Dragonslayer Likes Erec Rex; I Like It Too--and Sluggers!

Hello, fellow reader guys, 'tis Carl. Our friend, the valiant dragonslayer 1191812, hath sent us a review of the first Erec Rex book:

Hello from Dragonslayer,

I just finished Erec Rex The Dragon's Eye written by Kaza Kingsley.The story is about a boy named Erec Rex who is adopted. Erec's adopted mother has gone missing but was in fact kidnapped by two guys wearing black. Erec meets a girl named Bethany who helps him enter into another world underground through a secret passage in a sidewalk.Erec and Bethany make their way to the castle were his mother is trapped. The castle is Upside down, literally! Erec and Bethany have to go through many trials,including trying to become King and Queen so that Erec can save his mother.

Read the book to find out if Erec has what it takes to be King.Can he save his mother?Can he house break his new weredog?Read Erec Rex The Dragon's Eye,it's really good.

P.S. I just started Erec Rex and The monsters of Otherness. So far so good.

Thanks, dragonslayer! I've been a big fan of these books since last summer and I'm glad to see another fan. The Monsters of Otherness is even better than the first one. And the third one, The Search For Truth, comes out July 30!!! Does the cover look strange? It might be that Erec is turning into a dragon!!

As I said, I became an Erec Rex fan last summer but I became a fan of another series at the same time. It's the Barnstormers series, now called Sluggers. The latest one, Water, Water Everywhere just came out and I just finished it. Man, oh, man, what a book! Man. Oh. Man! What. A. Book!!! I loved this series because of all the magic, mystery, action, and suspense in the first three books. This one took all that and ratcheted it up another ten levels!! Wow! I was blown away.

Here's some background. The year is 1899. The Payne family--Mom and the three kids Griffith, Ruby, and Graham--have had to form a baseball team and travel around the country playing games to raise money because the father didn't come back from the Spanish-American War and their Uncle Owen owes $10,000 to somebody (possibly the bad guys). So the Paynes and the father's fellow veterans play exhibition games but the kids have a baseball that the father left them. When they all put their hands on the ball, strange things happen on the ball field. On top of that, there's a very nasty rich guy called the Chancellor who wants that ball and will stop at nothing to get it--even kidnapping the kids!!

In this book, the Payne family plays in Minneapolis. The Chancellor is way ahead of them, though, and has hired a crooked umpire and a pro team to make sure they can't win. What's worse, the pitcher collapsed at the end of the third book and the team has to find a new pitcher. The replacement is an African-American man named Preacher Wil. Can the team accept a black man on their team? Can the fans? And if the team is divided over Preacher Wil, can the magic work? Plus, the Chancellor's men are all over the stadium, waiting to steal the kids and their ball. Things don't look good!!!

I tell you, this book had me glued to my seat!!! I read it all in one afternoon!! The action, the suspense, and the amazing magic--it's even more intense in this book than the first three. You've GOT to read it! Run right down to your library or bookstore and find it now!!

PS--if you go to the library, look for it in the chapter books under the author's last name, which is Long. The books are still in the Barnstormers format.

PPS--one of your fellow reader guys, Jedi-J.T, wrote a review of the first Barnstormers/Sluggers book. Check it out here.

"Take Me Out to the Ballgame..."

I'm glad you got your copy of the Percy Jackson book, Jedi Master Zack. That was very public-spirited of you, getting your own copy so that kids wouldn't have to wait. The Great and Powerful CARLMAN, though, has decided to set an example of an example of patience and tranquility. Therefore, I am waiting patiently for The Last Olympian.


I'm waitng...patiently..for...The Last Olympian.


I'mmmm.....waiting............patiently........forrrrrrr..................

AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!! WHEN IS IT EVER GOING TO GET HERE????

If you want your parents to get you a copy, our friends and brother readers at the SMS Guys Read blog have given us some guidelines on what to do:

Beggin' Mom or How to get the next Percy Jackson book
Hi, this is The Undertaker and Adam Bomb, we are going to teach you how to beg your mom for books on your way home from a Guys Read club meeting.

Way number 1:
The classic whine with Bambi eyes, like so: Pweety pwease mommy, wit a chweery ontop.

