I Am Iron Man!!!!! Dum, Dum, Da Da, Da!!!!!!!

Hello all in the Land of Blog. I have to tell you, this past weekend, I went to the movies and saw the greatest Superhero movie ever made in my not-so-humble opinion (hey I'm a Sith). What was that movie you ask. Well it was...... Iron Man and it totally rocked!!!!!! I can't wait to see it again. It really blew me away.








I'm also very excited because I bought advance tickets to the Heroes Convention here in Charlotte. The Convention will run June 20 - 22 of this summer. Man I am so cyked because some of my favorite comic/graphic novel writers and artist will be attending. They will also be having tons of events and have lots of cool stuff there, but check out whats going on yourself at: http://www.heroesonline.com/heroescon.html. When you do you'll understand why I'm so excited!!!!!!!!



Well enough of my babbling, lets look at some Graphic Novels I have read recently:

Marvel Adventures - Iron Man: Heart of Steel by Fred Van Lente - Are you an Iron Man Fan? Do you like Graphic Novels with lots of action and adventure? Then this is a must read Graphic Novel for you. This GN covers Marvel Adventures Iron Man (the comic) issues 1 - 4. The first story tells the origin of how Iron Man came to be and how Tony Stark turned his life around. The second story has Iron Man taking on his toughest enemy, The Mandarin and his Ten Rings of Power. The last two stories have Iron Man battling Earth's plants and dealing with internal espionage at Stark International. If you like action, adventure and fast paced storytelling combined with awesome art work, this is definitely the book for you.





Magic Pickle by Scott Morse - A serum is created by a gifted scientist to create a great superhero. The serum only works on one being, with fantastic results, all others that follow are failures. Am I talking about the one, the only Captain America? No way dudes, I'm talking about the truly outrageous Magic Pickle. Magic Pickle's creation is brought about by the brilliant scientist Doctor Formaldehyde with a super secret serum. It works on just one being, an ordinary pickle, with all other repeat tries on leafy vegetables and tasty fruits ending in disaster. The results of the later experiments lead the creation of "The Brotherhood of Evil Produce!!!!!! " Magic Pickle who stands for Truth, Dill Justice and everything Kosher, must face off against some of the nastiest vegetables and fruits the world has ever known such as Peashooter, The Phantom Carrot, Chili Chili Bang Bang, Squish Squash and The Romaine Gladiator. So don't miss this GN staring Weapon Kosher (Magic Pickle) and his trusty sidekick The Sweet Tomato. Great stuff, Enuff Said!!!!!!!!



Dragon Drive: Volume 1 by Ken-ichi-Sakura - Reiji Oozora thinks he's no good at anything - especially school and homework! That's until one day he's introduced to a game called Dragon Drive which apparently is played in a virtual world and he gets his very own virtual dragon and names it Chibi. Chibi, small and weak, appears to be as big a loser as Reiji! But after their first battle, Reiji realizes there may be more to his tiny friend than meets the eye. Also this supposed virtual game and world may in actuality be much more than what it appears. This is a great Manga Series if you love Dragons and battles roale. Its also great if you believe in the power of friendship and love. The Library currently has up to Volume 7.




Well that's all I got now guys.

No worries and peace all,

Darth Bill

YIPPEEEE!!! IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! THE NEW PERCY JACKSON BOOK!!

Yes, I AM excited!!!! I should be--I've waited MONTHS for this moment. Now it's here!! It's here!!!HOORAYYY!!!!

Ahem...ur, umm, please excuse my embarassing display of emotion there. After all, I am a librarian and must display the proper decorum and dignity of my profession. Here I am, quietly showing the copy I just checked out:
Notice how I present myself with restraint and...and...Oh, whatever, here's how I really feel:
YES!!!YES!!! YIPPEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

I've started on it, as you can guess, but have only gotten as far as chapter 2. Mr. Riordan has lived up to his high standards so far. This book is great!! There's action a-plenty and lots of suspense. Percy is up to his ears in trouble and it's just started. And something's happening with Grover--doesn't look good. Man, this has been worth waiting for!

Our good friend cyber kid 303 has already read it (he bought a copy). Let's see if he liked it:

Thanks for what you said about me. Anyway, I have a new comment. For my bookclub I had to choose a new book to read and I chose "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan. Now I've read ALL the books in the Percy Jackson series. Here is my book report.

