BritLit: War Horse the novel, movie and performance

   

 War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo, is a novel from the perspective of a horse named Joey, trained by a farm boy and sold into the Army in WWI. Not only is it available in hardcover and paperback, it's available in audio book, at the movies, and theater production. I listened to it on audio book and what was really amazing was that when I got to the New London Theatre, the actor Albert must have been the same actor from the audio recording. It was like the book came to life hearing it with the exact same voice.


     More mind-blowing were the puppets. Yes, puppets. These horses look like they are made of steel or sticks, but their movements are so fluid and life-like the actors trick your mind into believing they are living and breathing, stomping and dying. At one point, when one of the horses dies, we were all soggy-eyed and the woman behind us was sobbing! That's how real it felt.

   

     Even if you don't enjoy war stories, this story really boiled down to a boys love for his horse and how far he would go to be reunited. It brings up the cruelty and foolishness of fighting and peaks with soldiers on opposite sides calmly deciding which one of them should get Joey who is stuck in No Man's Land. Imagine soldiers armed and fighting suddenly stopping to flip a coin - both treating the horse with kindness and respect. It makes you think about the human condition and foolishness of violence when words are all that's needed.

    This production is just one of those performances you have to see in motion. Photos do little to bring it to life. If you ever get to see ANY production by the National Theater or any life-sized puppet production, consider yourself privileged! War Horse will be in Denver on Jan 8, 2014, Souix Falls, LA and lots of other US locations starting in September.  Visit www.warhorseonstage.com for more pictures, videos, and performances.

source




source

Book Review: Hidden by Sophie Jordan

      Lets talk about Firelight series #3 Hidden by Sophie Jordan. 
Firelight is one of my all-time favorite books because who doesn't like to see through the eyes of dragons who morph into human bodies. How about soaring on a draft or breathing a little steam on that mean girl taunting you in the bathroom? They have no hidden agenda except freedom. They want to live with their pride and be able to blend with the humans, but they can't - not with the hunters relentlessly pursuing them. 
     Jacinda already has the pride mad at her for leaving, but even worse, one of the young ones followed her and was captured by a hunter and delivered to their headquarters. Jacinda rallies her sister, her ex-hunter boyfriend Will, her draki sister Tamra, and Cassian, the future king of the pride, to help rescue Miriam.  What they find at the headquarters is shocking: Draki on the brink on insanity locked in cages, men in lab coats, and stainless steel equipment from wall to wall.

     The best part was when they were all released into their "yard" and Jacinda meets the grey - the Megatron of all draki and he's in a bad mood. Sophie Jordan takes it from there with wild character traits and paranormal powers - even the least likely can use their powers to accomplish amazing feats under the incredible pressure. The will to survive takes over and choices have to be made.
     My only complaint about Hidden was that it was over so quickly. I think back and wonder  - do I feel cheated? And the answer is N to-the-O!  It feels more like she wrote a long novel and cut out all the clutter, leaving a story that cuts to the chase and never bores you.  I feel like there's a whole story for her to tell about Deghan "the grey" and Jacinda's sister Tamra. Even if you've never read Firelight, if you like Hunger Games or descriptive tales about dragons with "gossamer wings", or paranormal powers, you will love Hidden.

For the book trailer click here

 I give Hidden  four stars!

And BONUS!!!  Sophie leaves us with Jacinda's best friend Az in her novella, Breathless

source

source

Mom Monday - more summerin' it up!

   

Snake River, ID

 So, I made it to Idaho - who knew I could  navigate in the dark better than broad daylight? It's probably because I was more focused on where I was rather than what I could see and I practiced with the real-time map on the iPad.

What it feels like...

     So, we did a lot of visiting with family, sitting by the lake, and a little kayaking. Even more awesome was mountain biking every day and learning to ride the dirt bike! Too bad my son took it away from me before I went through a few more gears.  I guess there will have to be a next time.....

                                

what it looks like...

     At least I got to ride home in the motor home....has anyone seen my Blueblockers???

     Tomorrow is their last day before school, but NOT their last day of family fun....get ready for camping in bear country over Labor Day weekend -- hide your Pic-n-ic baskets.

source

source

source

Changing it up today - It's Let the Sky Fall Friday!

 

Breath-taking cover!!!

   It's time for a stars-and-stripes all-American story, but wait - are they even our species?   Shannon Messenger, author of Keeper of the Lost Cities, rocks the YA world with her YA debut revealing the realm of Sylphs in Let the Sky Fall.  Could they be Slyph-Americans? I mean VaneWeston is as normal as you can get, except for the fact that he really loves his parents, a rare trait for a main character.  Hottie unwaware, he lives for girls, burgers and fries and game controllers. Considering himself an average-Joe how could he be a Windwalker? And why is this pretty girl insisting she's his guardian?

