The Sara Chronicles by L. Hughes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Sara Chronicles is a debut book series by L. Hughes.  This is the first book in the series and introduces you to Sara and sets the scenes for future books.  Sara is a great teen with a not so great life.  Despite being mistreated at home she is able to feel deep inside that she is special.  Sara later finds out how special she is and about her gift and connection to others with similar gifts.  She learns that she and two other children are connected and hold the power to help in a battle between good and evil. The author eloquently weaves the story of good vs. evil while including very important lessons about self esteem and other issues such as family dynamics.  This is a great read for middle grade and teen readers.  I am an adult reader and really enjoyed Sara Chronicles.  This story is very well written without strong language, violence or questionable subject matter.  I look forward to following the series through.

Disclosure: As a member of Reader's Spoils, I was given a copy of The Sara Chronicles in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own.


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Goodreads Star Rating System:

  It was amazing

      Really liked it

          liked it

              it was ok

                 didn't like it

Available in paperback and e-book:

Numi Organic Tea Available at Shoplet.com

I enjoy herbal teas so was thrilled when Shoplet.com approached me about doing a review for Numi Organic Tea.  I had never heard of Numi Tea before and was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of tea.

I received a Numi Organic Tea Sampler Containing 8 Flavored tea bags.  Take a look at the description on the box.  Notice that Numi uses only natural ingredients.  Numi does not use flavored oils or fillers.  Also notice the certified organic and kosher seals.

The flavors included:

• Aged Earl Grey
• Berry Black
• Breakfast Blend
• Gunpowder Green
• Jasmine Green
• White Orange Spice
• Moroccan Mint
• Chamomile Lemon

One of my favorite herbal teas is mint tea so the first flavor I tried was Numi Moroccan Mint Tea.  Moroccan Mint was refreshing and had a full mint flavor.  Numi Orange Spice Tea was a full flavored blend with the great taste of real oranges.  I have tried various Chamomile teas but have never tried Numi Chamomile Lemon Tea.  This blend has a delightful lemon taste and full flavor of Chamomile.  The Lemon Chamomile was the only tea in this assortment that is caffeine free.  The Numi Aged Earl Grey Tea had a great Earl Grey flavor although I left the tea bag in my cup while I enjoyed this blend and found it a bit bitter at the bottom.  For best flavor with any tea you should remove the bag after steeping however when I brew a cup on the run I commonly leave it in my cup and only rarely have issues with bitterness.  The next time I enjoy Numi's Aged Earl Grey I will definitely follow the rules to avoid any bitterness.

In my opinion Numi offers quality full flavored natural herbal teas.  I would recommend Numi flavored teas to anyone who loves natural full flavored teas.  As an added bonus Numi supports fair trade and environmental responsibility.   Don't forget to pick up Numi Tea while shopping for office supplies at Shoplet.

*Disclosure:  I was provided with a Sampler of Numi Organic Tea through Shoplet for review purposes.   I was then able to choose a flavor of my choice for a complimentary box.  (I chose Numi Lemon Chamomile Tea) The  opinions expressed are my own.  I received no compensation for this post.

I Used to Think I Was Normal But Now I Take Pills for That by J.L. Black
My rating: 3 of 5 stars ( See Goodreads ★ Rating System below)

The title I Used to Think I Was Normal But Now I Take Pills for That had me laughing but I had no idea the amount of laughs that were tucked into the pages of this book. If we are honest I think we can all relate to the chapters in J.L. Black's book. We either know someone or have experienced first hand the topics that she brings to light using humor. Laughter is the best medicine. I can tell you I laughed out loud several times throughout this book. This is a quick read for those who are on the go and may not have a lot of time for reading.
I will warn that I typically review Children's and Christian books and this is neither. This book does include foul language and adult subject matter.
Support a self published author and pick up this book for some laughs.
Available in Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1463762...
Available for Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005V5K...

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Review imported from Goodreads.com.
Goodreads Rating System

★ Didn't like it
★★ It was OK
★★★ Liked it
★★★ Really liked it
★★★★ It was amazing

*Disclaimer:  I received a copy of I Used to Think I was Normal but Now I Take Pills for That by J.L. Black for the purpose of this review.  The review is in my own words and honest opinion.  No compensation was received for this post.

How Do You Feed a Hungry Giant?: A Munch-and-Sip Pop-Up Book by Caitlin Friedman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


How Do You Feed A Hungry Giant is a large pop-up and lift a flap book. I liked this book. The story line, illustrations and activities were fun. I shared it with my five year old niece who loved opening the little flaps and extras. I found a larger story inside this book as we need to be aware to the "Giant" called hunger and help to feed it. Even one person can make a difference.

My only concern is for durability as with the first reading my niece split one of the lift a flap layers with her finger nail in effort to open it. A tab for the lift a flaps would have been helpful.  With that being said, I would still recommend this book!

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*Disclosure:  I was provided with a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes.  The review itself is my own words and honest opinion.
**Review was linked from Goodreads.com

Looking to purchase this book?  Check it out on Amazon.com.

FunSmartReviews



FunSmartReviews

My tween has started blogging as http://FunSmartReviews.blogspot.com .  She can also be found on Twitter  as http://twitter.com/funsmartreviews.  Her posts are a short, honest reviews of all things kid.  Her movie and book reviews are especially helpful for those of you looking for appropriate entertainment for your children.  Please stop by and support her in her endeavor.  Bloggers all know how hard it is to establish a following so lets give her a push.  If possible follow her on Google Friend Connect and Twitter.  She loves comments so if you have time please leave her a comment.
If you are a company or PR rep and would like for her to review your product, send me an email ( stuffsmartblog@gmail.com) and specify that the pitch is for FunSmart.

Thank you!  I have some of the best followers in cyberspace.

KT Tunstall Tiger Suit Review

 

 KT Tunstall's newest album Tiger Suit was released Oct. 5, 2010.  This album is very promising with the first single released, "Fade Like a Shadow" already making it to radio's top 20.  I can't help but think of "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" when I think of KT Tunstall.  I loved that song and it's catchy tune. 

Thanks to One 2 One network I received a copy of Tiger Suit for review.  This album includes storytelling songs that we have come to expect from KT Tunstall.  I found this to be a great album to listen to throughout the busy day.  Tunstall's creative songwriting and captivating voice makes her music appealing to music lovers from multiple genres.  Tunstall is a grammy -nominated, multi-platinum singer-songwriter.  If you are a music lover I encourage you to check out Tiger Suit.  You may listen to samples and purchase Tiger Suit by clicking this: Amazon.com link.  Concert goers will want to check KT Tunstall's website for concert dates.  Her Fall tour will be 10/31-12/1.
For additional info:
* Website: http://bit.ly/KTsite

* Video: http://bit.ly/KTflasvid
* Twitter: http://bit.ly/KTtwitter
* Facebook: http://bit.ly/KTfbook
* Album Preview: http://bit.ly/KTpreview

*This review is my personal opinion, I am entered to win a gift card through One2One Network by participating.

Please welcome Fun Smart!

Some of you may have noticed a new blog listed under my profile.  My tween has started her own blog giving reviews and posts from a tween perspective.  Please check it out and follow if you haven't already done so.  Welcome aboard Fun Smart!  http://funsmartreviews.blogspot.com/