Aack!

It IS January (!) so we need to get a February book chosen ASAP! There are eleven books on the wish list. The three that were randomly pulled (see here):



To offset the Amazon bent, here are some other blurbs about the books from Teenreads.com:

+ Full Service
+ Going, Going
+ Zazoo

I'm looking forward to the new year and chatting books up with our two new members! (Can you introduce yourselves?)

Any thoughts on the best book we read this year? I have to say Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place and So B. It top my list.

Voting time - Autobiography of My Dead Brother

(Lingo taken from Slang of the Fifties.)

Boyz in da hood

Alright, y'all are slow. I finished this book a week ago, and I was waiting for someone else to speak up, but I'm just going to bite the bullet.

I was surprised to like this book. I can't say I enjoyed it because it was painful to read about these boys. But that made it a good read. I was able to connect to Jesse (not so much Rise or Mason) and even his parents a little bit. I realized at the end that CJ and Rise are like Jesse's conscience, pulling him in either direction. And I liked that the whole time I knew which was the right thing to do, and I kept rooting for him and pleading for him not to go where Rise invited him. I like that I was able to connect with the characters, despite my complete removal from their situations.

I have a question: What was the purpose of the girl? (Was it Tania?) Character development? Attraction to the Rise course of action?

Should be a comment but it deserves its own post...

For more Goodnight Moon hilarity, click here.

I tried to use bugmenot to bypass NYTimes registration (no, I was not already registered, and yes, get off my back), but that page "wasn't found." So I registered anyway, and it was quick and painless (and free!). Worth the read.

Meet Lisa

I invited Lisa (FlyGirl) to join the rumpus because of something I learned about her almost three years ago. On our way to look at the apartment where we now reside, she asked, "What would you be if you weren't a scientist?" Interestingly, I already had an answer: librarian. (But I couldn't decide what kind of librarian, so here I am in grad school.) Amazingly, Lisa said, "Me too!" and started talking about her love for books, especially childrens' books, and her lifelong goal of reading all the Newbery books, and the Excel spreadsheet she uses to keep track of them, and so forth.

I also invited her because we live in the same house and it would be easy to share the books.

January --

The votes are in and counted and the January book is Black Hole by Charles Burns -- the compilation. Make sure you get the book and not just one of the issues.

If you are using a library (and several of the systems Hedgehogs use own copies) get yourself on the hold list soon! Or track down a new/used copy through Bookfinder, Froogle or Amazon. Or, if you are lucky enough to live in a place with half decent bookstores, go buy one at your local independent!

Discussion begins January 15th and hopefully we will have some new voices!

Feelin' Newsy --

Here's a new blog: AS IF - Authors Support Intellectual Freedom. There's the Geography Club article and some other things I've seen elsewhere, but I like the idea. Check the member list on the sidebar. Very impressive!

You'll need to spend some time there after visiting Citizens for Literary Standards in Schools out of Kansas. Yeah, because I always longed to teach How Green Was My Valley instead of dirty books like Fallen Angels. We don't want them reading ANYTHING interesting. Show me a kid who can make it through Moby Dick and I'll eat my hat. They also list Bartelby [sic] the Scrivener.

It strikes me as odd that Middlemarch is on their Best of the Best List (AKA: A whole lotta old, boring books) (okay, not ALL of them). It's on my to be read shelf -- and has been for YEARS; that is a brick of a book; I can't imagine assigning it -- but I watched a BBC version and I remember a lot of lustful glances artfully displayed.

From Wikipedia.org:

Virginia Woolf described Middlemarch as, "one of the few English novels written for grown up people"

So there, Citizens for Literary Standards in Schools! Virginia knows what she's talking about!

Sleep Right!

I don't know how many of you heard about how HarperCollins erased Clement Hurd's cigarette from the wraps of Goodnight Moon, but here's a washingtonpost.com article with a rewritten text, for every child's protection. (click title)

Place your bets -

STEP ONE: THE PLAYING FIELD

---> Books #1-8 as taken from the Wishlist.

STEP TWO: THE POT

---> Stir thoroughly.

STEP THREE: THE WINNERS

I thought it would be a good idea to pull three instead of four to ensure that the winning book does so by more than one vote; it all depends on how many people voice their opinions. We'll see how it goes and change it if we need to, okay?

Polling stations are open as of NOW and will remain so until the end of Saturday, December 3rd.

Vote now! Vote once! Click on the title to find out more about the books.

Clarification

Now that the Hedgehog wish list is going strong, how are we going to use our powers for good?

In other words, how can we choose the January book? (January?! We've been around for a year now!) Pick a random sampling from the list -- maybe, four books? -- and vote on those? Take the two highest voted books and have those for the next two months?

That's what came to my mind. If you have another idea or agree with this one, please insert your assent/dissent here.

Have a delightful Thanksgiving!

Ladies! It's that time again!

Le Club de Geographie

Okay, I'll start.

I found this book enjoyable. Somewhat. To a point. Kinda.

I found the premise pretty interesting. A gay guy who thinks he's all alone. A group of pretty likeable gay/bisexual high schoolers who want a support group. The dynamics of high school (and you couldn't pay me to go back there).

But the book was just trying too hard for me. I don't mind that Russel is telling us the story—although truthfully I find that a little tired—but there were things that just seemed to be forced. "That's the principal, in case you don't remember." etc etc. He was too cutesy, too geeky but hip-geek, too cheeky with the reader, too I-don't-know-but-it-started-to-bug.

Things happened a little too quickly, without me as the reader seeing enough of the build-up or background. Russel's relationship with Kevin—I had no idea if they had met just that one night at the stinky picnic gazebo or every single night for weeks. I knew that Russel really liked Kevin, but I wasn't sure what was between them and how intimate—emotionally, physically—they had gotten. I wasn't too sure about Kevin in general. What was he really like? He seemed too stereotypical in the two faces he had—sweet when he was alone, a jerk when he was with "the guys." Also, when Russel admits to Brian Bund that he really is gay, I thought Russel was a little too comfortable with that. I didn't get the feeling that he was ready to be out, even if only to one person who was a social outcast.

I was also bothered how the book went to so much trouble to "foreshadow" the bad things that were going to happen. We were hit on the head with it, with the "and I didn't know how bad it would get" kind of idea. It's like we were set up for the fall, and then it happened in small annoying increments (the first time it was the article in the school newspaper, which didn't seem that bad). But the drama in the narrative was too much for me. And if that was because it was Russel saying it, then it's a little too stereotypical (gay drama queen) for me.

I liked that Hartinger picked geography for the club, given what he said about that on his website (the landscape of social groups in high school, all the different "lands"). But I did get a little sick of how everything fit so neatly. All the talk about the "Borderlands of Respectability" and the "Land of the Popular" and so on. I get it. Don't spell it out for me too much.

I picked up volume three of Michael Cart's Rush Hour (called Faces), and Hartinger has a story in there (I think it might be an excerpt, not a short story). I wasn't able to finish it, but it seemed very different from this narrative voice. Wasn't trying as hard. Has anyone read that or anything else by Hartinger?

