Talk about the kidlit you're reading!

I just read Moon Over Manifest. I loved it by the end. The one weakness was that I didn't feel the present-day story was as compelling as the flashback story. I was usually just trying to get through the present sections to find out what happened next in the past. But overall, I thought it was fantasic.

JoyMC said:

I just read Moon Over Manifest. I loved it by the end. The one weakness was that I didn't feel the present-day story was as compelling as the flashback story. I was usually just trying to get through the present sections to find out what happened next in the past. But overall, I thought it was fantasic.

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Humiliating confession: I could not get through Moon Over Manifest. It just didn't grab me enough to keep reading. Joy, I had to laugh at the idea of skimming through the present to get to the past.

RuthD said:

Humiliating confession: I could not get through Moon Over Manifest.

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If we're making confessions, I put down Okay for Now because it was too depressing.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Oh, Joy, it gets so much better. Yeah, it's really depressing, I'll admit, but watching this boy find himself, and then to see the family begin to heal because of his efforts, makes it all worthwhile at the end. I even found myself laughing out loud several times before I finished it.

For all it's darkness, this book is one that will always stay with me. But I understand how distressing it can be.

All right. I placed another hold. I'll give it until 25% (that's Kindle speak, as I no longer think in pages ).

JoyMC said:

All right. I placed another hold. I'll give it until 25% (that's Kindle speak, as I no longer think in pages ).

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I know, right?

I'm reading Understood Betsy, which was published in 1917, and has held up remarkably well! The text is available free online. I'm loving the book so much I put a review up on my blog even though I'm only at 84%. Learning about the author, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, was really interesting.

She had a sense of humor, too. One of the chapters is entitled: "If You Don't Like Conversation in a Book, Skip This Chapter."

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/canfield/understood/understood.html#110

Just finished The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. I didn't think I would like it at all, but I did. And I know my son will love it if I can get him to start it.

But I have a question? I keep hearing show, don't tell, especially in this age group. To me, this book seemed like mostly telling. Am I wrong? Do I completely not understand the concept? It worries me.

Maybe it's just because of the style of the story - but if it works in one case, why not in another? I notice more MG books seem to be written in this type of style, so it obviously appeals to some kids.

Someone help me understand where I'm being dense, please. I'll gladly listen.

No, I totally agree. It shouldn't work, but it does.

I guess it has a lot to do with voice. Because the chapters are short and funny, and the voices are strong and distinctive, somehow it works.

"Telling" doesn't work when it's boring. That's the main problem. Usually telling turns something interesting into something flat. But books like Origami Yoda and Wimpy Kid aren't boring, so the telling is okay.

I guess...

It's still not my style, and I don't think I could pull it off even if I tried.

Thanks, MsJudy. I thought maybe I just didn't understand the concept.

I agree. I can't write that way - not and make it work. But I'm glad others can, because it gets my kid to read on his own.

I'm currently reading Winnie Years - Eleven. After this, I'm going to go on and read Ten.

I really like the simplicity of how she portrays how torturous 6th grade friendships can be for girls.

Britwriter said:

I'm currently reading Winnie Years - Eleven. After this, I'm going to go on and read Ten.

I really like the simplicity of how she portrays how torturous 6th grade friendships can be for girls.

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I love, love, LOVE this series. I've read Ten, Eleven, and Twelve, and I just picked Thirteen up from the library. It is so dead-on for what I experienced at those ages. Enjoy!

JoyMC said:

I love, love, LOVE this series. I've read Ten, Eleven, and Twelve, and I just picked Thirteen up from the library. It is so dead-on for what I experienced at those ages. Enjoy!

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That's how I feel - it's totally spot on. It's amazing how good writing can transport you back to some time in your life that you had forgotten until that moment. Yesterday I got an urge to put Eleven down and travel back through time to slug a few classmates from my own years in middle school!

sissybaby said:

Just finished The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. I didn't think I would like it at all, but I did. And I know my son will love it if I can get him to start it.

But I have a question? I keep hearing show, don't tell, especially in this age group. To me, this book seemed like mostly telling. Am I wrong? Do I completely not understand the concept? It worries me.

