book party

Another year has gone by and my Ellie keeps getting older.  A part of me loves it and the other part want to stop time.  I guess this the conundrum of all mothers. Ellie being the individual that she is wanted a book party.  At first I tried to talk her out of it. I asked wouldn't you just want to take a couple of friends and get pedicures? or go to a movie?  maybe out to a special lunch. But no she really wanted a book party.  I racked my brain trying to think of how I could ungeekafy this party.  (not an official word but it fits.) Ellie lover of all things of the written word and a big foodie I thought I could tie the two together.  We sent out the invites with one request, please bring a gently used book for a book swap.
Then it was time for decorations.  I picked up an old book from DI for the sole purpose of tearing the pages out.   I used the pages to make banners to string across the room and over the windows.  On a large banner I wrote happy birthday Ellie. Then I took a few books I didn't care too much about and turned the covers onto each other so the book fanned out and hung them in the window.  I was going to hang them from the ceiling but our ceilings are quite high and I didn't want to get out the ladder.  I set up the table with books and food from books with their corresponding titles.  For instance I filled a bowl with blueberries and set it next to the Hunger Games series with a Nightlock label next to it.  Some of the other foods I had were:
Turkish Delight=Narnia
Bertie bots every flavor beans (jelly bellies)= Harry Potter
Apple= The giving tree or twilight
Meatballs= cloudy with a chance of meatballs
Alfredo noodles= I said it was Rapunzel's hair
Green Ham= Green eggs and ham
goldfish crackers= 1 fish 2 fish red fish blue fish
a veggie tray= Peter cotton tail
little martinelli's with a tag that said Drink Me= Alice in wonderland

 When I cut the cake I put little flags in them that said Eat me= Alice in wonderland
I was happy that all the girls appreciated and got what I was trying to do.  They thought it was quite clever.  For activities we shot arrows because everyone is obsessed with the Hunger Games then we played capture the flag from the Percy Jackson and the lightening thief.  That game was huge hit. When it was time to come inside we ate then decorated tote bags.  The kind you would take to the library. Lastly we played pictionary on my huge magnet wall with all the guesses something from books. All the girls had so much fun they didn't want to go home.  I was happy the party turned out to be a success.
Scott mentioned to me that when I was worried about the party being nerdy I was forgetting that these were Ellie's friends and so they were into the same nerdy stuff she is.