Another Review from Gram!

Let me take a break from all of the celebrating for Beverly Cleary's 100th birthday and share the latest review from our good friend Gram. This was originally going to be for the March Madness of Reading Contest but things didn't work out. That's OK--we'd rather hear from Gram later than not at all! Let's hear what he has to say:

The Throne of Fire book 2

Written by: Gram Chambers

Book By: Rick Riordan

The Throne of Fire is about Carter and Sadie two young magicians following the path of the Egyptian Gods. The chaos snake Apophis is going to break free of his prison in the Duat a magical realm. But the Only God that can stop him is Ra the old sun god who was weak and retired even deeper in the Duat. Carter and Sadie have to search the world to find the book of returning Ra and then travel deep into the Duat and search for him and battle many monsters and gods who do not want him to come back. I like this book because it is full of adventure and action.

Thanks, Gram! If you like action and adventure (and what guy doesn't!), this is the book for you. Monstrous villains, dangerous travels though magical realms, with lots of humor thrown in--this series is really worth your time. 

But don't take just my word for it. This book has been recommended by a BOY, just like YOU! 

Our friend GRAM

So, not only did the Iron Guy like it but so did one of your fellow boys. A book enjoyed by a MANLY MAN like the Iron Guy and guy like Gram--what better recommendation could you ask for? That means that The Throne of Fire truly is--

Guy Tested--GUY APPROVED!!

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)

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods--The Second Terrific Book of the Season

Hey, you truly rocking reader guys, you may remember that I said that I love this time of year because that's when the coolest books come out. As proof of how right I was, I offer as evidence Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by the incomparable Rick Riordan. This is one TERRIFIC book that guys everywhere will enjoy. If you're a Percy Jackson fan, like me, this is the book you MUST read! And if you're not (and it's hard to imagine anyone who's not a Percy Jackson fan), this is still the book you've gotta read. It will make you laugh, thrill and choke and shudder at some of the stuff those old Greek gods did.

Where to start? There's so much good stuff to say. Well, why do we love the Percy Jackson books so much? Because of the action and the adventure. Yet there's one thing more. The one thing that Mr. Riordan does better than anyone else--the humor! And that's what this book has LOTS and LOTS of! This book is LOL with capital L's. I Laughed completely out Loud while reading this thing. So will you! I mean, just look at some of the title chapters--"The Golden Age of Cannibalism"---"Athena Adopts a Handkerchief"---"Apollo Sings and Dances and Shoots People"--"Dionysus Conquers the World with a Refreshing Beverage." How great are those? And then you get into the stories of those old Greek myths with heaps of Percy's trademark humor. For instance, when Demeter, the goddess of agriculture disguises herself as an old woman and takes care of a mortal baby. "She sang him nursery songs from Mount Olympus, like 'The Itsy-Bitsy Satyr' and 'I'm a Little Cyclops.'" Or when Apollo goes to slay Python, the giant snake and says:

"Yo, snake!"

Python opened his eyes. "What do you want?"

"To sing you a song about my awesomeness."

"Oh, please, just kill me now."

"Okay!"  Apollo drew his bow and shot the snake between the eyes.

There are so many more examples. Just wait until you hear Athena and Arachne trash talk either other before the weaving contest. But there's more than just humor. We must remember that these old myths were stories. There are still reasons we tell them thousands of years later. They are still great stories. They still excite and move us. We want to find out what happens next. Take a look at the story of Typhoeus. Or the story of Persephone. And no one tells a story like Mr. Riordan. This book will keep your attention, make you laugh, make you thrill, make you disgusted (some of those gods were disgusting--more about that in a minute) or do all those things at the same time. I haven't enjoyed a Rick Riordan book this much since I first read The Lightning Thief these many years ago and a whole new world of enjoyment opened up for me. This is it, guys! Get to your local library and check one out.

BTW, did I mention the totally great illustrations by the fantastic John Rocco, the guy who's done the Percy Jackson book covers? Well, he has created the absolutely perfect pictures for this book. Drama, awsomeness, creepiness, more awesomeness. That's what you'll see in these illustrations.

