DogEared
BOOK NAME: Ranger’s Apprentice: The Kings of Clonmel
AUTHOR: John Flanagan
Welcome to today’s DogEared book club meeting! We’re continuing to read The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan. It’s the eighth book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. So we don’t give anything away to people who aren’t following along, click “See More” to keep reading this post.
If you don’t want to read any spoilers, don’t keep going!
Arrr! Here be spoilers! Turn back now if you haven’t finished chapter 36!
Read the whole post »
BOOK NAME: Ranger’s Apprentice: The Kings of Clonmel
AUTHOR: John Flanagan
Welcome back, book clubbers! This week we continued reading The Kings of Clonmel. We’ll be talking about chapters 13 through 24. If you haven’t made it that far yet, you might not want to keep reading this post–we wouldn’t want to wreck anything for you!
Warning: There are spoilers ahead!
Last chance to turn back. Really!
Read the whole post »
BOOK NAME: Ranger’s Apprentice: The Kings of Clonmel
AUTHOR: John Flanagan
Welcome to the first DogEared book club meeting! This week we started reading The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan. It’s the eighth book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. Since not everyone reading the blog has a copy of the book, click “See More” to keep reading. We wouldn’t want to spoil anything for people who don’t want to know what’s going on before they get a chance to read the book themselves!
Last chance to turn back. There are spoilers ahead!
Read the whole post »
Guess what? Summer’s starting, and that means time to read on the beach (or in a hammock, or in your room… wherever!) To kick off your summer reading, we’re staring a Book of the Month group. Every month, we’ll feature a book that we think sounds really cool. You can pick up your own copy and follow along with us. Visit DogEared each Wednesday to follow the discussion with
other DogEared Book Club readers like you!
What’s the first book? It’s the newest book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. It’s called The Kings of Clonmel, and it’s the eighth book following the adventures of new ranger Will and his mentor, Halt.
Click here to visit the Book of the Month page and to learn more about this month’s pick!
We’ll be reading the first 12 chapters this week. See you on Wednesday, June 9!
-DogEared
May 10 through May 16 is Children’s Book Week. Children’s Book Week was first observed in 1919. Why have a Children’s Book Week? To celebrate books and encourage a love of reading, of course!
What was your favorite book when you were younger? What’s your favorite book now?
Learn more about Children’s Book Week and make your own bookmark!
May is Get Caught Reading month. And you, our book-loving friends on DogEared can get the word out!
We’ve teamed up with several generous book publishers and the Get Caught Reading folks to give you the chance to win prizes… um, just for reading. Yup! JUST FOR READING. Which we know you love to do!
Here’s how it works. If an adult you know catches you reading, fill out this card and send it in for a chance to win these cool prizes! And who doesn’t need awesome new books for summer vacation?
Click here to read the Official Rules.
Now, grab a book and Get Caught Reading!
April is National Poetry Month, and today is Poem In Your Pocket Day.
What do you do? It’s easy! Pick your favorite poem, write it down (or print it out), and put it in your pocket. Share it with your friends and family all day.
Learn more about Poem In Your Pocket Day on Poets.org.
The Weird But True book is a big hit–so big that it’s being made into a book series! One upcoming Weird But True book will be the first book to ever include facts submitted by NG Kids readers.
Do you have a weird, wacky fact you’d like to see in the new book? Check out the April issue of National Geographic Kids magazine to get the details and find out how to submit your fact.
Don’t enter your fact in the comments! You’ll need to follow
these steps:
1. Find a weird, wacky fact that has not appeared in NG Kids
magazine. Your fact must be true in order to be published.
2. On the same page as your fact, include the following:
-Your name
-Your age and date of birth
-Address with zip code
-Phone number
-Name of a parent or guardian
3. Attach at least two reliable sources for your fact, such as printouts from websites or copies of pages from books, newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias, or other sources. Please include the name of the publication, page number, and date of publication or copyright date.
4. You may submit more than one fact, but please include a separate cover sheet for each fact and attach all the source information for the fact to the fact itself.
5. Mail all of this material to this address:
NG Kids–WBT
P.O. Box 97056
Washington, DC 20090-7056
POSTMARK DEADLINE: July 5, 2010
(AD) Check out the first Weird But True book.
Want a DogEared opinion? Read Parker’s review!
Do you love the Five Ancestors series? Our friends at Random House want to see your best Five Ancestors story! Series author Jeff Stone has started the story, but you get to finish it. If your story is really good, you could win a free Cooler E-Reader!
Visit FiveAncestors.com for the complete rules and to find out how to enter.
Ah, 2010. A new year. A new start. And a chance to read tons of new books!
What’s the BEST book you got as a holiday gift this year? Which one are you kicking off 2010 with?
Happy reading!
