My Flag - Yosi

Here's an early Independence Day post, but the song is appropriate any time. I love the sweet little kid voices.

Book Recommendations For Boys

I just wanted to note some excellent children's books for boys - ages or reading levels of roughly 7-10. My son is going into the third grade and it a strong reader with a 7-year-old attention span so adjust ages/levels accordingly. I guess that girls generate more book and CD purchases because although there are many series specifically for girls it's harder to find boy-friendly items.

• Stink series by Megan McDonald
  Stink is the younger brother of Judy Moody and has 4 or 5 books of his own. I read Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker yesterday and laughed out loud in multiple spots. Yes, it was short for me but this was after I abandoned another kid's book earlier in the day because it was boring me to tears. I haven't read any Judy Moody books but I love Stink dearly and so does my son.
  
  
• Jack Stalwart and the ________
  We grabbed the first book in this series last fall while at a large everything-store. My son climbed on the bottom of the cart and started reading. Before we left the store he was nearly finished with it - a decent-length chapter book - so we went back to grab the 2nd one on the way out. I believe he finished both that night. He was hooked. We subsequently ordered the rest and keep the new ones on Amazon pre-order. Jack is a 9(?) year old secret agent and visits a different country and world landmark in each book. In one book he had to rescue England's stolen crown jewels. In another the crime involved the Great Barrier Reef. Jack also has an intriguing list of super-gadgets to help him out.
  
  
• Melvin Beederman, Superhero
  While I haven't read these myself, they grabbed my son's attention and again he devoured a series. Our library only has the first three so we have put in requests for the others but may end up getting them from Amazon first.
  
  
• Captain Underpants
  I have mixed feelings about this series but my son LOVES it. As you may have guessed, potty humor abounds. Of course, some males never outgrow potty humor. The books are silly and are a blend between short chapter books and comic books. Cancel that. He's learning some really rude and tacky stuff from these books. It's not worth it to me.

You know... I love the fact that my child is a reader and that he has his own interests. I just wish sometimes he wasn't so stubborn. It seems that if I show him a book/series or recommend it he's automatically turned off.

"I'm From The Sun" - Gustafer Yellowgold

Gustafer Yellowgold is rather unique in the world of kids' music. Morgan Tayler - singer/illustrator/creator - has created his own cartoon identity in a way and shows the slide show style animation on a large screen at concerts as he sings. Gustafer is a creature from the sun who came to earth and is experiencing life from a new perspective.

See Also:

Gustafer Yellowgold on Amazon.com
Gustafer Yellowgold Homepage

"Pop Fly" - Justin Roberts

New this late spring/summer, Justin Roberts' Pop Fly. Justin Roberts is the current favorite of my nearly eight-year-old. I've heard all of Justin's CDs and they are all favorites in our home and car. Justin has his own special flair - catchy lyrics and hooks along with a special talent for getting into a kid's head.

See Also:

Justin Roberts Homepage

Justin Roberts on Amazon

Figure Eight - Schoolhouse Rock

I'm dating myself, but I loved Schoolhouse Rock from the beginning. The songs and animations are so catchy that we never really minded that we were learning something. The series has now been around for about 30 years and although a few of the videos are a bit dated, most are still as intriguing as ever.

See Also:
Schoolhouse Rock on Amazon

Camp Rock - Hit Or Miss?

I just watched "Camp Rock" and, well, I'm not very impressed. First impressions:

• Prediction: It will never measure up to "High School Musical" in any way.
• Why advertise the movie as starring the Jonas Brothers when two of them were barely seen?
• Demi Lovato is great and I loved seeing the little girl from "Super Short Show" all grown up.
• The storyline was rather sluggish.
• The movie did not hold the attention of my test subject - nearly 8.

I'm already pretty leery of the Jonas Brothers' claims of wholesomeness. Sure, it sounds great but I don't really buy it.

The movie was so obviously an attempt to capitalize on the "High School Musical" crowd, and I guess there's nothing wrong with that - but I don't think it succeeded. The music was just OK, I didn't find it especially well-done or appealing. Of course, as hard as Disney has been pushing the music and the movie some kids may have already had it implanted in their brains. I guess the ratings and sales will tell the rest of the story.

About Me

I'm a mom, an ex-teacher and a music lover. I previously worked for About.com - a branch of The New York Times - for several years running a site about Children's Music.

I have a nearly eight-year-old son and a thirteen year-old stepdaughter. Both are very musically inclined.

I've been a hobby musician most of my life, from chorus in high school and college to barbershop choruses (best in the world!). I taught - elementary, mostly - officially for over 13 years.

I'm also a life-long computer geek. OK, not really life-long because they weren't available to the general public until I was in high school. But I guess I've been a computer geek for nearly 30 years.