OK, I do need to add a NOTE TO THE YOUNGER READER GUYS AND OR THE GROWNUPS. If you are a seven or eight or even a nine-year old or if you're the parent of one, this may not be the book for you. These old Greek myths dealt with some revolting stuff, like the stories dealing with the Titans and their encounters with the gods. And the gods themselves were pretty disgusting at times, willing to transform poor mortals into yucky things or put them in awful tortures for the pickiest reasons. And they spent most of their time chasing around for...well, you know. The brilliant Mr. Riordan presents all those stories entirely appropriately for older kids. I'd call them PG rated. If you are or have a younger reader guy, you might want a book such as D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, a G-rated book and an oldie but goodie and maybe the best intro to Greek mythology for kids ever.


All that said, however, reading this book has been some of the most fun I've had all year and that's why it gets--

The Iron Guy Seal of Approval as One Terrific Book

(Not to mention it's a really big book and great for building up your muscles!)

The First Two Chapters of The Lost Hero--You GOTTA Read This!

The incredible Rick Riordan has done it again!! If you go to Rick Riordan's blog, (which you can find on the left-hand side of the page under "Links," you'll see a link to his new Heroes of Olympus site. If you click on the "About the Series" link, you'll see a "Sneak Peek" box. Click on that and you can read the first two chapters of The Lost Hero, the first book in the Heroes of Olympus series, which continues the adventures of the Camp Half Blood kids. Does Percy Jackson show up? Will you meet new campers? Well---you're just going to have to go there to find out!! I will tell you that you'll find all the excitement and humor you loved in the Percy Jackson books. If these two chapters are an indication of how the rest of the book will be, then this one will be un-believable!! The book comes out October 12 and the library will have copies. (although we may not have them on the shelves that day--it usually takes a while) I've got one on hold now!! CANNOT WAIT!!
PS--there's also a link to the book trailer--take a look here.

The Red Pyramid...

...is another winner from the mind of the great Rick Riordan. How does he do it??!! First he comes up with the Percy Jackson books and now this one. Well, I don't know how he keeps thinking up all these terrific books but I hope he never stops!

If you've been hiding under a large rock this last year, let me fill you in. The Percy Jackson books are based on Greek mythology and the Kane Chronicles (The Red Pyramid is the first book in that series) are from Egyptian mythology. In The Red Pyramid, the main characters are Carter and Sadie Kane. Their father is a famous Egyptologist but Carter and Sadie were separated when their mother died, so Carter travels around the world with his father while Sadie lives in London with her grandparents. When their father brings Carter with him to London for the annual Christmas visit, they notice he's acting strangely. He insists on taking them to the British Museum to see the Rosetta Stone but ends up chanting a spell that releases Set, the god of chaos. Set imprisons their father in a sarcophagus and then...well, you'll just to read to find out the rest, won't you? But let me tell you, it'll be one wild ride! There is slam-bang action, magic, killer villains, mysteries, characters with hidden agendas, secrets that come out slowly, and LOTS of humor. In other words, everything you expect form a Rick Riordan book! Plus, there are lots of things that blow up--a sure sign of a great guy book! Really, though, if you like adventure, thrills and laughs, this is the book for you!

BTW, here are a few extra thoughts:

There's a Kane Chronicles website. Check it out here.

Something to think about--some of the ancient Egyptian deities were just plain weird. Some were grotesque and may creep some guys out. Some of the bad guys' magic can be rather dark. If that sort of stuff bothers you (and it does bother some reader guys), keep this in mind when you get it.

Rick Riordan still comes up the best chapter titles anywhere. Some examples:

"I Drop a Little Man on His Head"

"I Face the Killer Turkey"

"When Fruit Bats Go Bad"

"I Have a Date with the God of Toilet Paper"

"Men Ask for Directions (and Other Signs of the Apocalypse)"

If these don't make you laugh, then you can't laugh!

Spandex City, Update on the Sluggers Giveaway, and New Rick Riordan Books Coming Soon!

