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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Sunday Spotlight - Eating YA Books

Today I have with me a blogger who teaches 8th grade and therefore reads a ton of YA books. I just love teachers (probably because I work with them all year round). Check out her blog below.


Name: Jan
Blog Name: Eating YA Books
Blog URL: http://eatingyabooks.blogspot.com

About me:

I am a woman who has worn many hats both past and present: a mother and a grandmother, a daughter and a sister; a communication arts teacher, a nurse, a military journalist, a student and college graduate, and a HUGE devourer of books. Each of these hats has defined me in some way and helped me evolve into the person I am today. Presently, I teach eighth grade, and of all my the jobs I have had, this is the one that I love the most. I currently reside in a suburb of St Louis, MO. When I retire in a few years, I would love to do some traveling and blog full time. My biggest dream is to someday visit New Zealand and Australia. My idea of a perfect day is to sit back in my study with a great book.

When and why did you start your blog?

I just began my blog last October. I use to have a school web site where every week I wrote a letter to my students discussing the books I was reading. Since I require my students to read independently all year and write to me about what they read, it was only fair that I do the same. However, the school site was very limiting, and I needed a challenge too. I also really wanted to share my love of reading on a larger scale. In addition, I wanted to hone my writing skills, which has become the bigger challenge because there are so many wonderful book bloggers whose reviews are so much better than mine. Still, without challenges in your life, life becomes boring ... all work and no challenges make Jan a dull girl!

What is your blog about? Any cool features you want to share?

I blog about middle and young adult literature. Since, I teach this age group I really try to stay current with what is out there so I can make recommendations to my students (although, I get some great recommendation from them too). Being a newbie on the book blog scene, I am still learning, so I do not have any unique features ... Yet! I am hoping to have a give away soon. I just have to figure out the best way to go about doing this. Any suggestions? I also want to start writing some feature articles. I love heading over to Chasing Ray and reading all the cool essays and features she writes. She is a very talented writer.

I do have a Book Battle page though. Several years ago, my school librarian and I started having book battles with our students. This evolved into an Area Wide Book Battle with over thirty area school participating including the other two middle schools in my district. The Book Battle committee meets every summer and chooses twenty book titles then write our own questions. Each May we host the Book Battle. It is a great way to bring our community together for the sole purpose of reading books. I use to keep information about the Book Battle on my school web site, but I moved it to my blog. Every week, I put a question of the week up for the schools to answer. This has been a lot of fun and a great way to help the schools get ready for the battle in May.

What are your favorite genres and or books currently?

I love young adult fiction. I really like fast paced books. I enjoy reading fantasy, science fiction, realistic fiction, adventure/mysteries, and paranormal fiction. I recently finished Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper and it is now one of my all time favorites. I was deeply connected to Melody, an eleven year-old girl with cerebral palsy. Other books that I have read that have left a lasting impression are Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte to name a few. I am also keen on all kinds of poetry from Shakespearian sonnets to e. e. Cumming. One of my favorite poets is Pablo Neurda, a Chilian poet, who writes terrific ode celebrating all manner of things from the onion to wine, socks, to atoms. Very cool!

How do you find out about the books you read?

Most recently, I find books from other book bloggers. I visit many blogs all week as part of my own blogging life. I also really enjoy browsing bookstore shelves. I could spend hours in a bookstore; it is a very calming feeling to hang out with so many books. Our school library is another place I find my books. Like most states the Missouri ALA has award winning books, (Truman, Mark Twain), and I check out the books that are on the Cybil’s site. Finally, many of my students recommend books they are currently reading.


Thank you Jan for stopping by and sharing more about yourself and your awesome blog. Keep it up!


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6 comments:

  1. This is a great post! I know Jan's blog and enjoy reading her reviews.

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  2. Thank you Kristen. I really appreciate the spotlight.

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  3. I really enjoyed reading this interview. I haven't heard of this blog before, so I'm off to check it out now!

    Emidy
    from Une Parole

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  4. Great Spotlight. It is always nice to learn about other book reviewer bloggers.

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  5. Liked your post. Someday I hope to write a book where the royalties will pay for the copies I give away.
    :-)
    Nikki

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  6. Wow! Great spotlight! I'm heading over to Jan's blog now :)

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