Books - The Black Dress Mary MacKillop’s Early Years by Pamela Freeman

Pamela Freeman appears to have taken real characters and places from what is known about Mary MacKillop and placed them into a fictional story about what Mary MacKillop’s life was like before she became a nun. As a result this book is interesting and an enjoyable read.

The Black Dress is written with Mary MacKillop looking back on the influences of her life, particularly focusing on her childhood. Pamela Freeman presents Mary MacKillop as a girl who is trying to do the right things by her parents, church and the community as taught to her by her parents yet at the same time she is learning about the world in which she will live as an adult, both the good and the bad. Pamela Freeman highlights the struggle between families, communities, those who have money and those who don’t within the context of Australia from 1845-1861 with other dates until 1909. Through highlighting this struggle Pamela Freeman shows the impact of what happened on Mary MacKillop’s life and therefore, her resulting choices with her life.

---- reviewed by Sarah

The Ultimate Summer Fan Fiction Competition

Want something to do over Summer? How about writing some fan fiction? Insideadog are running a great competition where you write a story/poem/song set in a fictional world created by someone else. There are no rules regarding the length, style or genre, so long as it's inspired by a book.

For ideas, check out Fanfiction.net - examples Harry Potter, Alex Rider, Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants or The Obernewtyn Chronicles.

Insideadog will post their favourite stories on the Yoursay section of their website and get you to vote for you fave in February. The overall winner will win a Summer Reading Beach Pack.

Cheers, Maryanne

The Stone Key publication in February

For those of you waiting for Isobelle Carmody's fifth installment of The Obernewtyn Chronicles, The Stone Key will be published in February 2008.

Cheers, Maryanne

Games - NRMA Online Game

Game platform: Online game
Game genre: Other
Rating (Aust): G - General
Rate the game: 9

Nice little time waster...

Check out the link below and see what you think:

http://befree2go.com.au/freetoplay/freetoplay.php

Share it with your friends and kill some time.

---- reviewed by Caz

Music - Crank Dat by Soulja Boy

Rate the cd: 9

I love this song. Its got a great beat and awesome lyrics! check it out! *Innaprpriate for children under teh age of 10*

---- reviewed by G

Books - The clique by Lisi Harrison

Rate the book: 10

I thought this book was amazing! My favourite book ever! There is a group of girls Massie, Alicia, Kirsten, and Dylan they are all bffs. When Claire (the new girl) moves into Massie's(the clique leader) geust house things get out of hand. Mssie and teh girls all gang up on Claire to make her life miserable. All claire wants is to be a part of teh clique. What do you think will happen?

The clique - only thing harder then getting in is staying in. check it out! Girls aged 12-17 will LOVE it!

----reviewed by G

Music - Middle Of Nowhere by Hanson

Rate the cd: 9

Although this cd was released in may of 1997, i believe that this is one of the best cd's released.

The album is pop, yes. But the vocals and musical arrengents are very advanced for band members Issac(17), Taylor(13) and Zac(11).

If you ever get the chance to listen to this cd, you should take it up. If you don;t know who Hanson are, they released 'MMMBop', their first single from this album. Since then, they have released 4 more albums, but this one still beats them all.

This was released when they were all recognising their talent, which makes the album very experimental.

Please, don't think that the album will be bad, just because it's three brothers, and its under the pop genre. Give it a chance, you might actually enjoy it.

---- reviewed by Melissa

Books - The Giver by Lois Lowry

Rate the book: 9.5

I really like it and (believe it or not I read) I'm reading it in class and it is so good I want to go ahead!

---- reviewed by Gold

Wow, you get to read Lois Lowry for school? That's cool.....cheers, Maryanne

Games - VMK

Game platform: Online game
Game genre: Other
Rating (Aust): E - Exempt
Rate the game: 999999999999999

Well Christmas is getting closer which means VMK will hand out the best stuff of all. If you liked the mickey santa hat, You might want to play soon because they might come out soon!

---- reviewed by Gold

Great news for all of the VMKers. Thanks Gold....Cheers, Maryanne

Games - VMK

Game platform: Online game
Game genre: Other
Rating (Aust): E - Exempt
Rate the game: 10

Well I haven't been on here in a very long time, but vmk is the best! You don't have to pay to be a member!I also tried out runescape and it isn't that bad! (I'm just not gonna pay to me a member.) P.s Remember me?

