The new Tropical Toss game app from American Girl. :-)

So American Girl came out with a new game app, Tropical Toss. :). It is MyAmericanGirl themed.  The point of the game is to click these little buttons and have your character follow what the 'instructor' does for keeping this ball up in the air.  Personally, I don't know why there would be an instructor for that, but, uh, whatever. ;). Maybe they were more going for volleyball.  Anyway, enjoy the following pics! :)

These are the 'characters you have to pick from. :)

There are also these options for outfits, other than the pink dress shown above. (modeled by the character I chose) :)

And here is the 'instructor' showing you how to click this button or something. :). The player presses on the appropriate button when it lights up (in this case the yellow one), and then the instructor or character jumps up and hits the ball back up.  Although the instructor and my character look like they are in great pain in these screenshots or something. LOL

Evidently I missed......oops.  I didn't think I did, though.  An annoying glitch in the game

And here they are doing another move to hit the ball.... :)

Yay! ;)

Hope you enjoyed the pics! :). Is the game cute?  Yes, of course, and I like all the options for your character and her outfit.  However, the actual gameplay can get really annoying.  At times, the graphics can get stodgy, and you'll keep clicking the appropriate button and the character won't do anything.  So the game says you missed and starts over.  Can I say A.N.N.O.Y.I.N.G.?  ;). The overall game idea was really cute, and a good idea for summer, but I definitely like the earlier AG game apps much better, like Gymtastic and Shave Ice. :). However, the app is free (yay!! :) ), so I would say to go ahead and try it.  Have fun!!!!! :D

VintageGirl

Book Review: The Traveler's Tricks by Laurie Calkhoven

Today I am going to do a book review of the new American Girl Caroline mystery, The Traveler's Tricks. :)

Author: Laurie Calkhoven

Publisher and publishing date: American Girl; 2014

Number of pages: 184

Price and where to buy: $6.95; Barnes and Noble, American Girl (online, phone, or in store), local bookstores.

My rating overall (on 1-10 scale): 7.5

Synopsis: Caroline has an important package to deliver for her father in the big city of Albany.  That means a three-day stagecoach trip with her friend Rhonda!  The girls are fascinated by the other travelers, including a charming magician and a beautiful young woman with a sad past.  But when Caroline's precious package goes missing, she realizes the culprit has to be a fellow passenger.  She must unmask the thief––or her promise to Papa may be impossible to keep.

My opinions: It was a fun read.  I love the Caroline character, although she can be a bit impulsive sometimes.  The mystery part of the book was rather disappointing; I knew 'who had done it' about a quarter through the book.  However, the story was engaging and fun, and even though I did know who had stolen the things, I was interested to find out how she/he would be unmasked, and SPOILER SPOILER what would happen to Elizabeth Bullard, the young woman, since she hadn't stolen anything and yet still acted suspicious.SPOILERS OVER.  ;). I would read it again, but most of the AG mysteries haven't been very intriguing in the 'mystery' area, but there again, that might just be because I've read fifty gabillion Nancy Drew mysteries.  Ok, not fifty gabillion, but you get the idea. :). I would recommend this book for a fun and engaging story, but if you're looking for an intriguing mystery that will boggle your brain, that you won't find.  That being said, I do think that it was a good, solid book, with a few twists and turns you wouldn't expect.  And since I think the mysteries are longer than the regular books for the characters, and are the same price ($6.95), I in some ways like the mysteries better.

VintageGirl