Blog Countdown #10…

Road Work Ahead

Due to technical difficulties (see below) this blog has moved to Booktalking. Please click here and sign up for a daily digest email of the Booktalking blog. It’s the widget on the right that says “Send me this blog via email.”

Q. Why are you moving your blog during the busy holidays?
A. Two reasons:
1. I’m being innundated by foreign language spam.
2. The Feedburner subscription service has locked me out.

This means that while others have found me (in a BIG way!) I can no longer find you. I can’t access my subscriber lists. I’ve had the same login since 2006, but Feedburner was sold to Google and now my passwords no longer work!

I have to START OVER.

1. I will consolidate ALL 8 blogs into 1 at Booktalking.
2. I will count down this week and next (from 10-1)…and then close this blog.

Please click here and sign up for a daily digest email of the Booktalking blog. It’s the widget on the right that says “Send me this blog via email.”

Thanks!
Anastasia

Copyright © 2011 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Feel the Force!: Full of Pop-Up Physics Fun

Super Science: Feel the Force!: Full of Pop-Up Physics Fun
by Tom Adams (Author) and Thomas Flintham (Illustrator)
20 pages

Booktalk: Looking for a book for a young scientist? This fun pop-up book explores key areas of physics: friction, gravity, light, sound, magnetism, electricity and more. (And it has 6 simple experiments, too.)

Snippet: On the UNDER PRESSURE pages, one of the pop-ups is a bald guy with a big mustache on a bed of nails. (I kid you not!)

When an illusionist lies on a bed of nails, his or her weight is spread across thousands of nails, so it doesn’t hurt. The hard part is getting on and off…

Here is a look at the FORCING IT pages:

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
This week’s STEM Friday Round-up is hosted by Archimedes Notebook

My NEW picture book is Road Work Ahead (Viking)
Copyright © 2011 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Galaxy Games: The Challengers

Galaxy Games: The Challengers
by Greg R. Fishbone (Author)
352 pages

Booktalk: Things are looking up for Tyler Sato (literally) as he and his friends scan the night sky for a star names for him by his Tokyo cousins in honor of his eleventh birthday. Ordinary stars tend to stay in one place, but Ty’s seems to be streaking directly toward earth at an alarming rate. Soon the whole world is talking about TY SATO, the doomsday asteroid. (Meanwhile an alien girl comes on a secret mission to earth trying to find a way to win the Galaxy Games.)

Snippet: During the night, a tiny creature had crawled out of Tyler Sato’s right ear–or so the fat, inch-long footprints across his pillow seemed to indicate. Tyler traced the path with his finger across the bedsheet to the wall. From there the footprints zigged and zagged through a field of NFL football cards like a running back headed for the end zone.

BONUS! See the video!

My NEW picture book is Road Work Ahead (Viking)
Copyright © 2011 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Piper Reed, Rodeo Star

Piper Reed, Rodeo Star
by Kimberly Willis Holt (Author) and Christine Davenier (Illustrator)
160 pages

Booktalk: Piper’s parents are going on vacation to France and not taking the whole family. What rotten luck! What will they do about Christmas?

Snippet:
“Where will we stay while you’re in France?” I asked.
“Piney Woods,” said the Chief. “You girls can have a nice visit with your grandparents.”

My NEW picture book is Road Work Ahead (Viking)
Copyright © 2011 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6: Cabin Fever

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6: Cabin Fever
by Jeff Kinney (Author, Illustrator)
224 pages

Booktalk: Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he’s innocent. Or at least sort of.

The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he’s going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for the holidays?

Snippet: Most people look forward to the holidays, but the stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas just makes me a nervous wreck. If you make a mistake in the first eleven months of the year, it’s no bog deal. But if you do something wrong during the holiday season you’re gonna pay for it.

BONUS! See the video!

My NEW picture book is Road Work Ahead (Viking)
Copyright © 2011 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift (Remarkable People)
by Anita Yasuda (Author)
24 pages

Booktalk: Singer and songwriter Taylor Swift is the youngest artist in history to win Entertainer of the Year at the Country Music Awards.

