Hey, one and all, it's Carl. Cyber Kid 303 came in today and got his free book. Here's a picture:
He's hiding behind a Matt Christopher book--and I forgot the name of it! He also checked out Ghost Circles, the latest Bone graphic novel. He said he'd write and tell us about it soon.
Bill did an awesome program on
Beowulf today. He'll tell you about it later, but here's a picture from it:
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Bill shows his utter disregard for danger by sneering at the hand of the monster Grendl as it reaches out to grab him. What coolness! What courage! I just hope he's as brave when the Lagomorph comes to town!
And we got another comment fromMelanie, and as I said, she's cool. Here's what she says:
I love Ender's Game. I wonder if Lee Wardlaw's son knows that Orson Scott Card lives in Greensboro, NC. Hmmm. . .I've never met him but I keep hoping that he'll come to Novello one year.
Thanks, Melanie. Ender's Game really is a great story. Any one else out there read it? Did you like it?
I've read a couple of really good graphic novels about heroes in the last couple of days, which is fitting since we've been doing hero programs. The first is
The Trojan Horse: The Fall of Troy: A Greek Legend by Ron and Justine Fontes.

Did you ever read about the Trojan War? The War between the Greek cities and Troy? The war that dragged on for ten years? This is how the Greeks came up with a desperate and cunning plan to capture the unsuspecting city. A really good read.
The other is
King Arthur: Excalibur Unleashed: An English Legend by Jeff Limke.

Imagine you were Arthur, a boy probably not much older than you, and that you suddenly became King of all England. Pretty cool, huh? Not if you had a bunch of rival kings who wanted to overthrow you! This is another very exciting story that says exciting no matter how many times you've heard it--and it's especially great if you've never read it before!

King Arthur: Excalibur Unsheathed: An English Legend by Jeff Limke and Thomas Yeates. Copy supplied by publisher, Graphic Universe, in support of last year's Cybils.
The Plot:
King Arthur; the focus is the younger years, and the take is grounding it in English history.
The Good:
It seems like most of the Arthur (re)tellings I've read recently jump to the end, with the focus on old(er) Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Mordred. So it's nice to see one that focuses on the early years and Arthur building his kingdom and his power base; to learn of his early adventures and victories and Arthur becoming king, in name, and in power. Kingship starts with the sword and the stone but is made real with battles, kidnappings and quests.
It's always a little sad to read early Arthur, knowing the darkness which will come.
Age: good for younger readers. As with any tale originally told for adults, as well as a tale that has so many variations, the author doing the retelling has to decide what to include and what to exclude. Here, the details of Arthur's birth are omitted.
Included are websites and books for further reading, including The World of King Arthur by Kevin Crossley Holland; kingarthursknight.com/; and information on La Morte D'Arthur. The art is based on both historical and traditional sources.
Links:
The Comic Wire interview with Jeff Limke
Teens Read Too review
Nifty. I read SO many Arthurian books as a child. :)
I love King Arthur and his court. I'll have to check this book out. Thanks for the recommmendation.
There is something about the Arthurian Legend that resonates with so many people. My personal favorite is The Once and Future King by TH White.