Patrick Carman is Cool!

I am not a huge music fan, but my favorite group is Bon Jovi. And I suppose if I would ever have a chance to meet the band, it would be a total rock star experience.

Meeting an admired author is much like a total rock star experience...

The kids and I had a great time visiting with Patrick Carman. (I am not sure which one of us was more excited!) Patrick had spent the day at two schools in the Dayton/Beavercreek area in addition to doing a radio interview and then made a stop at Books and Company at The Greene. I am so glad he took the time to do this as we thoroughly enjoyed hearing him speak. (It just happened to be my daughter's birthday as well! In fact, Patrick asked Tessa how old she was when talking about the intended audience for his new novel to which she responded, "Nine. I mean ten!")

Patrick was super cool and very easy to talk to. He booktalked his new book Thirteen Days to Midnight. It sounds like a thriller! Of course, we bought a copy of the book and had it signed. I'll begin reading as soon as I finish here!

He talked a little about his popular (and spooky) Skeleton Creek series, too. Can you believe he has received emails from parents saying, "Thanks a lot! My kid won't sleep in his own bed because of your book!"

After signing Skeleton Creek for our school library and our personal copy of Ghost in the Machine, Patrick invited our school to do a virtual author visit. Via the Internet and Skype, Patrick will visit with schools for free! Wow!

We feel very fortunate to have been able to meet Patrick Carman. What an experience to share with my kids (and my students back at school)!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

Love, Aubrey

"I had everything I needed to run a household: a house, food, and a new family. From now on it would just be me and Sammy–the two of us, and no one else."

"A tragic accident has turned eleven-year-old Aubrey’s world upside down. Starting a new life all alone, Aubrey has everything she thinks she needs: SpaghettiOs and Sammy, her new pet fish. She cannot talk about what happened to her. Writing letters is the only thing that feels right to Aubrey, even if no one ever reads them."

I was amazed by Love, Aubrey. Suzanne LaFleur had me hooked in the first chapter. Aubrey's story was raw. It left my heart aching. But it was also a story of hope and humor and courageousness.

This read has been on my TBR list since I started to notice some of my favorite bloggers post their thoughts about it. Great recommendation! On my TBR list forever, this book did not let me down.

So far, two of my sixth graders have read it and have ranked it as one of their favorite books they have read this year! (And they have read a lot of books!)

Click HERE to visit Suzanne's website where you can both read and hear an excerpt from her book. You can also read some interesting facts about the author and read her writing tips for you.

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

Patrick Carman Author Visit

Skeleton Creek and The Ghost in the Machine have been two books that have been in readers' hands all year. Now is your chance to meet the author in person!

Patrick Carman will be visiting Books and Company at The Greene Shopping Center in Beavercreek on Wednesday, April 14. His visit begins at 4:30 in the afternoon.

He will introduce Thirteen Days to Midnight, his new young adult novel...Jacob has an astonishing gift: he is indestructible. He can withstand a beating from the high school bully without a scratch, walk through a burning building without so much as a singed eyebrow, and even transfer the power to another person. When his friend Ophelia suggests he could use the power to save other people who are at risk of death, they discover the power is linked to a curse that even the world’s greatest escape artist could not outrun. He has only thirteen days to figure out how to harness a power that may destroy the very person he wants to save.

Visit Patrick Carman's website for another future release, Trackers..."the follow up to Skeleton Creek and Ghost in the Machine. Think of TRACKERS as Skeleton Creek 2.0, a super-spy novel with more characters, more gadgets, and more cameras." Click HERE to see the promo video for this book.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!