R.L.S. Hoff's Blog, page 2
August 13, 2022
Leaving Hope Chapter 10
Leaving Hope Chapter 10–ln which Anya finds a Wash-n-Wear place, and Sarka sends Borsk on a rescue mission.
Anya’s a rich kid, and as such, there are certain things she’s never done. Using a public shower and laundry is one of them.
Now, I’m not from a society that has public showers, but I know first-hand the strangeness of trying to navigate a laundromat for the very first time. Or trying to figure out how to ride a public bus the first time. I get that it’s not hard. But everyone else seems to know each other and know that they’re doing. As with many new experiences, it’s easy to feel stupid. So, you peek out of the corners of your eyes, hoping to catch on before you’re exposed as an interloper.
Or maybe I’m just oversensitive to such things. How about you? Have you ever been in a new environment (for whatever reason) where you felt like an idiot while everyone else knew what was going on? How did you handle it?
Leaving Hope Chapter 10 is part of the Leaving Hope Read-Along challenge. Comment on this post to join the conversation–and to increase your chances of winning a copy of the next book in the series (StarRacer).
The post Leaving Hope Chapter 10 appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
Leaving Hope Chapter 9
Leaving Hope Chapter 9–in which Anya has a run-in with her father and is forced to flee home (at least temporarily)
This is a super short chapter, so there isn’t a whole lot to say–except that this is one of the first places where we see how little privacy Anya has.
What do you think of parents accessing camera footage of what their kids are doing? Should they be able to do it at all? Some of the time? All of the time?
If you’re a parent, is your answer the same now as it was when you were a teen? Why or why not?
Leaving Hope Chapter 9 is part of the Leaving Hope Read-Along challenge. Comment on this post to join the conversation–and to increase your chances of winning a copy of the next book in the series (StarRacer).
The post Leaving Hope Chapter 9 appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
August 10, 2022
Leaving Hope Chapter 8
Leaving Hope Chapter 8–in which Anya discovers new restrictions on her life and one of Borsks secrets is uncovered.
I love this chapter because it gets us a little deeper into Borsk’s family, introduces a new neighborhood, and drops us right into a few sticky issues since I’ve been thinking about since my late teens.
So, what do you think?
Is it ever okay for parents to restrict who their teens can hang out with? What about spouses? If you were Anya, what would you do about these ultimatums from her father and brother-in-law?
This chapter is also where we first learn about King syndrome. If you had a serious genetic disease running in your family that wasn’t curable, would you want to know whether you had it (or didn’t), or would you rather live in free ignorance?
And when should kids be able to make their own decisions about their own health?
Leaving Hope Chapter 8 is part of the Leaving Hope Read-Along challenge. Comment on this post to join the conversation–and to increase your chances of winning a copy of the next book in the series (StarRacer).
The post Leaving Hope Chapter 8 appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
Leaving Hope Chapter 7
Leaving Hope Chapter 7–in which Borsk and Anya exercise their talents and one of them is nearly late to school
I love this chapter because it lets us see both Anya and Borsk doing what they do best.
So, what do you think?
When Anya messes around with art instead of doing her homework, her father takes away her art programs. Do you think this is fair? Is avoiding homework something that should have consequences? If not, why not? If so, what kind?
And is hacking ever OK? If so, when? If not, why not?
Leaving Hope Chapter 7 is part of the Leaving Hope Read-Along challenge. Comment on this post to join the conversation–and to increase your chances of winning a copy of the next book in the series (StarRacer).
The post Leaving Hope Chapter 7 appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
July 13, 2022
Leaving Hope Chapter 6
Leaving Hope Chapter 6–in which Anya reevaluates her relationship with Ryan. She also develops a plan for convincing him to try out with her.
Though Anya isn’t thrilled with Ryan, she’d rather let it continue than bring her father’s wrath down on her head. She believes these are her only two options.
What do you think? Is her relationship with Ryan worth saving? Can she get out of it without incurring her father’s wrath?
What would you do if you were Anya?
Leaving Hope Chapter 6 is part of the Leaving Hope Read-Along challenge. Comment on this post to join the conversation–and to increase your chances of winning a copy of the next book in the series (StarRacer).
The post Leaving Hope Chapter 6 appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron reminds me (in all the best ways) of the Ramona books I loved as a kid.
