First Day of April and Back to Blogging.

Well, I have discovered something. I can't stay away from the blogging. I love talking books for children and sometimes for teens too much. And I have so many recent reads that I want to share. Plus, those reads from my Cybils judging for 2012! In other words I do believe I am about to burst with all the book love I have in me.

It was a great month of taking a step back though. Gives you a good sense of what your fingers are itching to write on.

Looking forward to getting back into the blog of things on the first day of April....no foolin'!

Decisions

My plate has been full to overflowing these last few months and just now I am coming upon a quiet time. That will last a few weeks and them school will start up again. That will be added to working and programme planning full time. These will take up the most of my time. Here is where the priorities have to be put in place. Because of my work I need time for reading and choosing picture books and other materials for the classroom and because of my proposed middle grade and possibly teen book clubs I need the time to read the books I want to share with them. And I write. Need time for that. Needless to say the time left is limited and so enters making social media decisions for my time online. This is my blog. It is difficult to say goodbye if only for another month or even two. Especially difficult because I do love being a part of Marvelous Middle Grade Monday and I love sharing some of my favourite reads.

But.

Goodbye it is for another little while. To me blogging that is. I am going to be carving out some time to read all of your blogs...you keep me on my reading and writing toes!

See You in March!

Greetings everyone.

 A deadline approaches for completed the next set of Early Childhood Ed. courses I am taking, so with working full-time and other writing endeavors the blog move on down the totem pole.

Will be back in March for some MMGM, March Madness as inspired by Denise Jaden and get going on some picture book and storytelling features. Now that I am back at the daycare the kids and I have been reading picture books like mad, telling and re-telling folktales and generally playing with story. Been a whole lot of fun I must say! Love hanging with the preschool crowd because they are all kinds of cool.

I've been writing more and more non-fiction and have to say, as some you've heard endlessly, I kind of LOVE it. Also hoping the next round of revision requests on the non-fiction book I'm working on will come in sometime in the next couple weeks, so I can carry on with that. Putting together a package to snail mail to Capstone, too. Love that publisher...love their products and books. Gush, gush!

Will still be reading blogs and checking in on twitter. I learn from and am inspired  by so many writers, teachers, librarians, editors, agents  and more that not reading and keeping up would be too many missed opportunities to grow and get better at what I do, plus love making all those connections for literacy that I can use in my classroom.

Happy fast approaching Valentine's Day and Family Day...heck, Happy February and see y'all in March.

STAINED by Cheryl Rainfield-Cover Reveal and Book Trailer

Happy Tuesday everyone. Hope your week is off to a great start. Mine is. Got to hang out over at Shannon Messenger's blog and sing the praises of a favorite 2012 read. And today I get to be a part of Cheryl Rainfield's cover reveal for her upcoming novel, STAINED. 

Now, I've read two of her other books ( a contemporary YA, Scarred and a YA fantasy, Hunted). Both were gripping page turners that have made me a fan of this author's work. Next up to read is Parallel Visions and when I am done that one you can bet I will be reading STAINED. SO! On with more about the book. 

 The description: 

In this heart-wrenching and suspenseful teen thriller, sixteen-year-old Sarah Meadows longs for "normal." Born with a port-wine stain covering half her face, all her life she’s been plagued by stares, giggles, bullying, and disgust. But when she’s abducted on the way home from school, Sarah is forced to uncover the courage she never knew she had, become a hero rather than a victim, and learn to look beyond her face to find the beauty and strength she has inside. It’s that—or succumb to a killer.

 The book trailer:

   

And without further ramblings from me...THE COVER!

Pretty darn awesome wouldn't you agree?

Here's some more from Cheryl:

Like I did with SCARS and HUNTED, I drew on some of my own experiences of bullying, abuse, and trauma to write STAINED and to give it greater emotional depth. Like Sarah in STAINED, I experienced abduction, imprisonment, periods of forced starvation, mind control, and having my life threatened. And like Sarah, I tried hard to fight against my abuser, keep my own sense of self, and escape. I hope readers will see Sarah's strength and courage, and appreciate her emotional growth as she reclaims herself. The book is out from Houghton and Mifflin, November of 2013.

Available For Pre-Order on:

Amazon (hardcover): http://www.amazon.com/Stained-Cheryl-Rainfield/dp/0547942087(well, it says you can get an email when avail)

Amazon (kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Stained-ebook/dp/B00AUZS5VG/

Amazon.ca (hardcover): http://www.amazon.ca/Stained-Cheryl-Rainfield/dp/0547942087

Amazon.ca (ebook): http://www.amazon.ca/Stained-ebook/dp/B00AUZS5VG/

The Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9780547942087/?a_aid=allbookstorescom&selectCurrency=USD

Powell's: http://www.powells.com/biblio/:new:0547942087:?&PID=7355

Books a Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780547942087?AID=42121&PID=520726

In the meantime I highly recommend you check out Cheryl's other books. It will help with waiting for STAINED to arrive.

Happy Reading!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday and Company

Good morning all! I am spending Marvelous Middle Grade Monday over on Shannon Messenger's blog. Talking up the love of Mike Jung's Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities. I loved it. Alot. So am thrilled to be sharing it over there. Why? 'Cause Shannon always does a giveaway. Get thee over there for a chance to win a copy of this fantabulous book...please:)

Hope you all have a marvelous Monday. Happy Reading!

