Parenthetical.net

Scarlett’s family owns, and lives in, a stately old hotel in Manhattan, but both the hotel and the family have seen better days. They barely have enough money to make ends meet, Scarlett’s brother’s last chance at an acting career is crashing, her older sister is stuck in an Austenesque relationship with Wealthy Fratboy McYacht, [...]

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This summarizes every movie about urban public school teachers ever:
Nice White Lady.

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In two weeks I’ll be heading to the Simmons College Children’s Literature Summer Institute. Three days of talks by and schmoozing with fabulous authors, editors, and other people working in the children’s lit field (not to mention some dear friends). So excited!
I realized that I’m unfamiliar with the work of a [...]

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My favorite April Fool’s jokes:
1. ThinkGeek has some brand-new products you might enjoy, including an adorable Tauntaun sleeping bag for the cold little Jedi in your life, a Unicorn Chaser to cleanse your brain next time you’re sorry you looked at that horrible link your sister-in-law sent you, and of course make your breadmeat shine [...]

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Given their “rather fluffy skeletal structure,” Peeps have some special difficulties using the library… but in their research and printing practices, it turns out that they are much like college students.
Comment here

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Zoe dreams of being a piano prodigy, of playing classical music at Carnegie Hall in a long, elegant dress. But her agoraphobic dad has trouble saying no to salesmen, so instead of a piano, what she gets is a Perfectone organ and a chance to perform Neil Diamond’s “Forever in Blue Jeans” at the [...]

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A train gets stuck in a snowstorm in Gracetown, NC (a literally one-Starbucks town, as we’ll soon see), late on Christmas Eve.* Revolving around this event are three interconnected tales of teen love, angst, and romping in the snow.
I’m not usually a short story fan — by the time I get into [...]

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(The full title, for the record, is Salt Water Taffy: the Seaside Adventures of Jack and Benny, v. 1: The Legend of Old Salty.)
Ok, get a load of this plot summary: Jack, Benny, and their parents go to a small coastal Maine town to spend the summer. Upon arrival, they meet a crusty old [...]

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How I Paid for College is one of my top 5 funniest books. (Not sure what the others are, honestly. Gordon Korman’s Son of Interflux and I Want to Go Home! are in there, for sure.) It is my standard Beach Reading Recommendation, and if I haven’t pushed it on you, consider [...]

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