The Thief Lord

The Thief Lord is set in Venice and is about a group of runaway kids who steal things and sell them for money. Prosper and Bo had run from their aunt and uncle and met this group of kids. They are almost a family. The head of the family would have to be Scipio AKA the Thief Lord. He does most of the stealing. A greedy shopowner decides to have them steal something for a client and they accept the job. The item turns out to be a missing part from a magical merry-go-round which can turn kids into grown-ups and grown-ups into kids. Scipio and the shopowner tried it out but they break it and have to live with their changes. One chapter can be about one characters work, the next can be about anothers. I personally think that is a good thing. The characters are well defined, it has a good plot with just a touch of magic added to extra flair.
345 pages. My rating: 9.

Get Smart

Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy (DS)

This is a very good game. My favorite character that I have so far is Darth Vader. The game is good because you get to go to all the places in the movie. You also get to customize your own characters like you can give him new clothes, new heads and weapons. You can also battle your friends in the Bounty hunter Battle Arena. The game is based on the original Star Wars movies. Chewbacca can rip other peoples arms out.
Bottom Line: I found this game very enjoyable. Grade: B+
by eric

The Killers: Sawdust

The Killers third album Sawdust is just a compilation of B-sides and rarities. The song Tranquilize features Lou Reed and there is an extra long version of Mr. Brightside on it. But those are like the only bright spots on this album. The other songs just didn't cut it. Out of Hot Fuss, Sams Town and Sawdust, Hot Fuss is still the best Killers album out there.
Bottom line: For sure the worst of the three albums. Grade: C+

GOOD BYE

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BYE

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To Test Or Not To Test

Testing medicine on animals is a fairly controversial subject. Though it has helped with many discoveries. I personally think that this is wrong. First because it is downright cruel. Scientists can deliberatly make an animal sick and if the medicine doesn't work, the animal will die. That thought makes me sick. Second, the testing can harm them. Their bodies might not be used to this. Why would you want to go so low just for medical purposes? Third, how do you know the animal is okay with having a drug injected into them? That is like an animal doing the same thing to us when we clearly don't want them to do it. Plus there might be some thing else we can test on. We might not find out for a long time.

The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)

This Legend Of Zelda game for DS is perhaps one of the most unique DS games I have played. You control Link on the touch screen as he tries to rescue his friend from the Ghost Ship. You must also travel by sea on Captain Linebeck's ship. To navigate, you draw your route on the touch screen. This game is almost a sequel for The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker(GCN). What I found most fun about this game is when you can go in the ship,but don't go too crazy in it since it is possible to sink the ship.
Bottom Line: This has got to be one of the best games for DS. Grade: A

Pokemon Pearl Version (DS)

This next part of the Pokemon series gives you Pearl and Diamond versions. The only difference between the two games is how often some Pokemon appear. The touch screen is used for a new item called a Poketch which is like the Pokegear in Gold and Silver versions. The buildings are 3D here plus the graphics are improved. This is the first Pokemon game to be in the Sinnoh region which means new Pokemon. The criminel team is Team Galactic. Pokemon Contests are back and there is an underground place as well, where some multiplayer games can happen. I like the changes that have been made.
Bottom Line: Not as good as the other ones, but is still good. Grade:B+

Mario Kart DS

Mario Kart DS is the first Mario Kart game for DS. You can do courses from the other Mario Kart games like Super Mario Kart (SNES) Mario Kart 64 (n64) Mario Kart Super Circuit (GBA) and Mario Kart Double Dash (GC). The touch screen shows the map of the course and the action takes place on the top screen. There are some new characters introduced such as Drybones. Once you do a lot of single player races, you might get competitive. Rainbow Road here is actually fairly easy, I didn't have much trouble doing it. This is the first Mario Kart game to have wi-fi connection. My favorite track is Waluigi Pinball, I win all the time!
Bottom line: Not the best Mario Kart game, but still very enjoyable. Grade: A-

Yoshis Island (GBA)

This is the second part of the Yoshis Island trilogy. Yoshi only has Baby Mario to worry about in this game as he goes through six worlds to rescue Baby Luigi who has been kidnapped. This game is reletively simple, the controls are straightforward, plus it is fun too. What I find fun about these games are that when you fight a boss, there is always a fun way to do it. For instance, for one boss you have to throw eggs at his head when he is standing upright, then once he is down you body slam him.
Bottom line: A simple game but is a game I thoroughly enjoyed. Grade: A-

Yoshis Island DS

The next part of the Yoshis Island trilogy comes for DS. The other games for it were good. There was one for Game Boy Advance and I believe there was one for Nintendo 64. Those two were good. At intervals in levels, you can change from baby Mario to Baby Peach. There are five babies Yoshi can carry. However, Yoshis Island DS to me did not live up to my expectations. The controls are pretty confusing(you press B to jump, when you are so used to the A button doing that), The music on levels disappointed me plus the screen was split into two parts which made following the action difficult.
Bottom line: this game to me, was a disappointment. Grade: B-

GONE

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ALSO GONE

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New Super Mario Bros (ds)

This game is one of the better Mario games on the market. The different thing about this game is that you only have to beat six worlds to make it to the final level. There are new items as well, like the fun Mega Mushroom which makes Mario grow to an enormous size and can destroy just about anything just by running into it. There is a Mini Mushroom which makes Mario shrink. Finally there is a blue koopa shell which gives Mario a shell. The culprit in Princess Peaches disappearence is Bowser Jr. instead of Bowser. There are also minigames like card games and Nintendos version of Whack-a-Mole.
Bottom line: I enjoyed this game. The new things play a good role in it.

