Note to Will

Hey, Will, it's Carl. I heard you picked up your T-shirt this weekend but didn't get your free book. My bad!! I'm very sorry, but I forgot to tell my coworkers where we keep the free books. So, if you still want one, I'll make sure everyone knows where they are. Bill and I will be here this weekend, so come on by and we'll let you pick one. (BTW, you don't have a stuffed bunny to scare Bill with, do you?)

The Latest From Lord Vader

Hey, guys, Carl again. We've just got a new comment from our friend Lord Vader (aka Mikie)He's written to us before but we haven't heard from him in a while. Let's hear what he says:

Hi everyone. It's Lord Vader a.k.a. Mikie. I think that is so cool. I just finished with Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book Three - The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan and I loved it so much. I can't wait to read book four. I'm thinking there will be a book five since Percy isn't 16 yet and he can't be part of the prophecy until then. Plus Hades having a child now is making things really interesting. If you haven't read any of the series yet, I really think you should.

Good to hear from you again, Lord Vader. Did you that one of your sith is on the run from a bunny??? Those Percy Jackson books are great, aren't they? LV is right--if you haven't read a Percy Jackson book, go get one now!!! Yes, there will be five books in the series. Mr Riordan has said that he will stop at five, so we'll get to know how the prophecy turns out. Any guesses?

Listen, LV, Mr. Riordan sent us 3 Medium-sized Camp Half-Blood T-shirts this Christmas. We gave away two for our last contest. That means there's one left and we'd like to give it to you since you're the first boy who's read all three Percy Jackson books and written to us about them. Come on in and pick it up!!
BTW, if you'd like to see and hear Mr. Riordan from the new book, click here.

Tales of brave Beowulf and other Miscellaneous Nonsense

Hello all my loyal followers out there in Blog Land, it is I Darth Bill once again!!!!! Wait a minute was that a bunny I just saw????? No, thank badness, it was just a rabid squirrel. Just get yourself together and repeat three times: "There is no such thing as a Lagomorph." Yes I feel much better now.

Geezzz, now I got an angry squirrel after me!!!! What the heck did I do?????????

Now, really, on to buisness as unusual. Check out these photographs from the Beowulf Program we had just the other day, it was really alot of fun (and if you get the chance maybe pick up one of the books I recommended from my 1/18/08 posting)!!!

Some of the gang making paper bag Grendel puppets. Scarry stuff I tell ya!!!!!!!!

Darth Bill demonstrating to the gang that running with Sciccors is cool!!!!!! (um, don't tell your parents I said that, okay)

Beowulf and a Coke. It just doesn't get better than that!!!!(and if your thinking the Coke Company paid me to say that, well I just wish!!!!!)

And now ladies and gentlemen, Grendel versus Beowulf!!!!! (Gee, I always thought Beowulf would be alot taller?????)

And now for something completly different, Book Reviews:

Wild Ride: A Graphic Guide Adventure by Liam O’Donnell and Mike Deas – This is a very cool graphic novel about several strangers who are on their way into the deep wilderness of British Columbia to join an environmental assessment team. The group consists of Devlin (10 years old) and his older sister Nadia who are on their way to join their mother who is in charge of the team; teenager Marcus whose father is a famous environmentalist working with the siblings’ mom; and government official Gerald Wiley who is going to determine if the area being assessed is of such a nature to exclude it from being cleared by lumbering and paper company K&N. Things go bad real fast for the group when the plane they are flying in goes off course and crashes in a part of the enormous British Columbia wilderness. The really cool part about this graphic novel is that not only is it a survival story, it actually demonstrates real ways you could survive if you found yourself in such a situation. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys the great outdoors.

The World of Quest: Volume 1 by Jason Kruse – Welcome to the whacked out, dangerous, and just plain strange land of Odyssia. This fun graphic novel starts out with 11 year old Prince Nestor seeking out the aid of the fabled great warrior Quest!!!!! Quest, a former member of the famed Rousters, has been living alone after being banished by Nestor’s parents some 20 years beforehand for unknown reasons. The only problem is that Quest has no interest whatsoever in leaving his home and aiding anyone! In quick succession Nestor finds Quest, Quest ignores Nestor; they are attacked by the Katastrophe Brothers (Khaos, who looks like a bull, Konfusion, who resembles a lizard, and Kalamity, who resembles a vulture) who work for the evil Lord Spite and lots more happens. Got it? No matter, give this graphic novel a whirl, which comes with Bill’s Seal of Approval, for guaranteed laughter and adventure. Nuff Said!!!!!!!

Oh, parting is such sweet sorrow! Until we blog again peace all,

Bill

Cyber Kid Gets His Book (and Melanie writes again!)

