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Today’s Fantasy Books Festival post is all about special abilities. Everyone loves a good collision of fantasy universes

• Maleficent (from the Kingdom Keepers series) or Gandalf (from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series)
• Annabeth Chase (from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Who are your winners? Why? What are your suggestions for fantasy face-offs? Share in the Comments below! 

Till next time,

 — En-Szu, STACKS Staffer

Walden Media has thrown Narnia fans a curve ball with the announcement that they will adapt The Magician’s Nephew next in the film adaptation of the series.

Many had expected The Silver Chair (book four) to follow The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Author C.S. Lewis released Nephew as the sixth book in his seven-book series. According to The Guardian, the prequel is the second most popular book of the series.

Here’s more from the article: “The move would mean a return for [Jadis] the White Witch, played by Tilda Swinton in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, since Lewis’s later novel explains how she came to settle in Narnia. Even though her character was destroyed in the first film, The Magician’s Nephew goes back to a time before the first film and tells the story of how the White Witch originally came to Narnia. It is expected that Tilda Swinton will reprise the role.”

continued…

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I just watched the trailer for the new Narnia movie. Dawn Treader is is one of my favorite Narnia books and I’ve been anxious about the movie; so much potential for getting it wrong; so many things I desperately want them to get right.

I don’t know…some worrisome glimpses there. Looks like they’ve added a conflict subplot for Edmund—back in England, the war is on, and they won’t let a mere “squirt” join up. “But I’m a king!” he huffs to Lucy. Argh. Even worse, later in the trailer the White Witch appears in some sort of vision to tempt him. Really? Really? Edmund is so beyond that. After his fall and redemption in LWW, he’s one of the staunchest, most honorable young men in either world.

Equally puzzling: Eustace is barely present in the trailer. All the focus is on Edmund and Lucy, and Ian McKellan’s*,** voice uttering vague yet grand pronouncements about their adventure just beginning. No dragon. Scarcely any indication that Eustace is along for the journey at all. Perhaps in this early trailer, they’re targeting fans who know the films better than the books?

The Dufflepuds look good, though.

*I wrote “Patrick Stewart” before. I knew it was Ian; nearly made a Gandalf reference; I think I must have had Patrick’s name lodged in my mind because of Scott’s dramatic recitation yesterday.

**Except!! I am totally wrong. It’s Liam Neeson. LOL! Thanks, Robin, for the heads-up! Oh, these actors with their sonorous voices!

Greetings, all you readers in the Royal Lands of Blog, it is I, Carl the Great Goof-Off---I mean, Carl the Great Good Blogger. I saw the Prince Caspian movie lately and liked it a lot, so I thought this would be a good time to talk about the book and the movie.
Prince Caspian is, of course, one of the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Several of you have read them all, but if you're a newbie to this series, you're in for a treat. The Narnia books have everything you want--adventure, thrills, humor, and even some good life lessons (but don't worry; Lewis gives them to you as part of an exciting story)


In the first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, four kids find their way into the magical world of Narnia and find that it's been taken over by the thoroughly evil White Witch. A ancient prophecy says that when they become kings and queens of Narnia, her reign will be over. The witch finds a way to thwart the prophecy, however, and the great lion Aslan must intervene to save the land.




In Prince Caspian, the same four kids are sitting at a train station and suddenly get pulled into Narnia again. Everything is different this time, however. The dwarfs, centaurs, dryads, and all the other magical creatures seem to have disappeared. Even their old castle has changed drastically. Just as the four kids find out what has happened, they come across Prince Caspian, who has escaped from his wicked uncle, King Miraz. Perhaps the four children can restore Caspian to his throne and make things right--but they will need Aslan's help, and he seems slow in coming. Will he show up in time? You'll like this one a lot.

