Posted

Posted

Juvenile fiction
"I stand motionless and read a few of them, softly enough so
only I can hear. They are just words and they are not just words. I
think about everything that's happened. About Bench and Deedee and
Rose. About all the terrible things that were said. About the things
that should have been said and weren't.
There was a war. This was where it ended."
Frost, narrator of John David Anderson's Posted, has witnessed
an ultimate showdown in his first weeks of eighth grade. One of his
small circle of friends is not coming back to school. Another has
engaged in his school's most dangerous dare. He's trying to figure
out what really went down.
It started with a cell phone in school ban. A teacher caught a
girl texting something rather crude about a fellow faculty member.
The principal cracked down. But middle schoolers want to communicate
with peers. Sticky notes came to take the place of missing texts.
And some were rather mean, leading to the war atmosphere.
Frost's social life is also changing. For most of his middle
school life he's been part of an all guy foursome. They eat together
in the cafeteria, hang out when they can, and play dungeons and
dragons one night a week. When a new girl joins their lunch group it
starts to fall apart and regroup.
Posted gives a very perceptive portrayal of the viscisitudes of
the middle school experience. It's a good read for both students and
parents who too often see those earlier years though a nostalgia patina.
On a personal note, I'm trying not to stress about whether I'll get a
GA offer, which is easier said than done. (Think Cinderella after the
ball, only dealing in brains and aptitude rather than docility and
hotness.) I had three wonderful opportunities to relax recently.
There was a cross stitch event where I got to teach one of my favorite
hobbies to a group of students who caught on quickly, made it their
own, and really had fun. My older daughter, Amber, the craftinista,
was there. My heart sang. After I went over to Wilson Center where
we ate Russell's good lentil soup and learned about black women who
were religious trailblazers. Then yesterday my friend Kat wanted to
celebrate my getting into grad school. We had a Goodwill spree. I
got two dresses, a tie, and three tee shirts including a desperate
housecats one. Kat got good stuff including a purrrrfect for her
sweater. We saved beaucoup with my club goodwill card. (If you don't
have one, get one.) Then she treated me to lunch at Mickey D's. Fun
times!
A great shout out goes out to the friends with whom I had these good
times and the hard workers who keep Goidwill stores enticing places to
shop, especially with besties.
Another shout out goes out to my daughter Amber for her latest post on
her crafts blog. http://amberscraftaweek.blogspot.com
She adapted a project Active Minds did. We're a UMaine group that
works to remove the stigma surrounding psychological challenges. Last
semester we made a post it note quilt of good things that could happen
tomorrow as a reason to keep on living. Our 1,100 squares represented
the number of students in the United States who commit suicide each
year. Amber used 50 squares to arrange on her wall. Check out her
post. This can be a great way to cultivate mindfulness and
gratitude. It can also be useful for times of stress like...
...waiting to hear about a GAship. Guess I'd better get started.
And a great big shout out to my Active Minds chums. We are family.
jules hathaway


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