Then the prequel, When The Tripods Came, was written 20 years later. I haven’t read any beyond the first book, it’s on the mile long reading list that I rarely get too, but the first one is VERY suspenseful. The recent reprint (2003) calls the books The Triopds and then the subtitle underneath, so I think it’s the same book.

@ MrsM: I really like the self portrait idea. I might hafta steal that one in some form. And yes, the two weeks was sort of beauty…except now it’s 7:30 on Sunday night, and my mind is still on vacation…

If you need a book idea to replace Sawyer, I’ve found that The White Mountains by John Christopher is something that 7th graders really get into. Excellent Science Fiction story and there is a whole trilogy that they can read later on.

During the last week of school, I have my 8th graders do a drawing of how they would picture themselves on their high school graduation day. We take a class period to draw, color, date, and sign them. I collect them and keep them until the students’ senior year. I send them to the students at the high school during the last couple weeks of school. (The high school secretaries are never too jazzed about distributing all those pictures each year, but at least it does not cost anything.) Most of the kids have completely forgotten about it by then, and they really get a kick out of seeing the drawings and what dorks they were in 8th grade. I get some good emails from them after I send them out.