CCBC-Net Archives
[CCBC-Net] Presidents and elections booklist
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Koplin. Malena <mkoplin>
Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2007 21:34:03 -0500
This is a response to the person who posted the list of books for presidents. You might consider posting this list on www.teachingbooks.net. I'm sure others would find it helpful. To post it, just email to booklists at teachingbooks.net
-----Original Message-----
From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu on behalf of ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Sent: Thu 8/2/2007 12:00 PM
To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Cc:
Subject: CCBC-Net Digest, Vol 25, Issue 2
Send CCBC-Net mailing list submissions to
ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
You can reach the person managing the list at
ccbc-net-owner at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of CCBC-Net digest..."
Today's Topics:
1. Children's Book Production: The Inside Story (John Warren Stewig)
2. Fwd: Holocaust Teaching Ban in the UK (Ruth I. Gordon)
3. Re: Fwd: Holocaust Teaching Ban in the UK (James Dean)
4. (no subject) (angelica carpenter)
5. One more survival story: FOUNDLING (Monster Blood Tattoo book
I) (Olgy Gary)
6. Re: Announcements/CCBC-Net Schedule (Sugoodman at aol.com)
7. Election novel reading list (Sugoodman at aol.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 01 Aug 2007 12:42:40 -0500
From: "John Warren Stewig" <jstewig at carthage.edu>
Subject: [CCBC-Net] Children's Book Production: The Inside Story
To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Message-ID: <web-39491686 at carthage.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
Dear CCBC Members,
We invite you to come join The Center for Children's
Literature on the shore of Lake Michigan in the beautiful
October weather to hear this stellar group of people
actively working in book production. Our featured author
will be Kimberly Willis Holt and our featured illustrator
will be Susan L. Roth. Further information at our website
www.carthage.edu/childliterature, phone number
262-552-5480, or email at jstewig at carthage.edu
Sincerely,
John Warren Stewig, Director
Center for Children's Literature
Carthage College
2001 Alford Park Drive
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262)-552-5480
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: October One Page - WEBSITE.doc
Type: application/msword
Size: 121856 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/private/ccbc-net/attachments/20070801/5b74ecdf/attachment.doc
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 11:04:38 -0700
From: "Ruth I. Gordon" <druthgo at sonic.net>
Subject: [CCBC-Net] Fwd: Holocaust Teaching Ban in the UK
To: CCBC Net <ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu>
Message-ID: <93A35AC6-4E5B-4C23-A96A-88EB39FB2326 at sonic.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
>
> I thought you might find the following article from snopes.com
> interesting: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/holocaust.asp
>
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 19:18:26 +0100
From: "James Dean" <jamesdean1981 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Fwd: Holocaust Teaching Ban in the UK
To: ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
Message-ID:
<c3bff0040708011118m383ade04g52905dfb8a2b2081 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Rather a scaremongering title to the e-mail, surely, as the article
points out it's only one history department in one city which has done
so?
James Dean
On 8/1/07, Ruth I. Gordon <druthgo at sonic.net> wrote:
>
>
> >
> > I thought you might find the following article from snopes.com
> > interesting: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/holocaust.asp
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Wed, 01 Aug 2007 12:13:37 -0700
From: angelica carpenter <angelica at csufresno.edu>
Subject: [CCBC-Net] (no subject)
To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Message-ID:
<006201c7d470$101c3c20$2da50881 at MaddenLibrary.lib.csufresno.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Painted Words and Spoken Pictures
A conference titled "Painted Words and Spoken Pictures" is planned for
Saturday, October 6, 2007, on the Fresno State campus. Presented for
authors, illustrators, teachers, librarians, collectors, and fans of
children's and young adult literature, the conference is sponsored by The
Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children's Literature at California State
University, Fresno, and the North Central California Chapter of the Society
of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Conference speakers will
include:
* Aliki, the award-winning author or illustrator of 200 children's
books including How a Book is Made, William Shakespeare and the Globe, My
Five Senses, and The Play's the Thing
* Karen Cushman, the Newbery-winning author of The Midwife's
Apprentice; Catherine, Called Birdy; The Ballad of Lucy Whipple; Matilda
Bone; Rodzina; and The Loud Silence of Francine Green
* Yuyi Morales, illustrator of Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar
Chavez, Sand Sister, and Los Gatos Black on Halloween, and the
author/illustrator of Little Night and Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and
Counting Book, winner of the Pura Belpr? Medal for illustration
* Carolyn Yoder, author of George Washington: The Writer and the
forthcoming John Adams: The Writer and editor of Calkins Creek, the United
States history imprint of Boyds Mills Press.
