Hunger Games Review Coming Sometime This Weekend! :) - Jake

Mythology, Wating, And More...... A Little Summary Of My Visit With Rick Riordan

1500+(I think the approximate total was 1539, including me), braved a severe thunderstorm, a tornado watch and at least several hours of waiting to meet the famous author, Rick Riordan. When I got to the St. Louis County Library HQ around 6:45 PM, I thought all hope of getting to meet him and getting my book signed was lost. Five Hundred crowded the building inside, and at least a thousand more circled the building. WOW! was the only word coming out of my mouth. I was told at 5:45 PM, the line circled into the parking lot. I joined the line anyway, and just then, rain began to fall.

Apparently, we were enduring a severe thunderstorm, and were under a tornado warning. YIKES! I stood out in the rain for at least an hour and a half. When I got in, I waited another 3 hours to get my books(7 of them!) signed. When I got up to him(I've been waiting for that moment for years, trust me), he said he recognized me. I was confused at first, but then I remember, I was a Demigod Of The Week last year. He said I grew a little(honestly, I don't see it, not yet anyway), and told me Thanks for being a loyal and die hard fan, which I am! And for those who don't recognize it, try standing in a crowd of 1500 plus people, all drenched and sopping wet(I swear to gods, those clothes still aren't dry!), just to meet one person! Thanks, Rick! He also said that he is planning to release a new Camp Half-Blood Series next year, but is now also working with Egyptian Mythology too. Both of the new series' are planned to release around the same time next year.

Meeting Rick ranks #1(so far), in the highlights of my life. He's a very talented author with a lot of good skill, and if I don't ever get to meet him again, I wish him the best.

Rick Riordan wrote about his STL expereince on his blog:

I think the Saint Louis crowd caught everyone by surprise.

The county library was prepared for 900 and could hold 1000, which seemed like plenty to me. When we arrived at the library, however, it had already filled to capacity and a line of five hundred more people snaked around the building. More than fifteen hundred people showed up in all – wow. Thanks to those who heard the presentation, and especially to the hundreds who couldn’t get it and could only do the signing line. On top of everything, the area was under a storm and tornado warning! Fortunately everyone got inside before the rain started.

Favorite moment from the night: A crowd of girls dressed in costume (Bianca, Thalia, Percy, Annabeth, etc.) asked me this question: “If Percy can talk to horses and control water, does that mean Annabeth can talk to owls and control olives?” LOL. Fear me. I control the mighty black olive! Another thought-provoking question I’d never had before: Would I rather be a god, demigod or mortal? Interesting. I’m still thinking about that one. I met more school groups than I could count. Librarians and teachers came from all over the state. Families had traveled from Jefferson City, Springfield, Indiana and even Chicago to attend the signing. Thanks to the Saint Louis County Library staff for managing the huge crowd so well, and thanks for everyone who waited through the three-hour signing line with such patience.

Here’s a blog from the Post-Dispatch about the event, which they are speculating might be the largest Saint Louis book signing ever for a single author.

I'll send some pics from the event soon. Stay tuned!

PS: Oh, and one more thing! This is probably one of the longest posts I've ever written, so tell me if I did something wrong. I mean, lets face it, not everybody has perfect hands

The Hunger Games & Catching Fire!

I going to a half-off book sale at a Scholastic Warehouse tonight, and I'm for cetain getting The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. It's a book I've been trying to get for months, and if I like it, I'm getting the sequel, Catching Fire, when it comes out on September 1!

Disney In Shadow

Revealed sometime this past month, the title for the third Kingdom Keepers book(KK3, as people call it), is titled Disney In Shadow. It will be approximately 547 pages long, primarily take place at Epcot, and is rumored to be releasing in either August, October, or right now, September 15th of this year. More details will be posted as I find them!

The Dangers Of Cyberbulling

Let's face it, not all writing sends a good message. Like stuff posted on MySpace.

