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By Eric Rossen

In the wake of another national tragedy, it is more apparent than ever that our schools must embrace a stronger role in supporting the mental health of our youth by developing trauma-sensitive schools. The mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that killed several staff and 20 elementary school students came less than two months after Hurricane Sandy, a storm that brought devastation and displacement to tens of thousands of people in the Northeast. Both events offer stark reminders of the acute stress our students may face when experiencing cataclysmic events. However, even in the absence of such tragedies, many of our nation’s children are in chronic distress.

Despite our collective efforts, youth continue to have adverse and traumatic experiences, such as chronic child maltreatment, domestic and community violence, homelessness, natural disasters, parental substance abuse, death of a loved one, and the list goes on. These experiences can significantly undermine the ability to learn, form relationships, and manage emotions and behavior; all critical components of succeeding in school and in life. To improve our country’s education system, we must first address these barriers to progress; and schools remain the most logical place to do it.

As a school psychologist, I have had the privilege of working with students, parents, and fellow educators to help students learn, develop, and grow in a healthy environment. I have also had the challenge of identifying the mental health problems that impede learning where all too often, the initial question is, “What’s wrong with you?” rather than “What happened to you?” or “How can we help?” Some believe that schools are in the business of educating, not mental health. On the contrary, supporting student mental health is a pre-requisite to learning, not an afterthought.

Interestingly, while only a fraction of kids who need mental health care actually receive it, 70-80% of those that do receive it get it at school. Schools often have a cadre of health and mental health supports available. For example, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the NYC Department of Education mobilized their staff with an all hands on deck approach. However, even with the most talented and ambitious group of mental health professionals in a school system, it’s unlikely that they can provide the full range of mental health supports to every student in need. A main challenge is first identifying students in need when a stressor is not as obvious as a hurricane or a school shooting. Moreover, some symptoms of childhood trauma may not fully manifest until adolescence, at a time where some may view that behavior as an unrelated outcome of that early experience.

Trauma-sensitive classrooms and schools provide an environment where all adults in the building have an awareness and sensitivity to the potential impact of trauma and adverse experiences on students’ lives. The initial thinking behind low academic performance or bad behavior is not automatically that the student is willfully disobedient, unmotivated, and unintelligent. Trauma-sensitive schools are places where all youth feel safe, connected, and supported — not just the youth who don’t need mental health care or those that need it most. Trauma-sensitive schools augment and supplement the herculean efforts of the school-based mental health professionals and in a sense, provide a continuous and universal mental health intervention system.

Creating trauma-sensitive schools requires a great deal of commitment. First, we know that most, if not all, teacher preparation programs don’t include training to prepare teachers to identify, teach, and support traumatized students. This is a problem, particularly given the demands on teacher preparation programs, and teachers themselves. The duties of a teacher are added on with regularity, and rarely removed. Therefore, we must infuse some content on the impacts of trauma and mental health on learning throughout teacher preparation and professional development programs.

Second, we must leverage the existing mental health professionals that exist in schools, including school psychologists, school counselors, school social workers, school nurses, and other school-based mental health providers. Utilizing them more effectively could include more regular consultation with teachers and administrators on developing trauma-sensitive strategies and perspectives. These individuals can also provide in-services to staff at no additional cost. Meeting this demand also means properly funding enough positions to provide these services along with the intensive direct services to students in need.

Finally, this requires a culture change — often more easily said than done. Luckily, some groups have emerged as leaders in creating trauma-sensitive schools, including the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the State of Washington Office of the Superintendant of Public Education. Much can be learned from the efforts of these pioneer systems.

Many of our kids are in distress, and our schools remain our frontline opportunity to support them.

Eric Rossen is the co-editor of Supporting and Educating Traumatized Students: A Guide for School-Based Professionals with Robert Hull. Eric Rossen, Ph.D., is a nationally certified school psychologist and licensed psychologist in Maryland. He currently serves as Director of Professional Development and Standards at the National Association of School Psychologists. Robert Hull, Ed.S., MHS, is a school psychologist in Prince George’s County Public Schools, Maryland, serves on the faculty at the University of Missouri, and holds a position as adjunct faculty at Goucher College.

