Movies Books

"Cry Buggie" is a touching "Miss Spider" book release focusing on the character Squirt. Based on a television story, when Dragon sees Wiggle crying, he tells Squirt that Wiggle is a "cry buggie" and big bugs never cry. Later, Squirt sprains his ankle right before a big soccerberry tournament. Squirt is very sad, but remembers what Dragon said, holds his feelings in, and doesn't cry.

Eventually, Squirt learns the truth about crying. Crying is natural, and like rain in nature, something beautiful can come afterwards.

This book teaches an important lesson about about respecting other people's feelings. Many kids have trouble understanding how others feel, and this book gently helps them to empathize. It also explains that tears can be okay, and even useful at times.

This series is really nice. The illustration style is very interesting and unique--bright colors, endearing characters, engaging stories-- you can't go wrong. Both the books and the neat DVDs in the "Miss Spider" series are always based around positive values. The characters are not perfect-- they make mistakes, etc. But in the end they learn important lessons about family, friendship, and how we should treat others.

Interestingly, Miss Spider was herself an adopted "buggie" (you may enjoy the Miss Spider original book). As an adult her own family includes adopted buggies, too. Most children who live with their biological parents will not think twice about this aspect of the series, but kids who have been adopted may appreciate the subtle way in which Miss Spider stories show that adoption is a wonderful way to make or expand your family-- and that what defines a family is love.

Good book. I like watching the curious george videos with my son more than reading the books with him.

I purchased this book for my 3 year old daughter, who is a big fan of the PBS show. The book is a shortened version of one of the show episodes. I find the story a lot more readable than other Level 1 readers-- it is well written, and not overly repetitive. It is also the right length for her attention span. The pages are durable and very colorful. I recommend this book and the others in the series for young fans of the show.

I gave this book to my 8 yr old as a B-day gift and although she has not read it yet (She got about 20 other books and it'll take a while to get to all of them.) I have to admit that I did read it and I loved it. I liked Curious George as a child and I was so excited to see that he was making a come back. I could hardly wait to introduce my curious little lady to him. She has enjoyed the other Curious George books and I know she will like this one too. We can't wait till the movie comes out on DVD.

The publisher's description of the level this book is deceiving; it is described as a baby-preschool level book. Perhaps the story would appeal to that level (would have to read short passages to hold their attention), but the literacy level to read this book is around 7-11 years I would say. My son who is 10 and has always adored Curious George, read this book and considered it a little below his grade level of reading. It made the book a quick but enjoyable read for him. The title given as well as the spine of the book even indicates that it is a 'Junior Novel'. There is a small section of colorful photos from the movie but the pages of the book are primarily text with a few black and white sketches. My son thoroughly enjoyed this new 'George' adventure and hopes for more (can't wait to see the movie!). It was a real page turner for him.

I loved the movie, and I loved the book. The book built on the movie, adding parts and info on scenes and the characters, explaining technical info, and more. It went more into the movie, adding on what happened at Mount Baker in the 1970's (Mentioned in movie, but not explained), and going into other Cascade Volcanoes (Rainier, St. Helens, Baker, Crater Lake). Anyone who loves disaster stories, volcanoes, or Washington State should read this book.

I loved this book. The Movie was Great but the book was even better. Get this book.

I have never read this book before, but I saw the movie at midnight while flipping through channels looking for good movies. When I started watching the movie from the beginning, I thought it was a fun movie that friends go out and play, but when the movie started getting worse, I got confused. First, I had no idea why they called it The Deadly Friend, but when I finished watching the movie, I understood why. Although part of the movie is super disgusting, but I love it a lot, because it's very touching, sad, romantic, and else. The most melancholy part is the ending, when Sam started remembering her life as the real Samantha and the friendship with Paul, the police shot her when she was running up to him. While she was surrounded by police everywhere, you see her vision started getting more vivid and real, but it's so sad that the police didn't know who she really is and why she killed her father and the old woman who shot Bee Bee. Just hearing her whispering Paul's name the first time in a long time, you feel like if you want something good to happen, just like if she could survive and become the real Samantha. Therefore, I recommand you to read this book or watch the movie. If you ever like these kind of stories, then you should see the movie Artificial Intelligence made in 2001, too.

This book is about a lonely boy named Paul Conway who moves to the small town of Welling with his mother due to a divorce and a horrible accident. He is a scientific genius who built his own robot named "Bee Bee". He falls in love with his next door neighbor named Samantha Pringle. Her father is a raging alcoholic who shatters Paul's life by destroying Bee Bee and killing Sam. Paul takes the robot computer and implants it into her brain bringing her back to life, well sort of. She turns into a revengful monster totaly unlike Sam who murders her father and several others. It seems as if no one, not even he, can destroy this monster which he has created. In short, good book. Pick it up!

