What I’ve Been Reading: Boy
Gulp. All I have to say is, no wonder Roald Dahl’s books are so dark and so full of horrible teachers and sadistic adults.
Read MoreWhat I’ve Been Reading: A Great and Terrible Beauty
My experience with Libba Bray’s books has been up and down. I didn’t care much for Going Bovine, which got a lot of attention, but I adored Beauty Queens–sharp, funny, dead-on satire. So I’ve been meaning to get around to A Great and Terrible Beauty.
Some good stuff here, no question; I like the meld of historical fiction and fantasy, although her dialog tended to run a bit modern to my ears. And the weaving of past history into present drama is very deft. But I must say that this falls into a category I invented when I was growing up: “books where the main character does stupid things.” I dislike spending the book mentally yelling at the protagonist, “Don’t do it!” I want to identify with the character, not feel myself inclined to lecture her, or bop her over the head in hopes that it will shake up her thinking.
Read MoreWhat I’ve Been Reading: Hope Was Here
Not too many writers can turn out genuine poetry about waitressing in a diner the way Joan Bauer can.
Read MoreThere’s soemthing about diner setup that soothes the soul. Something about making good coffee in a huge urn glistening in fluorescent light, something sweet about filling syrup pitchers and lining them on the back counter like soldiers ready to advance. It gives your courage to face another day.
What I’ve Been Reading: Guys Read
For a long time I’ve been convinced that both readers and writers are badly served by the fact that children’s lit is such a female-dominated industry. (And so heavily white, too, but more about that later.) Yes, there are some great male editors, but not too many. Librarians? Teachers? Also skewed toward the female. That has to have an effect on what books get read, published, given awards, and handed to kids.
So this series seems like a solid idea. I was a bit disappointed at first glance, however. The stories seemed so boyish as to be stereotypic. (What do boys like? Fart jokes! All boys! All the time!) It was redeemed for me, however, by David Yoo’s quirky and deeply unsettling “A Fistful of Feathers.” Nice to see that there is more than one way of being a boy. Plus I won’t be enjoying a turkey sandwich for quite some time.
Read MoreSarah L. Thomson
A children’s book author publishing award-winning nonfiction, poetry, picture books and novels including…
“Readers will treasure the blossoming friendship between opposites in this whimsically illustrated tale. Short chapters and plenty of action make for an accessible and appealing reading experience. . . . Touching and inspiring.”
—Kirkus Reviews