Also check out:  The Boys From Sharon.
588271
Believe it or not, I am into Sci-Fi and HIstory, but this author is incredible!  You'll love this book!
2761828
I have two boys 6 and 5 year old. Every evening we sit down and do our books. It is nice to hear their answers to some questions that maybe we never thought of asking them. I am also looking forward on seeing how their answers to the same question change from one year to another.
2461217
I was interested in rediscovering my Canadian buddies after all these years. The DVD is a good documentary about Bob and Doug. Though you can edit the Paul Shaffer bits from it. With the Olympics in Canada their revival wasn't unexpected, but the 2007 version of the two just wasn't the same. I guess somethings change after 24 years. They're still good friends of mine. "Beauty, eh!!!
735045
Callum and his skater buddies are enjoying their summer vacation in seaside California - skating at old favorite locations and on the lookout for new ones, and looking forward to heading off to skate camp. Their good times are cut short when a close friend dies in a car accident. The boys mourn, then go to skate camp in the foothills of central California. There they have a fantastic time learning new tricks with some pro skaters, meeting new people and solidifying old friendships.

And then all hell breaks loose.

Bombs explode over many American cities, slowly moving across the country until California is hit, as well. Callum and his friends can't reach their parents or their friends left at home, and so they take it upon themselves to sneak away from the evacuation bus and head out on their own.

The boys skate down the foothills and make their way north toward supposed safety. They meet new people, some scary and some helpful, along with way. They even reunite with old friends and family in random cities and refugee camps. Will Callum and his buds find their families in the government refugee camps in Northern Cali? Check out K.V. Flynn's ON THE MOVE, the first book in a post-apocalyptic series, to find out.

While the premise was what drew me to this title, the execution is seriously lacking. I was excited to read about a group of teen boys on skateboards riding for their lives in a post-apocalyptic California!

Unfortunately, the skater jargon and endless descriptions of skating tricks really threw me off. The boys have exciting adventures, but the likelihood of their using skateboards to do things like ride down mountains, escape government refugee camps, and travel hundreds of miles is just not believable.

The boys themselves were diverse and interesting - they ranged from age 10 to 18. Some of the boys came from rich backgrounds, while others were poor, and one even grew up on a Native American reservation with his father and sister. I really liked the interesting cast of characters, but they went through very little development and weren't enough to keep me interested.

ON THE MOVE will appeal to a very small subset of teen readers. I would recommend it to boys who are obsessed with skating and looking for a book they can relate to.
3883086
My boys, ages 7 and 6, are intrigued by all things military.  This was a very informative and interesting history of the SEALs.  The documentary is well-paced and doesn't get dry or "boring." It has photos and video footage from WWII as well as interviews with former SEALs. I was busy working on the computer while the boys were watching it and I found myself paying more attention to the documentary than I was to my work. This kept the boys riveted, even my 3 1/2 year old twins. Several days after watching it, the boys wanted to watch it again.  This is good enough that I will probably end up buying it. If you are interested in military this is an excellent documentary.  I'm not big into war movies- and even I enjoyed watching this.
37161
I have grown very fond of Amos Decker. I do, however, wish that someone had gone back to the home of the pedophile that Mars killed to try and recover the bodies of the kids he killed.
3713096
My 7 and 10 year old sons love Arthur on TV, and they've learned to love certain audio books and listen to them into the ground.  This is one of their favorites, and I wish they had more of these productions for sale.  Arthur's Mystery Envelope is another one in this same vein.  (Warning, the "Arthur Audio Favorites" aren't nearly as good, with drawn out musical numbers in them, so don't expect the same thing with these.)  Another favorite of the boys are Geronimo Stilton books, and there are a lot more of those available for sale.
1505916
First, a little about the book: Guys Read is actually a series of books that Scieszka is sponsoring in an attempt to "encourage a passion for reading among young boys, with the philosophy that boys love to read most when they are reading things they love." The three previous releases include: Guys Read- Funny Business, Thriller, and The Sports Pages.

