Jen Lancaster

Mrs. Fruit, would you care to discuss one Jen Lancaster and her hilarious books?

The Hunger Games

Long time, no talk readers! Spring is coming and everyone should be springing out of hibernation and getting excited about books. Recently, I attended the NIU Literature Conference and learned about a vast array of new and exciting books for young adults. I hope to purchase them for our library soon. In the meantime, PALS is a wonderful resource for obtaining materials we can't yet afford to buy. Please come in and chat with me about the titles I am itching to read after learning about them at the conference. I think you'll be just as excited about them as I am. Even though we don't yet have them at GKHS, I can reserve them in a flash!

We do have one of the titles discussed at the conference. The Hunger Games recently won the 2011 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award. This award is a children's choice award. Please click the link for more information. http://www.rcyrba.org/ I recently read this nearly 400-page book in one sitting. It was impossible to put down. Science fiction isn't usually my genre of choice, but this book is unbelievable. It is full of action, suspense, and characters so fleshed out you feel you know them on a personal level. The series consists of three books: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay, all of which contain nearly flawless plots and character development. These books catch your heart and carry you along with the characters as they rise up and fight for a better world.

The main character, Katniss Everdeen, is full of determination, strength, and courage. Read the book and ride along with her on her horrific journey through The Hunger Games, an annual competition in which 24 12-18 year old citizens of capitol-controlled Panem are forced to fight to the death in a televised competition. All citizens of Panem are required to watch. When Katniss's sister Prim's name is drawn in the reaping, Katniss volunteers to go in place of her. Life is hard and driven by fear for most citizens in the 12 districts of this country, but many are depending on Katniss to bring hope to people of a nation so controlled by their government that they are helpless to change their lives and she does . . . but at what cost to her family, friends, and the people of her nation? Read this series. You won't regret it. Please visit the official website for more information. http://www.thehungergames.co.uk/

Rise and shine readers and talk to me! :)

Best Book You've Ever Read

Calling all readers . . . . We can't let our wonderful blog meet its end. Let's get the words flowing again with a little discussion about the best book you've ever read. I know it's a tough challenge to choose one, so if you can't, discuss more! That's the point readers and lately, the silence is killing me. Ready, set, read and discuss!

Book Fair Bonanza!

Hello silent readers,
I want to inform you about our upcoming book fair at the end of this month. The fair will run from 11/29 - 12/2 and it's the perfect time to stock up on holiday gifts for your loved ones. For more information, check out the signs and advertisements posted around the school and in the library. The main goal I hope to achieve by holding this book fair is to raise money to buy books to boost our library's collection. Last year, we earned $800 in book bucks and ended up receiving a nice chunk of great titles from the fair. This year, we will have an entire case of young adult titles and there is an emphasis on graphic novels, a genre I've really been trying to build in our library. Spread the word and come on down the week of the fair. The more you buy, the more the GKHS library will earn. Also, who has been reading what? You're all pretty quiet out there.
Ms. W.

Welcome Back Readers!

Welcome Back Readers!

Hello my fellow readers. I hope you had an amazing summer filled with reading, reading, and more reading. Please encourage new students to join our blog. Let's get it rolling this year! I'd like today's topic to focus on your favorite book of the summer. Tell us what you read and what you liked about it. I'll kick it off with my list. I am very excited because now that I am done with my master's, I can enjoy free reading again. Hoooooray! I've got to get back on the young adult reading train ASAP. Anybody out there have recommendations for me? I took a little break from YA this summer and read some adult titles. Here are a few I enjoyed:

The Gospel According to Coco Chanel by Karen Karbo
Perfection by Julie Metz
Dreaming in French by Megan McAndrews

Currently Reading: The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors by Michelle Young-Stone

If you need any recommendations for the new school year, try the following:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Death of Jayson Port by Jaime Adoff
Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp
If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Have a great year and read your hearts out!

Book Fair Bonanza!

Hello, all you silent readers out there. I hope your spring is off to a great start. I want to encourage you to attend our school's book fair, which will take place from May 10th - May 14th. We will be open from 7:30 to 4:00 Monday through Thursday and from 7:30 - 2:00 on Friday. Students will be able to purchase all day long, so save your cash and get ready to buy some fantastic books! Please visit and help us build our learning center collection. The more money our fair makes, the more money we'll earn to buy books for our library. Scholastic is conducting a trial run for high school book fairs, so let's contribute to the success of their test and assure that we'll have more high school fairs in the future. Title preview pamphlets are currently scattered throughout the learning center. Preschool books will also be available so spread the word to parents, siblings, or friends who have little ones. Please see me if you are interested in volunteering at the fair. We hope to see you there!