I’m a 13 year old kid. I know some building toys are suited better for younger kids. The car building system by Automoblox isn’t like that. Everybody in the family wanted to play with this toy. Even my mom liked it and she usually prefers playing with the toys that most girls like playing with such as dolls and My Little Pony. We all agreed this is the coolest car that we have had the chance to review and that’s why I’m writing this review.

Positives & Negatives:

Positives
-Fun
-Easy to put together
-Hard to damage/break
-High quality design
-Unique Toy

Negatives
-Has a few small parts

Pricing & Availability:
You can look for Automoblox online. There are some shops where you can buy the cars. The Automoblox website has a shop. At the shop, you can buy Automoblox cars. There is a wide variety of cars to choose from with all of the cars between $30 and $40. The A9 Automoblox is $34.99. It is orange in color with a wooden frame. You may be able to use the store locator on the website to find a store where you can buy Automoblox. I’ve never seen them in local stores like Wal-Mart. I recommend you find them online and buy them. Your kids will love Automoblox and so will you!

Requirements & Instructions:
You don’t need anything like batteries to play with the Automoblox A9 Compact car. Your car is put together. You can take it apart. Nearly everything comes apart. You can put it back together and drive it around or you can mix and match it with other car parts if you have another Automoblox car. We have a T9 Pickup. It was fun to play with as I put the front of the truck on the Compact and mixed and matched the green and orange wheels and rims.

The best advice I can give is to use your imagination. Switch up your car then drive it around your table, the floor, outside or anywhere. Anywhere you play you are sure to have fun.

Durability:
This car is durable. I dropped it and so did Lil B. I don’t recommend dropping it on your foot. It isn’t really heavy, but it is heavy enough to hurt your foot. It will hurt you more than the car. The car is made of a heavy wood and according to the Automoblox website, the hood, wheels, people and other parts is durable polycarbonate. This toy is for kids 3 and up. This is because the wheel parts are small and so are the people in the car.

Ease of Use:
It was easy for both Lil B and me to take apart and put together the Automoblox A9 Compact. My dad had a little bit of trouble with this. He has a muscle disease. He did get them apart, but it took him a few tries. It is easy for most people to take these toys apart but if you have a muscle disease and need help, it is a good thing that Automoblox are good toys for sharing. Someone can help you with the parts. Pushing them together was easier than taking them apart for him. This is a good family toy. I know I had fun helping and playing with everyone and my dad had more fun moving the car once it was together then he did putting it together.

Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
This toy is fun. Who doesn’t love building things or cars? I love both. I couldn’t wait to play with this toy. It is made of very good wood and is incredibly durable. I know it will be a toy that will last a long time. This is a toy that anyone can play with. Girls and boys of any age and even adults love Automoblox. This toy is going to last a long time and I’ll probably play with it when I’m an adult, so it is well worth the purchase.

Bottom Line:
If you are like me and like to build then you need to buy an Automoblox car. It’s fun no matter how young or old you are. Building a car is fun because you can drive it after you build it. To have even more fun, buy a few different cars. Then you can mix and match the parts and create cool new cars like I did. This toy comes very highly recommended from a 13 year old kid.

Price: 5 out of 5 stars
Durability: 5 out of 5 stars
Ease of Assembly: 5 out of 5 stars
Fun Factor: 5 out of 5 stars
Child Readiness: 4 out of 5 stars
Lasting Appeal: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.83 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Automoblox, A9 compact, toy, car, fun, building, family activity, wooden

The Haunting Hour Volume One: Don’t Think About It is about a girl named Cassie (Emily Osment). She’s a girl who doesn’t get scared of anything. She dresses like a goth. The kids in her new school think she is weird. Cassie has a little brother, Max (Alex Winzenread). Her brother is a six year old scaredy cat. He is afraid of everything. He also likes getting in all of Cassie’s stuff. Cassie tells him to stay out of her room, but he doesn’t listen. So, she scares him just to get back at him.

