Let the Readathon Begin!

Hey, guys, I'm not really here.

I mean, I'm starting the 48 Hour Book Challenge at 7:00 am this morning but I can't write about it this weekend. (I wrote this ahead of time and set it up to publish this morning) Since I work for the library, I write on the blog only during work time. This is my weekend off, except for a special library event on Sunday afternoon, so I can't post anything until Monday morning. You'll get a full report then. In the meantime, I'll be reading away, doing my utmost to put in 12 hours during these 48 hours.

Wait a minute--did I hear someone call me a wimpy reader? Did someone impugn my manliness and say that other readers will do 30 hours this weekend? 40 hours??? That some bloggers give up meals and sleep? Well, all I can say, then, is that I'm a MANLY MAN, not a CRAZY MAN! Actually, I have some other commitments this weekend and getting in 12 hours will be tough. But tough is the CARLMAN'S middle name!This is me, sneering with disdain at the thought of giving up!! The Iron Guy will read until the pages fall out!!

Until Monday morning, feel free to leave comments. And don't forget that this is for a good cause. I hope you will contribute however much money you'd like to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library for every hour that I read. Thanks! You will be the real heroes!

All the Scoop on the 48 Hour Book Challenge and Your Chance to Help the Library

The great test of the CARLMAN'S endurance and dedication comes up this weekend. It's the 48 Hour Book Challenge, an annual event in which kidlit bloggers try to read as many hours as they can in a 48-hour period. This year they're letting us use this event as an opportunity to raise money for our favorite charities, so I'm asking all you readers guys to donate however much money you and your families would like for every hour that I read. I'll post the results on Monday and you can see how many hours I actually read to determine how much to give. Here's how you can donate:

1. Donate cash at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library branch closest to you. Please put the money in an envelope and make sure the envelope is addressed to Dick Pahle, Main Library, 310 N. Tryon. No need to put a stamp on it because you're not mailing it. In fact, you should NEVER send cash through the mail!! As long as Mr. Pahle's name is on the envelope, it will get to him. (He's in charge of all our fundraising) If your local branch has a cash donation box, you could put it in there or you could give it to the helpful, friendly librarian behind the desk. (Here's a picture of your typical Charlotte Mecklenburg librarian)

2. Your parents could write a check. You can mail it or drop it off at your local branch. If you mail it, make sure it goes to Dick Pahle, Main Library, 310 N. Tryon, Charlotte, NC. 28202. If you drop it off, please be sure to put Mr. Pahle's name and Main Library on the envelope.

Whether you write a check or donate cash, please add a note that says it's from the 48 Hour Book Challenge.

3. Donate online. All the info for donating online is here. Online donations automatically go to Mr. Pahle. If you do this, make sure your parents know about it first!! Or your parents could make the donations, of course.

As I said, you can donate however much you'd like. You can donate on your own or this might be something you and your family/friends/school would like to do. We really appreciate it, guys! The library is in trouble; check out my post from May 29 to find out.

My goal is to read 12 hours over the weekend. During that time, I plan to read The Red Pyramid, The Emperor's Code, (been saving those two for this weekend), and Redwall. (at long last!) I read slowly, so this should last me a while but I've got other stuff lined up if I finish them. We're also allowed to listen to one audiobook, so I've got one called Lad, a Dog ready to go. It's an old book, a true story about a man and his collie--and the dog doesn't die in this one!

As I said, I'll post the results on Monday. In the meantime, I'll be out there as a true MANLY MAN, reading for the greater good!

Michael Claims His Prizes!

Our good friend and frequent contributor Michael went to the University City library and picked up his prize package for reading all 6 books in the Sluggers series. Here is with his book bag and one of his free books. (The book is Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta)

And here's a close-up of him beaming with pride after his magnificent achievement.

Well done, Michael!! Keep up the good work!

"It Was the Footprint of a Gigantic Hound": My Second Blast From the Past

"My dear Watson, if you know where that quote comes from, then you know I'm going to talk about The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. If you haven't read this book, then let me tell you that you are in for a treat!! Wait--the game is afoot, Watson! I'll let my good friend Carl talk about it."

Thanks, Mr. Holmes. This is my second Blast From the Past, in which I talk about an old favorite that I've never reviewed. This one is really worth telling you all about!

