 destination states: The majority of direct wine shipments (31 percent) go to California, and that is not likely to change in the near – or even distant – future. However, Pennsylvania became the new player to watch in August of 2016, allowing direct shipments for the first time. In just four months, the 45th state to join the DtC channel jumped up to 22nd in terms of volume. Because of this huge immediate growth, we’re expecting Pennsylvania to be in the top 10 destinations for shipments in 2017.
View our infographic, The State of Direct-to-Consumer Wine Shipping: 2016 Marks Explosive Growth to learn more about consumer taste preferences within this channel, volume and order values by state and winery size.
This was the other book in our Nerds Heart YA round, against Toads and Diamonds. We ultimately selected that one to go on, but here is my review of Tall Story.
Andi adores basketball, and is devastated to learn that her new London school has no girls’ basketball team. Meanwhile, in a small village in the Philippines, her older half-brother Bernardo’s neighbors believe he is the reincarnation of mythological town savior Bernardo Carpio. Like the legendary giant, Bernardo is tall — like, all his clothes made special, can’t buy shoes, dunks the basketball without jumping tall. And the town believes that, like the giant, Bernardo protects them from the earthquakes that regularly wreak havoc in the country.
Bernardo and Andi’s mother has been waiting 16 years for the British government to allow her to bring Bernardo to live with them. Now that day has finally come. Everyone is thrilled that the family will reunite, but how will Andi get along with the brother she doesn’t know? How will Nardo fit in with a new country, a new language, and a new family? And without their giant protector, will the earthquakes return to San Andres?
This was a bit of a slow start, but it grew on me. Told in alternating chapters by the two teens, Andi’s story is a fairly “typical teen” growth arc — proving herself as a basketball player, getting over her resentment of her new “dorky” brother. I found Nardo’s story more engaging from the beginning. Nardo’s conflict between his responsibility as village “savior” and his desire to be with his mom was compelling. I also liked the window into San Andres with its small-community quirkiness. The San Andres cast are much more memorable characters than Andi’s new basketball buddies. (They were fine, but they can’t compete with a witch named Mad Nena and a short Filipino kid who goes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.)
I loved hearing the siblings’ stories their own ways for the first third of the book, and then seeing them through each other’s eyes. Bernardo thinks Andi is a boy at first, and Andi is unimpressed by Bernardo’s beloved suit (handmade by the local tailor, who puts Velcro on everything). Their cross-cultural relationship is complex and believable.
Phoebe North wrote a timely (as far as I was concerned) post recently about the appeal of magical realism to teens. As you might have gathered from the whole “giant” bit, there’s more than a little magical realism in this story. Did Bernardo grow into a giant because of a wish made on a wishing stone, or because he has a medical condition? Is he protecting San Andres from earthquakes, or has their absence during his life just been a coincidence? It’s never clear, which places this in the “magical realism” camp for me.
The middle grade readers at whom this book seems most targeted can be quite literal, so I’m not sure how they’ll take the ambiguity. And, as I said, the book is a bit slow. It doesn’t scream “instant kid appeal” to me, but it’s original and intriguing and I’m sure it will appeal very much to certain kids. Allegra of My Library Card Wore Out, my co-judge, is a young teen herself, and agreed with me about the pace:
This book was nominated for the CARNEGIE MEDAL. The Sunday Times voted it one of the 100 Best Summer Titles. The Times voted it the Most Recommended Children’s Book for Christmas. It is a YA book but the reviews are by adults. They read differently. I think that might be why they enjoyed it. Since I am YA, I like books that have something happening, like many teen readers. It was a little too slow for my taste and not enough happened to keep my interest. I have never read a book like it. I like reading faster paced books and if there is nothing interesting in a book I am instantly turned off. I guess this is something I have to work on.
I loved getting her perspective; she’s right that most reviewers and award-givers are adults, and one of my favorite things about the internet is how people of all ages can participate at equal levels.
Also reviewed by: My Library Card Wore Out, Pineapples and Pyjamas (who moved this on to our round in Nerds Heart YA), Charlotte’s Library, and Wondrous Reads.
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Pingback: Nerds Heart YA, 2nd Round 2011: Toads and Diamonds, Heather Tomlinson (2010)THE DEPARTMENT STORE DILEMMA
THE DEPARTMENT STORE DILEMMA
"This is a tough decision," said Stan Wheatley, store manager and vice-president of Bassfield Department Store. Bassfield, a large urban retailer with 350 employees, is a family-owned business that has operated in Levittston for over 30 years. Wheatley believes strongly in delegating authority to lower levels of management.
However, Adele Stafford, manager of the women's sportswear department, has recently referred a problem to him.
Six weeks ago, Mary-Alice Brooks, aged 23, was hired as a temporary employee. She has an outstanding personality and immediately made friends with the senior workers in the department, as well as with other salespersons and clerks in the store. Moreover, she is an exceptional salesperson who relates well to customers. In fact, many had gone out of their way to tell Adele Stafford how much they enjoyed dealing with Mary-Alice.
After Mary-Alice's two-week temporary period, her manager requested that she be hired on a full-time basis; Mary-Alice's husband has recently undergone major surgery, so Mary-Alice was glad to have full-time work.
Four days ago, Bill Chavez, personnel manager of the store, realized that Mary-Alice had not taken the medical exam required of all full-time employees. When Mary-Alice took the exam that afternoon, she didn't pass it due of an existing heart condition. Because of restrictions in the company's medical insurance program, she could not be hired.
Chavez told Stafford that Mary-Alice would have to be terminated.
Stafford, women's sportswear manager, argues strongly that an exception be made in Mary-Alice's case. Several employees have also told the personnel manager that it is unfair to Mary-Alice to release her now, since it was his own oversight. Also, they argue that the company should be willing to help people in situations such Mary-Alice's, since they have an EEOC program and have even hired some disabled employees in the past.
But Chavez, the personnel manager, says that Mary-Alice must go. The rule is that all permanent employees must pass the physical, and Mary-Alice has not. Stafford appealed the decision to Wheatley, the store manager, who said he would let her know something the next day. As he ponders a way out of the dilemma, Wheatley is aware of the results of a survey on his desk; 42% of the employees say that they would consider joining a union if one attempted to organize the store.
Discussion Questions:
1. What are the key issues in the case?
2. Develop several realistic alternatives for Wheatley to consider.
3. What decision do you recommend that Wheatley make?
Solution Preview
Discussion Questions:
1. What are the key issues in the case?
2. Develop several realistic alternatives for Wheatley to consider.
3. What decision do you recommend that Wheatley make?
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1. What are the key issues in the case:
? Bassfield is family owned and has a long-standing reputation.
? Stan Wheatley believes in delegating authority.
? Mary-Alice is a good worker and needs the full time employment.
? Mary-Alice has a pre-existing medical condition that disqualifies her for full-time employment.
? Mary-Alice was hired without taking the medical exam that would have revealed the...
Solution Summary
Brief discussion about personnel options in the given situation.Hi. You're probably trying Michael Kors Outlet Online to avoid Cheap Ray Ban Glasses paying money for it but if you want to do any repairs to the car yourself Ray Ban Store Near Me then a "Haines" Repair manual is prefect, they aren't very expensive and have exploded views of almost everything, On top of that