Insight Editions and Weldon Owen have released two amazing books, Train Your Brain: Math Games and Train Your Brain: Logic Games, both which Exercise Your Mind with Challenging Puzzles. These boredom busters will hone the skills of the little minds by breaking down complex problems so anyone can learn them, all while being entertained and inspired along the way. With puzzles, matching games, sudoku, mazes, and mores, these books are fun for all

Let me be honest…I love math and puzzles games. I find it absolutely fun to solve equations, graph, solve for angles, and anything else that uses numbers. So when I received the request to review these books, I jumped at the chance!

Note this review is 100% my own opinion.

Train Your Brain! Math Games

Time for fun with Math Games! Although that sounds like a contradiction, this book certainly has it all with vibrant colors, cute images, and wonderful stories to solve. All of the puzzles have been made in a way that helps the young Einstein’s learn and solve each problem within the pages. From counting squares to adding astronauts, Math Games boasts over 55 different puzzles to stretch the mind and train the brain.

While everything is adorable and trend friendly, I am told, “This book looks like homework.” I suppose, for second and thirds graders, Math Games looks less like a puzzle book and more like a forced activity to learn math. Little do they know, most puzzles require some sort of math, we just don’t call it math. In fact, if Math was taken out of the title, this book would feel less like homework and more like boredom busting fun.

One such boredom busting game that fits with the trends among the second and third graders is called Space Shuffle. This absolutely adorable game features spaceships, space stations, and planets.. The spaceship starts with a certain number of astronauts, picks up more at the space station and lands on a planet. The object of the game is to draw a line between the three items that show the correct addition of astronaut in the spaceship.

Along with spaceships, there are games featuring bugs, animals, submarines, dinosaurs, food, and so much more. Puzzle solvers can count the bugs, solve the pattern on a snake, earn points finding fish, solve how much a herd of dinosaurs will eat in a day, and even learn to calculate the cost of bakery goods.

A word of warning: Some of the problems are a bit hard to understand, even as an adult. For example, Watermelon Mix-up states that some watermelons have a different amount of seeds. It then requests that the puzzle solver circle all the odd ones. In Math, the word odd usually refers to odd numbers such as 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc. While it might be easy to assume the puzzle means circle the watermelons with a different number of seeds than the average watermelon, it is a bit ambiguous. We actually wanted to circle all the watermelons with an odd amount of seeds. Thanks to the answer key, we were able to figure out what needed to be circled.

I also found that Math Games has a few discrepancies. For example, the math problem Domino Fractions has an auto-filled solution that states the wrong fraction. The domino features a triangle that has been divided into 5 pieces, one large piece and 4 small pieces. The four small pieces are shaded. The book then states that the fraction is 4/5, which is wrong since the pieces are not of equal size.. In order to fix the discrepancy and write the correct fraction, the non-shaded large piece needs to be divvied into two smaller pieces to make the triangle have 6 equal pieces. The fraction then changes from 4/5 to 4/6.

Even with the few ambiguities and discrepancies, I think this book is a great boredom buster. It’s perfect for road trips, rainy days, or for the young math lovers who just want to solve mathematical problems for fun. It has wonderful vibrant colors, fun images, and great popular themes kids will love. I give the book a solid 4 Stars. I would have given it 5, but the few discrepancy make a couple of the problems hard to follow and solve.

f you wish to purchase Train Your Brain! Math Games, click the link below and fly over to Amazon.com. This is an affiliate link.

Train Your Brain! Logic Games

The Logic Games contained within this book are similar to the memes often found on different social media platforms, especially Facebook. There ae fun puzzles such as, what cup will be filled first with water, move the match sticks to make the equation correct, select the missing puzzle pieces, continue the pattern, and more

One of my favorite puzzles were the shape sudokus .Basically, instead of numbers, you fill each square with a shape. There must be a different shape going across and down in a line. This is the perfect way to introduce kids to the joys of Sudoku!

