'The Dragon of the Month Club' . . . The First Book in a New Series by Iain Reading

Thank you to Iain Reading for providing a copy of The Dragon of the Month Club for us to base this review upon.  All opinions expressed are our own.

The book The Dragon of the Month Club is about a girl named Ayana and a boy named Tyler who are really into reading. While in the town’s public library, they find a small book called The Book. It is very short, but it has a page in it where it tells you how to summon a Water Dragon. After they summon it, they are able to apply for the Dragon of the Month Club. When they are accepted, they are told that they will receive instructions for a new dragon on the thirteenth of every month.

With a thrilling storyline, this book would make an excellent gift for someone that is interested in myth and legend, or simply wants a good book. But, there is a HUGE cliffhanger at the end that makes you want a sequel. My favorite dragon is the sand dragon, Dune Buggy. He was playful and curious like my dogs. My favorite part is when they sleep inside a book on giant marshmallows.

About the author:
Iain Reading is Canadian, but lives in the Netherlands and works for the United Nations. He has a deep passion for root beer, music and writing.

You can learn more about this book by visiting www.dragonofthemonthclub.com, where you can also learn about the Dragon of the Month Contest.  This book is available to be purchased on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble.

Who do you think this book would make the perfect gift for? Share with us in a comment here!

Guinness World Records Books . . . Easy Gift Ideas for Kids, Teens & Adults (Gamers Included!)

Thank you to Guinness World Records for providing a copy of Guinness World Records 2016 and Guinness World Records 2016 Gamer's Edition for this review.  All opinions expressed are our own.

Guinness World Records is a company that makes annual record books that have exciting records and amazing pictures. Each year, they release a new book with hundreds of new records. Since the Guinness World Records book is produced annually, it is also great for people who like to collect things. It is the ultimate gift idea for the holidays!

Also, there is the Guinness World Records 2016 Gamer’s Edition that is completely filled with records about amazing gaming feats, like finishing a game on hard mode in fourteen minutes, or scoring 321 goals in FIFA soccer. This is a great gift for gamers of all levels, with gaming records about Fallout, Minecraft, Call of Duty, and much more.

Personally, my favorite record from the Guinness World Records 2016 book is the ‘Most Layers in a Sandwich’ with 40 awesome layers of bacon, fluff, and peanut butter. My favorite record from the Guinness World Records 2016 Gamer’s Edition is highest score on Fruit Ninja’s zen mode because I feel that I can beat that record.

As you can see, these records are interesting, awesome, and sometimes funny. I would recommend these extremely awesome books for people ages 7 to 200.  To see more amazing world records, visit www.guinnessworldrecords.com!

Have you read one or both of these books?  Share your favorite records with us on Facebook!

'Book Three: The Cavern of Promise' Completes Clark Burbidge's Giants in the Land Trilogy

Thank you to PR by the Book for providing a copy of the Giants of the Land Trilogy for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are our own.

Giants in the Land is a book series by award-winning author, Clark Burbidge, about a young man named Thomas, who goes on exciting adventures as he grows older. In Book One: The Way of Things, he has to find the giants who have gone missing. In Book Two: The Prodigals, he has to find and neutralize a common threat to the giants and humans. In the recently released Book Three: The Cavern of Promise, there is a tyrannical giant king that captures Thomas and wants to kill the true king, Sonspeaker.

I liked the trilogy, mostly because I love adventure/action books. Also, I like how the book is based in medieval times. I like learning about what life was like back then. One of my favorite parts is when Thomas battles a giant warrior in the evil king’s arena and wins against all odds.

There were some parts of this trilogy that could have been better, such as the cliffhanger at the end of the first book. I think that it was a little discouraging, and I wasn't looking forward to reading the second book as much as I was originally. Also, I think the giant king of Westwood was a little overly dramatic with the explanation of the Madog.

This trilogy is definitely worth reading.  I would recommend it for kids 10 years old and above. There is some bloodshed, so be cautioned.

Award-winning author, Clark Burbidge

To learn more about the Giants in the Land Trilogy, where to purchase the books, and Clark Burbidge, visit www.giantsinthelandbook.com.

Share your thoughts about this book series with us on Facebook!

The 2014 Guinness World Records Book Amazes Fans with a Companion Augmented Reality App

Thank you to Guinness World Records for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.  All opinions expressed are my own.

