Book Drop Rocked!

Today is the day! After months and months of waiting, Operation Teen Book Drop is in full effect! Our school's Chick Lit Book Club raised money and purchased six young adult novels to "drop" in our local, school, and classroom libraries. Here are a couple of the chicks "dropping" their books on our library shelves. Also included is a picture of the books that we purchased. It was super fun!

Book of the Week

This week's Book of the Week also happens to be the January selection for the Chick Lit Book Club. I have to admit that I've had this book sitting on my To-Be-Read shelf at home for some time now. As it usually happens, I find that I should have read this book sooner because it was quite good. It's called A Room On Lorelei Street and it's by Mary E. Pearson (who also wrote The Adoration of Jenna Fox).

Zoe is sixteen going on forty-six. She has all the responsibilities and troubles of a woman two or three times her age. She takes care of her alcoholic mother, works all kinds of hours per week to make ends meet, tries to get good grades in school, and is a member of the tennis team. All she wants is a space of her own and for someone to care about her. But, it seems that that won't happen unless she makes it happen. When life at home gets to be too much for her, Zoe sets out on her own and, for the first time, she has a room that's all hers.

This story is gripping and pretty realistic. I found myself rooting for Zoe, but not know what she should do to "fix" her life. It made me think of my own life, my first apartment, and me realize that sometimes getting a place of your own can be more empowering than one would think.

Our next Chick Lit Book Club meeting will be held in the MBHS library at 2:15 on January 11th. Feel free to join us even if you haven't read the book. If you'd like to read this title, I have an extra copy that I'll dust off and bring in for free reading. Don't put off reading this title like I did!

Book of the Week

This week's book is one that I read for the December Chick Lit Book Club meeting. We're meeting to discuss Perfect by Natasha Friend on December 14th at 2:15. There will be a bunch of book-related questions, great food, and even a door prize! Come and join in the fun.

So, back to the book. Perfect is the word to describe Isabelle Lee's idol, Ashley. Or, this is how Isabelle perceives Ashely's life. As it turns out, they have some not-so-perfect problems in common. When they become friends, these issues spiral out of control and they run the risk of damaging themselves permanently. What is their huge problem, you ask? Both girls are bulimic. Even though they are in group therapy together, they continue to gorge and purge huge amounts of food on a daily basis.

These girls may have an eating disorder in common, but the problems that have led to the disorder are quite different. Isabelle's father died recently, leaving a distraught mother in his wake. Ashley is one of the most popular girls in school and feels the need to live up to an impossible standard. Rather than help each other through their problems, these girls join forces in helping to further their disorder.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has struggled with an eating disorder. I feel like this is more a book for girls, but this is not to say that some boys would not enjoy it as well. It is a fast, interesting read.

Chick Lit Thanks

At this month's Chick Lit meeting, the girls pulled their questions from a cornucopia and gave thanks for a variety of people and "things" in their lives. We had a lot of great discussion over Meg Rosoff's How I live Now and we ate all kinds of junk food. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Book of the Week

October's Chick Lit Book Club selection is a spooky one. It's called The Minister's Daughter by Julie Hearn and deals with witch hunts, both in New England during the Salem Witch Trials and in England fifty years before the infamous Witch Trials in Salem.

The main characters in this story are two very different girls. One is the town minster's young daughter Patience. The other is the granddaughter of the local healing woman. Her name is Nell. Both Patience and Nell are drawn in and endangered by the minister's oldest daughter Grace. Grace is beautiful but wicked and unwilling to accept blame for her own indecent choices. When Grace finds herself in trouble, she points the finger at Nell and brainwashes Patience to follow her sinful plan.

This story alternates between 1692 and 1645 and between the magical realm of piskies and the reality of ignorant townspeople who believe that every bad turn in life is caused by the devil. This is a great book for Halloween or for anyone who's interested in historical fiction. Please see me or Mrs. Robinson in the library if you're interested in joining the Chick Lit Book Club. Our next meeting is October 26th in the library after school.

Coolest Reflection EVER!

So, part of the responsibilities of my little Chick Lit Junior Advisors (very official title, no?) is to reflect about our meetings. I ask that they include some thoughts about how the meeting went and what we need to think about changing for future meetings.

This morning, a super-fab Junior Advisor came in a gave a a graphic version of her reflection. I LOVE it! I may require that she keep this comic strip going for the entire year. What do you think?