It’s August, so my mind is turning back towards school. I have my first training of the 2016-17 school year today, a presentation by Kelly Gallagher. It will be fun to see colleagues again and go out for lunch, and generally start getting ready to go back to school. I am ready to change direction.
In her graphic novel, Compass South, Hope Larson;s characters have t change direction, too.
Publisher’s Summary: It’s 1860 in New York City. When 12-year-old twins Alexander and Cleopatra’s father disappears, they join the Black Hook Gang and are caught by the police pulling off a heist. They agree to reveal the identity of the gang in exchange for tickets to New Orleans. But once there, Alex is shanghaied to work on a ship that is heading for San Francisco via Cape Horn. Cleo stows away on a steamer to New Granada where she hopes to catch a train to San Francisco to find her brother. Neither Alexander nor Cleo realizes the real danger they are in-they are being followed by pirates who think they hold the key to treasure. How they outwit the pirates and find each other makes for a fast-paced, breathtaking adventure.
This is the first book in a series entitled Four Points and is really quite engaging. The second book, Knife’s Edge, is due out in June 2017 and I am looking forward to reading it. This series would be perfect for readers in grades 4-7, who love adventure.
As I sit here this morning, sipping my coffee and gearing up for the day, I feel like a ship, changing course in a very calm ocean. August is the month where that transition happens. Rolling home, back to work. Here’s a little musical interlude from one of my favorite Scottish bands that sort of sums up how I am feeling these days.
booksandbassets 
Oh my heavens, I sat and listened to Rolling Home and before I knew it, my body was swaying and I was lost in the music. I saw Ireland in my mind, and thought of my ancestors crossing the seas. What a beautiful way to think about our transition back to the classroom.
It popped in my head as I was getting ready to go to my workshop this morning and just seemed so apropos.
I am not ready for the school year to begin! I want at least one more month of summer!