Triwizard Tournament 2018 in Downtown Oshkosh

As it would happen, geeky things pop up on my Facebook. I clicked interested and immediately I received a message from a friend who wanted to start a team. So I asked some of my friends. One said yes and we knew we had a team of 3. The tricky thing, though, is commitment. One friend flaked, but the other pulled together a team of awesome women to tackle this crazy task. And thus the "Wits Beyond Measure" were born!

The Caramel Crisp Corner Cafe in downtown Oshkosh put together this challenge, which consisted of a scavenger hunt of pictures as well as completing tasks at local businesses. Everything was within walking distance and we posted all of our tasks to Instagram. We weren't sure what we would win or how to win (besides points), but we were in it for the fun and excitement of the task set before us.

So Saturday morning we met up to receive our tasks and achieve greatness!

We had to complete the tasks in order, except when the Escape Room tasks got backed up. We were allowed to continue on to the next tasks and then return to the Escape Room. We took our Butterbeer Cookies and our directions and we were off on our adventure!

TASK 1: TEST YOUR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Task 1.1: Head to Bar 430 to complete a Quidditch task. We had to play a form of Beer Pong, called Butterbeer Pong, and we challenged another team. If you made it through the ring AND in the cup, there were bonuses. It was near impossible. Shockingly, I was actually really good at it. You couldn't bounce it. You had to throw it overhand into the cups. All that time practicing free-throws in the gym clearly paid off.

Task 1.2: We then had to go to the Market Boutique on Main and do some conversions into wizard money. I was so glad my friend Jennifer was there, because she's a mad math wizard!

Task 1.3: Then, to complete our Skills and Knowledge task, we went to Mojo's music and found the CD of the music by the Weird Sisters. Inside the CD was the directions to come up with our own jingle including the words wizard, spell, and our team name. Easy peasy.

TASK 2: RETRIEVE WHAT'S BEEN TAKEN

Task 2:1: At Mojo's we had to get the golden egg. Once our jingle was signed off on, we had to ask for the egg, which then had our riddle clue that took us Escape Oshkosh for our Task Two.

Task 2.2: So we went to the Escape Room. This is where things started to go pear-shaped. There was a huge wait. We were actually told by one of the organizers to go to the other tasks and then come back. So we did! When we finally came back to this task, we still had a bit of a wait, but it was a really neat experience. They split us up and we each had to solve a puzzle and then, through a door, solve the last puzzle to get us out. Oh... two were stuck in a cell in Azkaban. Teamwork at it's best!

Waiting....

Task 2.3: Before we went to the Escape Room, we went to House of Heroes, or local comic book store. We had to fulfill the task of organizing the potions by their ingredients. We had Felix Felicia (Liquid Luck), Polyjuice Potion, and the Love potion. My friend Jennifer's sister took care of that in quick order, while I filmed Jennifer riding a broom. And that was it for retrieving what had been taken!

TASK 3: TEST YOUR BODY TO RETURN A VICTOR!

Task 3.1: After House of Heroes we went over to Balance Oshkosh. It is a lovely clothing store and we were tempted to shop, but had a mission.... to answer the Quidditch trivia! Megan, Jennifer's sister, totally took care of all of that. Well... I knew when it started. So score one for me! Talk about a well-oiled-Potter-machine!

Task 3.2: Finally... we, um... had to actually test our body. We went to Marisa's Fit Boutique and went through a mini Boot Camp. Oh my goodness... the crunches... oh my goodness... the push-ups. There were jumping jacks and standing jumps and squats... oh the squats... Finally there were burpees. We had to do each task for 1 minute. I'm going to be honest... I didn't wear the bra for these activities and my underwear fell down under my pants. I am, though, proud to say that I did 2 burpees at my best skill level and then had to stop because my boobs were just not having it. I plan to be sore for a week. (We actually did this task and then went back to the Escape Room. This location was right by our final destination, so going back over to Escape Room was a bit more difficult than we intended.)