Percy Jackson is your average demigod son of Posidon. He goes to Camp Half-Blood to learn to sword fight and other useful things. I forgot to mention that Percy's mom is mortal so he is half-god half-human.Percy has to go across the Labyrinth, a deadly maze, with exits at Camp Half-Blood! Percy scoops poop, sets himself on fire, meets Janus, talks to a sphinx, participates in a gladiator fight, and sword fights in the Labyrinth. The monsters' and Titans' goal is to take over Camp Half-Blood, then Mt. Olympus! The Titans want to find Ariadne's string, which will help them navigate through the maze. Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson have to find it first.I really like this book, and I suggest you read it. It is very funny and should be on the New York Times Best Seller List.

Thanks, cyber kid. BTW, you deserve all we said.

Happy Reading,

Carl

PS--Take a look at the Guys Read blog for a short video of their getting to see Mr. Riordan at a bookstore in Raleigh--the lucky ducks!

A Good Reader and a Good Guy

I want to give a major shout-out to one of our regular readers and writers, cyber kid 303. I've found out some really good things about him and the things he's done and I think he deserrves some recognition.

You may remember that he came in second place in the March Madness Seires of Books tournament. He claimed the autographed UNCC Men's Basketball T-shirt and poster as his prizes. Here he is, picking them up at one of our Heroes programs:

But do you know what---he didn't claim these prizes for himself; he got them so he could give them away!!! He knows a family who are big UNCC basketball fans; in fact, the father is such a big fan that he has been to every UNCC basketball games for years and missed only once, when he had surgery! So cyber kid gave his prizes to that family:

Isn't that great? But that's not all!! Cyber kid also made a donation at the Mint Hill Library to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Shelter:
He donated treats and toys to keep the animals happy until they're adopted. Way to go!! Those animals can be be pretty pitiful while waiting. Have you seen the commercials that show how those abandoned pets feel while they wait? You're quite a guy, cyber kid!! He really loves his own pets, too. Here he is, reading to his dog:

If you look closely, you'll see that cyber kid is reading a Harry Potter book to his doggy friend. Hmmm, I wonder if if there's a dog version of HP? Maybe it would be Hairy Dogger and the Obedience School by J. K. ROWLFing.

All this generosity should not go unrewarded, so Darth Bill and I awarded him and extra prize for the Book Series tournament--the first Artemis Fowl book:

We're proud of you, cyber kid. Keep up the good work--and all the good works! Always remember, guys, it's important to be a good reader, but it's just as important (maybe even more so) to be a good guy

Carl

Sent You a Warning, He Did (and review two books, I do)

Hey, Darth Bill, Mysterious Anonymous has sent you a warning! I think you'd better pay attention to it:

Hummmmmmmm! I WILL be watching and reading this Blog. If I have to come back and put you in your place again I will, be you assured of this, Sith! Until then I can depend on other creatures to keep you in line.

Sounds pretty serious to me, Darth Bill!! I wonder what sort of creatures he means? Something like this?

or this?

No, I think he means the Lagormorph!! Better be careful when you taunt Mysterious Anonymous!!!

Well, as Bill says, enough silliness. I've just read two good, short, easy-and-quick-to-read books. One is Gamer by Alan Durant and the other is its sequel, Gamer: Next Level.

In the first book, JP is a serious gamer. He spends so much time with his Z Box that he doesn't listen when his mom tells him he has to read. Yet he's played and beaten all his games--where will he ever find a new one? The answer comes the next day when JP finds a junk store that wasn't there before. There's a new Z Box game in the window! JP goes inside and finds that the owner is a creepy guy with big glasses and a white cone of hair on top of his bald head. The man tells JP that it's not just a game but an experience. In fact, the game doesn't have a title, just a warning! But JP buys it anyway and takes it home. What happens when he tries it out? Let's just say he finds more experiences and danger than he wished for! In the second book, Mia and Zak, her pest of a little brother, find JP's game. Mia starts to play but then sees Zak captured by an octopus and taken inside a sunken ship. Can she save him? And guess who shows up at the end of the story? As I said, these are what you want when you want something that's quick and fun.

All right, take care, and let me know if you've got a copy of The Battle of the Labyrinth,

Carl

(PS--I saw Bill reading The Lightning Thief. Can't wait to hear how he likes it!)

Of Jedi, Sith, No More Dead Dogs and Honor

Hello all, it is I once again. The Sith who is a legend in his own mind: Darth Bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Yikes, I think I just scared myself) I hope most of you out there in the Land of Blog have not forgotten about our recently completed Boys Rule Boys Read Book Series Tournament, because the story I have to tell will curdle your blood I tell ya! As you may or may not recall, the person who came in first of our little competition was the The Mysterious Anonymous (Zonks, I scared myself again. Must be the bold type face.). Well the Mysterious Anonymous turned out to be no other than, drum roll please, the one, the only, Jedi Master Yoda!!!!!!


