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Happy Birthday Peyton!!!!!

2012-01-30T18:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to YOU! Happy Birthday to YOU! Happy Birthday Dear PEYTON!!! Happy Birthday to YOU!!!! Leave a comment below and wish Peyton a very special 14th Birthday!!!

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Peyton- here is a "digital" HP Cake!!

The Hollow Series

2012-01-22T11:04:00.001-08:00

The Hollow, The Haunted, The Hidden

Our Synopsis of the Series: Abby's best friend Kristen died over the summer of an unknown cause. Anna is devastated and dreams that Kristen never died. But soon, she meets Caspian, the mysterious boy who lurks the town cemetery with a single black streak in his white blond hair. But just as fast as Abby starts to fall for him, she finds out something drastic about Caspian that she can't believe (literally!). In book #2, The Haunted, Abby leaves town to sort out what she thinks is true or not, and lives on her aunt's farm. Abby is soon asked to come home, and the new Washington Irving Bridge is built in Kristen's honor. But just as soon as Abby starts to forget Caspian, he enters her life again, this time with even more unexpected surprises- you'll have to read the book to figure out what happens next!

Peyton's Review: Wow! This book was crazy-good! I have to give a shout out to my Aunt Kelly and say thanks so much for introducing me to this Amazing series!!! It has the perfect amount of mystery,thriller, and romance. All three books had a great climax and all three endings left my jaw hanging open, wanting more! There is not much else to say but READ THIS BOOK! It was great. Gosh, I still get chill-bumps when I think of the ending of The Hidden. Stunning!

Emma's Review: I thought this series was absolutely jaw dropping! I literally could NOT put this book down! I think anybody could read this book, and I mean anybody! You have your romance, sci-fi, fantasy, and non fiction all rolled up into one trilogy! I have to say though if Peyton hadn't recommended this to me I probably wouldn't have picked this up myself, but I am so happy that I got the chance to read it! I would give this series overall a 9 out of 10! Next time you need a good book to read, definitely pick this series up! KUDOS to Washington Irving and Jessica Verday!

Our Banner!

2012-01-01T23:18:00.000-08:00

Hey Readers!
So you might have noticed that we have our new banner up! Yay! Thank you so super much to Meredith (mintteaandagoodbook.blogspot.com) for creating this for us! You did an amazing job and it looks absolutely perfect! I hope y'all are enjoying our blog. Keep checking in for more posts, reviews, and interviews!
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Heist Society Review -Ally Carter

2011-12-29T16:07:00.000-08:00

What's up Readers??

Long time, no new posts! Sorry about that! Anyway, today I (Peyton) am going to do a review on the Heist Society! I checked the book out from the library so, I don't have the book jacket summery but, I bet that there are tons online if you want to see that. Lets get this show on the road!

Peyton's Review: I guess its kind of hard to write a review on a book I didn't read....well at least not all of it, that is. Hold your horses, I know what you're all thinking; but, in my defense....well....Okay, here it is plain and simple: I did not like this book at all!! I can't say there wasn't any action because its a book about art thieves but, for me there was not enough dialogue. And I love my dialogue! I got about half way through the book before I had to put it down. It just didn't "catch" me like other books do. Nevertheless, I love Ally Carter's book I'd Tell you I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You. Honestly, for me I have to give the Heist Society a thumbs down. That being said, this ABSOLUTELY does NOT mean you shouldn't check this book out. It very well may be your new favorite book! Emma is not doing a review on this book because she does not have any interest reading this book. Vise-versa for some of the books she reads that I don't want to read.We want to let y'all know that even if we don't like a book it does not mean you can't read it! We are just giving our opinions. We will have more reviews up soon. Bye for now!

Anna and the French Kiss Review!

2011-12-21T12:52:00.000-08:00

Howdy Readers!

Today we have a review for the amazing book by Stephanie Perkins- Anna and the French Kiss! We are overly excited to post this review because it was such a good book! So, here we go!

Book Jacket Summary: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

Emma's Review: Well, you all know how much I love those romance books! I am honestly saying this is one of the best books I have ever read! The plot is amazing, and I can really relate to the main character, Anna. Stephanie Perkins wrote her character so well that I could almost believe it was a true story! I must say though, it isn't very attention-grabbing at the beginning. But don't give up, once you start reading, it full speed ahead! This book deserves an A!