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The post The case for creating trauma-sensitive schools appeared first on OUPblog.

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For your weekend reading pleasure, here are our top stories of the week.

They include TED videos, a funny comic about eReaders and free Christmas books.

Click here to sign up for GalleyCat’s daily email newsletter, getting all our publishing stories, book deal news, videos, podcasts, interviews, and writing advice in one place.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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Our featured reviewer of this wintry Friday is Cybils veteran Sarah Gross of The Reading Zone, one of our Round 1 judges for YA Fiction. Sarah is currently a high school English teacher passionate about finding great books to share with her students. Fun fact: She is the brains behind the ARCs Float On project, which aims to connect bloggers who have review copies to spare with classroom teachers in need of books.

One of the Cybils YA Fiction nominees that Sarah reviewed this year was Boy21 by Matthew Quick, a novel of basketball, tragedy, redemption and friendship that is not only a great guy book and sports novel but also just a good read overall. As Sarah says in her review,

this is a book about life.  Smart, funny, raw, and touching, it’s a book I can confidently recommend to all of my readers, from reluctant to voracious.  The characters are real and their lives are not perfect.

Click here to read the full review.

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Title: Kirby Puckernut and the Christmas Surprise
Author: Alicia Richardson
Illustrator: Don Seegmiller
Publisher: Els Mere Elves LC
Released: September 15, 2011
Website: http://www.kirbypuckernut.com/

Summary:

Kirby Puckernut is Santa's cleverest little elf. While dreaming up marvelous toys for good girls and boys, Kirby has his best idea yet - a real elf in every home, all through the holidays, spreading Christmas Magic Santa finds the perfect family and allows Kirby to serve as the test elf for the first momentous visit. Fun and adventure are at every turn, but not everything goes as planned...Will Kirby's idea be a success.


The illustrations in this Christmas book are delightful.  To me picture books need to have great illustrations and this one definitely does.

I read this book to my 7 year old and she liked it but didn't love it.  There is quite a bit of writing on each page and a couple of times she got distracted before we finished the page. She and I were both expecting a different ending to the story.

This books has received lots of great reviews on both Amazon & Goodreads. There is a great message in this book and I'm sure it will be a hit with many families but for us it fell a little short of my expectations.  Although I admit I'm a tough critic when it comes to picture books.






Rating: 3.5 Stars - Good Book

Source: Review copy


Goodreads:


Amazon:

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As someone interested in Mayan mythology and culture I did do my research and there is nothing to suggest any apocolyptic event for today at all.

My sister has been busy re-buildng her website portfolio today and we are both busy on new projects for our portfolios for next year so I am glad the world is still here.

Please check out my gallery, there is some new work in the Sketchbook and character development sections.

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Hello friends! It's been an interesting year for me here in the city. Lots of ups and a few downs but I've managed to get through it all with a smile :) Plus, I'm finally feeling like a New Yorker hehe :)Thank you so much for all of you who visit and leave comments now and again. I really appreciate you! I look forward to an amazing year and hope to bring you lots more goodies in 2013.

Wishing all of you a very happy and bright holiday season. May you be blessed with everything your little heart desires.

This eCard is available at my Pingg shop. It's perfect for those of you living in New York or visiting for the holidays. No postage necessary! ;)

See you in 2013!

xo,
Julissa

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I originally read this book back in 2009 before I started my book blog.

This was a recent book group pick for my local book group. It had been 3 years since I read it and I didn't remember it well so I reread it.  Originally I gave it 4 stars but I loved it he second time around so it gets bumped up to a 5 star book.


Title: Book of a Thousand Days
Author: Shannon Hale
Series: None
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Released: September 18, 2007
Website: http://www.squeetus.com/

Book Summary:

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren's refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.
As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable.