Task 3.3: All we had to do was return to headquarters and confirm we had completed everything (which we had).

Then they had some extra tasks to extra points. This is where a great deal of the fun really happened.

NEWT LEVEL TASKS: Post photos and videos to Instagram to get loads of extra points. (We weren't sure if we got an additional 5 points for each posting if we geotagged or if we just received a general 5 points. Either way, we tagged EVERYTHING!) We did these throughout our travels, during downtime, etc.

5 Points Each:

These kids were there and I told them if they were going to photobomb, just get in the photo!

FREE ELF!

Oh wait... mine are even better! FOR DOBBY!

10 Points Each:

Can't get more forbidden than this! It was even tucked away in the very back corner of the shop!

They had a toy broom! YES!

The lady was asking us what we were doing and thought it was so cool, we decided to invite her to the ball!

20 Points Each: 

The video didn't turn out, but I mashed up the pictures.

We're in the doorway! It counts as inside!

This guy was adorable. Wasn't keen on being filmed, but since it was Harry Potter, he was "THRILLED."

In the end, we had an absolute ball! I would do this again in a heartbeat! Absolutely wonderful! We arrived back at the cafe and checked in. They had us sign our little card with our number so they could call us if we won and off we went - accomplished, empowered, and hungry.

Later that evening, I got a phone call from a weird number in Oshkosh and my husband answered it. I heard our team name and immediately took the phone. Our team had won the Newt Level Prize for all of our amazing Instagraming! I didn't expect to win anything, but oh my goodness... we were THAT awesome! So here's to an amazing team that not only had fun, but also rocked it enough to win a gift certificate and popcorn!

From a Certain Point of View #5: "Reirin"

"Reirin" by Sabaa Tahir

Sabaa Tahir is best known for her fantasy work An Ember in the Ashes series. This short story is narrated by Carol Monda who is an award-winning voice actor.

Reirin is a Tusken Raider who needs to complete a mission by sneaking onto a sandcrawler and retrieve something from the Jawas' staff of junk. Reirin is written in the style of an internal monologue where she runs through her own battle of her position as a Tusken. She even gets to a point where she connects more with the item that she finds than she does with her own bantha. Reirin keeps pushing forward, though, continuing on her mission.

I really enjoyed this particular story, because it put me in the mind of a Tusken Raider. I loved the additive and the understanding. I also liked her chastisement of the farmer buying the droids. There are races in Star Wars that I don't know a whole lot about, so this particular story had the flavor and the personality that kept me interested.

From a Certain Point of View #4: "Stories in the Sand"

"Stories in the Sand" by Griffin McElroy

"Stories in the Sand" is written by Griffin McElroy who runs a weekly comedy advice podcast called My Brother, My Brother, and Me. It appears the show was picked up to be turned into an actual television show and has had some pretty renowned guests on it.  Jonathan Davis, our narrator, is a frequent narrator for many, many, many Star Wars books. As I looked for more on him, frontman for Korn kept showing up. Do not be mislead. Jonathan Davis is an award winning narrator without dreads. Check out his body of work on Audible.

Now... on to the story that I absolutely fell in love with. A little Jawa named Jot finds a droid from a downed bounty hunter ship and on it are videos on it's memory core from the hunter's travels. Jot becomes obsessed with the data videos he deals sees from the droid and watches them relentlessly, memorizing the beautiful world beyond Tatooine. Sadly, he has to erase the videos after watching, because it's part of his job repurposing junk for sale. His obsession, though, falls on every memory core he can find and he would sit for hours on end watching the beautiful images caught on the cores.

What I loved the most was the very WALL-E-esque nature of it - this type of fantasy world of escape that you can never have. Sadly, once you realize he is on the sandcrawler that also finds R2-D2, it leaves you just a little more heartbroken for poor Jot.

