CCBC-Net Archives
Thoughts on Some of the Printz Award Books
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From: Megan Schliesman <Schliesman>
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 08:52:43 -0600
Like Janet and Beth, I greatly appreciated A Northern Light for its complexity as well as the quality of the storytelling. I'm interested
(and maybe disheartened) by the 8th grader who Lynn reported wanted Mattie to live happily ever after with the young farmer because as an adult reader I found the work such a compelling cry for self?termination, and Mattie was clearly giving up so much of herself if she stayed. So I'd love to hear any resopnses from other teen readers (hoping for some that cheer Mattie's decision to leave...).
We were able to hear from a number of teachers and librarians about the appeal of The First Part Last during our mock Coretta Scott King Award discussion at the CCBC last fall. Teens were drawn to the book by the powerful cover image and then compelled by the story itself. I found Bobby's voice very powerful, for all that it's quiet and spare. His pain and exhuastion are palpable, as is his love for Feather, and the overall sense of being overwhelmed. (One of the things I appreciate about the photo on the cover is that it captures all of those elements in the look on the boys face and the way he holds the child. ) Who else has feedback from teen readers on this book?
Helen Frost's Keesha's House snuck up on me. I initially read it unaware of what she was doing structurally, both within each poem, with the use of the sonnets and sestinas, and with the book as a whole. Once I realized what she was doing, it amazed me. In particular, I found the use of the crown sonnets to conclude the book brilliant, because it underscored the very idea that connections create a web of support. I also appreciated the fact that while this is a novel full of "problems," it never felt to me like a problem novel or heavy-handed. While I think that the individual poems don't necessarily stand alone as poems, the work as a whole is really quite extraordinary to me, and I'm eager to find out if classroom teachers are drawn to it because of the use of the structured poetic forms. (I thought the author's note did a fine job of explaining her methods.) Are there any English teachers out there who can't wait to use this in the classroom?
Megan
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, UW-Madison 600 N. Park St., Room 4290 Madison, Wi 53706 608&2?03 schliesman at education.wisc.edu
Received on Thu 26 Feb 2004 08:52:43 AM CST
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 08:52:43 -0600
Like Janet and Beth, I greatly appreciated A Northern Light for its complexity as well as the quality of the storytelling. I'm interested
(and maybe disheartened) by the 8th grader who Lynn reported wanted Mattie to live happily ever after with the young farmer because as an adult reader I found the work such a compelling cry for self?termination, and Mattie was clearly giving up so much of herself if she stayed. So I'd love to hear any resopnses from other teen readers (hoping for some that cheer Mattie's decision to leave...).
We were able to hear from a number of teachers and librarians about the appeal of The First Part Last during our mock Coretta Scott King Award discussion at the CCBC last fall. Teens were drawn to the book by the powerful cover image and then compelled by the story itself. I found Bobby's voice very powerful, for all that it's quiet and spare. His pain and exhuastion are palpable, as is his love for Feather, and the overall sense of being overwhelmed. (One of the things I appreciate about the photo on the cover is that it captures all of those elements in the look on the boys face and the way he holds the child. ) Who else has feedback from teen readers on this book?
Helen Frost's Keesha's House snuck up on me. I initially read it unaware of what she was doing structurally, both within each poem, with the use of the sonnets and sestinas, and with the book as a whole. Once I realized what she was doing, it amazed me. In particular, I found the use of the crown sonnets to conclude the book brilliant, because it underscored the very idea that connections create a web of support. I also appreciated the fact that while this is a novel full of "problems," it never felt to me like a problem novel or heavy-handed. While I think that the individual poems don't necessarily stand alone as poems, the work as a whole is really quite extraordinary to me, and I'm eager to find out if classroom teachers are drawn to it because of the use of the structured poetic forms. (I thought the author's note did a fine job of explaining her methods.) Are there any English teachers out there who can't wait to use this in the classroom?
Megan
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, UW-Madison 600 N. Park St., Room 4290 Madison, Wi 53706 608&2?03 schliesman at education.wisc.edu
Received on Thu 26 Feb 2004 08:52:43 AM CST
