Songs For A Teenage Nomad Review

Chapter 2: SMALL TOWN My new school smells like pickles, salty, clogged with a sea of faces that all look the same. The campus stands on a low hill facing the ocean. Across the road from the main office where I babbled to Mickey Mouse Tie, there’s a small strip of buildings: a café, a hair salon, a movie rental place, and a doctor’s office whose large brick walls keep the students away from the coast.

Kim Culbertson's book Songs For a Teenage Nomad shares real life problems that face many teenagers today. Calle, a new 9th grade student at a California town high school, does her best to find her place in the unfamiliar halls. Use to hiding behind her song journal, she is pulled into friendships and possibly love by believable student characters. Facing pressures from peers, family, and the unknown, Calle records, remembers, and lives daily moments in her journal. The use of songs and lyrics to guide the story creates a new rhythm in each chapter.
Available September 2010: Sourcebooks

School book orders always give me a smile. Today, I opened up the September Scholastic Book Club forms and immediately started a must have-must read list. I love the fact that new releases and old time favorites show up just waiting to join my books in the classroom and at home. The fact that the books are usually less expensive than in book stores is a big plus!

This year, Scholastic is making it easier on students and parents, giving them the ability to buy on-line with our classroom code. You can even see the book list in full detail.
No more, "I lost my order form."
No more, " I forgot to bring my form to school."

I love seeing the box in the school office and passing out books to students! The new releases are the first ones I read. Some will become old time favorites in no time.

So, start making your list of must haves- it might be available from a book club! I always take suggestions when I put in my order -you might even get to read it before I do if my desk is surrounded with must reads.

Scholastic Book Club Order information:
Website: scholastic.com/bookclubs

Class Activation Code: GNLJK

Write a Story-Have A Published Book Made!

Be a Famous Writer! Mrs. P from Mrs. P's Library is sponsoring a great creative writing contest. Follow the link to see what you need to do to become a famous writer.
http://www.contest.mrsp.com/Rules.aspx

Stories may cover any topic, fiction or nonfiction, and should be between 250 and 1,000 words.

Two grand prize winners (one from each age group) will have their stories read by Mrs. P herself and an artist will create original illustrations to accompany the story. Each winner will receive a bound copy of the illustrated story, as well as having it posted on MrsP.com. Both grand prize winners and up to eight runners-up will each receive a $25 gift certificate to Powell’s Books.

The judges this year include best-selling author Meg Cabot, Garfield creator Jim Davis, and Danny Kallis, producer and creator of Disney Channel’s “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.”

Back to School: 2010

A little girl had just finished her first week of school.

"I'm just wasting my time," she said to her mother. "I can't read, I can't write - and they won't let me talk!"

The school year 2010-2011 is about to begin and I can promise the students in my classes we will read, write, and talk! As I prepare for the first week, I am excited about all the new ideas and opportunities I want to share with with you. Summer time allows us time to relax, review and rejoice. Summer time gives me hope- hope for now and the future.

• I hope you were able to enjoy a good book.
  
• I hope you were able to spend time with friends and meet new ones.
• I hope you had some time to do what you wanted to do.
• I hope you were able to do something new, something challenging, and something memorable.
• I hope you were able to explore a place you would like to return to someday.
  
• I hope you feel every day counts-that you are not "just wasting your time."

So, there it is- my hopes for each of you while in my classroom and out... let the school days begin!