The Iron Guy Is A Cybil!

And just what is a Cybil, you may ask? Well, it doesn't mean that I'm an ancient Roman oracle (I'd hate to live in a cave) but it does mean that I've joined up with a lot of book bloggers all across the country, who call themselves The Cybils, to choose the best kid books of 2017. Pretty cool, huh? It's my first time to do this and I'm very honored.

I signed up for the team that judged nonfiction. Actually, I joined the second-round team, which meant another team read through a whole lot of nonfiction books and narrowed them down to fourteen finalists. That was great for me because I was too busy to be on the first round. Anyway, I got to read some great stuff and want to tell you about a few books that I think you'd like. (These are in alphabetical order and not in any order of ranking)

Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion by Chris Barton

Battleships are all just all painted dull gray, right? Wrong! During World War I, someone came up with the idea of painting ships bright colors with all sorts of swirly designs. Why? Well, you'll have to read this book to find out! Although I was a little disappointed with the ending, this was an interesting book. There's more interesting info at the back and an actual photo (in black and white) of one of the "dazzle ships."





Fred Korematsu Speaks Up by Laura Atkins

This is a good story of a teenager who was rounded up with his family
and sent to a Japanese interment camp in World War II but, unlike many others, he did not go quietly. In fact, he spoke out against his unfair treatment and even had a lawyer offer to take his case for free. What became of it? Once again, you'll have to read it to find out! It's a good book although I wish the publisher had put the book together in a different way. They included a whole lot of good photos, sidebars and other information but it all comes every two or three pages and interrupts the flow of the story. Nevertheless, it's still a good book and well worth reading and a good reminder to be glad of living in a country in which, when wrong things are done, people can speak up and redress those wrongs. (it's not like that everywhere!)


Hatching Chicks in Room Six by Caroline Arnold

Here's something good for our younger reader guys, like first, second or even third grade. It's the story of a kindergarten class that watches a bunch of chicks hatch from eggs and grow until old enough to go to the chicken coop. The language is simple, the photos are great and the book has lots of information. I liked it and even learned a few things!



Pathfinders: The Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Black Souls by Tanya Bolden

Did you ever hear of Richard Potter, an African-American magician and showman in colonial American days? Or Charlie Wiggins, the first African-American race driver? Or Eugene Bullard, a Black World War I combat pilot? NO? Don't worry--not many other people have heard of them, either! That is what makes this book so interesting--it's full of true stories of little-known people who deserve to have their stories told. There are 13 more such lives discussed in this book which means, unfortunately, that I didn't get to know as much about each person as I would have liked but that's OK. I really enjoyed this and learned quite a lot.

Red Cloud: A Lakota Story of War and Surrender by S. D. Nelson

Here's another good story about a great historical figure that I knew very little about. Red Cloud was a chief of the Lakota people, a Native American group who lived in what is now North and South Dakota. When the American westward expansion started and pushed many Native people off their lands, many tribes and their leaders fought back. Including Red Cloud. In fact, he fought so well that the American army had to come and negotiate with him. Of course, the outcome was inevitable...(let's have a TBH moment, guys--not all of our country's wrongs have been righted) Anyway, this was quite a story and the illustrations, based on Native American designs, were really good.

Two Truths and a Lie by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson

You can believe everything you see in books and on the internet, right? Oh, man, you are SO wrong and this book proves it! There are nine chapters and each is divided into three topics but---two of them are true and one is a big fat lie!! Are you savvy enough to figure out which topics are true and which are not? Don't be so sure--everything looks very convincing! I had a hard time figuring out the real from the false and didn't always get the correct answers. Not only is this book interesting, however, it's also a lot of  FUN!. Plus there's a Research Guide at the end that gives good tips on how to be sure that you know how to find actual factual information instead of the phony stuff.

Zoo Scientists to the Rescue by Patricia Newman

I wanted to be clever and start this off by saying, "The zoo--who knew??" But who really knew that zoos do so much to protect endangered animals around the world? Or that zoo employees have lived such adventurous lives in such exotic locations? Well, that's what I learned about in this fascinating book. It tells about three zoo people who help preserve three different endangered animals--the orangutan, the black-footed ferret and the black rhinoceros--and the amazing lengths they went to help in preservation. A really interesting read with lots of good photos.

Today the Cybils announced the winners of all the different categories. The winners for nonfiction are:

Hatching Chicks in Room Six (for Elementary Nonfiction)

Two Truths and a Lie (Middle Grade Nonfiction)

Check all the winners of all the different types of books at the Cybils website. I bet you will find some books you will like.

