Tuesday, January 25, 2011

PROFESSOR BINGO PRESENTS: VIOLA IN REEL LIFE-A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO
BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S
"PROFESSOR BINGO
PRESENTS DAY" 
I'M EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THIS TUESDAY'S
"PROFESSOR BINGO PRESENTS DAY"
CHILDREN/YOUNG ADULT BOOK CHOICE IS.....

 GIVEAWAY ENDED
VIOLA IN REEL LIFE
BY ADRIANA TRIGIANI

ABOUT THE BOOK:
I'm marooned.

Abandoned.

Left to rot in boarding school . . .

Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far, far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in the sherbet-colored sweater capital of the world.

Ick.

There's no way Viola's going to survive the year—especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like it there. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera.

Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be, and soon Viola realizes she may be in for the most incredible year of her life.

But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in. 

PRAISE FOR VIOLA IN REEL LIFE:
“A cold, snowy winter, a ghost mystery, kisses, cookies, roommates, a video diary, a film competition, and Viola’s crack-me-up-every time observations all make this an endearing coming of age story…exceptionally fun.”
— Richie's Picks
 “A sweet, character-driven story. Viola is very real, as are her feelings, hopes, desires, and dreams.”
— School Library Journal
 
“This book reminds each of us that a fish out of water really can find a new pond! Read it to remind yourself that your friends really do teach you something new every day.”
— Justine Magazine
 
“Sarah Dessen for middle school…Trigiani deftly shows that teenage girls can be independent, have positive self-images, and be happy.”
— Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
 
“Best-selling adult author Trigiani nicely captures boarding-school bonding, adolescent female insecurities, and current teen trends. Fun, breezy, and full of subtle life lessons, this is a good follow-up or prequel to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.”
— Booklist
 
“Trigiani (Big Stone Gap) takes the familiar boarding school milieu and gives it some welcome nuance and a refreshingly grounded feel in her debut YA work. [She] offers a realistic look at the ever–shifting bonds of friendship and the adjustment to one’s first taste of life away from home.”
— Publishers Weekly

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bestselling author Adriana Trigiani is beloved by millions of readers around the world for her hilarious and heartwarming novels. Adriana was raised in a small coal-mining town in southwest Virginia in a big Italian family. She chose her hometown for the setting and title of her debut novel, the critically acclaimed bestseller Big Stone Gap. The heartwarming story continues in the novel’s sequels Big Cherry Holler, Milk Glass Moon, and Home to Big Stone Gap. Stand-alone novels Lucia, Lucia; The Queen of the Big Time; and Rococo, all topped the bestseller lists, as did Trigiani’s 2009 Very Valentine and its 2010 sequel Brava, Valentine.

Trigiani teamed up with her family for Cooking with My Sisters, a cookbook coauthored by her sister Mary, with contributions from their sisters and mother. The cookbook-memoir features recipes and stories dating back a hundred years from both sides of their Italian-American family.

Adriana's novels have been translated and sold in more than 35 countries around the world. Trigiani's latest blockbuster Brava, Valentine (Very Valentine’s sequel) debuted at number seven on the New York Times bestseller list following its February 2010 debut. Valentine Roncalli juggles her long-distance romance, as she works to better the family’s struggling business. A once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity takes Val from the winding streets of Greenwich Village to the sun-kissed cobblestones of Buenos Aires, where she finds a long-buried secret hidden deep within a family scandal.

Trigiani's first young adult novel, Viola in Reel Life—the first in a series—debuted in September 2009. Fans fell in love with fourteen-year-old filmmaker Viola Chesterton, who moves from Brooklyn to a South Bend, Indiana, boarding school. In Spring 2011, readers will delight in Trigiani’s follow-up novel Viola in the Spotlight, as Viola and friends spend an adventure-filled summer vacation in Brooklyn.

To read more about this wonderful author AND find out about the next in the "Viola" series VIOLA IN THE SPOTLIGHT, go HERE!  
  
MY REVIEW:
What more can this multi-talented dynamo do? When she recently gave readers a very special piece of her heart in DON’T SING AT THE TABLE: Life Lessons from My Grandmothers, I had to remind myself that Adriana Trigiani is the author of books with many varied themes. From VERY VALENTINE , LUCIA, LUCIA, and ROCOCO, to everything in BIG CHERRY HOLLER and BIG STONE GAP which is soon to be on the big screen, while in her “spare time”, she also arranges for dynamic tours of Italy! Now with VIOLA IN REEL LIFE, Adriana takes on the young adult audience with a delightful coming-of-age story where readers will first meet Viola Chesterson and upon finishing this book, be relieved to know that it is the first of a series!

