Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen...

...is one terrific book! It's a quick read, the story moves right along, and there's enough action, suspense, and surprises to satisfy any guy. If you really enjoy reading, this is the book for you. If you're what the grownups call a reluctant reader (which means you'd rather take a beating with a very large tree limb than pick up a book), then this book is also for you!

Here's the story--It's the time of the American Revolutionary War. 13-year-old Samuel lives with his parents in a little settlement in the Pennsylvania woods. They've heard stories of British soldiers attacking Concord, but that seems a long way off. Then, one day while he's out hunting, Samuel sees a column of smoke. When he realizes it's coming from where his home would be, he runs back to find...well, you'll just have to read to find out!! But I guarantee that you'll get caught up in the action!! This book grabs hold of you and makes you sit down and turn pages until the very end. You REALLY want to know what happens to our young hero. And, when you see what he goes through, you'll understand how much of a hero he becomes! Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen--this is one that you should not miss!!

BTW, I'd recommend this book to our older reader guys. War is, by its nature, rough and brutal and the Revolutionary War was one of the roughest and most brutal. Although there isn't much graphic violence, what you read is startling. And some of it is very sad. That what war is, guys, and we do well to remember that.

And we also do well to remember the sacrifices that people like Samuel made. Even though this is a fictional story, there were a great many brave people who endured hardships in the Revolutionary War. We have the right to read what we like because of them. Don't forget!!

"Danger Is Our Life": The Tale of a Heroic Nerd

Our friends at the Guys Read blog turned me on to a site called Guys Lit Wire (another really good blog about boys' reading--although it's mostly for middle-school guys) which coined the phrase "heroic nerd". They define heroic nerds as "men so driven by the urge to know, to see and understand, they make bold, mad leaps into uncharted territory." They were talking about Thor Heyerdahl and his crew, scientists who, never having sailed before, built rafts made of reeds and went 4300 miles across the Pacific to prove a theory. Well, I just read a short but good book called The Last River: John Wesley Powell and the Colorado River Exploring Expedition by Stuart Waldman about such a man. John Wesley Powell was the first person to canoe the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Was he a Heroic Nerd? You bet!! He was a college geology professor who was determined to explore the Green River and Colorado River just because no one had done it before. Why not? Because they were so full of rocks, rapids, and dangerous waters that no one, not even the Native Americans who lived there, dared to try. And the most incredible part? John Wesley Powell had only one arm!!

Yes, he lost his right arm in the Civil War but didn't let it stop him. On May 24, 1869 he and his crew set out on wooden canoes to travel a completely unexplored area of the West, through unknown canyons and down unknown rivers, where they had no idea what rapids might be ahead. If anyone got hurt, ran out of food or supplies, well, they were in the middle of the American desert and many, many miles from anyone. AND they made this trip in the middle of summer when the temperature could reach 115 degrees!! How anyone could make that expedition AND survive in nothing short of UNBELIEVABLE!! Stuart Waldman has written a short but realy good book and Gregory Manchess has created illustrations that will make your jaw drop--especially that picture in the middle of the book of the Grand Canyon. PLUS--This book has a very cool feature; the title page folds out and displays a map that stays out while you read the book. That way you can follow the map as you read the story!Plus there are excerpts from the crew's journals and photos taken when JWP went back and explored that area again. PLUS there's a link to a website that shows 400 photos taken on those trips. Can't wait to see them!

This is a good one, guys! Don't miss it!!!

Carl

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

Lord Vader Speaks Again! (So Does Carl)

Lord Vader's really been busy lately! Here's another couple of books he's liked:

My two for tonight are fairly short books. The first is Star Wars: Last of the Jedi - Jude Watson. I love any type of lightsaber action. Ferus Olin is a Jedi trying to help the resistance while he has to work for Palpatine. I liked Flame also.

My second book was more of a graphic novel. It was "All That Pikachu - Hideki Sonoda. It had a cool Pokemon called Charzard in it. It had two stories in there - both featuring Pikachu. It also had a Pokemon called Onix.
Speaking in an event tone now, I went to the Take Off event at the library today and it was awesome. I loved the cool experiment with the dizzy pain reliever and the film cap that burst off the canister. Mine almost hit the roof.

Mikie a.k.a. Lord Vader

Glad you had a good time, Mikie. I got to see you there! There was a lot of fun stuff to do. We have lots of cool events at Imaginon.

I've got another series for you guys--it's the Island trilogy by Gordon Korman. Wow! Were these books exciting! They're about 6 kids with behavior problems who are sent off to a rehab program called Chartng A New Course in which they spend all their time at sea, learning teamwork and better behavior. But the boat sinks, the captain is gone, and the kids wash up on a deserted island with no food, no shelter, and no supplies. They don't know where they are and there's no way to communicate with home. Could you survive under those conditions? Can they? I tore through each book, wondering what would happen to those kids. So will you!

The three books in this trilogy are: Shipwreck, Survival, and Escape.

Let me tell also you about a brand-new book I've just started, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. It's really different; a combination of chapter book and wordless book. Yeah, that's right--sometimes the words tell the story and sometimes the pictures do. It's really, really good so far. I'll tell you more next week. Have a great weekend and keep reading!
Carl

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