Cast your opinon here --

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.

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.

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.