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Newbery Award winners
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From: Kerry Gleason <kerry_gleason_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:13:17 -0500
I was very pleased with the Newbery winners this year. Although we had budg et cuts and I wasn't able to order until recently, I did have most of the titles on hand. Phew! Does anyone else wake up Monday morning afraid that they missed THE ONE?
As I read "When You Reach Me" I was so pleased with how the pieces fit tog ether. I actually went "Oh, Oh, Oh!" as each piece fell into place. I f ound it to be very clever and enjoyed the story and characters immensely. I was glad it won the Newbery.
As for "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate", I really wanted to like it. Tru ly, I did. But I found the plot lacking and a real let down at the end. I don't think anyone could deny that Jacqueline Kelly writes beautifully but I needed more action. Even though I didn't like this novel, I will read and order her next book because I do think she writes well. This just wasn' t for me.
I know that others have mentioned Calpurnia's vocabulary and how it may or may not match her age but I read this novel as Calpurnia the adult writing about her time as a child. On page 2 she writes " My name is Calpurnia Virg inia Tate, but back then everybody called me Callie Vee". It was my assum ption that "back then" meant she was an adult writing of her childhood. Cou ld that explain the vocabulary?
"Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" was a pleasant surprise for me. Grace L in has written and illustrated a wonderful tale that intertwines both fanta sy and folklore. I would have thought that the tales throughout would make the main story bulky and unreadable but instead it made the main story flow smoothly. I feel this writing technique added to the overall feel of the n ovel. I also love how her full color illustrations are sprinkled throughout , making it feel like a real treasure. It is such a well made and written book.
Because of the budget, I just received Claudette Colvin. I'm just about t o read it. Can't wait.
Luckily I had ordered and received "The Mostly true Adventures of Homer P. Figg" but I did not read that yet.
Kerry Gleason
Youth Services
Wilmington Institute Library
10 E. 10th Street
Wilmington DE 19801
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft.
Received on Sat 30 Jan 2010 11:13:17 AM CST
Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:13:17 -0500
I was very pleased with the Newbery winners this year. Although we had budg et cuts and I wasn't able to order until recently, I did have most of the titles on hand. Phew! Does anyone else wake up Monday morning afraid that they missed THE ONE?
As I read "When You Reach Me" I was so pleased with how the pieces fit tog ether. I actually went "Oh, Oh, Oh!" as each piece fell into place. I f ound it to be very clever and enjoyed the story and characters immensely. I was glad it won the Newbery.
As for "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate", I really wanted to like it. Tru ly, I did. But I found the plot lacking and a real let down at the end. I don't think anyone could deny that Jacqueline Kelly writes beautifully but I needed more action. Even though I didn't like this novel, I will read and order her next book because I do think she writes well. This just wasn' t for me.
I know that others have mentioned Calpurnia's vocabulary and how it may or may not match her age but I read this novel as Calpurnia the adult writing about her time as a child. On page 2 she writes " My name is Calpurnia Virg inia Tate, but back then everybody called me Callie Vee". It was my assum ption that "back then" meant she was an adult writing of her childhood. Cou ld that explain the vocabulary?
"Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" was a pleasant surprise for me. Grace L in has written and illustrated a wonderful tale that intertwines both fanta sy and folklore. I would have thought that the tales throughout would make the main story bulky and unreadable but instead it made the main story flow smoothly. I feel this writing technique added to the overall feel of the n ovel. I also love how her full color illustrations are sprinkled throughout , making it feel like a real treasure. It is such a well made and written book.
Because of the budget, I just received Claudette Colvin. I'm just about t o read it. Can't wait.
Luckily I had ordered and received "The Mostly true Adventures of Homer P. Figg" but I did not read that yet.
Kerry Gleason
Youth Services
Wilmington Institute Library
10 E. 10th Street
Wilmington DE 19801
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft.
Received on Sat 30 Jan 2010 11:13:17 AM CST