This book includes great stories by both well-known Sci-fi authors and up-and-coming authors, including Rick Riordan, Kenneth Oppel, Ray Bradbury, Neal Shusterman, Shannon Hale and many more.

I want to mention several of the stories, but I will not be necessarily critiquing them, just talking about them. The book as a whole I will critique.

The Stories-

We start out with a hum-dinger! an original Percy Jackson short by Rick Riordan called "Percy Jackson and The Singer of Apollo". Oh boy, this one cracked me up. The humor is very in your face and I feel like Riordan just had a lot of fun writing the story. The short revolves around Percy and Grover in NYC. They are celebrating Grover's birthday when Apollo appears and "asks" them for a favor. He want them to find his missing golden singing robot before his big concert up on Mt. Olympus. The poor boys! Let's just say Percy ends up hanging off the Times Square billboard without his pants on.

Another short is "Rise of The RoboShoes" by Tom Angleberger. This is a story of just a few pages, but the humor is very quirky. Humans became lazy and created shoes that could tie their own laces with TurboBrains so they could follow directions, and TruVoices so they could talk back. Our story begins after the RoboShoes have risen in revolt against humanity. A pair of bunny slippers is leading the revolt and encouraging RoboShoe freedom. The clencher- the RoboShoes find out they aren't alone in the RoboUniverse.

Also included is a small story with pictures, almost like a picture book, but with deep thoughts. The short, "A Day in the Life" by Shaun Tan, is about a boy who lives in a snow globe. It is an odd story, but will appeal to boys. We also have "The Klack Bros. Museum" by Kenneth Oppel. This story includes a twisted museum owner who keeps the ashes of a dead boy on display. Our main character Luke, connects with the boy's ghost that haunts the ashes, and he learns how the boy died and his desire to be free. This one is perfect for kids who like a little bit of dark in their stories, but is not too scary.

Overall, a great collection of stories. I think boys and girls will love the collection. In fact, as soon as my daughter found out their was a Percy Jackson short, she claimed the book next. There is a wide variety of stories, some long, others medium, and some only a couple pages. For kids who feel overwhelmed by reading an entire book, this anthology does a great job keeping the reading quick. For book loving kids, they'll want to read it just for the fun and quirky stories, so both type of readers win.

I really hope this book is successful in drawing in some new boy readers. As a fantasy lover myself, a whole new generation loving the genre would be great. But, if your reluctant readers like sports, not fantasy, try the other anthology, "The Sports Pages". I think that when all the books are written there will be something for all.
1381084
I saw these guys in Gamisch-Partenkirchen (GAP) on 7 June 2014, they were excellent and great guys as well. It's not typically the type of music listen to, but it was well done and reminded my of Octoberfest and Summerfest in Milwaukee in the 70's and 80's.
953682
Two Puerto Rican boys live in a bad part of town with their ex-pat mother who works two dead-end jobs trying to make a better life for her boys.

I come from an entirely different world but I have some resonance with these characters. Ive been the 6-foot 200-pound son brought along to stand beside my mum so shed get attention at the counter of a department store. Ive camped at Dockweiler Beach beside the highway below LAX and drove the PCH through Marina Del Ray and Venice Beach. Ive ridden the bike path where entitled white society matrons block the bike only trail with their ultra-wide expensive spandex covered butts two abreast.
4829110
If you 'know' The Inbetweeners you will not be disappointed. If you have never seen these boys @ play? You are in for a GREAT time with this flick. FYI all their TV episodes are avaiable via mosst streaming sources. ENJOY!
1566639
When the subject arises as to which all-male vocal groups were the best in the pre-R&R era, undoubtedly cited off the top of the head would be The Four Aces, Ames Brothers, Four Lads, Crew Cuts, Diamonds and Hilltoppers. Only with some prodding might the names Lancers, Mariners, Three Chuckles and Gaylords be mentioned. Which is strange when it comes to the latter because, unlike the other three groups mentioned with them, this Italian-American trio would rack up 13 hit singles from 1952 to 1955 for the Mercury label (also home of The Crew Cuts from Toronto) .

