Mundie Moms

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Twitter Tuesday - Clockwork Prince Trailer

A still of Will from Clockwork Prince Trailer by Dirty Robber
So many wonderful links since Dirty Robber's trailer for Clockwork Prince came out yesterday.  First, Dirty Robber posted a list of credits on their facebook page.

Then, TMI Examiner's Natalie Markey is interviewing not only the executive producer, Charles Haines, producer, Heidi Spencer, and the director, Oliver Riley-Smith, but also the cast. Here's a snippet from the interview (which is a must read):

What was your favorite scene to direct/produce? Why?
ORS: For me it was the kissing scene between Tessa and Will. It was a great acting moment with Tessa’s nervousness and Will taking control of the moment.
HS: I had a more overseeing role but I loved the big dance scene. It was great seeing people in character.

And today, Natalie interviews the actor, Cole Shoemaker, who played Will. Such a fun Q & A, here's the link to the full interview:

Did you enjoy playing a Victorian era role?
Cole: This was my first time doing a Victorian Era role. I have to say it was definitely fun. It is interesting to see what clothes they wore and how they wore them. I am now eternally grateful that we get to wear jeans and t-shirts. :)

So true. Can you imagine having to wear corsets or ride in carriages, Mundie Moms? Okay, we may all want to, at least, try it out.

Book Review: The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch


Published by: Scholastic
Released on: September 1st, 2011
Source: book from publisher to review
3 stars: It Was A Good Read

The wars that followed The Collapse nearly destroyed civilization. Now, twenty years later, the world is faced with a choice—rebuild what was or make something new.

Stephen Quinn, a quiet and dutiful fifteen-year-old scavenger, travels Post-Collapse America with his Dad and stern ex-Marine Grandfather. They travel light. They keep to themselves. Nothing ever changes. But when his Grandfather passes suddenly and Stephen and his Dad decide to risk it all to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down. With his father terribly injured, Stephen is left alone to make his own choices for the first time. Stephen’s choices lead him to Settler's Landing, a lost slice of the Pre-Collapse world where he encounters a seemingly benign world of barbecues, baseball games and days spent in a one-room schoolhouse. Distrustful of such tranquility, Stephen quickly falls in with Jenny Tan, the beautiful town outcast. As his relationship with Jenny grows it brings him into violent conflict with the leaders of Settler's Landing who are determined to remake the world they grew up in, no matter what the cost. -quoted from Goodreads

Set in a dark, post war America, The Eleventh Plague follows the story of 15 year old Stephen who's grown up in a country extremely different from the one we know. Now in ruins, most of the citizens have been killed off by a horrid plague and the ones left are scattered and do what they can to survive in this hellish looking land. In a place that offers little hope, Stephen is taking to a town that offers that and more to him and his ailing father.

What I liked about this story is the way Jeff describes the setting, and the emotions that the characters are feeling. It wasn't hard for me to envision what American must look like, nor was it hard for me to feel the despair Stephen felt, and the glimmer of hope his dad had. The settlement of Settler's Landing is their hope. I loved that in the midst of so much destruction and despair, there's a place that stands out against all that and in it's own way is rebuilding and moving on. They have houses, they grow crops and even go to school, which is far different from what Stephen's been doing to survive. The town's people here are true survivors and instead of falling victim to the death, and destruction around them, they've decided to go about living. I liked how Jeff portrayed that in the story.

What I liked about this story was the dystopian theme, the realistic setting, and the action that happens at the beginning of the book and the very end. I had a hard time with the middle of the story. I didn't feel as connected to the story, I didn't find the romance believable at all, and I was a bit frustrated at how so many town's people fell for the pranks two irresponsible teens played, and the havoc they caused. At the same time, I understand why Stephen and his love interest Jenny felt the way they did. They've grown up in a hell that would make people do crazy things. Together they find the little bit of trust and hope they need in order to survive and cope with all the things they've been through.

I liked the hidden messages Jeff includes through out the story. Even in the midst of chaos, destruction and death, there's a glimmer of hope. Like the people of Settler's Landing, you can either fall victim to it, or keep on surviving. In the end this was a good read for me. There's times through out the story I couldn't help but think "what would I do". If you like a dystopian with a realist feel to it, I'd recommend picking up The Eleventh Plague.



Be sure to enter to win a This Is Teen prize pack which includes a copy of The Eleventh Plague, iBoy and Underdogs here

This Is Teen Giveaway: The Eleventh Plague, Under Dogs & iBoy

Today we're hosting an awesome giveaway and featuring reviews for some of This Is Teen's hottest new releases for Under Dogs by Markus Zusak, The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, and iBoy by Kevin Brooks. Through out the day today I'll be posting my reviews for each of the books and linking back to this awesome GIVEAWAY!

The Eleventh Plague

By Jeff Hirsch

“The Eleventh Plague hits disturbingly close to home…An excellent, taut debut novel.” – Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games

In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade for food and other items essential for survival. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true, where there are real houses, barbecues, a school, and even baseball games. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank on the town bully’s family that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing forever.


Underdogs

By Markus Zusak

Before The Book Thief, Markus Zusak wrote a trilogy of novels about the Wolfe brothers: The Underdogs, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, and Getting the Girl. Cameron and Ruben Wolfe are champions at getting into fights, coming up with half-baked schemes, and generally disappointing girls, their parents, and their much more motivated older siblings. They’re intensely loyal to each other, brothers at their best and at their very worst. But when Cameron falls head over heels for Ruben’s girlfriend, the strength of their bond is tested to its breaking point.



iBoy

By Kevin Brooks

Before the attack, Tom Harvey was just an average teen. But a head-on collision with high technology has turned him into an actualized App. Fragments of a shattered iPhone are embedded in his brain. And they’re having an extraordinary effect on his every thought. Because now Tom knows, sees, and can do more than any normal boy ever could. But with his new powers comes a choice: Seek revenge on the vicious gangs who rule the South London housing project where he lives, and who violated his friend Lucy? Or keep quiet and move on? Not even the search engine in his head can predict the shocking outcome of iBoy’s actions. A wifi, thriller by YA master Kevin Brooks.



The Giveaway: 1 winner will receive all 3 of these titles (pictured above)! To enter, please fill out this form below:

- US mailing addresses only (no PO Boxes)
- 1 entry per person
- If under the age of 13 you must have a parent/guardian's permission to enter
- This giveaway will end on December 20th, 2011


Thank you to Scholastic & BH for today's awesome giveaway! Be sure to follow This Is Teen on facebook

Infernal Devices Clockwork Prince 31 Day Celebration: Day 24

ONE WEEK from TODAY Clockwork Prince will be out!!! YAY!!!! It's day 24 of our 31 Days of Clockwork Prince celebration. We have some upcoming interviews we're going to be posting with Cassie and some of the characters from Clockwork Prince. We'd like to know, If you had the chance to ask one character, one question, who would you interview and what would you ask them? Your question might be picked for an upcoming interview. Please leave your question in the comments, but please DO NOT leave spoilery questions. :D

** Thank you for all your comments. We've now closed the comments portion of this post. We received a lot of inappropriate comments and spam we're deleting before we put the comments back up.

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