But the arrival outside the tower of Saren's two suitors—one welcome, and the other decidedly less so—brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.

With Shannon Hale's lyrical language, this forgotten but classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.



Book of a Thousand Days was the first book by Shannon Hale I read. I've since read everything she's written.  I love her writing.

Fairy tale retellings are something I love to reads. I enjoyed Shannon's retelling of the little known German fairy tale Maid Maleen.

Maid Maleen from Wikipedia:

A princess named Maid Maleen and a prince fell in love, but her father refused his suit. When Maid Maleen said she would marry no other, the king had her and her servants locked up in tower, with food that would be enough to feed them for seven years.
After seven years, the food ran out. However, no one came to release or deliver more food to the princess and her servants. They then decided to escape from the tower, with a knife that they had. What they found was that the king was gone and the kingdom no longer existed. Without knowing where to go, they finally arrived at the country of Maleen's lover, and sought work in the royal kitchen.
The prince had been betrothed by his father to another princess. This princess, lacking of confidence in herself, did not think that she would be good enough for the prince. She would not leave her room and let him see her. On her wedding day, not wishing to be seen, the princess sent Maid Maleen in her place.
At the wedding, the prince put a golden necklace around Maid Maleen's neck as a proof for the marriage. At night, the prince went to the wedding chamber where the princess was waiting. He did not see the golden necklace around her neck. Immediately, he knew that the princess was not the one he was married to. Meanwhile, the princess had sent out an assassin to kill Maid Maleen. The prince, who left the wedding chamber to look for his true bride, was guided by the shine of the golden necklace and came in time to save her. With the golden necklace as the proof of marriage, they were married and lived happily ever after.

If you haven't read Book of a Thousand Days you should. Dashti, Lady Saren, Khan Tegus and Lord Khasar are all great characters.



Rating: 5 Stars - Even Better the Second Time Around

Content: Clean

Source: Library


Goodreads:




Amazon:
(Currently just .99 cents)

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Nook Kindle PDF iTunes on the iPad, look for it in the iBook Store

In a recent PW announcement, Macmillan Children’s Books has announced the creation of a new YA Romance imprint. The switch? It will be a sort of American Idol for YA Romance Writers.

Romance writers, are you ready for this?
Crowdsourcing, or drawing on participation from the audience for decisions, will be the major focus of the new imprint. Audience will consider chapters and vote on their favorite. When a manuscript is finally chose, they’ll vote on book covers.

The editor’s role?

The imprint’s editors will not screen the submitted manuscripts, but will monitor the content to make sure that “nothing obscene happens” in the novels. Romance fans reading the manuscripts online will be able to provide comments and offer a rating, the highest of which is five hearts – or “swoon-worthy.”

The imprint will be under the leadership of the ever-innovative Jean Feiwel, senior v-p and publisher of Feiwel and Friends, Square Fish, and now Swoon Reads. She has collected wide support throughout Macmillan and this will be an imprint to watch.

Do you have a manuscript that is Swoon-Worthy?
Polish it up! Read the early offerings from SRYA and look for announcements of submission guidelines.

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In this book, blogger-turned-author Justin Halpern recounts his (mis)adventures with women before meeting and marrying his wife.  He starts with his childhood and chronicles how he learns about women and the awkward mistakes he makes along the way.  Of course, his blunt and outspoken father features prominently throughout the book.

Writing
Honestly, it was blog-worthy I think, as opposed to book-worthy.  It's funny and all, but something I'd rather read a bit at a time on a blog.  I wasn't terribly impressed.

Entertainment Value
Certainly entertaining and it made me laugh out loud several times.  If it were a blog, I'd follow it.  It's short and can be read a little bit at a time as there isn't really any plot.  Kind of like a sitcom - a decent diversion, but nothing to get all excited about.

Overall
If you're bored, or if you really liked Shit My Dad Says, then I think you should pick it up.  Otherwise, I think there are other humorous titles that make better books.

