July 2010

  • Poison Study

    By sarajean on 7/31/10 5:21pm
    Add Comment

    Finally—a worthy romance fantasy novel for women to read! After so much insanity over the Twilight series, Maria V. Snyder’s Poison Study is a breath of fresh air. While you won’t find vampires or werewolves, you will find a smoking hot assassin, a deep and calculating transgender character, witty dialogue, magic, mayhem—and best of all, a strong female lead who saves the freakin’ world. Well, the kingdom, anyway. (Spoilers ahead.)

    Read more >

  • Kids See Dead People

    By sarajean on 7/29/10 7:02am
    Add Comment

    What if the whole Bruce Willis scenario in The Sixth Sense were much more than M. Night Shyamalan’s greatest hit film? Caron Goode is playing a true life, though living, role of Wills’s character, investigating the minds of children who might possibly see ghosts.

    The psychologist says that her efforts stem from her own childhood experiences, and she’s out to discover whether or not the imaginary friends that so many kids have are actually the spirits of the dead instead. She’s even written a book, Kids Who See Ghosts: How to Guide Them Through Fear, about it.

    Read more >

  • National Merry-Go-Round Day

    By sarajean on 7/23/10 9:52am
    Add Comment

    July 25 is a perfect day to go out and enjoy the merry-go-round. A Sunday this year, it affords most families the chance to hit the park and, if there’s still one left (as my old favorite park no longer has one), show their children—as well as the parents themselves!—a good old-fashioned time on the merry-go-round. If there is a carousel or carnival near you, that’s a great opportunity as well.

    I have a wonderful story about a merry-go-round. In fact, I wrote about it in junior high, much to the delight and disgust of my classmates. Reading it aloud was some of the most fun I’d ever had in school to that point!

    Read more >

  • Stephen Cosgrove's Serendipity Books

    By erika on 7/21/10 4:30pm
    Add Comment

    Today I stumbled across a hilarious blog post on a dad blog about the Serendipity Book series.  Apparently these things are still in print, and blogger Holmes' sons constantly insist that he read them at night.

    Holmes' disdain for the remarkably long-lived works of author Stephen Cosgrove and illustrator Robin James is perfectly understandable.  I mean, the thing is, kids have no taste.  Certainly no discretion in the way of literature.  It's only as we grow old that we learn to avoid things which have the moral printed right there on the cover.

    That's literal, in the case of the Serendipity books.  On every cover is a helpful call-out box titled "The moral of this story is:" For example, the moral of The Wheedle on the Needle is, "Cooperation can solve almost any problem."


    Read more >

  • Diary of a WImpy Kid Do-it-Yourself Book

    By becksta on 7/20/10 8:18pm
    Add Comment

    The Fart Police- from Diary of a Wimpy KidThe Fart Police- from Diary of a Wimpy KidAs a kid, I loved journals of the fill-in-the-blank variety and have a sneaking suspicion that young want-to-be writers and artists will find themselves delighted by the challenge of filling up the pages of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself" book. "Diary of a WImpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book" is the first book that I've read in Jeff Kinney's  series of books.


    Read more >

  • "I'M NOT CUTE!"

    By hellenwyeth on 7/15/10 6:37am
    Add Comment

    I’m Not Cute by Jonathan Allen is a sweet little story about a baby owl. As with most little ones, baby owl wants to be a big owl. He’s tired of everyone telling him how cute and little he is. He is NOT cute! While playing in the woods he thinks that no one will bother him there. That is until he runs into Rabbit. Rabbit loves Baby Owl and tells him how cute he is and how small. Rabbit picks up Baby Owl to give him a big hug. Baby Owl cries out in protest. He is NOT cute and he is NOT small.

    “I am a huge and scary hunting machine with great big soft and silent wings.”

    Read more >

  • Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew: The Halloween Hoax

    By hellenwyeth on 7/15/10 6:33am
    Add Comment

    Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew: The Halloween Hoax by Carolyn Keene is a fun chapter book for kids 6 to 9 years old. In this story the girls have decided to make their own costumes and are getting in the Halloween spirit. Every year they get together and watch their Halloween TV special together and this year, as an added bonus, they get the chance to visit the studio where their special is filmed. They couldn’t be more excited. Once they get to the studio, they aren’t so sure that they really want to be there. Lots of spooky, ghostly things seem to be happening all around them.

    Read more >

  • Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew: Lights, Camera...Cats!

