Blogcritics Author: Jennifer Bogart

Book Review: Summer Secret (Sonshine Girls #1) by René Morris

Jennifer Bogart — Thu, 8 Jan 2009 06:34:52 EST

Girls, friendship, makeup and boys - 'tween-lit meets Jesus, providing strong moral guidance through the rocky years of adolescence.
When 13-year-old Kristin moves from Georgia to Texas she is thankful to quickly find a new group of friends. Charli, Jessica and Anna eagerly open the doors of their life-long friendship to include her as a fourth member. Life in Rimsfield sparkles with new promise as the girls plan for the summer youth group church camp and the upcoming school...

Music Review: Raffi - Songs of Our World

Jennifer Bogart — Tue, 6 Jan 2009 10:38:19 EST

If your family isn't aligned with Raffi's driving philosophies, you may want to skip this release.
Raffi is one of the world’s most beloved children’s entertainers. For over 30 years he has been penning songs, recording albums and performing live for little ones everywhere, encouraging them to help him fix that little green wagon. Like many in my generation, I grew up listening to him and am eager to share his unique talent with my...

DVD Review: DanceX For Kids

Jennifer Bogart — Sat, 3 Jan 2009 21:38:35 EST

You're ready to go with resolutions for the New Year, but what about your kids? Could they use some more heart-pumping activity in their lives this year?
In the dead of Canadian winter, in a 600 square foot house while the wind howls at -40 degrees Celsius, you’ll often find our family on a small square of carpet jiggling and grooving to the dance move-inspired children’s exercise DVD, DanceX for Kids. Led by the ever upbeat Kenn Kihiu, the lively tunes, quick song and movement changes...

DVD Review: Elephant Tales

Jennifer Bogart — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 04:18:11 EST

Elephants call to mind visions of huge, ponderous, plodding beasts. The pace of Elephant Tales is consistent with that mental image.
When the young elephant brothers Zef and his little brother Tutu lose their herd to The Badness, Zef spins a fanciful tale to shelter his sibling from the horrible truth of the catastrophe that has befallen their family. Claiming that the lights and noises of approaching poachers and gunshots were a rainbow that took their mother into the sky, Zef...

Book Review: Before the Season Ends by Linore Rose Burkard

Jennifer Bogart — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:48:30 EST

Not one to read romance, this novel waylaid me until the wee hours, proving itself to be the most addictive novel I have ever read.
Though Jane Austen was raised in a devoutly Christian home, her novels dealt with matters of the faith on a peripheral level. Certain characters were engaged in the ministry as a career, and church attendance, belief in God, and a high moral standard were givens. Christian culture was the assumed setting; personal struggles, growth and dependence...

Book Review: The Little Man In The Map - With Clues To Remember All 50 States by E. Andrew Martonyi

Jennifer Bogart — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:58:08 EST

Need to memorize the names and locations of all 50 U.S. states? Having trouble? Young or old - here's your answer, hands down.
Some Canadians have an excellent understanding of the geography of the United States. Sadly, until recently I have not been amongst their numbers. That all changed for me after reading The Little Man In The Map. While it’s true that this title was created to help school-aged children memorize all 50 states through the use of mnemonic stories,...

Book Review: Glaucia the Greek Slave - A Tale of Athens in the First Century by Emma Leslie

Jennifer Bogart — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 13:13:47 EST

Darkness, confusion and loneliness give way to light and love as two forsaken adolescents find their way into God's welcoming arms in Ancient Greece.
Following the death of their Epicurean father -- a man following a hedonistic Greek philosophy that drove him into heavy debt -- young siblings Glaucia and Laon are removed from Greece and taken to Rome. The proceeds from their sale will be applied to a portion of their father's debt. Young Glaucia is sold into the service of the Gracchi family...

Book Review: The American Twins of the Revolution by Lucy Fitch Perkins

Jennifer Bogart — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:58:30 EST

1777, the American Revolution. A vital mission, unexpected danger and intense loyalty mingle in this vintage reprint from Salem Ridge Press.
In the countryside surrounding Philadelphia two opposing engines of war are converging. The Continental Army is falling back, short on funds, struggling to keep their soldiers paid in the fight for freedom. The British army approaches providing fierce competition for food and supplies, seizing homes for temporary bases as their commanding officer...

Book Review: Mary Jane - Her Book by Clara Ingram Judson

Jennifer Bogart — Wed, 3 Dec 2008 00:21:34 EST

Mary Jane � Her Book depicts the glittering, dancing joy of the endless, timeless days that make up childhood.
Mary Jane is a sweet and innocent little girl living in the early twentieth-century. Her days are filled with delightful discoveries, playtime and adventures. On the cusp of turning five, her actions and behaviours often cause disastrous results (always easily remedied), but are never undertaken with malignant intent.Each chapter reads like a...

Book Review: Raucous Royals - Test Your Royal Wits: Crack Codes, Solve Mysteries, And Deduce Which Royal Rumors Are True by Carlyn Beccia

Jennifer Bogart — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:17:25 EST

Catherine the Great didn't die beneath her horse? Oh dear - looks like I've been guilty of spreading a 200-years-old rumor.
Rumors about royalty are nothing new. The bread and butter of English tabloids, rumours concerning the royal family often make it to the cover pages of our very own trash papers here across the pond. You may be surprised to learn that some rumours concerning royalty -- hundreds of years old -- have been accepted into the general body of historical...