Happy New Year!

Exciting things happening over at Bookclub4boys.com- come over and see!

Slob by Ellen Potter

RL: ages 9-12

Well- you know how much our family loves OREOS- how could I pass up on a book where the main character loves OREOS and obsesses about his 3/day limit?

That was what initially attracted me to this book/story but after the first page I was hooked and connected to Owen Birnbaum, the main character, his humor and ability to deal with issues of bullies and negotiating friendships and family life.

Statistically speaking: Owen Birnbaum might be fatter than the average twelve year old boy but he is also smarter. While he spends his days being teased by his classmates and tortured by his gym teacher, he finds himself trying to out-smart the new school psycho who has started stealing his oreo cookies from his lunch.

Before you judge this book to be too sad- Life isn't all bad. Something happened a few years ago and he's learning to deal with his past and current challenges with humor and relying on his family and friends. Plus he's a genius and can invent cool stuff like a new thief catching device--to help capture the Oreo snatcher and an invention that reflects the past that he hopes will help heal his heart.

IT IS SUCH A GREAT BOOK! Like Owen points out- most books start out with some kid's first day at a new school where everything is new and slightly scary.

"The thing is, when you are fatter and smarter than the national average, practically every day is like the first day at a new school."

SLOB is a great book to kick off our for Back-to-School Season!

Congrats Winner of Week #6!

Hey Zac- Congratulations!

You won't have to suffer through Big Mama's music - with this SanDisk MP3 Player!

I just want to say-- I've had a great time with this on-line book club... thanks for playing.

We've got one week to go!

Still more prizes next week! And I really want to hear- how you all have liked the book!

So don't forget to post!

Week 5 Winners!

Adam has travelled the world and has been able to enjoy Mc Donald's a few times.

Did you know???

McDonald's operates over 31,000 restaurants worldwide!

No matter where you go or how far you travel from home-- you might be surprised--- at where you find the familiar golden arches.

In America Mc Donald's is considered fast food and inexpensive, in other countries going to Mc Donald's is a diner worthy of a special date! (The novelty of American Food.)

Congratulations to Connor and Kali!!

You each won a Mc Donald's Gift card! Now no matter where you roam- you can buy your own milkshakes or big macs.

Week 4 Winners!

Congratulations to Zac and Hockey-sniper!

This weeks prize is a cell phone from Kajeet!

Unlike Adam's phone that will work any where any time-- Kajeet phones are KID phones that have options for Parental Controls.

For example, the Configurator enables the kajeet service to be turned off during school hours so that calling and texting doesn't take the place of studying. Sorry kids. (In that particular example, calls to and from specific numbers, such as those of parents or guardians, could still be allowed.)

In short, the kajeet let's you customize your phone use to fit your family's unique needs.

Recycled phones are now starting as low as $16.99! Kajeet are pre-paid phones with no start up or termination fees.

We want to thank Kajeet for donating these phones and introducing their great product for families!

Does this look familar??

Here is one of our book club buddies--- visiting New York with his family using his MVP back pack he won!

(notice- he is wearing blue!)

How cool is that?

Here are the upcoming reading schedule:

July 15th- pages 109- 144

July 22nd- pages 145-180

July 29th- pages 181-216

August 5th- pages 217-231

I hope by now everyone has "subscribed" to the site so they get automatic updates when people post.

We still have three weeks left with MVP.

Subscribing to this blog will also help you stay in touch- for when we host another on-line book club in the future.

Remember: you can always find great book reviews here and free book club outline's at

Bookclub4boys.com

Happy reading and don't get spotted by Stoppers or Trackers along your travels!

Week 3 Winners!

LYONS DEN!
You won the Play and Learn FRENCH book and CD!

Adam is so impressed with Meredith's ability to speak French. This book and CD will introduce your family to this new language!


ENJOY and Congratulations!!

And just as a reminder: if you have won a prize-- email me your snail mail address so I can mail it to you!

Keep reading-- more great prizes next week!

Just a REMINDER!

To find the latest postings with MVP click on the sidebar button for MVP!

Or you can click {HERE} to see week #3 post!

Week 2 Winners!

