Oh, what to say about Iris, Messenger? I wasn't overly impressed with the book as a whole. The re-tellings of the myths were well done, but if you're as familiar with them as I already am; they're kind of moot. I honestly skipped over the last three or four of them to just read Iris's parts.
I guess the most logical theme for this book's post would be: mythology. There are SO many different mythologies, and all of them spiral together and overlap. Did you know that the biblical flood is also seen in works like Gilgamesh, a classic from what is now modern day Iraq? For this post though, I'm going to focus on (obviously) Greek Mythology.
A lot of people get Greek and Romany mythology confused, because: they're basically the same thing with different names. The Percy Jackson/Olympian books are doing an excellent job of melding the two (Rick Riordan is my new favorite author; can you tell? I think I've worked him into almost every single book we've read so far!). But we're going to catch up with the Greek versions; mainly because they're cooler and the originals.
And I totally agree with the whole Heracles vs. Hercules thing.
Here's a pretty well put-together AMV from Disney's Hercules w/ music from Simple Plan.
Finally, reccomendations. Even if you didn't like Iris, Messenger (I'll be the first to admit, it's not going on my re-read list), there are TONS of other just as good greek mythology books out there.
First and foremost: I always highly reccomend reading Rick Riordan's books, starting with the Lightening Theif. Did you know that there is a graphic novel version as well?
Books:
Abandon by Meg Cabot (Persephone/Hades retelling)
Goddess Girls series by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
Corydon series by Tobias Druitt
The Game by Diana Wynne Jones
Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs (I think this is actually the second in the series)
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
The Immortal Fire by Anne Ursu
Anthologies:
Tales of Greek Heros by Roger Lancelyn Green (w/ an introduction by Rick Riordan)
Horrible Histories: The Groovy Greeks by Terry Deary (isn't in MORE, but the Rotton Romans is! I love this series!)
What a Beast! by Sophia Kelly
From Atalanta to Zeus by Suzanne I. Barchers
A Gift from Zeus by Jeanne Steig
Movies and TV:
The Gods of Olympus
Defying the Gods
Hercules
Xena: Warrior Princess
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules (Disney)
And I think that should be MORE than enough (pun not intended) to get you through your Greek mythology fix...but if you need more reccomendations, just ask. I'm sure I can come up with a few dozen more.
Up next we're reading Into the Woods by Lyn Gardner.
(From Amazon): Storm, Aurora, and Anything Eden live in a decaying mansion on the edge of the wilds with their erstwhile father and indolent mother. When an accident leaves them orphaned and at the mercy of the sinister Dr. DeWilde, these three courageous and eccentric sisters are forced to flee into the woods, where they encounter kidnappers, sweets-filled orphanages, mountains of ice, diamond mines, and some ravenously hungry wolves.
Happy Reading,
Samma
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Next Book: Iris, Messenger by Sarah Deming
Iris Greenwold is a dreamer; it's how she escapes her miserable existence. Her mother researches soybeans for an uncaring employer and her wacky father lives far away and pays almost no attention to her. Erebus Middle School is awful, with classmates who torment her and teachers who don't understand why she doesn't pay attention. And then, for her 12th birthday, Iris receives an incredible gift: Bulfinch's Mythology. Reading about the exploits of the Greek gods is right up her alley, but she is puzzled when mysterious messages start popping up in the book's pages and downright startled to discover that the gods are all living nearby at the New Jersey shore and in the Philadelphia area. Moreover, they desperately need her help. As she meets such figures as Poseidon (who runs a seaside oyster shack), Apollo (owner of a cool jazz club), and Aphrodite (stylist extraordinaire), she's also treated to firsthand accounts of Greek myths. This engaging story of an unhappy girl whose dreaming pays off in wonderful ways will be a hit with adolescents dealing with those difficult middle school years. Give it to readers who gobble up Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series (Hyperion/Miramax) and other novels where teens interact with the Greek pantheon. -- School Library Journal, July 1, 2007
Discussion: The Reformed Vampire Support Group
Okay, okay, so I haven't been very diligent about updating lately. I know. Life happens, and it's been pretty busy at the library. I've been side tracked by my good friend, Amanda, who has been coming in on Saturdays to help out (and work off a hefty fine; ah the joys of the library!). But, here it is: discussion for our book The Reformed Vampire Support Group, by Catherine Jinks.
If you read as much as I do, you know that vampire books have been out and about for quite awhile now. It started way before Twilight, but it's been spiraling ever since. Catherine Jinx has a pretty unique view on vampires, and the group she focuses on in Reformed are just that --reformed vampires who deny the intake of human blood. Instead, they take supplements (of which I'm really sure ever really explained), which makes it possible for them to partake in animal blood instead (particularly, guinea pigs).
Rather than discuss vampires though, since that isn't exactly a new converastion --I'm instead going to bring up the topic of support groups. The group in the book was created because of one vampire --Casimir, who came to Australia to escape persecution in Europe. In promptly went about biting people, including a doctor who knew immediately what had happened, and that, in no uncertain terms, that he would not be becoming a true vampire any time soon. So, after entrapping Casimir in a stone coffin and concrete, he gathered his victims and began the vitamin regmine that they are all on today.
Support groups exist for just about every problem you could imagine. One of the most well known for kids includes Alateen, a group that focuses on helping kids who are around an (or many) adults with drinking problems. There are many online support groups to help kids and teens deal with stress, depression, anxiety, death of a loved one, drugs, and many of the other challenges that you face while just growing up.
Support Groups have a common goal: a safe space to speak your mind and be open about whatever is bothering you. Sometimes that has something to do with the common issue --say a parent who is drinking, but you also have the opportunity to discuss other problems, like a teacher who always seems to pick on you, or a sibling going through your personal items. There are many resources online for support groups, which are safe places for middle schoolers and teens to talk about themselves (and each other), in a safe manner.
One such place is TeenLine, which is an organization of teen volunteers, helping other teens. Similiar programs have been featured on television shows. I recently watched an episode of Hang Time on YouTube, which was a show from the 90s...yes, I am showing my age!, that dealt with a group very much like Teen Line.
The episode is cut into three parts, but if you'd like to watch it:
Happy reading,
Samma
If you read as much as I do, you know that vampire books have been out and about for quite awhile now. It started way before Twilight, but it's been spiraling ever since. Catherine Jinx has a pretty unique view on vampires, and the group she focuses on in Reformed are just that --reformed vampires who deny the intake of human blood. Instead, they take supplements (of which I'm really sure ever really explained), which makes it possible for them to partake in animal blood instead (particularly, guinea pigs).
Rather than discuss vampires though, since that isn't exactly a new converastion --I'm instead going to bring up the topic of support groups. The group in the book was created because of one vampire --Casimir, who came to Australia to escape persecution in Europe. In promptly went about biting people, including a doctor who knew immediately what had happened, and that, in no uncertain terms, that he would not be becoming a true vampire any time soon. So, after entrapping Casimir in a stone coffin and concrete, he gathered his victims and began the vitamin regmine that they are all on today.
Support groups exist for just about every problem you could imagine. One of the most well known for kids includes Alateen, a group that focuses on helping kids who are around an (or many) adults with drinking problems. There are many online support groups to help kids and teens deal with stress, depression, anxiety, death of a loved one, drugs, and many of the other challenges that you face while just growing up.
Support Groups have a common goal: a safe space to speak your mind and be open about whatever is bothering you. Sometimes that has something to do with the common issue --say a parent who is drinking, but you also have the opportunity to discuss other problems, like a teacher who always seems to pick on you, or a sibling going through your personal items. There are many resources online for support groups, which are safe places for middle schoolers and teens to talk about themselves (and each other), in a safe manner.
One such place is TeenLine, which is an organization of teen volunteers, helping other teens. Similiar programs have been featured on television shows. I recently watched an episode of Hang Time on YouTube, which was a show from the 90s...yes, I am showing my age!, that dealt with a group very much like Teen Line.
The episode is cut into three parts, but if you'd like to watch it:
Happy reading,
Samma
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Home of the Brave Discussion: Poetry
Again, more apologies for the lack of updates! Here in Augusta, we celebrated our 100th Anniversary with an Open House last week. We'll finish up our Home of the Brave discussion today and start our next book, The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks (author of Evil Genius).
As I mentioned in our last post, Home of the Brave is written in a much different style than the other books we've read so far. Poetry tells the tale.
If you've ever met me, you probably know that poetry isn't really my thing, which made reading this book close to impossible for me! Hopefully some of you didn't have the same issues.
I do enjoy some poetry though. Today I'm going to share a few of my favorite poems, and I encourage you to share some of yours, whether they're from Home of the Brave or from somewhere else.
I'm Nobody, Emily Dickenson
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us -- don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.
How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
Where The Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstien
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
(Apollo) Rick Riordan
Dreams like a podcast
Downloading Truth in my Ears
They tell me cool stuff.
The last poem is from the Battle of the Labryinth (I think...without checking), part of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. Percy meets the god Apollo, who among other things, is the god of poetry. Throughout the books, he continually makes up (really bad!) haiku, like the above. Haiku is one of my favorite "quick" poems and are fairly easy to make up! Just remember the 5-7-5 rule. 5 syllables in the first sentance, 7 syllables in the second sentance, and 5 syllables in the last.
Haiku were created by the Japanese, and then the form migrated over the world. Originally hauki was used to describe the weather or nature, but you can use them to describe anything! I once wrote a series of haiku about the greek underworld for a Creative Writing class (which I will begrudingly share, even though they are awful), which shows that each sentance doesn't have to be full, they can flow together.
