JOIN: Celebrate This Week - Progress and Puppy Love

Every Saturday, join me as I CELEBRATE This Week 

with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.

I did lots of writing in November and December! I have 16,597 words written in my middle grade novel and that feels awesome. But I've spent the last couple of weeks focusing on rewriting my query for my young adult novel. I've sent some queries out and haven't had any luck so I decided to rework my query. And now I feel so much better about it! It was definitely a long few weeks stressing over it...trying so many different combinations of words and sentences. It was hard. 

Living a writing life is wonderful and exhausting at the same time. It's more than just sitting down to write. It's writing and then coming back to the writing, determination and perseverance, revising and revising and revising. And still revising. I'm reveling in all the work I've put into my writing and how far it has come. I have no idea where my writing will go but I know I get to share my blog (this one and Teach Mentor Texts) with so many friends near and far and I get to hang out with writers, some who are just getting started and others who have been writing for a long time, and I get to live the life of a writer in this way. I love to write. As much as it can be tiresome, it can be exhilarating at the same time. And what I've learned most is to just keep going. 

So I've got this sweet puppy living in my house now! We've had her for about two months and she just turned four months old this week. She's been to six weeks of puppy training and she has learned so so much. And I've worked with her so so much. I spend time everyday practicing what we learned in class: sit and stay, leave it and follow me, down and okay come. Over and over. Just like writing, it's tiresome and exhausting...especially when she's distracted or just not excited to listen to what I want her to do. But I've seen an amazing difference in her behavior from when we brought her home to now. She's learned so much in such a short time. She's a super sweet, cuddly puppy, playful and full of energy, but she can also calm down and listen to our commands. We still have a lot of work to do with her but when I think of the difference between now and the first week she was with us, I can see the tremendous difference.

And when I look at my writing in this same way, I can see how my words, my stories, my understanding of what the process looks like for me, has changed over time. Maybe there is still so much for me to learn about writing and weaving words into stories, but I can see how much I've grown and that feels awesome.

Today I'm celebrating the progress I've made with my MG, the revision I've made with my query, and also the fact that I'm ready to start revising the YA novel I drafted over the summer. It feels weird to take a break from my MG because it's not done...but at the same time, when I opened up my draft and starting reading through it, I felt at home with my characters and excited to work on their story to make it better. I'm keeping on!

I wish you the best with your writing life this week! Stop and celebrate any writing you have done - the big and the little - it all counts!

Thanks for stopping in to explore with me!

Let's Celebrate 2016 Already!

It's time to CELEBRATE This Week with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.  Every week Ruth invites us to share our celebrations from the week and link up at her blog. What a fun way to reflect on everything there is to be thankful for. 

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This week I'm celebrating school-wide collaboration!

*throws confetti*

After rereading Ruth's book Celebrating Writers and discussing with colleagues, I'm reminding myself that celebrating doesn't have to be boisterous and grand. At the moment, I'm out with my friend Amy at a local coffee shop. We're sitting in a made-over auto garage at a wobbly table that looks like it's from the 50's with Elton John's Tiny Dancer playing overhead. It's late but there are people here. From time to time a train passes by outside. It's been a nice night.

So what am I celebrating...I'm celebrating 2016 already. I chose revel as my one little word for the year and I love it already. Everything about my life is perfect - the ups and downs - the goods and the bads. It's all okay. I've felt calmer and more grounded this year than ever. 

I get to wake up every morning and take my puppy out. Most times I don't like crawling out of my warm, snuggly bed to wrap myself up and go out into the cold at 5:30 in the morning. But every time I look at her sweet face, I think, "I am a girl with a dog." I've wanted a puppy since I graduated from college. I used to teach persuasive writing and ask my students to help me convince my husband to get a dog. It's still surreal to me that we have a puppy and she's sweet and we're doing fine. (Here's a pic of my sweet pup! She's four months old now!)

I'm making my lists! So far, I've written a list everyday and I'm still following the topics from The Reset Girl and her Listers Gotta List challenge. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's hard...but overall it doesn't take very long, it helps me reflect, it's a nice habit to be in so far.

Everyday I do something for myself. Whether it's stopping to look around when Perdi sits at the edge of the yard and scans the neighborhood, making my list, unrolling my yoga mat and spending some time there, or anything else. I'm looking at everything I get to do to take care of myself - even if it's just something small everyday and recognizing how it makes e feel. 