The Guinness World Records is a huge company who makes a book every year of world records that is categorized by types of records.  I have five Guinness World Records books so far, including the 2014 book.  The 2014 GWR book is very different from all the other books because there is a free See It 3D app for your Android or iOS phone or tablet.  The app makes 3D images pop-up on the screen that aren't there in the 2-dimensional book, using augmented reality technology and your device's camera.  Each 3D image has a special feature that allow you to do things that affect the image.  Some things that pop-up aren't images that you can play with, but are videos of the records in the making.

On page 26 and 27, there is one of my favorite 3D images about Prehistoric Life.  It is a Spinosaurus, the largest carnivorous dinosaur, compared to the sizes of a London phone booth and a double-decker bus.  There are three buttons used to control the 3D image.  One moves it around the page, another makes it roar, and the last one makes it bite down with its jaws.  It would have been even cooler if we could make the Spinosaurus destroy the double-decker bus and the phone booth.

The app on page 14 and 15, the Restless Planet, makes an image of the world flattened out on a flat surface.  Then, with the press of a button, it rolls up into a globe.  If you press the button on the bottom right corner, you can pick a certain natural disaster that you want to see pictures of.  It also tells you which natural disaster it is and where it happened.  My favorite natural disaster from this feature of the app is volcanoes.  It is my favorite because it is neat to see pictures of volcanoes erupting.

On page 28 to 29, the section on Snakes, the 3D image is a giant spitting cobra popping out of a lidded basket and spitting poison all over your screen.  This page is one of my favorites because you get to see how a giant spitting cobra would act in that situation, plus it is very action-packed.

At the beginning of the section Animal Extremes is Hercules, an adult male liger.  A liger is a mix of a lion and a tiger.  Hercules is the largest living cat in the world.  This is quite a coincidence because I saw Hercules in person at the Tiger Show at King Richard's Faire in 2012, but unfortunately in 2013 he retired.  I like this section because it's great to see Hercules in the Guinness World Records book.

I recommend the 2014 Guinness World Records book as a Holiday present to kids 7 and up.  There are cool photographs if the child can't read all the words.  I hope that, in the future, the next book will have augmented reality features for more pages, as the 2014 book only contains a handful.  To learn more about the 2014 GWR book, visit www.GuinnessWorldRecords.com.

TIME For Kids Top 5 of Everything: Tallest, Tastiest, Fastest!

Thank you to Time For Kids for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this book review upon.  All opinions expressed are my own.

The Time For Kids book series always has interesting facts, but I have never seen so many facts in a book this small.  The TIME For Kids Top 5 of Everything: Tallest, Tastiest, Fastest is a truly amazing book.  Did you know that Earth is the 5th biggest planet?  Did you know that the tiger is the heaviest cat?  Did you know that the most popular dog name is Bella?  You can find those facts and other great ones in this book.

The 'Top 5 Biggest Cats' page is my favorite one in the book.  This is one of my favorite pages because the tiger is #1 in weight.  I love tigers!  Another interesting thing about this page is that I learned that a lion is actually lighter than a tiger.

The 'Top 5 NFL Teams' page is also one of my favorites because the New England Patriots are #1 in victories from 2003 to 2012.  One surprising fact is that the Pittsburgh Steelers are in 3rd place.

This book would be a great gift for people who love exciting facts.  I think that this book would be good for kids 6 to 12 years old.  You can learn more about the TIME For Kids Top 5 of Everything: Tallest, Tastiest, Fastest, by visiting www.TimeForKids.com.

TKD Kid Review: Kidz Bop 24 . . . One of the Best Kidz Bop Music CDs I Own!

Thank you to Kidz Bop for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.  All opinions expressed are my own.

I think that Kidz Bop makes a lot of great CDs and Kidz Bop 24 is one of the best!  This is one of the best CDs because they picked the songs very well.

My favorite song on this CD is '22.'  This is my favorite song because I like the rhythm.  Some of my other favorite songs from this CD are 'Feel This Moment' and "Thrift Shop.'  My least favorite song on this CD is 'Suit & Tie.'  It is my least favorite song because the beat is too slow.  Some of my other least favorite songs are 'Don't Stop the Party' and "Ho Hey.'

Listen to a clip of each song before you buy the CD or the MP3 . . .