In the beginning of the movie, Cassie hides in Max’s closet to scare him. Her parents tell her it’s a rough time for Max, being in a new house and at a new school. It’s hard for Cassie, too, but her parents don’t seem to care. One day, she goes to a store called the Halloween Store. She finds it on the way to the library. In this store, she finds a book called ‘The Evil Thing’. A strange man played by Tobin Bell (the scary guy from the Saw movies), sells Cassie the book.

When he does, she gets a key to open the book’s lock. When she opens it outside the shop, the world becomes filled with chaos. The wind blows leaves all over the place. She also notices a warning in the front of the book that says Do Not Read Aloud. When she shuts the book the world returns to normal and the wind stops. Cassie goes home and forgets about the book. She prepares to go to the Pumpkin Dance at her school. She has a plan to get back at the popular girl, Priscilla (Brittany Curran), who is the dance’s Pumpkin Queen.

It is a tradition at the school that the Pumpkin Queen breaks a piñata after she is crowned. Cassie decides to fill the piñata (shaped like a pumpkin) with live cockroaches. When Priscilla breaks the piñata, the cockroaches fall all over her. She ends up losing her balance and falling into the Pumpkin Cake. She knows Cassie did it, but she can’t prove it. She decides she wants to get even.

On Halloween, Cassie has to take Max out trick or treating. After that, her parents are going to a party. She has to babysit Max. After putting him in bed, Cassie tries to do her term paper. However, Max finds ‘The Evil Thing’ book on her desk and wants her to read it to him. She says it is too scary, but he’s determined to have her read it so he purposefully turns off the power switch to her computer, making her lose all her homework. To punish him, she decides to read the story aloud. Having ignored the warning and with Priscilla (who is blackmailing the guy, Sean (Cody Linley), that Cassie likes into helping her) out to get even with Cassie, the adventure in this movie has yet to begin.

The Haunting Hour Volume One: Don’t Think About It has multiple special features. There is a music video featuring Emily Osment. It is called, “Don’t Think About It”. There is a Scare-o-Meter quiz you can take to see what character in the movie you are the most like. I was the most like Sean. There is also a Making of The Haunting Hour Featurette and an interview with R.L. Stine, the author of the Goosebumps book series, who helped to create and develop this movie.

The Haunting Hour Volume One: Don’t Think About It is a great movie. It is recommended for teenagers and older kids. It might be too scary for little kids who are seven and under. I think adults will love it, too. It is one of the best horror movies I’ve seen that is also more suited for a younger audience then the typical horror movie seems to be.

The DVD for The Haunting Hour Volume One: Don’t Think About It is set to be released September 4, 2007.

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Technorati Tags: The Haunting Hour Volume One: Don’t Think About It, R.L. Stine, DVD Review, Horror, Family, Emily Osment

The main character is Otis. He is a cow. Other cool characters include Pig, Bessy, Peck, and Freddie. These are just a few of the characters that you’ll see on the show. A lot of things happen in the barnyard. There are plenty of adventures the animals can have. They also like to say funny things. This makes me laugh a lot.

I had the chance to see part of a new episode. It is the second half of the first episode, which will air on Nickelodeon on September 29, 2007. It was called, “Escape from the Barnyard”. The episode begins with the animals talking about the farmer. They are worried the farmer is a carnivore. They always thought he only ate vegetables, but he seems to have bought a grill. This will be used (so they think) to grill all the animals.

When two of the sheep disappear from the barn, Freddie (the ferret) starts to panic. He is a bit paranoid anyway. He is convinced that it is just a matter of time before they all get eaten by the farmer. This makes all the other animals want to leave the barnyard. They are afraid that the farmer is going to grill them up and eat them until there is nothing left.

I liked everything about this show. It has everything a good show needs. The animals are comedians. They sound like they are doing stand up comedy the whole time. The show is perfect for all ages. I liked it and I’m 12. My parents liked it and they are adults. It’s a perfect kid’s show because it doesn’t have bad humor kids shouldn’t hear. It also doesn’t have other material for adults that kids can’t watch.

