New Reviews & Advice for You

Movies in Theaters & Coming Soon

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Old Dogs (2009, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that this Robin Williams/John Travolta family comedy from the director of Wild Hogs includes lots of sight gags and physical humor, as well as jokey references to relationships and the "birds and the bees," but it's generally ... read more

Age 8+
Old Dogs
2
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Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that director Wes Anderson's dry, offbeat adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's story Fantastic Mr. Fox is fine for most grade-schoolers but also has some themes and humor that will go over kids' head. The story features a lot of ... read more

Age 7+
Fantastic Mr. Fox
4
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The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009, Rated PG-13)
Parents Need to Know...

that the second installment in the hugely popular Twilight saga is darker and a bit more violent than the first movie, but not enough to make it inappropriate for teens, especially those who've read the books. That said, the relationship ... read more

Age 13+
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
3
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Hot New Games

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LittleBigPlanet (PSP) (PSP)
Parents Need to Know...

that LittleBigPlanet for the PSP is very similar to its like-named sibling released last year for the PlayStation 3. Its side-scrolling action involves only a modicum of violence: your sack boy avatars can be singed by lava or ... read more

Age 8+
LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
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The Princess and the Frog (DS) (Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi)
Parents Need to Know...

that this version of The Princess and the Frog most closely tracks the story of the movie. This is a platform puzzle/adventure game where the player takes on the role of Tiana. It  also has cooking and music games. Princess Tiana is a ... read more

Age 7+
The Princess and the Frog (DS)
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Scene It? Twilight Edition (Nintendo Wii)
Parents Need to Know...

that this video trivia game exists specifically for megafans of the movie Twilight and the books upon which the film was based. Film clips used in the game sometimes show violent or suggestive behavior, but if your child wants to play ... read more

Age 13+
Scene It? Twilight Edition
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Website Reviews for Kids

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WatchKnow
Parents Need to Know...

that this nonprofit "YouTube for kids" is safe and educational. Launched by Larry Sanger, a cofounder of Wikipedia, it aims to collect all the educational videos on the Web that are suitable for kids in one convenient place. ... read more

Age 13+
WatchKnow
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A Walk in the Woods
Parents Need to Know...

that this low-tech site is designed to engage young children (and even some older ones) in the beauty and fun of nature. Specially targeted to newbie explorers, this site covers all the basic safety and ecology rules (leave only ... read more

Age 6+
A Walk in the Woods
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Fanlala
Parents Need to Know...

that this site serves as a round-up of  celeb gossip from all over the web and links to lots of other sites. According to the site, administrators review every video, photo and story that's posted, but comments, user-created quizzes, and ... read more

Age 12+
Fanlala
3
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New Holiday TV Specials

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Lanny and Wayne the Christmas Elves in Prep & Landing (ABC)
Parents Need to Know...

that this delightful holiday tale blends a unique story with clever humor and kid-friendly content, making it an excellent choice for the entire family. There's very little in the way of iffy stuff, the imaginative concept of elves ... read more

Age 5+
Lanny and Wayne the Christmas Elves in Prep & Landing
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Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation (Disney XD)
Parents Need to Know...

that this holiday special based on the popular Phineas and Ferb cartoon greatly exaggerates the main characters' abilities to act on their hair-brained ideas (toboggans made out of their beds, for instance) -- but that’s the essence of ... read more

Age 5+
Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation
3
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Merry Madagascar (NBC)
Parents Need to Know...

that this holiday special sequel to the popular Madagascar films has strong positive messages about generosity and goodwill. Expect some very mild flirting between a penguin and a reindeer and a reference to a character’s “booty,” ... read more

Age 6+
Merry Madagascar
4
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Great New Reads

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Ring of Fire: Century Quartet, Book 1 by Pierdomenico Baccalario
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a fast-paced and fun mystery, despite the involvement of murders and assassins. There is no bad language or sex and the violence is about on the level of the first couple Harry Potter books. It's fun to see the four diverse ... read more

Age 12+
Ring of Fire: Century Quartet, Book 1
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The Duchess of Whimsy by Randall de Seve
Parents Need to Know...

the vocabulary in this well-written fairy tale will challenge -- and very possibly put off -- younger readers. read more

Age 5+
The Duchess of Whimsy
4
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Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice by Judy Schachner
Parents Need to Know...

that this is the fifth in the bestselling series of Skippyjon Jones books, and includes a CD on which the author reads the story and the songs are put to music.  read more

Age 5+
Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice
4
More book reviews

Download This Music

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Kiss & Tell by Selena Gomez
Parents Need to Know...

that KISS & TELL is a typical tween album, giving clean accounts of common tween concerns like falling in love and following your dreams.   read more

Age 8+
Kiss & Tell
2
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Putumayo Presents: A Family Christmas by Various Artists
Parents Need to Know...

that unlike other Putumayo albums, this one is mainly in English, and the songs are spins of traditional, secular Christmas tunes. That being said, there is still a "world flavor" to the music that gives this holiday disc the ... read more

Age 2+
Putumayo Presents: A Family Christmas
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"Russian Roulette" (CD single) by Rihanna
Parents Need to Know...

that RUSSIAN ROULETTE is about a girl holding a gun, deciding whether or not to shoot herself. The song ends with a gun going off.  Though the song includes no graphic language, it does contain references to suicide that will disturb ... read more

Age 15+
"Russian Roulette" (CD single)
2
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