Teen Read Week - duct tape bookmarks

Our bookmark party was a huge hit! Everyone had a great time, and nobody got hurt :) Just kidding. But really, it was a great time for everyone. Thanks to Mrs. Davis who came and helped me cut duct tape. It was a bit of a whirlwind with the cutting! Kids were very creative and made some really cool bookmarks which are sure to hold up through most anything because they're made of, well, duct tape!

Birthday recommendation from Matt R.

Happy birthday, Matt! Matt recommends The Alchemyst by Michael Scott and although there's no picture of it, The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. Happy (late) bithday, Matt!

More Letters from Pemberley - Jane Dawkins

This was a continuation of Pride and Prejudice made up of letters from Elizabeth Darcy to all kinds of people who were part o her circle - friends, family, her husband, acquaintances, etc. It was by another author - not Jane Austen - but I thought it was quite faithful to the style of writing of Austen, and I've read a lot of Austen. Obviously this author has as well!

The book covered four years(maybe six?) after Elizabeth Bennett married Mr. Darcy. It was mostly about her life, but you got glimpses into the lives of others as well, such as her sisters, her friend Charlotte Lucas and her sister-in-law Georgiana.

I really enjoyed this book, particularly because I could read it in short chunks, and that worked well for my life of late :) Fans of Pride and Prejudice will enjoy this novel.

Available at the Multnomah County Library.

Tropical Secrets - Margarita Engle

I read this book over the weekend - it's a quick read because it's all written in poetry. The speaker in the poem sometimes changes, though, and I felt like it threw the rhythm off for me a bit. But maybe I was going too quickly...

The story is about Jewish people who had to flee from Europe and came to the United States seeking freedom only to be turned AWAY! I had no idea. Many of these people ended up in Cuba. Again, I had no idea! However, many people were also refused assylum on Cuba as well and had to go back to Europe and nearly sure death.

I learned quite a lot about this by reading the book. A whole period of Nazi history I never really knew about. It focused on two children, one a Jew fleeing Europe and separated from his family and the other a young Cuban girl whose mother has left her and her father to go to France. It's quite a poignant piece, and really interesting, but I didn't find it particularly compelling. It might also have been that I was sick, though, so I wasn't as invested in my reading as I often am. I'd like to hear what someone else thinks of this book. I've heard some buzz that it may win some awards.

Teen Read Week Last Event!

Tomorrow's the last day of Teen Read Week at WOMS and I will choose one winner at random from all the WOMS students who have made a comment on this blog during the week and that person will get a special prize - a scary books pack - two of the Cirque du Freak books + a Cirque du Freak graphic novel - and some other fun prizes! If you make a comment, be sure to put your first name and last initial so I know who you are.

Happy reading!!

Teen Read Week pics

Here are some fun pics from Teen Read week Wednesday. Tomorrow's duct tape bookmarks at recess, and Friday I'll be drawing one name from all the comments that have come in. Want to be entered in the drawing to win two Darren Shan books PLUS a great graphic novel of cirque du Freak #1 PLUS another scary stories book PLUS a detached finger PLUS a spider pencil AND a jumping spider? DUH! You know you do. Post a comment on this blog entry or any other. All WOMS students who make a comment this week will be entered to win!

Teen Read Week Thursday-Friday events

Thursday, we'll make duct tape bookmarks in the library at lunch recess. This is going to be a really fun activity. You'll get a chance to choose the color of duct tape you want to use and you'll be able to decorate it, too.

On Friday I will choose one winner at random from all the WOMS students who have made a comment on this blog during the week and that person will get a special prize - a scary books pack - two of the Cirque du Freak books + a Cirque du Freak graphic novel - and some other fun prizes! If you make a comment, be sure to put your first name and last initial so I know who you are.

Hope you're having a great Teen Read Week, I know I am!

Happy birthdays!

Happy birthdays to Maegan and Armando! They chose some great books to advertise as their birthday book picks!

I'm looking forward to seeing what YOU pick on your birthday, too! Have something already picked out? Let me know what it is!

A favorite book you've read this year?

I read a LOT of books - in fact I finished three over the weekend, so it's hard for me to pick a favorite, but one of the favorites I've read this school year is Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover by Ally Carter. This is the third in the Gallagher Girls series which starts with I'd Tell You I Love You, but then I'd Have to Kill You. The second book is called Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy. These books are pure fun, and I really enjoy them. I've been waiting and waiting to get our copies of the newest one that I ordered, but they've been on backorder. Then, I went to he Scholastic warehouse last week and there it was on the shelf, just begging me to get it. Of course, I couldn't turn Cammie down! If I did, she might have to kill me! See, Cammie Morgan and her friends go to the Gallagher Academy, a SPY school. They get to do super cool sleuthy stuff, learn crazy techniques for surveillance, and use all kinds of super secret technology.

These girls are way cooler than I could have ever imagined being in high school. I mean, I went to a private high school, but we had no night vision goggles, no lipstick tubes that could shoot out a web and tie up a captor, no earrings that were also communication devices. OK, I might have made up the actual spy gadgets, but I couldn't reveal the real thing to you, could I? You need to read it for yourself!

These books will appeal to girls, of course, because they're about really smart, hip and highly trained girls. Oh, and there's a tiny bit of romance if you also like that. BUT, they'll also appeal to boys because they're about really smart, hip and highly trained girls (come on, just admit it), but ALSO because they've got all this "killer" technology to work with, and this will really appeal to boys.

Super fun stories that I highly recommend. I also recommend checking out the author's blog(the author is Ally Carter), because she's pretty amusing and she has a t-shirt design contest happening now!

What's a favorite book you've read or are reading this year? Tell me so you can get entered in the drawing for the scary books prize pack. I'm picking the winner from all the WOMS students who've made a comment on my blog by Friday! Join the fun for Teen Read Week!

Teen Read Week Wed-Friday events

Wednesday is no overdues drawing day, so make sure you turn your overdues in or renew them before Wednesday. Winners of the no overdues drawing will get a $5 gift card to Borders - one per grade level!

Thursday, we'll make duct tape bookmarks in the library at lunch recess.

On Friday I will choose one winner at random from all the WOMS students who have made a comment on this blog during the week and that person will get a special prize - a scary books pack - two of the Cirque du Freak books + a Cirque du Freak graphic novel - and some other fun prizes! If you make a comment, be sure to put your first name and last initial so I know who you are.