The site is “a ten minute, commercial-free daily news program” geared to middle and high-school students.
If you’ve been looking for ways to get your teens interested in the news, I recommend bookmarking the CNN Student News site and showing it to your kids. It’s geared to them, so it’s a bit more hip, clean and concise than the main CNN site.
When I heard Dave Barry’s story about embarrassing his teenage son by picking him up from school in a Wienermobile (true story!), I thought I’d try his advice. He suggested that one of the easiest ways to get attention from teens was to sing. I’d add to that a bit by saying that song choice matters, too.
So here’s what I’ve been trying:
when my kids are screwing around, laughing and wasting time instead of doing their homework, I start to sign a song that I know they really don’t like (e.g., What Do You Want From Me?). It gets their attention much faster than saying expected phrases (like, “Focus, guys.” or “Get back to work now, please.”). Before long, they’re begging me to stop and agreeing to focus on their studies.
Believe me, when they become teens you have to get creative.
Many people have been calling it a Harry Potter knock off. To begin with, the book series is not another Potter. The only comparison one could make is that the main characters are two boys and a girl, and the male protagonist doesn’t fully know about his true powers until he goes somewhere away from home (Camp Half Blood/Hogwarts) to train.
Would Potter ever go to Vegas?!
We both read The Lightning Thief (along with the rest of the books in the series) at a young age and were captivated by how exciting it was. Both of us still consider it the best book we’ve ever read (tied with Stephen Colbert’s I Am America (And So Can You!) and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird). We have also read the Harry Potter books and seen the movies and the Lightning Thief series differs in many ways. The Lightning Thief is a fun way for kids and teens to learn about Greek mythology.
The Lightning Thief brings Greek mythology to the modern world, with the gods and goddesses hidden at the top of the empire state building. Camp Half Blood is the where the demigods gather, the only place they are safe. Demigods are the offspring of a god and mortal, so they are half-human and half-god. Harry Potter, however, is about witchcraft and wizardry. Magic. Contrast that with gods and Greek mythology. Nowhere close to the magic that is described in the Harry Potter series.
Have you seen this promo, where water roars behind Percy?
Percy is the son of Poseidon (god of the seas, which must be noted because the naysayers probably didn’t even know that), not a recently-trained-in-magic Quidditch captain. The people who accused The Lightning Thief of being a cheap knock-off probably didn’t even know that the book was released in 2005, before five of the Harry Potter movies were released. Also, one could make the argument (an inane, ignorant argument) that The Half Blood Prince and Camp Half Blood have something to do with each other. Well, unless Snape’s dad was Zeus or Ares or any other god, they have no connection except for the words “Half Blood.”
Anyway, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series of books was hugely successful, a New York Times #1 Bestseller and given five-star reviews by many, including the writers of this article. The people who criticized The Lightning Thief probably did no (or very little) research and just looked at the ad for the movie while tweeting “Am I the only one that thinks that Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is a total Harry Potter cop-out? #iamnotamused.” (@clawtooth35) or “hilarious: billboards for ‘Percy Jackson and the lightning thief’ don’t even try to hide the fact that it’s a facile Harry Potter ripoff…” (@estherdbrazil) or “the lightning thief dd not lve up 2 my expctations. almost juvenile for my liking. it’s like harry potter with a better looking protagonist.” (@bookletjeff) Uh huh. To quote @pfpaul, “BF#1: “The Lightning Thief looks stupid. It’s exactly like Harry Potter. Different people, same names.” That doesn’t even… “what?!”
Exactly. Different people, same names?! No they don’t…oh, whatever.
Have you heard about this action/adventure movie starring a couple teenage guys and a girl who defeat villains in the midst of great special effects? You know, dark haired protagonist, no glasses. Wait…does he wear glasses? NO, he does not. He most definitely does not wear glasses. Were you thinking of Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione? Oh no, there’s a new group in town and they don’t have English accents. Sure, Chris Columbus, who directed a few of the Harry Potter movies also directed Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, but don’t expect another Potter.
First of all, can you imagine Potter using an iPhone or iPod Touch? Ever? HA!
These American kids know how to use technology! W00T!
Our kids loved the Percy Jackson book series and enjoyed the movie. They tire of the comparisons between it and the Potter series. Actually, I wish the promos would have downplayed the Chris Columbus connection and any other similarities. Millions of Potter fanatics do not want anything to try to replace or follow Potter. Attempting to draw similarities was a mistake.
Instead, I recommend putting Potter aside and opening yourself up to something new or, at least something a little different, based on myth and legends.
If you’re looking for respectable teen action heroes for your teens or preteens, I believe this is your film (and I hope an entire series of films). In it, smart, brave, attractive kids discover their demigod selves and embark on a quest which eventually leads them to Zeus and Poseidon. In fact, it’s a fairly good introduction to Greek mythology.
Exercise caution with sensitive tweens or younger kids, though. Ms. Dodds’ morphing into a flying fury and the minotaur chasing Percy and Grover were quite frightening scenes, though probably the scariest moments of the film. After those two, the intensity eases a bit.
Kids who have read the book series (or at least the first book, “The Lightning Thief”) will enjoy the movie but may quibble over differences and omissions. The parts of the book that were necessarily left out of the movie are not crucial to the storyline. My kids believe that the few aspects that were missing can be easily added in to future movies.
Logan Lerman (as Percy Jackson) strikes the right balance between seeming a little awkward with his new-found abilities and being as confident and strong as one would expect from a demigod. He’s more like Peter in Heroes than Potter at Hogwarts. No wands, just hands (and occasionally a sword).
The attraction between Percy and Annabeth was believable (I don’t really care that Annabeth wasn’t blond) and Luke was a terrific antagonist.
Bottom line? Get over Potter and give this movie a chance.
And one more thing: Lerman is more likable than Radcliffe
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A good friend of mine recently confided that her middle school daughter wants to start wearing eyeliner. I’m happy for her that her daughter asked her permission (rather than sneaking it behind her back and secretly applying it on the bus ride to school). Shortly after our conversation, several other parents told me similar stories. Middle school girls want to wear eyeliner. Just eyeliner.
Do you have a girl in middle school? Chances are good that she (or her friends) has considered wearing eyeliner.
My bottom line advice? Don’t let her wear eyeliner.
Many years ago, I spent some time in the world of fashion and beauty where we learned voice and diction as well as make up application. We were never taught to only wear eyeliner. I have never only worn eyeliner. I wouldnever wear only eyeliner on a bare face.
Here’s my advice:
Makeup is about enhancing features. For everyday looks, it’s intended to make someone more beautiful without attempting to create a mask or simply color the face. Drawing lines around the eyes doesn’t enhance them. It brings attention to them, sure, but that’s about it. And I mean it brings attention to the lines, not the eyes. Imagine a large canvas with a black frame. Would your eyes be drawn to the canvas or the frame?