-DogEared
And the Winners Are (Drumroll Please…)
Congratulations! The votes are in! The three bloggers who received the MOST votes for their reviews are:
Emelie, 13, Dizzy, by Cathy Cassidy
Mairen, 12, Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
Sheila, 12, The Secret of Shadow Ranch, by Carolyn Keene
Thanks to everyone who sent in book reviews and to everyone who voted! We will run this contest again next year.
Keep reading DogEared to officially “meet” our three new bloggers when we reveal their avatars and read some of their reviews.
We had so much fun reading with you this year! Bet if you went back and count all the books we read combined… well, holy moly, it would be a LOT- hundreds, thousands, bajillions (um, roughly… math isn’t our strongest subject). Anyway, thanks for sharing all your opinions on books you loved, ones you didn’t and sharing must-read book suggestions with other DogEared readers.
We picked one review from each of this year’s DogEared bloggers for our Top 9 of ’09 List. These are books that got you guys all fired up to post about or excited to read. And most importantly? They were books each of the reviewers loved best.
Here is the DogEared Top 9 of ’09 (in no particular order of favorites!).
BRADEN
Mummies by Elizabeth Carney – ’cause we learned how to make a mummy in REAL life… not that we’re going to, but wow!
ELEANOR
Shug by Jenny Han – just for all the funny postings about first kisses. Hee hee.
HANNAH
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke – a.k.a. Hannah’s “favorite book of ALL time” also turned us on to other books by this author, Inkspell and Inkheart.
ISABEL
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney - like getting to peek at someone’s private journal, this hilarious book had a waiting list at most of your school libraries.
JORDAN
Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling – is there any ”Best of” list that J.K. Rowling wouldn’t make? That’s what we thought. You are big, big fans.
LILY
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart – ’cause there were so many surprise twists & turns in this plot that you guys kept trying to post book spoilers in the comments of Lily’s review that we had to delete.
PARKER
The Guinness World Records 2010: Book of the Decade - for its freaky pictures, crazy stunts and odd records set across the Globe, this book ranks as one of the all-time faves for leaving an impression on readers.
REED
The Fire Within by Chris D’Lacey – hard to choose a favorite review from Reed, who sets our own NG Kids record for posting the MOST reviews this past year (can you say Employee of the Year?), but this mythology series was a pretty good one.
WILL
African Critters by Robert B. Haas – ’cause we are suckers for anything about animals in the wild… we’re National Geographic, after all.
That’s it.
Now, check out these reviews, be sure to vote in our ’So You Wanna Be a DogEared Blogger’ contest for your favorite NEW bloggers and KEEP READING!
Happy New Year!!
- DogEared
Thanks for all the AMAZING book reviews you sent in for our ‘So You Wanna Be a DogEared Book Blogger’ contest! It was a tough, tough job narrowing the entries down to the top 10. (Seriously, you guys are opinionated, rock star readers.)
Click here to find out who made it to the top 10. Then, read ‘em and cast your vote for your favorite. Help us choose the top 3 finalists who will win cool prizes & become a DogEared book blogger.
Thx!
-DogEared
Hey, there
Submissions are due for our ‘So You Wanna Be a DogEared Blogger’ Contest by Nov. 16. That gives you the weekend to write up a short book review (250 words or less!) and send it off for your chance to become one of our THREE new DogEared bloggers.
– Woof.
Hi, DogEared Friends
Remember the cool contest we ran during Get Caught Reading month with our friends at Random House? After answering Magic Tree House trivia questions, collecting nine passport stamps and entering for chance to win, ONE lucky winner, Dora from Sunland, California won the grand prize: a trip to the Grand Canyon for a family of four including a helicopter ride!
Congrats, Dora!
And keep reading DogEared for contests and giveaways.
Do you LOVE to read and talk about books? We are looking for three new bloggers to join our amazing team of kids who love reading and are not afraid to tell everyone if they like or dislike a book and why! It’s our “So You Wanna Be a DogEared Blogger” Contest.
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 “So You Wanna Be a DogEared Blogger” Contest. We’d love to make you part of the DogEared team!
Enter the contest and you could win!
Visit the Beacon Street Girls website to download Worst Enemies/Best Friends, the first Beacon Street Girls book. The book is available as a free download through August 7. So what are you waiting for? Get reading!
Is there anything like the smell and feel of a brand new book? (BIG Dog sniff… AH!)
Well, how about SIX new books?
That will keep you busy this summer, and immediately fill a bookshelf.
So, here’s an idea we really like for book lovers everywhere that DogEared readers might enjoy. It’s the Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club®, a sponsor of DogEared.
It works like this. When members sign up, they get to choose six books for $2. Then, they promise to buy four more books in the next two years. Members also get discounts on books and catalogs to browse for other ones they like. This is a great deal if your family buys a lot of books.
Want to read more about it? Click here to discover more about the Club and get a sneak peek at some of the books they offer like 39 Clues, Brisinger, Oh, Yuck! and more. This is from an advertiser, so if you’re interested, you will need to grab a parent to help you join.