Adam Story has been zipping through time-zones and what better way to keep track of time (reading time) than these great book marks from

Mark-My-Time!

Our lucky winners this week are CONNOR S. and TAIT!

Each of you won a book mark that will keep track of your reading time.

My sons have these book marks and it is so nice to set a goal ( For example: 20 min of reading for homework) They can keep track of how much longer they have to read- by themselves.

No more interruptions with, "How much longer!??"

Also it has a feature where you can add up minutes! Keep track of how many minutes you read all summer!

Congratulations Connor and Tait!

NEXT week we've got another great prize.... I hope we hear from the Lyons family kids and Hockey-Sniper where are you!?!?!

Also- I've heard that some kids who wanted to join have not gotten the book yet. ( If they won a book, it was late coming in the mail.) Don't worry! You still have time to win some great prizes!

As incentive to keep reading- I'll let you know.... some future prizes....

McDonald's Gift certificates

MP3 player

2-cell phones and more!!

So if you are behind.... catch up! It's not too late!

If you haven't started---

It's not too late! Start reading! and Catch up!

Reading schedule

Hello Readers!
Sorry I didn't make this clear- we are reading 36 pages each week until the book is completed. I'll post the thought questions on Wednesday each week.

(IMPORTANT: Click on the side bar button to find the newest postings.) New Questions are posted but they fall lower on the blog-roll since I made them weeks ago...so it is very important you click on the side button to find the newest questions!!)

You post your comments Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
We'll pick winners on Saturday.

KEEP READING every day so you are ready for the next questions the following week.

June 24th -pages 1-36 already completed!
July 1 - pages 37-72
July8th -pages 73-108
July 15th- pages 109- 144
July 22nd- pages 145-180
July 29th- pages 181-216
August 5th- pages 217-231

week #7 pages 218-231

Sorry for the delay.......

WHEW!!!

Adam Made it! We made it!

So what did you think?

Did you like the ending?

How would you rate this book?

It was a good thing Adam knew what Poison Oak looked like!

Here is a picture of Poison Oak.

Do you know what poisonous plants live in your area?

week #6 pages 182-217

Adam uses his quick whit to outsmart Baron von Sheepsbottom's plan to detain him in Hawaii! He is such a cheater claiming Adam was his nephew!

As you know- by the end of our reading- Adam is caught again and time is running down... Adam is soooo close! Will he make it back to his school picnic table in time??

We find out next week... but to review last week.....

Here's a picture of the traditional American baseball snack.

The traditional sailor's uniform with the back flap and neckerchief is referred to as the "Cracker Jack" uniform by the United States Navy.

So it is no wonder the other sailors called him Cracker Jack when he put on the old sailors clothes.

Adam makes a quick list of things he has missed on his trip. (p192) One of the things on top of his list was being able to

read signs and speak the language.

Here are some stop signs from around the world. It's helpful most of them are the familiar shape and color.

Another item on his list were using the toilets -- the way you would expect.

(I've never spent any real time out of the United States but here is a picture of toilets in Europe.

And this smaller picture of the l-o-n-g toilet is from Japan.

I don't want to get too far into "Potty Language"-

but I thought that very interesting.

Being able to use the bathroom is IMPORTANT and something I don't normally think about when traveling. But something I would be uncomfortable with doing without!

Adam takes time to do a good deed in Seattle. Helping a family of ducks from a drain.

Here is a popular landmark in Seattle:

The Space Needle.

Built for the 1962 World's Fair. During which time nearly 20,000 people a day used the elevators, with over 2.3 million visitors in all for the World Fair. It features an observation deck at 520 feet (160 m), and a gift shop with the rotating SkyCity restaurant at 500 feet (152 m). From the top of the Needle, one can see not only the Downtown Seattle skyline, but also the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Elliott Bay and surrounding islands.

And lastly: Adam gets hit with "Travelers Trots" aka: Diarrhea. I have heard that is common if you travel alot. (Another reason why knowing how to use the bathroom in another country would be so important.)

Questions:

1. What would you miss if you traveled for 40 days around the world? Have you ever taken a long vacation? What did you miss? Or what were you happy to come home to?

2. Your assignment this week is do do a good deed like Adam, then return and report to us.

Just like Adam saved the ducks from the drain , I want you to look for opportunities to do something nice.

