Friday Five

1.  I just finished reading an ARC of Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass and am now determined to see a total solar eclipse before I die. (Funny how a free book can end up costing thousands in travel expenses, huh? But I digress…)   I’ll post a more detailed review later, but for now, know that I loved it, and it’s one you’ll want to look for when it comes out next month.

2. Currently, I’m reading the first book in Scholastic’s 39 Clues series, Rick Riordan’s The Maze of Bones.  My 12-year-old read it in a day and loved it but was surprised that it wasn’t more like Rick’s Percy Jackson series.  I’m halfway through Maze of Bones, enjoying the historical references to Benjamin Franklin as well as the diverse settings.  I’m interested to see how the whole book, trading card, online game component works out.  Has anyone else read this?  Thoughts?

3. It’s always interesting to me how people end up at my website.  The counter that keeps track of visits to my site also shows me how people found their way there, what terms they typed into a search engine, for example.  This one is my all-time favorite. Someone googled…

"love life of Samuel de Champlain"

…and ended up at my site.  (Don’t tell my husband!)

4. There was a haze of ice fog over Lake Champlain today — the first of many cold fall mornings I’ll wake to see those cold weather "ghosts" over the water.

5.  Who wants to win a copy of Champlain and the Silent One?  I’ll be announcing a contest on Monday, so be sure to stop by!  All you have to do to be entered is promise to use your voice in November.  More to come…