Every once in a while the Iron Guy likes to set conventional wisdom on its ear. (When I say "conventional wisdom," I mean "The way people say it's always done") The conventional wisdom says that boys won't read books with a girl as the main character. Well, I stick out my tongue and say, "Ppphhhhttttt!!" to that. Give a guy an exciting story about a boy or a girl and he'll read it. I've seen guys sitting around the library reading Nancy Drew graphic novels. So there! I've got a book that any guy would enjoy. I read it several years ago (which makes it a Blast from the Past) and it's Island of the Blue Dolphins by the terrific Scott O'Dell. This is a great survival story in the tradition of Hatchet. (see my review of that book here) In this story, a Native American girl named Karana and her little brother get left behind when her tribe has to leave their island, which is a desolate spot off the coast of California. They learn to fend for themselves but then her brother gets killed by a pack of wild dogs. Can she learn to survive on that lonely island? Can she make peace with that pack of dogs or be killed by them too? Is it possible to make it through the winter on her own? Add to this an unforgettable fight with a "devil fish" and you've got one fantastic book that will stay with you long after you finish.So go and check it out. You'll really like it.
This gets the Iron Guy Seal of Approval as One Terrific Book!
(sorry about the glare on the cover--must the glow of MANLINESS radiating from the Iron Guy!)
Hey all you reader guys in the fabulous land of blog! This is Iron Guy Carl and I'm sorry that I haven't been around for a while. Life in the library gets very busy and sometimes I hardly have time to read, much less blog. But the Iron Guy always rises to the occasion and so I've decided to re-institute the Blasts from the Past, something I tried a couple of years ago. That was when we were all undergoing major changes. There was no time at all for reviewing new books, so I recommended books I'd read before but not reviewed. One was The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman. (see the post here) The other was The Hound of the Baskervilles and you can see that post here. Except this time I'll do something different--I'm going to refer you to books I have reviewed before. It's been a while since these posts were first published, sometimes even a few years, but these books were terrific then and they're terrific now.
And I'll go back four years for one of the most terrific books I've ever read. It's Hatchet by the great Gary Paulsen. One of the great survival stories of all time. Young Brian has to crash-land a plane in the Canadian wilderness with no survival gear, no extra food, and no idea where he is (this was in the days before GPS) and no way to contact anyone. How could any kid possibly manage? It's one thrilling tale and you will nwever forget it! (see the original review here)
HATCHET + GARY PAULSEN= a great read! Go and check it out!
Me…Jane
By Patrick McDonnell
Little, Brown
ISBN: 9780316045469
$15.99
Grades K-3
In Stores April 5, 2011
There are biographies that are picture books, and there are picture book biographies. The difference, you ask? The former is a fairly detailed bio with illustrations added – usually resulting in a book most appropriate for older audiences. The latter is picture book through and through – minimal text, basic vocab, simple story. With Me…Jane, Patrick McDonnell (Wag!, South) has created picture book biography – it keeps the focus narrow, with successful results.
On the first page we are introduced to a young Jane Goodall and her stuffed toy chimp Jubilee. An inseparable pair, Jubilee accompanies Jane as she liberally indulges her curiosity in the natural world, including a memorable discovery of where eggs come from:
… [S]he and Jubilee snuck into Grandma Nutt’s chicken coop…hid beneath some straw, stayed very still…and observed the miracle.
Jane recorded her findings and, with the help of the Tarzan books she read, dreamed of a life studying animals on Africa. The powerful final image, a photograph showing Goodall reaching out to a baby chimpanzee, the real-life incarnation of her childhood toy, will linger with readers and let them know that Goodall achieved her dream. Beautiful.
The choice to cover only Jane Goodall’s childhood and not her exploits in Africa could be a sticking point for some. But if viewed simply as a chronicle of Goodall’s early steps to becoming an anthropologist, this focus on childhood fits, and will work for a K-2nd grade audience. Backmatter includes more detailed information about Goodall’s work studying primates as well as a note from Goodall herself.
The lovely watercolor illustrations hit all the earth tones you would expect, with a peacefulness that matches Goodall’s famously placid demeanor. Images are also pulled from other sources and presented in rubber stamp-like single-color. For instance, on the page that describes Jane’s longing to visit Africa, an image of ship, a map, and waves adorn the blank space, adding richness.
A woman who made important anthropological discoveries began as a girl who loves the outdoors. Me…Jane isn’t a blow-by-blow of Goodall’s entire career, but a laudable introduction and jumping-off point for young readers.
Review copy from publisher.
Click here to check out the Nonfiction Monday roundup at Great Kid Books.
Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.
By:
Carl,
on 3/13/2010
Blog:
Boys Rule Boys Read!
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Man! You guys have been
ACTIVE!! I'm gone one day and, when I come back, my email box is FULL of book reviews! You all are
GREAT!! Since I've received so many reviews, I'm not going to comment after each set, but hold any comments until the end. In fact, I'll list the reader guy's name, put his reviews after that, thank everybody at once, and give the standings.
But before I do that, let me direct your attention to a comment from
Jana, a librarian, a mom of boys, and one of the faithful followers of our blog:
OK, guys, go over there and vote! I've already done it. Jana runs a good blog and recommends some good stuff. Take a look.
Now for the Slam Dunks. First up is magnificent Michael:
The Elijah Project, book 1On the Run
by Bill Myers
People have started noticing 7-year-old Elijah's supernatural God-given powers... even the people who want them for their own purposes. When the villains make an advance, Elijah and his siblings: 13-year-old Piper and 15-year-old Zach, find that their parents have dissapeared, and now they must run away on their own. With the help of their friends Cory and William, the group must believe in God to help them defeat their enemy the Shadow Man, and the ultimate villain the Supreme Master, who in reality is Satan. Bill Myers makes another home run with this amazing book!
Jellaby, book 1
by Kean Soo
Meet Portia. She has no friends, her parents are divorced, and now she's got a monster for a friend! But that won't stop her and her friend, Jason, from finding Jellaby's home. Fast-paced, funny, and creative, this comic book is perfect for everyone!
Then we have the dynamic
Dakota T:
The next book that I read was High Rulian By Brain Jaques. this book was about a young ottermaid who's skills in the sling exceed any others. When a Giant bird and a barnicle goose , both injured by a Tyrant who rules over Green Isle, come to Redwall to find refuge. They both tell them of where they come from and how the otter tribes are getting tormented by a raging cat who will stop at nothing to remain Tytrant of the Isle. It's up to the ottermaid to rescue the tribes enslaved. This book has more than it's fair share of action, adventure, and care for others. This was one of my favorite book in the entire Redwall series. The flaw in this series is that most of the books get off on a slow start.
I read a book entitled Holes by Luis Sachar and it's about a poor boy who is taken to Camp Green Lake where you get to dig a hole five feet wide and five feet deep. If you find anything you are to report it to the warden who turns out to be a girl. But why? This book is creative, yet realistic, and is one of my all time favorites. While telling the story of Stanely, It also tells a story about a teacher and an onion farmer. It was amazing how everything just fit together and made sense. Hope you read this and enjoy it!
(Oh, yeah... bring it on, Lubar!)
Not too shabby...
I don't know what happened but the link you posted got way messed up! Try this one:
russell-library.blogspot.com. Thanks so much! You guys ROCK!!