Linoleum?! Why would anyone send a celebrity a letter written on linoleum? This is but one of the many unique writing surfaces on which Johnny Carsaon received fan mail. During his nearly 30-year reign as the "Tonight Show" host, Johnny Carson's devoted viewers sent him an array of tokens of appreciation, from stuffed rodents dressed as Carnak, to spray painted cow dung... and that's only the beginning!

"Dear Johnny" is a behind-the scenes look at some of the most hilarious, bizarre, scary, confusing, heart-rending, heart-wamring, and inspired fan mail and gifts received by Johnny Carson while hosting the "Tonight Show."
--- from book's back cover.

This book is awesome! I can't believe the things people send to celebrities! It's nuts! An entertaining read for any Johnny fan! Highly recommended!

The author does an outstanding job at offer the details of survival in the north. I lived in Trenton for many years and know some of the people mentioned. It is embarassing as a Canadian to see how ill equiped we are and what we make our troops do with so little to work with.

The rescue part in the book was a bit abrupt and final...perhaps he could have offered more insight to the final rescue moments.

A thrilling story how just real life can write it. Realistic to the bone with these magic moments which you cannot explain. They just happen and everybody has its own idea what it was for. This book enriches your world of symbols and you learn about the (protection-?) function of phantasy in extreme situations. The book is full of very personal ways to death and back to life. Lots of details make it to more than a "light at the end of the tunnel story". All this is framed by the technical world of the search and rescue schemes with its todays heros: The people of the rescue squads. These storyline let the reader rest after the emotional parts of personal (the main characters) hardship. Both storylines together build up the enormous suspense of this book. To the author: Good, very sensitive recherche realisticly narrated. Perfect for this story.+++ Thanks to all the people who added their for sure not very pleasant memories to make this book possible +++

In 1974, teenager Sharon Webster witnessed the horrifying death of Gavin Burns at the hands of the Blair Witch. Refusing the face the truth, she reported that Gavin had been killed by a bear, and from that day on, she has lived in denial. Twenty-six years later, Sharon has a sixteen-year-old daughter of her own, Kayla, and a fifteen-year-old niece named Erin. When Kayla begins to have nightmares about the events her mother witnessed, she is determined to find out the truth her mother has been hiding. So Kayla and Erin, along with Kayla's boyfriend, Jon, hike to the woods Kayla saw in her dreams. But the three teens are making a big mistake. Because although Gavin is dead, the evil that destroyed him lives on. And now it's after Kayla, Erin, and Jon. This was a terrifying addition to the Blair Witch Files series.

In the summer of 1974, sixteen-year-old Sharon Webster is sent away to camp at Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland. Here she meets Gavin Burns, a boy who wears a "Plague" T-shirt in honour of his favourite band, and is obsessed with the occult, tarot cards and everything to do with the Blair Witch. Gavin is infatuated with Sharon and sets about trying to prove the Witch's existence to impress her. The plot goes tragically wrong and results in Sharon witnessing the horrifying death of Gavin in the swamps near to Deep Creek Lake.

Now forty two years old, and with a sixteen year old daughter of her own, Sharon has done her best to forget that the events at Deep Creek Lake ever happened. But for her daughter, Kayla, it isn't so easy. Her mother has never spoken of the events that went on, yet Kayla finds herself dreaming of a boy in a "Plague" T-shirt holding a Tarot Card to symbolise death. He tells her his name is Gavin and begs for help as she watches him drown in the swamp. Kayla is frightened by these dreams but her mother refuses to tell her what happened. Together with her cousin Erin and boyfriend Jon, Kayla resolves to seek the truth about the secret her mother is keeping from her. As in the Blair Witch Project movie itself, the three venture into the forest, armed with a video camera and determined to find answers. But is history about to repeat itself, and who will be the next victim of the Blair Witch?

This is the scariest book in the Blair Witch Files so far. The action is fast-paced and will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. This book was more about being scary than having an interesting or complicated plot. I really recommend "The Death Card" and the remaining books in this series to all teen readers and horror fans.

I haven't finished this book yet, but so far I would have to say that it is very well written. Although, I've watched the entire seasons 1-3 of the desperate housewives series. The good thing about this book is the details that were left out of the series. Which definitely makes the story line a lot more entertaining, it also reveals different sides to the characters.

The sex lives of five naughty wives! Funnier than the TV series - and even more hot and clever! Giji, SueAnn, Ariella, Connie and Wynette are fun from beginning to end. I'm really hoping for a sequel - and soon!!!

