Gabriel's Horses: A Terrific Book

Litsen up, guys, I really love to tell you about terrific books. When you look at the blog's logo, you'll see that's our whole purpose. Well, this book is Terrific!! With a capital "T"!! Gabriel's Horses by Alison Hart is one of those books that gets you so into the characters and the world they live in that you get all excited about what happens to them. And plenty happens in this book!

Young African-American boy Gabriel works in the horse barns with his Pa in Woodville Farms in Kentucky. The Civil War is on, yet it's far away from thier farm. Or so it seems. Gabriel and his Pa are going to Lexington to race one of the horses when a renegade Rebel captain and his group of raiders stop them. And that's just in Chapter Two!! There's a lot more. As I said, this book really makes you care about the characters and worry when bad things happen. And there are bad men here. And danger is always just down the road, ready to spring when you don't expect it. I really, really, really enjoyed this book. So will you. I have to be brief here but I could rave all day. So get it and read it!!

Carl

PS--this is the first book in a trilogy. Now I have more great series books to wait for!

At Last!! The Demigod Files!!

Yes, reader guys and halfbloods everywhere, the library has finally received its copies of The Demigod Files!! I got hold of one the other day and zipped right through it. (Well, it was easy for this slow reader because I'd already read two of the stories online!) Was it good? Was it worth the wait? Oh, yes indeed! Master storyteller Rick Riordan has done it again! You get all the excitement, humor, great characters, and unexpected twists that we all enjoy in the Percy Jackson series.

There are 3 shorter stories here. In the first one, "The Stolen Chariot," Percy has to help Clarisse recover the Chariot of Ares from Phobos and Deimos, the two immortal sons of Ares. (Wait a minute--did I say that Percy helped Clarisse???) The second one, "The Bronze Dragon," has Percy and Charles Beckendorf rescue Annabeth And Silena Beauregrd from an abandoned (and deadly) camp project. The third one, "The Sword of Hades," has Percy, Thalia, and Nico going on an urgent quest through the underworld (even through the Fields of Punishment) where they meet some particularly nasty enemies.

There are also interviews with the characters (there's a really funny one with the Stolls brothers), a map of Camp Half Blood, AND a great appetizer at the end--an excerpt from The Last Olympian, the full-length PJ book that's due on May 10!! The excerpt is short, only six pages, but just enough to make you hungry for more. Good stuff for all PJ fans! Highly recommended. Makes me realize how looooonnngggg it's going to be until May 10!

Carl

PS--Random thoughts:

"The Sword of Hades" starts with another of those great first lines that Mr. Riordan does so well: "Christmas in the underworld was NOT my idea."

Mr. Riordan is a master of making the characters from classical mythology come alive. Wait until you meet Phobos, Deimos, Persephone, Sisyphus, and Melinoe. No one does it better.

The scene in which Melinoe asks Percy, "Where are your ghosts?" is one of Mr. Riordan's (and Percy's) finest moments. Percy may be obtuse, as Annabeth would say, but he's nobler and smarter than the others when it counts.

AAANNNDDD--what's up with Rachel? and Percy? Read the excerpt to see what I mean.

As I've said before, this book is the ONLY place to read an excerpt from The Last Olympian. Unless there's some cyberpirate out there who's stolen an excerpt. And we wouldn't want to support him, would we?

BTW, you'll notice that I haven't answered Darth Bill's accusations about putting a pink princess book in the Sacred Shrine of Guyhood. The armor of my innocence protects me from any arrows of accusation. Besides, he should know that no guy, not even the evil titan Kronos, would defile a place of such immortal honor!

Of Ducks and Spiders and Suspects

Well all it appears the sacred shelf of "Boys Reading" has been assaulted. As a Librarian and a Sith Lord, I must seek out and provide justice to the vile villain who would perform such an act. An act so incredibly evvvviiilll not even a Sith would perpetrate it (unless it was a female Sith, hummm.......). First I, the great Darth Bill, must present my short list of suspects who just so happen to be ImaginOn employees (convenient isn't it) and are very shady characters indeed.


Suspect Number One - The Evil Ellen


She looks innocent, but behind that smile; pure EVIL!!!!!!!!!







She was my number 1 suspect from the start. As I trailed her she was very careful to not show her face. Look:


Why so shy Ellen???????

Surely you are not guilty of anything??????

My next suspect may surprise you all, but evil has many faces. Some that we even come to trust.

Suspect Number Two - The Carlman!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Dunt, don, dunnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!)


When investigating this incident I noticed Carl acting awfully suspicious. When I questioned him as you see in this picture he claimed he was as innocent as an angel. Hummmmmm...is he really?





Soon after this questioning I found on my desk, along with my super cool Spider-Man Comic and the latest Star Wars book I'm reading, this Princess Book!!!!!!! Who would dare!!!!!!! Then I realized this was probably the Carlman, putting this book on my desk to make me a suspect. Don't worry intrigued readers, I will get to the bottom of this mystery!!!!!!!