This is way longer than I expected it to be! I wasn't sure what to celebrate this week...but just writing down a few things that are going on, taking time to grab a snapshot of my life right now feels great. And it feels like enough. It's perfect.

What are you celebrating this week?

Nerdy Birdy

Title: Nerdy Birdy 
Author: Aaron Reynolds 
Illustrator: Matt Davies 
Publisher: Roaring Book Press 
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2015
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book  
GoodReads Summary: Nerdy Birdy likes reading, video games, and reading about video games, which immediately disqualifies him for membership in the cool crowd.

One thing is clear: being a nerdy birdy is a lonely lifestyle.

When he's at his lowest point, Nerdy Birdy meets a flock just like him. He has friends and discovers that there are far more nerdy birdies than cool birdies in the sky.What I Think: As a long-time Nerdy Book Club member...I so want to be a Nerdy Birdy! This is a super sweet book about an all-around nice little book-reading, video-game-loving bird. I especially love the unique characters in this book. Aaron did a great job of bringing each of the different birds to life while Matt did an awesome job of depicting so much on the page. The characters with their big personalities and dialogue to match make this a fun book to read aloud.
     As a mentor text, I can see reading this with a class at the beginning of the school year and talking to them about fitting in. Nerdy Birdy would be great as a read aloud in middle school even. Reading the book and then asking kids to think about how they treat others and maybe inviting them to write about a time when they made a friend or when someone wasn't included in the group. I recently saw an article about teaching young girls to be "includers" instead of mean girls. Everyone wants to feel included so I love this sentiment and I especially love that this picture book is a great way to start a conversation or a great way to add to the conversation.
     There are so many great plays on language in this book as Aaron Reynolds brings the characters to life. It's just so fun! It also makes this a wonderful mentor text for thinking about characters in a story or how to describe and bring characters to life. Knowing our characters is so important and this is a perfect text to study when thinking about characters and how writers need to know all about their character when they write their story.
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 12
Read Alone: Grades 1 - 5 
Read With: Be A Friend by Salina Yoon, Bluebird by Bob Staake, One by Kathryn Otoshi, Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall
Snatch of Text:    

"Three things Nerdy Birdy is good at:

1. Reading

2. Playing video games

3. Reading about video games"

Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you made a new friend. 
Topics Covered: Friendship, Loyalty, Fitting In, Courage, Adversity 

I *heart* It:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/11/2016

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and I decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them. 

Last Week's Book Adventures:

Last week was a super long week! I read more of The Terrible Two Get Worse with Peanut. I also found some time to read I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest and The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin by Elinor Teele. I'm loving both of them. 

Reviewed Last Week:

Click on any picture above to go read my review/post.

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

I'm planning to keep reading all the books I'm reading last week! I also have a few waiting for me at the library that I can't wait to pick up.

This Week's Reviews:

Check back throughout the week to read these reviews/posts. 

So, what are you reading this week? 

Link up below and don't forget to check out other blogs to see what they are reading!

To help build our community and support other bloggers, 

we ask that you comment on at least three other blogs before you. 

Also, if you tweet about your Monday post, don't forget to use #IMWAYR!

The Crossover

Title: The Crossover 
Author: Kwame Alexander 
Publisher: Harcout Brace and Company 
Publication Date: January 1st, 2014 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel-In-Verse 
GoodReads Summary: "With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I'm delivering," announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood.

Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.
What I Think: Next week the 2016 award winners of the ALA media awards will be announced. I'll wait and watch in excitement to see who receives these honors this year. It's taken me almost a whole year to read The Crossover by Kwame Alexander despite it winning the Newbery Award last year. I'm just me, but I'm here to say it is truly deserving. 
     Kwame has a way with poetry. I love how he puts words together, where he chooses to put breaks in a line, how he changes the font or the font size and places words on the page. I'm such a fan of novels in verse already but I'm glad to see more and more of this format for young readers. 
     What I found most unique about this story was how different stories are woven in. Our main character clearly cares about basketball and his family. I love the dynamic between him and his twin brother and also between him and his parents. Before I knew it, I was in love with this family - how they believe in each other and support each other. 
     As soon as I finished this book I asked if I could do a booktalk with a group of 8th graders I've visited before. I was excited to share the book because I loved it so much but also because I know it's going to be a book eighth grade boys are going to be likely to pick up but that will also be a great read. For me, it's a slam dunk.
Read Together: Grades 5 - 8 
Read Alone: Grades 5 - 12 
Read With: Shakespeare Bats Clean Up by Ron Koertge, Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick, Fat Boy Vs. The Cheerleaders by Geoff Herbach
Snatch of Text:  

Basketball Rule #1

In this game of life

your family is the court

and the ball is your heart.