    By hellenwyeth on 7/15/10 6:28am
    Add Comment

    Nancy’s dad is a very busy attorney and he’s got a new job that is requiring him to go to none other than Hollywood, California. Instead of leaving his daughter behind, he decides to make it a family vacation and brings Nancy and her friends along on the trip. The girls are so excited because the client Nancy’s dad is working for is a movie director. In Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew: Lights, Camera…Cats! By Carolyn Keene, the girls get to see an actual movie set, meet the stars and see how the movies are made. It’s a trip they will never forget.

    Read more >

  • Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew: Case of the Sneaky Snowman

    By hellenwyeth on 7/15/10 6:25am
    Add Comment

    Some people claim that they can read palms; others claim that they can read tea leaves and tell your fortune and future, but Madam Chocolata can read the marshmallows in your hot chocolate to tell your fortune. At least that is what she and Toby claim while running their hot chocolate tent. In Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew: Case of the Sneaky Snowman by Carolyn Keene, Nancy, Bess and George find themselves on a very strange case involving a fortune teller, a snowman who comes to life and fortunes that mysteriously keep coming true.

    Read more >

  • Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew: The Cinderella Ballet Mystery

    By hellenwyeth on 7/15/10 6:21am
    Add Comment

    The Clue Crew show a whole new set of talents in Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew: The Cinderella Ballet Mystery by Carolyn Keene. Nancy, Bess and George have been practicing hard for a ballet recital that is quickly approaching. The girls and their friends have been working hard to perform Cinderella on stage and each girl is very proud of the roles they get to play. The part of Cinderella was carefully chosen as well as her understudy. Just days before their last dress rehearsal, Cinderella sprains her ankle and her understudy is more than happy to fill her shoes.

    Read more >

  • Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew: Sleepover Sleuths

    By hellenwyeth on 7/15/10 6:16am
    Add Comment

    In Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew: Sleepover Sleuths by Carolyn Keene, we meet Nancy Drew, George (Georgia) Fayne and Bess Marvin for the first time. The three best friends get invited to a sleepover birthday party at their friend Deirdre’s house but it’s not just any regular sleepover party, it’s a City Girls Doll themed party. Deirdre is very spoiled and gets almost everything she wants so the girls know that this party is going to be awesome. There is even supposed to be a pajama fashion show. The girls pack up their favorite City Girls Doll and cutes pajamas and make their way over to Deirdre’s.

    Read more >

  • Renewing Childhood Songs and Rhymes

    By sarajean on 7/15/10 3:10am
    Add Comment

    Don’t you just love the classics? From nursery rhymes like “Hey Diddle Diddle” to finger plays like “Where is Thumpkin?” they brink us back to our own childhoods, providing a sense of warm memories and familiarity. That said, there are several things that I’ve found objectionable when it comes to the classics, and I think there is always a way around these objections.

    Read more >

  • Alphabet Under Construction

    By sarajean on 7/15/10 3:05am
    Add Comment

    Written and illustrated by Denise Fleming, Alphabet Under Construction has become one of the most beloved books in our household. The simple story of a mouse who is spending the month (a calendar depicting his activities is displayed at the end of the picture book) constructing the alphabet out of various materials, it’s both fun to read and to look at.

    A watercolor gray mouse is the central character in this adorable book. As he goes through each letter of the alphabet, he creates—or constructs, rather—it out of parts or a method that goes with the letter itself alphabetically. For example, letter “A” is airbrushed, while letter “C” is carved. My daughter gets a kick out of “reading” along, since the simple text is very memorable. Not only is she learning her letters—she’s also learning 26 different construction techniques!

    Read more >

  • Little Quack

    By sarajean on 7/14/10 9:40am
    Add Comment

    There is a new favorite picture book in La Casa SaraJean, and it’s called Little Quack. Written by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Derek Anderson, this adorable little tale is the story of five little ducklings—Piddle, Puddle, Widdle, Waddle, and Little Quack—and their reluctance to enter the water to learn to swim.

    Read more >

  • The Benefits of Hidden Picture Books

    By sarajean on 7/13/10 12:03am
    Add Comment

    My four-year-old’s latest obsession is one that many children love: the hidden picture book. We receive a monthly hidden picture puzzle in our Highlights Hi Five magazine, but that absolutely wasn’t enough for her! We ordered her a set of books that were nothing but hidden pictures, and she has a blast going through them and finding the items. She won’t circle or color them, either, wanting to find them again as soon as she’s finished finding all of the items.