The cost is $85 with discounts for members and for early registration.
Manuscripts may be submitted for critique for an extra charge. Submissions
and early registrations must be postmarked by August 6. An application and
additional information are available at www.arnenixoncenter.org. You can
also send e-mail to anc at listserv.csufresno.edu or call (559) 278-8116.
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2007 03:23:50 -0600
From: "Olgy Gary" <omgary at childrencomefirst.com>
Subject: [CCBC-Net] One more survival story: FOUNDLING (Monster Blood
Tattoo book I)
To: <ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
Message-ID: <001c01c7d4e6$d9534c70$6601a8c0 at Olgy>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I just finished reading a wonderful fantasy novel for the second time:
"Foundling (Monster Blood Tattoo book I)," by first time author D.M.
Cornish. The book was sent to ChildrenComeFirst.com as a review copy by a
Senior Editor at G.P. Putnam's Sons. The hardcover edition [ISBN:
039924638X] came out June 2006 and the paperback edition [ISBN: 0142409138]
is coming out September 6, 20007. This is a young boy's survival story that
is sure to grab middle grade students' attention.
The world building Cornish carries out in this book is so exquisitely woven
and the story's characters so well developed that I forgot I was supposed to
read the book in order to write a review and instead allowed the story to
carry me along. I then went back and read it again, this time marking things
as I went. I loved reading this fantasy story once and then once more.
Upon opening the envelope when the review copy came in the mail I was
intrigued by the cover art. It shows the outline of a monster as it is
coming out of the woods. Turn the book over and you see the illustration
wraps around the spine of the book and continues on the back, where you see
the silhouette of a young boy hiding in the thicket. It appears that the
monster is passing quite close to where the boy is hiding and that is,
indeed, what takes place during one of the tension-filled scenes in the
story.
"Foundling (Monster Blood Tattoo book I)" is a story of survival. It's the
story of Rossam?nd, an orphan boy growing up in Madam Opera's Estimable
Marine Society for Foundling Boys and Girls, who desires, against all odds,
to make something of himself. He is an idealist at heart, loves to read
about heroes and battles between good and evil, and is in awe of
teratologists, those who kill monsters and then bear a tattoo made from the
monster's blood. He survives bullying in the orphanage and endears himself
to several of his tutors who go out of their way to teach, protect, and
empower him to continue to grow into the young man he's destined to be. This
takes place without the adults taking over the storyline. This is, first and
foremost, the survival story of a young boy, and the author makes sure the
focus stays on Rossam?nd and not on the secondary characters that surround
him.
This story has many of the components that would make it a must read for
middle grade students. It has a likeable enough protagonist who must rely on
his wits to survive the heroes and monsters he comes in contact with.
Tension racks up when Rossam?nd leaves the orphanage with plans to take up
what he thinks will be a safe albeit boring job in the service of the
Emperor of Half-Continent only to find himself catapulted from one
misadventure into another. Our young protagonist must survive captivity at
sea and on land and must decide whether to save the life of a super hero
he's not too sure he actually likes, all the while trying to distinguish
between good and bad monsters and those who fight them. If at first he's
clumsy and naive and makes wrong decisions, his determination to survive
drives him to work his way out as best he can and continue to learn and grow
as he moves along. The storyline is paramount and the lessons woven
throughout are shown rather than told, never crossing the line into didactic
teaching of right and wrong but rather allowing the reader to interpret for
themselves the value, meaning and consequences of the actions Rossam?nd
takes as he faces and survives countless life and death situations.