Hey, one and all, it's Carl. Cyber Kid 303 came in today and got his free book. Here's a picture:

He's hiding behind a Matt Christopher book--and I forgot the name of it! He also checked out Ghost Circles, the latest Bone graphic novel. He said he'd write and tell us about it soon.

Bill did an awesome program on Beowulf today. He'll tell you about it later, but here's a picture from it:

Bill shows his utter disregard for danger by sneering at the hand of the monster Grendl as it reaches out to grab him. What coolness! What courage! I just hope he's as brave when the Lagomorph comes to town!

And we got another comment fromMelanie, and as I said, she's cool. Here's what she says:

I love Ender's Game. I wonder if Lee Wardlaw's son knows that Orson Scott Card lives in Greensboro, NC. Hmmm. . .I've never met him but I keep hoping that he'll come to Novello one year.

Thanks, Melanie. Ender's Game really is a great story. Any one else out there read it? Did you like it?

I've read a couple of really good graphic novels about heroes in the last couple of days, which is fitting since we've been doing hero programs. The first is The Trojan Horse: The Fall of Troy: A Greek Legend by Ron and Justine Fontes. Did you ever read about the Trojan War? The War between the Greek cities and Troy? The war that dragged on for ten years? This is how the Greeks came up with a desperate and cunning plan to capture the unsuspecting city. A really good read.

The other is King Arthur: Excalibur Unleashed: An English Legend by Jeff Limke. Imagine you were Arthur, a boy probably not much older than you, and that you suddenly became King of all England. Pretty cool, huh? Not if you had a bunch of rival kings who wanted to overthrow you! This is another very exciting story that says exciting no matter how many times you've heard it--and it's especially great if you've never read it before!

Revenge of the Lagomorph

Hi all,

Er, I'm afraid I have just received some disturbing news. Now I know all you readers out there heard my account of the ferocious battle I had with the Scary Bunny in which I acquired a lucky rabbit's foot. If not, check out my last post for the thrilling account (posted on 1-18). Well, um, last week I received the following from the Scary Bunny. Turns out he takes offense to the term Scary Bunny actually, eh, and calls himself "The Lagomorph."

Darth Bill's Nemesis

The Great and Evil

Lagomorph

(Don't be calling me no stinking scary bunny)

I may be missing one foot, but I'm bad to the bone and hopping mad!!!!!!!!!! I'll be seeing ya again real soon Darth Bill (Ha, I bet you even made up some fake story about how you really got me foot. Sneaking up behind me and clubbing me over the head, ya Lilly Liveried Coward!! Just watch your back, my friend, I'll be repaying the favor real soon and can hardly wait to have one of your feet as me own lucky charm!!!! Har, Har, Har, Har, Har!!!!!!

First off, as all you know, I never tell a fib--well hardly ever. Okay, maybe half the time, but the rest is all truth; mostly. As to me making up this particular story, well all I can say is, uh: "Did Not!!!!!!!!!" It's true I tell ya, all true!!!!!! Sneaking up and hitting someone from behind, indeed! The very thought that I would stoop to something so low is highly offensive. I know you all believe in me and I have you full support, right???? And another thing, if you think I'm afraid of this here Lagomorph, well, I just want to tell him and all out there, I welcome a rematch of our epic battle!!!!!! I would just request that I be notified a week in advance to, um, make sure I'm not going be out of town (yea, that's the ticket). So bring it on, Lagomorph, 'cause ya don't scare me (much, okay a little, okay a lot actually - oops, did I just say that out-loud!!!!! Na, I'm sure everyone will believe my twisting of the truth and that I am totally cool.)

Now on to some cool reads I have done recently:

Disney’s Pirates of The Caribbean: Jack Sparrow – The Siren Song – This is the second book in this series (The first was The Coming Storm that I reviewed back on 11-21-07) about a much younger Jack than we later meet in the movies. In this adventure Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew (actually, his young friends Arabella, Fitzwilliam, Jean, Tumen and a very easily irritated cat Constance) find themselves continuing their quest for The Sword of Cortes aboard their ship “The Barnacle.” Things get very strange right from the get-go for the captain and crew. First, an island appears out of nowhere, followed by an attack by a fearsome sea monster, and then the sound of mysterious music that seems to affect everyone but Jack. What the devil is going on here? Read this adventurous and funny book; I’m sure you won't be disappointed by the answers you find!!!!!!

Avengers and Power Pack Assemble – This is one Graphic Novel I have been waiting for with great anticipation. Why, you may ask? Go ahead and ask…(OK--why?)……Because it is a Graphic Novel that not only has Power Pack, the coolest superhero kid team ever (Zero-G, Lightspeed, Mass Master and Energizer); it also includes the coolest adult superhero team ever--The Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, etc.). This team up is filled with action, intrigue, funny stuff, and of course lots of “Clobberin Time!!!!!!” Enuf Said as the Great Stan Lee would say!!!!

