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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!!

Ah, yes, reader guys, the CARLMAN is excited because it's March again. Fabulous, wonderful March, the month of the March Madness college basketball tournament! Every year it's great. There are always exciting games, a major upset, and an unknown team that comes out of nowhere and thrills the whole nation. This year ought to be no different--although it won't be as much fun because my beloved Carolina Tarheels have a second-rate team and may not even make it. Oh, well.

But March is also the month the we hold an annual March Madness contest, complete with prizes. The last two years we've held Book Series contests and Author Shoot-outs in which we filled out brackets, went through elimination rounds, etc. but this year we're going to keep it simple and hold a MARCH MADNESS SLAM DUNK CONTEST. Each review you send in will be worth one point (a "slam dunk"). The three guys with the most points at the end of March will be the first, second, and third place winners. Simple, huh? BUT WAIT--THERE'S MORE!! You have chances to get THREE EXTRA POINTS! If you send us a review of any of the books listed below (which are terrific but don't get the attention they deserve), you'll make a "three-point shot" for three extra points. Here's the list:

Any book in the Racing for Freedom trilogy by Alison Hart (scroll down and see the post of 2-24 for more info)

Any book in the Sluggers/Barnstormers series (click here and here for reviews)

Any book in The Tiger's Apprentice series (cl

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4. The Viper's Nest, Woods Runner, and Blastin' the Blues

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By: Carl, on 2/25/2010
Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Barnstormers, Gary Paulsen, The 39 Clues, Peter Lerangis, Sluggers, The Viper's Nest, Add a tag

The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis is the seventh book in the 39 Clues series and, man, does it ROCK!!! In this book, Dan and Amy Cahill have to travel to South Africa in their search for the 39 Clues that will make the finders richer and more powerful than anyone on earth. On their way to find the Clue left by Winston Churchill, Dan hangs upside down over a deserted mine shaft, Nellie, their au pair, has to explain mysterious cell phone messages, and they all break into a Tomas stronghold--and have to break out again!! Plus they face death by a propeller and a horrifying poison. The suspense made me sit up and grab the book tightly! These books just keep getting better and better. NO ONE DOES IT BETTER THAN THE 39 CLUES!!

And we have a new review from a teacher who doesn't give her name but calls herself Hello! She writes about a great new Gary Paulsen book:

Okay...I'm a girl...An older girl...who is also a teacher...and a reader...I secretly lurk around your site looking for those super cool guy books I miss sometimes...because I have guys in my classrooms that need guy books. I'll keep up my secret spying in the hopes that you review the COOLEST...most SPECTACULAR book that has come from Gary Paulsen in a while...Woods Runner! BAM! SUPER AWESOME BOOK! My boys are reading this one like a wolf eats!

Check it out!

We'll certainly do that, Hello! I'll go and look for Woods Runner away. We're always glad when teachers look for good guy books. Don't forget to look at the Links on the left-hand side of the page--lots of places to find good guy books there! Gary Pauslen is one of the best guy authors of all time. Click on the "Gary Paulsen" label under this post to see what we and other guys have written about his stuff.

One more bit of news. The latest Sluggers book is out. It's called Blastin' the Blues and it's set in New Orleans. I have to say right here and now that I'm the # 1 Sluggers fan in Charlotte. These books are T-RIFFIC!!! and I'm trying to make more Sluggers fans out there. The book came out Tuesday but the library hasn't received its copies yet. You'd better believe I've got one on hold! The library system has plenty of copies. Be sure to get one. (the first few books were called the Barnstormers series, but don't let that confuse you. It's under the author's last name, whi

3 Comments on The Viper's Nest, Woods Runner, and Blastin' the Blues, last added: 2/27/2010

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D.A. Tyo said, on 2/25/2010 4:06:00 PM

Thanks for pointing out my error on my profile name! Oops! I've fixed that. Thank you. I am new to blogging, only starting this year to log some of my favorite new reads and to provide my students with a resource for finding good books!

You can check out my other comments about Woods Runner at www.chocolateair.blogspot.com. "Reading is like breathing chocolate air!"

Mr. H said, on 2/25/2010 5:21:00 PM

Hey Guys,

I just finished The Viper's Nest and totally agree it was great. Just a fun not Peter Lerangis is coming to our school next Tuesday. I am interested to picking his brain about how much contol he had and how much was set up for him by Riordan.

Carl said, on 2/27/2010 8:05:00 AM

Yeah, I'd like to know about it too. Would you psot about it on your blog? And I checked out your blog, D. A. and it looks realy good. Reading is indeed like breathing chocolate air!

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5. Benedict Arnold, Character, Barnstormers/Sluggers, and More Reasons Why Reading Is Important

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By: Carl, on 5/19/2009
Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Barnstormers, Washington at Valley Forge, Sluggers, The Real Benedict Arnold, Add a tag

Heigh-ho, all you reader guys out there, we have two comments from a new friend, Dan. The first is about Darth Bill's review of The Real Benedict Arnold book:

Thanks for the review. I want to look for this one and share it with my kids. Benedict Arnold is a chance to study character in the face of discouragement and frustration and injustice. He could have been a hero. In the end, he failed, not because his courage failed, but because his character failed, and embittered, he tossed is right to be a hero away. In spite of his abilities and amazing courage, he loses the character war. Character does count.