So I have to say I wasn't overly impressed. Yeah, it's a good idea, and we need more literature out there addressing gay teens, but I just didn't think it was terribly well written. A fine effort, especially for a first novel, but I wasn't bowled over.

Thoughts?

Igor, go fetch --

Brent Hartinger has quite a website!

The little photos to the left of the column ("inside" the lobes) are hilarious, plus read the bottom of the Where I'm Going lobe.

He's also got a LiveJournal.

Bookslut covers his books (including Geography Club and the sequel The Order of the Poison Oak) here.

*** Just to share my pain, my sad local library "system" has three copies of The Order of the Poison Oak. This sounds good, but someone please explain why they have NO copies of Geography Club and my book had to come from a university library three and a half hours away!

Coupla Questions

1. It is November. The year is almost over. We've done the book club thing for almost a year now. Do you want to keep it going? I do, but I understand if people want to drop out. I think what we are doing already, with people participating when they can, works fine. But do please speak up.

If yes, then:

1.a. Should we invite more members or are you fine with the people we have?

1.b. Do you want to have a theme for each/some month(s) (award books, sex, books from other countries, drugs, etc.) or keep it random and free-flowing?

1.c. Do you want to pick all the books out for the YEAR at once or vote monthly/bimonthy?

2. Furthermore, if your answer to question one (1) is, "YES, DAMMIT!" then would you be open to a project? No grades, no percentages (and you will get a sticker and/or gold star for participating) and you get a head start.

THE PROJECT:
Sometime (or multiple times) during the months of November and December get ye into a bookstore, library or some other printed word source (online, etc.) and BROWSE the Teen/Young Adult/Children's section. Jot down (doesn't that sound fun -- jotting?) 3-5 titles (including authors) that make you go, "Hmmm. That looks mighty fascinating!" (NOTE: Don't say this aloud unless you want the bookstore employees talking about you.)

Don't worry about other people having read it before*** or the Literary Quality of the book; just find something you'd like to read! (Bonus points for books that are in paperback and therefore more easily picked up.)

In early January, if ye be willing to be reading, we'll have a hoo-ha and figure out what to do with the suggestions (dependent on 1.b. and 1.c..)

Sound good?

***Okay, I don't completely mean that. Don't pick something like Charlotte's Web or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In fact, avoid Classics. Try to stick to something more recent and, dare I add, Cutting Edge.

Feedback?

Cast your opinon here --

Pretty...

Ok, I thought Project Gutenberg was cool, and I even did some volunteer proofreading for them ages ago -- but dude, The Open Library kicks Project Gutenberg's ass! If I were ever going to read books electronically (which I still don't think I will), this would be how I'd want to do it.

P.S. It'll tell you that only IE.6 and Firefox are supported, but my Safari1.3 seemed to work fine.

P.S. Swiped from Boing Boing.

RS

Roger Sutton over at the Horn Book has a (great) blog! It is called Read Roger.

So B. It

I suggested it; I'll start it.

First of all, I liked Heidi. She's smart without knowing it, and sensitive and logical, but almost friendless. It's an appealing innocence and purity mixed with an unusual self-confidence. Heidi is admirable.

I also enjoyed the writing. Words were chosen carefully. There was foreshadowing and imagery. Everything I read had a purpose; there was no filler. I especially liked how Heidi would hear soof wherever she went.

Probably the least noticeable but most pleasant thing about the book is that none of the characters annoyed me. This happens more than it should. It seems like the popular thing to do lately in both books and TV is to create quirky characters. Most of the time, the quirky is fun and interesting, but sometimes it's taken too far. Too much quirky becomes cliche.

It was simple, entertaining, and meaningful. I really enjoyed it. I think it's the best book we've read so far.

Next Focus --

Here are hyperlinked titles to check out:

+ Autobiography of My Dead Brother
+ Geography Club
+ Looking for Alaska
+ Popular Music from Vittula
+ Walter Canis Inflatus : Walter the Farting Dog, Latin-Language Edition

Please vote for two! Vote now! November is almost here!

Might as well, to be official -

YAWP!

Meera, if you like, you can comment on A Great and Terrible Beauty on Libba Bray's LiveJournal. She's got quite a following.

I was going to put up a poll but I think I know what the ratings would be...

The main point of this post was to solicit suggestions for November. How about something that is about a male main character?

Discussion for So B. It begins the 15th! Sarah Weeks, the author, has a website.

A Great and Terrible Beauty

It seems no one else has read the book yet so I'll jump in with some commentary.

I seem to say this about everything we read but -- generally I liked the book, but there were also some glaring FIRST NOVEL!!! errors in my eyes, enough so that I may not care to read the sequel, Rebel Angels.

Gemma's sense of humor is hilarious. But that is also part of my problem with the story -- Gemma's personality and sense of humor is modern. I'm all for "girls who do things," as Robin McKinley says, but this sounded like a bunch of high school girls from down the street dressed up in Victorian clothing, mouthing 21st century ideals. This isn't a bad thing in itself, and I can usually overlook it in books, but it distracted me, brought me out of the narrative. That is BAD.

Bray did an excellent job capturing the power struggles of the girls within their friendships, and their especial cruelty, as in the escapade with Pippa's new gloves and who gets to wear them. Later on, despite herself, Gemma is glad when Felicity chooses to stay instead of walking to Pippa. We want friends, we want to be chosen.

THE REALM.
First, that's a dumb name. I'm sorry; it's just stupid sounding. Better to call it Virtual Reality World! Motto: Why would you ever leave? The girls get addicted to it. Power corrupts... And the whole transference of power that allows them to bring it out of the REALM is never explained. It is instantaneous, too easily achieved and used recklessly. It was not earned. This is cheating and stinks of juvenile wish-fulfillment and a cop-out on the behalf of the author.

I don't know if it's because A Great and Terrible Beauty is a first novel (though the author has written plays and short stories) (those are different creatures) or just a miss on the editor's judgement, but the obvious leadup to Gemma's noticing the missing photo (pg 326 in my TPB) was HORRIBLE. Don't spell things out! Don't TELL the reader; show them! Gemma goes on and on about noticing smudgy bits on the walls: "Funny how I never noticed that before," "So much I haven't noticed," "But it's a night for seeing things for the first time." Awkward, creaky and OBVIOUS. Get it over with and notice the missing photo already!

There is a lack of orginality in some of the plot twists. Mary Dowd is Gemma's mum?! No way! The cool teacher is dismissed?! Bastards!

My final criticism is on the poor blocking of the scenes with the monster/Circe?/mother? at the end. I don't understand what happened or how they escaped. Overall, it was obviously set up for a sequel (series?). I don't know. Maybe it's just overkill of the "We are girls with magic powers and we kick ass and look cute at the same time! Yay!" and there seems to be so much of that out there right now.

