Substitute Creature - Chris Gall

illustrated by the author
Little Brown & Co., 2011
HC $16.99
32 pages
Endpapers:  Full double page illustrations of a street on Halloween - before and after the story. (Look for the changes!)
Title Page:  The doors of the school with monster shadow - full page illustration
Illustrations:  all encased with a border
1st sentence/s:

"On a windswept day in late October, the students of Ms. Jenkin's class arrived to a surprise at school.

"Substitute teacher today! announced Peyton.

Amanda giggled and scribbled on the chalkboard.  Luke performed a circus act.  Gavin laughed like a mad scientist.

Then, at precisely eight o'clock, the door to the classroom creaked open.  The substitute teacher entered the room."

Mr. Creacher (a 5-eyed green monster with tentacles) tells his unruly class the tales of six different students who got into trouble in school and the unhappy results - with a twist at the end!

This has a Halloween aspect, but I wouldn't consider it a Halloween book at all.

My 2011 Book Challenges

11-11-11 Challenge

1. Published in 2011
1. Mercy Kill (Armstrong) Ad Myst
2.  Dogtag Summer (Partridge) MidHF
3.  A Million Miles from Boston (Day) MidCRF
4.  The Last Little Blue Envelope (Johnson) YACRF
5.  Ruby Red (Gier) YAFant
6.  Small Acts of Amazing Courage (Whelan) MidHistFict
7.  You'll Like It Here (Everybody Does) (White) Mid Fant
8.  Where Do You Stay? (Cheng) Mid CRF
9.  The Mostly True Story of Jack (Barnhill) Mid Fant
10.  The Other Rembrandt (Connor) Ad Myst
11.  A Discovery of Witches (Harkness) Ad FantMyst
12.  The Weird Sisters (Brown) CRF
13.  Sisterhood Everlasting (Brashares) Ad/Teen CRF
14.  Wonderstruck (Selznick) Mid HF

2. TBR Pile waaaaay too long
1. The Jacket (Clements) Mid CRF
2.  Art of Mending
3.  Biting the Moon (Grimes) Ad Myst
4.  The Ice Queen (Hoffman) Ad CRF
5.  Sweethearts (Zarr) YA CRF
6.  Twelve Sharp (Evanovich) AdMyst
7.  Unlucky in Law (O'Shaughnessy) AdMyst

3. Authors new to me
1. Ninth Ward (Jewell Parker Rhodes)
2. At Ease with the Dead (Walter Satterthwaite)
3. Gods in Alabama (Joshilyn Jackson)
4. No Time for Goodbye (Linwood Barclay)
5. Sweet Heart (Chelsea Cain)
6.  The Jasmine Trade (Denise Hamilton)
7.  The Lock Artist (Steve Hamilton)
8.  The Beach House (Jane Green)
9.  The Dark Tide (Andrew Gross)
10.  Chime (Franny Billingsley)

4. Historical Fiction
1. Best Friends Forever, A World War II Scrapbook (Patt) (Mid Grades Japanese Interment)
2.  Dogtag Summer (Partridge) MidGrVietnam War 
3.  Small Acts of Amazing Courage (Whelan) 1919 India
4.  Wonderstruck (Selznick) 1912 Hoboken, NJ & 1972 Minnesota

5. YA
1. Hush (Chayil) CRF
2.  Numbers (Ward) Fantasy
3. Evermore (Noel) Fantasy
4.  Ruby Red (Gier) Fantasy
5.  Will Grayson, Will Grayson (Green) CRF
6.  Forever (Stiefvater) Fantasy
7.  Darkness Becomes Her (Keaton) Fantasy
8.  Divergent (Roth) Fantasy
9.  Shine (Myracle) CRF

6. Where in the World?
1. The Moses Expedition (Spain, Jordan, US) (Gomez-Jurado)
2.  Don't Look Back (Norway) (Fossum)
3.  Girls of Ridayh (Saudi Arabia) (Alsanea)
4.  The Other Rembrandt (London, Amsterdam) (Connor)
5.  State of Wonder (Amazon rainforest, Brazil) (Patchett)


