The Hobbit

We will be meeting at Regal Crossroads 20 at 7: 20 on Saturday to watch The Hobbit. Mark your calendars! Looking forward to seeing you all there.

December 15th Meeting!

Hey Everyone!

Can't wait to see you guys next week. Our book of the month is The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making!

Don't forget to write your reviews. I'll have candy for those of you who write them. Here's an outline:

 - short synopsis (you can copy and paste the official one)

- thoughts (brief)

- stars

- book trailer (if the book has one)

- club book trailer (if the book has one)

As you can see, it  doesn't take long. Ten minutes at the most. Let's earn that pizza party!

I still need Nico, Cameron Bishop, Zoe, Ariel, Tim, Claire and Isaac to sign up for the blog.

Last week, we picked out our fourth group for Books To Soldiers. Note: I wasn't able to get them the same group as group 1, group 2, and group 3. So, group for will be giving to a different group of soldiers. Please bring your stuff to Mrs. Ziegler's desk in the Media Center by December 12th. You can bring them before then. Just drop them off. It is REALLY IMPORTANT that you gather what you have signed up for, as I have already told them that they will be receiving these packages!!! Let's thank our men and women in uniform.

Here is the group we decided to do.

Roy Morreale
Bravo Co. 203BSB 3HBCT
APO AE 09330

Request: There are 77 troops in Bravo Co. If you could please send books for all. thank you

mod note: Please do not send religious or political titles as they were not specifically asked for. Also, please no romances. ~nelled

Quote
Hello, Thank you for getting back to me. I have asked a few people about the types of books that they like and most of them said science fiction type books, harry potter, hunger games, Eragon etc. Also Ipods or anything like that would be great also if you wanted to. Because of the name Books for Soldiers I really thought all you donate is Books. Really anything you donate would be greatly appreciated no matter what it is. I do not know of anyone that is not getting any mail from back home but thank you for the offer. Thank you again for getting back to me. This will really mean a lot to our Soldiers.

Roy Morreale
Bravo Co. 203BSB 3HBCT
APO AE 09330

Group 1
Book- The Hunger Games: Maddy
Care Package Stuff: Sam Lev
Mailing Package: Tim
Thank you card: Grace

Group 2
Book- The Lost Hero: Marisa
Care Package Stuff: Cameron
Mailing Package: Chani
Thank you card: Zoe

Group 3
Book- Eragon: Ciera
Care Package Stuff: Katherine
Mailing Package: Ariel
Thank you card: Layne

SHAUN MOHABIR
B Co 3STB, 3BCT 
FOB Salerno
APO AE  09314

Group 4

1. Book- The Hobbit: Claire

2. Care Package- Monica

3. Sam Cole- Thank you/ Package

I will be bringing the packages to the Post Office on December 13th. Thanks guys :D!!! Just in case you missed the information for care packages/ mailing guidelines, you can find it at this link: http://booksforsoldiers.com/care-package-help/ . Don't spend more than about $5- $10 for Care Package Stuff.Just pick a few things on the list. For the Package People, make sure that you get a FLAT RATE box at the Post Office. As for the Book People, don't feel as if you need to get a hardcover book. Paperback is just fine. 

Updates on "The Hobbit" movie are coming soon. It looks like it's going to be great! We'll probably see it in 2D as I heard that the 3D has been giving some people migraines.

Thank you Grace for signing up for snacks!!!

A. H. S. Reader's Club has a Twitter! You can follow us here: https://twitter.com/AHSReadersClub. Thanks Grace!

If you have read this far, then you are one perfect potato. For being such a perfect potato, you get a joke. 

LIBRARIAN: Why don't you take home a Dr. Seuss? 
PUPIL: I didn't know he made house calls.

