Syosset Public Library TeenSpace Blog

WandaVision (2021)

Directed By: Matt Shakman

Run Time : 5hrs 50mins 

Review by Gwenyth I.

Marvel Studios captured the interest of people from all around the world after announcing the exclusive television series, WandaVision. It had been two years since the release of Avengers: Endgame and the Marvel fandom was buzzing with excitement to see how the corporation would enter back into the world of entertainment. In this series, the audience gets to experience a multitude of decades and eras while following the plotline of Wanda’s imagination after the loss of her partner, Vision.

This series does a great job of keeping the viewer on the edge of his / her seat because as the show progresses, it transitions into a world filled with twists and turns. But if you’re going to start this show, be aware: the first two episodes are SLOW. As someone who is a part of Gen Z, the first two episodes seemed very foreign to me, as the show begins in a sitcom, black and white filtered styled form, paying tributes to shows such as I Love Lucy and Bewitched. There was no plotline developing and I found myself questioning how great the show was going to be. But as soon as episode 3 hit and a plot was finally presented, I got hooked on the show. I don’t want to give too much away but I’ll leave this summary sentence for you: Wanda and Vision begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems in their utopian world of sitcoms. 

There are truly so many interesting aspects of this show and the overarching theme of the stages of grief connects viewers to the screen. From the cinematic production of this show to the returning actors/actresses, there isn’t anything bad to be said. But if you’re coming from a Marvel background, you might be a little disappointed when watching the finale of the show, as Marvel could have utilized more than what was shown. Besides that minor inconvenience, I think this miniseries has to be one of the best TV series I have watched, as every week I looked forward to the release of a new episode, ready to watch Wanda and Visions’ stories unfold.

Thank you for the review! – Mrs. Long

Thank you to Gwenyth for sharing her art. She says: These are my personal artwork pieces from my Darkroom Photography Course.

Dessert Person

Author: Claire Saffitz

After her rise to fame as a “not your average type baker”, the whole world became obsessed with Claire Saffitz through her unique personality and baking style. She popularized herself through the company, Bon Appétit and became the YouTube star of the show “Gourmet Makes”. But after the company that she affiliated with went under backlash for various reasons, it appeared that Claire Saffitz had almost disappeared off the internet. This was only until she created her own Youtube channel, announcing the release of her new cookbook, Dessert Person. After her return to the internet, one might assume that the response was overwhelmingly positive, and you would be right. Fans from all over the world began raving about her book via social media and that’s when I knew I had to indulge in this book.

Apparently, everyone became a cook over the pandemic because this cookbook was impossible to borrow at the library! Finally, I had the book in my hands and was ready to bake up a storm in my house. The layout of the book is quite simple and stays true to the normal format of a culinary-related book, except for the recipe matrix. The recipe matrix is a two-page graph that labels the difficulty of each recipe in the book through the use of an x and y-axis. Regarding the recipes, everything about this cookbook screams Claire Saffitz, as each recipe is unique and true to Claire’s baking style. There are a multitude of levels that one can bake at, which is helpful for beginners and advanced bakers. Some recipes that I highly recommend would be Miso Buttermilk Biscuits, Focaccia Bread, Almond Butter Banana Bread, and Carrot Cake. But there are so many reviews that you can find via social media. I would honestly recommend this cookbook to anyone who is looking for a more unique flavor-profiled cookbook and obviously, anyone who is a Claire Saffitz fan.

Thanks for the great review! – Mrs. Long

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

 Director: Kari Skogland

Total Run Time: 300 Minutes

The phrase to describe this 5-part series would be “quintessential marvel content” as the Marvel Universe incorporates both action, humor, and emotion into an exclusive television series. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier follows the events of “Avengers: Endgame”, where both Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are left to fend for the country after the retirement of Steve Rogers, who previously held the title of “Captain America”. Although the situation is not ideal, both Sam and Bucky cross each other’s paths after a concerning group of individuals arises throughout multiple areas of the world.

Airing right after the release of the popular series, Wanda Vision, some viewers believe that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier steers towards a bland/boring plot. But from the point of view of a long-time Marvel viewer, this series is truly what the Marvel fandom needed after the whirlwind that was Wanda Vision.  Not only does this Television miniseries address serious topics such as PTSD and the importance of black lives, but it also stays true to what Marvel fans love. With the heavy topics that I just mentioned, it seems like a pretty dark series, but I promise you it’s not! Kari Skogland incorporates a lot of humor into this series to lighten up the action-filled scenes that the viewer experiences often. Therefore, with this combination of Marvel’s typical media and current events, this miniseries has become a true favorite of mine. Marvel fans have officially learned these character’s internal struggles and personalities, which creates such a personal experience that resonates within the audience. 

If there were one recommendation I would give, it would be to have some prior knowledge regarding Bucky and Sam’s plotlines to have a complete viewing experience! But besides that, this miniseries is every Marvel fan’s dream!

Thanks for a great review, Gwenyth! – Mrs. Long

https://www.instagram.com/p/COiMr-Yp5Mk/

Using the following ingredients, teens made these cute and delicious Taco Cookie treats!

• Golden Oreos
• Regular Oreos
• Chocolate frosting ( around 2 tbsp)
• 2 Red M&Ms (or other similarly sized red candy, Red Hots or Skittles)
• a few Orange and/or yellow long sprinkles or jimmies
• Either a green taffy candy or green dyed coconut shreds
• ziplock bags
• a serrated knife

First, using the flat side of a knife, scrape the white cream filling out of both kinds of Oreos. Use the Golden ones as the taco shell, and cut off a small part of the edge of one cookie half with a serrated knife to make a flat edge to stand on. Repeat with other half to match. Set aside. Take the other Oreo cookies without the cream and place inside the ziplock bag. Mash it up to resemble meat crumbles and mix together with some chocolate frosting to look like taco meat. Spread on Golden Oreo halves and press together at an angle to resemble a taco. (You can either use the Oreo side on the inside or outside, it doesn’t matter.) Cut and add in M&M halves to look like tomatoes, and add the sprinkles to look like cheese. Take the taffy and roll it out thin and slice small strips to resemble lettuce shreds and add to taco. Finally, to make “sour cream” take the Oreo cream filling and roll into a ball. Place inside a clean ziplock or pastry bag (if you are a fancy baker, you can use a small icing tip) and cut a tiny hole in the corner. Squeeze the cream and pipe a squiggle of “sour cream” onto the taco as a finishing touch. And there you have it! Taco cookies! These would be great cupcake tacos too!

One last thing: we watched a fun educational video to learn facts about Cinco de Mayo before making the cookies. It’s important to dispel myths (hint: Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican Independence Day!) and I try to remember to teach the teens it is hurtful to blindly appropriate another culture. Sombreros and fake mustaches are offensive! Let’s do better and try to learn and celebrate cultures and holidays in a positive way. Hope you enjoyed!