BLOG TOUR W/ GIVEAWAY: 101 Movies to See Before You Grow Up by Suzette Valle


ABOUT THE BOOK

The perfect handbook for movie-lovers of all ages, helping both kids and parents choose classic and contemporary movies appropriate for the entire family.

Movies are made to entertain! Movies can make you think, teach you a lesson, or just let you escape into a fantasy world for a few hours. This book serves as an interactive bucket list of films for children ages 8 and up to watch before they grow up. 101 Movies to See Before You Grow Up goes beyond mainstream films. From modern flicks to classic films, the list offers a wide selection of "must see" movies. The book is divided into categories and acts as an interactive film journal where kids can document when they see the movie, if they liked it, and how they would rate it. Each page focuses on a single movie with basic information about each film, including the director, runtime, rating, and date of release. There is also a "Film Critic" section at the bottom of each page that allows young movie buffs to write in their own opinions and observations about the movie. 101 Movies to See Before You Grow Up is the perfect handbook for movie-lovers of all ages, helping both kids and parents choose classic and contemporary movies appropriate for the entire family.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Suzette Valle is an award-winning mother of two and freelance writer focusing on family entertainment. She graduated with a B.A. from the University of San Diego, and has a Master's Degree from Oxford University, England. Suzette has been a director and board member of several non-profit organizations in her community, including the Parent Teacher's Association, Islander Sports Foundation, and is currently a board member of the San Diego-based international charity Foundation for Women. She also has her own blog, Mamarazzi Knows Best.com, where she writes about parenting in a celebrity-driven society and all aspects of entertainment. She is a featured Hollyblogger at the award-winning Hollywood publication The Wrap.com where she contributes film reviews, interviews with celebrities, and has covered and written about pop-culture events like Comic-Con International where she's interviewed actors, directors, producers and writers about current and upcoming projects. Her articles have been featured on YahooMovies.com, MSNentertainment.com, and REUTERS among others. She wrote over 30 articles for the monthly column Parent Talk for AOL's Patch.com, and headed this publication's Parents Council in her community. Suzette lives in the seaside town of Coronado, California. This enchanted island is also known as the Emerald City because L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, penned several of the Oz books here. Suzette enjoys watching movies, and walks on the beach with her husband of 25 years and Bella, her adorable dog.

REVIEW

I wasn't sure about this book when I picked it up. After all, people have a wide variety of different tastes when it comes to movies, kids included.  But I found myself wanting to see some of the movies as I read about them.  Even ones that I've already seen.  I appreciated how the author included not only a detailed description of the movie (without spoilers), but also information about directors, ratings (including reasons for the rating), and the date of production.  In addition, she includes an interesting fact about each movie.  The movies are divided up into the following categories: family, action/adventure/drama, musicals, sports, school, and documentary/history.  Each movie also includes a brief section for the reader to include his/her own rating and thoughts on the movie.  While I don't agree that all of these movies are kid friendly, there are quite a few that are, and of course it will depend on the individual child.  A nice resource for those who want to check out a list of fun movies to watch.  I do recommend parental involvement though as some of the recommended movies are PG-13.

POST

One of the best Sunday afternoons I spent watching movies as research for this book was with my grown son Alex, 23, watching “The Hobbit” franchise. I had avoided getting caught up in the Peter Jackson-created worlds for a long time, but I had to see why these films had such a following. My son explained many of the details, and together with the research I had done already, I was compelled to keep watching. We then dove into “The Lord of the Rings,” another franchise I had resisted watching. Realizing that these films were based on books by J. R. R. Tolkien published in 1937, I immediately regretted not having joined the buzz when these films were at the height of their popularity. I hope to inspire families to spend time with their own kids watching these fantastic fantasy films -- they are an incredible journey (pun!) to take from the comfort of your own home.


GIVEAWAY

1 print copy of 101 Movies to See Before You Grow Up
US/Canada only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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