Greek Death (A series in Haiku)
The angel of death,
Thanatos, winged death god
leads you down to hell.
Delivers you to
Charon, boatman of the River Styx
Pay him a copper
Passing through the gates,
Cerberus’s three heads watch
low growl in their throats.
“End of the line, Jack.”
Hades and Persephone
are waiting for you.
What kind of haiku can you come up with?
Happy reading (and writing!),
Samma
Edit:
I was listening to my iPod the other day and this song poped up on my shuffle. I can't believe I forgot about it! Here's a live version I found on YouTube. The band is called "Tally Hall". I encourage you to check out some of their other music; they're quite good!
As I mentioned in our last post, Home of the Brave is written in a much different style than the other books we've read so far. Poetry tells the tale.
If you've ever met me, you probably know that poetry isn't really my thing, which made reading this book close to impossible for me! Hopefully some of you didn't have the same issues.
I do enjoy some poetry though. Today I'm going to share a few of my favorite poems, and I encourage you to share some of yours, whether they're from Home of the Brave or from somewhere else.
I'm Nobody, Emily Dickenson
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us -- don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.
How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
Where The Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstien
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
(Apollo) Rick Riordan
Dreams like a podcast
Downloading Truth in my Ears
They tell me cool stuff.
The last poem is from the Battle of the Labryinth (I think...without checking), part of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. Percy meets the god Apollo, who among other things, is the god of poetry. Throughout the books, he continually makes up (really bad!) haiku, like the above. Haiku is one of my favorite "quick" poems and are fairly easy to make up! Just remember the 5-7-5 rule. 5 syllables in the first sentance, 7 syllables in the second sentance, and 5 syllables in the last.
Haiku were created by the Japanese, and then the form migrated over the world. Originally hauki was used to describe the weather or nature, but you can use them to describe anything! I once wrote a series of haiku about the greek underworld for a Creative Writing class (which I will begrudingly share, even though they are awful), which shows that each sentance doesn't have to be full, they can flow together.
Greek Death (A series in Haiku)
The angel of death,
Thanatos, winged death god
leads you down to hell.
Delivers you to
Charon, boatman of the River Styx
Pay him a copper
Passing through the gates,
Cerberus’s three heads watch
low growl in their throats.
“End of the line, Jack.”
Hades and Persephone
are waiting for you.
What kind of haiku can you come up with?
Happy reading (and writing!),
Samma
Edit:
I was listening to my iPod the other day and this song poped up on my shuffle. I can't believe I forgot about it! Here's a live version I found on YouTube. The band is called "Tally Hall". I encourage you to check out some of their other music; they're quite good!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate
Apologies for the lack of updates recently. Preprations in the library for our 100th Anniversary celebration have been underway and keeping all of us here very busy!
Our newest book, if you didn't know, is "Home of the Brave" by Katherine Applegate. (Summary from the inside cover:) Kek comes from Africa. In America, he sees snow for the first time, and feels its sting. He's never walked on ice and he falls. He wonders if the people in this new place will be like the winter --cold and unkind. In Africa, Kek lived with his mother, father, and brother. But only he and his mother have survived, and now she's missing, Kek is on his own. Slowly, he makes friends: a girl who is in foster care, an old woman who owns a rundown farm, and a cow whose name means "family" in his native language. As Kek awaits word of his mother's fate, he weathers the tough Minnesota winter by finding warmth in his new friendships, strength in his memories and belief in his new country."
Home of the Brave is written in a series of poems, which has been a fairly popular format in recent years.
As for this weeks discussion, I'd like to focus in on immigration. It's been a hot-button topic in recent years, espeically illegal immigration from Mexico, on the borders in the Southern U.S. Immigration wasn't always what it is today, that is to say: it was encouraged and expected. As you've learned in History class, America is founded almost entirely by people from other nations. The eary pilgrims came from England to escape Religious prosecution, and were followed by more and more, as the country began to develop westward.
Another big Immigration Boom happened in the 1850s and again in the early 1900s. Most immigrants at the time had to go through Ellis Island, just off the coast of New York, before they were admitted into the country. While Ellis Island is no longer used as the entry point to the US, it is still a tourist attraction for anyone who would like to know more about early immigration into the US.
Here are some informative links I found on Ellis Island and early Immigration:
Ellis Island Statistics
The Brunk Swedish-American Museum
Just Curious: Immigration Links
Today, immigration is a little different. You can enter the United States anywhere, but you need a Visa, or permission to be here. When your Visa expires, you're expected to return home. However, long-term immigrants can obtain US citizenship through several venues including marriage, or taking a Citizenship (or Naturalization) test. Below is a link to a practice test --you can choose then number of questions between 5 and 50. I did 10 questions and got 70% --you need 60% to pass. I just barely made it!
Online US Citizenship Practice Test
Share your results in the comments! Were you surprised by your score? Tell Mom and Dad to try it out and see how they fair at it.
Happy reading!
Samma
Home of the Brave is written in a series of poems, which has been a fairly popular format in recent years.
As for this weeks discussion, I'd like to focus in on immigration. It's been a hot-button topic in recent years, espeically illegal immigration from Mexico, on the borders in the Southern U.S. Immigration wasn't always what it is today, that is to say: it was encouraged and expected. As you've learned in History class, America is founded almost entirely by people from other nations. The eary pilgrims came from England to escape Religious prosecution, and were followed by more and more, as the country began to develop westward.
Another big Immigration Boom happened in the 1850s and again in the early 1900s. Most immigrants at the time had to go through Ellis Island, just off the coast of New York, before they were admitted into the country. While Ellis Island is no longer used as the entry point to the US, it is still a tourist attraction for anyone who would like to know more about early immigration into the US.
Here are some informative links I found on Ellis Island and early Immigration:
Ellis Island Statistics
The Brunk Swedish-American Museum
Just Curious: Immigration Links
Today, immigration is a little different. You can enter the United States anywhere, but you need a Visa, or permission to be here. When your Visa expires, you're expected to return home. However, long-term immigrants can obtain US citizenship through several venues including marriage, or taking a Citizenship (or Naturalization) test. Below is a link to a practice test --you can choose then number of questions between 5 and 50. I did 10 questions and got 70% --you need 60% to pass. I just barely made it!
Online US Citizenship Practice Test
Share your results in the comments! Were you surprised by your score? Tell Mom and Dad to try it out and see how they fair at it.
Happy reading!
Samma
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Revenge of the Witch Discussion: The Power of Seven
Thomas Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son. This means many things to many people. It has been long belive that the number seven holds mysical powers, culturally and religiously. Here are a few links to get you thinking about the number seven.
Is This Your Lucky Number? (Article from 2007) Facts about the number 7
Facts About the Number Seven
Happy reading!
Samma
Is This Your Lucky Number? (Article from 2007) Facts about the number 7
Facts About the Number Seven
Happy reading!
Samma
Revenge of the Witch
Summary (from inside cover): For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who willt ake over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried --some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive.
Only Thomas Ward is left. He's the last hope; the last apprentice.
Can Thomas succeed? Will he learn the difference between a benign witch and a malevolent one? Does the Spook's warning against girls with pointy shoes include Alice? And what will happen if Thomas accidentally frees Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the county?
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Hero Discussion: Reccomendations
Since summer is winding to an end, and if you're anything like me: you're super busy! It's no surprise that I actually didn't even get around to finishing the book... That's OK, I'm sure you didn't either. So, instead of our usual discussion questions, I'm going to go straight to the reccomendations --which you hopefully enjoy just as much (or more) than you enjoyed Hero if you're interested in checking them out. I'll start with the short lists of Graphic Novels/Manga, then get into the lengther book and movie suggestions (because trust me, I have a lot of them!). Books are linked to MORE, if available.
Graphic Novels:
-Bone, Tom Sniegoski
-Fairy Tail (manga)
-Kingdom Hearts (Manga, and also of course a video game)
-Runaways (for the 14+ crowd)
-Listing all of the Marvel and DC comic books would be crazy, but don't forget about those! Many are available on MORE!
-Wolverine (manga, not the comic book, though that's good too)
Television:
-Amazing Spiderman and Friends
-Heroes
-Justice League
-Teen Titans
-Wolverine and the X-Men
-X-Men: Evolution
Movies (Warning: I didn't check the rating on all of these, so be sure to ask your parents permission before watching some of these titles. I *'d the ones I thought would be most questionable.):
-Big Man Japan
-Bolt
-Catomwan
-Daredevil
-Elecktra
-Fantastic Four
-The Green Hornet
-Ghost Rider
-Hancock
-Hellboy
-The Incredibles
-Iron Man
-Kick Ass*
-Megamind
-Pokemon
-Power Rangers
-Sky High
-Spider-Man
-Ultimate Avengers
-Watchmen*
-X-Men
-Zoom
Books (Not in alphabetical order, sorry!):
Hero, Perry Moore
Fearless, Francine Pascal
Captain Underpants, Dave Pilkey
The Awakening, Michael Carroll
Captain Nobody, Dean Pitchford
Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation, Matt Myklusch
Percy Jackson Series, Rick Riordan (link to search page for series)
Shredderman Series, Wendelin van Draanen
Flyboy of Underwhere, Bruce Hale
Great Cape Rescue, Phyllis Shalant
Questors, Joan Lennon
Sidekicks, Jack D. Ferraiolo
Standard Hero Behavior, John David Andersen
While I'm sure I could go on for ages with more reccomendations, that's MORE than enough to keep you busy --and if you don't see anything on the list you like but know of something I forgot: comment!