You're so right Dan. Character is life. Your character determines the type of life you'll have. Good character doesn't mean you'll be rich and famous but it will provide you with a good life on the inside, where it counts. If you're a jerk and become rich and famous, all you'll be is a rich and famous jerk. And is that what you want, really? Really?? THAT'S WHY READING GOOD STUFF IS IMPORTANT!!! Frustrating and discouraging times are bound to come and good reading can give you the equipment to deal with them.

Didn't mean to get on a soapbox, but it's true, guys. Hey, while you read the Benedict Arnold book, you ought to check out Washington at Valley Forge by Russell Freedman. (I reviewed it on the February 16 post titled "What a Book! What a Man!") It would be a good companion to the Benedict Arnold book because it shows how Washington, facing a lot of similar frustrations and discouragements, managed to overcome them. Besides, it's an awesome and exciting story!

Dan also sent us a comment about the Barnstormers/Sluggers series:

Hey Carl. Thanks to you (I think it was you, but it was on this blog that I first heard) I'm reading Barnstormers Game 1. I got the first two chapters read in the little time I had before bedtime. So what's up with the hole in the ball? And what's going to happen next? I've got other books to finish and how am I gonna finish them with a book as good as this calling out my name? Anyway, mucho thanks for the tip on this one. I know I'll have to get the rest.

I'm afraid your just going to have to drop all those other books and read these because they'll keep calling you!! They sure did for me. What's up with the hole in the ball??? Wouldn't you like to know? Well--so would I! I haven't found out yet and I've finished the 4th book--but I'm getting some good ideas. Man, these books are good!

I hope you keep writing to us, Dan. We sure enjoyed hearing from you!

Keep swinging for the back fences,

Carl

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6. Dragonslayer Likes Erec Rex; I Like It Too--and Sluggers!

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By: Carl, on 5/12/2009
Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Erec Rex, Barnstormers, Sluggers, Add a tag

Hello, fellow reader guys, 'tis Carl. Our friend, the valiant dragonslayer 1191812, hath sent us a review of the first Erec Rex book:

Hello from Dragonslayer,

I just finished Erec Rex The Dragon's Eye written by Kaza Kingsley.The story is about a boy named Erec Rex who is adopted. Erec's adopted mother has gone missing but was in fact kidnapped by two guys wearing black. Erec meets a girl named Bethany who helps him enter into another world underground through a secret passage in a sidewalk.Erec and Bethany make their way to the castle were his mother is trapped. The castle is Upside down, literally! Erec and Bethany have to go through many trials,including trying to become King and Queen so that Erec can save his mother.

Read the book to find out if Erec has what it takes to be King.Can he save his mother?Can he house break his new weredog?Read Erec Rex The Dragon's Eye,it's really good.

P.S. I just started Erec Rex and The monsters of Otherness. So far so good.

Thanks, dragonslayer! I've been a big fan of these books since last summer and I'm glad to see another fan. The Monsters of Otherness is even better than the first one. And the third one, The Search For Truth, comes out July 30!!! Does the cover look strange? It might be that Erec is turning into a dragon!!

As I said, I became an Erec Rex fan last summer but I became a fan of another series at the same time. It's the Barnstormers series, now called Sluggers. The latest one, Water, Water Everywhere just came out and I just finished it. Man, oh, man, what a book! Man. Oh. Man! What. A. Book!!! I loved this series because of all the magic, mystery, action, and suspense in the first three books. This one took all that and ratcheted it up another ten levels!! Wow! I was blown away.

Here's some background. The year is 1899. The Payne family--Mom and the three kids Griffith, Ruby, and Graham--have had to form a baseball team and travel around the country playing games to raise money because the father didn't come back from the Spanish-American War and their Uncle Owen owes $10,000 to somebody (possibly the bad guys). So the Paynes and the father's fellow veterans play exhibition games but the kids have a baseball that the father left them. When they all put their hands on the ball, strange things happen on the ball field. On top of that, there's a very nasty rich guy called the Chancellor who wants that ball and will stop at nothing to get it--even kidnapping the kids!!

In this book, the Payne family plays in Minneapolis. The Chancellor is way ahead of them, though, and has hired a crooked umpire and a pro team to make sure they can't win. What's worse, the pitcher collapsed at the end of the third book and the team has to find a new pitcher. The replacement is an African-American man named Preacher Wil. Can the team accept a black man on their team? Can the fans? And if the team is divided over Preacher Wil, can the magic work? Plus, the Chancellor's men are all over the stadium, waiting to steal the kids and their ball. Things don't look good!!!

I tell you, this book had me glued to my seat!!! I read it all in one afternoon!! The action, the suspense, and the amazing magic--it's even more intense in this book than the first three. You've GOT to read it! Run right down to your library or bookstore and find it now!!

PS--if you go to the library, look for it in the chapter books under the author's last name, which is Long. The books are still in the Barnstormers format.

PPS--one of your fellow reader guys, Jedi-J.T, wrote a review of the first Barnstormers/Sluggers book. Check it out here.

1 Comments on Dragonslayer Likes Erec Rex; I Like It Too--and Sluggers!, last added: 5/23/2009

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Dan said, on 5/19/2009 6:07:00 AM

Hey Carl. Thanks to you (I think it was you, but it was on this blog that I first heard) I'm reading Barnstormers Game 1. I got the first two chapters read in the little time I had before bedtime. So what's up with the hole in the ball? And what's going to happen next? I've got other books to finish and how am I gonna finish them with a book as good as this calling out my name? Anyway, mucho thanks for the tip on this one. I know I'll have to get the rest.

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