Last month, I posted an open invitation to the Hopewell Hotel, asking if anyone was interested in participating in a roundtable discussion of September's picks, Suite Scarlett and Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson. Before I knew it, I had a number of volunteers, ready and willing to talk about hotel life, New York City, Law & Order, and unicycling actors - not necessarily in that order.
(Psst....If you want to be a part of the October roundtable, where we'll discuss Lips Touch by Laini Taylor, please leave a comment below with your email address!)
Little Willow: Let's jump right in. What was your favorite part of Suite Scarlett?
Melissa Walker: Being introduced to the Martin family was sheer delight. I've never met characters whom I wanted to know in real life so quickly. I think my favorite parts were the intros to each of them -- I was so excited to hang out with them for a while!
Lindsay F: When Spencer punched Eric. Big brother to the rescue!
Marjolein: I loved that there was a big piece for theater,(I think Suite Scarlett itself would be a perfect story to turned into a play!) the long gone glory of the Hopewell and the mysterious Mrs.Amberson with her even more eccentric demands.
Little Willow: What was your favorite scene in Scarlett Fever?
SamanthaRowan: When Max muscles Dakota out of being Scarlett's lab partner. It's a good piece of foreshadowing and it reaches all of us on a deep level. We all remember the pressure of finding a lab partner or being picked for the dodge ball team.
Melissa Walker: I loved it when Scarlett met Lola for lunch and they finally talked openly about things with Chip. It felt so real and sisterly, especially for these two girls who love each other but don't always communicate well. Fantastic moment.
Lindsay F: When Scarlett pushed Max off his stool. ...I think I just may like violence in MJ's books.
Mariah: When Spencer got pelted with doughnuts!
Little Willow: Do you think Suite Scarlett warranted a sequel? Why or why not?
Micol Ostow: Definitely! Scarlett and her world are so colorful that I think there must be infinite sequels and stories to tell!
Mariah: Yes, because the characters could never stop giving wonderful stories and making messes of things!
SamanthaRowan: Yes. There were certainly enough story lines to follow. There's probably a logical sequel to Scarlett Fever too.
Melissa Walker: Yes, and I would very much like to follow the Martin siblings into middle age. Please, Maureen?
Lindsay F: I think Suite Scarlett was a good stand alone novel. However I think Scarlett will always be doing something worth writing about. I feel like Scarlett Fever was more of a cliff hanger than S.S.
Marjolein: Defininetly warrented a sequel, and I am still curious what is going to happen now that I finished reading Scarlett Fever.
Little Willow: Which of Scarlett's siblings did you like the most? Why?
Olivia Wood (elfarmy17): Oh, Spencer, definitely. He's the older brother I've always wanted. He has his own life, but he's okay with sharing parts of it with Scarlett. As she says (somewhere in a paragraph regarding Spencer's past gi
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By: Little Willow,
on 10/4/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: maureen johnson, roundtables, postergirlz, suite scarlett, september 2010, scarlett fever, Add a tag
By: Melissa Walker,
on 9/30/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: maureen johnson, suite scarlett, september 2010, scarlett fever, Add a tag
Here's a big merci to the awesome Maureen Johnson for joining us at readergirlz this month!
We loved hearing more about the Martin family's antics and schemes in the Scarlett series.
Some highlights:
The Live Twitter Chat!
Maureen wonders if she got "siblings" right... you did!
By: Melissa Walker,
on 9/24/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: maureen johnson, suite scarlett, september 2010, scarlett fever, Add a tag
By: Melissa Walker,
on 9/21/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: party it up, maureen johnson, suite scarlett, scarlett fever, Add a tag
Planning your own book group get-together for the Scarlett books? Here are some party ideas from author Maureen Johnson
Invite: 1930s, stylish, Art Deco
Food: Cake. There must be cake. Also, doughnuts. And weird herbal teas.
Décor: Art Deco or Theater Shabby. Your choice.
Movies: Anything set in New York. (Except Cloverfield, maybe.)
Game: Unicycle riding.
