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It's teacher appreciation week, and in celebration we’re saluting some of the best-loved teachers modern fiction has to offer. While we weren’t able to take their classes on transfiguration or using the Force, these mentors had a lot to teach us and their lessons hold up long after we’re done with their stories.

Mr. Keating – Dead Poets Society: Mr. John Keating brought poetry into the lives of teenage boys who were fixated on the problems of their own lives. More than rhyme and verse, he endeavored to teach them the importance of language and feeling, and dared them to reach into their reading and themselves for deeper meanings. He inspired them to take charge of their own lives, and in turn was given one the most memorable standing-on-desks salute in modern film.

Best Lesson: “Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all.”

Ms. Frizzle – The Magic School Bus: Miss Frizzle taught important lessons about science, but even more about the quest for knowledge. Her lessons are almost always about sharing discoveries, and students’ research and observations make them respected contributors to each adventure (with the possible exception of Carlos’ bad jokes). The Frizz teaches enjoyment of learning above all else, so we’ll forgive her for not technically getting permission slips before taking juveniles into outer space or the Jurassic Age.

Best Lesson: “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!”

via Etsy

Book covers are awesome. If you haven't wrapped a book since your elementary school days, I'm going to give you some reasons to do it again. 

Before that though, let's briefly talk about kinds of book covers. There are different types for different occasions and personalities, after all. You've got the clear plastic by the roll and plain ol' paper bags (nifty tutorial for that one here!), wrapping paper, bits of newspaper, maps, and all manner of foldable (or knittable!) things to decorate your book with.

And then of course, you've got the pre-made elastic book covers you can buy by the buttload if you aren't a DIY sort of person. The possibilities are endless. But there are, nonetheless, so many fun ways to cover your books. 

Now, hear me out on when's a good time to use book covers.

Photo via Catster

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone!

Since we really can't giveaway margaritas here on the Quirk blog (although here is an awesome margarita cheesecake recipe for ya'll), we decided to do the next best thing. Run with a pun. Because that's what we do here at Quirk.

We're celebrating Cinco de Meow, and dishing out a bundle of Quirk cat books on this special day. Go ahead and enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity, Crafting with Cat Hair, 100 Cats Who Saved Civilization, and The Meowmorphosis. 

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Believe it or not, YouTube is filled with literary content. For those of us who enjoy the added audio and visuals, head on over to YouTube to watch book reviews, learn about classic literature, and fangirl/fanboy about the latest literary adaptation.

(Image via flickr)

It’s sad but true: bad moms make for great stories.

I’m not talking about the kind of bad mom who made you eat your broccoli or picked you up from a high-school dance in her pajamas. I mean the really bad mothers you (hopefully) only see in books. The ones that take such pleasure in manipulating, belittling, or just generally screwing up their offspring that you can't help but assume the author took the advice to "write like your parents are dead" to heart.

Yes, they're terrible mothers, but with every abandoned baby and murderous rampage, these women make for page-turningly compelling reading. So for Mothers' Day, let's celebrate five of these literary momsters who definitely don't deserve breakfast in bed this year. 

It's (almost) Star Wars Day (May the 4th—get it?!?!). As Yoda would say, love this day, we at Quirk do. So in honor of the greatest holiday under the two suns of Tatooine, we've rounded up all of our fantastic Star Wars stuff—book trailers, blog posts, ecards, and more!—under the jump.