Before Darth Bill left us to tyranize planets in the Outer Rim, he wrote about a new comics store. It's Spandex City and their grand opening is this Saturday, May 1. It looks like a very cool place--check out their website here. They'll give out free comics on Saturday (while they last) AND they'll donate 10% of their opening day sales to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library. So go see them, pick up some good stuff, and support the library! BTW, Darth Bill got a superhero to endorse the opening. Take a look:



On another subject, I've decided to add a little more incentive to the Sluggers giveaway. (see this post for all the details on the giveaway) Not only will I give a prize package to any guy who reads all 6 books in the Sluggers series, I'll give a mini-prize package after you've read the first two! Here's what you'll get:
A Quizno's bag, a coupon for free Quizno's food (but good only for the new one uptown), a "Catch the Reading Bug" water bottle, and maybe a couple of other goodies.

If you read all six you'll get--


--a "Be a Power User" library bag, a Book Lover's Journal, your choice of one of our t-shirts, and a couple of free books. Of course, you can't just tell me you've read the Sluggers books; you've got to prove it. And the best way is to send me reviews! This offer will be good all summer or until we run out of prizes.

Lastly, being Charlotte's #1 Rick Riordan fan, I'm very excited that The Red Pyramid comes out this Monday! It's the first book in the new Kane Chronicles series that brings ancient Egyptian mythology into the modern world. Of course, the library takes longer than bookstores to get copies on the shelves, but I'm on our waiting list! The newest 39 Clues book, The Emperor's Code, is already here and kids are checking them out. The last two, Storm Warning and Into the Gauntlet, come out this summer. We have endless discussions in our house about who can be trusted and what will happen to Amy and Dan. Plus the new Camp Half-Blood books arrive in October! The new series is called Heroes of Olympus and the first book is The Lost Hero. Read about all this stuff at Rick Riordan's blog or his main website. It's a good time to be a Rick Riordan fan!

The Red Pyramid Cover!

Behold, all you reader guys, the cover of the latest book from the mighty Rick Riordan! It's The Red Pyramid, the first in the Kane Chronicles. This book brings the ancient Egyptian immortals into the modern world, just as the Percy Jackson books did for the Greek myths. Doesn't this look cool? The book comes out on 5-24-10. CAN'T WAIT!!

Carl

If you want to learn more and read the first few paragraphs, click on this link.

Monstrumologist, Alex Rider, Mike Tahler, and the Kane Chronicles (by Rick Riordan!)

Hey, all reader guys, this is the very busy CARLMAN with a few quick items. First, our faithful follower Jana sent a note about Darth Bill's review of The Monstrumologist and the new Alex Rider book.

The Monstrumologist sounds really good but everyone talks so much about the gore I don't know if I can "stomach" reading it!

Are you as excited as I am about the newest Alex Rider (Crocodile Tears) coming out this week? As you might know from my earlier rave about young James Bond I have a thing for teenage boy spies, and Alex is about my favorite. Every boy I have recommended the Alex Rider books to have enjoyed them--almost as much as I have! I hope you have read them because I think the are the bomb.

Thanks, Jana! I have to confess that I haven't read any of the Alex Rider books and that's too bad. Everyone says they're great. Maybe I can read one after I catch up on the books I'm reading now.

Then we had a good time with author and funny guy Mike Thaler today. He read from a couple of his books, drew pictures, and told us how to make up riddles. Maybe he'll give us an interview one day. In the meantime, go get his Black Lagoon books! They're funny!

And we'll finish with some big news. Our friends at the Percyquest website posted a video of Rick Riordan at the Texas Book Festival, talking about his new Egyptian mythology series (called The Kane Chronicles) and reading from the first chapter! I listened to it and, man, I'm hooked already! Here you go:

The Last Olympian--Two Thumbs Up As High As They Will Go!!

Hey, everyone, this is the Great and Clumsy CARLMAN, reporting back to duty after falling off our loading dock last weekend. Yep, fell off a loading dock! Can you believe it? I was helping someone unload a few things out of a car when I suddenly stepped off the dock by accident. Fortunately, it wasn't very high and I didn't just fall right over. But I did twist my leg and had to take a few days off.