VMK - Virtual Magic Kingdom

--- reviewed by Gold

Hey there Gold, it has been ages. Welcome back!! I've transferred the reviews over to this blog and redesigned the site as you can see. It's still in the "rebuilding phase" - I've missed lots of the people that used to visit and review. It's so weird I haven't had a Club Penguin OR VMK review for months. I remember the days when I used to get 15 CP & VMK reviews a week. .....cheers, maryanne

Games - Need For Speed:Most Wanted

Game platform: PC
Game genre: Other
Rating (Aust): G - General
Rate the game: 9

its a bit old but its still fun. Just a driving game. You can get different cars, tune it up and race. there are different type of races such as drag, sprint, circut, tollbooth and speedtrap

---- reviewed by anonymous

Games - Horseisle

Game platform: Online game
Game genre: Other
Rating (Aust): E - Exempt
Rate the game: 10

One of the best online games for horse lovers i have ever seen. You can buy and sell horses of all different breeds make friends and do quests, also it has very friendly moderators. Plus it easy to earn money. It's a must to put on your bookmarks!!

---- reviewed by Tegan

Official site: Horse Isle

Games - Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Game platform: Nintendo DS
Game genre: Action
Rating (Aust): M - Mature
Rate the game: 3

A quick warning to everybody out there, never buy this game unless its under £5 otherwise when you find out how rubbish it is you lose money!

---- reviewed by Pepper Mint

Specials by Scott Westerfield

Rate the book: 8

this book is a wonderful ending to the uglies 3 part series. it takes you somewhere only you can imagine, the future. ride on hoverboards and escape from becoming a normal pretty again with Tally Youngblood, a cruel special who tries to stop the world from destroying itself while dealing with friendship, love, death, and dangerous steps to saving her friends! read this book to find out what happens!!!!

---- reviewed by Rebecca

Games like....Club Penguin, Runescape etc

Lots of people are out there searching for new online multiplayer games to play that are similar to their favourites. I'm compiling a list of Multiplayer games on my Teen Online Games site and I need some help.

Here's an example of what I was thinking of:

puzzle pirates
Players perform pirate tasks by playing a number of puzzle-style minigames.
Cost: subscription
Similar games : club penguin, vmk

Sound useful? If you can suggest similar games to the ones I have on this site and offer suggestions for new games to add to the list that would be great. Just comment in this post.

Also, I'm looking for some more reviews. Played/read/listened to any really great or really sucky games/books/cds lately? Click on the Write a review link at the right and tell us all about it.

Cheers, Maryanne

Music - Journeyman by Scott Harrell

Rate the cd: 8

Cool CD. I really like the song, "Two Faced Man." I think that song would sound really cool if a woman sang it. "Love Came To Town" is great too. "A.I." is like a song from the 80s or something. It's got this spiritual edge to it which is really cool, and it's got a great rock too! Get this CD. It rocks!

---- reviewed by Lynn S

Games - Club Penguin

Platform: PC
Rating: 0

this game sucks all the players are so weird they ask you to be their buddy and you havent even said hi to them and evreyones ao annoying i have 94 poeple on my ingnor list

---- reviewed by funnyguy218a

Games - Robot Rage

Platform: PC
Rating: 123456

think it is cool because you get to build robots and distroy them.

---- reviewed by mike

Games - Runescape

Platform: PC
Rating: 10

this game rocks you can kill stuff and you can say things like shut up and not get reported like in clubpenguin you can say damn and hell without some 5 year old reporting you like in clubpenguin out of all the games ive played this is at the top

---- reviewed by funnyguy218a

Books - City of the beasts by Isabel Allende

Teenager, Alex Cold, is sent to stay with his feisty old grandmother whilst his mother is ill in hospital. Kate takes Alex with her when she joins an expedition to the dangerous and remote world of the Amazon rainforest. In her ususal style, Isobel Allende has written an entrancing description of their journey up the Amazon river. We are introduced to the magic and romance of the forest in this wonderfully evocative and beautifully told adventure.

---- reviewed by Sue