    I love that she’s really into these books. I never was a fan of them myself, but my mathematically-inclined younger sister always was. And as much as I’m happy to buy the books for her enjoyment, she’s getting a very enriching activity out of the process as well. Here are just a few benefits that kids can receive from doing these activities:

    Read more >

  • The Bailey School Kids: Pirates Don't Wear Pink Sunglasses

    By hellenwyeth on 7/8/10 5:57am
    Add Comment

    In The Adventures of The Bailey School Kids: Pirates Don’t Wear Pink Sunglasses, the kids are going on a week-long nature trip. Every year the nature camp ends with a rowing competition with the kids from a nearby Sheldon City. The Bailey Kids have never won a competition against the others but this year may be different. The camp they go to is falling apart and losing money so who knows how much longer the camp will be running but the regular grounds keeper has a new volunteer, Teach, to help out and he seems to be just as strange, if not stranger, than the grounds keeper, Mr. Jenkins, himself.

    Read more >

  • The Adventures of The Bailey School Kids: Unicorns Don't Give Sleigh Rides

    By hellenwyeth on 7/8/10 5:26am
    Add Comment

    In The Adventures of The Bailey School Kids: Unicorns Don’t Give Sleigh Rides by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones, magic has found its way to the Bailey City Stables. But not just any kind of magic, it’s the kind of magic that can only be found where there is a unicorn hanging around. Liza gets regular riding lessons at the local stables. Due to the snow and icy conditions, she takes a fall and there is no one around to help her. Out of nowhere she hears sleigh bells and a unicorn, pulling a sleigh, shows up to save the day and takes her back to safety.

    Read more >

  • Pony Pals: Keep Out Pony!

    By hellenwyeth on 7/8/10 5:19am
    Add Comment

    The weather has been horrible for almost a week in the small town of Wiggins. The Pony Pals are relieved when the rain finally lets up enough for them to meet up on Pony Pal Trail for a much needed and missed trail ride. Pam Crandal leaves her house with her pony, Lightning to meet up with her friends but is stopped dead with a new fence and sheep blocking her path. In Pony Pals: Keep Out, Pony! By Jeanne Betancourt, the girls fear that they have lost their Pony Pal Trail for good and their trail rides are over.

    Read more >

  • The Bailey School Kids: Genies Don't Ride Bicycles

    By hellenwyeth on 7/8/10 5:15am
    Add Comment

    What would you think if you found an old bottle hidden in a tree? This is a tree that you and your friends hang around all the time and you have no idea how the bottle got there. What if you opened the cork on it and rubbed the side to read what it said and then strange things started happening such as when you made a wish like wishing there was no school or that your teacher was nicer? In The Bailey School Kids: Genies Don’t Ride Bicycles by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones, that is exactly what is starting to happen.

    Read more >

  • The Bailey School Kids: Angels Don't Know Karate

    By hellenwyeth on 7/8/10 5:09am
    Add Comment

    The Bailey School Kids: Angels Don’t Know Karate by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones takes the kids on another wacky investigation of sorts. As if the people of Bailey City and Bailey Elementary aren’t weird enough as is, there’s another addition, Angela Michaels. She always seems to be there when ever someone is in trouble. Not only does she end up saving the day every time it needs to be saved, like appearing out of nowhere to catch Eddie falling out of a tree, but has a way of neutralizing the entire situation, like an angel, a guardian angel. Melody even swears that she has seen her wings and a halo.

    Read more >

  • Pony Pals: Circus Pony

    By hellenwyeth on 7/8/10 5:02am
    Add Comment

    Pony Pals: Circus Pony by Jeanne Betancourt is just one out of many books from the Pony Pals series. My daughter loves these short chapter books. In Circus Pony, the Yellow Tent Circus has come to the town of Wiggins. Lulu, Pam and most of all, Anna is very excited about the circus and thinks it’s the perfect way to end their summer break. With the Yellow Tent Circus camping on a good friend’s property, they get permission to visit during off hours and get a good look at what circus life is all about.

    Read more >

  • Catching Up: Firefly- Safe

    By msarko on 7/6/10 6:51pm
    Add Comment

    The richness of Firefly's story is that just about any one of the characters who make their home on Serenity could carry their own fully realized series. The only real exception would be Kaylee, who is more or less having her first adventure away from home with Mal and his crew. Everyone else is a show unto themselves. If one were to take the story of Simon and River Tam as its own, stand-alone feature, it would still be a compelling tale of a brother and sister braving the unknown and surviving by little more than their love for each other. This is why the little glimpses of that story we get in the handful of Firefly episodes are as interesting as they are. Simon and River, like everyone else on Serenity, are already fleshed-out characters who have a complex story to tell.



    Read more >