Friday July 6, 2012
Classics with a twist
Compiled by CHESTER CHIN
Twice Upon A Time: Beauty And The Beast, The Only One Who Didn’t Run Away
Author: Wendy Mass
Publisher: Scholastic Press
WHAT’S in a name? Apparently, with unique names, come great expectations.
Beauty has grown up with people expecting a lot from her – like beauty, elegance and courage. But she’s just a simple girl, who likes to read and collect peculiar stuff that other people throw away. As for Prince Riley, he isn’t quite, um, princely. He’s all arms and legs and instead of being athletic and commanding, he’d rather study the stars and play the bagpipes.
After a fateful meeting with a witch, the prince is turned into a beast and has to find a girl who will willingly dance with him within the next two months. When Beauty’s father picks a rose from the castle grounds, Prince Riley’s family forces him to deliver one of his daughters to the “beast” as punishment. Beauty volunteers herself and soon discovers that real allure is more than skin deep.
Another title in this Twice Upon A Time series that adds a different twist to classic tales is Sleeping Beauty, The One Who Took The Really Long Nap.
Ghost Knight
Author: Cornelia Funke
Publisher: Little, Brown
WHEN 11-year-old Jon Whitecroft is “deported” to a boarding school at Salisbury Cathedral in England (a consequence of undermining his mother’s new boyfriend, “The Beard”), he is determined to hate the school. However, he soon discovers there’s more to the place than bad food, boring teachers and close quarters. It seems the school’s haunted by a pack of murderous ghosts and one of them, Lord Stourton, has a personal vendetta against him – turns out Jon’s ancestor was instrumental in getting Stourton deservedly hung in the 16th century. Problem is, no one else can see the terrifying ghosts. Except for a spunky girl named Ella who has grown up with the spirits who haunt Salisbury. With her help, Jon summons the ghost of the late knight Longspee for his protection. But can Longspee be trusted?
Dear Dumb Diary Year Two #1: School. Hasn’t This Gone On Long Enough?
Author: Jim Benton
Publisher: Scholastic
AFTER 12 “diaries”, each recording a month in her life, Jamie Kelly is back to amuse again with her witty observations on school, boys and facial features. Still oblivious to the fact that her privacy has been invaded, the vivacious girl continues documenting her journey in her little diary. She fills it with laugh-out-loud entries and poses some of middle school’s Big Questions as well as words of wisdom, like: “Teachers have the very difficult job of teaching dumb things to even dumber people”. From an argument about the importance of Mathematics with her accountant dad to a theory about “how to pretend to be smart”, Jamie’s got it all covered.
The Fame Game
Author: Lauren Conrad
Publisher: Harper
IT’S not easy living in the shadow of your oh-so-gorgeous friend, especially when she’s the star of hot reality show, L.A. Candy.
Tired of being the “frenemy” of nice-girl-next-door Jana Roberts on the show, 19-year-old Madison Parker is ready for her turn as Hollywood’s next It girl and she’ll stop at nothing for her chance in the spotlight. Her wish comes true when she becomes the star of a new show. Behind the scenes, though, she’s surrounded by backstabbing smile-for-the-camera friends and conniving family members who want to bring her down. Hot on Madison’s trail to fame is aspiring actress Carmen Curtis, the daughter of Hollywood royalty, who is a lot more experienced at the “reality” game.
When the cameras roll, who is going to dazzle and who is going to fizzle?
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