There many things in life I am passionate about… writing, photography, my family, social causes… One social cause I am passionate about is reading. I think that all children should learn to read and have access to books, regardless of where they live, their social status or parent’s income. Reading opens up a whole new world. Books are a great resource when it comes to education. They also help to encourage children to have an imagination. I can’t tell you how many books I read as a child that whisked me away to far away lands. That is the beauty of books.

I like the world that Reading is Fundemental does to help get books into the hands of children who might not otherwise have books to read. When I learned that the Gerber Life College Plan was working with Reading is Fundemental on a campaign called the Project Open Book I knew I had to get involved.

If you are unfamiliar with the Gerber Life College Plan, it’s a plan created by the Gerber Life Insurance Company. These are the same people who bring you Gerber products with the adorable iconic baby face.

The Gerber Life College Plan was designed to help busy parents like you save for tomorrow – safely and easily. With guaranteed growth, life insurance protection, flexibility, and fixed monthly premiums payments, this program is the smart choice for your child’s future. 

Through Project Open Book, Gerber Life Insurance will donate $1.00 towards Reading is Fundamental (RIF), up to $10,000, for every photo that is uploaded on it’s picture mosaic.

You can even win PRIZES – up to $1,000!

Head over to the Gerber Life Insurance Company Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/GerberLife for your chance to contribute your baby’s photos to the Project Open Book picture mosaic. It’s that easy! By uploading a photo to the mosaic you can help ensure that a child is given books to read, learn and explore with.

To encourage you to participate in Project Open Book I have a $25 Snap Fish gift certificate. At Snap Fish you can create photo cards, photo calendars, photo books and other great products.

To enter please comment on a favorite book of yours when you were growing up.

For extra entries you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each that you have done. Extra entries are optional. 

- Subscribe to She Scribes via RSS or E-mail. Both options are found on the right side bar.

- “Like” Gerber Life on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/GerberLife.

-  Upload your child’s photo to the mosaic. Please let me know if you did. Remember, ever photo upload is an other $1.00 to RIF.

- “Like” She Scribes on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/SheScribes.

- Follow She Scribes on Twitter, www.Twitter.com/She_Scribes and tweet about Project Open Book and/or this giveaway. Please include @She_Scribes in the tweet so I can see it too. This is limited to three tweets per day.

-  Share information about Project Open Book and/or this giveaway on Facebook, Digg, Technorati or other social networking sites/forums. 

- Leave a thoughtful comment on a non-giveaway post on She Scribes and tell me which post you commented on. There is a limit of one comment per post, but you can comment on as many posts as you want for an unlimited extra entry option.

- Post information the Open Book Project and/or this giveaway on your site and please link back to this post. Please provide the URL.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on January 30, 2012 at 11:59 PM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have three days to reply with a name and mailing address (no PO Box). Failure to do so will result in a new winner will be chosen in their place.

Other cool giveaways can be found on the right side bar under “Win It”.

Kimberly

*I will be receiving a Snap Fish gift certificate as compensation. There is no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

I just finished reading a novel by Cheryl Clayborn. It’s called Heaven’s Not a Place.

Heaven’s Not a Place is the story of a single mother name Annie Harrison. She lives in Ohio with her young daughter Jenna. Jenna is Annie’s world. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do while Jenna is vacationing in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his current wife. Annie figured she’d have to keep herself occupied. Thankfully her mother lives close by so she can always lean on her when she’s feeling lonely.

Late one night Annie was awakened by a mysterious light. The light seemed to be coming from her next door neighbor’s home. Abby, who lived in the home, was an elderly lady and a very dear friend to Annie. When Annie tried to figure out what the light was it suddenly disappeared.

The next morning Annie received some tragic news. Her beloved neighbor, Abby, passed away in her sleep the night before. The loss of her friend, and the absence of her daughter, left Annie feeling lost and alone.

A few days after her passing Abby’s son Jack arrived in town to take care of his mother’s funeral arrangements and to take care of her estate.

During this time strange things were happening to Annie, especially in her dreams. Unbeknown to her Jack was experiencing the same thing. 