Lucky is smart, observant, and quirky, and it’s fun to see her navigate her world. That world has its issues (deep poverty and absent parents among them). But it’s also a world full of love and hope.
If you like realistic middle grade fiction, and you haven’t read this one yet, I strongly recommend it. (You could also try Merci Suárez Changes Gears)
Basically, The Higher Power of Lucky is a fun, quick read with lots of heart. I found myself thinking about it long after I’d finished the last words on the final page. (Metaphorically. I read it on my phone, so there were no actual pages.)
The post The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
July 9, 2022
Leaving Hope Chapter 5
Leaving Hope Chapter 5–in which Anya and Borsk share a greenhouse detention on the grape trellis — and then a meal with Borsk’s mama.
I had a lot of fun with this chapter, especially the part in the greenhouses when Anya and Borsk are pollinating the grapes.
I read about people pollinating with paintbrushes in a news article when I was living in China. Apparently, some orchards in the northeastern part of the country didn’t have enough insects to do the job, so this was how people handled it.
I imagined that people wouldn’t have brought pollinators with them on the ship, hence the paintbrushes…
In fact, except for the recycling grubs and the humans, I imagined Hope to be completely without animals. What do you think life without most animals would be like? Do you think, instead, people would take animals with them when they took to the stars? How would they find enough space to keep whole species alive?
Let me know your answers to these questions–or your thoughts about anything in this chapter–in the comments.
Leaving Hope Chapter 5 is part of the Leaving Hope Read-Along series. Comment on any of these posts (or all of them!) to increase your chances of winning one of the StarRacer copies given away at the end of the month.
The post Leaving Hope Chapter 5 appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
July 8, 2022
Leaving Hope Chapter 4
Leaving Hope Chapter 4–in which Anya’s father shows his true colors, and Anya uncovers Borsk’s shenanigans with her bank account.
This, by the way, is one of the chapters that might need a trigger warning. (Domestic abuse) And, might I just say, the action that Anya witnesses at the beginning of this chapter is based only on my imagination, not on any real event. (Though the fear is based in reality. It may not be rational to be afraid someone will get violent when you’ve never known them to physically hurt another person, but fear isn’t a rational thing. Even just yelling can scare a kid or teen.)
On a happier note, here is where we first see the library. I just love libraries, don’t you? I love them for the books, of course, but I also love the way they can serve as a refuge for so many.
Do you have any favorite libraries or librarians? Let’s hear about them.
Or any other comments or thoughts about this chapter…
Leaving Hope Chapter 4 is part of the Leaving Hope Read-Along series. Comment on any of these (or all of them!) to increase your chances of winning one of the StarRacer copies given away at the end of the month.
The post Leaving Hope Chapter 4 appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
July 7, 2022
Leaving Hope Chapter 3
Leaving Hope Chapter 3–in which Anya fails to express herself to Ryan, and Borsk pulls off a tricky hacking job.
I have some conflict avoiders in my family, and Anya definitely takes after them in that regard. Obviously, what she’s doing now to try and follow her dreams isn’t working, but she isn’t sure what will. What do you think she should do? When is conflict avoidance best, and when does it need to be abandoned?
On a completely different note–I am not a hacker. However, I have some computer types in my house, and from what I can observe, the creation of digital processes is a deeply absorbing and creative activity. Also an incredibly dull one to watch if you aren’t in the know. My goal with Borsk’s adventures in his very real digital realm was to capture that absorption and creativity without bogging non-technical people in esoteric details. So what did you think of this section? How about programming? And hacking? Is it ever okay to skate outside the edges of the law? (And if so, why and when? What makes it okay then? If not, why not?)
Leaving Hope Chapter 3 is part of the Leaving Hope Read-Along series. Comment on any of these (or all of them!) to increase your chances of winning one of the StarRacer copies given away at the end of the month.
The post Leaving Hope Chapter 3 appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
Relaxing
This is one of my favorite views. I’ve been able to regularly enjoy it in the summers since I was younger than my children are now. Why? Because my mom’s family (and now my parents) have this time-share condo in the Colorado mountains.
Maybe it’s the sound of the river (yes, they call it a river) chuckling just below. Maybe it’s the otherwise quiet atmosphere. Maybe it’s the chance to get away from some of our hustle and focus on family. Whatever it is, relaxing here helps me feel at peace.
I hope it helps my kids relax and feel at peace, too.
The post Relaxing appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
