Tricks or Treats

Wednesday Morning, we will be having a Trick or Treat meeting. I'll bring a healthy treat and a trick for each of you. <3 Mrs. G.

October 20th

Hi Ladies!
Mrs. Kevern and I were so pleased to see several new faces this morning at our book club meeting. Hopefully the girls that couldn't make it because of soccer tryouts will find success with making the team. :) Those of you that have read Old Magic by Marianne Curley be sure to share the book with your friends. It's a fabulous read. Next Month for November is The Hunger Games, get your hands on a copy and READ it. It's weirdly amazing! :)

Chandvi was able to show us her Glogster on 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I had goosebumps while listening to the "tapes". I put a link on the Favorite Links section of our blog. Check it out! Have you ever made a Glogster? It's a neat way to share Links, Books, Youtube Vids and Pictures with other friends.

Next Wednesday, the 27th, stop by the closet for a spooky treat. :)

Love,
Mrs. G. & Mrs. K.

The Wolves of Mercy Falls

The third book in The Wolves of Mercy Falls cover art has been revealed. If you read Shiver and then Linger, check this out! Way to Go Maggie Stiefvater.

Haunted Halloween Contest at Confessions of a Bookaholic Blog

Oh my, have I found a contest for my Tiger Chicks to enter! Check out the Haunted Halloween YA Contest at http://totalbookaholic.blogspot.com/2010/10/haunted-halloween-ya-giveaway.html !! Be sure to enter since only a few will win! Thanks to TotalBookAholic for posting their giveaway!

Mrs. G. :)

October Read

Order from Amazon

Tiger Chicks <3 Old Magic! After I posted my last post like ten minutes ago, I checked my school email and guess what???

I had an email from Marianne Curley!! I couldn't believe it! I'm going to share her email with you, which I hope is okay with her. :)

Dear Katie

I knew there had to be someone out there in the world with my characters' names, and from the sound of your voice I couldn't be more delighted that one of those was you. Thank you for bringing Old Magic to the attention of your 7/8 grade class. It is very inspiring for a writer to know their work is being discussed in a classroom and enjoyed by so many. I don't have the time to reply to all emails, but some, like yours, or from any teachers or librarians, I make the time for. I have the greatest respect for educators. Bringing knowledge to our children, expanding their minds or giving them the tools with which to do so themselves, even long after their formal education is complete, should always be applauded.

Please tell your class how delighted I am that they are reading Old Magic. Old Magic was my first published novel and holds a special place in my heart. I wrote it after my daughters, Danielle and Amanda, who were thirteen and fourteen respectively at the time, pleaded with me to write a book they could read. I explained an idea I had about a girl who lived on a mountain who could work magic and was very comfortable with her gift who meets a new boy at school who has powers but doesn't know it and is not comfortable with it, and they loved the idea so much, I went ahead and wrote it. Finding an agent was my next job, and I was lucky to have found a man who loved the novel as much as my daughters! He sent the manuscript to an affiliated agency in London and three weeks later I had offers from two publishers.

If I could give advice based on my experience it would be to love what you do. If you have a passion for your work, it will not be a chore. I wake every morning eager to start work. I consider myself extremely fortunate. I have been working on a new YA fantasy series for the past two years and recently had an offer for the first three books. My daughter Danielle, who is now a Designer, is working on a brand new website for me, which will have details about my new series. I hope to have it up and running by Christmas.

Katie, thank you for this opportunity to connect with my readers. I will now take a peak at the websites you have sent me. Have a lovely day.

With best wishes
Marianne Curley

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How Cool is that! I love email! Never be afraid to email a favorite author to share with them how much you loved their books! You never know if you might hear back from them! :) <3 Mrs. G.  

Where have the first Two Months of School Gone?

Can it really almost be the middle of October? This school year has really gotten off to a great start. We had almost 20 girls make it to our second meeting and 18 at our last meeting. I love meeting new faces and being able to share my love for reading with them.