From a Certain Point of View #3: "The Sith of Datawork"

"The Sith of Datawork" by Ken Liu

"The Sith of Datawork" is by Ken Liu who is most notable for Science Fiction novel The Three-Body Problem. A compelling work that I highly recommend picking up. His style is predominately found in short story form, but as far as the Star Wars Universe goes, he is working on one of the junior series. His is The Legends of Luke Skywalker. As our narrator, we have another Star Wars Audiobook Narrator veteran, January LaVoy. I really enjoyed the cocky-attitude she brought to the main character. It probably emphasized and jazzes up the absurdities of the Imperial Navy.

This was the first story that I struggled putting into place in the greater canon of the universe. The point it serves, though, is that even the Empire has people that are just people. It gives them a face to understand and relate to. It is essentially a political vehicle full of forms and filings and massively absurd chains of command. "The Sith of Datawork" takes an expect dataworker and shows just how adept at her job she really is. Why wasn't the escape pod shot at? Well, here is the long list of reasons why it wasn't.

"The Sith of Datawork" is a cute addition and offers a bit more comedy to break up the darkness of the first two stories.

From a Certain Point of View #2: "The Bucket"

"The Bucket" by Christie Golden

"The Bucket" is written by Christie Golden. She is a Science Fiction author and wrote the Fate of the Jedi series. Marc Thompson is the narrator and while he has done numerous book narrations for Star Wars and others, he was also the narrator for the Fate of the Jedi series.

At first glance you might think the story is going to be about a droid, like R2D2 or something like that. It isn't. It is about a StormTrooper fresh out of the Academy who is part of the group invading the Tantive IV, or, more specifically, part of Vader's Fist.

TK-4601 (also known as Tarvyn Lareka) takes us through his youthful admiration of being part of the Empire and, specifically, Vader himself. He is essentially a kid who is beyond starstruck with his own luck being assigned for such a prestigious position: boarding a Rebel ship with Vader himself. Right away the story shows his own shock of being in battle when TK-4601 describes the death of Captain Antilles. It makes you cringe, but feels reminiscent of stories you hear from WWI or WWII when young soldiers first enter battle and little events introduce you to the gruesomeness of war.

As the story goes on, TK-4601 is the one who finds Leia and having engaged with her in a personal way, he realizes that he only feels comfortable fighting the "faceless" enemy. He requests a transfer from escorting her to Vader. The raw reflection of this trooper continues to initiate a meaningful perspective, adding to this memorable scene that, so early, captures all of our attention in the first film.

"The Bucket" is another story that I enjoyed and, as I read, I continued to expect the level of stories that "Raymus" and "The Bucket" had to offer. Like at this point in the movie itself... I was hooked!

From a Certain Point of View #1: "Raymus"

"Raymus" by Gary Whitta

"Raymus" is written by Gary Whitta. Whitta wrote the first draft of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He is also responsible for several Star Wars Rebels episodes.

"Raymus" is read by Jonathan Davis. Davis is a popular audiobook narrator. He has narrated over twenty-five audio recordings for Lucas Film Ltd. and Random House Audio, including Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. My husband knows him best from Max Payne.

"Raymus" is the story of Captain Raymus Antilles aboard the Tantive IV right after they have received the transmission of the Battle Star plans from Scarif. It follows the timeline from the escape to the boarding of the ship to the clasping of Vader's hands around his neck.

What I loved about the story was seeing Antilles story and learning about details that hadn't been there before. The story itself is heart-wrenching and shows his true dedication to Alderaan, the Rebellion, and, most of all, Princess Leia. The letters he writes to his family makes his final moments even sadder, especially wondering if his family will ever see them. The best part about all of this, though, is really filling in gaps to scenes that are so ingrained in our memory that it breathes new life into the past.

"Raymus" is a great start and a story that truly captures a "certain point of view."

Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View - Reflections Introduction

I immediately bought Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View and I was so excited to read it! I opened it and started glancing at and skimming a few of the stories, but as life always has it, I put it down and took up other things.

