Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts

Sunday, 29 May 2016

Film Review: Me Before You

Hello Lovely Readers!

Last weekend I was able to go to an early screening of the new film 'Me Before You'. The film is based on the book of the same name by Jojo Moyes. Unfortunately, I did not have time to read the book prior to seeing the movie, however after seeing the film I would really love to read it.


The Plot
The story focuses on two characters Louisa (Lou) Clark and Will Traynor. Will was a man who used to live life to the full, until he was hit by a motorcycle, which left him paralysed. Meanwhile, Lou lost her job at a cafe and was looking for a new job. The job centre found her a new opportunity to be a carer for a disabled man. After an interview with Camilla Traynor, she is hired. Lou and Will begin to work together and their relationship is difficult at first, however over time the pair become close and Will tells Lou that he plans to end his life. This is a really brief plot and I just don't want to share anymore with you because I think you need to watch it as this film really is about surprise in order for your emotions to just take over!

The Characters
Sam Claflin as Will Traynor. I thought this was a perfect choice and when I saw him on screen it was interesting to see him take on a new role that brought with it new challenges. He was able to take on a strong role, however enabling us as viewers to see his emotion and torment coming to terms with his situation.

Emilia Clark as Louisa (Lou) Clark.
I have not seen Game of Thrones (or any other of her works), so I had not seen Emilia on screen prior to this film. I was instantly captivated by portrayal of a bubbly, kind, loving character. She was endearing and made me connect with her and feel for her during her times of difficulty. Her eccentric fashion was fabulous and she really seemed to fit well in this role, as if she was that person in real life.

What did I think?
Throughout the beginning of the film I found myself giggling along with the rest of the audience in the cinema, as there were times of light humour among the more difficult issues. I really felt this enabled me to become emotionally involved with the characters and the hardships they faced. I really loved the role of Lou and her character and personality. Her fashion sense was fantastic and really made me love her all the more. I got really excited when I saw Lou and I had the same daisy earrings at one point and I was weirdly wearing them that day. By the end of the movie though I did find myself in tears as was the majority of the cinema. I had to share my tissues with the lady who was sat next to Scott. I was quite shocked by how long I was crying for, I just couldn't stop! It really showed how fantastic the acting was, as it was so believable I really felt connected to every decision they made, and wished the ending could've been different!

Overall
I am rating this movie 4/5 stars. It was a mix of sad and funny moments, which enabled the audience to feel connected to the characters and become emotionally invested in the story they were retelling. I think Sam Claflin portrayed the role of Will perfectly, really enabling me to understand how some people really struggle to cope with coming to terms with paralysis. Not everyone is able to overcome their feelings towards this and although a hard story to tell I feel it was interesting to understand why he felt the way he did. On the other hand, it would have been beneficial to see someone embracing the change to their life and making the most of it as many people today are able to lead full lives with their life changing injuries. It was difficult to see Will make the decision to end his life when not giving himself more time to see what he could've been able to do. Emilia Clark was just as lovable on screen as she is off it. She really made me sob as I watched the final scenes. It was a fantastic portrayal of a strong but sensitive character. Fantastic work and I would definitely see this film again.

Media
I have seen the media attention that this film has received both good and bad. I see both sides of the argument and by no means am I taking sides with either argument. I do agree however that it would be more beneficial to see disabled stars on the big screen portraying roles such as this one. By Hollywood doing this it would allow the audience to gain a true picture into the life of a disabled person and the choices they make. This film shows just one choice (choosing to die). It would have been inspiring to see the character of Will explore all the things he could do and that just because he couldn't his life was over. It definitely raises some complicated issues and conversations with people. However I really see this as a positive as we can move forward and discuss these issues together.

If you go to see this film please let me know what you thought! Make sure you take tissues with you. Me Before You is out in cinemas on June 3rd.

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan

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Wednesday, 28 October 2015

Book Review: Girl Online On Tour

Hello Lovely Readers!