Well as I continue in my Sherlock Holmes mode, I also have some cool reads to present. So check it out:


Walt Disney Treasures: Uncle Scrooge - A Little Something Special by various - This is an awesome collection of some of the best Uncle Scrooge Stories ever told. The time period of stories that this Graphic Novel (GN) covers goes all the back to 1954 up till 2006. These stories are filled with high adventure, terrific comedy and are just plain fun reading. Uncle Scrooge with his every faithful relatives Donald, Huey, Louie and Dewey cover the globe and their hometown of Duckberg in this GN with a whoping 8 full length stories. My two favorite stories in this collection are " The Seven Cities of Cibola" by Carl Barks and "A Little Something Special" by Don Rosa. In the first story by Carl Barks, Scrooge, who is down in the dumps, is thrilled to be introduced to arrowhead collecting by Donald and the boys (Huey, Dewey, and Louie). Even with all the money he has, he finds collecting arrowheads worth 50 cents each is too good to pass up! While searching though, the ducks end up on the trail of bigger treasure, that of the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. Unfortunately the Beagle Boys happen to find out what the ducks are up to. The second story by Don Rosa finds everyone trying to find a gift for the duck who has everything (that being of course Uncle Scrooge) with the person who finds out what he wants most winning a million dollars. This turns out to be an evil plot to bring down scrooge by some of his nastiest enemies (The Beagle Boys, Magica DeSpell, Flintheart Blomgold and Blackheart Beagle). Scrooge, Donald and the boys are in it deep in this story. Find out what happens; check out this GN!!!!!


Marvel Adventures Sider-Man #48 by Todd Dezago and Jonboy Meyers - I just got finished reading ImaginOn's latest issue of this comic and I have to say it was most excellent. Spidey gets both The Scorpion and Electro on his case in a serious way when he thwarts robberies each attempts separately. They both decide to hunt him down and dish out some serious pain in his direction. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place, check this issue out to see how everyone's favorite web slinger solves this "shocking" and "stinging" situation!!!!!! Good Stuff!!!!!!!!!!!




Until next time all.....Peace,


Bill

A Lot Of Buzz!

The last post generated more buzz than anything we've ever said before!! You can see the talk in the Comments section underneath that post, but it was such a good discussion that I'll put it out here:

Ms. Yingling said...
I didn't do it. Really. As much as I would love to visit, I would never do anything so horrible. But you have to admire the evil genius of it all.

Anonymous said...
Yes Sir! Boys Rule! You guys at ImaginOn ROCK! It was probably the worse type of girl, a girl Sith! who did this deed!


Carl said...
We believe you, Ms. Yinling. No Honorary Guy would ever desecrate the Sacred Shrine of Guyhood. (And please come visit if you're ever in Charlotte!) Would a girl Sith do this? Who ELSE could stoop so low!! What do you think, Darth Bill? Master Jedi Zack?


Freedom Regional Library Team said...
It was the Sith Lord at Freedom Regional. Mwhahahaha.



(not really though)

Carl said...
Should've known a Sith would take credit for a crime he didn't commit. The Great and Powerful CARLMAN, who sees through tme and space was not fooled, though--no guy, not even a servant of the dark side, would place such a dishonor on the Sacred Shrine of Guyhood.



Yes, quite a discussion. Please feel free to add more by going to the Comments section under this post or on the last one. And you can always Comment on any post we or your fellow reader guys have done. In fact, I just published a Comment on Bill's post called " The Hunger Games, A Book Review On Film, And More" (That post was published on 1-26-09)

Carl

WHO DID THIS??

Guys, I hate to tell you this but a terrible crime has just occurred. It's so dastardly that even Lex Luthor, the Joker, Al Capone would be ashamed to admit it. Brace yourselves, men! I hate to do it but it's my duty to inform you that someone has desecrated the Sacred Shrine of Guyhood. It's---it's too painful to talk about, so I'll just show you the photo.Can you believe it?????? Here at the Boys Read display at Imaginon, the Sacred Shrine of Guyhood, someone dared to put the book A Princess Primer: A Fairy godmother's Guide to Being a Princess on our shelf!!!!!! Oh, the nerve!!!! Who would dare to place a princess book in the heart of all guyness!! I was so seized with righteous indignation that I moved faster than a lightning bolt to set things right. Here is the result:

There!! The cosmic balance has been restored. Dave Barry's book Science Fair, the one about floating frogs, dads who dress like Luke Skywalker, and evil schemes to take over the US with a high school science fair has replaced the criminal deed. Goofy guy humor has replaced the pink princess book and all is right with the world!! I don't know the identity of the desecrator and don't want to know. Just understand this; anyone who commits such a foul crime again will face the wrath of--

The Great and Powerful CARLMAN!!

Great Nonfiction: Brave Men In Tanks and Singers Who Still Rock The World

Hey, everyone, the Great and Powerful CARLMAN has returned! I've just fought off a cold brought on by the Giant Germs of Jupiter. They're big and deadly, let me tell you, but couldn't keep the CARLMAN down for long. Before I tell y0u about some good stuff, let's hear a comment from Ms. Yingling about Dave Barry's book Science Fair:

Science Fair was really good, but as only an honorary guy, there were some things that I found... puerile. Luckily, there wasn't any language or potty humor. Just yesterday I had the speech therapist bring a boy in to tell me that Chris Lynch's Extreme Elvin had the sh** word in it. Sigh. Only so much we can do.

