The Lord of the Rings

I was quite excited to write this blog entry because The Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite book series. Many people read them because of the movies and that is great. I would bet that most enjoyed the series more than they did the movies. That is very common. Probably similar to The Eragon series. Everybody said the books were awesome and the movie was somewhat a letdown. I would guess this is because our imaginations are better than the movie producers, or they left out parts that were in the book due to time constrictions.

One part of the Lord of the Rings Epic that is often left untalked about is the very first book, The Hobbit. The Hobbit, which is the first book in the Epic, is by far my favorite. This where the whole story begin.

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit that is not looking for any adventure when one day along comes the wizard Gandalf and invites him on an adventure of sorts. He quickly declines. The next day a group of dwarfs come by and he decides he will join them on a journey to reclaim their land and to defeat the dragon Smaug under the mountain. Bilbo never expected this in a million years and especially never expected what lay in store for him on his journey.
Bilbo sets out with them on their adventure and is met with all kinds of resistance. Goblins and Trolls after them. One day while in the dark tunnels and caves of a mountain he comes across a ring. It's owner, Golem, has lost it with out knowing it. Bilbo escapes with the ring and finds out when he puts it on he becomes invisible. With the dwarfs and the help of the ring he caries on to finish his adventure and ultimately to the dragon Smaug. A great Adventure full of Swords and Magic; of Dwarves and of Elves and of Wizards and Hobbits; Good, Evil; Trolls and Goblins; Suspense, Excitement, Comedy and Tragedy; Music, Riddles and Poetry.

I actually prefer The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings (but I do love The Lord of the Rings) because it seems to have been written with children in mind. The Lord of the Rings, the opposite, seems to have been written with adults in mind. Either way I am sure that you will enjoy both of them very much.

The other 3 Lord of the Rings books are; The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.

In the Lord of the Ring Epic a new character takes the spot light. His name is Frodo Baggins. He is the nephew of Bilbo Baggins. The ring has been entrusted to him and he must see it through to it's destruction and keep the evil forces that are about from getting it and controlling middle earth. He is helped along with his best friends and a host of new friends and of coarse the wizard Gandalf. This Epic will keep you up late at night. You will have a hard time putting it down. Your parents may even be worried that you are spending too much time reading.

If you have any comments feel free to post them. I know that quite a few of you have read them so please tell us what you think about The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Lighting Thief #4

I still can't wait to get my hands on The Battle of the Labyrinth.  One of you guys who has it checked out needs to finish quick and turn it in. :-)

If any of you, who have read it or are currently reading it, can give us a sneak peek with out giving anything away,  that would be awesome.

I hope someone will tell something to think about until we can get our hand on it ourselves.  

I hope you guys check it out over the summer and read it.  Only 9 school days left.  Yeah.

The 13th Reality

Hey guys!  I just finished a new book.  The 13th Reality (The Journal of Curious Letters).  I told most of you that I was reading it.  I even gave a book talk in class about it, so there isn't a lot that I can say about it.  I will say that I really enjoyed all 400 pages of it.  The best part about it is it will be a series.  I can't wait for the next book.

This book is about a boy in Jr. high school.  His name is Atticus Higginbottom.  Yes, I know that is a great name.  The first time I read it I laughed, but his name definitely fits him to a T. He is exactly what you would think a boy with a name like that would be.  A nerd.  He gets bullied, picked on and everything else that goes along with his name.

One day he gets a strange letter in the mail telling him that his life is about to change.  The letter tells him there will be a series of curious letters that will come and each has a riddle to solve.  If he chooses to figure the riddles out he will be instrumental in saving many people that are in danger.  Well what would any boy or girl in his shoes do?  Of coarse, they would figure out the clues and be ready for an adventure.  Together, with some friend he meets along the way, they take on the adventure with danger around every corner.

I hope you guys like this book.  The characters are very believable and I am sure that you will be able to relate to them in some way or another.

The author has not released the date for the next book so we will just have to wait.

Again feel free to comment about the book if you have read it, or if you have any questions.  

