Young Adult Lit/Crit

Lit Circle Share

I'm looking forward to more enthusiastic posts about the lit circle books we'll be discussing on TH. Hard to live up to what Jack and his group have done with SLANT. But you could try!!! The challenge is on. But then no one took me up on my prize for the person who could identify the music Dave played as background to the podcast. It's edible! The prize not the podcast!

Do share your book club title with us. What's hot and what's not? KES

My first day

Okay, so I just got back from my first day at OFA, where I met the class I am going to work with for my project. It is a really small class (only ten students, one of whom was absent today). I am already impressed with my ability to remember names: Sera, Rachel, Jacob, Julie, Dominic, Kevin, Marcy, John and Victoria.

I am starting a book club with them, and I will go meet with them once a week for 40 minutes.  My first step was to get to know interests, both in books and outside of them. I was a little surprised at their candor, especially in front of their teacher, but also grateful, as it will help me to help them in the long run. Most of the students don't read for pleasure, so I think I have my work cut out for me. Some of them seem really excited about this project, while others are kind of dragging their feet about finding a book for next week. It was very nice to have the resources Karen gave us in class to suggest books to the students based on what they like to read. I have a lot of support from the teacher (she is my mom's best friend),  so that is helpful. She is giving the students credit for this in her class, and assures me that all of the students will be ready for their first book club chat next Tuesday. I hope so, because I am very excited. 

Crazy comes home

I just finished Pete Hautman's Invisible.  It's a very interesting book that really gets you thinking from very early on in the narrative, but damn is the narrator ever crazy.  Certain things that happen to him really make you feel conflicted, but then, the idea that he's narrating and we, as readers, are only seeing his side of the story makes it really easy to just despise Dougie.  He really is an unlikable character, and I hate his dad's guts too. 

I find it odd that toward the end of this novel I was reading with great interest and really wanted to know what was going to happen, but the whole time I did not like the main character in the slightest little bit.  I think something can be said for writing an interesting book that has a main character that is so hard to empathize with.

Only for writing group...

James, Jessie, Nick, and Jackie-

Are we meeting?  I'm flexible.  I guess one question is whether the three J's have material to submit that we could read or whether ya'll want to wait another week?  My suggestion: people post their thoughts and Jessie makes an executive decision regarding the meeting.

Why didn't we exchange emails again?

c

Now to tap your brains . . .

I've been invited to speak at a high school.  I have done lots of author visits, but to my knowledge this is the FIRST author visit this school has ever had.  And it is not for lack of funds.  It is a very affluent high school, but their curriculum is so intense and full, they have no time for YA literature much less YA authors.  But they have a new librarian who is very keen on YA books and bringing authors to speak to students, so she is the one who has invited me.  They want me to speak about AROLS and writing.  I would love to talk to them about those things of course, but I would also like to plant a little seed (I can't be too pushy) to open the door for a lot of other YA books too. 

Anyway, I just wanted to get your opinions on the best way to approach this.  Just talk about my book and hope that it inspires them to seek out others?   What would be the ideal author visit for you--especially if you were at a school that never has authors come to speak?  (and especially what might inspire you enough to look into other YA literature for your students if you weren't familiar with it before?)  I will be giving four presentations in the library to two classes at a time, so it will be fairly small groups.  Any and all ideas welcome.

comic and graphic novel discussion

Last Thursday, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information on graphic novels I received during Professor Richards’ class.  She had Professor Washburn and Kenny give a presentation on comics and graphic novels and here is a little of what went on.

            They explained how the comic business matured during the eighties as comic book readers matured, which inspired longer and more sophisticated comic books (graphic novels) like Maus, Watchmen, and Batman: Dark Night Returns.  They provided examples of comics from the ‘70s, graphic novels from the 80’s and contemporary comics and graphic novels. 

They stressed the importance of comics and graphic novels in the classroom because of their appeal to kids, which could make more students life-long readers.  They discussed the appeal of the action hero to male teenagers and the popularity of Manga comics with female teenagers.  They showed and discussed comics that address feminist themes in the 70’s, openly gay characters today and comics that question the politics of war.  They also pointed out some themes, like eastern and western philosophy and accurate science, common in comics and graphic novels that students might miss out on in reading canonized literature.  I think it is important for students to get a taste of these themes and it seems traditional hero comics and graphic novels could be very effective classroom tools.  The speakers also called super-hero comics and graphic novels “American Mythology,” which could be an excellent supplement to teaching Greek Mythology.

