Friday, April 25, 2014

Book Blurb: THREATENED by Eliot Schrefer



THREATENED, by Eliot Schrefer, (the follow-up to 2012’s Endangered) describes one boy's struggle to survive in the jungle with an adopted family of chimpanzees.  With his mother and sister dead, Luc is alone on the streets of Franceville, Gabon, in Africa. When Prof shows up, at first all Luc sees is an opportunity to steal a locked case full of valuables.

But Luc is offered a job, and a way out of Franceville, so he agrees to help Prof study chimpanzees. Almost as soon as they enter the jungle, they encounter a family of chimps who are both endearing and aggressive. While Prof prefers to watch and take notes, Luc finds himself drawn into the dynamic of his new neighbors. He learns how to communicate with the "mock men," and finds himself becoming increasingly involved with Drummer, Mango, and the other chimps nesting nearby.

The complex plot and exotic setting provide a nice background for thoughts on preservation of the species.


Book Blurb provided by:
Lynn Becker
www.lynnbeckerbooks.com
Tales From the Rushmore Kid, contributor

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Two Book Blurbs: THE ART OF SECRETS and PANIC

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THE ART OF SECRETS, by James Klise, is a fun upper middle grade/young YA novel, which uses an interesting format to tell its story. Short chapters alternate between a full cast of characters, each advancing the story while giving his or her own unique spin to the action.

When Saba Khan's apartment is gutted in a fire, the community rallies around her. Students at her high school organize an auction to benefit the family. Found among the donated items is a portfolio of paintings worth millions of dollars, prompting all kinds of questions to arise--where did it come from? whose is it now? who should benefit from its sale? and what is the truth, really?

Klise weaves a satisfying mystery here and, yes, EVERYBODY has secrets!!

 
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The YA novel PANIC, by Lauren Oliver (author of the dystopian Delerium, trilogy), showcases a dangerous, high stakes game played by graduating seniors in a dead-end town.

One lucky person from Carp High will win $67,000 by completing all the challenges. But, in the seven years of playing, there have been four deaths and one person paralyzed. Heather Nill never thought she would be brave enough to play. But when her boyfriend unexpectedly dumps her for someone else, Heather finds herself joining the fray. Heather's friend Natalie plays for a chance to go to Hollywood, Dodge Mason plays for revenge, and Bishop Marks, who doesn't play, just wants them all to survive.

The plot drives this story, relentlessly amping up the tension in new and unexpected ways. Told in alternating chapters by Heather and Dodge, Panic brings the intensity of The Hunger Games to this tale of contemporary upstate New York. 


A big thanks to Lynn Becker for the book blurbs!
http://www.lynnbeckerbooks.com/ 
Tales From the Rushmore Kid, contributor

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Recap of Most Excellent Workshop by Sonya Sones

We had a fun, instructional, informative, inspirational, participating kind of workshop on Saturday.

We named as many kinds of writing tools as we could think of.

It was a wonderful blend of hearing Sonya read examples and then attempting them ourselves. So many important tools at our disposal to improve what we put down on paper. Simile, personification, repetition, rhythm - and tons more!

I received such positive feedback - I appreciate everyone that came out and supported our event. And especially Fred Borchers - super helpful in every way.

Hope to see y'all next time!

Regional Advisor Mary Ann Fraser, Sonya Sones & me