One night Annie received a phone call from her daughter. Jenna had a bad dream and wanted to speak with her mother. Begrudgedly Annie’s ex-husband called and let Jenna talk to her mom.

Annie asked Jenna what her dream was about. Her response startled Annie. Jenna dreamed that Abby was on a beach with her and told her that she had to go away and she was never coming back. Some how Annie’s daughter dreamed of Abby’s passing.

What is going on with all these strange dreams? Is Abby trying to speak to her dear friend Annie and her son Jack from the other side? To find out you’ll just have to purchase a copy of Heaven’s Not a Place which is available as an e-book or Kindle download on Amazon. You can find the book here,  http://www.amazon.com/Heavens-Not-a-Place-ebook/dp/B0061NB3FG. It’s available for only $3.99. The novel is approximately 200 pages long.

You DO NOT need a Kindle to read the book. You can download the application here, http://amzn.to/aUZMHP, which allows you to read e-books on your iPhone and PC (computer/laptop) or Mac.

I have had some personal experience with people “speaking” to others beyond the grave. I think that is why I was able to “connect” with this story.

When my son was 3 years old he told me that my mother had passed away (he told me she was sleeping on the mountain). About 20 minutes later my father called to tell me that my mother passed away.

Twice my son had dreams where my mom (technically his great-grandmother, long story…) spoke to him. One night he woke me and my husband up in the middle of the night holding two books in his hands. He wanted to show us that they were the books that Nanny gave him. It was odd because they were the last two things she bought for him and we had hundreds (no exaggeration) books at that time. So for him to wake up in the middle of the night and dig out those two books, then wake us up to tell us they were from Nanny, was very odd.

The last and final time she spoke to him (in his dream) was a few months after she had passed away. He told me that he had a really bad dream. I told him I was sorry to hear that and asked him what the dream was about. He said he dreamed our home was on fire. I told him that was a scary dream, but thankfully it was just a dream. He said it was ok because Nanny woke him up.

Because we have experience with a loved one who passed on finding their way to communicate with it, I can find the story Heaven’s Not a Place beleiavable.

The only things with the story that didn’t sit well with me was a part where two people make love. I’m NOT a prude (not in the least). I just think it wasn’t necessary for the story.

The other thing is how it ended. It literally had me wanting more. I was hoping there was another page or two that I might have missed, but I didn’t. Either the author, Cheryl Clayborn, plans on making a sequel or you are left to draw your own conclusions.

Heaven’s Not a Place is an interesting read. Check it out today!

Kimberly

*I received a free copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

You may not know the name Alberto Corral, but you most likely know of his work. He worked as an animator for the movies Kung Fu Panda 2 and Shrek Forever After. Alberto also has another entry on his resume – author.

Alberto Corral has written an adorable children’s book called My Monster Burrufu. It is illustrated by Alessandra Sorrentino. I’m surprised that he didn’t illustrate the book himself since he also does animation.

My Monster Burrufu is the story of a 7 year old girl name Olivia. Olivia lives with her father Steven who is a successful author.

Steven decides that he would write better out in the country so him and Olivia pack their bags and move far out into the country. Their new home reminds me of the Adam’s Family house, based on the illustration.

Olivia doesn’t have much to do in the new house so she roams the hallways with her dog Tula.

Late one night Olivia had a late night snack of milk and cookies. When she was finished she returned to her bedroom, only to realize she neglected to put the milk away. So she headed back downstairs to the kitchen. As she got closer to the kitchen she saw something unusual – a monstrous, hairy arm reaching for the cookies from the shadows. Without thinking about it Olivia started to chase after the mysterious being, only to have him disappear into the darkness.

The next day Oliva sets out to find their house guest. She happens upon a secret door into the attic. Is is there that she meets the creature she saw the night before – a huge, hairy monster name Burrufu.

Burrufu has lived in the attic for a very long time. He used to go outside but people taunted him, forcing him to hide away in the attic. To pass the time away Burrufu wrote stories. Olivia was impressed by the wonderful stories he wrote.

Olivia new that she couldn’t let her father, or his agent Mark, know about Burrufu. She knew he would have to be her secret friend.