Before I sign off I wanted to share just a few more photographs from our Heroes & Villains Festival that we had on January 22, so here they are:

Some of the guys and girls being shown the Firetruck that the really cool Firemen brought with them!!!!!!!

Some of the fellas rockin out with Guitar Hero!!!

Some of the really outstanding costumed heroes who showed up at the event!!!!!

I'm not sure who this man of mystery is, but my money is on that he is a powerful Sith Lord!!!!!!!

The very cool parade of heroes and villains that we had at the event!!!

One of the enforcers, um I mean volunteers, helping out with the Wii at the event!!!!!!!!!!!

There is lots more to show, but there are just so many photos I can post, so if you participated or attended or did anything, I just want to thank everyone for making the event a success (a big one at that)!!!!!!!

Well that's all folks! Until next time, happy trails to you all,

Bill

P.S. I just have to let everyone know that the newest Bone Graphic Novel is out (Volume 7, Ghost Circles). I am about to start reading it, I checked it out from the library, and am very excited about it. Here is a quick peek at the cover:

THANKS AGAIN, MR. RIORDAN!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, guys, dig this----Rick Riordan made cyber kid 303 a Demigod of the Week!! Check it out here on Mr. Riordan's blog. Thanks, Mr. Riordan! You are not only a great author but also a nice guy!

Note to Will's Dad

Hey everyone, it's Carl with a message to Will's dad--We'd be glad to give his T-shirt to you. Just come to the desk in the library in Imaginon. And please keep sending in those great comments, Will. You really made me want to read those books! And don't forget--you still have a free book available for writing to us (and so does everyone who writes in and tells us about a book).
And a reminder--Bill has rescheduled his Beowulf program for next Tuesday, the 29 th at 2pm. He told me about it and it sounds great! Call 704-973-2720 to register.

Word Gets Around!

Hey, you guys are awesome! Word about our blog is getting around and it even attracted the attention of an author---specifically, Lee Wardlaw, author of 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents. Let's hear what she said:

Hi Guys! Thanks so much for mentioning my novels 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents and 101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher. I'm honored! And it's true: I have a son (he's almost 12) and two younger brothers (yes, as the Big Sis I bugged them too), so I definitely know that Boys Rule and Boys Read!
My son is a big fan of the Rick Riordan books. Some of his other favorite books are: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman; The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series by Michelle Paver; Enders Game by Orson Scott Card; The Artemus Fowl Series by Eoin Colfer; and, oh yeah, he kinda likes my books too.Keep you eyes peeled for my next book, coming next year: 101 Ways to Bug Your Friends & Enemies.

Catch that reading bug!-Ms. Lee Wardlaw

Thank you so much, Ms. Wardlaw. We're honored that you wrote to us. Please feel free to write to us again--and tell your son to write to us! I'm glad your son is a fan of Rick Riordan's books. I am, too! In fact, I've got a special something to tell you and all the other Percy jackson fans at the end of this post.

We also had a comment from a fellow blogger, Chris Everheart:


Hey guys. Groovin' on your blog. Keep up the fun. Chris


Thanks, Chris! We're definitely having fun here. Chris is an author of YA thrillers. (YA stands for "Young Adult") He used to be a reluctant reader but then he "caught that reading bug" and now writes books that boys, especailly middle school and high school boys, would like. He wants to inspire a million boys to read. If you'd like to read his story and see what he says about our blog, check out the site below:
http://millionboysread.blogspot.com/
Our library system does not have any of his books, unfortunately. He's got some good links to other sites about books for boys, so take a look---and all you parents, teachers, and librarians take a look, too!

And now for a real treat! I just came off of Rick Riordan's blog and heard and saw him read some of the opening to his new Percy Jackson book, The Battle of the Labyrinth. This book has one the best first sentences I ever heard: "The last thing I wanted to do on my summer break was to blow up another school." To hear the rest, click here.

All right, guys, keep up the good work!

Carl

PS--In all the excitement yesterday, I forgot to get cyber kid 303 his free book. Come and get it next time you're here. And we still have your free T-shirt, Will. If you live in the Charlotte area, come to the library in Imaginon and pick it up.

HAIL Heroes (and Villains)

Hey everyone, we had a great time at our Heroes and Villains festival. I don't have time to write much, but I'll show you some pictures and Bill will say some more. As I said, it was a great time. We had Guitar Hero: That's cyber kid 303 in the middle with the baseball cap. We also had some actual fire fighters come here and let some kids get on the fire engine:

Bill, I mean, Captain Bootstrap Bill is with them. He burns the port cities and they put out the fires. Here's the fire engine:

We also had a portable basketball goal so kids could be a Basketball Hero:

That's Bootstrap Bill again--he said he wanted to "burn one in." We tried to tell him that when you steal the ball you don't really steal the ball.

