Kidsmomo

It’s October! Time for pumpkins, costumes, candy, and things that go bump in the night! In that spirit, we have a super frightening video for you today. Why’s that? Well, nothing’s scarier than Karen’s horrible attempts at so-called “drawing” when we play KidsmomoMo Pictionary!

If you’ve missed any previous rounds of our competition, here’s how it works: all the answers are titles of books we’ve recommended on Kidsmomo in the past. Watch Part 7 and play along! How many titles can YOU guess?

And here’s a running tally of Correct Guesses:

We’ve never appeared in a play, but we definitely still know all about drama — and that’s because we attended middle school!

As you guys know, life at school is more than just classes and homework; there’s a lot of crazy and meaningful stuff that happens in the halls, during lunch period, and in the middle of extra-curricular activities. And at Eucalyptus Middle School, drama certainly abounds.

That’s the setting in the new graphic novel DRAMA by Raina Telgemeier, which involves drama both on stage (in the school production of Moon Over Mississippi) and off stage (new friendships, a school dance, tears, laughter, and multiple unrequited crushes).

DRAMA just came out this week, and to celebrate, Raina stopped by Kidsmomo to give us a special behind-the-scenes look at how she draws Callie, the main character in the book. Check out the exclusive video below:

So cool to see an artist in action, isn’t it? And if you like that illustration of Callie, well, you’re in luck! We’re giving away the original illustration and a signed copy of DRAMA to one lucky winner!

Enter our sweepstakes below, and stay tuned for a Q&A with Raina in a couple weeks!

This sweepstakes is now closed.

The new movie ParaNorman is full of creatures with no pulse, but it’s guaranteed YOUR pulse will quicken as you watch all the fast and funny zombie action in this flick!

We give it two thumbs up — watch our video for our commentary on the trailer and read on for our thoughts on the film and the book! (Warning: we tried to pack in as many spooky puns and references as possible, so be prepared to groan…)

Storyline
Karen says:I’m a huge scaredy cat, so I deliberately read as little as I could about the story before going to see it. I knew that if I thought about it too much, I’d start to get irrationally afraid of the zombies and my anxiety would overpower my BRAAAAAIIIIIIN and I’d chicken out of watching the movie. So I was really happy that it turned out to be not too freaky. Actually, I thought it was pretty sweet and heart-warming for a movie about the undead!

Nancy says: Unlike Karen, I did read the book (by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel) before watching the movie — and it was awesome! There are barely any differences in storyline between the book and movie, and I thought the WICKED twist with the witch was really clever.

Spooky Reference Running Tally: 2

Characters
Karen says: I immediately liked Norman — but then again, you’d have to be a CORPSE not to like him! I also loved his new friend, Neil. But the rest of the characters seemed a little stereotypical — almost like GHOSTS of truly unique people. I especially would have liked Norman’s dad to have more depth because his character was as shallow as a SHALLOW GRAVE. But still, this didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment of the movie.

Nancy says: So what you’re saying, Karen, is that you would have liked to see Norman’s dad more FLESHED out? Heeheehee! In the book, Salma is a lot more involved and funnier, so I missed her. She was the BRAAAAIINNNSS of the operation. I liked how Norman eventually came around to being Neil’s friend; in the book you find out why he’s so shy and introverted, so when Norman gets the GUTS to come out of his shell in the movie, I had that in the back of my mind. I mean, BRAAAAIIINNN.

Spooky Reference Running Tally: 9

Visuals
Karen says: I absolutely loooooooved the way this movie looked — and we didn’t even see it in 3D! Actually, I feel like the visuals are so good, the 3D is probably unnecessary. Of course, I can’t say that for sure — I’d have to pick the BRAAAAAAAIIIIIIINS of people who did see it in 3D — but I thought all the detail and richness of the visuals were great in 2D! Also, I don’t know about anyone else, but I kept staring at Norman’s eyebrows. Is that weird? Probably…

Nancy says: At first, I was kind of GROSSED OUT by the way some of the people look in the movie — especially Norman’s mom and sister, who have teeny-tiny waists and giant butts and heads. But in the end I thought, hey — I’m probably supposed to be grossed out. I also thought the climatic scene with Norman and the accused witch was beautiful — no spoilers here, but let’s just say… it was ELECTRIFYING!

Spooky Reference Running Tally: 12

Favorite part
Karen says: This was a huge surprise to me, given that I normally am DEATHLY afraid of the idea of the living dead, but the zombies were my favorite part of the movie! I thought all their mannerisms were really funny, and it especially SLAYED ME up when one of them ended up riding in a car with Norman!

Nancy says: I already mentioned how much I loved the scene with Norman and the witch, so I’ll go with… every funny part of the movie! Seriously, the movie made my RIBCAGE rattle from giggling so much. Even though the hockey-mask scene is in the other ParaNorman trailer, it’s still a HOOT in the movie.

Spooky Reference Running Tally: 16

Overall impressions
Karen says: I would definitely recommend this movie. It’s got everything you could ask for: an unlikely hero, an action-packed story, awesome stop-motion visuals, lots of humor, and lots of heart. Definitely not one of those dumb movies made by people who expect kids to just enjoy anything; the people behind this film definitely used their BRAAAAAAAIIIIIIIINS to make something really cool! So I give it a thumbs up for sure!