On the days that her father wasn’t around Olivia would try and persuade Burrufu into leaving that attic. At first it was outside of the attic to enjoy some cookies. Not long after that she was able to convince him to go outside into the tree house. Burrufu was almost discovered when her father’s agent, Mark, showed up.

How long will Olivia be able to keep Burrufu a secret? What would happen if he was discovered? What does Mark take from the house that might expose who Burrufu really is? To learn the answers to these questions you’ll have to pick up a copy of My Monster Burrufu.

This is a charming story that is sure to delight any young reader. The book is around 100 pages long so it can easily be read in a day or two. There are chapters within the book making it an ideal bedtime story too.

I love the illustrations. Burrufu is not scary at all. He’s adorable!

I thought I knew the direction the story was going but it actually had a few twists and turns that I didn’t expect. The ending was unexpected too.  

I think the reading level for this book would be from 6-10 years old. Younger children might need to have it read to them.

Look for My Monster Burrufu where ever books are sold including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Kimberly

*I received a free sample copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

I thought I’d give my readers a “head up” about a great book that is being giveaway FREE from January 6, 2012 – January 9, 2012. The book is called I Used to Know That: Stuff you forgot from school.

This is a great book for adults and parents to have, not only to help their own children or grandchildren with homework, but also as a refresher.

The book is written by Caroline Taggart. Caroline provides you with a lot of the essentials you should know in English, Literature, Math, Science, History, Geography and General Studies.

I Used to Know That is already my “go to” book when my kids ask me questions about things that I truly don’t remember. Things that I SHOULD remember because I learned about them in school, I just forgot.

When I flip through the pages I am SHOCKED at home much I DON’T know. I think I must have slept my way through school. 

To give you an example, do you know what a “homonym” is? If your child asked you for an example, could you give them one? I certainly couldn’t. 

This book is also great for trivia buffs. There are a lot interesting fact found within the pages of the book.

I think I learned more from reading this book then I have my whole senior year of high school .

Here is a link that tells you more about the book,

http://www.mediabistro.com/ebooknewser/i-used-to-know-that-stuff-is-free-ebook-today_b19253

CLICK HERE to download the FREE e-Book from Barnes & Noble. You can download it on your Nook or other e-book readers.

Kimberly

*I was not compensated for this post. I am sharing this information for the benefit and enjoyment of my site readers .

Who doesn’t enjoy tinkering around with LEGOS? I used to play with brick blocks similar to LEGOS when I was a young girl. It wasn’t until I had my own children that I had the chance to play with real LEGOS.

I love the fun things you can design with LEGOS. My family way to play with LEGOS is simply create whatever comes to mind.

Did you know that LEGO is an abbreviation for two Danish Words, “leg godt”, which means “play well”?

Here are some other fun LEGO facts.

-  If you built a column of  about 40,000,000,000 LEGO bricks it would reach the moon.

-  There is an average of 62 LEGO bricks for every person on Earth.

-  The LEGO Club has 2.4 million members world wide.

-  Approximately every 7 seconds a LEGO set is sold.

-  If you lay end to end the number of LEGO bricks sold each year it would go around the world 5 times.

Needless to say LEGOS are popular around the world, and there are A LOT of them. Ha Ha.

If you are a fan of the iconic colorful plastic brick blocks, you might be interested in two books that I had the opportunity to read recently.

The LEGOS Idea Book – If you are looking for some inspiration on what to build with all your LEGOS look no further then this book. WOW! Everything and anything you can possibly think of can be built with LEGOS, and this book proved that to me. There are pirate ships, race cars, castles and so much more.

Each section of ideas starts off with a layout of most of the pieces used to create the pieces that will be shown within that chapter. I found that very handy because it gives you an idea of what pieces to look for in your collection so you can try and re-create the LEGO designs found within the pages.

The book also gives you a brief bit of information about the LEGO master builder who created the pieces found within the book. You would think these people would be the ultimate nerds, but they are not.

Flipping throught the pages of this book only made me realize just how much fun LEGOS can be. It also inspired me to try and create my own pieces. I doubt I will ever be as good as the people are in the book, but it’s fun to try. Even my son tried to create a few pieces he liked in the book (most we didn’t have the right pieces for – he doesn’t have that many LEGOS).

