Newbery Hopefuls From Our Reading Friends (Day 3): Hearing From Our Friend, Don

Today's predictions come from our friend Don. Don Zancanella is an Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He teaches several classes of children's literature. Don is also the author of Western Electric, a collection of short stories that is part of the Iowa Short Fiction Award series.

Here is what he says about this year's Newbery Award:

The Newbery Medal always brings to the surface what to my mind is the most important fact about children’s literature: it’s written by adults for children. By letting adults pick the best book for children (written by an adult), the Newbery just adds another layer of complexity to this already vexed situation. That said, here are the books I think might win (or in some instances, the ones I think should win), along with a few comments:

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

I’m a sucker for books set in the sixties (there it is already, a preference I have as an adult reader that no kid is likely to share) and Schmidt’s book captures much of what it was like to be growing up then. The use of Shakespeare’s plays is a clever plot device but I’m kind of fed up with authors who sneak classic authors into children’s books. And Holling is a little too precocious for my taste. But it all still works. It’s funny and charming and uplifting.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Graphic novel meets mystery novel meets silent film. I predict this one will win mostly because it’s different and because we do seem to have entered the era of the graphic novel. It didn’t involve me as much as I’d hoped it would, mostly because I thought the plot had kind of a clunky, old-fashioned feel to it. I’m sure that was Selznick’s intention (the old-fashioned part, not the clunky part) but I thought it was a little too self-consciously done.


The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

I might very well pick this one because I like Alexie very much. However, I haven’t read it yet. I could say the same thing about Shannon Hale’s Book of a Thousand Days.

The Wall by Peter Sis

This is my personal favorite. Yes, it flies right in the face of the adult/child problem I started with, but it’s just too good to ignore. I’ve heard people comparing it to Maus and Persepolis and it deserves those comparisons. A couple of Sis’s titles have been Caldecott Honor books, but like his earlier Tibet Through the Red Box (a 1999 Newbery Honor Book) this one blurs the Newbery/Caldecott boundary. It’s an outstanding piece of writing with wonderfully integrated illustrations--just a very fine book. Not to mention that shows us a more interesting picture of the 1960s than even The Wednesday Wars does.

Newbery Hopefuls, Day 2: Another Reading Friend's Picks

Our friend Karen Terlecky is a Language Arts/Social Studies Curriculum Support Teacher (CST) in our school district, and as such, works directly with Franki. She and Mary Lee started their careers in the district the same years in 4th grade classrooms across the hall from each other. They were CSTs for each other before the term had been invented. Karen is always up for a field trip to Cover to Cover Children's Books, our favorite local children's bookstore. Here are her Newbery picks:

I loved How to Steal a Dog -- one of the best morals I have ever read: "the footprints you leave behind are more important than the path in front of you" ( I know that's not the exact quote, but I don't have my book at home in front of me). I read this aloud to my 5th grade class at the end of last year, and then it was the book I started this year with. It was interesting how important the message was to both sets of students. In addition, O'Connor's description of the homelessness conditions was clear -- good for children to know how others live,and what they need to do to just get through the day. I also love the characters -- very well developed through dialogue and their actions.

I also really liked The Mysterious Benedict Society -- the concept of kids as heroes has been done in other books, but I thought there was a great twist to this since the kids had to use all their gifts together to overcome the evil in the book. It was like a spy novel for kids -- I'm partial to spy novels! Great twist at the end, also.

Me and the Pumpkin Queen -- loved it!!!!!!! Part of the reason I liked it so much was that I had a lot of background knowledge about places and events in the story. But, even if you take that away, the concept of this girl going through her own personal grief cycle by trying to grow the biggest pumpkin was very well done. And the friendship between her and the boy was amazing. This book is a winner for me!

The Thing About Georgie -- definitely a favorite! I almost forgot about it until I saw it when I looked in my cupboard at school!

3 others that I really like, but I'm sure won't win: Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf (hysterical!), No Talking (Andrew Clements is very predictable, but there is a clear underlying message that my students really understand), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid (another hysterical!).
I liked the Wednesday Wars, too, but I didn't love it as a Newbery, because I wasn't sure how much my kids would understand without the background knowledge that I possess because of my age.

Two Too (and tutu) Funny

The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story
by Lemony Snicket
McSweeny's Books, 2007

Review copy...well, that's part of the whole story.

Report cards went home today, so I finally had time to take my tired, crabby self to the public library to complain about the online reserve system not working (a boatload of graphic novels for my CYBILS Graphic Novels Nominating Committee reading pleasure, if you must know). I went to one branch and they had the gall to tell me, "We're not really part of the library system, we just use their online reserves." So I went to the nearest for-real branch, and got my books custom-reserved by the guy at the help desk. He even went to look for a couple he thought might be on their shelves. While he did that, I wandered over to the new books display in the children's section. I picked up The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story. It was smaller than I expected. I glanced through it, and there was definitely a screaming latke inside. I saw the familiar images that Educating Alice linked to. I started reading. I started laughing out loud. I was no longer tired and crabby.

