Mundie Moms

Monday, October 15, 2012

TMI Movie News: Cassie's back on Set & Jonathan Rhys Meyers Shows off The Morgenstern Ring

Today Cassie's posted this picture, saying she was headed back to the TMI Movie Set. I really want to chase after that plane and yell "Take me with you!".


This evening she treated fans to another lovely HANDS picture! This time our Valentine aka Jonathan Rhys Meyers is sporting the Morgenstern ring!


Love this picture. Black leather... the ring... need I say more!?! #Shadowhunter Love

The Mortal Instruments Movie Monday #4: The Casting of Magnus

Welcome to this week's edition of The Mortal Instruments Movie Monday. Today we're talking about MAGNUS *throws glitter around* I know, I should really just post this picture and be done with the post right!? I mean, what else can I say other than feast your eyes on Magnus.



*clears throat* Okay, there's actually plenty to talk about when it comes to Magnus. Not only is Magnus my all time favorite character from this series, yes I do love Jace, but Magnus is in a league all his own. There's something about him that just got to me in The Infernal Devices more than it did in The Mortal Instruments when I first read it, and that is his heartbreak. I'm not talking about what happened in City of Lost Souls, because that was, well *sniff, sniff* agonizing to read. The Infernal Devices made Magnus more relatable to me, and allowed me to see him in a different light and understand him more when it comes to the TMI series. 

In the TMI series, Magnus to me wasn't just a this untouchable character I thought he first was. He's someone who knows far more than he lets on, has this deeper understanding of things that I think many of the characters do, and knows what he wants when he sees, aka Alec. There's also something else about Magnus I just loved. Now it doesn't have to do with the fact he throws a raging party for his cat 



or the glitter trail he might leave behind, it's just him, as a whole. No matter how hard he tries to stay out of the affairs of the Shadowhunters, he literally finds himself in the middle of what's going on, and his once broken heart yet again finds love. Magnus is character who has an incredible huge presence in The Mortal Instruments series, and when it came to the casting of his character like many of you, I was on pins and needles waiting to find out who was casting. Let's face it, this actor not only had to have the look, they had to have presence. You know that certain something about them that commands you attention. *snort laugh*, well I'm pretty sure no one complained with Godfrey Gao when it was announced he was playing Magnus. 



He definitely has that complete Magnus package. The looks, the presence and that certain something that makes you want to find out more about him. I give HUGE props to the casting director for getting the casting of Magnus RIGHT! I don't think they could have found a more perfect person for Magnus. In the beginning, I know some of us fans, including myself for some unknown reason at first though Adam Lambert would make a good Magnus. Not saying he wouldn't, I mean he does have that exotic look to him here, but he looks nothing like the Magnus that is described in the books by Cassie.

 Let's look at the two side by said. Both a beautiful looking guys, but there's no arguing on who looks like Magnus in my book. 



When you're casting for a movie that's made from an incredibly huge YA series (or any book series for that matter), it's crucial to get the casting right, at least in the eyes of the fans, and the author. After all the author is the one who created the character and the fans are the ones who are going to go out and support the movie. Out of all the casting choices that the studio did for The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones, Magnus's casting for, aside from Jace and Clary's was the most crucial. His is the one I'm most excited over! Seriously, could his casting choice be any more perfect? I don't think so. I don't think they could have found a more perfect actor than Godfrey Gao to play Magnus. 


I'd love to hear your thoughts on the casting of Magnus. Please leave your comments below and please note any hateful comments will be deleted. 

* All pictures where found via Cassie Clare's tumblr, Tumblr itself and Google. If you were the creator of any of these images, please let me know so I can properly credit you. 

