November 29, 2012

Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day! Love it!!!


Did you know that Saturday is:

Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day

Love, love, love this!  
My kids love going to bookstores.  They always know I can't say no to a new book :) 
And I'm a firm believer that kids need their own books in their house.  Of course if you can't afford them there is always the library!

Here's a bit about it taken from the website.


Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day began when my children were little and I was going to story time at bookstores nearly every week. Did all children know the pleasure of spending time in a bookstore? I wondered. Of being drawn into a magic world for a while, then being left to choose treasures on the shelf? I wanted to begin a holiday that would expose as many kids as possible to this joy.

But Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day quickly became bigger than one mother and her children. Bloggers and book lovers took it viral across the web, carried posters into bookstores, and welcomed me and my family to local bookstores when we traveled cross country last summer.

Now we are busily adding stores, helping support celebrations on the Day, and leading people to the wonderful places we have found. In the future, Take Your Child to a Bookstore may offer grants for children who can't visit a bookstore on their own, or perhaps there will be internships for kids who want one day to own a bookstore. Because the sky is the limit when there is a book!

To find out more and see a list of bookstores participating check out the site:


I'd love to take mine to our favorite children bookstore in St. Paul - The Red Balloon.  Or maybe we'll checkout the bookstore - The Bookcase.  We haven't been there yet!

November 27, 2012

Team Owl Review: Finally (11 Birthdays #2)


Title: Finally

By: Wendy Mass

You can pierce your ears when you're twelve. You can go to the mall with your friends when you're twelve. You can babysit little Timmy next door when you're twelve. You can get a cell phone when you're twelve. Hey, you can even ride in the front passenger-side seat when you're twelve .When you're twelve, when you're twelve, when you're twelve . . .         My name is Rory Swenson, and I've been waiting to turn twelve my whole life. In exactly 18 hours, 36 minutes, and 52 seconds, it will finally happen.            My life will officially begin.

Wow! This book was amazing! Where do I start? How about the beginning.

I have to admit, at first I didn’t know what to think about this book. I thought what could be so interesting about a girl stuck in a drain pipe? But little did I know what would be happening. Rory Swenson is an ordinary 11 year old girl counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until her twelvth birthday. To her, when you turn twelve you can pierce your ears, you can ride in the front seat, get a cell phone, wear makeup, attend boy/ girl parties, and basically get to have and do whatever you want.

So… Rory makes a list of everything she wants and keeps adding along the way until she reaches 12 wants or nessesities of life as Rory called it, split into two categories, an important, and a not as important but still very useful. Some of the things on her list include a cell phone, riding in the front seat, getting your ears pierced, getting a cute white fluffy bunny, attending her first boy/ girl party, and much, much more.

Alright now let’s get this show on the road. It all started on a field trip to the wildlife reserve. Rory decides to go rest on a rock because her legs were starting to get sore after all that standing and walking. Or what she thought was a rock. She sat down and SWOOSH! Rory got sucked into a drain pipe. I know your thinking how could a girl mistake a rock for a drain pipe? Now I don’t want to give any spoiler alerts so if you think I’m going to tell you anything, just move on. So now she’s stuck abandoned by her classmates until an old lady with white hair and a birthmark shaped like a duck that wiggles when she talks sees Rory. She helps her out, and tells her ‘You won’t get what you want, until you see what you need.” Now this sentence carries Rory on basically throughout the entire story, but she is skeptical on what it means.

My favorite event that happened in the story was a movie tryout to be an extra with starring teen sensation Jake Harrison! So of course, Rory and a few of her friends try out. I mean that’s just like walking into school and seeing Justin Bieber or whoever you totally dream about and getting the opertunity to be a movie star and get to meet that famous person.. 

Tryouts are in this cold dark gym that smells like sweat and has been in their middle school for years. The tryouts go fantastic for Rory and her friends.  Of course now you have to shave your legs, get your hair done, do your nails, get your ears pierced, and buy makeup in order to get the part of the movie while still impressing the famous Jake Harrison. That’s exactly what Rory does and if I was her, I would regret ever even trying out for the play. But Rory keeps going. She starts by shaving which is not a good idea for someone who is alone shaving for the first time. After that tragic accident, Rory keeps going hoping for something better.

