Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Halloween's *last* stop of The Ghost Tour - AND I'm giving away a signed copy of FORGET ME NOT!

Carolee Dean is one of our founders of SPELLBINDERS as well as a regular Monday Contributor (and since this week has an extra 5th Monday), I/we are celebrating Carolee Dean's brand spankin' new YA novel, FORGET ME NOT - and the very *last* stop on her GHOST TOUR!!! Because it's Halloween! And you can't have a GHOST TOUR without it ending on All Hallows Eve!

Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter to win 8 pieces of gorgeous FORGET ME NOT Jewelry and raven earrings! Go here to see all the beautiful pieces of handmade jewelry.

AND I, your humble blogger, am giving away a SIGNED COPY OF FORGET ME NOT right here! Just leave a comment to be entered to win!!! 

Open until next Wednesday, November 5th, 2012! Winner announced on Thursday. :-)


This book is truly one of the most unique verse novels you will ever read. Stunning poetry and prose and screenplay scenes, spine-tingling twists and turns that will surprise you and keep you on the edge of your seat.  HIGHLY Recommended! And I'm *not* just saying that . . . Carolee Dean is a real talent in the Young Adult book world. 



Spellbinders Logo
  October 29, 2012
OCTOBER SPECIAL - FORGET ME NOT Ghost Tour and Giveaways by Carolee Dean


Forget Me Not This month I'm promoting my new paranormal verse novel, Forget Me Not, with a Ghost Tour that includes 9 blog stops, videos, poem excerpts and a contest for numerous prizes including a signed copy of the novel, a hand-painted raven journal, and specially crafted, book-related jewelry-great rewards for your students, or for yourself. It's going on at my blog. Scroll to the bottom of the blog to find the Rafflecopter.  You can view the Ghost Tour at anytime, but the contest ends on
October 31.

Learn about the ghosts of Raven Valley High School at these stops:

Stop 1:  The Nine Circles of Raven Valley High (Poem):
Discover the connection between the Nine Circles of Raven Valley High and Dante's Inferno-Purgatorio. Discover which ghosts live where, and why

Stop 2: Paranormal Activity Video:
Watch Video footage of the Girls in the Stacks as they travel to RVHS looking for ghosts

Stop 3: The History of Raven Valley High:
Find out about the history of the school as a convent, military institute, and private university, and then discover who lived there while it sat vacant for ten years.

Stop 4: Interview with Elijah McCall:
Explore his fascination with Shakespeare (he spent a month speaking in iambic pentameter) and learn why he can see ghosts.

Stop 5: Exclusive interview with the Ghost of Ernest Hemingway: Ally Cassell records her experiences in a moleskine journal, just like Ernest used to do. Find out why he's the only one she can confide in.

Stop 6: Poe-Pac Mash Up: A "Raven" inspired poem Ally wrote about 2Pac as a substitute teacher.

Observation and Memory Journal 

Stop 7: Raven Mania: Learn interesting pieces of Raven Mythology. Discover the names of the ravens that belonged to Odin, the Norse god of death and poetry and find out why they were referred to as Observation and Memory
Stop 8: Haunted by a Dead Girl: Learn the true inspiration for the ravens in the story. They're real! Hear author Carolee Dean's first hand experiences.

Stop 9: The Inhabitants of the Hallway: Find out who haunts the hallway where Ally is trapped. Ghosts are introduced in a series of Cinquain Chain poems.

To see pictures of the prizes and find the links to these stops, go to the tour here:

Ghost Tour Button 


Don't forget to scroll to the bottom of the page for the Rafflecopter. If you want to forward this email, please use the icon at the bottom of this page.

 Black Stripes

Meet the Spellbinders


CaCarolee Deanrolee 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

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




 Follow me on Twitter 
  
  



  
Caroline Starr RoseCaroline 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.


  







Kim Bio PhotoKimberley 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 Circle of Secretsas 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.

Please visit her website to download free Teacher's Guides and Book Club Guides. 
  
Follow me on Twitter 
  

                 Upcoming Author Events




November, 2012
YALSA Literature Symposium 
"Author Research Panel"
Carolee Dean
and four other authors
St. Louis, Missouri

Monday, October 22, 2012

It's SPELLBINDER Monday!!! Please go to our SPELLBINDERS BLOG and "Follow" us! Thank you!

