Old Friends and a New Friend

Hey all you summer-living, vacation-enjoying, terrific-book-reading guys! Iron Guy Carl here. Summer is a great time of year--lots of fun things to do and time time to read some truly cool books. We have two reader guys who have taken time to tell us about stuff they've read and liked. The first is our old friend Sammer. Let's see what he's read:

I'm here to tell you about Chasing Vermeer. It is a story about two kids who live in Chicago where a Vermeer painting has been stolen so they try to find it where the Government failed. It is a great book and guys out there should read it.

Thanks, Sammer! A lot of guys have written in the past and told us about that book--check out the "Chasing Vermeer" tab under this post and see.

Then another faithful friend, Michael, has sent us a good review of an interesting book:

Bridge of Time
by Lewis Buzbee
    Joan and Lee are best friends in eighth grade. When the last field trip of the year is a tour of ultra-boring Fort Point, the two sneak into the lighthouse and take a nap. They wake up in 1864, with a man named Sam. Sam holds some secrets as to why they're there, what's going on, and who he is. I think the book was pretty average: could've been better, could've been worse. I'm not a fan of Joan and Lee hating their parents, and I also don't like their names: Joan Lee and Lee Jones. A little lazy on the author's part. This book supports the theory that a few people can become unstuck in time, floating around from one time to another, and that they can control it somewhat, until they become restuck in their own time. A bit unrealistic, but legitimate enough. All in all? It's worth reading.


And thank you too, Michael! You have always found good stuff and tell us exactly what you think. Guys appreciate your manly honesty!

 

Then we have a new friend, mphuff, who has written to us about some books that guys like:

 

I really like the Alex Rider books. I like them because there's a lot of action. There are a lot of cool gadgets. I also like IQ because it's about a bunch of spies that have to stop terrorists.

Thanks to you also, mphuff! We used to hear a lot about the Alex Rider books, but you're the first to tell us about the IQ series. I have to say, with a shame-faced expression, that I've never read any of the books in either series. They sound good, though, and I may have to check out some. And I want to remind you, mphuff, that you can come to the Myers Park library and claim a free book for writing your first review for us. And that goes for all reader guys! So if you've never sent us a review, go ahead and do it now! We LOVE hearing about great reads!

So keep reading and writing and enjoying summer!

(PS--Summer is a great time, but it's also very busy for us library guys. So if you send a review and don't see it posted right away, don't worry--I'll put it up here for as soon as I can)

Michael's Last Word on The Shadow Children

Our good friend Michael has given us the lowdown on the last two Shadow Children books by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Did he like them or not? Let's see:

The Shadow Children Sequence, book 6
Among the Enemy
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
    You may remember Matthias, all the way back from Among the Betrayed. Well, he's the main character in this book. After his friends Percy and Alia are hurt and then go missing, Matthias absentmindedly saves the life of a Population Police officer, landing himself a job in the Population Police! But when he discovers that he has friends there, he takes part in a plot to completely ruin the Population Police's plan for destroying third children. This is most definitely the most exciting book in the series. Two shootouts (one in a speeding car), a poisoning, and an explosion! This book is the best one, even though I'm still not a big fan of switching main characters.

The Shadow Children Sequence, book 7
Among the Free
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
    Luke, working undercover for the Population Police, is ordered to shoot an old lady in front of a village. When he drops the gun and runs away, his action is misunderstood as rebellion, and the villagers fight back. This sets off a chain of events that eventually overthrows the Population Police! The country is free! But Luke never suspects that people might hate third children after all, not to mention: how long can a country stand without a government? For an additional problem, Luke has to overcome a kind-of friend, and you're not going to like who it is. I must say, this book is pretty good, if not predictable. It has its boring spots, but overall, it's good for reading. And that wraps up my reviews on the Shadow Children Sequence. A new book review is to come soon!

Michael Lanier
Pianist, guitarist, banjoist, autoharpist, jaw harpist, Ukeist

Thanks, Michael! We always like your honest reviews. Sometimes you have to wait a while before a series gets good. How about you, all you reading fans? Have you read these books? Do you agree with Michael? Or not? Write in and let us know!
Well, I hope you are enjoying the summer and have a great Fourth!!!

Once Again, It's Sammer!!

We haven't heard from our old friend Sammer in quite a while and so I was REALLY excited to get a new message from him. Like our other friend Michael, Sammer always tells us about good reads. Let's hear about what Sammer has liked lately:

This is Sammer. I haven't given a report on anything in a long time, but here all of the great books I have read.
1. The Chronicles of Narnia. A seven-book thrill ride. The series kicks off when Digory and Polly sneak into Digory's Uncle office and he gives them rings that send them to a place full of pools that send them places. The second book is the after-story of what happens after Digory and Polly. It is about 4 kids who are sent to stay at a professor's place; their names are Lucy, Edmond, Susan, and peter. Lucy finds a place called Narnia. And that is where the rest of the Adventures begin. Later in the sixth book Eustance comes along.
2.The Mysterious Benedict Society. A great trilogy just waiting to be read by people all over the world about Constance Contraire, Sticky Washington, Kate Weatheral, And Reynie Muldoon--all Names that fit their personalities.
3.The Beyonders. About-to-be trilogy with only two books out right now. It is about two kids from earth who go to a different world where things go wrong and they have to help.
4.The Westing Game. One day sixteen people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. The will turns out to be a contest, challenging the heirs to find out who among them is Westing's murderer.
5.The Secret Zoo is about animals that have a secret zoo where they act like humans except for talking. They have animals from Polar bears to extinct Dodo birds.
6.The Candy Shop War is about four kids who are given magic candy, but they get into a bigger problem then they think.
6.Surviving the Applewhites. About a family of different talents who are joined by a teen juvenile deliquint-- will he survive? Will the applewhites survive?
7.Applewhites at Wit's End. The Applewhites are trying to raise money so they open a camp called Eureka! But things go wrong and they go crazy.

Well, that is all I have.

Thanks, Sammer! Yes, I really enjoyed the Narnia books too. I also listened to most of the Mysterious Benedict Society books on cd and thought they were exciting, but I have not read the other books you mentioned, although I've heard other guys talk about how much they like the Beyonders books. So here you go, all you reader guys--here are a bunch of great reads for the summer that have been endorsed by another reader guy like you and not some boring old grownup. This could be fun reading during these hot summer days. Thanks again, Sammer, and let us hear from you soon!