The Rock Bottom Remainders–a rock band composed of a rotating cast of famous authors–will appear on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson tonight, playing what band member Mitch Albom called “1 last song.”

The band performed its final show in June, but taped the episode during that tour. The band’s Facebook page has more information about the final televised performance.

The show will also include an interview with band members Dave Barry and Stephen King. (Via Hyperion Voice)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

If you live in the Los Angeles area, or will be visiting this fall, or are up for a road trip, you’ll have three chances to spend an evening with some amazing authors … and get new books to kids in need at the same time.

Jane Lynch, Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson, and Deepak Chopra & Leonard Mlodinow will be appearing at Live Talks Los Angeles events this fall, and the proceeds from every ticket sold will help First Book bring brand-new books to children from low-income families in Los Angeles.

First Book is thrilled about our new partnership with Live Talks Los Angeles, and we hope many of you are able to attend one of these great shows and support the work we’re doing in California. Ticket prices for these events start at $20.

• Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson – Thursday, Sept. 22
• Jane Lynch – Sunday, Oct. 2
• Deepak Chopra & Leonard Mlodinow – Tuesday, Oct. 11

If you attend one (or all) of these events, share a message on our Facebook page and let us know what you thought.

I got this in an email yesterday and just had to share. It’s written by the hilarious Dave Barry, and true to form, Barry makes you laugh at loud at how absurd our lives can be sometimes. Enjoy and pass it along if you like. Just make sure to give credit to Dave Barry. Colonoscopy Journal: I [...]

Tiny librarian is hell on wheels
Check out this article (and video) about Beth Hollis, an Akron, Ohio reference librarian Ohio by day and a roller derby dynamo by night.

A New Assignment: Pick Books You Like
Motoko Rich of the New York Times highlights “reading workshop” a experimental teaching approach that lets students pick the books they read.

7,000 Words Are Not Enough
The New Yorker’s Book Bench encourages readers to embrace abandoned vocabulary by visiting Save the Words,  a website that offers visitors a chance to adopt endangered terms.  And to get you started building your vocabuluary, take a look at abecedarian, a great word of the day from Dictonary.com.

Last Chance to Support First Book at dd’s DISCOUNTS
Don’t forget, you have until September 7, to make a donation at the point of sale at dd’s DISCOUNTS locations in CA, TX, AZ and FL, with dd’s DISCOUNTS matching donations, up to $25,000.

Bringing ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ to the Screen
This weekend, The New York Times Magazine features film director Spike Jonze’s career and insights into the making of ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ opening in theatres on October 16.

Enter the Mrs P Children’s writing contest!
MrsP.com is seeking great stories written by children 4 to 13 years old for its first “Be A Famous Writer Contest.” Celebrity judges include Dave Barry and Craig Ferguson, so be sure to enter your child’s story today.

Good Books Don’t Have to Be Hard
An interesting article on “why millions of adults are cheating on the literary novel with the young-adult novel, where the unblushing embrace of storytelling is allowed, even encouraged.”

*Tween (or young adult) fantasy
*Peter Pan and Molly as main characters
*Rating: The last book in the trilogy of the sequel to Peter Pan. I am still enjoying it on audio book, and I think Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson did an exceptional job with this one!

Short, short summary: Book three is more action-packed than ever. At the end of book 2, Peter and Molly saved the starstuff from falling into the hands of Lord Ombra, the shadow-stealing creature. But in book 3, he’s back, and he has a plan to end all plans. He is determined to use Peter Pan to find enough starstuff to destroy the entire world. In the meantime, Molly and George figure out who Peter and his parents actually are, and they rush to Paris to tell her father, who is on a mission for the Starcatchers. Molly’s father is on his way to Mollusk Island to find Peter and protect him from danger. However, before Lord Aster, Molly, and George get to him, Peter Pan and the Lost Boys are kidnapped by Captain Hook and some of his pirates during a raid on Mollusk Island by some terrible savages called Scorpions. During this pirate kidnapping, Lord Ombra captures the boys and Captain Hook with the help of an evil ruler on Rundoon. And this is only the first half of the book. Read the third book and find out how Peter’s story ends before Peter Pan actually begins.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Peter and the Secret of Rundoon has several subplots that all come together and meet as one giant plot at the end of the story. Your students can sketch out each subplot and then connect them together. In reading response journals, students can write how Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry weave the plots together and how subplots enrich stories. When writing their own stories, they can try including subplots and creating more complex stories of their own. To work on summarizing skills, students can summarize each subplot in book 3.

