And Then Things Fall Apart (Review)

Title: And Then Things Fall Apart

Author(s): Arlaina Tibensky
Edition: Paperback, 254 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: July 26, 2011
Source: Got at NCTE
Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

The Summary

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Keek’s life was totally perfect….Keek and her boyfriend just had their Worst Fight Ever; her best friend heinously betrayed her; her parents are divorcing; and her mom’s across the country caring for her newborn cousin, who may or may not make it home from the hospital. To top it all off, Keek’s got the plague. (Well, the chicken pox.) Now she’s holed up at her grandmother’s technologically barren house until further notice. Not quite the summer vacation Keek had in mind.

With only an old typewriter and Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar for solace and guidance, Keek’s alone with her swirling thoughts. But one thing’s clear through her feverish haze—she’s got to figure out why things went wrong so she can make them right.

(Goodreads)

My Opinion

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This is a book I picked up last year at NCTE. I got to meet Arlaina Tibensky, and chat a little bit before getting my copy signed. She is hilarious, and based on her signature, has a love of Battlestar Galactica; it simply endeared me more to this awesome book! And Then Things Fall Apart is an introspective and intense look into a young woman’s life dealing with family, friend, and relationship issues. Keek, the protagonist of the story, is stuck at her grandmother’s house with a gnarly case of the chicken pox. The only items she has to entertain herself are a busted old typewriter and a worn-out copy of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. To make matters worse she had an epic fight with her boyfriend, got stabbed in the back by her best friend, and saw her parents’ marriage crumble. This is all taken in and regurgitated in Keek’s journal, which is the format of the book. Keek is kept just on the right side of self-centered, angsty teen. Tibensky uses The Bell Jar in a very clever way, juxtaposing many of the book’s events with instances of Keek’s life. The story is very stylistic, with minimal dialogue and a stream of consciousness prose. this won’t appeal to everyone, but the crafting of the inner thoughts never borders on the dull. There are inserts of present events that make the book relevant, and the development of some of Keek’s relationships are nicely done. The best one is between Keek and her grandmother. There are familial connections subtly placed throughout the book, and Tibensky shows those connections strengthening under the worst conditions. You should all know by now that I’m a sucker for family relationships, so I love the results of all the events. Besides the her ability to craft those connections, Tibensky also handles the realities of cheating carefully and thoughtfully. She’s able to convey the fact that things aren’t black and white, but complex and unfair and heartbreaking. Adults can be completely selfish, both the cheaters and the cheatees, but at the same time can give everything to bridge the destruction. It is these intricacies that allow Keek to move past much of her selfish tendencies and really evaluate the important parts of her life. Definitely not a book for everyone, I think And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky is a great addition to the YA Contemporary genre. Not a fast sugar puff, but a slow reflection; you’ll need to freshen up on The Bell Jar and take your time during reading. But don’t take my word for it, check out And Then Things Fall Apart at your local bookstore or library!

Extras
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Interview with Arlaina Tibensky


Final Rating

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Book Cover: 5/5
Book Title: 4/5
Plot: 8/10
Characters: 8.5/10
Writing: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Overall: 43.5/50: B+

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In My Mailbox: AKA The Biggest Book Haul of my Life!

I guess this is my In The Mailbox after all!
In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and inspired by one of her friends, Alea of Pop Culture Junkie where we get to post about the books we receive each week through publishers/authors, our own purchases, contests won, and libraries.
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This is a big haul, I know. Isn't it fantastic?!  I was so lucky to be able to go to NCTE & ALAN this year.  I learned so much awesome stuff to bring back into my classroom, and I got so many AMAZING books!

Check out NCTE & ALAN and join them!  If you're an English teacher or librarian, they are awesome organizations to be a part of!

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The Faerie Ring (Review)

Title: The Faerie Ring

Editors(s): Kiki Hamilton
Edition: ARC, 352 pages

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: September 27, 2011

Source: Part of The Faerie Ring Book Tour for I Read Banned Books

Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

The Summary

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The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty.

(Goodreads)

My Opinion
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I've been wanting to read this book for a while.  I've been getting into historical fiction and I love fantasy so much.  The Faerie Ring contains a great mix of both, making the story that much more captivating.

Hamilton does a tremendous job at crafting 1871 London.  The world of orphans, faeries, and royalty is such a interesting juxtaposition, one you want to read more and more about. The journey in which Tiki goes through is captivating.  She is a great protagonist: caring, protective, and strong, all qualities which lends her to be the leader of the groups she moves back and forth between.

