Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Blog Post by a favorite author - Libba Bray

Libba Bray: Why I Love Disney World

Today at 9:00am
In today's guest blog, Libba Bray --- author of the bestselling Gemma Doyle Trilogy --- recalls a surprisingly memorable family vacation that made its way into the plot of her new book, GOING BOVINE (out in stores this week), and shares some of the poignant questions she grappled with while penning this deceptively quirky story. When I was a kid, Sunday nights were all about “The Wonderful World of Disney.” The routine was this: We finished dinner, got in our pajamas, and settled down in front of the TV to see what adventures awaited us in living color. From the moment Tinkerbell zipped across the screen, trailing stardust, and blessed the Cinderella castle with the tip of her wand, I was transfixed. Transported. Transformed. I wished I could live in “the happiest place on earth.”By the time I finally made it to Disney World, I was an adult, a mom, a New Yorker, and, by my reckoning, way too ironic and cool to enjoy the place. No way was I going to get sucked into this cultist, happy-happy-joy-joy theme park business. From the minute we pushed through the turnstiles, it was like I’d been dropped onto another planet --- a very clean, very colorful planet inhabited by smiling mice in polka dot bows and waving chipmunks the size of linebackers. Surreal is the word I’m looking for. I didn’t know quite what to think. I called a friend back in New York. “This is officially the weirdest place I have ever been. It is an alternate reality. Goofy just hugged me. Honestly, it’s going to take a lot of therapy.”“Mmm-hmmm. You sound like you love it.”“Just for that, I’m not going to bring you home any ears with your name on them.”By the afternoon, my husband, son, and I were all wilting from the Florida heat, and so we decided to take refuge on the It’s a Small World Ride, the ultimate Cheese-O-Rama experience, like being beaten to death with the sheet music for ‘Kum-ba-yah.” My inner snark started twitching the moment I heard, “It’s a world of laughter a world of tears…” drifting up from below.I turned to my husband. “Please kill me.”“You’ll live,” he said back.“That’s what I’m afraid of.”When we made it to the ramp and I saw the water, the phrase, “River Styx” drifted through my head. I made up a whole scenario in which cheerful Disney “cast members” were actually readying us for death and the voyage to the Greek underworld. We filed onto a barge and were set afloat on a ten-minute ride through a United Nations of puppet children singing that unbelievably catchy theme song. Oh. My. God, I thought. This is so creepy! And hilarious! And (shhh, don’t tell) kind of awesome. Then I looked over at my six-year-old son. His face was aglow with wonder. Open-mouthed, eyes bright, he took in everything and grinned. And in that moment, I let go. Such joy really can be contagious. I was overcome by a feeling of pure happiness, of being here now and not elsewhere, a feeling of connection. It was the best vacation ever. I guess it really is a small world, after all.Years later, when writing GOING BOVINE, I wanted Cameron to have a connection to Disney. I let that be his favorite vacation ever, and I let Disney World and the Small World ride play a significant part in his story. In a strange moment of kismet, there is a Don Quixote character on the Small World ride. (GOING BOVINE is based, in part, on DON QUIXOTE.) Life is full of weird, magical moments. And not all of them happen at Disney World.So what about you? What’s the best vacation you can remember? What do you feel makes life meaningful? Do you think there are alternate realities in which another you is living out a different existence? What fills you with joy and wonder? What do you think happens to us when we die? And how would you live your life differently today if you knew you didn’t have much time?These are just some of the questions I wrestled with while writing GOING BOVINE. I hope it will give you some things to think about. But mostly, I hope you will enjoy the ride.-- Libba Bray

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Teen Ink Contest

New Teen Ink writing contest. Details on Facebook page. Must be 13 to enter.
Subject: Back to School Contest!"Hey Teen Inkers! Make sure to check out our new contest: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?invites&eid=138728964532

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Welcome to Grade 7 ELA

I am excited to be joining you at WJPS in two weeks. This year will be challenging and exciting. Every student is required to become a member of this blog and check it daily. You will find it to be a great resource - for re-capping daily lessons, for homework and project info, and for tools to help you grow into strong readers and writers.
All students must provide Mrs. Marks (SMarks4@schools.nyc.gov) or Mrs. Moreno (mary.moreno@att.net) with your preferred email address. We can then invite you to join the blog and by accepting the invite, you will be prompted to create a username and password.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Jonathan Samuel


...was born 8/19 at 9:07 AM...8 days early. As of last week, he had already gained a pound. He is adorable!
Mom and baby are doing well. Big Bro Jake is getting used to having another little one in the house.

Can't wait to bring the new guy to school to show him off...wishing everyone a great first day next Wed.

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