Along the way, Rory does get a lot of the things on her list but everything goes wrong. In the end, Rory realizes, she hasn’t gotten what she wanted, because she hasn’t seen what she needed. This is a warming, book on friendship, and love. Mainly suitable for girls ages 10-13. Or for people that just want to have a funny but serious book to fulfill your taste buds with the joy of reading. But I have to warn you…Warning This Book May Cause You to Never Stop Reading Due To Its amazing Events, Details, Humor, And the Way It Connects to Many Peoples Lives!!!

          Tell the world! This book is here. Share it. Read it. Achieve It. I hope this story is here generation after generation        so millions of billions of people can experience the joy of not only reading this book, but the many books to come.               

This book is truly amazing. When I read this, every page I would stop and say, ‘that sounds like me.’ I really connected with this book in a feeling type of way, and events that have happened to me and Rory. Praise the author Wendy Mass for creating these awesome books. She has a wide variety of amazing books that I would recommend to anyone. I hope you truly connect with this book as much as I did.

November 23, 2012

Thankful For Middle Grade Giveaway

Hey all I've had some extra copies of some MG books, so I thought it would be fun to give them away!

There will be three winners one for each book below.

The three books are:

Liesl & Po


Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice,until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.
That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.
Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.


Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms

Enter a wonderful world filled with real magic, mystery … and danger.


As if being small for his age and also having S. Horten as his name isn't bad enough, now 10-year-old Stuart is forced to move far away from all his friends. But on his very first day in his new home, Stuart's swept up in an extraordinary adventure: the quest to find his great-uncle Tony--a famous magician who literally disappeared off the face of the earth--and Tony's marvelous, long-lost workshop.  Along the way, Stuart reluctantly accepts help from the annoying triplets next door… and encounters trouble from another magician who's also desperate to get hold of Tony's treasures.



Ghost of Graylock

Does an abandoned asylum hold the key to a frightful haunting?

Everyone's heard the stories about Graylock Hall.

It was meant to be a place of healing - a hospital where children and teenagers with mental disorders would be cared for and perhaps even cured. But something went wrong. Several young patients died under mysterious circumstances. Eventually, the hospital was shut down, the building abandoned and left to rot deep in the woods.

As the new kid in town, Neil Cady wants to see Graylock for himself. Especially since rumor has it that the building is haunted. He's got fresh batteries in his flashlight, a camera to document the adventure, and a new best friend watching his back.

Neil might think he's prepared for what he'll find in the dark and decrepit asylum. But he's certainly not prepared for what follows him home. . . .

To enter just fill out the rafflecopter

Must be a US resident
Must be at least 13




a Rafflecopter giveaway

November 20, 2012

Cover Crush: Forever My Girl


I love book covers. Love love love them! I've been known to drag my sister around Barnes and Noble and show her all the covers I like. I'll hunt down certain students in the morning because I know they'll love a cover as much as me. I really think I develop a crush on certain covers!


Today I'm crushing on:


I absolutely love this cover.  I saw it revealed on another blog, and I had to know more about the book.  Why I like it?  It's just not what you see these days.  For one the boy takes up more of the picture than the girl.  You don't see that as much.  And it seems whenever there is a boy/girl cover it's all touchy romancy (like my word choice there??).  This one isn't that way.  
And then of course all the questions it raises.  Who is the boy?  Who is the girl? What is their history? Why the guitar and what part does it play?  Why is she walking away?

LOVE IT!

I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after. 

I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I’ve poured my soul into my music, but I’ve never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile. 

And now I’m going back. 

After ten years. 

I hope I can explain that after all this time. 

I still want her to be my forever girl.


Holiday Book Swap!!! Join the Fun!

I'm part of the



This is a great opportunity to give some books to people who share your interests, and GET some books to add to your library! But it only works if lots of people sign. Up. You can sign up either at Emily's blog or Enna's blog. Sign ups are open until November 22nd.

