Family-in-Mind Reviews: February 2014

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Awards Poll

Did you agree with the Family-in-Mind Awards? For the next twelve days, you can take the poll to give your answer!

~Family-in-Mind Reviews

Thursday, February 20, 2014

All Hail the Emperor: A Book Review of Genevieve Foster's "Augustus Caesar's World"

Many have heard of Octavian, better known as Augustus Caesar. Very few, though, have thought about his story from a first-person standpoint. Genevieve Foster used a process called "horizontal history" to write about Augustus' life. Horizontal history is when you study a person or place and also the other cultures/people around the world at that time. In addition to the main story of Augustus, Augustus Caesar's World also has side stories concerning the Jews (as well as King Herod and Jesus), Buddha, Confucius, and others.

SUMMARY

As Augustus Caesar's World covers Augustus' life, there is a lot of information. On top of that, there are also the stories of Herod, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Jesus Christ, among others.
The book starts with Augustus (called Octavian at this point) consulting with a soothsayer (or fortune teller). She reads the stars and is stunned by the amazing future Julius Caesar's nephew has ahead of him.
The initial story sees the rise of Octavian to power and especially the favor he gains with his uncle Julius Caesar, dictator-emperor of Rome. The boy Octavian is weak, pale, and often sickly, though he does accompany Caesar on his conquest of Africa. Readers are also told the tales of Cleopatra and her devious relationships with Marc Antony and Julius Caesar (as well as her son Ptolemy).
There are also some chapters that focus on Virgil, Livy, and the loyal Cicero. These chapters also are about the rise of Octavian to Emperor Augustus Caesar, and how he corrupted the political system of Rome (essentially becoming a dictator, like his uncle before him).
Between stories from Rome and its surrounding lands, readers also are told the stories of Israel, Egypt, China, India, and Persia. There is a lot of focus on the Jewish rebellions against Rome, as well as the general hatred for the Roman-placed king.
The book ends with the death of Augustus Caesar and Christianity as the new religion for Rome.

CONTENT
As this book deals mostly with Rome, you can imagine there is quite an amount of violence. During the reigns of Julius and Augustus Caesar, their empire was at war, especially with the German "barbarians." While the violence is not too descriptive (with a few possible exceptions), it is a recurring theme throughout the book.
While there is no specific sexual content, some things are hinted at. For example, Julius Caesar is not married to Cleopatra, though their son Ptolemy is mentioned several times. Also, Mark Antony is quite the womanizer, as (by the end of the book) he has two wives and a lover. Like I said, there is nothing specifically detailed, but it is mentioned.
Since Augustus Caesar's World is more of a biography than a novel, there is no foul language that I remember.
Because the book shows not only Rome, but other countries at the time, there are multiple religions mentioned and discussed (i.e. Buddha, the Greco-Roman Olympians, etc.). While Christianity has more of a focus than others, none of the beliefs are presented as true or false. Foster, though, seemed to believe that all religions lead to heaven, though this is quite subtle and likely won't be clear unless you are looking for it.
Augustus Caesar's World is a well-written, interesting, and informative account of the life of Caesar and the world in which he lived. While it is written more simplistically than most biographies, it is not a children's book. There are, however, many parts than can be beneficial to elementary-aged students. Overall, I liked it and I think any history fans will too!

GENERAL INFORMATION

Number of pages: 334
Author of book: Genevieve Foster
Published in: 1947
Primary audience: Pre-teens (with parent supervision), teens (readability is at a slightly younger level, but not necessarily content)

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Thoughts/Comments on the Annual FIM Awards

What did you think of the choices for the 2014 Family-in-Mind Awards? Let us know by contacting us through our "Contact" section on the right-hand side of the blog.

~Family-in-Mind Reviews

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Blog Search Box

As has been stated in recent posts, the search box for Family-in-Mind Reviews is not working correctly. A solution has appeared to come up, but it will take time. Thanks for the patience and hopefully things will be up and working well within the next week or two!

~Family-in-Mind Reviews

2014 Winners...Coming Soon

The winners for the 2014 Family-in-Mind Awards have been chosen. There are 16 awards in total. Come see Family-in-Mind's choices on Sunday, February 9 at 3:30 (ET).

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Love Breaks Frozen Hearts: A Movie Review of "Frozen"

Most of us are familiar with fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Beauty & the Beast. But likely fewer of us are as familiar with the tale of the Snow Queen. Walt Disney Pictures loosely based their new animated musical Frozen on this fantasy story. The film has become Disney's highest-grossing cartoon of all time, even blowing past The Lion King!

The film (at the time of the writing of this review) has two Oscar nominations, for Best Animated Picture and Best Original Song. It won awards for both of those categories at the Golden Globe Awards. The film stars

Idina Menzel as Queen Elsa, Kristen Bell as Princess Anna, and Jonathan Groff as roughneck mountaineer Kristoff.

SUMMARY

In a kingdom called Arendelle lives two sisters named Elsa and Anna, who are the young princesses of the land. The pair of little girls obviously enjoy playing together, especially when Elsa uses her special ice powers. Unfortunately, Anna is hurt by the magic and her family takes her to the magical trolls, as they are the only ones who can help her.

Although Anna is saved, her memories are changed while Elsa and her parents agree to hide the truth of her powers from everyone...including her dear sister.
However, this leads Elsa to become reclusive to the point of never seeing her sister and staying locked in her room for years.
Three years later, Elsa is to have a coronation in order to become queen. For the first time in three years (or "for the first time in forever," as Anna's song suggests), Elsa must order the castle gates to be open to the villages and also foreign dignitaries.
That night, Anna and Elsa get into an argument which causes Elsa to use her powers. After a lifetime of secrets, she is finally found out. With no other choice, she flees the kingdom and heads for the northern mountain where she builds herself an ice palace. Here, she sings a song signifying her act to "let it go" (a brilliant performance by Idina Menzel).
Anna heads out to find her sister because Arendelle was cast into winter. Along the way she meets mountain miner Kristoff (as well as his reindeer friend Sven) and a snowman named Olaf.
The remainder of the movie brings surprises and a wonderful ending!

CONTENT

The violence in Frozen was appropriate for the PG rating, though some things might frighten younger children (though my five-year-old sister was alright). Elsa's magic accidentally harms people (although once she purposely hurts someone). Crossbows are also fired at both fantasy creatures and humans, but we never see someone hit. Also, there is a giant snow monster which could possibly scare young kids.

There a kiss or two in the film, but this is pretty innocent. Two characters sing a song entitled Love is Open Door, and they want to marry on the spot (this is later shown to be unwise and irrational).
There was fortunately no foul language in the film.
There was some mild rude humor, but nothing too much. Olaf the snowman makes a couple of references to his behind.
The movie focuses on Elsa's magical skills. She is referred to as a sorceress, and a man remarks that her powers are sorcery. It is not, however, made clear where these powers came from. But this is far from dark magic, rather what you would find in classic Disney movies such as Beauty and the Beast.

The songs were amazing, and I must say that I really enjoyed them. Just a few of the songs are For the First Time in Forever, Love is an Open Door, Let It Go, and In Summer. While all of the singing was great, Idina Menzel was particularly good (I suppose some of that might have to do with the fact that she is a Broadway "veteran")!
This is a great movie for the whole family and is certainly a new favorite of mine. While all may not have had (or will have) the chance, it was stunning in 3-D. This was definitely a wonderful new addition to the Disney collection!