Happy Holidays!

Have a great vacation and Happy New Year, Chicklitters! We have the book Looks in the library. Come get one before break.

Our December holiday meeting to discuss Cut went well, even though the subject matter was not exactly holiday material. Please return your copy if you haven't done so already. Lynette Bragg was the lucky winner of the YA short stories.

Our next meeting is January 26. Hope to see you there!

December Meeting

Santa or someone is coming to the December 15 meeting, when we'll be discussing Cut. Please remember to bring your books with you so I can send them back to Mainely Girls before vacation. :)

Thanks to the Junior Assisticants, we had a lemon tree loaded with questions about Make Lemonade. The discussion was lively and we welcomed a few new chicks to the circle. Mrs. Deraps and I continue to be fascinated with everyone's ideas and input. You girls rock!

If you can, read Cut quickly as we have several people waiting for a copy (including me). See you in the library.

Next in November

We had a great October meeting with 20 participants! There wasn't an Ugly to be seen as we discussed Scott Westerfeld's post-apocalyptic world. Seven girls couldn't make the meeting, and one more has since signed up, so Chick Lit is going to need one ginormous henhouse. We'll meet on November 24 to discuss our next book, Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff. We got 16 copies from Mainely Girls, so obviously the quicker you can read yours and return it to the library, the sooner more Chicks can read it.

For those of you interested in reading the sequels to Uglies, the middle school library has the series. Mrs. Buckley can get them for you on an inter-library loan. See you in the library!

Reminder!

Don't forget our next meeting is Monday, October 27. PLEASE bring your copy of Uglies with you so I can return it ASAP. AND remember to sign up for the last bus so it won't get cancelled! I'm really looking forward to talking about this book with you and hearing your ideas. Do you know we've had 27 people read it? Wow! A record! Hope to see every one of you there.

What's Next?

We should be getting Uglies next week. 13 Reasons Why was the first choice, but it will be second on our reading list (another school has it). Please come see me between 10:30AM to 5 PM M-Th or 10:30-2 Fridays to pick up your copy. Our next meeting is set for October 27.

First Meeting, 2008-09

Hi, Chicklitters! We're meeting on September 22 at 2:15 in the library for our first meeting of the year. Bring a friend! We'll have snacks and vote on the books we'll be reading.

I'm looking forward to seeing you!

Farewell to Marina and Brittany!

On behalf of Chicklitters everywhere, I want to thank our "senior co-captains" for doing an amazing job ! Both Brittany and Marina had great insight into the books we read, asked pertinent questions, and were a total joy to join us in the group. They will be missed, but are going on to fabulous things on both oceans! XXOO and and thanks to them both!

I also want to thank Mrs. Deraps for being a perfect partner. All the staff and students who belonged are a huge asset to Mt. Blue High School, and I looked forward to every Monday meeting. I hope you all will join us next fall for more reading adventures. Invite a friend.

And so far, I have not decapitated my "star angel." She's presiding over my desk at home. Thanks again for a fabulous year. Have a super summer!

This is the end...

Not really, but our last meeting will be May 19, when we will be discussing Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. This book has been named an American Library Association Top Ten Book for Young Adults. There are a few copies available in the library. Come see me in the library after 10:30 A.M. if you need a book.

We talked about Hanging On To Max, which made quite a few of us cry as we read it. There was discussion how we would rewrite the book if we could. Most everybody wanted Sam to keep Max, and have his dad play a larger role in raising the baby. Conversation turned to the parenting program here at Mt. Blue, where teen dads are encouraged and supported in their efforts to take care of their children. The hardships of parenting, teen and otherwise, was discussed, with a few hair-raising (or head-tipping or naked) baby stories used as examples. The Chicklitters decided they'd like to delay motherhood until the time is right.

On April 29, representatives of MBHS Chick Lit have been invited to meet with the MBMS book club and their mentors to introduce them to the Mainely Girls program. We hope to grab some new chicks for next fall!

Spring?

Despite the snow, the Chicklitters got into prom mode with a discussion (and corsages!) of Laurie Halse Anderson's Prom, plus we celebrated Mrs. DeRaps birthday with a butterfly cake courtesy of Mrs. Gordon. A lot of the girls (and adults) identified with Ashley's original attitude about the whole promania that seems to overtake high schools this time of year. The girls also said something that made the staff feel pretty good---our teachers and administrators are a whole lot better than those in Ashley's school. The book was a big hit, and everyone got to listen to my prom night disaster of the broken spaghetti strap. :)

Our next meeting will be the first Monday right after vacation, April 28. Our book is Hanging On To Max. See the link below in January's post for more information about it. As always, everyone is welcome to join us. If you have a friend you think would like to sit in our meeting, please invite her!

March Meeting

Don't forget to stop in the library after 10:30 to get our March book, Prom. We'll meet next on March 31.

Awesome Book!!

I don't know about everyone else, but I loved Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You. Parts of the book dealt with a topic that I am very familiar with, and that is the definition of art. We often get into discussions in art class about this issue, and just like in the book, it causes a lot of Hal. Well, I am very excited for our meeting today and hearing more opinions on this specific topic.

February Update

Our next meeting is Monday, February 25 to discuss Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You. Laurie Halse Anderson's Prom is our next read. Have a great vacation! See you soon.

January Meeting

Great discussion once again on A Northern Light. We decided Donnelly tackled a lot of subjects---the role of women, racism, murder, love, family histories, education---seamlessly and with moving prose. Please feel free to add your take on the meeting in the comments!

Up for February is Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You (There's been a change in book order). Click onto the title above to find out more about the book. The books have arrived and are in the library---stop in to pick one up after 10:30 A.M. Hanging On To Max by Margaret Bechard should be next. Click onto the link and see the review on Teenreads.com. and you can read the first chapter to whet your appetite.Our next meeting is Monday, Feb. 25. Hope to see you there!