The Leviathan Book Club

Hey everyone, I hate to post twice in one day, but we just got a comment from Tommy Donbavand, the Scream Street author, on Lord Vader's review of his books:

Hey!Thanks for the great review! Delighted to hear you're enjoying the books!

Tommy Donbavand
author, Scream Street

We appreciate it, Tommy! We're always glad when authors write in to us.

I also have been trying to put up this post about the Leviathan book club since last week but have had trouble uploading one of the videos. Fortunately, one of our computer wizards came down to wave his wand and fix it. Here you go.

Greetings and Achtung! all you Clankers and Darwinists out there! This is Carl, aka Baron Karl von KARLMAN, and we had a great time at the Boys Book Club on Saturday the 15th of May. Our book was Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, one of my very favorites from 2009. Unfortunately, we had only 3 guys there that day. Several others had wanted to come, but two had to much homework, another couldn't make it, and one didn't like the book! (What???!!!) Well, next time, if you don't like the book, come anyway and tell us WHY you didn't like it! Anyway, the three of us had a good time. The first one to arrive was the Amazing Alex (aka AXEL SIMONE from the March Madness Contest). I was afraid he would be the only one but, in true CARLMAN fashion, I decided not to give up and have some discussion with Alex. Here's a video of that terrific talk. (it's about 5 minutes long, so be patient. It's good stuff)

But after we talked for a while, Crazy Cat Kyle and Legendary Leland showed up. Now we were ready for some fun! The first thing I did was to ask if they were Clankers or Darwinists. Leland said he was a Clanker and Kyle and Alex were Darwinists, so that meant it was Leland against Kyle and Alex. Our game was to have the Darwinists get the airship Leviathan across the room. It couldn't touch the ground or they lost. They moved it by hitting it with their hands. (A big balloon/globe was the mighty airship Leviathan) The Clanker had to try to knock it out of the the air but he had to move slowly, like a World War I machine. His weapon was a big cardboard tube. Here's a short clip of the game:

Then we had snacks and some more good discussion. Finally we had one more game. One of the best things about this book was the made-up slang expressions such as "barking spiders!", so we made up our own expressions. I put out two cups with slips of paper in them. Each slip of paper had a word on it, either a noun or a verb. One cup held verbs and one held nouns. Each guy pulled a slip out of each cup, put the slips together, and that was his expression. Someone might get "Dancing Giraffes!" or "Jumping Workboots!". Kyle got "Baking Pepperoni!" and Alex got "Running Gorillas!". Here's a video:

Our book clubs are always fun. We hope we can have another one this summer. If so, hope to see you there!

HUZZAH! HUZZAH! For Home of the Brave

Did you ever reach the end of a favorite movie or TV series and then sit back and say, "Ahhh!" because you were so satisfied? That's how I felt yesterday after turning the last page of Home of the Brave by Phil Bildner and Loren Long. It was a great ending of a terrific series, the kind of ending that makes you feel good, having come to the end of a wonderful journey. This book takes place in Baltimore and marks the final confrontation between the Payne family and the totally evil Chancellor, only now the bad guy has the magic baseball that the Paynes have depended on for so long. Can they possibly hope to withstand the Chancellor and his thugs without it? There's an epic baseball game, plenty of suspense, and some major surprises. This is one you've GOT to read, guys! (If you want to find out what we've said about these books, click on the "Sluggers" and "Barnstormers" tabs under this post)

And to encourage you to read all 6 books, don't forget there are prize packages for any guy who does! Look at the box in the top corner of the left-hand side of the page to find out more.

Speaking of prizes, guess who's giving out one more--it's Phil Bildner himself!! He saw that Michael read the series and won the prizes a couple of days ago and made a comment:

Way to go, Michael! I'd like to donate a prize, too: An autographed SLUGGERS poster.

Please email me at my website!

Congrats!

Phil

Wow, thanks, Phil! That was extremely nice of you. And the Phil and Loren have an excellent website at http://www.readsluggers.com/ Be sure to check it out.

PS--One last question. What is it about baseball that makes it go mythic? I likefootball and really enjoy basketball but it's hard to imagine a series about a magic football or basketball. Why does the game of baseball lend itself so well to epic stories and magic? What do you think, guys?