Like the Math Games book, there is a discrepancy here and there. The one that stood out the most was the game Pizza Puzzle. The object of the puzzle is to logically determine which pizza was the most popular by what is left over. There are four pepperoni pizza slices, four margherita pizza slices, three vegetarian pizza slices, two three-cheese pizza slices, and one weird pepperoni, mushroom, and jalapeno pizza slice left over. The one with the fewest pieces left is supposed to be the most popular. Logically the pepperoni, mushroom, and jalapeno pizza is the most popular, however, the answer key states that the three-cheese pizza is the most popular. One can only assume that the pepperoni, mushroom, and jalapeno pizza slice is not supposed to be there or the answer key is wrong. Either way, it is a discrepancy that can cause a problem or two when someone’ is trying to explain the answer to the young mind completing the logic puzzle.

The most interesting puzzle that we spent way too much time discussing is To Tell The Truth. Martha meets a fairy and a unicorn in the forest. The fairy lies on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. She tells the truth all other days. The unicorn lies on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and tells the truth all the other days. What day is it if the fairy states that she told the truth yesterday and the unicorn states that it did as well? We went through each day and found that it could be Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday. However, the answer key states it’s Monday. If it was Monday, the fairy would be lying saying she lied yesterday.. So it can’t be Monday. What day is it?…I have no idea. Comment below if you know. I would love to hear your theory.

Other than a few bumps here and there, the book is fun! Using just a bit of brain power and some logic, the puzzles are solvable and less like homework and more like a puzzle book. The colors are vibrant, the characters are cute, and the only machine you need for most of the puzzles is you brain. The back of the book contains an answer key, which is extremely helpful, and it is correct most of the time. Many of the puzzles create fun discussions on how and why an answer was chosen. With more than 55 puzzles, Logic Games will keep the little minds busy for hours. I was going to give this book 4 stars, but even with the discrepancies, my family enjoyed Logic Games. It allowed us to debate a few of our answers and we somehow ended up with the goal of proving the answer key wrong. I give Logic Games 5 stars!

If you wish to purchase Train Your Brain! Logic Games, click the link below and fly over to Amazon.com. This is an affiliate link.

On June 11th, Rock Dog 2: Rock Around the Park will be released digitally and on June 15th, it will be released on Blu-ray]! Fans can watch Bodi and his band “True Blue” as they leave Snow Mountain and go on tour as the opening act for Lil Foxy. During their adventure, Bodi, Darma and Germur, learn that fame comes with a price.

I got the opportunity to watch Rock Dog 2 and here is what I thought.

SPOILERS BELOW

I am very surprised that Rock Dog has a sequel. While my family and I enjoyed the first installment, Rock Dog had some hits and misses with the movie watching crowed. So when I heard a second Rock Dog movie was coming out, I had to watch it.

I think it’s neat that we get to see the continuation of Bodi chasing his dreams. In fact, Rock Dog 2 starts a year after the previous movie with True Blue hitting it big in their small town of Snow Mountain. They have a following and loyal fans, and of course, Bodi’s dad is one of their biggest fans. For the band to continue chasing their dreams, the next step is for True Blue to go national with a rocking tour. That’s where Lang comes in as a talent scout.

I like the fact that viewers can pretty much tell that there is something off with Lang. The theme with movies recently is turning some one we think is a good guy, into a bad guy. We all remember Hans from Frozen. At least in this case we can all say, Lang is kinda sus. In fact we don’t have to wait long before we discover our instincts are correct.

With Lang’s so called help, Bodi and his band go to the Big City and tour with Lil Foxy. Little do they know, Lang is actually after something so much more than just another musical hit, he is after the blue energy that Bodi shares as he plays his rock music. To steal this energy and take control of the music world, Lang must split up True Blue and spring a trap on Bodi. This leaves poor Bodi alone and powerless.

This film really focuses on the fact that being true to yourself is literally a superpower. It’s the abundant blue energy that Bodi has while playing his rock music. Lang works on changing Bodi and his band in an attempt to steal this superpower, However, being true to ourselves is a power that can always be renewed, which we find Bodi has yet to discover.

Bodi begins his path of discovery as he heads home after hearing about an avalanche that hit Snow Mountain. There he learns what it takes to release the true power of rock n roll. Desperate to stop Lang, who we now know is the evil Linnux from Rock Dog 1, Bodi heads to Rock n Roll Park where all the musicians have come together to perform a benefit concert to save the park. There, Bodi finds them all trapped with the energy that was stolen from him. To save the park and his friends, Bodi challenges Linnux to a musical duel.