Nancy says: I would also recommend this movie, and the book by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. I think it’d be enjoyable to read the book first or in the AFTERLIFE of the movie.

Have you seen the new movie ParaNorman? Leave a comment with YOUR review! Did you love it? Did you hate it? Did you freak out when the zombies appeared and wail like a baby who’s diaper needs to be changed? We wanna know!

Total No. of Spooky References: 18

The Olympics may be over (boo hoooooo), but the games still go on! If by “the games,” you mean our ongoing game of KidsmomoMo Pictionary, that is…

If you’ve missed any previous rounds of our competition, here’s how it works: all the answers are titles of books we’ve recommended on Kidsmomo in the past, and Nancy repeatedly trounces Karen. I mean, she really stomps all over Karen. She COMPLETELY puts Karen to shame. You get the picture.

Can Karen break the cycle in Round 6? Watch and find out — and play along! How many titles can YOU guess?

And in case anyone is curious about how who’s winning, here’s a running tally of Correct Guesses:

It’s been a while since we’ve played KidsmomoMo Pictionary — not just because Karen needed all that time to get over the humiliation of her poor attempts at drawing!

If you’ve watched any previous rounds of our competition, then you know how it goes: all the answers are titles of books we’ve recommended on Kidsmomo in the past, and Karen consistently freezes up in anguish because she has no artistic skills whatsoever.

Will the pattern continue in Round 5? Watch and find out! And, of course, please play along! How many titles can YOU guess?

This picture has nothing to do with anything. We just thought it was hilarious!

Tomorrow is America’s birthday, and what do we do on birthdays? Why, sing in celebration, of course!

But for this Fourth of July, we decided to stay away from the National Anthem. Instead, we’re celebrating independence of a different kind — the freedom to dig into any old book you want! Summer reading is all about your choice: No teachers with required reading lists. No class assignments. All you and no rules!

That’s certainly enough to inspire us to burst out into song! (Well, that and also all the sugary popsicles we’ve been eating to stay cool…)

So, without further ado, here’s our version of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” — dedicated to summer reading!

(PS – If you’re on the go — or maybe busy chowing down on hot dogs and apple pie — just download the audio.)

As you guys can tell, we spared you from Karen’s so-called “singing” this time around. Instead, we got a professional musician to lend us a hand — our friend Tom from the band Men and Whales. (He’s also a teacher when he’s not rocking out, and he looooooooooves Wimpy Kid!) A BIG thanks to Tom for helping us out!

— Happy 4th of July, from Karen and Nancy!

We saw The Lorax on opening night.
Was it a beauty or was it a fright?
Watch the video if you want to see
A movie review from Karen and Nancy!

Hey, give us a break, we know we can’t compare to Dr. Seuss! But really, who can?

The REAL question here is whether you should see the Lorax movie. Watch our movie review video to find out:

(PS – If you’re on the go — or busy protecting the trees from greedy, axe-wielding men — don’t worry, you can still listen to our review. Just download the audio.)

Have you seen the new Lorax movie? Leave a comment with YOUR review! How do you think it compared to the book?

Imagine a film about tiny people living in the walls of your house, sneaking into your room at night, taking little items while you sleep. Is it the newest horror movie to hit theaters? No, it’s The Secret World of Arietty, based on Mary Norton’s classic children’s book The Borrowers!

Yeah, we were just kidding with that horror film stuff. Although the question still remains: Is this movie a delight, or a fright? Check out our video review below:

(PS – If you’re on the go — or busy hiding from the household cat because you’re about the size of his paw — don’t worry, you can still listen to our review. Just download the audio.)

Have you seen the new movie The Secret World of Arietty? Leave a comment with YOUR review! How do you think it compared to the book?

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and we’ve been trying to figure out the best way to show you guys just how much we love you.

First we thought about making cards, but then we realized it would take A LOT of glitter and construction paper and doilies to create a valentine for each and every one of you. Then we thought about chocolate and roses, but that’s just so expected and boring… So instead, we’re going to serenade you!

Around the holidays, we tried our hand at re-writing some favorite Christmas carols. So for Valentine’s Day, we’ve chosen the world’s premiere love song to undergo a transformation thanks to our lyrical and vocal talents: “Love You Like a Love Song” by Selena Gomez!

(PS – If you’re on the go — or maybe busy getting ready for a big date — just download the audio.)

Btw, apologies for Karen’s horrendous singing. Please don’t let that stop you from being our valentines!

— With love from Karen and Nancy

A few days ago, we treated you to our version of “Jingle Bells” — as sung from the perspective of Greg Heffley. Today, we’ve got another twisted Christmas carol for you — this time in honor of our favorite boy wizard, Harry Potter!

Inspired by the brief reference to “God Bless Ye Merry Hippogriffs” in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we present our imagined version of the song:

(PS – If you’re on the go — or busy waging a war on Death Eaters — just download the audio.)

There are even more verses in the real song, but we figured you could only take so much of Karen’s singing. (Hardy har har.)

Do you ever sing your own version of famous songs? Leave a comment with your ideas for new and improved lyrics to any tune, holiday-related or not!

— Happy holidays from Karen and Nancy!

Instrumentals courtesy of Songsculptor.com