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/

Back to School

This Hop is Closed! We've emailed our winner, JULIE!

Thanks for participating.

Welcome to A Monster Ate My Book Report!

We are happy to be participating in Back to the Books Giveaway Hop, especially since we are back in school and buried in books and homework.  This is a great Hop with many opportunities. Please check out I Am A Reader, Not A Writers Blog for the complete list of blogs having Giveaways.

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/

As usual with brothers and sisters, we couldn't agree on what book to offer.  We settled on this: A $25 eGift Card to Barnes & Noble for one winner.  To enter please make sure you are a public follower of this blog (that's so we can see you) and leave a comment on this post with your email address so we can contact you if you are our lucky winner.

Thanks! And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Marsh & Emiline

It's Almost Here!

The countdown has started for the announcement of this year's On The Same Page!

Last year we participated in a community wide reading program, On The Same Page.  We have been not so patiently waiting for the announcement of this year's book selection.  Everyone can be a part of the fun, even if you don't live in our area.  If you do, make sure you head to the Decatur Book Festival.  Here's the info you need http://www.decaturbookfestival.com/2012/schedule/event-details.php?id=144

We love this program (read below to find out why).  Make sure you check out 

On The Same Page.

       

          I thought that On the Same Page was a great opportunity for everyone to read.  Lots of kids in Decatur read Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth in the classroom and many people who may not normally read, read this also and found that they liked reading.

            I thought it was a smart idea to build up suspense by not showing the book until the last moment.  I also thought it was funny to think that almost everyone in town was reading the same book.  They brought in the author after everyone read the book and everyone enjoyed hearing his talk and asking him questions.  It was a great experience and I am looking forward to doing it again this summer.

           

            Marsh, 11

            I enjoyed On the Same Page because of the marvelous book they picked.  Norton Juster’s  The Phantom Tollbooth is a classic and I liked all of the characters—lots.  I especially liked Tock, because I like to tell time, and because I love dogs.

            On the Same Page is a great idea because it encourages people to read more and it helps knit families together.  I liked that everyone reads the same book, then everyone gets to talk about the same book and then everyone gets to meet the author.  I loved that I got to meet the author and learn about his view of the book.

            It’s amazing how one independent bookstore started this marvelous program.  That shows kids that they can do anything!

            Emiline, 8

Please visit Little Shop of Stories website for details on this wonderful program:

http://littleshopofstories.com/same-page.php

And make sure you check out the Decatur Book Festival:

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

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

Emiline's Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday pick is Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes.

     I chose Ninth Ward as my MMGM because it has part of history--the history that's sewed into the brain of the brain of the country-- the history of Hurricane Katrina.  When my grandmother first introduced me to Ninth Ward, I remembered the spinning of the hurricane in the distance and I knew the book was going to be good.  And it is.

     This was a very emotional book and most of the time I was concerned for Lanesha.  I didn't want such a creative, beautiful mind to go to waste.  When I was reading, sweat was beading on my forehead.  A very terrible vision flooded into my head--the never ending line of cars and driving into New Orleans and seeing everything wrecked.  I was struck and I couldn't stop reading.

     The thing that brightened things up was the relationship between Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya.  Because of them, this is a book about hope and friendships.  I recommend this book to every American.

     This MMGM is dedicated to the people who did not survive in the hurricane.  

I got this book from my grandmother, who is also my school librarian.  She recommended this book to me.  You can find Ninth Ward at your school or local library, or your favorite Indie Bookstore.

Please visit the author's site for more about the book:

http://jewellparkerrhodes.com/children/books/ninth-ward/

Emiline's Book Report on SMILE!

     Smile is a middle-grade graphic novel based on dental drama and girl drama from the 90s.  The main character, Rania, is going through very tough times and doesn't know who her real friends are.  As she goes to high school, she parts from her one true friend.  Then, all the stuck-up snobby girls (her un-real friends) practically humiliate her on the first day.  Will she ever find real friends?  Find out in Raina Telgemeier's Smile.  

     I liked Smile because of the 90's personality.  I also liked the real girl drama the kids suffer through. The book has a ton of humor an it's a great summer read.  If you are looking for a great short read for summer vacation, read Smile.

To find out more about the author AND illustrator, Raina Telgemeier visit her site:

http://goraina.com/

I was pretty excited to see that she also illustrates comics! We LOVE comics!

Here is my smile before I got braces.

Here is my Smile after I got braces.

Here's Marsh getting his braces.

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

Marsh's MMGM is Odd and the Frost Giants written by Neil Gaiman

 and illustrated by Brett Helquist

     The Avengers was a huge summer movie and one of the main characters is Thor, so why not talk about Norse Mythology?  If your looking for this particular mythology then check out Neil Gaiman's Odd and the Frost Giants.  Odd is a twelve-year-old boy who has to save all of Asgard from frost giants.  This is a great short read.  I really enjoyed how Gaiman made the legends come to life.  My favorite character was Odd.  I really admired his confidence and his soaring intellect.  

I give Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman Five Monsters.

To find out more about this book and Neil Gaiman please visit:

http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Books/Odd+and+the+Frost+Giants/

Here's a funny picture of us in the Norway Pavilion in Epcot.