Unstoppable: Countdown--More 39 Clues Thrills!

As I said in a post back in my February 27 post, everything stops when a new 39 Clues book comes out. And there's a good reason--these books are full of action, suspense and exotic locations. Plus more than a few laughs. Just the kind of things guys are looking for in their books. And Unstoppable: Countdown by Natalie Standiford is another sure-fire winner in this third series of the adventures of the Cahill clan.

Amy and Dan Cahill, along with their friends Jake and Atticus Rosenbloom, are on their way to Guatemala to find the next ingredient for the Cahill serum antidote and it's tremendously important that they find all the ingredients. Why? Because J. Rutherford Pierce, the media giant, has taken the Cahill serum and become the strongest, cleverest and most charming person on earth. Now he's determined to become President of the US--and, as one character notes, from there it's only a short step to dictator. The only hope is to put together the antidote. But Pierce's muscular, serum-enhanced goons are everywhere and there are many more of them than there are friends of Dan and Amy. And Pierce also has a factory that looks like it's going to mass-produce serum for an army of henchmen. Nellie Gomez, Dan and Amy''s au pair and co-conspirator against Pierce, has infiltrated that factory, posing as an organic chemistry expert. But how long can she keep up the ruse? Pierce is sure to find out--then what happens? And then Amy has to face the unthinkable choice--Dan's life is in extreme danger and the only solution is to take the vial of Cahill serum hidden in her backpack, even though the serum kills you within a week. Will she do it?? 

Oh, man, you've got to read to find out!! I really enjoyed every thrilling moment of this book and you will too. It's got everything you like about this terrific series and packs a strong emotional punch too, especially with the tension between Amy, Dan, Jake and Atticus. And this book perfectly sets up the next and, I think, the last book in this series. At the end, things become so bad for the Cahills that there may not be a way out. Pierce may really and truly be unstoppable. Then what becomes of the rest of the world? As I said, you've got to read this one!

And be sure to check out the 39 Clues website for more fun and Cahill info. AND be sure to write to us in the Comment section underneath this post if you're a 39 Clues fan--or write us a review in the Comment section if you've read any of the 39 Clues books!

Great Civil War Nofiction for Guys

Let me tell you about one of my favorite obsessions. It started way back in 1994. A friend gave me a copy of The Battle Cry of Freedom, a one-volume history of the Civil War. (it's very good but also long and written for grownups) Like most guys, I had taken American History in school and thought I knew all about the conflict between the states. But, while reading that book, I was amazed at how much I didn't know. And I was much further amazed at all the stories I didn't know about. Tales of courage, heroism, and incredible endurance.Stories like soldiers marching through icy rivers with icicles forming on them. Or the First Minnesota at Gettysburg, the 262 Union soldiers who charged into 1200 Confederates to keep  the Confederates from breaking through a hole in the lines. Or the story of The Angel of Marye's Heights at the battle of Fredericksburg, the Confederate soldier who took water to wounded Union soldiers, even when he was being shot at. The more I read, the more stories I found and became hooked on reading about Civil War history. I've recently read some terrific books about the CW and liked them so much that I wanted to tell you about them--not to mention it's in keeping with my 2014 resolution to share more nonfiction with all you boys.

You Wouldn't Want to be a Civil War Soldier: A war You'd Rather Not Fight by Thomas Ratliff, illustrated by David Antram
What a great book! It's one of the You Wouldn't Want to Be...series which covers everything from Ancient Greek athletes to sailing on the Titanic to climbing Mount Everest. This one covers the Civil War from beginning to end, telling what life was like for Union and Confederate soldiers (hints: take baths in the summer and try not to get captured), covers all the major battles (including a list at the end of the Top 10 Bloodiest Battles) and shows what types of weapons soldiers would use. It's a good introduction to the Civil War but would also be fun to read for CW fans like me. Plus the illustrations are terrific! Humorous, yet capturing all the horror of a real war. It was a great read but, after finishing it, I really would not want to have been a CW soldier!

What Was the Battle of Gettysburg? by Jim O'Connor, illustrated by John Mantha
Another great read, good for both the novice CW reader or long-time fan. Lots of good info about the most famous battle of the Civil War, as well as about its leaders. Plus a section of truly cool photos from that time! And a truly touching letter the the author's ancestor who actually fought in that battle! This book is good for the experienced reader or what the grownups call "reluctant readers."And it would be good for a school report or just some fun and interesting reading. PS--if you like this one, check out other books in the "What Was.." series of nonfiction or the "Who Was..." series of biographies. Those books fly off our shelves here at the library!


