Mom's Not All

Teaser Tuesday - Eve's Diary

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

This Week's Teaser Tuesday comes to you from Eve's Diary, Complete by Mark Twain. This has been a fun read so far.

" In this way I have saved him many embarrassments. I have no defect like this." ~ page 23

and

"When I found it could talk I felt a new interest in it, for I love to talk; I talk, all day, and in my sleep too, and I am very interesting." ~ page 19

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser Tuesday ~ A Mercy

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

We all hear footsteps climbing the path, I am still busy in the closet, and although I cannot see who enters, I hear the talk ~ page 112

and

Galloping along, he was sweating so heavily his eyes salted and his hair matted on his shoulders. Already October and Regina was drenched and snorting ~ page 6

Lost and Found Trailer

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

LOST AND FOUND - Adapted and Directed by STUDIO AKA's PHILIP HUNT - is a beautiful story based on OLIVER JEFFERS award winning children's picture book. This is a beautiful trailer, it makes me both want to read the book and watch the full movie which is exactly what a trailer should do.

LOST AND FOUND Trailer from STUDIO AKA on Vimeo.

Teaser Tuesday Molly Moons Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

"and how much would you sell that scarred green stone for?"
"the dirty green stone?" the small Molly piped up. "Don't buy that stone!" ~ page 250

and

"Don't bother trying to outdo me," and Waqt. "I'm invincible..." ~ page 68

Book Review - Public Schools are Archaic by M.R. Ussery EdD and S.R. Pargman

Sunday, July 18, 2010

For those of you who don't know I live in New Orleans, Louisisana. Do I need to tell you the schools are bad there? Probably not, you have probably heard it somewhere a news story or possibly it's just one of those known fact/rumors that are mentioned in random school discussions throughout the country.
Fact, New Orleans public schools (and a fair share of the private ones) are bad, bad as in children do not learn to read and to math let alone anything else useful while in the New Orleans Public School System. Using a rating system where 100 is most children are working at grade level there is a school in New Orleans with a 12 many more in the 20's and 30's*. I ask you exactly what is it that a 12 school is teaching their kids if 100 is just grade level? Does a 12 school teach them how to beg for change on the street corner because I have a hard time envisioning a better future for those kids with that kind of education.
As you can see I was very eager to read Public Schools Are Archaic when I received it to review from the author. Mr. Ussery's ideas are not exactly new in fact they are simply common sense aren't they? Reward students for their actions by making those actions "count." It blows my mind how simple and seemingly obvious this concept is and yet how far away from it our current education system has veered.
Teaching students through doing, not lecturing or testing or writing it out 100 times but actually DOING. How brilliant! Think back in time when instead of learning a basis in everything we learned the details in one or two things we would go out in the field with our parents, get our hands dirty mending fences and plowing the earth, DOING. Or maybe we would apprentice with the cobbler or seamstress cutting fabric, molding leather DOING until we had absorbed the skills to make the trade our own, For hundreds and thousands of years people have learned by doing so why is it that we have an education system that has evolved into grading us on sitting and memorizing.
Why don't we give credit (real honest credit that "counts") for Drama, Football, Spanish Club, Service Clubs and all the rest? We encourage our children to participate in these extra-curriculars why? Because they enrich their lives, they teach skills and they get them ready for the real world why then do they not count for credit toward graduation? Using the system put forth in Public Schools are Archaic all of these real life DOING activities would count. That simple step would make so much difference combine that with getting rid of standardized tests (also in the book) and you have a recipe for success.
I hope with all my might that Mr Ussery's system or one like it does make its way into the public education system, these changes can only be for the better. It is a daunting task but a whole system overhaul is needed and the ideas laidout in Public Schools are Archaic just might be able to pull it off.

* this info comes from the booklet that the New Orleans school system puts out each year to inform parents of the schools in the area.

Summer reads to be proud of

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Do you want something light but thought provoking this summer? Something you can read on the beach but not be embarrassed when someone spots you reading it?

The Huffington Post has put together a great list of some books for you.

Check it Out Here.

Book Review - The Time Bike by Jane Langston

Friday, July 16, 2010

I picked up The Time Bike by Jane Langton at Beth's Books in New Orleans. I was on a mission for books to fulfill my current reading challenges though this is the only book I found it was a good find. The Time Bike is the sixth novel for children in the Hall Family Chronicles. I haven't read any of the others but having previously worked in a book store I had heard of them when I found The Time Bike on the shelf and knew it was a time travel series and so perfect for the Time Travel Reading Challenge.
In this novel we follow Eddy and his sister Eleanor as they travel through time on a magical bike that was sent to Eddy mysteriously when his regular bike was stolen. This book would make a great introduction to the world of time travel and fantasy. Although I could tell there were some things that had happened to Eddy and Eleanor that I wasn't privy to having not read the other books in the series I was easily able to follow the story.
Now I am on a new mission to find the other titles in the series, more Eddy and Eleanor adventures await.

This takes care of another requirement for the Time Travel Reading Challenge hosted by At Home With Books