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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Good Quick Reads, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 11 of 11
1. "A LION--IS EATING--MY FOOT OFF..." A Blast form the Past

Here's another one of my Blasts From the Past--in other words, a book that I've reviewed before but still think is terrific. This one is The 2000 Year Old Man Goes to School by Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner. It was funny when it came out in
2005 and it's funny today. And I know because this book has been tested by fire. I took some kids on a road trip and put the disc in the cd player and showed them the book and they laughed themselves silly.

It's based on an old comedy routine by Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, two of the funniest guys ever to live. The idea is that a 2000-year-old man came to a school so kids could ask the oldest man in the world what life was like way back then. And the answers he gave!!! Wait until you find out why kids hated lunchtime (and what you got for snacks), why homework was HOME work, and the words to the first song. (HINT--it's the title to this post)
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has plenty of copies of this terrific book and you'll find it in the Read-Along section--that means the books have cd's in them so you can listen as well as read. Listen to the cd but read the book also because there's more material in the book than on the cd. And don't be surprised that this book looks like a picture book because it is!! So don't be embarrassed to get it--REAL MEN enjoy stuff like this because it's HILARIOUS!! And it's a Good Quick Read.

And, as a bonus, he's a clip from an animated 2000 Year Old Man special that aired on TV in the '70's. It talks about why Shakespeare was not a great writer. (and, yes, that part is in the book too)


So don't sit around already--go to the library and check it out!

If you'd like to find more Good Quick Reads, or more books of humor or the original review of this book, click on of the tabs under this post.

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2. Why Did the Iron Guy Cross the Road?

To get to the library and check out these great joke books! Yes, these books will keep you in stitches--just like Frankenstein after visiting the Mad Doctor!! A--HAHAHA!!! Frankenstein--stitches--get it??? As Foghorn Leghorn would say,


And that joke plus a whole bunch more are in these terrific books:

Laughapalooza Joke Book by Kitty Richards; based on the Phineas and Ferb TV series created byDan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh

You Must Be Joking Two! Even Cooler Jokes Plus 11 1/2 Tips for Laughing Yourself into Your Own Stand-Up comedy Routine--written and illustrated by Paul Brewer



The Biggest Joke Book Ever (No Kidding!) by Michael Pellowski


There are lots and lots and lots of jokes in these books. For example:

"Why don't mummies go on vacation?"
"They are afraid to relax and unwind." (from Laughapalooza)

"How did the convict use his computer to break out of prison?"
"He hit the escape key." (from You Must be Joking Two)

"What did the boa say to the python?"
"I have a crush on you." (from The Biggest Joke Book Ever)

Don't those jokes just make you slap your knee??!!?? AND you don't have to worry about telling them because they are (as the back of The Big

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3. Brandon Tells Us About Leprechauns! And the Library's Situation

Hey, one and all, sorry not to have posted for so long. I've busy here and haven't had much time for blogging. However, I ALWAYS have time to hear from you! We just got a review from our good friend Brandon. Let's hear him:

BOOK REVIEW:
Leprechauns Don't Play Fetch
By Debbie Dadey & Marcia Thornton Jones
I enjoyed this short book. It was a silly book about a so-called Leprechaun who owned a pet store and was afraid of dogs. a group of kids thought that he was a Leprechaun because of the rhymes he told them to convince them to buy useless things. It's a great St. Patrick's Day reader. I would recommend this book for early readers or for older kids who just want a short book to relax with and read quickly.

Review by Brandon, age 10

Thanks, Brandon! This book is one of the Bailey School Kids series, which are a whole lot of fun. I read one called Dragons Don't Cook Pizza, which I really enjoyed. Brandon is right--these books are good for early readers or older guys who want something short and good. That's why I call it a Good Quick Read. If you want to find out about other Good Quick Reads, click on that label under this post or find them under this list on the left-hand side of the page. Keep writng in to us, Brandon, and don't forget to come by the Imaginon library and get your free book. (hmm--Brandon--good Irish name!)

Here's an update on the library's situation. The County Commissioners voted last night to restore about half of the money that was going to be cut. The city of Charlotte and the other towns in Mecklenburg County may add enough for the library to get 70 % of the money we need. We should know for sure by the end of this week. That means, of course, that we won't be hit as hard as we thought, but it also means we still need your help. Click here to see what you, your family, and your freinds can do. Please take time to look at it. This is a time when all the reader out there need to speak up and say how much the library means to you! We want to keep providing you with good stuff, so take a look and see what you can do. And thanks for all the support you've given us so far!

