We are good to go, Bookies!

We are going to start the year with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow! Swing by the library to check a copy out ASAP, and I'll let you know when each group will meet to talk about it early next week. Keep your eye on the blog for more information!

Two more things:
1. Clarification-- I will try to find the animated version of this story, but it may be difficult; it's old! Also, when I said it was scary... I was YOUNG. Younger than you guys. So you probably won't think it's scary. As a matter of fact, you'll probably think it's funny. But whatever! It will be fun to watch if I can find it somewhere. :)

2. You can register your email on the Feedblitz to the right of this post. It will not spam you or anything, but it will send you a quick update anytime I add a new post. So please sign up! I'll help you if you need it; just come see me in the library.

Woohoo!
:)
Mrs. P

Book Club is about to take off!

Hey Bookies!
Let's meet on Thursday, September 29th during 6th/7th lunch in Mr. Custis' room (B114)to do introductions, talk about the logistics of the club, and choose a first book to read. If you have suggestions for our first book, add them as a comment to this post, and I will take it under advisement as I make the choice. Woohoo for book club!
:)
Mrs. P

You know what time it is.

Hello, Bookies et al,

I know you guys have a few more days of freedom, but we teachers have just about run out of time. I just wanted to pop in and wish you all a most excellent transition week. Enjoy every last moment of the waning days of summer, and start school with goals for success firmly in place. Hit the blog when you can, and come see me if you want!

Take care!
:)
Mrs. P

How's your summer going, Rattlers?

Mine has been fairly smashing so far, I must say. :) I've gone to Austin to see some college buddies, tube a river and soak in Barton Springs, done some hiking with Miss Mia, gone to see a movie or two, gardened, played a little tennis (not as much as normal-- I've managed a couple of injuries that have really curtailed my normal playing time-- big bummer!), and I've read some really interesting books. What's to come? Maybe a trip to Dallas in early July for my brother's birthday, a definite trip to Duxbury, MA to see my Auntie and my cousins, and possibly a trip to Yellowstone in early August-- all sprinkled with my normal BoCo activities. All in all, a very fun and relaxing summer. Just what the doctor ordered so that the batteries are recharged for '11-'12.

What are you guys up to? Do tell!

As some of you know, I am in two YA book clubs this summer, so I picked out 12 books to read. First, I read Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Loved it. It's short, but good and creepy in a very British sort of way. Next up was Unwind by Neal Shusterman. I would only recommend this book to very mature middle schoolers, but to them, I recommend it highly. This book blew me away, stuck with me for weeks and I couldn't stop talking about it. But it is very, very graphic in parts and it definitely requires a mature mind to process all the topics. Now I see why it was a Blue Spruce nominee! The third book I read was The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, a gothic/romance tale featuring zombies. Don't sound like they go together, right? :) It was good brain candy, albeit a bit dark after Unwind... I must admit, my dreams were disturbed for a few nights! After that, I finished What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell which I was very excited to read and a bit disappointed with when finished. It won the National Book Award and has had tons of praise heaped on it, but it just wasn't my style. I could see some girls really liking it, though! Right now, I'm about halfway done with American Born Chinese, a graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, and I'm really enjoying this one. It won the Printz Award for YA Literature. I was recommending it to my friend Ms. Luchies who teaches at Silver Creek, and she says, "I know! I teach that book." Well, blow me down. :)

So that's where I am with my reading so far. What are you guys reading? Anything good? Anything awful?

Post away!
:)
Mrs. P

Farewell pizza party Tuesday!

Last meeting is Tuesday! I'm providing pizza, and Kaari suggested you guys sign up to bring in drinks and desserts. If you're going to join us, tell us what you are bringing here so we don't have 500 chocolate chip cookies or 80 brownies or 40 bottles of Mountain Dew. You get my point. :)

Woohoo for the final week of school!
:)
Mrs. P

Mrs. P's Summer Enrichment Classes!

Hey Rattlers!
I'm doing two summer enrichment classes that you guys might be interested in. The first, Books and Blogs, will be a free-reading class during which you will design your own book-review blog! I'll help you will all the nuts and bolts, bells and whistles. :) It will run from 9:00-10:30 AM on June 1-3, 7-10, 14-17, & 21-24. The second class, Good Movie...Better Book, is a class designed to really get you thinking critically about what goes into making a strong film adaptation of some of our favorite reads. Same days, but it will be from 11:00-12:30. If you are interested, come on in to the library and pick up the registration info at the circ desk! Plus, I'll answer any questions you might have.

Hope to see you this summer!
:)
Mrs. P

And we've finished!

Or at least we should have. :) Let's discuss the following here on the blog prior to meeting Thursday. If people are conversing here, we can go right into watching the movie!

1. Why, according to Atticus, does Bob Ewell bear a grudge? Which people does Ewell see as his enemies, and why?
2. What explanation does Atticus give for Bob Ewell's attack? What does Heck Tate give as the reason for the attack? Do you think the sheriff's explanation or Atticus's is the more likely to be true?
3. Is Heck Tate right to spare Boo then publicity of an inquest? Give reasons for your answer.
4. How do the events of the final chapters explain the first sentence in the whole novel?
5. At the end of the novel, Atticus reads to Scout. Comment on his choice of story. Does it have any connection with themes earlier in the novel and in its ending?

All right, guys, your thoughts!
:)
Mrs. P