Holiday Blast from the Past--Kringle by Tony Abbott

Hey, guys, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are now in holiday mode. If you're not, I have just the book for you. It's Kringle by the great Tony Abbott. I first read this book about 8 years ago and have recommended it at the holiday season several times since then. And for a good reason--it's a terrific story! A rich epic fantasy about how Santa Claus became Santa Claus. "Oh, man," you might say about now, "not another sugary-sweet story about Santa." Not to fear, reader guys! This is a real good-vs-evil struggle between the badly-outnumbered good guys and  the goblins, the mean, nasty, vicious bad guys. Those who crave excitement, danger and adventure in their books (and what GUY doesn't?) will really enjoy this one.

I tell you, there just seem to be no end to Mr. Abbott's talents. He can write full-length thrillers like the amazing Copernicus Legacy series, fantasies or mysteries for younger readers like The Secrets of Droon or Goofballs or a mystery book for older guys like The Postcard, one of the most terrific books I've read--and they're all really, really good! No matter what sort of book you like, Mr. Abbott's has probably written one that you'd enjoy. Be sure to check your library and Mr. Abbott's website to see.

PS--click the "Kringle" label under this post to see my reviews from the past. (if you do, say "hi" to the Kandy Kane Kid)

The Kandy Kane Kid Rides and Reads Again

Howdy, all you rootin' tootin' readin' guys! This is the Kandy Kane Kid. I've come around in past years, ridin' the range and blastin' any sourpusses and Grinches with two barrels of holiday cheer. I've also come to town to recommend a really good book for the season, one that every reader guy will enjoy. It's Kringle by the hugely-talented Tony Abbott. It's an epic fantasy about--you'd never believe it--Santa Claus. But this not some cutesy Santa story--it's a real epic battle between good and evil. These goblins are the real deal; nasty and vicious. And the heroes are truly heroic. This is a great read over the holidays, guys, so don't miss it! (you can see my original review here)

And don't forget, there is still a giveaway going on. I'll give an autographed copy of Hamster S.A.M.: Odd-ventures in Space by local author/illustrator Dave McDoanld to the first guy who writes in a review of any book or graphic novel. Find out more here.

And here's a video for your holiday enjoyment. Watch this and be amazed:

Rock on, guys, and have a great holiday season!

Unstoppable: Breakaway and The Copernicus Files: The Forbidden Stone

Greetings, fellow reader guys! We've survived the month of the Mushy Holiday; in fact, a lot of us survived something far worse--the SNOWPOCALYPSE of 2014!! Yes, my brave and hearty guys, the snow came and covered huge portions of the country this month.  Especially in Charlotte. Yes, the snow came in thick and heavy but did it stop the MANLY MEN in Charlotte? Never! You see a picture of us manfuly going out to get our bread and milk.  And did the snow stop the Iron Guy from getting to the library?  HA!! I just hitched up my trusty dogs and mushed on in.

Well, I'm just being goofy, of course. The schools and libraries were closed for almost a week. It made for a minivacation and it was fun, sledding and making snow ice cream. And I got some reading done. Some it related to my 2014 resolution but these books caught my attention and I just had to tell you about them first.

Unstoppable: Breakaway by Jeff Hirsch


Everything stops when a new 39 Clues book comes out. This third series is proving to be every bit as fun and exciting as the other two. Dan and Amy are still leading the charge to find the components to make the antidote for the Cahill serum. Why? Because J. Rutherford Pierce, owner of a giant media conglomerate, has discovered the serum and is on a fast track to world conquest. They, along with Jake and Atticus Rosenbloom, travel to Tunisia for the second ingredient, only to find it exists only in a place that--well, many people thought never existed! Meanwhile, Nellie Gomez infiltrates the Trillon laboratories to see what connection it has to Pierce's plans. What she discovers shocks and scares her--and it will do the same for you!
And Pony, their resident computer hacking genius, finally meets the ultimate computer hacker--who is working for Pierce! Along the way, the Cahills meet Pierce's serum-enhanced goons and are called criminals by major newspapers. Plus the responsibility of leading the Cahills drives Amy off the emotional deep end, causing her to take hugely dangerous mission to the Arctic alone. Guess who she meets there--that's right, more of Pierce's henchmen! Can she possibly survive? Can any of the Cahills? Could anyone? You've got to read this one to find out!


The Copernicus Files: The Forbidden Stone by Tony Abbot

Now I didn't know about this one and was intrigued. It's all about guardians of a 400-year-old secret that could change the world, an evil organization that will stop at nothing to find it and some kids who unexpectedly find themselves caught up in all this and must solve puzzling riddles to find pieces of the old secret.

Wait a minute--does this sound familiar?

