Reid Scores Even More Points--Including a Two-Pointer!

Man, oh, man, the excitement just keeps growing! The Iron Guy (that's me!) is thrilled to report that we have two more reviews from our friend Reid. Let's not waste any time but hear what he has to say:

Spy Camp by Stuart Gibbs is about the same kid from my review of Spy School, Ben Ripley who goes to a camp that is survival training for agents attending Spy School. There the same organization tries to capture Ben. Ben tries to leave camp secretly but fails when SPYDER, the organization tracks him. He is saved by his girlfriend Erica and Erica's dad who is a spy that takes the credit of things awesome spies did so everyone thinks he is the best spy ever. Then Erica's grandpa comes in to save them but SPYDER revealed that they were going for Cyrus, the grandpa and captures Erica and Cyrus.
This book is fun because it keeps me guessing at every turn. It is exciting and always has my attention.
Read the book to find out if Ben can save his friends or if he will also be lured into the trap!

That's great, Reid! I asked the other day if you had read any other book in this series and it look like you have! Have you read Evil Spy School yet?

The Boys Start The War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is about three boys that live in a house and have best friends that live in a next door house and then their best friends move to Georgia and have their house for rent the new family that moves in has three girls. The boys want their friends back so they start a war on the girls. The girls fight back when school comes. They play all sorts of tricks on each other. The book is intriguing and keeps me guessing at the turns. It is funny and hooks me onto the series. I love this book and I hope you do to if you read it.


Thanks, Reid! You have really scored big, not only on the game but also with me. The Boys vs Girls series are one of my all-time favorites and I hope you read all of them. You will smile, laugh and keep guessing a lot. If you'd like to see what I've said about them, click on the "Boys vs Girls"  tab under this post. Ms Reynolds was also nice enough to give me an interview and answer some questions about those books--check out that interview here.

Right. Let's check the new standings:
REID--10 points
GRAM--2 points
JUDE--1 point

Look at that! Reid just keeps burning them in like Steph Curry! Is there any stopping him? Well, there is still time to send in more reviews, boys! Got some more, Gram? Jude? Reid? Anyone else? The final NCAA Tournament game is tonight  (GO CAROLINA!) but you have until midnight tomorrow night, that's April 5, to send more reviews and earn more points. We deserve to have an epic finish to the March Madness of Reading Contest!!

More Shots (including a Three-Pointer) and A New Friend! The Excitements Builds!

Hey, guys, this is me, Iron Guy Carl, back to post the latest results for the March Madness of Reading Contest. Sorry this took me so long but I was gone for a week for Spring Break vacation. Now I'm back and am exited to share these new reviews with you.

The first is from our friend Reid. He has been lighting up the boards like Michael Jordan in his prime

Spy School by Stuart Gibbs is about a kid named Ben Ripley who goes into CIA school and is trained to be a spy. He is taught to do all sorts of things. He makes a friend named Murray. But then a mole is in the school. The mole tries to kill Ben but fails when hiring an assassin. The crook tries and tries. Then Ben makes a girlfriend who helps him from the danger.
I love this book because it keeps me on the edge of my seat and guessing at the turns. Also it has a lot to do with friendships. I like how the author in this book describes it very very well so it is like I am the character.
But do you think Ben and his girlfriend, Erica can catch the mole fast enough before one of them gets captured? Read the book to see!!

Thanks, Reid! I've heard some good things about this book, especially from our good friend, Ms. Yingling. This book is a series now--I'd love to hear what you think about the other two.

But wait--there's more! Reid sent us another review--and it's of one of my favorites



Big Bad Ironclad by Nathan Hale is about the history of the Civil War and how the South and the North battled. I like it because it is a fun retelling of part of the Civil War. Also it is surprisingly a fiction story. They turn it into a fun comic so it is not so long and boring. In this book I learned to be persistent and have hope in bad times and you will end up on top. That is why I think this is a great book that you should read too. It is one of my favorites because it not only has one of my favorite lessons it is also funny. Also I learned a lot about the Civil War that I never knew about before. This book makes me want to read more in the series. I hope you read it too.


Oh, yeah! Oh,yeah! Thanks a bunch, Reid. I absolutely LOVE these Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales graphic novels. (see my review here) They are fun, exciting and a good way to learn stories from history. (guess what, Reid--this story's not fiction! It really happened! The author just found a fun way to tell it) There are a least four books in this series, so, as the author says, read them all--if you dare!