The only good thing was, once the constant pain eased, I finished The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. MAN. OH. MAN. What a story!! This is it--the final confrontation between the forces of Kronos and the Olympians. The trouble is that Poseidon is under the sea, battling the armies of the titan Oceanus, and the other Olympians are trying to stop Typhon, the most enormous giant possible, before he reaches New York. The only ones to stand between Mount Olympus and Kronos's massive army of monsters are Percy and his friends. Can these kids possibly stand against the Lord of Time? And to make things worse, there's a spy in the Half-Blood camp! How could it get any worse?

You will LOVE this book. There is so much action, monster fighting, and desperate battles that you won't be able to stop reading. And there's also the great Rick Riordan humor. Just wait until you meet the Party Ponies. Or see the giant in the playground who keeps saying, "Uh oh." Or witness the scenes between Demeter and Persephone. And, as always, Mr. Riordan pulls some major surprises. As when you find out what Nico's plan really is. Or when the spy is revealed. You'll never guess. Nope. You won't. I guarantee!

This is a great conclusion to a fantastic series. There are very few series that are so good that they become part of your life. The Lords of the Rings is one. Some say Harry Potter is another. (I haven't finished them) With The Last Olympian, the Percy Jackson series takes its place right with them. that's why this book deserves...

TWO THUMBS UP AS HIGH AS THEY WILL GO!!!

Rick Riordan--DA MAN!!!!

Hey, everybody, this is Carl with exciting news about where I went and who I saw this weekend. It was RICK RIORDAN, Mr. Percy Jackson! Mr. 39 Clues! I saw him in person in Raleigh, NC at Quail Ridge Books and Music. He was there for his Last Olympian book tour, so me, my wife, and our daughter took a little odyssey to see him. (Yes, I have a daughter. I've never mentioned her because it's just never come up. I've already said that I was married) We had a good time and Mr. Riordan is a genuinely nice man who is tremendously dedicated to his fans.

The event was at 7pm and the bookstore said not to come until 6 because there had been another author at 3. So we got there at 6 and it was already crowded. By 6:30 it looked like this:That's a lot of people! And this wasn't a huge store, either. I mean, it was good-sized but your average Barnes and Noble or Borders is two or three times as large. We all squeezed in closely and waited patiently.

Of course, there were kids in costume. Medusa was close by:

AND I got to hook up with two of our brother reader guys form the SMS Guys Read blog:

That's Doink the Clown on the left and Ricky "The Steamboat" Dragon on the right.

The heads of Guy Reading in North Carolina get togetherWe had a good time hanging out together and talking and waiting. And waiting. And waiting. But at 7pm, our patience was rewarded:

Sorry that the picture's dark. Mr. Riordan spoke and took questions for about 20 minutes. He told us about how he came up with the series, visiting the set of the Lightning Thief movie, and things like that. Then he dropped a couple of good-news bombs on us. First, there will be more Camp Half-Blood books! Mr. Riordan said that kids ask about certain characters and want to know what happens to them outside the camp season. Well, those types of questions get authors thinking and that gets them to writing. So we'll have new Camp Half-Blood adventures in the future. No, he didn't say when. And, no, Percy won't be the main character. He'll pop in as a senior adviser to the characters but that's all. Percy's earned a rest! THEN he told us about the NEW SERIES!! Mr. Riordan said that, outside of Greek mythology, the most popular school subject is ancient Egypt. Sooooooo-sometime next year, probably late winter or early spring, "The gods of ancient Egypt will invade the modern world." Wooo-hooo!! That ought to be good!! Have you ever studied ancient Egyptian mythology? There's a LOT of potential there!

He could have spoken a lot longer, of course, but, as I said, he's really dedicated to his fans. There were at least 600-700 people in there and Mr. Riordan said that he wouldn't leave until he signed EVERYTHING that people brought, so he kept it to 20 minutes so he could sign things and meet his fans. He's a truly remarkable guy.

The people who bought copies of The Last Olympian had priority and there were at least 624 of them, so we went and got dinner. By the time we got back, it was about 9:15 and he was still signing:

After two hours of signing books, he was still smiling and still glad to see his fans. And it was sincere.

