Thoughts on Newbery: The One

We kept waiting for the Big Book.

Every few weeks, as a new shipment of books arrived at each of our different addresses, Susan, Maureen, and I slit open the carton and said to ourselves, Please, let this box contain the One.

The One would be the novel so monumental, so original and vast and funny and tragic, so clearly important, that only an idiot would deny it the Pulitzer Prize.

We wanted a foolproof book, a book about which we could be absolutely certain. Or two such books. Maybe even three.

I would encourage anyone who has ever been, currently is, or hopes to be on a book award committee, has complained about a committee’s decision, or just wondered about it to read Michael Cunningham’s superb rumination, “Letter from the Pulitzer Fiction Jury: What Really Happened This Year.”  Yes, he is writing about adult fiction, but swap out The Great Gatsby for Charlotte’s Web and you will easily recognize that what he has to say is as relevant to those of us considering books for young readers as for those thinking about fiction for grown-ups. (Well… other than the “popular” issue that seems to dog the Newbery, but not most adult literary awards — which, mind you, the Newbery is — also a literary award, that is.)

In the Classroom: Charlie the Pilgrim

This year I again did a study of Charlie Chaplin with my 4th graders. At first it mostly involved watching movies beginning with his earliest ones done at Keystone.  The kids again connected immediately with Charlie and couldn’t get enough of him. I was inclined to skip around a bit with some of his earlier shorts, but my students wanted to see everything!  They fell in love with him almost immediately — connecting to his playful, childlike character.  At times I would also show them parts of the Unknown Chaplin documentary that provides fascinating information on the making of many of his films.  In the spring we visited the Museum of the Moving Image where we had a great tour focusing on early movie making and then a screening of “The Immigrant” (on a very big screen) accompanied by a live pianist.  It was glorious!

And then, as we did last year for the first time, we made our own Chaplin movie. Again, it was based on our study of the Pilgrims — that story works perfectly for Chaplin. It is full of great situations that lend themselves to his sort of comedy.  As we did last year we invited those children who wanted to play Charlie to do brief screentests. We asked them to prepare something Charlie-like and filmed them. It was easy to see who had made the effort to really get to figure out Charlie’s movements and to prepare accordingly.  I created a number of scenes loosely connected to the Mayflower story, scenes that we could do in the classroom (which had bright green drapery — that all important green screen — across one wall for weeks while we filmed).  I asked them what characters they wanted to play and then grouped them into the different scenes.  Each had a different set of children playing the same characters– we used costumes to make it clear they were the same people.  After filming dress rehearsals we did the final filming. Then my colleague Cypris Megias (without whom I could not do this) edited the thing, added music and old effects and, viola, we had a movie. We premiered it for the parents at the end of school with great success.  And now here it is for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

The Care and Feeding of Middle Grade Readers

Currently the ccbc-net discussion group is considering the following topic:

Rebirth of Middle Grade Fiction:  Yes, young adult literature continues to outpace middle grade in terms of numbers, but we’ve noticed lately that tucked between the seemingly endless volumes of y.a. angst, dystopias and romance (supernatural and otherwise) is a growing number of solid middle grade novels. During the first half of July, we’ll talk about middle grade fiction on CCBC-Net: inviting you to share how do you define it, what makes a great middle grade read, and some of your recent favorites.

Since I have been an elementary classroom teacher for decades now, I figured I’d weigh in on this beginning with the question of definition. Already some have suggested (go here to subscribe if you are interested in following or participating in the conversation) that these readers include early teens while others suggest those just moving into chapter books should also be considered. That is too broad for me. I see middle grade readers as those in grades 4-6, so approximately ages 9-12. These are kids who have the nuts and bolts of reading under their belts and are now able to focus more exclusively on content; kids who are working out the sort of readers they are, exploring different genres, seeing the pleasure of reading; kids who are heading we hope toward a lifetime of reading.

This being a time when children are often dealing with the complications of friendship, cliques, mean peers, and other relationship situations, these young readers often gravitate to stories involving these issues. Some of these can be quiet and interior-focused while others can be loud and very much out in the world. For some kids, contemporary stories, often school-centered, are what appeal while for others it is those set in other worlds, say a fantasy one or one set in the past, that are the attraction. Most prefer strong pacing and plots, be they about kids dealing with a bully in school, a sad family situation, or saving the world from something highly evil. Humorous books, graphic novels, and even picture books for older readers are all highly successful ways of engaging this age group.