Peyton's Review: A very good, quick read!I do have to admit that for me it was pretty much like any other romance novels. It goes through what I call the "Every Romance Book Plot": girl meets boy, girl and boy click, boy has girlfriend so girl is sad, they fall in love, they are together forever! With that being said I still very much liked this book! I can't wait to read Perkins'other book Lola and the Boy Next Door!

New Feature: Life Posts!

2011-12-03T12:24:00.000-08:00

Howdy Readers!

We are so extremely excited to announce that we have a new feature on our blog! They are called Life Posts! So basically, a life post is a daily blog. Its a place where we don't have to talk about reading, and we can just rant and rave about randomness!! We are ecstatic about the launching of this new page! You can find it at the top toolbar on the tab labeled "Life Posts". Ya'll Enjoy!!

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Sass and Serendipity

2011-11-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

Hey Readers!

We have our first review for you and what better book to start off with than Jennifer Ziegler's book Sass and Serendipity!

Book Jacket Summery:

Daphne Rivera and her sister, Gabby, could not be more different. For fifteen-year-old Daphne, the glass is always half full, a dab of lip gloss can ward off a bad day , and the boy of her dreams-the one she's read about in all her beloved romance novels-is waiting for her just around the corner. But Daphne's older sister, Gabby, wishes she would get real. In Gabby's world, everyone is out for themselves, wearing make-up is a waste of time, and boys just distract you from studying before they break your heart. The only boy Gabby trusts is her best friend, Mule, who has always been there for her. Both Gabby and Daphne are still reeling from their parent's divorce, though in very different ways. While Gabby will never forgive her unreliable father for failing her mother, Daphne idolizes her daddy and is sure everything would work out fine if her cranky mom would just let him back into their lives. When a crisis leaves the girls and their mom homeless, help comes from a surprising source, and both girls are courted by unlikely suitors who shake up their views on the world. Suddenly the glass isn't half empty or half full... and love seems a lot more complicated than they ever imagined.

Peyton's Review: I LOVE this book 100%! Its so cute and leaves you loving your sister to death or in my case wishing you had a sister! This book is 339 pages but it was such a quick read because you could not put the book down! Even though I am sister-less I can relate to their relationship with my brother sometimes! The characters are very easy to relate to and I find both Daphne and Gabby inside myself, and I'm sure you will too! I highly recommend this book!!!

Emma's Review: I don't even know where to start! This is such an amazing book! Once you think something is going to happen, the whole story totally twists! Of course, I'm a hopeless romantic like Daphne, but I enjoyed reading from Gabby's point of view, too. Another thing I absolutely adored was how it was set in a made-up small town in Texas- with that you'll definitely get my vote! And for all y'all out there who are romance lovers like me- don't judge the book by its cover! You may think it's one of those sappy "sisterhood" novels- but you'll get your share of love. Overall, I give this book an A+!

Special thanks to Jennifer Ziegler, of course, for writing the book. We both love your writing style and your books! Another awesome thing- Ziegler is an Austin native like us! Visit her website- jenniferziegler.com

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P.W. Catanese Author Interview!

2011-10-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

Hey Readers!

We have our very first author interview! We were super excited to start our interviewing and why not start it with the amazing P.W. Catanese? Mr. Catanese is the author of The Thief and the Beanstalk and many other fractured fairy tales. It is fun to see your traditional tales remixed into another character's point of view or a completely different setting! So, off we go!

Q: What advice would you give others that would want to become a successful author like yourself?

A: If you have a creative impulse, act on it because you never know where it will take you!

Q: What is your writing process?

A: After dinner, I will sit down and write 800 words per night and then I look over it the next morning "with fresh eyes". This is one of my many writing processes.

Q: Where did the ideas for your books come from?

A: When I would read fairy tails to my daughter at night I would think "What if this happened or What if that happened?" and continually change the story in my head.

Q: Have you always wanted to be an author?

A: No, for a while I wanted to be a Paleontologist but I really love being an author now.

Q: What is your responsabilty as an Author?

A: To write the best book I can for my readers and Deadlines!Deadlines are hard for me because you have to finish this by a certain date, and I struggle with that sometimes.

Q: What is the hardest part of writing for you?

A: The part between the draft and the final copy where you have to go back and edit.

