As children get older, it becomes more of a challenge to shop for them. Thankfully, video games are a hit with people of all ages! Are you looking for a game that teens will love to get as a gift? Ben 10 Galactic Racing is a fun game that both kids and parents will approve of – and THREE lucky Contest Corner readers will each win a copy of Ben 10 Galactic Racing for Nintendo Wii, so read on!

A few months ago, one of my dear friends loaned me her Wii console so that I would have something else I could do while laid up with my knee injury. I still play an SNES, so it’s been fun learning how to use such a modern system! I received a complimentary copy of Ben 10 Galactic Racing to play, and Jai and I faced off against each other in this intergalactic racing game. We both really had a fun time playing this! Ben 10 has a selection of racing courses where you speed through everything from frozen tundra to sewer systems. Up to three people can play at the same time, with a friendly competition to see who can get to the finish line first. You can also drive over a special lever to change the direction of ramps and sabotage your opponents!

I really liked this game because it was fun, and also easy to play – I have to admit, some Wii games really confuse me because they have so many buttons and the gameplay is not always what I’m used to. (Yes, I’m OLD!) Ben 10 is a classic game with one button for steering and one button for speed, which makes it fun for everyone in the family to play. This game is rated “E” for everyone, so you can rest assured that it is appropriate for all age levels. There are a wide variety of courses, characters, and cars – it’s quite addictive, and if I hadn’t needed to get back to work, I would have continued playing a lot longer. I know what I’m doing later tonight! Our TV is rather old, and one of its quirks is that the Wii output shows up in black & white on the screen due to the television’s age – but it looks like the graphics would be pretty impressive if you played it in color. Like I said, I’m old!!

Ben 10 Galactic Racing for Nintendo Wii is available on Amazon for $29.99.

THREE lucky Contest Corner readers will each win a copy of Ben 10 Galactic Racing for Nintendo Wii! Here’s how to enter:

1. For your first entry, leave a comment on this post and tell me: Who would you like to win this for? (If you’d like to win it for yourself, that’s totally fine!) This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway and Ben10.net. Then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this post to tweet with one click!
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave me the email you subscribed with!
5. Become a follower of my blog by clicking the “Follow” button in my sidebar! Then come back here and let me know in a separate comment!
6. Post Contest Corner’s button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

7. Add the Holiday Gift Guide 2011 badge to your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

If you have a young adult in your household, you’re probably familiar with Nickelodeon’s roster of hit shows. One of its breakout programs, Victorious, is a sitcom that has gained popularity with both tweens and adults alike with its sense of humor and fun music. The show follows the adventures Tori Vega, an aspiring actress and student at Hollywood Arts High School. Since its debut last spring, Victorious has become the number-one program in its timeslot for tweens & teens from 9 to 17 years old.

I’ve already mentioned my love for iCarly, and to be honest, I really enjoy all of the Nickelodeon shows in this genre! I don’t watch Victorious as much as iCarly or Big Time Rush – a lot of this show’s humor is derived from awkward situations, which I find painful to watch; and that’s probably why it’s so popular with teens, since they can relate to the characters! My favorite thing about Victorious is actually the music. I love bubblegum pop, and this show has produced a number of popular songs, including “My Best Friend’s Brother”, “Freak The Freak Out”, and “Beggin’ On Your Knees”.

Victorious – Season One, Volume Two is available on DVD starting today, November 1st – just in time for the holidays! I think this DVD would make a great gift for the tween or teen on your list, not only because of its popularity with that age group, but because it truly has crossover appeal; this show has a lot of adult fans too, so you don’t have to worry about this being seen as too “Childish” of a gift. This DVD includes:

Disc 1:

The Diddly-Bops
Sikowitz recruits the gang to form a band for a friend’s party.  When a leaked video of the group’s performance becomes popular, Andre struggles to be taken seriously as a musician.

Cat’s New Boyfriend
When Tori finds out that Cat is dating her ex-boyfriend, her jealousy threatens to ruin their relationship.

Meanwhile, Trina uses fish to make everyone’s feet super smooth, but at what cost?

Sleepover at Sikowitz’s
Sikowitz invites the gang to have a sleepover at his house in order to teach them a lesson in method acting.

The Wood
The gang is excited to hear that they’ll be the stars of a new reality show being filmed at Hollywood Arts.  Meanwhile, Trina and Robbie are forced to work at The Grub Truck after injuring Festus.