OK, guys, the library has plenty of copies of the books I mentioned today, so check them out and enjoy! And let me say,"Thanks!" to my good friend Ms Yingling, who encouraged me to get involved with the Cybils.

Four Random Good Quick Reads

Hey, guys, one of the great things about working in a library is the chance to pull books at random that look really cool and then read them. You can find some good stuff that way and sometimes get introduced to a whole new series. Or even find a new book in an old series.

Which is exactly what happened when I saw Akimbo and the Snakes by Alexander McCall Smith. These books are truly terrific and I thought I'd read all of them, so imagine how great it felt to find one I had missed! Akimbo is a young boy who lives on a game preserve in Kenya, where his father is the head ranger. We find out, in this book, that his uncle runs a snake park. How cool is that! What's even better is that his uncle invites Akimbo to work at the snake park over the summer. Akimbo enjoys it, of course, and learns a lot about snakes when his uncle tells him some villagers have spotted the deadliest of all poisonous snakes--the green mamba! They go out to capture it but--well, I won't spoil it for you but I will tell you that what happens is one of the scariest things I've ever read in any book! This book is short, only 66 pages, but, man, does it ever pack a wallop! Plus, there are some good facts about snakes after the end of the story. (find out about more Akimbo books here)

Then I found out this great new series, the I Survived books by Lauren Tarshis. Well, I should say that they're new to me. I've seen these get checked out of the library all the time and decided it was time to read one for myself, so I randomly grabbed this one, I Survived the Great Chicago Fire 1871. And then it grabbed me! What an exciting story! I'm going to show you the summary from the library's catalog because it tells you better than I could:

Oscar Starling never wanted to come to Chicago. But then Oscar finds himself not just in the heart of the big city but in the middle of a terrible fire! No one knows exactly how it began, but one thing is clear: Chicago is like a giant powder keg about to explode. An army of firemen is trying to help, but this fire is a ferocious beast that wants to devour everything in its path, including Oscar! Will Oscar survive one of the most famous and devastating fires in history?

That really gives you the sense of danger throughout this edge-of-your-seat book. It's short, only 96 pages, but you won't stop after you turn that first page. And there's a section at the back with information about the actual fire with a recommended website and book to find out more.

Of course, that meant I needed to know more, so I read What Was the Great Chicago Fire? by Janet B. Pascal. Everyone knows how good the What Was... and the Who Was...books are and this one is every bit as good as all the others. There are lots of interesting facts, a myth or two exploded and exciting stories that you just wouldn't believe--except that they really happened! This particular book has something that most of the books in this series don't--photographs! Really good ones too. (why don't more books in this series have them?) And, as always, there are a couple of timelines and a list of recommended books and websites. At 108 pages, this book can be read quickly and is another that you just won't put down once you pick it up.


The last one is another book that's not new at all but was completely new to me. It's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by the great J.K. Rowling. I'm sure all of you Harry Potter fans have already read it but if you're a new fan or just anyone who wants to have some fun, this is just the book you need. It purports to be a textbook for wizarding students and even has "comments" written all over it by a student--and just wait until you see who it was! There's no story but an alphabetical list of all the magical beasts that live in Harry Potter's world. This is one of those rare books that will make kids and grownups smile and smile all the way through. It's not long--only 88 pages--but one that you'll completely enjoy from beginning to end.


All right, boys, I know you all are busy now that school is back in full swing but if you need to take a break or even if you've got all your work done and have some free time, these are the books for you! They are what I call Good Quick Reads. (check that same label under this post to find more) And all you teachers and other grownups who are looking for books your boys would like, these are the ones you're looking for. Who knows--I bet you'd enjoy them yourselves!

What Was D-Day?

Wow.

What a story!

Guys, I know all of you like the Who Was... and the What Was... series of books. And with good reason. They're informative, they're interesting and they're quick reading. They tell really good stories from true life and the writing always makes the story flow so well that you want to keep reading to the end without stopping. Well, this one, What Was D-Day by Patricia Brennan Demuth, is even better than most of the others because of the story it tells. It's about an amazing and incredible event. D-Day. The invasion of Europe in World War II. And most of the people who participated weren't that much older than a lot of you boys!