But finally the Hero Avengers of Imaginon Library (or HAIL) caught up to Bootstrap Bill and paid him back for his dastardly deeds:

As I said, we all had a lot of fun. And, guess what---cyber kid 303 was there to get his free Rick Riordan T-shirt:

Hey, Mr. Riordan, any chance cyber kid could be a Demigod of the Week?

Well, I'd put up more pictures, but Blogger is telling me I've used up half of the capacity already. So I'll see if Bill wants to make another post. By the way, I told you all that I'd post cyber kid's and Will's new comments, so here they are:

101 Ways to Bug Your Parents by Lee Wardlaw. Mrs. Wardlaw is another author I met at Novello (in 2006). She has a son, so she knows how to write books that are interesting to boys. This is a good book and it really does teach you 101 ways to bug your parents. I've tried a lot of them. She also wrote 101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher.

That's from cyber kid. Did you really use some of thsoe on your parents? Did they write a book called 101 Ways to Ground Your Kid?

Here's from Will:

Otis Spofford by Beverly Cleary is a good book because Otis always gets in trouble and always gets an excuse to get out of it, but he gets paid back from his prank....two girls get him back by playing a prank on him.

Very good, Will. You've really made me want to read the books you write about and that's the sign of a good book reviewer. I've got Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary checked out and I'll let you guys know how it is.

Keep up the good work, everyone!

Carl

And the Winner Is...

Hey, guys, did you enjoy the long weekend? I sure did. Let me tell you all about it. I'll tell you every detail, starting from 6:01 Friday evening---NO, I'M JUST MESSING WITH YOU!!! I know you're eager to hear who won the contest. So let me announce that the winner is.....

Or should I say THE WINNERS ARE:

cyber kid 303 and Will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, the race was so close AND you two have both worked so hard that Bill and I thought it only fair to award you both a free Rick Riordan T-shirt. You've both done really well and we're proud of you, so you both get one. If you can come to our Heroes and Villains festival today, we'll give it to you then. If you can't, let us know and we'll hold it for you or find a way to get it to you.
Well done!!!!! Will and cyber kid were so eager, in fact, that they both sent us new comments over the weekend but I'm very busy today and won't be able to post them until later. All right? Congratulations to you both and to everyone who wrote in----or should I say writes in. I hope you all keep up the good work!!!
Carl

Yet Even More From Will and cyber kid 303!

All you guys ROCK!

I mean it. You all rock and roll!! Here are 2 new comments from Will:

The Practical Joke War by Alane Ferguson is a great book because Taffy,Russell,and Eddy want to see who will forfiet first in the battle so they go on a crazy battle just to see who will win and what will happen.

Aliens for Dinner by Stephanie Spinner is as good as Aliens for Breakfast because Richard goes on another world-saving adventure with his alien friend to stop the dorfs from trashing up our planet and then taking it over.

Excellent work, Will! You've really made me want to read them. Now we have one more from cyber kid 303:

The American Chillers series by Jonathan Rand are very good books because they are very, very scary. Some of the best ones are Iron Insects of Indiana, Washinton Wax Museum, and South Carolina Sea Creatures. He has not written one yet about North Carolina. Jonathan Rand is also a really, really nice guy. Mr. Rand and I write to each other and he will directly answer your letters, too. He also has a website at www.americanchillers.com. He has a cool store in Michigan called Chillermania.

Very good , cyber kid. This is really close! Here are the standings: (I believe these are correct)

Will--7 entries

cyber kid 303--8 entries

Sir Samuel--2 entries

Melanie, Tyler, and Anonymous--1 entry each

So here's the situation--I will be off the next 3 days because of the weekend and Martin Luther King Day. (The library will be closed that day) Monday is the final day of the contest, so you can keep writing through Monday night. I'll post the results Tuesday (hopefully Tuesday morning) You can come pick up your T-shirt any time you'd like, but if you can get to the Heroes and Villains festival Tuesday afternoon, I'll give it to you then.

All right? Enjoy your long weekend.

Carl

I Was Not Sick, errr, I Was Mortally Wounded!!!

Hello, all true believers out there in the Land of Blog, it is I once again the great and terrible Darth Bill. I must apologize (geez, I must be slipping Sith--never apologize!) but I fell really terrible that I missed giving my Beowulf program this past Tuesday. I was really jazzed about doing it but you are never going to believe what happened to prevent me from doing so. Let's just say what prevented me had long pointy teeth, two furry ears and a deceptively cute nose. Sounds pretty innocent, doesn't it? But I warn ya, its extremely dangerous!!!!! Lets just take a closer look at this great monstrosity, but don't say I didn't warn you if you do happen to have nightmares after looking!!!!!! Last chance to look away. I'm warning ya!!!!!