I have just finished reading Girl Online On Tour and I writing this review to let you know what I thought of it. I won't be giving too much away, as I hate when reviews basically tell you everything that happens! I want you to understand my feelings from the book and how I felt afterwards.

It has been so long since I have had time on an evening to sit and read a book. I always feel so tired when I actually get into bed, that I end up playing on my phone for a bit before sleeping. After reading Zoe Sugg's first book 'Girl Online' I couldn't wait for the sequel. I like to think of this book as something to satisfy the teenager still living inside of me. It's a guilty pleasure book I can't deny that. My boyfriend kindly went to Leeds on the day of the release so I could start reading this book, however I didn't get round to reading it until Sunday. I started at 10am and after a few breaks, food and a shower I finally finished it at 5pm. A day well spent! I was gutted after finishing reading the final few pages, even with an extra chapter, (exclusive to Waterstones) it still wasn't enough. If you're looking to buy the book I would definitely recommend buying it from here just for the extra chapter, which provides an insight into how the book may continue now that things have changed drastically for Penny.

One thing I loved about this book was that it wasn't a 'happily ever after' ending. It wasn't a sad one either, it left much to the imagination as to where this book could continue, if Zoe ever did decide to write another. I think there is scope to take these characters further. I definitely think there would be grounds to continue the story to see how Penny can continue on her own path. Whilst reading the two books you definitely see her as a character that follows what other people are doing and now she has broken away from that it would be interesting to see where her dreams take her. I think we can also agree we want to see the return of Elliot and Alex, both characters I love.

Another thing I loved about this book was the addition of character 'Leah Brown'. She was a character I didn't like in the first book, but that wasn't hard since she didn't really get mentioned much and when she did it was bad! Now that we've seen her character develop throughout this book, we learn more about her and come to like her, just as Penny does. It really feels as if you can get inside the lead character Penny and understand how these events effect the choices she makes. Sometimes I found myself screaming at the book in the hope the plot would change (silly I know)! Nevertheless, a surprise was that I found myself growing to love Leah, simply because of her friendship with Penny. I think that definitely shows us how you can make friends in the most unlikely of circumstances.

I won't lie, parts of the book made me so emotional. Not crying. I was angry...especially at Noah. I don't want to spoil too much of the plot, although I really do love how this book can provoke all sorts of different emotions from people. I was so invested in the plot and was eager to find out what happened next. This may be the reason why I read it so quickly! I truly believe that my inner teenager loved this story. I find myself relating so much to Penny. When she mentioned her favourite Winnie The Pooh Character being Piglet, I couldn't help but slightly over react. If you stepped into my bedroom you'd seen an abundance of Piglet related items, as he is too my favourite character ever since I was young. I also related to her clumsiness, as I too trip or fall and don't even try to get me to walk in heels! It will not end well! I think Zoe has outdone herself on this book. Being able to create characters that readers can relate to are difficult, I think that's why I struggle to properly start some books, let alone finish! Girl Online and Girl Online On Tour, were both books I easily managed to become engrossed in. I think that is testament to it being a plot, call it cliche, that I really love.

So if you're looking for a new book to read and you are interested in these books I can thoroughly recommend both these books! Girl Online On Tour especially was my favourite of the two. It provided lots of twists and bombshells I was not expecting, which made for an interesting read.

Overall, I am going to rate Girl Online On Tour 5/5 stars. It might be a book I reread again soon (when I find a spare day).

I know these types of books aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I think everyone has a right to an opinion. So good or bad share your thoughts about these books below! Alternatively, get in touch with me, via my social media links below!

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan

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Tuesday, 31 March 2015

Teaching Tips: Hattie Peck by Emma Levey

Hello Bloggers!

As I mentioned in yesterday's post I've been buying lots of books today and as it's Easter time I thought it would be pretty good to add this little book to my collection. Hattie Peck cost me £1.49 at Sainsburys! Not bad at all and the children in my Reception class loved it. 



