Krista+Pelen

media type="custom" key="20862020" Krista, I loved your book and the background was perfect! BJ Neary

Krista, I also am a big Gregory Maguire fan! Wicked is one of my all time favorites. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is a very interesting twist on the classic Cinderella story. I really like your avatar and the background is fits the story as well. I tried recording my own voice on the Voki and there was a real delay. It was super hard for my to resist the robot sounding voice effect. I don't know many people who don't have some sort of personal attachment to fairy tales and Cinderella is a favorite. Your Voki gives just enough of a teaser to make a reader want to know more about a different take on an old favorite. Thanks, Holly

Krista, I have never read one of Gregory Maguire's book, although I have seen the show Wicked and LOVED it! I think I that I will have to take the time to read an adaptation of a classic, and see how it compares to what common knowledge I have of the known story. Looking forward to adding it to my list :) (Joanna)

Krista, I really liked how your wiki connected with the book you read. In fact, I can actually imagine using this in the classroom as an assignment. I think kids would enjoy using their imaginations figuring out how the protaganist looks and what they would wear. This could not only help students make connections with their book, but also encourage other students to pick up the same book. I am certainly intrigued by your review, and I can't wait until I get the opportunity to pick it up! -Turea

DIGITAL BOOK TRAILER #1 media type="file" key="Book Trailer Krista, what a great DBT, I loved your pictures, your narration and now I want to read this book, great credit slide too! BJ Neary

Krista, is that your voice?? It is so utterly perfect for a book narration! It didn't occur to me to write my own narration, but it gave you the flexibility to make it even more interesting. It was like a friend was describing the book to me and telling me how awesome it was. I really liked it! - Allison Barash Allison, that was my voice. Thank you. ~ Krista

Krista, I love how you incorporated direct quotes into your narration…you seemed to choose just the right places and lines to use the author’s words (I am totally intrigued by the line about dead or dormant trees depending on your outlook on life…that would tell you a lot about a person). You last few seconds provide the perfect wrap-up (I thought that part was hard when I was making my trailer), but yours reminds me, fondly, of the book reviews on //Reading Rainbow//. ~Erica Krista, You did a fantastic job with the voice over for your DBT! I love the visuals too! You picked some wonderful excerpts to include without spoiling the plot! This is on my to-read list! -Holly

Krista~ You did such a great job! Your speaking voice was so captivating, and really added to the narration of the book. I love how you incorporated the words from the author to add an extra level to the DBT, and you did a great job not giving away too much of the plot. I really enjoyed it, and got some great ideas for me to use in my next DBT!- Joanna

VIDEO BOOK TALK #1 media type="file" key="I Heart You, You Haunt Me.m4v" width="300" height="300"

Krista, I loved your book talk; it was sweet, sad and haunting and I loved your quote, it intensified the character's angst. BJ Neary

Great job - I loved all the books behind you. It was like you were a librarian telling us to read the book you chose. It made it stand out over the "other" books behind you. You also have a great presence in front of the camera - very calm and clear. - Allison Barash

Very well done, Krista, and a good choice for this age when "love" is a central focus. Your synopsis makes me interested to read about this very different type of love story. Kathleen Cusick

Krista, very well done! I have wanted to read every book that you have listed this semester. I liked your book talk because I can tell you really enjoyed this book. I think that the topic is relatable to anyone who has ever lost a loved one and wished to see them just one more time. What a twist to have the protagonist have to decide if she can continue a relationship with her deceased boyfriend! Great job! -Holly Frabizio

Krista, you did a really nice job on your book talk. I liked how you chose to incorporate a quote into the talk. It was a nice way to hear the words from the book itself. Nicely done!- Joanna

DIGITAL BOOK TRAILER #2 "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman Prezi (The above link should work now, sorry about the other "error" link ~ Krista) Krista, I really love your Prezi! Just the opening frame of the three tombstones draws me in! Great font for the text. I loved the excerpts that you used from the book. Gaiman to me has a very poetic style of writing that captures a child's voice but still manages to be mature in thought. Good job! -Holly

Krista, What a great way to present this DBT with the tombstones and the font you used gave it a 3D look and a totally creepy feel. Bod's world was awesome in the book and you recreated the feel of the graveyard, well done. BJ Neary

