Monday, September 28, 2009

Percy Jackson Update!!

Since there are 80 million billion fofillion Percy Jackson fans out there, here is the newest extended trailer for the movie. Enjoy!


Thursday, September 24, 2009

Pirates, Princesses, and a shark named Mr. Fishy.

Ahoy ladies...join us on Monday, September 28th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for an AMAZINGLY fun time. It's Pirate and Princess Day, and we here (the boys, me, and rest of the staff), will be dressing up and acting like the crazy pirate princess people we really are. We'll be playing games (Pirate Rock Band), making cool stuff, and watching Peter Pan (new and old). If the puppet show above doesn't convince you to come, I don't know what will. Darth Bill dressed as a Princess? No? Eww, no, no. Come and enjoy!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Surviving Summer Reading.

I hope everyone has had an excellent summer and spent some quality time with many good books.



Somehow the summer slipped by with no updates and I have no idea how that happened. It's been crazy around here, but I should have been better about posting. Sorry, everyone. At least I got out alive this year. And now that school is almost back in session for you (sorry about that, too), I should have more time to keep up with the blog.

To make up for it, I plan on having at least one Girl's Movie Afternoon, possibly in October, and I'm thinking about showing "Inkheart" for it (and offering yummy snacks, too). We also have two official G.O.O.F. off days, one on September 28 (with a Pirate and Princess theme) and another one on October 29 (possibly Harry Potter themed) that will be full of programs and even movies that you all would enjoy.

Keep checking the site, because I promise to update it more often, and also, my next update will probably have a video of The Carlman from the Boys Rule, Boys Read Blog that you shouldn't miss!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Percy Jackson Update

So, I know most of you girls are wondering, why does this lady only post Percy Jackson news??

Yes, Ms. Leah is a bit obsessed with PJ(Percy Jackson). It looks like the movie will be coming out in February of 2010 on Presidents Day!!

If you would like to see a short trailer, and catch a glimpse of Logan(The actor playing Percy), take a look here!

Percy Jackson Trailer

Monday, June 1, 2009

The summer is upon us!

Which means more time for reading books, right? Well, hopefully for you all, because our Summer Reading Club gives away prizes when you girls read. And the best part is you can read WHATEVER you want. Even boy books. :-P

It seems everyone had a lot of opinions on the upcoming Percy Jackson movie. Did you all read the last book in the series yet? I've heard good things so far, but I'm still curious.

I also heard excellent things about the movie "Up" which I plan on seeing soon. Here's a preview:


Should we talk books? Well, this is a blog about books, so I'm thinking that's a good plan. Check these out:

One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath


I recommended "Everything on a Waffle" by this author not too long ago, and I'd like to recommend this book as well. It takes place over one summer and follows twelve year old Jane Fielding as she experiences different adventures. While she wants one hundred of them, she ends up with fourteen, but they pack a pretty powerful punch. This is a good beach read for the summer (partly because it takes place on a beach).











The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley

I'm going to throw this one in as another excellent beach read, because it does involve the ocean, plus magic, mystery, and a little bit of romance (not in a yucky way, though, I promise). Corinna disguises herself as a boy in order to be the Folk Keeper, someone who keeps the "evil folk" from doing terrible things. She is in orphan, and her journey throughout this book has her facing many challenges until she is brought face-to-face with her true heritage. Corinna's story is one you won't forget.









Happy reading and watching, ladies. Also, we have some Kit Kittredge shirts here at ImaginOn. If you want to send in some book reviews, I can hook you up with some free t-shirts or some free books...maybe even BOTH. So what have you been reading lately?

Monday, April 27, 2009

Movies, Books, and Boys.

If we're going to talk a little about movies we're excited about, I'm going to take just a brief moment to say I am TOTally ready for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!! They pushed the release date back way too far, but it's coming up soon. Hooray! Here's the trailer:






Also, I'm SUPER excited about the next installment of the Twilight Saga: New Moon. There's not an official trailer up for it yet, but there are clips and updates about the cast. If you're a fan, click HERE to see the latest updates on the movie! What do you think is better? Harry Potter or Twilight??

Okay, so I still haven't gotten the boys...and I have found the girl's display soiled countless times with stinky, smelly boy books, so something really has to be done. But what? Well, while I'm thinking about it, here's a book YOU should read.

Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston



Kelley is an understudy in the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in New York. When she is called upon to play Titania, queen of the faeries, she learns that the characters and story are actually quite real, and quite dangerous. She becomes involved with Sonny Flannery, a guardian of the gate in between the human world and the Otherworld, who tells her that she is actually a changeling from the world of faery. Now she'll need more than her acting skills to save herself...and possibly mankind.








Happy reading and movie going!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Percy Jackson Movie News!!!!

Hello Girls,
So, unfortunately the BOYS broke this first but, I had to put an update on here. Being the resident actress!

