Summer Fit

Summer Fit by Kelly Terrill and Sarria James

(Summary taken from the back book cover) "Keeping brains thinking and bodies active during school breaks is entertaining and engaging with Summer Fit workbooks and online games and activities. Created by educators, fitness trainers, and parents, Summer Fit activities focus on key areas of child development, including academics, physical fitness, and core values. Right now it might feel like a million years away, but the first day of the new school year will be soon upon us. With Summer Fit, your child will take a seat better prepared to handle the mental, physical and social challenges of the new school year."

I LOVE this product!!! I reviewed the K-1 workbook last year and then I ordered a 2-3 for another child and a 3-4 for my oldest child. I had all three children working on them all summer, and I loved it! Before I found Summer Fit I would spend hours on the internet finding worksheets and other printables to print off for my kids to work on, and with this, they just open it up and go. The workbook pages are not terribly difficult. It most likely won't be teaching anything new, but it is good to just keep the brains working and thinking all summer. I also really like the physical fitness aspect of the books. Each day the child does a brain page and then does a physical activity to keep his or her body active as well. It doesn't take long and then they are on their way to play. That's good because it is not overwhelming and the kids don't whine because they have to spend forever doing homework. And then at the end of the week there is a value. I like being able to talk about the values with my kids, and after that then you can give the kids their prize or do the activity of the week.

As a teacher (I taught 1st grade before I had my oldest child) I love this product, and now it is mom approved as well! I've even hooked my friends! Two of my friends have already ordered the books for their kids this summer. If there is something you know your child really needs to work on then you may need to supplement, but if not, you are good to go with just one book!

I don't usually do this, but if you are on Facebook then you can find the Summer Fit Facebook page at this link:  http://www.facebook.com/summerfitlearning and if you like YouTube, you may see the YouTube video at this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPVEu8USOaA .

Rating: Clean, excellent, and highly recommended!

Recommendation: Just pick the correct age group and you are ready to go!

Disclosure: I did receive this workbook free in exchange for an honest review. No need to worry, I bought two more already for my other kids. Love it!

Beneath the Dune

Beneath the Dune by Walter Ramsay

(Summary taken from the back book cover) "Tucker Lee Anderson's boss needs him to check out a story over on the beachside. Not earth-shattering, it's more of a follow up to the Ed Ventara case, he says. When Anderson, a staff reporter for a local Southern newspaper hears this, a red light goes off in his head. But wait, wasn't Ventara the serial killer convicted of killing five children, even though they only found four bodies a few years back? Following the discovery of a child's skeleton, what at first appears to be a straightforward case of suspected murder is anything but, when Anderson finds himself not only investigating the case, but also dabbling in ancestral research. This laid-back divorced dad's ordinary life soon takes a turn when in the process, he soon discovers family ties that bind him to both the present and the past-but what does this have to do with the child? Set in the Central Florida community of Brevard County, Beneath the Dune features an interesting cast of characters, and what Anderson uncovers is bound to shock a few upper class residents to the core. Steeped in suspense and blended with humor, the book has all the ingredients necessary for the making of mystery that is sure to hold you in its grip to the very end."

AAAhhhhhhh! I have been stressing over this review for a long time. What to do, what to do? I will start with the good. I liked the storyline of this book. I thought it was really interesting and wanted to see what happened in the end. I liked how there was a present and a past story, and really wanted to know how they fit together. I wanted to know more about the past....Osci, a Native American man running away from someone, but who, and why? Tucker, the main character, was an interesting guy. He is one of those guys that can't leave his big sports career in the past, which is annoying, but I have known guys like that, so it is realistic. The character development is pretty good, and it flows well.