7. Arizona
1. A Song for You (Thornton)
2.  A Whole New Life (Thornton)

8. Mystery
1.  Bloody Mary (Konrath)
2. Shiver (Jackson)
3. Another Thing to Fall (Lippman)
4.  Hawkes Harbor (Hinton)
5.  The Book of Names
6.  Killer View
7.  Painted Ladies (Parker)
8.  Sullivan's Law (Rosenberg)
9.  Pray for Silence (Castillo)
10.  Stranger in Paradise (Parker)

9. One Word Titles (also on other lists)
1. Hereville (Deutsch)
2.  Shiver (Jackson)
3.  Hush (Chayil)
4.  Numbers (Ward)
5.  Pink (Wilkinson)
6.  Evermore (Noel)
7.  Forever (Stiefvater)
8.  Divergent (Roth)
9.  Sweethearts (Zarr)
10.  Chime (Billingsley)
11.  Shine (Myracle)
12.  Wonderstruck (Selznick)

10. Nonfiction (Can I REALLY do this?) ANY TYPE
1. Attracting Birds to Your Backyard (Roth)

11. First Time Authors
1.  A Discovery of Witches (Deborah Harkness)
2.  The Weird Sisters (Eleanor Brown)
3.  The Tale of Halcyon Crane (Wendy Webb)

?? Super Favorite Authors
1.  Piper Reed, Navy Brat (Holt)
2.  Waiting for the Magic (MacLachlan)

(Next time I'm going to have a category that is non-murder-mysteries and non-paranormal!

First in a Series Challenge
Series Novice (3 Books)
Series Lover (6 Books)
Series Expert (12 Books)
Series Fanatic (20 Books)

1. At Ease with the Dead (first book in the series that I've read...) (Satterthwaite) Joshua Croft #2
2. Dark of the Moon (Sandford) Virgil Flowers #1
3. Sweet Heart (Cain) Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell #1
4. Mercy Kill (First book in the series that I've read...) (Armstrong) Mercy Gunderson #2
5.  Killer View (First book in the series that I've read...) (Pearson) Sheriff Walt Fleming,#2
6. Numbers (Ward) YA Realistic Fantasy (Chaos is the second title, next after this)
7.  Don't Look Back (Fossum) Chief Inspector Konrad Sejer, Norway -  not sure if it's first in the series
8.  The Jasmine Trade (Hamilton) Eve Diamond LA Investigative Reporter #1
9.  Sullivan's Law (Rosenberg) Carolyn Sullivan, Ventura, CA; Probation Officer
10.  Evermore (Noel) the Immortals series, featuring Ever Bloom and Damen Auguste
11.  Ruby Red (Gier) first in a trilogy about time-traveling Gwyneth and Gabriel, published in Germany
12.  Darkness Becomes Her (Keaton) first in a series set in a dystopian New Orleans, featuring Ari of the silver hair and teal eyes....
13.  Divergent (Roth) Five factions in dystopian Chicago
14.  A Discovery of Witches (Harkness) First in the All Souls trilogy (witches, vampires, daemons)

Seconds Challenge
 Just a spoonful (3 books)
A few more bites (6 books)
A full plate (12 books)
All you can eat (20 books)

1. Bloody Mary ("Jack" Daniels, Chicago Police Lt. #2) Konrath
2. A Song for You (Chloe Newcombe #5) Thornton
3. Another Thing to Fall (Tess Monaghan #10) Lippman
4. Painted Ladies (Spenser #39) Parker
5. Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) Stiefvater
6. Pray for Silence (Kate Burkholder, Ex-Amish Chief-of-Police) Castillo
7. Stranger in Paradise (Jesse Stone) Parker
8. Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum) Evanovich
9. Sisterhood Everlasting (Ann Brashares)
10  Unlucky in Law (O'Shaughnessy) #10 Nina Reilly
11.
12.