Must Have Middle Grade / Halloween Reads for Kids

I'm a little embarrassed that it's been a little over a month since I've posted this feature. I try to keep my Mondays open so that only this feature and my two TMI features are posted, but there's been a lot of other things going on that have been posted on Monday, and sadly this post has been bumped to make room for those posts, so I don't have like 5 posts on Monday. I'm happy to say I'm not longer going to bump this feature and if I have 5 posts in one day, so be it. I feel MG books are important books to feature and help promote on here. So, here are some of the recent MG books I've read and a few Halloween reads for kids that I'd recommend picking up:



By: James Dashner
Published by: Scholastic
Released on: August 28th, 2012
Purchase from: Scholastic | Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Scholastic's next multi-platform mega-event begins here! History is broken, and three kids must travel back in time to set it right! 

When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the secret of time travel -- a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring -- they're swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course.Now it's up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks . . . and to save Dak's missing parents while they're at it. First stop: Spain, 1492, where a sailor named Christopher Columbus is about to be thrown overboard in a deadly mutiny! -quoted from Goodreads


An historical journey filled with adventure, danger, catastrophic events, and plenty of mystery, James Dashner's A Mutiny In Time is an awesome, jam packed read that younger kids will devour. Set in a future America that is constantly plagued by natural disasters, the world which we live in now is much simpler compared to the one best friends Dak and Sera live in. If the deadly earthquakes, freak storms, and volcanic eruptions weren't enough, Dak's parents are now missing, and Dak and Sera are thrown into a secret society and world they never nothing about, until now. Read my full 4.5 star review here.




Published by: Harper Collins Childrens
Released on: October 2nd, 2012
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Browse inside


One night when Liza went to bed, Patrick was her chubby, stubby, candy-grubbing and pancake-loving younger brother, who irritated and amused her both, and the next morning, when she woke up, he was not. In fact, he was quite, quite different.

When Liza's brother, Patrick, changes overnight, Liza knows exactly what has happened: The spindlers have gotten to him and stolen his soul.

She knows, too, that she is the only one who can save him.

To rescue Patrick, Liza must go Below, armed with little more than her wits and a broom. There, she uncovers a vast world populated with talking rats, music-loving moles, greedy troglods, and overexcitable nids . . . as well as terrible dangers. But she will face her greatest challenge at the spindlers' nests, where she encounters the evil queen and must pass a series of deadly tests--or else her soul, too, will remain Below forever.

From "New York Times" best-selling author Lauren Oliver comes a bewitching story about the reaches of loyalty, the meaning of love, and the enduring power of hope -quoted from Goodreads



I really enjoy Lauren Oliver's YA books, but I've completely fallen in love with her MG books as well. There's something magical about Lauren's  MG writing. Places come alive, characters become real, and the adventure feels like it's really happening. Lauren's talent for story telling and her gift for writing adds that element of excitement to each of her stories she's written so far, that cater to this younger audience, and it was no different for this book. I don't know if it's the fantasy element she adds in, the adventure, the magic, or the endless possibilities that lie within this book or the combination of each of these make her MG book perfectly for precisely that age group, and not to mention perfect for reading it out loud together with your kiddos.

You can read my full review here.




By: Susan Hood
Illustrated by: Jed Henry
Published by: Harper Collins
Released on: July 24th, 2012
Purchase from: Harper Collins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble


If three dinosaurs roar when you open your door, what do you say?

"Boo!" of course! In this charmingly spooky story by Susan Hood, little trick-or-treaters learn just what to say in every Halloween situation. From rattling bones to ghostly footsteps, Susan captures all the best scares of the season--and teaches just the right way to dispel fears in favor of fun. Jed Henry's lustrous watercolors add the perfect crisp chill to this fall-weather story.


For if a skeleton groans as she rattles her bones, what do you say? -quoted from Goodreads

What an adorable Halloween read! I loved this story makes the some of the scarier things of Halloween fun for kids. For example, "If a yip and a yowl make you shiver and scowl, what do you say?" "BOO!" Kids are not only treated with some with incredibly warm and fabulous illustrations, they get a fun story, with easy to read words, and in the process learn a little Halloween adequacy as well.




