"Work Hard, Play Nice" by Jay Matthews

Work Hard, Play Nice by Jay Matthews is about Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin who started Kipp Charter Schools, "Knowledge is Power" program.  Just two teachers starting out and all the trials, errors and then success they had.  The story of the fellow teachers and students are wonderful!  I really enjoyed this book.  Teachers will love it and maybe pick up a pointer or two.  I'd give it 10 stars out of 5.

Gerard's review 1/28/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Movie Review: "Hotel For Dogs"

This humorous, light, dog movie was just what I needed to life my spirits after watching another disappointing loss by the Cleveland Browns.  “Hotel For Dogs” has parallel story lines going:  the first is a bunch of stray dogs that no one wants to find a home, the second is a brother and sister who have been bounced around in the foster care system in search of a real family.  I love that both story lines have happy endings.   

It’s not very realistic, but very amusing and entertaining.  When the brother and sister find an old, unused hotel, they convert it into a shelter for dogs with all kinds of very nice amenities such as an automatic feeding machine, simulated car rides, treadmills for exercise, a vending machine containing “chewables,” and an automatic clean up bathroom facility.  I thought this was a very cute movie and loved all the dogs that were in it.   Parts were touching and I even shed a few tears of joy at the end when the dogs were being introduced to the community in a last ditch effort to let them stay in the hotel and keep their home.  Thanks to a dedicated social worker, the kids found a good home in the end too.

The only thing I did not like about “Hotel For Dogs” was that the main boy and girl stole things and scammed people to get money at the beginning.  I think that part could have been omitted except it served to show how they changed from being selfish brats to actually caring about others and becoming responsible.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves dogs and kids.  I think kids would like it because the boy and girl were underdogs who acted on their passion and made a difference with the help of some like-minded friends.  The beginning starts off a bit slow, in fact, my husband gave up on it, but it gets good so stick with it.  After I told him how good it was, he felt bad for giving up on it and decided to watch the rest of it after all.

(Karen’s review)

We got this on a DVD from the library that also contains extra information about the making of the film.

Related Posts:  You Must See "Hotel For Dogs" (by Abby our dog) and What A Cat Thought Of "Hotel For Dogs" (by Manny our man cat)

"In A Hearbeat" Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy

If you read The Blind Side and saw the movie, then you have to read In A Hearbeat by Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy.  What I loved about In A Hearbeat is that each member of the family told their story and the actors who played their parts in the movie told their story too.  The true stories are very interesting!  It is a fast read and an amazing story about an ordinary family who helped out Michael Oher, a homeless teenage boy who became an NFL football player, by letting him live with them.  An example of Christianity in action!


Here's our thoughts about the movie, "The Blind Side" about Michael Oher.

Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Teaser Tuesday Sept. 14: "Where Are You Now?" and "Freedom"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Karen's:

And that made me think of my father's anxiety when Mack disappeared and the anxiety Leesey Andrew's father must be feeling now.  Last night on the eleven o'clock news, holding back tears, Dr. Andrews had held up his daughter's picture and pleaded for assistance in finding her. 

From p. 76 of Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark

Gerard's:

As he began to feel the heat of the flames outside and inside, even through all the water raining down on him, the killing machine entered his safe room and unfolded both sword blades with swift precision.  The bike was stained with cooked blood and charred flesh.

From p. 12 of Freedom (The sequel to the national bestseller Daemon) by Daniel Suarez. See Gerard's review of Daemon.

"Daemon" by Daniel Suarez

Daemon by Daniel Suarez is Awesome!  10 stars
I read an article about this book in USA TODAY and thought I would give it a shot.  I'm so glad I did.  This book grabs you from the first page and does not let go!  The twists and turns in this book are fascinating.  It is a thriller about computer technology but you do not need to be computer literate to enjoy this book.  The only downside to this book is that there is a sequel.  I'll be reading that for sure.  If you want to read a terrific book, this is the one to read!  I highly recommend it.
(Gerard's review 1/23/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?