 

Gathering at the Virtual Watercooler: Teachers Who Blog by Caroline Starr Rose

There are a vast number of resources available for teachers, and never before has so much information been so easily accessible as in the Internet age. Below you’ll find a list of teachers who blog about books, literacy, and their classroom experiences. There is a wealth of knowledge at these sites, and I hope you find them to benefit you and the work you do with children.

A Year in  Reading: Two Teachers Who Read. A Lot.

Fourth and Fifth-grade teachers Franki and Marie Lee read books and recommend books for K-6 classrooms.

Books 4 Learning


This blogger has been a teacher for twenty years and dreams of someday teaching children’s literature in a university. She reviews a variety of books, including non-fiction social studies and science titles, picture books, mid-grade, and YA, with an emphasis on fairy tales on Fridays.


Kate Messner's Teachers Write


As author Kate Messner transitioned out of the classroom to write full time, she devoted the summer to sharing writing techniques with teachers. There are interviews, writing tips, and prompts to benefit teachers and students alike.


Mr. Hankins is Reading and Writing in Kentuckiana


I would have loved having Paul Hankins as my high school English teacher. Enough said.


The Nerdy Book Club


This blog is run by three teachers -- one elementary, one middle school, and one high school -- who all share a love of books. As the Nerdy Book Bloggers say, “if you love books, especially those written for children and young adults, then you are an honorary member of The Nerdy Book Club. Like us, you probably always have a book along to read, a title to recommend, and time to talk about works held dear.”


ReaderKidz


From the website: Who are we? Some of us are teachers. All of us are parents and children’s book writers. All of us understand two basic truths about children and reading: Lifelong reading habits are established in early childhood, and children need what books have to offer.


We’ve come together to establish a resource for teachers, parents and librarians who work with readers in grades K-5. On a regularly-updated basis, ReaderkidZ will provide new and exciting downloadable tools we hope you’ll use in promoting books to these up-and-coming readers.


Reading, Teaching, Learning


Holly is a 4th grade reading gifted intervention specialist. Stop by to see what she and her students are reading.


SharpRead


Colby is a fourth-grade teacher in Battle Creek, MI. He’s one of the three minds behind the Nerdy Book Club, has served on the Cybils panel, and is in the process of reading and documenting all Newbery books, along with Mr. Schu, who will be featured in next month’s column.


Teach Mentor Texts


Teachers Jen and Kellee share from their own experiences how to expose kids to examples of great writing through children’s literature.


Teaching Authors
: Six Children’s Authors Who Also Teach Writing

From the website:
We are six children's book authors with a wide range (and many years) of experience teaching writing to children, teens, and adults. Here, we share our unique perspective as writing teachers who are also working writers. Our regular features include writing exercises (our "Writing Workouts"), teaching tips, author interviews, book reviews, and answers to your "Ask the Teaching Authors" questions. See our website for more about our "Writing Workouts," and for instructions on how to submit your "Ask the Teaching Authors" questions.

The O.W.L.:
 Outrageously Wonderful Literature for the Middle Grades

Jill teaches 5-8 grade English and is a strong advocate for developing life-long readers. She posts reviews, interviews, and her students’ reactions on book covers.


The Poem Farm


Amy is a writer and teacher who wants to bring poetry into the classroom. From the website: The Poem Farm is a poem garden, and it's a spot to highlight poetry in classrooms. Please share these poems and thoughts snuggled up on your rug, on a SMART Board, in a center, or however you wish. I will post poems regularly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays throughout the school year.


Two Reflective Teachers:
 Two Teachers who Share the Passion of Literacy, Teaching and Life-Long Learning

Not only do these teachers share their passions, they share a name! Both Melanies teach elementary school. Their blog is a wonderful resource for professional reading, the Common Core, and bulletin board ideas. 

Sonya Terborg 

From the website: I have been teaching for 16 years in 7 countries, located in 4 continents. I am passionate about finding a significant opportunity to make a positive change wherever I am working. I enjoy learning more about the challenges and triumphs in education and believe in sharing ideas in order to deepen understanding.

Next month: Spreading the Knowledge - Librarians Who Blog 


Happy Monday!

~Kimberley  

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

What I've Read so Far in 2012!

This year I started something new. I've actually been keeping track of all the books I've read during the year in a Word document. 

