Jurassic Poop- Jacob Berkowitz

I have used Bev’s great idea for Crazy About Canada and am trying it for Jurassic Poop. This non-fiction book is sure to capture the attention of readers; probably our boys in particular. In looking at this topic in a scientific but humorous manner, many little known facts about “poop” are explored.  Some of the headings themselves are just worth reading: Who Dung It? When was it pooped? Teaxan Turd Treasure. Dried Doo-Doo.

The grade 4/5 class that I booktalked this with really chuckled as I broached this topic. Catching their interest is important- now it will be interesting to see how many of them follow through and read it.

My slide show

Images of Keturah’s grandmother, village, the spectre of Death and the forest which haunts this story.

The Bonemender- Holly Bennett

If you love Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, meet Holly Bennett. It is very seldom that I make that kind of comparison, but I loved The Bonemender and her newest, The Warrior’s Daughter. I have yet to read the Bonemender sequels but am very much looking forward to them.

The Bonemender is the story of Gabrielle who is a healer and works for the royal family. Life is pretty much routine until two unusual strangers come into their midst, one dreadfully hurt by a boar. It soon becomes apparent that the strangers are Elves, whom Gabrielle’s people have not seen in many years. In spite of all the problems that might ensue, Gabrielle is drawn to one of the Elves. On top of that is news of a coming invasion where Gabrielle’s healing skills are going to be in high demand.

This is a challenging read but one I would recommend for young adults and adults alike.

Take 42

It’s taking a long time to get the initial meeting between Keturah and Lord Death right. Each has to be presented as a strong character but with their own unique vulnerability. This meeting sets the stage for the rest of the story and developing relationship. These are the key points that need to be incorporated into this scene.

“He laughed then, and I saw that he was perilously beautiful, at once terrifying and irresistible.”

“I see you have given me a part in the story,” said Lord Death, and if I could trust myself, I might have thought that he might have said it with a hint of sadness. 

No wonder this crucial scene is so difficult to perfect!

Read All About It!!

Keturah’s Village

  I could not at this point link directly to Flickr so here it is- such as it is.

You Oughta Be In Pictures

Okay- I understand the visual appeal in promoting our books, but this is just not anywhere in my comfort zone. I have never joined so many on-line sites or had so many usernames and passwords in my life. Unfortunately, the book I chose to work on, Keturah and Lord Death, does not lend itself well to finding appropriate pictures. Flickr is a compilation of users’ photos and I didn’t think I could hope for photos of Death, the plague, early village life and the Grim Reaper. So with some help from Donna and Carlene, I accessed some other copyright-free sites to obtain what I could. I then registered with BigHugeLabs to design a poster. Since I didn’t edit, I’m not overly pleased with the results, but I don’t think I can spend more time on this one. I also made a postcard that is currently housed on Flickr and I have not yet been able to find it. So hats off to those of you with strong creative and technological ability, because it sure ain’t me!

By the way, the line under the title says- “A chance meeting in the forest-a battle of wills and wits.”

I like words!!

Ok- I redid the poster and realized I could import it in a bigger size so hopefully this will look a little better!

I went back to the small size as it was messing up my page- wish there was an intermediate size to upload.

Blogging for students

I was following the thread about interesting students in blogging on one of your sites and lost track of which one. It’s something that we all seem to be facing- the challenge of getting our students to try new things. As soon as they are associated with school and learning, they lose their edge. If a friend suggested it, they’d be all over it. So the other day, I book-talked the Diamond Willow books to the grade4/5 class at one of my schools. I put my library blog up on the screen and book-talked as I showed them where to find things and how to place comments. They were thoroughly engaged and many can’t wait to read a book and try it out. That particular teacher is also very willing for me to assign the reading and blog response for at least one Diamond book. So maybe we need to catch them a little younger, when they still are not afraid to be enthusiastic about new things. I think many of us felt that if we presented a technology option, they’d be keen immediately. But like so many things in education, we have to have some patience and I do believe as they see others give it a try, it will catch on. Some of the students are also reading other books that they would like to comment on. so it looks like I will be adding a section for Student Picks. I suggested they give me the title and author of the book they’re reding which I will post so that they can begin to comment.
By the way, have you checked out Tanya’s blog? We have a pro in our midst.

What do cartoons have to do with books?

Bugs never knew what he was missing! Chasing Roadrunner (or whomever) can’t hold a candle to reading a good book!

Blogging value

In conclusion, it looks as if blogging will be very good for our brains. It holds enormous potential in education, and it could take societal communication and creative exchange onto a whole new level.

This is the conclusion of an excellent article on the value of blogging. And if this is good for my aging brain, I’m in!