Trigiani tells the story through Viola, a 14-year old who is a wise-cracking, honest, sarcastic New Yorker from Brooklyn (well, I loved her already just knowing that--check out my birth place!) who has a great sense of humor balanced out by all the normal insecurities of a girl her age. But what makes her “reely” special is her love of photography and movies. It is no wonder with her grandmother being a big-hearted, Broadway actress, and her parents who make documentary films for a living. It is that, in fact, with Viola’s parents off to Afghanistan to film a documentary, that has brought Viola to South Bend, Indiana, and the Prefect Academy for Girls for the year that they will be gone. This being her parents' idea, not Viola’s! Could Viola be any farther out of her element? She thinks not in the beginning but as the story progresses she finds that she shares much of the same things that the other girls do at the school. With Viola's passion for filming, she is able to look into this new place through the camera’s eye, or at least it is the excuse she can use.

Viola’s roommates, Suzanne, Romy, and Marisol, develop a friendship and as Viola grows throughout the school year, she learns to appreciate the new people she is with as well as her family and good friends she had to leave behind at home in Brooklyn. As would be typical, Prefect is a girls’ school but it doesn’t mean there aren’t boys in the story. In fact, Viola meets Jared at a school dance and they learn they both share a love of film and wind up both entered in the same video competition. Adriana Trigiani has developed these characters as she does all hers that have gone before with realism and feelings readers can relate to. There may be some things you don’t like about them, but you will certainly know they could be real people that you might know. From the clothing to their speech, from the use of technology to raging hormones and drama, Trigiani has these young teens dialed right in. Having taught middle school for the last part of my teaching years, believe me, Adriana knows these kids.

I loved the story and look forward to the soon to be out sequel. Once again, Adriana Trigiani has conquered another venue as Viola is believable and you care about her. VIOLA IN REEL LIFE is a REALLY fun read for adults as well, and I think a breath of fresh air that young adult and teen readers may just welcome amid the vampires and fairies that dominate much of their shelf space right now. 

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO KELLY AND ADRIANA,
I HAVE 3 COPIES OF THIS DELIGHTFUL
BOOK FROM ADRIANA'S NEW SERIES
TO GIVE AWAY TO 3 LUCKY WINNERS! 
 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY:
READ ABOUT VIOLA IN REEL LIFE AND AUTHOR ADRIANA TRIGIANI ABOVE AND COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN A COPY

+1 MORE ENTRY: VISIT AUTHOR ADRIANA TRIGIANI'S WEBSITE BY GOING HERE AND CHECK OUT ALL THE INTERESTING THINGS. COME BACK AND COMMENT ON ONE THING YOU LEARNED THERE.

+1 MORE ENTRY:
BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK AND LEAVE A LINK THAT I CAN FOLLOW

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING ABOUT THE AUTHOR WHEN YOU GO TO HARPER COLLINS "FUN STUFF" HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE 2ND BLOGIVERSARY GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, COMMENT ON EACH SEPARATELY FOR AN ADDITIONAL ENTRY

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, FEBRUARY 11

GOOD LUCK!

86 comments:

mamabunny13 said...

I would like to win this book because ADRIANA TRIGIANI and I are both from Virginia...and the book does sound good.
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

Steve Capell said...

I said to myself ... Steve you need to branch out and read some other type of genres and this book is a young adult book that sounds fun. I like what Justine Magazine said about this book -- “This book reminds each of us that a fish out of water really can find a new pond! Read it to remind yourself that your friends really do teach you something new every day.” When you said in your review that VIOLA IN REEL LIFE is a REALLY a fun read for adults as well ... last time I looked I am adult so I am tossing my name into the mix and hoping for the best!

steven(dot)capell(at)gmail(dot)com

mamabunny13 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
traveler said...

Adriana Trigiani writes beautifully and this book would be a departure for me. thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

mamabunny13 said...

Something I found interesting about the author is she was a writer/producer on The Cosby Show, A Different World, and executive producer/head writer for City Kids for Jim Henson Productions.
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

traveler said...

Her website is wonderful and I could learn so much about her writing, her life and her books. I have read her new series about Valentine which is great.I see that there is a sequiel to this novel which inerests me. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I entered the Cookbook trilogy. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I entered the Chelsea Cain giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

She has a varied music interest which is nice to see. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

mamabunny13 said...

