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Here in the Northern Hemisphere (where Kidsmomo makes its home), the winter solstice is today. That means that tonight, the North Pole will be tilted as far away from the sun as it possibly can go, and we’ll experience the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It’s also the official first day of winter.
Now, unlike pretty much EVERYONE ELSE I’ve ever met, I enjoy the winter more than the summer — and I even like the way it gets dark early. Feels cozier to me that way.
But I may have to change my mind, based on what I just read in The Heroes of Olympus Book 1: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. In the book, Chiron the centaur offers a much spookier description of today’s big event than anything I learned in science class:
“The winter solstice,” Chiron spoke up, “is also the time of greatest darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things… stir.” The way he said it, stirring sounded absolutely sinister — like it should be a first-degree felony, not something you did to cookie dough. “Okay,” Annabeth said, glaring at the centaur. “Thank you, Captain Sunshine…”
“The winter solstice,” Chiron spoke up, “is also the time of greatest darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things… stir.”
The way he said it, stirring sounded absolutely sinister — like it should be a first-degree felony, not something you did to cookie dough.
“Okay,” Annabeth said, glaring at the centaur. “Thank you, Captain Sunshine…”
As if Chiron’s warning about the winter solstice isn’t chilling enough, I’m a bit freaked out that I happened to read it on winter solstice day itself! Uh, should I be concerned about what’s coming tonight? Is this a sign?! For now, I’m going to fix myself a cup of hot cocoa and pretend like there’s nothing to worry about. But I just hope I can get to sleep later…
— Karen
Karen tends to have an overactive imagination, so this winter solstice stuff is probably no big deal. Then again, that’s what the protagonist always thinks at the beginning of a horror movie…
More about Karen »
With the new Deathly Hallows movie finally in theaters, there’s been tons of recent Harry Potter mania around the world. But sadly, no new HP books. [insert wail of despair here]
Luckily, there are other options for devoted Harry fans — and we’ve got them covered in our latest podcast, all about Harry Potter withdrawal. You’ll meet Olive, Percy, Charlie, Sophie, and Josh, plus hear why we’re wild about Harry!
Also, don’t forget: next up, we’re celebrating the countdown to 2011 with a special month-long theme dedicated to new beginnings! So check out our New Beginnings booklist. Plus, keep an eye out for a couple KidsmomoMos before the year is done: our review of the new Narnia movie and an interview with the creators of the Joey Fly, Private eye graphic novels!
— Karen and Nancy
Obviously, we love Rick Riordan’s books. Based on the amount we’ve talked about Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Kane Chronicles, you’d think we’re a teeny bit obsessed. But you’d be wrong — because we’re actually majorly obsessed. So, of course, we’re super excited to share news about Rick Riordan’s new series, The Heroes of Olympus!
A while back, we heard that Riordan would be writing a PJTO spin-off about a new group of demigods at Camp Half Blood, but we didn’t have any details. Well, this week, Riordan finally spilled some juicy info:
And you can learn even more about the new series on the official website, where you’ll also find… are you ready?… A SNEAK PEEK OF THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawesome!
Can you tell I’m excited? Just a tad? Let me put it this way: I intended to read just a little bit before going to bed last night because I was really, really tired. But once I started, I could not tear my eyes away. And when I got to the last page, I clicked “Next” anyway — even though I knew I had reached the end — because I just wasn’t ready to stop reading. So yeah, you could say I kind of dug it. Kinda.
So… what are you waiting for? Go check out all the goodies at the Heroes of Olympus site! The first book in the series, The Lost Hero, won’t be in stores until October 12th, but at least Riordan’s giving us some entertaining stuff to keep us busy until then. I just wish he’d included a few more chapters. Sigh.
Karen once took a quiz to tell her which Percy Jackson character she’d be. The answer was Annabeth Chase. Well, obvi. Because Karen’s wise. Right?
The books for our current theme are all about new kids — some of whom don’t exactly get the warmest welcome. Sure, you could luck out like Emily Ebers (in the books by Lisa Yee) and make friends with someone really cool like Millicent Min. Okay, Millicent isn’t exactly “cool,” but she’s really nice.
On the other hand, some of the locals aren’t so nice to the new kids in our books for this theme. And I caught up with some of them to get the inside scoop for Kidsmomo:
“Well, once there was this girl who was just… just… WEIRD. Her clothes didn’t match. I mean, I guess some people would think she’s original and cool, but I thought it was weird. She dressed like it was Halloween every day. It must be a family thing, because her little brother dressed like it was Halloween all the time, too. Maybe they’re just really into Halloween.” — Rosemary
“Well, once there was this girl who was just… just… WEIRD. Her clothes didn’t match. I mean, I guess some people would think she’s original and cool, but I thought it was weird. She dressed like it was Halloween every day. It must be a family thing, because her little brother dressed like it was Halloween all the time, too. Maybe they’re just really into Halloween.”
— Rosemary
“Word of advice: When you meet the new girl, don’t pull her pigtails and call her ‘Carrots,’ no matter how much you want her to pay attention to you because she’s really cute. Because she’ll hold a grudge for a really, really long time. It might be years before she agrees to be your friend.” — Gilbert Blythe
“Word of advice: When you meet the new girl, don’t pull her pigtails and call her ‘Carrots,’ no matter how much you want her to pay attention to you because she’s really cute. Because she’ll hold a grudge for a really, really long time. It might be years before she agrees to be your friend.”