SIGN UP TODAY!

I've sign up.  Have you????

November 19, 2012

Team Owl Review: Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy


TITLE:     The Cinderella Society
AUTHOR:   Kay Cassidy


When the Prom Queen becomes your fairy godmother…

Sixteen year old outsider, Jess Parker, gets the chance of a lifetime: an invitation to join a secret society of popular girls dedicated to defeating the mean girls of the world. The Cinderella Society guides all new recruits through its top secret ultimate life makeover. It’s all part of preparing them to face down the Wickeds and win. Determined not to let the Cindys down, Jess dives in with a passion. Finally, a chance to belong and show the world what she’s made of.

… be careful what you wish for.

Jess’s transformation wins her the heart of her dream crush and a shot at uber-popularity. Until the Wickeds–led by Jess’s arch enemy–begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers the real force behind her exclusive society. It’s a high stakes battle of good vs. evil, and the Cindys in power need Jess on special assignment. When the mission threatens to destroy her dream life come true, Jess is forced to choose between living a fairy tale and honoring the Sisterhood… and herself.

What’s a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn’t want to wear it anymore?

In the book The Cinderella Society, Jess Parker survives high school by staying invisible. Jess is new to the school and doesn’t have any close friends, because she stole Lexy Steele’s spot on the cheerleading squad. By stealing the spot, she and Lexy became enemies.

 One day, Jess gets an invitation to join the Cinderella society, a secret club run by some of the popular girls. The goal of the Cinderella society is to get girls to feel good about themselves. There is also a rival club called the Wickeds, and the Wickeds goal is to treat innocent girls badly just to get what they want.

 It’s a battle between Good and Evil, and the Cinderella society needs   Jess more than ever.  

I think the book was an awesome book because its genre was some realistic fiction mixed with a little bit of a fairytale.

 I think that this book is considered a girly book, for young adults.

Teacher note: I absolutely LOVE this book!!!!!


November 16, 2012

Age Categories


Because I review books that kids of different ages might read I span a lot of content, and I wanted a really easy way for my readers to see what age group the book might be best for.


Now to explain each of my categories!


Picture Books
Just what it sounds like :)



Early Chapter
These are book one level below middle grade.  They are short chapter book appropriate for elementary students that are beyond picture books. 


Middle Grade
These are books that are classic MG - designed for ages 9-12.  They are ones I would feel comfortable giving my 5th and 6th graders for sure.


YA-Young Adult
These are classic YA or ages 12+.  They might have some things that might be appropriate for some of my younger students.



UYA- Upper Young Adult
These are books I would say are geared more towards ages 14 or 16 and up.  They contain things that would make them more inappropriate for younger kids. 


I hope you find them useful!!!!!

November 15, 2012

Team Owl Review: Ghost and the Goth

Title: Ghost and the Goth
Author: Stacy Kade


Alona Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star… and newly dead.

I’m the girl you hated in high school. Is it my fault I was born with it all-good looks, silky blond hair, a hot bod, and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking white light already?

Will Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker.

I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation?



Another interview form Team Owl Review :)

Why did you decide to pick up this book and read it?
Ms. F showed me the book.

Did you like the book? Please explain why you liked it or not.
I thought the book was really good. It made me not want to stop reading. In the book it reveals some things at the end (but I can’t tell.) When I finished reading it I wish there is another one because it is an amazing book.

Tell me what you thought of the main character(s). Did you like him/her/them? Did you like how they acted/reacted to events in the story?
I think Alona is my favorite character, because a lot can happen to a girl in a little bit of time.

What part did you like the best and why?
My favorite part would be when Alona was trying to figure out what is Junie up to.

Would you recommend this book to a friend?
Yes, because my friends are into the same kind of books I am into. So I think this would be a good book for one of my friends.

Tell me anything else about the book and your opinion of it that you want to share!
In the end you find out something that happens to Alona in the beginning of the book.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!!!





November 14, 2012

Cover Crush: Insomnia by J.R. Johansson



I love book covers. Love love love them! I've been known to drag my sister around Barnes and Noble and show her all the covers I like. I'll hunt down certain students in the morning because I know they'll love a cover as much as me. I really think I develop a crush on certain covers!