All the secondary characters are great as well.  None of them feel unnecessary, and they do their part for the story.  However, while this book is character driven, both protagonists and supporting characters are rich and play important roles, the book is really, in my mind, object driven.  These characters wouldn't have come together without the Faerie Ring.  This ring is one of the most powerful items in England, and Tiki has stolen it right from under Prince Leopold's nose.  In the meantime, Tiki herself has set into motion a series of events that will change her life as well as everyone else's.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book!  I'm quickly growing to love historical fiction with the fantastical element, and The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton is added to the list.  Additionally, I met Kiki at NCTE this past weekend, and she was lovely!  I was able to get a copy of the book signed as well.  so if you love history, faeries, and adventure, then pick up a copy of The Faerie Ring to add to your collection.

Extras

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The Faerie Ring Trailer

Final Rating

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Book Cover: 4/5

Book Title: 4/5

Plot: 8/10

Characters: 9.5/10

Writing: 9/10

Ending: 9/10

Overall: 43.5/50: B+

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Enter to Win a Special Something from NCTE!

As most of you know, I've been in Chicago for the last 6 days at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference.  While there I got so many awesome books, and met so many awesome authors, that I felt a little guilty that all of you weren't there with me.

To rectify my guilt, I have something VERY exciting to give away!

Yes, you read that right!  I have 3 copies of a chapter sampler containing the first 2 chapters of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and I'm giving them away to you!

Summary of The Fault in Our Stars

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs... for now.  

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumors tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.  

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter below!  Easy Peasy!

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NCTE: Day 3 - Mistakes & Madness

Today was the last day of the main conference portion of NCTE.  Today was also the day the exhibitors left.  Needless to say, it was a bit of a mad house!

My Schedule:

Session L: 8:30-9:45
L.25 21st Century Literacies

Stephanie Perkins Signing 10:30-11:30

Session M: 11:30-12:45
M.49 Teaching Literacy for Love & Wisdom

Session N: 1:00-2:45
N.01 Reports from Cyberspace

At least that's how my day was suppose to go.  It didn't work out that way.

I was running late this morning, so I didn't even make it until 8:45.  I suppose I could've gone to my first session still, but I feel it is very rude to enter late.  Therefore, I went to wait to get into the Exhibit Hall.  I had a really great conversation with a librarian from Chicago (I love talking to librarians who are my age to learn how they got their job).  I'm actually really happy that I went to wait for the Exhibit Hall because were the teachers going crazy.  Penguin waited until the last day to put out some amazing ARCs, as did some of the other publishers.  Additionally, some publishers had immediately discounted books to super cheap or were giving books away!  It was pretty amazing, but a nightmare for someone claustrophobic as there was a lot of squished bodies reaching for books.

After that I asked the amazing ladies at Penguin when they were starting the line for Stephanie Perkins, as Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler were signing that morning.  That's when I found out my program LIED to me!!  At the beginning of the conference, we were given an Author Signing program; inside it says Stephanie was suppose to be signing at Penguin at 10:30. Lies!  Then I thought I had gotten the booth wrong, as I didn't have my schedule.  To investigate I headed over to the Anderson's Bookshop booth where many authors were signing.  Nope, not there either.  Come to find out, after reading her tweet response to someone else, she's not going to be here until tomorrow!  Grrr NCTE!  Get things right!  Anyway, by that time I was caught up in the discount frenzy, so that's how I spent the next 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Then I went on to my last two sessions, both of which were fantastic!  My favorite topics to focus on during conferences are GLBT lit, 21st Century Tech, and Censorship.  I was lucky to get to go to all three.  Then it was definitely time to lug my books back to the hotel.  I can't wait until tomorrow for ALAN (which Stephanie will be at, along with an AWESOME YA Author panel at Anderson's Bookshop, which I am going to!!!).  I've never been to ALAN, but I've heard it is utterly amazing!

And here's my loot from today (when I get back home I'm doing a IMM like no other).

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NCTE: Day 2 - So Many Signatures!

Second day of NCTE down, and I am exhausted,  a good exhausted.

My Schedule:

Session F: 8:00-9:15
F.51 Zagat Guides, the New Yorker, & Cartoons

Session G: 9:30-10:45
G.45 Chicago Pride: The Streets of the Windy City

Session H: 11:00-12:15
H.08 Secondary Level Gallery of Posters

Veronica Roth Signing 12:00-1:00

David Levithan Signing 2:00-3:00

Laurie Halse Anderson 2:30-3:30

Session K: 4:15-5:30
K.01 Censorship Alive, Well and Showing

More awesome up there.

Today was a real focus on the authors for me, as many (MANY) amazing authors were signing.  In addition to the ones I planed on meeting above, I also got signed books from David Mccinnis Gill, T. A. Baron, Arlaina Tibensky, Jennifer L. Holm, Alan Sitomer, Kiki Hamilton, and Jackson Pearce (see, MANY author signings).  They were all lovely and couldn't have been more excited to meet us!  I love that about authors, especially YA authors.  Almost every time I meet one they are super pleasant and excited that you read their book.

