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[CCBC-Net] Criss Cross (long)
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From: Hunt, Jonathan <Hunt.Jo>
Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 09:40:05 -0800
I think some people have said this book is inaccessible when they really mean the book does not have broad child appeal. Accessibility is bound to extremely subjective and perhaps even more difficult to define and grasp than quality and popularity. I don't think any of us are under the illusion that CRISS CROSS has broad child appeal.
As many of you already know, the Newbery Medal exists so that (a) children's books may be afforded the same attention adult books are given, (b) to encourage authors to give us excellent writing in this field, and (c) to reward librarians for their hard work. There is a further assumption people often make and that is that the Newbery should serve as some sort of Ambassador to Good Reading, a book that can be read and appreciated by as many children as possible. It's a widely held assumption, and perhaps even a good one, but it's also one that is completely unfounded in the terms, definition, and criteria or, indeed, anywhere in the Newbery manual. They do, however, allow for a book for a smallish child audience to win, which is precisely what has happened here. As Karen already mentioned, the Newbery Medal will enable this book to help its readers find it.
CRISS CROSS is for a very special kind of child reader. The plot-driven reader will certainly struggle with it. Even the character-driven reader may struggle with it, because while it is definitely character-driven, it is an ensemble cast and that may keep this kind of reader from strongly identifying with one particular character in the way that they would like. I don't think it's enough to say this book needs a good reader, as Dean has already pointed out. It's a book that needs a special kind of good reader.
Earlier in the year, in a discussion on adbooks about A WREATH FOR EMMETT TILL and its audience, Vicky Smith made the comment that EMMETT TILL is a book that will select its own readers, that some of them will be 10 years old, some of them will be 14 years old, some 35, and some 89. It is a challenging book for young readers, and it's pointless to try to describe the audience by what they don't have in common (i.e. their age), rather than by what they do have in common (i.e. the way the book speaks to them). I would say the same about CRISS CROSS: it is a book that will select its own audience, and it will choose them not based on age, but based on how they respond to the book, but if I can find enthusiastic elementary age readers for A WREATH FOR EMMETT TILL and CRISS CROSS in the slums of southwest Modesto, then I really have to believe they exist everywhere.
And so they do: one member reported their 11 year old granddaughter loved it, another member reported her 13 year old son and 15 year old daughter loved it, one B&N reviewer reports that her 14 year old daughter loves it, there was a 15 year old at the BBYA teen session that spoke out passionately in favor of CRISS CROSS as the best book of the year.
I know many of us are skeptical. Maybe we think to ourselves, "I never would have read this book as a child and so I can't believe that any child would read it." Others are skeptical because of our long experience of working with children. We suspect the audience is smallish, but we're not sure how smallish. Whatever camp you belong to, I sincerely hope that you do come across some appreciative child readers sooner rather than later, because they are out there.
The question for many seems to be: How small does the child audience have to be before we can marginalize them, before we can say, your response to the book doesn't count because it's so far outside the norm? What if only one kid in every hundred likes the book? What if only one kid in every school? If that one kid's going to be that BBYA teen, it's enough for me.
Jonathan Hunt 2006 Newbery Committee
Received on Mon 20 Feb 2006 11:40:05 AM CST
Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 09:40:05 -0800
I think some people have said this book is inaccessible when they really mean the book does not have broad child appeal. Accessibility is bound to extremely subjective and perhaps even more difficult to define and grasp than quality and popularity. I don't think any of us are under the illusion that CRISS CROSS has broad child appeal.
As many of you already know, the Newbery Medal exists so that (a) children's books may be afforded the same attention adult books are given, (b) to encourage authors to give us excellent writing in this field, and (c) to reward librarians for their hard work. There is a further assumption people often make and that is that the Newbery should serve as some sort of Ambassador to Good Reading, a book that can be read and appreciated by as many children as possible. It's a widely held assumption, and perhaps even a good one, but it's also one that is completely unfounded in the terms, definition, and criteria or, indeed, anywhere in the Newbery manual. They do, however, allow for a book for a smallish child audience to win, which is precisely what has happened here. As Karen already mentioned, the Newbery Medal will enable this book to help its readers find it.
CRISS CROSS is for a very special kind of child reader. The plot-driven reader will certainly struggle with it. Even the character-driven reader may struggle with it, because while it is definitely character-driven, it is an ensemble cast and that may keep this kind of reader from strongly identifying with one particular character in the way that they would like. I don't think it's enough to say this book needs a good reader, as Dean has already pointed out. It's a book that needs a special kind of good reader.
Earlier in the year, in a discussion on adbooks about A WREATH FOR EMMETT TILL and its audience, Vicky Smith made the comment that EMMETT TILL is a book that will select its own readers, that some of them will be 10 years old, some of them will be 14 years old, some 35, and some 89. It is a challenging book for young readers, and it's pointless to try to describe the audience by what they don't have in common (i.e. their age), rather than by what they do have in common (i.e. the way the book speaks to them). I would say the same about CRISS CROSS: it is a book that will select its own audience, and it will choose them not based on age, but based on how they respond to the book, but if I can find enthusiastic elementary age readers for A WREATH FOR EMMETT TILL and CRISS CROSS in the slums of southwest Modesto, then I really have to believe they exist everywhere.
And so they do: one member reported their 11 year old granddaughter loved it, another member reported her 13 year old son and 15 year old daughter loved it, one B&N reviewer reports that her 14 year old daughter loves it, there was a 15 year old at the BBYA teen session that spoke out passionately in favor of CRISS CROSS as the best book of the year.
I know many of us are skeptical. Maybe we think to ourselves, "I never would have read this book as a child and so I can't believe that any child would read it." Others are skeptical because of our long experience of working with children. We suspect the audience is smallish, but we're not sure how smallish. Whatever camp you belong to, I sincerely hope that you do come across some appreciative child readers sooner rather than later, because they are out there.
The question for many seems to be: How small does the child audience have to be before we can marginalize them, before we can say, your response to the book doesn't count because it's so far outside the norm? What if only one kid in every hundred likes the book? What if only one kid in every school? If that one kid's going to be that BBYA teen, it's enough for me.
Jonathan Hunt 2006 Newbery Committee
Received on Mon 20 Feb 2006 11:40:05 AM CST