We got in line. The line moved quickly because of all the people, so you couldn't stand and have an extended discussion, naturally, but he said "hi" and spoke with everyone. That's our daughter with me. She asked him to sign her notebook.

I introduced myself and he remembered me. He remembered ME! Of all the thousands of people he meets, he remembered me. "Wait," you say, "how can Rick Riordan remember you?" That just goes to show what a great guy he is. He wrote me a couple of years ago and sent me some "Demigod In Training" t-shirts as thanks for supporting his books on this blog. (HE READS THIS BLOG!!) So that's how he recognized me.

He signed my daughter's notebook, my copy of The Maze of Bones, and my old copy of Bulfinch's Mythology.

Here he is, signing that ratty old book I've had since high school:Now there's a good story behind this. I wrote him a couple of years ago and asked a lot of questions. One of them was why he never recommended Bulfinch's Mythology as a resource. (It's a very famous book) His answer was that it's big, thick, and intimidating. (Not to mention that it's old--from, like, 1798! But it's very thorough and well worth it--if you think you can handle it!) Anyway, when I handed him that book, he said, "Ah, you want me to sign your Bulfinch!" What an amazing memory!

We were close to the end of the line and everything closed soon after he signed my things. I was very glad to have met and spoken with one of my heroes. I've been lucky enough to meet a lot of authors, but very few have been as friendly as Rick Riordan. Thanks for coming to Raleigh. Y'all come back now, you hear?

PS. Mr. Riordan mentioned ME on his blog!! Take a look under the section on his Raleigh visit. Thanks, Mr. Riordan! I'm honored.

It's Here!!!

IT'S HERE!!!! THE LAST OLYMPIAN!!! Here I am with the copy I just checked out:

I've heard nothing but good reports on this one. Master Jedi Zack calls it "awesome." One boy told me this afternoon that he'd finished and agreed with Master Zack's assessment. I'll keep you all informed!!

Speaking of Percy and TLO, let me let all you North Carolina people know that Rick Riordan will in Raleigh, NC this Saturday!! Yes, he will speak at Quail Ridge Books on Saturday, May 16 at 7 pm. Click on the bookstore to go to their site and get all the details.

Woo-hoo!

Carl

Only One More Week!!

That's right--only one more week until the release of The Last Olympian!!!! Woooo-hoooo!!! I've learned through hard and bitter experience that I won't get my copy on that date but I DON'T MIND WAITING!!!!

Hope you guys are excited as I am!

Carl

At Last!! The Demigod Files!!

Yes, reader guys and halfbloods everywhere, the library has finally received its copies of The Demigod Files!! I got hold of one the other day and zipped right through it. (Well, it was easy for this slow reader because I'd already read two of the stories online!) Was it good? Was it worth the wait? Oh, yes indeed! Master storyteller Rick Riordan has done it again! You get all the excitement, humor, great characters, and unexpected twists that we all enjoy in the Percy Jackson series.

There are 3 shorter stories here. In the first one, "The Stolen Chariot," Percy has to help Clarisse recover the Chariot of Ares from Phobos and Deimos, the two immortal sons of Ares. (Wait a minute--did I say that Percy helped Clarisse???) The second one, "The Bronze Dragon," has Percy and Charles Beckendorf rescue Annabeth And Silena Beauregrd from an abandoned (and deadly) camp project. The third one, "The Sword of Hades," has Percy, Thalia, and Nico going on an urgent quest through the underworld (even through the Fields of Punishment) where they meet some particularly nasty enemies.

There are also interviews with the characters (there's a really funny one with the Stolls brothers), a map of Camp Half Blood, AND a great appetizer at the end--an excerpt from The Last Olympian, the full-length PJ book that's due on May 10!! The excerpt is short, only six pages, but just enough to make you hungry for more. Good stuff for all PJ fans! Highly recommended. Makes me realize how looooonnngggg it's going to be until May 10!

Carl

PS--Random thoughts:

"The Sword of Hades" starts with another of those great first lines that Mr. Riordan does so well: "Christmas in the underworld was NOT my idea."

Mr. Riordan is a master of making the characters from classical mythology come alive. Wait until you meet Phobos, Deimos, Persephone, Sisyphus, and Melinoe. No one does it better.

