I Love to Read–in Brazil, part 2

Sunday, February 5th, 2012 by Erin Dealey

Oi (Hi) from Brasil, where the d’s sound like j’s and the r’s are h’s. Last week’s rains have stopped and summer heat arrived just in time for my Brazilian adventure. First stop: Brasilia. Thank you to the students and staff at the American School of Brasilia for such a warm welcome. Hopefully I can put pictures up soon. But for now, a recap:

We kicked off the day with an assembly for the Elementary (K-5) and PreK, starring students Henrique, Genevieve, Tereza, Andressa, Finn, Alexandra, Matheus, Mariana, Isabella, Luiz Felipe, Leonardo, and Kellita in Little Bo Peep Can’t Get to Sleep. Excelente!

Each hour after that I met with different age groups to have fun with words. I wish I knew the name of the young man who beat-boxed while I did the Writer’s Rap for Grades 4-5. I heard he might like to be president some day. (I’m not sure for which country but I’d definitely vote for him.) An added delight: a standing ovation after the rap from the high schoolers in the computer room next to the library. Wish I’d had time to meet each one of them!

Thank You (Obrigada!) to Librarians Miss Anna Maria–who has been at EAB for over 20 years–and Miss Claudia, and their staff, as well as my personal tour guide extraordinaire Kathy Dillon, EAB Special Ed teacher for the past five years. Kathy will move to Hong Kong to teach next fall. Lucky Hong Kong! The staff at EAB is as interesting and varied as the students. I had a chance to hang out with them after work and hear about the paths that brought them to Brazilia –many from Canada and the US. Talk about adventures!

Who are the EAB students? Eager, beautiful faces with bright smiles–some from Brasilian families; many from all over the world, whose parents work for different embassies and diplomatic services. A smattering have already written stories and already want to be authors. Many –like my elementary school self–think they aren’t writers and would rather finish their assignments and go out and play. (Yay tetherball!) I’m betting at least one of these kids will write a book some day, if they aren’t running a country. : )

My new friends told me a trip to Brasilia would not be complete without churrasco (barbecue), so they took me to dinner at Fogo do Chao. I have never been so glad I’m not a vegetarian! Yes there is an endless salad bar, but also every cut of grilled beef, as well as lamb and chicken and sausage served by waiters who slice it off the skewer at your table. (You catch the slice with your own tongs. If you want them to stop hovering, you turn the round green token over to red.) You know it’s good when I have no room for dessert. Si?

On Saturday, we explored Ceasa ( the open air fruit market), sampled a  delicious Acai dessert, and wandered around the “Hippie Fair” (local crafts and artisans fair). Then it was adeus Brasilia and an 1 1/2 hour flight to Campinas, my next stop.

Super Bowl? What Super Bowl? Viva Brazil! More adventures amanha. (Tomorrow.)

 

 

 

Posted in Author Visits, Authors and Books, Brazil, Kid Lit, Uncategorized
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I Love to Read– In Brazil!

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 by Erin Dealey

Let the Brazil blog begin! With any luck (and wifi) I will be updating this as I visit International Schools in Brazil this month. I always tell the students I meet that books can take you amazing places–both real and imagined. Boy is that the truth!

It’s finally hitting me that my Brazilian adventure is real.  What amazing opportunities I have to encourage children all over the world to do their personal best, read read READ, and find their voices.

Not bad for a kid who was going to be a math teacher. Seriously. With math you know if you’re right or wrong. With writing (in school anyway) not so much. With math there are answers in the back of the book and if you get it wrong you can use a formula to get it right. With writing, there is no exact formula–no matter how hard we try to spell out the expectations. Honestly, when it comes to writing, our students don’t get Writers’ Block–but rather Student Block, desperately trying to figure out what the heck their teacher wants from the assignment.

Writing requires taking a risk.  Like boarding an airplane for a country whose language sounds like a mixure of every Romance language known to man. We need to assure them that writing–like reading– is an adventure. Give them the type of environment that encourages young voices–where nothing (as long as it’s clean, legal, and appropriate) is wrong. Help them find their voices and format will follow. So will their love of writing.

As for me,  day one of my adventure begins today! Stay tuned!

Tchau (sounds like ciao–see what I mean?)

 

Posted in Author Visits, Authors and Books, Kid Lit, Middle Grade/ Teens/ YA, Teachers: Fun Ideas for Your Classroom
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Confessions (and Reviews) of a Teenage Readaholic, part 3

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 by Erin Dealey

Teen reviewer Maris Dyer reviews Mara Dyer…wait—what?

Confession:  When I first received this book, I was terrified to read it. Not because it was a horror story or because of comments from other people who had read it, but because of the title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. My name is Maris Dyer. Music from The Twilight Zone immediately started playing in my head. I knew that I had to read it, and see if Michelle Hodkin had inadvertently written the story of my life.

Review:   Unfortunately, I was sadly disappointed. Not only does Hodkin not know my inner secrets, her first book also comes off as stale.  The main character Mara Dyer is lacking in complexity and originality. She comes off as a cliché, a teenage girl who is drawn in by the enigmatic bad boy. The concept of the story itself is intriguing; it’s the execution that’s lacking. The book begins when Mara wakes up in a hospital. She has amnesia, and her family explains that she and her friends were in an abandoned building when it collapsed, killing everyone inside except for Mara. She transfers schools to escape her past, and in the first day meets Noah Shaw, a fellow student that everyone warns her to stay away from. Things get more complex when she begins to see the ghost of one of her friends who died in the collapse, and realizes that people around her have a strange tendency to die.

