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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated The Twelve Jays of Christmas in Books
Jan 2, 2022 (Updated Jan 2, 2022)
Demanding Artist Underfoot at Christmas
It’s a few days before Christmas, and Meg Langslow is ready for the holiday and the invasion of family that it brings. What she isn’t dealing with well is Roderick Castlemayne. Roderick is a wildlife artist in town to paint birds for Meg’s grandfather’s newest book. Roderick has taken over the library in Meg’s house and is acting like a jerk in every way imaginable. Meg has finally had enough and is ready to kick him out, but someone takes care of the problem for her when they kill him. Once again, Meg finds herself involved in the investigation. Will she find the killer before Christmas?
It’s almost become tradition to drop in on Meg and company during Christmas, and I always enjoy these seasonal visits. The Christmas spirit is strong in this entry, although we did miss a few of the regular traditions around town. The plot had several fun complications, but I did figure out what was going on a little early. A few of my favorite supporting characters weren’t in town when most of the action took place (although I think they got the same amount of page time as they normally would), but the rest of the cast more than made up for it. Between these characters and the animal antics, I was smiling if not laughing as I read. Fans of the series will delight in this newest Christmas visit with old friends.
It’s almost become tradition to drop in on Meg and company during Christmas, and I always enjoy these seasonal visits. The Christmas spirit is strong in this entry, although we did miss a few of the regular traditions around town. The plot had several fun complications, but I did figure out what was going on a little early. A few of my favorite supporting characters weren’t in town when most of the action took place (although I think they got the same amount of page time as they normally would), but the rest of the cast more than made up for it. Between these characters and the animal antics, I was smiling if not laughing as I read. Fans of the series will delight in this newest Christmas visit with old friends.
Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles (Babs Norman Hollywood Mystery #1)
Book
Asta, the dog from the popular Thin Man series, has vanished, and production for his next film is...
Humour Mystery Historical
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Farm Rescue in Tabletop Games
Nov 14, 2019
The Kids Table series from Purple Phoenix Games seeks to lightly explore games that are focused toward children and families. We will do our best to give some good insight, but not bog your down with the millions of rules…
Farm Rescue is a cute little memory game with pretty excellent components, especially for a kids game. Though the box says 4+ my 3 year old picked it up pretty quickly and is surprisingly good at it.
The game comes in a box with a really great insert where the components can really only go in one spot. This is so wonderful for parents of younger kids who enjoy setting up and tearing down games. So thank you for that consideration, Brain Games! Anyway, the idea behind the game is to setup a 5 x 5 grid of face-up farm animal squares inside the provided picket fence border tiles. Each player will roll the two dice (one is color and one is an animal) and flip over the corresponding tile – like green chicken or purple cow. If a purple cow is rolled again in the future you must remember which tile featured the purple cow and flip it back over. If correct, then the farmer mini is moved closer to catching the wolf mini. If incorrect, the wolf mini is moved closer to the fence entrance. The game ends when either all tiles are flipped to their backs, the farmer catches the wolf, or the wolf gets into the fence to gobble up the remaining animals.
This game is surprisingly good! When my son picked it out at our FLGS (as recommended by the attendant) I didn’t know what to expect. I honestly, and foolishly, don’t keep kids games on my radar. When we brought it home, and after his nap, we were able to get a play in right away with Gramps as our third player. Ultimately we allowed the wolf to gobble up the animals, but we had a great time rolling the dice and flipping the animals (no Midwest cow tipping jokes please). My son also showed us that young children have far better memory skills than middle-aged dads and slightly older (you’re welcome) grandfathers.
My son LOVES his new game and I am so sure we are going to be playing it often. He even invited the farmer and wolf minis to the dinner table with him. He also took the following action shots of the game (which he never really offers to do, so this is big for him). Farm Rescue is a hit with our family, and if you are looking for a memory game with some meat on the bones (I had to), then check it out for your family.
PS – I often make mention of games that rely on color recognition that also play well with colorblindness. Though nobody in my family is colorblind, each of the colors in Farm Rescue also has an associated graphic – red circles, blue stars, purple plus signs. This is very much appreciated, and another high-five to Brain Games for having more inclusive components. Good on you!
Farm Rescue is a cute little memory game with pretty excellent components, especially for a kids game. Though the box says 4+ my 3 year old picked it up pretty quickly and is surprisingly good at it.
The game comes in a box with a really great insert where the components can really only go in one spot. This is so wonderful for parents of younger kids who enjoy setting up and tearing down games. So thank you for that consideration, Brain Games! Anyway, the idea behind the game is to setup a 5 x 5 grid of face-up farm animal squares inside the provided picket fence border tiles. Each player will roll the two dice (one is color and one is an animal) and flip over the corresponding tile – like green chicken or purple cow. If a purple cow is rolled again in the future you must remember which tile featured the purple cow and flip it back over. If correct, then the farmer mini is moved closer to catching the wolf mini. If incorrect, the wolf mini is moved closer to the fence entrance. The game ends when either all tiles are flipped to their backs, the farmer catches the wolf, or the wolf gets into the fence to gobble up the remaining animals.
