Youth Summer Reading Club 2008

"Time goes by...so slowly..."

Madonna has been around for ages. She's like top-quality sticky glue; she sticks around for a long, long, long time. And out of all her famous songs (so what if I only know one?), one catchy chorus keeps running around inside my head: "Time goes by...so slowly..."

Now, I'm usually not one to express my opinions on the subject of Madonna, but I must say for once that I do not agree with the lyrics in her song. (Okay, so I don't agree with a lot of things when it comes to Madonna, but that's beside the point.)  Time so does not go by slowly. It blasts by like a NASA rocket and before you know it, you're back on planet Earth, the one planet where an un-named species educate their young by placing them in a box building for a third of their lives. They say that education will help our survival in society - but why is it so typical of adults to miss the bigger picture? The dangers of society is nothing compared to all the mysterious things hiding in unreachable corners of the universe - and when Martians attack, what's going to help us more, to communicate in Martian or French?

Anyway, all pop/rock/old singers aside, something extraordinary happened today. So there I was lying down on my bed, trying to count the little lumps in the ceiling, when I happened to catch sight of the calendar hanging on the wall. And guess what it said the date was? August 24. I was enormously ticked off. I could've sworn that when I went to bed yesterday night it was still June something. I thought, Ha, yah right, no stupid calendar is going to fool me. I was just about to march downstairs to go teach my brothers a lesson for messing with my calendar when I decided to check my computer, and what I saw nearly made me jump out of my skin. The date read, August 24, 2008. They had the nerve to tinker with my computer?! I could literally feel the steam blowing out of my ears, and I was ready to smother them with my excessive steam.

So imagine my shock when I ran downstairs only to find myself staring at the closing ceremony of the Olympics. To my credit, my jaw didn't drop; it simply unhinged. My first thought was, I traveled through time. My second thought was, Oh my god I traveled through time! My third thought was, I'm hungry. But on my trip to the fridge, the truth suddenly sunk in. I had a week left before school begins again. Another year, another summer, gone already?

The automatic response would be to enter depression mode that I've wasted another summer. But when I thought about it, the fact is that's not entirely true. I've gained a lot freedom this summer...and a lot more responsibilities. I'm allowed to go downtown with friends for a day because my parents trust me enough, but I'm also given a lot more chores because they trust me enough to depend on me. There are some friends who will still stick around if you don't see each other for two months, and some who don't. So I guess I've gained deeper friendships, and at the same time lost shallower ones. Romantically, I've sent myself to hell with jealousy for someone that I'd never have expected myself to. And let's face it; it's high school, so I know that I won't be spending the rest of my life with every crush I have. But all in all, a year flies by so blindingly fast; it doesn't give most of us enough time to react. A few more years later, I won't be this self-absorbed teen who depends on her parents anymore; I'll be somewhere else in the world, free to do anything I want, living on my own. But the drama of high school life is so bittersweet, it's like a low-budget teen flick movie that makes you want to click the pause button on the remote control for all the good parts and fast forward through the rest.

So maybe Madonna's right after all: "Time goes by...so slowly..."

Roni, 15

Non Productive Summer Blues

Has anyone really realized what the date is?! It’s August 18, 2008. A thought suddenly came to me this morning while I was tapping my foot along to the beat of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida and racking my brains for yet another blog entry topic. I began the entry with the date, as always, but then it hit me, completely out of the blue.

September 2^nd, the very much anticipated date (ha!) for us high school students is fast approaching. September 2^nd has seemed to be closer and closer every day as I cross off each date on my wall calendar with a bright red marker. However, it didn’t fully register until this morning that once we’ve surpassed this date, the frenzy begins once again. The long nights of homework, the endless cups of coffee, and the numerous bruises on both arms resulting from the self inflicted pinches used to keep ourselves awake.

So what have I done this summer? As I reflect upon this question I realize that I have done absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Hopefully your summer has been much more productive than mine; the highlight of my sunny, tedious days has been the weekly hour in which I get to sit down and pour out my emotions into a Toronto Public Library blog entry.

And then it finally dawned on me that no summer activities will definitely equal a big fat zero on the next “what I did during the summer” essays for my language lessons, namely Spanish and French. I’ve never enjoyed dictating my summer schedules to my teachers, and I am certainly not looking forward to doing it again this year.

Of course, I’ll figure something out eventually. At least, I aspire to do so eventually.

I trust that your summer has been an extremely entertaining one, and as always, this is the one, cheerful reminder about that date looming 15 days ahead -the horrors of returning to high school. Somehow, I feel comforted by the fact that 15 days later I’ll be sitting at a desk with a gum covered bottom, dragging my pen across my notebook while trying to make my notes neat, and renewing my brain with newfound knowledge. Back to using the ol’ noggin!