If you are fan of LEGO, or you have a child who enjoys playing with LEGOS, then this is the book for you. People young and old can enjoy it. I don’t think there is a age level (maybe 6+). Younger children might need help trying to create the designs in the book.

Another great LEGO book is also ideal for Star Wars fans. It’s called the LEGO Star Wars Characters Encyclopedia. I LOVE Star Wars. I’m a HUGE Star Wars fan. So I really enjoyed reading through the pages of this book.

This unique encyclopedia gives you in depth details and profiles of all the LEGO Star Wars mini-figurines. The book features over400+ photos and a lot of fun and fascinating facts. I never knew LEGO had so many Star Wars mini-figurines. They had characters I wasn’t even familiar with.

As a Star Wars fan I enjoyed this book. If you are also a LEGO fan I think you’d be even more thrilled about this book. It was fun to read.

The LEGO Star Wars Characters  Encyclopedia also comes with a Han Solo mini-figurine right in the book cover that you can pop out and enjoy. My husband has ours on his desk at work. He’s also a Star Wars fan and he loves LEGOS too.

Both books are available where ever books are sold.

Another great LEGO book to read is the Cult of LEGO. I reviewed that book a while back. You can read that review here, http://www.shescribes.com/2011/10/cult-of-lego.html.

Kimberly

*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

I don’t know about you but I have a plethora of cookbooks. Most of them carry specific recipes. For example, I have a cookbook that has nothing but cake recipes in it. Another cookbook is all about crock pot recipes. I also have a cookbook filled with kid-friendly recipes.

Over the years I have weeded out my cookbooks and gave them away. I used to have double what I have now. I figured that one family didn’t need 30+ cookbooks. All you really need is one good one.

There is one cookbook in my collection that really stands out. It’s my Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook. This cookbook has 1,500 recipes in it.

When I was first asked to review the cookbook I thought it was just that – a cookBOOK. It’s really a binder filled with recipes. I prefer books over binders but I can see how this can be beneficial too since you can keep the binder open to the recipe you are working with instead of having to put soup cans on both side of the to keep it open like I have to do with some of my other cookbooks.

When you first look at the book you would not think it’s possible to have 1,500 recipes in it. It does have a massive amount of recipes but I think some of that 1,500 count also includes variations on recipes. For example, a recipe in the cookbook might give you several alternate ways to make the recipe by changing ingredients. I think those variations go towards that 1,500 count. That is fine with me. It’s nice to know you can be flexible with recipes and mix things up a bit from time to time.

I do believe there are other editions of this cookbook. The one I have is the newest edition, #11.

This cookbook has a whopping 640 pages and features 1,100+ pictures. I NEED pictures when it comes to recipes. I’m a very visual person and I like to see what it is that I am making, especially if I am trying out a recipe for the first time. I want to make sure that I am doing it right. Not only that but it’s the pictures that tempt you to try the recipes. I’m more likely to try a recipe with an accompanying photo then I a recipe that only contains the text.

The recipes in this book also seem to be pretty quick and easy. I didn’t stumble across any recipes that seemed too complicated to make, or that needed any fancy ingredients. Every recipe I looked at (and I pretty much looked at them all) contain ingredients that you most likely already have at home, or that you can pick up at your local grocer.

I also like that the book is divided up into sections so it’s easy to find exactly what you are looking for. There are even sections that teach you about freezing foods. I also love all the other miscellaneous details shared in the book including explaining the different cuts of meats and different kids of vegetables (with photos) which will help you to identify them the next time you are at your local grocery store or farmer’s market.

I’m sure many people are thinking to themselves right now that they don’t need another cookbook. While that might be true there are some advantages to having such an all inclusive cookbook such as this. You could weed out your cookbook collection (please donate your unwanted books or give them away) and rely on just one cookbook that pretty much has it all. This cookbook would also make the perfect gift, especially for newlyweds, someone who just started out on their own and someone who is stuck in a rut cooking the same things day after day.

The Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook is readily available at most book retail locations.