By: Melissa Walker,
on 9/20/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: suite scarlett, september 2010, scarlett fever, maureen johnson, Add a tag
By: Melissa Walker,
on 9/17/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: maureen johnson, suite scarlett, september 2010, scarlett fever, Add a tag
By: Melissa Walker,
on 9/15/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: maureen johnson, suite scarlett, september 2010, scarlett fever, Add a tag
Featured Author Maureen Johnson hand-picked songs for the playlist that accompanies Suite Scarlett and Scarlett Fever this month (take a sneak peek, left). Listen to the full soundtrack with the player in the right-hand sidebar or see the list of songs in the September issue!
By: Melissa Walker,
on 9/14/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: maureen johnson, suite scarlett, september 2010, scarlett fever, postergirlz recommended reads, Add a tag
Did you love the Scarlett books? Are you looking for more standout family stories? Check out these additional postergirlz recommends. They are perfect companion reads!
Fiction
The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It by Lisa Shanahan (previously titled My Big Birkett)
Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
Girl, 15, Charming But Insane by Sue Limb
The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
Blue Plate Special by Michelle D. Kwasney
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Non-Fiction
Shaking the Family Tree: Blue Bloods, Black Sheep, and Other Obsessions of an Accidental Genealogist by Buzzy Jackson
By: Melissa Walker,
on 9/13/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: maureen johnson, suite scarlett, september 2010, scarlett fever, Add a tag
By: Melissa Walker,
on 9/8/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: september 2010, maureen johnson, suite scarlett, Add a tag
Maureen says, "Marlene, Scarlett's younger sister who once had cancer, gets away with a lot of bad behavior. Do you think she's entitled?"
By: Little Willow,
on 9/6/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: maureen johnson, roundtables, suite scarlett, september 2010, scarlett fever, Add a tag
If you're digging this month's books, Suite Scarlett and Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson, we'd love for you to participate in an online roundtable discussion.
It's really easy to do. Just leave a comment below with your email address. Next week, I will send you an invite through Google Docs, where you may respond to some basic discussion questions to get things started. Then add in questions of your own, and check the document every couple of days throughout the month to respond to questions and comments from other readers. Google Docs is available 24/7, so you may keep adding to the discussion any time an idea strikes you until we wrap things up in late September. I'll post the complete roundtable at both the Bildungsroman and readergirlz blogs at the close of the month.
Check out previous roundtables to see how they work.
Check out the September issue of readergirlz for more about the books and their author.
By: Melissa Walker,
on 9/6/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: suite scarlett, september 2010, maureen johnson, Add a tag
Maureen says, "Spencer and his sister Scarlett are normally very close, but he gets very angry with her when he finds out about her dating his friend Eric. Why do you think this is?"
By: Melissa Walker,
on 9/2/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: maureen johnson, suite scarlett, september 2010, Add a tag
Maureen says, "Scarlett has less money than her friends. Is this an advantage or disadvantage?"
By: Melissa Walker,
on 9/1/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: suite scarlett, september 2010, scarlett fever, maureen johnson, Add a tag
We are super-psyched to welcome the mighty Maureen Johnson to the featured author slot this month. Her duet of Scarlett novels are our September picks! Check out our interview with Maureen, book party ideas themed around her book, and our Reach Out project idea--as well as the awesome soundtrack Maureen has chosen for the book--on readergirlz.com.
Here's a little about Suite Scarlett:
Scarlett Martin's family owns the Hopewell, a small hotel in the heart of New York City, and Scarlett lives there with her siblings, Spencer, Lola, and Marlene. When each of the Martins turns fifteen, they are expected to take over the care of a suite in the once elegant, now shabby Art Deco hotel. For Scarlett's fifteenth birthday, she gets both a room called the Empire Suite, and a permanent guest called Mrs. Amberson.
Scarlett doesn't quite know what to make of this C-list starlet who wants to take over her life. And when she meets Eric, an astonishingly gorgeous actor who has just moved to the city, her summer takes a second unexpected turn. Before the summer is over, Scarlett will have to survive a whirlwind of thievery, Broadway glamour, romantic missteps, and theatrical deceptions. But in the city where anything can happen, she just might be able to pull it off.
