My shelves in my room are lined with books; I think I recently counted 40. Most of the books on my shelves I’ve read numerous times. As I was searching my basement and my room for a book I hadn’t read, I came across The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeanette Walls.

Some may say, “Oh, it’s a memoir. They’re never interesting,” but this is a memoir that can be read almost as fiction. Walls’s writing of her crazy, wacky family doesn’t seem real, but it is. This book can captivate the reader in its quirky, random stories of a family trying to reach its dreams.

The memoir follows the childhood of Walls, “Mountain Goat” to her father. It starts at her first memory, one of being on fire, to each place she moves when her father, Rex, feels like the “Mafia,” “FBI,” or other dangerous people are after him (usually actually either debt collectors or because he has lost his job).

Rex Walls’ dream is to build the Glass Castle for his family. “It would have a glass ceiling and thick glass walls and even a staircase,” Walls writes, describing her father’s vision. 

But Rex Walls only made Jeanette’s life miserable. One Christmas he burned down their tree because he was so drunk, ruining all the presents and ornaments. He loved to drink and he was unable to take care of his family (Walls recalls eating margarine with sugar because it was all that was in the fridge).

He made her life so terrible that when he asked what she wanted for her 10th birthday, she said, “Do you think you could maybe stop drinking?”

Walls’s recounts of her youth and trips are so well written that it seems like the reader is experiencing every “Demon Hunt” and road-trip beside her, bouncing in the car with her family, or walking for hours to get back to Phoenix.

This book, due to its quirkiness, is also filled with humor. When Jeannette gets in a fight with her grandmother, she talks to her mother about it, who was unintentionally a very funny person.

“Everyone has something good about them,” Walls’s mother said. “You have to find the redeeming quality and love the person for that.”

“Oh, yeah?” Jeannette said. “How about Hitler? What was his redeeming quality?”

“Hitler loved dogs,” her mom said. Rose Mary Walls always found something good about someone, even if they were a terrible person, and it usually turned out to be very humorous.

She never looked down on anything.  She was an “adventure addict.” She encouraged her children to find the good, happy things in life instead of the sad things that filled the Walls children’s days.

“Life is a drama full of tragedy and comedy,” Walls recalls her mother saying. “You should learn to enjoy the comic episode a little more.”

The same could be said for this book.

Charles Dickens’ imagination finally has the technology to match it. Scrooge’s classic story of redemption, “A Christmas Carol,” comes to life in digital 3-D technology on Friday, November 6 in theaters.

The 3-Dimentional effects are supposed to be life-like and will give the viewer a thrill in the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge.

The Christmas Carol story was originally a book by Charles Dickens and has been retold in cartoon form, live action and puppetry. Now the story will be told in the 3^rd dimension.

What people are saying:

“I’m really looking forward to this movie. Every time a commercial for it comes on I tell my cousin we have to go see it,” said Middletown High School freshmen Kendal Meese.

Critics say that Michael Jackson’s documentary, This Is It could be nominated for the 2010 Academy Awards.

 To qualify, the film must complete a seven-day run in Los Angeles County and filmmakers would need to submit the proper paperwork.

Sony is thinking about entering the film under the documentary category and also for consideration of best picture according to MSNBC. 

What people are saying:

“I think this is really exciting. I am a big fan of Michael Jackson and also the movie was great so, to me this is cool.” – MHS junior Erin Casey. 

“From all the hype about the movie I thought it would be better than it actually was. I think it’s stupid that it might get nominated for an Oscar.”- MHS Sophomore Jacob Fuller.

Spectators packed the auditorium at Middletown High School for the first time since school let out in June as MHS played host to The Theatre in the Valley production of “Peter Pan”. The play was directed by Colleen and Maureen McCarrick, while the Susan McCarrick helped put together the costumes for over 80 children, and the entire set.

“It’s been a busy summer,” said Colleen. The classic play about a young boy who lives on the magical island of Neverland required the directors to put in nearly 16 hours of work a day for virtually the entire summer.

The main emphasis of the production was the “Acts for Others” campaign, which will donate proceeds from the shows to local Middletown families in need. The current benefactors include a young boy who is suffering from a serious medical condition, a 6-year-old girl who needs a wheel-chair ramp and a local family who recently lost their father in a car accident.

“The goal was to raise $5,000,” said Colleen. The first show raised around $4,000 in one night, and both productions were sold out. “I was not expecting half the number of people. It really shows the support of our community,” said Colleen.

The show featured many local Middletown High School students including senior Kelsey Swann as Peter Pan, senior Emily Hughes as Wendy, and junior Dan Roeder as Captain Hook.