Kimberly

*I received a sample copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

One of my favorite things about dragging our holiday decorations up from the basement is bringing out our holiday books. We’ve saved almost all of the Christmas books we’ve purchased for our children since they were babies. We have books that range from toddler holiday books to books that grown ups can read.

Even though our children are older it’s still fun to read their favorite Barney holiday book and other books from when they were younger. I think my husband and I read them more then the kids too. For us its a bit of nostalgia – remembering when our children used to believe in Santa Claus and how excited they were to crawl up on our laps to read them the stories. Sigh… I miss those days.

I’m always happy to add to our holiday book collection. Each year I seem to add at least one book.

This year we added the book The Story of Everdream: The Christmas Witch, to our collection.

The idea of a Christmas witch seemed a bit odd to me. Witches are typically not very nice (in stories – I don’t mean real life witches). When I think witch I think about the witch from Wizard of Oz. She certainly doesn’t evoke visions of sugarplums and candy canes.

I always keep an open mind about things so when I was sent the book to review I tried not to focus on the idea of a “witch”.

The Story of Everdream: The Christmas Witch features a girl name Holly. While out playing in the woods one day she meets a wonderful little fairy who comes from a magical place called Everdream. Everdream is a place that exists in the clouds. Fairies and elves live in Everdream.

Holly was lucky to go someplace where other people have never gone before – the Everdream. Once there she learned that the fairies and elves helped Santa every Christmas. There was even a special door that Santa and the residents of Everdream used to get to and from the North Pole. The idea of the door reminded me of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

In the story Santa has a sister name Jellis. Jellis was very JEALOUS (get the name connection?) of her brother. She wanted to be in charge of Christmas, instead of her brother Santa.

Jellis became very bitter. She hated everything and everyone who lived in Everdream. So she left Everdream to go live with the magical gnomes and learn their magic (which wasn’t good magic).

Jellis later returned to Everdream when her magical powers were stronger and sealed up the door that lead to/from the North Pole. Without this special entrance Santa would be unable to deliver gifts on Chrismas Eve, meaning there would be no Christmas. The only way to have the door re-opened would be to allow Jellis to take over Christmas, and take away all of Santa’s duties.

Will the door ever be opened? Will Jellis end up ruling Christmas? What will happen to Christmas if the door is never re-opened? To find out you’ll just have to pick up a copy of the book.

The story was a lot different then other holiday books I have read over the years. It wasn’t the typical “holly jolly” book that I’m accustomed to. There was a bit of sci-fi, drama, whimsy and suspense in this book.

I liked the story because it had a different twist on Christmas. My son liked the story too. My daughter was not fond of it, but it might be becasue she’s older then the target demographic. I would think this book would be geared more towards children 7-11, maybe younger.

The book is a little over 40+ pages long. There is a lot of text squeezed into the pages, so it’s more then a bedtime story. Unless a parent would want to read half of the story one night and the rest of the story the next night.

The illustrations were charming. They looked like they were done with a colored pencil which is different then the way many other books are illustrated.

The Story of Everdream: The Christmas Witch is written by Robert L. Welsh. It is actually Book One, so I would assume there will be other books in this series.

You can purchase a copy of the book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other retail locations.

Kimberly

*I received a free copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

I love the Winter months and loathe them at the same time. Snow is beautiful and it makes the world seem so peaceful and serene. It’s also fun to go sleigh riding, make snowmen and have snowball fights. Things I dislike about snow is driving in it, shoveling it, how gross it looks when it turns black with car dust/dirt and having my kids stuck inside.

When it’s too cold to be outside, and the kids are bored, they drive me bonkers. There for I am always on the look out for activities they can do to keep them occupied (and help keep my sanity – ha ha).

Klutz, a company that makes a lot of fun activity books and kits for children, send me some great kits for my kids.

Stamp Art makes stamping simpler, and more creative, than ever. Stick the included shapes on the see-through acrylic block to create your own one-of-a-kind stamp design. Full of inspirational artwork and instruction, this stamp-right-in-it book shows how to create animals, flowers, houses, aliens… anything you can dream up. Retail $16.99. For more information please visit http://bit.ly/vO9KXL.