All 39 Clues fans would immediately shout, "YES!" Some would even think it'd be a rip-off series but I knew better. How'd I know?  Because of the author, the wonderful Tony Abbot. He's written a lot of terrific books for guys of all ages, such as The Secrets of Droon, Kringle and The Postcard. So I figured this one would be good and I was right! Mr. Abbot spins a tale that really hooked me and I spent all day with it until I reached the very end!
Wade Kaplan's dad is an astronomer, giving Wade a love for the stars. His uncle Henry even gave him an old star chart, beautiful and mysterious. But then a cryptic email from Uncle Henry puzzles him and before he and his father can figure it out, they learn that Uncle Henry has been murdered! They go to Berlin for the funeral but learn there was more to Henry than they guessed. And then they find out that their home back in the US has been broken into! Pieces of puzzles start coming together and soon they are on the run from the shadowy organization that wants the pieces of the secret and routinely wipes out people who get in their way. Wade and his family and friends have to outwit and outrun the bad guys in creepy old tombs, dense jungles and tropical caves. But what could simple and ordinary kids and grownups do against ruthless worldwide killers?
As I said, this one hooked me and it'll hook you! It's got everything that we love about The 39 Clues--action, narrow escapes, truly bad villains, exotic locations and characters we come to know and cheer for. Don't waste any time, guys! Go and check it out NOW!! You'll be really glad--and then you'll be holding your breath for the next one.

And if you've read either or both of these books, write in and tell us!

The Kandy Kane Kid and Kringle

That's right, buckaroos, I'm the Kandy Kane Kid and I come around this time every year to blast any Grinches with two barrels of holiday cheer. I also like to tell you about some mighty good reads too. Here's a MIGHTY good one I like to tell you about every year. It's Kringle by the talented Tony Abbott. It's got everything guys love--action, adventure, and a big, destructive machine!

Kringle is named after the sound a bell makes when he's born. He's living with his guardian in Britain in the fifth-century A.D. The Roman armies have left, though, and that means order is breaking down That means the bad guys are taking over. And that means the goblins--and these aren't your cutesy fairy-tale goblins, either. They're the real thing--vicious, quick, and able to do serious damage to anyone who messes with them. After they capture his guardian, he goes out to rescue her but stumbles onto the goblins' true plan--and his destiny to become gift-giver to the world.

"Wait a minute," you might say, "We've been hornswoggled! You mean this book's about Santa Claus??!!" Well, yeah, but his isn't some Hallmark holiday story. This book's got danger, fights, escapes, magic--as I said, everything a guy could ask for in a book! So don't let this holiday season go by without reading Kringle!! Got that? Then go get it!!

Kringle, Lost Worlds, Frost Giants, and the Incredible Power of Reading

Yeee-haa, book-reading buckaroos, this here's the Kandy Kane Kid. I come around every December, telling guys about good reads.

The first book is Kringle by Tony Abbot. I wrote about it two years ago; read the review here. This book's really good--a terrific, action-packed fantasy about how Santa Claus became Santa Claus. Wait a minute--an epic fantasy about Santa Claus?? Yep--and it's not what you'd expect! Go check it out. You will definitely enjoy this one!!

And now I want to rave about a couple of things Bill liked:

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman (the audiobook version) Do you like audiobooks? I sure do and I enjoyed this one. Neil Gaiman reads it and he does a good job narrating the story and giving different voices to different characters. (His reading is funny, too!) The story is about a young Norse boy in times gone by who helps get Thor's hammer back from the Frost Giants. (see Bill's review here) If you want to find out about more audiobooks, click where it says "audiobooks" under this post.

Lost Worlds by John Howe What a terrific book!! John Howe, who did a lot of artwork about The Lord of the Rings, draws pictures of real and mythical places such as Timbuktu, Camelot, and Atlantis. John Howe makes awesome pictures of each place and tells the mythical or true story of each one. (see Bill's review here)

And here's a link to an article I read in last Saturday's Charlotte Observer. It's all about the Incredible Power of Reading. In fact, that's the title of the editorial. Take a look:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/408/story/1092140.html

I've always said that READING IS IMPORTANT, guys!! Now you have proof!

Carl

Seasons Greting! And Don't Kill Santa! (plus Kringle, Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and Reaction From Ms.Yingling!)

Hey, guys, Carl again. The holiday season is always fun for me. Lots of fun, lots of food, lots of cool lights, lots of food, favorite TV specials, lots of food...well, you get the idea. Speaking of holidays, cyber kid 303 has written about a terrific Christmas book:

"Don't Kill Santa!" is the best book ever!(except Bone by Jeff Smith). Set in the North Carolina mountains, these funny and also true stories about Donald Davis (the author) are great winter tales set in the 1940s. It is a collection of short stories. One time the boys' presents get repossessed. It is funny. Since it is nonfiction, the call number is J813.54.

That's where you'll find it in the library, guys. cyber kid is right; Donald Davis is a very funny man. I've heard him tell his stories and they're great. The title story of the book Barking at a Fox Fur Coat is very funny.