Okay......now for the honesty and the bad. In all honesty, I did NOT finish this book. (Which doesn't happen very often) I read to page 58 and just couldn't go any further. The language in this book is awful. Tucker's language is terrible. I kept reading hoping that it would get better, but it just didn't. Tucker not only uses profane language when talking to people, but also when he is thinking. I lost track of how many "f" words were in those few 58 pages. There was also a fairly detailed "physical intimacy" scene. I'm really sorry to Mr. Ramsay, I know this is not a truly fair review if I did not finish the book, and that is why I have stressed about what to do. I have asked a lot of people what I should do, and in the end I hoped to be fair on both sides. I know it is not a fair review because I did not finish it, but I also feel the need to let my readers know so they know what to expect when reading this book. I know that language does not bother some people, and for them I say read it, it does draw you into the mystery. For those readers who are bothered by language, I do not recommend it. If you want to know more, amazon.com had a bunch of really good reviews.

Rating: R (This does not follow the movie ratings exactly, it is my way of saying that it is not appropriate for younger readers.) Profanity on pretty much every page and so many "f" words I lost track. There is also a racy "physical intimacy" scene.

Recommendation: College and up.

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tiger's Curse

Tiger's Curse (Book #1) by Colleen Houck

(Summary taken from inside book cover) "The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that's exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spell-binding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever. Tiger's Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more."

Boy, are those last words true. I'm dying! I want the next book and I want it now!!! I loved this book! The cover alone draws you in, right? The beautiful blue eyes just draw you in, and that is how the whole book is. Ren's character, even though a tiger, is so intriguing. I had to keep reading to find out more about him. He is so mysterious, yet he wears his emotions on his sleeve (or fur) so to speak. At first I didn't know how it would work with a tiger as a main character, but Ms. Houck did a really good job of making it seem real. Kelsey's character is a mix between Catniss from Hunger Games and Bella from Twilight, along with some Clary from City of Bones. She's tough and stubborn like Catniss and Clary. She can take care of herself and be strong, but at the same time, she's got a Bella streak that drives me crazy. It's almost opposite of Bella, but she handles it in a similar way. I screamed at Bella and I definitely screamed at Kelsey. Just imagine me reading at night when everyone is asleep and suddenly screaming, "You stupid girl......Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!"  She has been given this great thing (I won't tell you what it is) and all she wants to do is get rid of it. It drove me crazy! But, I had to keep reading to see if she if she figured it all out. And.....well.....I'm not going to give away the ending except to say that you better just get book one and two at the same time. I also really like Mr. Kadam's character. He is also shrouded in mystery, but he adds a lot to the book. I wasn't so sure about him in the beginning. As a mom I had red flags shooting up everywhere warning danger, but.........(I won't ruin it).

This book reads easily and is well written. There are a few typos, but that's all. I like Ms. Houck's style of writing. It flows well and doesn't tell you how to feel, but you feel it. I read it in just a few days, which is kind of unheard of at the moment. I could not put it down. And, I think I dreamt of tigers a few nights. Those eyes. (Thank you illustrator Cliff Nielsen)

And, it's clean! There's no language and no violence. There is a romance in the story and a lot of feelings expressed. There is a lot of kissing, but it doesn't go further than that. There is some relationship tension which makes it a little inappropriate for really young readers. I don't want my ten-year-old reading it, even though it is clean.

Rating: PG-13 Not for content really, because it is clean. There is that sexual tension and you think that it might go further than kissing (it doesn't), but I just think it's more appropriate for a little older reader.

Recommendation: 14-15 and up. You may want to read it (because it's really good) to see whether or not it's appropriate for your child. It may be okay for a really mature 13-year-old. I love it when I can say that this is actually a good Young Adult book!

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my review. This does not sway my opinion as all my reviews are honest.