The scene in which Melinoe asks Percy, "Where are your ghosts?" is one of Mr. Riordan's (and Percy's) finest moments. Percy may be obtuse, as Annabeth would say, but he's nobler and smarter than the others when it counts.

AAANNNDDD--what's up with Rachel? and Percy? Read the excerpt to see what I mean.

As I've said before, this book is the ONLY place to read an excerpt from The Last Olympian. Unless there's some cyberpirate out there who's stolen an excerpt. And we wouldn't want to support him, would we?

BTW, you'll notice that I haven't answered Darth Bill's accusations about putting a pink princess book in the Sacred Shrine of Guyhood. The armor of my innocence protects me from any arrows of accusation. Besides, he should know that no guy, not even the evil titan Kronos, would defile a place of such immortal honor!

Another New Friend Writes In!

This is so great! We have another new reader guy friend writing to us for the first time. His name is Elias. Let's hear him:


I would reccomend all the bionicle books by Greg Farchtky and C.A. Hapka. They are my favorite series, they're Just really great, especially Prisoners of the Pit. So all readers I reccomend these books!


I've always wanted to look at a Bionicle book but never had the time to read one. How about it, guys? Any out there like Bionicle? Thanks, Elias! Be sure to come and pick up your free book!


Only 5 more days until The Demigod Files!!!


Rick Riordan now has Twitter. Take a look here if you've ever wondered why the Oracle is a mummy, what Thalia's last name is, or what monster makes a reappearnce in The Last Olympian.

A New Lightning Thief Fan, The Truth About The Last Olympian Excerpt, And Rick Riordan Reads a Portion of The Sword Of Hades!

Hey everyone, 'tis the Great and Powerful CARLMAN, who is now the Greatly Excited Percy Jackson Fan, because The Demigod Files is coming out in a little more than 2 weeks!!! Yippeeee! Can hardly stand the excitement. I'll tell you more in a minute. But first, let's hear from flippy, our newest fan of The Lightning Thief:

the book called the lightning thief is a really awesome book. It's all about this kid named percy is put between this war between posiedon and zues. Zues has lost his prized possesion, the master bolt. So, percy the prime suspect beacause, the gods weren't supposed to have kids so, when zues finds out, poseidon and zues get in a fight, and gods can't steal from other gods so percy is the prime suspect. So percy goes on this adventure to find the real thief. It's a really awesome book:) :)

Thanks, fkippy!! Yes, this is one of my all-time favorite books. The rest of them just get better. The final book in this series, The Last Olympian, will come out May 5.

Now let me digress for a moment. The Great and Powerful CARLMAN, who sees through space and time, knows that several people have visited this blog to find out where to read an excerpt from The Last Olympian. The only place I know of will be be in The Demigod Files, that comes out February 10. Mr. Riordan will put a tantalizing excerpt in that book, but that will the ONLY place!! No place online!! No other blog, website, or fansite!! At least, not as far as I know. The CARLMAN has been wrong before! If you know of another place, please tell me. But on Febraruary 10, you can read an excerpt in The Demigod Files. AND NOT ONLY THAT, in that book you can read interviews with the characters, see a map of Camp Half-Blood, AND read three other Percy Jackson stories--"The Stolen Chariot," "The Bronze Dragon," and a BRAND NEW ONE--"The Sword of Hades!"! In fact, here' Mr. Riordan to tell you about The Demigod Files and read a bit of the new story!!!!!!

Enjoy,

Carl

The Demigod Files (the new Percy Jackson book) and The Maze of Bones

Good news for all you Percy Jackson fans! You don't have to wait all the way until May (when The Last Olympian comes out) to read more fabulous adventures of Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and company. Rick Riordan will publish a book called The Demigod Files in February. It has some shorter stories about Percy's school year (I bet his school year's more exciting than ours!) plus some interviews with the characters. You can find out more by checking Rick Riordan's blog. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!!!