As for the next question, what makes a great middle grade read? —- for me it is great writing. Unique and engaging plots, well-developed characters that encourage empathetic responses, and well-crafted sentences all figure into what I admire most in works of fiction for this age group. And the best of the best for me is that iconic American children’s book E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web (#1 on Betsy Bird’s latest chapter book poll). I’ve written realms about this book so won’t go on about it here other than to say that years of rereading and teaching it has me considering it one of the most perfect children’s books ever written. What it and other great middle grade readers offer are not only great plotting, characterization, and writing, but themes that are compelling, moving, and age-appropriate. That is, kids of this age are contemplating death, the circle of life, friendship, changes, growing older, and the other ideas so beautifully considered in this wonderful book. In fact, White features some of these in his other two books for children, Stuart Little and Trumpet of the Swan, along with another important topic for this age group, family.

And then there is the final question –what are some of my recent fictional favorites?  (To see some of my 4th grade students’ recent favorites please check out this post filled with them.) Here are ten of many more.

Five from last year:

The Cheshire Cheese Cat by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright. This was a great hit when I read it aloud to my fourth graders last year. Writers often reference people, ideas, and such as Easter eggs for adult readers and indeed this book is full of clever Dickensian bon motes, but they stand alone as clever bits of writing all by themselves. Take the opening, introducing the cat hero, “He was the best of toms. He was the worst of toms.”  You don’t need to know the reference to enjoy it and my students certainly did.  A grand romp with a heart and delightful writing.

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos. I never wrote a proper review of this one (although I did suggest it as a possible Newbery winner), but after reading it aloud to my class this past year many of them included it in their summer reading suggestions. One wrote that it “…is an fantastic book for kids that are interested in adventures, laugh-out-loud, exciting books. Jack Gantos puts himself in a child character, who goes on throughout a classic plot story, including gripping chapters, amazing twists, and possibly murder? It also gives your imagination a boost, and makes you want to relate to it after.”

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. I tend to be wary of verse novels, but was taken in immediately when reading this powerful story of immigration based on the author’s own childhood. From the first page set in 1975 Vietnam to the last in Alabama, I was utterly engaged throughout as were my students.  It was one of several books they chose from for a unit on immigrant historical fiction and it ended up being so popular I did not have enough. Several children were so eager to read it they bought their own copies rather than selecting one of the other available books. One child was so inspired by the form that she used it when writing her own work of historical fiction.

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami. I was charmed by this Bollywood-inspired tale. In a review I wrote “Young readers will delight in this upbeat and entertaining tale, identifying with Dini as she meets new friends, gets to know her new town, and solve a mystery as well. Along the way they will get a taste of life in one small part of India, complete with monkeys, movie lore, and some absolutely scrumptious-sounding curry pastries.”

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. In a blog review I wrote, “As  he did with the Caldecott winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret … Selznick uses a unique mix of text and images to create a singular reading experience for children. There are two separate stories here, one told entirely in illustrations and the other in words. Set in different time periods, these tales of a mysterious girl and an unhappy boy twist and twirl around each other in nature, in museums, in New York City, finally coming together in a dramatic, moving, and satisfying ending.”

Five from this year:

Deadweather and Sunrise by Geoff Rodkey.In this post I wrote that “Egg [main character] tells his own story with humor and a  likable lack of self-pity. There is adventure galore as he goes from one cliffhanger (one is literally a cliffhanger) to the next and wit as well. For it is Rodkey’s writing that made this rise for me above the others of its type — a dry sense of humor, the sort of throw-away lines Dickens does so well, great pacing, and excellent world building.”  The first in a series (something this age group loves).

Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger. From my blog review: “So wacky this is (as another beloved Angleberger character might say) in the best way which is no easy feat. For funny is incredibly hard to pull off; what has me guffawing can just as easily leave another reader cold and vice versa. As someone who too often has been left cold by silliness I was wary when I started this one, but within pages I was completely won over.”  My students fought over the copies of this one.

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage. On goodreads I wrote, “Completely and utterly charming!” while one of my students wrote that it  “…is about Mo, a girl who loves mysteries. So when a strange detective comes to town, and an old man is murdered, she’s on the case with her friend Dale. This book is great if you adore action. Three Times Lucky is one of those books that has big parts that you know something’s going to happen but you don’t know what.”

Wonder by R. J. Palacio.  On goodreads I wrote, “I went a bit kicking and screaming into the reading of this one because I thought — yet another soppy sad story of a kid with a serious problem. Not to mention realistic school stories too often feel forced to this veteran classroom teacher. But as I read further into it I was completely taken in. This is a truly lovely story and beautifully, beautifully told. The movement between different characters’ points of view is nicely done. The children and adults all seem real as can be, not a one seemed a straw man or someone pontificating a moral. There were moments when I was brought to tears, but they were genuine moments, not a one felt overly sacharine or manipulative. Nothing, in fact, is the slightest bit manipulative in this book.”  Kids and teachers love this one for good reason.

