Last Class

Today I had my last Craft of Writing class, and tomorrow I have my last History and Crit class. Today was the more sad of the two days because I looooove my Craft of Writing class and I looooove my professor. I wish I could take this same exact group of people and just continue the class next summer. We took our teacher out to lunch after class, and I also bought a card for everyone to sign. We all want to keep in touch with her.

Today, our last assignment, was to create a final product that we would call our "Masterpiece." It was essentially supposed to be a final copy of the first chapter of the book we've been working on for the last 6 weeks. We were also supposed to include the working title, book cover (which I drew myself!), book jacket blurb, a pretend "About the Author" and pretend praise for the book. Here is my cover (though it is a mirror image and I can't figure out how to flip it. And then below is my pretend jacket blurb etc. Enjoy this glimpse of what I've been working on!

Being smart isn’t a good thing.

Getting the right answers on a test can get you killed.

The world doesn’t need smart people. We have computers now.

When her parents are killed for being too intelligent, Idalis knows it’s only a matter of time before she and her younger brother, Liam, meet the same fate. Idalis’ world is full of secrecy, violence, and deception. Can she survive? Is there anyone out there to trust?

About the Author

________ Hughes grew up in *********, just outside of our nation’s capital. She is very close with her two brothers, ______ and ______.  She received her Masters in Children’s Literature at ******* University. She was also a middle school teacher for ten years. Her favorite authors are Lois Lowry and J.K. Rowling, and she loves reading all genres of fiction. She also enjoys playing volleyball and being outside. Outwit is her first novel.

Praise for Outwit

“Hughes’ first novel deserves an A+ for taking its readers through a life and death question of what - and who - is really important. Sensitivity and science fiction walk hand in hand throughout her pages.” - Author, Nancy Ruth Patterson

“Outwit has a setting that is both eerie and familiar despite being set far in the future. The allusions to the Underground Railroad and prejudices in our past blend seamlessly with the story and give this science fiction novel a grounding realism. The thought-provoking and serious issues raised in this book will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Great things can be expected from this first-time novelist.” -Booklist (note: This is PRETEND praise. Not Real!)