The Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham

“There is a 5th dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination.” It is an area which we find ourselves in the book, The Dead Boys, by Royce Buckingham.

Teddy Matthews, like any typical 12-year-old would, hates to be the new kid in town, especially in the middle of nowhere named Richland, Washington. He suspects his new hometown in the desert crawls with scorpions and hides rattlesnakes in every hole. His mom facetiously remarks that it’s the black widow spiders that actually get into houses that he should really worry about. She playfully winks at Teddy and encourages him to make the best of it. She calmly reassures him that there will be plenty of new kids to meet. On that point Teddy Matthews doesn’t need to worry. They were already looking for him.

As Teddy canvasses his new neighborhood, he discovers a dirt trail that leads him and his bike to Leslie Groves Park. A park is a good place to meet someone new. He runs into a boy named Albert. Albert is friendly enough, but he acts like a gopher constantly sensing trouble. Trouble soon arrives in the form of Henry Mulligan. Apparently, Henry Mulligan would like nothing more than to bully Albert and his new sidekick. Suddenly, a strange survival instinct kicks in and Albert commands Teddy to hop on his bike. Albert quickly concocts a plan to distract the bully by jumping into the river and then to swim for his escape while Teddy bikes towards town. They agree to meet up in town at the bookstore after Henry Mulligan is safely behind them. Yet, when Teddy arrives in town, no one seems to know about a bookstore. There hasn’t been a bookstore in Richland for at least ten years. When there's no sign of Albert, Teddy decides to take a chance and bikes back to the park to look for him. When he gets there, Leslie Groves Park isn’t the same. The bike trail is paved. Modern playground equipment has been installed. A brick building for bathrooms sits in the middle of the park where barely a blade of grass poked out of the sand just a few hours before. Did Teddy imagine the whole incident with Albert and the bully? He can't find Albert or Henry, but Teddy Matthews doesn't need to worry about that, the boys of Richland have found him.

Behind Teddy’s house, an unnaturally large Sycamore tree presides over the neighborhood like it gives the orders in these parts . Surprisingly, the tree looks in perfect health yet is surrounded by desert sand and dry weeds. One glance at it and you’d swear it has sucked out the life of everything around. Despite its healthy appearance the tree is thirsty, and it’s been a long ten years since the last time.

A thousand leaves, like a thousand hands, turn slightly to greet their new 12-year-old neighbor as he parks his bike, bewildered, and unsure of what he has just seen or not seen in the park. Teddy Matthews definitely needs to worry. The tree... is thirsty once again.

“You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension, a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas.” You’ve just crossed over into the book, The Dead Boys, by Royce Buckingham.



-(Intro and conclusion are from the classic TV show, The Twilight Zone, created by Rod Serling.)


If The Dead Boys sounds interesting to you, then you might also like, Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising, by Jason Henderson. If you are looking for a vampire story with a ton of action with a little less Bella and Edward, this might be worth a look.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

Tommy isn’t a stalker. He just needs to know the truth about Dwight.

Secrecy he must have.

Can you blame Tommy? The fact is, Dwight can go berserk at any moment. One time Miss Toner, the phy-ed teacher, sent Dwight to the equipment room to grab the dodge balls. Dwight didn’t come back. Luckily for Tommy, Miss Toner didn’t send him to search for Dwight. She sent Lance instead. When the one man search party named Lance found him, Dwight banged on the equipment door and screamed, “Squirrels! Come save me!” Undaunted, Lance easily opened the door that baffled Dwight. Dwight thought the door opened from the other direction. Cries for attention you think Dwight does.

