Buzz Review Blog

Dream Weaver

<Recently my sister told me of her newly instated rule where her older son has a set time of 30 minutes of daily reading.  My first question of course was, "Does video game reading count?"  Obviously the answer was "Not so much."   It got me thinking of my own kids.  Two of them are older and I realized that summer does not mean a complete halt to anything that has to do with reading, writing or arithmetic.  (Though I am very lenient on the arithmetic except when it comes to making them add up how much money it will cost to actually buy the games/toys/electronics they want. They hate that math!)   So, when The Parent Bloggers Network offered up the chance to have a book geared towards my middle son sent out way, I jumped at that one.

My son loved reading Eragon and was plowing through the second one when The Dark Dreamweaver, the first in the Remin Chronicles,  arrived.  Just in time for vacation where I knew he would need and want down time.  At first, my son was hesitant to start a new series or book.  Until, I told him we could read it together. Any one on one time is a bonus for any of my children.  So, we jumped right in.

From the Dreamweaver website:

The Remin Chronicles are filled with adventure, endearing characters both human and nonhuman, magic and wizardry, subplots that teach a bit of environmental science, key roles for children, and of course, an epic struggle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. The young heroes triumph using their wits and imagination, and there is very little fighting.

I will confess to not being eager to jump in...simple because I am not a huge fan of sciece fiction.  (I was dragged into a few by my son and was never disappointed.)  Zarek and I jumped right in.

We found this book to be both imaginative and  creative.  The book is filled with a strong main character who is filled both determination and strength that is a great model for the tween set.    The book is filled with suspense and enough magic and wizardry to make any tween forget he is actually reading during the summer time!

But what is it about?

Eleven-year-old David is suffering from nightmares. Over and over again, he dreams about a strange, bear-like man with black eyes. He's not the only one; an epidemic of nightmares seems to have infected the Earth. David takes matters into his own hands and embarks on an adventure to Remin, a land powered by dreams. Aided by a caterpillar wizard, a jellyfish-man, two wise-cracking water serpents, and several other unusual characters, he sets out to find and confront the evil wizard who is causing the nightmares. The challenges that he encounters will require all of his intelligence, his courage, and most of all, his imagination.

It got my attention from that description.  And off we go into a world of wizards, magic and an adventure into the land of Remin.

Nick Ruth writes with a fast pace that keeps the interest of even the most active reader.  The book is action packed and filled with adventures that are not frightening but are in fact fascinating enough to get the imagination of your own child revved up. The imagery is  wonderfully vivid!  One of the features I enjoyed most was how good and evil confront each other in dreams. Each page taking you on a new adventure with the main character and never feeling the fear or gloom that many science fiction writers tend to include to keep a reader interested.  This book did not need that.

David a believable character most kids can identify with.  A "normal" kid who is forced to dig deep and find his inner strength, imagination, determination and strong will.  I am pretty sure that David is a kid that any one of us would have hung out with at that age.

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For more information on The Remin Chronicle be sure to visit the official website.  To order your own copy of The Dark Dreamweaver, click here.  Want to see what other readers thought, be sure to go over to The Parent Bloggers Network and read other reviews.  In fact, The Parent Blogger Network is giving away copies of both The Dark Dreamweaver and The Breezes of Inspire via a random drawing. All you have to do is comment on this post to be entered in the drawing. Free books for summer reading is good thing!

The 24- Hour Pharmacist

If you know my history, you know that when the fine people behind the Parent Bloggers Network asked me to review The 24 Hour Pharmacist, I was all over that bad boy.  Come to find out it really isn't a 24-hour free-for-all pharmacy, but an awesome replacement!

Seeing as I once thought a pill could cure all ills, I am now living in a world where I am more careful, more responsible, and definitely up for anything that is a natural remedy for what ails you.  Enter the wonderful Suzy Cohen and her book The 24 Hour Pharmacist.  And it is so well written!  No, really!  I laughed.  I laughed while reading a book about HEALTH issues. About someone saying pills are not the answer.  (I usually only meet them in meetings.)  But Suzy wrote with humor and fun!  Not so common when talking health and such.  Take the way she breaks down the book into these sections:  Above the Waist, Above the Neck, Below the Waist, and Everything In Between.  Not to mention, Think Outside the Pill. 

She had me at her chapter on Overcoming Fatigue.  (Sadly, the answer was not more coffee, but she did have answers! That made sense!)  She kept me at A Nation of Insomniacs.  I think I proposed at Surge Protection for your Hot Flashes.    All of these chapters have not only natural solutions, but practical advice that anyone can  take.

This book is truly a one of a kind resource when it comes to health and wellness.  With humor, candor and a an unflinchingly upfront approach to health, Suzy Cohen gives us a book that is better than any Google search could ever give you,  (And with more wit!)

This is one book that every home should have.  Really.  Don't believe me?  Buy it for yourself and you will thank me.  I will send you my address so you can send me your letters of adoration.

Leave a comment on the campaign launch post or mid-campaign post at PBN - you'll be entered to win a $50 CVS gift card and a copy of the book.  At which time you will write in the margins, I love Jenn for giving me the chance to love this book as much as she does!

Up your nose with a Nozin hose

When the good people over at the  Parent Bloggers Network asked me to review Nozin, my first thought was  Why not?  I get sick too often from my germ infested school-bound kids. Okay, in reality, my first thought was I have stick stick a what up my where?  Relax.  It was just a swab in my nostril.

Nozin is a nasal sanitizer that helps reduce the risk of infection.  You know how you get into crowded rooms and that fool person beside you sneezes and you can practically see the germs racing their way towards  you?  Well, with a a swab of Nozin in your nose, you can fee more protected against those germs.

From the package:

"Nozin is proven to be safe and effective.  Apply before entering crowded areas:  Planes, - Trains- Theaters- Work- School.  Works up to 8 hours. Kills 99.9% of most common disease-causing germs."

Seeing as I was about to go on vacation, I gave it a try.  Just a little flick of the swab until it appeared cloudy, bend it until a snap was heard, a tiny squeeze of the solution to saturate the tip and then swap that bad boy around the rims of my nostrils.  I was afraid of these things smelling medicinal and icky, but surprisingly, they had a nice orange-like scent. I was very thankful seeing as I have super human powers of smell.  I gag at strong smells easily!  It's kind of a clean smell.

Not hard.  Nothing to lose.  Then I went on vacation to stay in a house with 18 other people.

I did not get sick.

Was it Nozin?  Was it because no one else was sick?  I have no idea.  The point is, I can tell you for sure that I did not get sick while using Nozin.  It is worth a shot.  If you don't trust me, go to their site and get the travel pack and give it a try.  If you think it is working, get more and keep those noses healthy! 

The best thing about Nozin?  "It is not an antibiotic so germs will not build resistance.  NOZIN is non habit-forming and there were no important adverse events in the small numbers of subjects with limited exposure to the treatments in our study."

It worth a shot.  I mean, if you are going to be playing with your nose, you might as well have a purpose behind it.  Nozin it, baby.