“Singing and dancing at the same time was very hard,” said Swann. “I ran around the house singing ‘I’ve Gotta Crow’[to prepare].” Swann choreographed her own routine for the song, which elicited thunderous applause from the audience. “I hope everyone enjoyed it,” said Swann.

“Originally I was too busy to do [the play],” said Hughes. “Kelsey persuaded me to do it, and I was called in for an audition.” Hugues was in the hospital at one point during the summer and on vacation the next week, which she said made memorizing the lines difficult. “I lucked out because Wendy didn’t have to sing too much”. But even without singing “mastering the heelys was really hard.”

“Compared to all my shows this one was a breeze because everyone was so hard working,” said Roeder, who played two separate parts in the play (Mr. Darling and Captain Hook). “I had to learn the lines, nail the inflections and different nuances between the two characters. I had to make sure that all my problems on stage didn’t interfere with my character.”

“It was really hectic, but I think we pulled it together in the end,” said Swann.

The Theater in the Valley hopes to put on another production next summer that will hopefully be as successful as “Peter Pan”.

“Peter Pan is a very endearing play,” said Colleen. “It was magical to put on.”

RT reporter

June 12, Middletown High School ceramics teacher Jay Grebe’s Ceramics 1 class presented a futuristic “Back to the Future” gallery walk during second period.

The gallery walk was the final project for the class and gave the students an opportunity to showcase their work and also see what goes into a real art show.

“It’s a nice way to end the year. It’s better than being in a class and doing boring work or a final for the last grade,” said junior Gabby Zerla.

Grebe has all the spring semester ceramics students put on an art show, but the fall semester students also have opportunities to showcase their work, such as at the Empty Bowls Banquet. Attendees at the gallery walk were treated to an electrifying atmosphere and some rainbow cake.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

It can be difficult for a band to make a name for themselves in the expansive world of

rock and pop music, even if they have an original and pleasing sound. Run Kid Run is a new Christian-minded band coping with that exact problem; their music and their message are great, but many of their fans consider the band from Illinois one of the Rock/Pop genre’s best kept secrets.

In their second studio album, Love at the Core, Run Kid Run manages to maintain a solidly up-beat feel. The songs, though short, have catchy melodies in a similar style to more well-known bands like The All American Rejects. “Sure Shot” is a fast-paced and animated song, coupled with flowing lyrics and a lively beat. The song is an encouraging call for young Christians to come together and speak out about their faith. The theme is presented with dramatic lyrics which are, unfortunately, left behind by the rushing tempo. The words can be hard to understand at times, as they are pronounced in such quick succession, but the lack of articulation does little damage to the song as a whole.

“The Emergency” has a similar message, but with a more serious tone. The melody is alluring, but it is mostly played by a jarring electric guitar, giving the song a stormier feel than others on the album.

Run Kid Run seems to specialize in energetic songs that would fit perfectly on a dance floor. The main title, “Love at the Core” drives on at a slightly slower pace than is typical for this band, but it still sustains the lively feel of the whole album. The love song “One In A Million” portrays the spirited feeling of young love with a fresh and active tune and an original take on a classic song-topic.

“Rescue Me”, the first song on the album, has a plucky air with a quick but strong sound. The song demonstrates the classic struggle of humans with disappointment and loss with lyrics like “I have a failure condition, motivation to speak slow,”  but at the same time it offers a bit of comfort by quickly answering with “in the making you see what I can be, a revelation, a new creation carries me,”

“Fall into the Light” highlights the impressive vocals of lead singer David Joshua Curtis, and smoothly pairs the swift lyrics with guitar riffs that are almost worthy of Guitar Hero.  

The passionate and worshipful “My Sweet Escape” (not related to the Gwen Stefani song) is one of the more obviously Christian songs on the album, which may be unattractive to some, but many will find the song inspiring.

The final song on the album is “Freedom”, the most lyrical song on Love at the Core, and Run Kid Run’s most popular song of late. “Freedom” is a heartfelt ballad with and powerful mood overall that leaves a profound feeling on the listener.

For a band that only formed five years ago, Run Kid Run has really been able to produce quality songs that fans of Relient K or Swichfoot will love. The youthfulness and lively tone of all of their songs and their uplifting message are what make this band notable, and what will keep their fan base strong for years to come.

The game is the second Zelda game to use 3-D graphics, and the same exact ones from Ocarina of Time with few minor details. It has the same controls and many of the same weapons from the previous game.

The story starts out with Link, the hero of time, traversing the forest with his trusty horse Epona, when suddenly a skull kid wearing a creepy mask steals Link’s horse and turns him into a Deku Scrub (one of the many races in the Zelda world). Link then meets the Happy Mask Salesman who teaches Link the Song of Healing to return him to his original form. Link soon finds out that he has three days to save the land of Termina from being crushed by a giant moon summoned by the Skull Kid. Link must go to four dungeons, get four masks, and stop the Skull Kid within three days. The story is much deeper than Ocarina of Time and much more emotional.

