One of the things I look forward to about summer every year is the movies. The big, loud, action-filled blockbuster movies. I love them. I love the thrill ride, the pounding of the explosions, the popcorn… And I love seeing what they do with familiar characters and themes to make them work onscreen and keep […]
Turntable image from openclipart.org What's an AudioSplice? The Basics: I've taken little snippets of a handful of songs and smashed them together into a sort of sonic puzzle for you to figure out. There is also a theme that links the songs somehow for you to work out, to help you along and make it […]
I pretty much explain what I'm like by telling people I may be a grownup on the outside, but I'm about 13 to 16 on the inside… and I get totally excited by things that some adults think are not, shall we say, the most mature. Fine, whatever, it's way more fun to just go […]
Graffiti Knight, by Karen Bass After World War II, the German city of Liepzig was occupied by Soviet forces, under brutal conditions. Wilm is pushed too far when both his father and sister are hurt and shamed, and he begins a campaign of resistance by graffiti. As he grows ever bolder in his statement-making, he […]
The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life, by Tara Altebrando Some nights are perfect, packed full of fun and companionship and enough mayhem to live as a highlight in memory forever. Some are supposed to be that… but not everything goes quite according to plan. You've seen movies like this, right? And in this case, […]
Hip Hop Family Tree, by Ed Piskor Just at the end of the 70s, a new sound began to emerge in New York – first in basements and at block parties, then in small clubs and eventually, at battles where crews would show off their skills. Beats and pieces of music were provided by older […]
Blood Red Road, by Moira Young Tonton warriors kidnap Saba’s much-beloved twin brother and kill her father, leaving her and her younger sister. She vows to find Lugh, setting out on a journey filled with perils – months of enforced cage match fighting that earn her the title The Angel of Death, for one. Saba […]
The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B, by Teresa Toten When a support group for teens with OCD start seeking ways to make themselves feel stronger, they turn to superhero personas. Adam doesn’t think it’s helping him much, in fact he feels like things are falling apart and he’s starting to unravel. Finding a little support […]
Sick, by Tom Leveen A few friends have figured out how to “escape” their very secure high school to skip a class, but when they return, they find the place has gone seriously crazy. A strange virus is spreading and the affected teens are mutating into zombie-like monsters. They have to figure out how to […]
Grasshopper Jungle, by Andrew Smith Austin and Robby watched the first bug hatch out of the human it had incubated in. And they knew they had seen one of those 6-foot tall praying mantises before, too, in a jar. It didn’t take long to put it together – or for the mayhem to start in […]