Twits and old friends

I've thoroughly enjoyed some "old" books so far this summer, all of which were new to me. I wonder how many parents have introduced their elementary-school age offspring to The Twits?

Almost certainly best-known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl's whole list is worth reading, and I encourage you to look beyond the titles that have made it to the big screen.

Dahl's unique take on things is at least amusing for young readers and at times quite insightful for parents reading along. The Magic Finger and The Twits are my current favorites. (The Twits, detailing worms in spaghetti and other revolting but hilarious antics of the disgusting couple, would likely appeal to many reluctant readers.)

What old books have become your new favorites to recommend this summer?

Which ones do you plan to read with your kids before they go back to school?

White Water invites us to wade in

Set in the segregation-era South, White Water is based on one particular memory author Michael Bandy just couldn't shake. The memory: not being allowed to drink from the white fountain.

As Bandy's (fictional) main character, also named Michael, puts it:

"I was just sure it must be pure and icy cold, like mountain water. Suddenly I just had to know what that white water tasted like."

And (spoiler alert) he finds out.

It's a children's picture book, so there's no space for a detailed history lesson and it's not the place to assign blame. It's a 32-page opportunity to open a window and begin a discussion with kids about racism. Or not.

I repeat, it's a picture book, so it's difficult for adults to gauge what the book's intended audience might read into it. And that's OK.

We should read it to them, ask them to feel what Michael feels - think about his thirst for that white water - and see if they can grasp the irony, as Michael did, when he realized that the same pipe fed both fountains. It's the same water.

Michael (the character) realizes the only difference between the water in those fountains was in his imagination.

"The signs over the fountains had put bad ideas in my head," Bandy writes.

Whatever our differences, the easy, politically correct way to handle them is to pretend we are blind. Color blind or unable to see the yamaka, turban, veil, dreadlocks, wheelchair, whatever makes the person (apparently) different from one's self. It's not completely wrong to pretend we don't notice labels or differences and instead choose to "see inside" the person. But it's only half right.

What if we go all the way? What if we see the labels, read the signs and then ask questions? Of each other?

How would that water taste?

That's a big question, and this is a book for little people. But we should ask. Maybe they'll lead us to the answer.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

I received a free review copy of White Water (copyright 2011) from Random House.

Summer Reading & Activities for Kids

If your kids love history, science, and hands-on projects related to either (or both) hightail it to the HANDS-ON BOOKS blog for a slew of great recommendations from three award-winning authors.

If your kids' (or your) craftiness is a little less lesson-oriented, consider an origami book for rainy-day activities.

And even if your kids (or you) are neither crafty nor especially interested in art, I challenge you not to like The Art Fraud Detective by Anna Nilsen. A magnifying glass is attached to the beautiful book, which starts off as something like a Cyberchase episode, with a comic-book style two-page panel featuring a panicky call from the nightwatchman at the museum of art. Forgeries have been found in place of the museum's priceless paintings! It's up to readers (recommended for ages 7-10) to spot the differences and figure out which gang is responsible for which forgeries. Both of my kids and I have thoroughly enjoyed this gorgeous book - which is still in surprisingly good condition.

Because of its engaging quality, portability, and durability (the original magnifying glass is still attached to ours!) it's an excellent book to pack in the car and definitely worth the space even if you're packing for a plane trip.

Happy reading, all summer long!



discuss ----> do your kids like books that include activities? do you?

Summer Reading Recommendations for Kids

Every teacher tells you to keep the kids reading during the summer; every library has a program devoted to summer reading; you know it's important. But how?

How do you find the time, keep it fun, make it a habit, and challenge your children's reading skills? Please chime in with your suggestions and ideas!

Perhaps even more important: what hasn't worked for you? (That way we'll all know what not to do!)

To get things started, I'll throw my thoughts into the ring... such as they are:
  - Car time is reading time, or at least some car time. On trips of an hour or more, our rule is at least 30 minutes of reading/drawing for every 30 minutes of screen time.
  - Sadly, we don't make time to visit the library every week in the summer. But when we go, we stay ... we read in the comfy chairs, play with the puppets, and really enjoy the time there.
  - Reading logs don't work for us (me) either. I've got enough paperwork, thanks. In the summer I like to try some different titles, especially with a "cool" theme. (Try The Snowman for beginning readers.)

