Wheatley Authors

Do these published authors look familiar to you? If you have been at Wheatly for at least a year, they should. Former students, professionally known as A and A Andrews have self published a book, The Will of the Chosen.(The A's stand for Andre and Andrew) It is a fantasy with a message to YA readers. The book was written over the past two years, ( that means they were 11th graders when they started) and according to the authors, it has been a wonderful journey. There is a website and a you tube video featuring music by another former Wheatley student(Sharif). We are fortunate enough to have multiple copies in the IMC for your reading pleasure. The book is also available for purchase on Amazon and I DOWNLOADED MY COPY to my Kindle. The authors will be here for the midterm experience to discuss how they self published their first book, so reading the book before they get here will greatly enhance your experience. I am off to bed now, Kindle in hand, to start reading!

Zombies vs. Unicorns

Zombies vs. Unicorns was an awesome compilation of many different talented authors. The stories alternate between zombies and unicorns. I liked that the "battle" between the two was not literal and just a battle of words. It was interesting to make the decision between the two, being swayed to either side by the stories. Some of my favorites included one about a unicorn who kills people and a zombie who just wants a friend. Contributors include Libba Bray (author of Going Bovine), Meg Cabot and Cassandra Clare. The symbolism between zombies and unicorns may be seen as good vs. evil. Zombies stand for death, destruction, sickness. Unicorns stand for pure innocence, healing and love. The stories stepped away from these stereotypes and many times the unicorn stories were darker and more about the evil side of life than the zombie stories. The zombie stories tended to be lighter and funnier. The book went deeper than just the "zombie vs. unicorn" battle and into teenage issues, like family, friendship and fitting in. The book had something for everyone and in the end you get to decide: Zombies or Unicorns?

Printz Awards- My favorite

The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association. The award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association. This link Mock Printz 2011 will take you to a list of the MOCK PRINTZ AWARDS created by the venerable BANK STREET SCHOOL. I always make sure to read all of the actual winners and the runners up. Some years are truely thrilling, some a puzzle, but the books generally have quite a lot to offer YA readers. How many on this list have you read? What books do you think are missing?