And since we're talking about the great Mr. Riordan, let me tell you about The Maze of Bones. Some of you have already talked about it and a lot of you know the story, but let me fill you in anyway. Grace Cahill, a unbelievably wealthy old lady, dies at the beginning of the book. Among her relatives are her two favorite grandchildren, 14-year-old Amy and 11-year-old Dan. After the funeral, Amy and Dan are among the few who get to hear the reading of the will. It turns out that these people get their choice of a million dollars right away or the chance to embark on adventures that will make them the richest and most powerful individuals in the world. The two kids hesitate but take the adventurous route--and then you get into thrilling roller coaster ride of a book that slams you back in your seat and doesn't let up until the very end. It's got all the stuff that we love about Rick Riordan's books---slam-bam action, mysterious characters with hidden agendas, secrets that come out a little bit at a time, evil, evil, evil bad guys, and ordinary kids in impossible circumstances. Wow! Wow! I stayed up late because I was halfway through and couldn't stop until the last page. You'll get so caught up in it that you won't want to stop either! We created this blog to tell you about terrific books and this one is TERRIFIC!!!!!!

The CARLMAN

Hooray! Our First Boy Review of The Maze of Bones!

And guess who wrote it? Our good and faithful friend cyber kid 303!

The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan is awesome (you can buy it on Amazon.com). I can not wait for the sequel, A False Note, to come out. For those of you who have not read it, I have to tell you that Ben Franklin, the Wright Brothers, Harry Houdini, Sir Issic Newton, and the guy who invented microwave burritos are Cahills. And YOU might be one, too! Dan and Amy Cahill who are kids go on a dangerous quest to be the richest, most powerful people in the world, but there are others who are trying to kill them to do this first. I liked this book because it has adventure at every turn.

Fantastic, cyber kid! Everyone here at the Imaginon library is hooked on the 39 Clues game, including me! My fellow librarians, including Bill, tell me how great it is. I'm going to wait until this weekend before I start reading it because I know what will happen--I'll get so caught up in it that I won't want to do anything else! Zack, as he said yesterday, has other things to read first, but I bet he'll go through it in a hurry. If you go to the 39 Clues website, you'll see the countdown until the time the next book comes out. Have you been there, cyber kid? What branch of the family are you? I'm Tomas, proud to say!

Searching for Clues,

Carl

The 39 Clues

Hello all Jedi and Sith out in the land of Blog.

It is once again I the hippest Sith this side of Vader (who we all know is really that wimpy Anikan Skywalker) with news and happenings in the world of books and such. Well in this post I'm going to talk about one of the coolest mystery books I have read in some time.


Speaking of mysteries, I have included a short clip here from The Pink Panther movies with the world famous Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Watch this master of unveiling the truth to get true insight on how a a real pro solves crimes:




As you can see a master of his craft is Clouseau!!!!!



Well enough of that, let's talk about the amazing new series "The 39 Clues:"

The 39 Clues, Book 1: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan - How would you feel if you had a close relative who you thought you knew very well and they passed away leaving you wondering if you really knew them at all? Add to this that you find out that you belong to a huge family whose family tree is divided into four clans that includes some of the most famous individuals in world history such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Harry Houdini, Mozart, Annie Oakley, Marie Currie and so many more. Finally lets include one more ingredient, you along with many other relatives, some you know, some you do not, are invited to the reading of the will and given the choice between receiving 1 million dollars or receiving a clue that could lead to something so grand and wonderful that its value is incalculable. Well this is exactly what happens to orphaned brother and sister Dan and Amy Cahill. They find out near the start of the book that their beloved Grandmother Grace, whom they were both close to, has passed away and that they along with many other relatives are in her will that offers the strange and challenging choice described above. Of course Dan and Amy take the clue and thus begins a great story that you will not be able to put down and will keep you up into the late hours of the night reading.

Now the book alone would be cool, but if you go to the very cool "39 Clues Website" at http://www.the39clues.com/ you can sign-up and chase after clues along with the characters of this great book series. As a part of the signing up process, you get to learn what clan of the Cahill Family you belong to of the four that exist (Janus - that's what clan I the Great Dark Sith Lord Darth Bill belongs to, Lucian, Ekatrina and Thomas). After that you can start searching the web site for more clues and information not included in the books. There are also cards you can purchase that will help you as seek to solve the mystery that is the "39 Clues." There will be ten books in all each written by a different author. The next book in the series to come out will be written by Gordon Korman and will be titled One False Note. This is a great book without the website, but I highly encourage everyone to checkout the website. I will warn you though that once you do you will not have any choice be to keep revisiting. Once you have had a chance or if you have already this book, write in and let us know what you think?

