Archives for October, 2010
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Magnificent 12: The Call
AUTHOR: Michael Grant
Are you afraid of anything? I’m afraid of huge spiders like tarantulas and flunking out of school. Mack, a 12-year-old sixth-grader who gets bullied at school, is afraid of exactly 21 things. These include arachnophobia, the fear of spiders; dentophobia, the fear of dentists; pyrophobia, the fear of fire; and pupaphobia, the fear of puppets. To top it off, he also suffers from phobophobia, the fear of fears. What’s odd is that while Mack is afraid of things that can’t really harm him, he’s not at all bothered when he is in real danger.
Mack seems to think he has a bad case of mediumness, meaning that’s he’s average in every way possible, with average parents, average grades and even the average eye color (brown). However, he soon learns that he has a special gift.
One day in the school bathroom, Mack sees the image of an old man in a urinal pipe and the man starts talking to him, even calling him by name. The man, who claims to be more than 3,000 years old, tells Mack that’s he is one of the Magnificent 12, one of only 12 people in the world with the enlightened puissance, which is like a magical power that can be felt in the mind and soul but not always seen.
Mack learns that he will have to find the 11 others with this special power and work together to defeat the Pale Queen, who wants to destroy the world.
More books about The Magnificent 12 are planned and I can’t wait to read them because this one was funny, exciting and amusing. I liked how a boy with so many fears happens to be someone called on to help save the world.
Posted by Halloween is just around the corner. Along with carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating, reading spooky stories is a great way to celebrate.
What’s your favorite spooky story to tell out loud?
Do you have a favorite scary book?
Posted by Oil from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill didn’t affect only the animals that live in the water. As the oil drifted toward land, it moved into the coastal marshes. These areas are challenging to clean–crews can’t burn off the oil the way they can when the oil is on the open water’s surface. Oil in the marshes poses danger to many small creatures that live in marshes that could be harmed by oil seeping in. Even in places where oil is no longer visible in the marshes, the effects can be found. In marsh areas affected by smaller oil spills in years past, researchers have found oil many feet deep in the soil.
See pictures of oil in coastal marshes and learn more on National Geographic News.
Photograph by Hans Deryk, Reuters
Content produced by National Geographic. Funded in part by the National Science Foundation under Award # DRL-1045744
There’s just a few more days to enter your best photos into the 2010 International Photography Contest for Kids! All entries must be postmarked or uploaded by November 1. You may enter one photo for each of the contest categories: humor, animals, scenery, or people.
Visit the 2010 International Photography Contest for Kids page to learn more and enter the contest.
See some of the winning photos from last year’s contest on National Geographic Kids.
You don’t see oil on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico any more. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that it’s gone. It may be affecting creatures such as manta rays, which are filter feeder fish that live in the Gulf. They take in seawater and filter out plankton and small animals to eat. Scientists don’t know much about manta biology, and aren’t positive how the oil that remains in the Gulf will affect the rays. It may disrupt their feeding, breeding, breathing, or migrations. The remaining oil could cause problems for the “ways mantas live their day-to-day lives for years,” said marine biologist Andrea Marshall of the Mozambique-based Foundation for the Protection of Marine Megafauna.
Read more about the manta rays in the Gulf of Mexico on National Geographic News.
How much do you know about the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Quiz Your Noodle and find out.
Photograph by Jackie Reid, Flower Garden Banks NMS, NOAA
Content produced by National Geographic. Funded in part by the National Science Foundation under Award # DRL-1045744
Posted by BOOK NAME: You Wouldn’t Want To…Series
AUTHORS: Various
In the You Wouldn’t Want To… series, there are a lot of different kinds of books, like You Wouldn’t Want to Sail on the Mayflower and You Wouldn’t Want to be a Pyramid Builder. The ones I’ve read are You Wouldn’t Want to Sail with Christopher Columbus, You Wouldn’t Want to be in a Medieval Dungeon, You Wouldn’t Want to be a Civil War Soldier, You Wouldn’t Want to be a Roman Gladiator, and You Wouldn’t Want to be an Egyptian Mummy.
In You Wouldn’t Want to be an Egyptian Mummy, the mummies are treated like they’re alive. They’re buried with famous jewels. If a thief steals one, they’d be able to sell it for a lot of money. But most of the thieves are caught, and if they are, they’re killed.
In You Wouldn’t Want to be in a Medieval Dungeon, the book shows you all kinds of different prisons, and how you could even be sent to one. It even shows what it would be like in the prisons. There are lots of bugs and diseases, it’s dirty, it’s cold, there’s nowhere to sleep. If you have to go the bathroom, then just find a corner of your dungeon.