Reader's Club Recent Reads

Maddy- Clockwork Angel- 4 stars

Grace- In My Hands- 3 Stars

Audrey- The Eternal Ones- 4 stars

Sam Cole- Night- 4 stars

Aidan- Cyrano de Bergerac- 4 stars

Cameron B.- Drowned Cities- 4 stars

Mrs. Ziegler- Cinder- 3 stars

Marisa- Mark of Athena- 4 stars

Claire- The Jumby- 4 stars

Katherine- Insurgent 1 star

Clockwork Prince- 2 stars

Monica- Mark of Athena- 4 stars

Dark Horizons- 4 stars

Layne- Under the Never Sky- 3 stars

Recent Reviews

Everybody Sees the Ants: http://ahsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/11/everybody-sees-ants.html

Mark of Athena: http://ahsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/11/mark-of-athena.html

Under the Never Sky: http://ahsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/11/under-never-sky.html

Bloom: http://ahsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/11/bloom-elizabeth-scott-lauren-has-good.html

This is So Not Happening: http://ahsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/11/summary-their-long-summer-apart-ally.html

November 28th Meeting

Hi everyone,

I can't wait to see all of you at Reader's Club on Wednesday! Hope you all have been reading over your break. Can't wait to hear  about the great books you all have read recently. Our new suggested read is The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In a Ship of Her Own Making. Thank you Zoe for the suggestion!

We still need someone to bring snacks on Wednesday. If someone could volunteer, that would be great. It can be literally anything: Little Debbies, mini donuts, a pack of cookies, or even grapes :D. 

I still need Nico, Cameron B., Cameron C., Zoe, Tim, Isaac, and Ariel to sign up for the review blog. I know that Justin and Andrea have been having problems, so I'll try to work that out. If anyone else is having trouble, then please contact me. Thank you to those of you who were able to sign up! I will give candy to those of you who can sign up this week. 

Even more candy is available for anyone who writes a review! It doesn't even have to be long. For example, you can write five reviews and receive five pieces of candy. We got our first batch of QR codes in last week, so hopefully we'll have more soon. 

We broke people up into groups last week for Books for Soldiers. If you signed up then please participate! This is a great activity for our men in uniform. Different people in each group will have a different job

  

Here is the group we decided to do.

Roy Morreale
Bravo Co. 203BSB 3HBCT
APO AE  09330

Request: There are 77 troops in Bravo Co. If you could please send books for all. thank you

mod note: Please do not send religious or political titles as they were not specifically asked for.  Also, please no romances.  ~nelled

Quote

Hello, Thank you for getting back to me. I have asked a few people about the types of books that they like and most of them said science fiction type books, harry potter, hunger games, Eragon etc. Also Ipods or anything like that would be great also if you wanted to. Because of the name Books for Soldiers I really thought all you donate is Books. Really anything you donate would be greatly appreciated no matter what it is. I do not know of anyone that is not getting any mail from back home but thank you for the offer. Thank you again for getting back to me. This will really mean a lot to our Soldiers.

Group 1

Book- The Hunger Games: Maddy

Care Package Stuff: Grace

Mailing Package: Sam Lev

Thank you card: Tim

Group 2

Book- The Lost Hero: Marisa

Care Package Stuff: Cameron

Mailing Package: Chani

Thank you card: Zoe

Group 3

Book- Eragon: Ciera

Care Package Stuff: Katherine

Mailing Package: Ariel

Thank you card: Layne

When you have your stuff together, bring it to Mrs. Ziegler in the Media Center by December 12th. I'll bring them to the post office. 

If you missed it, here is the info for care packages and mailing guidelines. Please follow them and make sure you get the right kind of package!

Care Package Guidelines

Avoid sending any type of food unless you personally know the soldier you are sending to. These days, most throw it away if they do not know the sender.

