tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56552247001989437352024-03-13T03:32:49.723-04:00Lessons from the TortoiseMusings on children's and YA literature, the academy, and the relationship between them, from an English professor and mother.Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.comBlogger373125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-25193262103953914262010-09-25T08:41:00.002-04:002010-09-25T08:56:27.922-04:00Fantasy Series (and standalones) for kids/YAI'm giving a talk later this morning to families here for Parents' Weekend, and as a takeaway I made a list of books I like to recommend. These are almost all fantasy, almost all for pre-teen and up, almost all series. They are all also books I've read and therefore can recommend with some confidence--which is why, for example, Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan isn't on the list even though Nick Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-49398841517258741602010-08-21T12:55:00.003-04:002010-08-21T13:00:02.441-04:00teaching, againThe fall semester is upon us, and I'm teaching two sections of a class I'm really excited about: Twice-Told Tales, Fairy Tales in Literary and Popular Culture. I'm just focusing on one fairy tale (Cinderella), and I've had a terrible time narrowing down the syllabus. What I've got still feels like a work in progress, but classes start Monday so it's as done as it's going to be for now.The Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-51356682243241702612010-06-06T17:11:00.002-04:002010-06-06T17:16:46.135-04:00a couple of linesfrom Here, There Be Dragons... "Astraues," Aven called out. "God of the four winds and friend to sailors. Say a little prayer when you look at him, so he will give us what we need to keep on our course." "A little prayer?" said Jack. "To a constellation?" "To what it represents," said Aven. "But I don't believe in what it represents," said Jack. "Prayers aren't for the deityLibbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-91348303081763924412010-06-06T13:15:00.003-04:002010-06-06T13:20:33.239-04:00The Finish LineHere's the summary of my 48-hour book challenge efforts:I read 7 books, including all four (to date) in The Alchemyst series, and the first in "The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica," Here, There Be Dragons. I can't wait to read some more in that series! All the books I read were fantasy (not a big surprise). I'm particularly intrigued by the overlaps in the two latter series--I want Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-89896167490028089342010-06-06T07:38:00.004-04:002010-06-06T07:42:36.761-04:00and one more...The last book I read for the 48 hour book challenge is another series book, Here There Be Dragons, by James A. Owen. What a great way to end! It's a terrific quest story, with a similar mix of characters and motifs as the Alchemyst books has, but put to entirely different effect--more comic, and more directly intertextual. There's great pleasure to be had in trying to puzzle out the references Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-2193494147806082742010-06-05T20:39:00.003-04:002010-06-05T20:44:40.925-04:00is this it?OK, I've finished my 6th book in the challenge, and put in 2 more hours and 389 more pages. So here are the updated totals:2454 pages14.75 reading hours2.5 blogging/networking hours6 novelsAnd now I've caught up in The Alchemyst series and I'm seriously annoyed that The Warlock is not yet available for me to read. The little teaser at the end of The Necromancer is pretty tantalizing...There areLibbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-82226566900287078712010-06-05T14:18:00.002-04:002010-06-05T14:24:14.148-04:0048 Hour Book Challenge UpdateWhew! I'm surprising myself by how much I've read. The quick totals, 28 hours in:12.75 hours of readinglet's call it 2 hours of social networking, blogging, reading updates, etc.2065 pages5 novelsThe last three I've read are the first three books in Michael Scott's Alchemyst series; we have one more in the house and that's the next up. This is one appealing series: gods, demigods, and monsters Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-661625726480385782010-06-04T20:22:00.003-04:002010-06-04T20:33:48.151-04:00StarlighterFirst in a series, Byron Davis's Starlighter gives us two planets, linked by tales that each has told of the other. Jason, our human hero, is a warrior in training who isn't sure whether to believe the stories his family tells of humans abducted by dragons, and a world beyond his own. On the other planet, children slave in mines and memorize a story that may be their salvation. Storytelling isLibbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-13562681231439339002010-06-04T20:12:00.004-04:002010-06-04T20:22:55.182-04:00The ProphecyDawn Miller's The Prophecy has a great cast of characters and a complicated plot--probably not the best choice for my first read-as-fast-as-you-can entry in the 48 hour book challenge. But it was at the top of my TBR list and it's YA, so there you go.So, there's a war between good and evil (um, angels and fallen angels) but there are some humans who are really important to that war. So far, so Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-65983343581051482762010-06-04T10:37:00.002-04:002010-06-04T10:38:38.076-04:0048 Hr book challengeI haven't participated in Mother Reader's 48-hour book challenge in a while, but I'm trying it this year. I'm home alone today with no car--perfect way to start out!--and I warmed up with three picture books this morning. But now I've got two novels sitting by my right hand and a bunch of other things I've been meaning to get to--so here goes!Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-92219137740200473172010-04-13T14:53:00.002-04:002010-04-13T15:02:03.911-04:00Keeping ScoreSo now that the list is out, it looks like folks are trying to see whether they've kept up with their reading. Like Tea Cozy's Liz B, then, I'll bold the ones I've read. How'd you do?100. The Egypt Game - Snyder (1967) [honestly? This one I hadn't even heard of...]99. The Indian in the Cupboard - Banks (1980)98. Children of Green Knowe - Boston (1954)97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-75048538666869838172010-04-12T07:17:00.004-04:002010-04-12T07:31:06.860-04:00Almost an anti-climaxOur long season of waiting is over, and Betsy Bird's countdown of the Top 100 Children's Novels has finally made it to #1. Are you shocked? For some reason, it was #2 that surprised me most--it hadn't occurred to me that Madeleine L'Engle could beat out J.K. Rowling in this day and age.Seven of my top ten made the final list, by the way, with my top three in the top ten. And, for what it's Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-84060457463333751932010-04-03T07:55:00.003-04:002010-04-03T07:58:42.106-04:00FinallyFinally a book I chose has cracked Betsy Bird's Top 100 Children's Novels List, over at Fuse #8. She even used my comments--hurrah! (And if you read the comments, you can see that her initial post for April 1 was, yes, a joke. I was so mad I didn't even click through to read the comments...)Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-18706857055681332812010-03-31T08:46:00.002-04:002010-03-31T08:51:49.350-04:00100 Best...If, like me, you're having trouble remembering which books have already been mentioned in Betsy Bird's fabulous series of posts on the Top 100 Children's Novels, you can check out this wonderful resource--just the list, provided by Six Boxes of Books. It's about two days behind at the moment, but I'm sure it will catch up soon.(Kicking myself that I forgot The Phantom Tollbooth; but what would ILibbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-63478448704530443182010-03-15T19:54:00.002-04:002010-03-15T20:00:33.813-04:00Top 100 Children's Novels ...Can you believe Alice in Wonderland didn't even crack the top 10? Ah, well; at least one more of my choices made the list. But I'm thinking at least two of mine won't, now. Maybe more...Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-19963828568082446162010-03-09T12:22:00.002-05:002010-03-09T12:23:41.439-05:00Top 100 Children's Novels (#35-31) - A Fuse #8 Production - Blog on School Library Journalanother one of my choices makes the list!Top 100 Children's Novels (#35-31) - A Fuse #8 Production - Blog on School Library JournalPosted using ShareThisLibbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-76541741240579329882010-03-03T07:00:00.000-05:002010-03-03T07:00:05.143-05:00who were your role models?Some years ago I wrote an article about role models in children's literature, wondering how far we can take the question of "identification." Do strong female characters produce strength in their readers? I couldn't answer the question--I don't do empirical research!--but I do think it's worth continuing to talk about the issue. Here's a nice piece in Parent Central that takes up some recent Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-76957913730783390482010-03-02T07:00:00.000-05:002010-03-01T21:27:30.621-05:00another lazy post When You Reach Me by Rebecca SteadMy rating: 4 of 5 starsMiranda's getting weird letters, and her mom is practicing to be on the $25,000 Pyramid, and her best friend doesn't seem to want to talk to her anymore. Middle school is bad enough--this all seems much, much worse.I loved this book. Miranda's connection to A Wrinkle in Time makes her my kind of protagonist--nerdy, emotionally interestingLibbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-40128716384509431722010-03-01T20:26:00.000-05:002010-03-01T20:27:32.405-05:00a very lazy, and belated, review post The Lightning Thief by Rick RiordanMy rating: 4 of 5 starsLike everyone else in America, I enjoyed this book--a clever way to introduce kids to Greek myths and a fun adventure as well.View all my reviews >>but should we see the movie?Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-44152300856256128292010-02-24T09:53:00.003-05:002010-02-24T09:56:02.826-05:00Top 100 Children's Novels (#45-41) - still going strongI'm pretty sure this is the first time one of my top ten has made it onto Betsy's list, so I'm excited to share this chunk of the list here. Scroll to the bottom to find the other installments--this is seriously a labor of love here, one that goes way above and beyond mere list-making--it's well worth checking them all out.Top 100 Children's Novels (#45-41) - A Fuse #8 Production - Blog on Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-6688709524363903322010-02-10T07:11:00.002-05:002010-02-10T07:12:43.367-05:00and ten more...Top 100 Children's Novels (#85-81) - A Fuse #8 Production - Blog on School Library JournalPosted using ShareThisLibbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-21307616150611106392010-02-09T09:11:00.002-05:002010-02-09T09:12:29.938-05:00The Next Ten..Top 100 Children's Novels (#90- 86) - A Fuse #8 Production - Blog on School Library JournalPosted using ShareThisLibbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-91065893626544187892010-02-08T21:39:00.001-05:002010-02-08T21:41:35.646-05:00100 BestSo that ten best list I gave you last time was just a teaser for Betsy Bird's list of the 100 best children's novels, voted on by her readers. Here are numbers 91-100, with all kinds of great commentary and links. None of mine are on this list...let's see if any of them break in a little higher.Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-60199463814281529782010-01-30T22:16:00.004-05:002010-01-30T22:50:15.989-05:00Ten BestBetsy at Fuse8 is at it again. Last year she did a poll on the Top 100 Picture Books of all time--and I didn't participate, because--well, I didn't have a good reason. (Other than the whole not blogging thing, about which perhaps more another day.) Tomorrow is the deadline for her new poll, the Top 100 Chapter Books of all time--and this time I'm in. I just sent her my list, and since I don'tLibbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5655224700198943735.post-23848892505706869972009-08-29T16:50:00.000-04:002009-08-29T16:50:39.170-04:00The Future of Reading - ‘Reading Workshop’ Approach Lets Students Pick the Books - Series - NYTimes.comThe Future of Reading - ‘Reading Workshop’ Approach Lets Students Pick the Books - Series - NYTimes.com: "For years Lorrie McNeill loved teaching “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the Harper Lee classic that many Americans regard as a literary rite of passage.But last fall, for the first time in 15 years, Ms. McNeill, 42, did not assign “Mockingbird” — or any novel. Instead she turned over all the Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09406720496767981522noreply@blogger.com0