Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side Trailer!

I tried something new with this one....overlays : )

Fever 1793 trailer created by Maddy Bates

My daughter's debut trailer : )

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica Packwood is starting her senior year in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. She has some hopes and wishes, which includes dating hunky blonde and handsome Jake, staying away from the catty Faith Crosse and the vile Frank Dormand, and making it to state with her mathematics team. Jessica knows her parents are a little different - her mom is a cultural anthropologist professor and her father believes in yoga and tofu. But her life is grounded in reality, facts and figures. But that all changes the first day of school when she meets....

Lucius Vladescu, the new exchange student. Dark, tall, charismatic, Lucius represents all that Jessica finds fascinating but dangerous. She shuns him from the first, but quickly realizes he's stalking her and has a purpose. And that purpose is revealed when her parents confirm the new Romanian exchange student isn't just a teen from the Carpathians, but the prince of the Vladescu family - one of the strongest vampire families in the world. And guess who's the Dragomir princess?

Jessica can't believe what she's hearing, much less that believe in vampires, but slowly things begin to tell. With the help of a book, Growing Up Dead: A Teen Vampire's Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica's scepticism grows to certainty, but is it too little to late?

Fantaskey's book is the perfect blend of dark, sinister goth and the halls of a typical high school - full of crushes, backstabbing, he said she said, sports, dances and more. And the setting backs up the plot - Romania meets rural Pennsylvania. Nothing like other vampire books I've read, Fantaskey brings her characters to true form, infusing them with typical teenage behavior throughout all cliques. Although it may have the formulaic appeal of a romance novel, this one begs to be read all the way through....and I loved every single page! Buy multiple copies of this one - you'll need them all!! Booktrailer to follow -I feel the pull...

Truce by Jim Murphy

Imagine the trench warfare, 1917, Europe....it's cold, dark and bloody. Men are being exposed to cold, open sewage, dead bodies, and shell shock. The Allies have been in a stalemate with the Germans for months. Both sides have become acutely aware of snipers, sharpshooters, overhead barrages by zeppelins, and bombs.

What they thought was a honorable war fought with honorable intentions has turned into a nightmare with 20th century machinery. The old rules don't apply....gentlemen's codes are tossed aside. What has replaced it are guns, shells, mortars, barbed wire, and filthy dirt trenches - No Man's Land.

But one day, against all odds, the enemies meet face to face and rather than kill each other, they shake hands and celebrate. Could this be real??

Jim Murphy has done it again. He takes a holistic look at World War I, from its pre-infancy beginnings to the turmoil of the trench warfare and finds a bit of humanity that played itself out, against rulers rules, against commanders' orders, against the realism of a hideous war. Scattered among the pages are images and pictures from World War I that show the devastation and loss as well as the optimism and miracle during the Great Trench War. Murphy shows cause and effect and essentially answers the question, "What if...." to all that could have prevented the war or changed it. An amazing non-fiction book rife with images, letters, and facts, this is perfect for junior high through high school. Highly recommended.

I knew it wasn't a fad....

Book trailers have come a long way....just look at what's out there created not only by fans of YA fiction (and other genres!) but by authors as well. But it does my heart good to see it being used in classrooms. One teacher, Mrs. Collins, has given her Pre-AP eighth grade English class different projects to create over their summer reading, which includes creating booktrailers using moviemaker or photostory. But my heart bursts with pride and joy to see my daughter creating her first booktrailer - and all by herself!! I've just given her a few pointers and she's well on her way to a phenomenal job on Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. And the best part? She's learning to do this on her own with extreme minimal help. It's taking all I have to keep away from her project!!! How she does it with her ipod blasting is beyond me though...

I'll post it when it's done : )

Crash Into Me by Albert Borris - booktrailer

I think I've been working on this since summer!! Rule #1: Save OFTEN when using Moviemaker in XP!!!! Rule#2: Make SURE that MM is compatible between XP and Vista!! Rule #3: Enjoy!!!
Unveiling this one full-screen at Region XI Service Center for Library Harvest!!