Way number 2:
Beg WITH YOUR LIFE MAN!!!: PPPPPLLLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEE!! If you don't buy it my life will be RUINED! I will never do well in school again, Mom, I will end up in a box behind a Wal-mart eating chicken bones out of the dumpster from the bar next door, all because YOU DID NOT BUY ME THE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Way number 3:
Promise to do stuff like: Clean you room, Wash the walls, Clip the cats toe nails, paint the trees, help her with work, stuff like that.

Way number 4(if she questions why you need to go that very instant):
Say that all the other kids at school will laugh at you cause you don't have the book. Promise to work it off or see way number 3.

Way Number 5:
Lie and tell her that your teacher told you that you need to have it for class tomorrow.
and last but not least,

Way number 6:
Suggest the closest bookstore. Saving gas always makes a mom happy

Yours truly,
Adam Bomb and The Undertaker
P.S. NEVER EVER beg in front of a sibling cause' they'll come up with reasons why you don't deserve the book.Beggin' Mom or How to get the next Percy Jackson book

Thanks, guys! We at the Boys Read blog would never recommend lying, of course----well, maybe Darth Bill would since he's a sith lord--but you might try some of these other methods. Check out the whole article here or go their site, which is under the Links section on the left-hand side of the page. PLUS, they wrote a truly outstanding post about Star Wars day, May 4th. Drat!! Wish I'd known about it! That's what I get for not checking their site every day

Well ,as I said before, life doesn't stop stop while waiting and there are lots of good books out there. I just finished a really, really good one called Bill Penant, Babe Ruth, and Me by Timothy Toucher. This is one of those books that makes you feel really good when you turn the last page. And you'll keep turning these pages because of the terrific story.



It's the 1920 baseball season. Young Hank Cobb spent the last summer working for John McGraw, manager of the New York Giants. After the season, McGraw sent Hank off to Anson Academy so the boy could get an education, but Hank absolutely hates school and doesn't see why he needs to be there. His great dream is to be a ball player; he can learn all he needs on the ballfield. Imagine his joy, then, when McGraw calls him out of school to work for the Giants again. But then imagine his surprise when he finds out his new job will be taking care of Bill Penant, the team mascot. And Bill Penant is a baby wildcat--a real wildcat, totally untamed! But that's not all; he also discovers that he must also "take care" of the Yankees' new player, Babe Ruth, who is rather untamed himself. (The Giants and Yankees shared a ball park back then) Can Hank work for both the Giants and Yankees? And what happens when this baby wildcat grows up? And will Hank ever go back to school or stay in the ballpark all his life? Want to know? Then you have to get this book and find out!


I tell you, if you get this one, you'll enjoy it for sure. It's funny, funny, funny--especially with all the scenes of Hank and the wildcat! But then, just as you think it'll be all fun and games, something serious happens that changes Hank's whole life. He has to face up to his fears and decide his future. Is he a coward? Or does he have what it takes? All guys have to answer that question at some point. Read it and see how Hank gets his answer.

And Mr. Tocher does a good job bringing historical people into the story. John Mc Graw was a real person.

So was Damon Runyon (a baseball reporter who went on to become one of America's most famous writers).

Speaking of baseball, let me remind you of some other REALLY good baseball books. One is Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta. It's hard to believe that this is Mr. Scaletta's first book becuase it's so good. The basic idea is that these kids live in a town in which it has rained for 22 years!! Then, one day, it stops!! And it may have something to do with a baseball game 22 years ago, a foster brother, and Native American mysticism. I didn't talk about this book nearly enough when I reviewed it on 3-12-09. The characters act like real kids, the situation, strange as it is, iis totally believable, the story gets a big hold on you, and there's quite a twist at the end. You'll like it a lot!




The other is the Barnstormers series by Loren Long and Phil Bildner. They're going to be called the Sluggers now and there's a new one already out. It's called Water, Water Everywhere. The library has plenty of copies; I'm going to check one out as soon as I'm done writing! You've got baseball, magic, mystery, suspense, and truly nasty bad guys. This is one of my very favorite series!!


Thanks for listening to me in such a long post. I had to talk so much becasue these books are good!!

Later,

Carl

I got it!!!

Hey guys, Master Jedi Zack here.

Yesterday I decided that I just couldn't wait any longer for The Last Olympian so I bought my own copy. This was the Jedi thing to do because 127 people are in line for the library copies and I didn't want to make one of you guys wait any longer so that I could read it. I'm on page 109 of 381 and it is awesome! I won't give anything away, but know that this book is worth the wait!!! I will keep my eyes peeled for boxes of books that come in and make sure to get any copies out as soon as I get them.

