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!

Now for Something Really Big!!!!!

My Morning Make A Jedi Cry Ritual!!!!!

Hello all,
It is I, the great and Noble Sith Lord Darth Bill. I have been busy and away from the blog far too long, it appears. Let me address some issues that have arisen while I have been away:

1) Sir Samuel, if I were a mere Jedi I'm sure I would accept your gracious apology. As I am not a cowardly Jedi or Jedi friend, I find myself jiggling with glee that I have reduced you to that oh-so-sad apologetic state. Dear boy, never, ever apologize to a Sith. I am amused by your lack of knowledge in the ways of the dark side. If anyone else feels the need to apologize or grovel at my feet, please feel free to do so as I do enjoy it all so much! Hahahahahahahahahahaahhaahhahahahhahahhhhahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahha!!!!
Oh, I do slay me!

2) Bravo and Hip, Hip Hooray to Mr. Kimmel (I do so love his book "Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock." He has a great Sithish Sense of humor, I would dare say!) and Mr. Abbott (his "Secrets of Droon" series I am about to start reading. I have heard nothing but good things about them! I wonder if they have in Sith Lords in them? Hum?) for sharing some cool info with us about themselves.

The Sleepmaster - Fighting Crime Before Bedtime!!!

3) I gotta tell ya; I am so disappointed in one Jedi Sympathiser that goes by the name of Mr. Carl. Yes, I think we all know who I am talking about. We recently had a little get together here at the library to celebrate the holidays. Everyone was here for the most part except--guess who? If you said Carl you would be 100% correct. What was his excuse you ask? Was he fighting crime in his costumed identity as "The Sleepmaster?" Noooooooooooooo!!!!! Was he saving the Earth by recycling insane amounts of plastic soda bottles!!!!! Nooooooooooooooooooo!!! What was his grand and stupendous excuse? He was sleepy and tired!!!!!! That's right at 6:00 p.m. Carl had over stayed his bedtime limit!!!! I gotta say guys this is lamo!!!!!!!!!! He must of had Jedi training in his youth; disgusting I tell ya!!!!!!!

Well now, I really want to talk about one of our new books that I know you cats will dig:

If Dinosaurs were Alive Today by Dougal Dixon - This a a really cool book in many ways. Not only does it give you an Overview of the Story of the Dinosaurs, Lives of the Plant-Eaters, Lives of the Man-Eaters, Lives of the Ocean-Dwellers, Lives of the Flying Reptiles, The End of the Dinosaurs, among many other interesting factoids, but it also hypothesizes through really cool writing and great pictures, like the one on the cove, what life in the here and now would be if some of these great beasts lived today. Some examples shown and written about are: a Tyrannosaurus surprising and attacking a heard of Wild Cattle; a Rhino facing off with a Styracosaurs and many, many more. This is a truly awesome book that needs to be read and looked at to really be appreciated.

Well, peace everyone and have a great holiday season,

Bill "The Kidder" Librarian

Meeting the Man Behind Droon (and I didn't have to go under any stairs!)

Hey, everyone, I had a real treat tonight. I got to meet Tony Abbot, author of the Secrets of Droon books. He's a very friendly guy. I told him about the blog and maybe he'll write to us! He'll be here at our WordPlay Saturday event, along with Jeff Smith, creator of the Bone graphic novels, and several others. Click here to find out about WordPlay Saturday (there will be a lot of fun stuff) and click here to see which authors will be there.

I'll fill you in on a couple of books that I like a whole, whole lot. One is Qwerty Stevens Stuck In Time With Benjamin Franklin by Dan Gutman. What if you had a report on the American Revolution due in less than a hour? What if, instead of typing on a computer, you'd sat down to your genius friend's Anytime, Anywhere Machine, which could bring back people from any time in history? And what if you accidentally brought back Benjamin Franklin? And took him to school with you? It gets better--what if some loser guy found out about the Anytime Anywhere Machine and sent himself back into time to make himself King of America? Could you stop him? Could even Benjamin Franklin stop him? You'll find out if you read this funny and exciting book!

The other is another great true story. It's Marooned: The Strange but True Adventures of Alexander Selkirk, the Real Robinson Crusoe by Robert Kraske. You've heard of Robinson Crusoe, right? The original Survivor? Stranded on a desert island by himself for years? Well, it turns out that the story really happened to a Scottish sailor named Alexander Selkirk. He was left alone on Juan Fernandez Island (360 miles west of South America) for four years! Incredible! But he had even more adventures after that! This is a short book but one that will hold your attention through every page. More proof that History Is Not Boring!

Well, that's my contribution for tonight. Bill is working on a really great post that should be up soon. Hope to see you at WordPlay Saturday!
And don't forget my challenge!
Carl

Another One Gets a Book

Here we go, guys. We have another boy who has written a comment and claimed his free book. This is Thomas, who wrote to us way back on June 21. (Go to our Archives and click on "June" to see what he said) Way to go, Thomas!

Hey, here's a head's up for an event coming in October. I know that's a long way off, but it's a cool event--it's the WordPlay Saturday that the library puts on every year as part of its Novello Festival of Reading. WordPlay Saturday is really fun and there's a lot to do, but the real reason I'm telling you about it now is because there are going to be some terrific authors there. There will be Tony Abbot, who writes the Secrets of Droon, Jeff Smith, who does the Bone graphic novels, and Wendelin Van Draanen, famous for the Shredderman books. They (and several other authors and illustrators) will be at the Book Brunch on WordPlay Saturday at 9:30 am. You can meet them, ask them questions, and get books signed later on that day. To find out more about WordPlay Saturday, click here. To see a list of the authors and illustrators who will be there, click here.