Draw the DC Universe is a complete how-to-draw package, jammed with expert tips and techniques, tons of practice space, and of course, a universe of DC heroes and villains. The draw-right-in-it book comes with everything you need: a sketching pencil, a drawing marker, artist’s pencils in six colors, a big block eraser to fight crimes against the page, stencils, and translucent overlays scattered throughout for can’t-fail tracing activities. Retail $19.99. To learn more please visit http://bit.ly/sLlBeE.

I gave my daughter the Stamp Art kit and my son the DC Universe drawing kit. Each kit has everything you need to get started right away.

My daughter has always loved art, and she does well at art. She started to use the book the way it was intended, but after a while she stopped using the stamps and was free-hand drawing the examples given in the book. My daughter is 14. I think the book is a bit too young for her and her skill level.

She did enjoy testing out the different shapes for the stamp. Was worried she would smuge the ink and get ink all over the place, but thankfully that didn’t happen.

The kit featuers a nice assortment of shapes you can use to create things like dogs, a snail, sea turtle, space ships, jungle animals and more. The kit features the stamps to make the basic shapes, plus colored pencils to fill in the details. Throughout the book you’ll also find background pages you can use to bring your creations to life.

I think this is a cute book/kit. My daughter did too but she used the colored pencils to draw the basic shapes and drew her creations based on the step-by-step instructions. Don’t get me wrong, she did have fun with it. I just think it was too young for her. I’m thinking it would be better for children 6-10?

My son received the Draw the DC Universe Kit. My son is not really into super heros, but his friends are. He was excited to learn how to draw them in hopes of impressing his friends. Sadly he gave up very quickly.

He was OK with the stick figure part. He had a bit of trouble with what the book refers to as “pipes”. It was the details that really bothered him. He had a hard time with the details.

My son tends to be too hard on himself and he totally lacks confidence and self esteem. If things don’t work out for him from the start he tends to get turned off from it quickly. It wasn’t the book/kit more so then a personality “quirk” of his.

I tried to draw the people in the book too. It is sort of hard to add the details, and I was always good at art.

This book/kit is geared more towards ‘tweens and maybe even a young teen.

Here is a video about the Draw the DC Universe book.

Both books are pretty cool, and I think they would make a great holiday gift or activity to keep on hand for the long Winter months.

Arts, Crafts & Laughs! KLUTZ books are the Perfect Holiday Gift for Any Child!

Right now there is a 20% off coupon available for purchases at www.Klutz.com. The coupon code is KLUTZ4U. This discount cannot be combined with any other offers. It expires on December 31, 2011.

Look for Klutz books at many retail locations.

Klutz has kindly offered copies fo BOTH books for TWO lucky readers (each reader will receive one copy of each book). Thank you Klutz!

To enter please comment on which book you are most interested in and who  you will give the books to? 

For extra entries you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each that you have done. Extra entries are optional.

- Subscribe to She Scribes via E-mail or RSS. Both options are found on the right side bar.

- “Like” Klutz on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/KlutzBooks.

- “Like” She Scribes on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/SheScribes.

- Follow Klutz on Twitter, www.Twitter.com/Klutz.

- Follow She Scribes on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/She_Scribes) and tweet about this review/giveaway. Be sure to include @She_Scribes in the tweet so I may see it too. This is limited to three tweets per day.

- Blog about this review/giveaway and include a link back to this post. Please provide the URL of the post.

- Share this review/giveaway with others (Facebook, Digg, Technorati…). Be sure to tell me what you did and provide a name and/or URL so I can verify.

This giveaway is open to US residents and will end on December 26, 2011 at 11:59 PM (EST). The winners will be chosen at random using  a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winners will be notified via e-mail and will have three days to reply with a name and mailing address or a new winner will be chosen.

Other great giveaways are found on the right side bar under “Win It”.

Kimberly

*I received a free product sample from Klutz. There was no compensation. The opinion expressed are my own. Klutz will be providing the prizes.

I love books. I have always loved books. I think I have an addiction to books. Sadly, I don’t get the chance to read as much as I used to. I used to read a lot but this little thing called “parenthood” sort of changed that. Ha Ha.