Eunice, didn't you do a paper in YA about secrets? I kept thinking back to that all through this book -- how secrets are powerful.

PS - The girls' meeting in a cave SO reminded me of Dead Poets Society.

SE Hinton Interview on the NYTimes

"An Outsider, out of the Shadows"

Did you know S.E. stands for Susan Eloise? Such a Soc name.

The Outsiders movie is being re-released, in a new director's cut that is supposed to be truer to the book. (and if you haven't read the book or evor seen the movie, there is a MAJOR spoiler in the above article, so beware!)

Stay gold, guys, stay gold.

Cooler Than We

I had lunch with Cathie today and I asked her what Dawn (Emerman) was doing, and she told me about her fabulous and shiny blog, which I promptly searched for when I got home. Look! It's here and she rocks, and I thought you all should know. And be inspired to update here more regularly (except for Sarah, who is the update-Queen and doesn't need inspiring).

Hooray for Dawn and her crusade for healthy depictions of sex and female sexuality in YA books! And hooray for her first novel being finished -- see what I mean about inspiration?

yay

Mr. Hiaasen is about to set his second kid-friendly book loose upon the masses.

I'm not intending to read it - don't need more tales of environmentally-minded children in Florida trying to thwart a wrong (casino boat operator dumping sewage into the ocean) being done. Foibles. Nutty-but-lovable characters. Etc.

But don't let me stop you.

Another book I'm not planning to read (this is a cheering post!) is the new Pigeon book. Really -- isn't it an established GIVEN he likes things that go, such as busses?

I understand people are clamoring for more pigeon books, but I think the originality was spent in the first and any follow-ups are going to be disappointing.

And let ye opinions be made known!

I really enjoyed reading Bound. Embarrassingly, the Cinderella light bulb didn't go on for me until maybe halfway through the book. Maybe even two-thirds of the way through. I doubt that was the case for the rest of you -- even the Evil Stepmother didn't clue me in.

Before you comment on my blindness, please know I thought the story would focus on foot-binding, and kept waiting for the part when Xing Xing's feet would be tied up. Ah, Sarah, there are more ways of being bound.

Did Xing Xing seem younger than 14 to you?

I loved the poetic bits and found the lyrical style evocative of Xing Xing's world.

But what happened at the end? Mr Suave Prince sweeps Xing Xing off her feet? What? It seemed forced and unconvincing, like all of a sudden she was a different person. Did Napoli end it that way just to keep the Cinderella tale complete?

Put your word here - Please vote for TWO (2) books -- the other will be for October

LAST CALL - VOTE THURSDAY!

September Hedgehog Rumpus Book Club Book Ideas?
One suggestion: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray; it is her first book. She combines a bit of fantasy (just a bit, Susan!) with a Victorian-era setting and some Gothic touches. And I love boarding school stories.

Also, The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. She's gained a lot of popularity in the past few years and I'm curious to see if she's any good.

What else?

I have the Trina one -

Unfortunate Children's Books.

Thanks, Dana!

FLB

Nerve.com posted an interview with Francesca Lia Block.

She kinda looks like Anjelica Huston on heroin.

Calling Sus

Is this true? And can you get a picture for us???

A brush with Bloomers!

NEWS ITEM NUMERO ONE-O:

Meera is married!!! What a gorgeous day filled with gorgeosity. And such.


NEWS ITEM NUMERO DUE:

Kristin's Old! Happy B'day K-Diggety!


NEWS ITEM NUMBER TRES:

Sarah and I visited with everyone's favorite Bloomers today! For all of you NOT joining the Sinstitute/Imposium (um, I guess that's everyone except me), you may still be excited to know the following tidbits:

1. There will be hand-printed napkins. (We got a preview - the Artist's Proof, if you will.)

2. Brendan Fraser will not be appearing. You find this information confusing, if not unnecessary and unrelated? Oh, WE got the story. That's right. Uh huh.

But he's not coming.

3. Tobin Anderson IS coming! Sweet mother of Handel! I'll have to put the moves on him! (Yaaawn... stretch... and now I'm touching you.)


Bloomers herself is in fine form, despite finding out that she got her last paycheck EVOR in June and isn't getting a cent for all the incredible work she puts into the Sinstitute. Of course, they couldn't keep her away with Bloomers Repellent, if anyone were stupid enough to make such a product.

Let's play a game.*

Name the book this quote comes from. Hint: It's Sarah's favorite.

"Ask her if she still keeps all her kings in the back row."

*This is just a lame excuse for a post. I really have nothing literary to say, but the title of the previous post (with the poll) comes in and out unless there's a post after it, so that's what this is.

It's that time of the month again.

Break?

I know many (all, really) of the members of this exalted club are busy right now with all sorts of activities, from marrying to travelling to moving. Upheaval abounds! Participation on the site has also slowed down -- I'm wondering if you'd like to skip July and resume Rumpusing in August, with Bound?

Dissent in the ranks

We seem to be in general agreement with each other about meh-ing Fortune's Bones, but the critics of the book world think otherwise:

2005-Coretta Scott King Honor
2005-Books for the Teen Age — New York Public Library
2005-Notable Children’s Books — American Library Association
2005-Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children
2005-The Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry
2004-Editor’s Choice — Kirkus Reviews
2005-YA Top Forty 2004 titles — Pennsylvania School Librarians Association
2005-YA Top Forty Nonfiction 2004 titles — Pennsylvania School Librarians Association

Why is this book so acclaimed? Does it merit this recognition? Most of these are not outright awards, instead listing Fortune's Bones as a recommended title. Hm.

Gay-themed library exhibit prompts ban

ALA | Gay Pride Events Banned in Hillsborough County. This happened after people complained (separate article) about a Gay & Lesbian Pride Month book display.

Gah.

Also, there's a mother in Arkansas who Demand[ed] Removal of 70 Titles in the school's library collections.

I need to start finding articles dcoumenting success in THWARTING such acts.

Along Access lines -

On Intellectual Freedom from the journal School Libraries in Canada.

Excellent article.

Disney princesses make me barf

You have to watch an ad to access it, but this Salon.com article, "A Nation of Little Princesses," includes input from Maria Tatar and features the kind of girls I actively persecute and campaign against.

Ideas for August?

Some suggestions at the 2005 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards.

What else? I know this is early.

Venturing Forth

I still want to read Fortune's Bones again, aloud, but here are some off-the-top-of-my-brain thoughts.

The illustrations & images particularly brought this book together for me. The book is physically beautiful with pleasing design: cover, music sheet endpapers, poem on right - illustration on left, the concept of the poems as a requiem in vocal parts. That was all good.

The poems themselves didn't blow me away. Fortune's story is fascinating (I think I enjoyed the non-fiction, left page bits more than the poems themselves), and as I said above, I like the idea of the requiem, but most of the poems seemed overly simple, even awkward in parts.

I call a hey, Luigi, come-a quick:

What's with that? It makes me think of some bushy-browed pizza man dressed like one of the Super Mario Bros. exclaiming over Fortune's skeleton. Mamma mia!

