All Right! MICHAEL Writes Again!

Yes, indeed, our old friend Michael has sent us another set of first-rate reviews. Man, we LOVE it when you readers guys write and tell us about your favorite books. And you're also helping other guys find the good stuff. Let's hear what Michael has to say:

The 39 Clues, book 10

Into the Gauntlet

by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Amy and Dan have recently met their great uncle, Fiske, and he has told them that they need to not only win the clue-hunt for the Madrigals, but to also accomplish the 500-year task of uniting all of the Cahill branches. WHAT!!! Alistair Oh and Jonah Wizard? Sinead Starling and Ian Kabra? Eisenhower Holt and Dan Cahill? Impossible! Or is it? And not to mention the most evil woman in the world: Isabel Kabra. Who will be the first through the gauntlet? Who will drink Gideon Cahill's master serum? Who is going to rule the world? No one could write the 39 Clues better than Margaret Peterson Haddix, and you're guaranteed to be on the edge of your seat the entire time! Also, look for the newest 39 Clues book coming October 26: The Black Book of Buried Secrets.

N. E. R. D. S., book 2

M is for Mama's Boy

by Michael Buckley

Simon is back, and he's not taking any chances. After retreiving his goon, he hunts down a computer whiz perfect to do his bidding: Albert Nesbitt. Albert is a 32-year-old, 300-pound comic book reader who is just smart enough to make what Simon wants: a ray gun that hypnotizes electronic devices. Perfect! Now, not only can Simon drain the NERDS of their power, but he can use their power against them! And then Albert's Mama gets in on the scheme, and she's more evil then the other three combined. That's when Duncan Dewey (a.k.a. Gluestick) 's dad takes him off the team of NERDS. And if that's not bad enough, Albert's Mama knows that Duncan is a part of the NERDS, and she's his next door neighbor! And she's got the ray gun!!! What will happen now? Well, you'll have to find out by reading it yourself. I'm certainly not going to tell you. That would be spoiling it! This book is much better than the first and marks the end of Simon forever!

The Adventures of Ook and Gluk

by Dav Pilkey

After their huge success with Super Diaper Baby, George Beard and Harold Hutchins have decided to write another graphic novel. Ook and Gluk are caveboys in the year 500,001 B.C. The world is run by the evil Goppernopper. But then Goppernopper sees strange creatures hauling away all the trees. And that's when it happens. Goppernopper meets his descendant, who runs Goppernopper industries. He has used a time portal to come from the year 2222 A.D. to 500,001 B.C. to get all the trees for Goppernopper industries, because there are no trees left in 2222 A.D. Caveman Goppernopper agrees to help. Ook and Gluk, seeing the whole thing, know that the two Goppernoppers will take over the future world and the caveman world as well. The two boys run through the time portal into a world filled with pollution and manmade buildings. They take refuge in a martial arts school and in seven years advance to black belt. But is it enough to save all of space and time from the evil Goppernoppers? Or will the enemies prevail once again? Is this the end for Ook and Gluk? This is a great comic book, outrageously funny, and, regardless to the fact that a couple of 4th graders wrote it, is very accurate to time travel. A great read for everyone!

Thanks, Michael! You beat me to the punch on a couple of these. I have Into the Gauntlet and am about one-third of the way through. It's really good so far. I just checked out a copy of N.E.R.D.S. 2 last week and it looks good too. The library has copies of Ook and Gluk in the system, so I've just put one on hold. You've given me something new to look at, Michael! Thanks again and keep writing!

The Only Thing That Could Interrupt My Erec Rex Reading Is..

...getting the latest 39 Clues book! AND IT'S HERE!!! YYYEESSSS!!!! The final book in the fantastic, action-packed, thriller-diller series about two kids involved in the hunt for the secret Clues for world domination and their evil....

Wait---

What'S this---something's interfering with my typin--------

TOP SECRET MESSAGE TO TOMAS HQ

AGENT FLEXING BEAR REPORTING

I have just received a copy of Into The Gauntlet by Margaret Petersen Haddix. All the secrets of the Clue hunt will now be revealed. Here I am with the book in the Charlotte, North Carolina stronghold, cleverly disguised as a library. (they we Tomas would never go into one!)I began reading the book immediately, which was not hard (even for a Tomas) because these books are full of action, action, and more action. Of course a good Tomas always works out, even when reading.

Will give a full report when finished. Agent Flexing bear signing out.

I'm Loving Me Some EREC REX!!

Yes, indeed, guys, this one has started out really, REALLY well!! Erec's best friend Bethany has been captured by the bad guy, mysterious strangers are after his twin siblings, and they've all had to put on UnderWear. You've got danger, magic, and Kaza Kingsley's trademark humor. Plus the stakes have been raised really high--the only way to rescue Bethany is to endanger the life of King Piter, Erec's father! And who is Dumpling Smith and why does she REALLY want the twins? Kaza Kingsley always has some tricks up her sleeve, so I know there will be some major surprises along the way. Oh, yeah, I'm gonna like this book!!

