Sarah Burningham: Teen Author

Eco-Friendly Phones for Teens

For all you environmentally-friendly social butterflies out there, you'll love this story about a group of teenagers in Kingston, Canada, who are collecting old cell phones and batteries to try and save the gorillas in the Congo. The Congo is where a lot of the ore (one of the main components of cell phones) is mined and gorillas are killed in the process.

So, next time you're lusting after that new iPhone (I mean really, who isn't?), first figure out a plan for that old phone. You can save a gorilla and be tech-savvy.

Behind the Scenes on Book Tour

I have settled back home after being out on the road for 2 weeks. It's great to be back home sleeping in my bed and waking up at a decent hour, but I kind of miss being out doing events and meeting people. So, I thought I would share some highlights from a few cities since things got so crazy I didn't have time to finish blogging about all the events.

SAN FRANCISCO (May 6, 2008)
I love San Francisco. It's one of those cities that has such amazing energy and a really good vibe.

The first stop was the book club at Capuchino High School in San Bruno, just a few minutes from the San Francisco airport. My mom and I couldn't find the actual entrance to the school (it's one of those great multi-level CA schools with tons of outdoor space) so we actually got there about 5 minutes late.

Lucky for me, the girls were really cool. We talked for over an hour about everything from dealing with parents when it comes to getting a summer job to what it's like to write a book. The teacher who runs the book club made homemade scones and hot chocolate and the event ended up being a super fun gab session. It was definitely one of the highlights from the road.

After book club, my mom and I went back to the hotel and completely crashed. We had to wake up at 3:00am in the morning in order to catch our 6:00am flight, so we were beat. But a few hours in bed with the blackout curtains drawn, and we were good as new.

Next stop was ABC-TV and their local show The View from the Bay. (See that white plastic bag in my hand? That was lunch - BLTs from the diner around the corner. Yum!) I was lucky and got to do a bunch of local TV shows while I was in different cities, but this one was a highlight. The hosts were really fun and real - I could tell they really wanted to have fun with the book but also get some useful info out there.

We wrapped up the day with a Mother-Daughter pizza party at Towne Center Books in Pleasanton. Pleasanton had one of the cutest main streets I've ever seen...little sandwich shops, boutiques, a nail salon and of course, what main street is complete with a book store? Towne Center Books is the heart of the town and I met so many cool teens and their moms. And Judy made homemade brownies which definitely hit the spot after a busy day!

Next stop...hot and sunny Phoenix.

 

Random Articles Found by my Husband, Grant

One of my favorite things about my husband is the fact that he can find anything online. And I mean anything. Like the time he saw Cinderella Man and within 20 minutes of getting home, had researched the complete history of the guy Russell Crowe's character is based on. And the best part is that after he finds this stuff, he remembers it. He's a walking encyclopedia of random information.

I find all sorts of quizzical iTunes podcasts and songs by artists barely anyone has ever heard of on our computer every day. And sometimes he saves articles he thinks are particularly bizzare in our browser's bookmarks. I just found this one about the 9 things that might kill you (if they actually exist) yesterday and it's one my favorites. The Mongolian Death Worm? If that's not enough to keep you awake at night, I don't know what is. But don't thank me, thank Grant!

Teens Help City Council Plan a City's Future

If you've ever wondered whether you can really make a difference in the world, here's your answer...YOU CAN!

I just read this article about a city in Illinois (Peoria) that had teenagers help the city council decide what changes and plans they should make. The planning commissioner told the high school students, "It's going to be your city 20 years from now."

So, a group of local high school kids met with the city council and voiced their opinions on everything from parks and safety to teen night clubs. They're even creating a city Facebook page. (How funny is it that some of the adults didn't even know what Facebook is? They're lucky to have these teens helping!)

If you had the chance to talk to your city council what would you tell them? What would you change?

Should School Start Later?...Teens Need Their Sleep

My high school started at 7:30am. Every morning. Every weekday. It was excruciating.

Looking back, I have no idea how I managed to ever show up to my homeroom class on time. Not to mention all the days I went to early assemblies and school council meetings and had to get their at the ungodly hour of 6:30am.

Nowadays, I wake up at 7:30am. That's what time my alarm goes off, not the time I am supposed to be at my first meeting. (No, I don't go to the gym in the mornings - I really, really value my sleep.)

So, you can imagine how happy I was to read that some schools are considering moving start times to a little later and more reasonable time of day (i.e. nearer to 9:00am instead of 7:00am). Of course, this means that students will be in school later in the afternoon and I used to treasure those free afternoons when the adults of the world were still at work...but you can't have everything.

Do you like the early rise-and-shine schedule of most schools or would you rather get an extra hour of shut-eye every night? You know what I would vote for...

Do we really need to watch Britney buy groceries?

I heard a story on the radio today about the mobs of photographers the follows Britney Spears. (Instead of the normal US Weekly and People, Spears is on the cover of the political magazine The Atlantic Monthly this month. It’s 150 years old and normally profiles presidents and major world leaders. Britney isn’t typical fare here.) According to The Atlantic, the amount of photographers following Spears has tripled since she shaved her head. They are literally making millions off of her mental breakdown.

I can’t help but feel sorry for her, she’s obviously having some very hard times and instead of a break, she just gets more attention (leave her alone, Atlantic). I can’t imagine the world watching my life fall apart on TMZ.

Do you ever feel sorry for Britney Spears? Do you feel guilty for buying the magazines that buy pictures from the crazy paparazzi? Or do you think celebs like Britney (and their moms) know what they’re in for? Everytime I buy OK! I feel a twinge of guilt but those mags make for the best subway reading. Am I total hypocrite?