The parts I read from Nelson's Carver: A Life in Poems at Simmons, struck me as being more sophisticated. It seems that a lot of thought and care went into Fortune's Bones (Author's Note, research involved, notes, requiem structure, the museum itself) but I was left wanting in the poetry department.

See Fortune's Story at the Mattatuck Museum, if you haven't already.

Susan, this one's for you!

An interview with Jon Ican'tspellhisnameforthelifeofme.

Do we have a book discussion starting tomorrow? Yes! Have I read the book? NO! Did I, in fact, suggest the book? YES!

Get out the vote!

Make Way

It's going to take me days to sort out all my photographs from Pride, but here is one that I couldn't resist posting so that I could share it with the rest of the Hedgehogs.

Since we are reading Marilyn Nelson -

Today's NYT includes an article on Emmett Till, the focus of another of Nelson's books - A Wreath for Emmett Till. Has anyone read it? I remember Ms. Nelson reading excerpts at the Symposium.

After 50 Years, Emmett Till's Body Is Exhumed.

Bye Bye Buffalo Tree

Remember Buffalo Tree from Cathie's Criticism class? It just caused a little
furor.

I liked it a lot, as I recall. But it's pretty harsh. Almost Clockwork-Orange like, in fact. I guess I can see how some people would object to it being taught as a classroom text, and I don't see anything wrong with it being available to kids in class libraries, so those who want to read it can find it. I guess I'd prefer the decision not to teach it to be left up to the teacher, though -- not the school board.

I'm Back From the Dead

Oh, I was so close to loving this book. I really liked it. A lot. I liked Margaret Rose Kane. I liked her uncles. I liked the towers, particularly because I didn't like them very much at first (too abstract, too eccentric, both Erica-criticisms). I even liked the plan to save them and I was thrilled when Peter Vanderwaal decided they were "outsider art." I totally bought that they could be saved that way, and I also bought the idea of a big company buying them. I did not feel betrayed by this book, as I often do when books try to be too clever. And E.L. Konigsburg has more narrative talent in her little finger than most of the writers we've read so far, so the fact that the prose is smooth and pretty without being (mostly) unobtrusive isn't surprising.

So I really only have three complaints:

1) I feel like all of the cool, weird adults in her books are the same person (possibly her). And I don't really buy the way they talk, so I could perhaps believe in one of them, but not several in the same title. Peter and Loretta sounded way too similar to me -- probably why they got married, I suppose.

2) Speaking of marriage -- were there any clues that M.K.R.'s parents were ending theirs? I hate that kind of emotional surprise, but maybe I missed the foreshadowing (read this book in one sitting).

3) Way. Too. Much. Information at the end. This really isn't a long enough book to justify going into excruciating detail in an epilogue about every character and what they ended up doing, and I definitely don't want to hear my narrator become an adult when she was already interesting enough as a kid. Should have quit while she was ahead.

But! We are doing better at choosing books! I hope this trend continues. ;-)

19 Schuyler Place

Short version: the best book we've read so far!

First-rate characterization.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[edited to add longer version]

You know, I fell in love with Margaret Rose. I think I'm inclined to admire-adore down-to-earth intellectuals, the sort of people with odd bits of trivia in their heads. These are the sort of people I like best in real life. This is the kind of person I want to be.

***NOTE: I would have thrown a BIG fit over the bedwetting issue, getting all excited (enraged) and yelling and (maybe) even (okay, probably) throwing things. I would have shown the inept counselor my dry pajamas and screamed the cabin down.

*****ANOTHER NOTE: Yes, I know this book wasn't all about me. I'm just reflecting, pensively.

The uncles are lovingly crafted.

Pg. 112: I spit on digital clocks/watches, too, Morris.

Love the wordplay: areasonable, anobedient, etc.

Verdict: Well-told, moving, concise, intriguing on many levels. I really enjoyed it! Didn't realize until end that the cover is the painting on Margaret's ceiling, with one corner left undone. Are those the shadows of the towers criss-crossing the rose?

Voting Booth Closed

You may vote for more than one. We'll take the top two or so and make those our June and July books - unless someone says NAY!

+ + + + Looks like Fortune's Bones for June and Bound for July. Alrighty?

June

I just have to say that I saw Fortune's Bones in a bookstore a couple of weeks ago, and it looks stunning. Otherwise, I vote strongly for nonfiction. Anything by Russell Freedman (although I've already read the Marian Anderson book, so maybe this), or Jim Murphy (who I'd be willing to reread, even, but I don't know about Kristin -- An American Plague is wonderful, as is Blizzard. And finally, don't tell Susan but I never made it through this, which could be fascinating.

That's me. To make up for my woeful silence on this month's book. (My verdict: Cool.)

Feedback

Well, here's my 2 cents:

Bound: looks v. interesting; fairy tale w/o the fairy, seems to remind me of Jane Yolen's Briar Rose with the combo of fairy tale and real life.

The Mount: futuristic sci-fi suggestion for the month of June.

The Race to Save the Lord God Bird: biological non-fiction, for some reason this doesn't really pique my interest (perhaps b/c I've been using the Rumpus as an escape from science, thesis, etc.)

The Voice that Challenged a Nation: tidbit of trivia--James DePreist (Director of the Oregon Symphony among others) is Marian Anderson's nephew.

Our choices have somewhat centered around activism...wellm Hoot and Outcasts anyway. Perhaps the non-fictionophiles would like a break from all these imaginary stories.

By the by

Some CSCL news (not that we EVOR call the Center for the Study of Children's Literature CSCL):

This Wednesday there's a retirement party for The Illustrious Susan P. Bloom at Simmons. Meera and I plan to go, and I promise to do my part to report back on the type of cheese served as well as whether the napkins are store-bought or hand-printed. As this is a party in honor of Susan, those unfamiliar with the small world of Simmons will perhaps assume that Bloomers will relax, revel in the glory of a career well-managed.

I'm counting on the excited-dog action, myself.

Your friendly guide to the Sinstitute/Imposium

I don't know how to put a link into a comment, so I'm making a new post.

So lookee lookee lookee.

There are a few nonfiction things to look at, as well as Marilyn Nelson's poetry masterpiece. We don't necessarily have to choose a recent book of any of these authors, either. Just thought we could draw on the guest speakers as inspiration.

Any thoughts?

GET YOUR SUGGESTIONS IN FOR JUNE!

What do you want to read for June?

Is anyone up for some nonfiction? I read v. little of the stuff, but would like exposure to more. Russell Freedman's Marian Anderson book, The Voice that Challenged a Nation, was well-received. And there's been lots of hoopla over The Race to Save the Lord God Bird because an ivory-billed woodpecker was just discovered in Arkansas; they've been thought extinct for sixty years.

On the fiction side, Carol Emshwiller's The Mount (first two chapters online and/or the Amazon link) was recently released as a YA book; it's supposed to be great stuff. I've read her Carmen Dog and give it multiple thumbs up.

