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The Beauty of Living Twice
Book
Sharon Stone, one of the most renowned actresses in the world, suffered a massive stroke that cost...
Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Society of Imaginary Friends (The Conjurors Series #1) in Books
Nov 14, 2018
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The Society of Imaginary Friends (The Conjurors Series #1) by Kristen Pham is a Young Adult Fantasy novel. According to Goodreads, its original title was ÒInto the DarkÓ and published March 11, 2011.
Growing up, many children have imaginary friends. This story introduces Valerie, a girl bounced around foster homes. Helping her survive foster care is Cyrus, her imaginary friend. After ValerieÕs ÒpowersÓ become too much for her to handle on Earth she is transported to the Globe, a magical world. Here, Valerie realizes imaginary friends are real people with special powers which allow them to be seen by children on Earth and help them navigate their troubles. Of course, the Globe is not utopia and a fraction exists that wants to go back to Earth.
Most YA novels portray the heroine as perfect but Pham shows that Valerie is flawed. Doctors have diagnosed her as schizophrenic and, because of her ÒepisodesÓ her life is not easy. It is because of her difficult life that she is able to survive and help others.
I would read the rest of the series and would recommend the series for tweens, for people who enjoy YA fantasy, and especially middle school aged girls.
Growing up, many children have imaginary friends. This story introduces Valerie, a girl bounced around foster homes. Helping her survive foster care is Cyrus, her imaginary friend. After ValerieÕs ÒpowersÓ become too much for her to handle on Earth she is transported to the Globe, a magical world. Here, Valerie realizes imaginary friends are real people with special powers which allow them to be seen by children on Earth and help them navigate their troubles. Of course, the Globe is not utopia and a fraction exists that wants to go back to Earth.
Most YA novels portray the heroine as perfect but Pham shows that Valerie is flawed. Doctors have diagnosed her as schizophrenic and, because of her ÒepisodesÓ her life is not easy. It is because of her difficult life that she is able to survive and help others.
I would read the rest of the series and would recommend the series for tweens, for people who enjoy YA fantasy, and especially middle school aged girls.
Kids Yogaverse: I AM LOVE
Health & Fitness and Book
App
Kids Yogaverse: I AM LOVE is “Highly recommended” by the US Surgeon General as a healthy app...
DW
Damned Without Cause
Book
William is an honest hardworking agricultural labourer with strong family values and thanks God for...
Amy Curtis (49 KP) rated Bad Santa (2003) in Movies
Dec 7, 2018
Easy watch
Contains spoilers, click to show
This is a film that I would say is okay. I've seen it advertised so many times and as I'm not a Christmas fan it wouldn't have been at the top of my "to watch" list anyway. However, for some reason the front cover just irritates me. Anyway, my boyfriend put it on the tele so I thought I might as well give it a go. It had some good comedic points in it but I wouldn't really say it's anything special. Willy has been playing Santa in shopping malls for years and on Christmas Eve, he helps to rob the mall by breaking into the safe. He is drunk and probably the worst Santa ever. Not anyone you would want near your children that's for sure. One kid in particular seems to touch a nerve with him and eventually he discovers that this kid is not being looked after once he decides to stay with him. The kid is being bullied and is the most kind-hearted child. The film takes you on a journey of bad Santa turning into okay santa. I would say that it is a watch for it's comedic value but other than that, I don't think I'd watch it again!
Dinosaur Shape Puzzle: My First Educational Dino Learning Game for Toddler and Preschool Explorers
Games and Education
App
*** 50% OFF Limited Time Only *** Don't Miss Out ! It’s time for a DINOSAUR shape puzzle!...
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Do Not Become Alarmed in Books
May 10, 2018
Liv and Nora are cousins and practically sisters. They decide to take their families on a two week cruise down the coast of Central America. Both women cautious, they spend the first several days aboard the ship. When they finally decide to take an excursion, the men head for golf and the women take the kids on a zip line tour. This is when all hell breaks loose! From the bus breaking down, to six children going missing in a foreign country, this family vacation is definitely not going to plan. Told from the perspective of the children and the parents, as well other key characters that are introduced throughout, you dive deep into the story and it's hard to get drawn out!
