Talk about the kidlit you're reading!

romancewriter

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Messages
472
Reaction score
22
Location
Illinois
Latest reading list - Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan, would have liked a chance to reread it but I had to take it back to the library. Still a bit on the fence about it. I didn't dislike it, I'm just not sure how much I did like it. He changed this latest series from the original Percy Jackson, which I've heard he did intentionally. First two books of the Heroes series were fairly similar in tone, but the third seems a bit different. Or is that just me?

Anyway also reading James Patterson's Maximum Ride series. I've read those a bit of out of order, but I've mostly enjoyed them. Not a big of fan of so many super short chapters, but still not a bad story.

Next up is the latest in the Warriors series, the one about Yellowfang. Still a bit disappointed they didn't put Stormfur and Brook in the last Warriors book. I also have their new book about the dogs in my TBR pile. Couldn't get into the Seekers books, so I'll have to see how I feel about this series.
 

Smish

Reads more than she writes.
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Messages
8,636
Reaction score
3,087
Location
in the Bouncy Castle
I liked Mark of Athena. It was written in the same style as the first two books (third person, from the point of view of various characters).

The new series is written very differently than the original Percy Jackson series, but I've enjoyed it a lot.

As much as I like the Percy Jackson books (enough to own all of them and to buy them as Christmas gifts for others...), I only read the first book of the Kane Chronicles. I can't say anything good about that book.
 

deblyfe

Registered
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Location
South Florida
I just started Savvy by Ingrid Law. It's a Newbery Honor Book. I can't wait to get to Windblowne by Stephen Messer afterward. Each is MG and has fantasy/magic aspects.

I am reading Savvy because the story is based in our normal world despite the magical talents of the MC and her family. I want to see how this is accomplished.

I want to read Windblowne because I am curious about the MG voice used and find a story involving kites as they are here to be interesting.
 

sissybaby

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 22, 2008
Messages
2,699
Reaction score
626
Location
somewhere, out there
I thought Savvy was very well written.

Last night I read Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry. I thought I'd already read it, but didn't remember it once I got into it, and ended up reading the entire thing. I found it to be quite fun, and a far cry from The Giver.
 

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
9,090
Reaction score
2,165
Location
Lost Angeles
I just picked up "Red Sails To Capri", which won the Newbery back in the 50s, I think. The plot was kept to a minimum, and the end was a bit anti-climactic, but it was a nice demonstration of how to write a book that's almost all dialogue. The dialogue is really engaging, but written weirdly with reverse dialogue tags (calling the other person by their first name instead of doing "he said"). The story is set in 1820s Italy so I suppose it works.
 

killdeer

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
175
Reaction score
34
Location
Seattle
Maniac MaGee by Jerry Spinelli: This one's evidently quite famous, though I had never heard of it until coming to this forum. (I don't know as much about MG fic as some posting here...) This was pretty neat. It's an odd sort of book... it's told in omniscient voice, and the narrator treats the exaggerated stories that kids tell about each other as mythic truth... then mixes that with poignant true-to-life situations. So the ability to un-knot knots is treated as a magic superpower, while the bulk of the book is about families (good and bad) and racial tensions.

Spinelli includes some fairly long straight-up descriptive paragraphs which are just lovely. It's also interesting to look at some of his chapters in terms of showing-versus-telling, because I think the idea circulates that showing is automatically always superior. But this book uses a fair bit of telling to good effect.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger: The weirdest kid in class makes a finger puppet and claims it can answer any question, and people start to believe him. This was cute, funny, and a quick read. The kids felt younger than sixth graders to me, but that might just be b/c I'm not around sixth graders enough. One of my favorite chapters was about a kid learning to keep his temper while batting at softball. One thing... as an adult, the extent to which the weird kid struggles actually made me squirm a bit, even in the context of a comedy.
 

killdeer

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
175
Reaction score
34
Location
Seattle
I love Spinelli.

I'll definitely be looking for his other books!

Meanwhile, I read "When you Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead: This was excellent, but at times I found it a tough read. So much of it has this undercurrent of unhappiness. It's told in first person from the POV of a girl who is anxious, unhappy, and doesn't like herself very much. Part of it stems from a falling-out with a friend, but it goes beyond that. There's also an undercurrent of anger and jealousy over the sharp income difference between her and some of her classmates. These attitudes pervade about four fifths of the book. The book was worth it, but I definitely prefer a little more humor and warmth.
 