Graphic Novel Challenge
Beginner (3)
Intermediate (3-10)
Expert (10+)

1. Hereville (Deutsch) 2010
2.
3.
Criminal Plots Challenge
1. A book by a new-to-me author who's blurbed a book I've enjoyed

2. A book that has been made into a movie.

3. A book with a protagonist opposite my own gender, therefore: male protagonist.
Dark of the Moon (Sandford) Virgil Flowers, SD
Killer View (Pearson) Sheriff Walt Fleming, ID
The Lock Artist (Hamilton)
The Other Rembrandt (Connor)
Stranger in Paradise (Parker) Jesse Stone, MA

4. A book set outside the country which I live.
Don't Look Back (Fossum) Norway
The Other Rembrandt (Connor) London, Amseterdam

5. A book that's the first in a new-to-me series
At Ease With the Dead (Satterthwaite) Joshua Croft, Santa Fe
Dark of the Moon (Sandford) Virgil Flowers, SD
Heart Sick (Cain) Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell, Portland, OR
Mercy Kill (Armstrong) Mercy Gunderson, South Dakota
Killer View (Pearson) Sheriff Walt Fleming, Sun Valley, ID
Don't Look Back (Fossum) Inspector Konrad Sejer, Norway
The Jasmine Trade (Hamilton) Eve Diamond, LA Investigative Reporter

6. A book by a 2011 debut author.


What's In a Name Challenge
1. A book with a number in the title:
 Ninth Ward (Rhodes)
Twelve Sharp (Evanovich)

2. A book with jewelry or a gem in the title
Ruby Red (Gier)

3. A book with a size in the title
The Last Little Blue Envelope (Johnson)
Small Acts of Amazing Kindness (Whelan)

4. A Book with travel or movement in the title
The Moses Expedition (Gomez-Jurado)
Another Thing to Fall (Lippman)

5. A book with evil in the title

6. A book with a life stage in the title
At Ease with the Dead (Satterthwaite)


Off the Shelf Challenge
Read books that I've listed as owning and on my TBR list at the beginning of the year
Tempted (5 books)
Trying (15 books)
Making a Dint (30 books)
On a Roll (50 books)
Flying Off (75 books)...and then there's
Hoarder (76-125 books)
and Buried (126-200 books)
1.
2.
3.

