Monthly Archives: February 2013

Fireflies and Shooting Stars ~ a Chapter Book that Shines GIVEAWAY!!!

25 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in Chapter Book, Review

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

I had the pleasure of meeting Ed Raarup at the 2013 SCBWI Winter Conference in New York. I don’t usually read chapter books, but I was so impressed with the story, illustrations, and original songs (Broadway caliber!) for Fireflies and Shooting Stars  that I had to blog about it … and offer a FREE GIVEAWAY!

Cover for Fireflies and Shooting StarsFireflies and Shooting Stars “The Tale of Enzo”

by Ed Raarup,  Illustrated by Lindsay D. Nery

Fireflies and Shooting Stars is a heart-warming tale about Enzo, a little firefly who was born without a tail light.

It’s obvious Enzo is different from the other young fireflies, and the challenges this brings sets Enzo on a fantastic journey to find his own light. Enzo’s determination takes him on a magical flight of hope, understanding, and self-discovery, as he realizes the power of his uniqueness and the importance of accepting the differences in others as well as himself.

A Heart-Warming Story with Universal Appeal

What hooked me on this story was its universal appeal and positive message. I immediately empathized with Enzo, a firefly born without a tail light, and cheered for him on his journey to become whole. Though the true power of the story came when Enzo realized he doesn’t need a tail light, that his greatest gift shines from within. We are all “different” in one way or another, and the theme of self-acceptance and embracing the differences in others are important lessons to learn … at any age.

The luminous illustrations Lindsay D. Nery created  for Fireflies and Shooting Stars  (full-color throughout) bring Enzo and his family and friends to life, while drawing us into their magical world of fun and adventure. Their visual appeal add depth to the story, and shine in their own right.

Plus a Broadway Caliber Musical!

It’s rare that you find a strong story with musical accompaniment to match. Music plays an important role in (the story) Fireflies and Shooting Stars, and the accompanying CD is nothing short of amazing. The twelve original Broadway caliber songs are performed by professional talent. Seriously, folks. This musical score is on par with “Annie”, maybe better.

A Brilliant GivEaway!

For a chance to win a  copy of the awesome Fireflies and Shooting Stars, here’s what you do:

  1. Leave a  comment on this blog by midnight Sunday, March 3rd (1 entry).
  2. Tweet this blog post (1 entry).
  3. Share this blog post on Facebook (1 entry).
  4. In your blog comment, mention your tweets and shares (if any).

On March 4th, I’ll tally your score and enter your name once for each entry, then draw a winner at random and announce the winner on this blog Wednesday, March 6th.

NOTE: Sorry, but this contest is only for residents in the continental United States, due to shipping costs.

Are You a Movie Maven?

23 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by in Academy Awards, Movies

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

In Honor of the Academy Awards…

OutofAfrica

The following montage is created from the Academy Awards Best Picture Winners, starting with the first Academy Awards in 1929.

How many movie titles can you name?

Leave your Movie Maven score in the comments. The titles are listed at the end, but please, no cheating!

Academy Awards: Best Picture Oscar Winners from Nelson Carvajal on Vimeo. Music: “November” by Max Richter.

The Book that Rocked Your World

18 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in Reading, SCBWI, Story

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Young girl reading bookMagic happens at writers’ conferences… So it was no surprise that the air was sparkling with it at the “Practically Perfect” NY13SCBWI Winter Conference. Seriously. How could it not, with Julie Andrews (a.k.a. Mary Poppins) and her amazingly talented daughter Emma Walton Hamilton as keynote speakers?

Julie Andrews has been writing wonderful books for children for forty years–on top of launching the Julie Andrews Collection–and has collaborated with her daughter on 27 titles. To read the SCBWI blog on their presentation, go here: “It Takes Two”. You won’t want to miss it. It’s awesome!

What I wanted to talk about today came from a question asked of Julie Andrews after the presentation…

What book influenced you the most growing up?

A simple enough question … on the surface. But when I peeled back the layers of Open book with sparkles and light swirling outtime and re-experienced the feeling that one book gave me, hooking me on reading for the rest of your life…

Four words: It rocked my world.

That book opened a doorway to magic, imagination, and adventure, and I could go there any time I just by opening the pages. Pretty powerful stuff.

For Julie Andrews, that book was “The Little Gray Men“. She loves that story so much, that she brought it back into print in the Julie Andrews Collection. For the person asking the question, it was Julie Andrews’ first book, “Mandy“.

The House at Pooh CornerFor me it was “The House at Pooh Corner“. I was in the third grade, and the silliness of the story and clever misspelled words, like “rox” and “Wol” won me over instantly. And all the endearing characters were my new BFFs.

My fourth grade teacher read “Charlotte’s Web” to our class, and I fell in love with Wilbur and Charlotte. I’d never really cared much for pigs until then, and I’d been terrified of anything spidery. One story changed all that.

There have been many books since… But “The House at Pooh Corner” will always be my first; the book that was the key to a world of wonder.

How about YOU…

What book rocked your world?

Don’t be shy. You’re among friends here.

And don’t be afraid to tell us about more than one treasured story that changed your life!

Rom-Coms ~ The Lighter Side of Love

09 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by in Humor, Love, Rom-Com

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

???????????????????????????????????????Shakespeare was the first writer to popularize the Romantic Comedy (Rom-Com) with A Midsummer Night’s Dream and his other comedies. Who knew?

The invention of moving pictures brought back the Rom-Com craze, reaching new heights in the 1930’s and ’40s with such screwball comedies as Bringing Up Baby, Some Like it Hot, and It Happened One Night.

Rom-Com fever faded away for a few decades, then made a big comeback in the 90’s with Pretty Woman, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and While You Were Sleeping to name just a few.

One of My Fave Rom-Coms: Never Been Kissed

NeverBeenKissed4Some people wish they could go back to high school, knowing what they know as an adult. Twenty-five year-old copy editor Josie Geller (Drew Barrymore) gets the chance to do just that, with the opportunity to nab a story on the state of America’s youth for her Chicago paper. The only problem is, Josie was a total geek in high school, which her brother Rob (David Arquette) reminds her of … along with her nickname: Josie Grossie.

Josie has no choice but to enroll in high school and face her nerdy demons. But sheNeverBeenKissed2 soon learns that the seven years since her graduation didn’t bring her any closer to coolness. She quickly befriends Aldys (Leelee Sobieski) the bookish mathlete, and gets her handsome English teacher Mr. Coulson’s (Michael Vartan) attention by reciting a romantic except from Shakespeare in class. While Josie is geeking out, a rival paper scoops the underage drinking and teen promiscuity story, and Josie’s boss is livid.

To land the story that will save her job, Josie sets out to infiltrate the cool girls’ clique, only to end up making a bigger fool out of herself in front the cool kids and her English teacher at a local club. She’s left branded as a Loser. Literally.

NeverBeenKissed3Rob, the ultimate Cool Dude, hears of Josie’s latest escapades and intervenes by enrolling in high school. True to form, Rob instantly becomes Mr. Popular, giving Josie the street creds she needs to win over the cool girls and get Guy — the hottest boy in her class — crushing on her. Sparks start to fly between Josie and her English teacher, and as her feelings deepen for Mr. Coulson, her boss turns up the heat, demanding a defamatory article on inappropriate relationships between teachers and their students.

The path Josie takes to acing her story with integrity, and winning the guy of her dreams, is as empowering as it is satisfying.

What’s Your Favorite Rom-Com?

We all have at least one Rom-Com we love to watch (over and over). I have several. In honor of Valentine’s Day, come clean and shout it out!

Don’t be shy.

To know you (and your rom-com fave) is to love you.