Dizzy Miss Lizzie

Dizzy Miss Lizzie by R.M. Clark

(Summary taken from the back book cover) "Thirteen-year-old Kasey Madrid finally has the freedom she's always wanted. Instead of putting up with sitters or camps, she can spend the summer home alone in their "new" house. Never mind that the house is a creepy old place built in the nineteenth century. The creep factor skyrockets when Kasey meets a nineteenth-century girl named Lizzie Bellows in the basement. It takes some time for Lizzie to convince Kasey she's not a ghost, though neither girl understands why they can see each other when they live 120 years apart.The difference in their worlds doesn't stop the two from becoming fast friends. Lizzie's life isn't easy though. In her time, her parents died in a fire many believe Lizzie started herself. As the summer passes and Kasey learns more about her own past, she is shocked to discover Lizzie is part of a terrible Madrid family secret. It's up to Kasey to go back to Lizzie's world to unlock the secret and clear Lizzie's name.

I didn't really know what to expect with this book, but it was really fun! It was a fast, easy read, which is good. I enjoyed it! It is well written. I liked the writing style, and thought it flowed well. I liked the characters and thought they were well-developed. I liked how Lizzie and Kasey grew into good friends, and how Kasey tried to learn as much about Lizzie as possible. Even though the premise is impossible, Mr. Clark did a very good job making it seem very plausible. I also loved that it was clean! There was no language, no violence (except a small curse put on someone), and no "physical intimacy." It was great and will be great for some of the younger readers. I don't know if my 10 year-old son will like it, but maybe. Girls his age will for sure enjoy it. I enjoyed it and I'm much older than 10!

Rating: PG  (It's clean!)

Recommendation: 9 years and up. The girls will for sure enjoy it, and possibly the boys that age.

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my review, but that does not change my opinion. All my reviews are honest.

The End of Mor

The End of Mor by Mathew Bridle

(Summary taken from the back book cover) "As the youngest mage ever to pass through the University of Elements, Dekor never expected to be hunted by them. He was warned about the lust of the flame, he believed that he would not succumb, he was wrong. Running for his life, he finds help in unexpected places as he follows the voice of The One. Torn between two masters, he struggles with his inner demons while avoiding the hunters that draw ever closer in a land on the brink of war. The horde in Gnell is growing impatient, seeking to conquer the lands of men. Driven by their new King, the warlock Vargor, the goblins begin to test the mettle of men. Will anyone come to the aid of Mages or will the horde prevail?"

This is a difficult review to write. I'll start with the good. In the end, the overall story is ok, and I did find myself somewhat interested. I liked some of the characters. Mr. Bridle definitely has a good imagination. However, finding the storyline is difficult because of all the grammatical errors. There is one error in particular that occurred a lot, and it drove me crazy. I'm sure my grammar is not perfect all of the time, but this was so frustrating. There were also spelling mistakes. Also, there were a lot of characters and I never figured them all out. There are a lot of made up words and I didn't find explanations for what they were. The reader is left to guess (for example, mana, I'm guessing, is magic), and sometimes that is ok, but there were enough that sometimes I felt like I was reading a different language. There is a glossary at the end, but it didn't contain all the words I questioned. Also, I wasn't sure who to cheer for. Were the mages the good guys or were the attackers the good guys? Why would I want to cheer for Dekor when he turned evil and raped a young girl? And why would I want to cheer for the mages when they worship the Divines, who are false gods?

In the end, I was very disappointed. There was language, a rape of a young girl, war violence, and many deaths, some gruesome. I would not recommend this book, unfortunately.

Rating: R (This rating does not follow the movie ratings, it is my way of saying it is not appropriate for younger readers.) Language, the rape of a young girl, war violence, and deaths.

Recommendation: I don't recommend it, but I would say 17 or 18 and up.

Disclosure: I did receive a free book in exchange for my review. However, this does not change my opinion of this book, all my reviews are honest.

