Pumpkin A La Mode

"Then on the day of Halloween

and not one day before,
Fiona gathers all her pumpkins
and begins her yearly chore."

She's a chef after my own heart and, like all master craftsmen, she's been ploughing her dough for years (rumor has it at 400!).  You can't judge a pie by its aroma but there's something totally amiss with  Miss Fiona's Stupendous Pumpkin Pies.

First published in 2001, Miss Fiona's Stupendous Pumpkin Pies is that rare "trick AND treat" read that's just perfect for Halloween.  Double dip and you'll enter the wonderful, "fairest of the fair" world of noted children's author, Mark Kimball Moulton. There's an upbeat, rhythmic rhyme to his prose that makes reading Miss Fiona and other Moulton books (Twisted Sistahs is another Halloween fave!!!) fun and memorable.  And the current, whimsical illustrations by Karen Hillard Good take you back to a time when fairy tale books were just a joy to behold!

So what's the secret to Miss Fiona's wonderful, sumptuous pies?   I'm not blogging!!!  Maybe Miss Fiona's more than the butcher, baker, or pumpkin collector.  Remember, you mustn't judge her just 'cuz she's a stringy-haired, green-skinned spinster. Maybe she knows there are things best left unsaid.  But what can I say?  It's Halloween!  Time to eat, drink, and be scary.  And ghouls, well, Tudyghouls just wanna have fun!

Best Witches!!!

350!

It may just be the most important number of our lives!  No, it's not a shorter year or temperature for baking cookies!  It's the parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere that's safe for our planet and all of us!  Right now, we're at 387 ppm so we need to get moving to bring CO2 levels down to 350!  How do we do that?  Get involved on October 24 and beyond!  Check out the science, mission, and creative ideas at 350.org and spread the word!  Even if all we do is some sidewalk art, the important thing is to get people thinking 350! 

And even if you're a kid, it's not tough helping out! Walk or bike instead of ride.  Swap out all your lightbulbs with compact fluorescents.  Plant trees and grow a few garden crops.  And if you've got other good ideas share them by posting a comment right here!  Remember this is our home and if we don't take care of it, no one else will!

LOL

"Run, run, run as fast as you can!  You can't catch me!  I'm the stinky cheese man!"

Admit it.  Laughter is the best medicine. And if there's one thing kids do naturally, it's this:  they Laugh Out Loud!!!

We forget there are books that actually do this better than movies, video games, or TV. Here's the clincher:  if a book's funny, it's bound to be read time and time again.   And that, Tudygirls, is the whole point of the game.

So check out Tudy's must-laugh read for October:  Jon Scieszka's and Lane Smith's The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. Think about it.  What if the Ugly Duckling grew up to be, well, really, really ugly?  Mr. Frog Prince?  A gooey, eeeyewy, slime ball.   And Little Red Riding Hood?  A triathalon running, "woman-in-red-shorts" superstar!!!

There are enough warped twists and turns in this fairy tale anthology to keep the hysterics coming.  You'll never view Aesop's world the same way ever.  And staid, predictable fairy tales become a thing of the past.

Enjoy the bounty!

OMdG!!!

Oh my demigod, that is!  Just in time for the release of the first movie, comes The Demigod Files.  Compiled by Camp Halfblood's "senior scribe" Rick Riordan, I was hoping to get the low-down on all things halfblood.  But The Demigod Files is more of an additional piece to the 5 volumes (ok, maybe a half addition!) and altho there are interviews with some of the more famous denizens of Camp Halfblood, I really wanted more!  Still, the 3 new adventures of Percy Jackson are worth the read!  And, since this is a Disney publication expect a lot of merchandise to follow!  Just take a look at Annabeth's trunk!

But I'm still hooked on all things Percy Jackson so I'm looking forward to The Lighning Thief, coming to a theater near you in 2010!

Claw On This

Bonjour!  My name is Meowry.  I'm a Tudypet lounging about.  Get to know moi and all things feline at Animal Planet Cat Guide! 

Are you purring yet?

Children Crossing

"Wayside School was accidentally built sideways.

It was suppose to be only one story high, with thirty classrooms all in a row.
Instead it is thirty stories high, with one classroom in each story.
The builder said he was very sorry."

Here's a gem of a book that'll lure you back into the school zone: Louis Sachar's Sideways Stories From Wayside School. 

There are thirty stories in this book and they all occur in that one room on the thirteenth floor.  They are all funny, scary, and, here's the kicker, totally relatable (oh, you know it!!! ). Each chapter showcases a character from Wayside School and, somehow, evolves into its own book (way cool!!! ). When you're done, you can flip thru the pages and reread your favorites. Like school, it's the kind of book that'll get you visiting (and hopefully reading! ) again and again.  I personally loved Chapter 1, Mrs. Gorf, and found kindred friends in D.J. and Calvin.

And for whatever its worth: watch 'em apples!!!

Tudy's take: A+

Dark Gold

Do your like fairy tales? Not just the "happily-ever-after" type, but stories about hidden and magical worlds? I guess, like me, a lot of people do! Look at how popular the Harry Potter series is!!! It's a kind of fairy tale, right?