Here are some alternative items that would be better than food…

AT&T phone cards
Baby wipes and body wipes
Batteries (AA)
Dental floss
Mouthwash
Waterless hand sanitizer
Eye drops
Saline nasal spray
Deodorant
Black sunglasses
Chapstick
Sunscreen
Foot powder
Disposable razors
Soap (non-scented because bugs like scented items)
Shampoo (non-scented because bugs like scented items)
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Baggies with Zip Lock
Tube Socks
“Gold Bond” type anti-fungal powders
fleece gloves, scarves and blankets
lotion (non-scented because bugs like scented items)
Lidocane 4% cream

For food, we recommend that ANYTHING you send be packaged and factory sealed. Due to concerns for the health and safety of the soldiers, and as much as we don’t want to say this, please do not send home-cooked anything to soldiers other then to your relatives or people who know you. Factory packaged only. Sorry. The soldiers are told to throw away anything that is not in a factory package.

We also recommend that all food items be sent in an individual zip-loc bag so the soldiers can have an easier time of packing their meals for the day. The bags are also useful for a host of other things.

Heater Meals
Breakfast-type foods and drinks
Small, single pot packages of coffee
Hot chocolate packages
Canned tuna and chicken
Canned Chef Boyardee ravioli, beef-a-roni, spaghetti & meatballs, etc (in “zip-top” or easy to open cans)
Canned fruit (with flip top lids)
Beef Jerky
Canned Nuts
Cereal bars, granola bars, etc.
Pre-sweetened powdered drinks, Kool-Aid, Gatorade, etc.

Some other items we have seen requested include the following…

Beanie Baby toys to give the Iraqi kids.
Baseballs, old ball gloves, footballs, frisbees and as one solider put it “anything made by Nerf.”

Mailing Guidelines

1 – Try to keep your package the size of a shoe box or similar. When we send out a box, we use FLAT RATE BOXES that the US Postal Service offers. It is a very good deal – you can cram as much as you can in the box and shipping is a flat $12.95. Also, the boxes are FREE from the US Post Office.

Large packages over 25 pounds probably will not get through or be greatly delayed.

2 – Use the complete military address, including the full name of the recipient.
Example…
SFC Doe, John
E/5-7 ADA (fwd)
Operation Enduring Freedom
APO AE 99999

3 – When sending to the whole unit, address the package to an individual also.
Example…
SFC Doe, John
E/5-7 ADA (fwd)
Operation Enduring Freedom
APO AE 99999

4 – Include a note to the recipient. Tell them about your support of them and your hopes of a safe return. If you are sending to the unit in general, explain that these books are a gift to the whole unit and to give them to someone else once they are finished.

It is also good to send a small care package of useful items along with your book. See the top of this page for a recommended list.

5 – Include your return address. Packages with no valid return address will be considered a suspicious package and likely to be destroyed according to the Defense Department.

6 – Although some troops will request “anything,” we have found that books on the Apocalypse or end of the world are not as well received as mystery novels for example.

7 – Do not send us a book to send to a soldier, mail it to the soldier directly.

8 – Do not send pornography. The Defense Department tells us that most troops live in an area where any type of pornography is illegal and could result in problems for the recipient.

Reader's Club Recent Reads

Maddy: Maze Runner

Grace: I am Number Four

Marisa: The Casual Vacancy

Justin: Artemis Fowl: Lost Guardian 

Cameron B: When a Monster Calls

Chani: Kat Scratch Fever, The Acorna Series, The Vampire Plague Series

Zoe: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

Ciera: Bloom, This is So Not Happening

Katherine: Gone, Divergent, Clockwork Angel

Ariel: The Lovely Bones

Layne: The Mark of Athena

November 14 Meeting

Hey ya'll,

Candy for everyone! That is, if you sign up for the review blog. In
addition, for every review you do, you will receive a piece of candy at the
next club meeting. You all should have gotten a invitation to the review
blog (ahsreviews.blogspot.com) via email. Click accept and you're all set.
I look forward to seeing your great reviews! I still need Ciera, Cameron
V., Cameron B., Zoe, Ariel, Sam L., Isaac, Nico, Maddy, Andrea, Chani,
Grace, and Justin to sign up. I just sent out a new invitation to each of
you. All you need to do is click accept.

