It’s a good time to get ahead on holiday shopping for kids gifts and games. The items we recommend here — and the deals themselves — meet our exacting standards.

Castles can be magnificent and imposing buildings. It took Kings, counts or barons years, if not decades to erect. These men usually had a considerable number of people helping the construction.

The Grammy Award-winning singer and musician had rigorous classical training. Now she's making music that crosses genres: "I've been inspired by Golden Age films, the va-va-voom of it all," she says.