The Great Ping Pong Scam
Tori discovers her friends have been secretly going to a fancy restaurant instead of playing in an annual ping pong tournament.

Disc 2:

Wok Star
Tori agrees to help Jade find a theater to perform a play Jade wrote.  But when the sponsor demands changes that will ruin Jade’s play, Tori has to make things right before opening night.

Survival of the Hottest
A heat wave hits LA and the gang heads for the beach in Beck’s RV.  But once there, they find themselves trapped inside as the temperature rises.  Oblivious, Cat parties it up with some cute boys.

Wi-Fi in the Sky
Tori’s flight home is delayed leaving her no time to finish a school project with her friends.  She attempts to get the work done with them over video chat but things keep getting in the way.

Freak the Freak Out
Tori and her friends are excited to try out Karaoke Dokie, a karaoke club that features weekly singing competitions.  On competition night, Jade and Cat partner on a prize-worthy performance, but the club’s owner rigs the competition so his daughter and her obnoxious friend win.  Tori and the gang have to figure out a way to expose the cheating girls and show everyone who can really sing.

Special Features:

· iParty with Victorious

“iParty with Victorious” brings the casts of Nick’s hit series iCarly and Victorious together for the first time ever and guest stars Nickelodeon alumnus Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live, All That, Kenan & Kel) as himself. Carly is dating a boy named Stephen who divides his time between parents living in Seattle and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Tori is also spending time with her new boyfriend who, unbeknownst to her, is the very same boy Carly is seeing! Elsewhere at Hollywood Arts, Andre is psyched because Kenan Thompson has offered to let him throw a small party in his awesome new house but the party spirals out of control when Rex tweets a mass invite. Back in Seattle, Carly suspects that Stephen is cheating on her after seeing a photo of him and Tori together and plans a trip to Los Angeles to catch him in the act. After convincing Tori that Stephen is cheating on both of them, Carly and Tori come together to plot their revenge at the party. Amidst all the scheming, Rex challenges the partygoers to a lyrical rap battle.

· Behind the Scenes: iParty with Victorious Mash-Up Performance
· Music Video: “Best Friend’s Brother”

Victorious: Season One, Volume Two is available on Amazon now for $13.99. I received a promotional copy of this DVD for the purposes of this review.

Have you been shopping for a book to give the teen girl on your list? The Attitude Girl by Mila Bernadkin is a coming-of-age novel following the life of sassy high schooler Victoria Benson, written with teens and moms in mind. And one lucky Contest Corner reader will win a copy of The Attitude Girl, so read on!

The Attitude Girl Book Overview:

Jam packed with conflict, romance, trials and tribulations, The Attitude Girl follows outspoken, materialistic 17-year-old Vicky on her rocky road to adulthood. Along the way, she struggles with bullying, financial setbacks, idealism, loss and forgiveness, using her attitude as her rock as she navigates life’s confusing emotions and mixed messages.

About The Author
Born and raised in Odessa, Ukraine, a beautiful resort city on the Black Sea, Ludmila “Mila” Bernadkin emigrated from the former Soviet Union and came to the United States in 1977. In the USSR she graduated from the Brest Music College, with a BA-equivalent degree in theory of music and music literature and accepted a teaching position at a children’s music school. After moving to the States, she became a Senior Programmer-Analyst, working at several of the largest financial institutions in New York City. However, medical reasons forced her early retirement, and she realized her life-long dream of becoming an award-winning published writer.

In 2008, Bernadkin’s manuscript for The Attitude Girl became a First-place Winner in the Arizona Authors Association Annual Literary Awards contest. That win resulted in a publishing contract with Five Star Publications, Inc., and the book was published in June 2009. Later, the book was named a First-place Winner in the Young Adult/Teenage category at the 2009 London Book Festival, placed as a Finalist of the 2010 National Indie Excellence Awards, was selected as the Best Young Adult Novel of the Year by the 2010 Premier Book Awards, and additionally received four Honorable Mentions in 2009/2010 literary competitions.

I received a promotional copy of this book for the purposes of review, and I made the mistake of starting it at night – I thought I’d just read a little bit before bed to unwind, but I ended up staying up until 1 am reading! The Attitude Girl is a novel written from the perspective of 17-year-old Victoria, a spunky girl dealing with school, friends, family, and all the other milestones of high school life. Victoria’s father abandoned her when she was little, and she’s never met her paternal grandparents; she lives with her mother who she loves dearly (Even though they bicker!) and has support from her kind grandfather and loving, if melodramatic, grandmother. Everyone tells Victoria she has a bad attitude because she’s blunt and to the point, seeing no need to sugar coat the often-tough realities of her life. But she’s not a bad girl – she’s fun and funny, just a bit sarcastic and a tad spoiled!

