During interviews with students from every class on Thursday September 14, I found out what books and films of today were their personal favorites, and which were the most popular. In the year of 2017, there have been many new additions to the film and novel franchise, and many of our High-Schoolers are ‘roaring’ about the results. There were many choices of films to choose from, but the top results for movies were the new Beauty and the Beast film directed by Bill Condon, and the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The students have all agreed that these movies are definitely worth seeing. For example, when I interviewed Teresa Pender, a junior who has seen the new Beauty and the Beast movie, she said she enjoyed the film very much. “I think the best part of the movie was the animation, and the music. The music was beautiful.”  

Out of all the popular books of today, the novels that were voted for the most were Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (Teen Historical Fiction), and Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult (Crime Fiction).  On Friday September 22, I interviewed Maddy Olson, a sophomore who has read Between Shades of Gray, and asked her why she would recommend the story to other readers. “The book was very interesting, and it really made you want to keep reading,” She replied.

Between Shades of Gray and Salem Falls can both be found in our school library, and the local bookstores near you.