And if any of you are looking for a good book to make yourself dread going back to school even more, try Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie  (David Lubar); it depicts our high school life in an amazingly sarcastic perspective.

Wishing you all the best of luck as September comes up, and hoping that none of you have lost your skill in maneuvering high school hallways, specifically the ones where students enjoy misusing cologne.

Sharon, 14

Page & Screen Book Club

            The Page and Screen Book Club at North York Central Library is a mixture of book club and sitting back and watching movies.  The premise is that the participants read the same book and watch the movie version at the meeting.  The books were voted on by the Writer’s Group at North York Central.  The books are very varied and range from classical author Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility to the disturbing journalistic account of Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation.  The three books this summer were all great reads and turned into fantastic movies.  Sense & Sensibility is a great family drama with elements of romance and heartbreak thrown in.  Fast Food Nation is a very disturbing look at the fast food industry and should not be watched by the squeamish or those who would rather not know the deep, dark, secret of what’s in the beef.  And the last movie in the series will be William Goldman’s The Princess Bride which is pure entertainment, with laughs, great characters, adventure & romance, and Fred Savage.  The Page & Screen Book Club is not only about watching movies or being too lazy to read the book, it’s also about enjoying good snacks, having interesting conversations and challenging debates about whether we should eat fast food and if the sister in Sense and Sensibility should have ended up with Alan Rickman.  This has been a fun addition to my summer and I’m sad to see it coming to an end but for those looking to get in on the fun there is still one more movie.  On Thursday, August 28th the P & S Book Club will be showing the Princess Bride so whether you do or don’t read the book stop in and watch the movie.  There’s no sign up required.

by Joseph, 18

Everything under the Sun

I finally have time to sit down and type up another blog entry! After summer school, I started my volunteering experience at Sunnybrook Hospital. My first day was a blast. Luckily, I have the nicest supervisors on earth! (I have two supervisors) I thought the hospital would have a gloomy atmosphere. However, I was absolutely wrong! The nurses are really kind and funny. People probably think that hospital has a bad smell. Well… in certain areas, definitely… but my volunteering placement smells like coffee all the time. It makes me want to grab a nice large new chocolate brownie ice cap supreme from Tim Horton’s. Oh, what do you know… my volunteer placement is 2 minutes away from Tim Horton in the hospital!! I think the coffee smell is enough for me, because I don’t know how many calories an ice cap has. Doesn’t the ice cap look so mouthwatering…the whip cream topping with chocolate shavings, delicious creamy coffee, and ice chilling sensation? Umm...yummy. Has anyone try the Oreo Sundae from Baskin Robbins? I just found out that it has 1330 calories and 31g of saturated fat. If you don’t know, 1330 calories is two thirds of your calorie needed daily and 31g of fat is over your daily need of saturated fat. So even though it is so tasty (I haven’t try it, but come on, you know it is good just by the look of it alright?) I am getting really hungry now, so let’s move on to a different subject- BOOKS!!! (I don’t understand how I first talk about volunteering then food…)

I am very disappointed to say that Stephanie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn sucks. It is so bad that I had to force myself to continue reading it. Sadly, I could only force myself to do so until pg. 100. I gave up afterwards. The book is probably all dusty right now and somewhere under my bed. I apologize to those diehard fans (I consider myself as one too,) but I just can’t find the motivation I once had when I read her books, ok? I just can’t!!! It upsets me too… *sigh* I am once again searching for the next novel to read. Guess what? I bought 3 books for $10.50 (tax included.) They are the classic novels: Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn, Oliver’s Twist, and the Great Expectations. I can’t wait to start reading them!

School is coming. Call me crazy or whatever, but I AM EXCITED! REALLY EXCITED! It’s probably because I want to know all about my schedule. I have no clue who is going to be in my classes. I need to find that out soon. I haven’t started my back-to-school shopping yet. Well… I kind of did because I got a NEW PUMA PENCIL CASE from Market Village (in case you don’t know the mall, then just think Asian shopping paradise!! Haha!!) Let’s make a mental list of what I truly need: binders, notebooks, report covers, markers, highlighters, and… I think that’s all. I take good care of my stationeries. I have been using my old binders for 2 years already, and they are still in good conditions. I need new ones because I used my old ones for storing my Gr. 10 materials. Get ready everyone, school is on the way!!

Rachel, 16

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The release of the movie, The Other Boleyn Girl drew even more fans to the popular historical fiction novels by Philippa Gregory. This fan-favourite was brought to justice in the book inspired film. Only a few subtle differences can be sought out, one of which was that the Boleyn girls were much older in the movie than in the book. Secondly, instead of the lead actor bearing a close resemblance to the unattractive King Henry, Eric Bana was chosen to play the lead.

