Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Friday, December 2, 2011

LEGO Harry Potter Building the Magical World

LEGO Harry Potter Building the Magical World

>>> BlackFriday LEGO Harry Potter Building the Magical World



My husband is a huge Lego fan as well as a huge Harry Potter fan. He's been collecting the Lego Harry Potter sets since they came out in 2001. So when I saw this book I just had to get it for him.



PROS: The book may as well be called "Lego Harry Potter: A History." It details each individual Lego set (or in cases such as the Knight Bus which had two sets details the sets together) up to the beginning of 2011 and provides interesting tidbits about the designs of the sets and the minifigures that came with them. It also highlights some of the more prolific minifigures such as Harry Ron Hermione and Draco. It's really interesting to see how much detail is put into each set and to see how the designs have improved through the years (The original Ginny minifigure pales in comparison to the newest one for example). There's a "Behind the Scenes" section in the back that gives a short overview on the team that creates the Legos and on how the sets are designed and there's a section on the HP Lego Video Game as well. It also includes a timeline of the different Lego HP sets and a visual listing of all the minifigures. And finally the book comes with an exclusive Harry minifigure which appears to be "Yule Ball Harry."



CONS: Because the minifigure is imbedded in the cover of the book the cover itself is about as thick as the pages for the rest of the book so it gives the appearance that the book is twice as long as it actually is. The book also doesn't detail the newest Lego Harry Potter sets that were just released (e.g. the Forbidden Forest the newest Hogwarts Castle set) though it does mention that they're coming out soon at the end of the book and has a large two-page spread that pictures the sets.



OVERALL: This is definitely a great resource for any Harry Potter Lego collector and is well worth the $14 we paid for it.

[Compare Product Price!!!]


[Customer Reviews!!!]


[Shop Now !!!]

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

LEGO Kids' 9002885 Belville Analog Watch

LEGO Kids' 9002885 Belville Analog Watch

>>> BlackFriday LEGO Kids' 9002885 Belville Analog Watch

Product Features



  • Scratch resistant mineral crystal lens

  • Interchangeable links

  • Create your own style

  • Comes with Bellville chest and treasure

  • Water-resistant to 165 feet (50 M)


Bought this as a gift for relative. She loved it. Beware - when you open the box. A lot of tiny parts come spilling out. Definitely requires a bit of assembly so pre-warn your enthusiastic kids!

[Compare Product Price!!!]


[Customer Reviews!!!]


[Shop Now !!!]

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

>>> BlackFriday Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing



Judy Blume has often shocked the delicate sensibilities of stuffy parents worldwide with her straightforward tell-it-like-it-is young adult books containing sexual situations. When I was a kid though Judy Blume meant only one thing. "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing". One of my favorite books written incredibly well it captured perfectly what it means to be a kid with a little sibling. This book was a revelation. Nowhere else had I encountered an early reader story that wasn't afraid to say that little sibs can be annoying brats. There are roughly five bazillion books out there written specifically to coax older children into befriending their younger siblings. Far fewer are the books that recognize the difficulties these elder kids have to deal with when they're forced to abandon their personal privacy and sanity for the sake of a little brother or sister. The one book that really spoke to me about this (and was really funny as well) was Judy Blume's 1972 creation. And it reads as perfectly today as it did some thirty odd years ago.




There was Peter. And then there was Fudge. Peter Hatcher is nine years old and has the awful job of dealing with almost-three-year-old Fudgie at all times. Fudge is what a polite person might call a lively child. To Peter however Fudge is a holy terror. If he's not sticking green food stamps to full suitcases or refusing to eat until Peter stands on his head he's leaping from large rocks (to fly) and throwing tantrums in shoe stores. Peter is understandably jealous of the amount of attention Fudge attracts but at least he has his pet turtle Dribble to comfort him. Each chapter in this book is a small story about the daily interactions and adventures of the Hatcher boys. The final tale (the most important day of Peter's life according to him) is probably one of the most memorable episodes in children's literature to date.




What Blume does right with this book is put everything entirely within the first person perspective of Peter himself. His tone of voice is pitch perfect. You empathize with him completely. When Fudge goes into his older brother's room and destroys his poster for school you're just as inclined to see him punished as Peter is. And when Peter must deal with an awful loss at the book's end you know just how he feels. Somehow Blume has taken that prickly mind of the fourth grade boy and made it completely understandable to the rest of the world. This is no small feat.




There are some small dated elements to the book. Mrs. Hatcher is suffice to say your stereotypical frantic mama. You begin to wish that she would grow a backbone once in a while instead of sobbing "my baby" whenever Fudge misbehaves in a dangerous way. As for Fudge he's great in that he's awful. The worst possible three-year-old to be trapped in a family with. If there's a way to screw something up he'll manage it. The age difference between a nine-year-old and a three-year-old is immense. Blume bridges that gap adeptly.




I state here and now as loudly as my little lungs can carry sound (or my little fingers can type a review) that this is one of the best children's books in American literature. It has everything you could possibly want. Humor adventure a hero with many troubles and a happy ending. For kids that have a Fudge of their own Peter's problems will speak to them instantly. For kids that ARE Fudge the book will strike them as an amusing romp through a world that is both familiar and unfamiliar. A must read for any kid you know.

[Compare Product Price!!!]


[Customer Reviews!!!]


[Shop Now !!!]