Innovative, right?! Ha! Between books purchased, checked out from the library, or loaned to me by friends, it was always so difficult to remember everything I'd read during the year and I knew it was incomplete come December. This past January, I changed all that - I started a Word document and have been listing them as one of my yearly goals. :-)

My good friend Caroline Rose recently posted her list here at her blog, Caroline by Line.http://carolinebyline.blogspot.com/2012/10/2012-reading-update_12.html 

She and I intersect with many titles and lately we've discussed some of our favorites, which is always fun and enlightening

Here's mine - so far. I have 35 sitting in huge piles waiting for me. With more looming on the horizon since I have about 8 books on Hold at the library.   

Total so Far this year: 74 Books! 


Children’s & YA Novels: 

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Trapped by Michael Northrop
May B by Caroline Starr Rose
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
The Visconti House by Elsbeth Edgar
Eight Keys by Suzanne LeFleur
Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes by Auxier
The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer Holm
The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell
How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
Variant by Robison Wells
The Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams
Girls Don’t Fly  Kristin Chandler
The Humming Room by Ellen Potter
Starters by Lissa Price
With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo
Sean Grisham’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt
Slayers by C. J. (Janette Rallison)
Shifting by Bethany Wiggins
Legend by Marie Lu
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Bigger Than a Breadbox by Laurel Snyder
Where Things Come Back, John Corey Whaley
What Happened on Fox Street? Tricia Springstubb
Tighter by Adele Griffin
Chime by Franny Billinsgly
Shine by Lauren Myracle
Grave Mercy by R.L. LeFevers
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
The Wild Queen Carolyn Meyer
Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindle
Desert Angel by Charlie Price
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Leisl and Po by Lauren Oliver
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker
Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin
Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone
Iva Honeysuckle by Candice Ransom
Cleopatra’s Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
Small Damages by Beth Kephart
The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford
Don’t Look Behind You by Michelle Gagnon
Skylark by Meagan Spooner
My Mixed-Up Blueberry Summer  by Jennifer Gennari

Non-Fiction Books:

7 Miracles that Saved America by Todd Stewart
7 Miracles that Saved the World by by Chris and Todd Stewart
America’s Hope by Douglas Brinley
Growing up Amish by Ira Wagler
Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo
The Writer’s Book of Hope by Ralph Keys
The Bedouin by Jamail Jabbar
Bedouins of the Desert by Alan Keohane
Belly Dance by Wendy Bonaventura
Lehi’s Journey by Lynn and Hope Hilton
Jordan, Past and Present by E. Borgia
Arabian Travels by Wilford Thesiger
Travels in Arabia Deserta by Charles Doughty
The Shallows: How the Internet is Transforming our Brains
Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

Adult Novels:

Rebecca’s Tale by Sally Beauman
The Dressmakers Daughter by Kate Alcott
Sister by Rosamund Lipton
The Beginner’s Goodbye by Anne Tyler
State of Wonder by Anne Patchett


Monday, October 15, 2012

Book Buzz with SPELLBINDERS for School Year 2012-2013

Spellbinders Logo



October 15, 2012
Kimberley's Book Buzz is Back for 2012-2013! 
Welcome Back to Book Buzz! October is always our "welcome back" month since SPELLBINDERS takes June - September off for summer vacation. We have readers from coast to coast and school begins anywhere from the end of July through mid-September.  

As much as I love the Fall colors, the cooler weather and crisp gorgeous mornings, it takes me awhile to get out of summer mode.  

So . . . I give you a few of my favorite Summer Reads! Hopefully, you got a chance to relax this past summer and read, read, read, whether you were at the beach, in a car headed out to a great vacation, or relaxing at home.  

Please tell us about one of your favorite recent reads at our SPELLBINDER BLOG AT THIS LINK.  

Picture Book Titles:
  
I KNOW A WEE PIGGY by Kim Norman
  
A clever, colorful read-aloud in the tradition of I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.

A fun day at the fair becomes color chaos when one boy's energetic pig gets loose. Upside down, piggy wallows in brown, but that's only the beginning of this cumulative, rhyming text. Soon, he's adding a rinse of red (tomatoes), a wash of white (milk), a pinch of pink (cotton candy), and many more. Can piggy be caught before he turns the whole fair upside down?

With exuberant art by Henry Cole, this wild pig chase is a natural choice for teaching colors and begs to be read aloud.   
   