     But there's more, there's his blank-memory past and that mysterious brown-haired girl who's been in his dreams since he was little. How could he be so special to be the only survivor of a massive tornado? And when it's revealed to him bit-by-bit he questions how it could fall on him to be the one guy who can save his town from another catastrophe.  So many questions, but so much happening all at once. Shannon Messenger braids together unique paranormal abilities, epic battles, personal challenges, family, and romance. The next time the wind blows in a freaky storm, I'll be wondering if they are out there battling for our safety. 

     This book was so edgy, fresh and fun,  I devoured it and then did one thing I rarely do - read it again! This was me holding up my booklight for an encore......er..sequel.....

I give Let The Sky Fall  5 stars and a Bro-fist for appealing to girls AND guys ! 

I was just thinking how I almost hope there's another  villain out there because I want to see Vane and Audra back in action and SQUEE!!!! Look what was announced on Goodreads while I was abroad....

                                                

I can't wait until March - Thank You Shannon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

(Chants)"ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC "

....running off to see if Shannon has any ARC Rafflecopter giveaways on her blog.......

source

source

BritLit- Macbeth at the Globe, London.....

                 .....and  Macbeth for Kids by Lois Burdett 

     Out of our entire trip, seeing Macbeth performed at the Globe was unforgettable!  It was so different from seeing the Royal Shakespeare Acting company perform As You Like It. Macbeth is a tragedy, so this performance was traditional, serious, and intense!   It was raw and gritty - even creepy when Banquo was haunting Macbeth. The acting company's costumes were so incredible, I just wanted to touch the velvet and see how heavy the dresses were.

All of us ambushing Billy Boyd

      A big surprise was actor Billy Boyd (Pippin from Lord of the Rings) played Banquo. I hear Patrick Stewart also did a performance here, too. It was a bit confusing though. Typical of Shakespeare, some of the actors played several parts. So one minute Billy Boyd is dead, the next he's back in a different role. The only way to really know what's going on is to study the play before you go. Bring in Lois Burdett again. We already used her children's book As You Like It for Kids and this time we used Macbeth for Kids. As they say, if something is too difficult for adults, write it for children. Even thought the playbill had a summary, without her book, I would have been so lost.


          The lead actors, Joseph Millson and Samantha Spiro had us mesmerized with their performance - especially when she started to go crazy and he was having visions of dead Banquo. Performances in the Globe are so traditional that the actors actually walk out into the audience. It felt like any minute he might grab you and yell into your face that death was stalking him -  like any minute Macbeth was going to snap! 
If I was in London for the summer, I would see it again and again.

source

source

source

BritLit - Banksy!

     One way to find out if people you are with like contemporary art is to ask if they've seen a Banksy. Banksy is one of those artists who keeps you wondering what they are going to do next. He's a sneaky one - tagging buildings with his stenciled backgrounds and shocking combinations. One of our challenges was to find a Banksy in London. Sure, you can Google a map of his works, but what if you found one on your own? On the bus the minute it swung the corner your seedy-back-street-guy-sleeping-on-a-mattress-behind-our-alley-hostel?  

I think the center is an addition from a local....

How about this?

My art instructor says for sure, it's the real deal. I have yet to find it on any of his lists, but you be the judge. Look at some Google images of Banksy art and tell me this is not his?

    What backed it up was our very modern and hip hostel was decorated in Banksy art. Even the bathrooms had a rat image here and there.....I think there was a connection with our location one block from Elephant and Castle, Banksy, and the Safe-Stay Hostel.

BritLit- Royalty, adolescents, and bringin' on the boom

Buckingham Palace

     A nice change from Buckingham Palace and the crush of tourists trying to get a glimpse of the changing of the guard is the Queen's summer home - Windsor Palace .

 

Here you can walk around in peace, actually see the guards from the upper windows or driveway, and check out her collection of arms, knights' armour, and swords. While it was all very impressive, I couldn't help but wonder if she feels like she's stuck with all this old STUFF! I mean, it's her summer home and she's got rooms and rooms of heirlooms that I'm sure she must display out of duty.

Queenly stuff is all good, but these were some of our first encounters with Londoners. We read some children's lit books to just get a feel for the culture. The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jaqueline Wilson and Louise Rennison's Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging which I talk about all the time. What we found is that in England there's city life with shows and tubes and then there is country life where they walk to town, parks, and school. Tracy Beaker is one of those incredibly normal kids who believes everyone is out to get her. She's prone to meltdowns and screaming-fits, but couldn't possibly have broken that girl's clock on purpose. Georgie Nicholson gives a glimpse into early teens and all that marvy-jazz. Of course, I already went on and on about her in an earlier post, but she's won me over to her entire series. One thing we learned from Georgie is that the world centers around teens just as it does queens. 
     

     What better way to dive into culture than head down to the Covent Garden and over to the theater district. Everywhere we turned were marquees for shows. Even the Beiber was there! We took in Stomp and War Horse.  It  just made me think how different life would be if your Friday nights were spent arguing over which theater show to see instead of what episode to watch on Netflix!

Stomp

War Horse

source

source