giveaway galore and hazelwood high

Teacher friends! There are so many different giveaways going on right now that I just had to share them with you. First of all, we have a giveaway at Kinder Kraziness. There are 14 teachers participating in this great giveaway for Laura's one year blogiversary! Stop on by and enter for yourself :]

Next, we have a giveaway at 4th Grade Frolics. There are 13 teachers participating in this one for Tara's one year blogiversary (man... all these blogiversaries!!!). Stop on by and enter yourself in her giveaway, too!

Then, we've got the 100 Follower Giveaway at Teaching Maddeness! Amanda reached 100 followers in one short week. Boy, am I jealous! Stop on by her giveaway and enter for yourself! There's a gift card at stake.. who wouldn't want that?!

Finally, there's a giveaway going on at The Teachers Chatterbox for reaching 300 followers! She's giving away a lot of nice things, so make sure you stop on by!

Overall, all of the bloggers giving away these amazing things is incredibly sweet of them. I am jealous of their dedication and hard work they have put into their blogs, and hope that one day, I, too, can be that good of a blogger! Good luck to everyone who enters :]

As for the Hazelwood High development... I'm LOVING these books. I'm not kidding, I'm L-O-V-I-N-G the series. The book started out very dramatically with a car crash. The story develops and it's main character is named Andy. Andy is going through a lot after losing his best friend in the car crash, but that's not what attracts me to the book. What attracts me is the way the book is written. The book is written the way the characters would speak in real life. Examples of the words used are "for real though!" or "naw, man," or "let's raise" which stands for "let's go." She puts REAL people in the story and relates the story to it's intended readers. I truly love the way she writes because it's as if it's a real movie going on in your head. You can see the characters holding a conversation in front of you, or as the beginning of the book started with a car crash, you can see this crash in your mind. You can picture everything about this crash and all that it encompasses. Another character, BJ, describes the crash and the way he describes it is almost as if it is happening right in front of your face. Ahhh, I just love this book so much and will be done with it by tonight. I will start the second book tomorrow, and will let you know how the rest of this first book goes!

Oh, one more thing - Hazelwood High is set in CINCINNATI! That's where I went to school and currently reside. The book talks about I-75, Fountain Square, and Kings Island a few times. It also talks about Boone County, which is just over the border! Such a cool thing.

Have a good night, y'all!

EDIT: Tomorrow I start my volunteering, summer classes to finish up my 4th and 5th grade endorsement so I can be certified to teach from PreK-5 instead of PreK-3, AND I start my SUPER SUMMER SCHEDULE!! Stay tuned to the blog for updates on all three things, plus my readings :] and feel free to join me for the SUPER SUMMER SCHEDULE!!

EDIT TWO: I finished my first book of the Hazelwood High kids and all I can say is OH. MY. GOSH. What a compelling, riveting novel about high school seniors. I absolutely cannot wait to start the next one, Forged by Fire. Book two for the summer.. FINISHED.