Next week, we'll start our discussion on Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney. Order your copy via MORE now. t
Graphic Novels:
-Bone, Tom Sniegoski
-Fairy Tail (manga)
-Kingdom Hearts (Manga, and also of course a video game)
-Runaways (for the 14+ crowd)
-Listing all of the Marvel and DC comic books would be crazy, but don't forget about those! Many are available on MORE!
-Wolverine (manga, not the comic book, though that's good too)
Television:
-Amazing Spiderman and Friends
-Heroes
-Justice League
-Teen Titans
-Wolverine and the X-Men
-X-Men: Evolution
Movies (Warning: I didn't check the rating on all of these, so be sure to ask your parents permission before watching some of these titles. I *'d the ones I thought would be most questionable.):
-Big Man Japan
-Bolt
-Catomwan
-Daredevil
-Elecktra
-Fantastic Four
-The Green Hornet
-Ghost Rider
-Hancock
-Hellboy
-The Incredibles
-Iron Man
-Kick Ass*
-Megamind
-Pokemon
-Power Rangers
-Sky High
-Spider-Man
-Ultimate Avengers
-Watchmen*
-X-Men
-Zoom
Books (Not in alphabetical order, sorry!):
Hero, Perry Moore
Fearless, Francine Pascal
Captain Underpants, Dave Pilkey
The Awakening, Michael Carroll
Captain Nobody, Dean Pitchford
Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation, Matt Myklusch
Percy Jackson Series, Rick Riordan (link to search page for series)
Shredderman Series, Wendelin van Draanen
Flyboy of Underwhere, Bruce Hale
Great Cape Rescue, Phyllis Shalant
Questors, Joan Lennon
Sidekicks, Jack D. Ferraiolo
Standard Hero Behavior, John David Andersen
While I'm sure I could go on for ages with more reccomendations, that's MORE than enough to keep you busy --and if you don't see anything on the list you like but know of something I forgot: comment!
Next week, we'll start our discussion on Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney. Order your copy via MORE now. t
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Hero Discussion: About the Author
Today, I thought I'd post something a little different. Many authors choose to stick to the same genre. Over the course of the summer, we've read several of those authors: Levine writes Fantasy and Korman writes realist comedy. Mike Lupica however writes sports novels. A LOT of sports novels --except for Hero. It's his first trip down fantasy lane, and his success in the endenvor is kind of up to the reader.
For the most part, I think Hero is reading a lot like one of his sports novels...which is both good and bad. Don't me wrong: I actually really like sports novels (Slot Machine and Ice Man by Chris Lynch are two of my favorites), but I think Lupica is missing something when it comes to his fantasy novel.
Sports fans might actually recognize Mike from Sports Report on ESPN. He writes a weekly sports column for the NY Daily News, which you can read online and has been at the Daily News since he was 23 --in 1977. He has co-written autobiographies with sports stars Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells. When he isn't writing, he coaches a Little League teams: basektball, baseball, and soccer for his kids --3 boys and a girl.
You can check out other stuff about Mike on his website.
If you're interested in Mike's sports fiction, someone uploaded a portion of the audiobook for Heat on YouTube.
For the most part, I think Hero is reading a lot like one of his sports novels...which is both good and bad. Don't me wrong: I actually really like sports novels (Slot Machine and Ice Man by Chris Lynch are two of my favorites), but I think Lupica is missing something when it comes to his fantasy novel.
Sports fans might actually recognize Mike from Sports Report on ESPN. He writes a weekly sports column for the NY Daily News, which you can read online and has been at the Daily News since he was 23 --in 1977. He has co-written autobiographies with sports stars Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells. When he isn't writing, he coaches a Little League teams: basektball, baseball, and soccer for his kids --3 boys and a girl.
You can check out other stuff about Mike on his website.
If you're interested in Mike's sports fiction, someone uploaded a portion of the audiobook for Heat on YouTube.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Hero Discussion: Comic Book Crusaders
If you know me, you know the only thing I love more than fairy tales, are superheroes. Maybe it's the fantastic elements that go along with it. Who WOULDN'T love the ability to fly, to be able to read minds, walk through walls, or teleport to anywhere they wanted to go? How about regenerative healing, telekenisis, or the ability to converse with wildlife?
I was first introduced to the world of Superheroes at a young age, when Saturday Morning cartoons were still all the rage. The Amazing Spiderman and Friends, X-Men (the original animated series), even hokey superheroes like Freakazoid. I'm pretty sure I watched them all. As I got older, I started reading comic books. It started with Japanese manga. Then I got back into the old school Marvel comics and fell in love with the X-Men. I can lay out histories on almost any character you throw at me, but in particular Rogue. Rogue is awesome and doesn't get nearly enough credit for everything she's capable of.
And lately, it's been complete bliss in the Superhero world. The Green Lantern, The Green Hornet, Thor, and Captain America all in one summer --and The Avengers comes out May 12th, 2012. Directed by Joss Whedon, not to even go into all of the talented cast! It's Fan Girl Heaven, I tell you.
Here are a couple of upcoming movie trailers:
Happy reading!
Samma
I was first introduced to the world of Superheroes at a young age, when Saturday Morning cartoons were still all the rage. The Amazing Spiderman and Friends, X-Men (the original animated series), even hokey superheroes like Freakazoid. I'm pretty sure I watched them all. As I got older, I started reading comic books. It started with Japanese manga. Then I got back into the old school Marvel comics and fell in love with the X-Men. I can lay out histories on almost any character you throw at me, but in particular Rogue. Rogue is awesome and doesn't get nearly enough credit for everything she's capable of.
And lately, it's been complete bliss in the Superhero world. The Green Lantern, The Green Hornet, Thor, and Captain America all in one summer --and The Avengers comes out May 12th, 2012. Directed by Joss Whedon, not to even go into all of the talented cast! It's Fan Girl Heaven, I tell you.
Here are a couple of upcoming movie trailers:
Happy reading!
Samma
Hero by Mike Lupica
(Inside cover blurb)
Zach Harriman thought he knew his dad. Knicks fan, ex-Harvard football star, special advisor to the President of the United States. And then Tom Harriman's plane crashes under mysterious circumstances and everything Zach thought he knew about his father explodes with it.
Now the same people who wanted his father dead want Zach very much alive. Why? Because Tom Harriman was no ordinary man. And because Zach is destined to follow in his footsteps.
Starting now.
As something no one even knows exists...
A fourteen year old superhero.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Genius Discussion: Final Thoughts and Reccomendations
It seems like Genius has passed by rather quickly compared to our other two books! Next week we'll start discussion on Hero by Mike Lupica. But until then, here's the final round of discussion questions for Genius, and then some reccomendations for similar titles. I was disappointed to find that (so far) there isn't a sequal to Genius --it certaintly ended on a hopeful note of continuation. I suppose we can all hope for more in the future though.
1. What was your overall impression of the book?
2. Did you find Oliver to be a relatable character?
3. What did you think of some of Tatiana's campaign techniques --such as the t-shirts, the posters, and the Inflatable Oliver?
4. Do you think Oliver is honest with himself about his feelings regarding his parents, in particular his Dad? How do you think that reflects to his conversation with his Dad at the end of the book?
5. What was your reaction to Oliver's speech? Was it true? What about HIS reaction to his speech?
6. Did you find Oliver's genius to be beliveable? Do you think he did the "right thing" by pretending to be dumb? What do you think you would have done if you were Oliver and you knew you were "different".
7. What are you thoughts to the side characters, like Lionel Sheldrake, Mr. Moorehead, or Tatiana?
8. Were you suprised about the identies of Oliver's bodyguards?
Over all, I liked the book. I related a lot to Oliver's personality, but not really his actions. I'm pretty sure if I was that smart, I wouldn't alienate people with it, but I certaintly wouldn't hide it either. I think Oliver takes things to extremes regarding his feelings towards his parents. He tries to put off this aloof demenor, but I'm not sure if it's "real" or not. Maybe his genius has just pushed him into that rebellious teenaged stage little early than most.
I liked Oliver's speech. He had a point --it doesn't matter what you do in school because afterwords, you're only going to see those people every ten years. I think his reaction was a little bit of overkill. Although, I must say it's pretty interesting that he can do that kind of thing on command! It kind of makes you wonder if he's had to do it before.
I liked the side-story with Mr. Moorehead. I thought Moorehead was a likeable character (and I think Oliver liked him too, or he wouldn't have tried so hard to help me out with Miss Sokolov), and Oliver's pranks were rather witty.
Other reccomendations, divided by books, movies, and graphic novels with links to the MORE page.
Books:
Sprout by Dale Peck
Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Ironman by Chris Crutcher
Slot Machine by Chris Lynch
The Brain Full of Holes by Marin Chatterton
Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks (series!)
Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper
The Accidental Genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie
Movies:
The Jensen Project
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genuis (the library also has several DVDs of the TV show too!)
Matty Hanson and the Invisibility Ray
The Pretender (TV show from the 90s, maybe moreso for the older end of the group)
Graphic Novels
Bakuman by Tsugumi, Ohba
Feel free to share your thoughts, or other suggestions below.