Today I'm crushing on:


Ok doesn't it just kind of reach off the page, grab you by the shoulders and scream "READ ME!!!"?  
Maybe it's just me.

It’s been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me.

Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he’s had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people’s fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets—and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia’s eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he’s gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker.

Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all.

November 13, 2012

Team Owl Review: Front Page Face-Off


Title: Front Page Face-Off
Author: Jo Whittmore


Twelve-year-old Delilah James is one of the top reporters at Brighton Junior Academy and dreams of becoming a Junior Global Journalist. But when an international rival named Ava invades her newsroom and takes over her crush, Delilah finds an unlikely ally in the Debutantes - a.k.a. the Little Debbies.


Front Page Face-Off is a one of-a-kind book. Jo Whittemore has outdone her self! If you like books about a newspaper war, middle school DO-NOT-DO's, romance, and a little of suspense, this book is for you. 12 year-old Delilah James is in 7th grade and lead reporter on Brighton Academy's school newspaper. Well, until Ava comes along. Ava is an exchange student from France and Delilah is sure she is out to get her newspaper, and her new crush, Ben. When Delilah is invited to an elite group of populars also known as the Debutantes, things get a little out of hand. Brighton Acadamy turns into a war zone between Ava and Delilah. With only one spot as the Lead Reporter, who will win with the best article? 

Delilah is a kind of girl you don't mess with, and if you do, Good Luck! But despite her "evil" side, Delilah is a normal person too. She has feelings too. I think this book is best for girls because it's about crushes, and everything you would expect in your middle school time. My thoughts on this book are all good. Jo Whittemore seems to know what it's like to be a 12 year old in middle school again! She knows how to string the words together just right and I'm sure once when you read this book you will know it's phenomenal as much as I do. Front Page Face-Off is for girls around the middle school age. 

Thank you so much for reading my review on front Page Face-Off by Jo Whittemore!


November 9, 2012

Team Owl Review: Fracture



Title: Fracture
Author: Megan Miranda

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?



This Team Owl Review is in the form of an interview.

Why did you decide to pick up this book and read it?
I decided to read this book because my language arts teacher told the class about it and she had just gotten it so I decided to try it out. It sounded like a suspenseful book and it got a lot of good reviews.

Did you like the book? Please explain why you liked it or not.
I loved this book! There is a lot of stuff going on but it's a page-turner and you can't stop! It's not ANYTHING you'd expect at ALL! It's a book about love, relationships, teenagers, suspense, and curiosity. You get the full package with this book! :)

Tell me what you thought of the main character(s). Did you like him/her/them? Did you like how they acted/reacted to events in the story?
I think since the main characters are teenagers, the author made a good job of making it seem like an actual teenager and her thoughts and feelings and things she goes through. Delaney goes through a lot with her friends and emotions and family after her accident and I love how Decker is a caring friend, even as a guy.

What part did you like the best and why?
The part I loved the most was either when she explained what had happened during her accident and at the end, Troy's accident.

Would you recommend this book to a friend?
I definitely would recommend this book to people of all ages because it's a nonstop page-turner and it tells a really good story and plot line.

Tell me anything else about the book and your opinion of it that you want to share!
I thought it was a magnificent story to be told and it definitely made an impact on my life and how I think about related events in my life and others!

Thanks for your thoughts.  Every student I've had that had picked this book up and read it has LOVED it!


November 6, 2012

Author Interview: Helen Phillips - Here Where the Sunbeams are Green

Today I welcome 

Helen Phillips 

She is the author of 
Here Where the Sunbeams are Green 

Mad's dad is the Bird Guy. He'll go anywhere to study birds. So when he's offered a bird-tracking job in Central America, his bags are packed and he's jungle bound.

But going bird tracking in the jungle and disappearing completely are very different things, and when the Very Strange and Incredibly Creepy Letter arrives, Mad can't shake the terrible feeling that her father is in trouble.

