Kimberley’s Wanderings: Short & Sweet #2: HUNGER GAMES HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

Monday, December 10, 2012

Short & Sweet #2: HUNGER GAMES HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

December 10 , 2012

Short and Sweet (#2 in Our Three Part Holiday Series)

HUNGER GAMES HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

This was the float Alamosa Books created for Albuquerque's Twinkle Light Parade. See the Christmas tree in the left hand corner? Now check out the close up below...

Sean and Elizabeth, the owners of Alamosa, decorated the tree with books including titles by the Spellbinders.

Here is our second song in the series:

HUNGER GAMES HOLIDAY TRADITIONS by Carolee Dean

Based on The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.

(sung to the tune of "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire")

Rabbits roasting on an open fire.

Tributes shooting at your rear.

Mockingjays singing songs like a choir.

Kids dressed up in combat gear.

Everybody knows some arrows and a few berries,

are what you need to win this fight.

But mutant mutts with their eyes all aglow,

make it hard to sleep tonight.

You hope that medicine and soup is on its way,

and Haymitch didn't drink the sponsors pay.

Though probably he's passed out now and sleeping.

This happens every time that there's a reaping

And so I'm offering this simple tale,

about a bunch of kids with bad behavior.

Though its been said many time many ways,

"May the odds be ever in you favor."

Go to the end of this post for a reminder of the steps you may use to create your own spoofs.

The Spellbinders will be at Alamosa Books in Albuquerque, along with several other local authors, on December 11 from 6-8 p.m. In addition to mingling with librarians and conducting a multi-author book signing, we will be collecting books for the Albuquerque Public Schools - Title One Homeless Project. This project has already served over 400 students this year alone. A book is a gift a child may treasure forever. If you are not located in the Albuquerque area, consider donating books to your local homeless shelter, or better yet, partner with a local bookstore and start a book drive of your own.

As part of the evening's entertainment, we will be singing Christmas Carol Spoofs. I must give kudos here to the staff at Alamosa (Chris Warner, Megan Herceg, and Corey Bowen) for helping me brainstorm these wacky songs. They were the ones who suggested zombies and brought out a host of Jonathan Maberry books. To check out last week's zombie song or any other articles you may have missed, find past issues at the Spellbinders Blog.

Here is a copy of last week's tips for creating your own book spoofs:

1) Make a list of characters, locations, key phrases, etc. from the novel.

2) Explore a variety of songs and decide which one might lend itself to a spoof of that particular book.

3) Study the song you have selected, line by line, and see if any of the original lines of the song can be retained in part or whole.

4) Look back at your list of characters, locations, and phrases and see if any of them rhyme.

5) Go through the song, line by line, substituting your own lyrics.

6) Sing and Enjoy!

Next week we will have the final song in our Three-Part Holiday Series:

December 17 - EDWARD THE VAMPIRE or A VERY FROSTY KISS MISS

After that we will be taking a break until January 14, 2013!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

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Meet the Spellbinders

rolee Dean has made numerous appearances as a guest poet/author at schools, libraries, poetry events, and teacher/library conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and a master's degree in communicative disorders, and she has spent over a decade working in the public schools as a

speech-language pathologist.

Her first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, was named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute of Letters, and was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading list. Take Me There is a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers.

Her upcoming paranormal verse novel, Forget Me Not, will be published by Simon Pulse in October of 2012.

She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random Act of Haiku." Forget Me Not

Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. Back in New

Mexico, Caroline now writes middle-grade novels and picture books full time.

To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to my website.

Kimberley Griffiths Little is the recipient of the Southwest Book Award, The Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, and the author of the highly acclaimed, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, published by Scholastic Press. Look for her books at the Scholastic Book Fairs, as well

as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013.

She lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her husband, a robotics engineer and their three sons. Kimberley is a favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative Diary", a highly successful writing

workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences.