Movie Review: BFG deserves more love

Hi everyone. Wow. It's been a while since I posted anything. Well, I do have a movie review for all of you today, and it's based off my favorite book written by Roald Dahl, The BFG.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Story:
Sophie is an orphan girl living in London who generally spends her time reading and staying up way after she's supposed to be asleep. Because she's up at the Witching Hour, she ends up breaking some rules of what not to do at the time, and ends up seeing something unexpected: a giant. Before she knows it, Sophie is whisked off to Giant Country, and ends up becoming friends with the giant who took her, whom she names the BFG, which stands for Big Friendly Giant. However, he's not the only giant there. There are several larger giants who enjoy nothing more than eating people, especially children. Together, Sophie and the BFG come up with a plan to stop the evil giants and save the world.
I was really surprised with how faithful the film adaptation was to the book, and that made me glad. True, there were a few minor points that were changed up, but it wasn't drastic, and overall the film kept the heart and spirit of the book it came from. The use of CGI really helps drive home the magical feeling of Giant Country, and the friendship felt between Sophie and the BFG is truly cute. It has a good balance between light moments and dark moments, and each one was taken care of. It is definitely a fun family film.
Caution:
A girl has a nightmare of being eaten by a giant. A giant gets hit in the groin. Some mild peril and slapstick humor. Some people drink a beverage that causes them to fart.
Lessons:
Kindness and understanding can overcome boundaries. Just because someone's different from us in appearance or behavior doesn't make them bad or deserving of mockery; it means that they are still people and deserve our love and respect. Never be afraid to stand up for what is right.

Book review: The Ice Dragon is a fun fantasy for winter

Hi everyone. School's starting to wrap up and I'm getting some great help to get caught up on assignments. I wanted to take some time today to do something I wasn't able to yesterday. Post a review for a book I finished reading.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Story:
Adara is a girl who's living in the North, a country in Westeros, with her father and siblings. Adara's noted for being a bit of an odd girl, such as she loves the winters. She would spend the time counting down to her birthday as that's during wintertime. Most do not enjoy the winters in the North, but Adara loves it. Each year Adara is visited by an ice dragon, a rare species of dragon that few ever see, and tales say it is a foul creature of death. However Adara manages to befriend the strange animal and flies around on it. That itself is a great accomplishment as ice dragons are held to be unridable. One day fierce invaders come to Adara's home and it's up to her and her ice dragon to stop them.
For a while now I've been encouraged to delve into George R. R. Martin's world of Westeros, and I was surprised to see there are books written by him that take place outside of his main series. Even though this book may be shorter and more geared to juvenile readers, I still found it a good place to enter Westeros. Most dragons are stereotyped to be fire breathers, but it made a nice change to see a dragon that could breath cold instead. Adara herself is a very interesting character. Winters can be fierce from what I read in the North, but the cold never bothers her. Sorry. Couldn't resist putting that joke in. I have read The World of Ice and Fire, and I spent some time wondering when this tale fits in chronologically with the history of Westeros. For reasons that I won't divulge so to not give any spoilers I'll say I think it happens in The Dance of the Dragons, which was the name of an old war. Anyway, I can see this book forming the basis of an animated film adaptation someday. Probably won't happen, but if you're looking for a fantasy book to read during the winter I would recommend this book.
Caution:
A woman dies from childbirth. Men are mentioned as swearing, but the words are not listed. Some battle scenes, but nothing graphic. A kid accidentally snaps an ice lizard in two.
Lessons:
The greatest form of love is to give your life for another. We should be willing to get out and explore.