Snippet: Taylor’s friendly and outgoing image has earned her fans around the world. She is known to stay hours after shows until she has signed autographs for her fans.

**Anita is one of my former students!**

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up host is A Curious Thing

My NEW book, The Zombie Project (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128)
Copyright © 2011 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

STEM Friday: Plants Out of Place

Plants Out of Place (Let’s Explore Science)
by Courtney Farrell (Author)
48 pages

Booktalk: When plants are moved to a new region, it can disrupt the food chain and cause the new plants to become invasive.

Snippet: Nonnative plants are not usually eaten by local herbivores. The animals that ate the nonnative plants often do not live in the new region.

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
This week’s STEM Friday Round-up is hosted by Dig This Well!

My NEW picture book is Road Work Ahead (Viking)
Copyright © 2011 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Animal Rescue Team: Show Time

Animal Rescue Team: Show Time
by Sue Stauffacher (Author) and Priscilla Lamont (Illustrator)
160 pages

Booktalk: The squirrels at Mt. Mercy College are getting too friendly—they’re frightening the students, making the nuns jumpy . . . and they’re super messy. It’s time to call the Animal Rescue Team!

Meanwhile, Keisha’s got a problem of her own. The Grand River Steppers jump rope team has a chance to win first place in their school district this year, but Keisha’s so nervous, she keeps messing up!

Snippet: Keisha stared at her plate. Mentioning jump rope practice had made her lose her appetite.

My NEW picture book is Road Work Ahead (Viking)
Copyright © 2011 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

The Traitor’s Smile

The Traitor’s Smile
by Patricia Elliott (Author)
308 pages

Booktalk: As the French Revolution rages around her, wealthy and beautiful Eugenie de Boncoeur is no longer safe in her own country. She flees the bloody streets of Paris for her cousin Hetta’s house in England. But the evil Pale Assassin is determined to make her his wife. How can she escape both the assassin and the guillotine?

Snippet: A carriage was swaying over the packed earth of the Place de la Revolution, where only the day before the people of Paris had executed their king and celebrated the birth of their new republic.

My NEW picture book is Road Work Ahead (Viking)
Copyright © 2011 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

I Can Read Carnival + The Dragon Stone

Welcome to the November 2011 I Can Read: A Carnival for New Readers

Join us for this monthly meme that celebrates easy readers and illustrated chapter books to encourage kids working to become successful readers.

Around the middle of each month, we’ll collect reviews of easy readers and/or short chapter books. Each host picks a 3 to 5-day window where visitors leave links to favorite easy readers and illustrated chapter books, offer tips or ideas about reading with new readers, or personal stories with memories or experiences with the kids in your life.

Don’t have a post that fits those criteria this month? Not a problem, your review can be from the previous year. So in November 2011, feel free to pull a post going back to November 2010! To learn more about Easy Readers and Early Chapter books, click this link.

Please leave your links in the comments and I will add the to the roundup from November 15-17. (If you have not commented on this blog before, your comment will need to be approved. Thanks!)

And now for my early chapter book…

The Dragon Stone (The Rocky Cave Kids)
by Dian Curtis Regan (Author) and Stacy Curtis (Illustrator)
83 pages

Booktalk: While searching for a glimpse of a rare Spinosaurus rumored to be in Rocky Creek, Miggy discovers an even-rarer Dragon Stone.

Is the stone’s magical power really meant for Miggy alone? Even if the very existence of the Clan is in danger? How brave can a cave girl be?

Snippet:
“Guess what?” Miggy said, excited to show her prize to Stone. In a flash, she remembered what else the grannies had said about dragon stones: they bring luck only if their owners keep them a secret.

Playing by the Book joins the carnival with Three Books by Atinuke

NC Teacher Stuff reviews the charming early reader The Abandoned Lighthouse

My NEW picture book is Road Work Ahead (Viking)
Copyright © 2011 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.