We all know who Hitler was and why we had to liberate Europe from him. But he had no intention of letting the good guys stop him. Of course, he knew that one day we'd come ashore fighting, so he built bunkers, laid mines and put up barbed wire over many beaches in what he called "Fortress Europe" to halt the inevitable invasion at the start. BUT---he didn't know where or when that would be. That's where this incredible story begins. There was a lot of planning involved, including a lot of ways to fool the Nazis. Wait until you read about the inflatable "tanks" or the spy named Garbo! Then the day came--and it seemed that everything that could have gone wrong went really wrong. The whole invasion--and the chance to liberate Europe--seemed doomed until some brave men took desperate chances. Read the stories of First Lieutenant William Moody, who climbed up a steep cliff using only his bayonet, or General Norman "Dutch" Cota who left the safety of his ship to personally lead the troops to the enemy positions.

This is a great story and deserves to be remembered, especially today, June 6, the day that it happened. If you've never read about D-Day, prepare to be moved by this heroic story. Or if you've heard or read about it for a long time, you'll still learn things you never knew. Just like I did. This is one truly terrific read and you won't forget it. In fact, you'll understand these group of soldiers became known as the Greatest Generation.

More Cool Reads (and One Cool Listen)

Greetings, everyone! The Iron Guy is pleased to present you a collection of cool stuff I've read lately plus one audiobook. These are in random order. No theme to this selection--just stuff that I pulled off the shelves that looked interesting. Most of these would be good for younger reader guys, like second and third graders, but older guys would also get a smile or two out them.

The Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot series by Dav Pilkey and illustrated by Dan Santat

Wow! Are these books fun! I read three--Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot, Ricky's Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs the Jurassic Jackrabbits from Jupiter and Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs the Unpleasant Penguins from Pluto. In the first, we meet Ricky Ricotta, who is "A little mouse with a big problem." The bullies at school make his life miserable plus he has a hard time making friends. Where could he find a buddy who could also keep the bullies away? Meanwhile, Dr. Stinky McNasty has created a giant robot to destroy Ricky's town of Squeakyville. Who could stand between it and the town's destruction? Could it be Ricky?
In the second, the evil General Jackrabbit has created three enormous killer rabbits with dinosaur heads to take over the Solar System. Could even a Mighty Robot withstand a Rabbidactyl, a Trihareatops and a Bunnysaurus Rex?
In the third, Ricky has insulted his cousin Lucy and tries (with the robot's help) to make up for it but that only leads Lucy to the spaceship of President Penguin, leader of Pluto, who is determined to punish the scientists of Squeakyville for declaring that Pluto is no longer a planet. And the giant robot penguins have a secret weapon that can stop even the Mighty Robot. How could anyone help? (you'd be surprised!)
As I said, these books are a lot of fun! And the artwork is nothing short of awesome! Besides, how could you not enjoy books that have Flip-O-Rama??

The Kung Pow Chicken series by Cyndi Marko

Gordon Blue and his younger brother Benny seem like ordinary school kids living in Fowladelphia but the have a secret--they are really superheroes!!

In the first, Let's Get Cracking, Gordon and Benny are at the annual Fowl Fall Festival. Things seem ordinary when, suddenly, all their classmates lose all their feathers! And, just as suddenly, there's an old granny selling knitted sweaters! Time for Kung Pow Chicken and Egg Drop to spring into action! But are Kung Pow's Drumsticks of Doom any match for the Naughty Knitting Needles?

Every hero has a sidekick, of course, and Kung Pow Chicken has his younger brother, aka Egg Drop. So, when in Heroes on the Side, Egg Drop gets invited to a sidekicks party in New Yolk City, things seem fine--until are the sidekicks are trapped by Ticklebeak and his Bad Eggs!! (Fortunately, Gordon and Benny were in their hotel room) The heroes rush in to save the sidekicks but the Bad Eggs get away. But wait--there's a plot to capture to heroes as well! Can sidekicks save the day?
These are also a lot of fun with goofy jokes and chicken superheroes. I ask you again--how could you not enjoy them?

The Wildest Race Ever: The Story of the 1904 Olympic Marathon by Meghan McCarthy (author and illustrator)

Have you ever heard the expression that "truth is stranger than fiction"? Well, sometimes is it not only stranger, it's a whole lot goofier! You'll definitely believe that when you read this true story of the first Olympic Marathon held in America.
It was held in conjunction with the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. And it was summer. 90 degrees on the day of the race! And they ran on dirt roads. With cars that passed by and choked the runners with dust. Some runners were more interested in looking good than running fast. One guy got chased a mile off course by a dog! Another guy, from Cuba, stopped and practiced his English with cheering spectators! The doctor drove off a 30-foot embankment and the winning runner didn't win! Oh, man, that was a wild race and this is one very entertaining book. It's short, funny and a truly good Quick Read. Plus, there's a good section at the end that tells what became of the main runners after the race and about the 1904 World's Fair. This book would be good for younger and older readers.

