Reading Regatta Update Week 5: Sabotage!

[Brady]: Wow, Book Sailors, we’re back with more Point Break Selections and the latest tally for the Reading Regatta. How many points do you have, Auntie Obvs.?

[Auntie Obvious]: I regret to inform our fellow Book Sailors that you and the MommyLorian sabotaged my reading efforts this week, so I have zero new points!

[Brady]: Whaaaaaaaaaa?

[Obvs.]: You guys gave me that 3D Baby Yoda puzzle, which was super adorbs, but also really, really, hard. So I did not finish any books this week! I’m still at 1,000 points.

[Brady]: That’s totally your own fault that it took you forever to finish the puzzle. I finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at the airport on the way home from vacation, and I’m halfway through Prisoner of Azkaban, putting me at a total of 2,100. Unfortunately, I didn’t read my own Point Break Selections last week, so no extra points for that!

[Obvs.] I’m partway through reading Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller, which tells the story of how Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus met! And then I’m super excited to read Shadow of the Sith by Adam Christopher, which just came out!

[Brady]: That one’s gonna be so awesome! Let’s tell everyone what the Point Break selections are for this week! Mine is Tom and Harry 4: Little Red Riding Hood.

[Obvs.]: Mine is the written version of the new Power Monkey, which I just posted today. If you listened to the Power Monkey audio book last week, then you get free choice for a Point Break selection!

[Brady]: Thank you all for checking out this week’s update! Keep reading, Sail on!

Baby Yoda 3D 500 piece puzzle: super adorable? Or sabotage? Maybe it’s both!

Reading Regatta Update Week 4: Brady’s Back, Baby!

Hey there Book Sailors! Brady was out for a few days, but he has returned!!

[Auntie Obvious]: Welcome back. I posted the Point Break selections while you were out. You’re welcome.

[Brady]: Dude, you totally picked your own stories. With great power comes great responsibility.

[Auntie Obvious]: UNLIMITED POWER!!!!!! MUAHAHA! Ahem. I mean, why don’t you go ahead and pick both Point Break selections for this week?

[Brady]: Great idea! This week’s Point Break Selections are (1) your choice of a PodSailing Podcast and (2) my brand new Power Monkey audio book (or you can read the story version of Power Monkey as soon as Auntie Obvious stops messing around and gets it posted on the website).

[Auntie Obvious]: You know this stuff would get posted faster if you would hire an assistant for me. So, anyway, what are your point totals so far? I have 1,000 points. I got 250 each for Alex Segura’s Poe Dameron: Free Fall, William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Kevin Shinick’s Force Collector, and E.L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – one of my FAVORITE books when I was a kid.

[Brady]: I have 1,600 Points. Three weeks of the Point Break at 200 each, plus 500 for Rick Riordan’s The Burning Maze and 500 for J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone.

[Auntie Obvious]: Dude, you read the British version?

[Brady]: Yep. British punctuation is weird. No offense to our fans in Britain!

[Auntie Obvious]: Cheerio, Book Sailors!

[Brady]: Dude…

Reading Regatta Week 3: We LOVE Comic Books!

Hey, Book Sailors! Auntie Obvious here. Brady was under the weather this week, so we aren’t going to recap our point totals, but we do have some exciting news! When we raised the minimum page count for the “cruising” category to 100, we totally weren’t thinking about how that would leave out comic books! NOOOOOOOOOO! (Said in a Luke Skywalker voice.)

So here are the new point totals, including new categories for comic books! As always, let us know in the comments what YOU are reading!

Tier	Pages	Kids	Adults
Cruising	100-200	100	50
Rowing	201-599	500	250
White Water Rafting	600+	1,000	500
Splash Page: Small Splash	Any Single Comic	30	15
Splash Page: Tsunami	Any “Collected” Edition	60	30

In Brady’s absence, I will be choosing both of this week’s Point Break selections! UNLIMITED POWER!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Ahem. So anyway, this week’s selections are “Missing the Mark: An Auntie Obvious Adventure” and YOUR CHOICE of any of the “Legends of Brady the Book Sailor” stories! Remember, this is for KIDS ONLY, and gives you and extra 200 Points if you read both selections!

