CARLMAN, the Jedi can not always be there to protect you, but we will do our best.
but a fearless
GAMECOCK!!!!
Have a great Thanksgiving!!
Carl
Just The Facts Biographies: Jimi Hendrix by Rebecca Poole - First off I must confess that before I even picked up this biography I considered Jimi Hendrix the most talented person to ever play the electric guitar. I have been a big fan of his since I was 12 (I'm somewhat older than that now). This biography does an excellent job of telling the story of how Jimi Hendrix grew up from a small boy with an exceptional, natural talent to play the guitar to the ultimate axe player second to none! It tells, along with his life story, how he never gave up pursuing his dream of being a recognized rock 'n' roll musician despite how he was ignored and even rejected by almost everyone in the music industry. It also shows what a kind and gentle poet he was at heart. His story is a tragedy in one way, in that he left us way before his time, but it is also a celebration of his great achievements and life. From his highest points to his not so great parts in life, this biography does a wonderful job of letting the reader peak into the life that was Jimi Hendrix's.
Spider-Man Family: Itsy-Bitsy Battles by various - This graphic novel rocks hard, just like Jimi's playing the guitar. Let's see, besides be chock full of the ultra cool Spider-Man, he is also joined by The Fantastic Four, Kazar, Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Ice Man, Marvel Girl, and The Incredible Hulk. The GN has five fantastic stories that puts these heroes up against such villains as The Looter (a total nut job), Stegron (part human/part dinosaur), Arsenal (a machine of destruction created by Tony Stark's dad), and Dr. Octopus among others. There is lots of adventure, good will and comedy to make this GN the bomb. So do yourself a favor and check this one out as soon as possible!!!!!!
Now I know, in fact, WE ALL know, you ARE the Great and Powerful Carlman.....but do you really want to go and poke Darth Bill with a Light Saber?????? This seems to me to be just asking for trouble.I don't believe in all the history of Jedis and Siths, I have ever heard of a Sith backing down from a challenge. Guess we'll have to wait and see what happens. 
CARLMAN is not afraid of anything so paltry as a light saber. Have you ever heard the old saying that "the pen is mightier than the sword"? Well, the CARLMAN knows that the pen (or the keybaord) is infinitely more poswerful than the light saber. Reading is power, guys, and that is where the Great and Powerful CARLMAN derives his awesome might. The CARLMAN has traveled many hundreds of years through time and space and has seen how reading has toppled empires, freed people, and changed history. Frederick
Douglas raised himself from slavery when he learned to read. Thomas Paine 
helped start a revolution in the American colonies with his pamphlet Common Sense, and Charles Dickens's books ended terrible working conditions in England--and almost single-handedly revived Christmas with A Christmas Carol. Even today, bloggers are making dictatorial governments admit things they try to cover up. So keep at it, guys! READING IS POWER!!! One day, perhaps, one of YOU will run a guys' reading blog. Then boys everywhere will find about terrific books from the Awesome ANONYMOUS, the Sensationally Superpowered CYBER KID, Magnificent and Mighty MIKEY (aka Lord Vader), or the Beyond the Imagination BRUNER BOYS!!!!
he is.
Hmmmmmmm????
Have I got a great book for you!!! It's Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka (pronounced "fresca") He's one of the funniest writers out there, especially for guys. How'd he get to be so funny? By growing up as the second-oldest of six brothers, hiding in "foxholes" and throwing dirt-clod "grenades", and trying to name African babies after famous baseball players. And that's just part of it!! This book is really funny and quick to read--each "chapter" is only 2-3 pages long. And it's full of great old photos of him, his family, his models, and a broken collar bone that make it funnier and more real. A great book for guys, especially if you have brothers. (I don't) AND I can tell you all how real this book is (even if the stories like babysitting through tying the youngest brother to the bed with the father's ties might be hard to believe) because I grew up in the same time, read the same comics, and the story in Chapter17----the same thing happened to me!!!Carl
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
I have to agree with "the mysterious stranger," that the Gregor the Overlander books are outstanding. A friend gave me the first one as a gift a while back and I must say it is probably my favorite series ever!!!
Hello everyone, the one and only Master Jedi Zack here.
Thanks, anonymous! Yes, most of our readers like books with lots of words, but we try to look out for everyone here. That's we also like to hear about books with few words--or NO words! All our Owly graphic novels are checked out or I'd go get one and look at it now. You've made me curious. I'll keep my eyes open for them!
Don't forget to come and get your free book!
Carl
And we gave him credit for making a good effort. Besides, I'll Never Share You, Blackboard Bear by Martha Alexander is a good story about loving something so much that you don't want to share it and what happens when others ask you to share. It's good for young kids and older readers too. In fact, once I recommended a picture book to a grownup. 
Not for his son or daughter, but for him!! He worked for a bank, was going to make a presentation to other bankers, and wanted a simple picture book about not giving up. So I showed him The Carrot Seed by Ruth Kraus, one of the simplest picture books I know but one of the best. And the man checked it out! 
The Sunken Kingdom - Ghost Ship by Kim Wilkins - This story is about two orphaned children Asa and Rollo who are of royal descent and in hiding. Their parents were betrayed and killed by the evil court magician Flood. Not only did he kill their parents but caused a great flood so that the entire kingdom is now at the bottom of a great and dangerous ocean. They find out from a mysterious visitor named Egil Cripplehand that their youngest sister, Una, who they thought dead also is very much alive and being held captive by a Witch. With this information, the gift of a magical longship along with important information they did not know about themselves from Egil Cripplehand, they set out on a dangerous but exciting adventure to rescue Una. Read the book and find out what happens. I really enjoyed it!!!!!
