John Green is everything you think and MORE!

I went to every appearance John Green made at TLA2012. (Yes, I felt a bit like a stalker.....) When he spoke, he was witty and energetic, but mostly he was REAL. He doesn't seem to understand the following he has made with all of his novels, or at least he doesn't show it. The Quest High School Book Club has read Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, so I thought nothing about waiting in the LONG line to get their next read autographed by Mr. Green. I have been to many conferences with authors and you can tell a lot about them when they have signings or how they react when you ask for a picture. John Green treated every student, teacher, librarian and fan graciously. He made a point to make eye contact and ask how you were doing. He even signed diaries when young ladies in front of me asked him to. All in all, I think John Green is awesome, and well, his writing is pretty incredible too. He sent a video message to my students, he didn't seem to mind that I asked him to do so.

Through You by Jaime Lopez

I had the pleasure of meeting Jaime Perez at Region One last week. He is librarian and advocate of literacy for hispanic youth. This young author has written his first book, a historical retelling of his mother and father. He offered to come to one of my high school book clubs and do a book talk, then he said he would return to discuss the book with the students. I am so excited, I am sure my book club students will be just as thrilled. I just downloaded the ebook version of THROUGH YOU, I will keep you posted on the details!

WONDER

WONDER, by RJ. Palacio, is one of my favorite books this year. Auggie Pullman is not your everyday boy. He was born with a deformed face and has endured surgery after surgery. Even with the 27 surgeries he has had, Auggie still looks very different than everyone else. Home schooled all his life, Auggie's parents think it time for him to go to school in the traditional sense. Auggie's story will make you laugh and make you cry. This book is unforgettable..... I give this book 5 stars!