Hey, all you reader guys, it's Carl and I'm very jazzed to see so many guys writing to us! We have a comment from our new freind Charlie. He's a high-schooler who want to tell us about some of the books he liked:
Cool blog! I think it's great you're trying to get boys interested in reading, but I wish more boys were brave enough to explore genres other than action/adventure/comics. There are so many fantastic books and authors out there if you're willing to give it a try. A few suggestions: A Hole in the World by Sid Hite, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, 13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen, edited by James Howe. Also check out authors like David Almond, Gary Soto and Jerry Spinelli, etc. I'm in high school now, but I loved these when I was 9-12 years old.
Thanks, Charlie! Actually, some of our guys have explored some other books. Bill, Zack,
and I did a joint post on Jerry Spinelli's great book
Maniac Magee a couple of years ago. (if you want to see that post or read about other Jerry Spinelli books, click on the Labels under this post) I remember reading
The Outsiders and liking it. Charlie's absolutely right, guys--there are a lot of fantastic books out there and they are worth looking for. I'm going to read a non-action book sometime this winter called
Heart of a Shepherd. I've heard a lot of good things about it and I'll let you know how I like it. Unless one of you beats me to it!
Hi, guys, this is the Great and Powerful CARLMAN. If you remember, a few weeks ago the feuding between Darth Bill and Master Zack got so bad that one of our readers commented on it and I had to COMMAND the two guys to read one book together. It's Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. This story is about someone who tries to get two warring parts of town to come together. Sounded like a good thing for this Sith and Jedi to read. It was one the first books I read when I started working for the library and I never forgot its tremendous emotional punch. This one doesn't have a lot of battles, sword fights, magic, or things that blow up, yet it's still one of the great guy books of all time. Why? Because Jerry Spinelli writes about things that all guys deal with; bullies, taking responsibility, friendship, and facing your fears. It also talks about racism, unthinking hatred, and trying to overcome those things. There's so much that happens to Maniac Magee that you hang on every page to see how he'll handle it. He also does a lot of amazing things that make him a legend in his town. He'll become a legend in your mind too.
He wrote some other good books about being a guy and growing up. One is Wringer, another is Fourth Grade Rats, and the third is Loser. Click on the titles so see reviews. Click here and here to read his biography and here to see a good link about some of his books. And here's a funny incident from his life:
Jerry Spinelli's memoir, Knots in My Yo-Yo String, makes it clear that he has always had a knack for drawing attention to himself. When he was in second grade, he dressed up in a cowboy outfit one day and headed off to school, sporting golden cap pistols and spurs on his boots. It was not Halloween. The teacher noticed his getup, of course, and asked if he "would like to do something for the class." Jerry got up and sang "I Have Spurs that Jingle, Jangle, Jingle."
Shortly thereafter he ceased to be a singing cowboy and decided to become a baseball player. "I played Little League in junior high and high school," Jerry writes. "I only hit two home runs in my career, but I had no equal when it came to standing at shortstop and chattering to my pitcher: 'C'mon, baby, hum the pea.'"
Then, in eleventh grade, Jerry wrote a poem about a high school football game. When it was published in the local newspaper, Jerry knew he had found his calling. He traded in his baseball bat for a pencil and became a writer.
What a guy! And now, Heeeere's Bill and Zack:
Bill's Review:Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli - This was a really cool book to read and I enjoyed it. The basic
premise is there is this kid everyone calls Maniac
Magee because he performs feats that amaze everyone that lives in town. Maniac
Magee is a orphan who is living on his own trying to find his place in the world. The town he lives in is
divided in many different ways, between black and white people, poor and rich, kind and cruel, etc. Maniac is constantly on the move meeting all kinds of different people and finding out the wonder that is in each human being. Yet something always seems to happen that makes him run from the people in which he forms bonds of friendship and love. I really liked this book because it showed that bottom line, people are pretty cool if they can just get
beyond the
superficial. Great Stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zack's thoughts:
Okay, it hurts me to say this but I agree with Bill (ouch, the PAIN!). Maniac Magee is great stuff!!!!!! I know what it is like to move around a lot and that part of the book spoke to me. Going from place to place makes you meet a whole lot of people and it is always surprising to see how different, yet alike, every place and its people are.
The CARLMAN picked an outstanding book for us to read this time. I wonder how Darth Bill is coming along with the Gregor books?! I am currently reading Lightning Thief which I'm sure will make everyone happy (I know, about time!).
