Wizards of Waverly Place

Title: Wizards of Waverly Place

Author: Disney Channel

Format: TV show

Summary: The Wizards of Waverly Place is a tween show on TV about a family, the Russos, that have three children who are wizards in training. The kids are Alex (Selena Gomez), older brother Justin (Davide Henrie), and younger brother, Max (Jake T. Austin). The kids usually use their magic to help them out in some way when they have a dilemma. Alex is an artist and in the episode I saw, she is asked to paint a mural for the school hall. After revealing her mural of New York City (where the show is set in) to them the entire school comes up with other things they want her to include to make them happy. She decides to put a spell on everyone at school so that when they look at the hall they just see what they want to see and she ends up painting nothing. Her brothers find out that she used magic to make everyone happy and do not condone her behavior. She decides to just make the mural she originally planned on making and decides not to worry about what everyone else thinks.

I were really entertained by this show as opposed to other tween TV shows. There was some really funny parts and lines and the characters are very lovable. It is a great show to watch with the family.

Alice in Wonderland (Movie-2010)

Title: Alice in Wonderland

Format: Movie-released 3/5/2010

Summary: This movie is based on the original Alice in Wonderland story made famous by Disney. This version was originally based on a book called Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. This movie strays a little from the original version of the book that we all are familiar with to some extent. If you can get past the changes on plot and strange changes in the characters, this is an entertaining movie. It is visually pleasing with its use of bright colors, brilliant costumes and make-up, and creative use of CGI and props. In this version, Alice is about to be proposed to by a man she does not want to marry and in a flurry of activity and emotion she falls down a hole in a tree. From here her journey begins in wonderland, where she learns she must end the reign of the terrible red queen, which can only be done by killing the Jabberwocky. She learns that she has previously been to wonderland as a child, which she thought was just a dream. In the end she saves the white queen and all the creatures of wonderland, freeing herself as well. It is entertaining and again fun to watch the comical acting of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Teens

Title: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Teens
Author: Richard Carlson, Ph.D.
ISBN: 0-7868-8597-1
Format: Chapter Book- NonFiction
Pages: 242 pgs.

Summary: This book is 100 chapters of different scenarios and circumstances that a teen might find themselves in. These scenarios in particular of stressful ones and it gives too tips from a professional's perspective on how to cope with typically teens issues. The topics include: drug and alcohol use, break ups, confrontations, future stresses, academic issues, getting involved in sports, trusting your instincts, being a role model, visiting the elderly, volunteering, being ethical, reading, being organized, staying optimistic, taming the anger, being kind, and much more to fill 100 chapters. There is good advice that I think teens can reflect on when they find themselves in the same situations and gives them examples to live by. The chapters are also really short so the reader can skip around to issues that they are currently dealing with instead of having to read the entire book.

J-14 Magazine

Title: J-14

Format: Magazine

Summary: This magazine is like US Weekly for tweens. It has all the latest on the popular tween and teen celebrities, such as Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, the Twilight cast, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers. It includes topics such who is dating who, fashion do's and dont's, movie news, music news, who is hot and who is not, etc. The articles are definitlely not "deep" reading, but light and fun for social tweens. It includes mini and full length posters of teen and tween celebrities for youngsters to adorn their walls, lockers, and binders with. The material is light, but some of the topics should probably be in an older teen magazine such as the one I saw in the July 2010 issue, "How do you prefer Miley: Sexy or Sweet?"

Beezus and Ramona

Title: Beezus and Ramona

Author: Beverly Cleary

ISBN: 0-439-14802-2

Format: Chapter Book-Fiction

Pages: 159 pgs.

Review: This book is one of the classic Ramona series. I believe it is the first in the series to set the tone and history for the other books to follow. It is about two sisters, Beezus, who is 9 going on 10 years old, and Ramona, 4 years old. Beezus, short for Beatrice, is worn out by her little sister. She is selfish, mean, rude, and self-gratifying, a little typical for a 4 year old, but Beezus, has a hard time dealing with her. She interrupts her all the time, asks her to read the same book over and over, always has to do things her way, and even ruins two birthday cakes for Beezus. The story ends with Beezus realizing that sisterly love is not always necessary and it is ok to not appreciate her little sister, she learns that with time Ramona will change and they will look back on their childhoods and laugh.

This is a really good read for younger tweens. It has really good messages throughout about responsibilities, family, and patience. At times Ramona even frustrated me! I think many young tweens can relate this story as I am sure many have annoying younger siblings to deal with. It gives these tweens a character to identify with and maybe even some solutions to their own problems at home. Beezus is a great example of a good older sibling. She is a model for other tweens to follow and I look forward to reading the other Ramona books by Beverly Clearly and maybe even seeing the movie which was released today!

Ratatouille

Title: Ratatouille
Format: Feature Film

Summary: This is a fun movie about a mouse that has culinary skills and a young dishwasher who does not. Through a joint effort they exploit their talents to make the restaurant they work for super successful. They make friends and enemies along the way and have many conflicts, but in the end, they learn what is really important in life and that is loyalty and friendship. This movie is somewhat young for tweens, but I found that even my 14 year old niece really loved it. It can be enjoyed by any age. The characters are lovable and relatable and the messages are universal across any age group. That is a the great thing about Pixar films; anyone can enjoy them and not feel guilty or embarrassed for watching an animated film.

So You Want to Be a Teenager?

Title: So You Want to Be a Teenager?
Author: Dennis and Barbara Rainey
ISBN: 0-7852-6615-1
Format: Chapter Book- NonFiction
Pages: 158 Pgs.

Summary: This is a chapter book for pre-teens about topics they are beginning to explore such as friends, love, sex, dating, and other issues that come up as they learn about the world around them. It was written by two adults and their two children to give a good well rounded view on these topics. This book does have a very Christian agenda and they push for abstinence and purity until one has decided to get married. So in that aspect, it can be a little unrealistic for a general audience, especially since our tweens today have exposure to so many issues. This is a great book though for tweens who come from backgrounds with strong Christian values, as it helps provide methods for dealing with temptation and peer pressure. I would not recommend this for all tweens but it can provide some guidance to those who may be having a difficult time or feel extremely lost in the world.