From: Cathy Sullivan Seblonka <cathys>
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 11:28:51 -0400 (EDT)

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 10:48:40 -0400 From: Annette Goldsmith <ayg at comcast.net> To: Cathy Sullivan Seblonka <cathys at uproc.lib.mi.us> Subject: RE: [CCBC-Net] 2007 Batchelder Award

Exactly, Cathy! The Killer's Tears really is a profound book. All three of these books made me a less complacent reader.

Annette

-----Original Message----- From: Cathy Sullivan Seblonka [mailto:cathys at uproc.lib.mi.us] Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 10:20 AM To: Annette Goldsmith Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] 2007 Batchelder Award


Yes, Annette. I also think it was easier to accept the parents' murder because of the type of people they were. However, I don't like the fact that I think this way. They were human beings and no one deserves to be killed no matter what they've done or how emotionally distant they are which is maybe what we are to learn from the ending of the book.

I loved this book. The settings, the characters. It's contemporary yet seems so long ago. Beautifully done and haunting, isn't it?

Cathy



Cathy Sullivan Seblonka Youth Services Librarian Peter White Public Library 217 N. Front St. Marquette, MI 49855
(906) 228-9510 fax (906) 226-1783 e-mail: cathys at uproc.lib.mi.us

On Sun, 18 Mar 2007, Annette Goldsmith wrote:

> Speaking of the unpleasantness of the parents in The Pull of the Ocean,
> let's look at the parents who make a brief appearance in The Killer's
Tears.
> They are also rather grim and archetypal. For those who have read the
book,
> do you think the fact that the parents in Tears are so emotionally distant
> makes it easier for us to accept their murder? (I'm not giving anything of
> the plot away, here, since they are killed at the beginning of the book.)
> Paolo seems rather shell-shocked by it all (naturally!) but I think deep
> down and throughout the book there's an element of hope that a different
> type of "parent" might do a better job, and in fact there are two father
> figures who try to do so. This, I admit, is rather a shocking thought
since
> one of them is a lout and a killer. Strong stuff!!
>
> Annette
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu]On Behalf Of Steven
> Engelfried
> Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 5:23 PM
> To: Nancy Silverrod; ccbc-net, Subscribers of
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] 2007 Batchelder Award
>
>
> And I do think that the unpleasantness of the parents is alleviated
> substantially in the end, when we learn that an overheard conversation
early
> in the book was not exactly what it seemed to be. This book has an aura
of
> bleakness, where you're sure something terrible is going to happen, that
> creates a lot of strong suspense. The bleakness is balanced by a sense of
> wonder at the youngest boy's specialness and by the fascinating bonds
> between the brothers. When things ultimately turn out to be not so bad,
> it's especially satisfying. Kind of like a fairy tale.... I haven't
shared
> it with any elementary age kids yet, but think it would have strong appeal
> to some 4th and 5th graders.
>
> - Steven Engelfried
> Multnomah County Library
> 503-988-5206
> sengelfried at yahoo.com
>
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
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Received on Mon 19 Mar 2007 10:28:51 AM CDT