So I've kept my eye out for fairy tale books and this is what I've found - Elizabeth C. Bunce's A Curse Dark As Gold! Ooooo! Sounds scary! But what got me hooked is that it's a re-telling of that old familiar fairy tale - Rumpelstiltskin! You know the one about the secretive fairy that spins a room-full of gold and asks for a priceless payment and only the quick wit of the heroine saves her in the end? In Bunce's suspenseful version, we get to meet Charlotte Miller, the "miller's daughter" in the fairy tale, and almost understand why she risks everything to save what she holds dear. We also meet Jack Spinner, the dark fairy in the tale, and almost understand his shadowed story! All that is set against a vivid description of a time gone by when water mills still spun cloth!

It's a bit of a difficult read but worth the time and effort. After all this is the first Morris Debut Award Winner for first-time authors writing for teens! So let A Curse Dark As Gold weave a little fairy magic as summer turns to autumn! It's dark gold!

From My BFF - ZMAN!

"I finished the book, A Gift to My Children, by Jim Rogers. It taught me a lot of lessons about life and investing. The book was wonderful. It was like reading through someone else's diary.

A Gift to My Children isn't just a gift to the author's daughters, but a gift to everyone who reads it, including boys!!! It teaches readers how to invest wisely and how to use history to influence your decisions. It also gives lessons on how to learn from your mistakes, to trust your own judgment, and to focus on what you like. He also tells several interesting stories: how he traveled the world on a motorcycle, how he saw China's potential when everyone else was skeptical, and how he sold empty bottles at baseball games when he was only five.

Of course, I don't agree with everything Mr. Rogers says. He says men will make false promises to girls in their 'frantic pursuit' for their hearts. OBJECTION!!! It could also work the other way around. And not all men are the same. Mr. Rogers also says that guys will need girls more than girls will need guys. OBJECTION!!! THIS IS A BLATANT CONTRADICTION!!! Again, I don't think all men are like that. It could work the other way around too. I hope to be a more secure and mature man."

.... And I'm sure you will, ZMan! Thanks a lot!

What's In A Name?

If it’s Chrysanthemum, it’s a lot! Thirteen letters to be exact! And if you’re starting summer camp or school, uh oh!!!

First published in 1991 by noted children’s author and illustrator, Kevin Henkes, Chrysanthemum is that rare, “instant classic” by any other name. Here's a book that lightheartedly deals with all the “name" calling so common among the kinder set ( and beyond! ). Best of all, it tackles all that nitpicking and consequent bullying with a whole lot of bloom!

How many of you just had bad "name" days? Just because your "name" was different? Then again, how many of you were lucky enough to have a teacher like Delphinium Twinkle, someone who inspired you to be who you are, name and all? It’s an ordeal for plenty but a rite of passage for many. Tudy's verdict: Chrysanthemum rocks!

So what’s in a name? Well, if it’s your name and you love it, then mums the word! Now go ... practice your signature. Make it your own.

Man on the Moon!

40 years ago, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and delivered the famous line, "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind!" (That's the new "official" quote, TudyGirls!)

So celebrate all things spacey, moony, and out-of-this-world with a trip to a museum, planetarium, or space center near you! Or, if you're earth-bound nowadays, check out the NASA Website for some "infinity and beyond" fun!

While you're at it, here's a spacial Tudy To Do: play a little Astronaut Dress Up and go dancing in space!

It's always a good time to stargaze, TudyGirls, and reach for the moon!

Dig This!

Louis Sachar's 1998 Newbery Award Winning HOLES is just the book we all need right now! When Stanley Yelnats's bad luck leads him to Camp Green Lake, a detention center for boys, he is forced by the frightening warden to dig holes to "build character." Little does Stanley know that the forces of fate and destiny are finally working on his side, and his most important tasks will be to dig up the truth and fill in the holes of his family's history. But it all depends on the choices he makes!

Full of wonderful twists and turns that are sometimes sad and funny, HOLES is the kind of book that gets you cheering for its hero, and its Zero.

Made into a movie in 2003, read the book, then rent the movie (Shia Labeouf stars!), then read the book again! I read HOLES twice and loved it both times!

A Penny For Your Thoughts

You’ve probably heard it time and time again: it’s never too early to $ave! It sounds simple enough 'til you realize even the big banks can’t do it. And neither can Uncle $am! OMG… what’s a girl to do???

Ca$h in on summer, Tudygirls! Read all about it. If there’s one subject they don’t teach you in school, it’s money. And it totally works against you. So do your pocketbook a favor. Brush up on your dollar$ and cent$ with a Tudy Mu$t-Have: The Everything Kids' Money Book.

From piggybank$ to money market$ and the Federal Re$erve Bank, The Everything Kids' Money Book will cover all these vast subjects.  It's Economics 101 written in such an entertaining, imaginative way!  Read it and you’ll soon be cruising down Wall $treet as easily as you do Main $treet.

$peaking of Main $treet... if you find yourself in Disney World's Main $treet this summer, take the train to The Great Piggy Bank Adventure at Epcot. I know, I know… the Disney fairies beckon but, believe me, so does this hands-on $avings adventure. Here’s your first promi$$ory note: you’ll be glad you did!

Can’t make it to Disney World? No sweat! Just click on these virtual treats: thegreatpiggybankadventure.com and kids'money.org. Then set your own dream goals and see how much of a finance smarty pants you can be. It's all here, so no more excuses, y'hear?

Put in the time now, Tudygirl$. Consider your$elf your best investment. ‘Cuz it takes more than an allowance to break the piggy bank. It take$ a whole lot of common cent$!