"Fourscore and seven years ago..." Have you ever heard those words before? Then you'll recognize the beginning of what may be the most famous and most important speech in American history. On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered that address at a ceremony setting aside a cemetary for those killed at the battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln didn't think he did well that day, but as the speech got printed in the papers and traveled across the country, people soon realized that those few words defined, better than anything else, what America was all about.
No one knew who "The Mystery Big Head" belonged to, but through super sleuthing skills second not even to the famous Sherlock Holmes Cyber Kid has revealed the truth!!!!! Here it is straight from Cyber Kid's mouth:
Today is Veteran's Day, the day to honor those who've served in the armed forces to protect the great life we have in this great country. A lot of people have made tremendous sacrifices so we could do things that we don't even think about, like vote for whoever we want. Or read whatever we want. Or get on a blog and say whatever we want without worrying that someone will take us away if we say the wrong thing. So if you know anyone who's in the military or has been in the past, be sure to thank him or her.
A great deal of people that follow this blog are probably wondering where I have been of late? Well I have not been hiding from pumpkin headed aliens as "The Carlman" so dastardly implied, but on an adventure unlike any other!!!!
Here is a picture of my lovely bride and me swearing my eternal love to her upon my sword (I will give a free book to the first person to identify the back of the head in the forefront. This is not a joke. Identify "The Mystery Head" and win a free book.). She is indeed the greatest treasure I have or will ever find!!!!!! I love you now and forever Valerie!!!!!
Well enough talk of love and marriage, let me tell you about a really great book I recently finished:
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - If you like Science Fiction, you will love this book. This book is set in an Earth future where humanity is recovering from a massive invasion, which was repulsed by Earth Forces, from an alien species that are called Buggers because of there insect like looks and manners. Because of reasons that are eventually revealed in the book, children are looked to as the military commanders who will ultimately defeat the alien Buggers. In this not so cherry future Ender Wiggins is born. Ender is special, among many other reasons, in that he is a third child. In this Earth's future parents are only allowed to have two children. Because of the brilliance of his two older siblings and due to their short comings, Ender is allowed to be born. The Earth's International Fleet, made up of military personal from many different Earth Nations, takes in children who are exceptional in some manner to train them to lead armies to defeat the Buggers. Children are taken as early as six years old to begin this training in an outer space station known as Battle School. Ender is a brilliant military mind and recognized for it by all, which is both a blessing and a curse. Ender is set up in a no win situation by the adult officers of the International Fleet. They harass, push, and take Ender to the breaking point to make him the commander who will defeat the Bugger Forces once and for all. No one asks Ender how he feels about all this and if they did they would not like the answer. Ender wants only peace and certainly not to hurt anyone ever. A fascinating read about the duality of human nature; To strike out and crush that we do not understand or to seek to understand others so that peace can rule the day. I highly recommend this book and hope some of you out there in the Land of Blog give it a go.
Until next time me harteys!!!!!!
Peace,
Bill
And here's another one of him handing out water to the thirsty people who stood in those long lines:
I've said before that it's important to be a good reader, but it's just as important (or even more so) to be a good guy. Cyber kid shows how you can be both.
Now the great and powerful CARLMAN'S mission is to find good books for you guys, not to recommend one political party over another or tell you who to vote for. If you read enough, you'll be able to figure that out for yourselves. Reading exercisies your brains. If you do it enough, you'll build up your smarts and not be fooled by some slick politician (of any party) who tries to blow smoke at you. Some of you older readers might be able to vote in 2012, and most of you should be old enough by 2016. That's why I always tell you--
Reading is important, guys!!
The CARLMAN
Or would be if boys could vote!I think Percy Jacson and Annabeth Chase would be totally cool as president and vice president, don't you? Let's see--that would make Clarisse Secretary of Defense, Grover, the Secretary of the Interior...could you think of any more positions the Percy Jackson characters could fill? PJ and AC were the overwhelming favorites, getting 20 of the 45 votes. Well done, guys! Be sure to tell your parents and older brothers, sisters, cousins, etc. to vote tomorrow. There are a lot of places in this world where people would love to vote in their own leaders but can't. A lot of people went through a lot of trouble and pain to be sure that everyone in this country can vote, so don't take it lightly!! Besides, the whole idea of demcocracy, that is, the people able to elcet their own leaders is another thing we owe to the ancient Greeks--which is another good reason that Percy Jackson should be president! 
We're very busy these days and I haven't had time to read much, so I'll tell about something I'm reading. It's Space Cadet by Robert Heinlein. Now this was written a long tiem ago before "space cadet" meant "airhead." Robert Heienlein wrote a lot of sci-fi for grownups and also a lot for boys. A friend, who knew about tbis blog, said I should read some of those Heilein books for boys. So I got a bunch and am digging this one. Matt Dodson is a young guy whose big ambition has been to join the highly-respected interplanetary Space Patrol. It's tough!!! Makes joining the Marines seem like a picnic. Right now Matt has been accepted and taken the oath, so there's no turning back. Now he's got to go through training!!! Ought to be even rougher. AND---sometimes, in Heinlein's books, things aren't always what they seem. What will Matt find if he does get in? Really good so far. Stay tuned, space cadets, for further reports!