Paper Children

Paper Children by Marcia Fine

(Summary taken from the back book cover) "Driven by cataclysmic world events, the story encompasses the lives of three generations of women. In Book One, Paulina, the privileged daughter of aristocratic parents, reluctantly follows her driven businessman husband to America in 1929. From a vantage point in New York she endures a difficult marriage and slowly becomes aware of the destruction of her large extended family in Poland as the Nazis tighten their grip on Europe. Book Two begins in 1940 following Paulina's daughter Sarah, as she pursues a career in photography. Sent on assignment to the Displaced Persons camps in Europe, Sarah is shaken loose from her faith and pursues a hedonistic path. The Third book deals with Mimi, Sarah's daughter. A solitary young woman, she becomes curious about the family's past. She explores the Holocaust and searches for her roots. In a confrontational scene Paulina hands over her family's pre-war correspondence that she calls her "Paper Children."

I really like the concept of this book. I like that it follows three generations of women in a family, and shows how they lived, and the national and world events that happened during their lives. I like that you can see how choices made by these women affected not only them, but how they affected their children and grandchildren as well. It helps me to see that there is importance in this motherhood thing.

I really liked the first book in the story. I found it fascinating to learn how a privileged family lived in Poland at the beginning of the 20th century. I had no idea. I enjoyed learning about Paulina and her family. Even though I didn't love her husband in the story, I did like that he was so driven and no matter what happened he picked himself up and moved on. The story was depressing a lot of the time, but I liked it. Times were tough, and so it seemed ok. Paulina was very proper and wanted to do everything a good Jewish girl would do. A lot of the first book dealt with her trying to be proper. And then comes book two. Wow, did book two throw me for a loop! I liked it at first with Sarah going to the Displaced Person camps and seeing the devastation for herself. She picks up smoking (which her mother hates) and loses her faith in God while she is there, right at the beginning. Then within 30 pages Ms. Fine throws in this out of place (completely opposite of book one) sensual love-making scene that completely took me by surprise. It is very detailed. I'll put it that way. Very detailed.

Unfortunately, I think the book goes downhill from there. A lot of the rest of book two is about "physical intimacy" and it was too much for me. There is also a lot of profanity. There are lessons to be learned, but, I think there are better ways to learn them. The story, at that point, just lost a lot of its excitement. I had to push through to the end. Then comes book three and I thought it was completely unrealistic. It starts when Mimi is four years old. I have an almost-four-year-old, and it just didn't fit. For example, Mimi, at four, supposedly says, "The year of mourning after my grandfather's death became a slow dirge of cleaning out closets, consolidating bank accounts, and shuffling papers." My daughter would never say anything even close to that. The vocabulary is much to difficult for that age.  I wish it would have started when she was 12 or older, I think it would have been much more realistic. It does catch up with her age, and she has her own love-making scenes. It takes her through the sixties with their anti-war demonstrations and tie-dye t-shirts. It may just be me, but this time period doesn't interest me as much as the earlier times do, and so I just wasn't interested at this point. And it was still depressing. I felt more depressed and let down at the end than I did during the war times.

In other words, I didn't love this book. It was ok. I couldn't recommend it to any of my friends because of the "physical intimacy" and language. There is also violence, including domestic violence and WWII camp devastation. However, if those things don't bother you and you enjoy reading about people and their histories, then you may enjoy this book.

Rating: R (Remember, this does not follow the movie ratings exactly, it's just my way of saying it is NOT for younger readers.) There is a lot of "physical intimacy," language, violence (including domestic violence), smoking, and war-time devastation.

Recommendation: Married and up. Definitely.

Disclaimer: I did receive a free copy of this book for my review. This did not sway my review in any way. All  my reviews are honest.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

(Summary taken from the inside book jacket) "Her name is Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they'd weigh more than 50 million metric tons--as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb's effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave. Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the "colored" ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells, from Henrietta's small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia--a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo--to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells. Henrietta's family did not learn of her "immortality" until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family--past and present--is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of. Over the decade it took to uncover the story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family--especially Henrietta's daughter Deborah, who was devastated to learn about her mother's cells. Deborah was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Had they killed her to harvest her cells? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn't her children afford health insurance?"