Books to read and those to review

I know I've slacked off on the reviews lately....don't know why, but I have read a couple that are worth reading and putting into hands of students. One of those is Hatter, the graphic novel by Frank Beddor. It takes the Looking Glass series into the graphic area, which, in my estimation, is perfect for this! Hatter M is still searching for Alyss and along the way, he encounters forces he didn't know existed, followers from Wonderland watching his every move, and an orphanage that specializes in stealing their wards' most unique gifts. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, especially when the first and last parts of the GN read like a fantasy history book.

Just got the galley for Kevin Brook's new novel, Dawn....and since I am such a fan, I can't WAIT to start reading this one!!! I've devoured his other novels and this will be a treat for me : )

All I have to say right now...

Everyone MUST READ:
Julius Lester's Guardian...
short, beautifully written, and the entire time I was thinking, "please no....please don't...I can't believe these things really happened...."

POWERFUL.

I then went online to visit some of the websites Lester cited in his afterword and the images on the postcards - it makes me wonder how and why?? Of course, no powerful book is without its opponents, so headed to the website (can't remember it right now) that rates books appropriate for young and YA readers - it's for parents to "judge a book" and even there, Lester's book is rated four out of five stars. But I will agree - this is for a much older YA audience.

If you have an hour, read this. It will make you think....PERFECT compliment with Draper's Copper Sun and Volponi's Response.

My booktalk for the fall semester

I always start out my booktalks using Animoto to show book covers. This year, I decided to add some text...I like the look of this one!!!

Ever get that feeling....

When you just have to put down books, turn off the computer and live a little outside the walls you've created? I know....did that this summer. Haven't posted anything in awhile, but rather got some fresh air, some sun, some family...but I'm walking into the halls to the world I've created, and it's nice to come back : )

Just finished my first blog in awhile (and that book is AMAZING!!!!) and will shortly finish another booktrailer for Crash Into Me that I've been working on for awhile! That and some Glogsters as well as Animoto videos I'm playing with will be posted this month. And let us not forget the listservs and Shelfaris!!

So from mojitos to bookitos and traileritos I'm back....and am excited about some of the titles I have in my sticky little hands!! Stay tuned : )

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Mary's heard the stories her mother's told her about the ocean....but she's never seen it. The only thing she knows is the forest, which is deadly and dangerous, and her village - ruled by the Sisters and the Guardians. But her life changes dramatically when her mother becomes one of the Unconsecrated...

The life Mary lives is a post-apocalyptic world after the Return, when a deadly infection created hordes of the Unconsecrated who feast off of those who live. And when Mary's mother is gone, she turns to her brother Jed, who shrugs her off for not protecting their family.

The only recourse Mary has is to live with the Sisters, and while there, she learns that they harbor secrets, ones that she wants to know. But she never has the chance when her village is overrun by the Unconsecrated and she narrowly escaped her village with her best friend Cass, her betrothed, Harry and his brother Travis, and her own brother Jed and his wife Beth. But loss, redemption, love, hate, pain, contentment, life and death follow their every step.

All Mary wants is to see the ocean...to see if her mother was telling the truth or making up stories. There is nothing more pressing than her drive to find the truth, and to know if there are others out there who still live, trapped in to keep out the Unconsecrated, or if her village was the only one...if they are now the only ones alive in the only world she's ever known.

It has been awhile since I picked up a book that was a riveting as I found this one to be. Carrie Ryan has created a novel that begs to be read until finished...it's that intriguing and exciting. The setting in this book takes on a characterization all on its own and owes its complexities to the Unconsecrated. The main characters are in-depth and their stories and lives weave themselves around each other. You end up hoping for the best for every one of them....

This book does remind me of a combination of M. Night Shyamalan and Richard Matheson's I am Legend (movie stars Will Smith). I'm embedding the video, which won the Teen Book Award Finalist 2008. I may be behind on blogging this novel, but it still begs to be blogged about!! Full screen video can be found at: http://www.teen.com/movies/the-forest-of-hands-and-teeth/. Apparently they are going to make a movie on this one

When traveling....

