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Funny business

The Book ....

Guys Read: Funny Business

Authors: Jon Scieszka, Mac Barnett, Adam Rex, David Yoo, Paul Feig, Kate Dicamillo, Christopher Paul Curtis, Eoin Colfer, Jack Gantos

Jon Scieszka has been writing books for children since he took time off from his career as a teacher. He wanted to create books that boys would enjoy by enticing them with witty humor. He is the author of the crazy best-selling picture books The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheese Man. He has received several honors, including mentions on the ALA Notable Book and Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book lists, the Children's Choice Award, and the Caldecott Honor Medal. His original trade chapter book series, the Time Warp Trio, has sold over two million copies. Born in Flint, Michigan, Jon now lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Walden Pond Press (September 21, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0061963735

You can order it now from Amazon

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This week’s book into movie – How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your DragonHow to Train Your Dragon  (Heroic Misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III)

Cressida Cowell

Young Hiccup may be the son of Stoick the Vast, chief of the Hairy Hooligans, but he isn't exactly heroic Viking material.

When he and the other boys of his tribe are sent on a mission to fetch dragons to train, Hiccup comes back with the scrawniest creature ever seen. Toothless, as Hiccup names him, is also rude, lazy, and greedy, but when the tribe is faced with horrible danger, Hiccup's unorthodox dragon-training techniques prove successful and he and his unique beast become true heroes. Sprinkled throughout with funny sketches, scribbles, and ink blots, this is a goofy and exciting tale of an underdog who proves that brains can be just as important as brawn.

Kids will hoot at the ridiculous names and sympathize with Hiccup's exasperation with his truly obstinate but strangely lovable dragon. A delightful read that fans of Ian Whybrow's "Little Wolf" series (Carolrhoda) will particularly enjoy.

Watch the trailer for the movie

More information on the book

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Hilarious Floridian adventure – Hoot – Lesson plans, activities, trailer and more

Hoot

by Carl Hiaasen

This author has turned to children's books, and applied a wonderful quirky humour.  The story has new kids, bullies, alligators, eco-warriors, pancakes, and pint-sized owls .... a hilarious Floridian adventure!

Go to http://www.pivotalkids.com/hoot.htm to read about the book, and find links to these

  • The trailer for the movie
  • Hoot Study Guide
  • Vocabulary pre-test
  • Hoot Book Reviews
  • Hoot Quizzes
  • Book Report Alternative: A Character's Letter to the Editor
  • Hoot Teacher's Booklet
  • Lesson Plan
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Chaos and colourful creativity in Neil Gaiman’s “Crazy hair” for kids

Crazy hair

by Neil Gaiman

Illustrated by Dave McKean

The duo responsible for The Wolves in the Walls (2003) return with another chaotic picture book popping with bright collage and multimedia imagery.

... more

---Listen to the author, Neil Gaiman reading his poem

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Lots of fun and learning too – 1000 times no

“All right, Noah, dear. It’s time to leave,” says Noah’s mom. Noah has other plans. “No,” he says. And then says it again. And again. And each time, his nos get crazier and crazier.

It’s a lot of fun and will feel familiar to any parent up against a child’s tireless opposition, and kids (maybe) will  recognize their own silly stubbornness. The educational use of various languages extends the book’s age range a bit, too.

Watch a trailer of the book

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Another great read for teenagers/young adults: The Awakening

The AwakeningThe Awakening

by Kelley Armstrong

(The darkest Powers.  Book 2)

Genetically altered at birth by a sinister group of scientists, Chloe is an aberration - a powerful necromancer who can see ghosts and even raise the dead, often with terrifying consequences. Now Chloe is running for her life with three other supernatural teenagers - a charming sorcerer, a troubled werewolf and a temperamental young witch.


... Watch a video trailer of The Awakening and

Read the first 10 chapters ....

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Today’s book is about babies, it’s funny and it’s great for older kids as well

lazy_littleLazy Little Loafers

by Susan Orleon

Ever experienced stroller envy? Ever wished you were applauded just for walking across a room? Ever wanted to loaf about the park on a blanket in the middle of a school day with nothing on your agenda but being relaxed and happy? Then you should be a baby. They’ve got it made.

In this charming, droll story, a world-weary older sister ponders the question, why don’t more babies work? Her answers, hilariously tinged with resentment, offer up a wickedly accurate picture of just how great babies have it.

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What happens if you give a cat a cupcake?

If you give a cat a cupcake

by Laura Numeroff

If you give a cat a cupcake, he'll ask for some sprinkles to go with it. When you give him the sprinkles, he might spill some on the floor. Cleaning up will make him hot, so you'll give him a bathing suit . . . and that's just the beginning!   ... more

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Today’s must-read – Killing Jodie

killing_jodieKilling Jodie: How Australia's Most Elusive Murderer Was Brought to Justice

by Janet Fife-Yeomans


Winner: Best True Crime, Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards


Daryl Suckling's arrest in remote NSW in the late 1980s revealed his disturbing connections with the disappearance of Jodie Larcombe from Melbourne. Charged with the murder of Jodie, then a sex worker on St Kilda's streets, Suckling was allowed to walk free, as police investigators struggled to prove a homicide without a body. He'd previously escaped conviction more than once after brutally abducting several women.


Frustrated by legal obstacles and bad luck, one officer resigned from the force in disgust, but the case was never forgotten and investigators closed in as Suckling stalked his next victim. The grisly murder linked St Kilda with the lonely, windswept sandhills of the NSW outback near Mildura, and brought two hardened policemen close to a brave family pushed to breaking point - in the end, it was too much for Jodie's mother, who committed suicide when Suckling appealed his eventual conviction.

Suckling is now one of 15 prisoners serving life in NSW, never to be released.

Amazon

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Book – The Devouring

The Devouring

By Billy Carton

When Reggie finds an old journal and reads about the Vours, supernatural creatures who feast on fear and attack on the eve of the winter solstice, she assumes they are just the musings of some lunatic author. But soon, they become a terrifying reality when she begins to suspect that her timid younger brother might be one of their victims.

more .... Amazon ...eBook