Thanksgiving and other stuff

Wow, I haven't blogged for over a week. A bunch of things to report. FIRST, I am very, very (did I mention VERY?) excited to go to Crestview Elementary and to Indian Hills Junior High for author visits next Tuesday and Wednesday. It's such fun to have students excited for me to come.
I picked up three boxes of books from Capstone yesterday to fill their pre-orders. A box of Chasing AllieCat is on its way from FLUX.

And then there's this:

The Youtube video Ann asked me to make for the schools in Clive, Iowa

In between times, Tom and I are headed to Boston tonight/tomorrow morning for Thanksgiving with my son Josh, his wife Emily, and Anissa, Pascal, Lili, and Nina. I wish Nikki, Tom, and Alec could join us. Then it would be perfect, but they can't. At least I get to see them at Christmas time.
I am EXCITED. Haven't seen Josh and Em since June.

Two more things. Bear with me.

First, we read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton for Children's Lit. last night and launched a discussion of young adult literature. Lively discussion, largely about student's own experiences with clicks and prejudice in their own high schools. I forget how much I LOVE that book until I read it again. It's timeless and it's powerful. How can you not shed a tear when Johnny tells Ponyboy to stay golden? What a great, sad scene. I'm a little jealous that "Suzy" Hinton wrote this when she was sixteen, I guess! But The Outsiders is timeless...not so much because of the Greasers and Socs but because all the emotion in it is raw and real and honest. About half the class didn't realize S.E. was a woman. I guess the publisher's suggestion back in 1967 for Suzy to use her initials WORKED. :)

Jill at Capstone and I talked about me writing a Greek myth title for them. I get to write a myth book for third graders from Medusa's point of view! How cool is that???? I can't wait. Actually, I already started.  I have too much to do already, but I can't pass that up!

Over and out. I have tons to do, and maybe I can write for an hour if I get most of it done...