Author Archives: Jaime Egan

About Jaime Egan

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Southern Living at Home

I am sure most people who read cooking and decorating magazines have heard of “Southern Living.” But did you know that many of the products that you see in the magazine are available for purchase? Well, they are. You can get them in your own home by hosting a Southern Living at Home party. You can find out all about it at Southern Living at Home.com. The Southern Living at Home party is a great way to bring some southern and country living into your everyday life. The elegance of the products is evident, and even if you think it’s … Continue reading →

Newbery Medal Winners: 1961-1970

Television had a big year in 1963, among the news coverage of President Kennedy’s assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” and the first live televised murder of Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald. Although much of this was unpleasant, media had its good turns in the 1960’s. In 1966, Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” explores the narrative style in a non-fiction book. The movie based on the research for this book, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is wonderful, by the way. 1961 Medal Winner: “Island of the Blue Dolphins” by Scott O’Dell Honor Books “America Moves Forward: … Continue reading →

Newbery Medal Winners: 1951-1960

Newbery Medal Winners: 1951-1960 In 1951, color television sets went on sale for the first time. Imagine what a big step that was for media then. 3-D movies were introduced in 1952 and today we can get movies in our homes on discs. Isn’t that incredible? The Grammy Awards debuted in 1959, giving awards for music from 1958. Literature had leaps and bounds in the 1950’s. Ray Bradbury’s novel about fascism and censorship — “Fahrenheit 451” — became a huge smash. In 1957, ALbert Camus won the Nobel Prize in Literature and the 1958 novel “Exodus” took a look at … Continue reading →

Newbery Medal Winners: 1941-1950

Several technological breakthroughs were made in the 1940s, including two-way AM police radios and the discovery of microwave transmission. Many media stepping stones were reached, as well. The first television commercial was broadcast in New York in 1941 and touch-tone dialing was tried in Baltimore. Radio allows Americans to hear many somber events, including the broadcast of the Pearl Harbor attack and Franklin Roosevelt’s funeral. Jukeboxes went into mass production in 1946 and the presidential State of the Union address is televised for the first time in 1947. As for literature, Pocket Books began the first mass distribution system for … Continue reading →

Jewel with Support from Steve Poltz

I saw a most amazing concert the other night. I’ve never considered myself a huge fan of Jewel, but I like her music. Well, it just so happened that my sister had bought two tickets to see Jewel in concert at the Ferguson Center for the Arts at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. It was a birthday present for herself — the concert was Sunday, November 19 and her birthday was Wednesday, November 22. Her husband was supposed to go with her, but unfortunately, he ended up having duty that day. Ah, the trials of military wives. Anyhow, … Continue reading →

Newbery Medal Winners: 1931-1940

During the 1930’s, the Great Depression affected all of America. As a result of the collapse of the American stock market, one third of the population of America was unemployed. Since television was not introduced to the public at the 1939 World’s Fair, many children still turned to books for entertainment. More great books were obviously penned during this time of hardship in America. 1931 Medal Winner: “The Cat Who Went to Heaven” by Elizabeth Coatsworth Honor Books “Floating Island” by Anne Parrish “The Dark Star of Itza: The Story of A Pagan Princess” by Alida Malkus “Queer Person” by … Continue reading →

Newbery Medal Winners: 1922-1930

Dear readers, I am very sorry that I have not been keeping up with my Newbery series as I had originally intended. I guess at the outset, I hadn’t anticipated that since these books won for children’s literature that they would be so long. Unfortunately, while in the middle of The Dark Frigate, I got so confused that I had to close the book. You see, a lot of the language that is used in the book is from England and Scotland and it is spelled the way it is spoken. I got to thinking if I — a college … Continue reading →

Blue’s Clues: Shapes and Colors

We are gonna play Blue’s Clues ’cause it’s a really great game, yeah! My daughter has a small collection of “Blue’s Clues” videos, which will probably grow steadily as her birthday arrives this month and the holidays approach. However, I am sharing with you, dear readers, my opinions on the videos that we do have. “Shapes and Colors!” is one of the DVDs that we own and it has been instrumental in helping Ciera learn her shapes and colors. Shape Searchers Joe, Blue, and their friends form a group called the Shape Searchers. Their goal is to find different shapes … Continue reading →

Blue’s Big Musical Movie

We are fans of the lovable Blue from “Blue’s Clues.” Naturally, my daughter just had to have Blue’s first movie on DVD — “Blue’s Big Musical Movie.” In this movie, Blue, Steve, and all of their friends plans the perfect backyard musical show. Blue and all of her friends are planning a big musical show in Steve’s backyard. Blue is supposed to have a big duet with Tickety Tock, but Tickety has laryngitis and can’t sing! Throughout all of the preparations for the show, Steve plays Blue’s Clues to figure out who Blue wants as her new singing partner. Steve … Continue reading →

Blue Takes You to School

My daughter is a huge fan of “Blue’s Clues.” So much, in fact, that she was Blue for Halloween this year. Totally cute. We have a collection of “Blue’s Clues” DVDs, so I thought that I would share some of them with all of you. One of the DVDs we have is called “Blue Takes You to School” and it has four episodes on it. Blue Takes You to School In this episode, Periwinkle the cat is going to school for the first time. He is counting on Blue, Joe, and the children (whom we never see, but often hear) … Continue reading →