The Sisters Grimm

The Sisters Grimm was recommended by Aub, and I am glad she recommended it. I have seen quite a few of you reading it this year, and I have to say the cover alone has caused me to want to read it. I blew this image up large so that you could see the cover. It just screams, READ ME. I love the picture of the two kids running from the giant hand. I honestly wish that I had it right here with me so I could start reading.
I am guessing most of you probably don't know a whole lot about the Grimm fairy tales, so this book will introduce them to you. Here is a quick review of the book.
Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are orphans ever since their parents disappeared. Since then, they've been shuffled from foster home to unpleasant foster home. And the girls have gotten very good at running away. But that was before a woman claiming to be their grandmother took them in and brought them to the little town of Ferryport. Sabrina's of the opinion this boring little town is just another place to run away from. But looks can be deceiving. Michael Buckley has created a delightful new series that's part mystery, part fantasy, and part adventure. Ferryport is a special town, with an unusual population that includes pixies, dwarves, and all the other kinds of characters that ever populated fairy tales and legends. The Grimm sisters quickly discover that they are heirs to a family legacy that includes writing the continuing history of these "Ever Afters" and solving Ferryport's mysteries. In this case, that mystery includes the appearance of a giant. But not to worry, the Grimm sisters are on the case!
I really like this concept for a book. Reading is awesome. The ideas and possibilities for a book are endless. Just when I think that I have read it all, I come across an awesome idea like, The Sisters Grimm. The best part about this book is if you like it, there are 3 more to read. The Unusual Suspects (Book 2), The Problem Child (Book 3), and Once Upon a Crime (Book 4). It looks like this book series could keep you occupied for a good solid month. I think it may be worth it from what I have read about it. Please feel free to leave any comments about any of these books if you have read them. If you haven't and have any questions go ahead and ask and I am sure someone will answer.

The Kingdom Keepers

A certain student, who shall remain nameless (pineview penguin), has been begging me to read Kingdom Keepers for quite some time. I have not read it yet, but I intend to read it very soon. I will admit that I was not initially excited about this book, but now that I have read a few reviews, my interest has peeked.

In this book 5 young teens working at Disney World find themselves pitted against Disney villians and witches that threaten both the future of Disney World and the world outside the walls. Finn Whitman was one of five teenagers chosen to become the newest attractions at Walt Disney World -- fully interactive holograms to guide visiters around the theme park. But when the children go to sleep, they find themselves "crossing over" into their hologram forms, trapped in the theme park after night, where dark forces are conspiring to take things over. The children learn that beings called the Overtakers are adopting the images of Disney's characters -- particularly their villains -- in a bid for power, leeching on the imaginations of Walt Disney and his Imagineers to become real. But Walt anticipated this day would come, and left clues behind. The only way to save Walt Disney World -- and maybe the entire world -- is to solve Walt's riddle in time.
That was a short summary of the book that I hope sparked some interest for you. I know it did for me.

If you like the first book then there is a sequel. It will be released August 26, 2008. The title is, Kingdom Keepers : Disney at Dawn.

If you have ever read The Kingdom Keepers please comment by clicking the comment button at the bottom. Tell us about it and your favorite parts. Give us some reasons why we would like this book. Also, if you have any questions about this book that your fellow classmates can answer, then please leave your question.
Thanks Pineview Penguin for your recommendation.

Do you want to recommend a book?

Hey guys. Today a lot of you indicated that you would like to recommend a book to put on my blog. Well, here is your chance. If you would like to, you will need to click on the comment button below and tell me what the book is. Also remember to give a summary about the book and tell me why you like it so much. Give some other information just like you would give for a booktalk. The more information you can give, the better. I hope to have many recommendations from you guys. Thanks. :-)

The Candy Shop War

Hey guys! I received a comment earlier about a book that I should talk about. The book is called, The Candy Shop War, by Brandon Mull. I have not read this book, but I have met the author. I have heard nothing but good things about this book. I know about 5 students that are reading it. All of them have absolutely loved it so far, and they tell me it is addicting. Interesting since candy is so addicting also.

Here is a quick summary to introduce you to the book. Brandon Mull the author has created a whole new world where special candy can make kids float, shoot electric shocks from their fingers, and even enter the land of wonder through the looking glass…but it isn’t anything wonderful in there! Nate is new to the neighborhood, having just moved in, and the friends he makes in the first days will become the truest sort he can hope for. They will come to rely on each other in ways they never could have imagined. The kids start doing after school chores for the owner of a new candy shop in return for special treats. Here’s where that warning comes in to never take candy from people you don’t know. The chores turn into assignments, which turn out to be quite dangerous and progressively wrong. The temptation might seem sweet but Nate and his friend Trevor decide to hang in there for other reasons. There is a mystery to be solved, and it turns out that there is a rival candy seller who has an interest in what is discovered. A great legend comes into play, and while talking dogs and horses are very cool, what is going on is becoming terribly bad. It’s up to Nate and his friends to put a stop to it, if they aren’t eaten by giant black widow spiders, or turned to bones and dust first.
I hope that wasn't too long, but I think you will know what this book is about and you can decide if it is a book that you might want to read.