Civil War Forts by Victor Brooks (part of the Untold History of the Civil War series)
The title grabbed me. Think about it--forts, guns, cannons. Sounds cool to me. I thought this would be just a description of CW forts but was amazed to find another book of cool stories. Just wait until you read about Major Robert Anderson being trapped inside Fort Sumter or General Grant's attacks on Forts Henry and Donaldson in the middle of winter or the 54th Massachusetts, an African-American unit, attacking the Confederate Fort Wagner or how the youngest general in the U. S. army stormed Fort Fisher. Really exciting stuff!




Big Bad Ironclad: A Civil War Steamship Showdown--written and illustrated by Nathan Hale
I've saved the best for last. Man. Oh. Man. What a truly terrific book!!! It's one of the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series of graphic novels. The idea is that Nathan Hale, the Revolutionary War Patriot who was caught and hanged by the British as a spy, had actually fallen into a big book of American history and knows the future of his country. He talks the British officer and the hangman into not hanging him (for now) if tells them stories about the future history of the US. In this one, he tells them about the Civil War and how both the Union and Confederacy will build naval ships out of iron instead of wood. (shocking!) He also goes on to tell the story of the Monitor and the Merrimack. (more appropriately called the Virginia--as he keeps reminding us) Furthermore, he tells some truly exciting and amazing stories about mischievous William Cushing, who was kicked out of naval school for drawing pictures of his teachers but learned his lesson and went on to become a true hero. What great stories! What great thrills along with great laughs! And what great artwork! I enjoyed this book more than any other I've read this year and can't wait to find more in this series. GO GET IT, GUYS!!! (PS--the writer/artist's name really is Nathan Hale, just like the Patriot spy)

In fact, go and check out all these books. You'll find out that, despite what some people may tell you, history is not boring!

One More Week for Grossness!

Greetings, guys, and fans of grossness everywhere! (and "guys" and "fans of grossness" usually mean the same thing) The Iron Guy likes to use this blog to spread the word about terrific books but this time he's going to let you all know about a truly cool display here at the Myers Park library, the Iron Guy's home base. One of our librarians who specializes in grownup books took a grownup display area to make something that GUYS would appreciate. It's-----GROSSOLOGY!

 Yes, this whole display is devoted to books about all things vile and disgusting. In other words, stuff that GUYS would want to read about! But there's one catch--this display will be up for only one more week. Yes, I know, that's not much time. My bad! But if you can get here before next Thursday, these shelves will still be full of icky stuff--I mean, books about icky stuff. Now, some of these books have been checked out since this picture was taken but don't worry--they have been replaced with plenty more! So come on over and get them before they're cleaned out. Hey--I just made a joke--gross stuff; cleaned out!!! Hahahahahaha!!!

By the way, here's a shout out to Carolyn, the librarian who thought of this display.

THANKS, CAROLYN!!

Great Reads for Younger Guys

One of my Iron Guy Resolutions for 2014 was to check out some good books for the younger readers guys. This blog is dedicated to middle school guys--that is, guys from 9 to 12 (or 14) years old. But, around January, I realized that I rarely mention books for guys younger than that. They need to find terrific books too, so, in true MANLY MAN fashion, I searched until I found some. Here are a few of the things I've read and liked:
  
The Crazy Case of Missing Thunder by the wonderful Tony Abbott.
It's the first of the Goofballs mystery series and how could you not love a series called Goofballs? and how do you know if you're a Goofball? If you stick french fries in your nose and ears, run over to your friend's house in your underwear or squirt cheese at each other. And that's just waht Jeff, Mara, Brian and Kelly do. They also love to solve mysteries, so when Randall Crandall, the richest kid in town, loses his horse, he naturally calls on the Goofballs. But how do you find a missing horse? And what's the connection with the flower shop and the Pizza Disaster? This is a fun read and a good introduction for younger reader guys to mysteries.

Captain Cold's Arctic Eruption by Jane Mason and illustrated by Dan Schoening, Mike DeCarlo, and Lee Loughridge
A volcano threatens to erupt and destroy a tropical resort island. The Flash knows only one person who could help--the infamous villain Captain Cold. The Flash appeals to Captain cold's vanity--the villain could get lots of glory for saving the island. Captain Cold agrees and together they work to stop the eruption. Or do they? Can a villain ever be trusted?

