Gossamer
by Lois Lowry
(Houghton Mifflin, 2006)
Sweet dreams or nightmares—and such are the stuff of dreams as Lowry introduces readers to the dream-givers who creep around dark houses at night, collecting memories which they then bestow upon the humans as they dream, and their counterparts, the wicked Sinisteeds who give nightmares and sometimes travel in Hordes.
Littlest is enthusiastic about her work; Fastidious is tired and impatient, not at all a good match for a trainer and a trainee. Littlest only wants to collect more, hoping to give pleasant dreams to the old woman who lives with her dog, Toby, in the house where Littlest is assigned, but Fastidious won’t hear of it. Then Littlest is paired with a new partner, Thin Elderly, who is a much better guide and teacher. When the old woman takes in a foster child, John, who wants to return to his mother, Littlest might be the only one who can help them all bring their best dreams into reality.
Young readers might be confused at first by the alternating points of view.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Boston Jane: Wilderness Days
by Jennifer L. Holm
(Harper Collins: 2002)
Jane is tired of living among a group smelly, ill-mannered men, so she prepares her return to Philadelphia and her father, but just as she is ready to board the ship bound for home, Jane receives news that her father has passed away in Boston. Is seems that Washington Territory's Shoalwater Bay is now the only home she has, and she’s not sure how much longer she can stand it.
When Jane inadvertently puts a friend's life in danger, she joins Jehu and Kee-ukso, a Chinook Indian, on a trek through the wilds and a winter snowstorm to warn her friend someone is intent on killing him. Add to Jane’s difficulties her jealousy over the new woman in town, Mrs. Frink, and the problem with William Baldt, Jane’s former fiancé who plans to move all the Indians to a reservation, and Jane has a lot to overcome before she feels she truly belongs in Shoalwater Bay.
Another exciting read from an interesting series.
by Jennifer L. Holm
(Harper Collins: 2002)
Jane is tired of living among a group smelly, ill-mannered men, so she prepares her return to Philadelphia and her father, but just as she is ready to board the ship bound for home, Jane receives news that her father has passed away in Boston. Is seems that Washington Territory's Shoalwater Bay is now the only home she has, and she’s not sure how much longer she can stand it.
When Jane inadvertently puts a friend's life in danger, she joins Jehu and Kee-ukso, a Chinook Indian, on a trek through the wilds and a winter snowstorm to warn her friend someone is intent on killing him. Add to Jane’s difficulties her jealousy over the new woman in town, Mrs. Frink, and the problem with William Baldt, Jane’s former fiancé who plans to move all the Indians to a reservation, and Jane has a lot to overcome before she feels she truly belongs in Shoalwater Bay.
Another exciting read from an interesting series.
Boston Jane: The Claim
by Jennifer L. Holm
(Harper Trophy: 2004)
In the time Jane Peck has lived in the Shoalwater Bay area she has taken charge of her own life and even become the concierge for the hotel run by Mr. and Mrs. Frink, a woman who Jane has made into a friend. Life seems perfect—Jane’s love for Jehu has grown, she has friends, and she even has a claim on a large piece of property where Jehu is building her a house of her own. But then, her old rival, Sally Biddle, arrives and immediately sets about to make Jane’s life just as miserable as it was back in Philadelphia when they attended finishing school together. Add to that the return of William Baldt, the man who asked Jane to marry him then married an Indian woman instead, who now threatens to take her land, and soon Jane fears even those who are her friends might become her enemy.
Readers will feel Jane’s pain as she struggles against Sally’s nastiness, William’s political position, and the loss of friendships, no matter how brief.
by Jennifer L. Holm
(Harper Trophy: 2004)
In the time Jane Peck has lived in the Shoalwater Bay area she has taken charge of her own life and even become the concierge for the hotel run by Mr. and Mrs. Frink, a woman who Jane has made into a friend. Life seems perfect—Jane’s love for Jehu has grown, she has friends, and she even has a claim on a large piece of property where Jehu is building her a house of her own. But then, her old rival, Sally Biddle, arrives and immediately sets about to make Jane’s life just as miserable as it was back in Philadelphia when they attended finishing school together. Add to that the return of William Baldt, the man who asked Jane to marry him then married an Indian woman instead, who now threatens to take her land, and soon Jane fears even those who are her friends might become her enemy.
Readers will feel Jane’s pain as she struggles against Sally’s nastiness, William’s political position, and the loss of friendships, no matter how brief.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Mississippi Trial, 1955
by
Chris Crowe
(Phylis Fogelman Books, ISBN 0-8037-2745-3)
The Civil Rights Movement. Search the topic on the internet or in a history textbook and the names Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X are prominent. The Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Rides, and the March on Washington are listed as important events in the forward movement of the cause. But one name and event is often missing in the story: Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old black boy from Chicago who was brutally murdered, his body dumped in the Tallahatchie River, for allegedly whistling at a white woman. While doing an interview for a biography titled Presenting Mildred D. Taylor, BYU professor Chris Crowe first heard about Emmett Till and knew it was a story that must be shared.
Told though the eyes of Hiram Hillburn, a white teenager who has come to stay the summer with his grandfather, the reader is taken into the heart of racism at a time when the passions of the south were volatile and violent. Hiram sees changes in his beloved south, his friends, and even his grandfather; changes which make him doubt his own safety. Hiram witnesses R.C. Rydell force Emmett to eat a raw fish at knife-point. Hiram’s grandfather offers no sympathy, warning that “colored boys like Emmett should know better than to push himself on white folks.” After Emmett is murdered, Hiram doesn’t want to stay silent, he wants the truth to be told, even if it uncovers secrets about his own family.
Parents should read this book along with their teens and discuss the issue of racism as it stands in our country today and what can be done to prevent it.
by
Chris Crowe
(Phylis Fogelman Books, ISBN 0-8037-2745-3)
The Civil Rights Movement. Search the topic on the internet or in a history textbook and the names Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X are prominent. The Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Rides, and the March on Washington are listed as important events in the forward movement of the cause. But one name and event is often missing in the story: Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old black boy from Chicago who was brutally murdered, his body dumped in the Tallahatchie River, for allegedly whistling at a white woman. While doing an interview for a biography titled Presenting Mildred D. Taylor, BYU professor Chris Crowe first heard about Emmett Till and knew it was a story that must be shared.