Sir Charles Baskerville was found dead on the grounds of Baskerville Hall, an old mansion on the wild moors of Devonshire. They said it was because of his bad heart, but his friend Dr. Mortimer comes to Sherlock Holmes to say that Sir Charles died of fright. Then he tells the story of the Hound of the Baskervilles, a ghostly and savage beast that haunts the old estate. Dr. Mortimer says that he found the footprint of a gigantic hound near Sir Charles's body! Sherlock Homes, a thorough-going man of logic, doesn't believe in spectres but sends Dr. Watson to Baskerville Hall to protect Sir Henry, the only known heir, because Sherlock believes Sir Henry's life is in danger from a particularly dangerous criminal. The only way to catch the murderer is to send Sir Henry across the moor at night, when the hound will be out!! Will the young heir survive? And will even Sherlock Holmes be prepared for what they find??

Man, oh, man, you've got to read it to find out!! No one does it like Sherlock Holmes! There is hardly any place creepier than the moors around Baskerville Hall and no one creates mystery and suspense like Arthur Conan Doyle. I'd recommend this for the older reader guys who love good stories. And don't worry that's it's an older book--the language is easy to follow and not very difficult. Try it and see if you can possibly put it down!

PS--The library system has a graphic novel version, which I haven't read. Will have to get it.

PPS--There have been lots and lots of Sherlock Holmes movies and lots of famous actors have portrayed the fomaous detective. One was Peter Cushing, aka Grand Moff Tarkin:

And also Tom Baker who was, I believe, the third Dr. Who:

But my all-time favorite is Basil Rathbone, whose picture you saw at the beginning of this post. Here's a photo from his version of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Dr. Mortimer tells the great detective that, near the body, were the footprints of "a gigantic hound." There was originally a video clip to go here but it doesn't work anymore. Yep, they don't get any better than Sherlock Homes!! Be sure to click on the "Sherlock Homes" tab below to see what other books I've reviewed.

An Interview With Roseanne Parry: The Perfect Interview for Memorial Day

Hey, guys, I know a lot of you are celebrating Memorial Day this weekend. Some of you may have cookouts, go to the beach or the mountains, or just hang out with your family or friends. As you can see, I'm working this weekend but I'm also celebrating by hosting an interview with Roseanne Parry, author of that extraordinary book Heart of a Shepherd. It's all about a 12-year-old boy whose father gets deployed to Iraq for two and a half years. (see my review here)It's realistic fiction, which means there is no magic, worldwide conspiracies, or space battles, but it's still one of the favorite books I've read this year. (Realistic fiction is great because it deals with the issues we have to face in the real world, guys) Since this is the holiday dedicated to remebering and honoring those who serve or have served in the military, this was the perfect time to interview the author of such a story. I'm very glad and honored that she gave us this interview. But I've talked long enough. Let's hear Ms. Parry!

Why is it cool for boys to read?
It’s cool for boys to read because some of them grow up to be amazingly cool book editors and literary agents like mine. They get to work with books all day long, and nobody says, 'stop that reading and do something useful!' to
them.
My agent’s name is Stephen Fraser and he’s a book-loving boy who studied children’s literature in college. (It’s true! You can major in books!) He went on to become an editor and is now an agent, which means he helps books that he loves find the right publisher.

My editor’s name is Jim Thomas and he is also a book-loving boy who majored in English and went straight to New York City to work in the book business. He works in the Random House building, which is on Broadway. In case you were wondering, the editor is the person who takes my story apart like you would dissect a squid to see what’s really in there. And then he helps me put it together so it runs right, just like a working engine.

Why is it cool for boys to write?
Power! Writing is all about power.
Any short stroll through history will tell you so. Pick a tyrant and you’ll see a person who tried to control whether or not people learned to read and write, and what they were allowed to read and write. Nazi’s burned books. Terrorists close schools. Slave owners don’t allow their slaves to read and write.
And yet, as bad as those bad guys are, there have always been people, just like us, who paid attention to what was happening in the world and wrote down their ideas and shared them with others.
At the founding of this country, when Jefferson and Hamilton and Washington and Franklin were debating what to about the rights of Americans, there was a man who kept writing things down. He was no taller than your average fifth grader and a very shy person. Yet he had this great idea about the importance of human rights and the value of checks and balances in government. So James Madison wrote those ideas down and they became the basis of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. And this quiet and shy bookworm of a man became our fourth president. Yup, that’s power.

Why is it cool for boys to read realistic fiction--books with no aliens or magicians, no world-dominating villains, and nothing blows up?
There is a reason they make movies about cowboys. A rancher in any given day might face rattlesnakes, cattle rustlers, mountain lions, drug dealers, wolves, lighting, earthquakes, bears, or wildfires. Who needs magic when real life is packed with all these possibilities?
If you liked all the cowboy stuff in Heart of a Shepherd, you should give Bull Rider by Suzanne Morgan Williams a try. It’s got all that great cowboy stuff plus rodeo stuff!