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4. 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!)

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5. Gentlemen, Start Your Reading!

Hey, guys, it seems like an eon since the CARLMAN reviewed any nonfiction but we got some new books that looked interesting (one of the perks of being a guybrarian is getting to see new stuff before it hits the shelves), so I checked them out. All three were books about NASCAR. Now I'm not a racing fan but these books were very interesting.


The first was Race Week: Seven Crazy Days by Stephen Timblin. You'd think a racer's life would be pretty plush, working only on weekends. WRONG! The life of a race car team is as busy as an anthill during race season. Every minute is packed full of--well, you'll just have to read to find out!




The second was Pit Stop Secrets by K. C. Kelley. Man, it's amazing what the guys in a pit crew have to do! And how fast they have to do it. Incredible feats of strength and skill have to be done at lightning speed while cars zip past only a short distance away. Unbelievable! This book breaks down all the steps of a pit stop and even has pictures. A really good read!




The third was NASCAR Tech by Bob Woods. It's easy to design and build a NASCAR car, right? Just take a car off the assembly line and drop in a souped-up engine, huh? WRONG AGAIN!! That's how it was back in the early days of racing but now it's almost as high-tech as building an X-wing fighter. Well, that's an exaggeration, of course, but I couldn't believe how much advanced technology goes into building NASCAR cars and race tracks. You'll be surprised too. Check out this book and see!


If you love racing or if you simply like to find out new stuff, these are the books for you!
BTW, May is a good month if you're a racing fan, especialy if you live in the Charlotte area. The NASCAR Hall of Fame opens May 11, the annual Speed Street festival is May 27-29, and the Coca-Cola 600 takes place on May 30. Good times for fans of high speed and high

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6. the Master Jedi's Summer

Hey Guys, Master Jedi Zack here once again.

Just like THE CARLMAN, I have been crazy busy this summer (not to be confused with just plain CRAZY like Darth Bill) and so I didn't post about as many books I would normally. I did help lots of guys who came into my library find great books, does that count?!

Awhile back, I talked about the first book in the Something Wickedly Weird series called The Wooden Mile. I have recommended this book to just about every guy who comes into my library and they all love it. If you haven't read it yet you really should go pick it up, 'cause it is awesome! They are also good quick reads just like THE CARLMAN talked about in his last post.

Now the library has books 2 (The Icy Hand) and 3 (The Silver Casket) of the series. If that isn't enough for you book 4 (The Darkling Curse) is on its way as well. I haven't yet read past book 1, so I guess I have a project for the fall once all you guys are back in school and my library gets all quiet and boring once again.

4 Comments on the Master Jedi's Summer, last added: 8/20/2009
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7. Summer Reruns

Hey, all you reader guys out there, it's Carl with the Summer Reruns. There is where I recycle reviews of old favorites. It's summer, it's hot, we've been busy, and I haven't been able to finish anything new lately. So here are some links to old reviews. These are really good books that deserve more attention. Most of them are rather short and can be read quickly, which can be a good thing in these days before school. I'll start with the most recent reviews and go go the oldest. (btw, some of these posts refer to events going on at the time. Don't let that confuse you) Click on the title and see the full review.

How To Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell--a laugh-out-loud funny book. Especially good for summer.





The Last River by Stuart Waldman--What a great adventure! And it really happened!






The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling--a true oldie but goodie. These stories are about as far away from the Disney version as you can get! No custesy, cuddly animals here but real and savage nature. And the real Ka the Snake is one of the spookiest creatures you'll ever meet.



Being Teddy Roosevelt by claudia Mills and Stone Fox by John Gardiner--Good quick reads. The first one talks about the power of reading to change your life and the second is a terrific adventure story.




Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry and Black Whiteness by Robert Burleigh--call me sentimental but these are the first reviews we did. And these are still two of the best books I've ever read. Unforgettable survival stories!





Hey, Bill and Zack, do you have any old favorites you'd like to tell them about?


Carl

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8. 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.

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9. Another (Pretty) Good Quick Read

Hey, gang, it's Carl and it's February 11. That means I should be dancing around the place with my new copy of The Demigod Files. Well, I can't because the library doesn't have one yet. It takes longer for the library to get books than it does for the bookstores and not even the Great and Powerful CARLMAN can bend the laws of time and space and get it here sooner. So I wait.