Told though the eyes of Hiram Hillburn, a white teenager who has come to stay the summer with his grandfather, the reader is taken into the heart of racism at a time when the passions of the south were volatile and violent. Hiram sees changes in his beloved south, his friends, and even his grandfather; changes which make him doubt his own safety. Hiram witnesses R.C. Rydell force Emmett to eat a raw fish at knife-point. Hiram’s grandfather offers no sympathy, warning that “colored boys like Emmett should know better than to push himself on white folks.” After Emmett is murdered, Hiram doesn’t want to stay silent, he wants the truth to be told, even if it uncovers secrets about his own family.
Parents should read this book along with their teens and discuss the issue of racism as it stands in our country today and what can be done to prevent it.
Everything on a Waffle
by
Polly Horvath
(Farrar Straus Giroux, ISBN 0-374-32236-8)
Primrose Squarp refuses to believe that her parents have drowned at sea. Because the townspeople of Coal Habour will not continue to pay her elderly babysitter’s hourly wage, Primrose’s Uncle Jack resigns from the navy and becomes a real estate developer in the small community. Although populated by eccentrics, Coal Harbour provides the education and comfort Primrose needs as she waits for her parents’ return. Primrose loves to eat at The Girl in the Red Swing, where she hears the town gossip and learns how to make her favorite recipes, which she shares at the end of each chapter.
This novel is a fun light read, especially appropriate for the younger reader. You might want to try out some of the recipes as well.
by
Polly Horvath
(Farrar Straus Giroux, ISBN 0-374-32236-8)
Primrose Squarp refuses to believe that her parents have drowned at sea. Because the townspeople of Coal Habour will not continue to pay her elderly babysitter’s hourly wage, Primrose’s Uncle Jack resigns from the navy and becomes a real estate developer in the small community. Although populated by eccentrics, Coal Harbour provides the education and comfort Primrose needs as she waits for her parents’ return. Primrose loves to eat at The Girl in the Red Swing, where she hears the town gossip and learns how to make her favorite recipes, which she shares at the end of each chapter.
This novel is a fun light read, especially appropriate for the younger reader. You might want to try out some of the recipes as well.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Brothers in Valor
by Michael O. Tunnell
(Holiday House; 0-8234-1541-4)
Hamburg, Germany, 1937. Rudi Ollenick, the narrator, and his best friends, Karl Schneider and Helmuth Guddat, German boys, are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. The boys aren’t sure how they can follow the teachings of their church, yet still be good German citizens, willing to follow the Führer.
When the boys are forced to join Hitler’s youth group, they learn about the ruthless and violent ways of the Nazis and begin to formulate a plan to spread the truth among the German people. The flyers they print and distribute put them in danger, but all three boys are willing to take the risk, even if it means they lose their lives.
Tunnell, a Brigham Young University School of Education professor, has based his story on personal interviews, published biographies, and Nazi archival records, bringing to life the story of three heroes who had to decide on whose side they would stand.
by Michael O. Tunnell
(Holiday House; 0-8234-1541-4)
Hamburg, Germany, 1937. Rudi Ollenick, the narrator, and his best friends, Karl Schneider and Helmuth Guddat, German boys, are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. The boys aren’t sure how they can follow the teachings of their church, yet still be good German citizens, willing to follow the Führer.
When the boys are forced to join Hitler’s youth group, they learn about the ruthless and violent ways of the Nazis and begin to formulate a plan to spread the truth among the German people. The flyers they print and distribute put them in danger, but all three boys are willing to take the risk, even if it means they lose their lives.
Tunnell, a Brigham Young University School of Education professor, has based his story on personal interviews, published biographies, and Nazi archival records, bringing to life the story of three heroes who had to decide on whose side they would stand.
Say You Are My Sister
by Laurel Stowe Brady
(HarperCollins; ISBN: 0060283084) Twelve-year-old
Mony Keddrington turns to her older half-sister Georgie for comfort and strength when their mother is killed by a tornado. She doesn’t look much like Georgie, but that doesn’t matter to Mony who has learned from her Pa that “family is family.”
On a trip to town, Mony witnesses the realities of racial issues in her Georgia town when the barber is thrown through the plate glass window of his shop for giving a black man a haircut, a crime under the Jim Crow laws.
When their Pa is killed by a bull, the girls are determined to take care of themselves and their baby sister, Keely Faye. Magnolia Hewitt would like to take Keely Faye to raise as her own and she uses her position as the banker’s wife to attempt to force Georgie to give up the baby. Mony begins to learn who Georgie really is as they struggle to keep their family together.
Brady’s story is entertaining, as well as important as it looks into our country's history of racial discrimination.
by Laurel Stowe Brady
(HarperCollins; ISBN: 0060283084) Twelve-year-old
Mony Keddrington turns to her older half-sister Georgie for comfort and strength when their mother is killed by a tornado. She doesn’t look much like Georgie, but that doesn’t matter to Mony who has learned from her Pa that “family is family.”
On a trip to town, Mony witnesses the realities of racial issues in her Georgia town when the barber is thrown through the plate glass window of his shop for giving a black man a haircut, a crime under the Jim Crow laws.
When their Pa is killed by a bull, the girls are determined to take care of themselves and their baby sister, Keely Faye. Magnolia Hewitt would like to take Keely Faye to raise as her own and she uses her position as the banker’s wife to attempt to force Georgie to give up the baby. Mony begins to learn who Georgie really is as they struggle to keep their family together.
Brady’s story is entertaining, as well as important as it looks into our country's history of racial discrimination.
Ruby Holler
by Sharon Creech
(Joanna Cotler Books; ISBN: 0060277327)
Dallas and Florida Carter are thirteen-year-old twins who have been passed from orphanage-to-home-to-orphanage-to-home-and-back-again so many times it’s hard to keep count. When they come to live with an older couple, Tiller and Sairy Morey in Ruby Holler, the children don’t trust that their luck may have changed.