This is the first book I've read by Maile Meloy, and I can't wait to read more! I think this is one of the very few times I have read a book with so many characters taking their turn to tell the story and not gotten confused by what is going on. The story flowed perfectly with the unbelievable around every turn.
I will say, not any of the characters in this story are likable, except for Nora's son, Marcus, but I don't think they need to be. You are still intrigued by what is going on and what is going to happen next. This does make you want to hug your kids a little tighter, if you have them. Tell them you love them no matter what and make you want to protect them even more than you already do. To me, this book was amazing and I highly recommend it!
Imagine, all your plans for the day going down the tube. Your tour bus breaks down, so you decide to wait at the beach while a new bus arrives. Then maybe you drift off to sleep while the kids are playing in the water near by. The kids are old enough to look after themselves and those who aren't, have the older kids to look after them. Now imagine waking up from what felt like just a moments rest, to find the children that were just there playing in front of you, have vanished. No where to be found no idea where they could have gone. What do you do, who do you call? You're in a foreign country and you opted not to get the international plan for you phone. Where are your children, and what is being done to them?
This is the first book I've read by Maile Meloy, and I can't wait to read more! I think this is one of the very few times I have read a book with so many characters taking their turn to tell the story and not gotten confused by what is going on. The story flowed perfectly with the unbelievable around every turn.
I will say, not any of the characters in this story are likable, except for Nora's son, Marcus, but I don't think they need to be. You are still intrigued by what is going on and what is going to happen next. This does make you want to hug your kids a little tighter, if you have them. Tell them you love them no matter what and make you want to protect them even more than you already do. To me, this book was amazing and I highly recommend it!
Imagine, all your plans for the day going down the tube. Your tour bus breaks down, so you decide to wait at the beach while a new bus arrives. Then maybe you drift off to sleep while the kids are playing in the water near by. The kids are old enough to look after themselves and those who aren't, have the older kids to look after them. Now imagine waking up from what felt like just a moments rest, to find the children that were just there playing in front of you, have vanished. No where to be found no idea where they could have gone. What do you do, who do you call? You're in a foreign country and you opted not to get the international plan for you phone. Where are your children, and what is being done to them?
120 Best Homemade Baby Food
Food & Drink and Reference
App
120 Best Homemade Baby Food ** 50% Off Today!! *********************** 120 Best Homemade Baby...
World Continents and Oceans - A Montessori Approach To Geography
Education and Games
App
Ages 2 & Up. This app has helped thousands of children around the world learn to identify the...
Lee (2222 KP) rated A Series of Unfortunate Events - Season 1 in TV
Jul 26, 2017
The latest adaptation of the thirteen books comprising ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ makes its way onto Netflix, the last being the 2004 film starring Jim Carrey. I haven’t read any of the books, or seen the movie. However my daughter has, and she loves them (the books, not so much the movie). So, we sat down together to watch season 1, which covers the first four books in the series, with two episodes devoted to each book.
The unfortunate events all involve three children – Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, whose parents are killed in a fire at the beginning of the story. They inherit a vast fortune, which will not come into their possession until Violet comes of age, and are placed in the care of Count Olaf, supposedly their only living relative. Olaf is only concerned with getting his hands on the Baudelaire fortune though and the story covers his hilarious attempts to do so, quite often involving ridiculous disguises and usually involving further unfortunate unpleasantness for the children. The children initially escape Olaf, moving between a succession of guardians and locations for each book, only for him to catch up with them once more.
