What Is TAG?
A group of Montgomery County teens who write reviews of music, books, and websites, produce podcasts and videos, develop programs, and bring new ideas to library services for teens. The teens are selected at the beginning of each school year.
TAG Interview with P.C and Kristin Cast
In early November, P.C (mother) and Kristin Cast (daughter), authors of the House of Night series, discussed 
their books and the writing process at the Borders in Fairfax, VA, with Maxi.
TAG Interview with Michael Scott
Michael Scott, the author of the series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel had much to say in his interview with Diana.
TAG Interview with Sarah Dessen
Politics and Prose was the location of an interview with Sarah Dessen, author of Just Listen, Dreamland, Along for the Ride, and others. (Photo: Hannah, TAG member Mythili, Sarah Dessen, TAG member Aditi, and Manisha)
TAG Interview with Kristin Cashore
Kristin Cashore is the author of Graceling and Fire. Thank you to Politics and Prose for assisting with the arrangements for this interview.
Q: When you’re writing a story, do you start at the beginning and end at the end, or do you write certain scenes first?
A: I do start at the beginning and end at the end. There are conversations I’ve written out, though. Mostly I’m just the kind of person who does it in order, but some parts are just more fleshed out than others.
Q: What are the influences for the fantasy aspects of Graceling?
A: I think it’s mostly books I’ve read, like, Robin McKinley, Tamora Pierce, King Arthur legends, and I think I was influenced a lot by A Walk Out of the World by Ruth Nichols.
Q: In general, what do you like to read?
A: I don’t read fantasy as much as I should because when I’m reading fantasy, and I’m writing fantasy, I feel like I’m plagiarizing. I read a lot of mysteries. I don’t read a lot of nonfiction unless I’m researching for a book. I do read a lot of YA, and a lot of classics. I’m pretty flexible with what I read.
Q: One of my favorite scenes is when Katsa realizes that she’s in love with Po, and it’s very different from a lot of YA romances, because there’s no confusion or angst about communicating her feelings. Why did you decide to write it like that?
A: Well, it’s partly that there was no other way. There’s no way that she could have hidden it after she realized, because of his Grace. Also, Katsa has a very direct personality, she’s definitely the blurting out type.
Q: If the Graceling books were to be made into movies, who would you want in the lead roles?
A: I get asked this question so often, and the answer is, I don’t know! I don’t really have an image in my head of how my characters look. Sometimes I’ll say, “This person should play her!” and then I’ll look them up and it’s like, “Well… maybe not.”
Q: How long does it take to write each book?
A: Graceling and Fire each took about a year and a half for the first draft, and then they went through the editing, so maybe two years.
Q: Can one purposefully go from The Middluns to The Dells?
A: Well, the two worlds don’t know about each other, so nobody really tries to. They only stumble across each other by mistake, through the tunnels.
Kristin Cashore was interviewed by Ruya.
TAG Movie Reviews
This delightful story will bring tears to one's eyes, both caused by laughter and sadness. The rebellious princess Anna, tired of her royal duties, decides to run away. She meets news reporter Joe and takes on a new identity as Anya. Both find themselves deceiving the other, without knowing that one of them possesses the knowledge of the other's secret. This is an entertaining movie in which two strangers meet whose fates intertwine. Both Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn deliver more than satisfying performances, leaving you craving for more.
Maxi The Informant
Two words: quirky and random. That pretty much sums up the entire movie. Based on a true story, The Informant tells the story of a bipolar biochemist who spins a web of lies hoping to climb higher in the corporate ladder of success. The beginning of the movie starts out slow and makes the movie goers thoroughly confused; however as the movie progress the puzzle pieces that are the movie’s plot finally fit together. Matt Damon, playing Mark Whitacre, an executive in a fast growing biochemical corporation, opens the movie with a completely random monologue about corn and its abundance in mainstream society. Whitacre’s random bursts of information and quirky rants continue throughout the movie and provide the main source of comedy for the movie. However comedy in this movie is very unlike comedy in other popular blockbusters, you really need to understand sarcasm and satire in order to enjoy the movie. I would definitely recommend this movie to those who want to watch a quirky yet puzzling movie and are willing to think in order to laugh.