The twins plan to run away, saving their money, but they find it hard to leave the new life they are living. Tiller and Sairy sure don’t treat them anything like the parents at the previous foster homes who couldn’t wait to send them back to the orphanage. Maybe the twins should stick around awhile, just to see what happens. But what if the couple who own the orphanage get in the way if the twins decide to stay?
Creech’s down-home, comfy way of storytelling makes you feel like you’re yearning for a home of your own, just like Dallas and Florida.
by Sharon Creech
(Joanna Cotler Books; ISBN: 0060277327)
Dallas and Florida Carter are thirteen-year-old twins who have been passed from orphanage-to-home-to-orphanage-to-home-and-back-again so many times it’s hard to keep count. When they come to live with an older couple, Tiller and Sairy Morey in Ruby Holler, the children don’t trust that their luck may have changed.
The twins plan to run away, saving their money, but they find it hard to leave the new life they are living. Tiller and Sairy sure don’t treat them anything like the parents at the previous foster homes who couldn’t wait to send them back to the orphanage. Maybe the twins should stick around awhile, just to see what happens. But what if the couple who own the orphanage get in the way if the twins decide to stay?
Creech’s down-home, comfy way of storytelling makes you feel like you’re yearning for a home of your own, just like Dallas and Florida.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Wild Man Island
by Will Hobbs
(Harpercollins Juvenile Books; ISBN: 0688174736)
If you like adventure, danger, and the excitement of uncharted territory, then this book by Will Hobbs is for you.
Fourteen-year-old Andy Galloway is on a quest. He has joined a kayaking trip in Alaska, hoping to visit the place where his archeologist father was killed. Andy sneaks away from the group and travels the two miles to the location. He leaves a tribute to his father, but when he starts to return to the group, he is unaware a storm is brewing.
His kayak crashes and Andy finds himself washed ashore on Admiralty Island, a wilderness. Andy encounters wolves, bear, a Newfoundland dog, and a wild man. Who is this man and where did he come from? Is he the last of those who originally inhabited this island or someone lost at sea, like Andy?
Typical of Hobbs’ style, the reader will find an exciting story, laced with factual information about Admiralty Island and early human migration.
by Will Hobbs
(Harpercollins Juvenile Books; ISBN: 0688174736)
If you like adventure, danger, and the excitement of uncharted territory, then this book by Will Hobbs is for you.
Fourteen-year-old Andy Galloway is on a quest. He has joined a kayaking trip in Alaska, hoping to visit the place where his archeologist father was killed. Andy sneaks away from the group and travels the two miles to the location. He leaves a tribute to his father, but when he starts to return to the group, he is unaware a storm is brewing.
His kayak crashes and Andy finds himself washed ashore on Admiralty Island, a wilderness. Andy encounters wolves, bear, a Newfoundland dog, and a wild man. Who is this man and where did he come from? Is he the last of those who originally inhabited this island or someone lost at sea, like Andy?
Typical of Hobbs’ style, the reader will find an exciting story, laced with factual information about Admiralty Island and early human migration.
A Mother to Embarrass Me
by Carol Lynch Williams
Delacorte Press; ISBN: 0385729227
No matter your age, you can probably remember a time (or ten, or twenty) when you were embarrassed by your mother. Her words, dress, actions all combined to humiliate you in front of your friends, or worst of all, the love of your life. No matter what you tried to do to stop
her, Mom only became more embarrassing by the minute and you thought you'd never be able to face the world again.
Twelve-year-old Laura Stephan feels the same way and keeps a list of all the things she would like to change about her mother. But her mom doesn't mean to be embarrassing. She just wants to stay good friends with the daughter she loves. She'd do anything to keep Laura happy, but her best efforts all seem to be wrong.
How could Mom have known Dad would hurt his neck while break-dancing at Laura's party? So what if Mom and Christian talked about Laura behind her back? Why should Laura be concerned that Mom has a modeling job while several months pregnant? Will the birth of the baby make things better or worse? Williams takes a humorous look at mother/daughter relationships that are cross-generational.
A great read for a mother/daughter book club, a teen or pre-teen who feels embarrassed by her own mother, or a mother who wants to understand her emotion-packed daughter a little bit better.
by Carol Lynch Williams
Delacorte Press; ISBN: 0385729227
No matter your age, you can probably remember a time (or ten, or twenty) when you were embarrassed by your mother. Her words, dress, actions all combined to humiliate you in front of your friends, or worst of all, the love of your life. No matter what you tried to do to stop
her, Mom only became more embarrassing by the minute and you thought you'd never be able to face the world again.
Twelve-year-old Laura Stephan feels the same way and keeps a list of all the things she would like to change about her mother. But her mom doesn't mean to be embarrassing. She just wants to stay good friends with the daughter she loves. She'd do anything to keep Laura happy, but her best efforts all seem to be wrong.
How could Mom have known Dad would hurt his neck while break-dancing at Laura's party? So what if Mom and Christian talked about Laura behind her back? Why should Laura be concerned that Mom has a modeling job while several months pregnant? Will the birth of the baby make things better or worse? Williams takes a humorous look at mother/daughter relationships that are cross-generational.
A great read for a mother/daughter book club, a teen or pre-teen who feels embarrassed by her own mother, or a mother who wants to understand her emotion-packed daughter a little bit better.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Book Review: Twilight by Stepheni Meyer
(Little, Brown and Company: 2005)
Romeo and Juliet. Tony and Maria. Pyramus and Thisbe. Lancelot and Guinevere. Tristan and Isolde. Anakin and Padmé. And now, Bella and Edward. These star-crossed lovers are doomed from the start. Bella, a 17-year-old new-kid-in-school, meets Edward, an incredibly beautiful, yet aloof vampire, nearly 100-years-old.
Before she can stop herself, Bella is in love and the differences in their lives don’t seem to matter to a girl who is smitten, despite the fact her new boyfriend--or other vampires that he knows-- could kill her at any moment.
Although this book is hot, hot, hot among teen readers, I was bothered by the fact that Bella seems to have no reaction to the truth about Edward other than that she loves him. Isn't she ever afraid? Does she want to become like him? I know fiction is about being able to suspend disbelief, but I still didn't buy the outcome of this story.
