All I Want for My Birthday - #SOLC 10

Today is my 48th birthday. I am in disbelief. How did this happen? I'm joking. I know it is because I was granted another year. A chance to look back and then decide my way forward. I have been, and still am being, blessed. I am at my fourth school. Each move was into a job that was not on my radar. Each place brought a unique set of colleagues and parents into my life. It has been awesome. I hope it continues to be so! For at least 48 more years!

I'm participating in Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge for the month of March!

Financial Aid - #SOLC 9

Not much to say. It's a lot of paperwork. Even as a continuing student (daughter, not me). It is a lot. I love that my daughter goes to Yale. And that they have a generous financial aid program. But, man. This is a lot of time and paperwork.

No way around, but through.

I'm participating in Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge for the month of March!

Ebooks and Audiobooks - #SOLC 8

I love audiobooks. I also love ebooks - especially for the convenience of carrying my library around with me. I have a 25-30 min drive each way daily and every other month I have to drive 3 hours each way for a board meeting.

I've listened to audiobooks that have been so good, I don't want to get out of the car. But also some that have been not so great. My favorites are the Harry Potter series read by Jim Dale but I also can't hear him read anything else! I listened to all of the 39 Clues series but didn't find them as fascinating when I tried to read them. The Help was another favorite.

I have all the Rick Riordan books as ebooks as well as The Queen's Thief and The Seven Realms series.  I'm a huge fan of fantasy books and they are so long - Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson clocks in at 1,088 pages! Try lugging that around!

One other good thing about audiobooks and ebooks? I don't have to find a spot for them on my completely double-filled 8 bookshelves!

I'm participating in Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge for the month of March!

A Night at the Library - #SOLC 7

Our school had its annual auction fundraiser last night at it was a blast! This was my first one and  I was nervous because I don't like doing things or hanging out with a bunch of people...(mostly joking). And I was going to have to be charming, because parents!

But it was so fun. I had great table buddies. My work husband stopped by to make sure I was ok and probably to make sure I showed up! It was amazing to see the beautiful pieces the students contributed to be auctioned off. I was sadly outbid on a coffee basket! Many teachers contributed their time and mine, along with my assistant, is a 6 hour evening in the library doing a sort of mix between night at the museum and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's library. I was afraid no one would bid on it and was pleasantly surprised when more than one person wanted it. 

Must stay open to new things!

I'm participating in Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge for the month of March!

What's Your Winner's Curse? Winner's Crime Blog Tour - March 5, 2015

Rutkoski, Marie. The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, 1). MacTeen Books (Macmillan Children's Publishing), 2014. 384 pgs. $9.99. 978-1-25005-697-9.

Affiliate Links: (Amazon | Indiebound)

As part of the celebration for the release of Winner's Crime (Amazon | Indiebound) the second book in Marie Rutkoski's Winner's Trilogy, bloggers
around the globe are answering the question: What's Your Winner's Curse?

The Winner's Curse is an economic term that means you've gotten what you wanted -- 
but at too high a price!

Blog Tour Schedule

The weekend of February 20th I was scheduled to take the day off and drive to New Haven (12 hours away) and visit my daughter in college. Her tap dance company was putting on a show, The Tapper Games, so it was a chance to see her in action as well as see her beautiful face in person!  At the last minute, I decided it would be better to fly, since there were winter weather warnings across the Eastern and Midwestern US.  I left early to drive to Chicago, normally a 2 hour drive, but not early enough. I ended up in Chicago 10 minutes too late to board my plane since I need to check a bag!! I only needed to check a bag because I had a huge suitcase full of snacks for the kid! There were no ohter flights to New Haven on that Friday!!! The airline could get me to Philadelphia but I was on my own after that. I decided to go, in the hopes that other flights would be delayed and I would magically be able to make my trip. No such luck. I ended up renting a car to drive to New Haven from Philadelphia, normally a 3 hour drive that took 5 hours!!! And it cost me an extra $400. I ended up getting to New Haven so late we just stayed in the hotel! I could have just gotten a room or stayed with a friend in Chicago untl the next day! Also, my flight back was delayed by 3 hours!! I did enjoy the tap show though!

Learn more about The Winner's Trilogy!

Play the Bite and Sting Card Game from the book!

Find Marie Rutkoski on Twitter!

Giveaway

You can win either a copy of The Winner's Curse or a copy of The Winner's Crime.  Entries accepted March 5, 2015 until March 11, 2015, 11:59pm. US Only please. One entry per household.

Using the above affiliate links will bring a small measure of support to The Brain Lair and I thank you in advance.

World Read Aloud Day - #SOL15 4

Today (the first Wednesday in March) was officially World Read Aloud Day created by LitWorld. As part of the celebration, educators connect their students with other educators all around the world and read books out loud! This was my first year participating and my 4th Graders and I were lucky enough to partner with +Carrie Davies and her 2nd Grade students.

We read We Are in a Book! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) with Carrie reading the part of Gerald as I read Piggie. We followed that up with a reading of A Big Guy Took My Ball! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) This time my Parent Assistant joined us as the Whale. It was a great time.

Afterwards, my students wanted to know if we could find a 4th Grade class to Skype with - so if you know of anyone - let me know! They then spent our last few minutes reading a variety of Piggie and Gerald books to each other! It was awesome!