The Forbidden Stone by Tony Abbott

Wow, oh, wow, I have certainly saved the best for the last. This is the audiobook version of the first book in that amazing Copernicus Legacy series by the incredible Tony Abbott. If you have read this blog for a while, you'll know that I'm a HUGE fan of these books. (It would take too long to tell you about them, so click on the Copernicus Legacy or The Forbidden Stone label under this post to find out more) This recording by actor MacLeod Andrews perfectly captures all the things that are great about The Copernicus Legacy--the danger, the mystery, the almost-unbearable suspense, the coded puzzles, the creepy bad guys and even the humor. I found myself listening while driving around town, while coming to work, when coming home from work--and then sitting in the driveway to hear a little more! You won't want to stop listening either! BTW, this is long and complicated for younger guys but it would be perfect for fifth and sixth graders.


OK, here's a good selection of cool reads and listens. Don't tell me there's no time--these are quick and fun. And, if you get driven to school, this audiobook is the perfect way to pass the time. Besides, I bet the grownups will enjoy it too!

Who WOULD Win?

Hey, guys, I know you've wondered sometime who would win in a fight between two famous monsters. Or between two superheroes. Or between two killer animals. All boys think about this sometimes. Boys have always wondered about this. That's why we had the movie King Kong vs Godzilla back in my day. That's why we had Batman vs Superman this year. And that's why we have the Who Would Win series of books by Jerry Pallotta (illustrated by Rob Bolster).

These books are very cool! They're informational and interesting, plus they end with a fight between two killer animals. What could be better? And, if you don't agree with the outcome of the fight, there's a page at the end of each book that lists the advantages of each animal and let's YOU decide who would win!

Along the way, you'll learn several amazing facts such as:

• Scorpions glow under black light because they reflect ultraviolet rays
• Tigers live in Asia, not Africa (although a few lions live in the Gir Forest of India)
• Great White Sharks can tell if you're nervous because they can sense electricity
• Some chefs use squid ink to make black pasta!

All of these are quick and fun (what I call Good Quick Reads) and would be really good for our younger reader guys, like maybe second--fourth graders, But older guys would enjoy them too. And, teachers, these would be the ideal books if you have boys think they don't like reading.

The books you see on this page are only four of the books in this series. There are several others, including Hammerhead vs Bull Shark, Polar Bear vs Grizzly Bear, Komodo Dragon vs King Cobra and (maybe the best one) Tyrannosaurus Rex vs Velociraptor! Our library system has plenty of copies, so go grab some and enjoy!

The Boys in the Boat--You GOTTA Read This!

HEY GUYS!!

I was going to write an intro about how I've been too busy lately to review anything or about school starting back but I'm going to skip all that because I've just finished a really terrific book and can't wait any longer to tell you about it.

It's The Boys in the Boat: The True Story of an American Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics by Daniel James Brown. What a great read!! What a great story!! And it's all true.

The book centers around Joe Rantz, a boy growing up in the Seattle/Sequim area of Washington state in the 1920's. His family life was happy but tragedy struck over and over. He got very sick and couldn't leave his room for a long time. Then he lost his mom. His dad remarried after a while and things seemed to settle back to normal.

Then the Great Depression hit.

Times became very hard and his family left him because they couldn't afford to keep him. He was alone at 15. To survive, he foraged in the woods and did what work he could, including cutting trees. Of course, he didn't want to keep living like this and scraped together enough money over the years to pay for his first year at the University of Washington. If he could get on the university's rowing team, he could get a job to pay for his living expenses. All those years of cutting trees had given him the upper body strength needed for rowing and he made the team.

The work was hard. Rowing may look easy but it takes unbelievable amounts of of concentration and stamina. But the coach saw something special in Joe and his team mates--so special that he believed they could be in the 1936 Olympics. And they did. But, on the day of the race, everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. The team was in dead last place. With Hitler watching. Could they even finish the race? Could they still win?

I won't tell you the answer but I will tell you this--you will hold your breath, grip your chair---and then you just won't believe what happens!!

Boys, I can't begin to say how great this book is. There are just too many good things to say about it. The only way you'll find out is to go and check it out for yourselves. But you will be SO glad you did! This is one of those rare and wonderful stories that will stay with you the rest of your lives. Go find it! The library has plenty of copies. You gotta read this book. YOU GOTTA READ THIS BOOK! Did I say it enough? You gotta what? Read this book!!


