It's officially summertime and that always makes me think of one thing.

No, not popsicles. (Those are good, too.)

But summertime makes me yearn for the days of the summer reading program at my local library.

Back in the day, I was a regular at the Oak Lawn Public Library. The first time my mom let me go there on my own -- it was a few short blocks from her work -- I had to call to be picked up because I'd checked out 31 books and couldn't carry them.

So, in honor of libraries and summer reading programs, I'm starting a new regular feature on Mom and Pop Culture: Ask a Librarian.

To inaugurate the program, I called Oak Lawn Public Library and spoke to Tom Kochinski, childrens services librarian. Because a recent study I read said boys -- particularly after age 11 -- have trouble finding books… Read More

Hmm, what should you rent this week? It's a slow time for family releases on DVD because so many family flicks are in theaters now. ( Check out our movies page for details.)

The big family release for the week is Drillbit Taylor , a good one for older kids. The movie stars Owen Wilson, who plays a bodyguard hired by three kids who want his help to fend off their school's bullies.

Our pick… Read More

On Sunday, some in-the-know Family.com staffers headed to the L.A. Film Festival premiere of Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D. The movie, which stars celeb dad Brendan Fraser, hits theaters on July 11.

Family.com spoke to Fraser, as well as the film's producer, Charlotte Huggins, who both strongly suggested the film as a must-see for families this summer. (Okay, they do have a teensy reason to be biased.) Check out video from the red carpet.
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Just our little weekly update of what's out on DVD for families this week.

The biggie is The Spiderwick Chronicles, based on the children's book series and starring Freddie Highmore.

Also worth checking out for teens is the romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe (particularly fans of Abigail Breslin), and 10,000 B.C. might be worth a rental for teens who are really into prehistoric stuff. It's short on actual story, though, and big on… Read More

It was hot in this city over the weekend, but that didn't stop one of our Family.com insiders from attending the Wall-E premiere, Saturday, June 21, at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. Fittingly given the film's space voyage, the after-party was held at the Griffith Park Observatory. (Some humans have all the luck. And, no, it wasn't me... I was celebrating my birthday.)

The red (or more burnt-orange?) carpet was decked … Read More

The countdown to Camp Rock is on!

So, you're asking, when is it on?

Families will have four chances to catch the Jonas Brothers-headlined flick as it will have not one but four "premieres" over the weekend.

The first airing (for you trendsetters) is 8/7 p.m. CST Friday, June 20 on the Disney Channel. Then, families can catch it again at 8/7 p.m. CST on ABC's Wonderful World of Disney on Saturday,… Read More