Happy Summer Reading!!
DogEared
The chances to win cool stuff during Get Caught Reading month continues with this awesome Magic Tree House Passport contest from National Geographic and our friends at Random House.
Join Jack and Annie (the two main characters in the book series by Mary Pope Osborne, if you haven’t yet read them!) on an adventure across the U.S. What’s on their “road trip?” Hmm….ghosts in New Orleans, polar bears in Alaska, tornadoes in Kansas, surfing in Hawaii … a quick trip back in time to the Civil War and much, much more!
Here’s how it works:
STEP 1: Print the entry form.
STEP 2: Answer Magic Tree House trivia questions to earn official passport stamps and add all nine stamps to your map.
STEP 3: Mail it in for chance to win cool trip to the Grand Canyon for a family of four including a helicopter ride!
(AD) Click here for more details and for the trivia questions!
May is Get Caught Reading month. And you, our faithful DogEared readers can help spread the word.
Plus, we’ve teamed up with some generous book publishers and the Get Caught Reading folks to give you the chance to win prizes… um, just for reading. Yup! You read that correctly. JUST FOR READING. Which we know you love to do, well, as much as breathing!
Here’s how it works. If an adult you know catches you reading, fill out this card and send it in for a chance to win these cool prizes! And who doesn’t need awesome new book to load up your bookshelves or take on summer vacation?
Click here to read the Official Rules.
BOOK NAMES: Secret Agent Jack Stalwart: Quest for Aztec Gold (Mexico) and The Deadly Race to Space (Russia) (Books 9 and 10 in the series)
AUTHOR: Elizabeth Singer Hunt
Jack’s back!
Remember how much DogEared blogger Parker loved the earlier book, Pursuit of the Ivory Poachers?? Pwilly pew poo? (Phew! Tongue-twister!) Really you do?
For those of you who have been reading along in the series about the 9-year-old secret agent, books 9 and 10 are here. Jack continues to travel the globe in search of his missing older brother Max. He’s also still solving international crimes along the way as a secret agent for the Global Protection Force. This time his adventures take him to Russia and Mexico.
In The Deadly Race to Space, Jack must travel to Russia to rescue the chief engineer of the Mars space program–his dad!–um, without letting his dad discover that he is a secret agent.
And in The Quest for Aztec Gold. Jack has to stop the world’s most dangerous treasure hunter from stealing Montezuma’s gold. He travels to ancient temples to track down the thieves. Still plenty of cool gadgets, including the awesome Flyboard to keep each book action-packed. Plus, cool plot twists to keep you guessing what’s gonna happen next!
You don’t need to read ‘em in order to enjoy. Each one is a story within itself.
Wait!
Is it even possible to choose a favorite?? Probably not, but it should be fun to read everyone’s rationale for their choices. So, let’s try!
Post your opinion in the comments below. Which Harry Potter book is your all-time favorite and why? Maybe it’s the very first, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Or maybe it’s one of the more recent ones. You tell us. The next movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits theaters July 15, so that gives us… 88 days to decide.
April is National Poetry Month, an official celebration of poetry started by the Academy of American Poets in 1996.
Do you have a favorite poet or poem? Maybe you’ve even written your own poems… share them with other DogEared readers in the comments below.
And how about some of these fun ways to celebrate:
–Write a poem in chalk on the sidewalk.
–Organize a poetry reading during lunchtime with your friends.
–Find the poetry section in your school library, close your eyes, pick a book at random and check it out.
–Write a poem for your mom and save it to give to her as a Mother’s Day gift next month.
–Use these online poetry magnets to create your own masterpiece.
OH, and don’t forget to remember Poem in a Pocket Day on Thursday, April 30. Just pick your favorite poem… or one that has special meaning to you. Then, carry it in your pocket and share with friends and family you see that day.
Here’s a cool idea.
Have you ever thought up an interesting story that your REALLY wanted to tell? Or thought to yourself… “Self, why doesn’t anybody ever write books about 3-legged magical hamsters who star in their own reality TV show?” (Um, or something similar.. you get the idea…)
Write your own book! You Are Here: Jordan blogger Ayat did. She wrote a story called Stardust about a sand cat who is bullied. Click here to see more about her story.
Then, SHARE YOUR STORY IDEA in the comments section below. C’mon… bet you have an awesome idea. Tell us stuff like…
– Who’s the main character?
– Is it a funny story or a sad one?
– Will the reader learn something from it?
– Where does it take place?
– What’s the problem or BIG thing that happens in the plot that will make people excited to read all the way through to the end?
It’s time to prove to Mount Olympus just how well you know Percy Jackson and Greek mythology.
If you’re up for the challenge, take this Quiz Your Noodle, and we’ll tell you how you rank among the gods.
Good luck!
Plus, look out for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 5: The Last Olympian, the final book in the series coming out May 5, 2009!