Tommy isn’t a spy, he just needs to know the truth about Dwight. Collects evidence he does. Tommy discovered some crumpled notes that once belonged to Dwight. They look like referrals. I think you need to hear what they say. [read detention slips, pp. 76-77]

Can you believe it? Dwight wears an origami finger puppet at school! It obviously gets him in trouble with Mr. Howell. The puppet resembles Yoda from Star Wars. Dwight does a terrible impression of Yoda’s voice, but whenever Origami Yoda speaks Tommy’s classmates listen. Origami Yoda amazes them with incredibly sage advice on how to deal with their middle school issues. Origami Yoda offers this suggestion to a boy with a popularity problem: “Cheetos for everyone you must buy.” Well, everyone knows Dwight is completely nuts, but Origami Yoda, have the force he must. Tommy is incredulous that everyone treats them as two separate people or entities. Don't they know they are one in the same? You could say,"Fools rush in," or, “Rush in fools do,” but no matter how you say it, Origami Yoda would find a way to turn it into some golden nugget of wisdom.

Tommy isn't a stalker, spy or private eye. Tommy just wants to know the truth about a boy named Dwight. Tommy wonders how someone as crazy as Dwight is able to beguile all his friends. How can they think Origami Yoda is real? How can someone as loony as Dwight offer helpful advice to others when he can’t even help himself? ...Or can he?

Find out we must.

If you like funny school stories with a little Star Wars thrown in, then I would recommend, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger. Read this book you should.

To create your own Origami Yoda take a look at Tom Angleberger's demo on You Tube.



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Origami Yoda made me think about the book Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen. I'm not sure how it did. If you can explain this to me, please let me know.......

Bulu by Dick Houston

BULU : African Wonder Dog by Dick Houston

Book talk Part 1:

Our family dog is a Shih Tzu. If you know Shih Tzus then you know they are notorious for their fearless and independent ways. They act so tough it's as if they could take on a Great Dane. It’s no wonder Shih Tzus look and act like little lions. They were bred to live in Chinese palaces, little lions to inhabit the halls of emperors.

This summer I read in a local newspaper about a Shih Tzu that was on the loose. The normally fearless Shih Tzu named Gizmo had run away from home because it was averse to one thing: fireworks. On a balmy July night, Gizmo got spooked and tore off for the next county. He didn’t return. Gizmo’s family, friends, and neighbors looked everywhere. They called the humane society. They posted pictures. They waited.

Three weeks passed and then a telephone call renewed their hopes. The family rushed to a place just a few miles northwest of our school. The atrophied dog didn’t look like Gizmo. It had pokers sticking out, his ribs protruded like hoops, and one eye looked punctured. Behind the matted coat laced with sand burrs was Gizmo, but how had he survived? What dangers had he encountered? If Gizmo could tell us, his story would surely be a harrowing tale of adventure and survival.

To imagine what Gizmo experienced makes me think about a book called, BULU: African Wonder Dog, by Dick Houston.

Part 2:

Anna and Steve Tolan were warned not to have a pet in the African bush. They were forewarned that this would only lead to heartache. Pets are hardly ever seen in the African bush for a domesticated animal is an easy meal for a leopard, lion or crocodile. Yet, Steve and Anna heard about a farmer that had a litter of puppies for sale. They couldn’t resist a look.

Many people could probably tell you not to buy the last of the litter, and sure enough there was something odd about the part-terrier with a single spot on his back. The farmer told Steve and Anna that the dog was independent, unresponsive to people. However, to Steve there was something strangely familiar about this dog. He said, “You know, there’s a world of difference between personality and character. My mother always told me that still waters run deep.” This puppy had character. Like a little lion he was practically fearless.

[show pics on p. 5, 15]

The dog they named Bulu wasn’t dumb or unfriendly. In fact, Bulu would prove to do things that would seem impossible for most dogs. However, Bulu's life would be lived in world of constant danger. For example, Steve and Anna learned that Bulu’s mother had recently been killed by a croc. A visitor at the farm had thrown a stick into the river. The dog of course couldn’t resist and jumped into the water to fetch it back. As the dog swam back to shore with the stick in its mouth a croc pulled the dog under and spun into a death roll. You might wonder, as Steve and Anna did, if Bulu would face a similar fate one day?

If you like stories about dogs then I would like to recommend, Bulu: African Wonder Dog, by Dick Houston. It is the rare combination of a true story that reads like a suspense novel.