In You Wouldn’t Want to be a Roman Gladiator, there’s barely anything good to eat, and you have to fight to the death! You’d love this one. It was my favorite.
These are cool books because they’re funny and weird. I would recommend them to maybe 5-year-olds to 12-year-olds. My brother Reed (who’s also a DogEared blogger) loves them. And so does my Dad. They have really cool pictures. It’s good because it’s written from the point of view as if you were there.
You might be able to catch a glimpse of an unusual sight this week: a green comet! Comet 103P/Hartley 2 will be visible this week as it passes the Earth. Even though the comet orbits the sun every 6.5 years, it rarely gets as close to Earth as it did on Wednesday, October 20. Discovered in 1986, the comet’s most distinctive feature is its green halo. If the skies are clear, the comet may be visible with the naked eye, but binoculars or a telescope will make the view clearer.
See more pictures of the comet on National Geographic News.
How much do you know about comets and meteors? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Photograph courtesy Gregg L. Ruppel
Posted by BOOK NAME: Princess Academy
AUTHOR:
Shannon Hale
Have you ever felt like an outsider? Frantically trying to learn the rules just to fit in? Sounds a lot like middle school, doesn’t it? Well if you have ever had any of these feelings, then I think you’ll enjoy reading Princess Academy.
Mount Eskel is the home of Miri, the main character in this book. She is named after the beautiful hardy flowers that can actually survive on the mountain (much like Miri). The people on Mount Eskel work in a quarry which produces Linder that they sell to lowlanders, what they call the people who live in the village in the valley. Women, men, and children all work there, so Miri wonders why she can’t work there too. Since she is already fourteen, she should work in the quarry with the rest of her people. Yet her father forbids her to even enter it! Miri has to deal with this mystery and the other mystery of “quarry speech”.
On top of it all, we learn that the prince is now of marrying age and his religious court has determined that the future bride will be found in Mount Eskel. So, all of the girls that are old enough will have to go to an academy to learn how to be a proper princess. Miri can’t marry a prince! She would miss her mountain home too much and have to marry a stranger when she already has someone she loves. The girls soon learn that life at the academy is not fun but they stick together and fight back to finally show that Mount Eskel girls are just as smart as the girls from the lowland. This is a fun read about overcoming adversity and not worrying about what others think of you. If you’ve ever been made to feel inferior, then give this a read and you may just start cheering for yourself.
BOOK NAME: The Graveyard Book
AUTHOR: Neil Gaiman
Welcome to today’s book club meeting!
We just finished Bod’s story in Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book. We really enjoyed it, and we hope you did, too!
If you have finished the book, click “See More” to get to the discussion.
If you haven’t finished the book, stop here.
Last warning! Spoilers ahead!
Read the whole post »
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico began when an oil rig blew up and sank on April 20, 2010. Hundreds of millions of gallons spilled while the companies tried to find a way to stop it. Finally, the oil well was plugged up in mid-September, but the clean up of oil and the research into its effects on wildlife, the ecosystem, and people will go on for decades. To find out more about the spill and its aftermath read stories, take a quiz, and watch videos of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico below.
Quiz Your Noodle: 2010 Oil Spill
See if you have all of the facts on the 2010 oil spill when you take this quiz.
Green Scene: Oil Well in the Gulf of Mexico Capped
Read about the permanent cap placed on the oil well.
Green Scene: Manta Rays Affected by Oil?
Scientists aren’t sure how the remaining oil in the Gulf will affect the manta rays living there.
Green Scene: Oil in Coastal Marshes
Oil isn’t only a problem on the water–it’s a problem in the coastal mashes, too.
President Obama’s National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon
Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling recommends that the government agencies and industry need to close safety gaps that led to the disaster.
Green Scene: Substance to Keep Oil Off of Birds?
Scientists are working on an eco-friendly substance that will help keep oil from sticking to birds during future oil spills.
Content produced by National Geographic. Funded in part by the National Science Foundation under Award # DRL-104574
The National Museum of the Marine Corps invites kids in grades 3-12 to enter a poster contest celebrating World Geography Week. Those entering need to design a poster containing information on a location where a Marine might be stationed. There will be a winner selected from the elementary category (grades 3-6) and the secondary category (grades 7-12). The winning posters will be displayed a the Museum during National Geography Week, which is November 15-20.
The submissions deadline is November 5, 2010.
Learn more about the poster contest on the National Museum of the Marine Corps website.
Get the facts on countries around the world on National Geographic Kids.
Check out country profiles on National Geographic.