(Little, Brown and Company: 2005)
Romeo and Juliet. Tony and Maria. Pyramus and Thisbe. Lancelot and Guinevere. Tristan and Isolde. Anakin and Padmé. And now, Bella and Edward. These star-crossed lovers are doomed from the start. Bella, a 17-year-old new-kid-in-school, meets Edward, an incredibly beautiful, yet aloof vampire, nearly 100-years-old.
Before she can stop herself, Bella is in love and the differences in their lives don’t seem to matter to a girl who is smitten, despite the fact her new boyfriend--or other vampires that he knows-- could kill her at any moment.
Although this book is hot, hot, hot among teen readers, I was bothered by the fact that Bella seems to have no reaction to the truth about Edward other than that she loves him. Isn't she ever afraid? Does she want to become like him? I know fiction is about being able to suspend disbelief, but I still didn't buy the outcome of this story.
Book Review: Store-Bought Baby by Sandra Belton (Greenwillow, 2006)
Although her parents call Luce’s death an accident, Leah thinks she knows the truth—Luce meant to kill himself by driving too fast on a rain-slicked road. Soon, finding the whole truth becomes Leah’s purpose when she searches for Luce’s birth parents. Along with her best friend and Luce’s girlfriend, Leah follows the trail to the Rock-a-Bye agency where Leah discovers that only family and friendships can heal her loss.
Despite the use of a first person narrative, I never knew as much about Leah as I did about the all-too-perfect Luce. As an adoptive parent myself, I thought the neighbors’ comments about adoption seemed too abundant after sixteen years to be realistic, and the book title was never fully supported by the text.
Teenagers will empathize with Leah’s yearning to know that she is as important to her parents as Luce was. The relationship she develops with her mother is satisfying.
To buy this book, click on:
Although her parents call Luce’s death an accident, Leah thinks she knows the truth—Luce meant to kill himself by driving too fast on a rain-slicked road. Soon, finding the whole truth becomes Leah’s purpose when she searches for Luce’s birth parents. Along with her best friend and Luce’s girlfriend, Leah follows the trail to the Rock-a-Bye agency where Leah discovers that only family and friendships can heal her loss.
Despite the use of a first person narrative, I never knew as much about Leah as I did about the all-too-perfect Luce. As an adoptive parent myself, I thought the neighbors’ comments about adoption seemed too abundant after sixteen years to be realistic, and the book title was never fully supported by the text.
Teenagers will empathize with Leah’s yearning to know that she is as important to her parents as Luce was. The relationship she develops with her mother is satisfying.
To buy this book, click on:
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Welcome Back to Another School Year
Whether you are a teacher, student, parent or just someone who remembers being one of those, it’s time for yet another year of school to begin. Our local school district began classes on Tuesday two weeks ago. The library media graduate classes I’m taking started this past Tuesday. And, for some of my students, the countdown to the last day has already begun!
The beginning of this year means I’ve now spent 43 years of my life in a classroom as either a student or a teacher. Students might not realize that they have a definite advantage over teachers. After twelve years of school, students at least GRADUATE! Teachers are there until they meet the requirements for retirement.
So, what is a teacher’s life really like? A brand new school year brings lots of new children to learn names for, lesson plans to design, changes in curriculum as dictated by state or local boards of education, and starting all over with teaching policies and procedures to a new crop of students. The days fly by, but sometimes the weeks seem to drag for teachers just like they do for students.
In reality, school is not much different from year to year. No matter what your perspective—teacher, student, or parent— it becomes your goal to make this school year the best one ever. I hope my blogs, E-zines, and newspaper columns give you ideas that will make this true for your classroom or experiences at home as you help children work on reading.
One thing I plan to do it update this blog more often with book reviews. I read an incredible number of books each year and write reviews for my newspaper columns, E-zine, and various teacher publications. I want to make the reviews more available to my student readers as well. By posting them here on the blog, my students will be able to access them too.
Of course, as a writer, I am still working like a fiend, packing in as much writing as I can around both teaching and studying. In the last few weeks I’ve accomplished the following:
1. Written both of my newspaper columns, "Read All About It" and "Out of the Best Books."
2. Updated my blog and sent out issues of my E-zine.
3. Submitted an op-ed piece to the Wall Street Journal.
4. Submitted a query to Covenant Communications.
5. Submitted three book reviews to SIGNAL Journal.
6. Wrote an article on Self-Editing for Byline Magazine.
7. Submitted a spec script to a producer.
And, I'd say it is starting to pay off. I've had the following postive results happen as a result:
1. Disney Press is keeping me on file for a possible upcoming project.
2. A producer has sent me an option on a film script I wrote several years ago.
3. I got my check from Byline and received the magazine with my article.
A few of my friends have been a little jealous and amazed at how much I’ve been able to write in such a short time. Actually, what I’ve always found is that when I give myself an impossible deadline, I reach it. That’s what I’ve been doing with my reading and my writing. It works for me. Maybe it will work for some of you. I only have one question left at the end of the day--When will I ever be able to get some sleep?
As always, thanks for reading. Check back soon for my first book review.
Lu Ann
Whether you are a teacher, student, parent or just someone who remembers being one of those, it’s time for yet another year of school to begin. Our local school district began classes on Tuesday two weeks ago. The library media graduate classes I’m taking started this past Tuesday. And, for some of my students, the countdown to the last day has already begun!
The beginning of this year means I’ve now spent 43 years of my life in a classroom as either a student or a teacher. Students might not realize that they have a definite advantage over teachers. After twelve years of school, students at least GRADUATE! Teachers are there until they meet the requirements for retirement.
So, what is a teacher’s life really like? A brand new school year brings lots of new children to learn names for, lesson plans to design, changes in curriculum as dictated by state or local boards of education, and starting all over with teaching policies and procedures to a new crop of students. The days fly by, but sometimes the weeks seem to drag for teachers just like they do for students.
In reality, school is not much different from year to year. No matter what your perspective—teacher, student, or parent— it becomes your goal to make this school year the best one ever. I hope my blogs, E-zines, and newspaper columns give you ideas that will make this true for your classroom or experiences at home as you help children work on reading.
