Book Review: The Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet

     The Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet, by Stephanie Morrill kept me interested all the way through.

     Only halfway through did I realize the book is the sequel to The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet, which I hadn't read. That being said, Mrs. Morrill did a great job filling in any gaps there may have been in my mind, and I didn't feel clueless as I sometimes do reading sequels before the preceding book.

     I was especially drawn to Ellie's character. (It's not a coincidence her last name is Sweet, I can tell you that much.) Ellie shows strong values and truly cares for her friends. She had several things in common with me, including that she is a writer and stores a pen in her ponytail.

     The story is definitely one of inner struggle rather than outward conflict. Ellie has a hard time keeping friends, and is torn over past friendships which have dissolved. Priorities also come into the picture as Ellie's book, in the works to be published, constantly demands her attention.

     I didn't appreciate Ellie's dating life, mostly because her relationships seemed to move fairly quickly for someone her age. It was also because Ellie is rather close to my age, and I'm not planning to date anytime soon, so if I had to recommend a book to Ellie, it would be I Kissed Dating Goodbye, by Joshua Harris.

     The way Mrs. Morrill writes social interactions is excellent. It's realistic, and it often made me feel like I was right there with the characters. The only thing I thought to be a bit unrealistic was that the high school seniors in the book mostly had their own cars and drove around wherever they pleased, often dropping by at each others' houses spontaneously. Being a homeschooler without a driver's license, I haven't experienced that world, but perhaps things are different in public school.

     Another plus of the book was the chapter length. They were fairly short, allowing quick breaks which I have time for while still providing convenient stopping places. The frequent pauses for chapter breaks didn't deter me from spending a few late nights reading, though.

     For me, the mark of a good book is one that requires a nice long walk afterwards to mull everything over. This book fell into that category, leaving me with that satisfied-but-not feeling. I loved how the book ended, but at the same time, I didn't want it to end. I'd give the second Ellie Sweet book 3.9 out of 5 stars.


To learn more about Stephanie Morrill, you can visit her website, or the Go Teen Writers blog which she regularly contributes to.

An Interview...

I may or may not have conducted this interview a month ago.(for your benefit, I will skip my lamentations over life) But anyway, my lovely friend Emma is a wonderful poet, and is publishing her poetry book, Flutterfly, this month! *cue celebrations and parades* So yes, here I have interviewed her.

When did you start writing?

   I started writing in second grade, when our school district had an essay contest. Now, I can't say I started writing /well/ at all then, but nevertheless, it was my hobby. In middle school and junior high I started writing a lot for magazines, until I joined OYAN in 2013, and my attention went to bigger projects. I completed NaNoWriMo for the first time that year also.

How long have you been writing poetry?

   Since junior high school.

What's your favorite genre to write?

   My favorite genre of prose to write is probably speculative fiction; I love being able to explore ideas. I also tend to write very character driven stories.

Are there genres of poems, would you say?

   Usually, I sort poems into stanza poems, meter poems, form poems, and free verse. For the most part, I write free verse. I appreciate innovative poems that bleed out emotions or resonating stories, and I find that poems with too strict of a format damper that. I know it's not the case with everyone, certainly not, just for my writing style.

Is there a sort of overall message that you hope your poetry book gives?

   I hope it shows that it is okay to deeply feel the entire spectrum of emotions; to embrace the little things in a life, and never stop finding beauty in pain and joy alike, because something good will come out of everything if you stick it through.

In story writing, do you consider yourself character-oriented, plot-oriented, or something else?

   Oh, definitely character-orientated, for sure.
In other people's writing, I do enjoy well plotted stories- I love seeing things click into place. I find most of the plot-based work I love, I love because it puts characters into situations that end up revealing human nature. Which is essentially character-driven anyway, so.

What's your favorite genre to read?

   Probably speculative fiction, coming of age stories (character driven, once again.) And I love a good sci-fi.

Who are some of your favorite book characters?

   Oh, I have so many. So many characters have impacted me in so many ways, and honestly, shaped who I am today.
I love Jo March. I love Clarisse, from Fahreinheit 451. I love Bean, from Orson Scott Card's book, Ender's Shadow. Sherlock Holmes is a revolutionary character. Eleanor, from Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, and Jean Valjean, from Les Miserables, and of course Meg, from a Wrinkle in Time...that's just for starters.

What do you think of rhyming poems vs. free verse?

