The Iron Guy Talks Books with a Bunch of Cool Guys

Damond Ford, the Iron Guy and all the MANLY MEN at the Boys Club

March greetings, everyone! This month is always great but let me tell about something that happened last month. The Iron Guy got invited to address a bunch of boys in the Boys and Girls Club of York County--Fort Mill, South Carolina, just over the NC/SC border near Charlotte. The head of this group is Damond Ford, a truly great guy. He runs a program for the Boys Club called Password to MANhood, which teaches boys to become responsible men. Damond asked me to bring some books about growth and change, so, after mentally checking through the enormous files of books stored in my MANLY brain, I came up with a few good titles, checked them out and took them down to Fort Mill.

There I found Damond and about 15 boys. They had just started the newest session of the program and the plan was for me to talk about several growth-and-change books. They would pick one and talk about it over the next 12 weeks. But first, we all talked about what it means to be a man and everyone agreed that it included:

Taking responsibility
Doing your best
Overcoming obstacles
Being respectful and considerate to others

(Anyone who tells you differently is WRONG!)


Then I shared several books with them. (I'll show you the list with you in a little bit) After a while, they finally decided on N.E.R.D.S. by Michael Buckley. Does that sound like an odd choice? It might at first but think about it--the main character, a cool and popular guy, starts off by picking on all the nerdy kids in his school. Later on, when he's forced to join them to fight the villain, he understands them, takes responsibility for changing his attitude and learns to respect them. Not to mention he needs to do his best and overcome the obstacles the villain has set up for them. So not only is the book fun, it also has a good message about growth and change.

Here is the list of books I took with me. Some are fiction, some are biographies and one is nonfiction. All of them deal with growth, change, doing your best, overcoming obstacles, etc.---and they are all terrific reads!





N.E.R.D.S. by Michael Buckley--as I said, a whole of fun to read with a good message as well. See my review here.











Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry--one of the best books about growth and change I've ever read and one of the most thrilling stories I've ever read too! (It was also the first book I ever reviewed on this blog--check it out here)










The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight by Tony DiTerlizzi--everyone knows how Luke grew from a farm boy who plays with a toy starship to a true Jedi Knight and this captures that story in one book. Plus the artwork is amazing! (see review here)








The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings--I didn't take this book with me but I have to include it because it's the best book I know about growing from an irresponsible boy to an adult. Yes, it's long but it's an epic story and you really get caught up in this boy's life. (see my review here)







Who Was...Roberto Clemente, Louis Armstrong, Muhammad Ali and Julius Caesar--four from the great Who Was...biographies and all of them are incredible stories of  true life. See reviews here, here and here--have not reviewed the Louis Armstrong book yet)









The Boys in the Boat: The True Story of an American's Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics by Daniel James Brown--I can't say enough good things about this one! See my review here.







All right, all you guys and grownups, go check these out!  I've always said that reading is not only fun but also prepares you for life. These books are proof! And Damond (plus all you other cool guys in the Boys Club) let me hear from you while you read this book. Would love to hear what you think!

Cool guys doing the Dab

Blasts From the Past for Multicultural Children's Book Day

Greetings, reader guys. Today is a big day for all those who love reading, although the Iron Guy is embarrassed to say that it sneaked up on him. In fact, I wouldn't have known about if I hadn't seen it on our good friend Ms. Yingling's blog. (check it out, guys--there are always good recommendations there!) Anyway, my mom always said that it takes all kinds to make a world and she was absolutely right. It's important to read and learn about how people live, both here and around the world because we live in a big multicultural and interconnected world. Besides, it's interesting and a whole lot of fun!

Now, since this event sneaked up on me, I didn't have time to read a new book for it. But, not only is the Iron Guy a MANLY MAN, he's resourceful too! Every once in a while I will link you to a review of something I've read before. I call these Blasts From the Past. They are really good reads and the library system still has copies. So, since I didn't read a new book for this event, I'll show you some old ones. Go find them, guys, because they are really good!
The first one is the first book I ever reviewed for this blog, Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry. It's a true oldie but goodie! It won the Newbery Award as best kid's book way back in 1941 but it's still so exciting it will make you grip your chair! Taking place in the South Pacific, you have fights with hammerhead sharks and chases by cannibals. If you haven't read this (and I bet you haven't), you're in for a treat. Check out my original review here.

The second recommendation is actually a series by a terrific author, Alexander McCall Smith. He wrote the Akimbo books about a boy on a

nature preserve in Africa. Not only are the stories good but you also really get the feeling of the African countryside. Take a look at my original review here.

All of these books are short but exciting. They're perfect if you're a long-time reader or if you don't think you like books. (what the grownups call a "reluctant reader") Especially the first book. I defy you to sit down with Call It Courage and not read it straight through without stopping. Come on, I defy you!!

