World Series of Reading Contest--2017 Edition

It's that time or year again, guys! The event that gets the Iron Guy more pumped up than Thor in a hammer-lifting room! What could ever be that exciting? Nothing else but the
World Series of Reading Contest!! It starts and ends the same time as the Major League Baseball World Series. We held one last year and, man, it was every bit as exciting as the real one--even going into extra innings and a last-minute score that changed the game! (take a look here and start reading forward to see what happened)

Our contest will start tomorrow, Tuesday, October 24, and go on through Wednesday, November 1, which would be how long the Series would run if it went all seven games. The rules are simple; you read books and then you send in a review of each book or audiobook. Each review is worth at least one point. Some will be worth more points. I'll count up the points after Nov. 1 and the three boys with the most points will win. What will the winners get? Prizes out of the ultra-cool prize box, which includes at least one set of books signed by the author!

So how does the contest work? I'm glad you asked. Boys can read anything they'd like--fiction, graphic novels, nonfiction or biographies. (What about audiobooks? Look further down in the Home Run section)  Any review is worth one point, making it a SINGLE.

However, there are some really good books that I think should get more attention. Reviews of these books will be worth two points, making them DOUBLES. These books are:

Any in the Alvin Ho, Stick Dog, Spy School, Frank Einstein, Brixton Brothers series or any graphic novel in the Lunch Lady series.

There are other books which are really good but longer and more challenging.  Reviews of these books will be worth three points, making them TRIPLES. These books are:




Stubby the War Dog, Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze, any book in the Leviathan trilogy or any book in the Who Was... or What Was...series or any book in Howard Bryant's Legends seriesor any graphic novel in the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales or the Bone series.

But wait--there's more! A review of any book in The Copernicus Legacy series or a review of The Boys in the Boat  will be worth four points, making it a HOME RUN.

And, for the first time, any review of an audiobook will be worth four points

So what would it take for a GRAND SLAM? A review of The Yearling, Treasure Island, or The Hound of the Baskervilles. These books are older and also more challenging but also much more rewarding, making each review worth five points.

All right, guys, those are the rules. I will start accepting reviews today until midnight on Nov. 1. I'll try my best to announce the winners on Friday, Nov. 3.

Remember, when you send in a review, be sure to include the title, 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. I liked it." Tell us why you did. Or didn't. There are instructions on sending reviews in the "Here's How Our Blog Works" box on the right-hand side of the page. Or you could call me at the Myers Park library at 704-416-5800. Winners will get prizes our of our ultra-cool prize box, which contains mostly books. All of them are ultra-cool, of course, but there may be a surprise or two. And if you live outside the Charlotte, NC area, you could still participate. Let me know where you live and we'll work things out. (don't worry--I won't post your address or anything)

So step up to the plate, boys, and send in those reviews. I know it may be hard with school going on but I have faith in all you MANLY MEN out there! I can't wait to hear from you!

Step up to the plate, boys, and knock them outta the park!

PS--if you want to find out more about any of the books I've mentioned, click on the title in the "labels" section under this post.

World Series of Reading 2016!

Hey, boys, here's a great contest for you--the 2016 World Series of Reading! We had a fun March Madness of Reading seven months ago and I thought it's time for another contest. And what better time than the World Series!

All America used to watch the World Series

It's not so popular now but you wouldn't believe how big the World Series once was. It was all that people talked about. The whole nation hung on every game. I remember a time that our teacher brought a TV into our classroom so we could watch a game. The players weren't just stars, they were heroes. Some of the games became legends. Imagine the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals combined. That's how big it was. Now it gets beat in the ratings by Dancing with the Stars. Sad.

Which is all the more reason to hold a contest during the week of the World Series. Our contest will start tomorrow, Tuesday, October 25, and go on through Wednesday, November 2, which would be how long the Series would run if it went all seven games. The rules will be simple; you read books and then you send in a review of each book or audiobook. Each review is worth at least one point. Some will be worth more points. I'll count up the points after Nov. 2 and the three boys with the most points will win. What will the winners get? Well, I'll tell you about that in a couple of minutes.

So how does the contest work? I'm glad you asked. Boys can read anything you'd like--fiction, graphic novels, nonfiction or biographies. And for the first time, I'll include audioboks because they are so great. Any review you send is worth one point. That makes it a SINGLE.

However, there are some books that are other boys have told us about during the year and I'd to like see more boys read them. Or there are some books that are really good and don't get enough attention. Reviews of these books will be worth two points, making them DOUBLES. These books are:






Any in the Alvin Ho, Stick Dog, Spy School, Mysterious Benedict Society, Brixton Brothers or Ballpark Mysteries series or any graphic novel in the Fangbone series.