   I know some people who do rhyming poems very well. I usually don't read rhyming poems because I find them to painfully, obviously so; however, it may just be that those are bad rhyming poems. The good ones sweep you along into the story or idea and you don't even need to think about the rhyme scheme.
I usually write free verse, because I'm not one of the gifted people who can communicate their point in rhyme with ease. I find it distracts from what I am actually trying to get across.

Who's your main audience for Flutterfly?

   Hard question. I think anyone, adults or teens, with a listening ear who wants to see life from a different angle. I hope teens will read Flutterfly and find it relatable in unexpected ways, and adults will read it and remember the smaller things they often forget.

 --
If any of you want to stay posted on the publication of Flutterfly, or just read the meditations of Emma, here is the link to her blog: https://flutterflybook.wordpress.com/

Hope you all enjoyed that. :)

Why I love Autumn...

Autumn has always been my favorite season. (Yes I like summer too cuz, no school, but Autumn is my favorite season /for the season./) For me, Autumn doesn't really start until October. Don't ask me why, it may just be the climate I live in. So, what better post to start off the month of October than one about Autumn?

I'm just going to make a list of things I love about this, my favorite season.

• Rain.
• Leaves.
• Colors- Brown, yellow, orange... I used to really dislike the color orange, but last year or so I realized that orange is the color of October and November, and I actually associate it with wonderful things. Thus, orange is higher esteemed by me now. 
• Temperature. Just crisp enough that you can wear cozy clothes, but not frigid. If you're hardcore(or a boy), the slightly-cold temperature sometimes still leaves the option open for wearing shorts. 
• Cloaks. Yes, I have a cloak. Yes, I relish any opertunity to wear it. :3
• Hoodies and Sweaters. (But mostly cloaks)
• Tea and Hot Chocolate. <3 I actually am not averse to drinking these all year round, but when Autumn rolls around it suddenly is not strange to be drinking hot drinks. 
• Blankets! Especially fuzzy ones. 
• Writing. God's beauty is inspiring. And writing when you're inspired is wonderful.
• Drawing. Similar to above, I see the beautiful things around me and I want to express it all on paper with ink and colors. 
• Pumpkins. Yes, pumpkins. They're just so satisfying to look at and pick up and hold. I so enjoy the round smoothness of them. (Well, depending on what variety you're talking about)
• My birthday. Call me biased, but when I was little, before I actually had a favorite season for the weather, it was already Autumn because of my October birthday. 

I've probably left several reasons off my list, but that can't be helped.
What are some of your favorite things about Autumn? 

Claervont Captive: A Review

Recently I read Claervont Captive, by Bryce Roberts. (twice, actually, and I bought it so I could recommend it to others and let them borrow it) Here's the review I wrote.

The first chapter of Claervont Captive by Bryce Roberts drew me in, and the rest of the book did not disappoint. My interest held all the way through. In fact, I read the entire second half in just one afternoon. A medieval-themed novel, it was well-written, full of detail, action, and strong characters.

We follow the story and growth of Michal as he narrates his tale and learns what it truly is to be loyal and honorable. I found it quite satisfactory watching him age and mature, rising to be a great leader. Sharing his trials and emotion, his failures and joys gave me much enjoyment, though at times I did cry.

The second part of Claervont Captive far exceeds the already-wonderful first half. Michal’s friends rally round him, giving him the support of true allies. The word choice throughout the novel is excellent; I truly appreciated that.

I would say that for all the detail, some parts are a bit gory and slightly violent, and a very, very few issues are hinted at that are on the mature side of things.

For being such a delightfully heavy book(even as a paperback), Claervont Captive is a quick read. When I finished, I was left with deep satisfaction and soaring inspiration. Though the ending looked dark from some points, the wholesomeness of the book cannot be denied. I’m left rather eager for the next book in the series. Claervont Captive is a well done book and I recommend it highly.

If you're interested in reading it, you can buy it here. It's also listed on Goodreads. 

Photos of Germany and Holland

This year has been quite the year for travel in my family. As of now, we have spent a total of FOUR MONTHS not at home since January. I feel quite sorry for Dad, who's off on another trip very soon. Anyway, all that to say, on our last trip, we flew to Germany and then Holland, and it was just too beautiful not to post pictures.

This was the view from our balcony in the room we stayed in. 

  Our place of boarding was a three minute walk from the train station.