Ideas?

+ Bound by Donna Jo Napoli

Get your poll on!

Vote vote vote! You can choose multiple answers if necessary!

Should we be Chasing Vermeer?
	A masterpiece, much like The Lady! I give it 12 out of 10!
	Delightful! I even bought my own set of pentominoes off eBay!
	I'd recommend it to people who would like it and then appreciate the coincidence when they did.
	Meh.
	Please! This book was, like, a total Monet! Gag me with a pentomino!
	So horribly incohesive, it made ME want to undergo shock therapy.
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Elizabeth is a Smartypants

I'm being totally lazy about writing about Chasing Vermeer, which I enjoyed thoroughly and which I also think is very flawed. I'm really here, though, to share this article. It's mostly for JLiz (whose email address I don't have) -- your addiction has been vindicated!

Claudia'd kick your ass!

It was obvious this book was penned by a teacher. It had Educational Bits. It had Puzzles and Games (with no connexion to the story - which reveals a desire to pander to reluctant readers: "It's not 'just' a book! It's FUN!"). It was Politically Correct: Petra and Calder were All-American kids of Mixed Ancestry. The book was trying to Be All It Could Be. Or, as Erica said, suffering from Personality Disorder.

But I still enjoyed it -- the characterization was excellent. I liked how Calder and Petra were weird and cerebral but not too much so. And they weren't twee. I liked how they were passionate about something other than video games or sports. I liked Petra's triangle hair. I have had triangle hair. It sucks.

The complete lack of logical explanation threw me. Lots of things "just happen" to Petra and Calder, through dreams and divination and superstition - random, convenient and completely inconsequential. How nice for them! I was left feeling like they didn't SOLVE anything; they followed wild guesses which were justified ("explained") by Balliet's including Charles Fort (of Fortean Times fame) and the gimmicky pentominoes. Because, you know, if you want something bad enough, it will happen!

Where's the LOGIC? The MEANING? I think Konigsburg's Claudia and Jamie could run circles around Petra and Calder. I'd like to see the four of them compete on Jeopardy! or something. Who can identify the real Raphael? Huh? Huh?

And what's with the Bette Davis referral on page 190? What 6th grader knows about her?

With all the hype, I expected more.

Utbay hatway appenedhay otay rogfay?

Do I have to talk in code to talk about this book?

Okay, so my main question is - because maybe it's simple and I just missed it and y'all can fill me in - What the hell happened to this Frog kid? Did we find out why he went to DC?

And can I point once again to The Crying of Lot 49 which seems, somehow, like an answer to this book's love affair with coincidences and unfounded intuitive decisions? Does anyone know what I'm talking about? You know, just like the French, they like totally would know what I'm talking about, y'know? Like? (I am the worst Puerto Rican/Catholic/Army brat ever, according to myself... hint hint.)

Is this thing on? Test... test...

Someone make me think about this book!

Quick-like! Before it leaves my head!

Misc Chasing Vermeer Sites

+ Scholastic's Chasing Vermeer site, with a pentominoes game and the solution to the puzzle in the illustrations.

+ Caillebotte's Rainy Day.

+ Vermeer's The Geographer.

+ The Lady Writing also by Vermeer.

++++ The Geographer and The Lady can also be found under the dust jacket on your books. Of course, I didn't find that out until I'd finished the book and looked the images up online.

Has anyone seen his work in person? I don't think I have.
Discussion opens Friday!

Another Golden Age?

Guardian Unlimited Books | News | The greatest stories ever told The Brits believe we are in another Golden Age in children's lit. I'm inclined to agree.

The major turning point in children's literature was the publication of Alice in Wonderland in November 1865. The crux was that Carroll made the child central to the story, rather than the adult. A rule was broken, a new law established, and a first golden age of children's literature was inaugurated, ending, critics generally agree, in the late 1920s with AA Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh.

I don't fully buy that - Alice in Wonderland being a law-breaker. Different and new, yes, but... Does anyone remember what the "first" children's lit book was?

Blue Balliett (Lyn would be proud)

There is practically no online information about the author of our April book. All I've been able to come up with is a short blurb intended for kids and that the book is on its way to becoming a movie.

Ms. Blue Balliett is a teacher turned author who wrote Chasing Vermeer for her students, wanting something further in the line of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I'm curious about how the two compare; Mixed-Up Files is a classic. Chasing Vermeer is her first book but she's working on others.

I also want to know about her first name - is it is a pseudonym?

If you are interested in reviews, (I avoid them for fear of spoilers) here are a few:
+ KidsReads.com
+ The Star Online
+ Amazon Editorial Reviews

Whaddaya think about that Cottage, eh?

Sorry for the space below. I canna fix it.
Also, this poll allows multiple answers at the same time, so if you are torn, vote for two.

Your take on The Gravedigger's Cottage?
	Fab-u-lous! I want to live there - trees, fleas and ocean breeze.
	Morbidly good! I'd recommend it.
	Not too shabby, for a fixer-upper. I'd recommend it to some people.
	Meh.
	I'd rather be spackling; the story needs more work than the cottage.
	I wish Arnie had killed me instead of the rat and saved me the pain of reading it.
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Don't let the pigeon interrupt the blog!

I came upon Mo Willem's website and he listed a link to Wonder-Shirts where you can order your very own Pigeon Tee Shirt! (For those who ask what the hell I'm going on about, the pigeon is in reference to the very excellent book Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus which you must read.) The price is a bit steep, but it looks good. They also have other illustrator tees. I'm tempted to get the Viola Swamp one to wear when I sub.

The site also led me to Kidstamps where you can order (duh) stamps - and bookplates, etc. - by children's authors like Trina and the Dillons.

Hope you are all well and reading something right now.

Phoning it in

First of all, I need to out Erica, because girl, I know you want to keep your book reviews on your own site, but that cogent commentary belongs here, dammit. :-)

So. The feeling I kept having about The Gravedigger's Cottage was "Wow! I like that idea! I wonder where that's going to go?" followed soon after by "Oh -- that was pretty much it, huh." I was excited to find out how Sylvia and Walter were going to be so different, yet so alike. And then... they really weren't so much. I was excited to watch the pet deaths unfold and build, except that they didn't really build, and because they all ended with death and didn't provide any images of the aftermath of death, we never got to really see their impact. Even the mom deaths. So then what we have is this family that's supposedly dealing with some really heavy baggage, and working it out (specially old Dad) in wonderfully weird ways, with neat metaphors (spackle the house to keep the death out! kill the rat and kill the fear!) except that the baggage isn't real enough. It isn't tangible enough. And all that's really there is the wonderful weirdness, which isn't that wonderful because it has all the emotional resonance of a sitcom.

I hate it when stories that are about characters don't take the time to craft their characters. Everyone felt like a character description to me rather than a person. Chris, you know I love you and you're dead sexy, but I wish you'd worked a little harder on this one. Especially since I thought Freewill was kind of brilliant.

