Sunday, October 18, 2009

Book Reports

Once again, I am being forced to write a book report for school. Two things wrong with that.
1. I not only have to find a book that's decent enough to do a book report on, but I also have to find one that I've never read before.
2. When I do manage to find a book, I will have to read it and then give an unbiased report on it.

Both of which will be difficult to achieve. First off, it's pretty much an extreme sport to actually FIND a decent piece of young adult literature, and then to get it approved should probably become a part of the Olympics.
The reading itself, while normally (for me) is simple, is usually complicated when, halfway through the book, I realize that I really, really, really hate the book. And it's not very easy to write a good book report encouraging fellow students to read the book to find out what happens next if you yourself did not actually care what happened next when you read it.
And slamming the book isn't really an option either, because teachers don't let you say what you actually thought about the book, unless you loved it. Which (in my experience) doesn't happen often.
So, if any of you have any good ideas for future book report books that won't put me to sleep but will be deemed appropriate, I'd like to hear them. Really.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

The Frog Prince

Well, I've begun work on my sixth Princess Tale: The Frog Prince. Princess Arabella is an animal-loving, free-spirited girl whose parents suddenly arrange a marriage with Prince Alfonso, one of the sons of the ruler of a bordering country. Here's an excerpt from the story when she first meets Alfonso.

Beyond this door was the man who, whether I liked it or not, was going to be my husband. The man who was going to rule my country. The man whose face I would wake up to for the rest of my life. The man who was going to-gulp-father my children.
I took a deep breath, wishing that my maid hadn't tightened my corset so much, and turned the knob. Then I stepped through the doorway.
And that's when I first saw him. He was hideous. His hair was pale reddish-blonde, and he had luminescent green eyes that were so big that they made him look like a disturbed frog. His nose (also too large) was bright pink, and his gangly limbs looked too big for his body.
The fragile soap bubble of hope I'd had burst. There was no way in the whole world I would ever be able to marry him. Ever.