Tolkien Returns With "The Children of Húrin"

Legendary author JRR Tolkien (1916-1973) charged his third son, Christopher Tolkien, with the job of serving as his literary executor after his death. Christopher's first job was to organize the huge volume of papers that JRR Tolkien generated during his lifetime. This lead to Christopher publishing "The Silmarillion" in 1977, which condenses the creation and mythology of Middle-earth, elves, men, dwarves and other creatures. Christopher went on to publish "Unfinished Tales" (1980), and the 12-volume "The History of Middle-earth" (1983-1996).

Christopher might be a more prolific author than many who create their own stories. According to The Tokien Estate website, JRR Tolkien ranked the completion of three of his stories higher than any other: "Beren & Lúthien," "The Fall of Gondolin," and "The Children of Húrin."

According to the website, Christopher "succeeded in assembling the multiple variants, unfinished pieces, and outlines of the tale to produce a standalone and complete version, entirely in the author's original words. The work therefore is accessible both as a new and complete version of the text for the Tolkien scholar, and as an entirely new tale from Middle-earth for the Tolkien reader who is not overly familiar with the great tales and mythology that are the roots of The Lord of the Rings."

"The Children of Húrin" takes place long before "The Lord of the Rings" and is set in an area of Middle-earth that was to be drowned thousands of years before the story of the One Ring. At this time, Sauron was only a lieutenant of Morgoth, the fallen Vala. The story focuses on a man, Húrin, who dared to defy Morgoth. It tells the story of Húrin and his family's tragic destiny by following his son Túrin Turambar's adventures in Beleriand. Renowned artist Alan Lee created the book's illustrations, and readers will appreciate the map of Beleriand, drawn by Christopher, himself.

It's as though JRR Tolkien has returned to us. We now have this wonderful book to enjoy with our children and to remind us of Tolkien tales we may have read as children ourselves. The book is available at most bookstores and online. We've got ours and can't wait to begin reading it! If you've read it, let us know what you think.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" Movie Split Location Hinted at by Producer Heyman and Actor Radcliffeh

Many of you Harry Potter fans may have heard that the movie of the final book in JK Rowling's series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," will be split into two movies. How will they do it? Rumors continue to circulate, but the actor who stars as "Harry," Daniel Radcliffe, and franchise producer David Heyman, are slipping out a few details about this. According to Ace Showbiz, an entertainment news website, Heyman says the split will occur in a "place that we think is very exciting, and I think quite bold, in that it's not necessarily where one might expect." This place will impart what Heyman calls a "sense of completion" but allude to the fact that there's more to come. Nineteen-year-old Daniel Radcliffe calls the split's location a "very tense cliffhanger."

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" is due for a November 19, 2010 release in both the U.S. and U.K., and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" has been set for July 15, 2011 release.

Don't forget, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," book six, will hit theaters July 17. View the trailer here.

Source of clip art: FreeClipArtNow.com.

Talk to Your Kids About the Choking Game

Please, do it. Even if you think he or she is a tad too young, or that it might create temptation. The parents of Breanna Anderson, the smart, beautiful Holly Springs High School teen who died of this horrible game March 22, want as many parents as possible to communicate with their children about what the choking game is and how it can kill.

I read about this today in the Southwest Wake News, but heard about it originally in March just after the news broke. Out of respect to the Anderson family, I chose not to address this here right after it happened. But now, Jay and Susan Anderson are working on creating a website and canvassing local schools to get the word out about the dangerous game, so I felt it was appropriate to extend their mission here, at Triangle TRACKS. We'll inform you of the Andersons' website once it has been created. For now, you can learn all of the facts about the Choking Game at www.stop-the-choking-game.com.