Save the Animals!

Was anyone else confused as to WHY Sylvia and Walter kept getting pets when they ended up getting killed, extinguished, etc? The Sierra Club must be notified about this family!

Things I Liked:
+ The wordplay - Walter's clever, lazy radiators = claziators. Hilarious. How he refers to Sylvia as his "insister." I think I could qualify as one of those.

+ The description of the animals' behavior - Lynch did his homework. Fitzy the fox terrier's "high-pitched whine-scream-laugh sound when he tried to get at something that was out of his reach but that he had to, had to, had to get at," is spot on.

+ Walter and Sylvia's relationship. Good banter, etc.

+ Carmine.

Other Things Not So Good:
+ I finished this book thinking I missed something (which made me want to read it again, slowly) but realize it is more of a quiet, internal story focussing on character development rather than plot. What plot there was rotated around the dad, even though Sylvia was the narrator. He was the one who changed, not his kids. Did anyone else see this?

+ I wanted more interaction with the townspeople, too. When Sylvia decided to join Walter at the bonfire, I was happy - all right! Now something is going to happen! Nope, not really.

+ What about the mythos of the cottage? I wanted to explore that further as well. It just seemed like a gimmick to connect the dead pets to the present narrative.

Hmm:
+ Sylvia's narrative style irked me at first, because it has touches of stream-of-consciousness with the repetition within sentences and very short statements. The structure was odd sometimes. After I got used to it, I appreciated how well it placed me in Sylvia's head to see her view of the world.

Like Meera, I was disappointed. I expected more. Was this a therapy book for Lynch?

Premature articulations

No, I haven't finished the book yet. But it IS the 15th (I'm right this time!) and there must be some discussion. So I throw the following bone:

Ohmygod doesn't Sylvia remind you of Sarah? She totally reminds me of Sarah. Actually, the way Chris Lynch uses language for Sylvia - not her speaking but her narrating - reminds me of how Sarah uses language for writing. I'm thinking of the passages where she describes her surroundings and the cozy knowledge of her family's quirks. It's both cozy and springy language, if that makes sense.

I'd look for an example but I'm
a) lazy, and
b) not getting graded on this

I am, however, procrastinating, and will now resume my proposal-writing. Hope to have the book finished to REALLY talk about it tomorrow!

Gorey Tats

q is for quentin who sank in a mire//r is for rhoda consumed by a fire
Originally uploaded by irregulargirl.

Gorey came up on Meera's blog - I saw these tattoos on Flickr. That's pretty hardcore.

She also has one of Max as King of the Wild Things, two Wild Things, a bunch of Shel Silverstein, the Little Prince, and Babar.

Meera and Susan's Boyfriend

A bio & interview of Chris Lynch at Teenreads.com.

I started the book and although I think I like the main character, it is moving rather slow.

Exercise your right:

Pretty new poll!

** Poll deleted by Sarah. Comments still available. **

Wait! Before we close...

Okay, okay, I finally finished the book. Only two weeks late! I agree with most of the other posts, but as a form of punishment since I am oh so delinquent with deadlines, I won’t comment specifically.

But here’s one thing I’m mulling over: As much as I view Lola and Peter as heroes, and I applaud them for resisting the machine, did they really win? With Lola’s “undeniable urge to live” and Peter’s wanting to take care of Lola, does that mean that the experiment really did work for all five of the orphans? And wouldn’t the doctor and observers know that L&P were getting up to surrender, meaning the conditioning finally broke them? Or were they considered “failures” because they were only doing it for physical reasons, and they lasted that long, and they still hadn’t bought into the control of the machine? I want L&P to be successful, and I want them to be set apart from the other three, but technically speaking, they gave in.

Not that I expect us to discuss this, since we are moving rapidly on to my [shared] boyfriend’s book, but I just wanted to throw it out there for digestion.

Oh, and they must have REALLY stunk when they got out.

Ladies! Give me your ears!

March is here, as of midnight tonight, and being responsible women, we need to plan for the future. What do you want to read for February? Please list your suggestions by Saturday morning and I will set up a poll.

Let's close the door on the House of Stairs

Ooh, that was bad. Please vote!

Whatcha think about House of Stairs?
	Fab! I'd distribute it among my friends and neighbors.
	Quite good! I'd recommend it.
	Not too shabby. I'd recommend it so some people.
	Eh.
	I'd tell people it sucked.
	I'm mad at Sarah for suggesting it and making me waste my time reading it.
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Weetzie Bat is Knighted

I just read on the NYT (although maybe Sarah already knows this because she's on the cutting edge of Library News) that our own Francesca Lia Block is being awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award for a lifetime's achievement in Y.A. literature. She joins such greats as M.E. Kerr, Paul Zindel, Madeline L'Engle, and CHRIS CRUTCHER TAKE THAT YOU CRUSTY OLD PARENTS.

The New York Times article has a wonderful photograph of her encrusted in frills and jewelly bits.

Must... be... cruel... to... William Sleator.... Hungry....

This book cracked me up. I kept seeing scenes from it playing out in my mind's eye with really bad special effects and cardboard props, like an episode of Red Dwarf, or an early sci-fi flick. Especially the part where the eeeeevil doctor reveals the government plot while standing in front of a bank of television screens displaying.... nothing.... but stairs.... Ooh! We could make a Hedgehog Rumpus movie of it. I'll play Peter, I'm good at going into trances.

Hee. What can I say, I thought it was silly. It read very much like a historical relic to me, from a time when people were still kind of obsessed with Skinner and behaviorism and operant conditioning and the idea that We have no souls! We have no real free will! Thoughts and beliefs don't really guide our actions, but we're all products of conditioning whether we know it or not! And we can all be trained to do pretty much anything, if someone really wanted to make us!

I mean, I guess I believe that some of that is true, and I'm pretty sure there's been some interesting government research into mind control and conditioning, but the book felt wildly dated because of its hyperbole. They FORGOT how to distinguish between red and green because they didn't NEED to in order to get food? That's ridiculous. What, did the whole world start to look black and white to them? To be honest I don't think Sleator tried hard enough with the idea. It sort of seems like he felt like the premise of the book was terrifying enough, and so he didn't have to do very much to flesh it out.

I wanted MUCH more about the stairs, and what it felt like to be trapped in an place that was like an Escher painting, and how awful it must have been to constantly feel like you're on the verge of falling, both because of the twisty stairs themselves and because surely looking at nothing but twisty stairs would give you terrible dizziness and vertigo. It sounds absolutely horrifying to me, and after a few pages the stairs just became sort of normal.

And then I wanted more about the conditioning, too, because that's what it's all about (you put your right knee in, you take your right knee out....) and it just seemed to happen too quickly and easily, without very much understanding of what it was like for any of the characters. I just think if Sleator wanted this to be a psychological thriller, it could have been a lot more thrilling.

I did really like the last line, though. (Because it was funny.)