Well that's all I have for the moment, so peace all,

Bill

Of Norse Gods and Creepy Other Worlds

Smile when you say that partner, it is I once again, the coolest Sith this side of Clint Eastwood, Darth Bill. Now I know your going to look at the two books I reviewed this go round and ask: "Bill, these books have girls as their main characters. What's up with that?" Well I'll tell you; even though these books have girls as the main characters, they kick some serious butt!!!!!! One of the books reviewed Runemarks has some serious cool dudes and chicks such as:




Odin - The All Father

Thor - The Thunderer

Loki - The Trickster

Skadi - The Huntress






Pretty cool looking characters wouldn't you say? I think so!!!!!!

And Coraline definitely earns "honorary guy status" because she's tuff as nails!!!!!!! So take a look at my thoughts on one great book and one great graphic novel.



Runemarks by Joanne Harris - This story is set 500 years after Ragnarok that ended the old world ruled by the Norse Gods. The main character in this story is a young girl named Maddy Smith who is born with a strange and magical birthmark. In Maddy's world "The Word" rules all with an iron-fist. In her world magic is taboo and imagination is highly discouraged. Because of what people perceive as Maddy's strangeness she is ignored by her father and has no friends. That is until one day when she meets and old wanderer called One-Eye who befriends here and teaches her to use the magic that has been lying asleep inside her. This book is filled with Norse Gods, Heroes, Villains and Monsters. This book will suck you in and you will not be able to put it down once you start reading it. This is a great book that I would put right up there with Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" book series. The one obvious difference is that this book rekindles excitement in Norse Mythology as opposed to Greek Mythology. This book definitely is one of my candidates for best book of 2008. Warning: This book does include some occasional curse words and probably should not be read if you or your parents are offended by such.



Coraline by Neil Gaiman Adapted & Illustrated by P. Craig Russel - Do you think it would be cool to get everything you wanted from your parents. Never having to hear then say no you can't do that or no you can't have that, etc. Well in this Graphic Novel Coraline and her parents have moved into a new house that has some very peculiar aspects to it. She finds through a bricked up doorway a gateway into another world that is exactly like hers yet different. She finds in this other world she has an other mother and father who refuse her nothing. Yet something does not feel right about this other world and worse Coraline's other mother does not want her to leave. Many mysteries and challenges Coraline must overcome if she is to return to the real world. This is a great adaption of a great book that I highly recommend.

Well hepcats that's all I got for now, but keep reading and having fun.

Peace,

Bill

Rick Riordan Has Done It Again!!!

All right, guys, you got to read this one!!! I've just finished The Battle of the Labyrinth and, whoa, was it good!!!


I don't want to tell you a lot because I'd give away something important, but I will tell you that Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are in the most dangerous situation yet! Camp Half-Blood might really go up in flames this time, just as some of the monsters predict. And the monsters----wow, they are the scariest, most horrible, strongest, toughest yet!! You'll really hold your breath wondering if Percy gets through it all. And Grover's in big trouble too---will he complete his search or have to live the rest of his life in disgrace? And who is this Quintus guy? Whose side is he really on? You want action, suspense, danger, excitement? Then go read it now!!! And, like all the other PJ books, this one is also laugh-out-loud funny! I can't say enough good things about this fourth book. Some books are just way above everything else. Some books are so good that others seem like pale comparisons. I'm reading several things now and they're all good, but this one stands above the rest like a giant redwood compared to a bush. An ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, said that there are archetypes--that is, the one real and true existence of an object and everything else was just an imitation. For instance, Plato would say that there is only one true and perfect dog out there in the metaphysical world and that all the dogs on earth are imitations. That's how I feel about The Battle of the Labyrinth. Go read it, guys!!!!