Keep Reading…Sail On!!!

Reading Regatta Update and Week #2 Point Break Selections!

[Brady]: Ha, ha! You said #2.

[Auntie Obvious]: Dude. I need you to focus here.

[Brady]: (Still laughing). I sure hope everyone is having fun so far with the Reading Regatta 2022! How about we share our scores?

[Auntie]: Great! I’ll also put the scoring at the bottom of this post, so everyone can calculate their own scores! Anyway, I have 5,000 points.

[Brady]: Truthfully?

[Auntie Obvious]: Oopsies! How did that extra “0” get in there? Truthfully, I have 500 Grownup points for reading Alex Segura’s Poe Dameron Free Fall and Kevin Shinick’s Force Collector!

[Brady]: I have 1,200 points! I have 500 Kid points each for Poe Dameron Free Fall and Rick Riordan’s The Burning Maze, plus the 200 points for last week’s Point Break.

[Auntie]: Hey, speaking of the Point Break, let’s talk about our two selections for the week! Mine is “The Kind Little Truck Meets the Big RV” because I think people planning their summer vacations will really enjoy it!

[Brady]: I was working on my decision, when I got a postcard from GrapeB the Friendly Pirate! So I am going to go with his suggestion of Aqua Dolphin, because it is actually a really good suggestion!

Postcard from GrapeB the Friendly Pirate!

Postcard text: Hey Brady, I am here with my Point Break. It is Aqua Dolphin. Signed, GrapeB

[Auntie]: Keep Reading, Sail On!

[Brady]: Hey, that’s my line! Remember to count up your points and tell us in the comments what YOU are reading!

Tier	Pages	Kids	Adults
Cruising	100-200	100	50
Rowing	201-599	500	250
White Water Rafting	600+	1,000	500

Point Break (kids only): Give yourself an extra 200 points if you read (or listen to) the two selections for the week!

New categories added on 6/15/22 (Week 3) to include comic books!

Splash Page: Small Splash	Any Single Comic	30	15
Splash Page: Tsunami	Any “Collected” Edition	60	30

Reading Regatta 2022 Kickoff!

Hey, Book Sailors! Today is the official kickoff for the 2022 Reading Regatta! You can find the scoring options below, or for a full refresher on the rules, check out this post: Summer Smackdown Reading Regatta 2022!

Tier	Pages	Kids	Adults
Cruising	100-200	100	50
Rowing	201-599	500	250
White Water Rafting	600+	1,000	500

Updated 6/15/22 to include Comic Books!

Splash Page: Small Splash	Any Single Comic	30	15
Splash Page: Tsunami	Any “Collected” Edition	60	30

Brady is starting off with Rick Riordan’s The Burning Maze, and Auntie Obvious is starting off with Poe Dameron Free Fall by Alex Segura (which Brady will be reading after he finishes The Burning Maze) and then Force Collector by Kevin Shinick.

Whatever you are reading TODAY counts as your first book! Plus, remember that KIDS ONLY get an extra 200 points if you read both of our Point Break Brady the Book Sailor story selections!

For week 1, Brady’s selection is Robot Snowman 5: The Last Snowman and Auntie Obvious has picked Power Monkey in Quarantine!

We hope you enjoy this fun summer contest! Leave us a comment to let us know what you are reading!

— Brady the Book Sailor and Auntie Obvious.

Reading Regatta 2022 Update

Hey Book Sailors! The 2022 Reading Regatta starts in one week! Are you ready?

[Brady]: Some of you have been wondering what happens if you are in the middle of a book on June 1st. Good news! You totally get to count it!

[Auntie Obvious]: WOO HOO! Because I am reading a book called Count of Monte Cristo that is 1,276 pages! And I am going to wait to read the last page until June 1st!