I loved everything about the book except the ending. This is the first book
in what promises to be either a series or a trilogy but one of my pet peeves
is that even in books in this category, each book needs to stand on its own
and deliver a satisfying ending to the reader. The last few pages in this
book are lists of questions about what the protagonist is facing and will
have to face in the days to come. I was left with the feeling that the 312
pages I read were merely an introduction to book two. I would have been
happier had those last few pages been deleted and the book had ended with a
better sense of closure.
That being said, it's hats off to Cornish for the way he developed the
storyline and the amazing amount of background information that comes along
with the book. Normally writers attempt to include massive amounts of
information and back-story within the story itself resulting in a storyline
that drags and bogs down. Cornish did it right. The story itself is 312
pages and then comes "The Explicarium: Being a glossary of terms and
explanations including appendices." This wonderfully informative section at
the end of the book goes on for 121 pages. It's there if the reader wants to
learn more about the nuances woven throughout the story but not forced fed
into the storyline itself.
I'll be looking forward to Cornish's second book because I really, really,
really want to find out what happens next to Rossam?nd Bookchild, the young
and courageous protagonist in the story.
Olgy
-------------------------------------------
Olgy Gary, Gen'l Manager
"children come first...because they're our greatest treasure!"
http://www.childrencomefirst.com
http://www.olgygary.blogspot.com
http://tinyurl.com/yk9tvq - Free CCF bulletin
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2007 12:15:54 EDT
From: Sugoodman at aol.com
Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Announcements/CCBC-Net Schedule
To: schliesman at education.wisc.edu,
ccbc-net at lists.ad.education.wisc.edu
Message-ID: <cd2.172038ca.33e35d3a at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Hi Everyone,
A few weeks ago, I wrote asking for suggestions of novels for 4-6th graders
that had something to do with elections or past presidents or presidential
politics because I was adding fiction to the reading list at the back of my
upcoming nonfiction book, See How They Run. I just want to say thank you to all who
responded. I was bowled over by how many people took the time to think about
my question and send their ideas. One person asked for the resulting list.
Where I picked among these books for the ones that best fit my needs, here are
all the ones suggested.
Again thanks so much--Susan Goodman
Thomas Jefferson: Letters from a Philadelphia Bookworm (part of the Dear Mr.
President series) by Jennifer Armstrong (There are other books in the series
as well)
Hope was Here by Joan Bauer
Nelly Curtis? Diary by Miriam Anne Bourne
The President?s Daughter by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Lincoln?s Legacy by Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon
The Kid who Ran for President by Dan Gutman
Mom for Mayor by Nancy Edwards
Catch a Tiger by the Toe by Ellen Levine
Ghost Girl: A Blue Ridge Mountain Story by Delia Ray
An Unlikely Friendship: A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley by
Ann Rinaldi
Washington City is Burning by Harriette Gillem Robinet
First Boy by Gary Schmidt
Phoebe and the Spy by Judith Berry Griffin
Max for President by Jarrett J. Krosoczka.
Marvin Redpost : Class President by Louis Sachar
Dinah for President by Claudia Mills
The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White
Nutty for President by Dean Hughes
The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going
Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
White House Ghosthunters series. The book titles were Money Madness, Nest
Egg Nightmare and Dolley's Detectives by Gibbs Davis
A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt by C. Coco De Young
Washington City is Burning by Harriette Gillem Robinet
Love from your friend, Hannah by Mindy Warshaw Skolsky
Vote for Larry by Janet Tashjian
Sons of Liberty by Adele Griffin
Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Stone
Susan Goodman
5 Oakview Ter.
Jamaica Plain MA 02130
617-522-0158
www.susangoodmanbooks.com
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2007 12:19:06 EDT
From: Sugoodman at aol.com
Subject: [CCBC-Net] Election novel reading list
To: schliesman at education.wisc.edu,
ccbc-net at lists.ad.education.wisc.edu
Message-ID: <bf9.1d294b50.33e35dfa at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Oops--sorry to send this twice but I thought it might be more useful to
people if I remembered to put in an appropriate subject header.
Hi Everyone,
A few weeks ago, I wrote asking for suggestions of novels for 4-6th graders
that had something to do with elections or past presidents or presidential
politics because I was adding fiction to the reading list at the back of my
upcoming nonfiction book, See How They Run. I just want to say thank you to all who
responded. I was bowled over by how many people took the time to think about
my question and send their ideas. One person asked for the resulting list.
