Final project

The time has come again for the semester to be almost over. I can't believe our last class is tonight! It is so bittersweet. On one hand, I am graduating (yay!) and on the other, I will truly miss this group of people. We have insightful discussions and have really become friends over the semester. Special thanks to Jack and Jen for your leadership. You have the ability to teach classes that are fun and informative. Yes. I will also miss the structured reading... I somehow feel guilty about kicking back with a good book. Unless of course it's for school or work. I guess I will have to practice getting over that as I am not planning on going back to school any time soon. Thanks!

Rita Williams-Garcia

ROCKS! She was so inspiring! It is amazingly refreshing to hear from someone who is so unafraid to confront tough issues. It can be so easy to say, "Not my problem." Or to think that kids aren't mature enough to handle certain subjects. But when it comes down to it, these are real issues that will most likely have to be faced by the kids eventually. To have a thoughtful and even gentle introduction, through the lens of a healthy friendship seems pretty ideal. She was so enthusiastic and intelligent. I can't wait to read the rest of her books.

The Remarkable & Very True Stroy of Lucy and Snowcap

Hmmm.... I am not quite sure where to begin. I was really looking forward to reading this book. In my mind it had it all: magic, adventure, history... But somehow, somewhere, it just fell flat. The characters were trite and the magic was forced and unbelievable. (And yes, I have found magic to be very believable in other books). It was a physically long book, but ultimately felt short, like nothing significant actually happened.

I was also surprised to find out that Lucy was supposed to be unattractive and large. She certainly doesn't appear that way on the cover of the book. That sort of superficiality is a big turn-off for me, especially in books promoted to children. It is basically telling the readers that the author will go as far as to WRITE about a character who isn't physically attractive, but not actually present any visual evidence. I guess it does have to come down to publicity at some point after all.