Page 2 October 24, 2019
Reviewed by Kristen Morrell,
Youth Services Librarian, El Segundo
Public Library
Two Problems for Sophia is a sequel
to One Word from Sophia in The Sophia
Books series written by Jim Averbeck and
illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail. In this book,
Sophia has her One True Desire, her very
own pet giraffe named Noodle! Sophia is
surprised that having a pet giraffe is a little
more complicated than she anticipated. She
defines Noodle’s two main problem areas:
his tongue and his snoring.
Sophia’s grandma, known as Grand-mamá,
happens to be one of Noodle’s favorite
people. However the feeling is not mutual.
Grand-mamá, does not enjoy receiving sloppy
kisses from Noodle’s long, wet tongue. The
biggest problem in the family, though, seems
to be Noodle’s snoring. It is difficult for
anyone to get any sleep when Noodle sleeps
because of his incredibly loud snoring. One
morning, Sophia’s mother orders her to find
a perdurable solution to Noodle’s problems.
Sophia must do everything she can to stop
Noodle from being sent back to where he
came from, as Grand- mamá suggests.
Sophia then begins her journey to design a
snoring solution for Noodle. She begins with
research and consults with Ms. Canticle, an
acoustical engineer, who offers an explanation
In The Kill Team,
Not All Soldiers are Saints
By Morgan Rojas for cinemacy.com
In 2013, writer/director Dan Krauss’s The
Kill Team won Best Documentary Feature
at the Tribeca Film Festival. Six years later,
Krauss returned to Tribeca to debut his
cinematic interpretation of the documentary’s
jarring events – the execution of innocent
Afghan civilians by a group of U.S. Military
soldiers – in his narrative feature film of the
same name. The Kill Team, opening in theaters
and VOD this Friday, may not uncover new
information about these horrific stains on our
military’s past, but the star power attached
may help this story reach new audiences in
hopes that history doesn’t repeat itself.
Impending deployment to Afghanistan,
Andrew Briggman (Nat Wolff) is a born leader
ready to join the front lines. Shortly after
arriving at base camp, his squad is introduced
to Sergeant Deeks (Alexander Skarsgård), a
commanding figure who makes his goal very
clear: “We kill people, that’s what we do.”
Deeks is blunt when it comes to stating his
position, riling up the soldiers and creating
a tense, testosterone-filled atmosphere. This
is far beyond fraternity bullying as the squad
members unleash their aggression by killing
innocent civilians with actions that were
encouraged by Deeks himself. Troubled by his
association with the murders and burdened by
guilt, Briggman begins to have second thoughts
about the intentions of his commander and
the purpose of the mission at large.
The idea of the “hero soldier” that Briggman
once aspired to be turns into an illusion before
his eyes. Instead, he now finds himself in a
moral tug of war between what he knows
is right vs. the consequences of betraying
the trust of his military brothers. Briggman
questions should he do the right thing and
put himself in danger or shut up and deal
with it. This hypothetical question further
illustrates that the effects of war aren’t just
from physical battles, but mental ones as well.
Wolff’s portrayal of a young soldier fighting
through his worst-case scenario creates an
emotionally deft performance. His vulnerability
remains at the surface throughout the film’s
entirety, making him easy to root for despite
his conflicting behavior. Alexander Skarsgård’s
dark charisma is frightening, as we can easily
understand how these impressionable soldiers
fell under his macho spell. The Kill Team
is not just another war movie. This time,
the enemy is the home team. The biggest
takeaway here is an awareness of the awful,
yet real-life events, that took place not that
long ago, and the harsh realization that not
all soldiers are saints. •
Entertainment
Check It Out
Two Problems for Sophia by Jim Averbeck.
Film Review
The Kill Team, Courtesy of A24
Morgan Rojas
Two Problems for Sophia by Jim Averbeck
and illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail
and potential solution to improve his condition.
Sophia is unsuccessful in her first
attempt to eliminate Noodle’s snoring, so she
calls Ms. Canticle once more. She works on
prototypes, draws up a blueprint, and gathers
the right supplies from her family to come
up with a new sleeping mask for Noodle.
You’ll have to check out this book from the
library yourself to see if Sophia’s creation
ends up being the permanent solution her
parents ordered!
I thought this book did a wonderful job
of introducing new vocabulary to children,
especially those interested in science. I also
appreciated the inclusive nature of this book,
which includes Sophia’s multigenerational
and diverse family. Children will appreciate
Sophia’s imagination and wish they too could
have their own pet giraffe after reading this
book! To check out Two Problems for Sophia,
or to browse more picture books for kids, please
visit the library to apply for your free library
card. For more young reader picks and staff
favorites, stop by our Youth Services Desk.
Our friendly Youth Services Librarians would
love to help you find your next great read. •
Kristen Morell
Calendar of Events
Deadline for Calendar items is the prior
Thursday by noon. Calendar items are $1 per
word. Email listings to marketing@heraldpublications.
com. We take Visa and MasterCard.