(And it doesn't have to be something BIG-- often it is the small things that matter most. Taking time to cheer up friend, reading to a younger brother or sister, setting the table without being asked. You're smart! I know you will think of something great to do!)

Week #5 page 146-181

MY BAD! I don't know what I was thinking yesterday!!! I completely forgot to post! We'll give you all an extra day to comment. I'll pull winners on Sunday!

So Sorry!





Here's a picture of a Balalaika instrument. I have no idea if this is standard size or not...

Lake Bailkal

Sunrise at Tokyo Bay...

Tokyo city

Adam gets caught in a penalty and moved back one time zone to ....

Hong Kong

Questions:

1. What did you think about the group of "LORDS" ? What do you think of their "game"? The prizes and penalty?

2. Do you have a list of things you would like to learn? Share some of those things with us.

Your special assignment/challenge is for one day work galley duty in your house. Take over dish duty and report. Was it as bad as you anticipated? Could you imagine washing dishes for 13 days straight?

Next week: read to page 217.

Week #4 pages 110- 145

Adam and Meredith are really moving now! From bridges in Sweden

To a cottage in Finland.

With Stoppers on their heels... Meredith and Adam make their way to Russia! ( With the help of an old retired sailor, Shypoke Crisp.)

(Small fact: Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of area. Despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture.)

(I think those Russian Buildings look so cool!- like Candy Land houses.)

Questions:

Palindromes are words that are spelled the same forward and backwards. Adam and Meredith pass time on the l-o-n-g train ride through Russia making up Palindromes.

1. What is your favorite palindrome?

2. Meredith and Adam are 180 degrees (half way around the world) from California. Adam's starting point. What country is 180 degrees away from you?

3. Predict: Will Adam regret trusting Meredith? What do you think will happen to their team: The Phileas Fogg Voyage Project?

FYI- Just because I was wondering....

What's Up with Saunas?
Seems a bit crazy for Adam to find himself in a Sauna with Shypoke Crisp. But Sauna's are actually very popular and here are a list of some of the reasons why people use them.

1.The warmer temperatures in Sauna's assist our bodies to rid itself of body toxins. We have 2 natural ways as humans to loose these body toxins through sleep and exercise .

2.The warmer temperatures in Sauna's force our bodies to sweat therefore cleaning our skin.

3. Some people feel Sauna's are a place to find peace and solace.

WARNING:

Don't use a Sauna without your parents permission because you're body can overheat faster and there are lots of HOT rocks and spots in saunas. (More information HERE)

Week #3 Europe pages 74-109

Adam makes it safely to England with no scary

mishaps on the Queen Mary 2- whew!

(Double-decker bus and Big Ben are famous sites in London, England.)


Adam takes a quick side stop to stand on the prime-meridian.

FUN FACTS:
The Prime Meridian is the meridian (line of longitude) which is defined to be 0°.

The Prime Meridian and the opposite 180th meridian (at 180° longitude), which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Standing on the Prime Meridian is a popular touristy thing to do- if you find yourself in Greenwich, England.

On-to FRANCE!

Some sights of Paris :

Adam visited the Arc de Triomphe
The construction of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was ordered in 1806 by Napoleon, the French Emperor.

Napoleon wanted to honor the Grande Armee, the name of the French army at that time.

The Grande Armee had conquered most of Europe and was then considered invisible. After his Austerlitz victory in 1805, Napoleon said to his soldiers : "You will return home through archs of triumph".

The construction of Arc de Triomphe was completed in 1836, long after Napoleon's death in 1821

Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre-Dame is a Catholic cathedral built during the Middle Ages. (And one of the main tourist attractions with it's breath taking stain-glass windows.)

Eiffel Tower
History behind the Eiffel Tower: It all started with a Design Competition hosted by the French Government in the 1889. They wanted to mark the the anniversary of the French Revolution, and held a design completion for a suitable monument. From over 7 hundred submissions, the proposal by the noted bridge engineer Gustave Eiffel was chosen unanimously. It called for an entirely open-lattice iron tower 984-feet [300-meters] tall.