Where I picked among these books for the ones that best fit my needs, here are
all the ones suggested.
Again thanks so much--Susan Goodman
Thomas Jefferson: Letters from a Philadelphia Bookworm (part of the Dear Mr.
President series) by Jennifer Armstrong (There are other books in the series
as well)
Hope was Here by Joan Bauer
Nelly Curtis? Diary by Miriam Anne Bourne
The President?s Daughter by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Lincoln?s Legacy by Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon
The Kid who Ran for President by Dan Gutman
Mom for Mayor by Nancy Edwards
Catch a Tiger by the Toe by Ellen Levine
Ghost Girl: A Blue Ridge Mountain Story by Delia Ray
An Unlikely Friendship: A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley by
Ann Rinaldi
Washington City is Burning by Harriette Gillem Robinet
First Boy by Gary Schmidt
Phoebe and the Spy by Judith Berry Griffin
Max for President by Jarrett J. Krosoczka.
Marvin Redpost : Class President by Louis Sachar
Dinah for President by Claudia Mills
The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White
Nutty for President by Dean Hughes
The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going
Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
White House Ghosthunters series. The book titles were Money Madness, Nest
Egg Nightmare and Dolley's Detectives by Gibbs Davis
A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt by C. Coco De Young
Washington City is Burning by Harriette Gillem Robinet
Love from your friend, Hannah by Mindy Warshaw Skolsky
Vote for Larry by Janet Tashjian
Sons of Liberty by Adele Griffin
Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Stone
Susan Goodman
5 Oakview Ter.
Jamaica Plain MA 02130
617-522-0158
www.susangoodmanbooks.com
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
------------------------------
_______________________________________________
CCBC-Net mailing list
CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
End of CCBC-Net Digest, Vol 25, Issue 2
***************************************
-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 21162 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/private/ccbc-net/attachments/20070804/55815e2e/attachment.bin
Received on Sat 04 Aug 2007 09:34:03 PM CDT
Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2007 21:34:03 -0500
This is a response to the person who posted the list of books for presidents. You might consider posting this list on www.teachingbooks.net. I'm sure others would find it helpful. To post it, just email to booklists at teachingbooks.net
-----Original Message-----
From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu on behalf of ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Sent: Thu 8/2/2007 12:00 PM
To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Cc:
Subject: CCBC-Net Digest, Vol 25, Issue 2
Send CCBC-Net mailing list submissions to
ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
You can reach the person managing the list at
ccbc-net-owner at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of CCBC-Net digest..."
Today's Topics:
1. Children's Book Production: The Inside Story (John Warren Stewig)
2. Fwd: Holocaust Teaching Ban in the UK (Ruth I. Gordon)
3. Re: Fwd: Holocaust Teaching Ban in the UK (James Dean)
4. (no subject) (angelica carpenter)
5. One more survival story: FOUNDLING (Monster Blood Tattoo book
I) (Olgy Gary)
6. Re: Announcements/CCBC-Net Schedule (Sugoodman at aol.com)
7. Election novel reading list (Sugoodman at aol.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 01 Aug 2007 12:42:40 -0500
From: "John Warren Stewig" <jstewig at carthage.edu>
Subject: [CCBC-Net] Children's Book Production: The Inside Story
To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Message-ID: <web-39491686 at carthage.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
Dear CCBC Members,
We invite you to come join The Center for Children's
Literature on the shore of Lake Michigan in the beautiful
October weather to hear this stellar group of people
actively working in book production. Our featured author
will be Kimberly Willis Holt and our featured illustrator
will be Susan L. Roth. Further information at our website
www.carthage.edu/childliterature, phone number
262-552-5480, or email at jstewig at carthage.edu
Sincerely,
John Warren Stewig, Director
Center for Children's Literature
Carthage College
2001 Alford Park Drive
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262)-552-5480
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: October One Page - WEBSITE.doc
Type: application/msword
Size: 121856 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/private/ccbc-net/attachments/20070801/5b74ecdf/attachment.doc
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 11:04:38 -0700
From: "Ruth I. Gordon" <druthgo at sonic.net>
Subject: [CCBC-Net] Fwd: Holocaust Teaching Ban in the UK
To: CCBC Net <ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu>
Message-ID: <93A35AC6-4E5B-4C23-A96A-88EB39FB2326 at sonic.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
>
> I thought you might find the following article from snopes.com
> interesting: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/holocaust.asp
>
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 19:18:26 +0100
From: "James Dean" <jamesdean1981 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Fwd: Holocaust Teaching Ban in the UK
To: ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
Message-ID:
<c3bff0040708011118m383ade04g52905dfb8a2b2081 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Rather a scaremongering title to the e-mail, surely, as the article
points out it's only one history department in one city which has done
so?