   

There are other books which are really good but longer and more challenging.  Reviews of these books will be worth three points, making them TRIPLES. These books are:






Stubby the War Dog, Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze, any book in the Leviathan trilogy or any nonfiction book about the World Series.

And, for the first time, any review of an audiobook will be worth three points.

But wait--there's more! A review of any book in The Copernicus Legacy series or a review of The Boys in the Boat or The Fourteenth Goldfish (the library's Community Read book for kids) will be worth four points, making it a HOME RUN.

So what would it take for a GRAND SLAM? A review of The Yearling, Treasure Island, or The Hound of the Baskervilles. These books are older and also more challenging but also much more rewarding, making each review worth five points.

All right, guys, those are the rules. I will start accepting reviews tomorrow until midnight on Nov. 2. I'll try my best to announce the winners on Thursday, Nov. 3. Remember, when you send in a review, be sure to include the title, 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. I liked it." Tell us why you did. Or didn't. There are instructions on sending reviews in the "Here's How Our Blog Works" box on the right-hand side of the page. Or you could call me at the Myers Park library at 704-416-5800. Winners will get prizes our of our ultra-cool prize box, which contains mostly books. All of them are ultra-cool, of course, but there may be a surprise or two.

So step up to the plate, boys, and send in those reviews. I know it may be hard with school going on but I have faith in all you MANLY MEN out there! I can't wait to hear from you!

PS--if you want to find out more about any of the books I've mentioned, click on the title in the "labels" section under this post.

Four Cool New Reads

First week of October greetings, guys! The gorgeous fall weather has finally arrived, rewarding all us MANLY MEN for enduring the humid Charlotte summer. I've also found some very cool books that I bet you boys would really enjoy.

The first is Star Wars: The Weapon of a Jedi by Jason Fry and illustrated by Phil Noto. It takes place
between Episodes IV and V, soon after Luke and the rebels destroyed the Death Star. Luke agrees to rendezvous with his fellow rebels in another system but, on his way, gets an urging to go to the planet Devaron. (could it be from the Force?) Luke finds an old Jedi temple there, destroyed by the Empire, and thinks it could be a good place to further his light saber training. But it's in the jungle and the only person willing to take him there is someone called The Scavenger. Doesn't sound good, does it?
I really enjoyed this! It had the feel of of one the the movies and I could picture every scene in my mind. Plus it has all the action, space battles and storm trooper attacks you'd expect form a Star Wars movie. And it's written by Jason Fry, who wrote that terrific Hunt for the Hydra book. (see my review here) Any Star Wars fan or simply anyone who enjoys a good read will like this.

The next is from the great Who Was... series. It's Who Was Roberto Clemente? by James Buckley, Jr. and illustrated by Ted Hammond. Roberto Clemente was the first Latin American inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Born in Puerto Rico in 1934, he got into the major leagues when he was 19 and spoke very little English. And, like his contemporary Jackie Robinson, he faced discrimination. But no one could deny his talent and he became a hugely successful and popular player. And he always remembered his humble beginnings back in Puerto Rico and worked tirelessly to help out kids and improve their baseball skills. This book like, all the Who Was.. and What Were.. books, are interesting, informative and keep you reading until the last page. And, at 103 pages, it's just the right length for any boy who's looking for a good story, especially those who think they don't like reading. (plus it's relevant after the recent tragic death of pitcher Jose Fernandez)

Then we have two books that I've wanted to read for a long time. And am I glad that I finally did! These books are Stick Dog and Stick Dog Tries to Take the Donuts by Tom Watson. (who also draws the pictures) They are great! Funny! A whole lot of fun to read! The idea is that an elementary school kid, who tells you up front that he can't draw, has written stories in his notebooks about Stick Dog, a dog living in a drain pipe under Highway 16, and his friends Poo-Poo, Stripes, Karen and Mutt. Since they all live outdoors, they are always looking for food and the stories are about the goofball ideas those dogs come up with to get it. (Hey, they're dogs! They use dog logic) In the first book, they try to come up with ways to get hamburgers from a family cooking out in the park. These methods involve, in true dog fashion, running into trees and banging their heads, chasing their tails at whirlwind speed and howling with the baby. Great plans, right? In the second book, the dogs discover some round things with holes in the middle that taste really good but they're in a box on the back of a truck. Can the dogs figure out how to get those yummy round things without being discovered by the human working from that truck? You gotta read these book to find out!! And you will laugh loud and long when you do. Oh, yeah! Dogs that bounce, dogs on coffee, dogs with squirrels as mortal enemies--how could you not like them?

All these books are really good and can be read fairly quickly. (I read most of them in one sitting) Any guy, from the enthusiastic reader to what the grownups call a reluctant reader will get a kick out of them. Don't believe me? Check them out and see!