It was sitting at the base of this grand structure that Adam learned the hard lesson once again: TRUST NO ONE.

Caught by trappers- all for the want of a crepe.

If you would like to taste a crepe {click here} to my personal blog where I share some of our favorite crepe recipes.

Kobenhavn, Denmark:

This Little Mermaid statue is one of the most famous tourist attractions. Created by Edward Eriksen in 1913 who was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale.

This weeks questions:

Adam has had to deal with many trust issues this week. Who to trust? Who is trustworthy?

Mrs. J (His Pilot) had told him to trust no one.

What do you think about this advice? Now he has teamed up with Meredith... is that a smart move?

Prince Oh advises against Adam forming a team with Meredith... but he (Prince Oh) has lied to Adam too! Can Prince Oh be trusted?

And once someone has betrayed a trust... can you trust them in the future? What do you think?

Our First Winners!

Congratulations.........
- Gabesangel
-Lyons Family
-Noah
-Amanda.... (sorry not Amanda/Connor)
-Jonathan & Joey

Please email me your snail mail address to bookclub4boys@yahoo.com by Monday and I will pass it along to the publishers! If you didn't win- don't be discouraged there will be lots of opportunities to win prizes each week during book club!

MVP Book Club Give Away!

If you haven't gotten your copy of MVP yet don't fret! The publishers at Boyds Mill Press have offered to give 5 copies of MVP to our book club participants!!!

All you have to do to participate in our book club is:
(WITH YOUR PARENTS APPROVAL)

1. Comment on this post and tell us you're going to be traveling around the world with us!
( You need to be able to comment on our blog to participate- this summer we want to hear your thoughts as we read this fun and exciting book!)

2. Have your parents email me at Bookclub4boys@yahoo.com Subject: MVP Book Club and include an email address. (This way I can send out emails reminding you of upcoming book club opportunities to WIN FREE PRIZES!)

THAT'S IT! Do these two things by June 12th- and I'll pick 5 lucky comments from my box who will win a free copy of MVP!
So tell your friends and let them know.
We are going to have a great read this Summer!




Actual Book Club will start on Wednesday June 24th!
Read pages 1-39 by June 24th. I'll post a few questions and you'll have until Friday June 26th to answer them. Then Saturday- I'll choose one lucky comment to win the first prize in our weekly give-away!

Winter Room by Gary Paulsen

This is a short book: only 100 pages but written at a 5:4 level.
If you like to think about what life was like 100 or more years ago on a farm, this book is great. Elton, a young farm boy, explains how farms smell and sound. (Makes me a little glad I don't live 100 years ago on a farm- reading about how a manure pile smells in spring. Manure is a fancy word for poop by the way.)
But this book was very entertaining. About two boys living on a farm with uncles, their dad and mom. Small pranks they play and the stories the uncles tell at night to pass the time.

I liked it better than
The Barn by Avi (just if anyone wants to know.)
The Barn is also a short book about farm life- except this one is really sad. It too is only about 100 pages and written at a 5th grade level.
It's about a family almost torn apart by death and the aspirations of each character to go their own way... yet through tragidy they come together to finish a project ("The building of a Barn") that in the end... strenghtens and unites them again.

World's Dumbest Crooks by Allan Zullo

I give this book 5 stars.
It is funny. This book is actually a collection of true stories, some only a few sentences long telling how sometimes crooks make dumb mistakes. It's not just about criminals but also mistakes professional sports mistakes and funny stories like the mother who thought her son had a strange bump on the back of his neck, she took him to the doctor and he removed the old wad of gum.

My favorite story is about a robber who stole money from a store- ran down the street and turned to corner to only run into 2 police men whose guns were drawn on a murder suspect lying down on the ground! Talk about bad luck! He throws his hands in the air and gives himself up- to find out - they aren't real police officers! A TV show was filming and the fake police men looked at each other wondering what to do. But the real police were there shortly to take him away- for real.

Good book if you like to just pick something up to read.
Hubinator

Week 2: Salt Lake City pg 37-73

So much has happened to Adam this week! He made it across the United States and has learned he is not the only 12 year old trying to travel around the world this summer!

First let's review some sights ...

Second Stop: Salt Lake City!

