It is fall and that definitely means we’re thinking about high school football and hunting season.
Here are two great books to read if you aren’t quite in the mood yet. November Hunt by Jess Lourey is a murder-by-month mystery and involves hunting accidents that don’t seem quite right. Mira James is trying to get her P.I. license and solving this case could bring her one step closer. Tumbleweeds by Leila Meacham combines epic storytelling of heartrending proportions set against the backdrop of a Texas town’s passion for football.
Chris Grabenstein is the author of the John Ceepak mysteries and I must admit I haven’t read these because carnivals never appealed to me as a child and the thought of mysteries taking place at a carnival is just too much. But if you like carnivals and spooky things happening at them then this is the ideal series for you. The first title was Tilt-a-Whirl and the latest is Fun House. I can imagine all sorts of horrible mysteries occurring in each, so I won’t be reading them any time soon, but you might.
A great true story can be found in Surviving the Shark by Jonathan Kathrein with Margaret Kathrein and is subtitled “how a brutal Great White attack turned a surfer into a dedicated defender of sharks.” This is an amazing story of more than survival, it is a story of living life to the fullest and discovering your life’s mission. And while we are looking at true stories about sea life take a look at Death at Sea-World by David Kirby. While not for the faint at heart, this book examines the lives of killer whales in captivity and the dark side to training these intelligent animals to perform for us.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. The school continues to work on trying to help prevent bullying and help students support one another, but they need parents and the entire community to say enough. Here are a couple of new books that deal with bullying that would make good reading during the month of October and any month.
Bullied: what every parent, teacher and kid needs to know about ending the cycle of fear by Carrie Goldman, a mother of a bullied daughter who has become a voice for the antibullying movement. She provides concrete tools for teaching children to speak up and encourages each of us to take responsibility.
Sexual Harassment and Bullying: a guide to keeping kids safe and holding schools accountable by Susan Strauss looks at the similarities and differences between sexual harassment and bullying and also provides practical steps to partner with the schools to prevent and intervene on the behaviors to help keep kids safe.
Next Wednesday, Oct. 10, is the deadline for photo submissions in “Pictures and Pens” the monthly photography and writing contest. Take a look at the current winning photo if you want to submit a writing entry. Congratulations to Sharon Kidwell for a fun photo!