100 Books+ Challenge
1. Bloody Mary (Konrath) Ad Myst
2. Ninth Ward (Rhodes) Mid CRF
3. Hereville (Deutsch) Mid Graphic Novel
4. Hawkes Harbor (Hinton) Ad Hist Fict/Fantasy
5. Best Friends Forever, A World War II Scrapbook (Patt) Mid HF
6. The Book of Names (Gregory & Tintori) Ad Myst
7. A Song for You (Thornton) Ad Myst
8. At Ease with the Dead (Satterthwaite) Ad Myst
9. Shiver (Jackson) Ad Myst
10. Simple Genius (Baldacci) Ad Myst
11. Dark of the Moon (Sandford) Ad Myst
12. The Art of Mending (Berg) Ad CRF
13. No Time for Goodbye (Barclay) Ad Myst
14. The Jacket (Clements) Mid CRF
15. Gods in Alabama (Jackson) Ad Myst
16. Heart Sick (Cain) Ad Myst
17. Mercy Kill (Armstrong) Ad Myst
18. Killer View (Pearson) Ad Myst
19. Hush (Chayil) YA CRF
20. The Moses Expedition (Gomez-Jurado) Ad CRF/Myst
21. Another Thing to Fall (Lippman) Ad Myst
22.  The 7th Witness
23.  Last Witness (Hoffman) Ad Myst
24.  School Days (Parker) Ad Myst
25.  Forced Out (Frey) Ad Myst
26.  Stranger in Paradise (Parker) Ad Myst
27.  Painted Ladies (Parker) Ad Myst
28.  Numbers (Ward) YA
29.  Touch Blue (Lord) Mid CRF
30.  Don't Look Back (Fossum) Ad Myst
31.  The Jasmine Trade (Hamilton) AdMyst
32.  The Lock Artist (Hamilton) AdMyst
33.  Piper Reed, Navy Brat (Holt) MidCRF
34.  Akimbo and the Snakes
35.  Dogtag Summer (Partridge) Mid HF
36.  A Million Miles from Boston (Day) Mid CRF
37.  Biting the Moon (Grimes) AdMyst
38.  The Last Little Blue Envelope (Johnson) YA CRF
39.  Pink (Wilkinson) YA CRF
40.  Sullivan's Law (Rosenberg) AdMyst 
41.  Girls of Ridayh (Alsanea) Ad CRF
42.  Evermore (Noel) YA Fant
43.  Ruby Red (Gier) YA Fant
44. Small Acts of Amazing Courage (Whelan) MidHistFict
45.  Will Grayson, Will Grayson (Green & Levithan) YA CRF
46.  The Beach House (Green) Ad CRF
47.  You'll Like It Here (Everybody Does) (White) Mid Fant
48.  Where Do You Stay? (Cheng) Mid CRF
49.  The Mostly True Story of Jack (Barnhill) Mid Fant
50.  Forever (Stiefvater) YA Fant
51.  The Ice Queen (Hoffman) Ad CRF
52.  The Other Rembrandt (Connor) Ad Myst
53.  Inside Out and Back Again
54.  Darkness Becomes Her (Keaton) YA Fant
55.  Pray for Silence (Castillo) Ad Myst
56.  Divergent (Roth) YA Fant
57.  Picture Perfect
58.  Hunger Games
59.  Catching Fire
60.  Sweethearts (Zarr) YA CRF
61.  State of Wonder (Patchett) Ad CRF
62.  A Whole New Life (Thornton) Ad Myst
63.  The Dark Tide (Gross) Ad Myst
64.  Twelve Sharp (Evanovich) Ad Myst
65.  A Discovery of Witches (Harkness) AdFant
66.  Chime (Billingsley) YAFant
67.  Shine  (Myracle) YA CRF
68.  Waiting for the Magic (MacLachlan) Mid CRF/Fant
69.  The Weird Sisters (Brown) AdCRF
70.  Sisterhood Everlasting (Brashares) YA/Ad CRF
71.  Wonderstruck (Selznick) Mid HF
72.  Tale of Halcyon Crane (Webb) AdFant
73.  Unlucky in Law (O'Shaughnessy) AdMyst

2nds Challenge 2011

This one will probably have more books read than the 1st in a Series Challenge - but we'll see! Again, Few More Pages is hosting. All details can be found there.
There are four levels to choose from in this challenge:


~Just a spoonful - Read 3 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you've read the author.
~A few more bites - Read 6 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you've read the author.
~A full plate - Read 12 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you've read the author.
~All you can eat - Read 20 books (or more) that are 2nd in a series or the second time you've read the author.


You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you. Any genre counts.



Let's Full Plate it, shall we?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10
11.
12

1st in a Series Challenge 2011

Woo hoo....what new series will I discover in the year to come? This challenge comes from A Few More Pages. Fun~ I wonder if I'll end up being a Series Expert? I'd better sign up for Series Lover, just in case that, as usual, my aspirations are higher than reality dictates.

There are four levels for this challenge:

Series Novice: Read 3 books that are the first in any series.
Series Lover: Read 6 books that are the first in any series.
Series Expert: Read 12 books that are the first in any series.
Series Fanatic: Read 20 books that are the first in any series.
You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you. Any genre counts

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Off the Shelf Challenge 2011

I've got to do this one....I've got to read some of the books sitting around my house...in piles on the floor, beside the bed, on the many bookshelves....waiting to be read! My list is long, and I'm anxious to read them all, but there's always a new one calling my name. So let me try to deplete at least a few of the books on my book shelves. (If only I didn't love the library and bookstores so much! !)


How do you choose which book to read next? I've got it! I will put the name of each of the following into a "hat." I'll pull the name and that'll be the one I read. How's that sound? Adventurous? Stupid?

This one comes from Bookish Ardour's Reading Challenges.