A big city in the valley of mountains.
You might have watched the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake. It is known for having the best snow in the world!

( If you like to ski or snowboard.)

Sears Tower in Chicago: Adam was able to see from it's Sky deck four states!

This famous skyscraper has 110 floors and a height of 1,450 ft (442 m). It was the world's tallest building at its completion in 1974 and remained so until 1996! (It was surpassed by the Petronas Towers (1,483 ft [452 m]) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

And in New York this is Rockefeller Center and the ice-rink

And the majestic stone lions in front of the main public library in New York!

Then a voyage on the world famous Queen Mary 2~

If you want to learn more about the Queen Mary you can visit their official site here: http://www.queenmarycruises.com/

and see pictures of what it looks like on-board!

Answer the following questions in your comment:

1.Have you visited any of these places? What sites did you see? What was your favorite?

Adam has met another contestant and this trip is turning dangerous! Who can he trust?

2. What do you think about Prince Oh? Would you continue the race/game/trip? Why or why not?

Week 1 : San Fransisco pg 1-36

Our adventure begins with Adam Story in San Fransisco!

One major landmark in San Fransisco is the Golden Gate Bridge!

First stop is in Reno, Nevada!

Here's a fun fact you might not know:

"Nevada is the largest gold-producing state in the nation. It is second in the world behind South Africa."

(There are other fun facts about Nevada at http://www.50states.com/facts/nevada.htm)

To answer the following question you will have to read pages 1-39.

Questions: Answer questions in your comment.

Why is Adam a loner? Why doesn't he have many friends? Post a comment in our comment box with your thoughts.

Activity: Map out your own trip around the world. Name at least one country you would want to visit? And what you would hope to see along the way?

On page 35- Adam resupplies himself with travel treats. What would you bring along to snack and pass the time?

Book Club Tip:

The fun of this book club is going to be commenting in our comment box. So make your comment and answer the assigned questions- then come back and read other comments.

Comment again and again- responding to fellow book clubs members!

There is no limit to how many times you can comment- and the more you comment...the better chance you have to win a prize!

There are a few guidelines about comments.

1. (MOST IMPORTANT:) Have your parents permission. Even let them review your comment to make sure they are comfortable with the information you share on the internet.

2. Stay on topic or related to a comment. Know that I will remove any comment that is unrelated and off topic. Don't waste your time commenting about hockey games or your family vacation... unless you are connecting it to the story in some way.

Comments that are seriously off topic don't qualify for drawing for prizes.

3. There is no limit to how many times you can comment and respond to comments.

So let's say Hubinator comments he wants to travel through Egypt and see the Pyramids on his trip around the world. A fellow book club member might comment back " Me too! I've always wanted to see the Nile and Nile Crocodiles!"

4. Keep comments nice. There are no right or wrong answers and we all have different opinions. I will remove any comments that might make someone feel bad.

Forexample: Jay Jay says he thinks Adam is a loner because he studders and is shy. Alice reads the comment and thinks 'WHAT??? Adam doesn't studder!?!? Jay Jay you aren't even reading the book! '

Alice doesn't need to comment that. When she comments she could say, " I think Adam is a loner because....(give her reason)..... . Jay Jay what makes you think Adam studders? I didn't think that when I read chapter one."

Jay Jay can then respond and explain his comment. "There are parts in the book where he seems to stumble over his words, for example..(gives page number and example)......."

Sharing our different ideas and comments are what make book clubs fun! So you don't have to agree with everyone. Don't be afraid to share your own thoughts.

Magic Tree House Series

This series is good for the younger chapter readers, and is very good at what it's made for-teaching kids about various subjects, as they go back in time.

In other areas, it has very little depth,such as the character's personalities- they seem so generic.

But, little kids who are only looking for action and don't care very much for these small things will enjoy the plot of going back in time, to see the various settings, such as ancient japan or the period of the dinosaurs.

In the later magic tree house books, they begin to go to fantasy areas instead of the past, which effectively takes away the educational aspect- probably more interesting for children, but it takes away one of the hooks that draws parents towards the series, too. All in all, if you have a child who's reluctant and enjoys action and a fast pace, this book is for them- with an educational feel, too.