PS--this is kid-friendly version of a grownup book. The publishers condensed the original version from 404 to 220 pages and added some photos and cool information in the back so that younger readers could enjoy the story and not get bogged down in slower passages. It's a good idea; there was a kid-friendly version of a book about Stubby the War Dog a couple of years ago. (check out my review here) I read both the grownup and younger versions and actually liked the kid-friendly version better!

Who Was, Where Is and What Is--Four Cool Nonfiction Books for Boys

Kids everywhere like the Who Was...biographies. I can tell because we can never keep them on our shelves here at the library. And there are good reasons behind that--the books are interesting, informative and make good quick reads. Plus the writers really know how to move the stories along and keep a reader hooked until the last page. Today the Iron Guy will tell you about a Who Was.. biography and three other books published by the same company. And what stories they tell!! Epic lives and epic struggles. Building magnificent structures under impossible conditions. Conquest, assassination, deadly diseases, endurance, heroism and dictatorship--all here in these terrific books!

The first is Who Was Julius Caesar? by Nico Medina and it starts off with a terrific story. When he was twenty-five, Julius Caesar, sailing from Rome to Crete, was captured by pirates, who intended to hold him for ransom. Did he he cry out in fear? Plead for his freedom? No, he laughed in their faces and told them he was worth more than twice the ransom they asked! Furthermore, he wasn't afraid of what they'd do to him; he thought about what he would do to them when he got free--and he did!
Julius Caesar was inspired by Alexander the Great and tried to accomplish great things--and he did! He  became governor of many provinces, spent ten years conquering new territories for Rome, and eventually was the most important man in Rome. And he became Rome's first permanent dictator. He carried many good projects but did he love power too much? Especially as permanent dictator? What finally happened to him? You'll have to read this book to find out! But when you do, you'll see why Julius Caesar and his story dominated the ancient world and still casts its shadow to this very day.

Then we have three books (Where is the Great Wall? by Patricia Brennan Demuth, Where is the Brooklyn Bridge? by Megan Stine and What is the Panama Canal? by Janet B. Pascal) that are related because they are about huge structures built with old technology that, incredibly, are still in use today. It's amazing that these things ever got built. People had to build on tops of mountains, under and over rivers and through dense, hot, steamy, disease-infected jungles. Brilliant people had to figure out, sometimes from scratch, how to build where no one ever attempted such things before, how to solve problems that no one had ever encountered and cure diseases that no one knew how to deal with. People worked long and hard on these structures for years and sometimes died--from yellow fever in Panama, from "the bends" on the Brooklyn Bridge or from just plain being worked to death on the Great Wall. But, in spite of all these obstacles, the work persisted and the projects were completed. We have the results of all that determination today in the Great Wall, the only human structure visible from space, and the Brooklyn Bridge and the Panama Canal, which are not only still used but still marveled at by thousands of people every year.

And what larger-than-life personalities you meet in these books! Emperor Qin, the first emperor of a united China (believe me, you would not want him to be your boss!), Washington Roebling, who helped put out a fire in the "cassions," the underground foundations of the Brooklyn Bridge and ruined his health, his brilliant wife Emily, who ran the building of the bridge for many years, Ferdinand De Lesseps, the Frenchman who had built the Suez Canal and was certain he could build the Panama Canal (he was wrong!) and, of course, Theodore Roosevelt, one of the most colorful presidents this country ever had.

All four of these books tell the amazing stories of amazing people. You will definitely want to read these, guys! As I said, the writers know how to make the stories move and you will turn page after page to see what will happen. In addition, there are good timelines at the back of each book and bibliographies that lead to more books about these subjects.

How could you lose, guys? Check these out and read these terrific stories.

(PS to teachers--these books would be great if you ever have lessons on any of these topics!)



UPDATE--today is Nonfiction Monday. Be sure to take a look and see what other cool nonfiction books people are reading.

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!

Iron Guy's 2014 Resolutions

Happy 2014!! Yes, I know it's halfway through January, but it's been since December since I've talked with you and I want to wish you a happy new one to all of you. Now, during January, grownups like to make resolutions--you know, promises to yourself to do things better in the new year. The Iron Guy is no exception and here are my resolutions:

Read more books for younger reader guys. I've realized that I haven't read many books for our younger guys, so I plan to take care of that.

Read more nonfiction. There are a LOT of really good nonfiction books on the library shelves and it's a shame not to let you know about them.

