Not a News Flash. And OctoberPalooza Continues: Amplified by Tara Kelly

     I'm attending an event on October 30th. It's called The Why Chromosome: Why Boys Do Love Books. I am excited about this event because a number of amazing authors will be there and they will be talking about this issue. It is also important because Mrs. Nelson's Toy and Book Shop is hosting, and they are an independent bookstore.
     Not a news flash: boys do read. Andrew Smith talks about this, and I look forward to hearing more from him and authors G.Neri, Greg Van Eekhout, Allen Zadoff, Jonathan Auxier, and John Stevens at this event.
     I know boys read because they check out books from my classroom library. One of my boys asked today if he could check out more than one, and I handed him a pile. I did an informal, non-scientific survey of my informal, non-scientific check-out system(pieces of scratch paper) and right now I have more boys reading books than girls.
     Today one of my boys gave me a special boxed copy of The Hunger Games, because he said that he thought I would like it.  I didn't well up or get weepy in front of him, because he would have been horrified and I only cry when I read Andrew Smith or Sara Zarr books, anyway.
     Not a news flash: Boys are sensitive. And kind. 
     Not a news flash: Boys are human beings.
     A long time ago I was assigned to teach a class called Developmental Reading. It was all boys and one girl.  There were no good books. There were things posing as books, but  I felt stupid when I looked at them in the storage room. I felt stupid because the book basically  said If You Are Reading This You Must Be Stupid. Or a Boy.
    I left them in the storage room.
    We read a lot of different things. I probably learned more than my students did. I learned that if you want kids to read you don't put them in a class called Developmental Reading. I learned that kids can go through ten years of school with undiagnosed problems. I learned that if I asked a direct question I got an honest answer.
   We had a lot of conversations I still remember.
   Not a news flash: Boys read good books. They may not want to read the same books as girls. They are not girls. They are boys.
   Newsflash! If we stop condescending to boys about reading we would all be better off.


   **Comment/follow to win a copy of Tara Kelly's newest: Amplified!

My Late-Blooming Social Media Epiphany. OctoberPalooza Continues with Tara Kelly's Amplified!

     I had a Social Media Epiphany (SME) this weekend.
     Let me first say that most of you probably had this SME several years ago. Remember how I said in my post about men that I was a late bloomer? I wasn't kidding.
     I have visited two hundred and thirty-five blogs since the Blog Hop started on Friday. Initially I felt a little bug-eyed, and I read a little, then followed, then hopped.
     And then my head exploded, so I stopped. And thought.
     Waited.
     And it hit me.
     These are all connections.
     And I was floored.
     Each of the people who signed up for the hop looks for connection. Not like a handshake from a politician, but a greeting, a stopping-and-seeing connection.
     Otherwise, what's the point? Numbers? I don't treat students like numbers. I don't want to be a number. I want to see all these people.
     So then I really slowed down.
     The thing is, Alex and Matthew get this. Matthew commented on every single blog.
Matthew and Alex are Social Media Heroes.
     I am going to visit and re-visit. I want you to know that when I am visiting your blog, I see you.
     You may all mock me for this later, since I am, clearly, the Last One to Get It.
      And you can mock me and be entered to win a copy of Tara Kelly's Amplified, which is a good deal.
   

OctoberPalooza Continues: Amplified by Tara Kelly

     I read Tara Kelly's debut novel, Harmonic Feedback, and there was so much in that book to love.
     What I loved the most was the main character, Drea. Drea calls them as she sees them, and she made me laugh and she made me cringe. Hey, she's a human being. She's entitled. What I really loved was how Drea is this real person who happens to have Asperger's syndrome. This is one aspect of her, and this is not what the book is focused on--it's just part of who she is.
     I was thrilled to read a book that had a character with Asperger's syndrome, but the Asperger's was just an organic part of the story. 
     I thought that this was masterfully done.
     The writing--beautiful. The story--moving. 
     If there had been an After School Special in the Eighties about Asperger's, it would have had AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL stamped all over it. Much as I appreciate the effort to Get Issues Out There, mawkish and maudlin and sentimental often ruled the day.
    Asperger's, or Autism Spectrum Disorder, is quite common. I have had many students throughout the years, and the important thing to me is not their label. It's who they are.
    So I read this book and I thought, this author knows what's important. And, boy, can she write.
   And then I saw that she had a new book coming out. In October! On the 23rd! In time for OctoberPalooza! 
    It is a joy and a privilege to get copies of this book out to you. Three copies will be sent out when the contest closes at 5:00 PM EST on Sunday, October 24. This time I am ordering from another fabulous independent bookstore, A Whale of a Tale in Irvine, California.
     Same rules: A comment on any post enters you in the contest; a comment and a follow count as two entries; and a comment, a blog follow, and a follow on Twitter count as three entries.
     I am excited about this author and her new book. Let the comments fly!