2. Many problems in this story are solved with starstuff. How do students feel about the characters’ problems being solved with magic? Start a class discussion about the role magic plays in the story, and whether or not they like that characters have the help of magic or if they wish characters solved their problems without the starstuff. You can most likely have a debate in your classroom as there will be opinions on both sides.

3. Ask students to write down everything they know about Peter Pan. (For fun, you could also watch the Disney movie.) Then students or your children should write down how Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry explain these original Peter Pan events in their book, Peter and the Secret of Rundoon or any of the other 2 books in the prequel. For example, how do they explain that Peter can fly or that Captain Hook is his enemy?

Have you read any of the books in this trilogy? Let us know what you think!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…. No two author visits for me are the same. Yesterday was a particularly unique experience at Greenfield Day School in Miami. When I walked in, I was greeted by this sign:

The K-8 students at Greenfield Day participated in the Greenie Book Awards. Students nominated their favorite books by writing an essay nomination. Then the children in each grade voted for their favorite books. One of the grades chose a Dave Barry book. Someone at the school cleverly contacted Mr. Barry, and he graciously showed up to surprise the students during the Greenie Award Ceremony. How wonderful was that for these children?!

This all happened before I got there. Dave Barry is a tough act to follow!

I was invited to come to talk to all the students in the school about my book, being an author and about Costa Rica. I started my visit by enjoying a delicious kosher lunch with Librarian, Jackie Fine and one student presenter from each grade. Then I spoke to the middle school students, and we sure laughed a lot! They enjoyed hearing most about what inspires me to write. It was a pleasure to talk to such a small group of students.

Then I presented to two elementary age groups. A first grade boy knew what the word “fiction” meant, and all the 3rd and 4th graders loved the geography game! We hope that all the elementary students enter our free “I Love Costa Rica’s Rain Forest!” writing and art contest. All prizes are donated by Rand McNally’s online store.

Thank you Principal, Dr. Binder for having me and Librarian, Mrs. Fine for making me feel so welcome and for being so enthusiastic about Lilly Badilly. Greenfield Day is lucky to have you. This was a very special day for me. Had I only arrived before Dave Barry left, I’d have gotten a photo taken of him with me, in millipede costume.

About Greenfield Day School

This unique school offers a learning environment that concentrates on both general and Judaic studies. The classes are small, the teachers are dedicated and the students are happy. The children are encouraged to learn about and embrace their Jewish Heritage. What impressed me most was that the middle school students published a book called We Listened and We Learned A Holocaust Project: Teaching Tolerance. With a grant from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and the Center for Advancement of Jewish Education, students wrote about their experiences meeting Holocaust survivors. They penned stories about the people they interviewed, poems about what they learned and even drew some pictures. What a life changing experience this was for the students! It is a great book everyone should read. To learn more about this book and about the school, check out the website or call 305-595-4868.

Tis a sad day for the "Boys Rule Boys Read Blog." I'm looking at this poll Jedi Master Zack put up and it is showing yours truly as the leading candidate for the "Girl Book" crime in the Boys Read Section of the library. I would also point out that Jedi Master Zack put this poll up. Is it not curious how he accuses everyone in this poll but himself (just think about it). Jedi are notorious for manipulating other, check it out:

This is from Star Wars Episode 4 "A New Hope." This clip from the movie clearly shows how Luke and Obi-Wan hedge the truth and use mind control on some honest, hardworking Stormtroopers just doing their jobs to keep from being arrested for possessing droids that are in fact not theirs, but the Empire's!!!!!





I apologize to Ellen, now that this new evidence has come to light, and would now like to reveal the true culprit of this crime.......Jedi Master Zack!!!!



Just appalling isn't it!!!! Typical Jedi behavior if you ask this Sith, sigh ):


And Now For Some Really Excellent and Exciting News..... Jay Piscopo's visit schedule to the PLCMC System has been finalized!!!!! For those of you not familiar with the most awesome Mr. Piscopo check out the following posts to learn more about him and his great "The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli" Graphic Novels:

http://jaja-cas.blogspot.com/2009/01/gigantic-and-most-excellent-anouncement.html

http://jaja-cas.blogspot.com/2008/12/captn-eli-news-graveyards-avengers-and.html

http://jaja-cas.blogspot.com/2009/01/darth-bills-picks-of-2008.html

http://jaja-cas.blogspot.com/2008/07/interview-with-jay-piscopo-of-undersea.html



This is not an event to be missed so mark your calenders!!!!!!!!!!




