Got Swag?

Hello to all you authors and publicists out there!!

I am heading back to teach my lovely students and would love to have bookmarks, posters, snickers, or any other nick knacks to give out in my classroom and in the library at our school!! I have a HUGE book order in with my super librarian with so many new books it isn't even funny thanks to you guys and would love to have the swag to back it up. Anything would be greatly appreciated and is assured to fly away from me like wildfire!!

Also, if you have anything that you are willing to part with for giveaways for the blog they would be greatly appreciated as well! Thanks for all the awesome things you do and I can't wait to hear from you!!

Please contact me if you have any swag that you would like to send at randomchalktalk@gmail.com!!

Thanks again!!

xoxo
Jennie

Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen

Genre: YA

Age Level: 8^th grade & up

# of Pages: Paperback 352 pages

Publisher: Speak (September 4, 2008)

Other Info:

Author Jonathan Friesen, a fellow teacher, used his experience with Tourette’s Syndrome to write this amazing novel.

Jerk, California is a novel about high school senior Sam Carrier. Sam has been an outcast his whole life with no help from his cruel stepfather and passive mother. Sam suffers from Tourettes Syndrome yet never mutters the word to others, allowing them to continue to go misguided about his sudden outburst and oddities that have plagued him for many years. His only release from this prison is the constant movement of his legs and body while running. His father died when he was young and his stepfather is the only male influence he has. He fills Sam’s head with lies and creates an environment that traps Sam in more ways than his disease ever could. When Sam meets Naomi things begin to change. It is when he gets to know George the Coot, however, when his life really begins to change. George has always been a mystery to everyone in town but when he shows up in Sam’s life and continuously calls Sam by the name his father gave him (Jack), Sam begins to realize that there is a lot about his father that he has no clue about.

After his graduation, Sam begins to find out everything he never knew about his life through George. He finds a new friend, a mentor, a new place to live and a new identity through George. As he learns more and more about his life through George and George’s odd ways of getting his points across, Sam realizes that he has to separate the lies that he has been told since he was a child from the truth that is buried deep inside him. He and Naomi set out on a trip that George has sent them on with a mysterious map that takes them across the nation and is the route that Sam uses to find out who he is. They follow the trail of windmills, small towns, and unforgettable characters that eventually lead them to the town of Jerk, California where Sam finds his long, lost family member whom he didn’t know existed.

I can’t begin to describe the sense of gratitude I have when it comes to this book. That may be a strange reaction to some, but this book brought to light so many things for me. The book being written by a person who suffers from TS about someone who suffers with the disease makes it very real. Freisen has lived it and you can tell that in his writing of Sam/Jack. The dialogue that occurs is unlike other novels in that there is a great amount of inner dialogue and it can be confusing at times. Sam has certain ticks that come along with the TS and the dialogue deals with what he is thinking, telling himself, and saying to others but is easily understood within the first chapter. The characters are all so very well written. They were relatable, real, honest and had me believing in them throughout the novel. The plot was also beautifully written and had twists, turns, and unexpected things that kept my interest throughout the novel. I literally couldn’t put it down!! Sam/Jack is a remarkable character that shows what it is like to live in an inner barricade that so many people have no clue about and how to overcome those walls surrounding him.

I truly believe that this book should be required reading for high school students because it does open up a door for discussion and realization. At the back of the book is a reading guide and one of the questions asked to Freisen was:

“Are there any common misconceptions about Tourette’s syndrome that you wish to correct?”

His answer…

“Yes. Many people’s concept of Tourette’s syndrome includes people blurting out curse words. Stressing that dramatic aspect makes good TV ratings and humorous movie clips. For a tiny fraction of those with TS, this does occur. But the majority do not swear involuntarily. The other thing I’d like to mention is that I’ve never met a person with TS who is not profoundly creative or gifted in some way. We’re good people to have around!”

I love his answer. We do have the misconception that people with TS randomly curse and we need to overcome that stereotype! I am so glad this book caught my attention on the shelves of Books A Million!! Go read it… NOW!!