How to Save a Life Recipients!

     I would like to thank all of my new friends for their follows and comments. Please stay tuned--another giveaway starts tomorrow!
     And the copies of How to Save a Life go to...
     Mary Campbell
     Carolyn A.
     April X
     Would you all please email me at 
     akristenpelfrey@gmail.com
     I need your preferred shipping information so that I can contact Eighth Day Books tomorrow to order your copies! 
     Special thanks to the amazing Sara Zarr for her support of this giveaway, and for writing this book(and all of her others) in the first place.

Blog Hopping!The Ultimate Really Necessary Reading List, Part 2! And How to Save a Life!

     I think about reading lists a lot, and about what is required, and who decided, and why.
     Sometimes it's more like brooding.
     I taught English for a long time, so I witnessed many changes. I stopped teaching English about six or seven years ago and started teaching about technology. I did this for many reasons. One of them was because teaching the way I was born to became increasingly difficult.
     Teaching is in my DNA. I always knew I would teach, and I always knew I would write.
     I remember when I started teaching I could actually use my own judgment. I loathe textbooks. I used a college anthology without boxes of worksheets and crap. I used classroom sets of good books. I spent three days one year on the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. I draped myself in black and put a cardboard bird around my neck and we turned out the lights and all kinds of magic happened. It was fun and creepy and the kids got it. Which is the point. And periodically one or more would randomly shriek "Shrive me! Shrive me!" in the hallway and I would laugh and laugh. Good times.
     You can't spend three days on much of anything anymore.
      I had to start writing standards on the board so the kids would know what they were learning.
     That was stupid.
     Telling a kid she's going over Reading Standard 2.1.3 isn't going to light any kind of zeal for learning.
     I started to feel like education was something I was doing to kids instead of with kids. And that made me sad. And really, really pissed off.
     And you know all those inspirational quotes, the ones that teachers live by and believe in because we must? Because without hope the job is impossible?
     This one: "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."
     We've got the kids cursing the candles and the darkness, and it's our own stupid fault.
     And this one: "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
     Exactly.
     Most juniors in high school look like they dine on human flesh by June. SAT's and ACT's and Advanced Placement and state mandated tests. I warn my 9th graders to be kind to the juniors, and buy them cookies, and refrain from making sudden movements around them. Kind of like Zombie Apocalypse survival advice, right?
     Books are one answer. Good books.
     I'm working on the Revolution.


**Leave a comment or follow for a chance to win a copy of Sara Zarr's How to Save a Life.
**The Blog Hop continues. Here are three blogs to check out, if you so desire:

From the Bookshelf of T.B.  Reviews Middle Grade and YA books. I've started heading over to T.B.'s to check out what to read. And T.B.? You'd never guess her age.Yeah, she's that good. Keep getting down with your bad self, Tessa.

Clear Writing with Mr. Clarity Okay, so the title made me laugh, which got me to the blog. Crisp? Clear? Mr. Clarity is writes speeches and marketing stuff. He would probably scold me for  saying "stuff." But he's so cool I wouldn't mind.

Kid-free Living Humor  This blog is remarkably easy on the eyes and well-organized. I like humor. I am kid-free once I turn my students loose for the day. Oh, and the content about writing is really good.

Thank you to Matthew MacNish and Alex J. Cavanaugh for hosting the Blog Hop. In case you don't know what that is, the explanation is here.   
   

