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What to Read This Summer...

Okay...as you know, I'm not much of a reader.  That's CeCee's terrain.  Even so, I might manage to finish a book or two over the summer.  After all, you can only Facebook so many hours of the day, right?  Anyway, CeCee and I made up this cool list of books.  So, come on tweens - get your read on!!!

LUCY AND CECEE'S
ULTIMATE TWEEN SUMMER READ LIST

1) Coraline - Neil Gaiman

2) The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

3) Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney

4) Animal Farm - George Orwell

5) Hoot - Carl Hiaasen

6) Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life - James Patterson

7) The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton

8) The Best of Roald Dahl - Roald Dahl

9) I Know What You Did Last Summer - Lois Duncan

10) The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

11) Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli

12) Holes - Lois Sachar

Say What? How to Talk Tween

Lucy: A-yo. Whatup? Those threads you’re rockin’ are spun, girl! So fetch! Gotta

bizounce. Laters.

CeCee: Translation—Hello. How are you? I really like that shirt you’re wearing. Looks

great. Well, I should get going. See you around.

Lucy: Webster, the dictionary dude, might not recognize tween speak as an official language, but it absolutely, unequivocally is. You dig?

CeCee: That said, be warned—parents and teachers may frown when you’re slinging the slang around. But just remind yourself that talking tween isn’t just a contrived affectation but an absolute necessity. After all, every generation has its own way of talking.

Lucy: Yeah, dude! If, on the other hand, you’re feeling lost in translation and not sure how to make your chatter matter, try listening to the kids around you. With a little practice, your gab will go from drab to fab!

CeCee: Hey—tween speak!

Lucy and CeCee: Here are a few dos and don’ts to remember when talking tween:

L&C’s Talking Tween Tips

* Don’t overdo the coolness factor. You’ll be perceived as trying too hard, which is worse than being perceived as uncool.

*Don’t overdo the Internet acronyms when you talk. A few are acceptable and necessary, but try to limit them to texts, tweets, and the chat room.

*Do sprinkle in cool-sounding vocabulary. Here are some fun, sophisticated words to try:

o   My sister was so uppity today.

o   I don’t know what to do; I’m so conflicted.

o   Camouflage is so passé, don’t you think?

o   Her look is so urbane coming from the city.

 *Do use ironically cool retro words and phrases like “groovy,” “gotta split,” and “far out.” Do use
these tired slang words and phrases sparingly or not at all:        

o   Pad/crib

o   No brainer

o   Da bomb

o   You go, girl

o   My bad

o   Let’s not and say we did

o   Are we having fun yet?

*Do compliment others’ gear with the following:

o   So vintage

o   So retro

o   So Betsey Johnson (or other designer)

o   So crafty

o   So fun

o   So the new black

o   So classic

*Do use the following lines when you’re not really listening:

o   “Shut up right now.”

o   “Grab a rail.”

o   “OMG.”

o   “I’m baffled. Utterly baffled."

The S.M.T. (Super Mean Teacher)

Every middle school has one, which means you’re bound to get them at least once.  Of course, we’re talking about that extraordinarily vile, despicably wicked, supermean teacher.

L&C’s SMT Tips:

♥ Keep a low profile, and stay quiet.

♥ Do all your homework neatly and on time.

♥ The teacher is probably not the joking-around type, so think twice before engaging him or her on a humorous level.

♥ Compliments never hurt. Say that you like his or her tie, shoes, or the inspiring lecture on the downfall of Eastern Bloc Communism.

♥ If it’s around the holiday season, give him or her a card. Buy a generic greeting card just to play it safe unless you happen to know what her or she celebrates (besides the grinch)!

♥ Tell the principal the SMT is your favorite teacher and you get so much out of the class. (He or she will hopefully pass it on, and you’ll get major charm points.)

♥ Volunteer for small missions like passing out or picking up papers. Request to pick up trash after class or erase whiteboards.

♥ Shhhhhh the loud students, telling them you are trying to listen, and they would be wise to do the same.

♥ Participate but don’t ask annoying questions like “Should we put our name on this?” or “What class is this again?”

♥ Take or act like you’re taking copious notes. Teachers like to feel important.

♥ Call the teacher sir, ma’am, or master—but not in a sarcastic way.