Yes, while hunting down lowly Jedi in the Outer Rim, I ran across this "innocent looking creature." I proceeded to calling it all sorts of ugly names when all of a sudden it flew through the air, its huge, hideous, great long pointy teeth going straight for my throat!!!!! I drew my lightsaber just in time to deflect it's try for my throat. All I can say is that for 3 days and 3 nights we fought a great battle. How did this epic battle, much greater than that between Beowulf and Grendel, end? Lets just say that now I have a brand spanking new lucky rabbit's foot! However I was wounded most grievously and thus I was forced to stay home mending, using great Sith magics, to pull myself from the brink of death. Thus I missed doing my Beowulf program. But do not be unduly sad as the Beowulf program has been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 29 at 2:00. Hope to see you there. Also don't forget about the Heroes and Villains Festival Tuesday, January 22 starting at 2:00.

Well enough about my recent adventures, lets talk about some good reading material, me buckos!!!!

Two really good books I have read recently concerning Beowulf are:

Beowulf by Charles Keeping and Kevin Crossley-Holland - This retelling of the Beowulf hero tale is really a great mix of exciting narrative and illustrations. In this version of the tale a stranger wanders into the great hall of King Hygelac of the Geats. This stranger tells the King and the men in the hall about the monster Grendel and his savagery toward the Danish people. One man within the hall listens to the tale with great interest. He is so impassioned by the tale that he vows to sail to Denmark and vanquish this foul beast. The man's name, of course, is Beowulf. This is a really great version of the tale of Beowulf and if you think Grendel is the only monster Beowulf must contend with, think again.



Another great version of the Beowulf story is:


Beowulf adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds - This retelling of the Beowulf legend is equal parts text and illustrations. Mr. Hinds uses cool illustrations to not only enhance this great story, but at times the artwork alone is the tool in which the story is told. One great example is the battle between Grendel and Beowulf. Told strictly through illustrations without a single word, this battle scene will leave you breathless. I highly recommend this book!!!!!!





And now for something completely different!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just wanted to talk briefly about 2 Graphic Novels that are brand new to the library and I recently finished reading.


R.L. Stine's Goosebumps: Scary Summer - This is the third in the line of Graphic Novel adaptions of popular R.L. Stine's Goosebumps stories. The stories included in this volume are "Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes", "Ghost Beach" and "The Horror at Camp Jelly Jam." Each story is adapted and illustrated by different and very talented individuals. I found "Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes" and "The Horror at Camp Jelly Jam" to be more humorous than scary and that was cool as I like funny as well as scary. However if you want scary, "Ghost Beach" should do a pretty good job of leaving you with a good case of the creepies. Very well done, so check it out!!!!!!!



Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 10 - Hey, hey, hey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The newest volume in the Star Wars Clone Wars Adventures has just hit the library system and it rocks!!!!!! Like the rest of the Graphic Novels in the series, the new one has 4 great stories included. My favorite story in this volume stars Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. They find themselves in a particularly bad situation, trapped in a Canyon, appropriately named Death Canyon, by a bunch of intergalactic bounty hunters. The only way out is through a stretch of of ravines named Thunder Road. Obi-Wan is sure they are doomed as he watches young Anakin patch together a "classic" (Obi-Wan calls it a piece of junk) Land Speeder. This story is both exciting and funny as the two try to escape through Thunder Road using the beat-up Land Speeder. Man, I just love it and know you will also. The rest of the stories are awesome, so this one is a must read.

Well, little cow pokes, until next time,

Bill

And Even More From Will!

Wow! This competition is intense! Here's Will's latest comment:

Aliens for Breakfast by Stephanie Spinner is a good book because Richard finds an alien in his cereal box.And they go try to save the world.

Keep it up! The same for all the rest of you out there. But pleeeeaaasseee!!! I gotta go home!

Tomorrow,
Carl

More From Cyber Kid

Hey, gang, this has been quite a busy day. I can't be too long today, so I'll post cyber kid 303's new comment:

Old Man's Cave By Jeff Smith is a good book because it is an action packed book about Fone Bone, Smiley Bone, & Phoney Bone who accidently go to a new city and there are many adventures. This is the sixth book in the series and this one is all about the war between the Flat Landers and the Rat Creatures.

I really liked Old Man's Cave, but then, I like all the Bone graphic novels. By the way, cyber kid came here today for a program about Norman Rockwell. Here's a photo:

Cyber kid and Will are neck-and-neck in the free T-shirt contest but I'll have to post the standings tomorrow. We're going to have some fun at the Heroes fest next Tuesday from 2-4. We'll have Guitar Hero, a place to get your body traced and design your own hero (or villain), a portable basketball goal to be a Basketball Hero, a knights vs dragons balloon sword area, and more fun stuff. Be sure to come!

