Thursday, April 12, 2012

The Friday 56 - Princess Alessa and the Frog War



 Had it all been just a dream? If the Frog had been forbidden to predict the future of the royal family, he had to obey. The King could have had him hanged otherwise. Alessa was more and more convinced that her conversation with the Talking Frog had only taken place inside her head. 

page 56, Princess Alessa and the Frog War by A.L. Albino

DVD Review - The Best of Archie's Weird Mysteries



I recently won a giveaway that including several cartoon DVDS and as soon as I ripped open the box I saw the cool cover of The Best of Archie's Weird Mysteries, which is a homage to the 50's and 60's B-movie posters. I recall watching the Archie Show when I was kid, but I was unaware of this incarnation. After doing an online search, I learned that the series lasted only one season, 1999-2000, with 40 episodes.

In this release from Cookie Jar Entertainment consists of ten episodes: 

  1. Attack of the Killer Spuds
  2. Me! Me! Me!
  3. Driven to Distraction
  4. Attack of the 50-foot Veronica
  5. Invisible Archie
  6. The Haunting of Riverdale
  7. Cure of the Mummy
  8. Fleas Release Me
  9. Mega-Mall of Horrors
  10. The Jughead Incident

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Review - The Kids of Dandelion Township


The Kids of Dandelion Township
BY: Nicole Borgenicht
ILLUSTRATED BY: Lisa M. Griffin
PUBLISHED BY: CreateSpace
ISBN:
978-1466466401
RELEASED: 2012
Pages: 52


In the small Dandelion Township, children become friends with everyone, no matter what their religion/culture or ethic background is. The town is like no other, there is a magical forest and a strange zoo run by ex-circus trainers, where the animals are also magical. In this tale, we the readers are introduced to a group of kids, Mary, Tammy, Sherri, Sandy, Carlos, Dylan, and Tyler as they explore the amazing wonders and hidden magic of the Dandelion Township.

    I would have loved to live in Dandelion Township and explore the hidden corners of the mysterious woods. I wish that reality would be likes this with kids becoming friends with everyone, despite their flaws, color of skin, and backgrounds. The author has done a marvelously job writing a fun story that children would want to read, and at the same time giving them a wonderful understanding of what friendship really is. I recommend the book to all readers of all ages.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Review - Star Trek: Legion of Super-heroes



 
Publisher: IDW Publishing (2011)
ASIN: B005WL815I
Writer: Chris Roberson
Pencils: Jeffery Moy
Inker: Philip Moy
Colors: Romulo Fajardo, JR.
Letters: Robbie Robbins
Editor: Chris Ryall


    A group of super-heroes, consisting of Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Chameleon Boy, Brainiac 5, and Lightning Lad, are traveling back to Earth in a time bubble, but are suddenly caught in a vortex that takes them out of their time. Meanwhile, the crew of the Enterprise is returning to Earth because Captain Kirk is giving a commencement speech at the Starfleet Academy graduation. Captain Kirk, Commander Spock, Lt. Urha, Ensign Chekov, Lt. Commander McCoy, and Lt. Sulu beam down to Earth for their shore leave, but they are in for quite a surprise. This isn’t their Earth. They’re in alternate reality where Earth is controlled by the Imperial Planets. The Imperial army automatically realize that there are intruders on Earth and begin to attack. The crew of the Enterprise and the super-heroes must defend themselves against the army.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Review - The Captive Heart





The Captive Heart
BY: Dale Cramer
PUBLISHED BY: Bethany House
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0839-3
RELEASED: 2012

Pages: 352




 In their second year in Mexico, the Bender family has been through tough times, ravaged disease, and ruthless bandits. The Bender’s daughter, Miriam, is falling in love with a local native, Domingo, who is naturally a gentle person, until someone he loves is in jeopardy. He cares for Miriam and likes to calls her Culnezqui, which is the Nahuatl word for Beautiful one. Miriam is confused as she doesn’t know if they relationship is romantic or are they just friends.

    The Captive Heart got piled under a few other books, before I grabbed it the other night. This is my first read with author Dale Cramer, and my first read of an Amish book by a male author. What makes this novel spark is that it is based on actually events, and is set in Mexico, instead of Ohio or Kansas. The characters are well written and plot is top notched. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Captive Heart, and I recommend it to all readers.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Review - Brush of Angel's Wings

 
Brush of Angel’s Wings
BY: Ruth Reid
PUBLISHED BY: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 978-1-59554-789-7
RELEASED: 2012

PAGES: 358


  
In this second installment in the Heaven and Earth series, we are introduced to two new characters, Rachel Hartzler and Jordan Engles. Rachel is not your typical Amish girl. While all of her friends are becoming wives and mothers, Rachel would rather be in the field helping her father, a role she took over after her brother died. Rachel is horrible cook, and she can’t thread a needle. At the same time, Jordan Engles has returned to his Amish life, after his mother’s death. His mother had been shunned years before, and Jordan had promised to return to her roots. Rachel’s father hires Jordan to help on the farm so Rachel can learn housework. Naturally, sparks fly between Rachel and Jordan.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

DVD Review - The Littles: The Complete Collection

I have very fond memories of The Littles television show based on John Peterson’s beloved children books, and I was excited to watch the complete collection from Mill Creek Entertainment. All 29 episodes are on three DVDs. Honestly, I thought the series had more episodes. The show first aired in 1983 and lasted for three short seasons. In 1985, the Littles hit the big screen (but only showed in matinees) in the prequel Here Come the Littles. In 1986, they returned for the final outing in the made-for-television movie Liberty & the Littles.


The Littles are only a few inches tall and have a mouse like ears and a tails. The main Littles were Tom and Lucy (brother and sister), their cousin Dinky, and Grandpa Little. Occasionally their parents appeared in a few episodes. They all live in the Bigg house, where a young boy, Henry Bigg, is the only one that knows of the existence.

Of course, every cartoon needs a villain, and in the Littles, it is a crazy doctor who wants to prove that the Littles are real. With the help of Henry, the Littles always managed to out wit the mad doctor.