Samma
1. What was your overall impression of the book?
2. Did you find Oliver to be a relatable character?
3. What did you think of some of Tatiana's campaign techniques --such as the t-shirts, the posters, and the Inflatable Oliver?
4. Do you think Oliver is honest with himself about his feelings regarding his parents, in particular his Dad? How do you think that reflects to his conversation with his Dad at the end of the book?
5. What was your reaction to Oliver's speech? Was it true? What about HIS reaction to his speech?
6. Did you find Oliver's genius to be beliveable? Do you think he did the "right thing" by pretending to be dumb? What do you think you would have done if you were Oliver and you knew you were "different".
7. What are you thoughts to the side characters, like Lionel Sheldrake, Mr. Moorehead, or Tatiana?
8. Were you suprised about the identies of Oliver's bodyguards?
Over all, I liked the book. I related a lot to Oliver's personality, but not really his actions. I'm pretty sure if I was that smart, I wouldn't alienate people with it, but I certaintly wouldn't hide it either. I think Oliver takes things to extremes regarding his feelings towards his parents. He tries to put off this aloof demenor, but I'm not sure if it's "real" or not. Maybe his genius has just pushed him into that rebellious teenaged stage little early than most.
I liked Oliver's speech. He had a point --it doesn't matter what you do in school because afterwords, you're only going to see those people every ten years. I think his reaction was a little bit of overkill. Although, I must say it's pretty interesting that he can do that kind of thing on command! It kind of makes you wonder if he's had to do it before.
I liked the side-story with Mr. Moorehead. I thought Moorehead was a likeable character (and I think Oliver liked him too, or he wouldn't have tried so hard to help me out with Miss Sokolov), and Oliver's pranks were rather witty.
Other reccomendations, divided by books, movies, and graphic novels with links to the MORE page.
Books:
Sprout by Dale Peck
Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Ironman by Chris Crutcher
Slot Machine by Chris Lynch
The Brain Full of Holes by Marin Chatterton
Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks (series!)
Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper
The Accidental Genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie
Movies:
The Jensen Project
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genuis (the library also has several DVDs of the TV show too!)
Matty Hanson and the Invisibility Ray
The Pretender (TV show from the 90s, maybe moreso for the older end of the group)
Graphic Novels
Bakuman by Tsugumi, Ohba
Feel free to share your thoughts, or other suggestions below.
Samma
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Genius Discussion: Campaigning
Sorry for the lack of post on Saturday. Technical issues caused me to lose the post, and I was so disheartened by it, that I couldn't bring myself to look up all of the information again. That being said, I'm taking today's post in a completely different direction anyway, so it's actually a win.
Hopefully you've gotten to a point in the book where Oliver is starting to think about his campaign strategies. Running for an office --whether for school, a club, or even an actual politcal office is hard to work! And that's before you even get any of the responsibilities! Did you know that Presidental Campaigns actually "begin" 2 years before the actual election? And we vote for our President every four years!
I thought it would be fun to find some campaign videos from yesteryear. One of my favorites is for Eisenhower's campagin, in 1952. I wish politicans still put out such catchy tunes!
Here's two more, including Kennedy's and Nixon's (1972)
g
This is a more recent ad from Mike Hickabee, featuring Chuck Norris. It was too funny not to share with you!
So, what should you do if you want to run for office at your school? Well, there are actually few books to help you out --but I did find one called "How to Win a High School Election" by Jeff Marx (ISBN: 978-0966782400). It isn't in the MORE system, but if you're interested in reading it, there is always the Suggestion button on the MORE website, or talk to your librarian. Or, there is an online verision of the book.
There are a few websites out there to help you out as well including:
Killer Campaigning, which devoted two posts regarding high school elections including one on Slogan ideas and the other on Strategies to Win.
WikiHow has a "How to Become Class President" page.
And Penguin Books also has a how-to on campaigning.
If none of those things seem to work out for you though, you could always take a cue from a movie, like Napoleon Dynamite (starring Jon Heder) or Election (starring Reece Witherspoon)
Samma
Hopefully you've gotten to a point in the book where Oliver is starting to think about his campaign strategies. Running for an office --whether for school, a club, or even an actual politcal office is hard to work! And that's before you even get any of the responsibilities! Did you know that Presidental Campaigns actually "begin" 2 years before the actual election? And we vote for our President every four years!
I thought it would be fun to find some campaign videos from yesteryear. One of my favorites is for Eisenhower's campagin, in 1952. I wish politicans still put out such catchy tunes!
Here's two more, including Kennedy's and Nixon's (1972)
g
This is a more recent ad from Mike Hickabee, featuring Chuck Norris. It was too funny not to share with you!
So, what should you do if you want to run for office at your school? Well, there are actually few books to help you out --but I did find one called "How to Win a High School Election" by Jeff Marx (ISBN: 978-0966782400). It isn't in the MORE system, but if you're interested in reading it, there is always the Suggestion button on the MORE website, or talk to your librarian. Or, there is an online verision of the book.
There are a few websites out there to help you out as well including:
Killer Campaigning, which devoted two posts regarding high school elections including one on Slogan ideas and the other on Strategies to Win.
WikiHow has a "How to Become Class President" page.
And Penguin Books also has a how-to on campaigning.
If none of those things seem to work out for you though, you could always take a cue from a movie, like Napoleon Dynamite (starring Jon Heder) or Election (starring Reece Witherspoon)
Samma
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Genius Discussion: Hodgepodge of Information
For me, Genius was a really quick read! However, for those who might not have gotten as far as others, I'll start at the beginning with Lollipop.
Lollipop was a shelter rescue. Oliver picked her out over smaller, more docile dogs, much to his father's annoyance. Pit Bulls get a really bad reputation for being mean and vicious, but much like Dobermans (as we talked about during Swindle), Pit Bulls are relentlessly loyal animals. With good training, pit bulls make excellent family animals and are a favorite of many people.
Oliver sent Lollipop to the Basque in Spain, mainly because almost no one knows their language. In America, many dog trainers use German commands to train, because theoretically the more glutteral german is easier for dogs to hear and understand than english commands. Here's a website of German words, commonly used in dog training.
In the next chapter, we meet Tatiana, who plays a very important role throughout the book. She makes a comment to Oliver, that no one is as dumb as he acts. Do you think she has a point? Does Oliver take his stupid-act too far? If you went to school with Oliver, would you think something about him was odd? Would you take the chance to nominate him for class president?
Share your thoughts in the comments and share any links or information you may have thought of while reading.
Samma
Lollipop was a shelter rescue. Oliver picked her out over smaller, more docile dogs, much to his father's annoyance. Pit Bulls get a really bad reputation for being mean and vicious, but much like Dobermans (as we talked about during Swindle), Pit Bulls are relentlessly loyal animals. With good training, pit bulls make excellent family animals and are a favorite of many people.
Oliver sent Lollipop to the Basque in Spain, mainly because almost no one knows their language. In America, many dog trainers use German commands to train, because theoretically the more glutteral german is easier for dogs to hear and understand than english commands. Here's a website of German words, commonly used in dog training.
In the next chapter, we meet Tatiana, who plays a very important role throughout the book. She makes a comment to Oliver, that no one is as dumb as he acts. Do you think she has a point? Does Oliver take his stupid-act too far? If you went to school with Oliver, would you think something about him was odd? Would you take the chance to nominate him for class president?
Share your thoughts in the comments and share any links or information you may have thought of while reading.
Samma
Saturday, July 23, 2011
I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be your Class President Disccusion
Time for our third book of the summer! Josh Lieb's lengthily-titled: I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I want to be your Class President --thus after just referred to as "Genius", to limit down all of that typing!
Our protagonist is Oliver Waston, a 12 year old who lives in Omaha, Nebraska. He has everyone convinced that he is stupid and lazy --but in reality, he is an evil (and wealthy) genius, who isn't going to let anything stand in his way when he decides to run for 7th Grade Class President.
Real Kid Geniuses are pretty rare, but they're still out there. Jacob Barnette is the most recent, attending college level courses at age 12, and is being offered a reseachers position at his university. He regularly tutors his adult classmates in physics. You can read about him in this Indystar.com article.
What do you think of "real" geniuses? Or even fake kid geniuses, seen in moves like Baby Geniuses and Jimmy Neutron, or even Dexter's Labratory (if you remember that show). How do think Oliver compares to them (so far).
More importantly: do you think he has a chance of becomming Class President, this early in the book?
Samma
Our protagonist is Oliver Waston, a 12 year old who lives in Omaha, Nebraska. He has everyone convinced that he is stupid and lazy --but in reality, he is an evil (and wealthy) genius, who isn't going to let anything stand in his way when he decides to run for 7th Grade Class President.
Real Kid Geniuses are pretty rare, but they're still out there. Jacob Barnette is the most recent, attending college level courses at age 12, and is being offered a reseachers position at his university. He regularly tutors his adult classmates in physics. You can read about him in this Indystar.com article.
What do you think of "real" geniuses? Or even fake kid geniuses, seen in moves like Baby Geniuses and Jimmy Neutron, or even Dexter's Labratory (if you remember that show). How do think Oliver compares to them (so far).
More importantly: do you think he has a chance of becomming Class President, this early in the book?
Samma
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I want to be your Class President by Josh Lieb
The title of this book alone is enough for me to want to read it from cover to cover. It always makes me laugh when I read it. Here is a summary (taken from the MORE catalog):
In Omaha, Nebraska, twelve-year-old Oliver Watson has everyone convinced that he's extremely stupid and lazy, but he's actually a very wealthy, evil genius, and when he decides to run for seventh-grade class president, nothing will stand in his way.