PAJAMA TIME! by Sandra Boynton
  
Here is a good-night book with the irrepressible language, the inimitable illustrations, the irresistible cast of characters only Sandra Boynton could create.

A jump-roping chicken and a pig on a swing. A Scottie in plaid pajamas and an elephant in a fuzzy one-piece with feet. And in sing-along nuttiness reminiscent of Barnyard Dance!, it's time to head to bed-to the beat: Pajammy to the left. Pajammy to the right. Jamma jamma jamma jamma P!J! Everybody's wearing them for dancing tonight. Jamma jamma jamma jamma P!J!  
     
Middle-Grade Titles:
  
THE FALSE PRINCE by Jennifer A. Nielsen
  
A thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.
  
LEISL AND PO by Lauren Oliver
  
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 named Po appears from the darkness.
That same evening, an alchemist's apprentice named Will makes an innocent mistake that has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places.

BREAKING STALIN'S NOSE  by Eugene Yelchin  
   
Newbery Honor Book for 2012 
Horn Book's Best Fiction of 2011

Sasha Zaichik has known the laws of the Soviet Young Pioneers since the age of six: The Young Pioneer is devoted to Comrade Stalin, the Communist Party, and Communism. A Young Pioneer is a reliable comrade and always acts according to conscience. A Young Pioneer has a right to criticize shortcomings.
But now that it is finally time to join the Young Pioneers, the day Sasha has awaited for so long, everything seems to go awry. He breaks a classmate's glasses with a snowball. He accidentally damages a bust of Stalin in the school hallway.  And worst of all, his father, the best Communist he knows, was arrested just last night.

Young Adult Titles:

SKYLARK by Meagan Spooner  
  
In magic there is power, and in power, life. 

For fifteen years, Lark Ainsley waited for the day when her Resource would be harvested and she would finally be an adult. After the harvest she expected a small role in the regular, orderly operation of the City within the Wall. She expected to do her part to maintain the refuge for the last survivors of the Wars. She expected to be a tiny cog in the larger clockwork of the city. 

Lark did not expect to become the City's power supply.     
  
SMALL DAMAGES By Beth Kephart

It's senior year, and while Kenzie should be looking forward to prom and starting college in the fall, she discovers she's pregnant. Her determination to keep her baby is something her boyfriend and mother do not understand. So she is sent to Spain, where she will live out her pregnancy, and her baby will be adopted by a Spanish couple. No one will ever know.

Alone and resentful in a foreign country, Kenzie is at first sullen and difficult. But as she gets to know Estela, the stubborn old cook, and Esteban, the mysterious young man who cares for the horses, she begins to open her eyes, and her heart, to the beauty that is all around her, and inside her. Kenzie realizes she has some serious choices to make--choices about life, love, and home.

Lyrically told in a way that makes the heat, the colors, and the smells of Spain feel alive, Small Damages is a feast for the heart and the soul, and a coming-of-age novel not easily forgotten.
DON'T TURN AROUND by Michelle Gagnon
  
Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her computer-hacking skills to stay safely anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in an empty warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.
Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa's talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation called AMRF threatens his life in no uncertain terms.

But what Noa and Peter don't realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who'd stop at nothing to silence her for good.

~Happy Reading from Kimberley!~
  
Please enjoy the PDFs, links, Teacher's Guides and Book Trailers at my website at: Kimberley Griffiths Little's Website  
 
      
 Black Stripes
Meet the Spellbinders


Kim Bio Photo
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 Circle of Secrets
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. Please
to download free Teacher's Guides and Book Club Guides. 


Follow me on Twitter 

 Carolee Dean
Carolee 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 Comfort Paperback Coverspeech-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. She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random Take Me There CoverActs of Haiku."

To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to www.caroleedean.com.

 Follow me on Twitter 
  

Caroline Starr Rose
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.
May B



Blog   
  

UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS
         
 October 27, 2012
6-7 p.m.
FORGET ME NOT BOOK LAUNCH
Alamosa Books
Albuquerque, NM

November 3, 2012
YALSA Literature Symposium 
"Author Research Panel"
Carolee Dean
and four other authors
St. Louis, Missouri

February 2, 2013
Montgomery Teen Book Festival
Carolee Dean
Kimberley Griffiths Little
Houston, TX



      


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