On August 13, 1931, Captain Joseph Medill Patterson of the "New York Daily News" sent a telegram to Chester Gould, the man who created Dick Tracy, that read: YOUR PLAINCLOTHES TRACY HAS POSSIBILITIES STOP. Within the pages of "Dick Tracy: The Official Biography" you will find the great adventures of the greatest detective in the funny pages, his unforgettable enemies from Flattop to Pruneface, his allies from Pat Patton to Diet Smith, his 2-way radio (late 2-way TV), and Tess Trueheart, his long-suffering sweetheart and eventual mate. Jay Maeder, a top editor at "The New York Daily News" might be providing an official biography, but he is doing so from a pop culture perspective. Consequently, we begin with Dick Tracy, square-jawed and straight-shooting, a creation of the time when crime was rampant in 1931, but trace his entire career, both in comics, radio and the movies. As you would expect, this book is loaded with black & white strips as well as 24 pages in color.

The character that Chester Gould created was absolutely dedicated to getting rid of the crime gangs afflicting the big city. Like the real-life Eliot Ness, Dick Tracy was brave, incorruptible, and sworn to making the world clean again. The catalyst for his career was the murder of Tess Trueheart's father in his deli by a robber. Gould had worked on earlier comic strips, "The Radio Cats" and "The Girl Friends," when he came up with the submission idea for "Plainclothes Tracy." The idea was refined before the first strip appeared on October 12, 1931, with Dick calling on the Truehearts for dinner. But the Big Boy, the first official Tracy villain, sent some boys to rob the Truehearts deli and Emil Trueheart ended up dead with Tracy vowing a blood oath over the body. The rest is the history that Maeder is detailing.

The approach of "Dick Tracy: The Official Biography" is basically chronological, beginning with the effort to bring Big Boy to justice, which was followed over the years by the Buddy Waldorf kidnapping, working as a G-Man across state lines, and, of course, all those battles with the Grotesques which would end up defining the strip for the world: The Blank, Pruneface, Flattop, Wormy, Flayface, and the rest. Maeder also devotes chapters to not only Tess and Junior, but the atonement of Stooge Viller and Steve the Tramp, which shows there was rehabilitation as well as justice in the Dick Tracy universe. Then there is Sparkle, B.O., and the other Plentys, along with Moon Maid and the whole Space Period of the strip. The result is not a strict chronology, but more of a constant circling forward, which reflect an effort to provide each chapter with thematic unity. Bu the primary goal remains to tell the story of how Chester Gould created a great and enduring American icon.

However, Maeder deals as well with the twilight period of the story of Dick Tracy when the culture turned against the character as he does with the original glory days and the later period of cultural retrieval. The major strength of the book is the way he puts all the pieces together, so that there is a sense of progression and character growth. Maeder is able to not only provide a concise description of Dick Tracy dealing with a terrorist-bomb incident or an adventure with Nilon Hoze, but also takes pain to show what was different or special that time around. I did not exactly work it out, but it sure looks like Maeder literally accounted for every "Dick Tracy" strip ever drawn by Gould. While I was never all that interested in the comic strip I found this to be a fascinating look at the over half-century that Dick Tracy fought his never-ending battles against the most memorable bad guys ever to embody evil. Oh, and do not forget to pay attention to the great tips provided in those Crimestoppers Textbooks!

This overview of the DICK TRACY comic strip coincided with a plethora of books that were part of the hype machine for Disney's movie extravagaza, and it was the best. Written by Jay Maeder, an historian of sorts for New York's Daily News, this "Official Biography" lovingly revisits the plot lines and characters of Chester Gould's 70 year old comic strip and brilliantly summarizes what it has become: an enduring pop cultural epic.

When Gould first created the exploits of his young gangbuster he was merely following the crime filled headlines of the day with crude, childlike artwork and a storytelling style that read like a cornball silent matinee. This, however, was the Depression and readers starving for breathless thrills found themselves hooked. Gould, who himself stated he never knew how the plotlines would evolve, became both a master puppeteer and an enthusiastic front row spectator. Soon, the plots became more intricate, the criminals became uglier, the violence became unflinchingly bloodier (a bold move when you consider today's hightened sensitivity), and the crude artwork became a style onto its own. All the while Dick Tracy, and his immediate family of cops and others became like friends we earnestly knew.

That was the beauty of comic strip storytelling from its golden age in that it was to unfold like a saga and in the case of DICK TRACY it was a saga that spanned the life of the 20th Century. The Depression, World War 2, Eisenhower's 50's, the psychodelic 60's- Tracy rode his police car through all of this and writer Maeder critically keeps his eyes on how the strip stayed the course (or derailed in the 60's...remember the Moon Maid?) and managed to entertain ever changing taste. With plenty of illustrations and a cogent reading style, this out of print book is an underrated gem.