The Casting for The Lightening Theif movie came out last week.

I hope you girls have read it! In my opnion, the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series, is the best series to come out in a long while!

Here is the casting for The Lightening Thief Movie so far:

Sean Bean as Zeus








Kevin McKidd as Poseidon









Melina Kanakaredes as Athena







Alexandra Daddaris as Annabeth







Pierce Brosnan as Chiron




Brandon T. Jackson as Grover







Uma Thurman as Medusa






And Last, but not least.....




Logan Lerma as Percy Jackson





I think the best part about this casting is that alot of these people are not the most well known! To me that makes watching a movie so much more interesting!

What do you all think?

Ms. Leah

Friday, March 6, 2009

The Cosmic Court of INjustice.

I have kept silent long enough after being accused by the mean and smelly boys. Carlman, Darth Bill, and even Master Jedi Zack all think that I committed the terrible crime of placing a PRINCESS book on the Boys Rule shelf here at ImaginOn. We even had a trial to determine my innocence...or in the case of the MEAN boys who didn't even listen to my case...guilt. Here's the video...



Now, girls, let me explain something to you. Our display here at ImaginOn is TWICE as big as the boys'. Yes, that's right. And there are NO princess books on that display. Ever. (Not that there's anything wrong with them, if that's your cup of tea...) And I haven't reviewed any princess books on this blog, either. So why on earth would I put a princess book on the boy's puny little display?? I WOULDN'T.

There's a poll up now on the boy's blog to decide whether or not I'm guilty. I'm sure we can all guess what the boy's have been voting...and they've also taken to calling me "Evil Ellen" thanks to Darth Bill. Yes. A Sith calling me evil. That's just wrong. AND NOT TRUE. Cunning, yes. Good looking, of course. Hilarious, you bet. But evil? I think not. And Ian called me "revolting" and said that my glasses "didn't work for me." That's a low blow to a librarian, indeed. And just mean. Like boys.

I have no interest in taking over the boy's blog. I have this one. And I have no interest in taking over their display, as it's small and smells funny. And ours has cooler NON-princess books. About strong, smart girls who, as we know, secretly rule the world. So there. But they didn't listen. I have been falsely accused. The boys started the war. I will finish it.

Be afraid boys. Be very, very afraid.

But onto something positive, as Ms. Fabulous wrote in a while back and said:
Ms Fabulous here and I have to comment that Cornellia Funke is my FAVORITE author and I am so excited to see Inkspell in the movies... but I bet the book is better!I really liked The Thief Lord about orphans in Venice, Italy. It's a city that is built on the water and I've been there and absolutely loved it. I could just imagine running the streets and hiding out in that amazing city.I finished The Luxe and it was a fantastic read. I can not imagine growing up as a girl there and having to be so proper and marry for money to save my family fortune... the ending has quite a twist and I didn't figure it out until the end! If you are wondering about liking boys and breaking social rules... this is a must read.I am nearly finished reading the last of the Eragon books Brisinger... it's as good as the first book! I read it all through the snow day we had. The author of this book amazes me because he wrote Eragon when he was only like 17. Well... off to finish reading!

Well, Ms. Fabulous, I just started reading The Luxe, and I'm enjoying it immensely! Anyway, off to plot my revenge against the boys...

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

It's all Greek to me!!

Let's take a moment to travel in time, way way back. I mean, WAY back. To Mount Olympus. We'll open Pandora's box, meet the Olympians, and maybe even voyage to the underworld. Well, at least we'll read about it.

Pandora Gets Jealous by Carolyn Hennesy


So we all know the story of Pandora, right? She opens a box she's not supposed to, and bad stuff happens. Well, maybe that's the version you heard, but this book explains things differently. Pandora Atheneus Andromaeche Helena (who goes by Pandy) is a thirteen year old girl who is a rather plan demi-god, set on pleasing her parents and not being teased by her classmates. So, she decides to bring a box to school for a special project. This box, of course, contains a bunch of horrible, evil, no good stuff, and somehow it accidentally gets opened...and then it's up to Pandy to collect everything that escapes it. Can she do it in a year's time? Read to find out!!


Demeter and Persephone: Spring Held Hostage by Justine and Ron Fontes



The story of Persephone being kidnapped by Hades and taken to the underworld is one of my favorite Greek myths. This graphic novel is a FANTASTIC retelling. Demeter, Persephone's mother, misses her daughter so much that she causes droughts and kills farmer's crops. She begs the Olympians to help get her daughter back. Read this book to find out if Persephone is safely returned to her mother.