Here I am with my copy. It's mine, all mine!!!

A Planet and Not a Planet

Life can't stop while waiting for our copies of The Last Olympian to arrive. Our fellow guybrarian, blog follower, and sith lord Devin has sent us a really good nonfiction review:

Author’s Name: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Book Title: The Pluto Files : the rise and fall of America's favorite planet

This book was about:
The Pluto Files chronicles Pluto in two ways- first, as a planet and how it is discovered. And then second, in terms of modern science and trying to answer the question of how Pluto fits into our solar system.

The book is very interesting and explains, in a way that is easy for non-rocket scientists to understand, how planets are observed and discovered. The history of Pluto is complete, and the book makes you feel as though you have met all the people involved. The Pluto Files shows you how planets get names, who decides what is a planet and what words like planet and asteroid really mean.

I liked (or didn’t like) this book because:
I enjoy science and this book is full of interesting scientific knowledge in a language that is easy to read. I loved it!

Your name: Devin

Thanks, Devin! The planets are extremely interesting and the more you learn, the more interesting they become. I've always wondered who decides what a planet is and how the names are chosen. I bet you guys have wondered too. Go check this book and find out!

Carl

TODAY'S THE DAY!!!

Oh, yes, indeed! THE LAST OLYMPIAN comes out today!! I am so pumped!! Of course, we won't get our copies today because of the way the library gets books (we get whole bunches of different titles in one shipment) but I have been assured that we will get them soon. We're all very excited today and some of us our wearing our t-shirts to honor the occasion. Here I am in my Camp Half Blood shirt: And here's Ms. Leah, our Hunter of Artemis:Darth Bill isn't here yet, so I can't get his picture. Are any of you on the waiting list? Are you going to buy a copy? Let us know!

Carl

PS--this is such big news that even The Wall Street Journal, that most grownup of grownup newspapers, wrote an article about it. Read it here. And guess what-- it says there will be more Camp Half Blood stories! No more Percy stories, but more CHB! Woo-hoo!

Tomorrow's The Day!!!

Oh, yeah, uh-huh, only ONE MORE DAY until the release of THE LAST OLYMPIAN. I've never been so excited about a new book in all the 10 years I've been with the library!!

We won't get our copies tomorrow becasue of the way the library gets books, but I spoke to She Who Orders Books and asked if the library could make this one a priority, so we should get it sooner rather than later. And I'm # 6 on the waiting list, which means I'll be among the first to receive mine! Are you as excited as I am????

Carl

Cool New Book and Free Comic Book Day

Hello all in the Land of Blog. Tis I again Darth Bill with important news!!!! Tomorrow, Saturday May 2 is Free Comic Book Day!!!!! So if you know where your local comic book store is be sure to go and pick up some really cool free swag. Here in Charlotte the best place to go is Heroes Arnt Hard To Find.



Click Here to go to their Web page for more information on them and Free Comic Book Day!!!!


And Now for Something Completely Different, a Book Review:





Gods of Manhattan by Scott Mebus - Imagine if you will a land and place where "History" is really alive. On the Island of Manhattan, not only are the spirits of people who once inhabited the land still around....some of the more famous have become Gods. Some of these Gods are:

Alexander Hamilton - God of Finance; Mayor of the Gods of Manhattan.
Walt Whitman - God of Optimism.
Babe Ruth - God of Heroes.
Boss Tweed - God of Rabble Politics.
Peter Stuyvesant - God of Things Were Better in the Old Days.
And Many More.....

A God exists as long as he or she is remembered. Once the person is forgotten they in essence die. This is the only way a God can die. That is until Adriaen van der Donck, God of Justice for Those Who Get None, is murdered! This is an event most strange in the hidden world of Manhattan that goes unseen by we mere mortals. That is until 13 year old Rory Hennessy's eyes are opened by a mysterious magician known as Hex at his younger sister Bridget's Birthday. He then begins to see strange sights as cockroaches riding rats, a bow caring Indian in the park, a kung fu fight between a rat and a squirrel and much more. There is something not right going on in Manhattan and the forces of good and evil are facing off with Rory and Bridget stuck right dab in the middle. Why? Read this wonderful and very cool book to find out !!!!!!!

Until next time young Jedi and Sith, To Infinity and Beyond,

Bill