At the Hop and Lifesaving

Even though it's not quite midnight here in California, I want to start hopping. I've been looking forward to this. The three sites I chose for the hop are:
From the Bookshelf of T.B.  Reviews Middle Grade and YA books. I've started heading over to T.B.'s to check out what to read. And T.B.? You'd never guess her age.Yeah, she's that good. Keep getting down with your bad self, Tessa.
Clear Writing with Mr. Clarity Okay, so the title made me laugh, which got me to the blog. Crisp? Clear? Mr. Clarity is writes speeches and marketing stuff. He would probably scold me for  saying "stuff." But he's so cool I wouldn't mind.
Kid-free Living Humor  This blog is remarkably easy on the eyes and well-organized. I like humor. I am kid-free once I turn my students loose for the day. Oh, and the content about writing is really good.
Thank you to Matthew MacNish and Alex J. Cavanaugh for hosting the Blog Hop. In case you don't know what that is, the explanation is here.
And if you follow or leave a comment, you are automatically entered to win a copy of Sara Zarr's How to Save a Life, one of Amazon's Best Picks for the month of October.
You won't know how much you needed to read this book until you're done with it.
You will be seized with the desire to go get pancakes with appalling amounts of syrup, and be really glad when you go do it, too.

How to Save a Life Giveaway. And a Blog Hop.

     Today I thought a lot about how good books can change lives. I discussed in a previous post that meeting Sara Zarr saved changed my life, and that changing a life can mean saving it.
     Today I heard a story about a former student from many years ago and how a book saved her life.
     The book was Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. I think it took courage to write this book. I think about this young woman and how much courage it took for her to speak. I am so glad she did. I am so glad this book helped her. Thanks, Laurie.
     I think a lot of writers do a lot of good that they never hear about. I would like to help them hear about good things, so that's one of the reasons I am planning a Revolution/Big Project soon.
     So for today's comments, if you are so moved, tell us about a book that changed saved your life. Better yet, let the author know.
     Any comment on any post, and/or a follow, enters you in to win a free copy of How to Save a Life. 
     You never know what's going to happen.
**Are you a blogger? Matthew MacNish and Alexander J. Cavanaugh are hosting a blog hop. Check out the linky list in the gadget to the right--you will need to scroll down. Sign up if interested!

How Sara Zarr Changed (saved) My Life. Revisited. And How to Save a Life Giveaway.

     This is a re-post. Because this is why I'm giving away  How to Save a Life.

 This is a true story.

     I don't think Sara knows it, though.

     So I'm working on a novel, and my crit partner said that I needed to read this book, Once Was Lost, by Sara Zarr. At the time I didn't know anything about Sara Zarr. But my crit partner is really smart and gifted, so I usually take her advice. So I bought the book.

And I read it in one sitting, in one night, and a school night to boot.

     And I thought about it, and kept thinking about it, because it isn't just what Sara writes its something about her How. How she writes. And I couldn't put words to the How, but I knew I liked it a lot.

     And when I read this book I was in Hard Times. You know. We've all been there.

     And then I signed up for a Children's Writing Conference. I admit, I wasn't really sure if I belonged there. I was nervous and full of self-doubt and glad I was Doing Something With My Writing.

     Being new to the conference scene, I didn't check out the faculty. I just showed up. And I get my schedule of crit groups. And I also get a fifteen minute session with a faculty member to go over my query.

     And my eyes just about fell out of my head. Because my query time is with Sara Zarr.

     I don't know anyone at the conference. My heart is pounding. I run outside and call my husband, and I say, "I'm going to meet Sara Zarr." And my husband, who is an architect who reads architect-y stuff, says, "Who?" And so I tell him--remember when I stayed up and read that book? And he kind of does. But he does get that I am thrilled and excited. And nervous.

     So I do my crit groups, which were great, and I stay up really late revising, and periodically the thought "I'm going to meet Sara Zarr" pops into my head and I just know I blanked out and stared at stuff for a minute or two each time.

     So as my time nears I have a folder with my query letter, and I'm pacing, and my stomach is all kerfuffled.

     And then it's time and I Meet Sara Zarr.

     I almost cried.

     And we talked about my book and her books and she was this real, amazing human being and when I left the meeting my head was spinning.

