Reader's Theatre for Volunteer Tea

I made good use of teaching blogs while teaching grade two this year.  In an effort to give back, I thought I'd post the Reader's Theatre I wrote for my class to perform at our annual Volunteer Tea.  The students made tissue paper flowers which I researched on Google.  I wanted a Reader's Theatre to go with this beautiful flowers, but had no luck finding any on the internet.  "Wait a minute!" I said to myself.  "I'm a writer.  Why not write my own?"  You can find the entire script below.  It ends by saying the children begin to sing.  We sang "All In The Golden Afternoon" from the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland.  I downloaded the sheet music from musicnotes.com

Volunteer Tea Reader’s Theatre

Grade 2

Roses: Oh my, what a glorious day, but we’re so thirsty.

Tulips: We are too.  If only someone would water us.

Violets: We heard a group of volunteers were coming to our garden today.

Roses:  What are volunteers?

Violets:  Volunteers are wonderful!

Tulips:  They do whatever it takes to help us grow.

Roses:  Like what?

Violets:  They water us when we’re thirsty.

Roses:  Ahhh.  That would be nice.

Tulips:  And they read to us to help us learn.

Violets:  They even feed us when we’re hungry.

Roses:  That sounds fantastic.  Where do these volunteers grow?

Tulips:  They grow all over the place.

Violets:  But they have special hearts.

Roses:  What kind of hearts?

Tulips:  Hearts filled with kindness.

Violets:  Hearts that are caring.

Tulips:  Hearts that are patient.

Violets: And hearts that are daring!

(Volunteers Enter)

Roses:  We think we hear them! 

Tulips:  We can’t wait!

Volunteers enter carrying watering cans, plant food and books.  The flowers sway with happiness and sing.

Jane and the Barque of Frailty

amazon.com

This book is a real treat for fans of Jane Austen and mystery books alike.  The Barque of Frailty is book nine in Barron’s Being A Jane Austen Mystery series.  I wish I had started at the beginning, but I will certainly enjoy going back to the start. 

Barron does a brilliant job of weaving together the facts of Austen’s life with her imagined world of political intrigue – her research is superb.   Austen does not play a typical murder mystery detective, but rather uses her wit and imagination to get her and her family out of a troubling situation. 

Like Austen’s books, Barron’s is filled with fascinating characters and clever dialogue.  She does an excellent job of providing motive, mystery and mayhem for each character.  I found the “solution” ending both inventive and perplexing.  Barque of Frailty on Amazon

Pride and Prejudice - The Game Review

From boardgamegeek.com

My husband is a dedicated gamer.  He loves games of all kinds - as long as there is strategy involved.  I prefer games that make you laugh and don't require a lot of brain power.  Would we find happiness in my latest Jane Austen acquisition, given to me for Christmas by my very thoughtful mother?

One begins the game by choosing two Pride and Prejudice characters.  This, in itself, is delightful.  There are eight characters to choose from including Darcy and Elizabeth, Charlotte and Mr. Collins, Jane and Bingley, and Lydia and Wickham.  The object of the game is to be the first to get your character couples to the wedding chapel first.  One achieves this by throwing dice, moving about the board game, collecting tokens, spending shillings and answering trivia questions from the novel.

I am very pleased to report that my husband was very engaged in this game and that my brother-in-law was a good enough to introduce his character with an English accent!  Although we had varying knowledge of the Pride and Prejudice, this did not seem to be a major stumbling block.  I found the Regency Cards most entertaining.  These might be considered "Chance" cards, where they can offer good or bad news for any of the players in the game.  They also include interesting information about Regency times.

Overall, I have to give this game 5 out of 5 stars for accuracy, enjoyability and attractiveness.  I can't wait to play again!  Find the game here: boardgamegeek

Mozart's Ghost

I chose this book for many reasons: It’s set in New York, a place I’d love to visit.  Emma, the main character is a teacher, like me.  Her love interest, Edward, is a pianist who plays Mozart and, as a little twist, Mozart’s ghost haunts their apartment building.  It looked and sounded like a cozy winter read.  Unfortunately, I found myself angry with Emma a lot of the time.

I was alarmed at first to learn that Emma is a Medium who communes with the dead as a side job.  I usually stay away from anything dark and sinister, but Cameron explained and showed the ghosts in such a way as to make them seem like the living.  It’s just that most people can’t see them, a bit like Sixth Sense, but not nearly as riveting. 