Of COURSE this is interesting to JoCD

(Non-Simmons Hedgehogs, your favorite new JoBiv is generally well-known for her OCD tendencies, so that's supposed to be funny. JoCD. Ha. I didn't make it up.)

So I was thinking about control in this book and all its complications. There are the control issues within the book - how the kids manipulate each other and fight for the leadership position and how the machine controls them. And then I had this Puppetmaster vision of Sleator as he formed and choreographed the characters in the book. I wonder if he experienced a momentary dizziness while writing the book, thinking of that little complication.

Dunno if it's worthy of discussion but thought I'd share.

Chris under fire - what's going on with these people?

Another book from the same author is under fire in another Michigan school (A story out of Crutcher's book Athletic Shorts was challenged earlier. Now, Whale Talk is being challenged.) A reverend is leading the protest.

"I've chosen not to have this in my home," Ken Himebaugh, a concerned parent, told 24 Hour News 8.

As a reverend and a parent, he says he can't believe the staff chose a book with words we're not allowed to say on TV…words kids would get in trouble for using at school.

"We all have an obligation to uphold the moral standards that we want to instill. So I'm looking at this from a moral standpoint," he said.

But Mr Crutcher will get to respond firsthand (I'd LOVE to see this):

Parents and students will find out what the author thinks of the controversy. As part of the program, Chris Crutcher will visit Grand Ledge next month. He will meet with his readers during two assemblies and will answer questions from adults at a community forum.

Finally, because bad weather delayed the start of school, he believes:

But, Reverend Himebaugh says a higher power stopped these kids from reading "Whale Talk" on Monday, and he'll take his case to the school board Monday night so it stays that way.

God strike us dead for reading a book that portrays high school like it really is. Because HS kids have virginal mouths.

Mr. Crutcher's website is full of info about the challenges, including a letter responding the the Reverend Himebaugh. Here is the letter he wrote in response to the Athletic Shorts criticism.

This pisses me off to no end; Crutcher is one of the best YA authors out there.

Oooo.

I get to be the first poster. In general, this book was a good read, a few things I thought about:

-in the beginning (before I was introduced to Blossom, Abigail and Oliver) I kept trying to identify with either Peter or Lola and I couldn't really decide (did you guys do this too?) who I fit with better. Once the other three were part of the story, I kind of stopped since they all had such extreme personalities. I also thought that Peter was 8 or 9 until they told me they were 16.

-It was interesting how I knew nothing of the background. There was no mention of the world the teenagers were from until Blossom starts talking about houses (I couldn't figure out if she was kidding or not...that part kind of threw me) and meat. (btw, I hated Blossom as a character...but I think I was supposed to)

-the 'food' that the machine spits out, I kept seeing in my mind as some kind of SPAM product.

-whats with all these point-of-view changes? Are most Child Lit books like this? This style of writing always messes me up, I don't like the change, its distracting.

4th Grader's Mommy wants Lowry's Anastasia books banned

Author Defends Content of Books. COME ON! The Anastasia books? That lady has too much time on her hands.

The books focus on the life of a pre-adolescent heroine, Anastasia Krupnik, who is age 10-13 in the books. Some of her trials include: dealing with an impending baby brother; proving she and her father can run their household when her mother is gone; and first relationships with boys.

Hardee objected to scenes that make reference to stuffing bras, snapping bras and other talk that she deemed "vulgar."

One Week - Progress?

Discussion opens its doors next Tuesday. Are you ready? (read that in a massive monster-truck-show voice)

If not, that's okay; it is a quick read. I made myself stop at PART TWO because it was going so fast. I like it! My cover is way cool, showing what appears to be the Attack of the Invisible Killer Bees on a crowd of YAs.

Speaking of killer creatures attacking, Bruce's scream is in the film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Just an FYI.

How y'all doing?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEERA LEE!

(see above)

NEXT!

Moving right along to Mr William Sleator - here are some intro websites for your viewing pleasure.

+ One of his publishers, Penguin Putnam, has an autobiography online. He splits his living time between Bangkok and Boston. That's awesome; I want to do that!

+ Here's a pretty good fansite, The Green Futures of Tycho, that's taken one of Sleator's books for a title theme. (Tycho is the name of Sleator's youngest sibling who went without an official name for two years)

+ Sleator's not-very-large Official Home Page with contact info - anyone want to call?

+ Another fansite with a little bit of everything.

Sleator's written 30+ books, but I've only read one: Oddballs which is a collection of short stories about his childhood. It is HILARIOUS. The kind of think you laugh out loud about -- and I don't do that.

Final Thoughts?

It looks like the discussion has died down regarding Hoot. If you have any parting thoughts before we put this book back on the shelf, please type them up! Next week we can post some non-spoiler thoughts about the Sleator book (and if you are having trouble getting a copy, I found two at a used book store and am happy to ship one to you).

How do you rate HOOT?

Fabulous - I'd give this to friends! Excellent - I'd recommend this! Really good - I'd selectively recommend it! Enjoyable - I might recommend this to some people! I wouldn't recommend it! I'd tell people to avoid it! I'd write letters to the publisher asking what drugs they were on.

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Florida: environment vs. urbanization (oh, and old people and hanging chads)

We all know states have stereotypes. Authors often play on these stereotypes because they a) believe them, or b) enjoy using them as satire. And I'm not going to argue that setting isn't important. I guess I'm asking, "How important is setting in Hoot? What's the deal with Florida?"

Roy is very aware that the state one is from gives that person a certain image. He wants people to think he's from Montana, even though he was born in Detroit.

A reviewer on amazon.com wrote, "[What Roy says] about his home in South Florida, which is just as applicable here in Northern Minnesota or anywhere else encroached by real estate development juggernauts: 'Ever since I was little... I've been watchin' this place disappear - the piney woods, the scrub, the creeks, the glades. Even the beaches, man - they put up these giant hotels and only goober tourists are allowed. It really sucks.' Hoot encourages concern for the environment and social conscience."

I'm not sure how much Hoot influenced my environmental ideals. I like to reach conclusions on my own instead of being hit over the head with a message. Carl Hiaasen is no Edward Bloor (Tangerine). Could Hoot be set anywhere in the United States?

Hiaasen may just be writing from what he knows. He was "born and raised in Florida" and has used the state as a setting for his other books.

ALA Announces Award Winners

Newbery and Caldecott Awards, etc.

Clearer listing without the blah blah blah here.

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata won the Newbery.

Honors to:
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt

Kevin Henkes won the Caldecott for Kitten’s First Full Moon.

Honors to:
The Red Book illustrated and written by Barbara Lehman
Coming on Home Soon illustrated by E.B. Lewis, written by Jacqueline Woodson
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale illustrated and written by Mo Willems

Comments? I have lots.

The other awards are on the site - Printz, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Coretta Scott King, Sibert, etc.

