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Monday, June 28, 2010

Back to Work and Summer Books

Wha??? Back to what?

That's right. After only a week off, I'm back to work again.

This time, it's a writing class (only a week long) for children. I am trying not to fragment their little brains* too much, but we are going to tackle three writing tasks in one week.

By week's end, they will have completed:
  • an opening chapter to a novel they would like to continue writing,
  • a picture book dummy with illustrations
  • a small collection of poetry (from which a poetry jam may or may not grow)
*Actually, their brains seem pretty gigantic. Far larger than my brain was at their age...and I am certain mine has only shrunk since then. (Or is it shrank? or shrunken?) See?

I know it's a lot, but it's three hours a day. I think they can handle it.

On a different note, I am interested in suggestions for summer reading. I'd really like to keep it in the MG or YA category. My list of completed reading this year is embarrassingly tiny. I intended to read more, but my brain needed this antiquated thing called sleep so.....

But I want to know what the good books out there are. What are the books that you could just NOT stop reading, even when you knew you should go to sleep? What are books that refused to let your brain turn itself off while you read?

Leave suggestions in the comments, please...pretty please????

8 comments:

Susan R. Mills said...

I haven't been reading much lately either. I've been critting for some people, so that seems to be the only things I've had time to read. I'd recommend their manuscripts, but I guess you'll have to wait until their published. I hope you find a good book to read, and good luck with teaching the kiddos to write.

Lydia Kang said...

Maybe kids these days aren't into them, but I loved the Laura Ingalls books. Couldn't put those down.

Good luck on the workshop!

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Can I sign up for your class??? It sounds awesome. My teen just submitted her first pieces of work to a magazine. It was so sweet...she started checking her email every few minutes and then asked if this was how I felt everytime I submitted something.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

What a cool class!
I just read Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan (steampunk, ages 12 up) and really enjoyed it.

Kelly Polark said...

Your class sounds so awesome. What lucky kids! Enjoy!
Some favorites I've read this year are Hunger Games/Chasing Fire and Carrie Ryan's Forest of hands and Teeth and Dead Tossed Waves.

Jessie Oliveros said...

All of Ally Carter's and Shannon Hale's books.

PJ Hoover said...

Their brains do seem pretty big! And wow, what a week!

storyqueen said...

Thanks for the good ideas.

I am trying When You Reach Me right now and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (in middle grade world.)

And I think I'm going to have to jump on the Hunger Games bandwagon before the new one comes out....

One more day of class!

Shelley