From: Beth Wright <bethlibrarian>
Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 07:30:23 -0800 (PST)

I appreciate the comments from Monica and others who have given me more ideas about Criss Cross and its potential readership. Its Newbery status will earn it a place on many states' children's choice reading lists, including here in my home state of Vermont, and I'll be eager to hear these young readers' reactions. Childhood and adolescence are short (for most of us) and the number of books young readers will discover is finite. When I'm recommending books for individual young people, I try very hard each time to find a book that will make that child or teen want to pick up another book, rather than, say, a remote control or a joystick or a mouse. This discussion has given me more ideas on which readers may find Criss Cross to be that kind of book. Thank you all very much.

Beth Wright

--- Monica Edinger <monicaedinger at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> What causes a particular reader to connect to a
> particular book is still
> such a mystery to me even after decades of close
> observation of child
> readers. Just when I think I've figured out the
> algorithm (so to speak), a
> kid or group of kids will respond to an old book in a new
> way that throws my
> nicely figured-out theory into disarray.
>
> I look forward to hearing more young people's responses
> to Criss Cross. The
> few that I've heard have been lukewarm (other than one
> young woman at ALA
> who was as exited as I was when it won --- I'm hoping
> there are a few more
> like her out there!). These along with some of my
> colleagues' strongly
> voiced distaste for the book had me wonder how it could
> best be taught. I
> worry about classrooms of grumpy students being shoved by
> indifferent
> teachers through this unconventional book, moved from
> neutrality to outright
> hostility.
>
>
> In my experience, there are readers who don't identify
> with Alice, but still
> delight in the language, puzzles, humor, and crazy
> characters of the book.
> I guess I thought that 6th or 7th graders who so enjoy
> this aspect of Alice
> might also connect to Criss Cross through its language,
> odd structures,
> humor and sort-of-nutty characters in a way they might
> not if it was
> presented to them in a more conventional way. But who
> know; as I wrote at
> the beginning, how to connect (not only connect) is a
> mystery!
>
> Monica
>
>
>
>
> --
> Monica Edinger
> The Dalton School
> New York NY
> edinger at dalton.org
> monicaedinger at gmail.com
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Received on Mon 20 Feb 2006 09:30:23 AM CST