Talking Writing With My Daughter

Greetings all. This week I have been visiting my youngest daughter and her family. It has been an absolutely wonderful. Beading, drawing, building castles, dressing up, dancing, coloring, reading stories and the list goes on. And midst it all the daughter and I have written. She is working on a YA novel. She has read bits of the first draft to me and oh my, it's good. Gritty.  Voice all over the place. Yes, I am biased. But, I have also read a lot of issue driven contemporary YA and I know good when I hear it. And this is only the first draft she is working on!

So, all of our talking back and forth about writing led to her thinking she'd like to interview me for her blog. Sure, I said. We sat down and here is the result:

Interview attempt #1: Talking with Deb Marshall « The Dissocial Mom

Hope you have a chance to check it out. Happy Saturday and...Happy Writing!

MMGM #Cybils Round Up 2

Morning all! Sorry for the lateness of this post on this fine Monday morning. Computer issues I was not prepped for got the better of me and the plan is not going as planned. Here is the link back to marvelous middle grade monday founder's post so you can keep moving along! Will be back with an update to this post as I figure out the computer!

EDITED TO ADD:


Okay. I am up and running-ish now. SO--here (finally) are the books I would like to share for this #Cybils Round Up. Not part of our shortlist, but great just the same and each for their own reasons. All descriptions are from GoodReads. Will be back next week with more. Until then, happy reading and I hope you have time to check these three out.

Ungifted by Gordon Korman (go here to browse inside the book!)
The word gifted has never been applied to a kid like Donovan Curtis. It's usually more like Don't try this at home. So when the troublemaker pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he's finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction (ASD), a special program for gifted and talented students.

It wasn't exactly what Donovan had intended, but there couldn't be a more perfect hideout for someone like him. That is, if he can manage to fool people whose IQs are above genius level. And that becomes harder and harder as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything). But after an ongoing experiment with a live human (sister), an unforgettably dramatic middle-school dance, and the most astonishing come-from-behind robot victory ever, Donovan shows that his gifts might be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed.

What I loved was the twist on who was fitting in with who. That is, this time it was someone trying to fit in with the "nerds", the super smart kids who are really good at something-science, art, math. Genius level smart in some cases. Along comes Donovan who figures he is not really good at anything but getting into trouble. And let's face it he's good at that...really good at that, with hilarious results. Okay, teachers make not find it all that hilarious, but I did and so will other readers young and old. His latest foray into trouble making lands him quite by accident into a school for the gifted, something he is convinced he is not and something each and everyone of his public school teachers are convinced of. But sometimes we really do rise up to what is expected of us and reach heights we didn't think possible because of what everyone else believes about us. With humor and incredible insight the author shows us that in a story that will captivate younger readers who love to laugh.

Justin Case: Shells, Smells, and the Horrible Flip Flops of Doom by Rachel Vail
Justin is going to start fourth grade—but first, he has to survive the summer. He “gets” to go to camp every day on a bus. He “gets” to experience all sorts of new things: Bugs. Mess hall food. Flip-flops (they hurt the space between his toes and they’re hard to walk in). And (gulp!) swimming. 

Justin’s little sister, Elizabeth, seems to deal with camp just fine. So do his friends. Justin is trying very hard not to be a worried kid anymore, especially when it comes to making friends at camp, including a new kid who is kind of . . . rough. After all, Justin is going to be in fourth grade. It’s time to be brave. Right?

The voice in this story is so crazy dead on, just like it was in book one. This boy is one believable kid and other kids will totally relate to his day to day worries, whether they are worriers or not. Heartfelt storytelling from page one captured and kept me reading until the end. Even writing this post I marvel at how well the author does kid speak and tells a story that kids will relate to. As a side note, I would say that if you ever have the opportunity to hear Rachel Vail speak...take it. I heard he speak last year and she is someone who is passionate about writing for children. It shows in her books.

Secret of Fortune Wookie Tom Angleberger

With Dwight attending Tippett Academy this semester, the kids of McQuarrie Middle School are on their own—no Origami Yoda to give advice and help them navigate the treacherous waters of middle school. Then Sara gets a gift she says is from Dwight—a paper fortune-teller in the form of Chewbacca. It’s a Fortune Wookiee, and it seems to give advice that’s just as good as Yoda’s—even if, in the hands of the girls, it seems too preoccupied with romance. In the meantime, Dwight is fitting in a little too well at Tippett. Has the unimaginable happened? Has Dwight become normal? It’s up to his old friends at McQuarrie to remind their kooky friend that it’s in his weirdness that his greatness lies.
With his proven knack for humorously exploring the intrigues, fads, and dramas of middle school, Tom Angleberger has crafted a worthy follow-up to his breakout bestsellers The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back.

Friends to the rescue in this one. Friends who know how important it is to stay true to yourself, with all the wacky included. What a fabulous ensemble of middle school characters that come together in a story that is just as good as the first two. The author knows how to portray the dynamics and dramatics of middle school life, the funny and the not so funny.