Carl

PS--Darth Bill is back! I thought he was sick but I was wrong! Just wait until you hear his amazing story!

More from Will

Hey, guys, it's Carl. How many of you got to stay home today? Having a good time?
We've go a new comment from Will:

I think Goosebumps Return of the Mummy by R.L.Stine is a good book because I like the way the mummy comes alive and scares people.

Good job, Will. I think you and cyber kid 303 may now be tied. I'm busy this morning and don't have time to figure it up, so I'll check it later. I'll also tell about some of the cool events at our Heroes and Villains festival.

A Mom Writes In!

Hey guys, we have a comment from Jennifer, a mom. Let's hear what she has to say:


OK - I'm a mom, not a kid, but it's great to see boys loving books as much as my daughter does - basically her idea of heaven is having me read her Harry Potter all day long. Love that HP makes kids voracious readers.


Thanks, Jennifer! I'm glad to see that a mom knows it's true--boys like to read. That what we try to do on this blog--show everyone that boys read and can develop a lifelong love of reading. So let's spread the word to grownups and other boys that reading is cool and that Boys Rule! Boys Read!


Carl

PS--How many of you guys would like to read HP all day?

Will Speaks Again!

Here we go! Will has sent us three posts today.


I like the Lightning Thief because Percy has a cool pen that can turn into a sword that he calls Riptide.I also like the way he battles with it and that it can't hurt mortals.


I think the book The Name of This Book is Secret is a good book because Cass and Max-Ernest try to help find a magician's brother with a box called the Symphony of smells.


The Fire Within is a great book because David moves in with the Pennykettles but while he's staying there he notices that his clay dragon[It was from Mrs.Pennykettle]starts to come alive and so do the other ones so later on David finds out that they are really helping him from being hurt by the evil sources from the world


Three posts in one day--very impressive, Will. This is so great. Keep it up, everyone!
The competition is really heating up now.

Very, very funny. Here are the standings:

Will--4 entries

cyber kid 303--5 entries

Sir Samuel--2 entries

Melanie, Anonymous, and Tyler--1 entry each

I'll post the standings again tomorrow along with some info about the Heroes and Villains festival. By the way, would you guys do us a favor--would you please include the names of the authors when you post a comment? I try to update our list of books every month and it makes it easier when I know who the authors are. Thanks!

Carl

I Can Hardly Keep Up!

You guys are writing in faster than I can post! This is great!!! Here's the latest from cyber kid 303:

I have not read all the Harry Potter books. I am in the middle of the third one, Prisoner of Azkaban. I have seen all the movies and I think the best is a tie between Harry Potter and the Sorcorer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The movies are really cool with the animations and special effects, but the books are better with more things going on. So far, I like the book Prisoner of Azkaban best.
I heard Darth Bill is sick and can't do the Beowulf program. I'm sorry he is sick.

Here are some books I really like.
Goosebumps books by R. L. Stine
American Chillers books by Jonathan Rand
Rotten School books by R. L. Stine
Captain Underpants books by Dav Pilkey
The Fudge series by Judy Blume
Judy Moody books by Megan McDonald
Hank Zipzer books by Henry Winkler
Choose Your Own Adventure series by R.A. Montgomery and Shannon Gilliganand
the Matt Christopher series by Matt Christopher.

I'm glad you like the Matt Christopher books. I like them too. I've never read the Fudge or the Hank Zipzer books, though, and you've made me curious.
Whew! Hard work keeping up with you all. Keep it up!!!
Carl

A GIRL Writes In!

Hey, wait a minute---a GIRL has written to us???? What gives? Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with that, as long as she tells us about a good book. Let's hear what our new friend Melanie has to say:

Melanie has left a new comment on your post "Cyber Kid Speaks Yet Again!":

I don't know if you've heard of this ridiculous book that Brandon Sanderson put out. Listen to the silly title: Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians. He is claiming it is truth being published as if its fantasy. I think we all know that the idea that librarians are evil is just silly, right? I mean, really, I've never abducted an oculator and tortured them with papercuts. Please.

Sincerely, Your local evil, I mean good, librarian.

This book does sound good. Alcatraz is the name of the main charactrer. Actually, I know Melanie--and some of you do too. She works here at Imaginon with Bill and me and she's pretty cool. Here's a picture of her with Darth Bill, aka Captain Jack Bond:

Like I said, she's pretty cool. I think we should make her an honorary guy. What do you think?