My daughter used to love to read. She used to read all the time. Once she received a cell phone with unlimited texting and BBM that was the end of that. Now she only reads when it’s required for school. Sigh…

My son is what you call a “reluctant reader”. He won’t read at all. Even when it’s mandatory for school. He CAN read. He’s tested at a 12th grade reading level. He just has no interest in reading at all. Except for books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which is mostly a comic book.

Whenever my kids have shown interest in a book series I would go out and buy every book I could find. For example, when my daughter was in elementary school she really liked the Black Lagoon books. Within days she had every book that was ever made for that series (we still have them too).

My son never really got into any series except Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the 39 Clues books. My husband and daughter enjoy the Wimpy Kid books too (yes, my husband actually reads them). I’ve also tried to buy my son books about the Weather (he’s obsessed with weather) but he never really got into them.

I can’t think of the last time (if ever) that my son voluntarily read a book on his own. That makes me really sad too. I really wish my kids would love books like I do.

I was asked to host a giveaway for some new Scholastic titles, geared more towards young boys. I asked if I could have a set to review, hoping that if my son knew they were geared towards boys his age he might show interest.

I received three titles; The Eleventh Plague, Underdogs and iBoy. Even though they are geared towards boys, teen girls might enjoy them too. Both  my husband and daughter showed interest in The Eleventh Plague book. My daughter currently has it (I’m not sure if she’s started to read it yet).

Here are brief synopsis of each book.

The Eleventh Plague – By Jeff Hirsch

 “The Eleventh Plague hits disturbingly close to home…An excellent, taut debut novel.” – Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games

 In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade for food and other items essential for survival. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true, where there are real houses, barbecues, a school, and even baseball games. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank on the town bully’s family that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing forever.

To learn more about this title please visit http://www.scholastic.com/resources/book?work_id=1317287.

The above is a trailer for the book The Eleventh Plague.

Underdogs – By Markus Zusak

Before The Book Thief, Markus Zusak wrote a trilogy of novels about the Wolfe brothers: The Underdogs, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, and Getting the Girl. Cameron and Ruben Wolfe are champions at getting into fights, coming up with half-baked schemes, and generally disappointing girls, their parents, and their much more motivated older siblings. They’re intensely loyal to each other, brothers at their best and at their very worst. But when Cameron falls head over heels for Ruben’s girlfriend, the strength of their bond is tested to its breaking point.

More about this title can be found here, http://www.scholastic.com/resources/book?work_id=1317292.

iBoy -By Kevin Brooks

Before the attack, Tom Harvey was just an average teen. But a head-on collision with high technology has turned him into an actualized App. Fragments of a shattered iPhone are embedded in his brain. And they’re having an extraordinary effect on his every thought. Because now Tom knows, sees, and can do more than any normal boy ever could. But with his new powers comes a choice: Seek revenge on the vicious gangs who rule the South London housing project where he lives, and who violated his friend Lucy? Or keep quiet and move on? Not even the search engine in his head can predict the shocking outcome of iBoy’s actions. A wifi, thriller by YA master Kevin Brooks.

You can find more information about this title here, http://www.scholastic.com/resources/book?work_id=1317285.

Here is the book’s trailer.

The most amazing thing happened. Something I thought would never happen. My son VOLUNTARILY picked up a book and started to read it. He looked over all three books and the one that stood out the most to him was iBoy. He took the book into his room and started to read. He’s read every day this weekend and is up to page 220! There are only a little over 300+ pages to begin with.

My husband and I are THRILLED that he is reading, and genuinly enjoying this book. In fact I’ve already looked up the author to see what other books he’s written. Thankfully he has many books published. I’m going to see if my son wants to try reading another book by the same author after he’s done reading the other two books.

My reluctant reader is reading! I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to say that. WOW! Thank you Scholastic for this book!

Scholastic has generously offered all three titles for a lucky winner AND a $50.00 VISA gift card (perhaps you can use it to buy more books?). Thank you Scholastic! 

To enter please comment on which one of these titles you think your child/grandchild would be most excited about?