Despite being a Literacy teacher, I've haven't been picking up books a great deal for about the last 2 years. I've been going through a great deal of personal stuff and I found I was being more drawn to my writing than picking up 2-3 books at a time to consume. That doesn't mean I wasn't reading at all. I mean, HELLO, Lit teacher. Read alouds and reading student work and reading academic texts and all sorts of things. Finally, though, I decided it was time to stop listening to the emo music and put on my audiobooks.

I love full immersion reading: seeing and hearing the book. I almost always buy the audiobook as well as either a physical copy or an ebook copy. I always have a book for the car that I put on everyday and at this particular point, I chose to finally start From a Certain Point of View.

The audiobook is read by a full cast with sound effects and background music. Honestly, it makes the book that much more amazing. I am so glad I chose to read it as an audiobook.

After each story I would tell my husband what I liked or didn't like about it and it dawned on me that I could do little mini reviews of each of the stories after I read them. So I'll be doing From a Certain Point of View Short Story Reflections for all 40 stories.

I'm really looking forward to this and I hope it is at least somewhat entertaining.

My Nerdy Goal for This School Year

Each year I try to bring a bit more of myself into my classroom. Since finally embracing what I had been pushing away for so much of my life, I want to use it to my advantage as a teacher. It enhances my enjoyment in life and allows me to connect with students.

This year I chose to focus on my reading units in my classroom. My decision was inspired by a change in the subjects that I teach. I am first and foremost a Literacy teacher. My position, though, only covers 4 hours and not the required 5 hours (a total of 7 with 1 prep hour and 1 "team time" hour). So I always end up teaching one additional subject. My very first year I taught Science, but that was a rough year. My second year I picked up a 7th grade Literacy along with my 6th grade Literacy. Then I taught Social Studies and, in my sixth year, I am back with Science. Luckily our district just picked up a new program, so I am fully immersing myself in learning it and understanding it. We have all the resources and went through training and I am feeling really psyched. The only drawback is that my room is primarily a Literacy room, but that's my own issue to work through.

And yet... maybe it wasn't going to be an issue. I've always been drawn to Science Fiction. It is something that I absolutely love to read. Now, don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Fantasy, but I have found I am way more enamored with Science Fiction. In previous years I have catered to young adult realistic fiction, but with the flooded market and the rehashing of the same old things with new skins, I have a tendency to draw away from the market. Sadly, I found it very difficult to find Science Fiction directed at young readers that didn't just use the skin of Science Fiction as a vehicle for a different genre.

That got me thinking. . . how do we really define Science Fiction. I was shocked with what I learned. . .

Oh my goodness... no... absolutely not! Talk about pigeonholing an incredibly powerful genre of writing! Which got me to thinking. . . what if I gathered together a variety of different Science Fiction novels. . . I mean. . . all sorts of different types and let the reading groups pick what they wanted, but THEN they'd have to define what Science Fiction is. As a class we would do our own investigation into what makes Science Fiction Science Fiction! Let's say, too, that I'm straying away from the Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Science Fiction, because the kids have either read it or they have lost interest (primarily due to the movies being out).

The other benefit of this is for the girls. STEM is really being pushed in schools right now, because that's where the jobs of the future are. I am a woman teaching Science in Middle School, which leaves me with the position of fostering a love of Science and inquiry in my students. This is especially important for the female students, because research has indicated a sharp decline in an interest in Science once girls are in middle school. Having a daughter of my own, I want to help her understand all areas of life that are open to her, including all the amazing opportunities the field of Science can offer her. I especially love that The Girl Scouts of America offer STEM badges to really encourage girls to at least expose themselves to the field. I really hope I can reach some of our future Scientists with this unit and with my Science class!

So great! I have my unit. I am ready to go... oh wait... I don't have any books! I have some books, but... not enough for a group or enough for two classes! Even if I have copies borrowed from other school libraries I cannot find enough for my classes! I am going to need to seek funding.

Let the tears flow like Niagra Falls. I made a campaign on GoFundMe, because I really need these books. I also wanted to raise the money so I could purchase the books myself. See... when you're given money for your classroom, it's more a donation to the school and not to you, the teacher. That means all my books are checked into the school system and belong to the school. So let's say I leave the school for another position or, for whatever reason, I am just no longer at that school... I lose all of the books I used to create this unit. The unit materials would not follow me and I'd have to find all new materials! It seems minor, but I hate the thought of losing an investment like this.

