Website: Club Penguin

Club Penguin is an online game site targeted for children between the ages of 6 and 15 years old. It appears that the site puts a lot of effort into making sure that it’s a safe environment for kids to play in. There are a number of features that improve safety for children, including an Ultimate Safe Chat. This software filters out personal information, and foul language. There are also moderators that police and make sure that the site maintains a safe presence. There has been some criticism that the game encourages consumerism and also some players will cheat.  But overall, it is an attractive and safe site for children. 

Club Penguin is based in a virtual world where there are a number of different things to do including playing online games. The avatars are penguins that waddle around the site, talk to other users, play games, and do various other activities. Club Penguin was officially released in 2005, and was sold to Disney for $350 million in 2007.

Chains (2008)

Anderson, L. H. ISBN-13: 978-1416905868

In 1776 Isabel is a 13-year-old African American girl who has lived with her 5-year-old sister Ruth on a small farm in Rhode Island until the elderly woman who owns them dies. The woman’s nephew sells them to a wealthy New York merchant. Life in a mansion in New York city is much more restricted than what Isabel and Ruth had known on the farm, especially because the merchant’s wife has a mean streak. The beginning of the American War of Independence complicates matters as the merchant, who is loyal to the British, conspires with other loyalists to oppose Washington’s military occupation of New York. Isabel’s only friend is Curzon, a young African American boy enslaved by a patriot leader. Curzon convinces Isabel to spy on the merchant, promising in return that the patriots will help her and Ruth return to Rhode Island. Isabel doesn’t want to get involved, but her despair and her resistance to enslavement grow when Madam sells Ruth to an unknown party. When Isabel confronts Madam, Madam attacks her, and Isabel ends up in jail, tried in court, and branded on her check with an “I” for “insolence.” Life gets increasingly difficult as the British re-take New York from the patriot army and Curzon ends up as a prisoner of war.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (The Movie)

Weitz, C.  (2009). The Twilight Saga: New Moon.  Summit Entertainment. (Based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer.)

Bella is a senior in high school. She’s in love with a fellow student named Edward, but he’s a bit older than her, like 100 years or so. He looks pretty good still, a little pale, but otherwise you wouldn’t think he’s a day over 25. He’s a vampire. But it’s okay because his family has sworn off humans.

Bella wants Edward to make her a vampire, but that makes him uncomfortable, so he and his whole family leave town. Bella is devastated, and begins to behave recklessly.  Every time she does something daring, Edward shows up, kind of ghostlike, to tell her to straighten up. So she buys some old motorcycles and asks this guy Jake, a student at another school, to fix them up for her so she can be reckless on a regular basis.

Before you know it, Bella’s in love with Jake. That’s cool, until Jake starts hanging out with the wrong crowd and ends up a werewolf. That makes it hard for Jake to trust his intimacy. If he loses control and Bella is around he might hurt her. Plus, it turns out Jake’s werewolf crowd and Edward’s vampire family are sworn enemies. Decisions, decisions...

The Movie: Hop (2011)

Directed by Tim Hill
Starring Russell Brand, James Marsden, Kaley Cuoco

E.B., the Easter Bunny's teenage son, is next in line to take over his father's annual run of delivering eggs to children all over the world on Easter morning.  E.B. has no interest in taking over for his father and decides to run away from their home on Easter Island.  He's headed to Hollywood because he's determined to become a drummer in a rock 'n' roll band. In Los Angeles, he's taken in by Fred, who is out-of-work slacker, that accidentally hits E.B. with his car.

The Movie: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Directed by Tim Burton
Starring Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly

Here we have an excitingly attractive version of the novel and the original 1971 movie, stacked with beautiful imagery, wacky humor and bizarre characters, but at the same time faithful enough to the spirit of the novel. Roald Dahl's story unfolds deeply with insightful performances by the entire cast. Johnny Depp gives us a strange, almost creepy Willy Wonka, Freddie Highmore is a perfect Charlie, the Grandparents are lovable and wacky, and the five other children and their parents are amusingly irritating. It's accompanied by an interesting soundtrack.  A great movie to see with your parents, children, grandparents, and friends.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2001)

By Roald Dahl.  Illustrated by Quentin Blake.

ISBN-13: 978-0-375-81526-3

Charlie Bucket lives with his family, Grandpa

Joe and Grandma Josephine, Grandpa

George and Grandma Georgina and his

mother and father. They live in a little house

and are very poor. His grandparents are

elderly and stay in bed all day long.  Charlie's

father works hard in a toothpaste factory 

but no matter how hard he works he never

makes enough money to feed his family. 