Off The Shelf Challenge is a reading challenge that requires you to only read books that you already own at the start of the challenge. You can't add books to your list that you buy between the starting and ending dates of the challenge. I plan to do this challenge every year. Each year I will try and do a different level of the challenge. The levels go as follows:

Tempted - Choose 5 books to read
Trying - Choose 15 books to read
Making A Dint - Choose 30 books to read
On A Roll - Choose 50 books to read
Flying Off - Choose 75 books to read
And for the more avid readers:

Hoarder - Choose 76-125 books to read
Buried - Choose 126-200 books to read

I'm going to have to tweak some of the rules, 'cause there's NO WAY that I will be reading only these book. Wouldn't even want to.

There are actually 95 books/authors on my list. That makes he a hoarder. Ha! That's only the tip of the iceberg.....

I'll probably end up being Tempted, but Trying or even Making a Dint (isn't that supposed to be DENT?) would be mucho better.

My Very Own 2011 TBR List

(My MYSTERY shelves are the most full, with many titles for each author. Therefore I’m just going to include the author’s name, that way I can find the next one in a series in line to read OR another series by that author. Makes sense to me! )

Andrews, Sarah
Beaton, M. C.
Bloom (Morticians’ Daughter)
Boyle, Gerry
Brokaw, Charles
Browning, Sinclair
Burke, Jan
Child, Lee (Gone Tomorrow)
Christie, Pamela
Coben, Harlan
Coel, Margaret
Cole, David
Connelly, Michael
Connor, Beverly
Coulter, Catherine
Crais, Robert
Crider, Bill (Of All Sad Words)
Dunning, John
Fairstein, Linda
Fielding, Joy
Fowler, Earlene
Fox, Kathryn
Francis, Dick
French (In the Woods)
Gagnon, Michelle
Gardiner, Lisa
Graham, Heather
Graves, Sara
Greenlaw (Fisherman’s Bend)
Gregory & Tintori (Book of Names)
Gruley (Starvation Lake)
Gunn, Elizabeth
Guilford (The Thousand)
Handler, (The Cold Blue Blood)
Hewson, David
Hoag, Tami
Isaacs, Susan
Jackson, Lisa
Johnson (The Cold Dish)
Konrath
Lewis, Elizabeth Bruen
Lowell, Elizabeth
Lutz (The Spellman Files)
MacInerny (Murder on the Rocks)
McGarrity, Michael
Miller, Susan Cummins
Mina, Denise
Mosse, Kate (Labyrinth)
O’Connell
O’Shaughnessy
Parker, Barbara
Perry, Thomas
Reichs, Kathy
Riordan, Rick
Rollins, James
Sandford, John
Satterthwaite, Walter
Scottolini, Lisa
Sefton, Maggie
Silva, Daniel
Spencer-Fleming, Julia
Steifel, Vicki
Talton, Jon
Tapply, Willima G.
Thornton, Betsy
Thurlo, Aimee & David
Wait, Lea
Webb, Betty
Wilhelm
Willig
Winspear
Winthrop (Island Justice)
Zafon, Carlos Ruiz (Shadow of the Wind)

Other Adult Fiction

Atkinson, Kate
Backer (American Fuji)
Barry (Map of True Places)
Binchy (Nights of Rain and Stars)
Chevalier (Virgin Blue)
King (Dust of 100 Dogs)
Kingsolver, Barbara (The Lacuna)
Kostova (Swan Thieves)
Letts, Billie
Morgenroth (They Did It with Love)
Stockett (The Help)
Strout, Elizabeth (Olive Kittredge)

Nonfiction, heaven help me!
Moretnesen (Three Cups of Tea)

Young Adult and Kid’s

Antieau (Broken Moon)
Barnhouse (Book of the Maidservant)
De la Cruz (Keys to the Repository)
Greene (Chasing the Jaguar)
Les Becquets (Season of Ice) Maine
Pelligrino (Journey of Dreams)
Schmidt, Gary (Trouble, Wednesday Wars)
St. John (White Giraffe)
Werlen (Impossible)
Wittlinger (This Means War)

Cathy’s Key

2011 Outdo Yourself Book Challenge

The Book Vixen is hosting the 2011 Outdo Yourself Book Challenge. She, like me, wanted to read 100 books this year but is falling short. This challenge is to, in 2011, read more books than you read in 2010. Works for me!