The Shadow Thieves by Ann Ursu
Charlotte Mielswetzki is followed home one day by a man in a tuxedo. This is only the start of weird occurences. Her cousin Zee arrives from England, and brings with him news of sick children...and then discovers that the disease is spreading in the U.S. too. What's causing this weird illness, and what does it have to do with the man in the tuxedo? And who is Philonecron, and why does he want to overthrow Hades? How can Charlotte and Zee help? WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?!??! Read this book to find out.



Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Snow Day! HOORAY!!!

I hope everyone had a fun and not-too-cold Snow Day yesterday. I enjoyed the day off by cuddling with my cat and, of course, READING! I would have gone outside and played, but...this looked COLD to me...



Anyway, for future snow days (if we're lucky this year), here are some good reads:

Ramona is probably one of my favorite literary characters. I grew up reading her, and this book is the newest book in the Ramona series. She's nine now, and determined to make fourth grade the best year EVER. Will a new teacher, a new baby sister, and the Yard Ape prevent that from happening? Oh Ramona, what trouble will you get into this time?







The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Told in both words and pictures (though not a picture book), this book is the amazing journey of Hugo Cabret. He is an orphan who keeps the clocks running at a train station in Paris. He's also a thief. His shenanigans make him cross paths with a well-read girl and an old man who runs a toy both. Both may help him solve the mystery of a cryptic drawing, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and how they all connect to each other and Hugo's father. I couldn't put this book down, and the ending was so amazing, it quite literally almost blew my mind. This is a book you DON'T want to miss.




Think you've got it bad? The Willoughby children definitely have it worse. Their parents want to get rid of them. And honestly, they'd be quite happy without their parents. The question that often comes up in this book is "what would good old-fashioned people do?" The book offers many answers, from a kind nanny, to a candy bar inventor, to many other odd characters that the children come across. This is a fantastically funny read, but very different from Miss Lowry's other books. It constantly pokes fun at "classic" children's literature, especially where there are orphans involved. A good read indeed.




Enjoy these books, or whatever you're reading, and stop in at ImaginOn this Friday, Jan. 23rd, for a super fun G.O.O.F. Off Day that celebrates the Chinese New Year.

~Ellen

Monday, January 12, 2009

Let's go adventuring, shall we?

Hello all! I hope everyone's 2009 is going off without a hitch so far. Aside from the fact that it rained for like, two weeks straight (what WAS that anyway?), things are going well here at ImaginOn.

Is anyone else excited for the movie version of Inkheart? I know I am!


I'm also excited about sharing a few books with you. Let's go adventurng, shall we?


The Lighthouse Family by Cynthia Rylant




Pandora is a lonely cat who tends to her lighthouse on a small island, until Seabold, a sailing dog, crashes on her shore. Together, the two friends adopt three orphaned mice children: Whistler, Lila, and Tiny. In each book of this series, the family finds new adventures on the island, and meets many interesting animal friends along the way!




The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley




Join Sabrina and Daphne Grimm as they move in with their Granny Relda in Ferryport and learn about their famous ancestors (the brothers Grimm) . Will the girls be able to handle being swept into a world of the real Prince Charming, the Three Little Pigs, the Magic Mirror, and many more fairy tale creatures? (Well, it IS an entire series, so apparently they CAN handle. Though that shouldn't ruin it for you, it's a fantastic and fun book!)




Finally, I would like to say hello and welcome to Ms. Fabulous, who left us a great comment with some cool recommendations:

"I am Ms Fabulous and NEW to this blog, although I have members of my family that are SMELLY and GROSS and are BOYS!!! Ewwww. One of them actually gave me a COLD... yuck, so I have made myself some jasmine tea. I actually do have an anti-boys spray I use often when I am reading and don't want to be disturbed that smells of lavender and works marvelously. BUT I just finished reading the most delicious book called The Alchemyst and I couldn't put it down! It's about a brother and sister that are twins and have magical powers... truly a gripping and terrific read. I actually read it in two days! The Morrigan wears a cape of black feathers who is wickedly powerful. There is also a sphynx that has the head of a woman and a goddess with a changing form from woman to old maid to girl. VERY cool. Now I am reading Luxe... so I will pop in and tell you about that when I am finished. So far it's set in the late 1800's in NY and the girls have silk gowns and boys who are rich and dashing and servant boys that are strong and adventurous. So far I love it. I just want one of the silk dresses, the fancy parties and champagne. I know the girl dies because the beginning of the book says so... but so far I can't figure it out. This weekend I borrowed the movie, from the Mint Hill branch, Ballet Shoes because I had never finished the book . I REALLY enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it for a chick flick on a cold winter night. I just returned it to Imaginon today if you want it!See ya... beware of BOYS...-Ms Fabulous"

Okay, so ALL of those recommendations sound great, and I'm going to have to add to my growing list of things I HAVE to read or watch. Thank you Ms. Fabulous, and we look forward to hearing from you again!

Until next time, I wish you good reading adventures and some extra anti-boys spray!