Hey all. Happy Friday! I hope you had a good week and have an even better weekend all set and ready to roar. Lots of good questions in this week’s mailbag, so let’s get to it!

Q: What is your fave animal?
— Sinead

CB: That’s a tough one. I think a lot of people like to see themselves in their favourite animals, which is probably why I loved giraffes as a kid. (Have I mentioned I’ve always been a bit gangly? Just like giraffes!)

I posed this question to OWL staffers Mandy and Susan as well. It turns out Mandy loves pandas. (Though she doesn’t like being called “Mandy Pandy.” So don’t even go there.) When I asked Susan, she said, “The puppy.” Then she changed her answer to the leopard. If only there was such a thing as a “puppy leopard.” Best of both worlds, right?

Q: How do you get ideas for your blog?
— Isabelle

CB: Um, I sort of steal ideas from the magazine. We never have enough room in OWL to print all the good stuff we find out about, so there’s always some left over for the blog. For instance, my post earlier this week about Energy Conservation Week. We found out about it too late to talk about it in the OWL Calendar, so I snapped the idea right up and blogged about it. Neat, huh?

Q: Hey, Craig. I was wondering what position do you play in your basketball league?
— Tyler

CB: Hey, Tyler. Thanks for the question! You know I’m always dying to talk about my basketball league…

Anyway, I play centre or power forward. I’m the guy who sets up closest to the basket on offense and defense. I love rebounding and blocking shots, but I don’t tend to take a lot of long jump shots or dribble the ball up the floor. Good thing, too. Short shots are much easier!

Q: Guess what you guys! I JUST made it farther on my game! Now I’m at Canalave City and made it through Iron island. Anyone know what I have to do now?
— Emily

CB: Hmm. I think you’re supposed to go into the first house you see and talk to the girl near the door. Apparently, this is the level you battle Rival! At a bridge! Eventually you go into some sort of gym…

(A confession: I have no idea what I’m talking about. I just asked around and did some research on the internet. You were talking about Pokemon Pearl, right, Emily? If not, um, maybe just ignore everything I’ve said.)

Q: Does OWL stand for anything?
— Emily 9

CB: Oh, man. What a great question. I don’t think OWL stands for anything other than, you know, owls, but I wish it did! In fact, I’m going to come up with a couple acronyms right now:

Otters
Walk
Lightly

Or maybe:

Observation
Without
Limitation

Huh. We certainly like to observe things at the magazine, but the second one sounds kind of like a protest chant, no? Anyone else have an idea on what OWL could stand for?

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That’s it for me, guys. Photo shoot for the September cover this afternoon, and then off for the weekend. Talk to you next week!

Craig, owlblog@owlkids.com

P.S. Hey, speaking of puppies, have you guys ever heard of the Puppy Bowl? Apparently, it takes place on Animal Planet during the Super Bowl every January. Puppies run around a small football field, and… that’s it. There’s even an MVP (Most Valuable Puppy). Check it out:

Thanks to Suzanne and Ryan for telling me about this!

Hey everyone. Happy Energy Conservation Week! A little while back, OWL blog reader Emily posted a comment that said:

“I was wondering if you could suggest any good sites for kids who are environmentally conscious to go on to. I would love to get to know some environmental issues that I can help out with!”

Then someone sent me a link to a cool enviro-conscious website. And voila! Question answered. The site features some cool tips on what you can do at home to lower your energy consumption. You can also find out your electric personality and watch a video featuring Canadian pop star Nelly Furtado.

You may also recognize some of the illustrations on there. The artist is Dave Whamond. He illustrates “Weird Zone” in OWL every month, and also draws “Did You Know” in chickaDEE.

Cool!

Craig, owlblog@owlkids.com

It was a great week for comments on the blog. Tons of movie, music, book, and video game talk, and lots of opinions! Also, lots of questions from Frank, an OWL blog reader from way back. Frank posted so many good questions, this mailbag is dedicated pretty much entirely to him.

Here we go:

Q: I was just wondering if you could tell us a few things that are coming up in the Summer Digest issue of OWL? It’s always my personal favourite issue!
— Frank

CB: No problem, Frank. The Summer Digest is one of my favourites too. We just finished sending the issue to the printers, and there’s a lot of great stuff in it. As usual, there are loads of puzzles: quizzes, word puzzles, sudokus, etc. There’s a bunch of cool DIY stuff as well, including how to make some cool duct-tape wristbands and set up your own disc golf course. There’s even an awesome you-decide story called “Kentucky Bob and the City of Fire.” Something for everyone? You bet!

Q: Craig, do you know how I could get my books published?
— Frank

CB: “Books,” Frank? Plural? Wow. It’s a tough question because there are so many writers around the world asking themselves the same thing. (Just like there are lots of singers who want record deals, and actors and actresses waiting for their big breaks.)

Let people read your stories and ask them for feedback. There’s no such thing as a perfect writer, and even the very best writers get edited. If someone has a suggestion for one of your stories, don’t get discouraged! Persevere, keep working on your stories, and build a fanbase of your friends and family.