[Brady]: First, that’s kind of cheating. And I know you already finished the book because you wouldn’t stop talking about how hard it was. Blah, blah, blah.

[Auntie Obvious]: Whaaaaaaa? I was totally talking about a different book. OK, never mind. Busted.

[Brady]: No idea how that became such a beloved classic.

[Auntie Obvious]: Word. Actually lots of words. Lots and lots and lots of words.

[Brady]: Anyway, Book Sailors, I hope you are excited for everything! Remember the first Point Break – where you get bonus points for reading two of my specially selected original stories – drops on June 1st!

Summer Smackdown Reading Regatta 2022!

Ahoy, Mateys! It’s summertime! And the Reading Regatta has returned! A regatta is a boat race, but this is a reading race! Here’s how it works:

Start Date: Wednesday, June 1st
End Date: Wednesday, August 10th

How to Earn Points: Grab your Magic Purple Library Card (OK, just a regular library card will do) and start reading! Invite your friends and family to participate, and earn points for each book based on the system below. This year, we’ve made it a bit harder by tweaking the points and bumping up the Cruising category to 100-200 pages! Sorry kids, no more counting those Little Golden Books! Time to step it up!

Tier	Pages	Kids	Adults
Cruising	100-200	100	50
Rowing	201-599	500	250
White Water Rafting	600+	1,000	500

Two new categories added on 6/15/22 to include Comic Books!

Splash Page: Small Splash	Any Single Comic	30	15
Splash Page: Tsunami	Any “Collected” Edition	60	30

Kids get a special new advantage this year called Point Break: each week, we’ll highlight two stories and/or audiobooks from BradyTheBookSailor.com – and if you read (or listen) to both of them, give yourself an extra 200 points!

[Auntie Obvious]: Hey, what special advantage do grownups get?

[Brady]: Free Will.

[Auntie Obvious]: Seriously? So I can just decide to not pay my electric bill?

[Brady]: I’ll let you ponder that one by yourself. Say, what did you get for prizes this year?

[Auntie Obvious]: Dude. I told you we don’t have a budget for prizes. But reading is fun and “builds character”. That’s what your grandpa used to tell the MommyLorian and me every time we had to do something hard.

[Brady]: Get me a Twinkie. It will build character.

[Auntie Obvious]:

[Auntie Obvious]:

[Auntie Obvious]: Remind me not to tell you any more stuff.

[Brady]: Don’t count on it.

[Brady and Auntie Obvious]: We at least agree that the Reading Regatta will be super fun! Let us know what you are reading, and keep us posted on your points by leaving us comments throughout the summer!

The Finish Line: Summer Smackdown Reading Regatta!

Hey, Book Sailors! The Summer Smackdown Reading Regatta has reached the finish line…and you will NOT believe who won! (OK, you might.)

Here is the reading list and point total for Brady:

• J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (500)
• J.K Rowling – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (500)
• J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (500)
• J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (1,000)
• J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (1,000)
• J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (1,000)
• J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Death Hallows (1,000)
• Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (500)
• Justina Ireland – Spark of the Resistance (500)
• Rae Carson – Rise of Skywalker Novelization (500)

For a grand total of…7,000 points!!!!

And here is the list and point totals for Auntie Obvious:

• J.R.R. Tolkien – The Hobbit (250)
• J.R.R. Tolkien – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (500)
• Cavan Scott – The Rising Storm (250)
• Justina Ireland – Out of the Shadows (250)
• Daniel José Older – Race to Crashpoint Tower (250)
• Rebecca Roanhorse – Race to the Sun (250)
• Patrick DeWitt – Undermajordomo Minor (250)
• Madeleine L’Engle – A Wind in the Door (250)
• Susan Meissner – The Nature of Fragile Things (250)

For a grand total of…2,500 points! Oh, wait. We have to add in the 3,250 pity points that Brady gave to Auntie Obvious to make the contest more interesting. So that’s a total of 5,750 points!

So the reigning champion of the First Annual Summer Smackdown Reading Regatta is…Auntie Obvious!