In the meantime, I just finished another book that I call a Good Quick Read. These are books that are short or that you could read quickly. This wasn't short (it was 232 pages) but the type was big and so there weren't that many words on a page. Anyway, the book was Getting Air by Dan Gutman. It's a survivial story about 14-year-old Jimmy and his little sister Julia plus Jimmy's friends Henry and David. They're all flying out to California to participate in a skateboarding tournament. What happens next? Well, I don't want to say because it took me by surprise. I'll just tell you that it took a lot longer to get there than they planned! You'll like it. And you can read it quickly. I read it in a couple of hours and that's an accomplishment because I read slsowly.

How did I like it? I thought it was pretty good. It wasn't terrific but was still good--good enough to make me want to keep reading until the end, but not so great that I wanted to drop everything else until I finished. Like the Percy Jackson books. Or the Akimbo books. Or the Barnstormers or the Erec Rex books. On the scale of 1 to 5 stars, I'd give it a 3. Try it and tell me what you think.

And if you want to find more Good Quick Reads, click on the Good Quick Reads tab (or lLabel) under this post.
Carl
PS--I updated the list of all books we and you have talked about. You'll find in the Links on the left-hand side of the page.
And be sure to vote in the poll to find out, during Valentine's season, what GUYS love!

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10. Two More Really Good Quick Reads: Akimbo and the Elephants and Akimbo and the Crocodile Man

"Imagine living in the heart of Africa. Imagine living in a place where the sun rises each morning over blue mountains and great plains with grass that grows taller than a man." That's how this terrifiic series starts. Akimbo and his family live on the edge of a nature preserve in Africa. In the first book, Akimbo and the Elephants by Alexander McCall Smith, young Akimbo tries to save a herd of elephants from poachers (thieves who kill elephants for their ivroy tusks) through a really dangerous plan. In the other one, Akimbo and the Crocodile Man, he goes with a scientist to tag a female crocodile and her babies. Crocodiles are deadly, right? That's what Akimbo and the Crocodile man find out!! These books are short but REALLY GOOD!!! It always amazes me how a first-rate writer can fill a short book with action and suspense while making you see and feel what the characters do. Alexander McCall Smith is first-rate and so are these books. There are two more in this serires:










They're easy enough for younger readers and exciting enough for older guys. Go get them!!

Carl

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11. "Danger Is Our Life": The Tale of a Heroic Nerd

Our friends at the Guys Read blog turned me on to a site called Guys Lit Wire (another really good blog about boys' reading--although it's mostly for middle-school guys) which coined the phrase "heroic nerd". They define heroic nerds as "men so driven by the urge to know, to see and understand, they make bold, mad leaps into uncharted territory." They were talking about Thor Heyerdahl and his crew, scientists who, never having sailed before, built rafts made of reeds and went 4300 miles across the Pacific to prove a theory. Well, I just read a short but good book called The Last River: John Wesley Powell and the Colorado River Exploring Expedition about such a man. John Wesley Powell was the first person to canoe the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Was he a Heroic Nerd? You bet!! He was a college geology professor who was determined to explore the Green River and Colorado River just because no one had done it before. Why not? Because they were so full of rocks, rapids, and dangerous waters that no one, not even the Native Americans who lived there, dared to try. And the most incredible part? John Wesley Powell had only one arm!!

Yes, he lost his right arm in the Civil War but didn't let it stop him. On May 24, 1869 he and his crew set out on wooden canoes to travel a completely unexplored area of the West, through unknown canyons and down unknown rivers, where they had no idea what rapids might be ahead. If anyone got hurt, ran out of food or supplies, well, they were in the middle of the American desert and many, many miles from anyone. AND they made this trip in the middle of summer when the temperature could reach 115 degrees!! How anyone could make that expedition AND survive in nothing short of UNBELIEVABLE!! Stuart Waldman has written a short but realy good book and Gregory Manchess has created illustrations that will make your jaw drop--especially that picture in the middle of the book of the Grand Canyon. PLUS--This book has a very cool feature; the title page folds out and displays a map that stays out while you read the book. That way you can follow the map as you read the story!Plus there are excerpts from the crew's journals and photos taken when JWP went back and explored that area again. PLUS there's a link to a website that shows 400 photos taken on those trips. Can't wait to see them!
This is a good one, guys! Don't miss it!!!
Carl

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