Movie Review: Veggietales: The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything

Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything (c) 2008 by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki

I have loved Veggietales for years, both because of the positive messages of the shows as well as the fun animation. I think Junior Asparagus and his adorable voice are my favorite part. Though I love everything about Veggietales. Including this movie, The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything.

In The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything, a full length movie, we have Larry, Bob, an Pa Grapewho are whisked away to the 17th century to help a prince and princess try to escape the clutches of their evil uncle who is trying to take over while their dad, the rightful king is away in the west. Through some zany trials and with the help of some friendly rock monsters, the veggie heroes are able to get into the evil uncle’s Ali. But will they be able to rescue the kids and get safely out again? Watch the movie and find out!

I highly recommend this to kids of all ages, and anyone who enjoys fun, uplifting movies!

The Ultimate Life by Jim Stovall

Ultimate Gift, The (c) 2007 by Jim Stovall

I recently listened to The Ultimate Life by Jim Stovall. It is the sequel to The Ultimate Gift which was made into a movie by the same name. I enjoyed listening to the audio of The Ultimate Life. In it, Jason Stevens finds that he has to prove to his family that he did indeed learn the lessons his grandfather wanted him to learn because they take him to court trying to take the huge trust he inherited away claiming that he can't handle it, and they are the rightful, legal, ethical owners of the money Red Stevens left behind.
I understand that the book The Ultimate Life had several inconsistencies to the book The Ultimate Gift, because the book followed what happened in the movie The Ultimate Gift rather than in the book, causing some slight inconsistencies between the two books. That didn't bother me personally, since I hadn't read the book The Ultimate Gift anyway. I thought that some of the characters were a little cartoonish, particularly the lawyer for the family, but overall, I enjoyed the message. As in The Ultimate Gift, Jason has to show that he has mastered 12 gifts:
1. The Gift of Work
2. The Gift of Friendship
3. The Gift of Money
4. The Gift of Family
5. The Gift of Gratitude
6. The Gift of Laughter
7. The Gift of Problems
8. The Gift of Learning
9. The Gift of Dreams
10. The Gift of a Day
11. The Gift of Giving
12. The Gift of Love
The story is told from the perspective of the judge overseeing the case, and we get to see him as he too tries out each of the 12 gifts in his own life.
I think The Ultimate Life is a good book to inspire people to bring lasting fulfillment into their own lives, and the lives of others and I recommend to anyone who enjoys uplifting books.

Five Kingdoms: Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull

Five Kingdoms: Sky Raiders (c) 2014
by Brandon Mull

The first book in the Five Kingdoms series by Brandon Mull, Five Kingdoms: Sky Raiders, is a fast paced middle grade novel that junior high and upper elementary readers would enjoy.

Cole is just a normal kid with an annoying older sister, friends, and a secret crush like so many other normal kids. But when a trip to what he and his friends thought was just a normal spook alley turns bad and he sees his friends whisked away through a strange portal by kidnappers, Cole dives in after them and finds himself in the Five Kingdoms, a strange new dimension where strange and amazing things can happen, but slavery is also legal. His friends have been enslaved by the kidnappers and as he sets out to try to rescue them, all sorts of scary things happen. Finding himself in a strange place called The Brink, he meets a girl his age named Mira who has a plan to stop the wicked king of the Five Kingdoms, restore order, and help him rescue his friends. But when there's a strange creature the people call Karnak terrorizing the country-side along with a despotic king to deal with, doing what they set out to do might be more difficult than they first planned.