Illustrated by: Felicia Bond
Published by: Balzer & Bray
Released on: July 24th, 2012
Purchase from: Harper Collins Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Join Mouse from "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" as he decorates all the pumpkins in the patch! -quoted from Goodreads

Fans of If You Give A Mouse a Cookie will really enjoy this Halloween themed book. Toddlers will love reading about Mouse and seeing how he decorates his seven pumpkins. They'll also see a surprise visitor from one of Mouse's friends who drops in to see him. This one I'd definitely recommend picking up for little readers. Being a board book makes it great for little hands.


You can read my full review for each of these must have Halloween reads and another one here.



By: Emily Jenkins
Illustrated by: Harry Bliss
Released on: July 24th, 2012
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

It's Halloween. Fourth grader Hank Wolowitz "hates" Halloween. Every year his older sister, Nadia, scares him half to death.

This year might be different, though. After all, Hank's the only kid in Brooklyn--probably the only kid in North America--with an invisible bandapat living in his laundry basket. And Invisible Inkling "loves" Halloween. Pumpkins are his favorite food.


But Hank has serious trouble stopping Inkling from devouring every jack-o'-lantern in their neighborhood. And that's not his only problem: Will he figure out a cool costume? Will he survive the small army of ballerinas roaming the hallways of his building? Will Hank ever get revenge on Nadia?


Inkling has long since stopped listening to Hank's worries. Inkling is taking actionquoted from Goodreads

This a fun Halloween read following the misadventures of 4th grader of Henry Wolowitz, and his pumpkin eating invisible Inkling. Unfortunately for Henry, his invisible pet has discovered how delicious pumpkins are, and this not only spells trouble for Henry, it gets him into a situation or two that only his Inkling can get him out of. You can read my full review here


Published by: SourceBooks
Released on: April 2012
Ages: 8 & up
3 stars: It's A Good Read
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Series: Horrid Henry

Henry is up to his usual mischief. 

Four new stories in which Horrid Henry terrorizes his classmates at a school sleepover in the museum; plays with Perfect Peter and tricks him into handing over all his money; gets out of writing his own story for Miss Battle-Axe by adapting one of Peter's; and meets the Nudie Foodie, a celebrity chef, who comes to the school to improve school dinners. No more burgers! No more chips! - quoted from Goodreads



An entertaining read that will leave readers laughing out loud, Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampires will definitely be a hit for fans of this series. With Francesca's easy to read text, some laugh out loud moments, and the book's smallish size make this a fast paced read even the most reluctant reader will enjoy. This book's 4 short stories will entertain just about anyone with a second grade reading level and higher. You can read my review here.

Mundane Monday #158- Simon, City of Ashes

Happy Mundane Monday! Enjoy today's City of Ashes snippet from Simon *sigh* 




“Mom. I have something to tell you. I’m undead. Now, I know you may have some preconceived notions about the undead. I know you may not be comfortable with the idea of me being undead. But I’m here to tell you that undead are just like you and me … well, okay. Possibly more like me than you.” - Simon, City of Ashes, by Cassandra Clare

*photo credit goes to LikeChildreninaFairyTale

#Reached Challenge #3 - Rise Up



Mundie Moms is part of a group of bloggers who were invited to be apart of Penguin Teen's Silk & Paper Campaign, which is actively promoting Ally Condie's upcoming release REACHED. Each week we have a challenge, and these challenges also involve you! Last week's mission was to Get Matched and add Matched book trailer to our sites, which you can grab here. The week prior to that kicked off the countdown with grabbing the REACHED countdown widget and adding it to our blogs (which you can grab here). This week's mission is to #RiseUp.


This week's challenge: The countdown to REACHED continues and this week we're in need of your help yet again! The RISING is looking for new RECRUITS like you. Want to join our cause? We need YOU to visit the Matched Trilogy Facebook fan page to help us build up the rebel forces. Go HERE to join our cause!

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