Middle Grade Books for Boys (and Girls)

Okay, so it has been a while. These are terribly outdated, but here are some things my son read and enjoyed at age 11:

Boba Fett by Terry Bisson

Hoot by Carl Hiasson

Flush by Carl Hiasson

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Review: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

I am supposed to love this book: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is written by Newbery Medal-winning author, Kate DiCamillo (The Tale of Desperaux, Because of Winn Dixie); starred reviews abound (School Library Journal, Kirkus, Booklist; SLJ calls it, "achingly beautiful" and "ever-so-marvelous;" and I can't tell you how many times I've heard it called an "instant classic" or "new classic."

TMJOET is a certainly packaged like a classic - from the full bleed illustration on the dust jacket, the embossed pocket watch on the cover and the engraved copper lettering on the spine to the antique cream paper, large Centaur MT typeset and Bagram Ibatoulline's sepia toned and full color bookplate illustrations. Even its size and shape - 7 x 8 (?) - suggest this book is something special.

And for the most part, TMJOET is something special. I read it aloud to my children (ages 11, 7 and 7) last month. Together, we fell in love with Edward Tulane - an expensive china rabbit with real rabbit fur ears and tail, an exquisitely custom tailored wardrobe and an aloof, elitist attitude to match. Unfortunately for Edward, his charmed life is short-lived, as he is literally snatched from the arms of his adoring 10-year old owner, Abilene, and tossed to the bottom of the sea. From that point on, Edward endures trial after trial, heartbreak after heartbreak, until he learns how to love unconditionally. Together, my children and I worried about Edward, we cheered for him and mostly, we cried for him. (Okay, I did most of the crying while the kids patiently waited for me to resume reading.)

So, what’s not to love?

Well, according to Washington Post reviewer, Elizabeth Ward: a lot. Check out her scathing review, “When Bad Things Happen to Bad Bunnies,” in the Washington Post.

While I don’t share Ms. Ward’s complete disdain for the book, I do have mixed feelings about TMJOET.

First, the story arc doesn’t quite work for me. Each time I thought Edward had made “progress” and opened his heart to someone, I was told (not shown) that it wasn’t enough and Edward was forced to endure another trial. Instead of a gentle arc showing Edward’s growth from completed self-centeredness to an ability to love, Edward’s transformation is achieved through violent stops and starts, setbacks and regressions – often for no immediately apparent reason other than to prolong his suffering and increase word count.

Second, some of the material seems unnecessarily violent. Really, Edward being nailed to a wooden cross? It is either a strange case of misguided, over-the-top, symbolism or a complete disregard for the cultural context of much of TMJOET’s readership. How could anyone think that nailing a rabbit (an adopted symbol of Easter) to a cross was going to escape criticism? Or was that the point? To get people talking about the book? I don’t get it. Truthfully, as I read it (and looked at the illustration of Edward hung by his ears as a scarecrow), it didn’t bother me. It puzzled me. It struck me as being in poor taste. But it didn’t bother me. However, the violence of this and other episodes in the book might be a bit much for young ears. (Pun intended.)

Speaking of being a bit much, some of this rabbit's episodes were too melodramatic and overdone for my taste. (Again, pun intended.)

My final verdict? I still have mixed feelings about this book. TMJOET was a good read-aloud book for my children. They enjoyed it and it has stimulated a new round of shared reading for us. Plus, we were haunted by this story for days after we finished reading it – my children with the emotional force of what they had heard and experience through Edward Tulane, and me with thoughts of the book and story it could have been with a bit more editing. I've been cautiously recommending TMJOET to friends, but I remain uncomfortable with the marketing of this book as an “instant classic.” It was good, but that good? Hopefully, time and discriminating readers (not marketing dollars) will decide.

For more reviews and info, check out:

Candlewick Press's Edward Tulane site.

Common Sense book review

A Fuse #8 Production: Review of the Day: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

It's National D.E.A.R. Day!

Happy 90th Birthday to Beverly Cleary!

The NEA, National PTA, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), and Reading Rockets have teamed up with Ramona Quimby and HarperCollins Children's Books to declare Ms. Cleary's bithday National Drop Everything and Read Day.

How to celebrate?