I agree, Ms. Yingling. This just goes to show that boys read a lot better than people think. I've actually read articles that say guys have to have potty humor to get them to read. Give us a break! Write a good story and we'll read it! Make sure it has excitement and humor and we'll love it! Doesn't have to have language and potty humor; in fact, some guys in last year's Percy Jackson book club said that one thing they appreciated about Mr. Riordan was that he didn't put that stuff in his books. Doesn't have to! He's got a great story, good characters, lots of action and humor. Just what guys love!

Of course, guy humor doesn't have to potty but it doesn't have to be sophisticated either! Puerile humor is just what we like! Wait---does everyone know what "puerile" means?? No?? I'll give a free copy of Jerry Spinelli's book The Library Card to the first guy who sends me a dictionary definition, plus the name of your dictionary.

Now, on to some great nonfiction. I wanted to find something good for Black History Month, but, as I did last year, I waited to almost the end of the month. My bad! We get insanely busy sometimes and it's hard to get to all the books I want to read. Anyway, the first one is a really good story and also a good look at why it's important to hold Black History Month. The 761st Tank Battalion by Kathryn Browne Pfeifer tells about the first group (and only) of African-American tank soldiers in World War II. They were tough and brave men who fought the Nazis for 183 day straight! In the snow! In some of the most crucial battles of the war. Yet these incredible men were overlooked, ignored, or discriminated against simply because they were black. In fact, after the war, one member was beaten by a redneck sheriff so badly that he went permanently blind. This book will make you admire the men and also make you angry over their circumstances, yet their courage and determination in their battles on and off the battlefield will lift your spirits.

How did African-American people cope with all their troubles? One way was through music. That's what makes The Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked the World by Julius Lester and Soul and R&B by Christopher Handyside so good--they tell about this fantastic music. Much of what we listen to now came down from them. The Blues Singers is written as a grandfather telling his granddaughter about all the great singers he's heard. He starts with the blues with singers like Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith, and Muddy Waters, goes to gospel (Mahalia Jackson), the great soul singers (Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin), and dynamic performs like James Brown and Little Richard. All of them came from terrible backgrounds. Most of them had parents die when they were children., but they all made some of the best music you'll ever hear. A couple of them have died since the publication of this book (James Brown and Ray Charles) but many are still going strong--Aretha Franklin sang at President Obama's inauguration!

The Soul and R&B book covers more ground, going from the Rhythm and Blues (R&B) of the late '40's and early '50's, the exciting sounds coming out of Memphis and Motown in the '60's, the funky, stylistic, and disco music of the 70's, and the innovative '80's sounds, including the beginnings of hip-hop. This is good quick reading, giving you short chapters that leave you hungry to know more. Plus there are great pictures, good information in the sidebars, a timeline at the end, and an excellent list of places to visit and recordings to listen to.

Now, how did African-Americans cope? They did like James Brown--they looked the world and all its troubles right in the eye and shouted, "I FEEL GOOD!!" See if this video by James Brown, The Godfather of Soul, The Hardest Working Man In Show Business, doesn't make you feel the same! (If you see any pop up ads, just click out of them)

The Last Olympian Cover and Eating Fried Worms

All RIGHT!! The new cover for The Last Olympian has finally been unveiled!! The only place to see it, though, is on Rick Riordan's blog or the Percy Jackson book site. (The book site also has a Last Olympian video) Go take a look, guys. This cover is really, really impressive!! And there's an interview with Blackjack, Percy's personal pegasus. How long is it until May 5, when The Last Olympian comes out? TOO LONG!!!!!

Well, while I sit patiently and wait, let me tell about another really Good Quick Read. Wait--before I do, let me ask----would you ever eat a worm?? Would you eat 15 worms?? "NO WAY!" Is that what you'd say? Would you do it for fifty dollars? Hmmm, that makes it different, doesn't it? That's the idea behind How To Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell, a book that's been making guys laugh for 36 years! Billy and his friends Alan, Joe, and Tom are sitting around one day and Alan, who's one of these pushy, come-on-I-bet you're-chicken types, bets Billy that he wouldn't eat a worm. Billy says that anyone could eat one worm. Then Alan bets Billy to eat one worm a day for fifteen days. Alan will give him $5o if Billy wins. Joe and Tom will be witnesses to make sure no one cheats. The worms can be fried, boiled, or cooked in any way and Billy can use ketchup, mustard, or whatever he wants to get them down. Can he do it??? It's pretty funny to find out. Billy starts to get grossed out (I bet!!) but then he gets used to his new diet! Alan starts to panic and comes up with goofier and crazier schemes to keep Billy from eating those last worms. It's funny, guys!! And it's a Good Quick Read. A lot of the "chapters" are only one or two pages long. Go read it! And enjoy your grilled-cheese and worm sandwich!

Carl

PS--there are no bad words in this book, but at one point Billy calls Alan a b----d and it was a real surprise to me. I wanted to make you aware of it.