Hodkin, however, chooses to focus more on the romance between Mara and Noah. This, I believe, is the downfall of the book, because I was very interested in Mara’s quest to figure out the true cause of her friends’ deaths. Hodkin is a good writer, but I didn’t like the relationship between the two. At first, Noah has an air of mystery about him, but, too soon, he only comes off as a normal, arrogant guy. While Hodkin does an adequate job at keeping the plot cryptic, Noah and Mara’s romance unfolds exactly as I expected it to. Plus, I felt no connection to either one of the characters, making it very difficult for me to be engaged in the story.

This is the first book in a series, so Hodkin has room to grow as a writer. As I’ve said, her ideas are thought provoking, and it could be worth it to pursue the series as Mara and Noah mature as characters. Over all, though, I was not impressed. Hodkin has all of the right ingredients to make a good novel—she just needs to figure out how to combine them.

Well, I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I know I did—I just finished my last college application! That means I’ll actually have time to read all the books I’ve wanted to get to. Maybe I’ll find something great to share with all of you!

Maris

Posted in Authors and Books, Confessions (and Reviews) of a Teenage Readaholic, Kid Lit, Middle Grade/ Teens/ YA, Novel, Readers
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Revisions? Ho Ho HO… a holiday poem

Friday, December 16th, 2011 by Erin Dealey

‘Twas a week before Christmas when all through the night,
Revisions were stirring– Tomorrow I’d write!
I’d promised my agent a debut best-seller.
“I’m finished! Let’s send it!” I wanted to tell her.

But children arrived with their laundry from college.
(My nest had been empty as they searched for knowledge.)
Alas, the house bustled with merry distractions.
My YA, however, still needed key actions.

I’d trimmed it, and shaped it, and read it for clanks.
(To Halverson, Price, and Miss Klein–Many thanks!)
My writing pals read it. I knew what to do.
But egg-nog by egg-nog, my writing time flew:
Wrap presents, bake cookies, string lights on the tree…
My manuscript whimpered, “Hey, what about me?”

Each night as I nestled all snug in my bed,
Revisions–not sugarplums–danced in my head:
Take beats for each character! Kill off a few!
Weave subplots, and –say–Is this one book or two?

Then down in the kitchen, arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my angst, to see what was the matter.
“Join us. We’re starving!” the college kids cheered,
While cocoa, and cookies, and more friends appeared.

Their eyes how they sparkled, as bright as the tree.
Each story a gift they unwrapped just for me.
Ye writers of kidlit, it made me remember
How holidays hook me each year in December.

So clicking a finger aside of my mouse
I’ll tuck in my YA as joy fills our house.
And to my dear agent (East/West you’re the best!),
To editors, author pals, no doubt you’ve guessed,
We’ll call this week research, these days that delight.
Happy Holiday magic! (No writing tonight!)

Posted in Poems and Silliness
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Confessions (and Reviews) of a Teenage Readaholic, part 2

Monday, October 17th, 2011 by Erin Dealey

She’s back….High School senior Maris takes time out from college applications to review Stiefvater’s Shiver series…

Confession:I have to admit—when I first heard about Maggie Stiefvater’s Wolves of Mercy Falls series (Scholastic), I was not planning on liking it. I was done reading the slew of paranormal romance that came out after the success of the Twilight series. I had heard good things about these books though, from my friends and others, so I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did.

Review: The Shiver series revolves mainly around two characters: Grace and Sam. [Note: Not a spoiler, I promise.] After being attacked by the wolves that live in the forest near her house as a young girl, Grace develops a fascination with the creatures, especially the wolf that saved her from being killed in the attack. Through a sequence of events, she discovers that the wolves that live in the woods of Mercy Falls are werewolves. These werewolves do not change at the full moon though; they change when it gets cold outside. In the summertime, the wolves are regular people. When Grace comes across the human form of Sam (the wolf that saved her) they begin a romance that is complicated with some obvious problems.

Forever is the last book in the series, and in my opinion, the best. Stiefvater alternates first-person perspective of multiple characters throughout the books and the characters are at their most developed in this final installment. Strangely enough, my favorite character is not the main hero or heroine, but the former drug addict and musician Cole St. Clair who struggles to find a scientific cure for his lycanthropy. Stiefvater has more range than just writing about two teenagers in love—although she does that skillfully as well, so that people who are less than romantic can handle it. In Forever Stiefvater faces head on the problems that Grace and Sam encounter as a teenage couple. Will they split up when Grace goes to college? How do they convince Grace’s parents that they are seriously in love? Is their relationship strong enough to last forever?

This series offers escapist fantasy that is definitely worth your time if you’re in the mood for romance and adventure. However, one issue I do have with Forever is something incredibly picky, but bear with me. The text in the book is not black, but instead, a glaring red to match the front cover. This distracted me from the story at times and I felt it was too much of a gimmick. Yet the story managed to draw me in, even with all my preconceived notions about werewolves and romance. So for those of you looking for a love story or just a unique twist on classic werewolf lore, check this out.

In the meantime, I’m going to start working on those college applications—Grace’s worries about going to college next year have made mine even worse.

Maris

If you would like to contact Maris with any suggestions or questions about books please send an email to marisd@mac.com

PS Thanks to author/NYJB reviewer Connie Goldsmith for the recommendation!

Posted in Confessions (and Reviews) of a Teenage Readaholic
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