Video Review: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest for Crystal Mickey

Synopsis: Join Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and all their pals in the newest Clubhouse crusade. When the legendary Crystal Mickey goes missing, Mickey and friends go on an adventure to save the Clubhouse from losing its magic. Grab your hat, buckle your seatbelt, and get ready to embark on a thrilling adventure in “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest for the Crystal Mickey!”

There’s no time to lose after greedy Plunderin’ Pete snatches the legendary Crystal Mickey statue from the Clubhouse. Without this sparkly statue’s magic, the Clubhouse will disappear forever! Can the world’s most extraordinary hero "Kansas City Mickey," get the magical statue back in time? Only with help from young viewers at home…and the right Mouseketools can Mickey journey across the Sandy Desert, brave the Rushing River and make his way through the Hidden Jungle. But watch out for Pete’s trickiest traps!

Full of magic and mystery, the DVD includes four extra episodes of Disney Junior's Emmy®-nominated series "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" (over 2 hours of content!) and a FREE Adventure Activity Map plus Stickers. Don’t miss this latest Clubhouse adventure as it arrives for the first time on Disney DVD on May 21, 2013.

Talent: Bret Iwan (as Mickey Mouse); Russi Taylor (as Minnie Mouse); Bill Farmer (as Goofy and Pluto); Tony Anselmo (as Donald Duck); and Tress MacNeille (as Daisy Duck).

Executive Producer: Rob LaDuca
Producer/Story Editor: Mark Seidenberg
Director: Donovan Cook

Episodes:
1 – Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Quest for the Crystal Mickey
2 – Donald of the Desert
3 – Donald the Genie
4 – Goofy’s Coconutty Monkey
5 – Goofy’s Giant Adventure

Street Date: May 21, 2013
Director Prebook: March 26, 2013
Distributor Prebook: April 9, 2013
Release Format: DVD

Suggested Retail Price: $19.99 U.S./$24.99 Canada
Run Time: Approx. 120 minutes
Rated: TV-Y
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen (Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions)
Sound: 2.0 Dolby Digital Languages & Subtitles: English, French & Spanish


I received a copy of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse:  The Quest for Crystal Mickey to review.  A friend of mine came to the house with her daughter, Libby, and I thought it would be fun for her to watch and give me her thoughts as to the video.  So we sat down and watched it.  Libby (age 6) and Steven (age 3) were mesmerized by it.  I think partly because neither one of them watch much television!

My friend and I by the end were tired of the high pitched character voices.  However, it is manageable in short stints. 

Neither child really interacted with the video when questions were asked or calling for "Toodles."

My thought was that this was a kid, cartoon Mickey version of Indian Jones!

When we were done watching the video I asked Libby what she thought.  She said, "He's not real."  I then asked her if she liked it.  And she shook her head yes.  Steven's favorite part is the end of each episode when they do the "hot dog dance."  There are times when he will just start dancing and we always know it is the "hot dog dance."

I received a copy of this video for an honest review.  My opinion is my own and has in no way been influenced.

Book Review: "Deadly Devotion" by Sandra Orchard

 I had the opportunity to review another book as part of Revell Books Blog Tour.  One thing I love about reviewing books is I have the opportunity to read new authors' writings. 

"Deadly Devotions" is another suspense fiction book.  It is set in a town called Port Aster in Canada.  The main character is certain that her friend did not commit suicide as the police have determined.  Since she cannot seem to get the police to reopen the investigation, she investigates herself.

Ms. Orchard grabs your attention very early on in the book and keeps you wanting to turn the page so you can get to the end to figure out who actually did the crime.  I was disappointed that I kept having to put the book down because my schedule has been so crazy the last couple of weeks. I would have much rather been reading!

I'm generally able to figure out a "who dunit" prior to the ending; however, in this book, Ms. Orchard writes in a way that you are kept guessing until the very end and the "big reveal" of the person responsible.

"Deadly Devotion" is the first book in a series and I will definitely be reading more that are to come!

Sandra Orchard is an active member in American Christian Fiction Writers, The Word Guild, Romance Writers of America and a local writing group. She recently participated in the Writers’ Police Academy for hands-on training and simulations at a police training facility. She is the author of Shades of Truth, Critical Condition, which won the 2012 RT Reviewer’s Choice Award for it’s series and Deep Cover, which won the Canadian Christian Writing Award for romance in June 2012 and was recognized as one of the top five novels of the year by Family Fiction magazine. Orchard has also received a Daphne DuMaurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense in both the inspirational category and for best score overall. She lives in Niagara, Ontario, Canada. To find out more, please visit www.sandraorchard.com.

To read an excerpt from the book you can click here.  You can also connect with Ms. Orchard on Facebook by clicking here.

"Deadly Devotion" is available June 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revel, a division of Baker Publishing Group. 

I was provided a copy of "Deadly Devotion" in exchange for my honest review.  My thoughts have no way been influenced by the receipt this book.

Book Review: "That Certain Summer" by Irene Hannon

As part of Revell Books Blog Tour I was offered to read Irene Hannon's latest book, "That Certain Summer."  As I had read a number of Ms. Hannon's books previously, I was interested in reading this one as well, even though I knew it didn't have the suspense attribute to it as the previous books I had read had.

 
"That Certain Summer" did not disappoint.  Ms. Hannon is a wonderful writer and you are drawn to the characters very early on just as in all of the previous books that I have read.  This book focused on four main individuals, a physical therapist raising a young daughter by himself, a hurting musician, and two sisters who never had a close relationship, who have to help take care of their mother who has had a stroke.

The ultimate focus is Christ and how Christ uses our experiences to bring healing to relationships as well as how He uses others to help guide people to a relationship with Him!

Irene Hannon is the author of more than 35 novels, including the bestselling Heroes of Quantico and Guardians of Justice series. Her books have been honored with two coveted RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, a Carol Award, a HOLT Medallion, a Daphne du Maurier Award and two Reviewers' Choice Awards from RT Book Reviews magazine. Booklist also included one of her novels in its "Top 10 Inspirational Fiction" list for 2011. She lives in Saint Louis, Missouri.

For more information about her and her books, Irene invites you to visit her website at www.irenehannon.com.

"That Certain Summer" is available at your local Christian bookstore.

I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for a truthful review of the book. My opinion has not been influenced in anyway by the receipt of this book.