But wait--there's even more!! We have a new review from a new friend. His name is Jude and he goes to Charlotte Lab school along with Gram. Let's see what Jude has read and liked:

My book is Treasure Hunters, Danger Down The Nile by James Patterson. This book is about these two twins and their big sister and brother on a journey to find their missing parents. Their last name was Kidds. Through the journey they realize that their parents went missing on purpose. The kidds have enemies along the way like this dude named Nathan Collier. In the end the Kidds are in China to talk the Chinese people to give them the treasure. The Kidds found treasure that belonged to the Chinese culture to free their mom and find their dad. The Kidds are famous because there father was a famous treasure hunter. I like the book because it has adventure. 

Thanks, Jude! James Patterson writes really exciting books and guys enjoy them. To be honest, the Iron Guy has not read any of them but that may have to change.

OK--let's update the standings. But before I do, let me point something out. If you go back to the rules of this contest, you'll see that a review of any of the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales graphic novels are worth three points. So, in light of that, here are the new standings:
REID--7 POINTS
GRAM--2 points
JUDE--1 point

Right now Reid has a commanding lead but that could change at any time. After all, Kansas got upset in the NCAA tournament and some people expected them to win it all. So, will Reid hold on to his lead or will Gram burn in a few more and change the score? Or will Ladd come up from behind? Oh, the excitement mounts! Remember that you have through April 5. That means Tuesday. I'll accept reviews all through that day, which is the day after the final game of the tourney. Plenty of time for more excitement! The Final Four is on tonight but the thrills of the March Madness of Reading Contest continues for three more days!

Prizes for the March Madness of Reading Contest!

Hey, guys, things have been busier than an NBA offical counting Steph Curry 3-point shots, so I haven't had a chance to post what the prizes will be for the March Madness of Reading Contest. I bet you're wondering, so let me tell you:

FIRST PLACE:  A set of Star Wars Blueprints posters--very cool!
And Out From Boneville, the first in the Bone graphic novel series (it's an awesome series!)









SECOND PLACE: A 20Q handheld game and the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. All guys love the Wimpy Kid books and this is a fun game.









THIRD PLACE: A "Joust Read" T-shirt and The Maze of Bones,
the first in The 39 Clues series, which is also awesome and all guys love.





GREAT STUFF! And it can be yours by sending in reviews. If you have any questions about how the contest works, click here. OK? Let's heat up that competiton, guys and see who will get the fabulous prizes in the MARCH MADNESS OF READING!

Gram Burns Another Shot!

Hey, guys, things are heating up in the March Madness of Reading Contest! We have another review from our friend Gram, who is lighting up the boards like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on a hot streak. This time he's sent us a review of a Rick Riordan book--and all guys know how great Rick Riordan's books are! Let's see what Gram has to say:

The Red Pyramid

By: Gram Chambers
Written by: Rick Riordan

The Red Pyramid is about two ordinary (not really) siblings that have been separated their whole life after their mom dies. Carter travels the world with their dad the Egyptologist  while Sadie lives with their grandparents in London. Then on Christmas Eve the only day their dad is allowed to see Sadie he takes them to a museum where they figure out that their dad is a magician and he exploded the Rosetta Stone (a famous Egyptian relic) and releases the Egyptian Gods. Then he gets banished to the duat (sort of like a prison) by Set the evil God. I like this book because it is full of suspense.

Thanks, Gram! You are right--this book has lots of suspense. Plus humor. Plus action. Plus mystery and incredible magic and evil villains and desperate fights and all the things guys love in books. The Red Pyramid is really good and you all would enjoy it. So rush right over to your local library and check it out!

This means that Gram is still in the lead with two points now. But there's still plenty of time for all you readers guys to send in your reviews. So let's hear from the rest of you out there. especially you fellow students of Gram at the Park Road Montessori school. And especially you boys at the Charlotte Lab school, to whom I came and talked a couple of weeks ago. Send in those reviews! Tell us what you've read and liked! (don't forget--it can be graphic novels, nonfiction and biographies too) Let's keep the excitement going!! PS--click here if you need to see how the contest works)

Our First Shot in the the March Madness Contest!

Yes, guys, the excitement begins! We have our first book review for the March Madness of Reading Contest (right as the ACC Championship Tournament is underway) and it's from our good friend Gram, who sent us a review back in December. Let's see what Gram has read and liked:

The Fellowship of the Ring

By: Gram Chambers

Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien

The Fellowship of the Ring is about some hobbits named Frodo, Merry, Sam, and Pippin, a wizard named Gandalf and man named Aragorn also called Strider. Frodo has a secret ring that can make him invisible. Frodo and the hobbits first set out for Rivendell where they find Gandalf , an elf  and a Dwarf. Frodo and the rest of the company travel to Mordor and come out missing their Wizard.. Then the company gets split up Merry and  Pippin get captured by Orks, Frodo and Sam continue the journey alone, and Aragorn and two others search for the captured hobbits.  I liked this book because it is full of twists and turns.