My oldest child is in 6th grade. I sat down with him today and read the Southwest Wake News article to him. I told him it kills between 250 and 1,000 kids between 9 and 16 years old each year, answered his questions, made sure he understood the seriousness of this dangerous game and told him to talk to us if he ever is exposed to the game, or is around people who are playing it. Keep the doors open (literally!), look for the signs and stay on top of what many call "the smart kids' high." Here is a video explaining how the choking game works (source: Games Adolescents Shouldn't Play, GASP.com). Warning: this is VERY difficult to watch, but that isn't stopping me from showing it to my 10- and 11-year-old sons first thing tomorrow:

http://www.stop-the-choking-game.com/en/flash_vid.html

Introducing Charlotte TRACKS, a New Website for Charlotte Parents

First of all, Happy Easter and Happy 1st Birthday to Triangle TRACKS! One year ago today, on April 12, 2008, Triangle TRACKS burst onto the Triangle region's Internet scene. Today, in addition to enjoying a beautiful Easter, we're also celebrating the launch of our sister site, Charlotte TRACKS! Here is a press release with more details that will go out to Charlotte's media today.

Charlotte, N.C. (April 12, 2009) Apex, N.C. mom and former magazine editor Elizabeth Shugg has launched Charlotte TRACKS at http://www.charlottetracks.com, a social networking website for Charlotte parents that consolidates 1,500-plus links to local resources for children in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region. TRACKS is an acronym for “Tools, Resources and Activities for Carolina Kids.”

Charlotte TRACKS enables members who register for a login to the site to post blogs, forums, calendar entries and other helpful information for local families. It links to children’s businesses and resources in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Gaston, Union, Iredell, Lincoln, Lancaster and York counties. The site’s content focuses on schools, museum exhibits, parks, youth sports, camps, music lessons, performing arts studios, birthday party venues, amusement centers, restaurants, childcare facilities, healthcare resources, clothing stores and more.

“There are thousands of wonderful resources just for children in the Charlotte region, and now they are all consolidated on one website,” Shugg says. “Charlotte TRACKS simplifies the process of locating the resources families are looking for, and members can help generate the website’s content by posting blogs, forum discussions and calendar events to share information.”

Those interested in joining Charlotte TRACKS can visit http://www.charlottetracks.com and click on “sign up.” Members will receive mid-month and end-of-month emails listing links to accumulated blogs, forum discussions and calendar events posted during that part of the month. “It’s like getting a biweekly newsletter created by all of Charlotte TRACKS’ members,” Shugg says.

Charlotte TRACKS displays whimsical art created by internationally renowned artist Laura Kelly, and follows Shugg’s launch of Triangle TRACKS exactly one year ago, on April 12, 2008. Shugg came up with the idea and name for Triangle TRACKS in January 2008 during her children’s winter break. “I started thinking about how nice it would be to rely on one website that consolidates all of the resources for children in the Triangle. I did this as much for my family as everyone else’s, and was excited to share it with other parents. Now I can do the same for Charlotte parents.”

Happy Easter from Triangle TRACKS!

Still need photos with the Easter Bunny? Here's where you can find him:

Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh
March 21-April 11

The Streets at Southpoint Mall in Durham
March 28-April 11

The Commons at North Hills in Raleigh
April 4 and 11
10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Most of the region's egg hunts took place last weekend, but there are still a few left this weekend:

Raleigh’s Biggest Easter Egg Hunt: April 11; kids can hunt for 4,000+ eggs at Moore Square Park during age-specific hunts starting at 8:30 a.m.

Morrisville Egg Hunt:
April 10 at 10 a.m. in Cedar Fork District Park.

Fun Stuff to Do During Spring Break Week

1. Go to the North Carolina Zoo.
2. Visit a local farm.
3. Sample the fresh spring produce at a local farmer market. Click here and scroll down the Farmers Market section to access them online.
4. Enjoy nature and a good story with Trail Tails on the American Tobacco Trail: "Jump, Frog Jump!" April 9.
5. Go to a movie! Don't forget, "Hannah Montana: the Movie" hits theaters April 10!
6. Create something unique during the Scrap Exchange One Bag Workshop at University Mall in Chapel Hill
April 11.
7. Visit a local museum. There are so many to choose from!
8. Read a good book. Now's the time to catch up on Harry Potter's adventures in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which hits theaters in July.

Visit the Triangle TRACKS calendar for even more ideas!