Review: The Muppets (2011)

by Carol11 Comments
I adore the Muppets, so of course, on November 23, my family and I headed out to the theater to see the new movie. We were first in line when they started seating folks, because yes, I'm that much of a geek, all ready with our popcorn and coke. And I loved it!! Gary lives in a small town with his brother, Walter, a puppet who dreams of being one of the Muppets he's seen on TV. Gary decides to treat His girlfriend, Mary, with a trip to LA. Walter of course has to tag along, since that's where the Muppet studio is. When they arrive at studio it's more or less falling down, and a creepy, evil millionaire, Tex Richman, is planning to tear the theater down to drill for oil. I don't quite understand the whole contract bit, but the Muppets have to raise $10 million to buy back the theater, and they only have a few days to...
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Review: Torn to Pieces by Margot McDonnell

by Carol13 Comments
Torn to Pieces by Margot McDonnell is one of those books that hooked me and kept me reading, but that I probably won't remember in six months. Anne  is used to her mom being on long business trips,  but when her mom is days late coming home and Anne can't track her down, she lets her grandparents know she is worried. They give her a letter from her mother, written before she left, and as Anne reads it, her whole world is torn apart. No one is who they claim to be and now her life may be in danger. And that's on top of the regular teenage girl concerns, like boys. This is a YA thriller and the plot just keeps going. Anne, strong, independent, mostly level-headed, just never gets to stop and take a breath. Everything she knows to be true turns out to be a lie and she's got two sets of bad guys after her, but at least...
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Review: Alphabeasts by Wallace Edwards

by Carol13 Comments
Who would have thought I'd love an A is for Alligator book? Alphabeasts by Wallace Edwards is simply gorgeous, magical; I could get lost in the illustrations. Edwards takes on a tour of an ornate Victorian mansion, introducing us to all the menagerie that lives there, from the alligator awaking from a dream to the zebra soaking in the bath tub. Along the way, we meet some out of the ordinary animals, like the ibis, a mandrill, a quetzal, even a narwhal. Each of the animals stars in a richly-colored scene filled with tiny details, a portrait that makes me at least wonder what the rest of the story is. Take for example the alligator from the cover. What was he dreaming of, why is he propped in the armchair like that? And I love the cat who stares into the mirror and sees the reflection of a tiger. I wish I had a picture of the octopus changing the light in...
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Saturday 9: Turn Back the Hands of Time

by Carol7 Comments
I'm doing the Saturday: 9 again this week. Every Saturday, 9 questions are posted. Sometimes the post has a theme, and at other times the questions are totally unrelated. Saturday 9: Turn Back the Hands of Time 1. There's a Time Genie. She can put you back in time to relive a day that you loved. If you could turn back the hands of time, what day would you relive if given this opportunity? I think I would pick my wedding day. It's was a wonderful day, and I'd love go back and enjoy it all again. 2. What did you do yesterday? Let's see. Yesterday was Black Friday, and yes I went shopping, but not until afternoon. Got a couple of birthday presents exchanges and bought a couple of things for my husband for Christmas. Then a couple of friends came over to watch hockey and play boardgames. 3. You've been given 3 parachutes, but there are 4 people who need them. Who will you not...
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Thursday’s Tale: How Indian Corn Came into the World

by Carol7 Comments
Happy Thanksgiving! Today, I'm thankful for family and friends. And for the wonderful dinner my mother-in-law will prepare this afternoon. (I'm hoping for sweet potatoes and applesauce.) Looking for an appropriate tale to share today, I came across this Ojibwa legend, "How Indian Corn Came into the World." Wunzh, the eldest son of a kind, poor Indian, is the age when boys in his tribe fasts so he can see a vision of  his Spirit Guide. Wunzh is a good boy and wishes, more than anything, that he could do something great for the people of his tribe. Wunzh withdraws to a small lodge apart from the village and begins his fast. On the first day, he walks though the forests and meadows, filling his mind with the flowers, trees, all the growing things in hopes that he will dream of them in the night. "Truly,'' thought he, `"the Great Spirit made all things. To Him we owe our lives. But could He not...
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