BOOK NAME: Roy Morelli Steps Up to the Plate
AUTHOR: Thatcher Heldring
Roy Morelli is a youth baseball All-Star. He’s good at baseball, but not so good at history. Since he got a bad grade on a history test, he had to move from the All-Star baseball league to the Rec League so he could focus more on school. The team he joins is the worst ever, but his two best friends, Fish and Kenny, play on it. They’ve never beaten a team before-any team. The only “win” they’ve ever had was when a team didn’t show up for a game and had to forfeit.
This book is about the crazy happenings for Roy, an eighth-grader, in both baseball and school. I like how much Roy helps his team get better and, midway through the season, the team comes up with the motto: “Let’s Win One.” And that’s what happens. They win their last game of the season on a bunt that ends up being an inside-the-park home run.
I liked the book, but I also like baseball. I’m not sure someone who doesn’t like baseball would like it that much since the book is mostly about that sport.
Scientists have uncovered the fossils of prehistoric penguins in Peru. Evidence from the fossils suggests that these giant penguins, called water king penguins (Inkayacu paracasensis), had reddish-brown colors on the underside of their wings. But that’s not the only unusual thing about this ancient bird–it was also about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall!
Learn more about the giant water king penguin on National Geographic News.
Get the facts on emperor penguins, the world’s largest living penguins.
Illustration courtesy Katie Browne, U.T. Austin
Posted by BOOK NAME: Tortilla Sun
AUTHOR: Jennifer Cervantes
Tortured by the mystery of her father’s death, Izzy struggles to live without understanding how her father died. When looking through some boxes she found a baseball with the words, “because…magic” written on it. Determined to find out what the missing words are, she asks her mother who offers no information. All her thoughts simmer in her head until she goes to spend the summer with her grandmother. Slowly, her grandmother opens up, sharing information about her father Izzy never knew. After a few days, she feels she is getting to know her father better than she might have if he was still alive. Izzy continues to look for answers and slowly unravels the mysteries.
Almost all the characters in the book had Spanish names so it took a while to catch on to who was who in the storyline. The characters were fairly predictable–each one had a different background story, but the author wove all the stories together so they all related somehow throughout the book.
Honestly, even though the author obviously put time into sharing details of how each of the characters felt, the overall story line was somewhat dull for me. I didn’t really enjoy this book at all, but I think it may have been written for a younger crowd.
BOOK NAME: The Graveyard Book
AUTHOR: Neil Gaiman
Welcome to today’s book club meeting!
We’ve finished the five chapters of The Graveyard Book, following Bod on his many adventures living in the graveyard. This week, Bod faced serious danger, but he also made a few new friends.
If you have finished chapter five, click “See More” to get to the discussion.
If you haven’t read that far yet, or if you’re still looking for a copy, stop here!
Read the whole post »
Today, October 13, is English Language Day, a day to celebrate the English language and the people who speak it. This year’s theme is the language of place. The English Project’s website is collecting nicknames for places in Great Britain.
Are there any fun nicknames for places where you live? Leave a comment and tell us!
Learn more about English Language Day on The English Project’s website.
Do you like word games? Play Dead Man’s Chest Hangman on National Geographic Kids!
Posted by BOOK NAME: Middleworld (Jaguar Stones Trilogy Book One)
AUTHOR: Jon and Pamela Voelkel
Hi guys, it’s me again. This time I got an action packed adventure book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s called Middleworld. It’s about a boy named Max (which is short for Massimo) whose parents are archeologists and go to San Xavier because of a very important dig. They wouldn’t let Max come, but the housekeeper was told to buy Max a ticket to San Xavier. That’s when the adventure kicks in.
Max flew in to stay with his Mom and Dad but they couldn’t come to pick him up so they sent one of their workers, Oscar. Oscar brought Max to a bus that took him to the place where his Uncle Ted would pick him up. His Uncle works in the banana business. This is the start of Max’s adventure of a lifetime.
On his adventure to find his parents he meets a few friends, including Lola, who is Mayan and lives in the jungle. Lola’s eccentric friend was working with Max’s parents when they disappeared. Lola’s friend said that his parents got transported to the Mayan Underworld.
You may be wondering about the Jaguar Stones mentioned in the title. Well, there are five of them and they all have powers that are very strong. They can even heal themselves if they get chipped or broken. There are five pyramids that the stones belong in. Each stone has a matching pyramid. A long time ago there were five kings and each one had a stone. The stones were lost and some people have them and are trying to keep it a secret.
Max is trying to find the stone that will help him get to the Underworld and find his parents.
This book has action, adventure and a little bit of mystery. This is one of the best books I’ve ever done a review on. I recommend this book for everyone.
Bye ’til next time!
Posted by BOOK NAME: Elsewhere
AUTHOR: Gabrielle Zevin
Did you ever wonder what happens once you’ve died?