I also sat in on a fantastic panel (all of them are awesome, but I especially loved this one) on Chicago itself. The panel had John Green, David Levithan, Simone Elkeles, Jillian Larkin, and James Klise on it; they've all written books which have been set in Chicago.  The panel examined how setting can play such an important part in a story, and what process/how much work it takes to place a character within an already established location.  It was very interesting to here from the people who live/have lived in Chicago (Simone, James, & John) and the ones who have visited (David & Jillian).

Overall, a very productive day.  I spoke with some awesome teachers, learned some awesome stuff, and can't wait until tomorrow!

Oh, here's a picture of my books from today!  Lots of stuff for my followers in here!

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NCTE: Day 1 - John Green, ARCs, and Crowds Oh My!

Today was my first official day of NCTE.  It was so fun, but a little crazy.

This was my schedule:

Session A: 9:30-10:45
A. 40 Modern Media Meets Masterpieces

Session B: 11:00-12:15
B. 28 Bullying - Reflecting on the Past

John Green Signing: 12:30-1:30 (OH YES!!)

Eric Luper Signing 1:00-1:30

Nathaniel Fick Signing: 1:45-2:45

Session D: 2:30-3:45
D.35 Creating Space Today For All

Session E: 4:00-5:15
E.34 Bisexuality and the Identifiable

LOTS of awesome up there!  Luckily everything was at the Hilton Chicago.  Not having to travel down to the Palmer House in this freezing Chicago weather made me very happy!

First off, meeting John Green was the highlight of the whole day.  He is so nice and awesome.  I brought all of his books except Let It Snow for him to sign and he jokingly said "Thank you for buying my entire collected works."  Of course I thanked him for writing them!  I also got a special something for all of you to give away for my birthday, so get excited!

Secondly, I really loved going to the panels on bullying and GLBT fiction (Sessions B, D, & E).  It is so nice to be in a room full of like-minded teachers, who want to go past simple tolerance and reach acceptance.  Such an important difference.  I also have a list of books to check out that have GLBT characters.  Can't get enough book lists!

Thirdly, teachers be crazy!  There were SO many people, mostly because this convention is NCTE's 100th anniversary (debating wether or not to buy a t-shirt).  Also, a bigger venue means more people.  I got hit with so many bags today it became routine.  One time as I was bending down, fixing my bags, hiding in the wall nook, I got beaned in the head.  I had such a big headache after that.  Jeez!

Lastly, I am over this cold weather.  I have a sore throat, super chapped lips, and dry hands and I've only been here TWO days!  Argh!  Also, what the F is up with the drivers here?  We almost get into accidents 5 times a day because people are constantly cutting you off, or driving partially in your lane or BLOCKING ONE WHOLE SIDE OF A STREET WHICH ALREADY HAS CARS PARKED ON IT!!  Deep breaths...but downtown is pretty cool.  I got to go to the Hersey Store and ate at Pizzeria Uno.  Love me some deep dish pizza.  All in all a pretty cool day!

Oh and did I mention I got 47 books today?  Yes that's right.  NCTE is definitely worth the free books.

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NCTE & ALAN

Tomorrow I'll be flying to Chicago to attend the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference and the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN), which I am SUPER excited about!!!!!!

Last year, NCTE was held in Orlando, FL so it was really easy for me to go.  I stayed at a cheap hotel by Disney and drove to the convention center every morning.  This time I have to fly, and still stay at a cheap hotel and still drive to the convention, but it will be IN POSSIBLE RAIN AND VERY COLD WEATHER!  And yes, I'm sure some of you are like "Pshhh, Chicago isn't cold right now", but let me tell you that the WARMEST it will be all week is on Saturday at 57°.  I'm going to be freezing my figurative balls off.  This Florida girl is seriously unprepared for the cold, what with all the flip flops I own.

Anyway, the reason I'm bringing this up is that I possibly won't be around much, and I figured I'd give a heads up rather than just disappearing like I did a couple weeks ago.  Though hopefully, as I'll have internet at my hotel, I will be able to blog about the conference, perhaps even vlog a little.  We'll see what happens.  Either way I'll be writing up a full report when I get back!

I hope you guys end up doing something really fun this weekend as well!

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NCTE: Sessions, Teachers, and Authors, Oh My!

This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to attend my first education convention.

 

The convention was set up just like a sci-fi convention (which I have been to many times); there was 17 different slots for sessions, not including the 4 General sessions and the Thursday Featured session.  All together there were WAY TOO MANY OPTIONS for each slot.  I wanted to go to practically everything.  And as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 opened the same weekend, visions of Hermione's Time-Turner kept flashing in my head; if only it were real.