James Dean
On 8/1/07, Ruth I. Gordon <druthgo at sonic.net> wrote:
>
>
> >
> > I thought you might find the following article from snopes.com
> > interesting: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/holocaust.asp
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Wed, 01 Aug 2007 12:13:37 -0700
From: angelica carpenter <angelica at csufresno.edu>
Subject: [CCBC-Net] (no subject)
To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Message-ID:
<006201c7d470$101c3c20$2da50881 at MaddenLibrary.lib.csufresno.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Painted Words and Spoken Pictures
A conference titled "Painted Words and Spoken Pictures" is planned for
Saturday, October 6, 2007, on the Fresno State campus. Presented for
authors, illustrators, teachers, librarians, collectors, and fans of
children's and young adult literature, the conference is sponsored by The
Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children's Literature at California State
University, Fresno, and the North Central California Chapter of the Society
of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Conference speakers will
include:
* Aliki, the award-winning author or illustrator of 200 children's
books including How a Book is Made, William Shakespeare and the Globe, My
Five Senses, and The Play's the Thing
* Karen Cushman, the Newbery-winning author of The Midwife's
Apprentice; Catherine, Called Birdy; The Ballad of Lucy Whipple; Matilda
Bone; Rodzina; and The Loud Silence of Francine Green
* Yuyi Morales, illustrator of Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar
Chavez, Sand Sister, and Los Gatos Black on Halloween, and the
author/illustrator of Little Night and Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and
Counting Book, winner of the Pura Belpr? Medal for illustration
* Carolyn Yoder, author of George Washington: The Writer and the
forthcoming John Adams: The Writer and editor of Calkins Creek, the United
States history imprint of Boyds Mills Press.
The cost is $85 with discounts for members and for early registration.
Manuscripts may be submitted for critique for an extra charge. Submissions
and early registrations must be postmarked by August 6. An application and
additional information are available at www.arnenixoncenter.org. You can
also send e-mail to anc at listserv.csufresno.edu or call (559) 278-8116.
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2007 03:23:50 -0600
From: "Olgy Gary" <omgary at childrencomefirst.com>
Subject: [CCBC-Net] One more survival story: FOUNDLING (Monster Blood
Tattoo book I)
To: <ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
Message-ID: <001c01c7d4e6$d9534c70$6601a8c0 at Olgy>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I just finished reading a wonderful fantasy novel for the second time:
"Foundling (Monster Blood Tattoo book I)," by first time author D.M.
Cornish. The book was sent to ChildrenComeFirst.com as a review copy by a
Senior Editor at G.P. Putnam's Sons. The hardcover edition [ISBN:
039924638X] came out June 2006 and the paperback edition [ISBN: 0142409138]
is coming out September 6, 20007. This is a young boy's survival story that
is sure to grab middle grade students' attention.
The world building Cornish carries out in this book is so exquisitely woven
and the story's characters so well developed that I forgot I was supposed to
read the book in order to write a review and instead allowed the story to
carry me along. I then went back and read it again, this time marking things
as I went. I loved reading this fantasy story once and then once more.
Upon opening the envelope when the review copy came in the mail I was
intrigued by the cover art. It shows the outline of a monster as it is
coming out of the woods. Turn the book over and you see the illustration
wraps around the spine of the book and continues on the back, where you see
the silhouette of a young boy hiding in the thicket. It appears that the
monster is passing quite close to where the boy is hiding and that is,
indeed, what takes place during one of the tension-filled scenes in the
story.