This book has a brilliant lead: "This story ends in someone's mouth, but it begins in a village more or less covered in snow." It is filled with classic Snicket-isms, most notably: "...a word that here means..." It features a latke that is sick to death of being Christmas-ized, like when the Christmas lights suggest, "So you're basically hash browns. Maybe you can be served alongside a Christmas ham," or when the candy cane says, "Someone should write a Christmas carol about you." I would have sprayed my milk out my nose if I'd been drinking any when the cute little pine tree says, "But different things can often blend together. Let me tell you a funny story about pagan rituals."

Anne at Book Buds has a great review. Her final paragraph answers the question, "Is this really a kids' book?" Check it out. I totally agree with her.

So I was feeling much better after I read The Latke. (And even better when I learned that I had finally discovered a book BEFORE Franki!) Then I opened the package that came in the mail and found another great laugh (yes, sigh, recommended by Franki):

Chester
by Melanie Watt (of Scaredy Squirrel fame)
Kids Can Press, 2007

Our cat is 20 years old. She has been reduced to the essence of cat by her age: skeleton, fur, loud demanding yowl, and attitude. If she were fat and had access to a red marker, she would be Chester. Poor Melanie! She's just trying to write a story about a mouse who lives in the country, but Chester keeps doodling all over her work, and changing it to suit himself, and to make himself the star of the story. When Melanie demands that he hand over the marker and apologize before the count of three, Chester has the nerve to assume position and "play the cello" instead! I'm pretty sure that's the kitty version of thumbing one's nose (since cats don't have opposed thumbs, after all). It all works out in the end. Mostly for Melanie and the mouse, but that's fair, since Chester got his all the way through the book. (The end is whence the tutu in the post title, in case you were wondering about that.)

So there you have it. A couple of sure-fire mood elevators. Take two and call me in the morning. Tell me how hard you laughed and how much better you felt for reading them!

Newbery Hopefuls From Our Reading Friends

When we started our blog (almost 2 years ago!) we started it as a way to make public our conversations about the books we hoped would win the Newbery Award. We have never been right, but we love the fun of guessing. This year, we asked some of our reading friends--people who we share our book thinking with throughout the year--to share their thoughts with us. These are people who read lots and know books. We know that we may scramble a bit this next month, reading those 2007 titles that we've haven't gotten to yet. With holiday break coming, we thought others might be interested in doing the same thing. We'll feature a different Reading Friend each day for a while. Enjoy!

Our first installment comes from Jen Allen, a Literacy Coach in Maine. She is also the author of Becoming a Literacy Leader. For anyone who has a job as a literacy coach, this is a must read.

If I had to choose one book to receive the Newbery award it would be
The Aurora County All -Stars by Deborah Wiles. It is just a great read-aloud for students
in the intermediate grades. Good clean fun! Although book evolves around
the kid grabbing topic of baseball, it also weaves in layers about
friendship, gender, judging others, and segregation. Great lessons to be
learned. During this read- aloud I also shared the book, Teammates by
Peter Golenbock to help students strengthen their understanding on the
history of baseball and segregation. An additional treat is how the author
incorporates quotes from poet Walt Whitman and famous baseball players.
I tried this book as a read aloud with both my ten year old son and a 4th
grade class this fall. Both audiences enjoyed the book. I love the feel
good ending. The Aurora County All- Stars is my Newbery pick for the year.

Robert's Snow

The final auction is upon us December 3-7. The Amazing HTML-tress, Tricia, at The Miss Rumphius Effect, has the complete list of Auction 3 illustrators and features compiled here. She and her partner in HTML-tress-ness, Jen Robinson, were responsible for the awesome side-bar info that you've seen throughout the Kidlitosphere. Thanks, Ladies, for all the help you gave to those of us who are HTML-challenged! And of course, one last huge thanks to Jules, at 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast, for getting the whole snowball rolling. I can't wait to find out what kinds of fund-raising records were broken at Dana-Farber during this year's Robert's Snow event. Finally, to the person who out-bid me on the one flake I really really wanted, I hope it's making you as happy as it would have made me!

Sunday Silliness

It's that time of the year again. Time for holiday greetings.

We're celebrating two holidays today: Report Cards Are Done (a holiday celebrated by teachers around the world), and Elf Yourself (a holiday brought to you by OfficeMax).

CHEERS!

(If you're feeling grumpy today, you can Scrooge Yourself here.)

Word Work

I'm always looking for fun, engaging, motivating ways for my fourth graders to build up their knowledge of the way words are built -- roots, prefixes, suffixes, and even the little parts that make rhymes, like -at, and -up that make cat and pup.

