Monsters LOVE Banned Books!

Wow! It's time for Banned Books Week Hop again.  It seems like not so long ago we made this video for Banned Book Week.  We are readers and since you are visiting us, we guess you are too.  This is a great hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and I Read Banned Books.  There are lots of other blogs participating in this hop and they are sharing their Banned Book Giveaways, so make sure you visit

http://www.jenbigheart.com/ and

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/ for the list of all the blogs participating.

Also make sure you check out the ALA website for lists of banned and challenged books and activities:

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek

Since we are siblings sometimes we can't agree on things. We have so many banned or challenged books we love to read, that we couldn't agree on what we wanted to give you.  So, we decided YOU should CHOOSE the right (banned or challenged) book for YOU.

To see a list by year of the most challenged books click here:

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/top-ten-most-frequently-challenged-books-2011

Here are the Rules:

The Hop runs from 9/28- 10/6.

1. Become a PUBLIC follower of our blog (that's so we can see you).

2.  Leave a comment on this post and include your email so we can get in touch with you if win.

Here's the what we have-- 

a $20 dollar eGift Card to Barnes & Noble for one follower.

Some of the Monsters favorite Banned or Challenged Book are:

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

Captain Underpants Series by Dav Pilkey

Goosebumps Books by R.L. Stine

and

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

We can't imagine our lives without these books.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays

  It's Monday, and that means it's time for us to tell you all about another wonderful Middle-Grade Book.  This meme was started by Ms. Shannon and she's gotten a lot of other bloggers to join in.  This is a great meme for discovering new books that are just for Middle-Graders.  Make sure you visit Ms. Shannon's blog for the list of all the bloggers. http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/

           Marsh & Emiline

Katie Kazoo Switcheroo: Going Batty

     I thought Katie Kazoo Going Batty by Nancy Krulik was a great book to review for MMGM because it is ever so close to Halloween!  So here is a taste of what you will find in this book.

     Katie is going on a field trip to the zoo. She finds out that you can adopt an animal, not for real, but by donating money and you can name the animal too! But Katie alone does not have enough money and two other girls who are interested pitch in so now they have enough to adopt one animal. But the two girls who pitched in are arguing about witch animal they should so they agree on one thing choosing which animal at the zoo but something odd happens… Katie turn into a bat! What will happen after this peculiar event? 

Emiline's Review of This Dark Endeavor

Emiline's Review of This Dark Endeavor

(The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein #1)

By Kenneth Oppel

     This is a modern prequel to the gothic classic Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein’s brother is very ill and not a single doctor knows a cure.  To make matters worse, they do not even know the illness!  So Victor and his sister, Elizabeth, secretly set out to find the legendary alchemist.  He is known for his advanced healing skills, but he was prosecuted for creating the elixir of life which sometimes you do not live through.  This is the story of how Victor Frankenstein started to figure out the secrets of life and death.

           These are the things I loved when I read this book:

I loved the way the author, Kenneth Oppel, described the potions in the alchemist’s laboratory.  I also thought the passion that Victor had for Elizabeth was wonderful.  Oppel really did well creating the emotion between the characters.  I also enjoyed the brotherhood between Konrad and Victor.  Victor stood by his brother’s side even during his illness.  Finally, I loved the last words in this book.  They really were emotional and sent chills up my spine.

My friends at Little Shop of Stories recommended this book for me. Thanks!  I would also like to thank Mr. Oppel for taking his time to sign my book and talk to me at the Little Shop of Stories Author Reception.  That was very nice.

If you would like to read This Dark Endeavor, you can find it at your school or local library or your favorite Indie Bookstore.

To find out more about this book and the author, Kenneth Oppel please visit this website:

http://www.kennethoppel.ca/

This is the Book Trailer for This Dark Endeavor:

On the Same Page for MMGM!

  It's Monday, and that means it's time for us to tell you all about another wonderful Middle-Grade Book.  This meme was started by Ms. Shannon and she's gotten a lot of other bloggers to join in.  This is a great meme for discovering new books that are just for Middle-Graders.  Make sure you visit Ms. Shannon's blog for the list of all the bloggers. http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/

           Marsh & Emiline

I'm On the Same Page and I read Holes by Louis Sachar

     Stanley Yelnats has been accused of stealing a famous baseball player's shoes.  He is given two options:  He can go to Camp Green Lake or he can go to prison.  He chooses Camp Green Lake.  In Camp Green Lake, the "campers" have to dig holes every day in the hot sun and Stanley is beginning to think the camp's warden is looking for something . . .

     I absolutely loved this book!  My favorite character is Zero.  I liked how he is both mysterious and intelligent, but no one knew how smart he was. I also enjoyed Stanley evolving throughout the story. In the beginning he was not as cunning or strong as he was in the end of the story.  And of course, I really liked how they had to dig holes for punishment.

  So here's your Monday night homework, since we are spreading the word about On The Same Page, you need to pick up a copy of Louis Sachar's Holes and get to reading.

I'm signing the On the Same Page poster.

To find out more about On the Same Page, please visit:

http://weareonthesamepage.org/

and on facebook

http://www.facebook.com/samepagelittleshop

To find out more about Louis Sachar and his other books, please visit his website:

http://www.louissachar.com/

We want you to get On the Same Page with us! Please leave us a comment and include your email address and we will send you a copy of Holes. We only have 5 extra copies, so make sure you let us know that you want to be On the Same Page.

