Tips for Tuesday - Books: The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits & The Defiant; Movie: Run Tiger Run

We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Books: The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits

Today, we recommend The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner. Cassie and Zoe Grossberg became famous as the pop duo The Griffin Sisters, but Cassie was the one with the talent, and Zoe was the one who really wanted the fame. Then, a tragedy breaks up the band and tears the sisters apart. Years later, Zoe's daughter, Cherry, wants to become a musician, but Zoe is determined not to let her go down that road. 

This is a moving story about a family. It's about what we do for our family and what we do to them. It's also about the pitfalls of fame and how chasing it and having it can affect a person and their entire life. Zoe is a character who grows a lot throughout the story. She starts out as a jealous, selfish person who manipulates her sister into being in a band with her because she wants to be famous. She needs to learn to really care about others' wants and needs and how to be there for them. 

Cassie is a different kind of character for Jennifer Weiner. She often writes about big girls who are confident and at least fairly comfortable with themselves, whereas Cassie is neither. She has to learn that she is a good person worthy of love just the way she is.  Even before she achieves that, just by putting herself out there, she becomes a role model for people like herself, within the world of the book, who feel unaccepted by society. The character of Cassie can easily serve that function for readers who are like her as well. 

Today, we are recommending The Defiant by Shalom Yoran. After their parents were killed during the Holocaust, Shalom then called Selim, and his brother became Jewish resistance fighters. This book recounts their experiences. The book can be sad and horrifying at times but it is also inspiring and hopeful in the brothers' strength of will and determination to keep going no matter what, as they promised their mother. 

The book provides a behind-the-scenes, in-depth look at what it was like to be a resistance fighter. For one thing, if you thought that just because they were allegedly fighting on the same side, there was unity and acceptance within the ranks of resistance fighters,  you might be surprised to find out that is not the case. It's a fascinating read, even if its stark portrait of the horrors of the war makes it difficult to get through at times.

Movie: Run Tiger Run

Today, we are talking about Run Tiger Run. This animated coming-of-age story is about a young boy who yearns to follow in his missing parents' footsteps by completing a dangerous mission. The film is surprising in some ways, and predictable in others. Its fast pace and nonstop action make it seem like a video game. Thus, it will appeal to gamers and anyone with a limited attention span, including children. It is unsuitable for very young children, who may be upset by a child losing his parents, although slightly older children may enjoy it. Some parts of the story don't make complete sense, but that is not likely to bother the film's target audience that much.

And that's our view. Run Tiger Run is available on Apple TV. 

Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.

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