This week, I tried out this game, Eight Letters In Search of a Word, with my students. I was worried that they would get frustrated, and some did, but because they have grown up on Nintendo and Xbox and Game Boy, they had no problem with running out of time and trying again. They worked to beat their own high scores, they were realistic about low scores when they got a tough set of letters, and when one student figured out the "big word," a new standard was set for ALL of the students (a REAL standard set by the students, not by some governmental committee...but don't get me started). They got really good at finding every variation possible on a small word by substituting consonants, they were smart about using s to make every plural possible, and they worked -ed and -ing for all they were worth when they got those letter combinations. Because all the letters given can ultimately make up an 8-letter word, there was even a little vocabulary development thrown in. When you play this game, you might think it is too hard for 9 and 10 year olds. That is, however, precisely why they liked it so much. It was hard. They had to work for their success. They knew they earned it when they got a high score. And those times when they got the "big word?" Priceless.

Next week, we're going to see how much rice we can donate through the United Nations to help end world hunger by learning new vocabulary words. At Free Rice, you donate 20 grains of rice for every vocabulary word you get right. As you play, the game automatically levels the words you get -- if you get words right, you get harder words, if you miss words, you get easier words. I'm not sure how this will work with my students. Just like we did with 8 Letters, we will play together first, with my computer hooked up to the class TV. I think we can have some great conversations about root words and related words that can help us make a smart guess about the words. Stay tuned for a report on how this goes in my classroom. In the meantime, how much rice did you donate today?

Poetry Friday: New Poetry Book

"Have you watched the fairies when the rain is done
Spreading out their little wings to dry them in the sun?
I have, I have!
Isn't it fun?"

This is the beginning of a poem by Rose Fyleman that is part of a new collection of fairy poems. I just picked up a copy of IF YOU SEE A FAIRY RING: A RICH TREASURY OF CLASSIC FAIRY POEMS illustrated by Susan Lockheart. It is an interesting combo for a poetry book. The book will definitely appeal to my readers who love the new fairy tales and stories out there. It is such a phenomenon in my class! When I opened the book, I realized that many of the poems were written by classic poets like William Shakespeare. I was thrilled to see one by Laura Ingalls Wilder too. Some are excerpts from longer poems which is a nice idea too.

There is something about the illustrations and the way that the words are displayed on the page that make this book one that I am sure my 3rd and 4th graders will pick up. The watercolor illustrations include several "magic windows" that change as the page is turned--showing a different scene from the book. A nice way to get them into more classical poetry, I think.

Because of the window illustrations, this is a big book. Large in size, and thick. But not too big. A fun size for a poetry book.

Perfect timing for a book like this.


Round up is at Two Writing Teachers.

Three Holiday Classics

...and MotherReader's November Carnival of Children's Literature -- The Tips Edition.

Thanks for the gift of knowledge, MotherReader!

Princess Thinking

On the plane home from NYC, I read several articles in the newest issue of Newsweek. I was particularly intrigued by the one called "Princess Power". It was pretty interesting--seems Disney's is marketing to a new crowd with its Disney Princess things. Not only do they want little girls to get into princess things, but they will be marketing to middle class women well beyond their teens. I have not seen the new movie "Enchanted" yet but would like to soon. It is part of the whole princess expansion--sounds like a fun movie that spoofs several of the fairy tale events in a way that gives more strength to the protagonist.

I like fairy tales--always have. But I have always been bothered by the shallowness of the princesses in the ways that they are portrayed. Seems a bit crazy. But seems they are doing something about it.

So I picked up Cynthia Rylant's new book WALT DISNEY'S CINDERELLA. I was shocked to see Cynthia Rylant's name on this new book. Really, she is the last person that I thought would write a version of this fairy tale. But, then I read the book and realized that she is the perfect person for this! It may be my favorite fairy tale now! Somehow Rylant has been able to retell this story with her own voice, staying true to strength and love and the tradition of Cinderella. The language she uses reminds me of the words that make VAN GOGH CAFE one of my all time favorites. This new version is illustrated by the original illustrations done by Mary Blair at Disney. All but a few of the illustrations are from the Walt Disney Library.

Rylant starts the story off like this:

"This is a story about darkness and light, about sorrow and joy, about something lost and something found. This is a story about Love."

and I loved this line:

"One day into these lives came something unexpected, something momentous. It was news which would affect the destiny of each of them in ways none could yet imagine."

and this one:

"The prince had no wife because he had not yet fallen in love. Any young maiden in the kingdom could have been his, for he was brave and kind and destined to be king. But of all the girls he had ever known or seen, not one touched his heart. Not one moved him."

and there are so many more lines that I love.

I love the way Cynthia Rylant retells this story. How she tells the story of Cinderella and the prince falling in love. It is totally true to the story and totally true to Cynthia Rylant.

A huge hit. I love it more and more every time I read it.
Maybe Cynthia Rylant will rewrite all of the fairy tales in a way that will make me want to share them with my daughters. I am a huge Disney fan and a huge Rylant fan. The combination makes me happy. And if Disney is going to market to the 40 year old Moms out there, I guess this is the way to go.