madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

OMGOMGOMGOMGSUCHAGOODMOVIESQUEEEEEE (My thoughts on Kubo and the Two Strings)

Posted on September 5, 2016February 17, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

As you could probably gather from the title of this post, I saw Kubo and the Two Strings and LOVED IT. It’s now one of my favorite movies EVER, second only to Frankenweenie (my favorite movie). Just to give you peeps ideas, here are some pics.

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GIFNESS

Awesomeness

Yay

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#dontmesswiththemonkey

So yeah. I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS MOVIE. The story, the animation, the characters, the origami, the magic, the fire-breathing chickens…

Yes, there is a fire-breathing chicken briefly involved. Don’t ask.

Anyway, go see this movie. Your life will be better if you do.

Plus, there’s the added bonus of an amazing song in the credits. Here’s the link:

So, enjoy the movie! Hope you LOVELOVELOVELOVE it as much as I did!

Book Review Tuesday

Book Review Tuesday (8/30/16)- How to Outswim a Shark Without a Snorkel

Posted on August 30, 2016 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Hi again! This is the sequel to How to Outrun a Crocodile With you Shoes Untied (see Book Review Tuesday 7/5/16). The third book will be reviewed in the weeks to come. Anyway, it’s just as good as the first one!

How to Oustwim a Shark Without a Snorkel

Just when Ana thought her life-her crazy life living in a zoo-was getting better, her grandpa decides to make an aquarium exhibit. And he wants her to volunteer in it. With her archenemy Ashley. And chances are, she wants vengeance for the baby crocodile incident. Will Ana survive this summer, or will she fall prey to someone who’s way more terrifying than an actual shark?

As I said in my review for the first book, I highly recommend this book for all animal freaks, especially girls in middle school. Heck, most every animal lover would enjoy it. Just read it, alright? Got it? Yay!

Book Review Tuesday

Book Review Tuesday (8/23/16)- Monstrous (series)

Posted on August 23, 2016 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

I am so exciting to be posting this book today! It’s one of my new favorites, and I hope you will. It’s a lot like Frankenstein, but with castles, hybrids, dragons, roses, and a bit of romance and sea monsters.

Monstrous

Kymera was created by her father, with a mostly human body with added raven’s wings, cat eyes and claws, and a serpent’s tail (with three stinging barbs). Her purpose is to rescue the girls of Bryre, who are all ill and dying thanks to the curse of a wizard. But when a human boy spots her on one of her nightly trips, Kymera befriends him. But the dark secrets he knows will make her never the same again…

Ravenous

Greta, one of the girls who was saved from the wizard’s curse, has a problem. Her brother Hans has been kidnapped by a cannibalistic witch! To save him, she must find the famed Cornucopia, a neverending source of food, and give it to the witch. Can she complete the quest in time to rescue her brother?

I highly recommend this book! Also, if you look at the back cover of Ravenous…

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Notice the witch’s hut.

Is anyone else thinking BABA YAGA?!?!? OMG

Anyone, you should totally read this book. Your life will be better if you do.

Book Review Tuesday

Book Review Tuesday (8/16/16)- Courage for Beginners

Posted on August 16, 2016 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Before I start this review, note that this book is not a self-help book.

Hello again, everyone! This is my last book review before summer ends…sigh…it went by so quickly, but it was a good summer. Anyway, here’s your book.

Courage for Beginners

Mysti Murphy’s life is a whole lot less than perfect- her mother is agoraphobic, her dad is in the hospital after falling from a tree, and her best friend has left her for a “social experiment”- becoming a hipster to get the attention of a certain cheerleader. Life is just not in her favor. Oh, how she wishes she was a fictional character. In books, things always seem to work out perfectly. Can she survive seventh grade?

I’d consider this more of a light read, but that certainly doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. Have a good rest of your summer!

Book Review Tuesday

Book Review Tuesday (8/9/16)-The Dragon of Trelian

Posted on August 9, 2016 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Hello, everyone, and Happy National Book Lover’s Day! It’s super great that it’s a Tuesday because of the aforementioned national holiday. Perfect for a book review! So get out there, read a book, and spread the love and bookworminess!

The Dragon of Trelian

Apprentice mage Calen never thought in a million years that he would ever meet a princess, and much less thought that they would ever become friends. But when it does, Princess Meglynne has a startling secret- she is caretaker for a dragon, who she calls Jakl. What’s more, Meg has a connection to the dragon like no other. Can she and Calen keep Jakl safe from those who would slay him? And, what are those mysterious, screaming creatures that appear around the castle grounds?

I’d say that for those of you who like Narnia-ish or Harry Potter-ish books, this book is most likely for you. Have a great rest of your summers, and happy reading!

Book Review Tuesday

Book Review Tuesday (8/2/16)-Maybe A Fox

Posted on August 2, 2016 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Hi everyone, and happy August! I still can’t believe summer’s almost over. Sigh…

Maybe A Fox

Eleven year old Jules and her twolve year old sister Sylvie are inseperable. Sure, one likes rock collecting and the other likes running (really, really fast), but they’re still inserperable. Jules can’t imagine life without Sylvie. But when Sylvie drowns in the nearby creek, Jules finally has to. Just as Sylvie dies, a fox cub is born. The cub is a kennen- an animal with a connection to a human. And this cub is connected to Jules. Can the cub find Jules in time? And will Jules get over the death of her sister?