Battle of the Blue Lanterns by Michael Acampora and illustrated by Dan Schoening
Just as Hal Jordan, lies down on a hammock for a much-needed vacation (saving the universe all the time is hard work), his Lantern ring sends out a message for a new mission--the deadly Manhunter robots are attacking a human city on Nokyo One and Hal is the closest Green Lantern. So he sets off, finds the Manhunters and gets into an epic battle, only to have his ring's power level go down to one percent. Then, suddenly--no, I won' tell you! You'll have to read it for yourself. Ha, ha!! Bet you'll find it now!

Both of these books had lots of action and the stories moved right along. And the illustrations arew good and there are places with real graphic-novel style lettering. A good cross between a chapter book and a graphic novel.

Mrs. Noodlekugel by Daniel Pinkwater and illustrated by Adam Stower
It's not unusual for Nick and Maxine to live in "A tall building, with one apartment stacked on top of another," but it is unusual to for Maxine to stand with her head in a corner and see a "little old-fashioned house" in a whole street of tall apartment buildings. It's even more unusual for that house to have a cat as a butler! And wait until you see how they make cookies in that house! This is a really cute story. Now truly MANLY MEN don't usually do cute but this book also has Daniel Pinkwater's offbeat sense of humor--just wait until you meet the far-sighted mice! I enjoyed it a lot and can't wait to get the next one, Mrs. Noodlekugel and the Four Blind Mice.
 
All right, guys, go check these out for younger younger brothers and cousins and friends. Who knows--you might like them too!

It Has Begun (a Blast From the Past)

What has begun? March Madness, Baayyybeee!!! Oh, I just love this time of year! This is one event that never, ever fails to thrill and surprise. Every year there are close, down-to-the last-few-seconds games. Every year the great players show why they're great and unknown players achieve greatness. Every year some low-seeded team upsets a big-name giant. And, because of that, my brackets go right out the---

 

Yep, I had Duke going to the final game (against Virginia) and NC State going a couple of rounds. Good thing my guys from Carolina won last night. It's pretty obvious I'm an ACC fan, right?

Anyway, in honor of March Madness, I'm going to do a Blast From the Past and repost something I've written before. This time it's a review of two good nonfiction books about playing the roundball game that I wrote back in June 2013.

"These are good, basic books about how to play the game. Fundamental Basketball covers everything from the history of the game to how to shoot jump shots to the size of the backboard! Basketball Step by Step

also covers the basics of scoring, equipment, players and court and the different team positions. But, more importantly, it shows how the techniques of offensive and defensive play by giving multiple photographs that demonstrate each move step by step.Both would be useful for the novice player or the veteran looking to sharpen his (or her) skills. Really recommended."

OK, guys, get these books, practice your free throws and cheer for your team!

We're Honored to Be a Best Blog

Look here, guys! We've been honored by Middle Shelf Magazine, an online magazine about middle grade books, with a Best of the Blogs Award for 2014!!!!

 The Iron Guy is actually speechless. I'm very touched, so all I can says is "Thank you," to Middle Shelf Magazine. And to all you boys who've read this blog and written in those terrific reviews. And to all you grownups who've supported us over the years. And especially to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library for letting me tell you about terrific books these seven years and providing all those books to all you readers.

Thanks again and check out the Middle Shelf site here and look at pages 52-53--and be sure to check out the other blogs as well.

Proof Positive of the Creativity of GUYS!

Greetings, guys and fans of language and creativity everywhere. A lot of people say that boys don't like to read; this blog is dedicated to proving them wrong. A lot of people also say that boys have no love of language, no creativity and no ability to express themselves in words. Well, I don't believe that either. Give a boy a blank space and some letters and, in a very short time, he will come up with something truly unique.
And now I have proof--no, I have more than proof--of what I say. I have photographic evidence

We recently got one of those boards for the library that you can put magnetic letters on. Of course, most
of the time the little kids use those boards but last Saturday four middle-grade boys came to the library to hear the great Thomas Tillman do an African drumming program.

BTW, if he ever comes to a library near you, go see him! He's terrific! Anyway, after the program, someone told me that one of the four boys (who is not in the picture) had written something with the letters on the magnetic board and I should see it. I couldn't wait--I knew that this fellow had used all his creativity to write something original, something amazing, something so distinct that only a guy would think of it. And here it is:

See there? Something only a GUY would say!

And they say boys don't know how to use the English language!

And I'm following their advice. (camera may not be close enough to see my arm hairs)

Well done, guys!