I'll level with you... I am a very broke teacher. My household lives paycheck to paycheck just above the poverty line. I sink hundreds of dollars into my classroom and my students every year. Pencils, post-its, glue sticks, extra paper, project supplies, books, etc. I also teach a Tabletop Game Unit as a culminating unit with costs me a great deal out of pocket, but the burden is worth it for the experience of the students.  

Now, I hate begging for money. I always feel there are people out there more in need than I am, but right now... well... I care a great deal and am trying my best. I even asked authors whose books I have on my list to help me get the word out. Donate or don't, but please at least help me spread the word! It is honestly a worthy cause! Many of the messages in Science Fiction actually focus on society! Think about how that could impact our world!

So here I am... a week and some change for the doors to my classroom open to all the beautiful young minds eager to learn and I have nothing... $25 from my mom... what a nerdy thing to admit, but there it is. 

As my heart breaks... I make a plea to help me... please help me... to make this happen... spread the world, offer a wee donation... offer up copies of the books... anything helps...

CLICK ME TO HELP!

How my Geek Inspired a School

Our school has a goal to build a passion for Literacy! I'm part of an academic team that is trying to create monthly themes with weekly activities to engage Morning Meeting (Homeroom) groups in a Literacy activity. Literacy is composed of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It also includes Visual Literacy. Telling story through pictures and representing ideas through visuals is part of Literacy.

For the month of December I designed a Book-to-Movie themed activity using The Tale of the Three Brothers from J.K. Rowling's Tales from Beedle the Bard. It's also used in the Deathly Hallows movie. So my activity included doing a read aloud of the short story, then as a group the classes create their own visual story for the short story (I provide little squares with quotes from the book that they draw on and put the story in order), and lastly, they watch the video clip from the Deathly Hallows, which is read by Hermoine and is animated.

To help out some of the teachers who were consistently concerned about the amount of extra work that our Culture of Literacy activities were putting on them, I really wanted to relieve all the stress by making a read-aloud video that provided context, read the story, and gave discussion topics. So I made a video. It's rather amateur and I had to rush it (filmed it the morning after learning of the death of a family member so that I could edit it over Thanksgiving while we were with family for the funeral). Arrival on set was at 5:30AM (before almost anyone is even at the school and it still feels like midnight outside).

Here it is. I hope you enjoy and at least get a little laugh. It's supposed to be funny for Middle School kids.

It was pretty awesome and now I am known as "that YouTube teacher" for the kids who don't know me. Kids who knew me sought me out to tell me how awesome the video was AND give me high fives. I received some incredibly complementary e-mails from co-workers and it was just an overall great experience. They are so psyched for the future activities, it's amazing how they are excited about Literacy. Happy dances all around!

Just another addition to my crazy list of teacher geekery!

A Monster Calls

This past school year, I wanted to try to pick some books for Read Alouds that were unusual and fit me and the kids. I was a little frustrated this year, because it's hard to do a Read Aloud EVERY DAY! I mean, there just isn't the time to get everything done. So while I was looking for books to start the year off with, I stumbled upon a unique find: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.

What I first noticed was the cover and how it felt intriguing. I wanted to know more about what I was seeing. Then I read the back and it was about a boy who was dealing with his mother's battle with cancer. Talking about hitting me right in the kissah! It felt like something I could connect to. Something timely and intimate for me.

Finally, I looked at the chapters and they were all nicely portioned into manageable sections. So each chapter was the perfect length for a Read Aloud. Add in the gorgeous illustrations that I could put on the SMARTBoard from my Kindle copy of the book and we're in business.

It was the best book I could have selected to really get my kids into what we were doing. We were all so into it and looked forward to reading the chapter each day. I did the monster voice and the Kindergarten Walk when there were pictures to show that didn't show up on the Kindle book. When the book ended, my students were so frantic and full of thoughts and energy, we spent the class period reflecting and having group discussions. It was amazing!