Helpful Hint from CeCee: Even I get those supermean ogre-type teachers and grapple with it. What you have to realize is, most of the time, their mean dispositions are nothing personal against you—it’s just the way they’re wired. Also, don’t be worried about being called a “teacher’s pet” by the other kids. You’ll have the last laugh when crowned with an A and everyone else flunks. Just remember—you won’t have these teachers forever. It’s only temporary, so try to figure out what makes them tick, and you’ll have them eating out of the palm of your hand (not literally, of course—gross!).

D.E.A.R. Rocks!!

Hey Tweens -
Have You DEAR'ed Lately?

D.E.A.R. is an educational acronym that stands for Drop Everything and Read.  Only the most cool English teachers will let you D.E.A.R. in class.  If yours doesn't, ask them about it - or bring in this blog post.

This week we'll be celebrating Nashville D.E.A.R. Day at Rose Park Magnet School where we will honor books, authors, and reading in general.  April 12th is the official National D.E.A.R Day.  It is the birthday of the beloved author Beverly Cleary who created one of our all-time favorite childhood characters – Ramona Quimby.  On National D.E.A.R. Day, families are encouraged to read together while promoting books as an integral part of daily life.

So how will you be celebrating D.E.A.R. Day?  Fun activities to do with family, friends, or an impassioned book club include making bookmarks, reading favorite passages, and acting out scenes.  Character charades, anyone?  While April 12th is official D.E.A.R. day, every day is a great day to Drop Everything and Read!  So, turn off that reality show and get your read on!

Happy Valentine's Day: How to Snag a Hottie

Need a sweetie for the (gasp) big day?  Follow these tips from our book Lucy and CeCee's How to Survive (and Thrive) in Middle School...

Find a good candidate starting with someone who likes you for you. Other quality traits to look for in a guy are sweet, funny, and genuine. And let’s face it: cute doesn’t hurt, either. Stay away from boys who ego trip or only think about themselves.

When talking to him the first few times, you may be a little nervous. If so, ask him questions about himself or his classes. Here are some good questions to ask:

§  What are you listening to on your iPod?
§  Do you have (name a teacher)? How is your project coming along?
§  Are you going to the football game on Friday?
§  Do you know what time the bell rings?
 
Try to be friends first and get to know him in a casual setting. This will make the going-out stuff less awkward.

If you want to ask a guy out, approach him when he’s alone—not when he’s hanging with “the guys” and absolutely not when he’s talking with another girl. If the coast is clear, pop a breath mint, take a deep breath, and go for it!

Do a little recon investigation, and find out what your dude is into. If he likes sports, talk about a local or state team; if he likes music, chat up tunes and bands.

Don’t talk too much about yourself. For most guys, this is a turnoff.

If he makes a joke, laugh. Guys like to think they belong on Comedy Central.

If you’re apt to blush when you gush, don’t fret. Most guys think this is cute.

Make signs that you like him and are interested by smiling, making eye contact, lightly touching his arm, and the like.

It sounds dorky, but practice talking to your crush in the mirror. When the time comes, you’ll be a silver-tongued smoothie.


Helpful Hint #1: Don’t be a stalker.* Guys are pretty simple to figure out. If they like you, you’ll know it. If they don’t, move on.

Helpful Hint #2: Don’t have a friend tell his friend to tell his friend that you like him. Do your love work yourself! It shows confidence!

Talkin' Tween Lingo Lesson: 5 Words to Know

Dance-utante: A breakout girl who was a “nobody” before a school dance and then knocks out her party-girl moves and becomes superpopular.
Usage: “Did you see that dance-utante bust her moves in front of everyone? Now everyone wants to ask her out.”


Double ditching: When you ditch class and do something else bad on top of it like smoking in the bathroom or kissing your boyfriend.
Usage: “I got soooo busted for double ditching. Now I have detention for two days. Major drag!”


Hall hugger: Someone who needs moral support hugs between classes from boys and girls alike in order to make it to his or her next class.
Usage: “Geez! I would be on time to class if it weren’t for all these hall huggers blocking the way. Get a life!”


Teacher breath: The stale, rancid air emanating from teachers when they exhale or talk really close to you. 
Usage: “I offered my Ms. Jones an Altoid after getting a whiff of her teacher breath. So nast!”


Tweentrum: An uncontrolled outburst of emotion by a tween that can happen at any time or place without warning. When it occurs, always blame it on the hormones. Cry when need to.
Usage: “I almost got out of being grounded but then threw a tweentrum when told my curfew was 10:00 p.m. Why doesn’t anyone understand me?”

Watch the Tweentrums!!