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Scary book
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From: heather mcneil <heatherm_at_dpls.lib.or.us>
Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 19:59:17 +0000
I just finished listening to Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal. Whew! That was one scary book, at least the last fourth of it. It was intriguing to me that much of the plot of the kidnapped and tortured children can also be found in Grimm's fairy tales, but I have a totally different reaction. "Oh, this is just a fairy tale, and the fact that she wants to eat the liver of her stepdaughter/cook the child in her stove/etc., is just a fairy tale." But then you read a book that is somewhat realistic (except for the fact that a ghost of Jakob Grimm always accompanies the boy), and it is horrific to think of this kindly baker torturing the children by starving them and terrifying them with scary sounds they think are real.
What made me think of this book for this discussion is the children's response to the baker's early kindliness, and then to his twisted behavior once he kidnaps them. They remain so strong, trying to remain true to each other but also not antagonize the baker. They face their fears, but without panic. They help each other. I think perhaps their perseverance and resilience has much to do with the innocence of children, which makes the baker's actions even more horrific. By the way, W. Morgan Sheppard's reading aloud of the book is masterful.
Another recent book that deals with how children react to something scary is Zebra Forest by Adina Gewirtz. I found it very realistic that the daughter is conflicted about her convict father's appearance and the fact that he is holding them hostage. On the one hand she knows he is wrong and a murderer. On the other hand, she wants to know her father, ask him questions about her mother, be a family. The son, however, is just angry, and barely wavers from his fury. Again, I think that's an honest depiction of how children (or anyone) could react to the realization that a loved one is not the hero they thought he was.
And, finally, a picture book. An old picture book. Harry and the Terrible Whatzit by Dick Gackenbach is such a great story about a boy who confronts the horrible, two-headed monster in the basement. As it gets smaller and smaller, the boy realizes that it was his own fear that made it bigger and bigger. Much like Snicket's The Dark.
Happy reading! Heather McNeil Youth Services Manager Deschutes Public Library www.deschuteslibrary.org<http://www.deschuteslibrary.org>
Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 19:59:17 +0000
I just finished listening to Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal. Whew! That was one scary book, at least the last fourth of it. It was intriguing to me that much of the plot of the kidnapped and tortured children can also be found in Grimm's fairy tales, but I have a totally different reaction. "Oh, this is just a fairy tale, and the fact that she wants to eat the liver of her stepdaughter/cook the child in her stove/etc., is just a fairy tale." But then you read a book that is somewhat realistic (except for the fact that a ghost of Jakob Grimm always accompanies the boy), and it is horrific to think of this kindly baker torturing the children by starving them and terrifying them with scary sounds they think are real.
What made me think of this book for this discussion is the children's response to the baker's early kindliness, and then to his twisted behavior once he kidnaps them. They remain so strong, trying to remain true to each other but also not antagonize the baker. They face their fears, but without panic. They help each other. I think perhaps their perseverance and resilience has much to do with the innocence of children, which makes the baker's actions even more horrific. By the way, W. Morgan Sheppard's reading aloud of the book is masterful.
Another recent book that deals with how children react to something scary is Zebra Forest by Adina Gewirtz. I found it very realistic that the daughter is conflicted about her convict father's appearance and the fact that he is holding them hostage. On the one hand she knows he is wrong and a murderer. On the other hand, she wants to know her father, ask him questions about her mother, be a family. The son, however, is just angry, and barely wavers from his fury. Again, I think that's an honest depiction of how children (or anyone) could react to the realization that a loved one is not the hero they thought he was.
And, finally, a picture book. An old picture book. Harry and the Terrible Whatzit by Dick Gackenbach is such a great story about a boy who confronts the horrible, two-headed monster in the basement. As it gets smaller and smaller, the boy realizes that it was his own fear that made it bigger and bigger. Much like Snicket's The Dark.
Happy reading! Heather McNeil Youth Services Manager Deschutes Public Library www.deschuteslibrary.org<http://www.deschuteslibrary.org>
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Received on Wed 06 Nov 2013 02:00:28 PM CST