No matter how good you are,

no matter how down you get,

always leave

your heart 

on the court.

(p. 20) 

Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when something so important to you was taken away from you. How did you handle it? Were you able to get it back?
Topics Covered: Family, Siblings, Friendship, Loyalty, Determination, Integration - Physical Education, Sports, Dedication, Courage 

I *heart* It:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/4/216

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and I decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them. 

Last Week's Book Adventures:

Happy 2016 everyone! I'm so excited for what this year will bring! I read a sweet little book called The Little Book of Mindfulness and loved it as a way to usher in the new year. I'm also reading The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin by Elinor Teele and I absolutely love it so far. I'm excited to keep reading!

Reviewed Last Week:

Click on any picture above to go read my review/post.

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

I'm keepin' it real this week! Since it's back to school after winter break, I'm guessing I'll read more of The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin but I'm guessing that's the most I can get done...but you never know. As always, I'm so appreciative of everyone who stops by! Thanks for joining in on the It's Monday! What Are You Reading? fun. Hopefully it makes Mondays a bit more bearable! ;)

This Week's Reviews:

Check back throughout the week to read these reviews/posts. 

So, what are you reading this week? 

Link up below and don't forget to check out other blogs to see what they are reading!

To help build our community and support other bloggers, 

we ask that you comment on at least three other blogs before you. 

Also, if you tweet about your Monday post, don't forget to use #IMWAYR!

JOIN: Celebrate This Week - Year! and Puppies

Every Saturday, join me as I CELEBRATE This Week 

with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.

Today I'm celebrating the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016! One of the biggest things that happened in 2015 was that we adopted out puppy Perdita. We call her Perdi for short and I love seeing my kids play with her and watching her run and pounce around the house. I'm so happy we have her in our lives. She's already grown a lot since we brought her home!

In 2015 we also took a great road trip to Disney World. It was such a great trip and we talk about it all the time. We just has so much fun and it was a neat bonding experience, especially for my kids who are now eight and five. They really grew up and grew together on that trip from fighting Darth Vader to becoming pirates, they just had fun. Great memories.

One of the biggest changes that came in 2015 was that I left the school district where I had worked for my entire career (thirteen years) to come to a school district that is closer to home. It's been an amazing change but there were definitely ups and downs along the way and while I love my new position, it has still been a monumental change. 

So when it comes to 2016, I'm excited to soak up the reality that is my life right now. I love my little family. I love our snuggly little house. I love everything I get to experience day in and day out - all the ups and downs, I'll take it. For 2016, my one little word is: REVEL. Even just having this blog as a space to share my story and encourage others is a dream. I started it because I wanted to have a space like this...but now I do have it and it feels awesome. 

I believe in mindfulness through writing and one way for me to truly revel in this beautiful life is to take time to write everyday. A friend shared the Listers Gotta List challenge and I'm in love. Every month, The Reset Girl shares a list of daily topics for lists. She's my first new follow for the new year and I'm already in love with her Instagram posts. 

Here are some highlight from my January 1st list!

What I Loved About 2015:

• My OLW for 2015 was 'grace' and I'm pretty proud of the deep breaths that I took and how I practiced reacting to situations with grace - I wouldn't say that I was perfect or was able to do this all the time - but I tried and I definitely improved.
• I visited many a Starbucks but also local coffee shops Hansa and Area General Store where I did a lot of writing. I love the feel of a coffee shop and the sense of accomplishment I get from being there - because I actually get stuff done!
• I traveled to my favorite conferences this year - ALA, Nerdcamp, and NCTE but also got to travel for Florida with my guys and to Boston with my husband. The best part of all of these trips for me was getting to spend time with friends and family.
• To get a little out of my comfort zone, I took a motorcycle class, went ziplining, and went on a weekend yoga retreat where I slept in a yurt. I adopted my mantra: "I believe I can and I will." from pushing myself to my limits and finding out I can get past them.  

There is just so much to celebrate. I'm already REVELing in the fact that 2015 was an awesome year and that it feels like 2016 is going to be just as awesome. I'm excited!