Read some Dan Gutman books. A lot of reader guys are absolutely crazy for Dan Gutman, especially his My Weird School series. I've read a few of his books, really liked one and have been so-so on the others. I want to try again and see what all the excitement is about.

Read the Origami Yoda books. All three were at the library recently and I checked them all out. A lot of guys like these books.

 

And one more--read the Boy-Girl Battle series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. I read the first one--the Boys Start the War--and really enjoyed it, so I want to read the rest of them.

All right, it looks like I've got my work cut out for me. Can I do it? HA! Of course! It may take the rest of the year, but how could anyone doubt the toughness and determination of the IRON GUY?

A Book for Tough Times--or for Good Times

HAPPY NEW YEAR, all you rollin' rockin', readin' guys out there! This is about a week late, but the Iron Guy has been busy lately, reading good books for guys and coming up with New Year's resolutions. (More about that next week!) But right now I want to talk about a good book for times like these. 2010 was a rough year for a lot of people--including the library. Everyone hopes 2011 will be better but, even so, it could be a year in which we need a lot of inspiration. So what better way to start off this year with a review of a good and inspiring book? That would be Heart of a Student Athlete: All-Pro Advice for Competitors and Their Families by Karl Mecklenburg.

Mr. Mecklenburg was NFL player for the Denver Broncos. He was an all-pro captain and went to three Super Bowls. Yet he was not born under a lucky star; he was 310th pick in the NFL draft and had to overcome a lot of obstacles to play pro ball. He achieved his dreams, though--in fact, he exceeded them by a very long shot. In this book he shares the six keys to success. What are they? Well, you'll just have to read it to to find out! But you'll have a good time as you do! Karl Mecklenburg doesn't just give a lot of advice, he tells stories from his life and his NFL career, including:

• How crazy some cities can be over their teams (read the section about the Broncos going to Cleveland!)
• What it's like to play in the Super Bowl (and why the actual game is sort of an anticlimax)
• The good guys of the NFL--you always hear about the bad boys, but, in the very first chapter, Karl Mecklenburg talks about the good things his teammates have done since retiring from the NFL
• The Zone--why all the hard work pays off

I enjoyed this book. The advice is solid and the stories are interesting. The book isn't perfect; there were a couple of places when he talked about some of his games and I had trouble understanding what happened. But these are minor flaws in a really good book. (Besides, I got this book as an advanced reading copy--which means that a very nice publisher sent it to me before the book came out--and those flaws may have been corrected) If you're into football, if you're not into football, or if you're a guy trying to figure out what life is about, this book is very much worth your time.
PS--Since Charlotte is in Mecklenburg county, how could I not like a book by Karl Mecklenburg!

Gentlemen, Start Your Reading!

Hey, guys, it seems like an eon since the CARLMAN reviewed any nonfiction but we got some new books that looked interesting (one of the perks of being a guybrarian is getting to see new stuff before it hits the shelves), so I checked them out. All three were books about NASCAR. Now I'm not a racing fan but these books were very interesting.

The first was Race Week: Seven Crazy Days by Stephen Timblin. You'd think a racer's life would be pretty plush, working only on weekends. WRONG! The life of a race car team is as busy as an anthill during race season. Every minute is packed full of--well, you'll just have to read to find out!

The second was Pit Stop Secrets by K. C. Kelley. Man, it's amazing what the guys in a pit crew have to do! And how fast they have to do it. Incredible feats of strength and skill have to be done at lightning speed while cars zip past only a short distance away. Unbelievable! This book breaks down all the steps of a pit stop and even has pictures. A really good read!

The third was NASCAR Tech by Bob Woods. It's easy to design and build a NASCAR car, right? Just take a car off the assembly line and drop in a souped-up engine, huh? WRONG AGAIN!! That's how it was back in the early days of racing but now it's almost as high-tech as building an X-wing fighter. Well, that's an exaggeration, of course, but I couldn't believe how much advanced technology goes into building NASCAR cars and race tracks. You'll be surprised too. Check out this book and see!

If you love racing or if you simply like to find out new stuff, these are the books for you!

BTW, May is a good month if you're a racing fan, especialy if you live in the Charlotte area. The NASCAR Hall of Fame opens May 11, the annual Speed Street festival is May 27-29, and the Coca-Cola 600 takes place on May 30. Good times for fans of high speed and high tech!

Fantastic--Yet MORE Reviews!

