Delerium by Lauren Oliver

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn't understand that once love--the deliria--blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold.

Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she'll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: she falls in love.


I enjoyed reading the quotes from the health and safety handbook and various sources of books and poems at the beginning of each chapter. Oliver's writing is outstanding! She's created this twisted world where love is considered a disease. I wondered how she would pull it off and as I continued to read, I fell effortlessly into her world. Ah, the dangers of love. Who would have ever thought the idea of love could be so construed in one’s society making it deadly to one's health? Oliver's take on a society governed with rules against love captured me page by page.

The characters are well-crafted. The weight of society and its rules really takes a toll on not only Lena and Alex, but you can see its effects of the so called cured. Lena has dreamed of how life will be after the cure. She wants to forget and be free of her memories of her mother and to her the cure is the only thing that will solve this. I don't think she ever imagined that her life would turn out totally different. Alex, the love interest in this book is definitely a keeper & the two of them together fighting against the odds only endured me more to their plight. A heart-breaking romance - Just amazing!

This book had my mind churning and wondering what if? I can't imagine living in a society where you are forced to take a cure for love. Everything about the whole process of eliminating love was beyond my imaginings but at the same time, I got it. I guess this is a testament to Oliver's writing that it provoked so many emotions out of me.
Book review by Fantastic Book Review.com

Rating: 4 out of 5
Reading Next: Tension of Opposites

Saskia Spector wins fourth week Summer Reading Raffle

Go Saskia!! You are the winner of the Summer Reading Raffle.

Enjoy!

Legopalooza

We started by listening to directions and building a creation from verbal directions. Wow, that was hard!!

And then on to the fun. Everyone had to create a historical landmark. They were judged on Creativity, Authenticity and Originality. congratulations to our Winners.

First Place with The White House, Michael Raffaele
Second Place with the Tank on the Green, Noah Lovejoy
third Place with the Twin Towers is Brian Dugan

Great Job!!




Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.

Men of the Hunger Games

The Hunger Games Reveals Gale and Peeta
Source: EW

July 27, 2011



The cover of the new issue of Entertainment Weekly features a first look at The Hunger Games' Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth as Peeta and Gale. What's more, there are promises of further debuting images from the highly-anticipated novel adaptation when the magazine officially hits the stands this Friday.


Read more: The Hunger Games Reveals Gale and Peeta - ComingSoon.net http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=80399#ixzz1TOL4ZCmd







Dotti Enderle

* * *

CROSSWIRE (Boyds Mills/Calkins Creek)

* Texas Institute of Letters Young Adult Award Recipient

* June Franklin Naylor Award for Best Children’s Book on Texas History

* WWA Spur Award Finalist

www.dottienderle.com

Science Fun--Surface Tension

Today was our last Science Fun. Aiden Collentine did a great job teaching about Surface Tension using water and dish soap, floating paper clips and the second experiment used milk and food coloring, with dish soap, to create an explosion of color. The mosaic below shows some of the fun! Click on the image to see a larger view. Thanks also to Sam Taub who assisted Aiden for the program.

The Science Fun program was terrific. Thanks to all who participated!!!!

July 22nd Summer Reading Raffle Winner

Congratulations Catherine!! Keep Reading

Is Jordan Comeman the next Speilberg?

Interview With Grant Winner/Filmmaker Jordan Coleman!
Payin' the Price

We were super lucky to have Jordan Coleman, 15-year-old filmmaker and 2009 Do Something Award finalist, stop by the office today to screen his new film "Payin' the Price." Before heading to Martha's Vineyard, where his film will be shown as part of their 2011 African American Film Festival, Jordan told us a little about how he got into the business of film making for good!

DoSomething.org: When did you start making films?

Jordan Coleman: I started making films when I was 13 with my mom's help. There's no better team! I saw how a lot of African-American boys weren't focusing on their school work. They just wanted to get famous, so they focused on playing basketball or making up raps, or just trying to be cool. They weren't understanding that work is what got celebrities to where they are today.

DS: Why did you choose film as your approach to taking social action?

JC: I chose film because a lot of teens love movies. I thought that if I made a movie about teen issues, a lot of teens would see how important the issues really are. I felt like Superman almost—I wanted to use my powers for good. I've always really enjoyed giving back. My mom had a not-for-profit organization that would give away bookbags—it's in the blood.

DS: How did you make your first film?

JC: I used my money from my job with The Backyardigans (editor's note: Jordan was the voice of Tyrone the Moose on the show!) to hire a camera guy—that was the first step. I went around the street asking random people how they feel about education, but then I saw that the [the movie] got boring. I wanted to bring it to a different level, so I asked my mom how I could get celebrities to be in the film. She said I should contact their agents, so I did. They emailed back instantly saying their people would love to be in the film. We had Kobe Bryant, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Busta Rhymes.

DS: What do you want for the future?

JC: My dream is to become a successful filmmaker so that I can expand my audience so that it’s not just teens. I want to make films for everybody. I want to relate my films to my peers. My next film is about sexting.

DS: What about a bullying film?!

JC: My 10-year-old brother is writing a script about that right now!

DS: Uh-oh. Competition. What would you say to a teenager who wasn't on The Backyardigans and doesn't have the money to hire a camera guy?

JC: I'd say to save your babysitting money to buy a little flip camera. As long as you have a camera and an imagination, you can do it. As long as you have an imagination and you have hope, you can do anything. There were times that I didn’t think that my films would be successful, but I had hope and I prayed. I made them my priority—I put sports to the side; I put my friends to the side. Hard work pays off. If you're serious about something, you can get it done.