One of my substitutes, who deviates from the lesson plan, looked up the book and noticed it was going to be turned into a movie. Well, the kids were so excited about it. So when my husband linked me the teaser trailer, I KNEW I had to make a lesson out of it. And here we are, the three rough days before Thanksgiving, indulging in critical analysis and reflection of a teaser trailer for a book we spent two months reading!

First I asked my students "If you were to make a trailer for A Monster Calls, what would you make sure was in it to lure the viewer to watch your movie?"  They made a list, making sure not to include any spoilers, but to make it engaging enough.

Then we watched the Trailer (twice, for good measure).

After that the students wrote about how they felt about the trailer (and why), what they were disappointed they didn't get to see (and why), and what they would have added to the trailer (and why). I tell you what, these kids need to be contacted by Hollywood, because some of them even created their own trailer and how it should be laid out. AMAZING!

Now, this was just a teaser, but the kids came up with so many wonderful ideas. Some of the kids were disappointed the trailer did not hint at 12:07 or that his mother had cancer. One of the students even brought up that the trailer made it seem like he was some sort of loner kid and was dealing with friendship issues. They also wanted the trailer to mention the stories or the tales that would be told and they were, all, upset that they didn't get to see the whole monster. Granted, they understood why they weren't going to see the monster.

I was shocked at the level of disappointment, but at the same time, they had such lofty ideas of what they wanted from the trailer. SO! Since it was a teaser, I told them that when the official trailer came out (probably during a holiday movie), we'd review our writing on this and watch that one, too, and discuss it. I'm all about visual literacy and helping the kids to apply their thinking and think deeper.

Loving the passion my classes have developed for Literacy of all sorts and that I'm helping to inspire them. It's been absolutely amazing! They were even planning on having a viewing party next year for the movie. Can't not be excited about that. So we'll see where things lead us.

If you haven't had a chance to read this book, I highly recommend it, because the book itself is absolutely amazing. My kids are concerned that the movie won't be as amazing as the book, but I think that's slightly unfair. I already am excited to see where they go with it.

Sherlock Christmas Special Teaser Trailer & Prediction

Like many people, I am a super fan of Sherlock. Love, love, love the show. I eagerly await all the bits and pieces of information that trickle in. I've always been a Sherlock fan, but this BBC series has me completely smitten.

So I've been watching all the little secrets and bits and pieces that have been released here and there. Finally, today, I saw the trailer.

Everyone is trying to figure out what the deal is with the trailer. We know it's set in Victorian times (Sherlock's original setting) and the characters are actually out and about in Victorian garb and Victorian London. One of the earlier predictions indicated they might be going to a costume party.

As if to join the huddled masses full of theories, I have devised a potential theory about the Sherlock Christmas Special!

As Watson has mentioned often, he writes a blog about his adventures. I think Watson was able to finally turn his writing into a novel and wrote a story about himself and Sherlock set in the 19th Century. That would explain some of the things that Sherlock says, especially talking about how he was created and even the mention of war.  The opening of the trailer talks about setting the stage and the curtain rising, which reflects the beginning of a story... a play, but this is too elaborate to be a play.

It could also explain where Watson tells Sherlock to put on the hat. They could be dressing up to go out for the book.

I don't know, I just thought that could be the key.... that John Watson finally turned Sherlock into a book. The trailer has a very story-like feel, with Sherlock's lines feeling unlike his typical Sherlock character persona.

Guess we'll see when all the fog and mystery is removed!

IGGPPC Camp 2015 - Camp Reading Game

1. Read with a child - We read with our daughter almost every night. Today her Ranger Rick, Jr. arrived in the mail and we read through it and she worked on her spelling and word recognition. Good times!

