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From: Steward, Celeste <csteward>
Date: Thu, 5 May 2005 13:17:14 -0700
I'm a commuter so my books are sitting in the passenger side of my car rather than the nightstand. Right now, I'm listening to the Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer--I love the blend of fantasy and Norse folklore, it's quite a long adventure though, more than 400 pages, 12 CDS to be exact. I'm nearly finished sailing with the Viking Berserkers...
Other titles I recently read/listened to include:
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko--this one's a real gem! I love stories that include non-traditional bullies, like the pretty daughter of the warden who could do no wrong. Not. I wasn't sure I could like Natalie, the autistic sister but by the end I was cheering for her. It was pretty hard not to like Moose Flanagan, Natalie's younger brother. He reminded me of Clifford, the big red dog. Warning: you will need some Kleenex at the end.
Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce--Lots of dry humor here...the book reminded me of Angela's Ashes somehow. I wonder if you need to be Catholic to truly appreciate all the references to saints. The child's-eye view of modern Catholicism and the pursuit of "excellence" are very touching. The movie was good too, but the humor comes across better in the book. You'll need a tissue or two as well.
Tangerine by Edward Bloor--this book stayed with me for a long time. The story is powerful and moving, with well-drawn characters--from the 12-year old hero partially blinded in a childhood accident to his sadistic older brother whose father lives vicariously through his football-star son. The interwoven themes of elitism, racism and dark family secrets swept me away. I couldn't wait to get in my car to see what happened next.
Celeste Steward Collection Development Librarian Alameda County Library Fremont, CA
Message----From: Megan Schliesman [mailto:Schliesman at education.wisc.edu] Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2005 7:39 AM To: Subscribers of ccbc-net Subject: [ccbc-net] Upcoming Topics
May:
What Are You Reading? During the month of May, let us know the children's and young adult books that are on your nightstand and on your mind. Whether you're reading a brand new book, rereading a beloved childhood title, or finally getting around to the book everyone was talking about in 1969, we invite you to discuss the books for children and young adults (or about literature for children and young adults) that you've been longing to talk about.
June
First Two Weeks: The Books of Francesca Lia Block. In 1989, Francesca Lia Block made an unforgettable entrance into young adult literature with the pubulication of her first novel, Weetzie Bat. Since that time, she has written over a dozen young adult novels. Her Weetzie Bat books in particular are courageous explorations of both form and content, using fresh and lyrical langague to illuminate the inner lives and inter-connectedness of characters who are at once archetypes and achingly real. For the first half of June, we'll look at the work of Francesca Lia Block, who is the recpient of the 2005 Margaret A. Edwards Award (of the American Library Association) for lifetime achievement in young adult literature.
Second Two Weeks: How Far Is Too Far? Every day, librarians and teachers are in the position of having to decide what to purchase, teach, or recommended to to young adults. And in these days when it seems just about any topic imaginable can be found in one young adult novel or another, it seems to many that those decisions are more complicated than ever before. Yet the boundaries of what we find acceptable are never static--they differ from individual to individual, and are ever-shifting when it comes to society as a whole. So how far is too far when it comes to literature for young adults? We'll explore this and related questions during the second half of June.
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, UW-Madison 600 N. Park St., Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
ph: 608&2?03 fax: 608&2I33 schliesman at education.wisc.edu
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Received on Thu 05 May 2005 03:17:14 PM CDT
Date: Thu, 5 May 2005 13:17:14 -0700
I'm a commuter so my books are sitting in the passenger side of my car rather than the nightstand. Right now, I'm listening to the Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer--I love the blend of fantasy and Norse folklore, it's quite a long adventure though, more than 400 pages, 12 CDS to be exact. I'm nearly finished sailing with the Viking Berserkers...
Other titles I recently read/listened to include:
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko--this one's a real gem! I love stories that include non-traditional bullies, like the pretty daughter of the warden who could do no wrong. Not. I wasn't sure I could like Natalie, the autistic sister but by the end I was cheering for her. It was pretty hard not to like Moose Flanagan, Natalie's younger brother. He reminded me of Clifford, the big red dog. Warning: you will need some Kleenex at the end.
Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce--Lots of dry humor here...the book reminded me of Angela's Ashes somehow. I wonder if you need to be Catholic to truly appreciate all the references to saints. The child's-eye view of modern Catholicism and the pursuit of "excellence" are very touching. The movie was good too, but the humor comes across better in the book. You'll need a tissue or two as well.
Tangerine by Edward Bloor--this book stayed with me for a long time. The story is powerful and moving, with well-drawn characters--from the 12-year old hero partially blinded in a childhood accident to his sadistic older brother whose father lives vicariously through his football-star son. The interwoven themes of elitism, racism and dark family secrets swept me away. I couldn't wait to get in my car to see what happened next.
Celeste Steward Collection Development Librarian Alameda County Library Fremont, CA
Message----From: Megan Schliesman [mailto:Schliesman at education.wisc.edu] Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2005 7:39 AM To: Subscribers of ccbc-net Subject: [ccbc-net] Upcoming Topics
May:
What Are You Reading? During the month of May, let us know the children's and young adult books that are on your nightstand and on your mind. Whether you're reading a brand new book, rereading a beloved childhood title, or finally getting around to the book everyone was talking about in 1969, we invite you to discuss the books for children and young adults (or about literature for children and young adults) that you've been longing to talk about.
June
First Two Weeks: The Books of Francesca Lia Block. In 1989, Francesca Lia Block made an unforgettable entrance into young adult literature with the pubulication of her first novel, Weetzie Bat. Since that time, she has written over a dozen young adult novels. Her Weetzie Bat books in particular are courageous explorations of both form and content, using fresh and lyrical langague to illuminate the inner lives and inter-connectedness of characters who are at once archetypes and achingly real. For the first half of June, we'll look at the work of Francesca Lia Block, who is the recpient of the 2005 Margaret A. Edwards Award (of the American Library Association) for lifetime achievement in young adult literature.
Second Two Weeks: How Far Is Too Far? Every day, librarians and teachers are in the position of having to decide what to purchase, teach, or recommended to to young adults. And in these days when it seems just about any topic imaginable can be found in one young adult novel or another, it seems to many that those decisions are more complicated than ever before. Yet the boundaries of what we find acceptable are never static--they differ from individual to individual, and are ever-shifting when it comes to society as a whole. So how far is too far when it comes to literature for young adults? We'll explore this and related questions during the second half of June.
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, UW-Madison 600 N. Park St., Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
ph: 608&2?03 fax: 608&2I33 schliesman at education.wisc.edu
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ To post to the list, send the message to...
ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
To leave the list, send the TEXT-ONLY message...
To: listserv at lists.education.wisc.edu
Body: signoff ccbc-net
Received on Thu 05 May 2005 03:17:14 PM CDT
