101 Movies to See Before You Grow Up Is a Must-Read!

As a mom I am very aware of the entertainment options that are available to my family. I am very cognizant of the fact that pop culture (while I am slightly obsessed with it) may not contain the best messages for my daughter. As parents, we have to decide as a family what is appropriate for our kids to watch or listen to on the radio. Let’s face it, we live in a streaming society, where all of our television or movie demands can be instantly fired up via Netflix, Hulu, cable on-demand & YouTube. Are the choices great to have as an adult? Sure…but some of these movies developed by entertainment studios are not necessarily something that I want my daughter to see or hear.

Thank goodness for Suzette Valle’s book 101 Movies to See Before You Grow Up! The book is designed, just like the tagline says, so that you can “Be your own movie critic.” The list of 101 movies is comprised of both classic & contemporary movies that are appropriate for the entire family.

When I received my complimentary copy of the book, I instantly flipped through it with my daughter. We saw movies listed that we have already seen – Star Wars, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial & Finding Nemo. There were also many movies listed that she hasn’t seen, such as The Goonies, Space Jam & Home Alone.

One great feature about this book is that it acts as an interactive film journal where kids can document when they see the movie, if they liked it, and how they would rate it. Each page focuses on a single movie with basic information about each film, including the director, runtime, rating, and date of release. Naturally we filled out the Star Wars page (my husband & daughter are huge fans)!

Not only is it helpful & a fun activity for my daughter, but I appreciate the little reminders like the movie ratings & backstory provided for each film. Did I enjoy Forrest Gump (movie #44)? I sure did! Do I remember that it is PG-13 & that there could be some questionable scenes between Forrest & his love interest Jenny? No…I completely forgot. Now I don’t know if that is a movie my kiddo would even remotely be interested in at her young age (she is younger than 13) so it could be a non-issue in our household, but it is super helpful nonetheless!

About the Author
Suzette Valle is an award-winning mother of two and freelance writer focusing on family entertainment. She graduated with a B.A. from the University of San Diego, and has a Master’s Degree from Oxford University, England. Suzette has been a director and board member of several non-profit organizations in her community, including the Parent Teacher’s Association, Islander Sports Foundation, and is currently a board member of the San Diego-based international charity Foundation for Women. She also has her own blog, Mamarazzi Knows Best.com, where she writes about parenting in a celebrity-driven society and all aspects of entertainment.

Suzette Valle is a lovely lady! I met her recently at the Entertainment New Media Conference (ENMNCon15) in Los Angeles. I had already signed up to review her book & had no idea that she was going to be presenting at the conference. So it was so awesome that I got to hear what inspired her to write this book.

How would you like to get your hands on a copy of the book? One lucky Real Mom of SFV reader will win a copy of 101 Movies to See Before You Grow Up. Please enter below for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules: United States Residents ONLY. One winner will be randomly selected via RaffleCopter and notified via email. Winner must respond within 48 hours to claim the prize or a new winner will be chosen via RaffleCopter. The prize will be fulfilled directly from the sponsor. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to send me an email to realmomofsfv@gmail.com

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. I received a complimentary book which helped facilitate this review. All images & opinions are 100% my own.