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Sci-fi

Meddling Kids

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Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
Format: eBook, Book
Who it’s for: Adults

In 1977, a group of precocious kid detectives and their dog solved the case of the Sleepy Lake monster. The culprit turned out to be, as was common in their cases, an old man in a mask. He would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids!

Years later the “Blyton Summer Detective Club” are all grown up, but only barely functioning. One committed suicide, one is a college drop out, one has been in and out of jail, and one has been in and out of psychiatric wards. Turns out they’ve all been haunted by the Sleepy Lake monster case. The truth is: they didn’t actually solve it. Yes, there was a masked man in the abandoned mansion on Deboen Isle, but there were also real live monsters that permanently unsettled them, and they’ve had enough. They are reuniting to solve the case once and for all.

When they return to their charming hometown in the Pacific Northwest they find it’s not as idyllic as their childhood memories. Otherworldly horror lurks around every corner, and only they, and their loyal dog (twice removed from their original dog), can stop it.

This book is basically Scooby-Doo meets H.P. Lovecraft meets Twin Peaks and I thought it was great. The writing style is unique, laden with meta references to popular kid detective and classic sci-fi tropes. If you love stories about young detectives, Lovecraftian horror, or small towns where things are not as they seem, you should definitely check this out from the library, or electronically on OverDrive, today!

Star Wars: Thrawn

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Star Wars Thrawn-Timothy Zahn.png

Star Wars: Thrawn
Author: Timothy Zahn
Format: Adult Fiction
Who it’s for: Adults

Our novel begins with the discovery of an alien, unknown except to legend and myth, a Chiss. Agents of the Empire find themselves completely outmatched by the strategy and capabilities of a single castaway, leading to him making his way into the ranks of the Empire in short order. Thrawn is a character well known to fans of the Star Wars universe, a book series in the 90’s. He takes a page from characters such as Honor Harrington and Horatio Hornblower in that the future Grand Admiral is not a character of great action, but more of plans and tactics. He possesses the keen gift of being able to analyze a society through it’s artistry, giving insight on tactics and processes of his opponents. The novel details the beginning of his imperial career and his feats of prowess, while dragging Ensign Eli Vanto along for the ride becoming one of the only ones capable of understanding and learning the intriguing man’s ways. Interestingly though he is an antagonist in other novels and in the Star Wars Rebels tv series, the books show that he lacks the cruelty and ambition of other Star Wars villains, instead doing the minimum to ensure victory and going out of his way to minimize losses. Thrawn is a fascinating character and the other two novels in the trilogy show an adventure of his and Darth Vader while exploring their shared past, and the third bringing involvement of his species into the fray where he’s pulled on opposite sides of his loyalty. I think if you’re looking to get into the newer Star Wars materials, Thrawn is a fantastic place to start and gives a look at the Empire and all of the background struggles between characters and politics of the setting.

Find it in the catalog.

Bumblebee

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Bumblebee

Format: DVD

Rated: PG-13

Who It’s For: Adult and Young Adult

 

If you are a Transformers fan you will LOVE this DVD!

This movie is a prequel to “The Transformers” film series. It starts on the planet Cybertron as a fierce battle rages on between the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons. Optimus sends B-127 (Bumblebee) to planet Earth for refuge. Agent Jack Burns (John Cena) boasts his paint ball training exercise win to his peers, just moments before they see B-127 come crashing down to the ground.  B-127 is cornered by the agents and they demand the whereabouts of Optimus. I don’t want to spoil any surprises so we will skip the rest of that part of the movie. Onto the year 1987….. Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), is dealing with the death of her father. She spent time fixing cars with her dad before his death. She finds comfort in the local junkyard. That’s where she finds Bumblebee, broken and scarred. As she is fixing him she quickly realizes he is no ordinary yellow VW bug. Get ready for action, adventure and heart warming moments.

Here are some interesting trivia facts about the movie Bumblebee.

Hailee Steinfeld is the first female lead in the film franchise.

With a budget of $102-128 million, this is the least expensive Transformers movie to date.

Bumblebee” is the only movie in the “Transformers” theatrical film series to have a running time under 2 hours (approximately 1 hour, 54 minutes). All previous films clocked in at well over 2 hours.

Hailee Steinfeld was not born until nine years after the setting of the film and had to be taught how to use some typical items of the ’80s era, such as how to work a Walkman, which was completely foreign to her. I feel really old 🙂
John Cena, who plays Agent Burns, was originally supposed to play a villain named “Scarface” as seen from behind-the-scenes photos from his stunt double Joseph Kelly. It is unclear what made the change but rumor has it, like wrestling, they did not want John Cena the heel but more the face and this would also leave John Cena’s role open for a sequel.