A Couple of (Brief) Reviews

I read all three of The Hunger Games books over the past couple of weeks. Besides a very intense plot, fascinating characters, and an inability to put them down once I had started, I found a lot to think about once I had finished reading. I wondered how I would survive in such a society. Which side would I be on? The side that tries to close its eyes and just get along for the sake of survival or the side that is willing to risk everything to change the world for the better? I remember reading Lord of the Flies as a teenager and being horrified by the story. I never wanted to read it again. The idea of children treating each other so brutally was too terrible to contemplate. There are children that are called upon to hurt each other in the Hunger Games, but I felt very differently about my interest in reading the books. I think it's because LotF left me feeling hopeless about the boys' situation: the author seemed to me to be implying that the loss of their humanity was inevitable while THG showed people who were willing to do whatever it took to regain their humanity. And it was interesting to see who lost their humanity in the course of that struggle. It's a series I recommend, but it's not for everyone.

And on a side note, Suzanne Collins' website isn't a very satisfying visit for someone wanting to learn more about her as a person and author. But then, I don't think Stephenie Meyer's website is very interesting either once you've looked around at what is there. She doesn't update very often, sadly.

Justin and I decided we wanted to have at least one family activity this past weekend that included all of us, so we went to see Tangled at our local theater. What a charming telling of the Rapunzel story! I would love to see it again. And I will, once it comes to the dollar movies. The animation was gorgeous, especially the lantern scene. I thought the structure of the story and the way the music is incorporated was very different from earlier Disney musicals in that it was easy to see this movie being done as a Broadway show. Several numbers seemed like Broadway numbers already, especially "Mama

Knows Best." Disney seems to have taken a page from Pixar too, with a couple of more minor characters being as much fun as the main characters. My kids loved Max the horse and Pasqual the chameleon. And the movie was appealing to all of us, from my 15-year-old son to my 10-year-old daughter and my 9-year-old son. There were some elements that reminded me of Shannon Hale's graphic novel, Rapunzel's Revenge. Like where did the name Mother Gothel come from? And the way Rapunzel uses her hair to lasso things and get around seemed familiar from Shannon's book. Hmmm. Besides recommending the movie, I also recommend Rapunzel's Revenge. The illustrations contribute to the storyline, and it's a fresh take on the original fairy tale.