However I did have to choose and choose I did, but as a Pre-Service Teacher I was a little overwhelmed.  What did I want to focus on?  Many of the secondary sessions seemed to be split up into Reading or Writing with a smattering of everything else.  Did I want to focus on writing?  Did I want to focus on reading?  WHAT DID I WANT OUT OF THIS WEEKEND!?  Of course that was the million dollar question.

In the end I tried to do a little of both, but I mostly picked sessions simply based on the descriptions from my monster of a convention booklet.

Here's what I picked:

Thursday:

• Featured Session - Naked Reading: Creating Life Long Readers

Friday:

• Session A - Rationales for Graphic Novels: Because Living Literate Lives Means Having The Opportunity To Do So!
• Session B - The English Classroom as a Social Network
• Session C - Moving the Books to the Front of the Room: Integrating LGBTQ Themed YAL into the English Curriculum
• Session D - Poster Session: Middle Level Gallery of Posters
• Session E - Finding the "Courage" to Write and Teach It

Saturday:

• Session F - Author Strand: Heather Brewer, Andrea Cremer, and Melissa De La Cruz
• Session G - Expectations and Negotiations: Teachers and Students Creating Connections Through LGBT Inquiry
• Session H - Poster Session: Secondary Gallery of Posters
• Author Signings - David Levithan & Rachel Cohn; Ellen Wittlinger
• Session J - A Classroom Without Walls: Collaborating with Web-Based Tools

Sunday:

• Session L - Read-Alouds in Middle School: The Questions Isn't "Why?" It's "Why Not?"
• Session M - Using YA Literature to Teach Critical Literacy
• Session N - Engagement: A Critical Component of Helping Struggling Readers and Writers

I gained something from each of the sessions I attended.  Every person attending was so smart and had so much knowledge to share.  I really tried to soak in as much as I could.  I loved the welcoming feeling I got from each person.  No one looked down on me just because I was "Pre-Service"; if anything they were super excited I was there.  But even though I learned a lot in each session, there were three which really stuck out: Session C, Session L, and Session N.  In each of these sessions, I felt like I took away tangible ideas that I can immediately use in my classroom.  

I especially loved Session L, the Read-Aloud session.  The presenters demonstrated both Teacher-lead read-alouds and Student-lead read-alouds.  I loved both options and feel that both can really work to engage students, but the Student-lead read-alouds really focused on creating a classroom dynamic which lead to authentic readings.

Session C dealt with including LGBTQ literature within the classroom. By using content presented in the literature, teachers are able to have a strong rationale in using LGBTQ YA books.  As many contemporary YA lit has LGBTQ characters, this inclusion is becoming easier, and by having content to back it up the teacher is able to make a good and research-based argument.

Finally, my favorite session of the weekend was Session N.  This was lead by two of my favorite educators: Kylene Beers and Linda Rief (I've used their books in several of my education classes). Each spoke of new ideas which they are enacting within the classroom: Beers presenting "Notice and Note Lessons", which is her new book with the other presenter Robert Probst, and Rief presenting "Creating Writers".  Each gave us strategies to use these ideas within the class right away.  I must admit it was like meeting rockstars for the first time, mostly because Beers came to the table I was sitting at with some of my classmates from USF, which was crazy (if you were in English Education you would understand).

Another very special part of the conference came during the author signings.  I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet some of my favorite YA authors, two through a session and three through signings.  Melissa De La Cruz and Heather Brewer write some awesome Vampire books, both of which are NOTHING like Twilight (thank God).  I was able to attend the session they had on Saturday morning.  The the same day I got to meet Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, both of whom write fantastic YA books separately, but also write fantastic YA books together.  I had two books signed: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist and Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, the first being my favorite and the second being the newest.  

THEN came the ultimate experience: meeting Ellen Wittlinger.  She is my hands down favorite YA author.  I own every one of her books.  I've loved her since I was in 8th grade, and I finally got to meet her.  Of course I had two books of her's signed as well: Hard Love and its companion Love and Lies: Marisol's Story.  Hard Love won both the Lambda Literary Award and the Printz Honor Book Award in 2000 and it is a fantastic LGBTQ story, which is only one reason I love it (GO READ THEM!!!).

Overall the convention was amazing and exhausting.  I hope to be able to travel to next year's in Chicago.  I love this collaborative community that NCTE represents.  As cheesy as it might sound, I feel I've been reaffirmed in my choice of career.  I really feel like I can be a great teacher, and I know that there are hundreds of other teachers out there just as passionate and as eager to be the best they can be and who are willing to help me when I need it.

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