The main conflict in the book involves Emma’s relationship with her apartment neighbour, Edward.  Edward has moved to New York for a year to study classical music and prepare for a piano competition.  Emma finds herself speaking to him in ways that suprise her.  Long before Emma realizes it, the reader knows she is in love with him.  Many supposed problems complicate what seems like an easy romance – he likes her, she likes him.  The most believable problem is that she doesn’t want to disclose that she speaks to ghosts, as this has turned away all of her boyfriends in the past.  Unfortunately, this reticence drags on for so long that I said at one point “I can’t wait until this book is over!”

Emma and Edward are both endearing and well-drawn characters.  However, I found that their romance as the main interest in the book was lacking.  It might work better as a ninety-minute romantic comedy.  Descriptions of New York in the fall were nice, but nothing new.  Emma’s dedication to vintage clothing and anti-technology lacked freshness.  Maybe she’s just a bit too much like me.  I think a main character needs a bit more spunk and a little less self-pity.  Mozart's Ghost on Amazon 

New Review of Suspiciously Reserved

I'll be the first to admit I'm a bit obsessed with checking for new reviews of my books.  I decided to google the title of my latest publication, Suspiciously Reserved, and was delighted to find a new review on amazon.co.uk  Within the last year, Kindle has made my book available to readers in the UK, which had me very excited as two of my books are interpretations of Jane Austen's Emma and Pride and Prejudice.  Here is some of what Sarah Powell had to say:

"I liked Adkins' take on Jane, who comes across as likeable and long-suffering rather than too good to be true, while also remaining faithful to Austen's template. Frank and Jane's secret relationship is also touching, until the author falls prey to the familiar trap of apologising for Frank's behaviour after the reunion (in the original novel, he has no purer motive than simply wanting to have his cake and eat it!) Frank tells Jane, "It's far too soon to ask you to marry me. I sometimes wished we lived two hundred years ago, when this sort of thing wasn't so strange", which I thought was cute."

Powell had great recommendations for improvements to my novel as well as some heartwarming love for the book as well. I was especially pleased with this comment "I loved the scene where Emma and Knightley have their fight over Frank while playing a strenuous game of ice hockey on the Wii, with Jane listening distractedly in the background - very appropriate!" That is my favourite scene in the book as well.

Thank you so much to all of my readers who have posted reviews. It is truly a pleasure to hear what you think:)

Sarah Powell's review of Suspiciously Reserved

Zombiekins Review

amazon.ca

Stanley Nudelman finds a cute little zombie stuffy while shopping at the local witch’s yard sale.  He takes it home where his dog freaks out, but he thinks nothing much of it.  The next morning, all of his sister’s toys are mangled and ripped apart, so he takes Zombiekins to school.

Zombiekins is a fun read full of fantastic illustrations.  I’m pretty sure Bolger’s goal of reaching boy readers will be met with this tale.  I would not recommend it for younger readers as it is rather violent in parts. 

As an adult reader, I found the descriptions of teachers and especially Kindergarten very entertaining.  A favourite quote would be “In the Playhouse, one boy was pretending to be the kind of daddy who liked to wear an apron and bake mud pies, whil the girl he was playing with was pretending to be the kind of mommy who liked to throw dishes and yell at you to get a job (p. 97). “  Bolger certainly knows school culture!  His description of the staff room is also hilarious. 

Book Review: Hanging On To My Dreams

By: Arnold Henry, Saint Lucia’s First NCAA Division I Freshman Basketball Player

arnoldhenry.com

            This book is Arnold Henry’s autobiography of his basketball journey.  He was born and raised in Saint Lucia where he discovered his passion for basketball and then went on to be given a full scholarship to attend a military college in the U.S.  From there, he was chosen to join the University of Vermont NCAA team.  Unfortunately, accomplishing this dream did not turn out as well as Henry had hoped.

            I bought this book because I have met Arnold Henry, not necessarily because I am a big basketball fan.  I was most intrigued by his description of life in Saint Lucia and then his struggles coping with life in the United States.  I was appalled by the amount of racism he encountered, especially from coaches and fellow teammates.  I was saddened by his deep homesickness and loneliness throughout his journey.  It seems that schools that recruit international students should be better equipped to help them through the culture shock they experience. 

            He writes a very compelling story that earnestly captures his desire to improve his game, become part of a team, find love and provide for his family.  The ending leaves many questions unanswered and I hope a sequel will follow this captivating debut.