did growing up as a kid. That isn’t to say I still didn’t hate it, because I absolutely did due to numerous other reasons. However it was never because I didn’t like learning. The reasons why I still hated school is a topic for another day, perhaps a Sensate Saturday post.  So now that that is out of the way I loved this book due to it’s puns and clever word usage. The entire book is filled with them and it’s all quite creative. I won’t spoil the story itself, and while it is very simple it was a good lesson as a kid.

Characters: Milo is our main character and I very much identified with him as a kid. We were both incredibly intelligent kids, who just couldn’t bother with subjects which didn’t interest us at all. Afterwards that was still true for me, but I’d at least attempt to learn something new before stopping due to either lack of ability to do so or a clear lack of interest in continuing further studies of that subject. The rest of the cast is just as colorful, and I enjoyed them all.

Overall: This is a great kids book that every child should read. Screw Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, this book is much more important to read as a kid.

For those who like: Good stories with a very clear lesson, Fun Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Either of the above.

Movie Monday: Young Frankenstein

This week for Movie Monday I’m covering another work from my favorite director. It’s Young Frankenstein!

Plot Synopsis: Dr. Frederick Frankenstein is a lecturing physician at an American medical school and engaged to the tightly wound socialite Elizabeth. He becomes exasperated when anyone brings up the subject of his grandfather Victor Frankenstein, the infamous mad scientist; to dissociate himself from his forebear, Frederick insists that his surname is pronounced ‘Fronkensteen’. When a solicitor informs him that he has inherited his family’s estate in Transylvania after the death of his great-grandfather, the Baron Beaufort von Frankenstein, Frederick travels to Europe to inspect the property.

Plot: The plot is pretty good, although if you are expecting anything really serious you’re going to be sorely disappointed. That said there is some some adult themes in this, so children probably shouldn’t watch this.

Characters: The entire cast is amazing, though Gene Wilder as Frederick really steals the show in my opinion. That being said Igor is also pretty freaking hilarious. “Didn’t you used to have that on the other side?”.

Cinematography: This is done in black and white as a nod to the old Frankenstein films, which Young Frankenstein takes many inspirations from.

Music: The music is, as one might expect from a Mel Brooks film, spot on. That’s all I’ll say on the subject.

Overall: A must watch movie.

For those who like: Comedies, Mel Brooks, Spoofs, Hilarity, Awesome Plot, Fantastic Cast of Characters, Great Cinematography, Excellent Musical Score.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above, but how can you hate all that?