Thanks, guys! Ah, but it feels good to restore balance to the Force. Maybe we can all spotlight another author sometime--if those two don't slice each other in half before then!!
The CARLMAN
Guys! Guys!! Bill! Zack! This is Carl, the one who is to bring balance to the Force! All this bickering has got to stop!!! It's gotten so intense that one of readers has noticed. Here's what Anonymous said:
YO...We need a mediator here! OR are we waiting for the Great and all powerful NANNAH..... to step in!Certainly THE Carlman will save the day! Of course, if the guys want the most evil plan of the girls to succeed and allow them to divide and win........ I'm just saying........
OK,
Anonymous, you are SO right! We need a mediator and that one is
me. You've discovered my secret identity as The CARLMAN, so I'll step out of my disguise and reveal my true self and give you two the message--
Honestly, it wasn't this bad with Thor and Loki! And just when we need to stand united and fight off this
hostile takeover by mean and sneaky girls! 
Therefore I will assign you both a task--you must read
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. It's a book about cooperation between feuding enmies. Might teach you a thing or two. Then we'll all write a joint post about the book--and maybe also about
Jerry Spinelli, one of the best guy writers ever! He also wrote
Wringer and
Fourth Grade Rats, two books that deal with peer pressure and doing the right thing, important issues for guys. (See my post of 8-11-07 to read reviews)
Maniac Magee is even better and shows how one guy can make a big difference!
And have you guys out there read that book? Or any others by Jerry Spinelli? Tell us about them! Do it even before the three of us write our joint post. His books are great!
Or tell us about any other books you like. Do you have any books assigned for school? As long as you have to read them, why not tell us about them? Remember, the beloved Valhalla of our blog is under attack! We need every boy we can to write!
Meanwhile, you Sith and Jedi found some things to agree on, like Capt'n Eli and The 39 Clues, so keep the taunting to a minimum, huh? Even though the Darth Daffy was pretty funny---so was the Sith Spelling---and those hilarious insults!!! Ha, ha, aha ha ha!!! Wooeee!! Ummm, wait a minute, I'm supposed to bring balance to...oh, all right, if you have to jab each other, just keep it down, OK????????
THE CARLMAN HATH SPOKEN!!
I just finished re-reading WRINGER for the umpteenth time to be ready for the student literature circle discussion this week.
It continues to amaze me how Jerry Spinelli caught so perfectly the pain of peer pressure in this book.
It is not a pleasant story. I almost always have to convince students that it is worth reading about a kid who doesn't want to wring half-dead pigeons' necks at the town's annual pigeon shoot. Being a wringer is a right of passage for 10 year-old boys in Palmer LaRue's town. Palmer LaRue does NOT want to be a wringer. WRINGER is the story of Palmer's ultimate year of dread: from the day he turns 9 until he turns 10.
During the year of dread, Palmer is finally accepted into The Gang and given his very own nickname, Snots. He joins the gang in bullying his former friend Dorothy. And then he is "adopted" by a pigeon. Because of Nipper, Palmer is able to salvage his friendship with Dorothy, and because of Nipper, Palmer must extricate himself from the very gang to which he so wanted to belong. Because of Nipper, Palmer learns to think for himself and do what he knows is right.
There's no certain happy ending in this book. I already know (from reading response homework) that one of the students is a bit peeved about that. But there is hope. Maybe that's more important than a happy ending after all.
Thanks, Charlie! Actually, some of our guys have explored some other books. Bill, Zack, 
and I did a joint post on Jerry Spinelli's great book Maniac Magee a couple of years ago. (if you want to see that post or read about other Jerry Spinelli books, click on the Labels under this post) I remember reading The Outsiders and liking it. Charlie's absolutely right, guys--there are a lot of fantastic books out there and they are worth looking for. I'm going to read a non-action book sometime this winter called Heart of a Shepherd. I've heard a lot of good things about it and I'll let you know how I like it. Unless one of you beats me to it! 
hey, saw your comment at my blog and I love boy books too... and girls books :)
I've read Heart of a Shepherd, would love to see how you liked it. Will with hold my review until you post. My favorite boy book right now is Gone and Hunger... wait that would be books... hehehehe
Have you read them? I also loved Found but was lukewarm about Sent
Haven't read Gone or Hunger but will look them up. Always on the lookout for good guy stuff. I read Found and liked it a lot (see my review on April 2 of last year) but you're the second person who's given lukewarm review, so I may not read it. Too many good books to spend time on mediocre ones. But, then again, I've heard other people liked it, so maybe I will. It's a low priority, though. Would much rather read H of a S.