"He's Coming Around the First Turn"

Hey, guys, I have a few minutes for a quick post. I was up this morning at 6:00 and got right down to reading. My first book was Black Diamond: The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues by Patricia C. McKissack and Frederick McKissack, Jr. It was very interesting. Reaffirmed my belief that, in the early days of baseball, the players were larger than life. Especially when they had to deal with all the racism. After that, I started on Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preuss. It's based on a true story of a teenaged Japanese boy who was stranded on an island and rescued by American whalers. Was very absorbing. I'm a slow reader and didn't finish it when I had to stop at 11:00 am. The rest of the day was spent in taking care of obligations (and, as I said last year, REAL MEN take care of their obligations!) But now I'm back and should finish the book tonight. The good people who run the Challenge let us spend an hour looking at other blogs in the Challenge for every 5 hours that we read, so I'll do that and then crack the books. Don't have time to give full reviews right now--maybe I'll do that later in the week. In the meantime, if you want to see some good books with diversity that have appeared on this blog, take a look at Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry (the first book I ever reviewed here), the Alvin Ho books by Lenore Look, the Gabriel's Horses trilogy by Allison Hart, the Tiger's Apprentice trilogy by Laurence Yep, and Ice Drift by Theodore Taylor and The Basket Counts by Matt Christopher, both of which I read for last year's Challenge. Hey--I read two books on diversity last year. As always, the Iron Guy is ahead of his time! (You can click on the tabs under this post to see reviews of those books)
PS--I almost forgot one of my very favorites--The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones by Helen Hemphill.

Hey Guys--This is our Introduction

My name is Carl and I work at the Spangler Children's Library at ImaginOn, a part of the Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County, or PLCMC. I think reading is extremely cool. Do you? If so, I'd like to post some books I think you'd enjoy and then get your comments on them. I'd also like to hear about your favorite books--what they are and why you like them. This way we could all pass around our favorites and maybe some boys could find books they haven't read yet.
To start, I'll recommend two survival stories:

1. Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry This is one of the most exciting books I'veever read. It's the ultimate adventure story. Mafatu, the son of island chief, has been afraid of the ocean ever since his mother drowned. The other kids make so much fun of him that he takes a canoe one night to try and survive on the sea and prove everyone wrong. Can he make it? Is he tougher than the blazing sun, hammerhead sharks, or cannibals? You've got to read it to find out!

2. Black Whiteness: Admiral Byrd Alone in the Antarctic by Robert BurleighI chose this book to prove that nonfiction is not dull and HISTORY is NOT BORING!! This story is absolutely true. And what a story! The year is 1934. Admiral Richard Byrd, the great American explorer, wants to do scientific research at the bottom of the world--and see if one person can survive there. He faces temperatures of -60 degrees, getting lost in the Antarctic wilderness, carbon monoxide poisoning, and a deadly illness. You won't believe what he goes through or the strength of his endurance. And it really happened!
If you'd like to see some other great books, go toPLCMC's Bookhive. If you want to see other books I've liked, go to Carl's Reviews, also from the Bookhive.



Hi guys my name is Batman!!! Just kidding my name is Bill and I, like Carl, work at the Spangler Children's Library at ImaginOn, a part of PLCMC System. Reading is, along with many other things (fencing, motorcycles, music, etc.), one of my passions in life. If you dig reading, you may enjoy this blog. Carl and I are going to be recommending some books that we have found cool and if you want you can check them out also. If you like them or even hate them, post to this blog and let us know about it. Please feel free to make any comments you want. Like Carl said, we would also love to hear about your favorite books--what they are and why you like them. This way we can help each other find out about cool books that are out there and share the wealth. Ok, to start, I'll recommend three books I have read and really liked:


The Adventures of Commander Zack Proton and the Red Giant by Brian Anderson - How would you like to be a Space Ranger and help save the universe from intergalactic dangers? The only problem is you would have to serve under Commander Zack Proton who is not the sharpest tack in all of the known universe. The story begins with Commander Zack having to use the bathroom. There are two doors at the back of his ship, the "Risky Rascal." One leads to the bathroom the other into outer space. Guess which one our fearless Commander opens and where he ends up? This book is laugh-your-head- off funny and the artwork is awesome. If you have not checked out this book yet, do yourself a favor and get it soon. There is also a sequel to this book if you like it "The Adventures of Commander Zack Proton and the Warlords of Nibblecheese."


Bone Volume 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith - This is the first volume in a really great Graphic Novel Series by Jeff Smith. This first volume introduces us to the Bone Cousins Phoney Bone, Smiley Bone, and Fone Bone. Phoney Bone has been kicked out of town of Boneville for basically being a scam artist. Fone Bone and Smiley Bone accompany him to watch after him. In their adventures finding their way in the world outside Boneville , they encounter Locust, Stupid Rat Creatures (that would love to have them as a meal), a Dragon, Ted (a very small bug with a much bigger brother) and friendly forest creatures among other things. They finally reach a small village called Barrelhaven where they meet a fiery young woman named Rose, her stubborn Grandmother and the quick tempered Bar Keep Lucius. Although Barrelhaven appears to be quite peaceful and a welcome place to stay, looks can be very deceiving. Read this first volume in the series and I promise you will be hooked on reading the rest.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: A Novel in Cartoons by Jeff Kinney - Talk about a funny, laugh out loud book, this one is it. If you are or have been a kid in elementary or middle school you will totally get this book. The book is basically a journal kept by this guy named Greg where he tells day to day happenings in his life with drawing included. At times I found myself laughing so hard it hurt, as he talked about his day to day experiences with his family, school, friends, bullies, and much more. To see a great example of what I’m talking about checkout this site http://www.funbrain.com/journal/Journal.html.
Well that's a start. If you want to look at some other books I really liked check out my entries in Bookhive. You may also want to look at other peoples suggestions in Bookhive. It's a really great source to find good books to read. I look forward to hearing from you guys and talking to you soon, Bill