Thanks to Harper Collins for the chance to review this one! 

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Here is a greeting card illustration I completed just yesterday. Teddy sits by the menorah's glow.

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Wow! I seriously love this book. I was ready to start book 2 - Days of Blood and Starlight - and decided I should go back and skim read this before starting the second book.  No skim reading for me.  I got completely sucked back into this world and went back and ended up reading every word.

I loved this book.

Original review:

Title: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Series: Book 1 of 3
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Released: September 27, 2011

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Fabulous story! Seriously this is just the kind of book I love to read.  Given the choice of what to read I gravitate towards young adult paranormal/fantasy.  The Daughter of Smoke and Bone was right up my alley. Despite some content I wish hadn't been there (see my note below), I couldn't help but love this story.  It's original and I love the way Laini writes.  One of my favorite recent reads.

Although The Daughter of Smoke and Bone wrapped up with a cliffhanger like ending it left me feeling satisfied.  Looking forward to the yet to be named sequel that will come out a year from now.  In the meantime I'm going to start on Laini's Dreamdark series hoping it will be half as good as this one.



Rating: 5 Stars - I loved it.

Source: Received a review copy from publisher but I downloaded it from Audible.com.

Content: Not a clean read but neither was it overly explicit or graphic. The book started off with Karou in an art class drawing nudes, remorseful over having given up her virginity to the male model. I wasn't sure about the book at that point but it definitely went up from there. There was language throughout the first half of the book but I didn't notice as much during the second half of the book, probably because the character that swore the most was no longer a part of the storyline. There was implied sex but without details. Recommended only for older teens and adult.

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By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Check out the cover of Camp Boyfriend by Cynsations YA reporter Karen Rock (under her partnership writing name J.K. Rock)(Spencer Hill, 2013).

Nine Tips for Finishing That Novel from Anna Staniszewski. Peek: "If you’ve never written 'The End' before, it can feel like a daunting task. And if you’ve done it once, you might start to doubt that you’ll be able to do it again. But you can! Here’s how..."

When Your Schedule Changes and Writing Suffers by Kaitlin Ward from YA Highway. Peek: "I felt like my writing time had been cut to nothing. It was very frustrating to me to have my whole day spoken for, to not be able to take a moment when I felt inspired to go write what I wanted."

A Promotional Strategy for Overwhelmed Introverts by Robin LaFevers from Writer Unboxed. Peek: "I know that many quiet people have amazing stories to tell, their very quietness contributing to their heightened sense of observation, or their rich inner life feeding their understanding of human nature or providing fertile ground for some really dramatic stories—stories that may be exactly the sort I am starving for."

Physical Attributes Entry: Noses by Becca Puglisi from The Bookshelf Muse. Peek: "When someone is feeling defensive, smug, or proud, the nose will lift, along with the head, shoulders, and overall bearing."

Stage 2: Committing to Change by Kristi Holl from Writer's First Aid. Peek: "Before you plan the necessary steps to succeed in making permanent changes as a writer, you’ll want to take time to experiment in small ways. See what you like and don’t like. See what works for you–and what doesn’t."

A Good Time to Be a Quentin Blake Fan by Jules from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Peek: "If you’re a fan of Blake’s work, there were at least (heaven knows there may be more I’ve missed this year) three book releases in 2012 that will make you happy, and I’m here today to share art from them."

Featuring Katherine Catmull and Summer and Bird by P.J. Hoover from The Enchanted Inkpot. Peek: "...even the modest and excellent changes that my agent suggested were a bit of a shock; my edit letter, which was far more extensive, almost made pass out."

Across the Digital Divide by Seanan McGuire from Rose-Owls and Pumpkins Girls. Peek: "This doesn't change the part where, every time a discussion of ebooks turns, seemingly inevitably, to 'Print is dead, traditional publishing is dead, all smart authors should be bailing to the brave new electronic frontier,' what I hear, however unintentionally, is 'Poor people don't deserve to read.'" Source: Gwenda Bond. See also National Federation of the Blind to Protest to Amazon, Denouncing School Kindle Use as Discriminatory to Blind Students by Sarah Bayliss from School Library Journal. Source: April Henry.

