From: Andrea Johnson <ajohnson>
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1999 10:18:25 -0600

Good points, Amy. As for the Spiderman quote, it was a guess. I'm not as prolific a comic book reader as some, and know the quote only out of context. A web search led me to believe it was Spiderman, and neither my hubby (more of a comic reader than I) nor our much-more-intense comic reader friend could place it better.

        I appreciated your reference to Sandman -- it's a great book and one that more people who are interested in literature and mythology ought to read -- it was my first comic. I think the quote is was a very astute observation in itself, and applies quite well to Harry. He's stuck with people who treat him unfairly and like the other kid best (as a lot of kids are wont to suspect of their own parents/families/teachers), and in such an over-the-top fashion that no one can claim that it's all in his head. Also, he has special powers to protect him from the bad scary things of the world
(which I would submit is another part of the appeal -- there's a lot out there for kids to be afraid of and it would be nice to have some protection
-- that's a similar theme to "So You Want to Be a Wizard" by Diane Duane). Not to mention that he is important, special, the only one who can stop the villain -- a great fantasy theme for kids who feel powerless and overlooked in our adult?ntered world.

Andrea Johnson ajohnson at cooklib.org Children's Librarian * Cook Memorial Library * 413 N. Milwaukee * Libertyville, IL 60048
Received on Fri 12 Nov 1999 10:18:25 AM CST