EREC is here!

That's right!!! THAT'S RIGHT!!! You see me here with my very own copy of Erec Rex: The Three Furies by Kaza Kinglsey. I am one very happy man! I've waited a LOOONNNGGG time for this! Gonna start this afternoon. Stay tuned, fellow reading fans! I will be like this for a while-- --and will let you know how I like it.

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen...

...is one terrific book! It's a quick read, the story moves right along, and there's enough action, suspense, and surprises to satisfy any guy. If you really enjoy reading, this is the book for you. If you're what the grownups call a reluctant reader (which means you'd rather take a beating with a very large tree limb than pick up a book), then this book is also for you!

Here's the story--It's the time of the American Revolutionary War. 13-year-old Samuel lives with his parents in a little settlement in the Pennsylvania woods. They've heard stories of British soldiers attacking Concord, but that seems a long way off. Then, one day while he's out hunting, Samuel sees a column of smoke. When he realizes it's coming from where his home would be, he runs back to find...well, you'll just have to read to find out!! But I guarantee that you'll get caught up in the action!! This book grabs hold of you and makes you sit down and turn pages until the very end. You REALLY want to know what happens to our young hero. And, when you see what he goes through, you'll understand how much of a hero he becomes! Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen--this is one that you should not miss!!

BTW, I'd recommend this book to our older reader guys. War is, by its nature, rough and brutal and the Revolutionary War was one of the roughest and most brutal. Although there isn't much graphic violence, what you read is startling. And some of it is very sad. That what war is, guys, and we do well to remember that.

And we also do well to remember the sacrifices that people like Samuel made. Even though this is a fictional story, there were a great many brave people who endured hardships in the Revolutionary War. We have the right to read what we like because of them. Don't forget!!

Erec Rex 4 Day!

Guess what today is? Come on, betcha can't. Not in hundred years, you can't. Nope, not in a thou...what's that? You mean it's EREC REX 4 Day? How did you guess--oh, the title of this post. Well, you see that today's a day worth getting excited about! It 's the release day for Erec Rex: The Three Furies by the amazing Kaza Kingsley. The Erec Rex books are some of my absolute favorites and you shouldn't miss them!! It would take too long to tell you all the great things I could about them, so go over to the "Labels" section on the left-hand side of the page, click on "Erec Rex," and see for yourself. We won't get The Three Furies at the library today because it takes longer for us to receive and process books than the bookstores--but this also means it can't be too long before I see my very own copy!! CAN'T WAIT!!!

Not Dead Yet!

Hey, guys, this is the ever-busy CARLMAN letting you know that I'm not dead yet. All the changes with the library mean we have to do a lot more than before. Which means that I don't get as much time to read or blog as before. Which means that there will probably be longer times between posts this summer. But never fear--the CARLMAN has been faithfully spreading the word about this blog to all the boys I can here at the Myers Park Library and we may hear from one of them at any time!

In the meantime, I've got a few books checked out. One is Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen. All reader guys know that Mr. Paulsen is one of the very best authors for guys out there. (His book Hatchet made our Manliest Books for Boys Giveaway list as well as the Books Every Guy Should Read list. Another book, Lawn Boy, is an extremely funny read!) Woods Runner is about 13-year old Samuel and the Revolutionary War. I'm about 1/4th of the way through and it is intense! Can't wait to finish it.

Another is The Dangerous Book of Heroes by Conn and David Iggulden. It's full of stories about famous people such as George Washington, Lawrence of Arabia, and Harry Houdini, as well as not-so famous heroes as Alcock and Brown or the men of Colditz. I'm reading thechapter on George Washington and it's amazing. Can't wait to finish this one either.



Finally there's Genies, Meanies, and Magic Rings: Three Tales from the Arabian Nights by Stephen Mitchell.These are retellings of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, Abu Keer and Abu Seer, and Aladdin. I've heard good things about this one and besides, I love the Ali Bab and Aladdin stories. (did you know the Aladdin story was originally set in China?? That's right--and it's in this book!)

There you go. Hope to give you full reports when I finish. What about YOU? What are you reading this summer? Hit that "Comment" button below and tell us. Any guy who sends a review gets a free book! And don't forget about the giveaways going on this summer. Take a look at the top of the left-hand side of the page to find out.

And, since it's summer, let's have some summer fun. Here's a goofball video for you by Spike Jones and His City Slickers. Spike is one of my all-time favorite performers and one of the funniest guys ever to pick up an instrument. He took popular songs of the day (this was waaayyy back in the day) and did all sorts of crazy things with them. Sort of a Weird Al before there as a Weird Al. Here he does "Sabre Dance", a classical piece that a lot of circus performers used as background music. But it never sounded like this!


Speaking of Weird Al, here's one for you. Just try not to laugh! (Pardon the commercial)

Weird Al Yankovic - Fat (Official Music Video). Watch more top selected videos about: Weird Al Yankovic

And here's Weird Al talking about Spike Jones!


OK, keep readin' and enjoyin' your summer!