The US Presidential election is only a few days away and the country is in turmoil. But, I’m tired. I’m tired of the arguing and depressed about the awfulness that is suddenly OK again. So, you know what? I want to talk about something else. I want to talk about Barbie dolls. And not just talk, I went on a hunt to see if I could find Barbie dolls that look like the characters in my book, The Travelers, or at least the way I picture them.
It's finally Halloween! My house didn't get egged or TP'd last night. So I guess my neighborhood had a quiet Mischief Night. Now comes the fun part! I can't wait to watch all the kids suit up and threaten to play tricks on people unless they give them treats. It's a weird sort of custom when you think about it. (So I try not to think about it.) Since it's Halloween, here are my 13 (seemed like an appropriate number) favorite Halloween costumes based on literary characters.
While touring Northern Virginia and taking pictures of places that inspired The Travelers, I thought it might be fun to check out the cemetery adjacent to my mother’s childhood farmhouse in Manassas, right near the battlefield. (Yes, I realize my idea of fun might not be the same as everyone else.)
Yes, I’m clearly obsessed with Teen Read Week. Anything that encourages people to read more is great, in my book. (Sorry, I know that was a terrible pun. I couldn’t help it!) Sadly, Teen Read Week is coming to an end. In honor of that ending, I’ve compiled a list of books with crazy plot twist endings! Predicting the plot twists for any book, movie or TV show is one of my superpowers...
Since it's October, I felt the overwhelming need (perhaps compelled?) to combine the awesomeness of Teen Read Week and Halloween. It just had to be done. And since my own book, The Travelers, is about witches, that seemed like an appropriate place to start. Therefore, here are some spellbinding YA books where the main characters are teen witches or thought to be.
It’s Teen Read Week from October 9-15! (Never heard of it before? Me either! I just learned about it and I think it’s AWESOME!) So awesome, I thought it deserved a little bloggy time. Therefore, in honor of Teen Read Week, I thought it might be fun to highlight some authors you may not have realized were mere teenagers when they wrote their now super famous books.
Halloween is just around the corner. In honor of it, I thought it might be fun to list the top 5 “scary” or “monster-themed” books that influenced me as a teenager or young adult.
From the first few scenes of Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, it’s pretty clear that the film won’t be a 100% faithful adaptation of the book. Therefore, if you’re someone who read and enjoyed the book, which I am, you must decide quickly – do you constantly compare the film to the source material or do you try to enjoy it as a separate piece of work. I’d suggest the latter.
K.L. Kranes 