The Other Boleyn Girl depicts the intense rivalry between two sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn. In a family driven together by a common desire for wealth and status, the girls’ uncle and parents will do anything to gain the King’s favour, including sending their young children to court to entice him. Drawn at first to Mary, she becomes his mistress and gives birth to a son and a daughter, before his attention moves elsewhere. To Anne’s satisfaction, King Henry begins to notice and desire her instead of her sibling which in turn ignites an enmity between the sisters. Anne, desperate to please the King and bear him a son, becomes distressed and unwell. The unorthodox and sinful practices the Boleyns used to their advantage eventually catch up with them, and they suffered harsher consequences than they could ever imagine. The Boleyn name, at first a name spoken with pride, makes its rapid decline in rank after they lose the King’s favour and Anne is accused of attempted witchcraft and adultery.

In most of Gregory’s published works, readers will enjoy her personal take on historical facts, events, and marriages and her innovative web of relationships, lust, and scandal. Gregory’s stories provide a fascinating glimpse of society in the 15th century. She gives details that allow readers to become aware of the royalties’ approach to the upbringing of children, the death penalty performed simply under the King’s command, and the obligation for women to have sons as early as possible.

The Other Boleyn Girl is an inside look at the scandal, intrigue, and the questioned secrets of ancient English royalty. It is a story of family, love, lust, secrets, and the strong bond of sisterhood.   

Jessica, 15

Gotcha! by Shelley Hrdlitschka

Gotcha! This title is not only catchy (albeit slightly cheesy,) it is also the name of the traditional graduation game Slippery Rock High. This game has been banned by the school because of, uh, incidents that happened in the previous years. But who are this year’s grads to break a tradition? The rules of Gotcha is more or less like this: each player is handed a bead and the name of their victim, and once you are tagged, you must surrender your bead and you are officially out of the game. The goal? To be the last one standing – or, in this case, the last grad left in the game. Sounds boring? Well, throw in a $2000 cash prize that can go towards your college fund, and you’ve got yourself a bunch of graduates battling it out. But with so many students fighting for the reward, it’s every savage – I mean, contestant – for themselves…And sometimes, that means you have to turn your back on your friendships, morals, and the civilized person that you’d thought yourself to be.

            And who knows that better than Katie? Katie, an honour roll graduate student with a seemingly bright future, a girl who had not wanted to but felt pressured to join Gotcha – but as time went on, her “I-don’t-care” attitude soon turned into a desperate need to win the game. Elected secretary of the grad council, it is Katie’s responsibility to keep guard the money of the Gotcha game until a winner was declared. But money was tight at home, and Katie made a decision to entrust the money to her dad to “invest” in hopes of gaining money to buy the perfect grad dress, and perhaps even a decent college fund – a sudden act of greed that she soon regretted. The truth about her dad that she had been unwilling to admit to herself came back and haunted her – and she never saw trace of the grand prize money again. And she will definitely be in some really deep [censored] if she is unable to cough up the money when the time comes. Unsurprisingly, Katie will do anything to get out of this mess – even if it means becoming a savage and slave to the game and sabotaging everything that she treasures, because Katie needs to win.

Not want; need.

Roni, 15

Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox by: Eoin Colfer

In Eoin Colfer’s sixth book, child prodigy Artemis Fowl’s adventure continues, with one difference. He’s not a child anymore. He is now actually seventeen years old, although technically, he’s only fourteen, due to the time he spent in limbo in the previous book. If you think that’s confusing, just try reading this book.

Time travel is taken to the next level when Artemis’s mother is diagnosed with Spelltropy, a fairy disease which almost wiped out the fairy population many years ago. Artemis asks his fairy friends for help, but they do not have an antidote. According to Foaly, the techie centaur and Artemis’s long-time friend, the only thing that can help his mother now is the brain fluid from a silky sifaka lemur. Of course, this is the very species of lemur that Artemis had helped make extinct in the past. So now, with the help of his good friend and LEPrecon officer Holly Short and demon warlock N1, he has to travel to the past and rescue that last sifaka lemur that he helped kill in order to save his mother’s life. It was a simple enough plan, go back to that moment in time, grab the animal, and come back. However, nothing is ever that simple.

Artemis and Holly’s trip to the past is filled with danger, adrenaline, sick animal killers, and old enemies. While racing against time, and facing off against his own 12-year old self, Artemis also has to deal with his changing relationship with Holly, as well as take a close look at the person he used to be. Colfer’s delightful humour and writing style make this a real page-turner. The book ends with a wonderful twist, which leads us to hungrily anticipate the next instalment in this sensational series.