Diversity 101: An Introduction by Cheryl Klein from CBC Diversity. Peek: "... the Diversity Committee is proud to be launching a 'Diversity 101' series, where we’ve asked a variety of thinkers to write blog posts here regarding some of these common shibboleths, questions, and issues. These posts will absolutely not be “Do Not Write This” lists, as a talented, smart, and sensitive writer can make almost any character or cliché feel complicated and human, fresh and true."

Thoughts on my authorial debut: An overwhelming, angry, relieving, exciting, worried, happy, happy, happy year. from Don Tate. Peek: "With my next authored book, I’ll allow my schedule to slow down during the few weeks leading up to publication day. Book birthdays are supposed to be fun!"

Alternating Point of View and Alternating Tense in Nonfiction Picture Books from Donna Bowman Bratton. Peek: "Picture books are most often told with a very simplistic approach; single point of view character; single story line; consistent tense. But, there are exceptions." See also Two Top-Ten Picks of Chinese-themed Australian Books by Christopher Cheng from PaperTigers.

RE: I Don't Want to Bug My Agent, But...by Deborah Halverson from DearEditor.com. Peek: "Should I talk to my agent about this before she starts negotiating? Just bring up one or two of these issues now? Or wait and see what she and the editor come up with first and then get into it?"

Author Insight: Social Issues from Wastepaper Prose. Peek: "When writing a book do you include nods to real life problems or social issues or do they emerge organically?"

Cynsational Giveaways

• Buffy: The Making of a Slayer by Nancy Holder (47 North)
• New! The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael and Her Tribute to Veterans by Barbara Elizabeth Walsh, illustrated by Layne Johnson (Calkins Creek)(PB)

The winner of Baby Penguins Everywhere! by Melissa Guion (Philomel, 2012) was Cathy in Massachusetts.

The winner of Janie Face to Face by Caroline B. Cooney (Random House, 2012) was Rebecca in California.

The winner of a one-page synopsis consult, plus a copy of Linda Joy Singleton's synopsis template (usually only available at conferences) was Jeni, and the winner of Buried: A Goth Girl Mystery by Linda Joy Singleton (Flux) was Alicia in Alabama.

This Week at Cynsations

• New Voice: J.A. Souders on Renegade
• Mika Ashley-Hollinger on Character & Setting in Mystery
• New Voice: Mike Jung on Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities
• Kate Hosford on Infinity and Gabi and Me: Creating a Picture Book with a Friend
• New Voice Barbara Elizabeth Walsh on The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael and Her Tribute to Veterans

More Personally

Something happened so quietly that I almost missed it completely. Here at Cynsations, I shared my 3,000th post. It almost doesn't seem possible. My deepest thanks to the interviewees, contributors and readers who have made the success of this blog possible. I appreciate you all.


Great news! Girl Meets Boy: Because There Are Two Sides to Every Story, edited by Kelly Milner Halls (Roaring Brook, 2012) was named a Best Teen Book of 2012 by Kirkus Reviews. The anthology includes "Mooning Over Broken Stars" by Cynthia Leitich Smith.

More great news! Starting this week Candlewick Press ebooks (including the Tantalize series by Cynthia Leitich Smith and Candlewick's picture books) are available at the Apple iBookstore for iPhone, iPad and other devices.

This week's highlight included the Trail of Lights 5K at Zilker Park in Austin.

The display is walkable and family friendly.

Cynthia Leitich Smith, Erik Kuntz, Gene Brenek

Erik, Gene, Maggie, Cyn & Melinda

The Zilker Tree

The Zilker tree from the inside, looking up.

Merry happy everything! Cynsations will be taking a holiday hiatus until Jan. 2, 2013!

