From: Megan Schliesman <schliesman>
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:33:07 -0500

Today we begin our discussion for the second part of July: Survival Stories.

I'm always intrigued by themes that lend themselves to many interpretations in the literature for children and teens, and the topic of "survival" certainly fits. There are books such as "Shackleton's Stowaway" by Victoria McKernan that offer a riveting portrait of survival under extraordinary circumstances; literature that looks at the challenges of surviving harrowing personal experiences, like Laurie Halse Anderson's "Speak," or Sharon Flake's "Bang!," and books that document how challenging it can be to get through some of the everyday experiences of childhood and adolescence with a sense of self and self-worth in tact (Jenny Han's "Shug" is a recent title that comes to mind).

What ways can you interpret the theme of "survival" in books for children and teens? What books do you appreciate to connect to that theme, and why?

Megan

-- 
Megan Schliesman, Librarian
Cooperative Children's Book Center
School of Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison
600 N. Park Street, Room 4290
Madison, WI  53706
608-262-9503
608-262-4933 (fax)
schliesman at education.wisc.edu
www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/

Received on Tue 17 Jul 2007 08:33:07 AM CDT