DogEared Book Blog - National Geographic Kids

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.

Downloadable entry form PDF

-- 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.

BOOK NAME: Travels with Tarra
AUTHOR: Carol Buckley

Tarra the elephant was sent from Africa to California to a man named Bob who wanted attention for his tire store. Then a college girl, the author Carol Buckley, ends up buying Tarra and teaches her all sorts of tricks, but she's most famous for her roller skating. Tarra's roller skates are specially made to fit her feet - they're huge! For about twenty years, Carol and Tarra appeared at circuses, theme parks, and zoos.

This is a picture book that is for older kids. It's very interesting because Tarra has a very cool life. She meets Carol's dog Tasha, and they become friends. There's a picture of Tarra holding up the dog with her trunk!

Tarra ends up living in a bunch of zoos but finally settles down in Buckley's elephant sanctuary. A lot of other elephants live in the sanctuary with Tarra. The sanctuary is in Tennessee, is 800 acres big, but you may not go visit the elephants there.

Buckley created the sanctuary so that Tarra could settle down and not have to move to different places.

I really like this book. Until next time - seeya!

BOOK NAME: Scat
AUTHOR: Carl Hiaason

This story is about Nick and Marta who go to school in Florida. Their teacher Mrs. Starch is a mean and weird teacher who you don't want to mess around with. After the disappearance of Mrs. Starch on their field trip to Black Vine Swamp things start to get spooky. First this kid named Smoke has a bad reputation with Mrs. Starch so they think he has something to do with her disappearance. Second, Nick and Marta go take a look around her house and another intruder drags them to his car and brings them back home. And lastly, a panther has been spotted at Black Vine Swamp.

This is one of the many books written by Carl Hiaason. He seems to like writing stories in Florida. I liked the book but half the time I was reading I was scared and had to turn on my closet lights or go under my covers. You will enjoy reading this because it has a lot of surprises. The point of view keeps on changing so you will have to keep up.

This book's genres are mystery and fiction. If you like this book then you can read some of his others like "Hoot" (which is also a movie), and "Flushed."

Keep on reading!

BOOK NAME: Guinness World Records 2010: The Book of The Decade

If you like to see real-life weird things and lots of cool pictures, you'll want to read this book. I've been a big fan of the Guinness World Records ever since I first learned about them when I was 7. I received the 2008 book from my parents for Christmas last year and really enjoyed looking at all the pictures and amazing records. But the 2010 book is even better because it has cooler records. My favorite record in the new book is the "Fastest Time to Solve a Rubik's Cube by a Robot," which is 1 minute and 4 seconds. (How is that even possible?)

I thought the most unusual record was "Most Underpants Worn At The Same Time," which was 137. The photo in the book shows the winner wearing all the underwear and he looks like a baby wearing a huge black diaper. Another favorite is the "Highest Popping Toaster," which is 8 feet and 6 inches. I don't know why someone would need toast shot as high as the ceiling, but the photo in the book of the toast high above the inventor's head is amazing. I've spent hours looking at all the pictures and records in this book and I can't get enough of it. I might set a new record for most time spent looking at one book.