Jedi Master Yoda, up to no good I'm sure, coming to claim his prize.

Luckily I came to work prepared to deal with Jedi Scum!!!!

Combat most furious was soon commenced!!!!!

To my disgrace, I'm whupped up on most horribly!!!!! (How did this picture get in here?)

Although defeated most thoroughly and made to give Master Yoda his Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Graphic Novel, I still got to make fun of him when he was not looking behind his back (oops, you don't suppose he will read this blog, eh????? Better develop a quick exit strategy from library in case he does, but I want to make it clear I'm not scared or nothing. Yea that's the ticket, gulp!).

Well enough of that Humiliation, er, I mean Heroism on my part. Let's talk about some cool books I have read recently:



No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman - This is officially one of the funniest books I have ever read!!!! Now you may think from the title that this book is going to be sad or certainly something depressing, but brother you could not be more wrong. This book is told through multiple characters perspectives and these main characters are Wallace Wallace (no this is not a typing mistake; Wallace is both his first and last name) - an unlikely/reluctant football hero, Rachel Turner - head of the Drama Club, Trudi Davis - Rachel's boy crazy best friend, Mr. Fogelman - Wallace's eighth grade English Teacher and others. It all starts out when Wallace Wallace, who for reasons you will learn, writes an honest book report about Mr. Fogelman's favorite book Old Shep, My Pal. Basically he writes that he hates the book. Why do you ask? Here is a short excerpt from the book concerning this event that gives you a taste of the humor that this book is infused with:

"I knew Old Shep was going to die before I started page one."
"Don't be ridiculous," the teacher snapped. "How?"
I shrugged. "Because the dog always dies. Go to the library and pick out a book with an award sticker and a dog on the cover. Trust me, that dog is going down."
"Not true!" stormed Mr. Fogelman.
"Well," I challenged, "what about Old Yeller?"
"Oh, all right," the teacher admitted. "So Old Yeller died."
"What about Sounder?" piped up Joey Quick. "And Bristle Face, " added Mike "Feather" Wrigley, one of my football teammates.
"Don't forget Where the Red Fern Grows," I put in. "The double whammy - two dogs die in that one."
"You've made your point," growled Mr. Fogelman. "And now I'm going to make mine. I expect a proper review. And your going to give it to me - during detention!"

If only Mr. Foelman knew what series of events he was putting in motion by putting Wallace Wallace in detention, he would have had serious second thoughts. Yet if he did not, the seriously comedic events that follow would never have occurred. If you like to laugh out loud, this is definitely the book for you. Man, I'm still laughing about different parts of the book just thinking about them. Two Thumbs Up!!!!!!!!!!!


Guan Yu: Blood Brothers to the End - A Chinese Legend by Dan Jolly and Ron Randall - This Graphic Novel tells the story of Guan Yu, an ancient Chinese Warrior, who leaves his village and home at a young age to seek his fortune. Not long after leaving his home he encounters two men, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, at a tavern. The two men had just begun recruiting men to fight a group of rebels known as the Yellow Scarves. They invite Guan Yu to join them and he agrees to help them put down the rebellion. As they talk, they know that something very special is happening and start to feel a special kinship with one another. Before leaving the tavern the three men agree to be Blood Brothers and to never abandon their brotherhood. They put down the Yellow Scarf Rebellion that threatened the Chinese Government and go on to have many adventures together and separately. Guan Yu, especially, goes on to accomplish many great feats and becomes renown throughout China. So much so, that many years after his famous death (read about it), he transcends mortality to myth becoming a Chinese God of War. His mythological status also comes to represent Honor, Righteousness, and most of all Brotherhood. This is a really good read about a real warrior who achieved greatness and beyond through honor and integrity. I found this to be both an interesting and fun book.

Take it easy all and be nice to each other,

Bill

Today's the Day! The New Percy Jackson Book Is Out!!!!!

YIPPEEE!!!! The day I've waited for is finally here! Today is the day The Battle of the Labyrinth, the new Percy Jackson book comes out. Here's a picture of me at my desk--I slept here all night so I could get a copy when the library opens:

Here's me saying, "YEESSS!!!" when I woke up and realized what day it is:

Here's me and coworker Melanie when she got here and found out I slept here all night and didn't get a shower or brush my teeth:

But guess what---THE LIBRARY'S COPIES ARE NOT HERE YET!!!!! OH, NO!!!!!!! Here I am, calmly accepting the news:

Well, I found out that the library orders their books from a certain company and that company has not sent the books out yet. They apparently don't know how popular these books are. (It was different for Harry Potter) So what can you do? I've waited this long; I guess I can wait a bit longer. Well, in the meantime, if any of you out there have bought a copy, write to us and give us a review when you've read it. But don't give anything away!!!