Thanks, Gram! I can't tell you and all the other boys how great this book is! In fact, the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy may be my favorite read of all time! There's danger, magic, creepy bad guys, more magic, excitement, chases, beauty, humor, battles--well, you get the idea. The Lord of the Rings has it all!! This book is the first in that trilogy and may be a little slow starting off (though I don't think so) but after Frodo faces the creepy Riders and gets wounded, the story really takes off. 

The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien--go get it, guys! You will LOVE it!!


OK, this means that GRAM is the first guy with a point on the board. As I said in the post before this, in which I explain the points system, all reviews are worth ONE POINT. Some reviews are worth more because those books are longer or need more attention. So if you want more points per review, check out some of those. But right now, GRAM is in the lead. So come on guys, send in those reviews and let's heat up the excitement at the MARCH MADNESS OF READING CONTEST!!

March Madness of Reading Contest--2016 Style!

 
 
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Greetings, greetings, enthusiastic greetings, all reader guys everywhere! Today is March 1 and that's a glorious day for me. Why? Because it means the NCAA Men's basketball tournament, otherwise known as March Madness, happens this month! This is one of the great sports events of the year and it's exciting every time. Each year there are thrilling games. Each year there are stunning upsets. Each year some unknown Cinderella team comes up from nowhere and, even for a moment, startles the whole world. And, in the last few years, the teams that ended up in the finals were NOT the teams everyone predicted. It's great! The games are exciting and a party atmosphere fills the country. Therefore, in honor of this great event, I'm going to hold a MARCH MADNESS OF READING contest. This will be a lot of fun--you get to read cool books and three guys will win prizes from our ultra-cool prize box. (What prizes? More about that in another post!) The contest starts now and will continue through April 5. I'll announce the winners soon after that.

The rules are simple--you write in book reviews and you get points. The three guys with the most points at the end of the month win. As I said, simple. You could write about any book, fiction or nonfiction. Or a graphic novel. Or a biography. (I'll tell you how to send in your reviews in a minute) Every book review is worth at least one point. Got that? Each review is worth at least ONE POINT.

But then, there are some books that I don't think get enough attention. So, each review of one of the following books is worth TWO POINTS:

Any book in the Brixton Brothers series by Mac Barnett

Any book in the Alvin Ho series by Lenore Look

    Any book in the Boys vs Girls series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

    Or any of the Lunch Lady graphic novels

    Or any one of the three Fangbone graphic novels

    Or the nonfiction book Stubby: The War Dog

Got that? OK, I've got more. There are some longer books that also don't get enough love. Each review of one these is worth THREE POINTS:

Any of the truly great Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales graphic novels

Any book in the Leviathan trilogy by the talented Scott Westereld

Lincoln: A Photobiography by the great Russell Freedman

Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by the terrific Alan Silberberg

But wait--there's more! I have three favorites that really should be read more often. They are much longer, all three are older and a bit harder but not that difficult. And they are GREAT STORIES!!

                                                                                             

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (one of The Books Every Guy Should Read)    

The Yearling by Marjorie Keenan Rawlings (an epic story of growing up in the Florida wilderness)

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (the greatest pirate story of all time)                    

                       

All right, ready to start reading and sending in your reviews? Good. Here's what you do:

1. Go to the "Comments" area under this post or any post.

2. Type up your review in the blank space under where it says "Leave your comment." Be sure to give us the book's title, its author, a BRIEF summary of the plot and why you did or didn't like the book. Don't just say, "This book was cool"; tell us WHY you liked it.

3. Here's the tricky part--under the Comments area is a place that says "Choose an Identity." It gives you a choice of signing up with a Google account, an Open ID account, or you could use a name and a URL or you could be anonymous. (I wish you wouldn't be anonymous; how would I know who to give the prize to?) You DON'T have to create a Google account! And you DON'T have to use Open ID. The best thing, if you've never written to us before, is to use the Name/URL option. You don't have to put in a URL but we would appreciate leaving your name--either your full name or your first name or you could make up a name. (like Turkeyhead) 

Or, if this gets too confusing, type up your reviews and bring or send them to me at the Myers Park library. And if you have any questions or don't understand something, call me at 704-416-5800 or come by the Myers Park library and see me.

I'll post the reviews and points at least once a week. OK? Then get going and may the best guy win!!!

PS--if you want to see some of the past March Madness contests, click here and here and here.