Whenever I find a book I really love, I immediately start thinking about who I can give the book to, after I read it.

So…today is the first day of the KidzBookBuzz.com’s book tour for the wonderful history book cum rag mag for enquiring minds, The Raucous Royals, and I want to have a contest.

It’s not the kind of book I normally give away–it’s not a novel that made me laugh and cry. It’s a book of facts laid out in an interesting format, with wonderful illustrations and hilarity throughout. It’s beautifully crafted, a joy to read, and I want to pass it on.

And since I love the little poetry contests I’ve been having, I have to combine this one with poetry. Pick any historical figure and write a poem about him or her.

This is almost impossible for me since I’m not a history buff. But here’s my effort.

Good King Wenceslaus looked out…

I’m Henry the eighth, I am. Henry the eighth I am, I am.

OK here we go–to the beat of Humpty Dumpty…kind of.

Little Georgie had a fine ax,
Little Georgie’s morals were lax,
When he chopped down his dad’s cherry tree,
he lied through his teeth and said, “‘Twasn’t me.”

OK give me a poem by midnight EST Monday, December 8. That way I can get the book to you in time for Christmas. I’ll pick the winner and mail the book on Tuesday, December 9th. If you have a middle school teacher in your life, or if you have middle school kids, or homeschooling families, this will make a great gift.

And, yes, the flavor of Raucous Royals is irreverent so extra points will be given to feechie-flavored poems this time. Come up with a good poem about the queen who used puppy urine to whiten her teeth and you’ll be a shoo-in.

Tomorrow I’ll give you my review of this book, written and illustrated by Carlyn Beccia. in the mean time go and visit other bloggers on the tour.

01 Charger, the 160acrewoods, A Mom Speaks, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, The Friendly Book Nook, The Hidden Side of a Leaf, Homeschool Buzz, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Our Big Earth, Quiverfull Family, Reading is My Superpower, SmallWorld Reads, SMS Book Reviews

I come limping into the third day of the Something Wicked Blog Tour…well that’s not true. I’m not even limping, I’m reclining. My back went out, so I’m staying down today, posting in a Vicodin haze.

But that’s one of the greatest thing about the Internet, you can still interact, even in your pj’s.

So here I sit, drugged and mellow, and ready to thrill you all with my philosophy on what makes for good reading.

I’ve said a lot about the content of this particular Gratz book having more teen sex in it than I like to read, but we all have different thresholds for these things. I certainly don’t think there is anything sinful about reading books written by people with nonChristian worldviews. I read such books all the time. I think there is great value in the practice, actually. We are living in the world and we aren’t called to separate ourselves from it.

We are called not to love the same things that the world loves, but reading well-written books by nonChristians doesn’t constitute loving what the world loves. The question for me is always: Did I get my time’s worth from this book? When I read or go to a movie I’m investing a block of precious time. I want to choose my books and movies carefully.

Sometimes, like when I’m on Vicodin, I like to watch movies that will just entertain me. There is some value in entertainment, I think. But with all the good books and movies out there, why not pick something that enlarges me intellectually, emotionally, or spiritually even while it entertains me?

So did Gratz’s book do any of that? He said in one interview, “I’m not writing Deep, Meaningful Books here.” But I think we can get meaning out of the books all the same. And they have value beyond his meaning, too. To me, these two Horatio Wilkes mysteries had value because I’m a wannabe writer and Alan’s a very good writer, with a cadence and wit to his prose that I’d like to learn. They also had value in that they educated me a little on Shakespeare. They had entertainment value because Horatio is a fun, likable kid. Then they made me think about teen sex, and the world we live in, and it’s always good to think about culture and how we are to interact with it.

In the end any book we read can have value if we think about what we’ve read. It’s only mindless reading that is dangerous and destructive, I think. As my friend Becky Miller likes to point out, we have to read with discernment. We have to look at what we’ve read and not allow things to slip in unnoticed. If we do that, then almost anything can be turned to profit.

But the really great thing for you is that right now you can check out Horatio yourself, free of charge. Spend a few minutes with him and see if you want to spend a few hours with him, listening to his story. You can read the entire first book, Something Rotten, online for free. Go check it out for yourself.

J. Scott Savage has organized a blog tour for his middle grade fantasy novel, Farworld: Water Keep. The official release date is September 12, but Amazon says they have it in stock now, so feel free to head on over and buy your own copy right away.

I’ll be talking about the book for the next three days. Today I’m posting my review of the book–I liked it a lot. Tomorrow I’ve invited Mr. Savage to come down to Atlanta for an interview. I’m to meet him at the Georgia Aquarium–he’s been traveling all over the world giving interviews, and I’m thrilled that he has time to fit me into his schedule. On day three I’ll be linking to some of my favorites among those many interviews and I’ll also tell you how you can get a free signed ARC of this delightful book from Mr. Savage.

So for today, go read my review, and go visit Mr. Savage’s blog–great thoughts there on writing and life, I think, he calls himself shallow, but don’t you believe it–but be sure to come back tomorrow and Wednesday for more fun stuff here.