VIDEO BOOK TALK #2 media type="file" key="The Boy Who Dared.m4v" width="300" height="300"

This sounds really interesting. I love the backdrop of books. Looks so studious :) - Nicole Krista, Your book talk video really captured the darkness and unease within Helmuth's cell. Reading from the book, the author's view of the desolation and isolation of Helmuth, really hit home for me this horrible time in history. We have this book in our library and I am doing historical fiction booktalks,I will include your book talk, the students will grab this book! BJ Neary

Krista, I think you did a good job in your book talk connecting to something that all students struggle with…the difficulty and bravery it sometimes takes to do the right thing. Hopefully our students won’t have to deal with the tragedy or injustice of Helmuth’s society, but it is inevitable that they will face a scenario where they have to stand up for what is right and decide what exactly they are willing to fight for. ~Erica

What a fantastic passage to choose to read! You set this up so brilliantly that I want to know what happens next. It sounds scary and terrible and yet interesting all at the same time. Great job! Allison

DIGITAL BOOK TRAILER #3 media type="custom" key="21447522"

Krista, I liked the dark colors and background you used for this Soulless Wordle; they were perfect, good job. BJ Neary

I agree - I think the mood for this book is very clearly set by this wordle. I really like the randomness of wordles - and how every time you look at it, you see something else! Just when I think I have a handle on what the book might be about, I see a new word and it totally throws me. It makes the book seem so interesting! Great job - Allison

VIDEO BOOK TALK #3 media type="file" key="Divergent.m4v" width="300" height="300" Whoa! Krista, this book sounds amazing! I loved the passage that you chose. I am always looking for good books to get my niece for the holidays. Do you think a 13 year old girl would like this book? She and her dad are very into LARP. Haha. Your trailer has me very interested in reading this book myself! Great job!-Holly Holly - It is a great book and the sequal "Insurgent" is really great too. I would read it first before giving it to your niece. It does have a fair amount of violence, but nothing really graphic or grotesque. ~ Krista K rista, awesome book talk, you did a great job of getting all the exciting and important information and choices in Beatrice's world in your book talk. Great job! BJ Neary

Krist a- I really enjoyed your book talk. Reading from the book added the perfect touch. It sounds like this would appeal to the teen wh o is into dystopianfantasy. The bookdescription reminded me a l ittle of The Hunger Games. Were they similar?Thanks for sharing!-Turea

T urea - The book is similar to HG because of the dystopian genre & the 16-year old female protagonist. Other than that, it didn't have too much in common with HG. ~ Krista

TOP TEN BOOK LIST

media type="custom" key="21558842" What a great Prezi! I loved your descriptions of the books - it really made them come alive. I also really liked the ladder like effect to get you to the top for your #1 book. Excellent job! - Allison Krista, I loved your Prezi theme for your Top 10 Books; blue and green, book covers and the descriptions round out a very eye appealing list, great job! BJ Neary Krista, I loved the layout and the content of your Prezi! I guess I will have to give Prezi another chance. I also loved that you mixed contemporary and classical YA literature! //Goblet of Fire// is probably my favorite HP book too! I really think that it is the book that moves Harry from child to young adult. Great job!! -Holly

THEME STUDY media type="custom" key="21717454" Krista, I’m not sure that I never recognized the prevalence of strong female characters in dystopian fiction, and I can totally picture your Glogster as promotion tool used by librarians. I think one of the benefits of a theme study is the ability to see connections between books and notice trends that might not be immediately obvious. ~Erica

Krista, The glogster application really does justice to the (many) qualities each female protagonist portrays in the dystopian novels you chose. Great job, BJ Neary

I really liked this Glog. I recognized a bunch of titles I had already read (and loved!) and your Glog showed me other titles that would fit into a similar genre - which I think is the best part of a theme study. It basically gave me more things to read! - Allison Krista, your glogster is amazing. I had seen the //Matched// series at Barnes and Noble and wondered about it. I know now that I will be adding it to my list. I love dystopian novels but I am a sucker for a strong female character. Great imagery and very informative. Thanks!-Holly

I loved the take you did for this theme study, by looking at an even more specific element of dystopian fiction. Your Glogster was very well done and is having me take a different look at the female characters in many of the books I have read over this semester. ~Amy