On Friday, Nancy and I were among the crowds lined up to see the new Alice in Wonderland movie on opening night. How was it? Well, you’ll have to wait a little longer for our KidsmomoMO movie review, but I’ll give you a hint: one of the most exciting things on screen came before the film even started… the premiere of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole movie trailer!

Entitled Legend of the Guardians, the film is due out in September and will cover the first three books in Kathryn Lasky’s popular book series*. Of course, like every other movie these days, it will be in 3D. And while I’m not always the biggest fan of 3D, in this case I think it’s going to make a HUGE difference. Because I’m sorry to say that this online trailer isn’t nearly as breathtaking as what I saw in the theater. But check it out anyway, and leave a comment with your thoughts! What do you think — did they get it right?

— Karen

* If you’re not familiar with the books, check out these 5-star reviews from Ayra (age 10) and Milo (age 9).

Author John Grisham -- my, he looks serious...

With about a zillion films based on his books (okay, fine, there are eight), you’ve probably heard of John Grisham, the author of about a zillion and one books for adults (actual number: 23). But you probably haven’t seen any of his books in the children’s section of your local bookstore or library — until now!

That’s right, John Grisham just announced that he has a series for kids in the works. And since most of his adult books are legal thrillers, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that the first book in the new series will be titled Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer. The 13-year-old main character is apparently the son of two lawyers in a small Southern town.

I myself am the child of two lawyers, and I can tell you, that does not make me an expert on anything except how to argue with my parents. But if this series turns out to be about a kid fighting with his mom and dad, I will not be a happy reader! I assume we have some actual courtroom adventures from Theodore to look forward to. Guess we’ll find out when the book comes out in May…

In the meantime, here are a couple other books about kids who take on roles normally reserved for adults — and totally rock them(!):

• The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman
• The School Story by Andrew Clements

And check out these offerings by authors who are famous for their books for adults:

• Summerland by Michael Chabon
• Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

— Karen

Children's book illustrator John Rocco, with The Lightning Thief Deluxe Edition.

It’s been Percy Jackson madness here on Kidsmomo (literal madness — have you heard our Kidsmomo Karaoke Tribute to PJ?) so I’m gonna write a serious blog post about some serious Percy Jackson stuff.

I GOT TO MEET THE BOOK COVER ILLUSTRATOR! HA HA! IN YO FACES!

And now that I’m done gloating (yes, very immature of me), I’ll get to the good stuff — at the event (which was held at a bookstore in Manhattan), Percy Jackson editor Jennifer Besser talked about how the original cover illustrations weren’t really working, and they then found John Rocco, illustrator extraordinaire!

Maybe “personal illustrator” to Rick Riordan is an exaggeration, but John Rocco has designed all five covers of the Percy Jackson series and he’s also working on the new Kane Chronicles series.  I made sure to capture as much as possible on video:

John talking about how he came up with the idea for the cover of The Lightning Thief:

For aspiring artists: his process is really interesting! Check out all the different versions of The Titan’s Curse:

John also took some tough questions from the audience…

And some questions led to some DRAMA!

Some more goodies from John Rocco and Jennifer Besser:

• The new Camp Half-Blood series by Rick Riordan will be released in October 2010!
• John enjoyed working on The Last Olympian cover the most, and often went to the Empire State Building for inspiration.
• John also worked on the new Rick Riordan series The Kane Chronicles, and afterwards I bugged him about the water tower on the cover of The Red Pyramid — and turns out it’s not significant in the story. (I guess I went a little overboard scrutinizing the cover!)

— Nancy

If you’ve followed our edible exploits over the last few days, then you know that it’s finally time for the culmination of our culinary competition. That’s right, people — it’s FOOD FIGHT TIME!

For our food theme, we each cooked up a dessert based on a children’s book. Then we presented our sweets to a panel of judges without revealing who made which dish.

Whose cuisine reigned supreme? Watch our KidsmomoMO video to find out:

And to see our step-by-step adventures in the kitchen, or if you want to do some book-based baking yourself, check out our posts on Karen’s baked custard pudding and Nancy’s almond flan!

If you ask me, this food fight doesn’t seem very fair. My selection was inspired by the soulful and heartstrings-tugging Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, but meanwhile, Karen picked a recipe that’s been used as a magical projectile weapon. @_@ (That’s my look of worry and shock.)

But there’s no use in worrying now when there’s almond flan to be made! You know what would cheer you and me up?  Saying the word “flan.”  Flan, flan, flan! Shout it with me! Fuuuuuuh-laaaaaaaaan!!!

