Happy Holidays, Rattlers!

I hope everyone has checked out lots of good stuff to read over break! I'll be checking in to see if anyone is blogging during the holidays, so feel free to chat.

Merry, merry!
Mrs. P

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

...so it's a good time to revisit Hot Chocolate and Books! I know some of you will go to see The Golden Compass this weekend (I might myself!), so feel free to comment here about that as well. But outside of our latest book-turned-movie, what's everyone reading? What are you thinking about reading over winter break? Anything you're excited about that's coming out soon?

Let's chat over our cups of hot cocoa!
:)
Mrs. P

Mrs. P's Latest and Greatest!

In anticipation of the forthcoming movie version, I finished reading The Golden Compass over Thanksgiving. What a fun fantasy novel this is! It is set in a parallel universe, very similar to ours but definitely NOT ours. Lyra is our main character; she's a young girl living in a boarding-type situation in Oxford, England who has a tendency to listen in where she probably shouldn't. She ends up going on a quest to save a friend from a serious torture situation and in the end, she winds up in a position to change the fate of this universe. I will warn you that this book, while it does come to a sort of conclusion, cliff-hangs into the next book. I have been tearing the library apart looking for the second book, The Subtle Knife; the system says it's checked in, but it is Missing in Action. As you can imagine, it's driving me nuts, and I have a replacement copy on order. :) I'm picking up a copy from the public library that I put a hold on over break!

Some of you may be familiar with the controversy brewing over the movie (and therefore the book). The author, Phillip Pullman, is a well-known atheist, and so there is a great deal of protesting going on about this story. All I can say is that it must get more sensitive in the following books, because I picked up on very little in Compass that seemed offensive. That's not to say it's not there-- I might have missed it-- but very little threw up red flags to me. If you would like to find out more about Pullman and the controversy, start with the Wikipedia article on the books which the title of this post is hyperlinked to. From there, you can do more research if you're interested.

Has anyone else read this? Would you like to chat about it?
:)
Mrs. P

What are YOU reading? Let's Booktalk!

All right, folks-- let's share. What are you currently reading? It can be a class novel or a free time novel. I'm curious! What do you like or dislike about it? Are the characters well-rounded? Can you guess what type of music they like or what their favorite movie would be? What is the setting? Is it well described to the point where you can see all of the details of the time and place? How is the action of the plot? Is it fast-paced, or kind of dragging? Give details! Answer any to all of these questions, and come up with your own stuff to share. Invite responses and lets get a conversation going!

:)
Mrs. P

Westerfeld's blog!

Hiya Rattlers!
I was just messing around looking at author's websites, and I wanted to strongly urge you Uglies series fans to go to his blog and see what he has to say; it's a highly entertaining look at an author's day-to-day living. It seems a bunch of people sent him pics of their Specials-inspired Halloween costumes (mostly involving elaborate face "tattoos") that are worth perusing. Check it out!

I'm off to a conference in Denver tomorrow and Saturday; hopefully I'll return Monday with some neat-o ideas to share with you. I'll be checking in as time allows, but with me or without me, do carry on your conversations. I love your chatting!

:)
Mrs. P

New Moon Wins!

The results of the Teen Top Ten Voting have been announced, and New Moon has been selected as the top pick of the year! The title above is hyperlinked to the YALSA website where you can find the entire top ten in order. Check it out, see what you think and voice your opinions here if you want. I'll be interested to see what you have to say!

:)
Mrs. P

September 23, 2008!

We've got the day and the news that there will be a FOURTH book. The title is hyperlinked, so check it out. At 3:00 pm, there will be a video message from Paolini himself to talk to you available!

:)
Mrs. P

Percy Jackson fans! Part II

All right, Rattlers-- the title of this post is hyperlinked to Rick Riordan's info on the fourth novel. Very exciting! Along with this, check out Riordan's blog at http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/ (it's also linked off his website page I've directed you to above), where he discusses the FILM version of Lightning Thief! Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter movies along with the first two Home Alone movies, has signed on to direct. Read all about it on his blog.

May isn't that far away...

:)
Mrs. P

Twilight news!

Hey Stephenie Meyer fans!
I won't go on too long here, but since I did the movie news for the Lightning Thief, I thought I should post info about the Twilight movie. :) The title is hyperlinked to the IMDb website (Mrs. P's go-to site for movie news!), where you can get the latest and greatest about Bella and Edward's screen debut. They haven't announced the cast yet, but the director has the movie Lords of Dogtown to her credit.

2008 isn't that far away...!