Lead Ronald L. Fredianelli, born June 12, 1930 in Detroit (he would first change his stage name to Ronnie Vincent and then Ronnie Gaylord), Bonaldo (Burt) Bonaldi and Don Rea formed up in 1949 while attending the University of Detroit, initially as The Gay Lords and then simply Gaylords (neither would resonate today due to the later usurping of the term "gay"). All had roots in the polka and, early in their career, hosted Club Polka on Detroit TV.

That connection would emerge in some of their singles over the next decade, but in most cases their offerings would be Italian-flavoured, with them singing some of the lyrics in Italian and some in English, often infused with elements of humour. And while their nationally charted hits with Mercury would total just 13, they must have enjoyed considerable regional success because Mercury stuck by them to the tune of 37 single releases into 1962, along with nine solo discs by Ronnie Gaylord, only one of which charted. That came in 1954 while he was serving a military term with Special Services where he performed with a military band. He got his discharge on February 15, 1955, rejoining the then duo in personal appearances and recordings.

All their singles are listed in the Comments below, showing chart details where applicable, with those contained in this 2-CD 2007 release from Jasmine of the U.K. indicated with an asterisk (*). As you will see, at the start Mercury re-issued some titles. The sound quality is excellent and comes with informative liner notes that include an interview with Bonaldi. Many other tracks were likely culled from their 7 albums released in their peak period: Italia (MG 20186); Let's Have A Pizza Party (MG 20356 and Mercury Wing MGW 12278); That's Amore (MG 20430); American Hits In Italian (MG 20620); The Gaylords At The Shamrock (MG 20695); Party Style (MG 20742); and Italian Favorites (Mercury Wing MGW 12139).

In 1976, by which time Rea had withdrawn, Bonaldi changed his stage name to Burt Holiday and, with Gaylord, covered the 1953 Julius LaRosa hit, Eh! Cumpari on Prodigal 0622, a label bought out by Motown two years earlier. In March it made it to # 76 Billboard Pop Hot 100 billed as Gaylord & Holiday b/w a remake of The Little Shoemaker (a 1954 hit for the group). Ronnie Gaylord passed away on January 25, 2004 at the age of 74.

The best Gaylords compilation currently available.
1033140
Very interesting.  I have met one of the Lost Boys, So I was interested in reading this.
3252676
What nice Jewish boy is not haunted by their ancestors?  A very funny and interesting read.
2271145
Kids grew up watching Doug and now we have it here for their kids to watch.
3929229
While looking through Amazon's MP3 site the other day, I came across this EP for a new R&B group named "Hamilton Park".  I had never heard of them before, but the EP was priced at a nice $2.99 and included two singles, two videos and a PDF digital booklet.  At that price and with the videos as a bonus, I grabbed it figuring even if I didn't like it, it would be fine because I hadn't invested that much.

I was pleasantly surprised though.  While watching their video for "Computer Love", I found myself being reminded of some of the 90's era R&B groups, specifically Blackstreet.  Watching them sing, and dance and go through the motions that we all have come to expect in a male group video, I found myself drawing that comparison to Blackstreet, which I think was one of the better groups of that decade, along with Boyz II Men.

The video was kind of nice, with the story of it being these kids are getting an audition for Andre Harrell who discovered Diddy, and Mary J. Blige among others.  So Harrell gets there, and then they start their performance of "Computer Love", while two women are outside the room, one filming it on her iphone.

The EP comes with the songs "Computer Love" and "This Thing Called Us", plus the video for "Computer Love" and the Behind the Scenes filming of that video.

Overall I liked it.  At times they do tend to sound like just about every other group out there, but I think their singing is definitely up to the job, and just going on these two songs in the EP, I think they have the talent to have a very good career.  We've unfortunately seen many male groups come and go while managing to put out one or two albums, with one or two hits and then fading away.  Hopefully Hamilton Park will not be that, and will be able to push their way through the pack and show what they have to offer.