One thing I plan to do it update this blog more often with book reviews. I read an incredible number of books each year and write reviews for my newspaper columns, E-zine, and various teacher publications. I want to make the reviews more available to my student readers as well. By posting them here on the blog, my students will be able to access them too.
Of course, as a writer, I am still working like a fiend, packing in as much writing as I can around both teaching and studying. In the last few weeks I’ve accomplished the following:
1. Written both of my newspaper columns, "Read All About It" and "Out of the Best Books."
2. Updated my blog and sent out issues of my E-zine.
3. Submitted an op-ed piece to the Wall Street Journal.
4. Submitted a query to Covenant Communications.
5. Submitted three book reviews to SIGNAL Journal.
6. Wrote an article on Self-Editing for Byline Magazine.
7. Submitted a spec script to a producer.
And, I'd say it is starting to pay off. I've had the following postive results happen as a result:
1. Disney Press is keeping me on file for a possible upcoming project.
2. A producer has sent me an option on a film script I wrote several years ago.
3. I got my check from Byline and received the magazine with my article.
A few of my friends have been a little jealous and amazed at how much I’ve been able to write in such a short time. Actually, what I’ve always found is that when I give myself an impossible deadline, I reach it. That’s what I’ve been doing with my reading and my writing. It works for me. Maybe it will work for some of you. I only have one question left at the end of the day--When will I ever be able to get some sleep?
As always, thanks for reading. Check back soon for my first book review.
Lu Ann
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Summer Writing Marathon
I’m back! Boy, have I been busy since I last left a message at on my blog. I try to spend as much time as possible writing during my summer "vacation." Here’s a run down of what I’ve accomplished in this writing marathon, and maybe you’ll see why I haven’t have a second to update.
1. I organized all of my newspaper columns into a new book titled “Teaching Secondary Language Arts: One Day at a Time.” At 62,500 words, I’m sure you can see that proofreading alone took quite a bit of time.
2. I sent both “Teaching Secondary Language Arts: One Day at a Time” and a MG novel I’ve written, “Tides Against the Sea,” to the Utah Arts Council Original Writing Competition.
3. I wrote a 122 page film adaptation of an award-winning young adult novel and submitted both it and an original screenplay I had already written, “Terror in Dead Horse Canyon,” to the producers of the movie my husband recently worked on.
4. I collected critiques for a magazine article I’m working on from my writer’s group and have started to work on that rewrite.
5. I’ve been working on Volume 2 of “Books, Books, and More Books: A Parent and Teacher’s Guide to Adolescent Literature,” adding several new guides.
6. I’ve written both newspaper columns–“Read All About It” for the Spanish Fork Press and “Out of the Best Books” for the Spanish Fork News”--each week.
7. I’ve written a resource handbook for the workshop I’m teaching for Nebo School District called “Recipe for the Reluctant Reader: Add Reading Strategies to Young Adult Literature and Mix Well.” This workshop is aimed toward educators or anyone who is interested in helping kids improve their reading.
8. I took a few minutes to read the article I wrote for Byline Magazine (“Five Tips on Self-Editing”) which came out in their July/August issue.
9. I wrote and submitted an original script for a television series that was recently cancelled, hoping to bring this series back once its reruns move to ABC-FAM network this fall.
10. I wrote an opinion editorial on contemporary vs classic literature for students, and submitted it to the Wall Street Journal.
11. I wrote a script transcript and sample novelization chapter and submitted it to Disney Press for consideration.
12. And, I submitted a query letter for the book I am writing on LDS Temples.
So, add to all this mix of writing, the general things a mother and wife does around the house, church obligations, and family gatherings for the holiday, and a few days of computer problems (could it be overload?) and you’ll see why I’ve had trouble getting a blog out recently. I wonder if all of this typing has anything to do with the fact my carpel tunnel is acting up and my wrists are killing me?
Until next time,
Lu Ann
I’m back! Boy, have I been busy since I last left a message at on my blog. I try to spend as much time as possible writing during my summer "vacation." Here’s a run down of what I’ve accomplished in this writing marathon, and maybe you’ll see why I haven’t have a second to update.
1. I organized all of my newspaper columns into a new book titled “Teaching Secondary Language Arts: One Day at a Time.” At 62,500 words, I’m sure you can see that proofreading alone took quite a bit of time.
2. I sent both “Teaching Secondary Language Arts: One Day at a Time” and a MG novel I’ve written, “Tides Against the Sea,” to the Utah Arts Council Original Writing Competition.
3. I wrote a 122 page film adaptation of an award-winning young adult novel and submitted both it and an original screenplay I had already written, “Terror in Dead Horse Canyon,” to the producers of the movie my husband recently worked on.
4. I collected critiques for a magazine article I’m working on from my writer’s group and have started to work on that rewrite.
5. I’ve been working on Volume 2 of “Books, Books, and More Books: A Parent and Teacher’s Guide to Adolescent Literature,” adding several new guides.
6. I’ve written both newspaper columns–“Read All About It” for the Spanish Fork Press and “Out of the Best Books” for the Spanish Fork News”--each week.
7. I’ve written a resource handbook for the workshop I’m teaching for Nebo School District called “Recipe for the Reluctant Reader: Add Reading Strategies to Young Adult Literature and Mix Well.” This workshop is aimed toward educators or anyone who is interested in helping kids improve their reading.
8. I took a few minutes to read the article I wrote for Byline Magazine (“Five Tips on Self-Editing”) which came out in their July/August issue.
9. I wrote and submitted an original script for a television series that was recently cancelled, hoping to bring this series back once its reruns move to ABC-FAM network this fall.
10. I wrote an opinion editorial on contemporary vs classic literature for students, and submitted it to the Wall Street Journal.
11. I wrote a script transcript and sample novelization chapter and submitted it to Disney Press for consideration.
12. And, I submitted a query letter for the book I am writing on LDS Temples.
So, add to all this mix of writing, the general things a mother and wife does around the house, church obligations, and family gatherings for the holiday, and a few days of computer problems (could it be overload?) and you’ll see why I’ve had trouble getting a blog out recently. I wonder if all of this typing has anything to do with the fact my carpel tunnel is acting up and my wrists are killing me?