PPS--OK, one more thought (grownups love to do this) This is a great book for Memorial Day. There's a very moving chapter called "A Pause in the Action" in which veterans from the Mexican War, the Civil War, and Spansih-American War (which included the Traveling Nine) come onto the field and everyone salutes them. Kinds choked me up. Hope something like that happens in your town over this holiday.

Old and New Friends Write to Us

This is great! We got 2 new reviews yesterday. One was from our old friend Lord Vader (aka Mikie), who used to write to us all the time. Let's hear what he says:

Hello,It's me, Lord Vader (a.k.a. Mikie).
I read two books in a series called Scream Street by Tommy Donbavand. The first was Fang of the Vampire. It's about a werewolf named Luke Watson. The government forced him to move to a street where the other residents are all monsters (vampires, mummies, witches, etc.). Luke and two of his friends from Scream Street have to search for 6 relics to get his parents off of Scream Street. There is a guide book that can help them, but a ghoul and a shape shifter try to stop them.
In book 2, Blood of the Witch they continue to look for relics. It turns out one of his friends is not a real monster, just his parents are. As they look for the relic, the same evil characters (one of them is the landlord), try to stop them. One of his friend's father runs out of blood (he's a vampire), so he runs into the sewers and turns rats and a cat (this cat has way more than 9 lives) into vampires.
I think other kids that are into stories that have undead characters in them will love this series. I read the books in just a few days - I couldn't wait to read them. I'm waiting on book three right now.

Thanks, Lord Vader! It sure is good to hear from you again. Whew, these books sound scary!

The second review is from our good friend AXEL SIMONE. He's talking about the fourth book in the Sluggers series.

water water everywhere
in the continuing adventures of the payne family they are heading to minneapolis after happy is not allowed to play anymore.meanwhile ruby recruits preacher wil who divides the team due to racism. i loved it. i recommend it to anyone who has read the other books.
bye.

And thanks to you, AXEL! I think this may be the best book in this series, although it's too soon to say because I'm reading the last one now. You've got only 2 more books to read in this series to claim your prize package!

All right, guys, we love to hear about what you're reading. Keep those cards and letters and reviews coming!

Michael Reads the Sluggers Series and Gets His Prizes!

Yes, indeed, guys, our good friend and completely awesome reader guy Michael has just finished reading all 6 books in the Sluggers series by Phil Bildner and Loren Long. (the library has some of these books under their old Barnstormers name) I'm such a huge fan of these books that I said on April 15 and April 28 that I would give away prize packages to any guy who read all 6 of them. Michael has been the first one who did. (even though, if you read yesterday's post, AXEL got a prize for reading the first two)

Michael really enjoyed these books. Here's what he had to say about them:

Sluggers, books 1-6

by Loren Long and Phil Bildner

Griffith, Graham, and Ruby Payne live in the year 1899, a year in which all of America is head-over-heels for their new favorite pastime... baseball! When the Payne family has to pay a debt to the mysterious and evil Chancellor, the kids, along with a baseball team that their mother plays on, travel around the country to play baseball in order to win money to pay off the Payne's debt. The three kids have a magic baseball that they use to rig the baseball games in favor of the hometeam. But suddenly, the Chancellor and his men try everything they can to get the magic baseball and Graham. The Chancellor must know of the baseball's power, but why would he want Graham? As the Travelin' Nine (the baseball team) and the Payne kids barnstorm across the country, the Chancellor always seems to be gaining on them. Can they hold him off long enough to pay him the money they owe? I really enjoyed this series. It's the best baseball series that you will ever read, and you'll enjoy following the Payne kids in their escape from the Chancellor. A baseball game is played in every book, but there's a lot more to it than just baseball. This series is an amazing treat for readers, and I'd recommend it to baseball fans and non-baseall fans alike!

You are so right, Michael. These books really are an amazing treat for baseball fans and non-fans alike. If you like suspense, magic, mysterious messges, good families in desperate trouble, and creepy bad guys--in short, if you like really, really good reading, this is the series for you!!

