This and That - March 24, 2011

I always run across cool bookish things and bookmark them to "post to my blog" ... and then I don't.  So I've decided that I should start a little feature called "This and That".  The topics will vary each week, so I hope there's at least one thing that interests you!

In case you didn't know about this one, one of the first book blogging sites I ever found was 5 Minutes for Books.  Lots of reviewers, genres, reviews and giveaways to be found there.  There is also a monthly What's On Your Nightstand? meme.  Although I don't participate in this one (the weekly "It's Monday!  What Are You Reading?" posts generally list my reading goals), it's a good one, especially if you're more into a monthly meme due to time constraints or other reasons.  The meme posts the fourth Tuesday of the month to list goals for the next month.  Here's the link for this month's meme.

The "Where Are You Reading" Challenge is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. The only reason I'm not participating myself is because I can barely keep up with the challenges I already have!  But it's a really cool one!  It runs through December 31, and you can still join in! 

The Challenge consists of reading at least one book that covers each of the 50 states of America and you can add as many other countries as you like.

Dewey's 24-hour read-a-thon starts April 9th!  I WILL be participating in this one!  Even if you don't have 24 hours to read, there are so many other ways you can participate:  the five types of participants are Reader, Cheerleader, Mini-Challenge Host, Organizer and Prize Donor.  You can be just one of these or a combination of them.  

I am going to be a Reader only this time, to see how many books I can actually read in 24 hours :).  If this seems exciting to you, it is!  There are over 250 bloggers signed up as of today ... so you won't be doing this one alone!  It was a lot of fun in October, and I hope you'll join me!  For more info, check out the FAQ page.

Did I mention that there are prizes involved?

If you read for and to children, We Give Books is a free website that enables anyone with access to the Internet to put books in the hands of children who don't have them, simply by reading online.
Simply choose the charity you want to read for and then select the books you want to read. For each book you read online, we donate a book to a leading literacy group on your behalf.
The more you read, the more we give.

Isn't that awesome!  Free kid's books for YOU to read, and reading them also gives free books to other children!  There are so many awesome literary charities listed that it will be hard to pick just one, but you can change your donation cause at any time.

That's all for this week!  If you sign up for any of these, come back and let me know!  

Barney and the Runaway by Max Elliot Anderson - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  Barney and the Runaway
Author:  Max Elliot Anderson
Publisher:  Comfort Publishing
Publish Date:  March 1, 2011
Paperback, 70 pages
ISBN 10:   0984559841
ISBN 13:  9780984559848

Goodreads description:

Mike hated the way his parents were always telling him what to do. Along with his dog, Barney, he decides to teach them a lesson by pretending to run away for a few hours. The plan gets complicated when Mike and Barney hide in a railroad boxcar, fall asleep, and end up in Georgia with a circus in the middle of the night. After his experiences away from home, Mike learns the importance of family, and that you don't appreciate what you have until its gone.

My Take: 

Michael Ellis is 11 years old and in trouble with his teacher and parents - again!  When Mrs. Whitlock's letter home falls out of his pocket, he is sent to his room without the yummy dinner his mom prepared that day.  He decide to run away for a while with his best friend, his dog Barney, just to teach his parents a lesson.  They fall asleep in a railway car, and when Michael wakes up, the doors are being closed and he and Barney are on their way from Independence, Missouri, to Norman, GA.  When the doors open, Big Bob Buttons the Clown finds the two pals and takes them in to live with him in the trailer left to him by Arnold the Clown.

As Michael refuses to tell Big Bob who he really is, he and Barney join in the circus, practicing their roles as clowns.  There's adventure. and dognapping, and bad guys, and a lesson in the love of family and God.

Bebe Boy James and I read this together in one day.  He liked it (he's 10), a LOT.  He actually could have read this himself, but since I'm the one writing the review, I needed to read it with him :).  It was a fun book.  I think it would really have a lot of appeal to young boy readers and even middle readers.  The only drawback for me is that some of the references to God seemed forced and out-of-place; however, Bebe Boy James apparently didn't feel that way, and it's written for him and boys like him. I appreciated seeing how Michael's parents' loving discipline was portrayed, and I hope it made Bebe Boy James think at least a little about the times when HE is disciplined and his own reaction to it.

QUOTES

I'm not really running away, he thought.  I just want them to miss me. That's all.

"Now, you have just a very small idea of how much more your parents must have felt when you left."


BOOK RATING: 4.0 out of 5 stars


Visit the author's website


BUY IT:  At Amazon, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary copy of this title from the author to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.