The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2011 than you did in 2010. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone; you can change levels at any time during the challenge.

Levels:
Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books
Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books
Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books
I’m on fire! – Read 16+ more books

Okay, here's my take on this: "Getting My Heartrate Up" Read 1-5 more books than last year. That means I have to read at least _____ books, for a total in 2011 of _____ !

And even further stretch would be to attain the "Out of Breath" level, which would mean I'd have to read at least _____books, for a total of ______. Oh my.

What's in a Name 4 Challenge

Hmm, this one seems interesting....it will take a bit of reasearch, which I love...checking out lots and lots of titles at the library, at the bookstores, and on the web. What's in a Name 4 is hosted by Beth Fish Reads. I like the "button" for it, too. So, in the next year, I have to read one of each of the following:

1. A book with a number in the title: First to Die, Seven Up, Thirteen Reasons Why

2. A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: Diamond Ruby, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Opal Deception

3. A book with a size in the title: Wide Sargasso Sea, Small Wars, Little Bee

4. A book with travel or movement in the title: Dead Witch Walking, Crawling with Zombies, Time Traveler's Wife

5. A book with evil in the title: Bad Marie, Fallen, Wicked Lovely

6. A book with a life stage in the title: No Country for Old Men, Brideshead Revisited, Bog Child
The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

2011 Graphic Novels Challenge

Many of my students are reading the "Bones" books by Jeff Smith. I have another graphic novel, Smile, sitting in my suitcase as we speak. More and more are coming out, so this is the perfect way to get my feet wet with graphic novels. The Graphic Novel Challenge blog is where to get started.

The challenge starts January 1, 2011 and ends December 31, 2011. You can start anytime you want to especially if you want to start early.

The level of participation: Beginner (3 comics or graphic novels), Intermediate (3-10 books), or Expert (10+)
Overlaps with other challenges is definitely okay
Re-reads count
Feel free to post your list at any time

I'll shoot for BEGINNER status:
1.
2.
3.

Criminal Plots Reading Challenge 2011

Okay, here's my first challenge for next year. I like the criteria, and it will allow me to search for some new stuff to add to my reading choices. I love mysteries, murder mysteries especially. So I've got to face the fact that I can't force myself to read medieval historical fictions or memoirs if, in the little amount of time I have to read, I choose....mysteries.

This is from The Criminal Plots Reading Challenge website.

The Inaugural CRIMINAL PLOTS Reading Challenge

Welcome to my first ever Criminal Plots reading challenge! I hemmed and hawed over whether to add another reading challenge to the book blogging sphere, but with some help and encouragement from very good friends, I decided to take the plunge and here we are with Criminal Plots.

What I would hope for people who participate to get out of this challenge is exposure to the crime fiction genre. I know that is a bad word to some people, but really, it's nothing more than a classification. Authors have been breaking the genre rules for years now and even those who write within the guidelines write some pretty fantastic stuff. And if you're a crime fiction aficionado, I hope this challenge motivates you to read some books you've been meaning to read and haven't gotten to or it encourages you to read something you haven't tried before.

Rules of the Road:

So, what's involved in this challenge you ask? It isn't too difficult. It involves reading six books throughout 2011 (January 1 through December 31, 2011). One book should be read that fits into each of the following categories:

1. A book by a new to you author who's blurbed a book you enjoyed. So check out the cover of a crime fiction book you've enjoyed and see who blurbed that book and is also an author you've never read before.

2. A book that has been made into a movie. It doesn't have to be a movie you've seen but it can be. The book, however, should be one you haven't read before. (Examples: MYSTIC RIVER, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, LONDON BOULEVARD, HOSTAGE, etc.)

3. A book with a protagonist opposite your own gender. So if you're female, the protagonist should be male; if you're male the protagonist should be female.

4. A book set outside the country in which you live.

5. A book that's the first in a new-to-you series.

6.A book by a 2011 debut author.

Sounds interesting. I'll go for it, I just have to remember to post whenever I finish a book....I'm not good at remembering that at all.