Back at the Keyboard Again...

It's been awhile since I've blogged. Truth is, I've had a lot going on in my life. Things...I don't care to blog about. And, because I know myself all too well, I know if I blog while I'm going through something, part of it is going to leak out in my writing. I didn't want that, so I didn't write at all (other than for myself, where no one sees it but me). Now, while I realize we live in a world where people want to talk, tweet, blog, and post about every little detail of their lives, it isn't my style. I have nothing to hide, I just don't believe everything that happens in my life, or flashes through my mind, needs to be blurted out to the world. Just call me old-fashioned. ;)

While I haven't been blogging, I have been reading. Of course, right? Before I blog about some of the books I've read lately, I would like to finish up my take on the Caroline B. Cooney series about Janie. I finished it up some time ago, but Janie's name has not yet faded from the lips of my sixth graders. In fact, what started out as a 'Girls' Book Club' book has now crossed gender lines and book club lines.

The excitement about the series is still going strong as students who are reading the series have passed on their enthusiasm to other students. Everyone, of course, wants to start with the first one. All my copies of the first book are currently checked out, and I have other students waiting for my extra copies of different books in the series so they can continue their read. It's fabulous to see students excited about reading and having conversations about what they read!

I really liked the entire series. While I don't have a favorite of the set, I will say that The Voice on the Radio held a special kind of suspense I enjoyed. I also loved how Cooney decided to end the series when she wrote Janie Face to Face. The only drawback to the final novel was the author decided to revisit some of the old information from the previous novels. I understand the reason for it, of course. The fourth book, What Janie Found, was published in 2000. After her readers begged for years to know what happened to Janie after that, Cooney decided to write the fifth book. It wasn't published until 2013. I can understand the need to reflect on the past stories for those who had not read the series in many years. For me, who read them in order - one right after the other - I found myself skimming a few pages because I already knew the detailed background and didn't need the summary. Still, I enjoyed it and really enjoyed the suspense of the series' conclusion. Cooney did an excellent job of giving the reader what they wanted - well, at least, what this reader wanted. Many sixth graders agree with me.

In other news...

School is almost out for the summer. The students have three and a half more days. Teachers have five more days. I'm looking forward to my summer break, which means more time to read, more time to travel, and more time to play outside with my camera. It also means more time to write.

I look forward to sharing my summer adventures - in books and in travel - with you!