Ishanee, 17

Mistress of the Sun by: Sandra Gulland

    Mistress of the Sun is a novel set in France during the reign of King Louis. It follows the story of a young girl, Louise de la Valliere, known as Petite, as she grows from a young girl to a woman in the king’s court.
    The novel starts with six-year-old Louise. Even as a child of six, she is very good with horses, and falls in love with a particularly wild white horse, Diablo, who is a symbol for her throughout the book. As the years progress, she has to deal with the challenges of life. After her father’s death, and the escape of her beloved horse, she is sent away to a convent, where she lives for a few years before moving back with her mother and her new stepfather. From there, she moves on to become a maid to Henriette, the king’s sister-in-law. She is now a member of the Sun king’s court.
    Louise learns the ways of the French court, and has to survive the scandal, the intrigue, and the deception of the nobility. She catches the eye of King Louis, the roi of France, and eventually becomes his mistress. Although initially, this is thrilling and wonderful for her, she ultimately has to pay the price of being the king’s mistress.
    This is a beautiful story of a young girl who grows up to be a strong woman in a difficult world. Many aspects of the story are historically correct, such as Louis’s everyday rituals, the building of Versailles, other characters, and his relationships with them. The historical accuracy, lovely writing style, and the very appealing heroine, all work together to provide a wonderful and unforgettable read.

Ishanee, 17

The Kiterunner, by Khaled Hosseini

    This is a story about Amir, a young boy growing up in Afghanistan in the 1960s. He is the son of a wealthy businessman, and lives a privileged life in an affluent neighbourhood. However, he is not completely happy. Amir struggles to win his father’s affections, but always feels like he comes up short. He feels like he is competing for his father with his servant’s son, Hassan, who grew up with him. Hassan is like a brother to him. He is his constant playmate, and he worships Amir, but Amir cannot bring himself to call his servant’s son his friend. The relationship they share is a complicated one, full of love and betrayal, trust and brotherhood.
    In Afghanistan there is one annual tournament that is considered one of the most popular events of the year; the kite-flying tournament. Amir hopes that by winning this tournament, he can win over his father’s love for once and for all. He wins the tournament, and with it, his father’s approval. However, something happens to him and Hassan that day that haunts him for the rest of his life.
    Though he grows up to be successful and satisfied, he is never truly at peace. He realizes his dreams, and has a very good life, but the events of that year continue to trouble him, until he has to return to his home to make things right.
    This book is about a young boy and his struggles while growing up, and how he has to face the ghosts of his childhood even as a grown man. It is his story, but it is also something more. It is about strength and courage, honesty and integrity, identity, and being true to yourself and your character.
    Khaled Hosseini has written a great book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good story with an important message.

Ishanee, Age 16

Throw together an Election and an animation

Noticed anything special about the types of movies Hollywood seems to be rooting this season? Not only successful, big-screen hits including “Batman” and “The Hulk” (which I can honestly recommend to be “larger than life”) seem to revolve around one theme.

Got it yet? (Of course, if you are as oblivious as I, you would only comprehend the similarity upon reading a whole article on Yahoo News) This year, it seems that the theme of many out-of-the-world hits have resided in the animation columns.

The presidential elections in the States have also brought some Canadians to become inclined to watch Obama’s speeches on TV, and others to Youtube McCain’s political advertisements.

The thoughts running through your mind are probably vague, and underestimating my writing prowess; obviously because Presidential elections and animation could not be related more than a tiger could hold similarities to a banana.

Many of you have probably stopped reading after the first line of this entry, thinking about how much of a joke this blog entry is. For those of you who haven’t given up on me yet, congrats, because I’m about to reveal some news that was, at the least, fascinating to me.

Here’s the catch. IDW Publishing, (Of course it sounds familiar. They’re the genius producers of “The Transformers”) will be releasing two comic books, one starring Obama, and the other McCain. When this news first hit me, the only thing I could think of was Spiderman and the intense action-packed adventures. My hopes sunk with the statement that these comic books would illustrate the actual life stories of both candidates.  However, my interest was still captured by the fact that these comics would be sticking to the actual facts, creating a vivid and entertaining biography.

Ideas of comic book biographies have been used before, example being Marvel Comic’s genuine release of Pope John Paul II’s life story in comic form. Both comic books will be done with extensive research, in order to create a product which will state the reality and unbiased facts of both aspirants.

These portraits will be available online to buy, as well as in comic book stores and as a purchasable download to cell phones, before Election Day. They are by no means heavy on opinion; and will merely give voter a chance to scan over quickly the biographies of Obama and McCain before answering the final question “who to vote for?”

For those of you who are immersed in politics, and love animations, these are the books for you. What the comic books WON’T tell you would be the result of the Election. But, as always, only time will tell the tale.

-Sharon, 14

Photo credit: Yahoo News, http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Candidates-featured-comic-book-bios-Comic-Con-comic-book-presidential-candidates-San-Diego2C-California/ss/events/pl/073008candidatecomic/s:/ap/20080730/ap_en_ot/presidential_comic_books

Research credit: Yahoo News, http://news.yahoo.com