Spent all day traveling from Dixon Springs in Southern Illinois to Texas. FINALLY made it to the Texas border, and as is tradition, we stopped at the nearest rest area and stood on the brass Texas Star and breathed in the hot Texas air, only to go running to the nearest convenience store for a Texas-sized coke! You can't find those in any other state : ) We're not home, but we're home, if you know what I mean : )

I've done some reading during the week there, if I wasn't on a four-wheeler checking on new baby calves or feeding goats and pigs, or enjoying a cookout of pulled pork sandwiches and home-grown corn on the cob. Am currently reading Willow by Julia Hoban (in my opinion, the best new book out there about cutting since McCormick's Cut). Finished Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and am working on Greasy Rider by Greg Melville. It killed KILLED me that I was in the same state that ALA was having their conference in, but couldn't make it. Pigs, cattle and goats don't wait for no one...grrrrr.... just thinking of all of those galleys!!

On the way home (just passed through Sulphur Springs) I have put together the storyboard for my new booktrailer for Crash Into Me by Albert Borris. It was BEGGING to be made!! I'll reveal it next week when I once again hit the road for workshops in Fort Worth, San Antonio and Corpus Christi. I think I have finally nailed down how to work and have vacation with my family at the same time. By the way, a BIG shout-out to the Wichita Falls librarians!! We had fun creating booktrailers and learning new web 2.0 tools. They are a smart bunch and on their toes!! It's always fun to spend the day with colleagues : )

Summer has gone by fast...can't believe July is halfway gone...but there is nothing like sipping a colada in Cozumel reading a great book to collecting eggs in the barn to sneak a half-hour in the barn reading another good one to riding in a truck until my butt is numb creating a trailer and posting a blog or three : )

Now it's my daughter's turn to have the computer...its myspace or death!! I choose myspace over "how far are we from home? Can I have friends spend the night tonight? When are we stopping to eat?" anyday! Plus, my husband is getting a little jealous that I'm spending time with an electronic black box named Dell than with a true-life handsome man...yeah, I choose that too!!

So, readers out there, keep reading, keep sharing, and keep the faith!!

Adelante!

Crash Into Me by Albert Borris

Owen has tried it at least three times. The last was when he seriously thought about walking into heavy traffic. But as with his other attempts, it just didn't work. So there was therapy again....but no matter how many times he goes through therapy, he can't shake the feeling of guilt for what he did and reasons why he shouldn't kill himself.

It is accidental when he meets three other teens online who has the same suicidal thoughts. Jin-Ae can't handle the pressure from her parents to be the best while she's hiding her alternative lifestyle from them. Frank comes from a wealthy family, but he can't compete with his perfect brother while he won't confess he has an alcohol problem. And Audrey....well no one can quite figure her out, although she did jump from a window in a tall building after her boyfriend broke up with her. Together, this rag-tag team, dubbed the Suicide Dogs, decide to take one last road-trip to pay their final respects to those they admired and died (ie Kurt Kobain, Ernest Hemingway), achieve some of the things on their top ten list of things they've always wanted to do, and make their way to their own final destination, Death Valley, in order to complete their pact. But what they don't realize is that this trip will alter their course and surprise even the stauchest of them that believe suicide is the perfect way out.

For a first novel, Albert Borris packs a punch. Each character comes to life on the page, allowing the reader to not only look at what they do, but also why they do the things that cause them to think of suicide. All of the teens in this book create their own personas, and one that is easily followed. The topic is a sensitive one, and Borris treats it with respect while crafting parts that are more light-hearted without taking away the seriousness of the teens' decisions. This is a realistic fiction that will be hard to keep on the shelves, and those teens who enjoyed Ellen Hopkins's Impulse will find themselves just as engrossed in this one. Excellent read.

Distant Waves: a Novel of the Titanic by Suzanne Weyn

Five sisters grow up together in unusual circumstances. Mimi and Jane are the older sisters, while Amalie and Emma are the twins. Blythe brings up the rear as the baby sister and is born after her father has died. The girls' mother has an unusual gift, to say the least, and one that is at the height of popularity at the turn of the century on the East Coast.

Spiritualism is alive and well, and Maude Taylor, medium, is doing her best to raise her five girls at something that is accepted by those with finances and a wish to talk to the dead. Eventually, her talents lead her to the small town of Spirit Vale, New York. It is here that a community of mediums have banded together to co-exist and make a living. The girls all grow up in the most unusual of circumstances, but it is their fate that will change their lives inevitably.

