Book Review: Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy

Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy: Children of the Red King book 3, by Jenny Nimmo, Orchard Books, New York, 2004.


This adventure follows the course of the first three books.  In this book there is a boy to be saved, who has been abandoned in the castle for a year, since he was turned invisible by the blue boa.  Some versions of this book are titled "The Blue Boa".  Again it is only working as  team, that Charlie and his friends, using their special talents are able to save the boy.  Billy can talk to animals, and he convinces the snake to restore the boy.  They escape with the snake as well, who is going to become  a resident at the Pet's Café.  What really makes these stories is the myriad of interesting characters.  there is Charlie and his friend, Emilio, Benjamin, both boys without powers, and Emma who flies, Gabriel who can feel the history of garments, Lysander who summons spirits with spears, Tancred who manipulates weather and then Charlie's uncle, Paton who boost energy.

Movie Review: ***^Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Here is a movie where two worlds, both Asian, collide.  Both families are of Chinese descent.  Nick Young (Henry Golding) invites his American Chinese girlfriend home to meet his parents as he is traveling to Bangladesh for a wedding.  Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) accepts the invitation.  However she doesn't know what they are getting into.  When they travel first class, with their own bed, she gets n inkling of what she is in for. 
She spends time with an old friend from college, and when her old roommate hears who she is with she goes bonkers.  This is the family that owns most of the city, as well as several other properties around the world.  They are crazy rich.  The biggest challenge for Chu is Nick's mother (Michelle Yeoh) and grandmother.  Constance just is not good enough. 
This movie is funny at the first.  The friend (Awkwafina) provides the comic relief.  However the humor leaves about half way through the movie.  After it is just a tear jerker. 
This movie presents a window into Chinese culture, wealthy, and American.  Upon this it adds a nice romantic story. 

Book Review: The Great Brain

The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald, illustrated by Mercer Mayer, A Yearling Book, Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, New York, 1967.

This is a classic book about Utah rural live.  These stories take place in a fictional town called Adenville.  It is a typical rural community.  It is told from the perspective of the younger brother of The Great Brain.  I didn't care for the Great Brain much as he extorted a belt from his younger brother by threatening him with "the silent treatment" and he seemed to misuse others, collecting money to look at their new water closet.  His mother was his conscience.  However he did rescue two boys from certain death when they were lost in a cave, by figuring out how to get a dog to find them.  He also helped a local boy with an accent become a respected member of the community.
The Great Brain redeems himself at the end, repenting of his manipulations and trying to make things right.  I guess we all can repent when we make bad choices.

Movie Review: ****Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017)

This movie tells the story of the relationship between Christopher Robin, and his father, the author of the children's books about Winnie the Pooh.  It is sandwiched around two wars WWI and WWII.  AA Milne, the father served in WWI and Christopher Robin served in WWII.  AA Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) was a playwright before WWI.  The war traumatized him so that he had difficulty finding peace, and as a result the "fled" to the countryside.  He had lost his enthusiasm to right, but found it again when he was left to care for Christopher for several weeks.  Nannie (Kelly Macdonald) had left to attend to her sick mother.  His wife, Daphne (Margot Robbie) had left because he wasn't writing.  She returned to London.  His son's play and imagination provided the inspiration for the Winnie the Pooh stories.  He started writing poetry to go with the stories.  Christopher is portrayed by two actors, Will Tilston (young) and Alex Lawther as a young man.
The tragedy is that Christopher Robin was caught up in the publicity for the books.  In a way his childhood was put on display, and given to the world, whether Christopher wanted to share or no.  Being a public figure was not Christopher's choice, and as a result his childhood was stolen.  He became bitter, and enlisted in the military for WWII, against the wishes of his mother.  He could have been deferred for health reasons, but he insisted he be allowed to be his own person. 
He left bitter and mad at his father.  When his parents received notice of his death, it seemed that was the end.  Somehow the notice was wrong, he came back to let his father know that he had resolved the issues with his childhood.  Being in the world he was able to see the positive influence the Pooh stories had on other children.  He was glad to have been a part.

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

This movie is delightful.  We are introduced to three new characters, all friends of the father of Harry Potter, Professor Lupin (David Thewlis), who is actually a werewolf, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), escaped from Azkaban Prison, and Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall), who was the fourth corner of the friendship.  Peter is actually Ron's rat for most of the movie.  While Sirius is blamed for betraying Harry's parents, it is actually Peter who did this.  There is actually a fourth character, Buckbeat, the Hippogriff.  Hagrid, who is now teaching magical creatures introduces the class to hippogriffs, who are wild and proud creatures.  Draco Malfoy runs afoul of the hippogriff, and is injured.  As a result the hippogriff is ordered to be set down.  This is the only Harry Potter movie directed by Alfonso Cuarón.  It may have been me, but it seemed the terrain was different than other harry Potter movies.  Hagrid's home was down quite a hill.  However the action is just as intense, and the plot twists are fun.  This movie also showed less of the Quidditch play than some of the others.  However harry gets his new broom at the end of the movie.
We are also presented Dementor's in this movie--faceless soul suckers who guard the Prison of Azkaban and are invited to guard the entrances to Hogwarts.  Sometimes they get out of bound, and harry keeps fainting when he is close to them.  However Lupin teaches him the Patronus spell, which he finally master by the end of the story.

Book Review: Charlie Bone and the Time Twister

Charlie Bone and the Time Twister: Children of the Red Kin Book 2 by Jenny Nimmo, Orchard Books, New York, 2003.
This is the second book of the Charlie Bone universe.  Charlie, and his uncle, Paton are both endowed with special powers.  They must use these powers to save a boy who has traveled back through time.  Henry Yewbeam was tricked by his cousin Ezekiel.  He was sent forward in time, 80 years, and lands at the feet of Charlie.  Ezekiel is the owner and evil power behind Bloors Academy where Charlie attends school.  Charlie recruits his friends and his uncle to save the boy--but it is impossible to send him back in time, because the world has already moved on with the assumption that he disappeared many years before.  The solution is quite remarkable.

Shadow Weaver by Marcy Kate Connolly, Source Books Jabberwocky, Naperville, Illinois, 2018.
Shadow Weaver is a very intriguing book.  It is written in the first person from the view point of Emmeline, and young woman who was born with special powers with shadows.  She has seen a special shadow since she was a baby.  It is like her imaginary friend, but it is not imaginary.  However her world is turned upside down when her parents agree to give her away to a group who profess to nurture the gifts, in reality harvest them.  As a result Emmeline runs away.
She meets a boy who has a similar gift, except his gift is with light.  He can harness light to cook and do incredible things.  Together they teach each other.  Emmeline can make swings out of her shadows, and she shows the boy how to do the same.  All this knowledge is needed, when the true identity of Emmeline's shadow friend becomes known.