Note: Click on pics to enlarge them
13 REASONS....
Why our meeting was AMAZING!
1.While most teens were plopped down on their couches watching t.v., our faithful crew gathered after school hours for a book club dinner and discussion on the novel TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY by, Jay Asher.
2. While Jay could not be here in person, he has been working closely with us to make it a very special event. And it was!
3. In addition to sending "goodies" to everyone who purchased the book, he also allowed our members to ask him questions via email, and then he recorded their personalized answers on cassette tape (Just like Hannah...except Jay is still alive!) for everyone so we could play it at the meeting! And we ALL agreed it was...(for lack of a better word) "COOL!"
4. We had guest speaker Dr. Sue Adams from the Alabama State Dept. of Safety and Prevention come and speak to us on the topic of suicide and encourage us to reach out to those who are showing signs of depression and/or are threatening suicide. Thank you, Dr. Adams for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and speak to our club!
5. Our discussion questions ranged from lighthearted to serious and our discussion evoked emotions on several occassions as we relived the scenes from the novel. WE found many differing opinions and feelings regarding TRW and it's characters, but all came to one conclusion...we loved the book!
6. Tammy Lynn, from the Book Basket in Wetumpka stopped by to bring a gift card to add to our door prizes and commissioned the book club to be her teen reading team and help make buying suggestions for her store! We'll be right on that, Mrs. Tammy!
7. Ginger Wright (0n far right), Elmore County's Mentor teacher, came out and showed her support, as well as many parents and teachers. Thank you for being a part of our evening!
8. Everyone who purchased a copy of Jay's book got a personalized autograph of a "special sort" that we shall not reveal since it is just for us! Yes, be jealous everyone....we're #1!
9. Jay sent us cool bookmarks and t-shirts as well, and as you can see from the pictures, Mrs. Stu made sure she got her Razorbill shirt first!
10. We ate tons of food and had amazing fellowship that goes so far beyond what out counter-part couch potatoes were doing. :)
Here's Emily, Lindsey, Emily & Jesseca with their "noses stuck in Jay's book!"
11. We learned so many things about ourselves, how we should treat others, and how we should handle a situation where we feel like somone we care about is in trouble. The high school students (our "experts" on teenage drama) who joined us agreed that their lives were somewhat altered by this novel and the after our fabulous discussion, I am sure that everyone would attest to that!
(Glad you guys were able to join us!)
12. WE had a great photo shoot that involved much silliness and laughing. Things were going great until the group realized there was only one copy of Jay's book left...
"And. It's. Mine!"
13. And last but not least....The 13th reason why our book club meeting was AMAZING?
Because we all agree.....
Jay Asher *ROCKS*!
Thank you Jay for making this the best book club meeting we ever had!
