 Since I first heard of The Day the Crayons Quit, I knew I wanted to read it. However, with everything else on my list, I just didn't get to it. Then one day I was in Barnes and Noble and the book was lying in one of those featured books table. I quickly read it there and loved it. I purchased it off of Amazon a month later followed by the second bookThe Day the Crayons Came Home.
I loved this concept of the crayons having personalities. We all color as kids and some of us still as adults (especially with the new adult coloring books that have come out. P.S. there is a Harry Potter one). As I was reading about why the colors were leaving, it made perfect sense. I kept thinking "yup I did that as a kid." I got nostalgic a bit. The second book wasn't as great as the first, but it closed the loop in this story with each crayon talking about their adventure and why they want to come home. It was a good conclusion to an interesting and enjoyable series. What I also liked is that while the images were colorful, they weren't too bright for what crayons can produce. They look like images that would have been the result of coloring in the pages and I felt that was perfect for the theme of the story. Click a link to purchase the book:
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 And we have made it. Below is my review of the final Hunger Games movie, Mockingjay Part II. As such, I have left this review up for your reading pleasure
This book was previously reviewed by me as well as my old book club. So here is both: My Review By the time Mockingjay opens, Peeta was captured by the Capital, District 12 was blown up and District 13 wants Katniss to be the face of the rebellion. This final book does a nice job closing the loop on character's storyline, which is what you want in a conclusion. For starters, you get to see more of Gale in this book. With the previous ones, it was all about Katniss and Peeta, even though Gale was a choice she had to make. In this book, you saw more of him as well as Katniss with him. Seeing him allowed readers to understanding the ending and why Katniss made the choice she made. It was also the choice I wanted her to make. Collins also reworked Peeta. Peeta was tortured by the capital causing him to turn on Katniss. He was down right cruel sometimes and totally out of character for him. She really tried to make the reader hate him and in some cases I'm sure it worked. I never doubted him though. The most surprising part was the ending, a true Shakespeare paradox. The one thing that causes Katniss to board this rollercoster ride of the Hunger Games is the one thing she couldn't stop from happening in the end. The fate or destiny of it all. My Book Club It's no surprise, Mockingjay was a hit. Overall, we loved it. We couldn't stop talking about it. I think we could have gone all night if there was time. There were a few downsides. Some of us thought it was the lesser of the three. The first two had more adventure, better written, etc. Others thought scenes with Katniss were a cop-out. The first two books had her in the thick of things. She was front row and center for all the action and drama. In this book, she missed the important moments, like the final attack on the capital. What was that all about? We liked the closing. Felt it was true to the story and true to the characters. Speaking of characters, we had our favorites: Haymitch, of course. He was a favorite to most of us and we laughed at his shenanigans. Some of us liked Boggs. He was a new character introduced in this third book but he was a good character and a good man. We also did the who Peeta vs. Gale debate. We felt she was better suited with Peeta in the end. Gale was hot headed just like Katniss. Katniss needed a calmer influence and Peeta was perfect. Click here to purchase the book.  And we have made it. Here is my review of the final Hunger Games movie, Mockingjay Part II.
I definitely liked this movie better than it's predecessor. I think if they had just made it into one movie instead of two, it would have been so much better. Oh, well. I have to admit here that the 3rd book was never my favorite. The same goes for the movie, both parts. That prestige goes to Catching Fire, on both fronts. But I will say, that this fourth installment of the Hunger Games franchise is at least better than the first movie. I've always said that it should have been the one split into two. But, we're not here to talk about the first movie. I've already done that. We're here to talking about this final one. Overall, the final movie stayed true to the themes of the book. The destruction, the death and the politics are all there. You see the effects of war and how people are compromised because of it. So as an adaptation, I think it stuck true to the book in it's story line and plot points. However, there was still something off about it and I'm not sure if it's the movie itself or my overall feeling about the franchise as a whole and the uneven work they've done with the movies. It is nothing against the actors or writers. I just think the decision makers lost something here. Anyway, here is my usual list of notable differences: 1) Peeta's recovery. It was non-existence. In the book, there were strides taken to help Peeta recover. He takes therapy and really tries to become better and remember who he was. Non of that was in the movie, which made his back and forth struggle in the battlefield seem off. Why would he be struggling if he didn't know who he previously was? 2) Prim. Most reviews I've read mention that Prim was the one to visit Peeta instead of Delly Cartwright, but they leave out the fact that Peeta's therapy was her idea. She was the one who came up with the plan to reverse the effects of the Tracker Jacker torture. In Catching Fire, we see how string and capable Prim is becoming, something that shows even more in Mockingjay with this plan of her's. That was missing in the movie. 3) Katniss kills a capital citizen. This one is also mentioned frequently in other review, but I find this to be important if we think about Katniss in District 2. She wanted to save the citizens, fight for their lives saying that innocent bystanders should not be treated as the rest. Yet, when her own life is on the line, she doesn't think twice in killing an innocent. I think this speaks to the depth of war and how compromises to oneself happens on the battlefield. As I said, not a bad adaption. But the whole movie franchise fell flat for me. |