I'm very conscious of how blessed I am in this life that I have. I hope that I can spread some love and appreciation and celebration of life to others in my REVELing this year. Whether it's from sharing my story here or in real life. Maybe you'll try the Listers Gotta List challenge...or just try one list today. 

What did you love about 2015?

What are you celebrating? 

2015 or anything else, please share!

I've got (virtual) confetti at the ready. 

Thanks for stopping in to explore with me!

Let's Celebrate 2016 Challenges and Un-Boring Fun!

It's time to CELEBRATE This Week with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.  Every week Ruth invites us to share our celebrations from the week and link up at her blog. What a fun way to reflect on everything there is to be thankful for. 

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This week I'm celebrating school-wide collaboration!

*throws confetti*

*offers glass*

*clink*

Happy 2016! I'm looking forward to soaking this year up. My one little word for 2015 was grace and I had quite a few opportunities to practice grace. I hope I did a good job, I feel great about how I handled some tough situations last year. But this year, I'm all about cherishing all the moments and celebrating all the comes my way. I'm going to REVEL in all that 2016 brings my way (and anything I invite to come my way). 

I also have a few bookish plans for 2016. I signed up to do the Sixty Books in 2016 challenge. This shouldn't be a problem but I like the idea of joining in with others. I started to put covers of books up in my office window and I'm excited to add to it! We'll see how many I can finish before the end of the school year!

For some non-reading fun, I decided to join Nerdlution and practice yoga everyday and also some mindfulness by joining the Listers Gotta List challenge. There is a topic for a list everyday that I'm going to write up. For yoga, I'm hoping to make it to a few classes at my favorite local yoga place, Total Body Yoga, but otherwise, I'll be doing Erin Motz's 30 Day Yoga Challenge with Do You Yoga. Erin is the Bad Yogi and I kind of love her for it. 

And finally, I'm bringing back the Un-Boring List! I did Un-Boring Lists in 2012, 2013, and 2014 and I missed it in 2015, so here it is again!

Create paper mache book art 

like they have at Reading Reptile book store 

that Mr. Schu visited on his 2011 book roadtrip

This year is really going to be the year!

Still need a bookish subject though...help, ideas?!

Celebrate World Read Aloud Day

We usually host a picture-book-themed party!

I'm seeing a ninja-themed party...

or maybe a Star Wars-themed party...

Book Pic Fun
In 2013, I tried for a picture with a book everyday.
This year, I'm hoping to grab some book pics in fun spots
and maybe while doing some yoga poses. Something fun!


Book Swap
I've always wanted to have a book swap party!
Not sure if this will be adult book swap fun or kiddo book swap fun,
but either way a book swap sounds pretty un-boring to me!

More Indies!

I'm excited to visit old-familiar and new-to-me Indies!

Over the years, I've visited Indies that I might not have ventured out to visit if not for this challenge. We'll see what stores I manage to slip into this year!

Again, happy 2016, friends! 
I hope you have much to REVEL in and lots of bookish un-boring fun in 2016!What are you celebrating this week?

CYBILS Book App Finalists 2015!

I'm so very proud to be part of the Cybils awards again this year. This was my third year as a book apps judge and it was another enjoyable year. I love getting to see such a large range of book apps and to be able to discuss the merits of each with my fellow judges. Being part of a committee always made me nervous but I absolutely love this experience. 

Here are the Cybils 2015 book apps finalists! 

David Wiesner’s Spotby Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Nominated by: Heidi G.

Spot takes readers to whole new worlds – worlds within worlds, in fact! Zoom in or zoom out to take yourself through David Wiesner’s imagination. His brilliant artwork is both enigmatic and intriguing. Readers of all ages will find themselves enjoying the creativity involved in this app while curious to figure out how the stories connect across worlds…if they do. Aliens and cats and robots on parade will keep readers engaged for hours on end. This is the epitome of a wordless picture book brought to life as a book app!

Jennifer Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts

Earth Primerby Chaim Gingold
Chaim Gingold
Nominated by: Daniel

Explore the layers of the earth in the nonfiction book app, Earth Primer. Dramatic music, sound effects, stunning photographs, bold illustrations and maps create an exciting nonfiction experience for readers. Navigation is seamless; the main menu offers readers five different chapters. Children will find the app’s interactive elements engaging as they pinch, pull and swipe to move the earth’s plates together, sculpt the earth with wind and create volcanoes as fire crackles and lava oozes. The clearly written expository text provides readers with information about plate tectonics, rifts, magma, glaciers, volcanoes and more. After reading all five chapters, a Sandbox is unlocked and users can shape the earth using a 3D interactive model. Earth Primer is an exciting, informational app that will teach students about geology as they play, explore, experiment and engage with the text and graphics.