What made you become a writer? And what made you write this particular book?
I was not much of a writer when I was in school. For one thing, sitting still was not ever a talent of mine. Also I am a terrible speller.
But I always loved making things up. My brother and sister and I spent whole summer days in the woods making up adventures with our favorite book characters. Our stories usually had sword fighting, magic, and eating blackberries. Frodo and Bilbo and the Narnia kids often came along and helped us defeat a rotating cast of dark wizards, corporate pollution makers, dragons, and Nazi spies. I continued to make up stories when I became a summer camp counselor then as a teacher and a mom.
It wasn’t until I had a houseful of kids that it occurred to me to write down the stories. I’m still not a great speller and I don’t love to sit still either. But here’s the cool part about being an author. I can write anywhere I want. Sometimes I work in my tree house and sometimes I go to Forest Park and work in a tree.

I wrote Heart of a Shepherd because there was this character in my head that I really loved—a youngest boy with a whole bunch of brothers. And he was trying so hard to be a man among the men of his family and yet he wasn’t really like them. So what’s a boy to do when he loves his home and his family even though he doesn’t really fit in? I had to write the book to find out what would happen to him.

Your book is set on a ranch in eastern Oregon. Did you ever live on a ranch or know people who did?
I went to college in eastern Washington where I met lots of kids who grew up on farms and dairies and ranches in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and the Dakotas. I loved to hear them tell stories about their hometowns and schools. I’ve visited in Malhuer County; it’s a strikingly wild and beautiful place.

In your book, the father is deployed to Iraq for two and a half years. Do you know anyone currently serving overseas?
My husband was a veteran of Desert Storm, so he was in Iraq a long time ago. I have several relatives who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan over the last few years. One is there now, and one of them has recently returned from deployments to earthquake relief missions in Haiti and Chile. Being in the Armed Forces isn’t only about fighting. It’s also about providing emergency help for people all over the world. I do worry about my nephews and brothers-in-law when they are deployed, but I’m very proud of them, too.

What will do for Memorial Day?
In the last 7 years my family has made a tradition of celebrating Memorial Day by making a temporary chalk memorial in downtown Portland. We go down to Waterfront Park with a bucket of sidewalk chalk. We draw a cross or star or crescent for every service member who has died in the last year. It’s a simple thing to do. It takes about an hour and a half with all of us working together, and it makes a memorial about 150 yards long. I like it because it reminds me that each one of the chalk marks was somebody’s son or daughter or sister or dad or best friend. It’s easy to spend the weekend on picnics and the beach and buying clothes on sale, but really Memorial Day is for remembering that war costs us something precious and irreplaceable.

Aren’t you writing another book? Would you tell us about it?
Second Fiddle is my next novel. It will be out in the March of 2011. It’s a road trip adventure story about three girl musicians who live in Berlin right when the Berlin Wall is coming down. They see some Soviet officers murdering one of their enlisted men, so they rescue him and run away to Paris! It was tons of fun to write.
I lived in Germany from 1990-1992 when the story takes place so it was great to revisit my memories of Berlin and Paris. It was also a fun book to work on because music is an interest I share with my agent and editor. I play the violin. My agent sings and my editor plays guitar and drums and has his own rock band. See, I told you those guys were cool!
What do you like to do when you’re not writing terrific books?
I love to ride my bike and hike and ski and paddle and sail. One of the great things about Oregon is that I can do all those things right here. Portland is a great town for bikes, so in the summer I try to have 2 or 3 no car days a week.

Which do you like better—cheeseburgers or pizza? What do you like on them?
Golly, do I have to pick? Here’s the perfect compromise: Cheeseburger Pie! The boy reader in my house has been making this recipe since he was about 9 years old. Here’s how he makes it.
Pie crust
1. Mix 1 1/3 cups flour and ½ teaspoon salt together with ½ cup of shortening.
2. Squash this up with a fork or pastry blender until it looks like a bowl full of tiny white peas.
3. Add 3 or 4 tablespoons of cold water and mix until the dough sticks together in a blob.
4. Get a pie plate and squish the dough flat on the bottom and up along the sides.
5. Bake the crust at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Filling
6. In a skillet, cook 1 pound of ground beef plus 1 chopped up onion and 1 clove of chopped up garlic until it is brown and good smelling.
7. Turn off the heat and stir in ¼ cup of flour, 1/3 cup of dill pickle liquid, 1/3 cup of milk, ½ cup of chopped up dill pickles and 1 cup of shredded cheese. (you can use any kind of cheese. My boy likes cheddar. He also likes to add a little celery salt.)
8. Spoon this into the pie crust and bake for 15 minutes.
9. Sprinkle the top with another cup of shredded cheese and cook it for about 5 minutes more. (When we have tomatoes in the garden my boy likes to slice them thin and put them on top of the filling, but he hides them under the cheese.)
10. You can decorate the top with pickles and ketchup. It serves 6 normal people or 4 very hungry people.