Carl, another non-evil librarian (none of us are evil, except maybe Darth Bill and he's a part-time Sith)

The Return of Sir Samuel

Forsooth! One of our faithful writers, Sir Samuel, is back with a new comment about two books:

Sir Samuel returns! After a long break from posting- knight crusades and whatnot- I hath a new tale to tell of- two if you're ready to brace thyselves. And so rideth back into battle I do, leaving new reviews!

War of the Worlds This book is widely known, yet what it's actually like is much unknown. Many people think of mass alien battles. Instead, this book gives you a view of the world that is very interesting, poses important philosophical questions, and gives a tale of human nature and fear unlike any other. As the main character struggles through a world that belongs to invaders, merciless beings of destruction, truths dawn on him that make this a treacherous beast to cut through, yet a great reward for those greatly intense readers.

The Sea of Trolls This is a fantasy set in a world of magic songmasters, giant trolls, wicked demons, and fearless vikings with names such as Olaf One-Brow- and if that sentence isn't inviting, then you're a martian. This is a comical, yet hard-spirited tale that is mystifying, as well as suprising. This is a great adventure novel, and for the offhand non-commital reader a good treat. In a sea of trolls, you can rarely find a troll as fine as this one. So if size dosen't taunt you, swim on in.

Thank ye fer listening to a chum such as me's ramblings- and a happy day to all whom read this!

Well done, most excellent sir. It's good to have you back; in fact, I've wondered where thou hast been and when thou wouldst return. Dost thou know about our Heroes and Villians festival next Tuesday from 2-4? We could certainly benefit by a visit from such a worthy knight. Though you might have to be careful lest Darth Bill challenge thee to single combat.

All right, back to modern language. I read The War of the Worlds in the 7th grade and loved it. It's sort of a tough read because it's written in the language of 1898, but it's not too bad and it's well worth it. (I'm assuming you mean the H. G. Wells book, Sir Samuel) I'll never forget those awful Martians emerging from their canisters, those terrible machines picking up people, or the main character stuck in a coal cellar with that mechanical tentacle reaching in for him! And it really did seem like human civilization was coming to an end because of the unstoppable Martians. What a book! Get out there and find it, guys! By the way, when I was coming up, we had a group of comics called Classics Illustrated. I think the only one I read was The War of the Worlds. Here's what the cover looked like:

Pretty cool, huh? Every time I read about those Martian destroying machines, this is still how I picture them. Well, keep up the good work, guys!

Carl

PS--can you imagine a comic book ever costing 15 cents?

PPS--I hate it, but the Beowulf program has been cancelled for today. Bill's been sick, so he can't make it. Get well soon, man!

Cyber Kid Speaks Yet Again!

This is beyond terrific! We've never had so many comments before. Here's the latest from cyber kid 303:

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets by J.K Rowling is a good book about Harry who finds out he is a wizard and goes to a wizard boarding school. He finds adventure, friends and danger. This non-stop action book is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which I put on this blog also. This time a deadly creature goes into the school and starts killing students. Lots of new things happen and some interesting Quidditch games.

You're right--The Chamber of Secrets is a really good book. Did you all like the movie version?
And which Harry Potter book do you all think is the best?
Carl

We're on a Roll!

This is better than great! You guys are really writing in. We're on a roll!

Very funny. We've got a new comment from our new friend Will:

I think the Sea of Monsters is a good book because Percy Jackson goes on an adventure with Annabeth and a new friend named Tyson to go and save Grover from the evil cyclops.

Good job, Will. Come and get your free book. I agree with you on the Sea Of Monsters. I knew that if I kept telling you all about Percy Jackson that you'd like it. Will, you are also in the running for our free T-shirt.

Would you stop with the pictures!!!!!!! I meant that you are are now in the contest to win a free T-shirt from Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson author. The boy who sends in the most comments, talking about books, by January 21 will win a T-shirt that looks like this:
By the way, the standings now are:
Will--1 enrty

cyber kid 303--3 entries

Anonymous--1 entry

Tyler--1 entry

Still plenty of time! So keep on writing!

Carl

Cyber Kid Speaks Again!

Cyber Kid 303 has just left us another comment:

My computer connection failed just as I was sending my comment, so I'm resending it just in case it didn't make it earlier.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling--Harry, who grew up with muggles (non-magical people), is really a wizard. His muggle mom and his wizard dad died when a powerful, evil wizard named Voldemort killed them. The only other wizard more powerful than him is Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts school that teaches magic. Harry, meanwhile, at age 11 is living with his horrible aunt and uncle and their horrible son, Dudley. They get a letter that says Harry should go to Hogwarts where he not only finds friends and adventure, but also danger.J.K. Rowling has written 6 other books in the Harry Potter series that is one of the top selling series in the world. Other Harry Potter books in the series include, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (I just finished this one and will write a blog about it next), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
P.S. I am going to the Beowulf program.