Another big general question

This post steers anyone in another direction, although I want to thank Meera for refreshing me on Nodelman and his definition of children's literature. It's interesting to think about with Hoot, although I feel like it's more complex than the Hoot characters are. I don't even know if this book deserves a critical argument like that. But I think I'm just copping out. Anyway...

So I was intrigued by the interweaving of the narratives and perspectives. I thought it was done okay at most times, like when Roy is in the hospital waiting for Mullet Fingers (seriously, is everyone else picturing a really dirty barefooted boy with a disgusting ratty mullet for a hairdo?) and he hears a siren, so he disappears for a while, and then we see the scene where the parents drive up to the hospital with Officer Delinko and his siren wailing, and the timing and pacing and sequence all kind of come together.

But I have another question: whose book is this? And if you so quickly and automatically answered Roy's, then why all the different perspectives? And if you want to argue for Mullet Fingers (and I can't call him Napoleon either, as that conjures up Dynamite images), is that possible when we never see the story from his perspective?

What Makes Children's Literature? Does Hoot Qualify? Should All Post Titles Have to Be Phrased In Questions From Now On?

Oh, Erica. You've been with us less than a week and already you've uncovered our guilty little secret -- which is the fact that "Um... what's the definition of Children's Literature, again?" is the central question of our discipline, and one that makes for hours of entertaining disagreement. One interesting "definition" comes from Perry Nodelman, who's a wicked smaht critic and who wrote a terrific article called "The Other: Orientalism, Colonialism, and Children's Literature." (It appears in the vol 17.1 -- Spring 1992 issue of the journal Children's Literature Association Quarterly, which I can't find in a full-text version in the Simmons Library database, but I have a hardcopy of it somewhere if you're interested.) Basically, he argues that Children's Literature is a body of work in which adult authors (often "unknowingly") "colonize" child readers by presenting an image of childhood that:

1) Depicts children as "the other:" i.e, everything that adults are not. This usually means children appear somewhat irrational, often passionately so, they are innocent in their motivations, close to nature, suffused with the power of the imagination, etc.

2) In doing so, satisfies adult dreams and notions about childhood without necessarily depicting a "true" image of what children are really like (is that possible, anyway?).

Although there are other ways I like to think about defining Children's Literature, I think this is a fun way to look at Hoot (maybe because I am really disliking it at the moment, and am pleased by the opportunity to describe its flaws as hostile acts of colonization). Some aspects of it fit fairly obviously into Nodelman's definition, most notably the environmental crusade that irks Erica (here we have kids understanding the meaning and importance of nature, and Mullet Boy seems almost like a "noble savage" character who has a Dickonesque* way with animals). Roy also strikes me as a "perfect" child in a lot of ways -- funny, smart, responsible, loving, brave, blah blah boring blah.

I have more to say but it is 1:30am and I should sleep. More tomorrow when I actually finish listening to Hoot. ;-) (By the way, the narrator on the audiobook is ghastly. Maybe I'd feel differently if I'd had a more traditional experience of the book.)

P.S. I don't think you have to hate a book to apply Nodelman's ideas to it, and some of my favourite books seem to do the "colonizing" he describes.

P.P.S. Why yes, I did have all that citation information just laying around in my head. Why do you ask?

*Secret Garden

Hello? Is this thing on?

Lookit, losers, it's January 16, TWO WHOLE DAYS after our discussion was supposed to start, and now your favorite JoBiv, the girl who does not even own a computer, has to start the discussion? C'mon! Sigh... I should start with one of my famous JoBiv vs. Bloomers statements. Here are a few likely ones.

"I noticed, while I was reading, that Joycian telescoping you talked about before." (Then someone interrupts me to prove or disprove.)

"I know we don't usually talk about authorial intent, but I think this book might warrant that kind of questioning..." (Then someone interrupts me to prove or disprove.)

"I wanted to plunge head-first into this book, but couldn't help but get distracted by the..."
(Then someone interrupts me to prove or disprove... YES, before I get to say what distracted me.)

Does anyone here want to interrupt? I knew you did! Go for it!


(P.S. - Joycian telescoping doesn't really apply here, so you non-Children's Lit types should not feel like you're outside of The Loop. Hopefully the rest of us will never have to explain it to you.)

Why I'm the newest hedgehog

10) Meera told me I had to make new friends, since my current cohort is too old for me.

9) Oprah books depress me, and I've already read all of Jane Austen.

8) I don't get enough mental stimulation at school.

7) I've already watched The West Wing seasons 1-3, and Gilmore Girls is on winter recess.

6) Though she was intimidating on first impression (wearing all black and huddled in the corner of Jenn's room at the beginning of college), Meera is actually quite huggable, and has good taste in people.

5) I am convinced that it might help me uncover the role of the SSU processome protein Utp6 in 18S rRNA biogenesis.

4) I have an explainable fascination with Owen.

3) I don't have nearly enough blogging experience.

2) Meera waved a knife at me because I was talking too much about dancing.

1) The cover of Hoot is blue, and that is my favorite color.

and we are without

You may notice that the Chatterbox thing has been AWOL for the last two days - the site is down and I don't know when or if it will be back. So I am off to find another.

Vote for our February Book

It is set up so you can vote every 24 hours; if you really want a particular book, take advantage of that fact.

What should we read for February?

The Gravedigger's Cottage by Chris Lynch House of Stairs by William Sleator Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by British Chick The Polar Express by Chris I Love Myself I Love You Forever by Paranoid-Obsessive Mother

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February Book Ideas!

We haven't started discussion on our January text (how academic sounding!) but it would be good to decide on February so we have time to track it down. Here are a few suggestions I came up with; they are linked to Amazon so you can read about them if you've never heard of them before.

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

House of Stairs by William Sleator

Stand Tall by Joan Bauer

Please post or comment in support of/crapping on these or with other suggestions by Friday. I'll set up a poll this weekend and we can vote on what we want.

His Dark Materials Movie

The Film This could be a very good thing or a very bad one.

I don't know how much I agree with Pullman's last paragraph:

But to understand that requires the sort of sophistication that you find in bright eleven-year-olds; it may be beyond the reach of some adults. There are more ways than one of telling the story of Lyra and Will, as anyone knows who's been lucky enough to see Nicholas Hytner's wonderful production at the National Theatre in London. That telling differs from the books in some details, but the script, by Nicholas Wright, is faithful to the spirit of the story as it rethinks it in terms of the stage; and I have every confidence that New Line, and whoever ends up directing the films, will be just as faithful when they rethink it in terms of the screen.

Is there a WRONG way? This isn't Harry Potter, you know.

I also want to discuss The War on Words but my brain is full.

The Hedgehogiest Rumpus I Ever Did See

Happy New Year! Whoohooo! Yay! Yippee!

I can't tell you how hard it has been to keep myself away from Hoot until this very day. I knew I would rush through it if I didn't, and then my comments would not be fresh and exciting, but mostly bullshit, which was how I got through most YA Touchstone discussions. But we'll have none of that, thank you!

Are y'all as excited as I am??? I knew you were!!