And Scarlett Fever:
In the sequel, Scarlett Fever, Scarlett ends up at the beck and call of a Broadway star (her own age!), dealing with territorial doormen, and walking a small dog with insecurity issues - all while starting her sophomore year at one of New York’s most rigorous high schools.Meanwhile, her older brother Spencer has become New York City’s most controversial TV villain, her ever-reliable older sister Lola is sliding off the rails, and her younger sister Marlene, most worryingly, has suddenly become... nice. But somehow Scarlett will prevail... right?
And the buzz...
ALA Best Books for Young Adults 2009 (Suite Scarlett)
"Utterly winning, madcap Manhattan farce, crafted with a winking, urbane narrative and tight, wry dialogue." - Booklist, starred review (for Suite
Blog: YA Authors Cafe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Point, PBTeen, Suite Scarlett, Maureen Johnson, contest, Add a tag
We're having a contest!Please check out the video below and tell us one thing about Scarlett. You can also enter a second time by naming at least two other novels that Maureen Johnson has written. At the end of the week, posters will be chosen at random to receive the prizes!
One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive:
$50 Gift Card to PBteen®
Suite Scarlett paperback book
Four (4) First Prize winners will receive:
Suite Scarlett paperback book
Suite Scarlett Synopsis
When Scarlett Martin turns fifteen she is put in charge of the Empire Suite, one of the rooms in her family’s hotel. Enter Mrs. Amberson, an aging C-list starlet who decides to employ Scarlett. Soon, she is taking dictation, running around New York City, and getting caught up in Mrs. Amberson’s crazy adventures. In the midst of it all, Scarlett falls in love–or so she thinks–and it takes Mrs. Amberson to help her see the light. Now available in paperback!
Don't forget to leave your comments on the YA Authors Cafe blog in order to be eligible to win! And find out more about PBteen at www.pbteen.com and more about Maureen's books at www.thisispoint.com.
Oh cool. Well, seems that Scarlett may look like she leads a glamorous life in a hotel but she really doesn't! Maureen also wrong Devilish and the Bermudez Triangle. She also created BEDA. That's bonus knowledge.
Scarlett wears her big sister's little black dress to pretty much every important event in the book.
The other two books that I've read by Maureen Johnson are Devilish and 13 Little Blue Envelopes.
I'm interested in seeing how the Algonquin hotel factors into the novel. It also appears that Scarlett doesn't lead quite a life of luxury in her family's hotel. I'm sure shenanigans will ensue.
Maureen Johnson also wrote Girl at Sea and Devilish.
Scarlett's hair is made of lovely ringlet curls in winter, but puffed up worm creatures in summer.
Maureen also wrote Girl at Sea and The Key to the Golden Firebird.
Scarlett lives in a luxury hotel but it doesn't sound like her life is full of luxuries .
Maureen also wrote 13 Little Blue Envelopes & The Key to the Golden firebird.
we have several of ms. johnson's books in our library, including 13 little blue envelopes, and devilish.
fun fun! well, it sounds like scarlett, despite having a glamorous-sounding life and living in a big city, will be having the same sorts of problems and questions as most teenage girls-- it sounds like she isn't really in control of her life, and she'll be looking to get a better handle on herself.
Ironically, Scarlett's luxury hotel doesn't echo her non-posh life. I've also read 13 Little Blue Envelopes and The Bermudez Triangle.
[email protected]
She has crazy siblings. :)
enter me please!!
I think she has a wonderful family. From her parents who cant cook, her brother and his acting/comedy career with his stunts to her older sister, Lola, with tremendous style and a hot rich boyfriend to her younger sister and all the events she goes to on account of her cancer, who can sometimes be a little unbearable. Although her life isn’t fabulous it must be fun. That book was one of the best books I’ve read. Maureen Johnson has also written: girl at sea, the key to the golden firebird, devilish, the bermudez triangle and 13 little blue envelops.