Book Review: Oh My Godmother The Magic Mistake

Katie February 4, 2014 1 Comments

The Magic Mistake is the 2nd book in the Oh My Godmother series. (I have previously reviewed book 1 – The Glitter Trap)  In this book we are once again following Lacey Unger-Ware and her friends.  After Lacey had to take over being a godmother in the first book, she is now invited to join the Godmother Academy.  All she has to do is make someone’s dream come true – before Friday when the full moon hits.  If she succeeds she will become a member of the godmother academy for 100 years. If she fails, she will be cursed and everyone will hate her.

Katarina, the godmother training Lacey, tells her that she has to make Gina’s dream wedding come true.  Gina is Sunny’s mom, who was supposed to be married at the beginning of the book but her fiancé runs off and gets married to someone else.  Gina stays inside eating all of her wedding cake and not wanting to anything.  Lacey enlists her friends Sunny and Paige to help her out with the wedding and finds that the basketball coach is Gina’s true love.

When they finally have the wedding ready to happen (thanks to a magic spell or three) Lacey realizes she made a mistake! Sunny’s mom is NOT the Gina that she is supposed to be helping.  Will she be able to fix things and make the real Gina’s dream come true? Will she end up at the godmother academy for 100 years and have to leave her family?

Another cute book in this series. Great for middle-school aged girls. A quick and easy read that has a lot of fun things going on with the magic wand meddling on  typical school day events.

I received a free e-copy of  this book in order to write this review.  I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

After becoming the most awkward fairy godmother ever, twelve year old Lacey Unger-Ware thought that her magical duties were done for good. In fact, she’s just getting started. When Lacey is invited to attend the Godmother Academy it should be a dream come true. But to Lacey it means the total opposite: she’ll have to be separated from her friends and family for a hundred years. Um, no thank you!

But this is an offer Lacey can’t refuse. The fairy godmother Katarina knows that Lacey will be cursed forever if she doesn’t complete the magical test. Now Lacey must find the true love for one special lady and arrange the perfect wedding before time runs out. With her best friends Sunny and Paige along to help, there’s a glimmer of hope. But where’s a fairy godmother to save the day when you need one? Oh, wait…

The second book in Barbara Brauner and James Iver Mattson’s middle grade series is full of heart and charm, and Abigail Halpin’s black-and-white illustrations are irresistible.

Book Review: The White House For Kids

Katie February 3, 2014 0 Comments

The White House For Kids is a history of Home, Office and the National Symbol.  It includes 21 activities for kids to help teach them about the White House. The book talks about the White House and why it is white and a little bit of the history of the building, it covers what it’s like to grow up in the white house, the job that the president does, people who work in the white house, entertaining in the white house, the holidays in the white house, playing at the white house and then a bunch of resources about presidents and where to go for further research.

I really liked how the book started with the history of the white house in a time line form.  I probably learned some of this in school but I don’t recall ever knowing when the first phones were installed or elevators, etc.  The time line is full of a TON of info.

I have a secret obsession with architecture and I also love when books are geared towards kids because they are WAY easier to understand, so I was all about this book.  The activities in the book also look like a lot of fun. I’m a very hands on learner and I think that these kinds of activities when I was a kid would have helped me learn a lot better than just reading the book.

There are also a TON of great photos in the book, of the White House itself as well as Presidents and their families in the White House.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

An intriguing, in-depth look at the most famous home in the United States, this kid-friendly activity book educates young readers on the White House. Blending facts from numerous primary sources with engaging anecdotes—from learning that George Washington never actually slept in the White House and Abraham Lincoln never slept in the Lincoln Bedroom to how Gerald Ford’s daughter Susan held her high school prom in the White House—this book provides the complete story of the presidents’ home. Details on the many changes, updates, renovations, and redecorations that have occurred over the years are featured as well as a look at the daily lives of the White House’s inhabitants, including past presidents and their families along with the enormous staff that makes the White House run smoothly. This rich history is packed with an assortment of cross-curricular activities that allow readers to walk in the footsteps of presidents—they can play key passages of “Hail to the Chief,” practice signing a bill into law, make a White House punch, and re-create an aerobic game designed for President Hoover—making it a perfect book for any young mind with an interest in the White House or American history.

Book Review: The Woman’s Guide to How Men Think

Katie February 2, 2014 0 Comments

The Woman’s Guide to How Men Think is a book written by a guy giving some insight into the male mind.  Honestly I am not sure that women will ever completely figure out how men think, but this book did give some interesting information that I will definitely remember.  Men certainly show emotions and deal with things differently than women.  The book kind of tries to explain why men think the way they do as well, which I’m not sure really goes for every male ever but maybe just the majority.

My main reason for wanting to check out this book is because I deal with men at my job ALL DAY and there are a couple that I can never understand, ever.  Although the book kind of leans more from men on a romantic relationship standpoint, there were some chapters that I think I can put to good use and maybe I can decode these emails that I’ve been getting that seem like nothing but double talk to me!

If you’re a woman confused by men (and really, if you’re not then you are some sort of crazy genius) then definitely take the time to check out The Woman’s Guide to How Men Think.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Comedian George Carlin once said, “Women are from earth. Men are from earth. Just deal with it.” Though witty, this sentiment fails to recognize one of the real truths in life: that both genders are completely mystified by one another, and often have a mile-long list of complaints for the opposite sex. Yet, generally speaking, both men and women want to get along—especially if there’s romance involved.

A Woman’s Guide to How Men Think offers a practical, humorous, yet compassionate guide for women who want to learn the secrets of the elusive male mind. With author Shawn Smith’s trademark humor, you’ll come to understand why men think and see the world the way they do, and how to work with men to cultivate understanding and communication in relationships, without expecting men to be creatures that they are not. This isn’t a male-bashing book about how men should be more like women, but a book about how men actually are, and how women can use this understanding to get what they need from their relationships.

You’ll also learn why men often feel frustrated and criticized, how to deal with lack of communication in ways that don’t put men on the defensive, and how being curious and compassionate (while not accepting disrespectful or abusive behavior) instead of dismissing men for their inherently male traits can lead to greater understanding between the sexes.

The plain truth is that both men and women are from planet earth. But that doesn’t mean we are the same. If you are looking for an insider’s guide to the ever-elusive male mind, this is the book for you.

The author, Shawn Smith, is a psychotherapist with a blog at ironshrink.com.