What has worked (or not) for you and your kids? Please share. When you're done with that book, of course. 

Reluctant Readers Will Read

As long as they have good books! For a good look at what makes a book hook a reluctant reader, please see this post from Notes from Room 145.

Dear Diary: Why is this a NYT Bestseller?

I don't get the appeal of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Having just finished the second title in Jeff Kinney's string of runaway bestsellers, I think the books sales may be driven by adults who don't read themselves. I'm talking about misinformed shoppers, who say at the bookstore or kiosk at the airport, "Oh, this is a bestseller and it's got pictures! My Johnny/Suzie would love that." Add one bad decision to another and pretty soon you've got a multi-book contract.

Sigh.

I don't mean to dog Mr. Kinney; obviously, some kids really do like his books. What I question is - why? where's the substance? the biting wit? the laugh-out-loud slapstick?

I see no real hook here, folks.

Main character Greg is likable enough, but he's not lovable. Older brother Rodrick is a pesky older sibling, but not even bad enough to waste a real diary page on, as far as I can tell. The illustrations/cartoons are good, but not great.

I usually like books for the Middle Grade/YA audience because, frankly, they're not just kids' stuff. They're real stories with pretty significant plots, storylines, and emotion. (They just happen to be a little shorter, a little more to the point, and in my opinion, lacking too-heavy description.)

Harry Potter, for example. Artemis Fowl, for another. The Twilight series. Reaching back a few years, remember Nancy Drew? Real stories. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series isn't as involved as a good comic book.

I know the New York Times probably won't reconsider its ranking based on my opinion, but I hope you will. Unless you've got a dedicated reluctant reader on your hands who won't read anything but this series, don't buy 'em. And for heaven's sake, when you do buy a book for your kid, open it and read a few pages first.

Grumblings aside, if your kid seems to love these literary candies, check out the Family Education reading guide, and interview with the series' author, here.

Teen Lit Ain't So Bad

"Don't judge a book by its cover" may be my pick for the "old sayings that aren't worth a damn" hall of fame. Two examples I'd cite are 'old' titles Seventeenth Summer and Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, both sporting new covers that are fresh enough to pique the interest of today's tweens and teens. Of course, it's the story between the covers that holds their interest.

Lest I sound like I'm pining for the good old days (what? of the 1970s? please!) I have to ballyhoo a few teen titles I've enjoyed immensely this year.

Andrew Clements' Things Not Seen, Jerry Spinelli's The Library Card and Stargirl are on the list. Cynthia Lord's debut, Rules, is probably going to secure my favorite-book-of-the-year award. (That means it earns a permanent spot on my bookshelf. Not a spot with a lot of elbow room, I assure you, but a longtime resting spot, just the same.)

I've recently finished Joseph Bruchac's Darby Creek title The Way. I picked it up thinking it aimed at reluctant readers (judging by its cover, I'll admit) and I was right. Darby Creek, located in Central Ohio, is a press that focuses on books for reluctant readers, and The Way is a 2007 release that conforms to the style deemed appropriate: short (155 pages), with an action-packed plot and a likable, young narrator. In this case, the narrator is 15-year-old Cody LeBeau, who's been picked on in plenty of schools as his family has moved. Just as his family is falling apart, an uncle he didn't know he had appears to stay for awhile, and teach Cody some important techniques, and even more important philosophies, of martial arts. Cody uses them well - up to and including thwarting a planned act of terrible violence at his school.

It is a good story and it does keep up a nice, gotta-turn-to-the-next-page-pace, but - and I hate to cast stones at an author who has more than 100 books to his credit! - I felt Bruchac got way too didactic in several sections, particularly in the second half of the book. At those points, I didn't hear Cody's voice, I heard the author giving advice. Regardless, I'll keep it in mind for a few boys I know...

What do you like in Middle Grade or YA this year?