Last edited:

SheilaJG

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
1,635
Reaction score
560
Location
Northern California
Reading The Vengekeep Prophecies. I had trouble getting into it, but it's getting better. It's about a family of thieves, but they're good people, they only steal from rich or slightly rich people. So that makes it okay, because . . . hard working successful people can afford to lose things that are dear to them. Yeah, not sure that works for me. I love thieves who are thieving for a greater good (Robin Hood, Eugenides . . .), not as their chosen occupation when there's no good reason for it.

It may just be my pissy mood. Also, today I was at B&N and they asked if I wanted to donate a book to Toys for Tots. Let me get this straight, I told the lady, You want me to be charitable in a way that makes you money?? I love charity, and I love books, but this just struck me as very self-serving on their part.

Like I said, I'm easily annoyed at the moment, not sure why.
 

Britwriter

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 1, 2011
Messages
495
Reaction score
35
It may just be my pissy mood. Also, today I was at B&N and they asked if I wanted to donate a book to Toys for Tots. Let me get this straight, I told the lady, You want me to be charitable in a way that makes you money?? I love charity, and I love books, but this just struck me as very self-serving on their part.

Do they give the books at cost? I should hope so!

We do some volunteering for Toys4Tots. As a result, one of my many ambitions for if I ever win the lottery will be to donate a ton of books each year, for the older kids. There is always a wide choice for little kids, but very little for the tweens, and almost nothing for the teens. I guess people like buying picture books, but don't get the same pleasure buying MG or YA.

Last year someone was so bothered by the lack of good books for teens that he went out to B&N on the day and bought out their entire stock of Hunger Games, so every teen in our neighborhood got a copy. I have to say, I wondered if they'd all have already read it, but there you go. At least they got a book.

So, if anyone does donate to a gift drive, think of the older kids! Volunteering for Toys4Tots certainly made me think differently when I'm asked for a donation. :)
 

SheilaJG

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
1,635
Reaction score
560
Location
Northern California
That's good info, Britwriter. My kids' school does a toy drive and they say the same thing - the older kids kind of get the shaft.

I'm not sure if they sell the books at cost, but even so, it's not costing them anything, and yet they think it makes them look good. Now, if they donated a book for every book purchased, that would be something to brag about. I suppose they are giving the organization exposure, and I shouldn't be so judgmental. Books are being given to needy kids, and that's a good thing.

It's really weird how irritated I am. I do not like it. Every little thing seems to annoy me - my son's whistling, my husband snapping his fingers, the neighbor's dog barking. Arg. What is wrong with me?
 

Britwriter

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 1, 2011
Messages
495
Reaction score
35
Yes, I agree. It also seems every time you pay in a store, they ask you if you want to add a dollar for a good cause. I hate sounding mean, but some folks can't afford to spend an extra ten bucks a week on top of their budget.

But on the toy drives, I'd rather give a book than a trashy plastic toy that will end up in a landfill. Trouble is, though, that you are picking for someone else, and last year I wasn't sure that every teen in our town would be thrilled with Hunger Games. But at least it was a book. The teens bags were so empty compared to the little kids, it was sad.
 

sissybaby

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 22, 2008
Messages
2,699
Reaction score
626
Location
somewhere, out there
I know it's not kidlit, but has anyone here read The Glass Castle? Just heard a brief synopsis from someone and thought it sounded bizarre.

Killdeer - you're choosing very good books to read. Good for you.
 

Smish

Reads more than she writes.
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Messages
8,636
Reaction score
3,087
Location
in the Bouncy Castle
Someone gave me a copy of that book, sissy, but it's been sitting on my bookshelf unread...
 

killdeer

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
175
Reaction score
34
Location
Seattle
Killdeer - you're choosing very good books to read. Good for you.

Thanks--I really owe the forum for my good choices! People's recs have been great. But more than that, forum posters clued me in that it is important to pick some recent titles instead of just rereading all my childhood favorites.

I'm currently working on Zahrah the Windseeker. I love the setting and the characters, but I'm struggling with the writing style. It's.... sort of deliberately dreamy, and manages to feel slow paced even in the middle of action scenes. I would rec it to the right reader, but not to everyone.
 

MsJudy

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Messages
5,673
Reaction score
1,440
Location
california
On thursdays, I work our after-school program for at-risk kids. Mostly, it's helping with their homework, but if they finish, I have the kids read to me.

