"Take Me Out to the Ballgame..."

I'm glad you got your copy of the Percy Jackson book, Jedi Master Zack. That was very public-spirited of you, getting your own copy so that kids wouldn't have to wait. The Great and Powerful CARLMAN, though, has decided to set an example of an example of patience and tranquility. Therefore, I am waiting patiently for The Last Olympian.


I'm waitng...patiently..for...The Last Olympian.


I'mmmm.....waiting............patiently........forrrrrrr..................

AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!! WHEN IS IT EVER GOING TO GET HERE????

If you want your parents to get you a copy, our friends and brother readers at the SMS Guys Read blog have given us some guidelines on what to do:

Beggin' Mom or How to get the next Percy Jackson book
Hi, this is The Undertaker and Adam Bomb, we are going to teach you how to beg your mom for books on your way home from a Guys Read club meeting.

Way number 1:
The classic whine with Bambi eyes, like so: Pweety pwease mommy, wit a chweery ontop.

Way number 2:
Beg WITH YOUR LIFE MAN!!!: PPPPPLLLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEE!! If you don't buy it my life will be RUINED! I will never do well in school again, Mom, I will end up in a box behind a Wal-mart eating chicken bones out of the dumpster from the bar next door, all because YOU DID NOT BUY ME THE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Way number 3:
Promise to do stuff like: Clean you room, Wash the walls, Clip the cats toe nails, paint the trees, help her with work, stuff like that.

Way number 4(if she questions why you need to go that very instant):
Say that all the other kids at school will laugh at you cause you don't have the book. Promise to work it off or see way number 3.

Way Number 5:
Lie and tell her that your teacher told you that you need to have it for class tomorrow.
and last but not least,

Way number 6:
Suggest the closest bookstore. Saving gas always makes a mom happy

Yours truly,
Adam Bomb and The Undertaker
P.S. NEVER EVER beg in front of a sibling cause' they'll come up with reasons why you don't deserve the book.Beggin' Mom or How to get the next Percy Jackson book

Thanks, guys! We at the Boys Read blog would never recommend lying, of course----well, maybe Darth Bill would since he's a sith lord--but you might try some of these other methods. Check out the whole article here or go their site, which is under the Links section on the left-hand side of the page. PLUS, they wrote a truly outstanding post about Star Wars day, May 4th. Drat!! Wish I'd known about it! That's what I get for not checking their site every day

Well ,as I said before, life doesn't stop stop while waiting and there are lots of good books out there. I just finished a really, really good one called Bill Penant, Babe Ruth, and Me by Timothy Toucher. This is one of those books that makes you feel really good when you turn the last page. And you'll keep turning these pages because of the terrific story.



It's the 1920 baseball season. Young Hank Cobb spent the last summer working for John McGraw, manager of the New York Giants. After the season, McGraw sent Hank off to Anson Academy so the boy could get an education, but Hank absolutely hates school and doesn't see why he needs to be there. His great dream is to be a ball player; he can learn all he needs on the ballfield. Imagine his joy, then, when McGraw calls him out of school to work for the Giants again. But then imagine his surprise when he finds out his new job will be taking care of Bill Penant, the team mascot. And Bill Penant is a baby wildcat--a real wildcat, totally untamed! But that's not all; he also discovers that he must also "take care" of the Yankees' new player, Babe Ruth, who is rather untamed himself. (The Giants and Yankees shared a ball park back then) Can Hank work for both the Giants and Yankees? And what happens when this baby wildcat grows up? And will Hank ever go back to school or stay in the ballpark all his life? Want to know? Then you have to get this book and find out!


I tell you, if you get this one, you'll enjoy it for sure. It's funny, funny, funny--especially with all the scenes of Hank and the wildcat! But then, just as you think it'll be all fun and games, something serious happens that changes Hank's whole life. He has to face up to his fears and decide his future. Is he a coward? Or does he have what it takes? All guys have to answer that question at some point. Read it and see how Hank gets his answer.

And Mr. Tocher does a good job bringing historical people into the story. John Mc Graw was a real person.

So was Damon Runyon (a baseball reporter who went on to become one of America's most famous writers).

Speaking of baseball, let me remind you of some other REALLY good baseball books. One is Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta. It's hard to believe that this is Mr. Scaletta's first book becuase it's so good. The basic idea is that these kids live in a town in which it has rained for 22 years!! Then, one day, it stops!! And it may have something to do with a baseball game 22 years ago, a foster brother, and Native American mysticism. I didn't talk about this book nearly enough when I reviewed it on 3-12-09. The characters act like real kids, the situation, strange as it is, iis totally believable, the story gets a big hold on you, and there's quite a twist at the end. You'll like it a lot!




The other is the Barnstormers series by Loren Long and Phil Bildner. They're going to be called the Sluggers now and there's a new one already out. It's called Water, Water Everywhere. The library has plenty of copies; I'm going to check one out as soon as I'm done writing! You've got baseball, magic, mystery, suspense, and truly nasty bad guys. This is one of my very favorite series!!


Thanks for listening to me in such a long post. I had to talk so much becasue these books are good!!

Later,

Carl