The Prince Caspain movie was really good too. It's a great big epic movie, like the Lord of the Rings movie. The special effects are awesome, there's lots of humor (especially first encounters with Reepicheep), and there's a lot of action. The truly good kind--swordfights, escapes on horseback, massive battles between armies, all the stuff that makes a movie fun. Now if you've read the book, you'll see that they added a whole bunch of scenes that weren't in there--like the assault on Miraz's castle. But that's all right. Those extra scenes are good and, if you've read the book, you won't mind. So, should you read the book or see the movie first? Well, in this case, I don't think it matters. Sometimes I say you should definitely read the book first but with Prince Caspian, you'll enjoy them both no matter which one you get first.

Aslan Forever!!

Carl

Hey, everyone, we're going from the Wild, Wild West to the depths of space. We have a new review from Lord Vader:

I just finished reading The Magician's Nephew which is the first book in the Narnia series. I really liked it and up until now I didn't know where the wardrobe had come from. I'm glad I got a chance to find out. I was really happy also that it had a happy ending. It's about a boy named Digory and his friend Polly. They get tricked by his crazy uncle to go into this magical other world. They have a few adventures on their own and get into trouble with a wicked witch. When they finally find Narnia they bring quite a few other visitors with them.

Mikie (aka Lord Vader)

Good to hear from you again, Lord Vader. It's also good to get reviews after contests are over. Keep them coming! The Magician's Nephew really is one of the most exciting books in The Chronicles of Narnia. Have you read The Horse and His Boy yet? That's good too.You'll also notice that I have fnished updating the list of books that the readers and we have reviewed.

Darth Vader: You have?? How did you finish so quickly? Have you been using the forbidden time-compressing modulator?


Carl: Oh, it's you again! Don't sneak up on me like that! I told you on the April 15 post that I'd get it done.

DV: Very well, I shall permit you to live. Your next task shall be...

Carl: Oh, go polish the Death Star or something! I've got enough work to do! Hey, did you know one of you Sith lords is afraid of a rabbit???

DV: He is?? Wait until I find him! (Darth Vader exits)

Whew, sorry to do that, Mikey. Anyway, the list really is updated and you can find it on the left-hand side of the page. It's a good place to find the books that we and your fellow readers have reviewed--and it can be printed. Show it to your teachers, parents, school media specialists, librarians, etc. and impress them!!
Later,
Carl

Why does Carl keep telling people I'm sick when he knows that sometimes my Sith work sometimes causes unavoidable delays!!!!!!!! What happened this time you ask(please ask)? Well I was working late Wednesday when all of a sudden I was surprised by an unannounced guest.


Me sensing through the force the presence of danger!! Notice how cool I react (well, sorta, um kinda?).

The Harry Potter Series defeats The Chronicles of Narnia with the final score being 11 to 5!!!!!!

The Winner:

The Harry Potter Series!!!!!!

and The Runner Up:

The Chronicles of Narnia

Wow, that was an exciting contest with Narnia and Harry fighting there way to the final round!!! But as the saying from the Highlander movie goes: "There can only be one." (Although all the books in the competition are great and should be given a look at to see if you like them.) The one this go round is The Harry Potter Series; who knows about next year???????

Now for the Final Leader Board Results (those with 12 points or more with the top three winning prizes as promised; although I want to remind everyone out there that if you read you are a winner anyway and always):

1) Coming from way back in the pack to score 34 points (with 3 upset points and shooting eight 3 pointers in the last round!!!!!) to finish in first place on the Leader Board: The Mysterious Anonymous!!!!!!

2) Just being hedged out from the first place position to finish second with 29 points (with 3 upset points and shooting five 3 pointers in the last round) the Mighty Cyber Kid!!!!!!!

3) Finishing in third with a strong showing of 25 points (with 18 upset points and shooting four 3 pointers in the last round) is the Crafty Carl M!!!!!!!

4) Finishing in fourth with a very respectable showing of 17 points (with 11 upset points and shooting two 3 pointers in the last round) is the Quotable Melanie!!!!!!

5) Coming in fifth with a very nice showing of 14 points (with 0 upset points and shooting one 3 pointer in the final round) is the No-Nonsense Mona!!!!!