My Christmas tree

Congratulations to Donna Gephart on the sale of Death By Toilet Paper to Delacorte/Random House!

Personal Links

• A Half-Mast Kind of Day: Reflecting on the Connecticut Tragedy
• Trying to Voice the Unspeakable
• Wise Advice is So Last Century -- Or Is It?
• "It's Christmas Time" Music Video

RE Greg Leitich Smith

• Trail of Lights 5K
• Interview with Greg Leitich Smith from Montgomery County Book Festival

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I read this series out of order. Covenant sent me a copy of Murder by the Way for review. I really enjoyed it but when I started it I didn't realize it was book 3 in a series. Once done I went back and started over with the first book to catch up on what I missed.

Murder by the Book 

Small-town librarian Kennedy Killingsworth thought that Midway, Georgia, was the dullest place on earth—until a fateful day that begins with a speeding ticket and ends with a suicide. The ticket comes from Kennedy's ex-husband, Deputy Cade Burrell, who seems desperate to find any reason to talk to Kennedy ever since his scandalous affair. And the suicide victim is Foster Scoggins, the leathery- faced resident who applied for a library card just hours before his gruesome death. Rumors fly that Foster took his life after being jilted by a mysterious love interest. But as the investigation unfolds, murder becomes the name of the game, and anyone might be a player—including the four men who recently started competing for Kennedy's attention. Could the killer be Cade, who's been more interested in her since the divorce than he ever was when they were married? Drake Langston, the dazzling billionaire who needed Foster's cooperation to land a major development deal? Drake's construction boss, Sloan, whose powerful build makes him a perfect suspect for the crime? Or could it be Luke Scoggins—Foster's hazel-eyed nephew, the charming ex-Marine whom Kennedy just might be falling for? In Murder by the Book, celebrated suspense novelist Betsy Brannon Green skillfully weaves a rich tale of intrigue and romance in a Southern town that— for the time being —is anything but dull.


Murder by Design

After cracking Foster Scoggins's murder case, Kennedy Killingsworth figured life in Midway, Georgia, would settle back to normal (meaning desperately dull). But that thought goes right out the window when a black-clad man climbs in her window the one in her bedroom, that is. As she's startled awake by a hand clamped across her mouth, Kennedy's heart pounds even faster when she realizes the hand belongs to Sloan, the gorgeous and somewhat terrifying construction worker who reveals a surprising alter ego. Given the fact that he once saved her life, Kennedy doesn t protest as Sloan stows federally classified information in her not-quite antique Tiffany lamp. But then the sun comes up and things get even more complicated. Amidst gossip about her ex-husband shopping for engagement rings, Kennedy heads to the cemetery for Midway's annual Decoration Day, when residents beautify the graves and then picnic among the dead. Tragically, transient artist Jarrard Dupree soon joins the dead when he's accidentally run over by a bunch of college kids. Yet when JD's terrible paintings suddenly begin drawing dazzling offers from New York art dealers, Kennedy knows at least one of her neighbors has blood on his hands. Intrigue builds in high Southern style as Kennedy's investigation reveals which townsfolk are foes, which are friends and which may become more than a friend.


Murder by the Way

As Kennedy Killingsworth prepares to step into the next phase of her life alongside her soon-to-be husband, Luke, the past reemerges and interrupts with full force. Luke is suddenly called away to testify at a Marine Corps trial and is forced to leave Kennedy soon after they are declared husband and wife. Then an old business associate, Drake Langston, announces he is returning to Midway to finish renovating the town and needs Kennedy's help to smooth things over with the locals. Kennedy jumps on board to distract herself from Luke's absence. Little does she know that there will soon be plenty to distract her. After an unexplainable prison van accident leaves a woman dead and three prisoners missing, the town feels rattled and worried. As Kennedy (and her ex-husband, Cade) gets involved in investigating the crash, more and more mysterious events unfold, and if she's not careful, she could be the next murder by the way.


