GA Peach Author Tour

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting the GA Peach Author Tour. Authors S.R. Johannes, Jennifer Jabaley, and Vicky Alvear Schecter joined us to share ideas about writing and their experiences as professional authors of tween and young adult fiction and non-fiction literature. We learned so much. In this blog post, comment on either your favorite aspect of the tour or a technique that you learned and can add to your writer’s toolbox.

Reflecting on The Westing Game

As your reading of The Westing Game draws to a close, take a moment to reflect. Since its creation several decades ago, Ellen Raskin’s work has been a crowd pleaser for its fun and intricate plot, well-developed characters, and witty observations. It is the kind of book that is timeless and never forgotten once experienced.

Write about your personal reader response and experience of reading The Westing Game. Who has been your favorite character? Why? What most endeared you to this character? What aspect of the book most intrigued you as a reader? What, if any, lessons could a reader take away from such a book? As a writer, what lesson could you learn from Ellen Raskin’s technique in creating The Westing Game?

MOYA

Did you know that October is MOYA---the month of the young adolescent ? No one has to tell you that adolescence is an exciting and sometimes confusing time of discovery in the human life. Use this blog post to share your ideas about adolescence. Consider how life has changed for you in the past several years. How do you expect it will change in the near future? What does it mean to be an adolescent in 2012? What are the likes, dislikes, and crazy obsessions of the adolescent? What are the fears, hopes, and dreams of today’s adolescent? Consider, also, what special qualities adolescents have that others don’t. 

What are the laws?

In Call of the Wild, the reader meets Buck, a once pampered, well cared for dog with an entire sprawling estate as his domain. Thrust “into the primitive,” Buck finds that there are new laws---unspoken and unwritten---that apply to his new life. First, he learns that there is a law of the club, and in chapter 2, he experiences the law of the fang.

Let’s apply this idea of “laws” to middle school life. What are the laws---perhaps unspoken and unwritten though they may be---of being successful in middle school? This can pertain to social rules, academic rules, athletic rules, and otherwise. Blog about your ideas in this post.

First Week of Seventh Grade

You have just completed your first week of seventh grade. What were the highs? The lows? What one lesson did you learn that will carry you through this school year? What are your fears and expected successes? Share your ideas in this blog post.

Facebooking Zeus and Hera

Based upon what you now know about the gods and goddesses of Olympus, given the opportunity, which god or goddess would you most likely send a Facebook friend request? Which would you be least likely to friend? Explain.

Cinderella around the World

Now that you have taken a look at Cinderella stories from around the globe, it is time to reflect. Create a post about the Cinderella story you explored this week.

Reflection Questions/Ideas

• Identify the country/culture of origin for the Cinderella story you read.
• How does the version you read compare/contrast with the Perrault version that we are familiar with in the U.S. ?
• What surprised or intrigued you about the version you read?