Susan Dennard Skype Chat

After reading the Something Strange and Deadly series, chatting with Susan Dennard was an exciting experience! Our Academic 2 ELA class talked to Susan on November 12, 2015, during the month of NaNoWriMo, and she gave us some helpful tips for our writing. After asking what inspired her books, Susan said that music inspired her writing and some of her characters. Other words of advice included ways to conquer writer's block, and how to kill off a character. Her advice helped me write, and helped others as well. I decided to use the music advice because I am a music lover myself. Definitely listening to different genres and artists help you find ideas because of lyrics and sound.

Talking to an author also inspired me to write more. It showed me that someone could be successful with the career and made me want to maybe head down that path in the future.

Susan Dennard is the author of a best-selling book, so chatting with her is everyone's dream! Talking to the bestselling author was the experience of a lifetime because not a lot of people get to experience something like that.  I would like to thank Susan Dennard and Mrs. Kelly for giving our class such an amazing experience!  

By: Natalie S.

Truthwitch ARC Review

Truthwitch ARC Review

by Riley M.

Susan Dennard has done it once again! If you guys thought that the Something Strange And Deadly series was amazing, then you're definitely going to want to go read her new book entitled, Truthwitch which comes out January 2016. Instead having zombies like in her last series, Truthwitch has witches in it. You will meet different types of witches: earth, water, fire, air, thread, and of course, a truthwitch. Thread witches can see the emotions that a person is feeling by the color of the thread that is inside them. For the other powers, the witches can control the element that they possess. Some of the powers that witches possess, are uncommon, and even not believed in since they're so rare. These powers belong to the legendary truthwitch, which is being able to tell if someone is telling the truth, and the void witch, which is being able to control and smell everyone else's blood.

Unlike most books, Truthwitch isn't in just one of the main character's perspective, but is in four of the main characters’ perspectives. These four characters are Safiya, Iseult, Merik, Aeduan. Safiya and Iseult are thread sisters who are traveling together to get back into the city, when they encounter an army blocking their way. Knowing that it was going to be hard to get through the soldiers, the girls disguised themselves as peasants and tried to get to safety without getting caught. However, before they could get to safety, a monk named Aeudan figures out a really big secret about one of the girls which could put them into a lot of danger.

Look forward to meeting a prince/captain named Merik, who is trying to help save his starving kingdom. All of these characters end up colliding and make a whole new story of their own. Susan definitely makes sure that there was lots of action throughout the book, from karate kicks and punches, to epic power brawls! It definitely will keep you up reading until the late hours of the night, and will keep you at the edge of your seat wanting to find out what happens next. You won't want to leave the magical world that she created. You should definitely go pick this book up when it comes into stores. It is really worth it if you want a amazing book to read!! Be one of the first to own it!! Click below to preorder Truthwitch now!!

Barnes and Noble Amazon

Sneak peak at the map!

Thank you, Susan for sharing Truthwitch with us!!! 

Girl Online Book Review:

Dive Into Diversity

By: Sydney S

Have you ever read a book and felt that you couldn't relate to the characters at all? I think we all have, but it becomes a problem when this happens book after book. Not everyone has the perfect life as many books portray, which is why it's important that everyone should be able to find a character they can relate to. If you need help finding a book like this, try Girl Online by Zoe Sugg, or Zoella as she is known on YouTube.

Penny, the main character in Girl Online is far from your stereotypical teenage girl and I think that is part of her charm. Aside from her chronic clumsiness and awkwardness which I have all too much experience with myself, the main issue that sets Penny apart is that she suffers from extreme anxiety and panic attacks. Even simple tasks like riding through a crowded part of town are a struggle for her and through this novel my eyes were really opened to how hard it can be to cope with anxiety. Penny is fighting the anxious part of herself the whole book and even by the end she doesn't get rid of her panic attacks, she just learns to control them better. Since I have never read a book with a character who dealt with this issue before it is likely that many others haven't either. If I was a teen who had anxiety I'm sure I would feel alone just as Penny does in the book and just as many other teens (and even some adults) assuredly do in real life, and that is why diverse books are so important. So that no one has to feel alone.

Aside from the diversity of this realistic fiction novel, it has an amazing storyline. The book is set in modern day Brighton as well as New York, and when Sugg sets the scene you feel like you are there as well. Under the username Girl Online, Penny is an internet famous teenager who blogs anonymously about everything that happens to her in her day-to-day life. The only person who knows about her blog is her best friend Elliot who, coincidentally, is a diverse character himself. When Elliot came out as being gay, his dad flat out refused to believe him. Everytime Elliot tried to talk to his dad he waved it off as a phase and refused to accept his son's sexuality saying Elliot can "grow out of being gay."

Anyway, through her blog, Elliot, and her love for photography Penny somehow finds a way to make it through the bullies and anxiety that seem to pester her wherever she goes and still enjoy life. That is, until something big happens that changes everything. This event will forever change the way Penny deals with the problems in her life and even leads to a fairytale-esque love story…

I highly recommend Girl Online to anyone who wants to read it. I love the theme of the book as it really inspires me to face my fears. Aside from the theme the book also has an amazing tone. It is funny, conversational, and relatable; yet still deals with serious issues. Zoe Sugg went through panic attacks herself, is constantly on the internet because of her YouTube career, and has a brother a lot like Penny’s brother in the book so you can see that many of the issues Penny has and encounters stemmed from Zoe’s personal life. Thus, if you like contemporary books with a twist of humor and real-life in them, this is the one for you.

September Author Showcase: Sara B. Larson and Lori M. Lee

Within our first couple of weeks of class, we were able to have a Skype conversation with Sara B. Larson, author of Defy and the upcoming sequel, Ignite.  I left the classroom ready to take on the world. Behind her stories and books there was a reoccurring theme that if you believe in yourself, you can succeed in whatever you do. Even after she had people tell her she didn't have the ability to make it as a writer, she knew that the harder she worked the more confident she would get and that she could make it. She couldn't get anyone to invest their time and efforts with so she went to countless people to help her make it big and in return was turned down countless times. Did the thought of giving up come across her mind every once in a while? Sure. But did it stop or even slow her down? No way. Now, she has successfully published her first books and has MANY fans anticipating the sequel.  Clearly, the Skype with Sara B. Larson didn't only get me intrigued in reading and writing books, but a lesson that is of higher importance. You can succeed if you believe in yourself.  Stay tuned for ARC review of Ignite!

by Bobby W. 

Sara B. Larson Skyping with our classroom

Classroom enjoying chat with Sara

Many of the students used Twitter to thank her

Sara even tweeted at our class!

We also had the opportunity to Skype with Lori M. Lee, author of fantasy novel Gates of Threads and Stone.  This is her debut novel and we are excited about the release of her upcoming sequel The Infinite, which is scheduled to be released March 10, 2015.  It was so interesting to speak to an author who was born in Laos.  During a time when young adult literature is in need of diversity, Lee is bringing diverse characters to her readers.  Her main characters including Kai, Avan, and Reev are Asian, which makes the story even more interesting.  Lee told us about her struggles to be published and the excitement that accompanies having a larger audience read your works.  One of her critique partners is Mindee Arnett, who is the author of Avalon and the soon-to-be released Polaris (1/15/1015)