The three day time limit allows for greater difficulty level in the game which is good for somebody looking for a more challenging Zelda game.

The game’s main feature is the ability to use masks. This is the only Zelda game where you can transform into multiple races, ranging from Gorons, to Zoras, to Deku Scrubs. Each race has different abilities. The Deku Scrubs can move at a great speed and fly from flower petals. Gorons can roll and crush any boulders with their might. Zoras can swim in water and fight under water. Each race that Link can become with the masks is used to solve puzzles in the different dungeons. Each of the four dungeons is meant for one of the different races that Link can transform into. The fourth dungeon is meant for all of them, as there are puzzles that only each of the races can solve. The ability to transform into famous Zelda races was a great addition to the game that made it unique from all other titles in the franchise.

The music in the game is some of the best in all of the Zelda franchise especially the “Song of Healing,” which can be considered the greatest song in the entire franchise.

The musical instrument, the Ocarina of Time, makes a return in Majora’s Mask to reveal puzzles, unlock items, and warp to different places.

Some songs from Ocarina of Time appear in Majora’s Mask also. One example is the “Song of Time,” which is used to travel back three days in the past to avoid the evil moon destroying Termina on the third day.

Overall, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is a classic sequel to the best game in the franchise that has splendid game play, unique features, and one of the most thrilling stories in any Zelda game. The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask can now be purchased for the Wii Virtual Console.

The story is basically about Toejam and Earl crash landing on Earth, as shown in the opening credits, and their journey to try to escape Earth and get back to their home planet Funkotron

In the game, the player basically has to find missing parts to the spaceship that the aliens used to come to Earth and escape Earth by taking an elevator to go to all the different levels.

The game adds for a good amount of variation because every level in the game is randomly generated with different enemies, power-ups. The power-ups are found in presents and each one does different things, like giving the player super speed, raining tomatoes, decoys and spring shoes. Food is also located on the level that either increases the player’s health or decreases it.

Food such as broccoli or spinach decreases health while things like hamburgers and ice cream increase it.

The game is very humorous with the random power-ups and enemies. The enemies vary from crazy doctors, a gang of chickens, a giant hamster in a ball, a hula dancer, and many more. The only way to defeat enemies in the game is with the use of the present containing tomatoes. Other than that the player must wander around defenseless, adding for a challenge for most gamers.

The game was given good reviews in the first years that it was released, but after being released for the Wii Virtual Console, old fans of the game seem to have lost the interest in the game due to new advancements in game play. A sequel for the game was released for the Sega genesis called “Toejam and Earl Panic on Funkotron” and a sequel for the Xbox called “Toejam and Earl III: Mission to Earth”. The original Toejam and Earl was rated the best of the three games in the series.

The game really expresses the essence of ‘90s culture with all of the characters, music, and the items that the characters use.

Overall, the game was well received the first few years it was released but has lost its spark over the years. It is still a good game to play when a friend is around. Otherwise, it is quite boring to play by yourself.

This game allows the player to fight for the forces of good or evil. You play as a warrior, archer, scout, or mage. In this class based fighting system, there are rally points in which you respawn when killed.

The good campaign, aptly named War of the Ring, focuses on what the movies do, destroying the Ring of Power and saving Middle-Earth. You fight through such famous locations as Helm’s Deep, Isengard, and Minas Tirith.

There are also battlefields not seen in the movies, with a level called The Liberation of Minas Morgul (a main staging place for Sauron’s armies). Playing through the campaign, you get the option to use such heroes as Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Gandalf and Faromir from the movies.

The evil campaign, The Rise of Sauron, focuses on Sauron’s armies stopping the Ring from being destroyed and fighting to get it back. The story for this level is what would have happened had Frodo failed to destroy the Ring, and if Sauron were to regain power. Players have the option to play as the Nazgul, trolls, a Balrog in Moria, Saruman, an army of Uruk-hai against the inhabitants of Frodo’s Shire, and ultimately Sauron himself.

The music is probably the best part of this game, as Howard Shore’s original score from the trilogy was used. Every level’s music fits perfectly from a moment in the movie.

Elrond from the movies returned to narrate the game, and does a masterful job. He sets the mood perfectly in narrating both campaigns.

The gameplay itself is not difficult to master, as it is basically a button-masher. While frustrating at times (the button combinations tend to be confusing), the gameplay is addictive and fun.

Ultimately, this is a good buy for any LOTR fan, and it will provide hours of entertainment.