I enjoyed not knowing who was the good guy and who was the bad guy throughout these books.  There were enough twist and turns to keep me guessing even having read the third book first. I was still interested in the story line from the first two books despite knowing that Kennedy and Luke ended up together.  It was fun to learn the how and why of their relationship.

These book are classified as LDS fiction and there is an LDS character or two in them but it's something on the sidelines, not the focus of the story.  I think they could easily be read and enjoyed by anyone who enjoy a good clean, humorous mystery.  I enjoyed them and my 12 year old daughter read book 1 and liked it too.


Rating: 4 Stars - Great Books

Source: Murder by the Way from Publisher, Books 1 & 2 from the library

Content: Clean

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To good things: The world didn't end— and everyone is thinking about the Maya culture.

On that theme, here are some oil renderings I did of artifacts from Maya and other Central American cultures for a 1986 National Geographic map supplement.

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For the past 15 years, fans have circulated rumors about a film adaptation of Lois Lowry‘s The Giver. In an interview with studio 360, Lowry confirmed that the movie “is finally on the road.”

Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges has been an advocate for this project for many years. He will play the title character. At the moment, studio executives are auditioning young actors for the lead role of Jonas.

Lowry first published The Giver in 1993. The book won the Newbery Medal in 1994. The full quartet includes Gathering Blue (2000), The Messenger (2004) and the author’s latest release, Son (2012).

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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For Poetry Friday, another installment of music as poetry. This song by Elvis Costello is stunningly haunting - now especially.

As i walk through
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
And each time i feel like this inside,
There's one thing i wanna know:
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

And as i walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
'cause each time i feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
'cause each time i feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

While it would make perhaps more sense to include a pure version of the song to reflect the serious nature of the words, I'm not that person. I like a little bit of levity wherever I can find it, and this Colbert adaptation does that - though I'll say that the bear makes a lot more sense if you watched the Christmas special.



Poetry Friday is hosted today at My Juicy Little Universe. Merry Christmas, everyone. And for the new year, a hope for peace, love, and understanding.

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Here's your most recent update!!

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I wrote a poem on the mist
And a woman asked me what I meant by it.
I had thought till then only of the beauty of the mist, how pearl and gray of it mix and reel,
And change the drab shanties with lighted lamps at evening into points of mystery quivering with color.

I answered:
The whole world was mist once long ago and some day it will all go back to mist,
Our skulls and lungs are more water than bone and tissue
And all poets love dust and mist because all the last answers
Go running back to dust and mist.

- Last Answers by Carl Sandburg

View all posts tagged as Poetry Friday at Bildungsroman.

View the roundup schedule at A Year of Reading.

Learn more about Poetry Friday.

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Here’s my selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing from the last week:

Traditional Marketing in the Digital Age of Publishing (Elizabeth Spann. Craig)

The Year of Self-Publishing (Sarah LaPolla)

Writer or Spambot? (John Scalzi)

Tormented by Toothless Writing Goals? Try These Tools (Jan O'Hara)

Should You Re-Query an Agency? (Rachelle Gardner)

Goals and Dreams (Dean Wesley Smith)

The Importance of Doing Nothing (Elizabeth Spann Craig)

Interview with Agent and Author Donald Maass (Michael Ventrella)

PA Promotional Strategy for Overwhelmed Introverts (Robin LaFevers)


If you found these useful, you may also like my personal selection of the most interesting blog posts from 2011, and last week’s list.

If you have a particular favorite among these, please let the author know (and me too, if you have time). Also, if you've a link to a great post that isn't here, feel free to share.

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with be-hatted snowmen and goofy goofy families! the merriest of season to you and yours! xoxoxo froggie

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Wishing you and your loved ones peace and joy this holiday season. Here's to a most wonderful new year~

Much love,
Lauren

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Your story is a chain of actions and reactions, each leading to the next one. 

http://jamigold.com/2012/11/actions-and-reactions-the-end-all-be-all-of-storytelling/

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