One day out of the blue, Victoria receives a call from her paternal grandmother whom she has never spoken to, informing her that her grandfather is dying and his last wish is to see her. After a lifetime of rejection, she understandably wants nothing to do with them. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, her mother loses her job and may possibly have cancer, while Victoria continues to deal with day-to-day high school life, including fights with her girlfriends and conflicting feelings about a boy she likes.

This book deals frankly with a lot of tough topics that teenagers face: Friends, boys, growing up, and sex. The Attitude Girl also deals with the subjects of death and grief, as the whole school is shocked when one of her friends takes his own life. After his death, it becomes known that he had suffered a great deal of torment and bullying, and Victoria’s circle of friends begin to reflect on their own actions. After the devastating loss of her friend, Victoria wonders if she should reconsider visiting her paternal grandfather on his deathbed.

The chapter dealing with suicide was difficult for me to read because the topic is so devastating – but although some of the remarks made by the characters about their friend’s death bothered me, I recognize that the book is intending to drive home a powerful point about the impact that daily cruelty can have on high school youth. The Attitude Girl is non-preachy and down-to-earth, and although some of the plot turns are more dramatic than everyday life, Victoria’s honest feelings and real-world problems are conveyed in a way that is balanced and relatable. The prose is well-written and makes this book a great read for young adults.

The Attitude Girl by Mila Bernadkin is available for $16.95; you can click here to order an autographed copy. Learn more about this title at AttitudeGirlBook.com.

One lucky Contest Corner reader will win a copy of The Attitude Girl by Mila Bernadkin! Here’s how to enter:

1. For your first entry, just leave a comment on this post and tell me: Who would you like to win this for? Your daughter, your niece, or maybe yourself? This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway and AttitudeGirlBook.com. Then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this post to tweet with one click!
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave me the email you subscribed with!
5. Become a follower of my blog by clicking the “Follow” button in my sidebar! Then come back here and let me know in a separate comment!
6. Post Contest Corner’s button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

7. Add the Holiday Gift Guide 2011 badge to your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

The tween & teen set can be a tricky one to buy for. But there’s one gift that’s guaranteed to be a hit with the young adults on your list: Video games!

If you’re looking for a fun, age-appropriate gift for the tween girl on your list, then consider Moxie Girlz for Nintendo DS. Rated “E” for everyone, this cute, girly game is based on a popular line of dolls. The premise of this game is that the player serves as the editor of “Moxie Girlz Magazine”, customizing their own characters with a variety of outfits and accessories for fashion shoots. You can even use the camera on your DS to upload your own photos! Now, I don’t have a Nintendo DS yet – I’m still in the dark ages with my original 1980s Gameboy! – so I haven’t had a chance to play this game myself. However, I received a complimentary copy which I will be stuffing into the stocking of someone on my list who I know is going to love it! If you know as many gamer girls as I do, then you should consider getting a video game this holiday season. I think Moxie Girlz is a perfect gift for girlie girls with a sense of fun!

Here is some detailed information about this title:

Moxie Girlz for Nintendo DS provides hours of fun with thousands of art options and creations awaiting your personal touch! Customize your Moxie Girlz character and express your creativity in Fashion Play mode with dozens of hair styles, accessories and more. Share your deepest secrets and get lost in Journal and Diary Modes, or have fun with friends as you take the Moxie Girlz quizzes to find out which of the Moxie Girlz you and your friends resemble the most. Whether playing alone or with others, Moxie Girlz provides an interactive and encouraging environment where young girls can be whatever they want to be. Be true! Be you!

Additional Moxie Girlz video game features:

Customization: Pick which Moxie Girlz character you want to be or upload pictures of yourself.
Variety of Modes: Art Play, Fashion Play, Games and more!
Personality Quizzes: Discover the Moxie Girlz character that resembles you!
Picture Fun: Use DSi functionality for picture taking and puzzle games – mix and match!
Positive Message: All modes and gameplay focus on the positive Moxie Girlz message- Be true! Be you!

Moxie Girlz for Nintendo DS is available on Amazon for $16. You can learn more about Moxie Girlz by visiting MoxieGirlz.com.