Twas Brillig...

There is a curious article in the NY Times about the value of nonsense on the intellect.  

I love the final paragraph.  

"Still, the new research supports what many experimental artists, habitual travelers and other novel seekers have always insisted: at least some of the time, disorientation begets creative thinking."

My Brother's Keeper

My Brother's Keeper

by Patricia McCormick

(3.5 scoops)

Author Patricia McCormick tackles difficult subjects in her books; the war in Iraq, sexual slavery, cutting, and drug use. My Brother's Keeper follows a 13 year old boy whose father has left, his mother is struggling with finances and his older brother is dealing with his pain through drugs.  The protagonist is an anxious, insecure kid who is actually quite funny and endearing despite the difficulties he experiences in this novel.

NBA

No basketball on this blog, just the good old fashioned National Book Award. The finalists are in and there are five nominees for Young People's Literature. Check them out:


Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith
Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
David Small, Stitches
Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times
Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped

Coe Booth, the fabulous author of Tyrell and Kendra and contributor to The Longstockings blog and generally awesome and intelligent human being, was one of the judges this year so that gives me an extra boost of confidence for these titles.

I haven't yet read any of these books, but I am very curious to hear a lil sumpin' sumpin' from any of you who have. Keep me posted!

FOLLOW UP: There is now a controversy as to whether or not Stitches should have been nominated as a YA book when it was published as an adult graphic novel by W.W. Norton.  Read the full article at Publishers Weekly and weigh in on the debate.

Evolution of Tinkerbell

Check out this 12 picture evolution of Disney's Tinkerbell! Since I just finished reading the original J.M Barrie version of Peter Pan for class and spent several hours discussing what the text revealed about gender, this slide show was particularly interesting.

Having just read Constance Rourke's seminal 1931 work, American Humor: A Study of the National Character, however, I think Barrie was commenting more on the relationship between America (Peter Pan and Neverland) and England (The Darlings and British tradition).

The Mall- CONTEST

Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall

by Wendy Mass

(4 scoops)

This novel is written in verse and, for the most part, the short lines enhanced the quick pace and ephemeral quality of the inner monologue, but at other times, the enjambment was so illogical that it stalled my reading. There were many genuinely touching moments in this story about a girl who gets pegged in the head by a dodge ball and finds her self in the hospital teetering between life and death. The ending is a bit didactic and moralistic, but it happens to be a moral I agree with, so I didn't particularly mind! Each section had a very clever ending, which made them fun to read, but since I read the book in one sitting, the predictability made the individual endings seem a bit less clever. Overall, despite a few flaws, I found this book extremely charming. 

And it has inspired another contest!

Tell me about a purchase you made at the mall 

that was significant in some way.

You can write a poem, like Wendy Mass, or just ramble as you see fit. 

Make sure to explain what the purchase was 

and how it turned out to be significant.

 

The winner will be announced on Friday the 23rd

and the prize is a mall inspired gift bag!

So, like, get to it!

Wimpy

I was reading The Longstockings blog today on which Kathryne posted a link to the NY times article about the Diary of  a Wimpy Kid series.  It points out that the appeal for kids is that the protagonist, Greg, does not always do the right thing and that as adult readers it gives us insight into the "child's ethical mind." I also enjoyed reading the comments if for no other reason that they illustrated that there are still places, unlike here or here, where people can comment on the internet thoughtfully and articulately and without name calling!

A classic?

Harriet the Spy

Louise Fitzhugh

(2 scoops)

What a clumsy, unfocused book! 

I had such a hard time getting through this novel. 

It is quite dated and the plot is preposterous.