Click on my photos to see my step-by-step flan formation:

To continue having flan fun, grab your parent and see if you can do this recipe justice:

Read the rest of this entry »

Since our current theme is books about food, Nancy and I knew we couldn’t let this topic go without a… FOOD FIGHT! Well, sort of. In this case, we mean a Kidsmomo cooking competition:

Nancy and I each tried our hand at a recipe based on a children’s book. Then we presented both of our dishes to a panel of judges without saying who made which recipe. Whose cuisine reigned supreme? To find out, you’ll just have to tune in on Monday, when we bid farewell to our food theme with a special KidsmomoMO video of the judging and results.

In the meantime, you can whet your appetites (literally) by following along on our culinary journeys. Today, you can see how I transported my kitchen to Number 4 Privet Drive. And then on Saturday, check back for Nancy’s cooking adventures.

So, let’s get to the actual food, shall we?

Aunt Petunia’s Baked Custard Pudding

With all the amazing edible concoctions in J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world, I surprised myself by choosing a Muggle recipe. But remember the dessert that Dobby splattered all over the Dursleys’ guests in Harry Potter Book 2? How could I possibly resist replicating that? (The dessert, not the Hover Charm, unfortunately…)

Click on my photos to see my step-by-step pudding process:

Want to try baking your own custard pudding? Put on an apron, grab your parent to help you, and use this recipe:

Read the rest of this entry »

Are you constantly craving dessert? Do you have a sweet tooth? Does your mouth water at the mere mention of… SUGAR? Then chances are, you’ve already devoured this week’s mystery book. But you’ve never seen it like this — re-imagined as a television infomercial!

So watch the video, and then send in your guess of what book it’s from. We’ll name the first person to get it right in our next podcast!

UPDATE 3/2/10: Wanna know the book? Listen for the answer in our “Get In My Belly” Podcast, all about books involving food.

Whether you’re a water-loving child of Poseidon, the master strategist offspring of Athena, or a quick-tempered Ares descendant, we know there’s only one movie on your mind right now — Lightning Thief, based on Book 1 in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

The film hit theaters on February 12th, and of course we were there to catch it on opening weekend. But the question is: should you see it too? Tune in to our video review to find out — and to hear us make fools of ourselves performing a special tribute to Percy (seriously, how can you resist?):

Want permanent access to our humiliation? (Oh yeah, and our movie review too.) Download the audio!

And to share your thoughts on the movie, join the ongoing discussion!

Unless you’ve been living in a hole*, then you know that on March 5th, Alice will visit Wonderland once again — this time in Tim Burton’s cinematic interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s classics, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.

Nancy and I have already marked our calendars for opening weekend**, but it’s still quite a while to wait. Luckily, Avril Lavigne has provided some entertainment to tide us over: a new music video for her song, “Alice (Underground),” which will play over the opening and ending credits of the upcoming movie. Check it out:

So, what do you think of the video? I love that Avril’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt when she falls down the hole and is suddenly rocking a huge goth dress when she emerges on the other side. But I’m definitely NOT a fan of Avril’s face being superimposed everywhere, especially when she’s sitting at the Mad Hatter’s table. Also, how does she escape Wonderland at the end? She just runs on out of there?

Well, at least there’s a juicy montage of scenes from the new film!*** The movie looks like it’s going to be WAY different from the books, but that’s not going to stop me from following the White Rabbit all the way to my local movie theater. Leave a comment if you’re planning to see it too!

— Karen
 
 
* A hole such as the one Alice falls into, perhaps?

** What, you think we have other social engagements? Sadly, no.

*** For more, check out the official movie site.

They don't look too happy, but they're in love. Trust me.

Karen and I will reveal our book character crushes on Tuesday’s romance-themed podcast, but I’ll go ahead and make a lovesick fool of myself right on Valentines’ Day. When I see these names in print, my heart goes a little a-flutter:

Gabriel, from Sixth Grade Secrets by Louis Sachar: Gabriel has a crush on Laura Sibbie. And even though he’d never admit it, his secret crush starts a war of secret clubs in the entire sixth grade class.

Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series: I have a soft spot for the goofy, awkward guys, and Ron is definitely goofy and awkward. And even though he puts his foot in his mouth quite a few times (those birds Hermione sent attacking were well-deserved), I just want to pinch his freckled cheek.

Almanzo Wilder from the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder: As you can tell by Laura’s last name, it worked out for them.

Mr. Darcy from the classic Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Even a dorky first name like “Fitzwilliam” doesn’t stop the ladies from swooning at the sight of this smoldering, brooding gentleman.

So those are my literary crushes. Leave a comment if you’re willing to reveal yours!

— Nancy

P.S. You’ll notice that Edward Cullen is intentionally not on this list. I’ll just leave it at that.