Roo, Mad's younger sister, is convinced that the letter is a coded message. And their mom is worried, because the letter doesn't sound like Dad at all. But Mad is sure it's a sign of something sinister.

The only way to get to the bottom of it is to go to Lava Bird Volcano and find their dad themselves. Though they never could have imagined what they're about to discover.

From new talent Helen Phillips, Here Where the Sunbeams Are Green is the story of what can happen when two sisters make some unusual friends, trust in each other, and bravely face a jungle of trouble all to bring their family back together.

Doesn't it sound like a great book?!!?  Very excited to be able to ask Helen a few questions.

Welcome Helen to The O.W.L.


We'll start with the easy questions

What Point of View -1st or 3rd: 1st

Boy or Girl main character (or both!): Girl

Genre(Eco)AdventureMiddle Grade or Young Adult: Middle Grade

More boy or girl book (stereotypically): Girl, but really it’s an adventure story for girls and boys, since the sisters are working with their new friend and jungle expert Kyle.


Now the more serious questions

For ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Here Where the Sunbeams are Green what part/character/event are you most excited/proud about? 

I love the dynamic between the narrator, Mad, and her feisty little sister Roo. This is based on my relationship with my own younger sister, and I feel that I was able to capture it on the page.

Tell about your writing process.  How long did it take you to write Here Where the Sunbeams are Green from idea to finish?  Please tell about revision is you can! I’m very curious about how you plot out a mystery to keep the ending a secret! 

It was almost four years from idea to publication. It went through eight or so drafts on its way to becoming the book it is now. In the first draft of the book, Mad, Roo, and Kyle were searching for a rare kind of jungle earthworm. Only my husband Adam ever set eyes on that draft. He said, “Hon, the characters and setting are great. But … earthworms?” So the Lava-Throated Volcano Trogon was born. In revision, I worked hard to develop the plot, suspense, and mystery. I re-wrote the ending many, many times. Originally Mad was with her family and Kyle at the climax, but along the way I realized that Mad would have to go out and test her courage alone.

When you were in middle school what kind of student were you?  Did you write then? Did anything from this time show up in ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Here Where the Sunbeams are Green

Frankly, I was a bit on the dorky side in middle school. I loved school, loved reading and writing, and definitely wasn’t one of the cool kids, though I was lucky enough to have a handful of great friends. I lost all of my hair due to the autoimmune disorder alopecia when I was eleven years old, so that made me feel pretty self-conscious at times. Eventually I came to accept my bald self, but it was quite a journey. I knew I wanted to be a writer from the time I was about six years old. When I was thirteen years old, I made the New Year’s Resolution to write a poem a day, a tradition I stuck with for the next eight years. This very much shows up in Here Where the Sunbeams Are Green—Mad too has made the New Year’s Resolution to write a poem a day.

And because it's the owl my standard question always is: WHOOO do you admire when it comes to writing? OR WHOOO do you like to read or really enjoyed in HS or middle school? 

Some of my favorite authors from those early years of reading novels are Madeleine L’Engle, Lloyd Alexander, J.R.R. Tolkein, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Susan Cooper, C.S. Lewis, Cynthia Voigt … such great and bold adventures!


The Fun Questions! (based on what middle school students do!)

Do you chew gum? Yes or No If yes favorite kind? 
I don’t chew gum nearly as much as I should. I’m more of a chocolate girl.

Do you text?
Yes. Mainly I text pictures of my 5-month-old baby to everyone.

Was school lunch just as yucky then as it is now?!
Probably so. I liked to pack my own lunch.  

Thank you so much for visiting with us today.  The book sounds fantastic, and I know I'll be sharing it with the science teachers in my building!



November 5, 2012

Cover Crush: Shadowlands by Kate Brian


I love book covers. Love love love them! I've been known to drag my sister around Barnes and Noble and show her all the covers I like. I'll hunt down certain students in the morning because I know they'll love a cover as much as me. I really think I develop a crush on certain covers!


Today I'm crushing on:


I just really like this cover.  I think it's coloring. I don't see many books this color, so my eye is drawn to it.

Love the sound of the story as well!

Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye. 

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?