I wont spoil the rocking ending, but I am sure many can guess what happens. Rock Dog 2 isn’t exactly a mystery. It is easy to read and easy to follow, which makes it a great family movie for almost any age. It contains wonderful lessons such as be true to yourself, follow your dreams, and stand strong against those who wish to see you fail. We all have a superpower within us as long as we believe in ourselves, our friends, and our family.

Like Rock Dog, Rock Dog 2 doesn’t have the most amazing computer graphics, however, the subpar image doesn’t take away from the awesome story line. The story is fun, engaging, and enjoyable. Add popular animals into the mix, and it becomes a quick hit. Fans of cats, foxes, dogs, sheep, and other animals will certainly find this amusing to say the least. I give it five stars and hope that others will take the opportunity to enjoy it as well.

More about Rock Dog 2: Rock Around the Park:

SANTA MONICA, CA (April 30, 2021) – The True Blue band is back to rock the place when Rock Dog 2: Rock Around The Park arrives on Digital June 11th, and on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital) and DVD June 15th from Lionsgate.

This family-friendly film features Andrew Francis (My Little Pony franchise, TV’s “Ninjago”, “Marvel Super Hero Adventures”), Ashleigh Ball (My Little Pony franchise, TV’s “Ready Jet Go!”, “Rev & Roll”), Brian Dobson (Norm of the North: Keys to the Kingdom, Norm of the North: King Sized Adventure, TV’s “Tarzan and Jane”), Brian Drummond (TV’s “Dragon Ball Z”, Norm of the North: Family Vacation, “Bob the Builder”), Cathy Weseluck (My Little Pony franchise, Barbie franchise, TV’s “Littlest Pet Shop”), Donny Lucas (Open Season: Scared Silly, TV’s “Van Helsing”, The Christmas Doctor), Graham Hamilton (TV’s “Snap Ships: Dawn of Battle”), Jason Simpson (TV’s “The Dragon Prince”, “Tobot Galaxy Detectives”, “Line Rangers”), James Higuchi (TV’s “Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch”, “The Deep”, “Superbook”), Kathleen Barr (TV’s “Ninjago”, My Little Pony franchise, “Dragon Tales”), Michael Adamthwaite (TV’s “Ninjago”, Cold Pursuit, War for the Planet of the Apes), Richard Newman (My Little Pony franchise, TV’s “Doraemon”, “Beyblade Burst”), and Sabrina Pitre (My Little Pony franchise, TV’s “Ninjago”, “Lego Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar”).

One year after the events of the original Rock Dog, Bodi and his band, True Blue, have become locally famous in the village of Snow Mountain—they even have devoted fans! But when a music mogul named Lang gives them the opportunity to tour with pop sensation Lil’ Foxy, Bodi and his friends learn that fame comes at a price, and ultimately discover that only by staying true to yourself can you unleash the power of rock ‘n’ roll!

From the award-winning producers that brought you Norm of the North, “Clifford the Big Red Dog”, and “I Got a Rocket!”, this heartwarming family film will have you and your little ones unleashing your power of Rock ‘n’ Roll alongside Bodi and his band!

Rock Dog 2: Rock Around The Park will be available on DVD and Blu-ray+Digital combo pack for the suggested retail price of $19.98 and $21.99, respectively. Grab Rock Dog 2: Rock Around the Park from Amazon.com (Affiliate Link)

There is also an opportunity for a chance to win a DVD copy of Rock Dog 2 on my blog by clicking the image below and following the rafflecopter prompts. Many will enter only one will win! Good Luck

The PAW Patrol will be hitting the big screen in their first ever PAW Patrol the Movie, coming to theaters and Paramount+ August 20, 2021! When Humdinger becomes Mayor of nearby Adventure City, Ryder and the PAW Patrol gang must work together to save the citizens. However, it won’t be easy; It will take every member of the PAW Patrol plus friends they meet along the way, such as the adorable dachshund Liberty, to face the challenge and bring order back to the city. In their all new adventure we will see new PAW Patrol helpers, new characters, new gadgets and gears , and more as they go on their rescue mission!