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead. I wanted to stick to books already available, but this one is out in a few weeks and to my mind exemplifies the best of what a middle grade book is so I’m putting it here anyway. The main character is in 7th grade, but in my experience, 4th graders like reading about those a bit older than themselves. The writing here is spare, elegant perfection; the characters well-developed and sympathetic; the plot a fascinating mystery. More when the book is out, but trust me — this is one gorgeous middle grade read.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Live

What with the two recent Sherlock movies, the wonderful British television show, the forthcoming American show, and Andrew Lane’s young Sherlock series, there’s been a lot of the detective out there lately. Of equal interest to me is his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, not just because of his famous fictional sleuth, but because of his interest in psychic matters.  The story of the Cottingley fairies (more from me about it here), for instance, would never have gone viral (in the Edwardian sense) if not for Conan Doyle’s involvement. Now via the wonderful brainpickings I’ve come across this film of the great man speaking at length on this and other matters. Amazing!

Great Lists of Great Books for Kids

My pal Betsy Bird just finished a remarkable project, to get a sense of her readers’ (and those around them) idea of what the best children’s novels and picture books are.  She put out a call for these and with the help of a number of people managed to crunch the numbers and come up with two top 100 lists. And THEN she took it farther than any other such accounting by writing posts about all the books.  An incredible feat. And now School Library Journal has collected them and organized them into two spiffy pdfs; all you need to do to get them is register. Details on how to do so here.

Summer Reading Suggestions For and From Kids

By now many have weighed in with their recommended summer reading suggestions for kids, but most who have are adults.  (You can check out a video Betsy Bird and I did last summer with our suggestions here.) But what about the kids themselves?  Thinking they needed a voice too, just before school ended this past May, I tossed out a whole bunch of new and about to be published titles (finished books and ARCs) and invited my students to each select one to review, saying I’d see to it that their reviews got out into the world. And so here I am doing just that.

The reviews, I think (being someone prejudiced as their teacher) are superb and you can read them for yourself here. Each child, on their individual blogs, reviewed one book and then recommended some additional favorite titles as well. Since their blogs are now private I put their reviews on a new public blog here. For your information here are the titles they reviewed in order of their placement on the post. (Just scroll down to see each kid’s contribution.) I think they did a fantastic job and I hope some of their recommendations are used by you for the kids in your lives.

Kate Feiffer’s Signed By Zelda

Kaye Umansky’s Clover Twig And The Magical Cottage

Katie Davies’ The Great Cat Conspiracy

Jasper Fforde’s The Last Dragonslayer

Geoff Rodkey’s Deadweather and Sunrise

Ellis Weiner’s  The Templeton Twins Have An Idea

R.P. Harris’s Tua and the Elephant

Josh Lacey’s The Island of Thieves

Tom Angleberger’s Fake Mustache

Caroline Lawrence’s The Case of the Deadly Desperados

Margarita Engle’s The Wild Book

Christopher Healy’s The Hero’s Guide To Saving Your Kingdom

R.J. Palacio’s Wonder

Sheila Turnage’s Three Times Lucky

Shelby Bach’s Of Giants And Ice

Carl Hiaasen’s Chomp

ARCs vs Finished Books

There’s a wide-ranging conversation currently going on about ARCs, those advance reader copies publishers make available before the books are published. Something I wanted to point out as I don’t see much about it is that ARCs are “uncorrected galleys” meaning they are not the finished books. In fact they are often quite different from the finished books; I have editor and author friends who hate, hate, hate it when people see the ARCs as the final books as they fuss over their creations up to the last moment and want the published book to be what is considered, not those versions that came before.

I can totally see why. A couple of years ago I did a New York Times review of Lynne Rae Perkins’ YA novel, As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth (a fantastic summer read, by the way) and feel I dodged a bullet by being able to see the published book just before turning in my copy. I’d not planned on mentioning the illustrations because the ARC only had a few, but when I saw the final book which had far more, I did. Thank goodness I was able to base my review on the finished book not the ARC.

In my experience, changes big and small are often made between the ARC being sent out and the publication of the final book. Recently I received an updated manuscript for a work to be published this fall that had already gone out as an ARC weeks before. Evidently enough changes were made to make this worth doing. And I’ve often heard others mention the differences they noticed between the ARC and the published book. Certainly, in my experience, award committees base their decisions on published books not ARCs. For good reason.

So, again,  just a reminder that the ARC is definitely NOT the book. Something to keep in mind when considering those hot-button topics of who gets them and what to do with them.