Wow! Very impressive! When I, the CARLMAN, got back from the long New Year's weekend, I found another messenger droid from Yoda Claws (he's gone back to the ice planet Hoth after the holidays) and found that three of you reader guys have sent six reviews over the weekend. Well done! Our first is from that prolific reviewer Michael:

Bloodhounds, Inc., book 1
The Ghost of KRZY
by Bill Myers
When brother and sister detective team Sean and Misty Hunter see strange lights coming from their father's radio station late at night, they are determined to find out what it is. A few nights later, they stake out at the radio station, and suddenly, all the electronics turn on by themselves! They see something strange moving inside of them, going from one electronic to the next. Sean and Misty know what their dad has told them about not coming back to Earth once you die, but could this really be... a ghost?! Great action; at one point, Sean and Misty are driving an out-of-control motorcycle, and the side-coach pops off with Misty in it! Great story, funny. And an excellent life lesson, as Sean and Misty find the truth about the mysterious character, which isn't a ghost, and they realize how foolish they were thinking that it really was a ghost. Sean, Misty, and this strange character star in many other books in the Bloodhounds, Inc. series!

Thanks, Michael! You've told us about some great-sounding series and I'd love to read some of them. The next reviews are from Augustin, who wrote in at the beginning:

Title: Fantastic Mr Fox Author: Roald Dahl

What its about: Three farmers, named Boggis,Bunce, and Bean. Boggis was enourmously fat. He was a chicken famer and every day ate three boiled chickens smothered with dumplings for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bunce, a duck and goose farmer. He was very short and squat. His food was goose livers and doughnuts. This diet gave him a bad stomache ache and a terrible temper. Bean was skinny as a string bean and a turkey and apple farmer. He never ate any food but drank gallons and gallons of strong apple cider which he made. Mr Fox was a fox with a wife and four children. He always got his food from Boggis, Bunce and Bean's farms. Seeing as how they didn't take too kindly to having all their good food taken right out from under their noses they stayed waiting for him one night and when he came out they all tried to shoot at him. Only Mr Fox was quite quick and only got his tail shot off. The three very miserly farmers kept after him until all the animals around were starving. Even the weasel could not slip past them seeing as how the beastly farmers were spending night and day around the hole where all the animals went to get food. Then Mr Fox had a brain wave. What if he got some of his friends to help him dig a tunnel under the personal store rooms of the three farmers. His idea worked! soon he had brought back plenty of food for all the animals in the settlement. They had a grand banquet and they all toasted Mr Fox because he was the one who had masterminded the whole idea of tunneling. Boggis, Bunce, and Bean stayed there always saying "he is probably going to come out any minute." Instead they were getting all their produce taken out from under their noses while they were watching a hole.

Title: The Giraffe the Pelly and MeAuthor: Roald Dahl

What it's about: It's about a little boy who lived not far away from an old sweets store. He had always dreamed of making it into a grand candy store. One day he noticed that it was for sale. a couple of weeks later he saw that someone had bought it. All the sudden he noticed a bath tub a piano and a lot of other rubble fly out of the windows. When the little boy asked if anybody was home there was no answer. The next day he saw painted on the window The ladderless window cleaning company. Then a giraffes head popped out of the window. After that a peilican opened another window. Then a monkey jumped out. While all this was happening a chauffeur got out of a huge car. He said the Duke wanted them to wash his windows. After arriving and washing some of his windows they saw a robber. After catching him they were rewarded by being able to stay forever in the Dukes Palace. The little boy got to get his candy store.

Name of book: The Magic FingerAuthor: Roald Dahl

What it's about: This book is about a girl who posessed a special power that she called the magic finger. Her neighbrs were very big fans of hunting and the girl could not stand that they hunted so much. One day she put the magic finger on the whole family! The next morning when her neighbors woke up they found that they had shrunk to the size of a robin and instead of their arms they had grown wings!! You can imagine their surprise when they found this out! The father then started to build a nest and try to find food for his family.. At one point the family noticed that there were four ducks that they had tried to shoot at the day before, had grown to people size and were moving into their house! That night the family went to sleep in their new home, a nest of sticks. In the morning the mother and father awoke to see that the ducks were pointing the familys' guns up at them. The father begged the ducks not to shoot especially at his children. The ducks reminded him that he and his sons had shot their children two days before. Then the father promised that he and his children would never go hunting again. The ducks then told him to fly down with his family. As he did everything went black and the next thing he knew he was standing next to his family in his front yard with everything back to normal. He then went and got his guns and broke them into tiny bits. He never shot another thing in his enitire life. Neither did his sons.

