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Making Up Megaboy
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From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 14:57:26 -0500
I just finished scanning the CCBC-Net archives (Oct. '98) to review the discussion of "Making Up Megaboy." We were interested in non-linear narrative forms that month, and this novel was one of several examples. Seeing those archives reminds me of a suggestion from one of our participants: when you write to the entire CCBC-Net community in response to what someone else has written, begin a fresh message. Repeating a previous message takes up a lot of space particularly in the archives! It's confusing, too. I'll try to do this myself from now on. OK, now let's stick to "Making Up Megaboy," rather than the merits of that suggestion.
In brief summary from the archives (and there's a lot of very good material throughout the 10/98 CCBC-Net archive, folks!), Eliza Dresang listed adjectives used to describe "Making Up Megaboy," words such as brilliant, deep, stirring, confusing, puzzling, pointless, trite, elucidating, profound." Agree with any of these? Why?
At another point, Eliza quoted a 14-year-old reader's response to
"Making Up Megaboy." That young reader said we "need community in order to survive...to be a human...To help himself out, he [Robbie] pretends he's a superhero..."
The editor of "Making Up Megaboy," Richard Jackson, wrote that
"...many kids can't be heard or aren't listened to until it's too late."
This caused writer Susan Katz to ask, "How, then, do we account for the extremity of his response [shooting someone, a person he doesn't know], if lots of kids feel this way..." and Linda Pavonetti to write about "perceived powerlessness."
Those three elements (the need to be heard, perceived powerlessness, extremity of response) caused me to wonder what has happened with/to the book "Making Up Megaboy." In October, 1998, we seemed to agree that regardless of what we thought about "Making Up Megaboy," it invites engagement, thought, and consideration. Eliza mentioned that it had been difficult to find a reader for whom "Megaboy" failed to be provocative. Has "Making Up Megaboy" sparked responses with young readers with whom you have conversations or whom you teach? Was this book a helpful reference point following the shootings in Littleton, a tragedy which seems to fit into each of the three elements named during the CCBC-Net discussion of "Making Up Megaboy" more than 20 months ago? ...Ginny
Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.education.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education (www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/) University of Wisconsin - Madison Open Monday-Saturday 9:00-4:00 (CDT) between now and August 6
Received on Tue 06 Jul 1999 02:57:26 PM CDT
Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 14:57:26 -0500
I just finished scanning the CCBC-Net archives (Oct. '98) to review the discussion of "Making Up Megaboy." We were interested in non-linear narrative forms that month, and this novel was one of several examples. Seeing those archives reminds me of a suggestion from one of our participants: when you write to the entire CCBC-Net community in response to what someone else has written, begin a fresh message. Repeating a previous message takes up a lot of space particularly in the archives! It's confusing, too. I'll try to do this myself from now on. OK, now let's stick to "Making Up Megaboy," rather than the merits of that suggestion.
In brief summary from the archives (and there's a lot of very good material throughout the 10/98 CCBC-Net archive, folks!), Eliza Dresang listed adjectives used to describe "Making Up Megaboy," words such as brilliant, deep, stirring, confusing, puzzling, pointless, trite, elucidating, profound." Agree with any of these? Why?
At another point, Eliza quoted a 14-year-old reader's response to
"Making Up Megaboy." That young reader said we "need community in order to survive...to be a human...To help himself out, he [Robbie] pretends he's a superhero..."
The editor of "Making Up Megaboy," Richard Jackson, wrote that
"...many kids can't be heard or aren't listened to until it's too late."
This caused writer Susan Katz to ask, "How, then, do we account for the extremity of his response [shooting someone, a person he doesn't know], if lots of kids feel this way..." and Linda Pavonetti to write about "perceived powerlessness."
Those three elements (the need to be heard, perceived powerlessness, extremity of response) caused me to wonder what has happened with/to the book "Making Up Megaboy." In October, 1998, we seemed to agree that regardless of what we thought about "Making Up Megaboy," it invites engagement, thought, and consideration. Eliza mentioned that it had been difficult to find a reader for whom "Megaboy" failed to be provocative. Has "Making Up Megaboy" sparked responses with young readers with whom you have conversations or whom you teach? Was this book a helpful reference point following the shootings in Littleton, a tragedy which seems to fit into each of the three elements named during the CCBC-Net discussion of "Making Up Megaboy" more than 20 months ago? ...Ginny
Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.education.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education (www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/) University of Wisconsin - Madison Open Monday-Saturday 9:00-4:00 (CDT) between now and August 6
Received on Tue 06 Jul 1999 02:57:26 PM CDT
