Get a "Mom Break" with these momlogic-approved picks!
How do we keep our kids entertained through the long, hot season ahead? We teamed up with our friends at Common Sense Media to create a three-part series of best books and DVDs in small, medium, and large-kid versions. Here's part three: books and DVD's for kids ages 10-12.

WHAT TO WATCH:
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Age: 10 and up
Rating: 3 Stars (out of 5)
Price: $ 6.99
Combine Hairspray with a candy-covered version of My So-Called Life and you get the '80s teen dance movie Girls Just Want to Have Fun. It's silly fun for moms and daughters, and was just re-released on DVD. For a complete review, click here.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Age: 11 and up
Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)
Price: $ 8.49
Based on Ann Brashares' novel, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants features four best friends who separate for the summer and vow to keep in touch by way of a pair of blue jeans that magically fits all their different body sizes perfectly. The second movie based on the bestselling books comes out later this summer. Click here for a complete review.

Hellboy: Sword of Storms
Age: 11 and up
Rating: 3 Stars (out of 5)
Price: $ 11.49
Life can be tough for Hellboy (voiced by Ron Perlman, who also starred in the live-action film)--a real demon, captured as a baby and raised to fight for good. With bright red skin, big horns (he files them down to nubs), a resistance to flame, and plenty of attitude, Hellboy has no patience for evil spirits. Hellboy will be starring in a movie coming out this summer, and while the live-action movie is better for teens, this cartoon version is fine for 11+. For a full review, click here.

WHAT TO READ
Runemarks
Age: 10 and up
Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)
Price: $12.91
"Five hundred years after the End of the World," young Maddy is an outcast in her small village, where magic is present but forbidden. Her friendship with a one-eyed vagrant leads her to discover that she has magic of her own and is in the middle of an epic battle. This is an exciting and big fantasy read, and is better for older tweens because of the fantasy violence. Click here for a full review.

After Tupac and D Foster
Age: 11 and up
Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)
Price: $10.87
Three best friends are growing up in Queens in the late '90s against a background of Tupac Shakur's jailing, shootings, and eventual death. Between family members going to jail and violence in hip hop, the three try to figure out how to survive in an unpredictable world. As our reviewer so aptly put, "A book that can open minds and bring together readers of vastly different experiences is a precious thing indeed." For a full review, click here.

The Off Season
Age: 12 and up
Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)
Price: $ 8.99
In this follow up to Dairy Queen, every girl can find a bit of themselves in D.J. Schwenk--despite the fact that she is a 6' tall girl linebacker. This honest, funny, hardworking and loyal character really captures the essence of what it means to be a teen girl. Say bye to mean girls and consumerism--you won't find it in these tween books for girls. Click here for a full review.