01/01/2023
Turning Pages with Ainslie
Ainslie Koreski, Staff Writer
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This week’s page turner is Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh which is the first book in the Boys of Tommen series. This book focuses on the two main characters, Shannon Lynch and Johnny Kavanagh.
This book does a good job of expanding the world and setting up for future books by following the problems of each character while also covering deep themes like child abuse, drug use, malnourishment, death, S.A, and other extreme situations.
Walsh gently handles these themes in meaningful ways, showing the impact and emotional damages caused, and how that can affect people later in life. The realistic emotions and reactions from people in these extreme situations, including the negative, was very authentic.
The book details Shannon’s abuse from her father and how years of built-up fear can hold people back and influence them for life. On the other hand, Johnny has his own trouble even though he is extremely talented at rugby and has a happy family; he still feels this imposter syndrome, a feeling of not being good enough. He also experiences the feeling of always needing to do better and work harder, even if it hurts him or he needs the rest.
The story also shows how forming a relationship and helping each other grow helps both sides be stronger, all while showing the ups and downs along the way.
Overall, I loved this read and would 100% recommend it, it’s a 10/10 from me and I’m extremely excited to read the rest of the books in the series.
Vivian's Views
Vivian Grimm, Staff Writer
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The television series Stranger Things, created by the Duffer Brothers, is a five season show shown on Netflix. The first season was released on Netflix on July 15, 2016. The second was released in October 2017, with the third season following in July 2019. The fourth season was then released in two parts in May and July of 2022. And, the fifth and final season was released in three parts starting with November and December 2025, with the finale being on December 31.
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The show is a science-fiction horror series set in the 1980s in the town of Hawkins, Indiana. The show begins with Will Byers mysteriously disappearing, which leads his friends Lucas, Mike, and Dustin to discover secret experiments, supernatural things, and a dimension called the ‘Upside Down’.
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During this period of discovery, they meet Eleven, a girl with mind powers who escaped from a government laboratory. Spanning the series, more monsters begin to show up. Starting with the Demogorgon, The mind flayer, Demo dogs, Demo bats, and lastly, Vecna.
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Vecna was an actual person, with powers like Eleven, that was transformed into an Upside-Down creature by the mind flayer. Vecna was in the center of everything and was the the main villain. Other characters included in the show were, Max Mayfield, Nancy Wheeler, Johnathan Byers, Steven Harrington, Jim Hopper, and Joyce Byers, all of which played big roles in the show. All the friends had to save their town, and ultimately the world from Vecna. In the end, they save Hawkins and their world but along the way, sacrifices were made.
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The show depicted many themes like friendship, loyalty, courage, teamwork, and standing up to fear. The show included supernatural horror, but balanced this element with emotional relationships, which made the show not only frightening but also heartfelt. The show ended up being a big success, being one of the number one shows in the world, but, like everything, there were some complaints.
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Leading up to season four, everyone loved the show and there were almost no complaints with new characters, monsters, losses, places, emotions, patience, and nostalgia. Season five was very different. It was rushed. Without any spoilers, recurring things from all seasons saw resolution in a matter of minutes. Also, many things were unexplained and forgotten about.
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Overall, it was good- not great. It showed a combination of suspense, happiness, and emotions. Stranger Things will always be known as one of the greatest shows ever made. It was much more than just a scary show with monsters and another world, imparting the importance of values like friendship, bravery, courage, and loyalty. Stranger Things is a memorable series, loved by people every age.