Starting with The Westing Game

Okay, Bookies!
Looks like the votes for Westing Game were higher than our second choice, Two Little Girls in Blue. We can revisit all the options after we finish this one! I've got emails out to borrow enough copies for all of us; I'll let you know when they're in. IF WE DON'T GET THEM IN BY THURSDAY, WE WON'T MEET. So again, I'll let you know ASAP.

I finished reading Girl with a Dragon Tattoo (adult book-- NOT for kiddos) this weekend, and now I am FINALLY beginning to read Catching Fire. I'm very excited!

:)
Mrs. P

Book Club-- 1st Pick VOTES ONLY HERE

Book Club Vote--1st Book!

Sorry I missed our first meeting, guys! To make it up to you, tomorrow we will have hot drinks on me at our meeting. :)

Welcome to all the new Bookies-- we are very glad to have you joining us this year!

Looks like a great list you generated of suggested titles. Unfortunately, I had to eliminate some right off the top, either due to appropriateness for middle school (Kenneth, I LOVE Cat's Cradle, but there's just no way!) or due to the fact that I just can't get enough copies of the suggested book (sorry, Kaari! Only 11 copies of Leviathan in the district, and several of them are checked out), but here's the ones that we can definitely discuss and my thoughts on each as a pick:

1. The Hobbit-- I am a big Rings fan from way back, and I certainly wouldn't mind reading this one again. I would suggest, however, that it not be our first pick; it is long and can be a bit... well, long at times. :) This would be a much better second or third pick, I think.

2. The Westing Game-- This is my pick! I haven't read it, I've wanted to read it, I've heard good things about it, it would be a quick first pick to read, and I know I can get copies. :)

3. Hurt Go Happy-- I don't know much about this book, but did any of you read it in 6th grade? I think they have a literature set of this... Let me know.

4. Ender's Shadow-- We could read this, if you guys decide that is what you want to do. Personally, I would like to start off with something new and different, but we shall let majority decide.

5. Two Little Girls in Blue-- I know next to nothing about this book, so I'm going to ask whoever suggested it to tell us why they picked it for us to read as a group! Sounds interesting on Amazon...

6. The Host-- This book was written for adults, but I didn't see anything overwhelmingly inappropriate when I read it, but it is LONG and I didn't know if we would want to start with a super-long book.

7. The Odyssey-- Hmm... Although my initial response was NO, I am now rethinking that. I still say we should ease our way in with something a little lighter, though!

Okay, you guys have my vote. Let's hear yours! Look the books up on Amazon and teenreads.com to get an idea what you're choices are. Use this post to argue your pick for our first book, and use my next post for VOTES ONLY. Sound good?

Woohoo for Book Club!
:)
Mrs. P

Summer is OVER.

Here we are... Back to work. I know you guys have a day to two of sweet sweet summertime left, but I'm back under the fluorescent lights. I can't complain, though; I had a lovely summer! So how is everyone? Analie, you sound fantastic, and I'm jealous of your travels. Let's hear from everyone else! What's new? What have we been reading? I read my six YA books for my class-- Going Bovine (good for you 9th graders, certainly, but a little mature for our collection), Gym Candy (about HS steroid use, very interesting), Fat Cat (chick lit but VERY smart-- loved it!), The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (good if you're into historical fiction), Fire (companion to Graceling-- liked it very much) and Bystander (quick, interesting read about bullying). Unfortunately, I didn't get anything else read this summer, and I really wanted to get Girl with the Dragon Tattoo under my belt so I can watch the movie. That's what fall is for, I guess!

All right, I have to get back to work, but you guys tell me your plans and what you've been up to!
:)
Mrs. P

Summertime Conversations!

Garrison just called me out on my slackerness! :) Actually, thanks Garrison-- I've been busy doing this and that and have only thought about the blog when I'm driving which is not conducive to actually working on it. I've updated the design to give it a summertime look-- you like? :)

All right you guys, what have you been up to? What's new? What are you reading? I've taken a trip to Texas to see family and friends, gotten Mia out almost every day, played a lot of tennis and gone to the pool to lounge in the sun and read. It's been really nice! I'm doing my Altona Summer Book Club again, so I'll be reading six Children's/YA books this summer.I just read Fire, the companion novel to Graceling, and I really liked it. I've just begun The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (people have been RAVING about this book, so I've got to see what all of the noise is about!). Wimbledon begins Monday at 4:30 in the morning, so that will keep me busy for a fortnight. Don't know what a fortnight is? Look it up! :)

Let me hear from you guys! Garrison, what Blue Spruce books have you read? Were they good?

Happy Summering!
:)
Mrs. P

Pizza and Movie party tomorrow!

Hey guys!

Check your email, or have your parents check theirs; I just sent one out detailing tomorrow's 3rd period events. Allow me to reiterate a key point, however: I will NOT be providing desserts! If you guys want something sweet, please consider bringing your own or providing enough to share. :)

Woohoo!
:)
Mrs. P

Meeting Tomorrow! And we're finished.

I've gone back to the happy picture. :) All right, guys-- it's been a long time on this book, but it's time to call it a day. Let's meet tomorrow, discuss the book ending and plan movie watching/pizza eating, okay? And bring your books-- I want to check them back in.

See you tomorrow!
:)
Mrs. P