Jane, in her younger years, had the pleasure to meet Nikola Tesla and his curious inventions. When she and her older sister Mimi decide to run away to New York City for the day, their future fate is sealed. Mimi becomes a companion for a young wealthy French lady while Jane meets Thad and has trouble trusting her feelings. During this time, their mother has been in constant contact with famous English medium W.T. Stead. With unusual circumstances and even more interesting relationships, the girls and their mother find themselves in England on the eve of the maiden voyage of the Titanic. But will they heed the feelings, warnings, and trust in the spirit world, or is it something more scientific that is going on?

Suzanne Weyn has created a YA turn-of-the-century historical fiction filled with true-life historical figures, such as Ehrich Weiss, Nikola Tesla, John Jacob Astor, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to name a few. And whilst this historical plot is being read, the reader can't help but see sicence fiction come into play, making this book a unique blend of both genres. The sinking of the Titanic is not what you may think happened... This is a PERFECT pair for the non-fiction book The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero by William Kalush and Larry Sloman.

On a personal note, I picked up this book for the beautiful cover, and it does encompass my favorite historical era, but I was pleasantly surprised to see which direction the author was taking this book. Not at all the norm, but one that will appeal to those fans of science fiction as well as historical fiction. Readers may have to suspend belief some toward the ending, and although the first part of the book was not as filled with intrigue as the last part, it ended up being a surprising and pleasant read.

Ruined by Paula Morris

I said I would write some reviews for the three books I read in Cozumel (more like the airport terminal), but had some time on my hands and created another booktrailer. This will be out August 2009, so keep your eyes open for them in bookstores. Who doesn't like a good ghost story set in New Orleans?
Enjoy!!

Three books in three minutes....more to come!

Malice
Remember Stephen Kings Creep Show? Very similar, but for young adults. This is the first true graphic novel/book fusion Ive come across. Excellent read, and cant wait to get my hands on the next one!!!

Ruined
Meet the young adult contemporary to Anne Rice. New Orleans, ghosts, curses and teens....this will be one that will be hunted down in the library and never seen again.

Crash into Me
Four teens on a suicide trip, but will it end that way? fast-paced and a great first novel for first time author!

Ill do more reviews on these in the days to come and add covers as well. Right now Im about to set off for some snorkeling on the Playancar Reef in Cozumel. Having a BLAST with my family!!! Cozumel...cant beat it!

Answering questions on "questionable" books...

This article was sent out through the listserv today, and after reading it, I thought it was ripe for discussion.
What makes this such a great online article read is the author's take on dark YA and the comments from professionals, including heavyweight David Gill. So don't just stop at the article...read on....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203771904574173403357573642.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

Eternal Booktrailer

WAY cool!!!

The list is well under way and it's AMAZING what web 2.0 can do! I feel like I'm part of a community of professionals - collaborating, creating, talking together. Guys, thanks for being a part of this!!
It's FRIDAY!!! I'm in the mancave hanging out with my lovely enjoying the weekend like no other. I'm just so thankful and proud to be part of this : )
You are the BOMB!!!

YA: A2Z - Won't you join me?

So, on the listserv, I saw this creatively awesome idea, and thought about how I could change it up just a bit....so here's the plan:

Let's collaborate and create lists of YA books (no more than five years old) from A to Z. One is by title (ie A is for Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson); one by author (ie M is for Mazer, Norma Fox, author of Missing Girl); one by subject (ie S is for steroids, Raiders Night by Robert Lipsyte).

Another subject would be??? I thought, "Hmmmm...main character, genre, a tag you'd give a book..." the possibilities are endless!

So, want to join the fun? And in the process take away some pretty cool lists created by all of us? Read on!

To join, I need an email address. Once I have that, you're on! I've already started on all of these lists. This could be very interesting and valuable for us all : ) No one will "own" the list - once you're in, you're in, baby!

Just make sure you SAVE! And you can also download a .txt or .html version onto you computer to edit, own, create, etc...

Just another wonderful example of web 2.0! Brought to us by writeboard.com!

Here's the address:

http://123.writeboard.com/c39cb5fef21a240b4/login

MAKE SURE YOU PUT YOUR NAME IN THE BOX WHERE YOU LOGOUT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE (are there any dangling modifiers in that?)SO WE CAN SEE WHEN YOU CAME AND CHANGED THE LIST!!! : )