As a reward, Michael gets a CMLibrary book bag, a CMLibrary Book Lover's Journal, some pencils, a Quizno's bag with coupons for their new downtown store, a couple of free books, a door hanger, a yo-yo, a water bottle, a t-shirt, and a couple of bookmarks! Well done, Michael! These same prizes could be yours if you read all six and tell us about them. Take a look at the the box at the top of the left-hand side of the page or click on the "Sluggers giveaway" tab under this post to find out more.

READ THESE BOOKS, GUYS!! You will like them a lot!

AXEL Shoots! AXEL Scores!

Our good friend AXEL SIMONE, who won the March Madness Shoot-Out contest, claimed his first prize package in our Sluggers giveaway. He sent us several reviews, including one of the second Barnstormers/Sluggers book. Here you go:

barnstormers book 2.

when the paynes get a bloody letter from their uncle they realize he may be in big trouble but they still have a game. after their loss in cincinatti will they win in louisville? i loved it. i recommend the series to everyone.

barnstormers book 3

after their first win they go to chicago for anoter game and their are a few suprises along the way. i loved it. i recomend the series to everyone.

the red pyramid

when carter and sadies dad is kidnapped by set, the egyptian god of chaos, carter and sadie go on an adventure to save him and the world. my favorite character is khufu the baboon.as sadie would say it is a bloody good book. i recommend it to everyone.

the emporers code

after learning they are madrigals dan and amy are trying to find the next clue when dan is kidnapped! it is awesome. i recommend it to everyone.bye.

Thanks, AXEL! I'm REALLY glad you like these Sluggers books. I hope more of you will read them becasue the are FAN-TASTIC! BTW, he got his prize because he reviewed the first one in the March Madness contest. Here he is with his prize package:

He's got a t-shirt and a bag from Quizno's with coupons for free subs at the newest store uptown. Well done, sir! Enjoy the well-earned fruits (or subs) of your reading! He'll get the big prize package after he reads all 6 of them. Check out the box on the top of the left-hand side of the page to find out what those prizes are!

Wizards of Mickey and The Book That Eats People

Here are a copule of good quick reads that the younger reader guys will enjoy. (And I bet the older ones will too) The first is Wizards of Mickey: Mouse Magic. Mickey is a sorceror's apprentice who can't get his spells right. (sound familiar?) His master, Nereus, leaves him in charge of the Diamgic crystal that controls rainfall for his village but Peg-Leg Pete tricks Mickey and slips away with it after Mickey has created a tornado that wrecks the village. Our apprentice decides that the only way to atone is to track down Peg-Leg Pete and get the Diamagic back. But it turns out that the Lord of Deception has captured Nereus and the sorceror is counting on Mickey to rescue him. Can Mickey do it? You'll have to read to find out! Along the way you'll meet Donald, Goofy, a team of dragons, and a huge stack of dirty dishes! The artwork is good, the story is good, and I had a really good time with it. But I've got to warn you that this is only volume 1. Now you're going to be like me, tapping you foot impatiently until vloume 2 comes out!

The other book is a picture book. Yes, I know you guys have outgrown picture books, but I know you'll like this one. How can you NOT like something called The Book That Eats People? It started when Sammy Ruskin forgot to wash his hands after lunch and the book tasted peanut butter on his fingers. After him, it gobbled up the night security guard at the library and then...well, I can't write any more because the book is looking at me and licking its lips!! Be sure to get a copy because it'll make you laugh--but don't read it alone or you'll be book food!

(PS--I first learned of this book on Kinderscares, a new blog about scary books for kids, especially younger kids. Nothing on there has been terribly scary--yet!)

HUZZAH! The Final Sluggers Book Is Here!!

This is worth cheering about! My copy of Home of the Brave by Loren Long and Phil Bildner arrived early and I've started reading it. Just to let you know HOW excited I am, I've got a copy of The Red Pyramid and The Emperor's Curse (the latest 39 Clues book) at home but I'm reading this one FIRST!! This one is supposed to be the last book in this marvelous series, so maybe they'll explain all the mysteries. Hope so!
PS--Don't forget about our Sluggers giveaway. Check out the "Sluggers giveaway" label underthis post or the box at the top of the left-hand side of the page.