In September we read Artichoke's Heart which really touched several of the girls and they were able to open up about their thoughts and feelings about Rosemary Goode, the main character. It's one of my many personal favorites, and a book that I think every girl should read as they enter their teenage years. Suzanne Supplee is a phenomenal writer who has inspired me to work on my own personal goals and journey towards who I want to be in the future. She also was willing to Skype with us, but alas, technology woes and district blockage really bites some times. :(

This month, October, we are hitting up a little OLD MAGIC by Marianne Curley. Another one my favorite author's who really spoke to me with her words. From the moment I started the book, I was entranced by the main character Kate Warren, which is almost my maiden name exactly. :) I had a hard time driving home from Fort Walton Beach when I got this book, because I had to keep pulling over to read another page or two the entire way home. ARG! You know you've found a great book when that happens.  I emailed the author to tell her that we are using her book this month and hopefully we'll hear back from her to share her thoughts and reactions.

Next Month, we are reading Immortal by Gillian Shields. This is another great book, but I will save the details until our next posting.

Hugs, Mrs. G. <3

Book of the Month Selections!

Mrs. Kevern and I have worked to come up with a list of possible books to be used each month to cover topics that girls are interested in.

September "Identity": Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee


October "Responsibility": Old Magic by Marianne Curley

November "Friendship": Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

December "Giving": Forget Her Nots by Amy Brecount White

January "New Beginning": Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne

February "Love": Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

March "Betrayal": Beastly by Alex Flynn

April "Loss": Immortal by Gillian Shields

May "Abuse": Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Lake Rescue

Reading & WeightLoss? Who knew!

Lake Rescue (Beacon Street Girls #6)

Read of the Month for October 2010

As I was reading this book, I fell in love with the main character, Rosemary Goode, also known as Artichoke to her classmates after a disastrous fashion episode. She has a sense of humor that is easily to relate to for young teenage girls. She has self image issues, which plague her throughout the book, however after her mother is diagnosed with cancer, she takes a second look at what's really important in life. You can order a copy from Amazon by clicking this link. Artichoke's Heart

I Want to Read This Book!

What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world’s most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last. Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Gearing Up....Choices, Choices, Choices

Okay, so Mrs. Kevern and I have two books out of nine that we will be using for our Tough Topics Book of the Month. We will be reading Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee and Speak by Lauri Halse Anderson. I'm really excited to share that I've been reading lots of author and fellow book lover blogs to gather ideas. Twitter has been a great resource for me as well, since that's where you can find out how to get your hands on Advanced Reading Copies, also known as ARCs. Mrs. Kevern won a contest and is getting a signed copy of Swoon. I've entered lots of contests, but have not been fortunate enough to win.... YET! :) On the other hand, I read Forget-her-Nots and got into contact with the author and she's sending us bookmarks and postcards to add our small library for the club. If you know of anyone who is interested in making a contribution of books, book marks, and postcards our 7/8 grade girls would LOVE IT! So would I! :)

~Mrs. G.

Blogging Favorites

Okay I have tons of catch up blogging to do before school goes back on August 16th. As a preview for our book club, the Tiger Chick Lit Book Club, I thought I would go ahead and start raving about some of my favorite authors! First off one of my favorite atuhors is Tera Lynn Childs. She has written Oh. My. Gods and Goddess Bootcamp. Recently she released Oh My Fins and I'm super stoked to get my hands on a copy. :) Since I am a huge fan of mermaids, I thought I'd throw a Shout Out in her Direction.

Katie

Introducing LAJH's Tiger Lit Top Picks

Welcome to Lake Asbury Junior High's Tiger Lit Top Pick Blog!

From this page you will be able to check out book recommendations from several of your very own teachers and classmates! Generally this page is geared for 7th and 8th grade girls, but anyone is welcome to follow our blogs. Updates will occur as new book reviews are added.

Mrs. Guzman and Mrs. Kevern