If you don't live in the St. Louis area, then you need to know about a girl named Megan Meyers. Megan was an average teenager, who was diagnosed with depression. She met a person named Josh Evans on MySpace. "Josh" was nice to her at first, but in one day, hurt Megan's feelings so much that when her parents got home, hung herself in her bedroom closet. It was discovered that the MySpace account was fake, and a family friend, Lori Drew, was has been sentenced to 3 years in prison. Lori probably thought she was doing the right thing, she was trying to find out if Megan was talking about her daughter behind her back. And she went about it the wrong way.

Today, Megan's mother, Tina Meyers, came to our school to talk to our student body about the dangers of Cyberbulling. I strongly back her. So if someone wants to talk to you on the Internet, and don't know them, don't even respond, and leave them out of your life. Because you never know who's on the other side.

Last Olympian Book Review

In this thrilling last novel in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians Series, Percy and friends find themselves finally going head to head with the evil Titan Lord, Kronos.
All your questions about the series are finally answered:

- The spy at Camp Half-Blood was, believe it or not, Silena Beauregard. Somehow, Luke got to her sometime between The Lightning Thief and The Sea Of Monsters, and convinced her to work for him. She dies right after she reveals the secret.

- The Oracle once lived inside a beautiful maiden, but when she became the Oracle almost 50 years before The Last Olympian, Hades was upset(see fact below), and put a curse on the next Oracle to stay like that forever. However, toward the end of the book, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, somehow, someway, convinced Chiron to make her become the next Oracle.

- Nico's mother's name is Maria di Angelo. Zues killed her, causing Hades to go into rage and curse the Oracle.

- The prophecy surrounding Percy's Sixteenth Birthday was on a necklace around the Oracle neck during the whole series.

- It was stated that the true last Olympian was the goddess Hestia.

- Who is the true hero in this story? Percy, you say? No. It's really, perpare for a shock: Luke. The war concludes with Luke struggling to release Kronos from his body, and Percy hands him the knife. Luke didn't want to be evil, and he had finally, finally, realized the error of his ways. He knew what he had to do. He stabbed himself in the chest, killing himself to save Olympus, but in the process, put Kronos in the right place: Tartarus.

- And for those who have been itching to know. Percy and Annabeth do get together. Happy Ending. Yay.

There are many more facts I didn't share, read the book to find them! 5 Stars! It's an epic finish to a fantastical series!

Farewell To Percy

Alas, all good things must come to an end. Such is the case of Percy Jackson Series, with The Last Olympian, the final book in the series, being published today. While this is a time of rejoicing for me, knowing that all of my questions will be answered, but a sad day because my favorite series is coming to an end. It SUCKS! I mean, it like you know rocks because I think 5 is an awsome number to end at, but I was hoping for at least 7 books.

Well, I going to go buy my copy now, before they're sold out. I'll post a spoiler later this week!

BORDERS OR BARNES & NOBLE: WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE?

Juvie Three Book Review

BARNES & NOBLE Synopsis-

Gecko Fosse drove the getaway car.

Terence Florian ran with the worst gang in Chicago.

Arjay Moran killed someone.

All three boys are serving time in juvenile detention centers until they get a second chance at life in the form of Douglas Healy. A former juvenile delinquent himself, Healy is running an experimental halfway house in New York City where he wants to make a difference in the lives of kids like Gecko, Terence, and Arjay.

Things are going well, until one night Healy is accidentally knocked unconscious while trying to break up a scuffle among the boys. Terrified of the consequences, they drop him off at a hospital and run away. But when Healy awakes, he has no memory of them or the halfway house. Afraid of being sent back to Juvie, the guys hatch a crazy scheme to continue on as if the group leader never left. They will go to school, do their community service, attend therapy, and act like model citizens until Healy's memory returns and he can resume his place with them.

But life keeps getting in the way...like when Gecko finds romance. Or Arjay gets famous. Or Terence starts reverting to his old ways. If the boys are discovered, their second chance will be their last.

-249 PAGES/34 CHAPTERS

JAKE'S RATING - 4 STARS (Appropriate for Grades 7 & Up)

Percy And WSJ!

Read About Percy in the Wall Street Journal