Sorry about the delay. It has been a busy week. We had a great time at club
last week! We decided to push the filming of the book trailer till after
exams. We also continued talking about BooksforSoldiers. I will be sending
an email to Maddy and Sam L. posthaste and they'll take it from there.

We will be seeing the Hobbit on December 15th! Mark your calendars. Times
will come as soon as they are available.

Quick shout out to Sam Cole. Thank you for signing up to bring snacks! And
thank you Sam Lev for bringing them the week before! The Munchkins were
delicious. If anyone else wants to sign up for snacks you can sign up on
the blog (http://ahsreadersclub.blogspot.com/p/snacks.html) in the comments
or on facebook  (
http://www.facebook.com/pages/AHS-Readers-Club/480607241984647), While
you're there, make sure to like us :D!

We have our own group on Facebook too. If you haven't been added already,
then go ahead and join. If you all have any thoughts, questions, or ideas
post them on there. http://www.facebook.com/groups/357066057717316/

Suggested Reads

Vampire Academy- Sam Lev
Pandemonium- Monica
Blooms of Darkness- Ciera
13 Reasons Why- Katherine
The Fault In Our Stars- Marisa
True Blue- Cameron B.
Alex Rider- Aidan
Warriors- Chani
The Great Gatsby- Sam Cole
Drowned Cities- Zoe
What Happened to Goodbye- Andrea
When Lightning Strikes- Maddy
Everybody Sees the Ants- Layne

October 10th's Meeting and Other Things

Hi everyone,

We had a great meeting on Wednesday!  Everyone definitely had a blast getting to know one another and making posters. Thanks to those who joined us, especially the new members. We hope that you'll come to the next meeting on October 24th 2:30- 3:30 in the Media Center.

A. H. S. Reader's Club discussed a tremendous amount of topics:Snack Sign Up, Social Networking, the Review Blog, Pizza,  volunteering opportunities, the book trailer, QR codes (not ER codes :P), Movies, and Advanced Reader's Copies.

 Snack Sign Up is right at this link: http://ahsreadersclub.blogspot.com/p/snacks.html. You can also respond to this email with the specific date if you would prefer. 

By overpowering social networking request, A.H.S. Reader's Club now has a facebook page(http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-H-S-Readers-Club/480607241984647)! You should have gotten a link to connect with us via email. This will have updates on events, meetings, and the book trailer among other things. 

The review blog is up and running! Sorry for the previous confusion due to minor technical difficulties involving a very stupid program by the company that owns Blogger (cough Google). So now that they don't think that we're spam, you can post all the reviews you would like (ahsreviews.blogspot.com). There's some really great ones up there now. You also should have gotten an invitation to be an author in your email. Make sure that you join so that you can post. Remember, if we get at least 30 reviews, we get a pizza party! Ms. Ziegler has graciously offered to pay for pizza. 

We decided on our first semester volunteer opportunity as well: Books For Soldiers. This is a great program that gives books among other things to the great men and women of our country. Some request specific books and some will ask for just about anything. I will probably bring the list and people can pick who they would like to send a book to. We can also pick one of the general ones (ex. Vansnitzel requests anything) as a group. If anyone has any ideas of how we should handle this, then please respond.

The book trailer project is in effect. I'm trying to figure out which days would be good for everyone. At the moment, I'm pushing for Wednesday (on the days not assigned for book club) or Saturday. Please respond to this email or participate in the poll at this link: ahsreaders.blogspot.com. There are also some other book trailers for "The Fault in Our Stars" that I found online and posted on Facebook for inspiration. If you wish to participate, be thinking.

Yay! The QR Codes are working! Apparently, this also means that they're out of the ER (:p). Once some more reviews are up, we'll be able to attach them.

We decided to watch the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for our first semester movie. It comes out on December 14th. We could go on opening night or maybe the 15th. I know that people usually have Christmas/ Hannukah/ Kwansa/ Family Engagements anytime after, so we might want to do this pretty close to the opening so that we don't get caught up in holidays and exams.