"Foundling (Monster Blood Tattoo book I)" is a story of survival. It's the
story of Rossam?nd, an orphan boy growing up in Madam Opera's Estimable
Marine Society for Foundling Boys and Girls, who desires, against all odds,
to make something of himself. He is an idealist at heart, loves to read
about heroes and battles between good and evil, and is in awe of
teratologists, those who kill monsters and then bear a tattoo made from the
monster's blood. He survives bullying in the orphanage and endears himself
to several of his tutors who go out of their way to teach, protect, and
empower him to continue to grow into the young man he's destined to be. This
takes place without the adults taking over the storyline. This is, first and
foremost, the survival story of a young boy, and the author makes sure the
focus stays on Rossam?nd and not on the secondary characters that surround
him.
This story has many of the components that would make it a must read for
middle grade students. It has a likeable enough protagonist who must rely on
his wits to survive the heroes and monsters he comes in contact with.
Tension racks up when Rossam?nd leaves the orphanage with plans to take up
what he thinks will be a safe albeit boring job in the service of the
Emperor of Half-Continent only to find himself catapulted from one
misadventure into another. Our young protagonist must survive captivity at
sea and on land and must decide whether to save the life of a super hero
he's not too sure he actually likes, all the while trying to distinguish
between good and bad monsters and those who fight them. If at first he's
clumsy and naive and makes wrong decisions, his determination to survive
drives him to work his way out as best he can and continue to learn and grow
as he moves along. The storyline is paramount and the lessons woven
throughout are shown rather than told, never crossing the line into didactic
teaching of right and wrong but rather allowing the reader to interpret for
themselves the value, meaning and consequences of the actions Rossam?nd
takes as he faces and survives countless life and death situations.
I loved everything about the book except the ending. This is the first book
in what promises to be either a series or a trilogy but one of my pet peeves
is that even in books in this category, each book needs to stand on its own
and deliver a satisfying ending to the reader. The last few pages in this
book are lists of questions about what the protagonist is facing and will
have to face in the days to come. I was left with the feeling that the 312
pages I read were merely an introduction to book two. I would have been
happier had those last few pages been deleted and the book had ended with a
better sense of closure.
That being said, it's hats off to Cornish for the way he developed the
storyline and the amazing amount of background information that comes along
with the book. Normally writers attempt to include massive amounts of
information and back-story within the story itself resulting in a storyline
that drags and bogs down. Cornish did it right. The story itself is 312
pages and then comes "The Explicarium: Being a glossary of terms and
explanations including appendices." This wonderfully informative section at
the end of the book goes on for 121 pages. It's there if the reader wants to
learn more about the nuances woven throughout the story but not forced fed
into the storyline itself.
I'll be looking forward to Cornish's second book because I really, really,
really want to find out what happens next to Rossam?nd Bookchild, the young
and courageous protagonist in the story.
Olgy
-------------------------------------------
Olgy Gary, Gen'l Manager
"children come first...because they're our greatest treasure!"
http://www.childrencomefirst.com
http://www.olgygary.blogspot.com
http://tinyurl.com/yk9tvq - Free CCF bulletin
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2007 12:15:54 EDT
From: Sugoodman at aol.com
Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Announcements/CCBC-Net Schedule
To: schliesman at education.wisc.edu,
ccbc-net at lists.ad.education.wisc.edu
Message-ID: <cd2.172038ca.33e35d3a at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Hi Everyone,
A few weeks ago, I wrote asking for suggestions of novels for 4-6th graders
that had something to do with elections or past presidents or presidential
politics because I was adding fiction to the reading list at the back of my
upcoming nonfiction book, See How They Run. I just want to say thank you to all who
responded. I was bowled over by how many people took the time to think about
my question and send their ideas. One person asked for the resulting list.
Where I picked among these books for the ones that best fit my needs, here are
all the ones suggested.
Again thanks so much--Susan Goodman
Thomas Jefferson: Letters from a Philadelphia Bookworm (part of the Dear Mr.
