Charlie Checks In!

Hey, all you reader guys, it's Carl and I'm very jazzed to see so many guys writing to us! We have a comment from our new freind Charlie. He's a high-schooler who want to tell us about some of the books he liked:

Cool blog! I think it's great you're trying to get boys interested in reading, but I wish more boys were brave enough to explore genres other than action/adventure/comics. There are so many fantastic books and authors out there if you're willing to give it a try. A few suggestions: A Hole in the World by Sid Hite, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, 13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen, edited by James Howe. Also check out authors like David Almond, Gary Soto and Jerry Spinelli, etc. I'm in high school now, but I loved these when I was 9-12 years old.

Thanks, Charlie! Actually, some of our guys have explored some other books. Bill, Zack, and I did a joint post on Jerry Spinelli's great book Maniac Magee a couple of years ago. (if you want to see that post or read about other Jerry Spinelli books, click on the Labels under this post) I remember reading The Outsiders and liking it. Charlie's absolutely right, guys--there are a lot of fantastic books out there and they are worth looking for. I'm going to read a non-action book sometime this winter called Heart of a Shepherd. I've heard a lot of good things about it and I'll let you know how I like it. Unless one of you beats me to it!

This Magee Thing or Spotlight on Jerry Spinelli

Hi, guys, this is the Great and Powerful CARLMAN. If you remember, a few weeks ago the feuding between Darth Bill and Master Zack got so bad that one of our readers commented on it and I had to COMMAND the two guys to read one book together. It's Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. This story is about someone who tries to get two warring parts of town to come together. Sounded like a good thing for this Sith and Jedi to read. It was one the first books I read when I started working for the library and I never forgot its tremendous emotional punch. This one doesn't have a lot of battles, sword fights, magic, or things that blow up, yet it's still one of the great guy books of all time. Why? Because Jerry Spinelli writes about things that all guys deal with; bullies, taking responsibility, friendship, and facing your fears. It also talks about racism, unthinking hatred, and trying to overcome those things. There's so much that happens to Maniac Magee that you hang on every page to see how he'll handle it. He also does a lot of amazing things that make him a legend in his town. He'll become a legend in your mind too.


He wrote some other good books about being a guy and growing up. One is Wringer, another is Fourth Grade Rats, and the third is Loser. Click on the titles so see reviews. Click here and here to read his biography and here to see a good link about some of his books. And here's a funny incident from his life:

Jerry Spinelli's memoir, Knots in My Yo-Yo String, makes it clear that he has always had a knack for drawing attention to himself. When he was in second grade, he dressed up in a cowboy outfit one day and headed off to school, sporting golden cap pistols and spurs on his boots. It was not Halloween. The teacher noticed his getup, of course, and asked if he "would like to do something for the class." Jerry got up and sang "I Have Spurs that Jingle, Jangle, Jingle."
Shortly thereafter he ceased to be a singing cowboy and decided to become a baseball player. "I played Little League in junior high and high school," Jerry writes. "I only hit two home runs in my career, but I had no equal when it came to standing at shortstop and chattering to my pitcher: 'C'mon, baby, hum the pea.'"
Then, in eleventh grade, Jerry wrote a poem about a high school football game. When it was published in the local newspaper, Jerry knew he had found his calling. He traded in his baseball bat for a pencil and became a writer.
What a guy! And now, Heeeere's Bill and Zack:
Bill's Review:

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli - This was a really cool book to read and I enjoyed it. The basic premise is there is this kid everyone calls Maniac Magee because he performs feats that amaze everyone that lives in town. Maniac Magee is a orphan who is living on his own trying to find his place in the world. The town he lives in is divided in many different ways, between black and white people, poor and rich, kind and cruel, etc. Maniac is constantly on the move meeting all kinds of different people and finding out the wonder that is in each human being. Yet something always seems to happen that makes him run from the people in which he forms bonds of friendship and love. I really liked this book because it showed that bottom line, people are pretty cool if they can just get beyond the superficial. Great Stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zack's thoughts:

Okay, it hurts me to say this but I agree with Bill (ouch, the PAIN!). Maniac Magee is great stuff!!!!!! I know what it is like to move around a lot and that part of the book spoke to me. Going from place to place makes you meet a whole lot of people and it is always surprising to see how different, yet alike, every place and its people are.