Marsh's Review of Insurgent

     After the Erudite declared war on Abnegation, the Dauntless split up into two sides:  the Erudite Dauntless and the Loyal Dauntless.  Tris is a loyal Dauntless that is fighting against the Erudite to destroy the simulation.  The simulations are serums that the Erudite use to take over people's minds.  Can Tris destroy the Simulation?

     I thought this was a perfect sequel to Divergent.  I really liked how the book was paced.  I loved the descriptions, like the description of the battle-ruined Erudite.  I really felt like I was there. I think that it was well written and very well planned out.  Veronica Roth's writing makes you think about what you would do in the situations she describes.  

I give Insurgent by Veronica Roth 5 Monsters.

To find out more about the Divergent series and the author, Veronica Roth please visit the author's website:
http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday!

  It's Monday, and that means it's time for us to tell you all about another wonderful Middle-Grade Book.  This meme was started by Ms. Shannon and she's gotten a lot of other bloggers to join in.  This is a great meme for discovering new books that are just for Middle-Graders.  Make sure you visit Ms. Shannon's blog for the list of all the bloggers. http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/

           Marsh & Emiline

Who is J.K. Rowling?

By Pamela Pollack and Meg Belviso

            Who is J.K. Rowling? is a great biography about the author, J.K. Rowling.  It tells all about what she went through and her inspiration for Harry Potter.  I enjoyed this book because I love Harry Potter and wanted to know more about the author.  My intention is to be an author and I want to know the flips and turns of being an author.  I liked that I could learn more about the series of books, also.  I recommend this book to Harry Potter fans everywhere.

Monsters at the Decatur Book Festival!

Author Reception at Little Shop of Stories

     I was so eager to get to the author reception at Little Shop of Stories that my heart was pounding in my chest.  I was wondering who I would see when we arrived.  My legs started to tingle.  I opened the door and I saw authors galore!  At this point I probably looked like a geek, because I was jumping up and down and smiling wildly.
     I calmed down and then my friend introduced me to the photo booth where we dressed like hams and posed for the camera.  We thought the camera might run out of batteries so we let other people have a turn.
     My mother called me over to where she was standing.  There was Joan Holub!  I immediately started jumping again.  I was about to fan-girl it.  I love her Goddess Girl books and have read all of them.  Once I calmed down, we chatted like the Goddess girls at MOA Academy.  Joan Holub was very kind and I really enjoyed meeting her.
     After I said and did all the things I possibly could with Ms Holub, I went upstairs to play with my friends, Jenny and Phoebe. Soon, my brother, Marsh, came to get me so I could meet some more authors.
     My mom wanted me to meet the author of Beautiful Creatures, Margaret Stohl.  I loved her variety of glasses--she had, like, six pairs in her purse.  Lucky duck!  She introduced me to her friend named Meg.  I had no idea it was Meg Cabot, author of the Allie Finkle books.  I was thrilled to meet her!
      After meeting Ms Cabot, I stayed downstairs for a while and had a funny conversation with Shannon Hale, Author of The Princess Academy series, about our favorite green people.  That was another highlight of the night.
     When I went to say goodbye to Joan Holub, I met the author Kenneth Oppel--he wrote a super-scary book called This Dark Endeavor.  He signed my copy of the book!
     I had so much fun that night.  Thank you Little Shop of Stories!

Emiline

This is me and Meg Cabot! (Thanks, Margaret Stohl)

Decatur Book Festival

    This year was the 7th annual Decatur Book Festival.   I think this festival is a great place for everyone to interact and get to know what her favorite authors are like.  I got to meet Heather Brewer, Joan Holub and got the best author signature ever from Shannon Hale!  I loved seeing Tom Angleburger, Rania Telgemeier, Nick Breul, and Peter Brown.  They were all at the children's stage. (This things they said was serious comedy gold.) 

     They also introduced the book for this year's ON The Same Page on the children's stage.  I can't wait to read it.  (P.S., it's Holes by Louis Sachar.)

This makes me laugh.

I'm holding the newest in The Goddess Girls Series!!

I love Joan Holub! You should read her series The Goddess Girls.

We are On the Same Page and reading Holes!

Monsters at Decatur Book Festival!

     

     The 7th annual Decatur Book Festival just ended and I think they had the best selection of authors ever!  We went to a super fun author reception at the Little Shop of Stories to kick off the book festival. It was a really great opportunity to meet authors and illustrators and have fun.  There was even a photo booth with silly props, so we got take lots of funny pictures with the authors.  Peter Brown, author and illustrator, was probably the best model there. 

     I also got to talk to Dave Pilkey, the author of the Captain Underpants; he stayed for 3 hours signing books! What a great person.  I saw Tom Angleberger, who also likes to be called Larry, just don't call him Tom AngleBOOGER.  He was great with the crowd.  And I saw Heather Brewer, author of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, The Slayer Chronicles, and her newest book, Soulbound.  She is my favorite author!  I didn't get to see everyone there, but I still had a great time.

     We also revealed the On The Same Page book selection for 2012, Louis Sachar's Holes, by dancing with shovels to a song from the movie!  Make sure you get On The Same Page with us.

     This year we had a great festival and I am looking forward to next year.  Thank you to AJC, Little Shop of Stories, and the City of Decatur.

Marsh

I'm On the Same Page! After you read Holes you sign the poster.

This is me with Auntie Heather. I was so nervous.

To find out more about the Decatur Book Festival click here:

http://www.decaturbookfestival.com/2012/index.php

To get On the Same Page with us click here for information:

http://weareonthesamepage.org/