I honestly forget if this made me cry or not, but I’m guessing roughly 60% of readers will cry. Beautiful book.

Also, I’m not going to review this on my blog b/c giving away the plot would spoil an awful lot, I FINISHED THE EIGHT HARRY POTTER BOOK YESTERDAY. SO AWESOME.

Bye!

Book Review Tuesday

Book Review Tuesday (7/26/16)- Darkbeast

Posted on July 26, 2016 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Hi everyone!!! Lately I’ve been reading a lot, which is very exciting. For me, at least. I’ve been waiting to read this for a little while since it was recommended to me on Goodreads. So here you go!

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Darkbeast

In the land of Duodecia, every child has a darkbeast- an animal bound to them at birth that takes all of their fear and bad thoughts. On their twelfth nameday, every child must go to the godhouse to slay their darkbeast. But Keara cannot bear the thought of losing her darkbeast, a raven named Caw. So on her nameday, she fails to kill him and runs away to join the travelers, a troupe of performers who roam the land performing their plays. Will she stay hidden from the Inquisitors, who are hunting her down because of her failure?

As I said in my Goodreads review, “Beautifully written, with an original concept to match. I just LOVE the concept of an animal, bonded to a child, that takes all of their fear, rebellion, and other bad thoughts. Great characters, creative, and just plain great.”

Thank you for reading!

Book Review Tuesday

Book Review Tuesday (7/19/16)- Curiosity House- The Shrunken Head

Posted on July 19, 2016 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Hi again! Sorry about last week. But hey, cat memes fix everything, riiiiiiiiight?

Ha.

So here’s your review.

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I hope you’re used to the huge book cover images by now.

Curiosity House- The Shrunken Head

Thomas, Phillipa, and Sam- three kids with strange abilities- live in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders, where weird objects from around the globe are housed, and where other strange people perform. But when Max, a knife-thrower who’s lived on the streets for almost her entire life, arrives there, a frightening series of events is set off. The newest attraction, the Amazonian shrunken head, has gone missing, and in it’s wake, many gruesome murders have been committed. Can the kids and performers solve the mystery and retrieve the shrunken head?

This was a very inventive book. Great illustrations, too!

Also, for those of you who have read this…isn’t Phillipa a whole lot like Lydia Deates (forgive me if I spelled that wrong) from Beetlejuice ?

She kinda dresses like her, too.

So yeah. Enjoy what’s left of summer, guys!

Book Review Tuesday

Book Review Tuesday (7/5/16)- How to Outrun a Crocodile when your Shoes are Untied

Posted on July 5, 2016 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Hi again! This book was one of a few that I read in Alaska. Well, technically, I read and finished this on the plane to Alaska, but still. I really enjoyed it!

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How to Outrun a Crocodile when your Shoes are Untied

Ana Wright has a much less than normal life. First, she has weirdo zooligist parents who named her after an anaconda. Seriously? And second, her best friend Liv just moved to New Zealand. And third, she and her family just moved to the local zoo in Denver. Plus, as if life couldn’t get any worse, the Sneerers (a trio of popular girls) are making Ana’s life even more miserable as it is. Can she survive the last week of junior high?

This book was hilarious, with a little animal factoid at the beginning of each chapter with a comment from Ana. Being a complete animal freak, this book attracted me like a magnet. Love!

P.S. As I’m writing this review, I’m listening to “Space Oddity”. *sniffles*

Yes, I’m still sad, and I will be for a very long time.

Animals, Vacations

Aw Yeah Alaska!

Posted on July 4, 2016 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

As I mentioned in my last BRT, I went to AK for about eight days. I just got back here today, and I’m exhausted. But Alaska was so awesome! Here are some pictures from my camera.

This moose was in a small lake near our cabin in Talkeetna. We didn’t get this close- just the work of the zoom lense on the camera. Ha.

Some sort of rodent at Denali National Park. We never identified it. But hey, it’s still cute, right?

Me by Savage Creek (Denali)

The most dangerous creature in Alaska…Paco the chihuahua.

We went on a plane on Tuesday over Denali. This was taken shortly after the plane took off.

This was also from the plane. Awesome glacier!

The next four pics are from the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center, which I LOVED.

After Talkeetna, we stayed in Seward.

This eagle, along with three others, lived right near our cabin. It was really cool! We found three of their feathers, and in the evening we would often hear them screeching.

These last pics are from when we took an 8-hour boat tour through the Kenai Fjords. Definetly my favorite part of the trip!

The very first animal we saw- a sea otter!

A colony of Steller’s Sea Lions

We saw a pod of orcas!!!! SQUEEEEEEEEEE! Anyway, this picture is an adult with a baby. One of the orcas also got really close to our boat! I squealed like a teenage girl at a pop concert when I saw them. Literally.

Harbor seals on the ice

Northwestern (or Northwest. I forget) Glacier. This was our final destination before turning around. You might be able to see a harbor seal in the middle of this picture!

“Amazing” and “awesome” just don’t do justice to this. This was the second or third Humpback whale we saw, but man, she was showing OFF. As well as the breaching, she showed her fluke, blew from her blowhole, and waved her flippers. Legit whale aerobics.

As you can see, this was such a fun and memorable trip. I hope you guys are having a great summer! Plus- I read some good books in AK, so my next BRT will be great. Bye!

P.S.- Happy early Fourth of July! 🇺🇸