These days though, you have to come with something that will differentiate yourself from everyone else.  One of the reasons I don't listen to a lot of music these days (new music, that is) is because everything sounds the same.  Often I can listen to any male group or female group (or individual artists) and aside from a select few, they all sound the same.  They're all produced the same, they all have that same feel to it.

There's no originality anymore.  Where is this era's Blackstreet?  Where is this era's Shai?  Where is this era's Boyz II Men?

I think that one thing that Hamilton Park has that I liked is that, at least based on these first two tracks, is that they are for the most part clean.  They're singing love songs, but they're not raunchy.  They're more Boyz  II Men and less Jodeci.  Nothing wrong with that style if that' what you're into.  But these days it seems everyone jumps right to that, because it's what's expected.  Hopefully Hamilton Park can carve out their own niche, while bringing back the more love oriented R&B, rather than the sex drenched style.
4008249
John Elder Robison's new book Raising Cubby: A Father and Son's Adventures with Asperger's, Trains, Tractors, and High Explosives, is really two books on one. One thing it is not, is a manual for parents who have a child on the autism spectrum.

The first book, as the title suggests, is a collection of vignettes of Robison's adventures with his son, Cubby. Any parent will appreciate the lengths to which Robison went to enjoy his son, to offer him a variety of experiences, and to help him explore his interests. Since both father and son have Asperger's. their adventures are perhaps a bit more quirky than many of ours. I especially liked their practice of buying small amounts of stock in companies, then showing up at a work site to request a tour of "their" property. They were aided by the fact that they arrived in a pristine, vintage Rolls Royce, bought cheap and carefully restored by Robison. When someone shows up in a Rolls, says he's a share holder, and requests a tour, people can be pretty accommodating.

His stories are amusing, but it sometimes felt as if I were reading someone's blog which, while it may be interesting to close friend and family, and as a means of chronicling events for Cubby's later perusal, got a bit tiresome for me. I will say that although this is not a manual for parenting children with Asperger's, I can imagine that many parents will be nodding in recognition as they read about Cubby's obsessive behaviors, social skills, and difficulties at school.

The second part of the book deals with Cubby's obsession with explosives, and the legal trouble he got into as a result. As a teen, Cubby took a deep interest in chemistry. He studied voraciously and became an expert (an expert at his trial he had a level of knowledge equivalent to a PhD candidate in chemistry), especially with explosive compounds. He was always safe and not destructive, but local police got wind of his work and overreacted. The DA thought she had a great career-building case and pursued Cubby as if he were a 9/11 bomber.

This part of the book serves as a cautionary tale of the damage caused by an overreaching government. Even though Cubby was fully cooperative and truthful with investigators, and his lab in his mother's basement was safe and legal, the police still treated the house like it was an al Qaeda bomb factory, trashing it and then sending his mom a bill. Then even though the police found nothing for which to arrest Cubby, the DA pressed charges, costing Cubby's family thousands of dollars in legal fees and months and months of stress. At one point Robison says Cubby is interested in libertarian politics. After the experience he had with the legal system, I can't blame him!

One early theme that stood out to me, and that many parents of children with special needs can relate to, is the Robison's struggles with the school system.  In the dedication, Robison notes that Cubby's mother "grabbed hold of the school system, shook hard, and made them accommodate our kid."  I love that description.  The same could be said of my wife!  Later he talks about attempting to get special services for their hard-to-classify son.  "Public schools have a legal obligation to make education accessible to kids who are impaired or have learning disabilities.  The two things they don't have an obligation to remediate are 'dumb' and 'stubborn,' so that's what they wanted him to be."  So true.

Robison is a gifted writer whose style and content captures the Asperger's-tinged perspective and attitude of both father and son.  Readers, especially those with a family member on the spectrum will enjoy getting to know the Robison family.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!