Tweet http://twitter.com/#!/mamabunny13/status/30030632843214849
mamabunny13 at gail dot com

Chloe Booklover said...

First entry:

chloe.hope.bookie(at)gmail(dot)com

Thanks for the giveaway!I am going to post my other entries now...

Chloe Booklover said...

I really want to win this book because of the film aspect. I think it would be cool that she is so into film and it gives her a way to see the world.

Chloe Booklover said...

I went to Adriana Trigiani's site and found out that her novels have been translated and sold in over 35 countries around the world!!!!

gcpeach17 said...

I would just love to win this book for my fifteen year old Grandaughter. She isn't into reading like her Mom & I are but, this just sounds delicious! My Grandaughter is into photography which will add to her enjoyment of this book, I think. This could be about her!:)

gcpeach17 at aol dot com

Chloe Booklover said...

Here is a link for the blog post I did:

http://yabookloverblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/giveaway-viola-in-reel-life-over-at.html

Anonymous said...

i have read a few books of hers ( rococo, big stone gap and lucia,lucia) and was suprised and excited about her writing a book geared toward young adults. i would love to read this one, also.
charlcr(at)aol(dot)com

petite said...

This unique book sounds incredibly rich with the adventures and experiences of Viola. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

Adriana Trigiani's website is beautiful, fascinating and has recipes, books and delightful areas.She is so talented and special. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

I entered Starlet. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

The author has such an interesting background. She does not care for Spinach. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

Ricki said...

I love any story that takes place in a boarding school - I always wanted to go to boarding school.
rickimc[at]aol[dot]com

holdenj said...

I have loved every Trigiani book I've read! I think this tale of a girl headed to a Midwestern boarding school would be a great duck out of water story.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I entered the Cain blogiversary giveaway.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I entered the cookbook blogiversary giveaway.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I thought it was interesting at the HC website that a song title that describes her is Home on the Range. That is certainly evident in all her stories about family.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I entered the Secret Kept blogiversary giveaway.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I entered the Ga'Hoole blogiversary giveaway.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

rubynreba said...

I want to read this book because it looks like a fun book. I also know a teenage girl who I would love to share it with.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

The author is married to Tim Stephenson, the Emmy award winning lighting designer of the Late Show with David Letterman. They live in Greenwich Village with their daughter, Lucia.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

Her favorite city is New York City.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

Entered Chelsea Cain giveaway
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

Entered A Secret Kept giveaway
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

Entered Cookbook Triology giveaway
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

Entered Guardian of Ga Hoole giveaway
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

Reading said...

I love that she left Brooklyn and winds up in Indiana. I was born in Brooklyn. And that is a far stretch.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Reading said...

I entered the Chelsea Cain Mystery Trilogy giveaway.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Reading said...

I entered the Cookbok Trilogy giveaway.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Khyla said...

The thing that made me interested in wanting to win a copy is the fact that this book sounds incredibly rich with the adventures and experiences of Viola. thank you so much for the giveaway

khyla_808ATyahooDOTcom

Khyla said...

Tweeted: http://twitter.com/khyla_rahchelle/status/30102601903116288

khyla_808ATyahooDOTcom

Linda Kish said...

It sounds like Viola grows up a bit at the boarding school and learns about herself and life.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

Her least favorite food is the same as mine..cooked spinach.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

debbie said...

It sounds like a great YA book, about discovering yourself. I would like to read it.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

Hot Off the Shelves said...

Viola sounds very much like me as a young adult. Only I hid behind my books and magazines instead of a camera. It can be difficult to find the courage to put them down, but finding life can be amazing is well worth it.

jasmyn9[at]hotmail[dot]com

Hot Off the Shelves said...

It was interesting to find out that Adriana was a writer/producer on The Cosby Show.

jasmyn9[at]hotmail[dot]com

Hot Off the Shelves said...

http://jasmynninestuff.blogspot.com/2011/01/giveaway-link-viola-in-reel-life-by.html

Blog post w/ link.

jasmyn9[at]hotmail[dot]com

Carol N Wong said...

As soon as I read what the story was about, I wanted to read it! I do like YA fiction when it involves problems of growing up and
real life situations. Since the worst part of my life was in junior high when we moved, I have lots of empathy for the main character! Then I saw that the character going to a boarding school in Indiana! I grew up in Indianapolis and they didn't wear sweaters the color of sherbert but and I have a cousin in South Bend.
Well, maybe she did, I am not sure.
Anyway, I am very interested in this book.