:)
Mrs. P

Teen Top Ten Voting

Hey my Internet-friendly bloggers! The title of this post is hyperlinked to a site where you can vote on the American Library Association's Teen Top Ten for 2007. Go there, participate, and let your voice (and opinions!) be heard. Of course, then you can come back here and discuss what three books you voted for and why. I would love that!
:)
Mrs. P
P.S. I know what my three picks would be... can you guess?

Where my Bloggers At?

Are you folks hiding in the stacks? :) Well, to update you on my reading life, I finished The Absolutely True Diary f a Part-Time Indian, and I have to tell you, it was one of the top three books I read all year-- and that's saying something. Now, it has a well-earned YA sticker on it, and it is not for youngsters (8th graders only please!) due to language and mature content. But once you are of age, give it a try; I think you'll really like it!

Sherman Alexie has written a semi-autobiographical tale of an 8th-grader-going-into-high-school who lives on "the rez"-- an Spokane Indian reservation. Arnold Spirit Jr. (Junior) is a smart, honest, funny, artistic and sad narrator. His life isn't easy, but he deals with it using humor, grace and his cartoon drawing. He decides to leave the reservation high school and attend the all-white school in a small town sort of nearby. Junior is then known as "an apple" by the rez folks-- red on the outside, white on the inside. He describes for us the ups and downs of his life, which include fistfights, being ignored, surprise semi-girlfriends, mad basketball skills, the loss of loved ones, the tragedy of alcoholism, and the undeniable power of believing in oneself. Junior is a true hero who will make you laugh and cry, often in the same moment.

Wow, I should have written that for the back of the book, hunh?!
:)
Mrs. P

Guess what came out today?!

I purchased two copies for the library, and I'll get more as I can... they'll be on the shelves ASAP. That should be pretty quickly! You should probably read Uglies/Pretties/Specials before starting this book. Pretty cool cover, hunh?
:)
Mrs. P

Hot Chocolate and Books!

Two of my favorite things, especially when enjoyed together-- hot chocolate and a good book! All right, Rattlers, I'm going to be out of the loop this weekend because my sister is coming in town and we're going to see Spamalot Saturday (any Monty Python fans out there, BTW?) and get in as much fall colors viewing and shopping that we can. Therefore, I set up this post so you guys could chat about whatever you're reading RIGHT NOW or make RECOMMENDATIONS to your peers (and to me!) about your FAVS. I'll obviously check email and make sure your stuff gets posted, and I'll comment if I have time. Discuss, people, and have a most excellent weekend!

:)
Mrs. P

All Things Harry Potter!

Okay, by popular demand... here is your spot to discuss the Harry Potter series. We can also discuss the movies, but let's try to focus on the books, okay, people? And do you love my British cover art I found? Did you guys know that the English books had different covers from ours? :)

How many of you were at the release party at Borders when The Deathly Hallows came out? I saw tons of my former students that are now in high school, but I'm not sure how many Rattlers were there. Holla back, people!

:)
Mrs. P

The Classics

Okay, I haven't finished this book yet, but a blog discussion has been requested, so I'll put this in your hands and join in ASAP! I've started it, so hopefully it won't take me very long to have an opinion and questions. Sarah, are you out there?!!

:)
Mrs. P

Boy Book Choices

I love the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters and the latest, The Titan's Curse are a lot of fun for anyone (chicks included!), but I put them in the boy book "genre" because of our main character, Percy Jackson. Percy is a guy's guy; I think we all could have him in class. :) His life is a very adventurous one after he finds out his real father is a greek god! Filled with all sorts of mythological monsters, immortals and weaponry, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is a sure-fire page turner. I had so much fun reading all three, but I think one of my favorite parts was having to remember all of the gods, goddesses and minor deities from greek mythology-- I had forgotten a lot of them!

After you've read one or more of these, enter this discussion with me: Do you think these books would make good movies? If so, what actors could play the main characters? I'm especially wondering who would play Apollo? How do you picture Olympus? Give me the details!

:)
Mrs. P

Chick Lit Choices

Okay folks, it's time to hear what you think of Eclipse! Did Bella pick the right guy? Is she making the right decision for her life after she graduates? What do you think will happen with her family? I'll join in once you start posting your opinions!

Anyone else want to comment on excellent chick lit/brain candy out there? Do tell!

:)
Mrs. P

Nonfiction/Survival Choices

Although I read it some years ago, I am going to mention Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer here. This is definitely not for a younger audience-- 8th graders only, please. :) The reasons I'm choosing to discuss this book in particular are:
1. I really enjoyed reading it-- of course!
2. It's a good book for people who think they don't like nonfiction to read (as is his other crazy outdoor nonfiction novel, Into Thin Air!)
3. It's being made into a movie that is directed by Sean Penn and stars Emile Hirsch, so you may be seeing it soon!