6) Finishing just behind Mona with a great showing of 13 points (with 16 upset points and shooting one 3 pointer in the final round) is the Savage Stephen!!!!!!!


Now it is time for 2 very special announcements!!!!!!!!!

1) In addition to the prizes to be given to the top three finishers, all those who finished in the top six will also receive special prizes.

2) For everyone who shot a 3 pointer we will give prizes to also.

Now for all to claim their prizes:

If you cannot get by ImaginOn, please give us your address so we can send you your prize. That's it!!!!!! Hope you all had fun, I know I did, and remember anyone who reads and tries their best, is a Winner in our book!!!!!!

Peace all,

Bill & Carl

Well, everyone, it's down to two in The Boys Rule Boys Read Book Series Tournament. Without further adieu, let's see who our two final combatants are:


Right Side Game:


The Harry Potter Series (seed 1) 14 pts.

The Winner in a Knock-Out The Harry Potter Series!!!!! Ding, Ding!!!!

Left Side Game:



The Chronicles of Narnia (seed 6) 10 pts.

Vs.

The Underland Chronicles (seed 7) 6 pts.

In a Close Contest The Chronicles of Narnia Eliminates The Underland Chronicles

Now let's take a look at the Leader Board (those with 8 points or more):

1) Now in first place with 13 points (with 3 upset pts.) is the one, the only Cyber Kid (he has shot two 3 pointers!!!).

2) Slipping from first to second but still in firm competition is Carl M. with 12 points (with 18 upset points).

3) Falling one notch from second to third place is Melissa with 11 points (with 8 upset points).

4) Tied in forth place with 10 points each (also each having 16 upset points) are Stephen and Mary.

5) In fifth place with 10 points (having 11 upset points) is Melanie.

6) In sixth place with 10 points (having 10 upset points) is Leah.

7) Tied in seventh place with 10 points each (each having 3 upset points) are Bekah and the Mysterious Anonymous.

8) In eighth place with 10 points is Mona.

9) In ninth place with 9 points (having 6 upset points) is Teresa.

10) In tenth place with 8 points (having 8 upset points) is Danna.

11) In eleventh place with 8 points is Matthew.

Congratulations are in order for all, even those not on the Leader Board (it's a game and the main point is to have fun!!!!!). I think all should take note that this is a very tight race. With that in consideration just think what shooting a 3 pointer (a review) could mean to your standing. Remember a 3 pointer is the equivalent of three correct picks. So lets say you had 10 points. If you shot a 3 pointer that would increase your points to 13. This is a powerful tool I tell ya!!!!

So playing for all the Championship of The Boys Rule Boys Read Book Series Tournament are the two powerful heavyweights (ding, ding, ding!!!!!):


The Harry Potter Series (seed 1) Vs. The Chronicles of Narnia (seed 6).

So let the voting begin for the Championship!!!!!!!

Here are the rules for voting once again:

1) The books that are going against each other will move to the next round if they receive the most votes from you guys.

2) Everyone who wants to (adults and girls also) can vote by responding to this blog and voting for the books in each match-up they would like to see go on in the tournament.

3) Multiple voting by the same individual for a particular book is not allowed. One vote for each match-up.

4) Voting will start with the posting of this blog entry. Voting from bloggers will be allowed for that day and for 7 following days (Championship votes due by 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 16) . Also if you can get by ImaginOn, we will have paper handouts that you can use to vote.

5) You will notice that the books are seeded. What this means is the books with the higher seeds (1 being highest, 8 being lowest) are expected to go further in the tournament. Those with lower number are expected to make early exits. However, who goes on and who goes home will be determined by your votes.

6) Finally, prizes will be awarded to the one who votes for the most books that go the furthest. In the case of a tie, the number difference between upsets will be used to determine the ultimate winner (say someone picks a seed 8 to beat a seed 1, that would give them 7 points for a tie-breaker, etc.). Also the three pointer can be used to give voters more points (3 points).