Speaking of Percy Jackson, our brother readers and bloggers at the Guys Read blog are going to see Rick Riordan at a bookstore in Raleigh this Thursday! The day after tomorrow! In Raleigh, just three hours away from Charlotte! Go to their blog, check out their latest post, and keep reading their blog to hear about their visit. (You can access their blog from the Links on the left-hand side of our page) Here's what our Guys Read friend Rowdy Roddy had to say about it:

Hey Guys,

I really enjoyed the video review of Inkheart. I loved the book and look forward to the movie.We are also looking forward to Rick Riordan's visit and we will be sure to say "hi" for y'all.

Riding off into the sunset,

Rowdy Roddy

I asked them to give our greetings to Mr. Riordan. Well, I'll just keep on waiting and put on a happy face.

Or maybe not.

But there is good news--I spoke with the person in charge of ordering books for the library. She very kindly emailed the book company and told them our situation and the company said they'd try to put a priority on getting them out soon. YEESSS!!!! Thanks so much!

BTW, today is a primary election day in North Carolina. I'm planning to vote after work. Voting is another thing we owe to the ancient Greeks. The whole idea of democracy, that is, the people governing themselves instead of being lorded over by a king, came from them. So remember that as you watch the election unfold this year.

Waiting and waitng,

Carl

I'm Back!!!!! I'm Back in the Saddle Again!!!!!!!

The Sundance Kid and me (Butch) pulling a robbery in the library!!!

Hi all, it is I, the sithest Sith around, Darth Bill. Oh Yea!!!!!!!!! I have not posted in awhile so let's look at some things that have gone on since my last post to Blogland.

Well, first things first, I want to congratulate Collin who entered the Storytubes Competition and made it to the National Level. Well done Collin!!!!!! You Rock Man!!!!!! Check out his review of Inkheart by Cornelia Funke below:

Love the review and I can't wait to read this book myself. We will be sending you the free book you picked out for letting us put this video on the blog to your local branch, Collin. Again, congratulations and good luck in the Nationals. If you want to see other videos from this competition just go to the Storytube Website.

Well, I reckon I'll talk about some books I have read recently, I reckon.


Mail Order Ninja Volume 2: Timmy Strikes Back! by Joshua Elder & Erich Owen - In the first volume of this graphic novel series, Timmy acquired his very own personal Ninja by ordering him through the mail. He acquired the noble and kick-butt Ninja Yoshida Jiro. Under the watchful eye of Jiro, all in Timmy's world has become so much better (even elementary school). Unfortunately in this volume, one of the ex-popular people at school, Felicity Huntington, has sent off for a Mail Order Ninja of her own; the dreaded Hakuryuu Nobunaga! With her own Evil Ninja in hand and the power of the mystic jewel "The Heart of Darkness," she defeats Timmy and Jiro and takes over the entire town. Are Ninja Jiro and his new love interest, the teacher Ms. Melton, in danger of losing their lives????? Will Timmy be able to put together a resistance movement to rescue the two and depose the Evil Felicity and Ninja Nobunaga?????? This graphic novel is a hilarious and a fun read. I recommend it and it's proceeding Volume 1!!!!!






Cool Comics: Creating Fun and Fascinating Collections by Pam Price - Well if you didn't know by now, I'll let out another of my little secrets. I love comics and buy more than a fair share at the greatest Comic Book Store in the world "HEROES AREN'T HARD TO FIND" right here in Charlotte. If you want to know more about them check out there Website at http://www.heroesonline.com/about.html. Also, if you didn't know, this Saturday is Free Comic Book Day. So if you want to pick up some tasty free titles along with meeting some very cool comic writers and artists, check it out. I know I will be there bright and early!!!!!! For more information go to the "HEROES AREN'T HARD TO FIND" Website!!!! Man I love that place. Wait a minute, I was supposed to be reviewing a book, wasn't I? Ah yes, this book is great in that it talks about all the stuff that makes collecting comics a fun and awesome hobby. It goes into the history of comics, the fun of collecting, deciding what to collect (basically what comics you enjoy), information on comic writers and artists, pricing and the grading of comics you may want to acquire, buying comics through many different venues, original art work, action figures and, lastly, organization and storage suggestions. If you love comics, you will like this book. Give it a try. Also, if Spider-Man fought Batman, who do you think would win?

Well, that's all I got for now. Take it easy and peace,

Bill