They live on cabbage and cabbage soup, and

Charlie is always hungry.

                 

Charlie loves chocolate and gets one  

chocolate bar for his birthday every year. The

great Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory is close

to where Charlie lives. Mr. Wonka shut

himself off from the public years before

because his workers were selling his new

ideas to rival companies. He makes an

announcement that he is opening his factory 

to the five lucky people who find a golden 

ticket in his chocolate bars.  Charlie, our hero,

is the last remaining child and wins the

prize. 

This story is a vividly told wild ride with 
amusing, cartoon-like sketches that will keep kids excited and laughing. Various forms of bad behavior are demonstrated -- but the punishments perfectly fit the crimes. The main character also lives a life of poverty that's portrayed as bleak and depressing, although the love between him and his family makes their day-to-day struggles more bearable. Dahl appeals to the strong sense of natural justice in children, and invites them to revel in a marvelously imagined world where people, both good and bad, get exactly what they deserve.

Paper Crafts for Valentine's Day (2008)

By Randel McGee

ISBN-13:  978-0-7660-2948-4.

Author and master storyteller Randel McGee has created a clever arts and crafts book that infuses relevant historical background around the theme of Valentine's Day.  Projects range in difficulty from simple to several that require many steps and for experienced crafters.  They include creating your own cupid figure, heart sculpture, pop-up card, heart crown, and even a Danish woven heart basket.  There are eight projects in all, complete with instructions, a materials list, and a short description of how the craft can be used in your celebration. 

Photographs are provided of what the product should look like at each stage of the project including what the final product should be.  The instructions are easy to follow for a young tween audience as they begin to learn to read for information and are required to follow a set of instructions.  There is also a table of contents, an index, a list of book and website resources, and a description and photos of the author that complete the additional sections of the book.

The Valentine Cat (2008)

    

By Ann Whitehead Nagda 
Illustrated by Stephanie Roth
ISBN-13: 978-0-8234-2123-7

Jenny is a fourth grader who has to give away her cat, Munchkin, because her brother has asthma and cannot be around cats. A couple of her friends offer to take him, but Munchkin is too much for them. Jenny's teacher kindly offers to have Munchkin stay at the school for a few weeks, but he keeps getting into mischief in his new home. During the class' pet party on Valentine's Day, Munchkin refuses to cooperate!  As a part of a writing assignment, Jenny writes an editorial for the classroom newspaper trying to convince the principal into letting Munchkin live at the school permanently.

     This early chapter book is humorous and has a simple yet fun and detailed story line that will encourage reluctant readers to continue on to the next event in the story and will appeal to a young tween audience.  The amusing black and white cartoon illustrations appeal to independent readers by helping to set the tone and provide a clear image for the reader to understand the personalities of the characters. The teacher, Mrs. Steele, is portrayed favorably as her lessons are developed around her students' needs and interests.  She teaches a lesson about newspaper work, and the class writes editorial and news stories mainly about pets. Reading about their writing techniques should be relative to readers of this book, and provides a connection to real life experiences. The caring school librarian allows Jenny to place a Valentine box in the library for Munchkin, and he receives many sweet valentine messages. The surprise comes near the end when Munchkin catches some mice at the school! The principal and teachers decide to allow Munchkin to stay, and everyone values him as a school asset.

Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything (2006)

By Lenore Look.  Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
ISBN-13:  978-0-689-86460-5 

When last we saw Ruby Lu,

she had just met her new best

friend and cousin, Flying Duck,

at the airport. Flying Duck and her parents

are staying with Ruby's family and the girl

just couldn't be happier. Sure, her cousin is

still learning the language and she's deaf, but

she's also absolutely the coolest kid in school.

This year, however, may turn out to be a

difficult one of our heroine. Between getting

into fights with former best friend Emma,

hiding some very important letters from her

teacher, getting into trouble at school, and a

myriad of other adventures, Ruby Lu's got a

lot on her plate. Fortunately, there's a whole

summer ahead of her and she's going to

tackle each and every problem with her usual

flair, no matter what.


The illustrations are funny, engaging and

amusing, plus the protagonist is someone

that many kids can relate to, make this an

attractive choice for younger tween readers.

Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus (2009)

  By Kristen Tracy
ISBN-13: 9780385736879

Here we have a laugh-out-loud funny book about the "unfair" life of Camille McPhee. Camille is somewhat of a misfit, from falling under the bus, to her parents splitting up, to her best friend moving to Japan, to having diabetes and having to carry around a cooler full of food where ever she goes. Camille is a lovable yet somewhat pitiable character.  The story speaks to everyone who has been accident prone, or a misfit, or just has days or years filled with things going wrong, but throughout the story Camille perseveres and doesn't give up.

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down (2010)

By Andrea Davis Pinkney. 
ISBN-13:  978-0316070164

On the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, an important organization in the Civil Rights Movement, Andrea Davis Pinkney has published a story that teaches us about the 1960 Greensboro, North Carolina, lunch counter sit-ins that led to the organization’s founding.  Pinkney’s text captures the persistence of the students who initiated the sit-in by repeating their simple request to the waitress: “A doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side.” Pinkney uses recipe metaphors to define the key terms “segregation” and “integration” (“Combine black with white to make sweet justice.”) and clearly establishes the theme of non-violence by integrating quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King into the narrative (“Be loving enough to absorb evil.”)    

Child of the Civil Rights Movement (2010)

By Paula Young Shelton 

Illustrated by Raul Colon

ISBN-13:  978-0375843143

Paula Young Shelton’s Child of the Civil Rights Movement relates her childhood memories of the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, when, as the daughter of civil rights leader Andrew Young, she was, literally, a child of the movement. Her first-person narrative, her focus on her family, and the soft illustrations help this history lesson sneak into children’s minds as if Paula were just another friend telling them about her life.

Before describing the Selma march, Shelton tells us about her immediate family (her parents and older sisters) and her extended family, which included Auntie Coretta and  Uncle Martin as well as other famous leaders of the movement whom young Paula knew from family dinners and church services. She also describes her first protest, a spontaneous crying fit when her family was turned away from a restaurant in a new Holiday Inn in Atlanta. Even when talking about the Selma march, Paula’s story sounds like an exciting family outing rather than an event out of history. She focuses on the joyous first day of the march out of Selma — her parents took her to her grandmother’s nearby home while they completed the march — rather than on the difficulties that the adults encountered along the way.

Redwall (1986)

     By Brian Jacques

ISBN-13:  978-0-399-24794-1

This book is the first volume in a long series of books that centers around the adventures of a young mouse named Matthias. Cluny the Scourge, a rat warlord wants to conquer the immense Redwall Abbey, which is Matthias‘ home. Matthias has gone in search of a legendary sword and hopes to use the weapon to defeat Cluny's infamous army and save Redwall.

Ella Enchanted (1997)

By Gail Carson Levine ISBN-13: 978-0-06-027510-5

When Eleanor of Frell was born, she was given an unfortunate gift of obedience: She must obey any order given her. Ella has a tough time with the princes, giants, stepsisters, and fairy godmothers while her father is gone on a trip. She is determined to break this curse that is ruining her life. When she denies her love for Prince Charmant, everything changes.

Too Old for This, Too Young for That (2010)

By Harriet Mosatche and  Karen Unger    


ISBN-13:  978-1575423524

This is a great book for children who are

dealing with middle-school issues. It is full of

suggestions for dealing with getting older,

and offers practical advice to help kids feel

better, even in the face of braces, glasses, and

peer pressure.  Also provides great advice on

conflict resolution, on-line safety, and even

how to succeed with homework and class

projects. 

 

Website: KidsHealth.org

A resourceful website that is really three

sites in one, with sections for parents, for kids,

and for teens.  KidsHealth is more than just

the facts about health, it also provides families

with ideas, advice, and comfort about a wide

range of physical, emotional, and behavioral

issues that affect children and teens.

Kinect Adventures

XBOX 360 Kinect Adventures (2010)
Finally a gaming product where there is no longer a need for expensive controllers, batteries, and chargers.  With the Kinect sensor bar, your whole body serves as the controller via the attached camera. Your heart will get pumping as you jump up and down, flail your arms, kick and scream, and perform all kinds of unimaginable body contortions, all while having your silly expressions captured on camera so that you can replay them and die laughing.  There are 20 wonderful adventures set in exotic locations. You can play alone or work with a partner to navigate through roaring rapids, play dodge ball, challenge obstacle courses or save a leaky underwater laboratory.  So much fun and a great way to get some exercise!