Still Summer...

         
Two Writing Teachers hosts a Slice of Life each Tuesday.  Please join Stacey and Ruth and the community for a wonderful time reading everyone's slices.  


        I am living my slice this week because my grandson is here visiting.  I'll share about our time and adventures together next week, but for now, it's the end of the month and time for Chalk-a-bration!  
        Betsy, at Teaching Young Writers, (whom I met during the Tuesday slices) has begun a tradition of what she calls a Chalk-a-Bration where poets write poems and chalk them for others to see.  Check out what everyone does today for this celebration.  August arrives tomorrow and with it our last summer days of some relaxing, some preparing, some "oh mys, where did the summer go?"  Here is my poem in tribute to still summer...  Thank you Betsy for your idea and for continuing it!

Good Reading Everywhere!

Visit  Teach.Mentor.Text, with Jen and Kellee who are hosts of this kid lit meme, from primary to YA.  Check the links to see others' ideas of a good read!

        It's Monday! What are you Reading? is another meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys, a variety of reviews to find even more books for your TBR list. 

        Myra, Fats & Iphigene host this meme at Gathering Books, and today I'm reviewing The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater for that challenge.

       It’s hard to believe I’ve put this book off for so long. I loved every single line of it, and only wish there was more. I savored those last pages, but worried yesterday and today about the ending. I cannot give away the ending for you readers, only that part of it was how I saw the book moving so inevitably. You will have to do your own predictions, and hope that the end is satisfying to you. 

I loved the alternating and strong first person narratives, the weaving of the two stories together as they created the final binding off of the piece. This is no stereotypical girl in Kate(Puck) Connolly, but one who insists upon the future she envisions, then sets out to get it. Sean Kendrick almost holds the antagonist position until his enemy, the employer’s son, takes over, leaving the author to push Sean into a more tragic role as a parallel to Kate. One could almost see them side by side in a modern drama, working together like Clark Kent and Lois Lane to battle evil. And evil there is, but also dramatic interest in the parts about the water horses, legends from the British Isles, what Maggie Stiefvater calls the capall uisce. Here is an excerpt showing some of the terror of these horses: ‘The capall uisce looks at her and opens its jaw, and then it makes a sound that turns my blood into ice. It’s a hissed exclamation with low clucks behind it, clicking from somewhere deep in its throat: kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw.”
I also loved the way Steifvater made the third character the sea, surrounding the island. “As the sun shines low and red across the water, I wade into the ocean. The water is still high and brown and murky with the memory of the storm, so if there’s something below it, I won’t know it. But that’s part of this, the not knowing. The surrender to the possibilities beneath the surface.” One learns that life on an island means life with the sea. 
If you like horses, that is another part that’s fascinating. If you like anticipation, Steifvater has written a book that’s doesn’t stop one wondering what could possibly be next. I am now wanting to find the Shiver trilogy to read more of this author’s wonderful writing.  The Scorpio Races is a Michael L. Printz Award honor book as well as the Odyssey Audiobook (for excellence in audio book production) honor book.  

The Lonely Book by Kate Bernheimer, illustrated by Chris Sheban.  This newly published book grabbed me immediately because of the wonderful cover and the intriguing title. I love books about books and this is one to add to your collection. It’s about a sweet book that happens to be a little shabby and missing its last page, but a little girl falls in love with the story and makes up her own ending. It’s not quite as simple as that, for the plot takes a few paths before the book finds its own happy ending. This can invite such good conversation and/or writing about favorite books along with what being lonely means. It also could be used for an examination of how plot works with its twists and turns within the beginning, middle and end. Both author and illustrator have won awards for their work.

Some Special Thoughts

               The weekly Slices of Life can be found at the blog, Two Writing Teachers, created by Stacey Shubitz and Ruth Ayres. Be sure to visit and read, read, read!

         I have mixed emotions about my slice today.  I have just returned from a wonderful family trip with my daughter and two granddaughters (almost one and three years old).  We spent half a week with my side of the family and the other half with my husband’s side.  All too brief was this visit, but filled with so many good memories.  We swam, we saw and petted goats, we played on playgrounds, and we rode on a merry-go-round, in a mall, Ingrid’s first ride!  Imogene began crawling all over, so her exploration was phenomenal.  Ingrid got to play and sing her songs on a real grand piano, and beat out rhythms on an African slit drum.  Because of the drought, we were sorrowful because no lightning bugs appeared, so that will have to be on the next adventure.  We ate ice cream every evening and talked into the night.  My daughter and I got to talk and talk, then talk some more. 

            Ingrid became so excited seeing wind turbines, and wanted photo after photo of them, so we slowed and took all that she wished – click, click.  “Grandma, can I see?”  We looked for red cars and buses and cows, and saw quite a few.  We noted all the colors of the cattle-black, black and white, brown.  We sang songs and looked for anything we could find of interest on the plains of Kansas.  There are many things of beauty, yes, even in a drought, even when it’s over a hundred degrees, even on the plains. 

            If you notice that I’m speaking of small things and being present in the moment, that is what one does with a three year old.  And when one does that, we grown-ups also notice things with a new brightness, a new appreciation. 

Reading Catch UP

COME VISIT TEACH.MENTOR.TEXTS, WITH JEN AND KELLEE WHO ARE HOSTS OF THIS KIDLIT MEME, FROM PRIMARY TO YA.  CHECK OUT THE LINKS TO SEE WHAT SO MANY ARE READING!

        It's Monday! What are you Reading? is another meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys, a variety of reviews to find even more books for your TBR list. 

I just returned from a grand trip with my daughter and her two daughters, having a lovely time visiting family in spite of the intense heat.  We did manage to visit swimming pools along the way, along with merry-go-rounds, goats, and little cars for pretend driving (all for the three year old of course).  

And I know I was supposed to take a break till August, but I will need to take another one next week since my grandson is coming to visit! 

I missed last week, so it's catch up time.  Since I last wrote I finished several books, all good, but one that I finished this morning was awesome.  

Poetry - A Tale of - well, you guess!

        Join us at Jone's blog, Check It Out for all the posts from others who love poetry.  Thank you for hosting, Jone!
        A few weeks ago, Violet Nesdoly posted an original poem here that she wrote about lightning.  It is a beautiful poem, written in the structure that she called an extended haiku.  I was intrigued by it, and have fussed over several tries, but just couldn't seem to find the right topic, I suppose.  It wasn't easy, and I am not claiming to be close to the poetic craft that Violet shows, but I did find a story to tell and thought I'd like to share it, and give lots of credit to Violet, too.  Thank you Violet!  


This is what Violet wrote about the extended haiku:  what’s happening here is that each word in the original haiku becomes the beginning word in successive haiku. It’s a fun challenge.

       A Little Story

Grey splash contrasts with

grass green.  I’m peering closer,

see the feathers spread.

Grey bird, where are you?

Straying too close to danger?

Giving up your life?

Splash of feathers there-

pieces only of your tale.

Poor tiny creature.