Back in the Barnyard is a show I plan to watch every day it is on. I can’t wait for the season premiere. I want to watch all the episodes and I think the show is going to be really popular. Thanks Nickelodeon for giving the audience one of the top ten greatest shows I’ve ever seen.

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Technorati Tags: TV Show, Nick, Nickelodeon, Back in the Barnyard, Escape from the Barnyard

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody is a show about identical twins named Zack and Cody (Dylan and Cole Sprouse from Big Daddy). They live in the Tipton Hotel with their mom. At the Tipton, they have all the fun they can, which often leads to trouble. They are friends with Maddie, who works at the hotel and Zack is in love with her. They are also friends with London. She’s a rich girl who lives in the penthouse of the hotel. The boys also have their school friends over occasionally.

In the three episodes of the Sweet Suite Victory DVD, you get to see three different sides of Zack and Cody. The first episode is a Battle of the Bands episode. Zack and Cody are in a band called Rock Squared. Maddie is in a band called Waterworks with the Tipton Hotel’s lifeguard. Zack and Cody get into a fight. Cody is mad because Zack cares more about clothes then the song they are singing, which Cody wrote. Zack is mad at Cody because he’s too bossy.

Maddie’s band is in trouble because their instruments get dropped in the pool, so they must rely on London to buy new instruments in exchange for letting her in the band. At first, London plays the tambourine. She wants to be a singer though so they make her a backup singer. London cannot sing, but she wants to sing in front with Maddie, so she tries to sing with Maddie in the front, ruining the song as she does. The rest of the show is hilarious as a winner is determined and a lot of adventure happens.

In episode two, Zack and Cody run against each other in the school election. Cody wants to be there because he wants to help the school. Zack is running for president because he wants to win a free trip to Hawaii, which the president gets, in order to go to a student leader convention. Maddie and London fight about politics. They decide to help the boys. Maddie decides to help Cody. London decides to help Zack. Maddie cares more about the issues, while London wants to buy votes.

In episode three, Maddie is going to turn 16. London has a sweet 16 party the same day as Maddie’s party even though her birthday was six months earlier. Maddie and London fight over friends. Maddie wants to have an Italian Riviera party and London has a party in the Tipton with Sheryl Crow performing. Their friends have to decide which party they want to attend, and London has to deal with her parents who are divorced and won’t sit in the same room together.

The DVD quality was absolutely perfect. The sound was as good as the picture. The Sweet Suite Victory DVD had special features. It has a Gag Reel with cast bloopers. This was so funny to watch. I laughed my socks off! It also had the Suite Life’s Sweet Lift Challenge Set-Top Trivia Game. I played this game a few times. You start at the Basement (with London as your guide) and try to make it up to the Penthouse by answering five questions per round. You are allowed only two mistakes before having to start over.

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody – Sweet Suite Victory DVD is so funny. I recommend it for anyone. It doesn’t matter what age group you fit into, you will laugh at this show. This three episode DVD is perfect for fans of the show. If you want to catch more episodes, you can watch The Suite Life of Zack and Cody on the Disney Channel.

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Technorati Tags: The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Sweet Suite Victory, DVD Review, Disney Channel

In this movie, Miss T sends Agent Secret on a mission. He will have to dance his way through three countries in order to acquire three canisters, filled with secret items. The first item is in London. He must go to a village near Big Ben. He meets his secret confidante (Austin), who gives him a banana split. In it, he finds his instructions to find the first container. He finds it easily enough, and dances to release the canister. The Lady in Pink tries to stop him, but Agent Secret gets away. This continues through finding all three canisters. However, the Lady in Pink is evil. She will stop at nothing to get the canisters for herself.

The movie is going to air on Nickelodeon in an hour time slot. This will be from 7-8 PM EST on September 17, 2007. I recommend that people of all ages can watch this. It may be geared towards a toddler aged audience, but I’m 12 and I learned a lot from the movie. I loved this movie. It’s filled with action, plenty of songs and great music. It also has a lot of dancing so you can get up and dance along if you want.

