Black Wings Beating is the first book in Alex London’s young adult fantasy series, Skybound. This novel follows twins Kylee and Brysen as they find themselves in the middle of a war between the sky and the earth. Together, the twins will venture into the treacherous mountains to find the deadly Ghost Eagle that could help their people win the war. I enjoyed the complex relationships that London presented, but I hated how Kylee kept dimming herself to fuel Brysen’s arrogance.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson is an incredible young adult mystery novel. The story follows Pippa Fitz-Amobi through her senior capstone project and her eventful uncovering of the so-called ‘solved disappearance’ of Andie Bell, a 17-year old girl, who was only one year younger than Pip herself. After a while of searching Pip reveals some secrets and winds up leading her own investigation, but her actions come with consequences.
Tom Holland plays Peter Parker in John Watts’ Spider-Man: Homecoming. After fighting with the Avengers and acquiring a new high-tech suit from Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Peter must return back to normal life. Living with his aunt May (Marisa Tomei), Peter must keep his identity a secret while trying to prove himself to be more than a friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man by facing his most threatening villain yet, the Vulture (Michael Keaton).
Cadence has grown up in a wealthy family that never talks about any of the bad parts of life. Every summer her mother’s family comes together on their private island and, with her group of friends, she has the most amazing summers. But one summer, everything goes wrong. Cadence can’t remember exactly what happens but she isn’t allowed back to the island and everyone in her family is treating her differently. When she returns to the island after some time away she will uncover the events that took place during summer 15.
What would you do if you were told that an asteroid was going to hit Earth in approximately two months? Peter, Eliza, Andy, and Anita are faced with this daunting issue. Do they want love? Do they want everyone to leave them alone? Do they just want to live? Together they will live the last few months of their lives and begin to figure out what living is really about.
Tobey Maguire plays Peter Parker (Spider-Man) in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, made in 2004. In the second installment of this franchise, Peter is torn on whether he should continue the mantle of Spider-Man, or put down the mask and pursue his love for Mary Jane (Kristen Dunst).His conflicts with his idol-turned villain, Dr. Otto Octavios (Alfred Molina), leaves him lost and makes him realize the struggle of living a double life.
Pray for Silence, the sequel to Sworn to Silence, again follows Chief of Police Kate Burkholder in the mixed Amish and “English” town of Painters Mill, Ohio. On a chilly night in October, a family of seven was found murdered on their farm. With little clue to work with, Kate is desperate to catch the murder, even if she has to put herself in danger.
Two people wake up abducted, imprisoned, and left alone with a gun. Only one person will walk away. Detective Helen Grace faces off against a notorious anonymous serial killer, known for abducting victims in pairs and forcing them into traps similar to those seen in the Saw movies. After finishing Eeny Meeny, I was a little disappointed at the lack of character development.
Will Smith plays Chris Gardner in Gabriele Muccino’s The Pursuit of Happyness, made in 2006. In this film, Chris Gardner, accompanied by his son Christopher Gardner (Jaden Smith), struggle to get by day-to-day life. After putting all of his eggs in one basket, Chris joins a prestigious stock broking firm as an unpaid intern, only having a 0.05% chance of getting picked for the full-time career at the end of a 6 month trial period.
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is a Young Adult Fiction book. Speak, told by Melinda Sordino, is about facing the traumas of high school. Before Freshman year, Melinda goes to a party, in which she calls the cops. Therefore, no one talks to her, not even her best friend. At that party, an older guy raped Melinda, so when she goes back to school, she is continually haunted by the guy. But, when she learns to speak for not only herself, but many other teenagers, things change.