Liz Hall was a was a teenage girl meeting her friend at the mall and she got hit by a taxi. She woke up in a boat in the middle of the ocean. She thought she was in a dream when she finally realized that she was dead! The boat that she was on was taking her to an island called Elsewhere where all dead people were living (or living in the state of “dead”).
She found one of her dead grandmothers who surprisingly was thrity-two but had died at the age of fifty. She soon realized that instead of getting older in Elsewhere, you get younger. Liz still had her WHOLE life in front of her and she gets to turn fourteen again! She would never be able to drive a car or graduate from college but instead she had to go back to preschool! But Liz gets used to her new life. When everybody in Elsewhere turns seven months old again they get sent off down a river and are reborn back on earth.
This story kinda freaked me out at times. Just thinking about reliving and then dying yet still living…(shiver). The author did a great job writing this book because she was so imaginative about how people acted there and what kinds of jobs were needed and also how the people could look back at their family and friends back on earth. It does get confusing and creepy at parts so make sure you are ready to read a more difficult book but it is another book that once you get caught into it, you can’t stop.
The 10-year Census of Marine Life wrapped up on Monday. The project launched more than 500 expeditions over the past decade and uncovered 6.000 new species, like the fathead sculpin fish pictured above, nicknamed “Mr. Blobby.”
See pictures of more newly discovered species on National Geographic News.
Learn more about the census on the Census of Marine Life website.
Explore a shipwreck and raft a raging river when you play Waterlogged!
Photograph courtesy Kerryn Parkingson, NORFANZ
BOOK NAME: The Graveyard Book
AUTHOR: Neil Gaiman
Welcome to today’s book club meeting!
We just finished reading the first two chapters of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. It’s the story of Nobody (or Bod for short), a boy growing up with ghosts.
If you have read the first two chapters, click “See More” to get to the discussion.
If you haven’t read that far yet, or if you’re still looking for a copy, stop here!
Read the whole post »
The votes have been counted, and the name for the National Geographic Museum’s gecko has been chosen–Gripper! Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll.
Get gecko facts in the Creature Feature on National Geographic Kids.
Want to visit the gecko? Visit the National Geographic Museum’s Geckos: Tails to Toepads gecko exhibit, which will be open from September 24, 2010 to January 5, 2011.
Print out a gecko mask and coloring pages on National Geographic Little Kids.
Photo courtesy Eugene Green
Posted by BOOK NAME: Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
AUTHOR: James Patterson
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment is the first novel in the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. It’s about Maximum Ride and her 5 unofficial siblings, Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel, who are bird-human hybrids–I believe the politically correct term is Avian Americans–that have wings and can fly. They were raised for their early years in a laboratory that they know as “the School,” but were rescued by one of the scientists and were living with him until they were attacked by “Erasers”–wolf-human hybrids that were manufactured by the same lab. They had to leave their safe-house, and since their scientist friend, Jeb, couldn’t fly, they were on their own. They were doing fine until Angel, the youngest, was taken captive. At this point, the rest of the flock, led by Max, went on a mission to get her back from the evil scientists at the School.
There are actually 6 books in this series, and this is only the first one. I absolutely love this series, and have read the books many times–I don’t know why I haven’t reviewed this before. Some of my favorite things about it are James Patterson’s sardonic tone throughout the book, and the overall hilarity of some of the comments that Max makes. It is narrated from Max’s point of view. The whole concept of genetic engineering is very modern, and I like to keep up with the latest science news. The theme was therefore enthralling to me, and I think that the book put an interesting spin on this controversial topic. Overall, Patterson did a great job with this novel and the succeeding installments of the series.
You love books. You love DogEared. You love to tell people about the books you’re reading. Does this sound like you? Enter the 2010 “So You Wanna Be a DogEared Blogger” Contest, and you could be one of three new bloggers for the National Geographic Kids DogEared Book Blog!
For your chance to be chosen as one of the three new bloggers, read a
book, write a review according to the instructions in the official
rules, and enter the 2010 “So You Wanna Be a DogEared Blogger” Contest. We’d
love to make you part of the DogEared team!
Read the official rules and enter the contest.
Illustration by Chris Rooney
BOOK NAME: The Graveyard Book
AUTHOR: Neil Gaiman
Today’s the first day October, and Halloween is just around the corner. To celebrate, we’ll be reading a spooky book. If he lived anywhere else, Bod would be an ordinary boy. But he doesn’t live in an ordinary place–his home is a graveyard! Learn more about this month’s book on the Book of the Month page.
We’ll be reading the first two chapters for our meeting on Wednesday, October 6. Find a copy and get set to read (and shiver) along with the book club!
-DogEared