Title: Mr. Blue Jeans the story of Levi Strauss Author: Maryann N. Weidt

What its about: The story of a Jewish boy who went to the States to try and earn a living for his mother , sisters and himself. He started out as a peddlar and when he was in the mountains a miner asked him if he could make him a pair of pants that would hold up to the wear and tear of mining work. That night Levi theJewish boy made the miner a pair of pants out of some denim instead of canvas as usual. By accident when he had loaded up he had gotten the wrong material. After he made the pair of pants and the miner liked them the miner told all his friends to get that type of pants. Years later Levi was one of the most respected men around. Even today we use Levis Jeans.

Thanks, Augustin! I read Fantastic Mr. Fox several years ago and liked it. Have you seen the movie? Did you like it? We'd love to hear what you thought of it. I'm also glad you liked the nofiction book. I've always said that nonfiction is not boring and am glad when other reader guys think so too.

Finally, we have a review of a Lemony Snicket book from our new friend PayPay:

Title:A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 4:The Miserable Mill. Author:Lemony Snicket.

When the unlucky Baudelaires are forced to move out out of their previous foster home in book 3 they are sent to a dark and eerie town called Paltryville where they will live at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill.But they didn't know they would be working there! They are faced against a terrible foreman a nasty guardian and a suspicious eye doctor.This is a wonderfully tragic tale and I suggest it for kids over the age of 8.

Thanks, PayPay! Don't forget to come to the Imaginon, Matthews, or Mint Hill libraries and get a free book. I read this one too and enjoyed it, although, I hate to say, I'm not a huge fan of the S of U E books. Maybe it's just me, but I got tired of them after a couple. Master Jedi Zack likes them a lot. How about you, Darth Bill?

Well, this has been a lot of fun, guys! PLEASE keep writing in!! We and your brother reader guys always want to hear about good reads. And we'll have more events through the year. Stay tuned!

Mission to the Moon

Hey, guys, it's the CARLMAN and do you know what today is? I'll give you a hint--it's an important milestone of humanity's exploration of space. 40 years ago this day, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped out of the Lunar Module and became the first human beings ever to walk on a surface outside of the earth. That's right--today marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. There have been a lot of books published this year to commemorate the event but the best I've seen is Mission to the Moon by Alan Dyer. It tells an amazing story, from early moon myths to the invention of rockets to the whole Apollo space program and possible future plans for moon exploration. And there are the coolest photos!! There are pictures on the moon, of the different designs of spacesuits, inside the command module, and of the astronauts undergoing survival training in case they landed in the desert or jungle instead of the ocean! Plus there are all sorts of interesting facts about rockets, training the astronauts, and the moon itself. And it comes with a really interesting DVD of an old NASA film about Apollo 11. This is a fascinating book that I can't get enough of! CHECK IT OUT, GUYS! This is one you'll like a lot!

PS--here are a few interesting sidelights:

Did you know the astronauts had to spend a long time in quarantine after they returned? No one knew if they would pick up an alien germ that would wipe out life on earth!

There are some cool bonus features on the DVD. One of the best is the "Moon Walks" feature. It shows clips of other astronauts (there were six Apollo missions after Apollo 11) playing around on the moon! Yep, they couldn't resist jumping around or doing sharp turns with on the moon rover. It's good to know those astronauts did just what we would do if we were there! (Did you know some of them brought golf clubs and hit golf balls on the moon?)

Here's an amazing fact that no one mentions--we went to the moon and back on 1969 technology! Chew on that for a while.

One of the very coolest things in the book and on the DVD is watching that ENORMOUS Saturn 5 rocket blasting off.

I remember the moon landing. I was 13 when all this happened. The TV networks would always broadcast the blast offs and sometimes teachers would bring TV's into school so we could watch them. My family was on vacation that year and I saw Neil Armstrong step onto the moon from a TV set in a motel room in Oklahoma City.

Dragonslayer Flies!

Wow! This guy is quick! No sooner had I posted his review of Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness than I got this one about a very cool paper-airplane book:

Dragonslayer here,

A few weeks ago at Imaginon, I made a paper airplane with some other kids. Mr.Carl showed us how to make them. Then we flew them in the library! I checked out a great book called "The kids' guide to paper airplanes" by Cristopher L.Harbo. I made a bunch of them. My favorite is the Angry Finch airplane. There are also instructions for a circular airplane called the Space Ring.The book as many impressive airplanes including one called the Huntress.It looks like an eagle.Check it out for hours of flying fun!

Thanks, Dragonslayer! He's right--these planes are impressive and they surely do FLY!! Get a copy of this book and find out. And I'll let you all know when I do this paper-airplane program again. It was fun!

Carl