Mario Kart Wii (wii)

The next generation version of Mario Kart doesn't disappoint. You actually steer the Wii remote to steer. It comes with a steering wheel. It has courses from Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart Super Circuit (GBA) Mario Kart Double Dash (GCN) Mario Kart DS plus new tracks. You can choose between motorcycles and the standard kart. The characters haven't really changed. All this adds up to one of the most next-gen Mario games. Rainbow Road is a tough course here.
Bottom line: this is a great game period. Grade: A+

Mario And Sonic At The Olympic games (wii ds)

Two video game heroes go head to head in this game. You can pick from Nintendo characters or Sonic characters. You use the Wii remote a lot in this game. You can do gymnastics, track and field, fencing, table tennis and there are dream events as well. This is the official video game of the Bejing Olympics. This is a good pick up and play game. And trust me this is a tiring game. Who's team are you on?
Bottom Line: Why would you not want a game with Mario and Sonic on the cover? Grade: A-

note: I played this game for Wii, the DS may be different.

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

Just like other Mario games, you have to go through levels to rescue Princess Peach. However in this one, you have to explore different galaxies to gather Power Stars. This game has returning enemies from Super Mario Sunshine (for Gamecube). The graphics are good and the game is fairly simple to learn. You shake the Wii remote to spin enemies. You can also play as Luigi after you make it to the midway point in the game. The Toads appear as well, as the Toad Brigade. Their ship is shaped like a mushroom, which makes sense. This is one of the better Mario games and is worth buying if you have a Wii.
Bottom Line: This game is fairly easy to get hooked on. Grade: A-

Maxx comedy by Gordon Korman

Maxx comedy is about a boy named Max Camordy and is the funniest kid in America. To test that he enters a contest called "the funniest kid in the world." Max puts this to the limit and ends up in the finals. what place will he end up in? As the laughing stock at his middle school or be crowned with glory? Read Maxx Comedy to find out.

Montreal

As a grade 6 graduation trip, all the sixth graders went to Montreal. The bus ride took about five hours but for entertainment, you didn't have to look too far. There were movies, and you could bring your own stuff. When we rolled into Montreal, we headed for Pointe a Calliere, a museum based on Montreals history. There we took a guided tour of the place and managed to catch a movie based on what we learned. From there we drove to our hotel, a Holliday Inn. We spent about 30 minutes in our room before going out for dinner. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe then departed to a meeting spot for our guided tour of old Montreal. We spent about two hours seeing the sights before we made it back to the hotel. The next day we got up at 6:30 AM (ugh) and headed down to the breakfast room. After a hearty meal, we headed out to Laval and went to a space camp. There you got to try out different simulators like there was one that simulated working in zero gravity. You also got to learn a bit about physics and the properties of the space shuttle. We then went to eat lunch at a mall close by and got a bit of shopping time. After that, it was off to Mount Royal to get a good look of the city. From there, we went out into a Montreal suburb to attend a circus school. There were different activities there like trapeze, trampoline, tightrope (not 50 feet in the air of course) and silk to climb on. What trip to Montreal is complete without smoked meat? Well, that is exactly what we had for dinner that day. After that it was off to Champion Lanes for some bowling. I did okay. From there it was off to the hotel for the night. Next morning they actually let us sleep in a little but I still had to drag myself out of bed for 7:15. From breakfast It was off to the Biodome. With five reconstructed habitats in it, from the tropical rainforest to Antarctica, it really was a sight to see (for me it was my second time there) From there, we loaded the bus and headed home. I returned with a necklace from the Hard Rock Cafe, a pen from space camp and a stuffed hedgehog from the Biodome. So there it is... my trip

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

This game is one of the most addicting games I have ever played. It is a game that is all about fighting, but not in a very violent sort of way. For single player you can go Classic, in it you pick a character and fight other characters in single combat. There are some rounds where you face multiple foes but most of the time you have an ally to help you out. You can also do Adventure mode where you fight through levels to beat it. Or you can grab a friend and do regular brawls, where you go head to head with your friends. Up to four people can play at once. There is also online play where you play against strangers. This game is also very easy to learn. All you need is one round to get the hang of it. This game doesn't disappoint, get it now!!
Bottom Line: I loved this game. You can play it for hours and not get bored of it. Grade: A