Sneha
TAG Book Reviews
Try a book recommended by TAG reviewers.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
Call Number: Fiction
ISBN/ISSN: 9781594489587
From Max
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz follows a nerdy, obese Dominican's life whose family seems to be cursed. I do have to say from the start that this book is rated R. Cuss words are spoken in abundance and sexual material arises every once in a while. The narrator speaks with prose and often- times holds a sarcastic attitude even during dark times in Oscar's life. Although, the majority of the story is told through Yunior's eyes, Lola (Oscar's sister) has a bit to say about Oscar's life too. One can say that the narrator follows Oscar's life specifically to detail the lives of all of Oscar's family members. Definitely an absorbing read for me, it particularly fascinated me that the author used the dictatorship of Trujillo to cast a major shadow over the lives of the whole of the Dominican family, including the mother, grandmother, Oscar, and his sister. Although I am not a Spanish speaker I made it through the whole of the novel, but I have a feeling if I did speak Spanish I could gain even more from the book because there are plenty of Spanish phrases I did not pick up on. The final verdict is to read this after a quick lesson in Spanish and with knowledge of how many curse words and naughty subjects the novel contains. 4.5 stars
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Call Number: Fiction
ISBN/ISSN: 0141439572
From Max
Oscar Wilde's short book, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is a philosophical adventure to speak the least of it. The reader learns of Dorian, the naive creature who is subjected to Lord Henry's cynical and poisonous beliefs. The two characters meet at a painter's estate after the painter speaks of Dorian so highly that Lord Henry feels he must meet him. After Dorian listens to Lord Henry rant about the importance of youth and beauty as Dorian is modeling for a new portrait, Dorian becomes wild and obsessive over his own youth and beauty. He exclaims with envy that the portrait will always be young as he withers away, so to relieve his pain he impulsively wishes that he will forever be young and the portrait will in turn decay instead of him. The reader will learn of many philosophical questions such as the importance of youth and beauty, goodwill and fatalism. One problem I had with this story was that none of the characters was remotely likable to me. It is certainly a tragic story and the twists climax the inner struggles Dorian feels between the beliefs of Lord Henry and the painter. A big positive aspect for the reader is the unexpected path the novel takes to end it, which makes it very exciting and suspenseful. If the reader enjoys classic fiction, philosophy, and imagery this is a book for him or her. 4 stars
Audrey, Wait! - Robin Benway
Call Number: Fiction
ISBN/ISSN: 9781595141910
From Meg
Everyone wants to be a rock star. At least, when they’re young they do. But, what happens when you get to guitar-bashing status, and you aren’t even in a band? For Audrey Cutler, this is exactly what’s happened. When her boyfriend writes a chart-topping ballad of his heartbreak (as caused by her), Audrey is left with only one question: what’s a girl to do? Filled with rich, realistic characters, Audrey, Wait! is one of the best books I’ve read from a teen publisher in quite some time. It has some ups, some downs, and a whole lot of teen angst. The plot dances on the border of unrealistic, but, much like the magic in J.K. Rowling’s writing, you believe it - and isn’t that the point of reading? For a first-time author, Robin Benway has marked her way for a successful career with teens. (And it has a playlist on iTunes, too!) A perfect summer [or any season you want] read, though I would not demote it to “beach read” status. Happy reading! 4 stars
Fade to Blue - Sean Beaudoin
Call Number: Fiction
ISBN/ISSN: 0316014176
From Meg
For a book with a scary looking goth girl on the cover, Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin was really good. It was short and sweet, and at times confusing, but I couldn’t put it down. There are multiple clever plot twists and plenty of symbolic occurances, from which many lovable characters learn lessons. The end is fast paced and feels somewhat like standing in the middle of a zoo with all sorts of animals throwing things at you, but, well, it’s cool. It’s funny and yet my intelligence wasn’t insulted. It was the unusual combination of an absolutely unrealistic story in a perfectly plausible setting that only some can pull off flawlessly. Definitely worth the time over spring break. 5 stars
Ghostgirl - Tonya Hurley
Call Number: Fiction
ISBN/ISSN: 9780316113571
From Meg
At some point in life, everyone who has gone to school has wanted to be popular. That recognition from your peers, and the idea that you can’t get any higher on the food chain. But, most of us hope that that specific inclination will fade at some point. In Ghostgirl, Tonya Hurley gives a new perspective on the matter: what if you died in that teen awkwardness? Even after death, do we still crave that popularity? For a young adult novel, there are some deep points that are touched upon. If all a person has is a desire, will it become us if we don’t get it? How far will a girl go to sit at that table with those people? In the long run, does who we are in high school really matter? With a comic spin on the afterlife and enough hormones to knock you sideways, if you aren’t in high school, you will remember it vividly. It’s a chick-lit book worth reading, and a must-read for any girl who has questioned whether all that makeup and butt-kissing is worth it after all. 3 stars
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