So I had the pleasure of listening to one of the Star Wars: Clone Wars early reader books. Oy.

The entire thing was one long plot summary. All tell, no show. Not one line of dialogue. Not one action scene. The big battle was distilled into about four sentences. Great images like, "So-and-so escaped."

Amazing the crap that can sell, as long as there's a cartoon character on the cover.
 

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
9,090
Reaction score
2,165
Location
Lost Angeles
On thursdays, I work our after-school program for at-risk kids. Mostly, it's helping with their homework, but if they finish, I have the kids read to me.

So I had the pleasure of listening to one of the Star Wars: Clone Wars early reader books. Oy.

The entire thing was one long plot summary. All tell, no show. Not one line of dialogue. Not one action scene. The big battle was distilled into about four sentences. Great images like, "So-and-so escaped."

Amazing the crap that can sell, as long as there's a cartoon character on the cover.

Question is, did the kid enjoy it? My little autistic friend could read those things (Star Wars easy readers) all day every day, and spend all his non reading time rapturously talking about them. To him, short summaries of Star Wars plots are literally the finest form of prose available on earth. Kids also go wild for such dubious amusements as graphic novels about ninjas made out of Lego who turn into magical spinning tops, anything that promises to feature farts prominently in the plot, and anything remotely related to fairies, no matter how crappish.
 

sissybaby

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 22, 2008
Messages
2,699
Reaction score
626
Location
somewhere, out there
Last night I started reading A Dog Called Homeless - debut novel for a writer named Sarah Lean.

I couldn't put it down, so I read til the wee hours, but it was amazing. I cried and laughed and was so wrapped up in her characters.

Family lost the mother a year ago on dad's birthday. The little girl is really struggling, but so is dad, but he doesn't want to talk about it. She's missing her mother so much, but he just can't get past his own grief to help her. Then magical things begin to happen - not magic as in fantasy, so much.

This woman is one of my new favorite authors. I hope she has more in her because I am definitely a fan.

By the time I finished it I was too wound up to sleep, so I started The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech. A little odd to get into, but now I'm liking it.

So I got pretty much no sleep last night and I'm feeling like a zombie.
 

MsJudy

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Messages
5,673
Reaction score
1,440
Location
california
Question is, did the kid enjoy it? My little autistic friend could read those things (Star Wars easy readers) all day every day, and spend all his non reading time rapturously talking about them. To him, short summaries of Star Wars plots are literally the finest form of prose available on earth. Kids also go wild for such dubious amusements as graphic novels about ninjas made out of Lego who turn into magical spinning tops, anything that promises to feature farts prominently in the plot, and anything remotely related to fairies, no matter how crappish.

Oh, I'm not arguing the value of those books. The kid who read it was thrilled with it, had already read it twice, and got 100% on his AR quiz on it. Since he's at least a year below grade level, it was a definite win.

I just find their approach interesting. Because the kiddo would have found it just as fascinating if, for example, Ashoka and Ventris had actually spoken to each other, even if it was only a few lines of stilted, simplistic threats.
 

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
9,090
Reaction score
2,165
Location
Lost Angeles
Oh, I'm not arguing the value of those books. The kid who read it was thrilled with it, had already read it twice, and got 100% on his AR quiz on it. Since he's at least a year below grade level, it was a definite win.

I just find their approach interesting. Because the kiddo would have found it just as fascinating if, for example, Ashoka and Ventris had actually spoken to each other, even if it was only a few lines of stilted, simplistic threats.

Oh good :) Maybe they don't have writers, maybe they hire someone to use a computer program to pare down a tv episode summary into extremely simple text? Which I agree is distressing from an authorial point of view.

I started See You At Harry's, which is soooo good. I'm loving everything about it so far. The MC and her brothers are all named after famous literary child characters--Charlie, Fern, Holden, and Sara :D The library shelved it in YA because it has A Gay Brother, but the MC is 11 and thinks boys are yucky, so I believe it is mis shelved.
 
Last edited:

playground

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 31, 2011
Messages
1,404
Reaction score
138
I'm on the fourth Fablehaven book. I'm enjoying this series immensely.
 

sissybaby

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 22, 2008
Messages
2,699
Reaction score
626
Location
somewhere, out there
For the last three nights we have read Santa Duck, The Christmas Bears, and Four Friends at Christmas. I must say that my favorite by far is Santa Duck. Unfortunately, little miss won't let me read just the ones I like.