#cifya

Did any of you see that Huffington Post article about the adorable eight-year-old who had a fantastic Hamilton themed birthday party? Uh, we were super jealous when we saw this and looking for a reason to have a Hamilton party. Thank you, YA Summer Showdown for giving us a reason to do this! And giving me a reason to wear my shirt that combines two of my favorite things - Hamilton and grammar!

First off, some of the decorations -

One of the main things our book club likes to focus on is food! We love an excuse to eat. And this is where the puns really peaked.

These brownies were the best thing ever.

The My Shots were an amazing Biscoff creation.

But on to the reason for the party…

Look at that table full of fun! Raise a glass to freedom, indeed!

We made a variety of delicious drinks. Here are a few.

First off, a couple A.Ham drinks -

the Red, White & Booze

1 part raspberry vodka 1 part sparkling pomegranate Izze  1 part tonic water twist of lemon

Serve over ice. Stir and enjoy!

Founders Fizz

shot of gin shot of lime juice 5 or 6 raspberries

Shake with ice. Pour into a glass, add a splash of tonic and a dash of cherry bitters.

The Lightning Thief

1 part tequila 1 part pineapple juice 1 part grapefruit juice

Shake with ice. Serve with a twist of lime. 

Our best drink was our Manic Pixie Dream Girl. We went with Sam Dutton from The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

3/4 cup (ish) Ocean Spray Cranberry-Peach Bellini Mocktail shot & a half Tanqueray splash of tonic dash of grapefruit bitters

Shake with ice. Garnish with grapefruit and lime.

Just like Sam, a sweet and mature drink. The lime garnish is a nod to Sam’s green eyes. 

After drinks and food and some book club talk we took a bunch of silly pictures. 

Some audio recs from our members

Kelli

1. The audio-book for Feed by M.T. Anderson read by David Aaron Baker and a full cast is phenomenal. The book is already a harrowing glimpse into a society that feels less and less futuristic but the live cast recording pulls you into some of the more jarring moments in a fully immersive way.

Jamie

2. Neil Gaiman’s Coraline read by the author is a creepy, fantastic journey into a young girl finding her courage to navigate what is truly home. Gaiman’s simultaneously soothing and darkly expressive voice is a great way to experience this children’s horror classic.

Jennifer

3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is heartbreaking and hilarious. Narrated by the author, it’s a wonderful chronicle of a Native American boy’s adolescence as he tries to break away from the life he was destined to live.

Mary Pat

4. Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik is currently a nominee for the 2018 Lincoln Award (a readers’ choice award for grades 9-12 in Illinois).  Andi Arndt is the narrator of this somewhat irreverent biography of the national treasure that is RBG.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and 13 Little Blue Envelopes

from team member Jennifer

The cover of Frankie is a BLUE ENVELOPE! And this cover of 13 (this is non-headless girl the British cover and there’s no way we could have a headless Frankie) has many envelopes, 13 in fact, and Frankie sends out more than one invitation in her plans. And I personally think a hunt through England while opening envelopes, the envelopes having basset hound wax seals is absolutely appropriate.

Heartless and A Court of Thorns and Roses

from team member Jamie

Admittedly similar to begin with, but the girl on the cover of Court could absolutely be Cath as she turns into the Queen of Hearts (sorry, spoilers? I mean, if you've read anything about the book, you know how it ends... so sorry, not sorry?). Also, if you're headed to face what Feyre is facing, I'd want that sword forming the T in Heartless.

The Tragedy Paper and Belzhar

from team member Mary Pat

I've read and loved both of these books, and I still get the covers mixed up, even before this challenge. Two boarding school books, with main characters who have some serious shit happening to them and in their own heads. Both have prominent scenes that happen around a major snowfall. Very different things happen in these two books, but both covers convey the same melancholy hope, at least to me. 

Fun fact about the Central Illinois chapter of FYA book club - our Champaign-Urbana contingent all know each other because they’re involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters. Some are bigs, one is a case manager too, one is a board member. So, volunteering is something that comes easily to lots of our group members. 

For the summer showdown, we have two projects. One is to donate to a local classroom requesting funds to buy books on donorschoose.org.

Aries - Out of League Crush

Taurus - Secret Crush

Gemini - Love Triangle

Cancer - Quirky Best Friend Sidekick

Leo - Big Dance Disaster

Virgo - Fake Relationship That Will Turn into Something Real

Libra - The Jock with a Big Game

Scorpio - DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince parents (aka Parents Just Don’t Understand)  

Sagittarius - Obsessive Fandom

Capricorn - Perfectionist, Straight A Student

Aquarius - Mysterious Loner Dude

Pisces - Hate Turns into Love Relationship

But we have an alternate, more sarcastic version too!

Aries - dystopian society

Taurus - love triangle

Gemini - dystopian society

Cancer - love triangle

Leo - dystopian society

Virgo - dystopian society

Libra - love triangle

Scorpio - dystopian society

Sagittarius - love triangle

Capricorn - dystopian society, with a love triangle

Aquarius - love triangle, in a dystopia

Prom: the final frontier.

This year it was actually going to happen. This year I was finally going to conquer my fear and participate in something most of my friends thought was fun. I couldn’t begin to understand how something so anxiety inducing could be fun, but then again, they didn’t have my problems, so I guess it was understandable. The thought of it actually turned my stomach, but I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t go to prom this year, I might end up dead. Literally.

The reason I’m so opposed to prom dates back many years ago in my preadolescence. For now, living in this small town for so long has really started to get to me. It feels like the world is caving in on itself, and the bubble is about to burst. Prom is only one of the ridiculous traditions that is of the highest importance here, and my group of friends, though not exactly the most popular crew, fully expected each of us to pair off and attend the social function together. Well, at least I didn’t have to worry about finding a date.

At least, that’s what I thought. My date-to-be, Cam, came down with the chicken pox three days before the dance, so he’ll be staying at home on Saturday night with oven mitts taped to his hands. (Side note: Who in the hell gets chicken pox at age seventeen??) Naturally, the town crier sent up the alarm: “HEAR YE, HEAR YE! MARIA ESPOSITO SEEKS HER PRINCE CHARMING FOR THE BALL!” At least that’s what happened in my head. In reality, the town crier was my best friend Emily posting a message on Facebook that sounded a little too much like a Craigslist Casual Encounters ad. I begged her not to click “Post,” not to destroy what dignity I had left, but as with all best friends, there was no convincing her otherwise. But to my amazement, it worked. Within minutes, I had a new prom date. If only I had known that it was Tony de Luca, son of Italian mob boss, Dominic de Luca.

“People live quiet lives and that's okay. There's dignity in that, no matter what you may think.”

Our best drink was our Manic Pixie Dream Girl. We went with Sam Dutton from The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It’s a twist on a gin and tonic but with a sweet side. Mature and sweet, just like Sam.

¾ cup (ish) Ocean Spray Cranberry-Peach Bellini Mocktail shot & a half Tanqueray splash of tonic dash of grapefruit bitters