Until next time,
Lu Ann
Sunday, April 16, 2006
One Degree of Lu Ann Staheli
If you’ve ever played the popular game “The Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” you probably know that the premise states because actor Kevin Bacon has been in so many movies, you can link him to almost any actor in seven or less steps.
An example from the internet illustrates: John Travolta was in “Look Who's Talking” with Kirstie Alley who was in “She's Having a Baby” with Kevin Bacon. (http://www.geocities.com/theeac/bacon.html).
Last week I went to the season wrap party for Everwood, the WB television series my husband works for. (http://thewb.warnerbros.com/web/show.jsp?id=EW) The entertainment included a woman reading life cards from a tarot deck. Although I’m not sure how much credence I put in the activity, my husband and I decided to have some fun and see what she had to say.
Imagine my surprise when she read my cards, telling me about how many people around the world either know me personally or recognize my name, and how they had been influenced by me. “You ARE Kevin Bacon,” the woman said. At first, we laughed, but then my husband and I started to realize that she might be right.
Here are a few of the lines of reasoning:
1. I have taught school for 27 years. In that time I’ve had over 6,280 students in either Indiana or Utah. They, of course, have moved on into their own adult lives—several are even teachers themselves with students of their own who learn from what I taught their teachers.
2. I worked for Alan Osmond Productions for 10 years, writing newsletters for both The Osmond Brothers and Osmonds: Second Generation. The newsletters went to hundreds of fan club members worldwide. I did a short stint writing for both Merrill Osmond and Marie Osmond’s newsletters as well.
3. I write book reviews for the SIGNAL Journal (a publication of the International Reading Association), The ALAN Review (a publication of the Adolescent Literature Association of the National Council of Teachers of English), and NCTE Selects program. These publications go to organization members all over the world. Twice I’ve run for national positions with NCTE and had my name and photos sent on ballots to them.
4. I published a chapter in Teaching Ideas for 7-12 English Language Arts: What Really Works from Christopher Gordon Publishers that language arts teachers might have read. I have colleagues who use my chapter in the college methods courses they teach to prospective language arts educators.
5. I was a Christa McAuliffe Fellow and presented my project at a special symposium in Washington D.C. I’ve presented at many other workshops for educators and writers as well. I was the Utah English Language Arts Teacher of the Year, and a nominee for the Disney Hands Award, Utah Reading Teacher of the Year, and listed in both Who’s Who Among America’s Outstanding Educators and Who’s Who Among Outstanding American Women, introducing me to members of those selection committees.
6. I’ve published in other national magazines, including Grit, Scouting, the LDS Church News, Superteen, and 16. I’ve placed in writing contests from Writer’s Digest, the Utah Arts Council Original Writing Competition for Juvenile novel, the League of Utah Writers annual writing competition, and the Montgomery-West Literary Talent Agency Competition. I earned the Diamond Quill Award for Collected Works from the League of Utah Writers and. was named the Utah Valley Chapter Writer of the Year.
7. I worked as a freelance editor for Covenant Communications, editing books for Rachel Nunes, Brenton Yorgason, Annette Pierce, Jennie Hansen, James Rada, and Charles Davis. I’m in a critique group with Covenant authors Jeffrey S. Savage, H. B. Moore, and Annette Lyon who have been gracious enough to list my name in the acknowledgments of their books.
8. I write two weekly newspaper columns that go to a bevy of subscribers, and even make their way onto the internet. Previously I was a freelance writer for two other newspapers with different readerships. Currently, I have a successful E-zine and this blog that takes my work to a wider audience.
9. I’m involved in the Utah Council of Teachers of English Language Arts, the League of Utah Writers, The Society for Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators, the International Reading Association, Assembly on Literature for Adolescents, the National Council of Teachers of English, Children’s Literature Association of Utah, and the Children’s Literature Association of Utah, as well as several local affiliates of these organizations.
10. I graduated from high school in Alexandria, Indiana. I graduated from college at Indiana University Bloomington. I’m an avid genealogist, who has attended church in Alexandria, Anderson, Bloomington, Terre Haute, and Brazil, Indiana, plus Orem, Provo, and Spanish Fork, Utah, when I have lived in or near those cities.
When you count up all the people I’ve met, even that number alone is astronomical. I have no way to ever know how many others might have “met” me though the work I have done. I still haven’t touched the surface here of all the daily contacts I make with friends, writers, neighbors, family, and students.
So perhaps the woman is right, I AM Kevin Bacon to hundreds of people who have lived on this earth.
By the way, my own connection to Kevin Bacon is as follows: Lu Ann Staheli did “Alan Osmond’s Stadium of Fire” for America’s Freedom Festival at Provo with Keshia Knight Pulliam who was in “Beauty Shop” with Kevin Bacon!
If you’ve ever played the popular game “The Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” you probably know that the premise states because actor Kevin Bacon has been in so many movies, you can link him to almost any actor in seven or less steps.
An example from the internet illustrates: John Travolta was in “Look Who's Talking” with Kirstie Alley who was in “She's Having a Baby” with Kevin Bacon. (http://www.geocities.com/theeac/bacon.html).
Last week I went to the season wrap party for Everwood, the WB television series my husband works for. (http://thewb.warnerbros.com/web/show.jsp?id=EW) The entertainment included a woman reading life cards from a tarot deck. Although I’m not sure how much credence I put in the activity, my husband and I decided to have some fun and see what she had to say.
Imagine my surprise when she read my cards, telling me about how many people around the world either know me personally or recognize my name, and how they had been influenced by me. “You ARE Kevin Bacon,” the woman said. At first, we laughed, but then my husband and I started to realize that she might be right.
Here are a few of the lines of reasoning:
1. I have taught school for 27 years. In that time I’ve had over 6,280 students in either Indiana or Utah. They, of course, have moved on into their own adult lives—several are even teachers themselves with students of their own who learn from what I taught their teachers.
2. I worked for Alan Osmond Productions for 10 years, writing newsletters for both The Osmond Brothers and Osmonds: Second Generation. The newsletters went to hundreds of fan club members worldwide. I did a short stint writing for both Merrill Osmond and Marie Osmond’s newsletters as well.