This is the first book written by Josh Lieb, although he has worked on various tv shows.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Fairest Discussion: Final Discussion Questions
So, hopefully you've finished the book (if you haven't you should probably wait to read this post as it will contain a lot of spoilers). I'll start with the general discussion, then go into my own opinion. As usual, use the comments to contribute.
1. What did you like best about the book?
2. What did you dislike most about the book?
3. Did you find Aza to be a relatable character?
4. How did you feel about the way Ijori treated her after he proposed deception? Would you have accepted his apology if you were Aza?
5. What was your impression of Queen Ivi? Do you think that the King did the right thing in the end?
6. What do you think of Illusing? Can you "illuse"?
7. Do you think you would do well at a Composing game, such as the one where Aza first spoke with Ijori?
8. How did you feel about Aza's Happily-Ever-After?
I liked the book in general. It was a quick and easy read for me (and a refresher since I read it back when it first was released). I liked the musical aspect to it; without being overbearing it was made very obvious how important music was the culture of the people in the story. However, it made it really obvious how much Ivi didn't fit in with the culture, and how much she really didn't understand about her new home. I think Ivi was my least favorite character throughout. She was rude, inconsiderate, had no respect for her new family muchless her new subjects. She wanted to turn Ayortha into Kyrria so she wouldn't feel so out of place, regardless of the fact that she was alienating an entire country by doing so. I think the King did the right thing at the end, ensuring that she would never again become the sole ruler of Ayortha. I'm sure there's some story behind their love for one another, but if I'd been him, I probably would have taken a page out of Henry the 8th's book.
I liked Aza for the most part. I think she got a little to down on herself at times --after all, she couldn't have been THAT bad of looking if a prince fell in love with her, right? I found it ironic that she only felt herself when she was with the gnomes, that her looks didn't matter (though they found her ugly too; they only liked her hair after all). Similiarly, I see why Aza forgave Prince Ijori for jumping to conclusions, but I don't think I would have done so myself. Sure, he's a prince and life would be set, but when you can't listen to reason the first time, I don't think there should be the opprotunity for a second.
Unfortunately, I am not an illuser. Mind you, I've never tried, but I'm sure I don't have the patience for that kind of thing. However, Illusing is very similar to something you may have tried or seen: ventriloquism. Some famous ventriloquists include Jeff Dunham, Dan Horn, Edgar Burgen, Jimmy Nelson, and Sherri Lewis (remember Lamb Chop?) There are a lot of resources for you to learn how to do it yourself, which you can look up on MORE. There are also tons of videos on YouTube of ventriloqists and on how to learn to do it yourself.
I also don't think I'd be very good at a composing game, but I'd love to watch one being played!
I like that Aza got a happy ending and that she ulitmately was able to gain some self-esteem and self-acceptance for her looks. I could have done without the epilogue, but I'm just that kind of a reader.
Below, I scoured the internet (...okay, YouTube) for some good ventriloquist videos and there are loads! A lot I've never even heard of! This was one of my favorites, Kevin Johnson who was a finalist on America's Got Talent in 2007. The second video is of Terry Fator, winner of AGT in 2008.
Enjoy and share your comments below.
Samma
1. What did you like best about the book?
2. What did you dislike most about the book?
3. Did you find Aza to be a relatable character?
4. How did you feel about the way Ijori treated her after he proposed deception? Would you have accepted his apology if you were Aza?
5. What was your impression of Queen Ivi? Do you think that the King did the right thing in the end?
6. What do you think of Illusing? Can you "illuse"?
7. Do you think you would do well at a Composing game, such as the one where Aza first spoke with Ijori?
8. How did you feel about Aza's Happily-Ever-After?
I liked the book in general. It was a quick and easy read for me (and a refresher since I read it back when it first was released). I liked the musical aspect to it; without being overbearing it was made very obvious how important music was the culture of the people in the story. However, it made it really obvious how much Ivi didn't fit in with the culture, and how much she really didn't understand about her new home. I think Ivi was my least favorite character throughout. She was rude, inconsiderate, had no respect for her new family muchless her new subjects. She wanted to turn Ayortha into Kyrria so she wouldn't feel so out of place, regardless of the fact that she was alienating an entire country by doing so. I think the King did the right thing at the end, ensuring that she would never again become the sole ruler of Ayortha. I'm sure there's some story behind their love for one another, but if I'd been him, I probably would have taken a page out of Henry the 8th's book.
I liked Aza for the most part. I think she got a little to down on herself at times --after all, she couldn't have been THAT bad of looking if a prince fell in love with her, right? I found it ironic that she only felt herself when she was with the gnomes, that her looks didn't matter (though they found her ugly too; they only liked her hair after all). Similiarly, I see why Aza forgave Prince Ijori for jumping to conclusions, but I don't think I would have done so myself. Sure, he's a prince and life would be set, but when you can't listen to reason the first time, I don't think there should be the opprotunity for a second.
Unfortunately, I am not an illuser. Mind you, I've never tried, but I'm sure I don't have the patience for that kind of thing. However, Illusing is very similar to something you may have tried or seen: ventriloquism. Some famous ventriloquists include Jeff Dunham, Dan Horn, Edgar Burgen, Jimmy Nelson, and Sherri Lewis (remember Lamb Chop?) There are a lot of resources for you to learn how to do it yourself, which you can look up on MORE. There are also tons of videos on YouTube of ventriloqists and on how to learn to do it yourself.
I also don't think I'd be very good at a composing game, but I'd love to watch one being played!
I like that Aza got a happy ending and that she ulitmately was able to gain some self-esteem and self-acceptance for her looks. I could have done without the epilogue, but I'm just that kind of a reader.
Below, I scoured the internet (...okay, YouTube) for some good ventriloquist videos and there are loads! A lot I've never even heard of! This was one of my favorites, Kevin Johnson who was a finalist on America's Got Talent in 2007. The second video is of Terry Fator, winner of AGT in 2008.
Enjoy and share your comments below.
Samma
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Fairest Discussion: Other Resources
Since the discussion for our next book doesn't start until next week, and I don't have much else to say on the subject of Fairest, I'll use today to post up my list of similiar items to the book. If you've got other comments, feel free to share! I'll post the list of discussion questions on Saturday.
Books:
Beastly by Alex Finn (also a movie, though I haven't seen it yet!)
Beastly is a modern day Beauty and The Beast (obviously, I'm sure). A handsome, popular guy is bewitched into a hideous monster who has 2 years to find someone to love who loves in him return, despite all of his short-commings.
Dusssie by Nancy Springer
I haven't read this book yet, but if you know me: you know I LOVE Greek Mythology. Medusa has always been one of my all-time favorites! (She's not evil, just misunderstood!) Here's a blurb from Amazon.com:Dusie always knew puberty was going to be confusing, but she never realized it was going to be catastrophic--until she wakes up one morning to find that her hair has turned into a writhing mass of slithering snakes and discovers the real truth about her family: her mother is a Gorgon--right out of Greek mythology--and she was named after her mother's younger sister, Medusa. Her mother had hoped that Dusie's being half-mortal would protect her from inheriting the family curse.
Still reeling from this revelation, Dusie tries to keep her snakes under wraps. But after a boy she likes in school almost exposes her, she discovers another family secret--just one look from Dusie's snakes has the power to send someone right into his own personal Stone Age. Talk about "if looks could kill"!
Dusie better figure out how to control her snakes and her rage, and find a way to get her life back--before anything else disastrous happens.
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Wizard of Oz is another of my favorite book series. Did you know that Mr. Baum wrote FOURTEEN Oz books? And after him, a myriad of other writers wrote 26 more? The "Famous Forty" as they're known don't include every Oz book ever written though, they are simply the ones recognized by the International Wizard of Oz Club. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the 1939 film, but I can assure you: the book is so much better!
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
No fantasy list would be complete without a mention of Harry Potter. If you haven't read the books, or it's just been awhile: they're always a good read. Especially if you've only seen the movies, the books are a must-read.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
As mentioned above, I love Greek Mythology. When I discovered The Lightening Thief, I was HOOKED! I tell everyone that Percy Jackson is my new Harry Potter. Each book takes place over the course of a summer (or winter) vacation. Percy grew up, getting kicked from school-to-school because of things he never really had any control over doing. Things just seemed to HAPPEN to him. Luckily, he finds out that he's a son of a greek God and is taken to Camp Half-Blood where he makes friends (and enemies) with the other campers and goes on exciting (and dangerous!) adventures.
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
If you liked Percy Jackson, and you haven't read The Red Pyramid yet, I highly reccomend it! With a creative focus on Egyptian mythology, the Kane Chronicles are a quick read and easy to get sucked into. Carter and Sadie are brother and sister who find out that their family is decendant from the Egyptian Pharohs, which gives them certain extra abilities in helping to battle, contain, and work with the Gods. One of the unique things about the Egyptian gods vs. Greek Gods is that the Egyptian gods aren't neccarily...good. But they aren't bad either. They just "are".
The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker
This is one I haven't read, but I did steal the blurb from MORE for you:
After reluctantly kissing a frog, an awkward, fourteen-year-oldprincess suddenly finds herself a frog, too, and sets off with the prince to seek the means--and the self-confidence--to become human again
Mira, Mirror by Mette Ivie Har
Another I haven't read yet, but MORE has it covered! Long after the disappearance of Snow White's stepmother, the witch trapped in her mirror manipulates a desperate peasant and a merchant's daughter to seek the magic she needs to gain her freedom, but the girls show her a power far greater.