Maybe it's just because of the style of the story - but if it works in one case, why not in another? I notice more MG books seem to be written in this type of style, so it obviously appeals to some kids.

Someone help me understand where I'm being dense, please. I'll gladly listen.

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Another thought on this, after reading a bit of Blake Snyder's Save the Cat.

He divides stories into 10 genres, and one of them is The Fool Triumphant. Forrest Gump is a good example. And I think Origami Yoda is another in that style--the sequel, Darth Paper, is even more so.

And those types of stories tend to be more episodic. After all, the Hero/Fool isn't trying to accomplish anything. He's just going on about his life, being himself, doing things differently from everybody else. The problems all come from outside, from the people who think nobody should be that happy doing things differently. So they try to prove that the fool really isn't okay--but in the end they are defeated, without the fool really having to do anything but keep being himself.

The key to making it work, besides voice, is having a Hero/Fool character that the reader can really relate to. And a kid with an Origami Yoda puppet on his finger is definitely one of those!

I just started The Lemonade Wars today, and can't put it down. Jessie just makes my heart ache, particularly as I've worked with gifted kids and seen the hurt and confusion that they can suffer firsthand. Yet people usually think they are so lucky.

I'm really interested in the mom, but nothing much has been said about her yet. Maybe it won't be, but I want to know more about her....

Britwriter said:

I just started The Lemonade Wars today, and can't put it down. Jessie just makes my heart ache, particularly as I've worked with gifted kids and seen the hurt and confusion that they can suffer firsthand. Yet people usually think they are so lucky.

I'm really interested in the mom, but nothing much has been said about her yet. Maybe it won't be, but I want to know more about her....

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Oh, enjoy! Recommending it to you reminded me I hadn't read The Lemonade Crime yet, so I read it over the weekend. I liked it -- not quite as much as the first one, but it's good. And there's a third one coming out in May!

Oh, I'm onto the Lemonade Crime next. Awesome! I'm fighting my daughter for Lemonade Wars today, she wants it, but I want to finish it first. My older daughter just grabbed I'm an Evil Genius from me too. I need to learn to hide my books until I've read them!

I'm trying to get the boy/girl voice thing down by reading boy and also boy/girl MG, and wow, it's fun. I love this job.

I happen to like "The Ranger's Apprentice" series, however I only read book one and hope to get the second book for my kindle. I think it's an interesting concept, dealing with rangers instead of just knights or wizards.

I finally started reading Dianna Wynne Jones and finished "A Charmed Life" quite witty, and fresh. I really want to read "Howl's Moving Castle" though.

Of course, I am re-reading one of my favorite books of all time "A Wrinkle in Time".

I just finished War Horse. I read it to my kids, and it took just 2 days start to finish. They were begging me to read on at 11pm.

I thought it was great. I was worried that it would be too harrowing, but it really wasn't. They want to see the movie now, but I'm not sure. Anyone read the book and seen the movie, and can give an opinion on how they compare?

I'm now reading them I am an Evil Genius, and I want to be your Class President, which they love. It's a little old for them, and parts go over their heads, (phew), but they think it's the funniest thing they've ever heard. I've already read it, but am very happy to read it again. It's just so original and fresh.

Yipee! My copy of the Absolute Visions arrived. Of course, I first read Sage and Tim's stories - they were fantastic. Omg, Tim - re:WTFWTFWTFWTF????? I spit out my coffee. So funny.

But I think the next version should come with an index of the author's real name, and their AW name.

SheilaJG said:

Yipee! My copy of the Absolute Visions arrived. Of course, I first read Sage and Tim's stories - they were fantastic. Omg, Tim - re:WTFWTFWTFWTF????? I spit out my coffee. So funny.

But I think the next version should come with an index of the author's real name, and their AW name.

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Haha! Awesome, Sheila! I did a little cleaning and found my copy of Rinkitink in Oz. I can't remember anything about that story and so will have to dive in right away!

I've been reading lots of Titanic-setting books for a blog post and my favorite is Dangerous Waters, An Adventure on the Titanic by Gregory Mone. It uses one of the actual passengers on the ship, a rare book collector, and builds the story around him, a stowaway and a book thief. So far, it's really good.

My fave Titanic book is A Night to Remember by Walter Lord. So good!