This book had me at the intro.! The introduction alone just fascinates me. To know that one person's cells weigh that much, and that her family didn't even know is incredible. It definitely has the feeling of a fictional movie. I couldn't put it down, and it's nonfiction! This is the best nonfiction book I have read in a long time! Ms. Skloot's writing style is easy to read and understand, even when she is discussing very technical and confusing topics. It reads as a fascinating story, with a hint of technicality to it. The book is very informative and yet is also very emotional. I cried and cried, and then I'd laugh, and then I'd feel angry, frustrated, relieved, embarrassed for our past, and everything in between. It is hard to believe that the story could have taken place sixty years ago, because it seems more like something that would happen 160 years ago. To know that sixty years ago African American people were being mistreated like this is horrible. Unfortunately, it seems like all the issues regarding tissue study and culture still haven't been resolved. I highly recommend this book, it is (I know I said this before, but it's true) fascinating and intriguing.

There are some parts in this book that are difficult to read, and not appropriate for younger readers. There are some of the heavier curse words and there are some domestic violence stories. Henrietta's life was difficult, and it was also difficult for her children and grandchildren. The stories are true, which makes it harder to read. I've learned that our country's past is not always happy or nice, and in some instances is flat-out terrible. Hopefully with the truth of some of these issues coming to the forefront, we can learn from these mistakes and make sure they do not happen again. I highly recommend this book, because from it we can learn, and the more we learn, the more we can change for the better. Thank you, Ms. Skloot, for bringing this important woman in our history into the light, and for honoring her legacy.

Rating: PG-13+ (Language, domestic violence, harsh circumstances of the characters and their loved ones.)

Recommendation: Senior in high school and up. Maybe even college, but it is definitely worth reading!

A Woman's Place

A Woman's Place by Lynn Austin

(Summary taken from the inside book jacket) "Virginia Mitchell watched her husband carve the Sunday pot roast and wondered if he was having an affair. He showed more interest in the way the meat was cooked than he did in her. But maybe it was better if she didn't know for certain. This way she wouldn't be forced to decide whether to live with the knowledge in silence, forgive him, or leave him. She found it difficult enough to decide what to fix for dinner, let alone wrestle with questions of infidelity and trust....Virginia's insecurity regarding her marriage casts a pall over her future. But with the devastating news of America's entrance into WWII. Ginny feels called to make a difference. As she embarks on this journey, she'll meet three other women--and in the process, change her world.")

I liked this book a lot. I found it so interesting to learn about these four (and later on, a fifth) women and their lives. I liked how their lives intertwined, and how they forged friendships and also how they forged a way for women into the workplace during the WWII era. I liked each of the characters, and felt as if I could walk into their world and fit right in. It did take me awhile to get them straight, and remember who was who, but by the end they felt like my friends. I liked how each of them dealt with her own trials, and yet they all faced many of the same trials together. They helped each other, and came to rely on each other. The men in the book made me furious. I did like Earl. Ginny's husband drove me crazy! And the men workers at the factory were awful. I found it difficult to believe that some of those problems existed in the 1940's. I knew women worked during WWII because I have seen the Rosie the Riveter poster:

but I'd never thought about how that made the men feel, or what those women did once the war was over. I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

The writing style is hard to get used to at the beginning, but becomes easier by the end. It is a little slow in some parts, but it was engaging enough to keep me reading. There are some scenes in the book that are difficult to read because of the way the people were treated. There is some harsh racial violence (beatings, and a terrible "accident") and you learn of characters dying in the war. There is some language. One of the characters has a habit of drinking and getting drunk. There is a little bit of a Christian message in the book because a couple of the characters discuss God and His influence in their lives.

Rating: PG-13+ (Racial beatings, a so-called "accident," characters dying in the war, sparse language, drinking, and Ginny wondering about an affair.)

Recommendation: High School and Up. I took a Women's History class in high school, and this would have been a great read for that class. It is fiction, but it's great to see a different viewpoint of WWII.