I can’t think of anything bad to say about this movie. It has good quality, good music, and good songs. It’s an all around entertaining movie. I think even if people do not have young kids they should still watch The Backyardigans: Super Secret, Super Spy. With so many creative elements, I could watch this movie over and over again! I would never grow tired of it.

Photo provided by and copyright of Nickelodeon.

Rating:

Technorati Tags: The Backyardigans, Super Secret, Super Spy, Pablo, Tasha, Agent Secret, Tyrone, Uniqua, Primetime Movie, Austin

iCarly is about a girl named Carly. She has a big brother, Spencer, the artist. Her parents are soldiers so Spencer and Carly live alone. Carly lives across the hall from Freddie. Freddie is in love with Carly, but Carly doesn’t love him back. Freddie is really good with technology. He’s Carly’s go to guy whenever she needs a technology geek.

Carly has a best friend named Sam. Sam always gets in trouble. In the first episode of iCarly, Sam gets Carly in trouble. She drew their teacher as a rhinoceros and Carly takes the blame because Sam was already suspended once. Carly is punished by having to tape talent show auditions on Saturday. Then she had to give the tape to her teacher to review.

During the auditions, a girl plays the trumpet while hopping on a pogo stick. Another is a rap artist. One guy is even a comedian who tells jokes! Freddie is taping the auditions for Carly. In between auditions, Carly and Sam make fun of the teacher. Freddie tapes them and then accidentally uploads that instead of the auditions to a popular video sharing website. The girls freak out, but they get thousands of hits and a lot of feedback telling them to upload more stuff.

The rest would spoil everything for those who haven’t seen the show. However, this is how they get the idea for iCarly. iCarly is cool because every day kids, like you and me, can tape themselves and upload themselves to the iCarly website. If the show creators like you, then you may be featured on an iCarly episode!

iCarly was so funny. I couldn’t stop laughing. I’m twelve. I think this show is going to be great for my age group. It will also be good for teenagers and even some adults. I thought the show was great. I hope you check out iCarly, too. It will premiere on Nickelodeon on September 8, 2007 from 8-9 PM. Two back-to-back episodes will be shown of this 30 minute sitcom. The iCarly website will also go live on September 8, so get ready to start uploading videos!

iCarly will air in its normal time slot on Sundays at 7:30 PM ET.

Photo provided by and copyright to Nickelodeon and Lisa Rose.

Rating:

Technorati Tags: Teen Nick, television, Nickelodeon, iCarly, kid review, web show

While breaking up with his girlfriend might be hard, he has to find a way so that he can be with his (new) true love, Skye. Of course, if he breaks up with his current girlfriend he might end up dead before he can tell Skye how he feels!

The last problem revolves around his comic strip. While the strip was anonymous to begin with, people are starting to figure out who is writing them and Stuff runs the risk of getting more body parts broken! Of course, this is just the beginning, as there is much more to do, see, and learn about Stuff.

As the book progresses we learn more about Stuff’s comic strip. There are six installments that have been split into specific sections. These sections involve Stuff writing the comic strip for the school paper. The comic strip details the life of a kid who wants to get away from the drooling dorkoids (the bad guys, of course) so that he can get to the well of androstopower. The well of androstopower will turn him into a mighty teenager. He enlists help from Sky Surfer in order to get to the well.

It doesn’t take long for people to realize that they are the ones being mentioned in the comic strip. Some of the people do not like being referred to as drooling dorkoids and before you know it, Stuff is planning the great escape to save himself from danger. Of course, after multiple runaway attempts he doesn’t get much of anywhere. However, it is pretty funny nonetheless.

Bottom Line: Children around 12 years old and possibly older will love this book. This is especially true if they are boys. The book has elements of humor and is presented with the style of a graphic novel. The book is excellent and definitely worth the read. It is also recommended for boys that are more reluctant readers. Due to the fun plot and the face-paced action some kids are going to be more apt to want to read this hilarious novel by Jeremy Strong.

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Technorati Tags: Stuff: The Life of a Cool Demented Dude, novel, teens, book