October is here and that's good news for a lot of reasons. You've got the cool weather here at last (which is good news for us here in hot and humid Charlotte), the trees will put on their gold, orange and red bling before long, and there's Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas to look forward to.
It also means the arrival of some great new books like Behemoth, The Ghostwriter Secret: 
Brixton Brothers 2, The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel, and The 39 Clues: Black Book of Buried Secrets. But the most-anticipated book this month is The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. It's the 
first in the Heroes of Olympus series, which will be all about the kids at Camp Half-Blood. (You can read the first two chapters here) The book comes out Tuesday, October 5, so I'm going to hold a Find the Lost Hero game that day from 3:00--6:00 here at the Myers Park library. It'll be a scavenger-hunt game. Come to the desk, get your game sheet and use it to search for the Lost Hero. There will be prizes for everyone who completes the game. Remember, it's on Tuesday, October 5 from 3:00--6:00 pm at the Myers Park library.
October also means the World Series and the end of the baseball season. It'll also mean the end of the Sluggers giveaway that started back in April. Basically, I'll give a prize package to any guy who reads all six books in the Sluggers (aka Barnstormers) series and sends us reviews of them. Sound like a tall order? Well, you'll have until the end of October to do it. That's a li
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By: Iron Guy Carl,
on 10/7/2010
Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Carl,
on 6/9/2010
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By: Carl,
on 6/3/2010
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By: Carl,
on 5/26/2010
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By: Carl,
on 5/25/2010
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JacketFlap tags: Sluggers giveaway, The 39 Clues, The Red Pyramid, Add a tag
He's got a t-shirt and a bag from Quizno's with coupons for free subs at the newest store uptown. Well done, sir! Enjoy the well-earned fruits (or subs) of your reading! He'll get the big prize package after he reads all 6 of them. Check out the box on the top of the left-hand side of the page to find out what those prizes are!
By: Carl,
on 4/28/2010
Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Rick Riordan, The 39 Clues, The Red Pyramid, the Kane Chronicles, Sluggers giveaway, Add a tag
Lastly, being Charlotte's #1 Rick Riordan fan, I'm very excited that The Red Pyramid comes out this Monday! It's the first book in the new Kane Chronicles series that brings ancient Egyptian mythology into the modern world. Of course, the library takes longer than bookstores to get copies on the shelves, but I'm on our waiting list! The newest 39 Clues book, The Emperor's Code, is already here and kids are checking them out. The last two, Storm Warning and Into![]()
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By: Iron Guy Carl,
on 10/7/2010
Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Sluggers giveaway, Add a tag
2 Comments on Find the Lost Hero and Last Chance For Giveaways, last added: 10/8/2010
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By: Carl,
on 6/9/2010
Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Sluggers giveaway, baseball, Add a tag
Our good friend AXEL SIMONE came by last weekend to claim his prize package for reading all 6 books in the Sluggers series. Here he is, proudly displaying his trophies of reading:
And here are his reviews of the fifth and sixth books:
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.
home of the brave
home of the brave
after their uncle is shot and the baseball is stolen the paynes head to baltimore. i loved it i reccommend it to everyone. bye.
Thanks, AXEL! Very well done! Don't forget, guys, that you could get such a prize package for reading all 6 books. (although we're all out of Camp Half Blood t-shirts, we have lots of others)
Speaking of baseball books, here's one that I liked a whole lot! It's Lucky: Maris, Mantle, and My Best Summer Ever by Wes Tooke. This was a realsitc story, so there isn't a magic baseball but you could say there's magic involved--the magic of seeing your dreams come true. 
It's 1961 and young Louis May lives with his father, stepmother, and stepbrother in White Plains, a suburb of New York City. Louis loves baseball and has a huge collection of baseball cards. In fact, he has memrozied all the information and statistics on all those cards. Imagine, then, his surprise when he gets to be a batboy for the Yankees! He gets to be friends with his two heroes, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, and watches with anticipation as they try to break Babe Ruth's record for the most home runs in one season. Louis's stepbrother is jealous, however, and seems determine to ruin his life--even attempting a very low trick with Louis's baseball card collection. Will his stepbrother actually win? And do Maris and Mantle get to break the Babe's record? You can find out only by reading this terrific book!
I liked it a lot. The story moves right along and you really care what happens to Louis, his family, Roger, and Mickey. It's great to see what happens as Louis achieves his dream of being a batboy, and the players' dreams of creating new baseball records. It's also great to see how Louis grows over this summer, learning how to deal with bullies, solve tough problems, and sneak a baseball star out of a locker room in a cart of dirty laundry! Be sure to read this one, guys! And if you like baseball books, click on the "baseball" tab under this post and see the books we've reviewed in the past.
1 Comments on AXEL Claims His Prizes and Lucky: My Best Summer Ever, last added: 6/9/2010
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By: Carl,
on 6/3/2010
Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Sluggers giveaway, Add a tag
Our good friend and frequent contributor Michael went to the University City library and picked up his prize package for reading all 6 books in the Sluggers series. Here is with his book bag and one of his free books. (The book is Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta)
And here's a close-up of him beaming with pride after his magnificent achievement.
Well done, Michael!! Keep up the good work!