Into the Wild traces the true story of Christopher McCandless, a guy who graduates from college, gives away his savings to charity and then drops "off the grid", meaning there is literally no record of him anywhere-- no bank accounts, no social security info, no rent payments... nothing. He does this intentionally. He does not contact his family or any old friends. Chris becomes a hobo on purpose. He attempts to live off the land in Alaska with no sort of modern aide, and it does not go well for him.

This book explores why Chris made the choices he did and tries not to judge his actions. It is not a long novel at all-- it's around 200 pages-- and it flies by as you become fascinated by his story.

What other survivalist nonfiction have you read that you enjoyed? Has anyone read the book about the girl in Hawaii that had her leg bitten off by a shark? Do tell!

:)
Mrs. P

Sci Fi Choices

This isn't exactly a new book, but it's won a ton of awards and acclaim, and therefore I've been meaning to read it for a while. I am glad I did! I found this book an interesting study of our potential near-future in terms of what is possible with cloning technology, societal and government choices. How far will we go to live longer? What should be the boundries for technology in medicine? And tapping into real-time current events, how should our government handle the issue of illegal immigration? Follow our protagonist, Matt, as he discovers his history, his present, and his frightening future and then report back here what you think of the novel!



I am all the way through Pretties/Uglies/Specials at this point, but I just discovered that Paul Westerfeld is now intending to put out a fourth installment in the "trilogy" called Extras. Therefore, we can assume that our protagonist Tally Youngblood will hoverboard onward! For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, you'll just have to give it a read. :)

This series deals with What It Means To Be Perfect, and how far we should go to get there. It also tackles the idea of what the world would be like if we were all almost the same-- would that be better or worse? How important is our individuality? I also like the way Westerfeld talks about the government in these stories-- even if the people are happy, how much power is too much?

Hey guys, even though there is a female narrator and, I admit, there are some girly moments in these stories (and on the covers-- why would they do that?!!), it would be interesting if you could bring yourself to read them too, because I would love to hear your opinions on this futuristic world that could be right around the corner!

Also, what other sci fi recommendations do you have?

:)
Mrs. P

Historical Fiction Choices

I know I'm behind the times, but for my summer class I read The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. I found this book really enjoyable on many levels. Because it's not overloaded with historical references and it's more just really funny stories about a family, it doesn't really read like historical fiction, so those of you not into this genre will still find plenty of entertainment.

I used to teach a class at Westview called History Through Film, and one of the films I would show was a documentary called Four Little Girls directed by Spike Lee. This was a pretty harsh movie that got pretty graphic at times, but it was really well done and my students learned a lot about the struggles and losses during the civil rights movement. It would be a good companion piece for Watsons to explain the ending of this book.

Who else has read this book? Did you like it? What other historical fiction books have you read?

:)
Mrs. P

Fantasy Choices

Just finished this one! I recommend it for all of you hardcore fantasy/medieval wargames fans. Jack finds out he is part of a magical secret society, where wizards are the ruling party and warriors, such as himself, are their pawns in The Game. Jack and his friends face life-and-death adventures as they try to figure out what is going on and who can be trusted.

There will be a companion novel for this one coming out called Wizard Heir; check out the teaser chapter in the back of Warrior Heir! And hey, let us know what you think of this one if you choose to read it! I'm thinking guys might like it more...





I have joined those of you enjoying the Inheritence Trilogy! Although I will argue with you guys all day long that there is hardly an orginal idea in these books, I have to admit, Christopher Paolini puts them together in a very readable way. And for those of you who don't know, THE BOOKS ARE WAY BETTER THAN THE MOVIE! If you thought the movie wasn't that good, you should still give the books a try. :)

Let's play a game... what influences (you can cite either books or movies!) can you find in Eragon and Eldest? Do tell, and be specific!

:)
Mrs. P

P.S. Don't forget-- feel free to comment on other fantasy books you have read here as well!

Realistic Fiction Choices

For my summer class I am taking, I recently read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. This book is tailored for girls in upper middle school and high school. It is a first person narrative, and I think you will really like Melinda's voice as she lets you in to her world with its problems and its slow healing process. Although we may have never been in a situation like hers, I think we can all relate to the feeling of being on the outside looking in at some point! This book, while somewhat painful to read, is very well done and provides an optimistic ending. I think you would enjoy it!

What are some other realistic fiction books you have read recently? Would you recommend them? Why or why not?

:)
Mrs. P