1. Thrift Shop
2. I Knew You Were Trouble
3. Suit & Tie
4. Beauty And A Beat
5. Ho Hey
6. Come and Get It
7. Feel This Moment
8. Scream & Shout
9. Girl On Fire
10. I Love It
11. Can't Hold Us
12. Heart Attack
13. Mirrors
14. 22
15. Just Give Me A Reason
16. Don't Stop The Party

I think this CD is good for dancing and for playing at parties.  I recommend this CD for kids ages 6 to 11.  You can buy Kidz Bop 24 most places where music CDs are sold, including KidzBop.com and Amazon.com.

TKD Kid Review: Time For Kids Dinosaurs 3D Book

Thank you to Time For Kids for providing a complimentary book sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

Time For Kids Dinosaurs 3D is an incredible 3D book.  A 3D book is book that you need 3D glasses to look at the pictures.  The book may or may not have 3D words.  I own another 3D book by Time For Kids called Time For Kids Zoo 3D.

This book is about all the kinds of dinosaurs, where they lived, when they lived, and how they died.  One of my favorite pages is the one about the Spinosaurus.  This page is one of my favorites because it has a really cool picture.  I like the picture because in 3D it looks almost real, especially the trees and plants.

The page about the Tyrannosaurus Rex is also one of my favorites.  This page is one of my favorites because there are some really cool facts.  Some of the cool facts are that the T-Rex was one of the fiercest hunters that ever lived and it may have croaked like a bullfrog.

The 3D effects in Time For Kids Dinosaur 3D is amazing!  The 3D images are much better than the images in Zoo 3D.  It's fun to read the book with a friend because the book comes with two pairs of 3D glasses.  I have one complaint about the book . . . the packaging for the 3D glasses keeps ripping when I put the glasses back in because it is made out of paper.

I think this book would be great for kids 7 to 11 years old.  It would also be good for classrooms.

Learn Interesting Facts About Your Own Home, the Earth, and Outer Space from the Time for Kids "Big Book of Where"

Thank you to Time Home Entertainment Inc. and TIME For Kids for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Time for Kids Big Book of Where is very similar to the other books in the Big Book series.  They all contain more than 100 facts about things.  Another way that they are similar is they all contain awesome photos.  The Big Book of Where is different because it has a section for each of the continents, oceans, space, and home.  My favorite section is about the oceans.

Two of my favorite facts are about the ocean . . . Where Did the Titanic Sink? and Where's the World's Newest Island?. Where Did the Titanic Sink? is one of my favorites because, after I read it, I learned a lot more about the Titanic and other shipwrecks.  The coolest thing I learned is that the Titanic was holding 2,200 passengers and only 700 survived.

Where's the World's Newest Island? is one of my favorites because I thought it was really cool that the Yemeni fishermen got to see a new island formation.  I learned that it formed from a volcanic eruption underwater and went above the surface when the lava started to cool.

Another favorite fact of mine is Where Do Most Germs Hideout?, which is in the home section.  I learned that most germs hideout on items that many people touch, such as TV remotes, door knobs, kitchen faucets, and countertops.  How to fight the germs is by washing your hands with regular soap and warm water often.

I like this book compared to the other ones because it is more organized and it's easier for me to find facts with a table of contents.  I recommend this book to kids 7 years and older.  I look forward to getting more Time for Kids Big Books because I enjoy learning facts about the Earth and space.  I also think they should add the topic 'Where is the Solar System's Tallest Mountain?' to the space section because I think everyone would be interested in it.

To learn more about the Time for Kids Big Book series, visit www.timeforkids.com.

TKD Kid Review: KIDZ BOP Party Hits CD

Thank you to Kidz Bop for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

In the past, I have gotten a lot of Kidz Bop CDs.  This new Kidz Bop Party Hits CD is my 6th.  Each song on this CD is dance music.  I had fun listening to this CD with my brother and sister.

My favorite song was Party Rock Anthem.  I liked this song because it is fun to dance to.  Other songs that I liked are Boom Boom Pow and Moves Like Jagger.  The one that I mostly disliked was Hey Ya because it didn't have a good beat.  Other songs that I disliked Move It Like This, Get The Party Started, and Who Let The Dogs Out because they sounded weird.  To me, they didn't really sound like songs.

