Opinions

Books, News & Features, Opinions May 28, 2014

“Will Grayson, Will Grayson,” “Daylight Saving,” and “Beautiful Creatures”

“Catherine and Claudia’s Top Spring Reads” will be a recurring feature in the final months of the 2013-2014 school year. If you’re looking for your next independent reading book for Language Arts or are in need of a good read for summer, look no further! Summaries and ratings of three books will be published every two weeks. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan is about two boys named Will Grayson. Will Grayson 1 is trying to go through life unnoticed. Will Grayson 2 goes through life without anything to hold on to except an online relationship with a boy named Isaac. Both characters go on a trip and find out that neither of them are the only Will Grayson in their city. Stars: 8/10 Rating: PG-13 Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan is about a boy named Daniel. Daniel’s dad takes him on a vacation to a sports complex, where Daniel meets Lexi,…

Opinions May 28, 2014

Summer Blockbusters: 5 Action Thrillers Reviewed and Previewed

This summer, there are a variety of major action thrillers coming to theaters and we have decided to preview and review this summer’s box-office biggies. Some of the movies we decided to review are The Amazing Spider Man 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Godzilla, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. We believed The Amazing Spider Man 2 was an action-filled movie. There were also some jaw-dropping special effects in this thriller. However, we thought it had a little too much action and the plot was predictable. We give this movie a 7.5/10 rating. Captain America: The Winter Soldier had a very predictable plot, but we also thought there were a lot of interesting fight scenes and special effects. We give Captain America: The Winter Soldier a 6.5/10 rating.

Opinions May 28, 2014

An Open Letter to the FCS Middle School

Editor’s Note: The following letter was written by a student of Friends’ Central Middle School who has chosen to remain anonymous. As always, please maintain respectful conversations, in person and online, in response to this piece. Dear FCS Middle School, I was a new student this year. I was so excited to make new goals and new friends that would carry on throughout my life. Now when I think about how much progress I made through this year, I am really surprised. Being a middle schooler, it was hard for me in the beginning to make friends. I was basically deciding if I should be myself or someone else. I was always afraid that I was going to fail and get kicked out of the school. My parents would warn me that this school is more serious and that I need to focus on my studies. It built up stress and anxiety…

Opinions May 16, 2014

Reflections on Service

As the end of the academic year draws nearer, we find ourselves both looking into the future and reflecting on the past. In the following collection of quotations, the staff of The Phoenix Inquirer reflects on their experience in the Newspaper service group. “I felt needed and I felt like I served a purpose. It was definitely a different experience. I really liked how we could all work together, but individually at the same time.” -Lisa Green, staff writer. Joined Newspaper in the second trimester. “I made new friends.“ -Claudia McLendon, full-year staff writer. “I learned how it feels to be on a deadline, how not to procrastinate.” -Catherine Cianfrani, staff writer. Joined Newspaper in the second trimester. “I helped the community a lot by entertaining with comics and informing them with a few articles. I did a lot to contribute to Newspaper and met a lot of new…

Books, Opinions May 2, 2014

“Hate List,” “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” and “Paper Towns”

“Catherine and Claudia’s Top Spring Reads” will be a recurring feature in the final months of the 2013-2014 school year. If you’re looking for your next independent reading book for Language Arts or are in need of a good read for summer, look no further! Summaries and ratings of three books will be published every two weeks. Hate List by Jennifer Brown is about a high school junior named Valerie Leftman. On May 2nd, 2009, Valerie’s boyfriend, Nick Levil, open fires on their high school because of a “hate list” they made containing kids from school. Valerie spends the rest of the book trying to convince herself, and everyone else, that what happened was not her fault. She also tries to find ways to make amends with the families of the victims. Stars: 9.2/10 Rating: R It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini is about a 15-year-old named…

Books, News & Features, Opinions May 1, 2014

“Okay? Okay.”

Book Review by Claudia McLendon The Fault in Our Stars is about a girl named Hazel Grace, 16, who has been battling thyroid cancer since age 13. Only through the use of experimental medicine is she still alive. Hazel meets a guy named Augustus at a cancer support group, and Hazel and Augustus continue to see each other at the support group. Brought together by his reckless driving and her love for books, the two become good friends. When they go to Amsterdam to meet the author of Hazel’s favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, they have some difficulties. However, once the plots start to get better, the story takes an unexpected turn. This fast-paced, heart-wrenching, tear-producing, laughter-inducing book was one of the funniest and most real love stories I have ever read. It is filled with suspense and excitement. YOU NEED TO READ IT! Okay? Okay. Trailer Review by Catherine…

News & Features, Opinions February 25, 2014

Console Wars

PS4 vs. Xbox One: The Introduction Sony and Microsoft released their new systems, PlayStation4 and Xbox One, at around the same time in November. Sony and Microsoft are trying to outsell each other by making better games, better softwares and better designs. The Xbox One starts at $500 including Kinect whereas the PS4 starts at $400. Xbox One and PS4 are still gaming consoles but Xbox took a turn to multimedia capabilities, while PS4 still focuses only on gaming. Both consoles are extraordinary, so choosing the one that is right for you just depends on what you value. PS4 vs. Xbox One: The Console The PS4 has a nice, sleek black design which can be propped vertically or horizontally. The PS4 also comes with a Blu-ray player so the owner can watch Blu-ray discs. Additionally, it has two USB ports in the front for headphones or charging stations. The PS4…

Books, Opinions February 25, 2014

“The Lord of Opium”: A Letdown

The Lord of Opium, published in 2013, is a science-fiction sequel to Nancy Farmer’s previous award-winning novel, The House of Scorpion. The House of Scorpion was published in 2002 and connects to today’s world by touching upon issues of drugs, money, and class. This story is set in a society in which drug lords rule countries, and mindless slaves called “eejits” work the drug fields. Eejits do not have minds of their own and do the sole bidding of their masters. These people were originally injected with a chemical fluid that converts them to this state. Matteo Alacran, the clone of drug lord El Patron, became the Lord of Opium when El Patron died in The House of Scorpion. Matteo must now gain the respect of the surrounding countries and prevent them from attacking his home. Matteo embarks on a journey throughout the land of opium to find the cure…

Books, Opinions February 20, 2014

Divergent: The Book and the Movie

All of us Divergent fans are extremely excited for the release of its movie. Divergent, by Veronica Roth, was definitely one of the best books I have ever read. There are two sequels: Insurgent and Allegiant. I think that everybody should read Divergent. It is filled with adventure, action and suspense. Once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down, even after you finish. You will fall in love with all the characters and want to reread it again and again. The book is very well-written. The series is about a girl named Tris in a dystopian version of Chicago where the citizens are separated by factions. There are five factions: Abnegation, the selfless; Candor, the honest; Dauntless, the brave; Erudite, the smart; and Amity, the peaceful. When a citizens turns 16, they must choose a faction in which they will spend the rest of their…

Opinions February 20, 2014

2014 Movie Previews

In the New Year, there are many new books, video games, and other media that we’ve been waiting for but, of course, there will also be new movies. I’m going to discuss my opinions on five trailers and rumors of upcoming movies. I’ll start with what the one that does not impress me too much and move on to the movie I look forward to the most. Don’t worry: since these movies have not come out yet, there won’t be any spoilers included! If you are interested in learning more about these movies, I included links for trailers for and footage of the movies. Movie #5: Star Wars Episode VII In case anyone doesn’t know, I am a huge Star Wars fan! Though when I heard that Disney bought Lucasarts, I was depressed. However, at least they might be making a seventh movie to the series. Now that Disney has announced that…

« 1 … 11 12 13 14 »