Book Blogger Award

Hooray! My blog is entered in the Goodreads Book Blogger Award contest!!!! The winner gets a trip to New York City for the Book Expo America! So, if you're reading my blog and you like what you see, please take a minute to vote for me. There is a link at the top right-hand corner of my blog. Just click on it and you can vote! Thank you so much to all my readers and friends and family!

Mystery of the Puzzle Bones

Mystery of the Puzzle Bones by T.A. Smith

(Summary taken from the back book cover) "Jaydon, Caleb, Ethan, Brandon and Roscoe the dog have a great hideout, but someone is leaving a strange puzzle of bones in the Boardunders Clubhouse. Someone has found them and wants to lead them deeper into the sewers to a place that doesn't want to be found and a people that would do anything to protect their secret. The danger becomes extreme when they are forced to run for their lives. Can they escape, and who can they trust to help?"

**Spoiler Alert!!!! But if you are a parent who has a child that wants to read this book, please read on.**

I was really excited to read this book. I have a ten year-old who reads so much I can't keep up. I am out of ideas for him at the moment, and thought this sounded like a great book for him. I liked it at the beginning. The boys seemed nice, although I would have liked some more development with each character. I never really felt a connection to any of them. Jaydon was the best developed, but I digress. I know my son would love their hideout and was getting excited when they found the puzzle bones. Then it all went downhill. I was so sad. The kids go after the dog (I did like the dog) and find a secret doorway. This leads them down some rickety stairs (I liked it to here.) and into an underground shanty town filled with homeless people and fugitives. And most of these characters are scary and dangerous. They do not want to be found out, so they will kill these children. They find this little girl, who happened to be the one that left the bones, and she takes them to her dad, who isn't too happy to see them. They run for their lives and manage to escape before this scary, dangerous, armed man comes after them. They go home. Then Caleb goes with his dad to the Rescue Mission (Caleb quotes scriptures and almost preaches to the other boys throughout the book, which I was fine with.) and takes Ethan with him. Inside the Rescue Mission they see a poster of the girl they found underground, and she has been kidnapped by her dad, and taken away from her mom. It gets worse. Ethan thinks they should save her, so he hides in a bag of blankets and goes back down into the shanty town to save her.

Okay. I loved the concept of this book. Kids with a secret hideout and finding lots of adventures is fun. I liked the bones mystery, I liked them exploring. But I really think that the content of an underground shanty town filled with fugitives and kidnapped children is too much for this age group. I do not want my ten year-old being scared that there are people living in our sewer system, I do not want him reading about children being kidnapped by their dads and hidden in deplorable conditions underground. This reminds me too much of a very adult book I reveiwed a while back called "The Liquid City" by Curtis Hopfenbeck that had a very similar situation and it was not child-friendly at all. Also, I do not want my child to think that he can solve problems like that on his own. Those children should have gone straight to their parents for help. Instead, they decided to put their lives in danger. Also, because of their actions, the town was cleared out by the time the police got there. The police could have taken in the fugitives and maybe helped some of the people living there if they had gotten there first. I would have loved it if the boys had found an underground fantasy world or aliens living underground, or even a homeless family that they could have helped. Unfortunately, I think this storyline is just too much for the 8-12 age group.

I usually do not read other reviews of books I review, but this time I wanted to see what other people said. I wanted to see if I was being over-sensitive. According to the other reviews, I am. The other reviews I read seemed fine with the content. So I asked around. I asked my husband and a few friends with kids in this age group, and they agreed with me. They, too, thought the storyline was too heavy for children this age. Therefore, it is up to you, as a parent , to decide what is best for your child.

Rating: PG-13 (Underground shanty town with fugitives, kidnapped children, armed men)

Recommendation: 16 years and up. I might even go older. It is up to the parent to decide for each individual child.

I thank Media Guests and T.A. Smith for the opportunity to review this book. I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my review, but that does not sway my review. My reviews are all honest.