Even though I had fun listening to this CD, I think Kidz Bop 23 is still the best.  I am looking forward to Kidz Bop 24, which comes out in July.

Track Listings:

1. Party in the USA
2. Get The Party Started
3. Boom Boom Pow
4. Move It Like This
5. Party Rock Anthem
6. Tonight Tonight
7. Party Like A Rockstar
8. Let's Get It Started
9. Moves Like Jagger
10. Who Let The Dogs Out
11. Single Ladies
12. Hey Ya
13. Kidz Bop Shuffle

To learn more about this and other Kidz Bop CDs, visit www.kidszbop.com and shop.kidzbop.com, where Kidz Bop Party Hits is on sale for $9.99.

Get Two "Kidz Bop 23" CDs for the Price of One!

Kidz Bop 23 was released on January 15th.  There are 16 songs on this CD.  There were many songs that I have not heard of before.  I liked this CD a lot.

My favorite song is "As Long As You Love Me."  I like this song because I had heard it on the radio before and I like the tune and the rhythm.  Another song I like is "Everybody Talks" because it's similar to "As Long As You Love Me."  One song I didn't like was "Locked Out of Heaven" because it has a very slow tempo.  I prefer faster songs.  My 6 year old brother's favorite song is "Gangnam Style."  My 6 year old sister's favorite song is also "As Long As You Love Me."

You can hear a clip of each Kidz Bop 23 song by following the links below or listen to all the clips here:

1. Good Time
2. We Are Never Getting Back Together
3. As Long As You Love Me
4. Want U Back
5. Everybody Talks
6. Let's Go
7. Locked Out of Heaven
8. Wide Awake
9. Live While We're Young
10. Diamonds
11. Too Close
12. Let Me Love You
13. Some Nights
14. I Cry
15. Home
16. Gangnam Style

For a limited time, you can get two "Kidz Bop 23" CDs for the price of one ($13.98 plus shipping) at the Kidz Bop Shop or get the CD plus the MP3 Version Free for $9.99 (free shipping eligible) on Amazon.com.

Thank you to Kidz Bop for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.  All opinions expressed are my own.

"Monsuno: Destiny (DVD)" Scheduled to be Released on January 8th, 2013

Monsuno are monsters that work against people who want to destroy them.  There is a Monsuno TV show.  The DVD Monsuno:  Destiny plays five episodes.  The names of the episodes are "Clash", "Courage", "Underground", "Wicked", and "Knowledge".  The episode that was my favorite is "Underground" because they go into an underground stadium and battle with their Monsuno.  It was really exciting to watch.

The bonus feature is the character bios of Chase Suno and his Monsuno Lock.  My favorite character is Chase because he is like an outlaw with a huge company named Storm chasing him and villains hunting him down.  I liked this DVD a lot because Monsuno are very cool to me.  My nearly 6 year old brother and sister also liked it.

This DVD comes out on January 8th, 2013.  You can pre-order it on Amazon right now for $12.99 with Free Super Saver Shipping.  You can also look for it after the release date at most major retailers of children's movies.


Thank you to Click-Communications for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Holiday Gift Idea: U Star Novels . . . Classic Novels Starring You or Your Loved Ones

I think it is really cool to have our names published in a Peter Pan book.  U Star Novels lets you enter people's names on their website and replace characters in the stories of classic novels.  I got Peter Pan, but some of the other books you can get are Dracula, Frankenstein, Treasure Island, and many more.

You can replace more than one character with another name.  In Peter Pan, we replaced Wendy with my sister Makenzie, John with me (Jake), and Michael with my little brother Luke.  The name switches really went well with the story.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

On the front cover it will say the title, the author, "Starring (your name)".  It says the same thing, but also says "customised first edition" on the title page.  On the second title page, it says "This book is dedicated to (your name)" and you fill out that information on the U Star Novel website.  You also can put a special message and the date.

On the back cover, it says the title again and a description of what is going to happen in the book.  It is modified with the names of me, my sister, and my brother.

I think that it is neat that U Star Novels can turn your name or other names into characters in a classic novel. I think one of these books would make a good Christmas gift during the Holidays for a child that is really into classic novels.  I would like to get other books, like Dracula, in the future.

To learn more about U Star Novels for children, visit www.UStarNovels.com.  (PLEASE NOTE:  If you are visiting the website with your children, the sections for personalized books for men, women, and couples, may not be appropriate for them.)