I'll tell you also about a couple of other great holiday books. One is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. Imagine what would happen if the Herdman kids, "the worst kids in the history of the world," the kids who steal deserts from your lunch, have a cat so mean that the postman won't deliver mail, and who all smoke cigars--even the girls!--imagine what would happen if they took over the annual Christmas pageant. Also imagine what would happen if you heard the Christmas story for the first time--as the Herdmans do. A fantastic story! And the library has a really good audiobook version. And the Children's Theatre is doing a bang-up job of this book. Go see it!

The other is Kringle by Tony Abbot, the Secrets of Droon man. It's an epic fantasy about Santa Claus. Yes, Santa Cluas! I wasn't sure at first, but this one hooked me right away. Action, excitement, danger, really bad guys--this one has it all! See my review from last year here.

On oter news, I told Ms. Yingling, that cool middle-school librarian, about Darth Bill burping the alphabet. Here's her response:

Huh. My best friend, who's a GIRL, could burp about five letters at a time when she was 13. She could also light matches with her teeth, which as a mom I can no longer recommend.I hope that your boys are inspired to read as well as burp. It sounds like your library is a lot of fun!

Yes, we are! This is not your grandfather's library. And we do have a lot of great guys out there who read. But you know what--this sounds like a challenge! Will we be outdone by a 13-year-old GIRL? Yeah, she could burp 5 letters at once, but it takes manly endurance to get through the whole thing! Come on, guys, let's show what we can do! Besides, we're giving prizes to any guy who will let us video him burping the alphabet or wieldng a light saber or reciting the Gettysburg Address. See the post of 12-16 or the sidebar to see what the prizes are. You have until the end of the month-just when you'll be out of school and looking for something to do! Call Zack at 704-416-5000 or Bill or me at 704-973-2720 to set up a time.

Well, the three of us will probably post something before the holidays start, but let us take this chance to say how much we enjoy this, how glad we are to bring you terrific books, and how great you are. We sincerely hope you

ENJOY THE SEASON!!

The Kandy Kane Kid

All right, Bill, you forced me into this. I didn't want to do it, but now I have to tell you about my secret life during the holidays. You know why I couldn't make the party last week? I was out doing my duty as the Kandy Kane Kid! That's right, partners, I go around looking for the old Scrooges out there, ruining the holiday spirit, and when I find 'em, I give it to them with both barrels! Two good shots of holiday cheer, that is. Then I tell 'em about these here books ('cause I figger they're so grumpy because they had to read boring books). These books will put the holiday spirit in even the meanest rattlesnake:

Kringle by Tony Abbott

Wow! What a book! Did you ever think there could be an action-packed fantasy adventure about Santa Claus? I have to admit I was skeptical at first, but Tony Abbott won me over in the first couple of pages. The story starts off with the story of Kringle's birth (he was named after the sound of a magic bell) and his parnets' death at the hands of goblins. Kringle was taken in by a woman named Merwen and stayed there he was twelve. Then the goblins attacked Merwen's house. Kringle and Merwen narrowly escaped but were separated. There Kringle was, alone in the dark and dangerous world, trying to survive the snow, the pirates, and stop the horrible plan of the goblins. There is a lot of action, magic, and a real showdown between good and evil. The good guys really make you want to root for them and the golbins--well, they're not the cutesy goblins of Halloween rhymes. They're nasty, vile, disgusting creatures who live in nasty, vile, disgusting underground tunnels, stealing treasure and children for a truly scary master plan. As I said, there's lots of adventure--and Kringle becomes the gift-bringer for a very good reason! You've got to read this! I couldn't put it down and enjoyed every page. By the way, it's fun to read over the holidays, but this would be good any time of year. (PS--Kringle, that is Kris Kringle, is an old name for Santa Claus)

Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis. I said once before that I don't often talk about picture books but some are so good that I have to mention them. Like this one. In this story, seven brothers in the African country of Ghana argue and fight all day long. They never stop and they never get along. Then, when their father dies, the village chief tells them that thier father left an inheritance for them but they have to find a way to turn seven spools of thread into gold by nightfall or they they will be turned out of their house as beggars. What an impossible situation! Yet, in a way that you wouldn't expect, they make it happen. This a terrific book with great illustrations by Daniel Minter.

Tumbleweed Christmas by Alane Ferguson. Imagine driving through the desert, trying to get somewhere with your mom for Christmas. Then imagine that your car breaks down in the middle of the desert! The only place to stay is a cheap fleabag motel, and that's where you'll spend Christmas. Sound like your worst Christmas nightmare? It could have been, but the boy in this story learns a thing or two about Christmas that changes his attitude. This is one of those stories that you read and never forget.

And don't forget Hershel and the Hankkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel, reviewed on 12-13.

Well, that's it, buckaroos. Have yore selves a rootin' tootin' good holiday season!