This game is surprisingly good! When my son picked it out at our FLGS (as recommended by the attendant) I didn’t know what to expect. I honestly, and foolishly, don’t keep kids games on my radar. When we brought it home, and after his nap, we were able to get a play in right away with Gramps as our third player. Ultimately we allowed the wolf to gobble up the animals, but we had a great time rolling the dice and flipping the animals (no Midwest cow tipping jokes please). My son also showed us that young children have far better memory skills than middle-aged dads and slightly older (you’re welcome) grandfathers.
My son LOVES his new game and I am so sure we are going to be playing it often. He even invited the farmer and wolf minis to the dinner table with him. He also took the following action shots of the game (which he never really offers to do, so this is big for him). Farm Rescue is a hit with our family, and if you are looking for a memory game with some meat on the bones (I had to), then check it out for your family.
PS – I often make mention of games that rely on color recognition that also play well with colorblindness. Though nobody in my family is colorblind, each of the colors in Farm Rescue also has an associated graphic – red circles, blue stars, purple plus signs. This is very much appreciated, and another high-five to Brain Games for having more inclusive components. Good on you!
Booksy: Learn to Read Platform for K-2
Education and Book
App
Featured in the New York Times article "Learning to read with tablets"! Booksy is a...
Quiver - 3D Coloring App
Entertainment and Education
App
The original augmented reality coloring app “colAR Mix” is now Quiver! Coloring pages have...
Lenard (726 KP) rated Pet Sematary (2019) in Movies
Apr 9, 2019
A Boston doctor moves his family to what is believed to be a quiet town in Maine. He soon discovers that the town has a secret past and supernatural powers. A good horror movie requires an atmosphere and a good movie based on the book makes you want to read the book to see what was left out. Neither requirement is met in this version of "Pet Sematary." The setting of the atmosphere I may have missed due to longer credits attached to "Shazam" that my gig required me to view. When I entered the theater, the family was already in their Maine house. In the short time I was not there, two things were established, the gas trucks that constantly careen through the town, a ominous sign of accidents to come and the family move to Maine to get away from the hustle of the city. The shadow of death could not have come until I was already in the theater. This aspect of the family dynamic was firmly established later when Ellie sees an animal dead on the road. The titular pet cemetary was also introduced while I was in attendance. The directors did not set up any foreboding specters for the cemetary or the family past, a sign of people in need of paying attention to their own creation. Throughout the film, there should be moments that terrify you from Church to the zombie child to Judd's mysteriously dead wife. None of these approach master level suspense.
Purrsistently (46 KP) rated The Sign of the Cat in Books
Jun 24, 2018 (Updated Jun 24, 2018)
Kitten, Tigers, Eels, Oh My!
I really loved this middle grade offering. The cats are an obvious draw themselves of course but it was well constructed apart from its feline charm.
The plot kept one guessing enough to be engaged (I finished in one long sitting), there were interesting lovable characters (if not perhaps the most fleshed out- though I’d say it was easily on par with Narnia in that regard), the dialogue wasn’t anything you’d find in Austen but there were moments that drew chuckles and I was satisfied on that score for the age group it is intended to appeal to.
The narrative had its insightful moments, and the writing itself was pleasant. I’d think the vocabulary employed would be largely comfortable but stretching (in a good way) for most 4th-6th graders, though obviously that depends on the child.
The only warning I would have for very young sensitive animal loving children is that the villain might be a tad dark for them. I’m certain I would have cried and been furious at a couple points as a child and probably would have ranted to family and friends about how despicable he was. One part drew a “well, F***!” from me as it is, and a couple descriptions made me a bit squeamish but they were not graphic and I’m pretty squeamish about such things in general. I would gladly recommend it to most any kiddo I know or even an adult who really likes cats. :P
The plot kept one guessing enough to be engaged (I finished in one long sitting), there were interesting lovable characters (if not perhaps the most fleshed out- though I’d say it was easily on par with Narnia in that regard), the dialogue wasn’t anything you’d find in Austen but there were moments that drew chuckles and I was satisfied on that score for the age group it is intended to appeal to.
The narrative had its insightful moments, and the writing itself was pleasant. I’d think the vocabulary employed would be largely comfortable but stretching (in a good way) for most 4th-6th graders, though obviously that depends on the child.
The only warning I would have for very young sensitive animal loving children is that the villain might be a tad dark for them. I’m certain I would have cried and been furious at a couple points as a child and probably would have ranted to family and friends about how despicable he was. One part drew a “well, F***!” from me as it is, and a couple descriptions made me a bit squeamish but they were not graphic and I’m pretty squeamish about such things in general. I would gladly recommend it to most any kiddo I know or even an adult who really likes cats. :P
ABC Kids English French & Music for YouTube Kids
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My Little Pony - Cutie Mark Chronicles
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Design your own pony–listen to narrated stories and read along–Complete activities and earn your...
Blocky Farm
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Enter the charming world of Blocky Farm where you can take care of cute pets and animals, style them...