The CARLMAN picked an outstanding book for us to read this time. I wonder how Darth Bill is coming along with the Gregor books?! I am currently reading Lightning Thief which I'm sure will make everyone happy (I know, about time!).

Thanks, guys! Ah, but it feels good to restore balance to the Force. Maybe we can all spotlight another author sometime--if those two don't slice each other in half before then!!

The CARLMAN

The CARLMAN Speaketh!!

Guys! Guys!! Bill! Zack! This is Carl, the one who is to bring balance to the Force! All this bickering has got to stop!!! It's gotten so intense that one of readers has noticed. Here's what Anonymous said:

YO...We need a mediator here! OR are we waiting for the Great and all powerful NANNAH..... to step in!Certainly THE Carlman will save the day! Of course, if the guys want the most evil plan of the girls to succeed and allow them to divide and win........ I'm just saying........

OK, Anonymous, you are SO right! We need a mediator and that one is me. You've discovered my secret identity as The CARLMAN, so I'll step out of my disguise and reveal my true self and give you two the message--

Honestly, it wasn't this bad with Thor and Loki! And just when we need to stand united and fight off this hostile takeover by mean and sneaky girls! Therefore I will assign you both a task--you must read Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. It's a book about cooperation between feuding enmies. Might teach you a thing or two. Then we'll all write a joint post about the book--and maybe also about Jerry Spinelli, one of the best guy writers ever! He also wrote Wringer and Fourth Grade Rats, two books that deal with peer pressure and doing the right thing, important issues for guys. (See my post of 8-11-07 to read reviews) Maniac Magee is even better and shows how one guy can make a big difference!

And have you guys out there read that book? Or any others by Jerry Spinelli? Tell us about them! Do it even before the three of us write our joint post. His books are great!
Or tell us about any other books you like. Do you have any books assigned for school? As long as you have to read them, why not tell us about them? Remember, the beloved Valhalla of our blog is under attack! We need every boy we can to write!

Meanwhile, you Sith and Jedi found some things to agree on, like Capt'n Eli and The 39 Clues, so keep the taunting to a minimum, huh? Even though the Darth Daffy was pretty funny---so was the Sith Spelling---and those hilarious insults!!! Ha, ha, aha ha ha!!! Wooeee!! Ummm, wait a minute, I'm supposed to bring balance to...oh, all right, if you have to jab each other, just keep it down, OK????????

THE CARLMAN HATH SPOKEN!!

Halfway Through August (almost)

Well, guys, it's the hottest time of the year. This is also the month for a lot of birthdays. Seems like a lot of my friends and relatives have birthdays this month. So that brings me to a book in which a birthday plays a big part. It's Wringer by Jerry Spinelli. Do you look forward to your birthday? Palmer LaRue (nicknamed Beans because he loves cold beans out of the can) does not. He knows that he'll become a Wringer on his tenth birthday. What's a Wringer? That's a boy who wrings the necks of pigeons that don't get killed instantly during his town's annual Pigeon Day shoot. Most boys in town can't wait to become Wringers but Palmer hates the thought. Yet everyone expects him to do it. Things really become complicated a pigeon lands on the windowsill of his bedroom and Palmer makes it a pet. What can he do? Can he get out of being a Wringer? Read it and find out!

As long as we're talking about Jerry Spinelli books, let me tell you about one more--Fourth Grade Rats. When Suds (doesn't Jerry Spinelli give his characters great nicknames?) and his best friend Joey go into the fourth grade, they hear this chant from a bunch of third-graders: "First grade babies! Second grade cats! Third grade angels! Fourth grade rats!" Joey wants to act like a rat when they go into fourth grade but Suds doesn't. Joey starts pushing Suds to misbehave. Will he listen or will he do the right thing? This is a great book about peer pressure--something we've all had to face up to, right? I think both these books are good stories about doing the right thing in spite of peer pressure. Go read them if you've ever been in that spot.
Well, I'm going to stay inside and be cool. I'm reading a book that I'll tell you about next week. It's quick, fun, and I will nominate it as The Goofiest Book of the Year.