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HA
Hansel and Gretel
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I cannot begin to tell you just how much I loved reading this retelling of a childhood classic. I was instantly transported into the story and was kept its captive until the end. The author kept it as it was but told it in a way that younger kids can understand and bring the meaning home. This sad and beautiful tale of two young siblings also teaches that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything!!

{I requested a copy of this book for reviewing purposes and made no guarantees of a favorable review. The opinions expressed here are unbiased and my own.}
  
Keeping You a Secret
Keeping You a Secret
Julie Anne Peters | 2007 | LGBTQ+, Young Adult (YA)
8
9.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is out and out a love story. The fact that it is two girls just adds another dimension. Cece is the 'out' lesbian. Holland is the girl everyone wants to be, ecept she is pretending. When she stops pretending to herself she begins to realize how very hard being yourself and love can be.I thought this book was good. As a teacher I think Julie Ann Peters does an excellent job of capturing what it means to be young and gay. I feel comfortable recommending this book to some of my students especially my LGBTQ kids. It has a good messege and hard realities.
  
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
2008 | Action, Animation, Family
8
7.9 (38 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Very funny for all ages (1 more)
The level of details put in
Brilliant animation
A greatly detailed animation film that is full of fun. You can tell when an animation film has had a lot of time, care and thought put into it. The quality of the lighting, shadows, reflections and even fur are up there with the best animations. It's bright and colourful as well to appeal to the kids. I didn't notice the strong voice cast until the credits came up including Jackie Chan, to have all of them in one film is impressive, in an animated film even more so. This is a funny film all ages should enjoy.
  
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Trolls (2016) in Movies

Aug 31, 2017  
Trolls (2016)
Trolls (2016)
2016 | Animation, Family
Cheesy & Very childish
The majority of animated films nowadays seem to be aimed directly at children, making them far too stupid and childish and I'm afraid Trolls is no different. Animations can work for both adults and kids (as Pixar, Disney and the Lego movies prove), but Trolls just goes for bright colours, a silly plot and lots of pointless singing and dancing. The only thing that can possibly appeal to adults in this film is the songs, but they just seem to be out of place and are an obvious alternative to providing a substantial plot. Even the nostalgia factor from the toys is lost in this.
  
Lost In Translation (2003)
Lost In Translation (2003)
2003 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Bill Murray is fabulous as usual (0 more)
Usual lack of integration (0 more)
A love story of loneliness
I love this film for its whimsical outlook of expatriates in Japan. It's a love story of loneliness between two people incredibly unsuited to one another. An older man, Bill Murray, married with grown kids, and the newly wed Scarlet Johannson, left to her own devices while her husband was at work. It's bittersweet for what it is. Having lived in China for three years I could empathise for some part, but unlike the protagonists who made zero effort to integrate, I learnt to speak the language. That's my only complaint.
  
TR
The Raindrop
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
These stories were very cute, the illustrations were wonderful, and parts of them had great messages for kids about bullying, being on earth for a reason, and responsibility. However the philosophy behind them is all wrong. The philosophy consists of “oneness with everything” and “made of the same energy” and “we are Divine presence,” and “we are truth” and “Makes no difference the religion”. It is a worldly viewpoint, and I do not come from that viewpoint.

Again, there some great messages in these books, but I personally won’t be sharing them with the children in my life because of the strength of the new-age views that shine through.
  
TS
The Sun and the Moon
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
These stories were very cute, the illustrations were wonderful, and parts of them had great messages for kids about bullying, being on earth for a reason, and responsibility. However the philosophy behind them is all wrong. The philosophy consists of “oneness with everything” and “made of the same energy” and “we are Divine presence,” and “we are truth” and “Makes no difference the religion”. It is a worldly viewpoint, and I do not come from that viewpoint.

Again, there some great messages in these books, but I personally won’t be sharing them with the children in my life because of the strength of the new-age views that shine through.
  
TB
The Birds and the Frogs
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
These stories were very cute, the illustrations were wonderful, and parts of them had great messages for kids about bullying, being on earth for a reason, and responsibility. However the philosophy behind them is all wrong. The philosophy consists of “oneness with everything” and “made of the same energy” and “we are Divine presence,” and “we are truth” and “Makes no difference the religion”. It is a worldly viewpoint, and I do not come from that viewpoint.

Again, there some great messages in these books, but I personally won’t be sharing them with the children in my life because of the strength of the new-age views that shine through.
  
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Erika (17788 KP) rated Fyre (2019) in Movies

Feb 13, 2019  
Fyre (2019)
Fyre (2019)
2019 | Documentary
Since I'm home, sick with the flu, I decided to watch both Fyre Festival documentaries.
This was the one I watched first, and it focused more on the setup of the festival itself. It was kind of amazing to watch the clusterf*** from the inside, and it was kind of humorous. It was interesting, and a complete train wreck. I really hope that d-bag that was in charge of it didn't profit from it at all, because that'd be really messed up.
I do find it hard to sympathize with all of the rich kids and ridiculous 'influencers'. If it seems too good to be true, it is.
  
Show all 4 comments.
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Erika (17788 KP) Feb 14, 2019

Uh oh... thought I smelled something funny about this doc:https://newrepublic.com/article/153095/fyre-festival-huge-scam-netflixs-fyre-documentary-scam-too

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Andy K (10821 KP) Feb 14, 2019

Wow weird...

S
Sparks!
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a cute little kids' comic that is both fun and has some good messages. It has some surprisingly deep concepts, such as animal testing, PTSD, and agoraphobia, but touches on them in a light way so not to disturb children (hopefully). I abhor animal testing so this probably bothers me more than it would a child, although it is aliens doing the testing in the book. Besides that, the characters are cute and well-represented, the drawings are nice and clear, and the colors are vibrant and fun. A very cute book that could be expanded into a series.

Received free to review through the Amazon Vine program.