The Adventures of Ook and Gluk + Scholastic Giveaway

The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future by Dav Pilkey
published August 2010 by Scholastic
176 pages (hardcover), middle grade graphic novel
*copy received from publisher

Meet Ook and Gluk, best caveman friends who are always falling into adventures. They like playing the part of brave heroes, saving a dinosaur from sinking into quicksand, a cavewoman from an unappealing marriage to the Chief, and the whole of civilization from a man out to destroy the world to make a buck.

All I have to say is - kids are going to eat this book up. They'll rip it up, for sure. There are Flip-O-Rama pages in this book, which create seemingly animated scenes, that are destined to be torn to shreds. I'll be taping up those pages in advance.

As for the story, I have many mixed feelings. Obviously, the spelling irks me. Perhaps it's meant to be easy to read, to mimic kids' invented spellings, or whatever - I just don't think it has a place in published works. It gives students the idea that spelling really doesn't matter, and while I'd love to hop on that bandwagon, it's not exactly socially acceptable. But I digress.

What I absolutely loved about this book can be found in the following pages:

You see those arrows on page 9? I love them. Towards the beginning of the book, there were a few arrows to direct the reader to follow the story in the correct sequence. This is much appreciated because contrary to popular belief, not everyone just knows how to read comics.

I also liked the friendship between Ook and Gluk and their ease of making new friends. They had good hearts and wanted to help people, which is nice. But the violence! And the language! A bit too much name-calling for my taste - and I say this because I hear it every day in school, and I can't stand it. Another nasty habit I'd not like reinforced, thanks. The violence is minor, I suppose, but not really, because a kick or a punch is still violence, and again, I don't want to see it in school. But that's just my perspective. Maybe kids are just desensitized to it and won't even notice it the way I did (which I also think is sad, by the way), I don't know.

Anyhow, it seems like this book brought out a whole lot of social commentary in me, and I don't mean to sound so old and cranky. Know that kids will like it and will want more of it. And I do think there was a balance of what I liked and didn't like in it, so I'd certainly put it in one of my student's hands and hope for the best!

Three purple crayons from me - I suspect five from the kiddos. :)

SCHOLASTIC GIVEAWAY!
But that's not all! Along with sending me a shiny new copy of Ook & Gluk to review, they are also hosting a ginormous holiday giveaway. I'm sure you've seen these delectable prize packs among other kidlit blogs (I know I have!), so here I am offering you yet another chance to win this boatload of great holiday reads. Here's what Scholastic has to say about it:

Give the gift of reading to your child this holiday season! Scholastic books make the perfect stocking stuffer for any child on your list.

 

We have a HUGE prize pack filled with the most popular children’s books in the marketplace to offer one lucky reader! Titles include CAPTAIN SKY BLUE, IT’S CHRISTMAS DAVID, OOK and GLUK as well as TONY BALONEY, ODIOUS OGRE and I SPY CHRISTMAS A CHRISTMAS TREE!

 

Seriously, check out those books! To enter, you must have a U.S. mailing address. And that's about it. 

Fill out the form below for a chance to win! Contest ends Wednesday, December 8, 2010. 

Unsung YA Giveaway Winners!

Thanks to all who participated in the Unsung YA Giveaway! It's been a fairly painless first giveaway for me, and I'm eager to visit my new followers' blogs. :) Anyhow, here are the winners!

Michelle of Peaceful Reader wins Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Meghan of Meghan's Book Blog wins The Singer of All Songs by Kate Constable

Ruth of Book focus wins What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

Congratulations, winners! You have all been e-mailed - please e-mail back with your address.

Unsung YA Giveaway!

Remember back in January when Kelly of YAnnabe asked us to list some of the best YA books that may have been overlooked in the blog world, aka the Unsung YA list or The Best YA Books You Haven't Read? The response was fantastic, with over 70 bloggers contributing their own lists and with a promise of another Unsung week next year, focusing on different genres. Well, if you hadn't noticed, Kelly is full of great ideas, and here comes another one - her Great Unsung YA Giveaway! She's giving away 10 of the 12 most obscure books from this year's lists at her blog.

So, why do I share? Because Kelly's not the only one giving stuff away! She's invited other bloggers to host their own Unsung YA Giveaways, and I just so happened to think that was a wonderful idea. I've never had a giveaway myself, but I thought I'd try it out!

I'm giving away two books from my original list and one book that I should have chosen but made it to several others' lists. And they are...

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

The Singer of All Songs by Kate Constable

To enter, just fill in the form below. Three winners will be chosen randomly. Open to anyone and everyone. And the contest will end the same time as Kelly's - Monday, April 12, at midnight CST.