     I called my dad. "I met Sara Zarr."

     I called my mom. "I met Sara Zarr."

     At this point, if you are still reading, you might be thinking I'm a little crazy.

     I don't think I'm crazy. I think I'm grateful.

     Because Meeting Sara Zarr meant a lot to me. Here is this writer whose books are like Vermeer paintings. Quiet, intense, full of light and jewel tones and real life.   And I don't cry a lot, but Story of a Girl had me crying because of the story and the joy of reading the story.

     And I periodically look at my husband and say, "I met Sara Zarr." Full of wonder, still.

     So yeah, Meeting Sara Zarr changed my life because when I get bogged down I remember her and Vermeer and my spirit feels renewed.

     And Sara's new book, How to Save a Life, is coming out October 18. And somehow that title seems apropos to me, because sometimes changing a life means saving it.

     Thanks, Sara.

Batshit Genius. How To Save a Life Giveaway. And The Music of the Spheres.

     I am really excited about Stick's debut tomorrow, but you probably already know that.
     Here is a link that Andrew Smith posted today of an amazing review of Stick. This review states unequivocally that Andrew is a "batshit genius".
     There are so many reasons to love this phrase. Imagine if someone said this about your writing. I think I would add that phrase to my business cards, to my email signature, to the credits of any movies adapted from my work.
     But don't worry.
     The world is safe.
     There is only one batshit genius. And his book comes out tomorrow.
     Also, on a related note but different plane of reality, Sara Zarr's new book is called How to Save a Life. Sara Zarr is a profoundly talented human being. She is also a really nice person. She would probably find it embarrassing that I said this, but since she is somewhere Away From the Grid right now I have no qualms about expressing my admiration.
     I don't have a lot of qualms about expressing my admiration. When something or someone  is a source of joy I need to speak.
     It's like when you are listening to whatever music you listen to, and you hear That One Perfect Note. TOPN is the one that glides through your sternum right to your quivering inner core and wraps it for a moment and you hear the music of the spheres.
     The music of the spheres is, like all things human and divine, light and dark.
     It's like this scene from the movie Philadelphia, when Andrew, played by Tom Hanks, talks about his love of opera. Please watch this if you have a moment.
     If you don't have a moment, here is a really imperfect transciption. It's from the opera La Mamma Morta. Maria Callas sings:
        The place that cradled me is burning.
        I am alone.
        And Something answers her.
        Live still.
        I am life.
        I am oblivion.
        I am the god who comes down to earth from the heavens and makes of the earth a heaven.
        I am love.
        With all of the daily assaults and insults and injuries, when the place that cradles us is burning,we must find the music of the spheres and shout it out, we must defy it and go through the darkness and sometimes embrace it.
        What a very good thing it is to have books that show us we don't have to do this alone. 
       
 

OctoberPalooza Continues: How To Save a Life

     Thank you to all who have joined me in OctoberPalooza.
     This Celebration of Great Books Extravaganze Experience now continues.
     Mission Statement: To give away copies of amazing books

                                   To support independent bookstores

                                   To gain site traffic

        Rules: Follow the blog for one entry

        Get two entries for each comment you leave (This way if you are already following you can still add to your odds.) Comments may be left on any post, past or present.

     This week, in addition to celebrating Stick's release day October 11, I am turning to an appreciation of Sara Zarr. How to Save a Life officially comes out October 23.
     Every book Sara Zarr  writes gets awards and stuff.
     How to Save a Life is an Amazon pick for Best Book of the Month for October.
    Each of her books is an American Library Association Recommended Books for Young Adults.
     Story of a Girl was a National Book Award Finalist.
    "Bitch" magazine has Sara's book Sweethearts on one of its "Best" lists. This is not only a remarkable example of irony, but also shows how her work reaches across lines and genres and labels.
     You all know how I feel about labels.
    Three copies of How to Save a Life will be sent to lucky winners from Sara's independent bookstore of choice, Eighth Day Books.
    Entries will close at 5:00 PM EST next Sunday, October 16, because the book is unofficially out and available and I want you to have your hands on this book.
    And now feel free to follow or comment.