Our wonderful, stupendous, amazing sponsor, Ms. Ziegler, has also taken the time to find us some ARCs. For those of you who don't know, ARC stands for Advanced Reader's Copies. This means that you all get to read these books before they're even out in stores! Ms. Ziegler is available Tuesday and Wednesday in the Media Center if you would like to check out these books never before released to the public. 

Meeting October 10, 2012

A. H. S. Reader's Club will be meeting in the Media Center from 2: 30- 3: 30. We will be making posters so feel free to bring stuff to draw with. This will be a great opportunity to meet the new people who will be joining us in the future.

If possible, bring one dollar to add to club funds (we'll be using these for a pizza party in the future).

Can't wait to see you all there!

Homecoming Parade and Other Things

Please return your completed permission forms to Ms. Ziegler's desk by September 18th. Once I find out who wants to be in the parade and whether or not we will have a car, we will meet and make whatever we need. The form is in an email that I sent out.

Also, please sign up for snacks.

The review blog is currently undergoing some technical difficulties due to a mistake in the system. It should be available in a few days. (Update: this issue is resolved. Thanks so much for the awesome review of Will Grayson Will Grayson).

In other news, we figured out how to make an ER code for the books! This way, people will be able to scan the link on the book with an app and be directed to the review on the review blog posthaste. This will be so cool! Awesome possums for everyone! When we make book trailers, we can also put an ER code that will direct people to the Youtube video. Also, don't forget to register to be an author on the Review Blog, which you can get to (as soon as the site is back up) on the page tab that says reviews. This way, you'll be able to post on the other blog exclusively for reviews. This is different than the authorship on the main A.H.S. Reader's Club blog! You all should have gotten an email of invitation for authorship of the Review Blog as well as the A.H.S. Reader's Club Main Blog. If you didn't, then please contact me at the club email.

Our next meeting is October 10. Tell your friends :D

Great First Meeting

Hey Everyone,

Thank you so much for joining A. H. S. Reader's Club! We had a great first meeting. If you were there, I have already added you to the publishing list for the blog. I still need Marisa, Nico, and Katherine to make a Gmail Account and email me the details. Feel free to write posts, add popular hot reads, add reviews, suggest books, add comments, add book- related events, sign up for snacks, watch book trailers by the club, and browse BFYA books.

Our first monthly suggested read is "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Synopsis

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

This is an excellent book! Please read! We will be making a book trailer about this soon.

Apex High School Homecoming is coming up soon and we have the opportunity to make a club float. If anyone has a car, we can decorate it or just walk. I'll be emailing the permission slip via email. Please bring them to Ms. Ziegler by September 18th. Email me if you have any ideas. 


This year, we're bringing back our book review bookmarks! The goal is to get thirty reviews done between all of us. If we can do it, we'll have an awesome pizza party! 

I will need $2 from everyone relatively soon. Try to bring it to the October 10, October 24, or the November 7 meeting. This is over a month! 

There has been a really neat idea to have a link- thingy- majiger on the bookmarks that will lead straight to the review. We can also put this directly on the book. This would be SO cool! Imagine taking a pic and being linked directly to the review. The problem is figuring out how to do it. Calling all club members on this one! If anyone can figure it out, please contact me or Ms. Ziegler. Update: I think I've figured this out.

Advertising!

I can't tell you how many times I have been told by other people, "There's a book club at our school?" Next week, our club activity is going to be to make posters! This will be really fun. This is a call for all artists and non- artists alike. Feel free to bring your own supplies (please no loose glitter or paint)! This can include actual books that we can rip the pages out of, markers, crayons, colored pencils etc. Get creative! This is going be really fun!

Another Grand Year

We will be having our first meeting in the Media Center September 11th after school from 2: 30- 3: 30. Hope to see you all there!