Quite simply, the show is excellent. I have to admit that the first episode took me a little while to settle into but from the opening credits, urging you to ‘look away’, through to the big budget Burtonesque sets and vibrant colours, the attention to detail is simply incredible. Partick Warburton is Lemony Snickett, our narrator, wryly and brilliantly interjecting at various points to explain details and guide us through the story. Neil Patrick Harris is Count Olaf, in full on pantomime villain mode, and I absolutely loved the humour he brought to every single scene he’s in, whether he’s as himself or disguised as a scientist/sailor/woman! My only gripe is that he’s never quite villainous or evil enough, more along the lines of a harmless Dick Dastardly as each desperately elaborate scheme is so easily foiled. He’s aided along the way by a group of oddball goons, who are all part of his theatre group – more creepy than scary – but it doesn’t detract from the shows overall enjoyment, and I guess this is a family show after all! There are also a few good cameos along the way – Don Johnson as owner of the Miserable Mill, and Rhys Darby as his downtrodden partner, for example. All of the supporting cast are all brilliant, however the main stars of the show are the children. Superb young actors, right down to little baby Sunny who cutely talks in baby speak (subtitled for us to understand!), gnawing her way through anything she can get her hands on and surviving all manner of unfortunate events the children find themselves in.
Things get a little formulaic after a while – the children settle in with a new guardian, Count Olaf appears in a new guise and with a new plot, the children foil his plan and move on again. However, things change slightly for the final few episodes and throughout the season we gradually discover a deep background of secrets and conspiracies, which I’m sure will help keep the story moving for the remainder of the seasons to come. And there are a few twists and turns along the way too. Overall I was hugely impressed with the show, as was my daughter. It appears to be a very faithful adaptation of what is a hugely popular series of books, and I’m very much looking forward to what’s to come next.
The unfortunate events all involve three children – Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, whose parents are killed in a fire at the beginning of the story. They inherit a vast fortune, which will not come into their possession until Violet comes of age, and are placed in the care of Count Olaf, supposedly their only living relative. Olaf is only concerned with getting his hands on the Baudelaire fortune though and the story covers his hilarious attempts to do so, quite often involving ridiculous disguises and usually involving further unfortunate unpleasantness for the children. The children initially escape Olaf, moving between a succession of guardians and locations for each book, only for him to catch up with them once more.
Quite simply, the show is excellent. I have to admit that the first episode took me a little while to settle into but from the opening credits, urging you to ‘look away’, through to the big budget Burtonesque sets and vibrant colours, the attention to detail is simply incredible. Partick Warburton is Lemony Snickett, our narrator, wryly and brilliantly interjecting at various points to explain details and guide us through the story. Neil Patrick Harris is Count Olaf, in full on pantomime villain mode, and I absolutely loved the humour he brought to every single scene he’s in, whether he’s as himself or disguised as a scientist/sailor/woman! My only gripe is that he’s never quite villainous or evil enough, more along the lines of a harmless Dick Dastardly as each desperately elaborate scheme is so easily foiled. He’s aided along the way by a group of oddball goons, who are all part of his theatre group – more creepy than scary – but it doesn’t detract from the shows overall enjoyment, and I guess this is a family show after all! There are also a few good cameos along the way – Don Johnson as owner of the Miserable Mill, and Rhys Darby as his downtrodden partner, for example. All of the supporting cast are all brilliant, however the main stars of the show are the children. Superb young actors, right down to little baby Sunny who cutely talks in baby speak (subtitled for us to understand!), gnawing her way through anything she can get her hands on and surviving all manner of unfortunate events the children find themselves in.
Things get a little formulaic after a while – the children settle in with a new guardian, Count Olaf appears in a new guise and with a new plot, the children foil his plan and move on again. However, things change slightly for the final few episodes and throughout the season we gradually discover a deep background of secrets and conspiracies, which I’m sure will help keep the story moving for the remainder of the seasons to come. And there are a few twists and turns along the way too. Overall I was hugely impressed with the show, as was my daughter. It appears to be a very faithful adaptation of what is a hugely popular series of books, and I’m very much looking forward to what’s to come next.