Ms. Anderson's ATM

Another week slipped by! How is that possible? Since our last chat, I have been scrambling to keep up with all the things on my "to do" list. Sometimes the days feel short and long at the same time.

This weekend I discovered I had fallen into a reading slump. And I figured out it was because I really disliked one of the books that I was reading, Free Thaddeus. Initially all signs pointed to the book being a keeper: funny and alternative format (letters, notes, emails, etc). I'm a sucker for alternate formats. But the main character. Eeew. He's horrid. I found myself not wanting to read anything at all (even Scritch Scratch and I love it!) because I hated spending time with Thaddeus. He's so arrogant and his pranks weren't funny at all. But you know what? As soon as I abandoned the book I felt so much better. My point is this: there are too many great books out there to waste a minute of time on something you don't enjoy. Do yourself a favor--give it up if it's not bringing you satisfaction.

I'm still working on this but the last two days (post dud abandonment) I've made great progress. I love that the author has captured the love/hate relationship that often exists when thinking about things that are scary. This is totally how I feel about haunted houses and scary movies! I can't wait to see how the story resolves. I hope Claire can figure out who is haunting her before it's too late!

Hooky is pretty fun so far. I like the art and how the story feels both familiar (Harry Potter fans will rejoice) and also original. I like that it's slightly longer than the traditional tween graphic novel but still accessible. I also noticed that the speech bubbles are color coded for each character which helps me keep the conversations straight. I wonder if this will catch on?

There are some authors you can count on for a fresh, new, exciting, and engaging story. Neal Shusterman is one of those authors. Plus, did I mention I met him? No kidding! He did an author visit at JMS not too long ago and I got to shuttle him around a bit. He was friendly, talkative, and great with students. I'm pleased to report his newest title, Game Changer, does not disappoint. I'm listening to it and I can hardly wait to find out what is happening. It's a bit sports, science fiction, and suspense. I marvel at his storytelling and always wonder how he comes up with his story ideas.

Happy reading!

Ms. Anderson