Matt      

A question for Mary P.

Hi, Mary!  As you know, we finished reading AROLS and discussed it last Thursday.  An amazing book -- I found it difficult to put down and can only imagine how it might have impacted me when I was a young adult -- seems like a long time ago!  I teach at an alternative school and think Zoe would fit in just perfectly here.  In fact, I've seen many Zoes come and go throughout my short tenure.

Here's a question our group was still left with after our discussion: The narrator reports that Zoe's grandmother used to take Zoe and Kyle when they were small, and seems to suggest that she was very good to them, to both of them.  We wondered what happened between that earlier time and the present to change the grandmother into such a cold, hardened woman?

Thanks again for such a great read,

Jacqueline

Umm... Yeah... I Loved This Book

OK, it's Dave.  I just finished reading A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly, and I'm feeling the need to hug it and hold it tight and never let it go.  It is obviously a book written with a young female reader in mind, but that didn't stop it from filling me with these overwhelming feelings of sorrow, pride, anguish, resilience, and lots of other emotions in between.  Mattie's story is filled with self-realizations that lead her from being a 16-year-old girl who is totally unsure of herself to a 17-year-old woman who knows exactly who she is and where she wants to be in life.

Of course, this is a book about family struggles, about finding love, and about growing up.  Mattie is a plain girl who is shocked to find herself the love interest of the dashingly handsome neighbor boy.  She is torn between staying home to tend to her father and three younger sisters (her mother has died, and her older brother has run away) and leaving to pursue a higher education in a world where educated women are not held in high regard.  She go back and forth on these options for the entire book, with little epiphanies about herself constantly causing her to change her mind.  It was a confusing time to be a smart girl in the country, and this novel captures that eloquently.

Mattie was a great character, but her best friend Weaver is (in my opinion) the most powerful and uplifting person in the book.  I was not expecting a book about life in the Adirondacks at the beginning of the 20th Century to tackle, so heavily and so poignantly, an issue like racism.  But Weaver's attitude and aspirations make him such an outstanding character.

And providing the backdrop for all this is the mysterious death of Grace Brown and the letters she gave to Mattie just before she died.  The story of Grace Brown and her letters, of course, is a real one with roots right here in Cortland.  Mattie's reading of Grace's letters, and her piecing together of just what exactly happened to Grace, are just what she needs to put everything about her own life into perspective.

I do this book no justice with the elementary way I can write about it.  Read it when you get the chance.  It's fairly lengthy, but it's worth it.  Trust me.

I'm back in Cortland

Hey everyone!  Sorry I missed class last week, but since it was my week off from school I went out to California to meet some friends and drive up the coast.  We started in LA and made it up past Eureka to the Redwood National Forest.  It was a great time but unfortunately I did not have much time for reading.  I'm trying to get myself back on track.  I did finish AROLS on the flight out there.  I enjoyed the book and liked the connection of Zoe's addiction to the room with her mother's addiction.  We all are like our parents whether we like it or not.  I will start reading Code Talkers for the group this Thursday.  Maybe you guys can fill me in on what our little book club will discuss, Chris?  I haven't had a chance to listen to the podcast yet but I'm looking forward to it, perfect that there is a record of the class I missed. 

A Certain Slant of Light

 

   Lit Circle:  A Certain Slant of Light.  (Jack, Arminda, Dawn, Chrissy)

Here are some of the items that we may consider adding to our folder on Laura Whitcomb's novel.

A Certain Slant of Light   This should take you to a political blogspot.  It's fascinating how the glaring words of Emily Dickinson have transcended poetry and meddled in politics.

In case you didn't catch that last reference, I'll inform you that the title of Whitcomb's novel was taken from an Emily Dickinson poem.

In Emily's poem, there is mention of "cathedral tunes," which I associate with Gregorian chants.  The following link should take you to a site on the aforementioned subject.

Gregorian Chant

Matchbox20  This beautiful and airy link should lead you to lyrics.com where you will search for Matchbox 20's songs, "Kody," and "Shame," both of which can be found on their 1996 album Yourself or Someone Like You.  Talk about self-discovery!

Of course, we are still searching--and open to ideas.

If the links do not link, then I prefer to be quartered.

Thank you for your attention.

There must be something we could do with the bathtub.

PS  Y'all should get excited about our circle.  We are cool, hence the circle will also have to be cool.

Hasta Luego--not to be confused with Ciao--you know who I'm talking about.