0 Comments on Michael Claims His Prizes! as of 1/1/1900
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By: Carl,
on 5/26/2010
Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Sluggers giveaway, Add a tag
Yes, indeed, guys, our good friend and completely awesome reader guy Michael has just finished reading all 6 books in the Sluggers series by Phil Bildner and Loren Long. (the library has some of these books under their old Barnstormers name) I'm such a huge fan of these books that I said on April 15 and April 28 that I would give away prize packages to any guy who read all 6 of them. Michael has been the first one who did. (even though, if you read yesterday's post, AXEL got a prize for reading the first two)
Michael really enjoyed these books. Here's what he had to say about them:
Sluggers, books 1-6
by Loren Long and Phil Bildner
Griffith, Graham, and Ruby Payne live in the year 1899, a year in which all of America is head-over-heels for their new favorite pastime... baseball! When the Payne family has to pay a debt to the mysterious and evil Chancellor, the kids, along with a baseball team that their mother plays on, travel around the country to play baseball in order to win money to pay off the Payne's debt. The three kids have a magic baseball that they use to rig the baseball games in favor of the hometeam. But suddenly, the Chancellor and his men try everything they can to get the magic baseball and Graham. The Chancellor must know of the baseball's power, but why would he want Graham? As the Travelin' Nine (the baseball team) and the Payne kids barnstorm across the country, the Chancellor always seems to be gaining on them. Can they hold him off long enough to pay him the money they owe? I really enjoyed this series. It's the best baseball series that you will ever read, and you'll enjoy following the Payne kids in their escape from the Chancellor. A baseball game is played in every book, but there's a lot more to it than just baseball. This series is an amazing treat for readers, and I'd recommend it to baseball fans and non-baseall fans alike!
You are so right, Michael. These books really are an amazing treat for baseball fans and non-fans alike. If you like suspense, magic, mysterious messges, good families in desperate trouble, and creepy bad guys--in short, if you like really, really good reading, this is the series for you!!
As a reward, Michael gets a CMLibrary book bag, a CMLibrary Book Lover's Journal, some 
1 Comments on Michael Reads the Sluggers Series and Gets His Prizes!, last added: 5/27/2010
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By: Carl,
on 5/25/2010
Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Sluggers giveaway, The 39 Clues, The Red Pyramid, Add a tag
Our good friend AXEL SIMONE, who won the March Madness Shoot-Out contest, claimed his first prize package in our Sluggers giveaway. He sent us several reviews, including one of the second Barnstormers/Sluggers book. Here you go:
barnstormers book 2.
when the paynes get a bloody letter from their uncle they realize he may be in big trouble but they still have a game. after their loss in cincinatti will they win in louisville? i loved it. i recommend the series to everyone.
barnstormers book 3
after their first win they go to chicago for anoter game and their are a few suprises along the way. i loved it. i recomend the series to everyone.
the red pyramid
when carter and sadies dad is kidnapped by set, the egyptian god of chaos, carter and sadie go on an adventure to save him and the world. my favorite character is khufu the baboon.as sadie would say it is a bloody good book. i recommend it to everyone.
the emporers code
after learning they are madrigals dan and amy are trying to find the next clue when dan is kidnapped! it is awesome. i recommend it to everyone.bye.
Thanks, AXEL! I'm REALLY glad you like these Sluggers books. I hope more of you will read them becasue the are FAN-TASTIC! BTW, he got his prize because he reviewed the first one in the March Madness contest. Here he is with his prize package:
He's got a t-shirt and a bag from Quizno's with coupons for free subs at the newest store uptown. Well done, sir! Enjoy the well-earned fruits (or subs) of your reading! He'll get the big prize package after he reads all 6 of them. Check out the box on the top of the left-hand side of the page to find out what those prizes are!
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By: Carl,
on 4/28/2010
Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Rick Riordan, The 39 Clues, The Red Pyramid, the Kane Chronicles, Sluggers giveaway, Add a tag
Before Darth Bill left us to tyranize planets in the Outer Rim, he wrote about a new comics store. It's Spandex City and their grand opening is this Saturday, May 1. It looks like a very cool place--check out their website here. They'll give out free comics on Saturday (while they last) AND they'll donate 10% of their opening day sales to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library. So go see them, pick up some good stuff, and support the library! BTW, Darth Bill got a superhero to endorse the opening. Take a look:
On another subject, I've decided to add a little more incentive to the Sluggers giveaway. (see this post for all the details on the giveaway) Not only will I give a prize package to any guy who reads all 5 books in the Sluggers series, I'll give a mini-prize package after you've read the first two! Here's what you'll get:
A Quizno's bag, a coupon for free Quizno's food (but good only for the new one uptown), a "Catch the Reading Bug" water bottle, and maybe a couple of other goodies.
If you read all five, you'll get--
--a "Be a Power User" library bag, a Book Lover's Journal, your choice of one of our t-shirts, and a couple of free books. Of course, you can't just tell me you've read the Sluggers books; you've got to prove it. And the best way is to send me reviews! This offer will be good all summer or until we run out of prizes.
Lastly, being Charlotte's #1 Rick Riordan fan, I'm very excited that The Red Pyramid comes out this Monday! It's the first book in the new Kane Chronicles series that brings ancient Egyptian mythology into the modern world. Of course, the library takes longer than bookstores to get copies on the shelves, but I'm on our waiting list! The newest 39 Clues book, The Emperor's Code, is already here and kids are checking them out. The last two, Storm Warning and Into
4 Comments on Spandex City, Update on the Sluggers Giveaway, and New Rick Riordan Books Coming Soon!, last added: 5/2/2010
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im back pendragon rules
Good to hear from you again, axel! Who's pendragon?