THURSDAY, OCT 24
• Chess Club, 4:30 PM.- 5:30 PM., free,
Crenshaw Imperial Branch Library, 11141
Crenshaw Blvd., Call: 310-412-5403.
• STEAM Thursday: Building Bricks Challenge!,
4:00 PM. – 5:00 PM., Hawthorne
Library, 12700 Grevillea Ave, Hawthorne.
• Terrific Thursdays: Lights On Afterschool
Event! Pumpkin Carving for Families, 4:00
PM., One pumpkin per family, sign-ups
required, Inglewood Public Library, 101 W.
Manchester Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
FRIDAY, OCT. 25
• Teen Club, 3:00 PM. – 4:30 PM., Inglewood
Public Library, 101 W. Manchester Blvd.,
Call: 310-412-5380.
• Tween Club: Crafts, 4:00 PM. – 5:00 PM.,
Inglewood Public Library, 101 W. Manchester
Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
• STEAM, 3:00 PM. – 4:00 PM., Inglewood
Public Library, 101 W. Manchester Blvd.,
Call: 310-412-5380.
SATURDAY, OCT. 26
• Family Story Time, 1:00 PM., Crenshaw –
Imperial Branch Library, 11141 Crenshaw
Blvd., Call: 310-412-5403.
• Annual Hawthorne Fun Run & Health Fair,
8:00 AM. – 12:00 PM., Hawthorne High
School Football Field, 4859 El Segundo
Blvd., Hawthorne,
• Family Story Time, 2:30 PM., Inglewood
Public Library, 101 W. Manchester Blvd.,
Call: 310-412-5380.
• Fabulous Fall Story Time and Paper Pumpkin
Art, 2:00 PM. – 4:00 PM., Hawthorne
Library, 12700 Grevillea Ave, Hawthorne.
• Paper Shredding & EWaste Collection Event,
9:00 AM. – 12:00 PM., Betty Ainsworth
Center, 3851 El Segundo Blvd., Call: 310-
349-2980 for more info.
MONDAY, OCT. 28
• STEM Activities for Kids, 3:30 PM., Crenshaw
– Imperial Branch Library, 11141
Crenshaw Blvd., Call: 310-412-5403.
TUESDAY, OCT. 29
• Brick Building, 3:30 PM. – 4:30 PM., free,
Crenshaw Imperial Branch Library, 11141
Crenshaw Blvd., Call: 310-412-5403.
• Pajama Story Time, 6:30 PM. – 7:30 PM.,
Inglewood Public Library, 101 W. Manchester
Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
• Chess for Adults, 5:00 PM., free, Inglewood
Public Library, 101 W. Manchester Blvd.,
Call: 310-412-5380.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 30
• Building Bricks/Board Games, 3:30 PM.,
free, Inglewood Public Library, 101 W.
Manchester Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
• Spooky Story Time, 11:30 AM. – 12:00
PM., Hawthorne Library, 12700 Grevillea
Ave, Hawthorne.
• City of Hawthorne “Spooktacular” Halloween
Carnival, 5:00 PM. – 8:00 PM.,
Hawthorne Memorial Center, 3901 W.
El Segundo Blvd., For more info call:
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Beware: Employment offers that suggest guaranteed out-of-state or overseas positions may be deceptive or unethical in nature. If
you have any doubts about the nature of a company, contact the local office of the Better Business Bureau, (213) 251-9696. Herald
Publications does not guarantee that the advertiser’s claims are true nor does it take responsibility for those claims.
Apartment For Rent
2/2 downstairs. NO PETS. NO
smoking, carpet, stove, refrigerator,
dishwasher, fireplace, recess lighting,
Garage and tandem parking. laundry
on site. 5 mins walk to downtown
shops, restaurants, beach and
freeway. 300 block of virginia. available
november. $2600. 310.322-4848.
Employment
Part-time Sales. Looking for
motivated part-time workers. Inside
sales: work from home and make
sales calls. 15% commission on all
sales. Outside sales: territories are
Torrance and El Segundo. Includes
walking and interacting with business
owners. 20% commission on all
sales. Seniors and students welcome.
Send resume to management@
heraldpublications.com.
Apartment For Rent
El Segundo, 2 BD, 2 BTH, Updated,
granite, wood floors, W/D hook-ups,
D/W, stove, vertical blinds, carport,
No Pets, N/S, $3,000 month-tomonth.
Available 11.1.19, call Shari,
310.505.2528.
Wanted
WANTED. Vinyl, vinyl, vinyl records,
anything musical. Collectibles/
antiques. Typewriters, sewing
machines, military, silver, Japan,
records, stamps, coins, jewelry,
Chinese, ANYTHING. Buy/Sell/
Trade. We sell for you on EBAY. Studio
Antiques, El Segundo. 310.322.3895.
To appear in next week’s paper, submit
your Classifed Ad by Noon on Tuesday.
Late Ads will incur a $20.00 late fee.
See Calendar, page 4