You seem very cool. Could we make you an Honorary Guy?
Yes! I would love that! Thank you!

We thanks YOU, Ms. Parry! In honor of your terrific books and for this wonderful interview, we're going to give you the greatest honor we can possibly bestow and make you an Honorary Guy. No, no--don't go all modest on us and say you don't deserve this amazing award! If anyone has earned it, it's you!

Thanks once again, Ms. Parry, and enjoy your Memorial Day! And you, too, all you reader guys. Don't forget that, as Ms. Parry pointed out, reading is the key to power and freedom--and be sure to remember the brave men and women who have fought throughout our history to make sure you have the freedom to read what you like.

The 48 Hour Book Challenge: A Chance to Help the Library

The CARLMAN is going to participate in a test of endurance and reading next weekend. It's the 48 Hour Book Challenge, a weekend in which a lot of kidlit bloggers try to read as many hours as they can in 48 hours. This year it'll be the weekend of June 4--6. The rules are simple: You have a 48-hour time period. It can be from 7:00 am Friday--7:00 am Sunday or 7:00 am Saturday--7:00 am Monday. (I'm going to do the second one) During that time you can read as many hours as you can stand. You should post your results by noon on Monday, June 7.

A lot of kdillit bloggers do this every year, but this is my first attempt. Why did I choose this year to start? Because they're going to do something new; they're going to let bloggers use this as a fundraising event for charities. When I heard about that, I went, "DUUHHH!" because I know exactly where the money should go--the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

The library is in trouble, guys. With the recession, Mecklenburg County is not getting as much money as they thought, so they're having to cut services. Since the library receives most of its money from the county, we're looking at cutting way back. WAY back!! I mean, WAY, WAY back! The current plan is to cut

45.5 % of the library's budget. That's almost half! We plan to close 16 of our 24 branches and lay off a lot more people!! It also means no more new books. Maybe no more cool programs. It's bad, guys! That's why we need your help. What can you do? Donate however much money you'd like for every hour I read next weekend. The amount is up to you. And your parents, of course. You could drop money off at your local branch or your parents could write checks or donate online. I'll put all that information in a post next week. In the meantime, talk this over with your family and decide how much you'd like to give per hour. And tell all your friends. Your teachers. Your school. Any extraterrestrials you know. (they have to use Earth currency, though) If you want to find out more about the library's situation and what you can do to help, go to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's home page and also their Call to Action site.

As I said, check back next week and I'll give the info on how to donate. Then check back again after noon on Monday, June 1 to find out how many hours I actually read. My goal is 12 hours. NO--don't gasp in amazement!! The CARLMAN is willling and completely able. I've already started lifting heavy books to build up my arms. I've got fresh cleaning cloths for my reading glasses. And I'm developing powerful muscles that enable me to sit for long hours without tiring! Yes, when it comes to marathon reading, the CARLMAN is indeed--

THE IRON GUY!

Meanwhile, While Blastin' the Blues...

Wow, there's so much going on this weekend that I had to post twice again! (the opther post will come up an hour after this one) This is GREAT!! We have two reviews today from our faithful reader guys. The first is from AXEL SIMONE:

blasting the blues
after the payne family learns there is a mole on the team they try to figure out who it is. i loved it. i recommend the series to everyone. bye.

Thanks, AXEL! You only two books away from getting your prize package!

The second is from Michael:

Meanwhile
by Jason Shiga
"I'm ready to order."
"What'll you have, kid?"
"Chocolate."
"Vanilla."
Which one would you choose? What if I told you that choosing one of those ice cream flavors either saved the world or destroyed it? Now it does! In Meanwhile, you choose an option and follow the tubes to a random panel on a random page, and the story continues. Meet a proffessor, and play with his inventions. Be the only person left alive in the universe. Know all about people's lives without them telling you. Go back in time and find out all the secrets of the book! Meanwhile never gets boring! Why? Because there are 3,856 story possibilities!!! There are secrets behind the proffessor, the ice cream man, your parents, even yourself that you don't know about! So what are you waiting for? Check it out and dive into the exciting comic book world of Meanwhile today!!!!!

And thanks to you too, Michael! This is one I haven't read but am dying to try now. We have several Choose Your Own Advnetures books but never had one in comic book form before. I'll go look for it. I hope you guys go and find them too. After all, these books are Guy Tested--Guy Approved!!