What: Jay Piscopo , author and illustrator of “The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli,” will be visiting various PLCMC locations in April presenting Drawing Workshops, discussing his Graphic Novel Series and answering any questions you have about Comics and Graphic Novels. If you have any questions about these events please call the participating libraries. Reservations for kids 7 - 12 years old is encouraged.

When & Where:

Monday, April 6:

ImaginOn 11:30 AM
704-973-2720

North County 2:30 PM
704-416-6000

ImaginOn 6:30 PM
704-973-2720

Tuesday, April 7:

Mountain Island 11:30 AM
704-416-5630

Morrison 3:00 PM
704-416-5421

Matthews 7:00 PM
704-416-5000

Science Fair by Dave Berry & Ridley Pearson -

This book is too funny!!!!!!! Imagine if you will a story that involves 3 fairly normal kids (although not in the popular set at school - how many of you can identify with that): Toby (the main character), Tamara and Micah. Now throw in a very small and poor country named Krpshtskan, ruled by Grdankl the strong - son of Bmepl the Brave and grandson of Kminkt the Good at Remembering Names, bent on destroying the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />United States of America. Other necessary ingredients include a science fair project entry that involves floating a pet frog named Fester, various government agencies in hot pursuit of the kids, police in hot pursuit of a Wienermobile, an ally in a mad scientist who constructs things you would not believe and a Science Fair held at a middle school that brings the United Sates to it's knees. The last ingredients would be a rather large hairy man known as the Wookie and an individual convinced he is Darth Vader battling Toby's father dressed as Luke Skywalker and his mom dressed as Princess Lea (Jabba the Hutt Slave Costume) and just so much more stuff I don't have room to write about. This is a Very Funny Book and I highly recommended it along with everyone else who has reviewed it on this Blog and others!!!!!!<?xml:namespace prefix = o />

Our faithful firend anonymous has written to us again! This time it's about a Dave Barry book:

New Book Review
I just finished a very Funny and COOL book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.The book is called "Science Fair". Toby Harbinger and his two best friends, Micah and Tamara are students at Hubble Middle School near Washington, D.C. Every year the school has a science fair and for the last few years, the rich kids have been winning the prizes by cheating. They, with the help of their super-ambitious parents, have been paying someone to do their projects for them. Well this year Toby and his friends want to try and change this. Toby has a special reason for wanting to win the prize of $5,000.00. He made the BIG mistake of selling his Dad's "priceless" original Star Wars blaster to a guy who thinks he is Darth Vader. Toby's parents are HUGE Star Wars fans. They have a whole basement of movie memorabilia, like costumes the cast wore, models of star ships, light sabers, etc. Unfortunately, now this Darth Vader wannabe wants the rest of the collection. That would be bad enough, but once Toby and his two friends start to investigate how the ME (Manor Estates) kids are getting their projects done for the science fair, things quickly become more complicated.This year, an EVIL mastermind has gotten himself involved and is planning to use the science fair as a way to destroy the United States.

There are a lot of chapters in this book that were fun to read, but several of my favorites are, (1) a chase scene where our heroes are being chased by federal agents and police while riding in the Oscar Mayer Wienermoblie, (2) a duel between Toby's father dressed in a Luke Skywalker costume and the wannabe Darth Vader using light sabers and finally (3) the various "adventures" of Fester, Micah's frog who is part of his science fair display.(Just try and imagine a frog "floating" in mid air.) Of course, I won't tell you what happens; you are going to have to read for yourselves about this and the rest of what happens at the science fair.

Will the Evil mastermind manage to use the science fair displays to destroy the US?
Will an other ME student win the top prize this year?
Will Toby's Dad beat Darth Vader or lose his priceless collection?
Will Fester really float?
Once you start reading, you won't want to put the book down!!!

Thanks again, anonymous! Oh, man, this sounds good! Floating frogs, duels between a fake Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader--how much better could it get? I know we have a lot of Star Wars fans out there--do any of you have huge Star Wars collections in your basements or bedrooms? Let us know!

Carl