Holiday Craft - Beeswax Candles

We just finished making some very pretty beeswax candles. Not surprisingly, most were designated as holiday gifts, but I was surprised atthe diversity of intended recipients - everyone from friends to aunts to teachers. Since this was a fairly quick project to complete, we also decorated bags to complete the gift. Check some of them out below.

Happy Holidays!

What Mrs N's Been Reading - The King's Fifth

Went back and read an old one this time - Scott O'Dell's The King's Fifth, originally published back in 1966. If you've read Island of the Blue Dolphins or The Black Pearl, then you know that O'Dell does a nice job with historical fiction, with a young main character. The King's Fifth was true to O'Dell's reputation. This one has a young mapmaker on trial for cheating the Spanish king out of his share (the fifth referenced in the title) of gold that was found on an expedition to Mexico in 1541. During the course of that trial, he is also accused of murdering his superior officer. The story switches between his trial, and his recollection of events of the expedition. During the trial, officials at nearly all levels are trying to get in good with the boy, because it seems that he's the only one left alive who knows where the gold is hidden. The King's Fifth gives a good look at what it was like to be on one of those expeditions, both the physical conditions, and the way that the idea of lots and lots of gold affected some of the men psychologically. A good adventure story, with a likable main character. I recommend it!

Enjoy!

Guitar Hero World Tour Tournament

Just wrapped up our first Guitar World Tour Battle of the Bands Tournament. Eight teams of 2 (guitar and drums) battled to a thrilling conclusion, with Kody B and Aaron R emerging victorious and Jared M and Ryan M pulling out a second place. As purely an observer, never having actually played the game, it appears that the key is having a good drummer. With the popularity of regular Guitar Hero, there are a lot respectable guitar players out there. Finding a drummer seemed to be a whole 'nother story.

If you missed it, pics below. Watch for another one in the near future.

What Mrs N's Been Reading - The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie

Actually, I finished Jaclyn Moriarty's The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie a while ago, but just getting around to writing it up (in other words, the book just now bobbed to the surface of the piles on my desk, reminding me to take care of this.) This is the story of Bindy, an Australian teenager, who is a bit of an overachiever, with a really pushy father. She is temporarily living with an aunt and uncle. As a new school year starts, the usually top of her class, super organized, etc., Bindy seems to be spiralling out of control. As I was reading, I was thinking, "My goodness, I'm watching someone descend into a complete breakdown!" Basically I wish that the entire book had been more like the last 100 pages or so. Parts are funny, but I had a hard time getting behind Bindy's character. Frankly, she was pretty annoying. You can see why she had problems dealing with other kids at school. With the help of a group from a "Friendship and Development Project" class that is meant to provide "a life raft through the tricky seas of adolescence" we find out what is really happening to Bindy, but perhaps too late to safe her. That's that last 100 pages or so. There were some good twists and turns as the truth unfolds. Just wish the editor would have reeled in the first couple hundred pages and sped things up a bit.

Enjoy!

What Mrs N's Been Reading - A War of Gifts

Stepped outside of the Fredricksen Teen collection for a bit and read Orson Scott Card's A War of Gifts. I love Card's older stuff - Ender's Game is probably my all time favorite book, and I couldn't believe how good Ender's Shadow is, considering that you know going in how it's going to end if you've read Ender's Game. I also really liked his Tales of Alvin Maker series. I used to say that Card could rewrite the phone book and make it compelling reading. I had been hearing from other Card fans however, that he's been slipping lately - losing continuity in series' and getting a little preachy. I was hoping they were wrong. A War of Gifts is a quick read (only 126 pages) and it does present some interesting points. Unfortunately, my sources are right about Card getting preachy. Maybe my expectations of Card are a little high, but I just didn't enjoy this one like I have others. My recommendation is to skip this one, but if you haven't read Ender's Game yet, you definitely need to! I'd also highly recommend Ender's Shadow, and First Meetings in the Enderverse, as well as the three books that are direct sequels to Ender's Game - Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind, as well as the totally unrelated, Pastwatch. Enjoy those! Take a pass on A War of Gifts.