I have always wondered about boarding schools. What are they like? My son had a frind whose mother suddenly died of the flu.
His father married again and my son's friend was sent to boarding school. I always felt that when a parent dies, that is when children need the other parent the most. I hope that it worked out for him.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I loved her website, everything from more information on her books to her receipes. I loved that she is involved in several organizations to help people. One organization that was new to me was LINC. It links people with cancer to other organizations that can help them with emotional support information on financial support. I saved the website address and will send it to people on my support for a type of pre-cancer. I dont't think that many
people know that the best cancer
drugs, nicknamed "smartbombs" be cause they target the cancer costs thousands of dollars and health insurance usually only overs a portion of the drugs. So, I am going to spread the news.

Carol(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I tweeted:
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/2011/01/professor-bingo-presents-viola-in-reel.html 'Giveaway for Viola In Reels'

My Twitter name is Carolee888


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

From the Fun stuff site about the author, I read that her favorite drink is water. I really appreciate that because water is one the healthiest things that we can drink.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I entered the cookbook trilogy bogoversary contest.

CarolNWong(at)aol(do)com

Carol N Wong said...

I entered the Chelsea Cain Trilogy
Blogoversay Contest.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Gina said...

Something I found interesting...her heritage! Honestly, I have a similar background (Italian American) but unfortunately not the extended family....so many recipes and memories left with those no longer with us. Will have to check out that cookbook!

grgenius(at)gmail(dot)com

Gina said...

One thing I learned from the site.... she has a knack for catchy titles and awe inspiring covers. Seriously! I haven't read her work before but I remember seeing some of the Valentine books in store purely because of the cover art. ^_^

grgenius(at)gmail(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I entered the 'A Secret Kep' (audio) Blogoversay contest.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Connie said...

Hi! I love reading books by this author. I like the fact that the character Viola is from New York and has to deal with being in a new place which is Indiana which is a big difference. Thanks for this giveaway! :)

aliasgirl1976@yahoo.com

Connie said...

I entered the cookbook giveaway as well. :)

aliasgirl1976@yahoo.com

Jolee said...

I am excited that this is by Trigiani AND it's a YA title. How cool is that. joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Jolee said...

Love her foreign covers section on her website. joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Jolee said...

Found it interesting on the "Fun Stuff" that a worst trait is denial....ah, yes. :-) joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Jolee said...

entered incaceron joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered Secrets to the Grave joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered Chelsea Cain trilogy joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered cookbook trilogy joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered Secret Kept joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered Guardians joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered Cake Boss joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered cake boss joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered entice

Jolee said...

entered Proper Care & Maintenance of Friendship joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered Best of Pillsbury Bake off joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entere Brides of Gallatin Co joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered 18 acres joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered Play Dead joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered Secret of Chanel No 5 joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered Dr DeSoto joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Jolee said...

entered Born under the Lucky Moon joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot} net

Meredith said...

I like how the girl in the book deals with new surroundings--with her camera. I love grabbing my camera to take pictures whenever I'm anywhere unusual.

meredithfl at gmail dot com

Meredith said...

From the author's website - she was just south of here not too long ago in Naples doing a booksigning!

meredithfl at gmail dot com

Meredith said...

From the Fun Stuff, if she weren't writing, she'd probably be interior decorating.

meredithfl at gmail dot com

Meredith said...

I entered the Cookbook trilogy.

meredithfl at gmail dot com

Novella Vialli said...

Such stories always catch my attention. I hope i win.

sananoor_94@hotmail.com

Unknown said...

Adrian Trigiani has a terrific website. I loved the page "Her Favorite Things" and plan to check out the NYC restaurant Valbella! And I'm very interested in Notables, her sister, Francesca's stationery company!

Aimala127(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

At Harper Collins website I found out that Adriana Trigiani's favorite item of clothing is snow boots (gee, I wonder why?!) made from recycled material! Very cool!


Aimala127(at0gmail(dot)com

Mona said...

I love stories set in schools. I also enjoy "wise-cracking,honest,sarcastic" characters.

monagargATyahooDOTcom

Mona said...

I learned that she has been a television and film writer.

monagargATyahooDOTcom

Mona said...

On Harper Collins Fun Stuff, she said if she couldn't be a writer, she would be an interior decorator who writes about interior decorating,

monagargATyahooDOTcom

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