Very good, cyber kid. I know you'll enjoy the Beowulf program--Bill does really good stuff. Besides, Beowulf is one of the greatest hero-vs-monster stories of all time. Have you read all the Harry Potter books, cyber kid? I haven't, I'm sorry to say, but Bill has. Which one is your favorite, Bill? How about the rest of you--which one is your favorite?
Carl
PS--Did you know we have a technowizard here at Imaginon who got her degree in Computer Magic from Hogwarts? Don't believe me? Look at our December 5 post called "Kelly the Technowizard Comes Through"

Fantastic! More Comments! (and two really fun books)

Wow! Gotta say it again--WOW!! You guys are doing great. We've had 4 comments in one week! Way to go. Here's what our new friends, Anonymous and Tyler have to say:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Cyber Kid Speaks Again!":

I think the Lightening Thief is a cool book because Percy Jackson,the kid who goes on a mission from camp half-blood. He has to find a lightening bolt and return it to its owner.

Tyler has left a new comment on your post "NEW PERCY JACKSON COVER!!!":

I can't wait for the Battle of the Labyrinth!!!!!!!!!!!It's gonna be awesome!I also heard about a movie coming soon! That'll be great!

Good work guys. Come in and get your free books. I agree with both of you about the Percy Jackson books. They're the best thing I've read in years. I can't wait for the fourth one either. Yes, there is supposed to be a Lightning Thief movie. Chris Columbus, who did the first Harry Potter movie, will direct it. You can go to Rick Riordan's website (we've got a link to it on the left-hand side of thiis page) and find out more.

Speaking of The Lightning Thief, I've read a couple of books that relate to it:
Are any of you guys on sports teams? Is your training pretty tough? Well, it would have been nothing compared to what you had to do to get into the ancient Greek Olympics! I found that out when I read this really fun book, You Wouldn't Want to Be a Greek Athlete: Races You'd Rather Not Run by Michael Ford. You had to compete in the Pentathalon, which means you had to do five events: Javelin (spear) toss, running, long jump, discus toss, and wrestling. Competiton was brutal--some people got killed in the wrestling matches! Yet even though the winner didn't get much money, he got a lot of fame and glory.

The other book is You Wouldn't Want to Be in Alexander the Great's Army: Miles You'd Rather Not March by Jacqueline Morley. Imagine you're an ancient Greek farmer. You'll probably stay on that farm your whole life and never go anywhere. Sound boring? Then imagine you've got a chance to join the army and see (and conquer) the world. Sounds like a good deal, right? WRONG! Sure, you'll conquer lots of kingdoms and get lots of treasure, but you'll spend years on the march, cross burning deserts and freezing mountains, and most of you won't come back. But if you make it, you will have been part of one the greatest armies the world will ever see. Both these books are extremely interesting and they have hilarious illustrations. I can't tell you how much fun I had with these books--and I bet you will too!
So here's how the standings in the free T-shirt competton are: Cab--1 entry; cyber kid 303--2 entries; anaonymous--1 entry; Tyler--1 entry. The guy who who sends in the most comments, talking about books, by January 21 wins a free t-shirt from Rick Riordan. So keep those comments coming in!
Carl

Cyber Kid Speaks Again!

Wow, this is great! cyber kid 303 has left us a message and a new book comment:

Carl,

I did see Wendelin Van Draanen at Novello, along with all the other authors. I even got to eat breakfast & talk to Jeff Smith, author of Bone, who I know Darth Bill likes. I am not part cyber, but I love computers (and books).

P.S. Your Pegasus program was great!

Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl -- Danny, a boy whose mom died when he was 4 months old, was left with his dad who swore to himself that he would not go poaching (illegally hunting) again until Danny was old enough to stay home alone at night in the gypsy caravan where they lived. His dad broke the swear and Danny woke up in the middle of the night worried. Soon, Danny becomes more interested in poaching and wants to do it himself. There are interesting things that happen in this book and it is perfect for a book club.Roald Dahl has written many other good books...The Magic Finger, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, The Twits, The BFG and others. I'm going to see The BFG at Imaginon this month!

Whew, I'm glad you're not part cyber. I'd hate to think a Borg was coming into the library regularly. Thanks for the compliment about the Pegasus program. I had a really good time too. Hope you can come to Bill's program on Beowulf next Tuesday and the Heroes and Villians festival on the 22nd.

Well, you're now in the lead for the free T-shirt contest, but don't rest yet--I bet there are other guys out there, itching to write and get that shirt. How about it, guys?

And if you all want to find out the Childrens' Theatre production of The BFG, (which ought to be very cool) click here.
And if you want to learn more about Roald Dahl, check out the extremely cool and fun site, click here.
Take it easy,
Carl