Cathy Potter, The Nonfiction Detectives

Hilda Bewilderedby Slap Happy Larry
Slap Happy Larry
Nominated by: Scotty

Classic names are supposedly making a comeback but Hilda remains an anachronism much like the setting in Hilda Bewildered, the book app written and illustrated by Lynley Stace. There’s a princess and palace, but this dark and dreamy coming of age story isn’t your average fairy tale. It’s loaded with symbolism and topical themes like life under the magnifying glass of paparazzi, class divisions, seeking parental approval and the power of advertising to distort reality. Any teen who keeps up with Kylie Jenner can relate to the pressure Hilda feels as she prepares to give a speech to open a winter festival.

The narrative is complex with parts of it taking place in Hilda’s imagination and some gleaned only through careful examination of the detailed illustrations and interactive features. Author’s notes help readers understand the many layers running throughout the story. Few if any books apps have the emotional depth and intellectual intrigue of this work. On occasion, Oscars are given based on the overall strength of an actor or director’s entire body of work rather than solely on the merits of the nominated film. Slap Happy Larry’s Hilda Bewildered, the followup to The Artifacts and Midnight Feast, would deservingly fall into such a category.

Jill Goodman, Participate Learning

Metamorphabetby Vectorpark.com
Vectorpark
Nominated by: Lizjonesbooks

Metamorphabet is a quirky, fun alphabet book app where letters come to life on the screen. Readers first get to see the letter and hear the narrator say the name of the letter but then they tap and tug on the letters so they morph into a visual representation of words that start with that particular letter. Antlers sprout from the letter A as it ambles along. The letter I becomes an iceberg with an igloo sitting atop it where people play inside. Young readers will squeal as they watch the letters transform and find themselves transfixed by this app as they interact with the what the letters become while learning about letter sounds and developing their vocabulary.

Jennifer Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts

Professor Astro Cat’s Solar Systemby Minilab Ltd
Minilab Ltd
Nominated by: Sheila Ruth

Mental Floss calls this app, “a whimsical, interactive textbook to the stars.” And I couldn’t agree more. Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System weaves fun facts together with content-rich games to deliver an engaging educational punch. It makes play and learning one, just as its developer, Minilab Ltd., intended. But it doesn’t stop there. The app is gorgeously illustrated, a real pleasure to look at. It’s beautifully designed too. Everything works exactly as it should with nice sound effects and visual animations accompanying user actions. The interactivity works to extend the content, not distract from it. There is nothing missing or out of place in this app. Though non-linear, Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System is very intuitive. It’s highly responsive with multiple layers and activities to unlock, which makes the app appealing to a fairly wide age-range. The non-fiction content is clearly written and delivered in just the right doses. I had a great time playing with this app. It hooked me to the end. What’s more, I learned a lot. Your kid will too. Without even knowing it.

Sarah Towle, Sarah Towle: History Turned On

Wuwu & Co. – A magical picture bookby Step In Books
Step In Books
Nominated by: Jill Goodman

Set in snowy woods with a cozy red house as home base, Wuwu and Co adds charm and inventiveness to a scenario common to many children’s apps: there are several creatures in need of help, and you are the helper.

Each creature has its own mini-story, written in a quirky literary style reminiscent of Roald Dahl. The app makes clever use of a tablet’s camera and microphone, but REALLY shines in creating a truly immersive environment. For each task, you must hold up your tablet with the camera facing out, and turn in a slow circle to observe the landscape. As you “walk towards” something, you hear the sound of footsteps crunching the snow. It feels as if your tablet is more of a window than a screen. Wuwu and Co opens up new possibilities for children’s book apps. If reading themselves, this innovative app is best for children in 3rd-6th grade, though younger children could experience its magic with an older guide.

Emily Lloyd, Little eLit

If you aren't familiar with any of these apps or many books apps in general, I definitely suggest looking at our finalists to start. They are all exemplary examples of book apps. You can also look at our lists from 2013 and 2014. I love all the apps on those lists as well! They are all memorable to me and definitely unique book apps that stand out against the rest. If you have any favorites you would like to share, I would love to hear about them!