3. I write book reviews for the SIGNAL Journal (a publication of the International Reading Association), The ALAN Review (a publication of the Adolescent Literature Association of the National Council of Teachers of English), and NCTE Selects program. These publications go to organization members all over the world. Twice I’ve run for national positions with NCTE and had my name and photos sent on ballots to them.
4. I published a chapter in Teaching Ideas for 7-12 English Language Arts: What Really Works from Christopher Gordon Publishers that language arts teachers might have read. I have colleagues who use my chapter in the college methods courses they teach to prospective language arts educators.
5. I was a Christa McAuliffe Fellow and presented my project at a special symposium in Washington D.C. I’ve presented at many other workshops for educators and writers as well. I was the Utah English Language Arts Teacher of the Year, and a nominee for the Disney Hands Award, Utah Reading Teacher of the Year, and listed in both Who’s Who Among America’s Outstanding Educators and Who’s Who Among Outstanding American Women, introducing me to members of those selection committees.
6. I’ve published in other national magazines, including Grit, Scouting, the LDS Church News, Superteen, and 16. I’ve placed in writing contests from Writer’s Digest, the Utah Arts Council Original Writing Competition for Juvenile novel, the League of Utah Writers annual writing competition, and the Montgomery-West Literary Talent Agency Competition. I earned the Diamond Quill Award for Collected Works from the League of Utah Writers and. was named the Utah Valley Chapter Writer of the Year.
7. I worked as a freelance editor for Covenant Communications, editing books for Rachel Nunes, Brenton Yorgason, Annette Pierce, Jennie Hansen, James Rada, and Charles Davis. I’m in a critique group with Covenant authors Jeffrey S. Savage, H. B. Moore, and Annette Lyon who have been gracious enough to list my name in the acknowledgments of their books.
8. I write two weekly newspaper columns that go to a bevy of subscribers, and even make their way onto the internet. Previously I was a freelance writer for two other newspapers with different readerships. Currently, I have a successful E-zine and this blog that takes my work to a wider audience.
9. I’m involved in the Utah Council of Teachers of English Language Arts, the League of Utah Writers, The Society for Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators, the International Reading Association, Assembly on Literature for Adolescents, the National Council of Teachers of English, Children’s Literature Association of Utah, and the Children’s Literature Association of Utah, as well as several local affiliates of these organizations.
10. I graduated from high school in Alexandria, Indiana. I graduated from college at Indiana University Bloomington. I’m an avid genealogist, who has attended church in Alexandria, Anderson, Bloomington, Terre Haute, and Brazil, Indiana, plus Orem, Provo, and Spanish Fork, Utah, when I have lived in or near those cities.
When you count up all the people I’ve met, even that number alone is astronomical. I have no way to ever know how many others might have “met” me though the work I have done. I still haven’t touched the surface here of all the daily contacts I make with friends, writers, neighbors, family, and students.
So perhaps the woman is right, I AM Kevin Bacon to hundreds of people who have lived on this earth.
By the way, my own connection to Kevin Bacon is as follows: Lu Ann Staheli did “Alan Osmond’s Stadium of Fire” for America’s Freedom Festival at Provo with Keshia Knight Pulliam who was in “Beauty Shop” with Kevin Bacon!
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Welcome to My World
In the 35 days since I last posted a message on my blog, I’ve:
• taught 21 days of school
• read and reviewed 10 books
• written 6 newspaper columns
• started an e-mail list and sent 5 messages to the over 200 subscribers
• sent 6 query letters
• attended the 2 day Forum of Children’s Literature conference at UVSC
• presented at the Nebo Young Writer’s Conference
• participated in a Picture Book workshop taught by Rick Walton
• completed a night of parent teacher conferences for work
• attended a board meeting for the Utah Council of Teachers of English
• sat in a training session for foster parents
• posted final grades for over 125 students
• watched my sons play in 4 league championship basketball games
• kept track of my 5 sons for school, work, church, and play activities
• and somehow managed to keep at least a thread of my sanity.
Now you can see why I said I wouldn’t commit to updating my blog on any kind of a schedule. If the rest of you are as busy as I seem to be, you probably don’t have time to check in regularly either, so don’t feel bad if it’s been awhile since you stopped into the blog site.
I’m pleased to announce that my newsletter subscriber list has been growing by leaps and bounds. If you are interested in reading, writing, teaching, or adolescent literature, I hope you’ve signed up for these weekly e-mails. If you haven’t, and you’d like to try it out, just send an e-mail to me at LuAnn@LuAnnStaheli.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject heading.
I’ve started working on Volume 2 of Books, Books, and More Books: A Teacher and Parent’s Guide to Adolescent Literature. For those of you who are not familiar with my first CD-Book, in addition to chapters on how adolescent literature can be used with students, successful teaching strategies, and choosing books for multiple purposes, there are 100 Book Study Guides included in the text.
Volume 1 features guides for books by the following authors: David, Almond, Laurie Halse Anderson, Avi, Lois Thompson Bartholomew, Joan Bauer, Gary Blackwood, William J. Brooke, Bruce Brooks, Meg Cabot, Orson Scott Card, Eoin Colfer, Ellen Conford, Caroline B.Cooney, Sharon Creech, Chris Crutcher, Christopher Paul Curtis, Paula Danzinger, Kate DiCamillo, Sharon M. Draper, Alane Ferguson, Paul Fleischman, Susan Fletcher, Gail Friesen, Jack Gantos, Amy Gordon, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Mary Downing Hahn, Bruce Hale, Betsy Hearne, Sid Hite, Will Hobbs, Kimberly Willis Holt, Betty Horvath, Kathy Kacer, Ron Koertge, Gail Carson Levine, Ann M. Martin, Norma Fox Mazer, Joyce McDonald, Lois Metzgher, Carolyn Meyer, Walter Dean Meyers, Claudia Mills, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, John Neufeld, Naomi Shihab Nye, Gary Paulsen, Richard Peck, Rodman Philbrick, Randall Beth Platt, Phillip Pullman, Kristin Randle, Louise Rennison, Ann Rinaldi, John H. Ritter, J. K. Rowling, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Louis Sachar, Gloria Skurzynski, Lemony Snicket, Jerry Spinelli, Todd Strasser, Ross Venokier, Will Weaver, Gloria Whelan, Carol Lynch Williams, Virginia Euwer Wolff, Jacqueline Woodson, and Lawrence Yep.