The story is about a chicken called Hattie who loves eggs. All she wants is an egg of her own so she leaves her coop to go on an adventure to collect all the abandoned eggs in the world. It's a really nice story because at a young age children are aware that chickens lay eggs and chicks hatch out of them. As a result of this errors and misconceptions can occur, e.g. that every animal that hatches from an egg is a chick. This is not true and this book shows that when Hattie collects all the eggs and they hatch there are a lot of different animals. It's nice to show children how many animals hatch from eggs and that they can grow to be a lot larger than chickens! 

When I got to the last page I just asked the children "What has happened?" and they all sat up and stared at the picture. They were confused. "They're not chickens!" It was nice to sit and chat about the different animals Hattie had found and where she'd collected their egg from. This definitely interested the children as some of these animals were quite large and seeing them come from an egg so small confused them. 


Overall, I think this is such a lovely book to share with children. The pictures are bright and colourful and the text is in different fonts and not written in straight lines. It's nice for children to be exposed to different fonts and not the usual boring child friendly font that they're used to seeing. If you're in Sainsburys and looking for a new book to pick up on the trip definitely pick this one up from the shelf!

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan 

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Tuesday, 10 March 2015

Teaching Tips: Underpants Wonderpants

Hello Bloggers!

This year my placement is in Reception so I've been stocking up on books to use with my children. I've read the book 'Underpants Wonderpants' to them the other day which they loved. 

He wears underpants and solves all the problems with pants!
It's about a dog who is a superhero and rescues people with different types of underwear. 

Blurb: Is it an eagle? Is it a plane? No – it’s Underpants Wonderpants to the rescue again! Whenever you need him in sun, snow or shower, he’ll sort out your problems with underpants power! He sorts out a pantachute for a queen in distress, puts out a fire with his super-pant-scoop… But that’s not the end of his super-pants day. The aliens are heading towards Earth! Can Wonderpants’ underpants power save the world in this laugh-out-loud rhyme to share?

There is lots you could do with this book. I'd firstly have gotten my children to make a pair of underpants to hang on a big washing line in the classroom. I would leave it open to choice allowing them to choose different ways of making these underpants. They could be 3D, 2D, painted, coloured using crayons and pencils, maybe using different materials e.g. paper, newspaper, cloth, fabric, felt. This would act as a display for our class and a starting point. This shows the diversity of things as not every pair of pants were the same in the book! Get the children thinking creatively and starting to make their own decisions. You might be surprised about what they choose to do. 

This book is aimed at 3-4 year olds and after having read it the children knew most of the words except for 'mirth'. It isn't a word they would be familiar with so it may cause a few issues, however after thinking about it as practitioners isn't it our duty to widen children's vocabulary and allow them to learn new words? This is a funny book that should provoke enjoyment of reading so shying away from it because it uses a word we don't necessarily use would be such a shame. 

Mirth: amusement, especially as expressed in laughter

Having a Superhero themed day would be a lot of fun as well. The children can make their own Superhero costumes which allows them to create their own characters. Record them on the iPad describing their character and what they can do. Some children may not feel confident writing so this would enable them to record their understanding. If a child is a confident writer we could get them to make a mini fact file of their character which could be added to a Superhero display.

In Literacy we could split into small groups and focus on description of different Superheroes. See what children come up with and practice their writing. Can they use these adjectives in a sentence to describe the character? 

Example:

If I used Underpants Wonderpants I could say "He is a brown dog and has a white patch on his eye". 

Children can self assess their sentence before bringing it to you for marking. After spending time in my Reception class I've seen them use '5 finger sentences'. The children have to check they've included everything before bringing it to the teacher. This helps them realise what they could improve on and start recognising mistakes/self correcting. 


Five finger writing: capital letters, full stops, finger spaces, correct letter formation, writing on the line.

There are many curriculum subjects I could use this book for, I just decided to focus on Literacy. 

If you've used this book and want to share your ideas or you have an idea then please leave a comment below I would love to read them.

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan

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