Rock and Roll, Not Reading and Kung Foo Action Grips

Hi all,

Hope you have all been well. Without any of my amusing introductions (this time), I will get straight to talking about some recent great reads:

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide To Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald - First and foremost Charlie Joe Jackson does not like to read. He is renowned around school for getting reading assignments done without actually reading the materials he is assigned. Charlie has skated through school on reading by using the following method. Read the first chapter of the book and then the last. Next find someone to read the rest for you. What's so funny is that all the reading Charlie puts into reading other people's summaries of what happens in between the first and last chapters and presenting it is more work on Charlie than if he actually read the book. Unfortunately for Charlie all that is about to change because Charlie is found out by his English Teacher and his parents (not a pretty scene). Charlie tells you his story along with his harrowing experiences with this whole not reading thing that really just wants to make you laugh because, well it's just funny. What will Charlie do now that everyone is on to him. Read this extremely funny book and find out. Recommended for ages 9 and up.

Charlie, Charlie, Charlie...Sigh.

Beat The Band by Don Calame - This book is a follow-up to the extremely funny Young Adult (YA) Book "Swim The Fly" (click here to see my review of that book). As in "Swim The Fly" this book focus on the extremely comical events that three friends - Matt, Coop and Sean - experience as they traverse the treacherous waters of High School and their raging teenage hormones as it goes for the opposite sex. In this book instead of Matt being the narrator, the gross out king and sex obsessed Coop tells the story of what happens to him and his friends in their sophomore year of high school. The trouble starts for Coop when in his Health Class he is teamed, by drawing names, with the infamous "Hot Dog" Hellen for a semester long project. Coop has dreams of scoring big with such hot girls as Prudence Nash and the awful reputation that Hellen has obtained threatens to ruin his chances in scoring with any popular girls. So to combat this situation he gets his buds Matt and Sean to join a "Battle of The Bands" Contest assuring coolness for him and his friends if they win. Only problem though is that they stink and their chances of winning are little to none. How does Coop save his reputation after becoming associated with Helen and his band's little to no chance to win the contest? Read this extremely funny book to find out!!!!! Because of some language and subject matter, I recommend this book for older teen readers (15 years old and up).

The Immortal Iron Fist: The Last Iron Fist Story by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, David Aja, et. all - This story is about the Marvel Superhero Iron Fist (a mystical martial artist who has no peer) collecting the first 6 issues of the comic. For time immortal there have existed seven mystical realms each with an immortal weapon. Now when I say immortal here the person is not immortal but the power. The Immortal Weapon from the mysterious city of K'un-Lun is Daniel Rand and he is known as "The Iron Fist." For ages beyond tale the city of K'un-Lun has had an "Iron Fist" as it's champion. The only release for all the "Iron Fist" has been in death (usually in battle), except for one. Orson Randall, the "Iron Fist" before Daniel Rand, saw to much death, to much human suffering and walked away from his duties as "The Iron Fist." The power of the "Iron Fist" has given him long life and an endless run to escape those who would have vengeance upon him for many different reasons. Now fate has set Daniel Rand and Orson Randall, two very different people, on a head-on collision and if they are to survive they must learn to trust one another against the coming storm. This is a fantastic GN with both excellent storytelling and artwork!!!! Suggested for those 13 and up. 

Peace all and keep reading,

Library Ninja Bill