The D.E.A.R. and Reading Rockets sites have lots of suggestions complete with bells and whistles: teacher guides, free materials, printables, e-cards ... even t-shirts. These are certainly ways to generate excitement and publicity, but I'm with Read Roger - D.E.A.R. Day at our house will be much simpler.

I've been reading Kate DiCamillo's The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane aloud to the kids this month. (Even my 11-year-old son loves it! I'll post a review when we're done.) So, tonight, we'll read together a little longer, lights out will be a little later, and we'll all enjoy a little extra quiet reading time.

Happy D.E.A.R. Day!

Here are some links to help you celebrate:

First, of course, is Beverly Cleary's website.

Then, check out Reading Rockets' D.E.A.R. Day content for the video interview with Beverly Cleary.

A Fuse #8 Production has a link to NPR's All Things Considered interview with Ms. Cleary.

Finally, you can help replenish libraries hit by Hurricane Katrina by contributing to the NEA's Books Across America campaign.

Recommended books from the SCBWI Winter Conference

Last month, I attended my first writers' conference in New York. I'm working on a post about it for my other blog. Here's a quick list of some of the authors and illustrators from the conference and links to some of their wonderful books I brought home with me (signed!):

Middle Grade/Young Adult

The Fire-Eaters (Whitbread Children's Book of the Year), by David Almond. This is the first YA book I've read since I was a YA. :) Wow. There is a lot happening - bullying, parental illness, abuse, justice, redemption, poverty, class, isolation, spirituality, the Cuban missile crisis, and mental illness as a result of war - in this deceptively simple, lyrical story. I plan to re-read this together with my 5th grader.


Picture Books (for all ages)

Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Dinosaurs, by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart. Robert Sabuda's pop-up books are amazing! I hear so many parents (and teachers - even librarians!) say, "Oh, they're beautiful, but the kids would destroy them in a minute." How tragic! These are exactly the books that should be shared with kids. The amazing illustrations jump out of the book at kids and then draw them into a different world. "Look!" I say, "Touch! Explore! Experience! Enjoy!"


Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato, An Irish Folktale, by Tomie de Paola. Okay, so I didn't get this one at the conference. But Tomie was there and he was just fabulous! I read this to the 3rd graders in my children's school in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

Rosa, by Nikki Giovanni and Bryan Collier (illustrator). A powerful, beautifully illustrated telling of Rosa Park's personal story and summary of the Civil Rights movement. Nikki Giovanni's keynote was one of the most powerful I have ever heard. Brilliant and totally unexpected for a conference of children's writers and illustrators. She shook us out of our seats. I plan to seek out more of her work.


Wild About Books(Irma S and James H Black Honor for Excellence in Children's Literature), by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown. Written in Seussian rhyme in honor of Theordore Geisel's birthday, this book is a joy to read aloud. (Marc Brown read it to us at the conference!) Find out what happens when librarian Molly McGrew accidentally drives her bookmobile into the zoo!



Picture Book (for the little ones)


Party Animals by Katie Davis. Ant is watching all of the farm animals open their party invitations. Will he be invited, too? This book is perfect for the little ones, and even my 7-year-old twins - as we struggle with birthday party invitations coming for only one or the other from their classmates. And Katie Davis personalized it for the girls so adorably! You have to see it to appreciate it. I'll try to scan and post it as a comment here later.


There were so many talented authors and illustrators at the conference: Francine Pascal, Pat Cummings, David Diaz, Elizabeth Levy, and so many others I missed. I can't wait until next year!

Welcome!

Each day at school, my kids get to drop everything and read. It's their DEAR time. For few precious moments each day, the students are encouraged to put away their school work, choose a book and read - just for the pleasure of it. There will be no formal class discussion about the book, they will not be asked to interpret what they've read, no report, no quiz, no test - just reading for reading's sake.

The best part is that DEAR time is spilling over into our home life. The kids are reading more, and - guess what? - since there are no formal discussions about their books at school, they are discussing them at home!

I hope to update this blog on a regular basis, sharing what my children are reading and including links to some of our favorite books. I'd love to hear from you. What are your kids reading?

Is there DEAR time at your children's school? If not, you may want to print out the Education World article linked below and share it with their teachers.

In the meantime, try DEAR time at home. Surprise your children during chore time by encouraging them to "drop everything and read!" The chores can wait while they begin a lifelong love of reading.

For more information: Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) in Education World