Movies:
I'm sure I could go on forever about all of the fairy tale movies there are, but here are a few you may not have seen in awhile, with links to the MORE page:
Ever After
The 10th Kingdom --You can actually find a book based on the screenplay as well!
Almost every Disney Movie is a fairy tale, but some all-time favorites include:
Snow White
Hercules
Mulan (which I think fits very well with our One World, Many Stories theme this summer)
Beauty and the Beast
Pinocchio
Tangled
The Princess and the Frog
Graphic Novels and Manga:
I always like to try and get people to read Graphic Novels, especially since there is such a great collection spread out across MORE. Here in Augusta, we've got a large variety including two of my favorites, in the YA section:
Fables Fables is a graphic novel that takes place in modern day times, in a Fabletown, beneath New York City. After being exiled from their homeland, the characters from fairy tales settled down and conduct a society similiar to our own, with very unique problems. There is also a short spin off series, Jack of Fables.
Fairy Tail Fairy Tail is a Manga series, available here in Augusta, and has recently been made into an anime. Fairy Tail is the name of one of the magical guilds, made up of a sundry of different powered magicians who work together (and against one another) in order to make money taking up jobs posted in their guild hall.
There are, of course, variations of some of these titles in all kinds of formats. Don't be afraid to surf around MORE and see if there's a movie or a graphic novel of your favorite fairy tale. That's how I find some of the best books.
Post up some of your favorites I don't have listed here, or other suggestions I may have missed. Don't forget to check on Saturday, and I'll post up the discussion questions for Fairest!
Samma
Books:
Beastly by Alex Finn (also a movie, though I haven't seen it yet!)
Beastly is a modern day Beauty and The Beast (obviously, I'm sure). A handsome, popular guy is bewitched into a hideous monster who has 2 years to find someone to love who loves in him return, despite all of his short-commings.
Dusssie by Nancy Springer
I haven't read this book yet, but if you know me: you know I LOVE Greek Mythology. Medusa has always been one of my all-time favorites! (She's not evil, just misunderstood!) Here's a blurb from Amazon.com:Dusie always knew puberty was going to be confusing, but she never realized it was going to be catastrophic--until she wakes up one morning to find that her hair has turned into a writhing mass of slithering snakes and discovers the real truth about her family: her mother is a Gorgon--right out of Greek mythology--and she was named after her mother's younger sister, Medusa. Her mother had hoped that Dusie's being half-mortal would protect her from inheriting the family curse.
Still reeling from this revelation, Dusie tries to keep her snakes under wraps. But after a boy she likes in school almost exposes her, she discovers another family secret--just one look from Dusie's snakes has the power to send someone right into his own personal Stone Age. Talk about "if looks could kill"!
Dusie better figure out how to control her snakes and her rage, and find a way to get her life back--before anything else disastrous happens.
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Wizard of Oz is another of my favorite book series. Did you know that Mr. Baum wrote FOURTEEN Oz books? And after him, a myriad of other writers wrote 26 more? The "Famous Forty" as they're known don't include every Oz book ever written though, they are simply the ones recognized by the International Wizard of Oz Club. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the 1939 film, but I can assure you: the book is so much better!
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
No fantasy list would be complete without a mention of Harry Potter. If you haven't read the books, or it's just been awhile: they're always a good read. Especially if you've only seen the movies, the books are a must-read.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
As mentioned above, I love Greek Mythology. When I discovered The Lightening Thief, I was HOOKED! I tell everyone that Percy Jackson is my new Harry Potter. Each book takes place over the course of a summer (or winter) vacation. Percy grew up, getting kicked from school-to-school because of things he never really had any control over doing. Things just seemed to HAPPEN to him. Luckily, he finds out that he's a son of a greek God and is taken to Camp Half-Blood where he makes friends (and enemies) with the other campers and goes on exciting (and dangerous!) adventures.
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
If you liked Percy Jackson, and you haven't read The Red Pyramid yet, I highly reccomend it! With a creative focus on Egyptian mythology, the Kane Chronicles are a quick read and easy to get sucked into. Carter and Sadie are brother and sister who find out that their family is decendant from the Egyptian Pharohs, which gives them certain extra abilities in helping to battle, contain, and work with the Gods. One of the unique things about the Egyptian gods vs. Greek Gods is that the Egyptian gods aren't neccarily...good. But they aren't bad either. They just "are".
The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker
This is one I haven't read, but I did steal the blurb from MORE for you:
After reluctantly kissing a frog, an awkward, fourteen-year-oldprincess suddenly finds herself a frog, too, and sets off with the prince to seek the means--and the self-confidence--to become human again
Mira, Mirror by Mette Ivie Har
Another I haven't read yet, but MORE has it covered! Long after the disappearance of Snow White's stepmother, the witch trapped in her mirror manipulates a desperate peasant and a merchant's daughter to seek the magic she needs to gain her freedom, but the girls show her a power far greater.
Movies:
I'm sure I could go on forever about all of the fairy tale movies there are, but here are a few you may not have seen in awhile, with links to the MORE page:
Ever After
The 10th Kingdom --You can actually find a book based on the screenplay as well!
Almost every Disney Movie is a fairy tale, but some all-time favorites include:
Snow White
Hercules
Mulan (which I think fits very well with our One World, Many Stories theme this summer)
Beauty and the Beast
Pinocchio
Tangled
The Princess and the Frog
Graphic Novels and Manga:
I always like to try and get people to read Graphic Novels, especially since there is such a great collection spread out across MORE. Here in Augusta, we've got a large variety including two of my favorites, in the YA section:
Fables Fables is a graphic novel that takes place in modern day times, in a Fabletown, beneath New York City. After being exiled from their homeland, the characters from fairy tales settled down and conduct a society similiar to our own, with very unique problems. There is also a short spin off series, Jack of Fables.
Fairy Tail Fairy Tail is a Manga series, available here in Augusta, and has recently been made into an anime. Fairy Tail is the name of one of the magical guilds, made up of a sundry of different powered magicians who work together (and against one another) in order to make money taking up jobs posted in their guild hall.
There are, of course, variations of some of these titles in all kinds of formats. Don't be afraid to surf around MORE and see if there's a movie or a graphic novel of your favorite fairy tale. That's how I find some of the best books.
Post up some of your favorites I don't have listed here, or other suggestions I may have missed. Don't forget to check on Saturday, and I'll post up the discussion questions for Fairest!
Samma
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Fairest Discussion: Self-Identity
Hopefully by now, you're at least part-way through the book. Even from the very beginning, it's obvious that Aza's biggest hang-up is the way she looks. She describes herself as having black hair (actually a very pretty black called htun, according to the Gnomes), milky skin badly contrasted with her bright red lips. For Aza, she has grown up, always hiding her face and trying her best to go unnoticed.
It isn't until she gets to Ontio Castle, a place where she feels she will be most noticed and ridiculed, that she finally finds people who look past her looks --or so she hopes.
Last week, I mentioned my new favorite show: Glee! And fortunately for me, the subtexts of the show fit in perfectly with this story. Every character has something about them, usually a physical trait, that they don't like. Throughout the episode, "Born This Way" (another homage episode to Lady Gaga), Rachel (the self-proclaimed star of Glee club), considers whether or not to get a nose job after an accident brings to light that she’s a great candidate for the procedure. Mr. Shuester encourages the Glee kids to print the thing that they don’t like/are ridiculed most about themselves on white t-shirts to wear during the big number.
While everyone in glee club agrees that there are parts of them that they don’t like, none of them thinks that Rachel should change the way that she looks. Kurt takes her to the mall, where a flash mob dances to “Barbara Streisand” by Duck Sauce –Barbara being Rachel’s ultimate idol who never let the poshness of Hollywood and Broadway pressure her into changing her own unique nose.
Below is the full performance of "Born This Way"
If you were a Glee member, what would your t-shirt have said? Do you think comparing Aza’s feelings towards her appearance are similar to Rachel’s experiences in the episode (if you’ve seen it; also available on Hulu).
Aside from Glee, how are you liking the book so far? Do you find Aza to be a relatable character? Who is your favorite side character so far? Do you like Prince Ijori? What about Queen Ivi?
As usual, share any tidbits, other links, videos, or your thoughts on the book so far in the comments.
Samma
It isn't until she gets to Ontio Castle, a place where she feels she will be most noticed and ridiculed, that she finally finds people who look past her looks --or so she hopes.
Last week, I mentioned my new favorite show: Glee! And fortunately for me, the subtexts of the show fit in perfectly with this story. Every character has something about them, usually a physical trait, that they don't like. Throughout the episode, "Born This Way" (another homage episode to Lady Gaga), Rachel (the self-proclaimed star of Glee club), considers whether or not to get a nose job after an accident brings to light that she’s a great candidate for the procedure. Mr. Shuester encourages the Glee kids to print the thing that they don’t like/are ridiculed most about themselves on white t-shirts to wear during the big number.
While everyone in glee club agrees that there are parts of them that they don’t like, none of them thinks that Rachel should change the way that she looks. Kurt takes her to the mall, where a flash mob dances to “Barbara Streisand” by Duck Sauce –Barbara being Rachel’s ultimate idol who never let the poshness of Hollywood and Broadway pressure her into changing her own unique nose.
