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[CCBC-Net] Enchantress from the Stars in the Classroom
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From: Sylvia Engdahl <sle>
Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 15:28:00 -0800
Monica R. Edinger wrote:
My comments about the age for my books were in reference to readers obtaining them from libraries -- I never expected them to be used in the classroom at any level. I don't think they are appropriate, since I feel that only exceptional readers in grades 5 and 6 will understand enough of _Enchantress_ to gain something of value from it, and as you say, in upper grades classics are read. Certainly I didn't mean to suggest that I think any of my books are suitable for the high school curriculum, although I do feel they should be available in high school libraries for recreational reading.
In the 70s, however, excerpts from _Enchantress_ were published in several 8th grade literature textbooks, one of which included extensive analysis of the book. All these series included fantasy and science fiction units in their intermediate and upper grade volumes, and at that time I understood that an effort was being made to find more SF, since that was what children wanted. I was, in fact, a science fiction consultant for another literature textbook series (although they ended up using mostly selections I had not recommended). Do literature textbooks of today not have such units?
I was really surprised by your earlier comment that most teachers don't like fantasy and science fiction. The pendulum seems to swing! Possibly wide enthusiasm for the moon landings was what was behind the demand for fiction about space, and it decreased as the general public lost interest. I did not keep up with the field of literature for young people in the 80s and 90s when I was not publishing, so I'm not familiar with the trends.
Sylvia
____________________________________________________________________
Sylvia Engdahl - sle at sylviaengdahl.com
Author of CHILDREN OF THE STAR and ENCHANTRESS FROM THE STARS
Visit my Web site, http://www.sylviaengdahl.com
_____________________________________________________________________
Received on Thu 15 Nov 2001 05:28:00 PM CST
Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 15:28:00 -0800
Monica R. Edinger wrote:
My comments about the age for my books were in reference to readers obtaining them from libraries -- I never expected them to be used in the classroom at any level. I don't think they are appropriate, since I feel that only exceptional readers in grades 5 and 6 will understand enough of _Enchantress_ to gain something of value from it, and as you say, in upper grades classics are read. Certainly I didn't mean to suggest that I think any of my books are suitable for the high school curriculum, although I do feel they should be available in high school libraries for recreational reading.
In the 70s, however, excerpts from _Enchantress_ were published in several 8th grade literature textbooks, one of which included extensive analysis of the book. All these series included fantasy and science fiction units in their intermediate and upper grade volumes, and at that time I understood that an effort was being made to find more SF, since that was what children wanted. I was, in fact, a science fiction consultant for another literature textbook series (although they ended up using mostly selections I had not recommended). Do literature textbooks of today not have such units?
I was really surprised by your earlier comment that most teachers don't like fantasy and science fiction. The pendulum seems to swing! Possibly wide enthusiasm for the moon landings was what was behind the demand for fiction about space, and it decreased as the general public lost interest. I did not keep up with the field of literature for young people in the 80s and 90s when I was not publishing, so I'm not familiar with the trends.
Sylvia
____________________________________________________________________
Sylvia Engdahl - sle at sylviaengdahl.com
Author of CHILDREN OF THE STAR and ENCHANTRESS FROM THE STARS
Visit my Web site, http://www.sylviaengdahl.com
_____________________________________________________________________
Received on Thu 15 Nov 2001 05:28:00 PM CST