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This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on December 23, 2011 at 11:59 PM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have three days to reply with a name, mailing address (no PO Box) and phone number (for shipping only) or a new winner will be chosen. 

Other great giveaways can be found on the right side bar under “Win It”.

Kimberly

*I received free product samples and gift card. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own. Scholastic will be providing the prize.

I hate the term “New Year’s resolutions”. I cringe whenever I think about them or hear people talk about them.

I have to admit that at one time or another I have fallen into the “resolution” mentality. I resolved to do a lot of things in the New Year. Losing weight, eating healthy, exercising and getting organized seemed to be on top of my resolution list year after year. Well… I’m still overweight, I don’t eat healthy like I should, exercise – no way! And I’m far from organized (it’s more like “organized chaos”).

Years ago I decided I was no longer going to make New Year’s resolutions. Instead I was going to make an effort to do more positive things in my life. I don’t actually specify exactly what I plan on doing. I don’t tell myself I’m going to lose weight. Instead I will try and make a more conscious decision about what I eat and try and opt for healthier foods. I won’t resolve to be more organized, but rather I will make a conscientious attempt to be organized and more efficient.

I know that many people are stuck on the idea of making resoultions for the New Year. After all, along with family, friends, and festivities, the holiday season is a time for new beginnings and new resolutions.

As you approach a new year, it is important to reflect on what you have accomplished in the past year and where you would like the future to take you.

Terri Savelle Foy, a Life Coach, and author of Make Your Dreams Bigger than Your Memories (Regal, 2010), walks readers step by step to a more rewarding future. Terri travels around the country speaking to audiences on the importance of setting and keeping goals.

According to Terri, 4 out of 5 people who make New Year’s resolutions this month will eventually break them. In fact, 1/3 won’t even make it to the end of January!

In order to achieve your goals, Terri stresses the importance of not repeating the same mistakes as last year. “If you struggled in an area last year, make up your mind that you will defeat this thing and get in the best shape of your life,” said Terri.

Here are some guidelines that Terri suggests to remember as you start thinking about your goals:

-  Goals must be in writing. Goals that are not written down are just wishes.

-  Goals must be measurable. There’s a big difference in saying, “I want to lose weight” and saying “I will lose 10 pounds by March 1.” Your goals must be measured by something; this is what increases your chances of achieving them.

-  Goals must be realistic. If your goals are completely unrealistic, then you’re setting yourself up for defeat. Be practical.

-  Goals must have a deadline. You will be more determined to achieve your goal when you have a deadline. Always assign a deadline to your goals. It’s energizing and motivating.

-  Reward yourself when you reach certain milestones toward your goal. If your goal is to lose 50 pounds, reward your progress and treat yourself when you reach 10 pounds. This will keep you motivated and help keep your momentum going.

-  Put yourself in situations that will be conducive to reaching your goals. Surround yourself with positive people who will help you achieve your goals. If your goal is to save money, don’t go out with friends who are lavish spenders.

Terri Savelle Foy is a gifted speaker and author with a passion to instill value and ignite vision in people all over the world. She is the president and founder of Terri Savelle Foy Ministries and also serves as the executive vice president of Jerry Savelle Ministries International. She is the co-host for the Jerry Savelle Ministries TV broadcast that reaches a worldwide audience. 

Terri communicates life-changing truth with creativity, humor, and transparency. Through personal experience and proven results, Terri teaches people how to be free from issues rooted in fear such as rejection, insecurity, passivity, low self-esteem, shame and guilt. She reveals practical tips to help people develop vision, confidence and discipline that will lead them into God’s perfect plan for their lives. 

Terri’s best-selling books include Make Your Dreams Bigger Than Your Memories and You’re Valuable to God.

For more information about Terri, go to www.Terri.com.

Are you planning on making any New Year’s resolutions this year? If so I would love to hear from you. Or are you like me and have given up on resolutions, but hope to make better life choices in the New Year?

Do you have any additional tips to sticking with your resolutions?

Feel free to comment.

Kimberly

*I was not compensated for this post, nor was I asked to post this. I posted this for the benefit and enjoyment of my site readers. Any opinions expressed are my own unless otherwise noted.