Elizabeth Scott - Love You Hate You Miss You

I haven't read this yet but I love Elizabeth Scott and her other books. Check out why she says she writes for teens! More to come today...
xoxo

jennie

more about "Elizabeth Scott - Love You Hate You M...", posted with vodpod

(originally posted 8/24/2009)

The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Age Level: 7^th grade and up

Hardback: 544 pages

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Other Info: This is author Jessica Verday’s debut novel and is the first in a trilogy of novels featuring Abbey and Caspian and the haunting intertwining of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

There is so much to say about this amazing novel that I don’t know where to start!! Abbey is a typical teenager except for the fact that her best friend, Kristen, recently vanished from the bridge near the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and everyone thinks that she is dead. Abbey doesn’t want to believe them because they haven’t found Kristen’s body. While seeming to fool everyone into believing that she is indeed mourning the death of her best friend, Abbey meets a series of people who begin to play more important roles in her life as she spends more and more time in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Caspian, a gorgeous and mysterious boy, shows up seemingly out of nowhere at Kristen’s funeral and continues to show up and allows Abbey to explore emotions and feelings that she finds both exciting and frightening. While her relationship with Caspian blooms Abbey discovers that her best friend had been keeping major secrets from her, ones that could have changed both of their lives forever. Abbey feels betrayed by Kristen’s secrets and turns to Caspian who clearly has secrets that he is not willing to share with Abbey. She begins to feel that maybe she can come to some sort of understanding she discovers something that could easily break her façade and presents a major test when it comes to her love for Caspian and even her own well being. Abbey has to decide whether her new found love or her well being are more important in the grand scheme of things and realizes that her decision could change her life in more ways than one.

Seriously… I cannot wait for you all to get your hands on this book!! It is amazing and will have you hooked from the very beginning. I love it when an author reels you in and you become completely invested in a book so much so that you don’t realize that you are 400 pages into a book and dreading it coming to an end. I also love that it is going to be a trilogy because there were so many little things that were touched on in this novel that have me still reeling and wondering but I am going to have to wait to find out the answers until later. AHHH! That drives me nuts and makes me want to harass Jessica Verday (but I promise I won’t)!! I love, also, that she WROTE this entire book in notebooks originally… most of us are so stuck in the technology world that we forget the magic of pen and paper. Oh and another thing I love is that she is bringing back one of my favorite legends and putting a new spin on it! I am dying for the next book and hope that I get it early too!! I may have to get on my knees and beg… and believe me, with this book, I am NOT past that!!

The Hollow hits a bookshelf near you on September 1, 2009! Mark your calendars and GO GET IT!!! While you are waiting you can go to Jessica’s site and check out all the cool things she has going on and even read Chapter 1 of The Hollow!!

Happy reading all!!

(originally posted 8/5/2009)

Lined up and ready to go!!

I started going through books that I haven't read today and getting the ones together that I have read over the last few months. I have come across some really good finds and I am so pumped about all of this. I have also gotten my toes (not quite the whole foot yet) in the door with some YA publishing companies and am in contact with them about some more potential finds! This is all thanks go my good friend Alex Malerba who is recommending good ones and helping me make some awesome contacts! Thanks Alex :) I am running into a slight problem now... well, I don't know that it is a problem per say but... there are too many stinkin' good books out there that I am interested in! I have a list going and it seems that everytime I go to look at Amazon or start chatting with someone I hear about another one! Again, not so sure that is a bad problem! I guess since my birthday is in 10 days I am just going to have to BEG for giftcards to Books A Million!! (hint, hint)

I have a few reviews that I am working on now and will start posting tomorrow. If you have any books that you want me to check out or that are on summer reading lists let me know! My list can grow a little bit more... hehe! Summer is here and I will have time before bambino number 2 arrives in July and maybe a little time in between feeding and napping after. I'll see you soon!

xoxo

jennie

(originally posted June 21, 2009)

And We're Off...

I have had this idea in mind for quite some time and only now do I feel confident enough to do it. I have been picking my friend's brain about this process and am ready to get started! As an English teacher, I struggle to get my students reading... especially because I teach 8th grade and we all know that teenagers don't want to read on a normal basis!! On this site I will be reading a variety of novels and reviewing them. I will focus on Young Adult Literature since that is the audience that I come in contact with on a daily basis. I have a small stack of books now and am working my way through them. I hope that this site will give young adults an idea of the great novels that are out there and excite them about reading. If you have any recommendations please let me know! I have two that I have already read and am working on the reviews now. Hopefully this will lead to bigger and better things in the world of literacy for me (possibly writing... who knows?)! Under my links will be the amazon.com store that I have set up so that you can purchase the books I have read and reviewed with a simple click of your mouse! Thanks in advance for the support and I can't wait to see how this goes!!

xoxo

jennie

(originally posted June 17, 2009