Check out the trailer below and get ready to kick it into high gear with the PAW Patrol!

More about PAW Patrol The Movie:

Synopsis: The PAW Patrol is on a roll! When their biggest rival, Humdinger, becomes Mayor of nearby Adventure City and starts wreaking havoc, Ryder and everyone’s favorite heroic pups kick into high gear to face the challenge head on. While one pup must face his past in Adventure City, the team finds help from a new ally, the savvy dachshund Liberty. Together, armed with exciting new gadgets and gear, the PAW Patrol fights to save the citizens of Adventure City! Joining the PAW Patrol in their thrilling first big screen adventure are members from the original series’ cast along with Iain Armitage, Marsai Martin, Yara Shahidi, Kim Kardashian West, Randall Park, Dax Shepard, with Tyler Perry and Jimmy Kimmel and introducing Will Brisbin.

Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies and Spin Master Entertainment PresentA Spin Master Entertainment Production

DIRECTED BY Cal Brunker
SCREENPLAY BY Billy Frolick and Cal Brunker & Bob Barlen
STORY BY Billy Frolick
BASED ON THE TELEVISION SERIES CREATED BYKeith Chapman
PRODUCED BY Jennifer Dodge, p.g.a.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Ronnen Harary, Adam Beder, Peter Schlessel
STARRING Iain Armitage, Marsai Martin, Ron Pardo, Yara Shahidi, Kim Kardashian West, Randall Park, Dax Shepard with Tyler Perry and Jimmy Kimmel introducing Will Brisbin
#PAWPatrolMovie

The new Rugrats series is now available on Paramount+. Fans can join Tommy, Chucky, and their friends as they go on all new adventures. From learning to be brave to defending their toys from an evil clutter genius, the babies are back in action looking to have fun, eat mud, and discover the world around them.

I received the chance to review the first two episodes and here is what I thought. FYI: All opinions are 100% my own.

As a fan of the original series, I started watching the remake with high hopes. It was exciting knowing that some actors were returning to voice a few main characters, such as Tommy voiced by Elizabeth Daily and Angelica voiced by Cheryl Chase. This was going to be a blast from the past with all the feelings of nostalgia.. The word WAS’ is definitely a foreshadow in this case.

I expected different art, different voices, different stories, and a few new technologies that we have come to enjoy in our daily lives. Let’s face it, the original Rugrats was released 30 years ago. Cell phones and other advancements were not used like they are now. I am ok with all of that. Things change and changes can be good. However, when you take a character that served in the military, was proud of his service, and was a strong minded individual and then completely turn him upside-down to become something the character originally did not approve of, I cringe.

Grandpa Lou Pickles is one of my favorite characters from the original Rugrats show. His war time stories, hilarious shenanigans’, and insanely deep sleep naps were what made Grandpa, Grandpa. He didn’t approve of hippies, struggled to understand his boys career choices, and obviously had opinions that differed from those around him. Many of his conversations were with Tommy since his boys often found him outdated and old. Tommy, however, adored him. He had stories of working at Area 51, stories of the trenches, and stories of love. His character was the most developed and well rounded in the entire series.

This new series takes Grandpa Pickles and switches off his charm, his character, and his knowledge. He is now a yoga loving, healthy cooking, grandpa babysitter. And while those attributes are not at all wrong to have, they just don’t go with Grandpa Pickles. I am not sure if the creators were trying to be ironic when they made him a hippie, but it didn’t work. I can only ask, What Happened to Grandpa Lou Pickles?

If we take Grandpa Lou Pickles out of the equation, I still didn’t enjoy much of the show. The faces were often emotionless, the comedy was lacking, and the stories were a little boring. Yes, the show featured blasts from the past like Doctor Who and Jurassic Park, but without those, it lacks the luster of the original. Sadly, I am unable to give this the SKGaleana’s seal of approval.

Maybe they will fix future episodes to fit more with what Rugrats fans are looking for. If they do, I will certainly add an edit to this review.

For those looking for the original, Nickelodeon has released the entire series on a 26 DVD disc set. We get the original Grandpa Lou Pickles, Tommy, and all his friends as they explore the world using their imaginations. Grab a copy from Amazon.com (affiliate link) to re-watch the journey of our lovable baby friends.