If there are any books you would love to see in a future edition, please let me know. It is always my goal to produce a user-friendly and helpful product. Thanks!
I can be reached either by leaving a message here, or send me an e-mail at LuAnn@LuAnnStaheli.com. Thanks again for checking in.
Lu Ann
In the 35 days since I last posted a message on my blog, I’ve:
• taught 21 days of school
• read and reviewed 10 books
• written 6 newspaper columns
• started an e-mail list and sent 5 messages to the over 200 subscribers
• sent 6 query letters
• attended the 2 day Forum of Children’s Literature conference at UVSC
• presented at the Nebo Young Writer’s Conference
• participated in a Picture Book workshop taught by Rick Walton
• completed a night of parent teacher conferences for work
• attended a board meeting for the Utah Council of Teachers of English
• sat in a training session for foster parents
• posted final grades for over 125 students
• watched my sons play in 4 league championship basketball games
• kept track of my 5 sons for school, work, church, and play activities
• and somehow managed to keep at least a thread of my sanity.
Now you can see why I said I wouldn’t commit to updating my blog on any kind of a schedule. If the rest of you are as busy as I seem to be, you probably don’t have time to check in regularly either, so don’t feel bad if it’s been awhile since you stopped into the blog site.
I’m pleased to announce that my newsletter subscriber list has been growing by leaps and bounds. If you are interested in reading, writing, teaching, or adolescent literature, I hope you’ve signed up for these weekly e-mails. If you haven’t, and you’d like to try it out, just send an e-mail to me at LuAnn@LuAnnStaheli.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject heading.
I’ve started working on Volume 2 of Books, Books, and More Books: A Teacher and Parent’s Guide to Adolescent Literature. For those of you who are not familiar with my first CD-Book, in addition to chapters on how adolescent literature can be used with students, successful teaching strategies, and choosing books for multiple purposes, there are 100 Book Study Guides included in the text.
Volume 1 features guides for books by the following authors: David, Almond, Laurie Halse Anderson, Avi, Lois Thompson Bartholomew, Joan Bauer, Gary Blackwood, William J. Brooke, Bruce Brooks, Meg Cabot, Orson Scott Card, Eoin Colfer, Ellen Conford, Caroline B.Cooney, Sharon Creech, Chris Crutcher, Christopher Paul Curtis, Paula Danzinger, Kate DiCamillo, Sharon M. Draper, Alane Ferguson, Paul Fleischman, Susan Fletcher, Gail Friesen, Jack Gantos, Amy Gordon, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Mary Downing Hahn, Bruce Hale, Betsy Hearne, Sid Hite, Will Hobbs, Kimberly Willis Holt, Betty Horvath, Kathy Kacer, Ron Koertge, Gail Carson Levine, Ann M. Martin, Norma Fox Mazer, Joyce McDonald, Lois Metzgher, Carolyn Meyer, Walter Dean Meyers, Claudia Mills, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, John Neufeld, Naomi Shihab Nye, Gary Paulsen, Richard Peck, Rodman Philbrick, Randall Beth Platt, Phillip Pullman, Kristin Randle, Louise Rennison, Ann Rinaldi, John H. Ritter, J. K. Rowling, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Louis Sachar, Gloria Skurzynski, Lemony Snicket, Jerry Spinelli, Todd Strasser, Ross Venokier, Will Weaver, Gloria Whelan, Carol Lynch Williams, Virginia Euwer Wolff, Jacqueline Woodson, and Lawrence Yep.
If there are any books you would love to see in a future edition, please let me know. It is always my goal to produce a user-friendly and helpful product. Thanks!
I can be reached either by leaving a message here, or send me an e-mail at LuAnn@LuAnnStaheli.com. Thanks again for checking in.
Lu Ann
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Welcome to LuAnn's Library
Welcome to the first message in my new blog. I'm glad you've come to visit. It's my plan to share information about the recent books I've been reading or writing, ideas for teachers and parents to use with adolescents when it comes to language arts, or just share what's on my mind through regular postings. Hey, I've learned from reading other blogs that it's not a good idea to commit to a specific number of postings in a week or month. Life happens, and deadlines pass all too quickly to make that kind of commitment, so just check in once in awhile and read previous posts if you've missed something.
Without sounding like a braggart, I want to let you know why I'm qualified to write about both reading and writing. Here are just a few of my awards: Utah English Language Arts Teacher of the Year; Nebo Reading Teacher of the Year; Utah Valley League of Utah Writers Writer of the Year; Utah Arts Council Juvenile Novel Author of the Year; League of Utah Writers Diamond Quill winner and Juvenile Novel Author of the Year; and Christa McAuliffe Fellow for my project on adolescent literature.
I hope I'll have something to share that will be meaningful to you and your situation as a reader, writer, student, teacher, parent, friend, or family member.
Feel free to leave me a message here, or contact me via email at my new website at www.LuAnnStaheli.com. While you are on my home page, be sure to sign up for the free e-mailing list. I’d be happy to send you my regular column on issues of education and literacy, as well as keep you informed of upcoming events and new publications.
Until next time, thanks for checking in.
Without sounding like a braggart, I want to let you know why I'm qualified to write about both reading and writing. Here are just a few of my awards: Utah English Language Arts Teacher of the Year; Nebo Reading Teacher of the Year; Utah Valley League of Utah Writers Writer of the Year; Utah Arts Council Juvenile Novel Author of the Year; League of Utah Writers Diamond Quill winner and Juvenile Novel Author of the Year; and Christa McAuliffe Fellow for my project on adolescent literature.
I hope I'll have something to share that will be meaningful to you and your situation as a reader, writer, student, teacher, parent, friend, or family member.
Feel free to leave me a message here, or contact me via email at my new website at www.LuAnnStaheli.com. While you are on my home page, be sure to sign up for the free e-mailing list. I’d be happy to send you my regular column on issues of education and literacy, as well as keep you informed of upcoming events and new publications.
Until next time, thanks for checking in.
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