The Candidates by Inara Scott

Here's a quick blurb about The Candidates (Delcroix Academy #1) from Ms. Scott's website (which is really gorgeous and you should check out):
Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that’s not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia’s mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just … happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to people, believing this way she can suppress her powers and keep them hidden.


When recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy offer her a full scholarship, Dancia fears her days of living under the radar may be over. But Delcroix is a school for diplomats’ kids and child geniuses — why are they treating Dancia like she’s special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make her feel welcome. And then there’s her mysterious new friend Jack, who can’t stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at Delcroix, and he wants Dancia to help him figure out what…But neither Jack or Dancia could have imagined what’s really going on behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.

*Note: I would also like to thank Adventure's in Children's Publishing who I won this book from.  Do drop by and visit their blog and maybe even become a subscriber if you aren't already.

My Take
 It didn't take me long to read this book.  It pulled me in and kept me reading to find out what was going to come next.  I like Dancia.  She's a nice girl, likeable in all respects really.  She gets recruited to go to Delcroix Academy, which is supposed to be this awesome school but becomes kind of creepy too.  Dancia winds up caught between two guys also.  She develops this huge crush on Cam, who would be a typical choice for a girl to be swooning over.  But the moment she met Jack, it complicated things.  I'm the girl who always seems to go for the less obvious choice.  I don't know, maybe Jack is obvious because he's more the 'bad boy' choice.  He's not really a bad guy though.  Okay, I'm rambling.  I won't tell you what all happens and I have to wait until book two to really see where things go anyway.  Needless to say, I'm hooked into the Delcroix Academy series now.  Go check it out.  The only thing I didn't really like, Cam was very distant and I agree with Dancia's grandma, it took him way too long to kiss her.  I'm giving it 3 1/2 supernatural smooches!

Super-Duper Study Guides

I love teachers! They truly are unsung heroes. Education is so important. It is shaping our future. Whether you have children or not, you have to care about education. Because like it or not, it molds your future too, or at least those who will be in control of your future at some point. All of this leads me to study guides.

I have noticed lately that some of the books I’ve been reading have study guides or discussion points in back. I think this is awesome! It’s a way for authors to reach out to teachers and try to bring current, relevant books into the classroom. Teachers, it’s a way to entice those kids to read. If it’s something that they can feel more connected to, they are more likely to want to read it. It helps to guide discussion in meaningful ways that can count for some educational requirements too.

I think authors should put something on the front or at the very least, back cover to alert educators and everyone that there is a study guide within. I know I’ve gotten to the back of the book to discover the study guide and think, “wow, I had no idea that was there”. Had I known sooner, maybe I could have recommended a book to my son’s class, etc. for reading earlier on. Huge kudos to bringing recent literature in to the classrooms.

You Just Might Find, You Get What You Need - Self-Advocacy Skills

So, lately I've been busy with lots of stuff. I recently facilitated at a conference for parents of children with disabilities (fabulous conference btw). We were discussing self-advocacy skills for kids.

My son has learning differences, things that make the typical environment more challenging for him. I've been nudging him along in the self-advocacy arena, making sure he has a voice in things. The other day I finally decided it was time to immerse him in self-advocating. He only gets one elective and they've slated him for drama (something he has less than zero interest in). I would like for him to have an elective that he truly enjoys, one of his choosing. These are often the things we remember from school.

My son is a go with the flow kinda' guy. Don't upset the apple cart too much. So as drama loomed ever closer, his nerves finally took over and he began to talk to me about how he really does not want to be in drama. Generally I'm a "try it, you might like it" type person. However, my son has some valid reasons, tied to his disabilities, why drama is not a good fit for him.

I was so tempted to jump in and rescue him from this situation. Instead, I taught him the words "self-advocating" and chose to make this an intro into him dealing with this on his own. Make no mistake, I've got his back if things go horrible awry. Something tells me they won't though. He gets the pride and fulfillment of solving this issue and that will bolster him in future rounds of self-advocacy. It's important that my kiddo and others like him (those with disabilities) give voice to their needs and be able to say "This makes a difference to my education and my life. I too matter." We all contribute to shaping this world.