[Brady: Are you sure you did the math right, Auntie Obvious?]

[Auntie Obvious: Um….it appears that my math was right, but I might have made a teeeeensy typo and misspelled “Brady” as “Auntie Obvious”. It could happen to anyone. Anyway, well, done, my Book Sailing friend! What are you with all your winnings?]

[Brady: We didn’t have a budget for prize money, remember? How about you give me one Twinkie, and a Snips* plus a refill?]

[Auntie Obvious: OK, done.]

We hope you enjoyed the Summer Smackdown Reading Regatta. Come back next summer, when it will be bigger and better!

[Brady: Does that mean prize money?]

[Auntie Obvious: No. I just thought that sounded good.]

Keep Reading…Sail On!

*A Sprite Zero and Orange Juice – we call it a “Snips” because it is orange, and we both love Ahsoka Tano.

Reading Regatta Update

Ahoy, mateys! We thought we’d pop in to give you an update on the Summer Smackdown Reading Regatta!

Brady: So far, I’ve read Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and I’ve started Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Oh, and so far my kickstarter, I got to count Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Auntie Obvious: Well, I just finished reading The Hobbit, and I’ve started on The Fellowship of the Ring. BOOM! 250 Points! WOOOHOOOO! How many points have YOU earned so far, Brady?

Brady: About 3,500.

Auntie Obvious:

Auntie Obvious:

Auntie Obvious: Ok. Well done, then.

Brady: How about if we change the rules?

Auntie Obvious: Why would we change the rules?

Brady: Because I’m totally eating your lunch. We should make it competitve.

Auntie Obvious: OK, I’m listening. What do you have in mind?

Brady: I’ll give you 3,250 bonus points, which makes us tied.

Auntie Obvious: What’s the catch?

Brady: Two Twinkies.

Auntie Obvious: Nope. How about half a Twinkie?

Brady: One Twinkie.

Auntie Obvious: OK. Pleasure doing business with you, Sir.

Let us know in the comments how you are doing with your summer reading! If you missed the start of the Summer Smackdown Reading Regatta, you can pick your own start and end date! Kids, if you have challenged a grownup and you are totally eating their lunch, maybe give them some extra points to make it more interesting!

Summer Smackdown Reading Regatta!

Ahoy, Mateys! It’s summertime! And we have a special challenge: the First Annual Brady The Book Sailor Summer Smackdown Reading Regatta! A regatta is a boat race, but this will be a reading race! Here’s how it works:

Start Date: Monday, May 31st
End Date: Sunday, August 8th

How to Earn Points: Grab your Magic Purple Bookmark (OK, just a regular bookmark will do) and start reading! Invite your friends and family to participate, and earn points for each book based on the system below.

Tier	Pages	Kids	Adults
Cruising	1-100	100	50
Rowing	101-599	500	250
White Water Rafting	600+	1,000	500

Bonus Kickstart for Kids: Kids get to count the last two books that they read before the start date!

[Auntie Obvious: What do Adults get?]

[Brady: You get to choose your own bedtime.]

[Auntie Obvious: And who designed those points? A kid?]

[Brady: Correct. You got a problem with the points? Scared you might get left in my wake?]

[Auntie Obvious: No way! Let’s do this thing!]

[Brady: It is on like Donkey Kong!]

[Auntie Obvious: Do you even know what Donkey Kong is?]

[Brady: Uh, oh. Here comes Auntie’s sad story about how she had to write reports without the Internet and how she had to get up and walk to the television to change the channel.]

[Auntie Obvious: Right. And there were only four of them.]

[Brady: Hey, what’s the prize?]

[Auntie Obvious: We don’t have prizes in the budget, but reading is its own reward. If the top point-getters would like, we’ll give them a shout-out in a future blog post.]

[Brady and Auntie: Ladies and gentlemen, OPEN YOUR BOOKS!!!!!!!]

Let us know what you are reading, and keep us posted on your points by leaving us comments throughout the summer!

[Brady: Come on kids, let’s show those adults who’s boss!]