Below is the full performance of "Born This Way"
If you were a Glee member, what would your t-shirt have said? Do you think comparing Aza’s feelings towards her appearance are similar to Rachel’s experiences in the episode (if you’ve seen it; also available on Hulu).
Aside from Glee, how are you liking the book so far? Do you find Aza to be a relatable character? Who is your favorite side character so far? Do you like Prince Ijori? What about Queen Ivi?
As usual, share any tidbits, other links, videos, or your thoughts on the book so far in the comments.
Samma
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Fairest Discussion: Music in our World
Aza's best selling point is that she has a wonderful voice. It's fabled throughout the opening that she was born singing. Today, many people enjoy music; listening, playing, writing, and dancing. Even if you don't think you like music, everyone listens to it at some point or another. I know I don't really listen to much (much less write or play it!), but I do have quite a sundry on my iPod for when I can't have a book in my hand.
So, why do people sing? For Aza, I think a lot of it has to do with the way she looks; it's a connection to people when they don't otherwise look past her her image. For many people, singing is an emotional relief. During the days of slavery, slaves would make up songs about their lives and hardships --set to happier tones so that their foremen and owners wouldn't listening too closely to what they were singing about.
Today, people sing for similiar reasons. There are lots of shows revolving around people who are good (and bad) at singing, including American Idol, The Voice, and Glee. Over the years, lots of shows have also done "musical" episodes including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scrubs, Xena, That 70's Show, and Grey's Anatomy. Even some of your favorite cartoons have done musical episodes, like The Simpsons, Futurama, Kim Possible, and who could forget the epic Batman: The Brave and the Bold with the Music Meister (voiced by Neil Patrick Harris)?
What kind of music do you like to listen to? Do you have a favorite song or artist?
I'll share one of my favorite new stars with you, Darren Criss from Glee! Darren started playing music when he was young and went to school in Ann Arbor, Michigan for an acting degree. In his senior year of college, he and his friends wrote, produced, and performed "A Very Potter Musical", which some of you may have seen on YouTube. He also wrote all of the music (and starred) in the sequal, "A Very Potter Sequal", both of these (and StarKid's new musical, Starship) can be found on YouTube and have been extremely successful. Darren auditioned for the first season of Glee, but wasn't offered a role until the second season, playing Blaine, the star of a rival glee club.
Here's a video of Darren from his pre-Glee fame, singing one of my favorite Disney songs (he does a lot of those!):
Share some of your own favorite songs, or one you've written yourself!
Samma
So, why do people sing? For Aza, I think a lot of it has to do with the way she looks; it's a connection to people when they don't otherwise look past her her image. For many people, singing is an emotional relief. During the days of slavery, slaves would make up songs about their lives and hardships --set to happier tones so that their foremen and owners wouldn't listening too closely to what they were singing about.
Today, people sing for similiar reasons. There are lots of shows revolving around people who are good (and bad) at singing, including American Idol, The Voice, and Glee. Over the years, lots of shows have also done "musical" episodes including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scrubs, Xena, That 70's Show, and Grey's Anatomy. Even some of your favorite cartoons have done musical episodes, like The Simpsons, Futurama, Kim Possible, and who could forget the epic Batman: The Brave and the Bold with the Music Meister (voiced by Neil Patrick Harris)?
What kind of music do you like to listen to? Do you have a favorite song or artist?
I'll share one of my favorite new stars with you, Darren Criss from Glee! Darren started playing music when he was young and went to school in Ann Arbor, Michigan for an acting degree. In his senior year of college, he and his friends wrote, produced, and performed "A Very Potter Musical", which some of you may have seen on YouTube. He also wrote all of the music (and starred) in the sequal, "A Very Potter Sequal", both of these (and StarKid's new musical, Starship) can be found on YouTube and have been extremely successful. Darren auditioned for the first season of Glee, but wasn't offered a role until the second season, playing Blaine, the star of a rival glee club.
Here's a video of Darren from his pre-Glee fame, singing one of my favorite Disney songs (he does a lot of those!):
Share some of your own favorite songs, or one you've written yourself!
Samma
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Fairest Discussion: Fairy Tales and Folklore
Even if you haven't started reading yet (truth-be-told, I haven't either...), it's fairly obvious that Fairest is a loosely based fairy tale --compared to Snow White in most cases.
Growing up, I loved fairy tales --still do in fact. I read all of them: the Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Andersen, British, German, Greek, Japanese...anything I can get my hands on. That includes the picture books, YA novels, graphic novels, manga, and so on. Over time, I've probably worn out three or four large collections of fairy tales, and I'm always picking up the new takes on old stories, like Alex Finn's Beastly, which I just recently finished.
Everyone has read or heard a fairy tale at some point or another, even if you aren't as big a fan of them as I am. What was/is your favorite fairy tale? How do you feel about the new takes on old stories (like Fairest, Ella Enchanted, Beastly, Fables, etc). What's your favorite way to read a fairy tale? A collection, a graphic novel, picture book?
I found a whole slew of Fractured Fairy Tales from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle Cartoons (don't worry if you've never heard of it; I'm sure your parents have!)
Check out "Leaping Beauty":
Be sure to share in the comments.
Samma
Growing up, I loved fairy tales --still do in fact. I read all of them: the Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Andersen, British, German, Greek, Japanese...anything I can get my hands on. That includes the picture books, YA novels, graphic novels, manga, and so on. Over time, I've probably worn out three or four large collections of fairy tales, and I'm always picking up the new takes on old stories, like Alex Finn's Beastly, which I just recently finished.
Everyone has read or heard a fairy tale at some point or another, even if you aren't as big a fan of them as I am. What was/is your favorite fairy tale? How do you feel about the new takes on old stories (like Fairest, Ella Enchanted, Beastly, Fables, etc). What's your favorite way to read a fairy tale? A collection, a graphic novel, picture book?
I found a whole slew of Fractured Fairy Tales from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle Cartoons (don't worry if you've never heard of it; I'm sure your parents have!)
Check out "Leaping Beauty":
Be sure to share in the comments.
Samma
FAIREST by Gail Carson Levine
(A review from School Library Journal) In a world in which elegance, beauty, and singing ability are revered, Aza is bulky, awkward, and homely. Her saving grace is that she can sing and has a gift of voice manipulation that she calls illusing. Through a chance meeting at her familys inn, a duchess invites Aza to act as her companion and accompany her to the palace to attend the kings wedding. When the beautiful new queen discovers Azas gift for throwing her voice and for mimicry, she sees a way of protecting her reputation and disguising her own lack of talent. Pressured by the womans threats upon her family, Aza deceives the court into believing that Ivi is a gifted singer. When the ruse is discovered, Aza is forced to flee the castle in order to save her life. Through her adventures, she discovers her own strength of character, learns about her true heritage, and decides that her physical appearance is not worthy of the stress and worry she has wasted on it.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Swindle Discussion: Questions and Suggestions
Well, we've (hopefully) reached the end of Swindle! Like a real book group, I've come up with a few conversation topics. Feel free to answer any or all of them in the comments and bring up questions/comments of your own. If you haven't finished yet, don't worry! Just don't read this post yet! Lots of spoilers inside, and I wouldn't want to ruin the book for anyone!
1. What did you like about the book?
2. What didn't you like about the book??
3. Do you think it's really possible for a group of middle schoolers, like yourselves, to pull off such a heist?
4. Did Ben's secret suprise you?
5. What would you have done, if you were in Griffin's situation?
6. If you were Mrs. Winnifred Rockford-Gates, who was the rightful owner of the card, what would you have done with it?
7. Did Darren Vader get what he deserved at the end?
I liked the character developments throughout the book. Griffin has a solid personality, as do Ben and the others. The addition of Luthor was clever, and him being adopted by Stephanie at the end was a great tie.I thought that Ben having narcolepsy was an interesting add-in. It didn't really add anything to the story, but it explained a lot about Ben's personality. Some of the things I didn't like about the book however, were the switching points of view. I think it would have been better if it had stayed squarely on the kids, rather than occasionally flipping to the inside workings of their plans (such as Palomino getting the tickets for the hockey game).
I'm not sure if I believe that kids could pull off such a heist --at least not in such a short amount of time. They only had a few days to put this together, and with the Darren Vader Problem, it was bound to be a catastrophe. If I had been in Griffin's situation, I probably would have done some research on the card first to find out how much it was worth. THEN, I would have made sure that no one could claim ownership on it.
If I were Mrs. Rockford-Bates, I would have given the card back to Griffen for finding it. I doubt very much that she knew Darren very well, or she would have known he was such a jerk. However, I think it was a good thing that his parents made him donate the money --with the stipulation for the skate park. In the end, I was glad that Griffin and his friends got the project that they had been lobbying for, that started the whole mess in the first place.
If you liked Swindle, Gordon Korman has an entire series dovoted to The Man With a Plan, all of which are available through MORE. If you're looking for some simliar stories, I suggest Robin Hood (call # J 398.2 PHIL), and NoveList came up with The Boys Start The War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and books by Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and K. L. Going (Fat Kid Rules the World). Some movies I would suggest include Catch that Kid, and Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging.
If you can think of anything else, feel free to share. Join us next week for the beginning discussion of Fairest by Gail Carson Levine. Copies are available in the library. Ask at the front desk, or find them located on top of the magazines, in front of the J-Non-Fiction. There will also be copies of Swindle, Fairest, and our other two books for the summer if you're behind, or want to get ahead.