Other books that Brandon Mull has written is, The FableHaven series. I have read book #1 of that series and I truly enjoyed it. It was a very new idea that I hadn't read about before. In this series he takes all of the mythological creatures that we learned about in our Greece section of Social Studies, and other fantasy creatures and puts them in one place. A little girl and her brother enter the creatures sanctuary and take on all kinds of adventure. There Grandparents happen to be the keepers of the sanctuary and a whole new world is opened to them full of mystery and suspense around every turn.
There are two more books in this series. Book #2 is, Rise of the Evening Star, and book #3 is, Grip of the Shadow Plague. Brandon Mull has plans for two more books in FableHaven.
I hope you guys find these books interesting. If you have read any of these books please comment by clicking on the comment button below. Tell us what you thought about any of these books. We would really like to know. Tell us about a favorite part of the book, but remember don't give the ending away when you share your favorite parts. :-)
As always, have fun reading.

Lighting Thief book #4 coming soon

Woohoo, I am really excited for next week. My favorite book series comes out with book #4. The series is called, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Book #4 is called, Percy Jackson and The Battle of the Labyrinth. I have been waiting exactly 1 year for this book, and it has been a long and painful year. J/k I have been reading many other excellent series to keep me busy.

Most of you will be interested to know that this book comes out Tuesday May 6th. I am not sure if any of the book stores will have it or not. You might want to call all of the book stores and try to see if they will order it, if they have not yet. Better yet, call the libraries and make sure they order it. Our school library will have it most likely, but there won't be enough time to check it out and read it by the end of the school year.

If you don't know about Percy Jackson yet, you should first get started with book #1, The Lighting Thief. Percy Jackson is just a normal 12 year old boy that gets in a lot of trouble at school until his math teacher, Mrs. Dodds, turns into a monster and tries to kill him. After that his life takes a huge turn and he discovers that everything about Greek Mythology that he learned in class is very real. He is chased by the Minotaur, almost turned into a stone statue by Medusa, and has to fight for his life against Ares, the god of war. I am positive when you have finished book #1, you will be on the edge of your seat. You will then want to find book #2, The Sea of Monsters. Follow that up with book #3, The Titans Curse, and you will then be ready for book #4, The Battle of the Labyrinth. Percy Jackson will become your new super hero.

If you have read any of these books, click at the bottom of this post on the comment button and let us know what you liked about them. Tell us what your favorite book out of the 3 is. Tell us what your favorite part of any of the books was. I hope to read many comments, and you also can read what your fellow classmates have to say about Percy Jackson as well.

Come join Percy Jackson and his friends on another amazing adventure. Exciting days of reading are ahead for us.

Addicted to reading

I thought that my first blog should be about reading. I started by listing the books that I have read during this school year. Well, I read most of them during this school year. There are a few that I read last year. I will have to say that many of these books have become some of my favorites. I will post later about some of them.

I will be the first to admit I never read a complete book until high school. The book was a biography on Napoleon Bonaparte. The book was quite interesting, but it was not enough to cause me to read another. About 10 years later when I was 25 is when I truly became addicted. The book was, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Something about that book got me hooked. I couldn't put it down. I read all 300 pages of it in a couple of days. There was something about letting my mind get completely wrapped up in that fantasy adventure that really excited me. For all of the girls there is something about wanting to fall in love with a vampire that is exciting. (Twilight series) I have yet to figure that one out. I went on to read around 30 books that semester in college. Now, I know that is a little overboard, but I was truly excited about reading books.

For all of my students you no how much I love reading, and I truly hope that I can assist you in finding a love for reading. Many of you already have a love for reading, and I hope that I can assist you in continuing your reading and finding new great books. I will post about new books I am reading. I will post summaries of books that I have read. I will list books that I want to read. I will list books that you guys tell me are great. Basically I will do all I can to help you find a love for reading by providing information about books. Ultimately it will be up to you to open up a book and jump into it, and I hope you do.

I will continue to add new things to do on my blog. I hope to have many features that will be fun. Just give me some time to figure this whole blogging thing out. Below you will find a list of the books that I have recently read.

Mr. Broadhead