Talk about the kidlit you're reading!

me, neither. maybe I should. I'm reading something about familiars, can't recall the title right now. The only book on the sofa with me is a Wimpy Kid book, and that's not it.

It's about a cat and a bluejay and a tree frog that have to save their wizards, or loyals, as they're called.

I actually took Half Magic back to the library half read...

Hmmmm...

MsJudy said:

I actually took Half Magic back to the library half read...

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Sounds like kind of a half-a**ed attempt.
I've got half a mind to stay up late tonight and finish it.

My favorite part of "Half Magic" was the visit to Arthurian Britain. I thought that Eager particularly handled well the explanation for why Camelot fell, without directly bringing up the love affair (which would be tricky for a children's book - although if you read the tournament scene closely, there are hints about how Lancelot and Guinevere feel about each other); Agravain, Mordred, and their friends were fed up with Lancelot always unhorsing them in the jousts and figured that if they could have him disgraced, they might be able to win the prize for a change (and certainly get some revenge). I do get the impression from Malory that that was why they were so keen on exposing Lancelot's affair with the queen.

I wonder if anyone here's read one of the sequels, "Knight's Castle", in which the descendants of the MCs in "Half Magic" encounter Ivanhoe, Richard the Lion-hearted, and Robin Hood (the other classic medieval British legend).

I love Knight's Castle! Anything by Edward Eager makes me

last night we finished reading the entire Harry Potter series out loud to our daughter, after starting in June. read the whole thing, straight through. here and there my husband and i tag-teamed it, so i missed a few parts (though i've read them before) and wow. what an awesome experience. reading them is one thing. reading them out loud is another. and reading them out loud to a child is pretty much the best thing ever.

I've read one of the half-magic books and liked it. It was well-written (though not terribly exciting).

Two days ago I hit the jackpot at my local used bookstore. I got two by Coville, a Sachar, Kate DiCamillo, and a bunch more good ones. I also picked up one of the Box Car Children books on a whim (it was cheap and the first book).

I read the first page of each and low and behold, I couldn't put down the Box Car Children. I read the whole thing in one sitting (finished about 2am).

I guess it goes to show, good writing never goes out of style!

The Box Car Children was my favorite book growing up!!!

I've been reading 100 Cupboards. It's pretty interesting so far. I also have Dealing With Dragons sitting on my shelf and waiting to be read. I can't wait!

I'm 1/2 way through Book one of The Unicorn Chronicles. There's a huge Dragon on the cover, but he hasn't appeared in the book yet.
So, I'm looking for a good Dragon book, might have to put Dealing With Dragons on the list. But with the self-publishing stuff, I won't be buying any new books for awhile.

I'm still on The Mysterious Benedict Society, and I'm still loving it. I can't wait for my daughter to read it so we can discuss.

question for the Edward Eager fans - i've never read any, but i happened upon SEVEN DAY MAGIC and THE WELL WISHERS at Goodwill. do his books follow any particular order? or can i read these without having read HALF MAGIC or his others?

thanks!

JoyMC said:

question for the Edward Eager fans - i've never read any, but i happened upon SEVEN DAY MAGIC and THE WELL WISHERS at Goodwill. do his books follow any particular order? or can i read these without having read HALF MAGIC or his others?

thanks!

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I don't know about "The Well Wishers", but "Seven Day Magic", while having a different set of MCs from "Half Magic", does include some elements from "Half Magic", enough for me to advise you to read "Half Magic" first.

(In "Seven Day Magic", the MCs discover a magic library book - which turns out to be "Seven Day Magic" itself; thus, the book exists in the very fictional world it depicts - that allows its reader to visit the worlds of other books. It brings the MCs into "Half Magic", just after the story ends, to take part in some new adventures involving the "half magic" charm.)

thanks!!! off to find Half-Magic before my trip on Friday!

JoyMC said:

thanks!!! off to find Half-Magic before my trip on Friday!

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I'd loan you mine, but looks like you're kinda far away...

Obviously we read what we love, but I also wonder if it hinders my writing. Currently I'm reading Winnie-The-Pooh again and absolutely love it. Also working my way through American Fairy Tales by L. Frank Baum.

I like Sacchar and love Gaiman and think Clive Barker's The Thief of Always is great, but I'm really drawn to the turn of the century stuff.

(I know there are no dumb questions, but...) Do you read for fun or to get insight into the market? Since I'm about 100 years behind because of what I like to read, I think I'm shooting myself in the foot. Especially if I want to take a shot at writing my first MG book.

Do you read for fun or to get insight into the market?

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Both. But I get hung up on certain genres. There are lots of books and authors that pass me by because they're in a category I just genuinely don't enjoy and can't get into, so I avoid them. I figure if I'm reading for enjoyment, then I'll stick to stuff I like and if I'm reading for market insight, I'll stick to genres similar to my ya wip.

RuthD said:

I'd loan you mine, but looks like you're kinda far away...

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thanks for the thought!

AnthonyPearson said:

(I know there are no dumb questions, but...) Do you read for fun or to get insight into the market? Since I'm about 100 years behind because of what I like to read, I think I'm shooting myself in the foot. Especially if I want to take a shot at writing my first MG book.

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sort of both. i read what i love, both new and old. i try to read a lot of what's current, or at least start it. but if i start it, and it's not my thing, i don't force myself to read it, in the same way that i'm not going to force myself to mimic it in my writing. (and i'm not going to force myself to read a classic, just because it's a classic.) if your writing style is classic/old-fashioned, that's okay. it can still find its audience. have you read The Penderwicks?

JoyMC said:

have you read The Penderwicks?

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Never heard of it, but I've got a fully charged e-book at my disposal that is a favorite little toy of mine. Will check it out!

Though nothing beats flipping pages, technology doesn't bug me too much neither. (and that is a subject for a much different thread than this one...so I digress)

AnthonyPearson said:

Never heard of it, but I've got a fully charged e-book at my disposal that is a favorite little toy of mine. Will check it out!

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yes, one of the things i love best about my Kindle is the Try a Sample feature. it has allowed me to read a bit (and often a sizable chunk) of what's current and see if it's for me. that's how i figured out that the Twilight and Percy Jackson books were NOT for me. it's also how i was surprised to find myself completely engrossed by The Underland Chronicles.

JoyMC said:

last night we finished reading the entire Harry Potter series out loud to our daughter, after starting in June. read the whole thing, straight through. here and there my husband and i tag-teamed it, so i missed a few parts (though i've read them before) and wow. what an awesome experience. reading them is one thing. reading them out loud is another. and reading them out loud to a child is pretty much the best thing ever.

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This is a fond memory for my family. My oldest is 16, then 12 and I read all the books to them and my husband. Our little one is 3, so still too young, but I really look forward to reading them to him someday.

The Ninth Ward - by Jewel Parker Rhodes

Don't miss reading The Ninth Ward by Jewel Parker Rhodes. This is a brand new excellent quick read about a 12 year old girl 'with the sight' being raised by her Mama Ya-Ya in New Orleans. It's the story of their experience in Hurricane Katrina. Don't miss this. I loved it!

Thanks, Daisybun, for the heads-up. I'll check it out.

Last night I read Because of Winn-Dixie again. I love the simplicity of the language and the richness of the message.