— Gilbert Blythe
“I hate when people get in my face. Especially losers. So when a new kid — a big-time loser — gets to camp, I show him who’s boss. I usually grab his scrawny neck and drag him into the bathroom. Then I give a good dunking in the toilet.” — Clarisse La Rue When asked about the incident with a certain son of Poseidon, Miss La Rue rudely stated the interview was over, tore off her microphone, and hit me in the face with it.
“I hate when people get in my face. Especially losers. So when a new kid — a big-time loser — gets to camp, I show him who’s boss. I usually grab his scrawny neck and drag him into the bathroom. Then I give a good dunking in the toilet.”
— Clarisse La Rue
When asked about the incident with a certain son of Poseidon, Miss La Rue rudely stated the interview was over, tore off her microphone, and hit me in the face with it.
Okay, I didn’t actually interview these characters, obviously. Because they’re fictional. Which is just as well, because I’m pretty sure Clarisse would beat me up.
— Nancy
After re-imagining an encounter with Clarisse, Nancy decided that she could get a decent punch in. She’s pretty feisty.
More about Nancy »
It’s not unusual to see T-shirts featuring book characters, or otherwise related to books (Team Jacob vs. Team Edward, anyone?). And with the mania over Harry Potter, it’s not even uncommon to see people in kidlit costumes. But are those folks truly dressed in character, from head to toe? They may wear their greasy Snape wigs and Sorting Hats, but are their shoes really authentic?
Well, now crazy zealots — er, I mean, dedicated fans can totally look the part with book-based footwear! Remember how I said I read the websites of other adults who love children’s books? Lately, they’ve spotted a couple different kidlit-inspired shoes — methinks I smell a fashion trend! (“Smell” in the figurative sense, of course; no way I’m sniffing actual shoes.)
First up, Seuss shoes are just what the doctor ordered!
Cat in the Hat -- in Converse!
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Converse, Blue Converse,
There are some other designs too, but these two are my favorites. Unfortunately, they mainly come in baby sizes, but some designs go all the way up to size 12 in girls/boys. Still, that’s a tight squeeze for my huge hoofers. But that’s okay, because these heavenly sneaks come in all sizes:
Wings 2.0 by Jeremy Scott for Adidas (and for Hermes)
Inspired by ancient mythology, perfect for fans of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series! Although if you’ve read the books, then you know that winged shoes aren’t everything they’re cracked up to be. But still, pretty sweet, right?
I wonder what’s coming next… I could go for a pair of Ranger’s Apprentice slippers that would be comfy and help me walk more quietly than I do now (my shoe repair guy says I’m a heavy walker). What about you? What kind of book-inspired shoes would you want?
And have any of you spotted kidlit kicks? Leave a comment and let me know!
Forget shoes, Karen is waiting for the day she can buy an Invisibility Cloak. Unlike Harry Potter, she would not use it for good. Muhahaha! More about Karen »
Submitted by Ingram, Age 11 from Illinois
Rating:
really good
Also check out Blake’s review of this book!
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!
The wait is over. Back in August the first teaser trailer hit theaters, but today the full film will finally shine down from the silver screen… It’s opening day for the Lightning Thief movie, based on the first book in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series! Oh my gods, I’m excited!
Of course, Nancy and I are planning to see the movie this weekend, and we’ll report back to you with a KidsmomoMO video review in the next week or so. But in the meantime, calling all PJTO fans — please, talk amongst yourselves! Leave a comment with your thoughts on the movie adaptation:
Whoa, go Logan Lerman -- use that Poseidan Power! (Squee!)
Haven’t seen it yet? What are you expecting? Do you think it will be faithful to the book? OR just saw the film? Post your opinion! How did it measure up? (Just be sure to put “SPOILER ALERT” at the beginning of your comment!)
Here are some of my thoughts: What’s up with the first scene in the trailer? Grover’s not wearing a hat, but I don’t see any horns! And I heard that Percy and Annabeth are already 16 years old in the movie version, so they had to push back the age of the big prophecy too, to age 21. Not sure I like that…
Agree? Disagree? The comments are now open for demigod discussion!
And be sure to check out these reviews for Book 2 and Book 4 in the Percy Jackson series, sent in by Sydney (age 12) and Christian (age 11)!
Reviewed by: Christian, Age 11 from Rhode Island
The Battle Of The Labyrinth by Rick Riordon is an amazing book. I couldn’t put any of the books by him down. He is an amzing author and I would higly recomend this book to kids in fourth grade to kids in seventh grade. His books are amazing.
Reviewed by: Sydney, Age 12 from Rhode Island
I just finished the book ‘The Sea of Monsters’! I <3′ed it!!!!! It was so good. I drove in the car for like 4 hours in the car and i couldn’t put it down. I love the series! I’m only on the 3rd book but I’m so excited to finish the whole series!!! I love the books and Iwould highly recommend the series!!!
<3 Sydney!