What Mrs N's Been Reading - The Off Season

Just finished Catherine Gilbert Murdock's The Off Season. It's a sequel to Dairy Queen, which I hadn't read. Not having read the first had absolutely no effect on reading this one. It's about D.J., a high school junior who lives on a dairy farm in the midwest. D.J. narrates and it reads just like a friendly farm girl is sitting next to you telling you her story, like you're old friends. D.J. isn't the type of high school girl that books generally get written about. She has been a star basketball player, and is hoping for an athletic scholarship, because she's not going to get an academic one. She is also a starter on her high school football team, and a linebacker, no less! The book is about a month or 2 in D.J's life as her family faces a few crises, her love life is a roller coaster, she suffers an injury, and her best friend moves away after being thrown out of the house by her mother. I enjoyed it - mostly because I liked D.J., but also because, although you weren't really left hanging with any ofthe story lines at the end, you also didn't get an ending that was tied up in a pretty little bow with everything working out like a sitcom or a movie of the week. In other words, I thought it was pretty realistic. If you're a middle or high school girl, but not the girlie type that so many teen books seem to be written for, check this one out - you'll probably enjoy it.

Guitar Hero Tournament Results

Just finished the first Guitar Hero Tournament of the school year. They always go well. We had 21 kids enter the tournament and a handful more that just came for the ambience, the board games, and the popcorn. Man, those final 3 kids were good! Chris K emerged as our grand prize winner with Aaron R coming in second and Brandon K a close third. A big thank you also, to Jared, the recipient of the "thanks for cleaning up midway through" prize. I love to see a man with a broom in his hands, especially voluntarily!

We'll be doing a 2 on 2 Guitar Hero World Tour Tournament in December. Watch for details, and see you then!

Pics from today are below.

What Mrs N's Been Reading - Repossessed

Just finished A.M. Jenkins' Repossessed. If you're open to exploring the possibilities of what heaven and hell might actually be like, this is a very interesting book. Kiriel, a fallen angel (don't use the term "demon" please) whose job has been to "echo souls regrets back at them, thus letting them feel the full burden of their shame, guilt and sorrow" for millenia, decides that he's had enough and wants to experience physical being. He snatches the body of Shaun, a typical teenager, seconds before he is about to be hit and killed by an SUV. Pretending to be Shaun, Kiriel sets out to experience all of the human senses and as many of the seven deadly sins as he can before being found out. Jenkins did a really good job of letting you feel what it would be like to suddenly have a physical body and senses, after millenia of being purely a spiritual being. There's some mature content, as Kiriel plans to experience some things. There's nothing graphic, though, and ultimately he winds up viewing some of those things in an entirely different way than how he started out. You might want to read this one with someone, because if you really get into it, you'll want to talk about some things, especially the ending. Not for young middle-schoolers, but an excellent book. If you're in the mood to get just a little philosphical, check it out!

What Mrs. N's Been Reading - First Shot and The New Policeman

I've been out for a bit while in the process of moving, and am a bit behind in postings. I (fairly) recently finished 2 good ones. The first one was Kate Thompson's The New Policeman. It is based on old Irish folklore about fairies. Everyone in the village of Kinvara seems to be far more rushed and behind then usual, and it seems to be getting worse. Young J.J. wants to give his mom the only thing she really wants - more time. An encounter with a neighbor from the village sets him off on a mission to find and stop a time leak in the land of fairies where time usually stands still. Along the way J.J. also clears up a mystery from his family's past involving the sudden disappearance and presumed murder of the local priest. There are a fair number of Irish terms used that you could get the general gist of the meaning of as you read, but a glossary is also provided at the end of the book (thank you!) Suitable for any age, it's a nice mix of fantasy and mystery that, being based on the Irish folklore, is a bit different from the usual fantasy. Chapters are incredibly short, so it's good for reluctant readers. And for those who are musically inclined, there is sheet music for old Irish tunes at the beginning of each chapter. A very good book with some different twists.

I also read Walter Sorrells' First Shot. I recently read, and liked very much, his Fake ID. First Shot was another good mystery. This one takes place at a private school in New England, where David is the unremarkable son of the strict headmaster. Events at the beginning of his senior year lead David to suspect that his father may have murdered his mother two years previously, an awfully tough spot for a kid to be in! While working to solve his mother's murder, David also uncovers some additional scandalous secrets. There's a little bit of language in this one, but not too bad and nothing graphic. I thought this one wrapped up a little too quickly at the end ( the old, "you have this many pages left - tie up all your loose ends now" ending) but still thought it was a very good mystery.

Enjoy!

Wii for Seniors

We just held our first Wii for Seniors program. It went so well that we will probably do it again. Members of the Teen Advisory Group were on hand to demonstrate and help out. A small, but very enthusiastic group of seniors got to play bowling, golf, tennis and baseball on Wii Sports and did a little shooting in Wii Play. We also had board games and the infamous Nerf ping pong available as well. It was a great afternoon! Pics below.