7) Let me stress the 3 pointer once again!!!! One review gives the writer the equivalent of 3 right votes. Lets say you have 8 points now on the Leader Board ; one review would up you score to 11 points (the number of points the leaders have now). This is a powerful tool in the tournament!

8) Also remember the prizes for the 3 highest on the Leader Board!!!! First place will get to choose between an autographed T-shirt from the UNCC Men's Basketball Team, an autographed poster by the UNCC Men's Basketball Team, or a book of your choosing (softcover) from all the contenders in the tournament. Second place will be a choose between the two remaining items. Third place will be the remaining item. If you live near in the Charlotte area, you could come to Imaginon to claim your prize, If you live out of town or can't get to Imaginon, we will send your prize to you.

9) That's it all. So get in there and vote for your favorite books and more importantly have fun!!!!!

Can't wait to see what happens!!!!! Good choosing and shooting baskets all,

Bill

Hey, one and all, we have new comments from an old friend--Mikie, otherwise known as Lord Vader. He's been writing to us for a long time and good to have him back. (I wonder if he knows a five-year-old Sith wrote in yesterday) Let's hear what he has to say:



Dear Mr. Duggin,
Thanks so much for responding to one of my posts. My mom tells me she remembers you from when she watched wrestling and says you are one of the wrestlers she thought was a really good role model. I can't wait for the new Percy Jackson book either. I didn't know the name of it until I read your post. Sorry it took so long to write back, my whole family has been sick off and on for months and I can't go onto any site without my mom to watch what I am doing. I also just finished reading my first chapter book (on my own, the others I've posted about my mom read to me before bed). It was Da Wild, Da Crazy DaVinci by Jon Szeiska. I love Time Warp Trio books, reading them is great and then I can check out the episode I just read on television. I loved Leonardo's tank invention in chapter one. After I read about him in the book my mom took me to some websites about him to look at drawings of his inventions and also some of his art. I didn't know much of his art until I saw the Mona Lisa painting. I also want to know if I can place votes in for books in the series that I have read or if it has to be from the few you have on the blog site.
Mikie (aka Lord Vader)



I'm sorry your family was sick. Hope you didn't get anything bad. Is everyone else doing all right now? I'm glad that you're reading on your own. I'm also glad that your mom took you to some Leonardo sites--we've always believed that reading broadens your world and you just proved it! It also looks like you found out how our contest works:

My vote will be for Harry Potter series, I read some of the others but they didn't make it through. My vote would probably be for the Clone Wars though but I haven't read one of them yet. I plan on picking one up this week to check it out. I loved watching the series on television but I didn't know they had a book series as well. I'm also sorry to see Percy Jackson didn't make the cut, I didn't know about the contest until a little while ago.
Mikie (aka Lord Vader)

Yeah, I'm sorry that Percy Jackson didn't make it, but he couldn't have had a more worthy opponent than The Chronicles of Narnia. I really love those books. I can't wait for the Prince Caspian movie! BTW, Lord Vader, you can still get points by writing reviews! 3 points for each one!!! That applies to everyone else in blogland. Let's do it!!
Carl

Hi all,
Well, the The Boys Rule Boys Read Book Series Tournament has been interesting, to say the least. Some unexpected upsets and crazy twists, but, hey, that's how these tournament things go (look how far Davidson went in the NCAA Tournament--they almost even took out mighty Kansas). Well, now it's time to vote to see who plays in the championship. You, the posters in Blogland and paper voters via ImaginOn, determine who. Oh, there are also the really cool prizes to be won. Let the games begin:



Right Side Game:


The Harry Potter Series (seed 1) Vs. Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures (seed 3):



The Harry Potter Series

Vs.

On the show: On my way to Podcasters Across Borders Using everyday text Power Rangers Thanks To: Andrea Ross of Just One More Book and the newly released Swimming in Literary Soup, Charles Cadenhead of the newly released Higher Ed Podcast, Scott Jardine, Marian, Don burkins, Sonia nieto, Andrew opie, Marilyn walker, Kathy King of Podcast for Teachers,and Daryl Cognito [...]