President series) by Jennifer Armstrong (There are other books in the series
as well)
Hope was Here by Joan Bauer
Nelly Curtis? Diary by Miriam Anne Bourne
The President?s Daughter by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Lincoln?s Legacy by Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon
The Kid who Ran for President by Dan Gutman
Mom for Mayor by Nancy Edwards
Catch a Tiger by the Toe by Ellen Levine
Ghost Girl: A Blue Ridge Mountain Story by Delia Ray
An Unlikely Friendship: A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley by
Ann Rinaldi
Washington City is Burning by Harriette Gillem Robinet
First Boy by Gary Schmidt
Phoebe and the Spy by Judith Berry Griffin
Max for President by Jarrett J. Krosoczka.
Marvin Redpost : Class President by Louis Sachar
Dinah for President by Claudia Mills
The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White
Nutty for President by Dean Hughes
The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going
Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
White House Ghosthunters series. The book titles were Money Madness, Nest
Egg Nightmare and Dolley's Detectives by Gibbs Davis
A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt by C. Coco De Young
Washington City is Burning by Harriette Gillem Robinet
Love from your friend, Hannah by Mindy Warshaw Skolsky
Vote for Larry by Janet Tashjian
Sons of Liberty by Adele Griffin
Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Stone
Susan Goodman
5 Oakview Ter.
Jamaica Plain MA 02130
617-522-0158
www.susangoodmanbooks.com
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2007 12:19:06 EDT
From: Sugoodman at aol.com
Subject: [CCBC-Net] Election novel reading list
To: schliesman at education.wisc.edu,
ccbc-net at lists.ad.education.wisc.edu
Message-ID: <bf9.1d294b50.33e35dfa at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Oops--sorry to send this twice but I thought it might be more useful to
people if I remembered to put in an appropriate subject header.
Hi Everyone,
A few weeks ago, I wrote asking for suggestions of novels for 4-6th graders
that had something to do with elections or past presidents or presidential
politics because I was adding fiction to the reading list at the back of my
upcoming nonfiction book, See How They Run. I just want to say thank you to all who
responded. I was bowled over by how many people took the time to think about
my question and send their ideas. One person asked for the resulting list.
Where I picked among these books for the ones that best fit my needs, here are
all the ones suggested.
Again thanks so much--Susan Goodman
Thomas Jefferson: Letters from a Philadelphia Bookworm (part of the Dear Mr.
President series) by Jennifer Armstrong (There are other books in the series
as well)
Hope was Here by Joan Bauer
Nelly Curtis? Diary by Miriam Anne Bourne
The President?s Daughter by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Lincoln?s Legacy by Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon
The Kid who Ran for President by Dan Gutman
Mom for Mayor by Nancy Edwards
Catch a Tiger by the Toe by Ellen Levine
Ghost Girl: A Blue Ridge Mountain Story by Delia Ray
An Unlikely Friendship: A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley by
Ann Rinaldi
Washington City is Burning by Harriette Gillem Robinet
First Boy by Gary Schmidt
Phoebe and the Spy by Judith Berry Griffin
Max for President by Jarrett J. Krosoczka.
Marvin Redpost : Class President by Louis Sachar
Dinah for President by Claudia Mills
The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White
Nutty for President by Dean Hughes
The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going
Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
White House Ghosthunters series. The book titles were Money Madness, Nest
Egg Nightmare and Dolley's Detectives by Gibbs Davis
A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt by C. Coco De Young
Washington City is Burning by Harriette Gillem Robinet
Love from your friend, Hannah by Mindy Warshaw Skolsky
Vote for Larry by Janet Tashjian
Sons of Liberty by Adele Griffin
Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Stone
Susan Goodman
5 Oakview Ter.
Jamaica Plain MA 02130
617-522-0158
www.susangoodmanbooks.com
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
------------------------------
_______________________________________________
CCBC-Net mailing list
CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
End of CCBC-Net Digest, Vol 25, Issue 2
***************************************
-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 21162 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/private/ccbc-net/attachments/20070804/55815e2e/attachment.bin
Received on Sat 04 Aug 2007 09:34:03 PM CDT