2. Super Hero Comic Book - I read Ms. Marvel, again, as part of the Comic Book Bootcamp Day 1.

3. Listen to an Audiobook - I'm listening to Armada by Ernest Cline (Ready, Player One) and it's read by Wil Wheaton. Seriously a fan of Wheaton's audiobooks. Started with his own publications and then I listened to him read Ready, Player One and Redshirts by Scalzi.

4. Read your favorite Kids Book - I read Calico Captive, which was one of my favorites as a kid. I remember laying in bed at night and my mom would read it aloud to me. I remember being snuggled under the covers and the big comforter and my mom was laying on her side on the left side of the bed reading it until I fell asleep. I can't remember how many times I read that book.

5. YA Novel - Calico Captive is a young adult novel. I can't wait to get it into my classroom.

6. Book with an animal on the cover - My daughter asked me to read her one of her Jurassic World books on her Kindle. She LOVES dinosaurs right now. So we read through it together.

7. Poetry - I have been rereading Shel Silverstein's Falling Up. Looking for some fun poetry pieces for Forensics this year.

8. Graphic Novel of your choice - March Book 1 by John Robert Lewis. A power graphic portrayal of one Civil Rights activist's struggle in America from his childhood through some of his most influential moments. Lewis shares the shocking details in a way that will grip young readers who are unfamiliar with the reality of what happened in our history, but also enforce the injustices suffered for those who are familiar with the events. Worth the read and a share. On to Book 2.

9. Book that deals with Diversity - March Book 1.

10. Non Superhero Comic Book - I've been participating in the Comic Book Bootcamp! Read Manifest Destiny and Lazarus. Loving the new comics. Totes inspired!


11. Goosebumps or Are you Afraid of the Dark? Book - Goosebumps #45 - Ghost Camp  I can't believe I did it! These books became really popular at the tail end of my appropriate reading age for these, so I wasn't ever really super into them. I was the Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine (um... pre-goosebumps) kid. I watched the show, though. Again, I was a little old at the time.

12. Book that takes place at camp - Goosebumps #45 - Ghost Camp. I now feel bad that I didn't read the watch-along selection.

13. Short Story #1 - The Hunter by Wil Wheaton

14. Read with a Pet - I read The Hunter with my Lessa-poos by my side. She's so cuddly and we share the bed together at night. Granted, she fell asleep while I read and snored like a chainsaw.

15. Short Story #2 - The Monster in My Closet by Wil Wheaton
After I had read The Hunter, I saw there was another short story by Wheaton, referenced in a review of The Hunter. Since I enjoyed The Hunter, I turned to this one. It was pretty twisted. The resolution was a bit too quick and could have been drawn out a little more, but the plot thread was really enjoyable.

16. Read an Essay - I read an essay about the importance of social skills to the success of students and how schools, especially for Kindergarten, should be focusing primarily on social skills and put academics more to the back burner. Social Skills are important, but social skills are life itself. School is for academics and studying. The social skills and social activities happen, but it shouldn't be the focus of school.

17. Post your pic of a book and your drink 

18. Book with a Pirate in It - As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride  It's a club book I've been meaning to finish! :-)

19. Read Outside - Finished reading As You Wish outside on the patio in my snugglie hammock!

20. Book from the Library - I checked out Fullmetal Alchemist. It was a manga I've been wanting to read and now was my opportunity. Loved it bunches and bunches. Want to keep reading!

21. Manga - Fullmetal Alchemist. I'd watched it on TV, but now I had the chance to read it!  Thanks library!

22. Book of Choice - Um.... You're Never Weird on the Internet.... because it's awesome and I've been waiting for it and literally purchased it on my kindle, hardback, and audio. I just like to have my reading bases covered!

23. Book with more than 300 pages - THE ABOVE! I mean, seriously, at this point I've been reading like a crazy person!

24. Read in your blanket fort

You can't really see us, but we were in our little blanket/table/pillow fort reading. I don't fit very well, but that's alright. Bed time stories are the best!  We've been reading My Little Pony: Pony Tales, Vol. 1.
(Picture didn't turn out and you can see certain bits that I'm not okay with....)