Special thanks to George Phillip for getting everything set up for us and letting us use his room!

I'm participating in Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge for the month of March!

This is NOT the Body I Was Looking For - #SOL15 3

Over the past few years I've owned several Fitbits.  Currently, I'm sporting a FitBit One.  Sadly, I've spent more time researching fancy pedometers than I have actually using it to work out. And somehow I'm surprised that my clothes are tighter. I mean, not working out, eating whatever, and getting older is not the recipe for svelteness. But every week, I'm shocked. I step on the scale and I wonder what the h-e-double hockey sticks??!! Whose body is this??!!

I'm participating in the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge. Each day in March, try to post a little slice of your day, your life, your thoughts. 

Getting it together - #SOL15 2

It's already March. I haven't finalized my One Word (I thought about faith). I haven't started my bullet journal (I did buy a journal). I haven't done a Whole30 (I do have the book). For the first time, in a very long time, I am feeling behind in every area of my life. Usually there is one thing that I'm rocking in, and that's usually work, but not this year. New job. I haven't even followed my weekly blogging plan! ARGH!

How do you step off the treadmill? How do you catch up to yourself?

I'm hoping that taking the time each evening to sit and look back at my day will help me find my track again.

Ares: Bringer of War by George O'Connor - Blog Tour

To climb atop a pile of your enemies...and want more. That..is Ares.

O'Connor, George. Ares: Bringer of War (Olympians, 7). First Second (Roaring Brook Press), 2015.
76 pages. $9.99. 978-1-62672-013-8.

Affiliate Links: Amazon | IndieBound

Genre: Greek Mythology Graphic Novel
Cover Appeal: Color choice screams WAR! And Ares' stance tells you he glories in it! This is how covers should be done! Middle Schoolers and above.

Immediately After:
Whoa! That last line was great!

Students can't seem to get enough of graphic novels or Greek Mythology and this series combines both.

We are introduced to Ares in comparison with his sister Athena. Ares is bloodthirsty and the joy he gets from the chaos comes through in the graphics. The Gods  are watching the Trojan War enter into it's 10th year. The stakes are high in this war as  many demi-gods are involved and each God wants to help his or her child. Zeus asks that they stay impartial but that does not happen. In addition to seeing the Gods involvement, we also witness the war from the fighters. These two levels give Ares: Bringer of War a level of complexity not seen in the previous graphic novels. I sense much discussion to ensue from this one. I already have students waiting for it as they've read all the other books - some several times.

Layout
O'Connor's artwork is always vivid but I think he's outdone himself. There are some FANTASTIC spreads and throughout Ares: Bringer of War that portray so much emotion and life. Here are a few but please go to the Macmillan Ares page and DO NOT miss O'Connor's Olympians site.

Overall
I gave this a 3 out of 4 stars because the different storylines made it confusing. I had to go back several times to understand what was happening. The previous books in the series were more straightforward.  A wonderful part of each book is O'Connor's End Matter. He not only gives you more information about the featured God but he has "Geek (Greek) Notes" where he discusses particular panels, questions for discussion, and a bibliography.

Blog Tour

Thank you to First Second books and Macmillan for including me on this tour! Using the above affiliate links will bring a small measure of support to The Brain Lair and I thank you in advance.

Tuck Everlasting 40th Anniversary Celebration

Babbit, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting. Macmillan, 1965. 192 p. $9.99. 9781250059291.

Blessed with—or doomed to—eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less of a blessing than it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune.

What if you could live forever?

I think about Tuck and his insistence that the wheels of change must keep turning. Everything has a season they say. And I believe that. You could never really get to know anyone new because you would have to leave before they noticed you weren't getting older. Now, I am not a big fan of people but I like talking to them. I think we are built for different levels of companionship.  So, I guess I would not want to live forever!

What would 3rd Graders do?

I talked to several 3rd graders about Tuck Everlasting and asked them the question. Here's what they had to say?:

• Jump into a  volcano
• Drink after I go to college and then go live on Mars
• Drink at 30 so I can drive and give to family so we can live together
• I don't want to live forever
• Give it to people about to die
• Drink at 25 and give to family and go to Pluto
• Drink at 30 and give to family and dive into a volcano with dynamite
• I would not drink it
• I would go to war and be last one standing and win the war

About the Author

A gifted artist and writer, Natalie Babbitt is the award-winning author of the modern classic Tuck Everlasting, The Eyes of the Amaryllis, Kneeknock Rise, and many other brilliantly original books for young readers. She began her career in 1966 as the illustrator of The Forty-ninth Magician, a collaboration with her husband. When her husband became a college president and no longer had time to collaborate, Babbitt tried her hand at writing. Her first novel, The Search for Delicious, established her gift for writing magical tales with profound meaning. Kneeknock Rise earned her a Newbery Honor Medal, and in 2002, Tuck Everlasting was adapted into a major motion picture. Natalie Babbitt lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and is a grandmother of three.

The 40th Anniversary edition will release on January 20, 2015 with a special forward by Gregory Maguire! Pre-order your copy here!

Click to read an excerpt!

Search #Tuck40th to see what other people are saying!