So that was our interview! I hope you enjoyed it! We love doing interviews! Meeting authors is fun! Keep looking for new posts- We're sure there will be some book reviews on P.W. Catanese's collection!

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Texas Book Festival

2011-10-23T18:10:00.000-07:00

Photo 1: Left to Right: Peyton and Emma getting Hey Cupcake and Iced Tea

Photo 2: Left to Right: Emma, Executive Director Heidi Smith, and Peyton in the Capitol

Photo 3: Left to Right: Emma, Heidi Smith, Annual Visitor Mary Gordon Spence, and Peyton pose for a picture in the Capitol

Hey Readers!

Well,..... We missed Saturday, which was the teen portion of the festival, and we went on Sunday, which was the children's portion of the festival. Although we were sad that we missed the authors/books we like, the festival was still so much fun! We met up with the Executive Director of the Texas Book Festival, Heidi Smith, and asked her a few questions:

Q: How long has the book festival been going on?

A: This is the 16th Annual

Q: How long have you been executive director?

A: This is my fourth year

Q: What made you want to take on this job?

A: I first volunteered for the Washington Book Festival and I loved it. When I moved back to

Texas, I decided to get interviewed for the job as director of the Texas Book Festival, and I got the job. I have loved doing this, and I love literacy, especially children's literacy.

Q: What are some interesting facts?

A: We have 3.5 staff members, 40,000 people came to the festival this weekend, and we have over 600 volunteers

We also met Mary Gordon Spence, someone who has attended the Festival for all 16 years. She says, "The Texas Book Festival is my favorite Holiday."

Over all, the book festival was a big hit. We promise next year, we will go on the right day! :)

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Thank You!

2011-10-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

Hey Readers!

We just wanted to say thanks to all of you followers! We really appreciate you and please get the word around about our blog- the more followers the more fun!

Thank you followers! (Susie, Anna, Mallory, and Meredith S.)

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James Dashner Author Visit!

2011-10-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hey Readers!

On Friday, James Dashner (Author of The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure) came to our school to talk about his books and his brand new book The Death Cure which came out last week. Listening to him was so fascinating and we may want to read his books. Let us know what you think!

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James Dashner- jamesdashner.com

Buy his books!- barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com

James Dashner's Books:

The Maze Runner
The Scorch Trials
The Death Cure
The 13th Reality- The Blade of Shattered Hope
The 13th Reality- Hunt for Dark Infinity
The 13th Reality- The Journal of Curious Letters
A Door in the Woods
A Gift of Ice
The Tower of Air
War of the Black Curtain
The 13th Reality- The Void of Mist and Thunder
Thomas's First Memory of the Flare

Austin Teen Book Festival

2011-10-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hey Readers!
Just last weekend, we attended the Austin Teen Book Festival. This was our third year in a row! We absolutely positively LOVE it and recommend that you go next year! Tons of authors come from all over the place and you can buy books, listen to authors, ask them questions, and get your books signed! It is such a fun event that is usually held at Westlake High School, but this year it was at the Palmer Events Center because it just got so Big! We listened to the Romance Panel (Jenny Han, Stephanie Perkins, Jennifer Ziegler, Simone Elkeles, Christina Garcia, and Elizabeth Musser) and also saw Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies, Prettties, Specials, Extras, talk about his new series, Goliath. Let us know if you want us to do a review on either of those series. We purchased the books Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, and Sass and Serendipity by Jennifer Ziegler. We got both of them signed! We will be doing reviews on them shortly. Keep Reading!

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www.austinteenbookfestival.com

Kindle vs. Nook

2011-10-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hey Readers! There has been a large controversy on Kindles vs Nooks. They are both great devices, but with both of us being Kindle owners, of course we have to side with Kindle. Although we agree that the Nook is a wonderful gadget, and we love Barnes and Noble, We just think the Kindle is best for reading. It is awesome because it has a no glare screen, month-long battery power, and is easy to use. you literally have every book in the universe at your fingertips. Thanks for Reading!
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P.S. You can buy a kindle at amazon.com, and look for more reviews, and opinions on YouTube.

Welcome Readers!

2011-10-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

Hey! Its Emma and Peyton with the latest scoop on books! We will be keeping you updated on upcoming book events, new releases, and reviews! We will keep you posted!
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