Maria's Mélange

Okay, friends.... this is such a good blog tour! Not because of anything I did, though. What I have for you is a SUPER fun Q&A with the author and an AMAZING giveaway. This giveaway includes FOUR signed copies of the book and a full class period SKYPE! I mean.... really... that's pretty cool! Read this post, because this is one of the most fun sets of answers I've gotten from an author, and then be sure to go all the way down to the end to enter to win. (Prize provided by the publisher and the author.) THE TREASURE OF MAD DOC MAGEE by Elinor Teele Published by Walden Pond Press ISBN: 978-0062345134 The small, run-down town of Eden is the only place Jenny Burns has ever called home. The roots of the trees are in her bones, the air of the mountains is in her breath, the lakes and rivers are in her blood. And that’s why, when her father loses his job and tells Jenny that they may have to move on from Eden, she knows she can’t let that happen. The feve...

Have you ever wanted to run away from it all? Do you long for more adventure in your life? Have you ever dreamed of hopping on board a ship that is seeking buried treasure? Well, maybe you've never wanted to eat hard tack or climb a mast in a storm.. but you can experience the thrill of life on the high seas by reading the first book in this new series!  I adored Neversink, which came out in 2012, so I knew I wanted in on this new series by Wolverton. It did NOT disappoint. Action! Adventure! Gross vomiting scenes.... Okay, so that part made me feel more than a bit nauseated, but kids are going to eat it up. Yuck, poor choice of phrase there, right? Classroom Ideas: --Be sure to have lots of books of old maps on hand, or maybe some paper for kids to make their own.  --Partner this with other titles         - The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi (most editions have great information on ship terminology in the back)     ...

My students are absolutely in love with the 13-Story Treehouse and the 26- Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths. It's just the right mix of adventure and silly fun, combined with amazing illustrations. They kept asking me to find out when the next book would be released. Thankfully, I can tell them that way will soon be over! April 7th - just TWO days from this posting - is the day that we can all rejoice in another huge dose of excitement and creativity with the debut of... I love to create questions for these author interviews, but I knew my son and students would want to have the privilege this time. I asked them to tell me what THEY wanted to know and zipped those questions off to Andy Griffiths' publisher. What secret insights did he share? Read on to find out! 1) What will happen when the treehouse gets too heavy for the tree? (Or what is it that is keeping the treehouse from falling?) We will add a new level in the treehouse which con...

Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner (Goodreads Author) Hardcover, 272 pages Expected publication: September 10th 2013 by Walker Childrens ISBN 0802723144 (ISBN13: 9780802723147)Obtained - I read an ARC through Netgalley, but have already purchased a copy of my own. Goodreads Synopsis: Meet Quentin, a middle school football star from Chicago... Sarah, an Upstate New York girls’ hockey team stand-out... Ben, a horse lover from the Pacific Northwest... And Cat, an artistic bird watcher from California. The four have nothing in common except for the head injuries that land them in an elite brain-science center in the Florida Everglades. It’s known as the best in the world, but as days pass, the kids begin to suspect that they are subjects in an experiment that goes far beyond treating concussions….and threatens their very identities. They’ll have to overcome their injuries – and their differences – to escape, or risk losing themselves forever. My Thoughts :   ...

It's Treat Tuesday! Another chance for my family to show off our favorite reads of the week and for my boys to talk me into candy. Visit Niki's site - Daydream Reader - for more Treat Tuesday goodness. We also tweet with #TreatTuesday Younger: The Lightning Thief "I like this because it is the only Percy Jackson book where they go tothe underworld except for the last one." Older: Maximum Security (part of the Cherub series recommended by the sons of @KrisBisBooks) "In this book James has to break a kid out of jail and have him lead them to his mom, a most wanted weapons smuggler."  Me: I'm finally reading The Runaway King ! I have a student all in a lather to get the book from me, so I'd better get it done.