Here are a couple essays from Christopher Paolini, author of the Inheritance books (including Eragon and Eldest, and soon to include Brisingr). As you probably know, he started writing those books when he was really young. In the essays, he talks a lot about how he writes and how he got his books published. Neat stuff.

Q: Does anyone have a favourite website that I should try?
— Frank

CB: Sure, Frank. Thanks for asking. My favourite website: www.zombo.com. It’s completely ridiculous, but totally funny.

Q: When am I going to get my June issue of OWL? I still haven’t gotten it yet!
— Frank

CB: Hey Frank! It’s been too long… You can expect your June issue any time now. I asked around and it turns out issues were mailed to Canadian subscribers on May 16. Check your mailbox right now! I bet your copy of OWL is in there.

Q: Where can I get the Max Finder Collected Casebooks? I can’t seem to find them at any bookstore or library.
— Frank

CB: Well, Frank, you should be able to find them at your local bookstore in the kids’ graphic novel section. I usually see them packed in next to the Hardy Boys and Sweet Valley High graphic novel adaptations. And you can always find them on the Owlkids online store.

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That’s it for this week, guys! I’d like to end off by wishing Susan, OWL’s art director, a super-happy birthday. Rock on, Suze! Hope you’re enjoying the day off…

Craig, owlblog@owlkids.com

P.S. Send in your questions and I’ll answer them in next Friday’s mailbag!

Well, it’s officially blockbuster season at the movie theatres. This coming weekend brings us Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Last weekend it was The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

OWL blog reader Sinead saw Caspian opening night and already lists the movie as one of her faves. Wow! I saw it on Monday afternoon (three cheers for long weekends!). Though I didn’t like it as much as the first movie in the series, I still got swept up in the Pevensie siblings’ struggles to save Narnia from an evil king. I can definitely recommend it for fans of the series, but be warned: there is a lot of fighting, flying arrows, swordplay, etc.

Also, one last thing: does any movie out there not have a corresponding online game you can play? Here is one on Mini Clip for Caspian. It’s an archery game, and it’s pretty tough. And, if you’re looking for Indiana Jones stuff, check this out. Or this.

Talk to you on Friday!

Craig, owlblog@owlkids.com

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. No, it’s a plane. No, it’s the weekly OWL mailbag featuring YOU, the OWL blog readers. I look forward to it all week, and I hope you guys do too. Awesome:

Q: Hey Craig! How did you decide you wanted to become a writer?
— Emily

CB: That’s a great question. You know, it’s not even something I remember deciding. At some point I just started writing stories, and then I became a big reader, and then I started working for my high school newspaper. I always liked school, but eventually English classes became my favourite. By the time I got to university, writing was all I wanted to do. That’s why I’m so happy to work at OWL. I get to write all sorts of things (stories, comics, puzzles, etc.) for you guys!

Q: When are you going to change “Craig’s Picks” to some new books, movies, and video games?
— Madison

CB: I don’t know. Do you guys look at those picks? Would you look at them more if I actually updated them once in a while? Anyway, you know what movie I absolutely loved? Iron Man. It’s pretty heavy in the beginning and it might not be for everyone, but I love comic book movies in general and this is one of the best to come out in a long time. While we’re on the subject, here’s a link to an Iron Man online game.

Also, last week I asked you guys for your fave music picks and I didn’t get a single response. (What?!) Is anyone out there a fan of music? Anyone at all?

Q: Is it hard being the editor?
— Katherine

CB: Um, sometimes? It takes a little getting used to, but I’ve got lots of great people to work with. Like Mandy. And Jackie. And Susan. And Deb. We all help each other out a lot (especially when we’re not totally wasting time using my computer’s built-in camera).

Q: How do you make your blog so great?
— Frank

CB: Every morning I get up and drink a glass of three raw eggs. Then: 1,000 push-ups! No. Just kidding. It’s more like 500 push-ups. (Still kidding.) Anyway, I just try to post news about OWL and some other stuff I think you guys would like to see. But it definitely helps when I get lots of comments and questions, and you guys let me know straight-up what you want to read about!

(P.S. Really? You think the blog is great? Sweet! Thanks, Frank!)

Q: My birthday is in May, when do I send in a photo to tell you my birthday is coming up?
— Emily 9

CB: I’ve got some bad news, Emily. Are you sitting down? The deadline for you to send in the photo has come and gone. The May issue is already out. (In fact, we just got the June issues in the other day. Trust me, you guys can’t wait to check it out. It’s one of my favourite OWL issues ever, and I’ve seen ALL of them.) Generally, you have to send us the photo about four or five months in advance. But send me the photo right now and I’ll try to make sure it gets in the Calendar for the May 2009 issue. Also: happy birthday!

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And that’s a wrap for this week, guys! Seriously: let me know about your favourite music, movies, books, and games. I can’t wait!

Craig, owlblog@owlkids.com