Game of the Month for August...

AIR HOCKEY!!!
(I made it to level 7, but lost to Finland. Rats.)

Fun on the Web

Found lots of coolio stuff on the web this week. For one, there's a hilarious webcomic called "Garfield minus Garfield" which has all the Garfield comics without Garfield!!! C'mon, give it a chance. Find it at www.garfieldminusgarfield.net!
Another cool webcomic is Palindramas, which creates a comic centered around a palindrome (a word that reads the same forward and backwards.) For example, one is where some punks ask a nerdy-looking kid "Yo, B'Ball, Lab boy?" (same backwards!) He then creates a potion that gives him superpowers. Love it.
Oh, and finally, Bibliophobia has made the pledge to break the bottled water habit (see the little bleeper to the left.) You can join the team (and win cool prizes) by going to http://water.newdream.org/campaigns/water/register/5bd5c53faf5a913c045305ae10eb5e7d/, kay?
As spry as ever,
Bibliophobia

THE GAME? WHAT GAME?

OK, so people have been asking me why I've been so lax on the game we were playing. Two reasons: A: I discovered it was not a great idea to put my email address online, and B: I forgot! So now the poll is up.
For those who forgot, people sent in fake definitions for the little-known word PASSADO, and now you have to pick the real one!
Is yours there?
-The Bibliophobia Staff (All 4 of us! yay)

Review: Gone, by Michael Grant

The dust jacket flap best sums it up:

In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.
Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.
It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...

Wow, just... where to start. This book (which reads like a movie, which I liked) never wastes time on introducing characters - just launches you head-on into the action. There ARE some dull moments, but this book - a tour de force of the imagination - just blew me away. Kudos, Mr. Grant.

It's like Lord of the Flies, but more interesting. By the end of the book, you're not really sure what's going on, but you know that this book is one heck of a ride. It has perfect good guys, really nasty bad guys, and a constant urge to learn what in the world is going on. (No, you don't get all the answers in the end.) But the final battle is awesome, and the end is very nice. A sense of finality, which is needed.

All in all, a great, great read - one of the 08 Greats!!!!!

(I would rate this a PG-13 book for violence, complex subjects and some romance. Not all that bad.

OK, Jukebox Update

We've got NEW MUSIC!!!!!
Yeah, I love all the songs, but they kinda have to relate to BOOKS, ya know? So here's a secret - all of the songs have a connection a book I've reviewed or to books in general. If you can spot all of them, you'll earn the respect of everyone here (and I'll throw in a few more reviews as bait.)
Oh, and Pendragon 9 came out already, so I took that countdown widget down too.

Flora Segunda, by Ysabeau S.Wilce

Okay, first things last. Just kidding. First things should always come first (except when eating desserts before dinner, where first things definetly should be last.). The full title of the book is:

FLORA SEGUNDA: BEING THE MAGICKAL MISHAPS OF A GIRL OF SPIRIT, HER GLASS-GAZING SIDEKICK, TWO OMINOUS BUTLERS (ONE BLUE), A HOUSE WITH ELEVEN THOUSAND ROOMS, AND A RED DOG.

Yes, this book has all that and more.

The story is centered around 14-yr-old Flora Fyrdraaca (Feer-draw-cuh), who lives in a sort of alternate-dimension Mexico/California. They speak English, but all the names are Spanish (therefore, Segunda!). For instance, they live in the country of Califa. She lives in a house kinda like Hogwarts - things always change, rooms move around, the bathroom is never in the same place. So one day she takes the Elevator of Doom, and it takes her to Valefor, the denizen of the house. All houses have denizens (aka butlers), but Flora's mother, the general of the army, banished their butler to the library. So the house (aptly named Crackpot Hall) is in a state of general disrepair. She and her friend Udo have to save Valefor, Udo's hero the Dainty Pirate, and maybe even themselves!

The book has spunk. Flora, as the narrator, shows emotion in a unique way. It never gets that dull, but there is virtually no real action in the story. Things don't become clear right away, and you may be left wondering "What is this?" It's very intriguing and thought-provoking, however. The sequel, "FLORA'S DARE" is coming out September 1st.

Pendragon, Book Nine: Raven Rise by D.J. MacHale

Pendragon is a big story.

First off, I have to brag. Pendragon is the best series I have ever read (and I usually don't pick favorites.). It can be faster-paced than Harry Potter, more insightful then Artemis Fowl, funnier and wittier than the Percy Jackson series, and more thought-provoking than Terry Pratchett. It is the single most underrated series today.

The basic story goes like this: Bobby Pendragon, 14, finds out he is a traveler. Travelers keep Halla (Halla is everything there will ever be, it turns out Earth is just one "territory" out of many) from the evil traveler Saint Dane. Along the way, Bobby learns more about himself and what the heck a traveler really is.

So. Book nine. Bobby comes home to Second Earth to find that the turning point is about to happen. He must fight for the traveler's last stand. Along the way, he meets old friends and enemies.

The book is awesome. A fast pace, great problem and solution and TERRIFIC ending set the series finale up for greatness. Although we are left with a lot more questions than answers, I am sure D.J. will pull through. Now, how do we last the year or so until book 10?

(PS-I strongly recommend you read books 1-8 first, or you will not get ANY of this one.)