 This was the old town gate. I would have loved to climb those stairs, but there was a padlocked grating at the bottom.

 There was only one old church building in the very small town, but it was a beautiful one. (the church we attended didn't meet there though)

 Above, this was the old Latin school, and though I can't quite remember what date it started, it was a long time ago.

 We visited the remains of a sort of fortress.

 This museum was only open on sundays and holidays, so unfortunately we didn't go to it.

 My sister, some friends of ours and I built a fort up in the woods in our spare time.

 We took the train quite a fair distance through Germany to get to Holland.

 We stayed in a small town with some friends.

On one of the days, we took a trip to Amsterdam to visit some art museums. It's a lovely city. 

I think we all had a nice time on our trip, but as always it's great to be home. The flight back went pretty much without a hitch, so we were all very thankful for that after our outgoing flight had been such a hassle.

Battling Against Artist's Block

Artist's Block. Oh, the terror. You're in a happy, creative mood, but then, as soon as you open up your sketchbook, pencil in hand, your mind goes blank. No matter how hard you try, you can't come up with a single thing to draw. It happens to the best of us. Sometimes, it's not that you can't think of anything to draw. Every once in a while I fall into the "I want to have something new in my sketchbook, but I just don't feel like drawing" doldrums.

Well, I have come up with a list of things to do when evil Artist's Block strikes.

1- Look at other peoples' art. Art museums are a great place to do that.  My family went to a few the other day, and I have tons of new ideas. Pinterest is also full of art in various forms. It encourages and inspires me to see what others are capable of creating. If they can do it, how hard can it be? Eheh. Art takes effort. But seeing how other people have poured themselves into it can be quite refreshing. However, often I need to remember not to compare myself or my own art to others.

2- Take a walk or go somewhere new. Fresh air does wonderful things to you, as do new places and sights. Walks are good ways to unwind and have a time to just think. Seeing new things can spark your imagination and lead to lots of new ideas.

3- Ask people for ideas. Seriously. Walking into the next room and asking a family member isn’t so hard. You can ask your friends too. I recommend doing art swaps. Find a fellow artist, and each of you request a specific drawing from the other. Then you draw what the other requested. It’s quite simple, and a great way to encourage friends in art as well.

4- Do something abstract and scribble a bit. Just grab a paintbrush and spread color over a blank piece of paper. Take your pencil and drag it in random directions all across your page. For one, it’s therapeutic, and you might even get something cool looking out of it.

5- Take time to notice the colors, lines, and shapes of everyday life. Train your artist’s eye, observe things. Look closer at things than you normally do. Just enjoy the things you see.

If you have any more ideas on how to overcome Artist’s Block, please leave a comment! :)

~Alexandra S. Grey

Our Travels so Far, Pt 2

Yeah, we're home. I am exceedingly delighted about this after three months, but I'm also feeling a bit sheepish for *cough* not posting pictures more than once. However, I am here to do that now! Hopefully it doesn't take forever to get them all on here.

We left off in New Mexico, I believe.

This is what most of NM looks like.

 We took a hike to see this stone. It's about four feet tall, and is inscribed with the Ten Commandments in Ancient Hebrew.

 On the hike there were also piles of rocks that could have once been houses.

 Another inscription in Ancient Hebrew.

 The view from the top.

 We met several Horned Toads on the hike.

 In California, we stayed with a couple who had ships like this one displayed all over their house. They also had a fabulous collection of random things in the room I stayed in.

All of the above pictures are from a beach in CA.
I still have more pictures to sort through, but another set of pictures should be posted fairly soon!

Our Travels So Far, Pt 1

Many of you know that I'm on a long road trip with my family. Since I haven't posted any pictures a month and a half after we left home, I thought it was high time. :)

 The view from the window in our first stopping place, TN.

In Memphis, we made a short stop at Sun Studios, which apparently Elvis Presley was affiliated with. (I'm not really interested in that sort of thing, but Dad wanted to stop)

 Little Rock, AK.

 Someone we stayed with had this cross collection.

 I was quite taken with these almost-black pansies.

This was in TX.

 On the way into Albuquerque, NM.

We're doing well enough, and don't worry, there are definitely more pictures to come. It's been interesting seeing the different parts of the country, although we've already been through most of them on previous trips. Still, there are always new places to see. I've also been inspired in various ways, to draw, write, and other things. I do miss being home though, and am counting the weeks until we get back!