Thank you to U Star Novels for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Holiday Gift Idea: DC Comics Super Villains "The Joker's Last Laugh" DVD

I really like the 2-disc DVD DC Comics Super Villains: The Joker's Last Laugh because it's a collection of cartoons based on comics.  The characters that I recognized were The Joker, Batman and Robin, Superman, and Lex Luthor.  The characters I did not recognize were Harley, Poison Ivy, and Lois Lane.  I think the Joker's assistant Harley is really nervous because she almost panics a lot of the time.  I think Poison Ivy is very pushy.  My favorite character is Batman because he is very strong and he is really brave.

My favorite episode is "Christmas With the Joker."  The characters that appear in this episode are Robin, Batman, and The Joker. I like this episode because The Joker was really funny.  He eventually got arrested and the goods won.  There was a lot of action in this episode, like when Batman and Robin defeated The Joker's robots.

I think this DVD is good for ages 6 and up.  This would be a good Christmas present because it brings a lot of laughter to the people watching it.

The DC Comics Super Villains: The Joker's Last Laugh is new for 2012 and retails for $19.98.  It is currently selling on Amazon for $14.99 with Free Super Saver Shipping.


Thank you to Warner Home Video for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Holiday Gift Idea: Time For Kids "Zoo 3D" with 3D Glasses

The Time For Kids Zoo 3D book is very cool and informative.  The 3D works best in bright light.  The book is about all kinds of animals and bugs in 3D photos.  This is my second 3D book.  My other 3D book is 3D Sports Blast! by Sports Illustrated Kids.  The one with the better 3D effects is the Zoo 3D book.  The zoo book comes with two pairs of glasses so two people can read together and the sports one comes with just one.

There are sections about mammals, birds, insects, amphibians, and reptiles.  I thought the most interesting section was mammals because I like most of the animals in there.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

One of my favorite animals in the mammals section is the grizzly bear cub.  Most grizzly bear cubs are born in the place where their mothers were hibernating.  What I like about this animal is that they are born when their mothers are sleeping.  When cubs are born, they don't cry.  They hum loud enough so they can be heard outside the den.

People like pandas because they have black and white fur, are chubby, and sit upright when they are eating bamboo. I like giant pandas because they are cute and chubby.  They remind me of Po of Kungfu Panda.

Snow leopards are endangered cats living in Central Asia.  I really really like snow leopards because I like most big cats.  I like also like them because they are white leopards instead of gold and black ones.

I think this book is good for children 7 and up.  It would make good present for a child who likes animals.  I hope that Time For Kids will make more 3D books.  You can find Time For Kids Zoo 3D: An Incredible Animal Adventure at most major book retailers, such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.


Thank you to Time For Kids for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Holiday Gift Idea: Time For Kids Book . . . "That's Strange, But True! The World's Most Astonishing Facts & Records"

Time For Kids: That's Strange, But True! is a really cool book.  The book contains facts of strange jobs and strange records about new things that were invented.  This book has 14 different chapters.  I highly recommend Chapter 5, "Strange, But True Jobs."  I also think this book is cool because of the really neat color photos.


Here are some of my favorite parts of the book . . . 

The photo below contains the boat car called the Python.  It can travel up to 60mph in water.  I like this page because I really like cars.

My favorite robot on this page is the soccer robot, who is the robot all the way to the right.  I like it because I used to play soccer and I really like the sport.  The robot plays at the RoboCup Championships every year.

The other robot I like is the one that goes along telephone wires and repairs them.  I like it because now nobody has to get shocked while touching the wires.

I like page 91 because I think it's really cool.  I think it's cool because it looks really weird.  It looks weird because it takes normal objects and mixes them together with creatures in a confusing house of stairs.

I love this page because there's a really neat battle drone on the upper right.  I like the battle drone because it looks cool and looks like it's made of bronze and gold.  The battle drone is actually a piece of art from the 19th century.  This robot is motionless and doesn't do anything.

I think this book is good for ages 7 and up.  I also think it would make a great Christmas present.  I would love to read and review more books from this series.

That's Strange, But True!:  The World's Most Astonishing Facts and Records by Time For Kids retails for $19.99 and can be purchased at most major book retailers, like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.


Thank you to Time For Kids for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.