-Samma
1. What did you like about the book?
2. What didn't you like about the book??
3. Do you think it's really possible for a group of middle schoolers, like yourselves, to pull off such a heist?
4. Did Ben's secret suprise you?
5. What would you have done, if you were in Griffin's situation?
6. If you were Mrs. Winnifred Rockford-Gates, who was the rightful owner of the card, what would you have done with it?
7. Did Darren Vader get what he deserved at the end?
I liked the character developments throughout the book. Griffin has a solid personality, as do Ben and the others. The addition of Luthor was clever, and him being adopted by Stephanie at the end was a great tie.I thought that Ben having narcolepsy was an interesting add-in. It didn't really add anything to the story, but it explained a lot about Ben's personality. Some of the things I didn't like about the book however, were the switching points of view. I think it would have been better if it had stayed squarely on the kids, rather than occasionally flipping to the inside workings of their plans (such as Palomino getting the tickets for the hockey game).
I'm not sure if I believe that kids could pull off such a heist --at least not in such a short amount of time. They only had a few days to put this together, and with the Darren Vader Problem, it was bound to be a catastrophe. If I had been in Griffin's situation, I probably would have done some research on the card first to find out how much it was worth. THEN, I would have made sure that no one could claim ownership on it.
If I were Mrs. Rockford-Bates, I would have given the card back to Griffen for finding it. I doubt very much that she knew Darren very well, or she would have known he was such a jerk. However, I think it was a good thing that his parents made him donate the money --with the stipulation for the skate park. In the end, I was glad that Griffin and his friends got the project that they had been lobbying for, that started the whole mess in the first place.
If you liked Swindle, Gordon Korman has an entire series dovoted to The Man With a Plan, all of which are available through MORE. If you're looking for some simliar stories, I suggest Robin Hood (call # J 398.2 PHIL), and NoveList came up with The Boys Start The War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and books by Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and K. L. Going (Fat Kid Rules the World). Some movies I would suggest include Catch that Kid, and Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging.
If you can think of anything else, feel free to share. Join us next week for the beginning discussion of Fairest by Gail Carson Levine. Copies are available in the library. Ask at the front desk, or find them located on top of the magazines, in front of the J-Non-Fiction. There will also be copies of Swindle, Fairest, and our other two books for the summer if you're behind, or want to get ahead.
-Samma
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Swindle Discussion: Backgammon and Rock Climbing
Due to the power outage at the library and across town on Saturday, I lost the crime links I was going to share with you today. Hopefully I can find them again, and I'll post them with Saturday's post.
However, until then, here are a few thoughts to tide you over.
In prepration for the big break-in, Logan Kellerman goes undercover to distract Palomino's nosey neighbor Mr. Mulroney. In order to keep him distracted, Logan gets him to teach him how to play Backgammon. eHow, one of my favorite websites for simple information, was nice enough to post instructions on how to play. With some help from Mom and Dad, they also have instructions on how to make your own personalized board and peices using plywood, paint/leather, clay, and wood glue. You can also draw one out easily on paper with markers and using checker peices.
What are some other "old timey" boardgames you like to play?
One of the other characters, Pitch, enjoys rockclimbing with her family. ITStactical, on YouTube, has posted several videos above climbing and the equipment needed to do it well and most importantly --safely. Here's a link to their Rapelling Equpiment and Set-Up videos, or look at their page for others.
If you find any sites about board games, backgammon, rock climbing, or anything else to do with Swindle, feel free to share in the comments. If you haven't started reading yet, several copies are available at the front desk of the library.
Happy reading!
Samma
However, until then, here are a few thoughts to tide you over.
In prepration for the big break-in, Logan Kellerman goes undercover to distract Palomino's nosey neighbor Mr. Mulroney. In order to keep him distracted, Logan gets him to teach him how to play Backgammon. eHow, one of my favorite websites for simple information, was nice enough to post instructions on how to play. With some help from Mom and Dad, they also have instructions on how to make your own personalized board and peices using plywood, paint/leather, clay, and wood glue. You can also draw one out easily on paper with markers and using checker peices.
What are some other "old timey" boardgames you like to play?
One of the other characters, Pitch, enjoys rockclimbing with her family. ITStactical, on YouTube, has posted several videos above climbing and the equipment needed to do it well and most importantly --safely. Here's a link to their Rapelling Equpiment and Set-Up videos, or look at their page for others.
If you find any sites about board games, backgammon, rock climbing, or anything else to do with Swindle, feel free to share in the comments. If you haven't started reading yet, several copies are available at the front desk of the library.
Happy reading!
Samma
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
What would you collect?
To go along with Samma's information on Babe Ruth, Baseball Cards, and the idea of collecting, I've found a presentation which provides further information on collections. What items make a good collection? Do you have to spend a lot of money to gather a collection? What are some fun things that people have collected over the years? The Smithsonian has put together a lot of information on the topic.
Personally, I have collected many things over the years: stamps, buttons, frogs...although nothing has been for more than just an enjoyment of looking at each item. (Meaning, there is nothing worth money--like a Babe Ruth baseball card.)
Personally, I have collected many things over the years: stamps, buttons, frogs...although nothing has been for more than just an enjoyment of looking at each item. (Meaning, there is nothing worth money--like a Babe Ruth baseball card.)
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Swindle Discussion: Luthor the Guard Dog
Luthor the Guard Dog was one of my favorite characters in the book. Even though he's a dog (and kind of a scary one at that!), you have to apprecaite Savannah's instance that inside the giant doberman is a puppy, just wanting someone to love him and play.
And Savannah has a point --Dobermans are actually very good family dogs. Because dogs are pack animals, they see their families as part of their pack, and are relentlessly protective, which sometimes gives them a bad rap. However, within their "pack", they are extremely gentle and loving dogs. Below are a few links to learn more about dobermans and other gaurd dogs. I've also included the link for the Kids ASPCA, mentioned in the book. Finally, I recently found that you can watch the last 5 episodes and other excerts of Dog Whisperer (also mentioned in the book!) on Hulu!
If you're looking for some good reads in the library, we have several books in the non-fiction section about dogs including Dogs at Work by Julia Baries (call # J 636.7 Bar at our library), and 100 Things You Should Know About Dogs and Puppies (J 636.7 Dela).
Inspired by Griffin's dad's SmartPick, I also looked up a few books like Inventions (J 600 Mun).
If you need helping finding these, or any other books, just ask at the front desk, and we'd be happy to help you out.
Share any other links, or thoughts on Luthor, the SmartPick, or what you think of the book so far. Check back on Thursday (6/16) for some information on home invasion, crime, and robberies!
Happy reading!
Samma
And Savannah has a point --Dobermans are actually very good family dogs. Because dogs are pack animals, they see their families as part of their pack, and are relentlessly protective, which sometimes gives them a bad rap. However, within their "pack", they are extremely gentle and loving dogs. Below are a few links to learn more about dobermans and other gaurd dogs. I've also included the link for the Kids ASPCA, mentioned in the book. Finally, I recently found that you can watch the last 5 episodes and other excerts of Dog Whisperer (also mentioned in the book!) on Hulu!
Top 10 Best Guard Dogs: http://www.petmedsonline.org/top-10-best-guard-dog-breeds.html
Animal Planet: Dogs 101 (Dobermans): http://youtu.be/-g2IC726Goc
Kids ASPCA: http://www.aspca.org/aspcakids.aspx
Dog Whisper Episodes on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/dog-whispererIf you're looking for some good reads in the library, we have several books in the non-fiction section about dogs including Dogs at Work by Julia Baries (call # J 636.7 Bar at our library), and 100 Things You Should Know About Dogs and Puppies (J 636.7 Dela).
Inspired by Griffin's dad's SmartPick, I also looked up a few books like Inventions (J 600 Mun).
If you need helping finding these, or any other books, just ask at the front desk, and we'd be happy to help you out.
Share any other links, or thoughts on Luthor, the SmartPick, or what you think of the book so far. Check back on Thursday (6/16) for some information on home invasion, crime, and robberies!
Happy reading!
Samma
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Swindle Discussion: Baseball and Babe Ruth
Even if you haven't started reading it, I won't ruin anything by telling you that Babe Ruth is a major player in the plot to Swindle. Enjoy these websites I found about Babe Ruth, baseball, and valuable cards.
Feel free to also share your own links you've found in the comments!
Samma
Babe Ruth Central: http://www.baberuthcentral.com/
Totally Random Trivia: http://www.life.com/gallery/42172
Babe Ruth Cards: http://baberuthcards.net/
10 Most Valuable Baseball Cards: http://www.infobarrel.com/Top_10_Most_Valuable_Baseball_Cards
Baseball Hall of Fame http://baseballhall.org/
Feel free to also share your own links you've found in the comments!
Samma
Friday, April 29, 2011
SWINDLE by Gordon Korman
After unscrupulous collector S. Wendell Palamino cons him out of a valuable baseball card, sixth-grader Griffin Bing puts together a band of misfits to break into Palomino's heavily guarded store and steal the card back, planning to use the money to finance his father's failing invention, the SmartPick fruit picker.HOW THIS WORKS
This is a book discussion for children ages 11-13 for books written for grades 4+. Each month one title will be selected. During the month, I will post questions, web links, and other "tidbits" of information. While reading the book, you can visit this blog and post comments about the book or the other posts. Now onto the reading!!!
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