Monica Edinger's Blog, page 124

Exquisite Corpse Adventure 13: The "Lost" Episode

"Where are we?" whispered Nancy.

"When are we?" Joe wondered.

M. T. Anderson takes readers into wonderful weirdness in the latest episode.

The Latest from the Battle of the Kids' Books

We are thrilled with Karen Macpherson's article, "In this 'March Madness,' literally playing by the book."

And over at the Battle site we have an Open Ceremony that beats the Canadians' hands-down (says somewhat prejudiced-me)!

In the Classroom: A Smattering of Nonfiction

As a participant in  Share A Story- Shape a Future here I am with some surefire nonfiction hits for the classroom.

When it comes to independent reading, my students tend to prefer fiction; however, they do love compendiums, biographies of intriguing people, and other sorts of works of nonfiction. For example, a couple of years ago I had a student who avidly and exclusively read Horrible Histories.  I'd pick up a few when in the U.K. and he read those and every other one he and his...

The Hunger Games' Victory Tour

If you have not done so, do stop by the Battle of the Kids' Books to see last year's winner on her Victory Tour.  She's got some important advice for this year's contenders.  It is all done as a comic and we are pretty darn proud of it!

The Victory Tour Begins

The Hunger Games Visits the Rest of the 2010 Contenders

Alice, Dodgson, and Algebra

There was the oddest op-ed piece in yesterday's New York Times,  "Algebra in Wonderland" by Melanie Bayley.  She feels that Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll), who was a math tutor at Oxford's Christ Church College was with his famous story creating, "…a mishmash of satire directed at the advances taking place in Dodgson's field."  Having read the book perhaps 4o times (since 1990 I've read it aloud every year to my class) I know it incredibly well. I've also read a lot about what could...

Thoughts on Newbery: The Design Thorn

Each book is to be considered as a contribution to American literature. The committee is to make its decision primarily on the text. Other components of a book, such as illustrations, overall design of the book, etc., may be considered when they make the book less effective.  (Newbery Terms & Criteria)

Betsy Bird has just thrown down the gantlet with her spring 2010 Newbery/Caldecott predictions. One on her list is Deborah Wiles' forthcoming Countdown, a book I've already raved about...

Tim in Underland

I saw the Tim Burton Alice yesterday in IMAX 3-D and I'm neither thrilled nor annoyed.  Despite the lavish look it was pretty meh for me, I'm afraid.  I went in knowing it wasn't Carroll's story and so that was fine. But the story it was didn't hold together very well for me.  There is Alice missing her father, the adventurer, and then taking his place at the end. Good enough. But the business of her becoming engaged at the beginning in a Carrollian-absurd-way?  And was the Hatter meant to...

The Nursery Harry

As I do every year,  I'm reading aloud Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  And as I also do every year, I showed my class The Nursery Alice, Lewis Carroll's cringe-inducing attempt to adapt his story for "Children aged from Nought to Five."  After regaling them with a few choice bits I told them I'd take a stab at The Nursery Harry and so, with apologies to Ms. Rowling, here's the beginning:

ONCE upon a time, there was a little boy called Harry.  Would you like to hear his story?

Well, his...

A Few Fun Alice Tidbits

Some newer visitors may not realize that this blog is named after my favorite book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  I've been a Carrollian (yeah, that is what we obsessed call ourselves) for a long, long time.  I teach the book yearly (am reading it aloud to my class right now, it so happens.)  And so I am getting quite a kick out of the current Alice frenzy due to the Tim Burton film opening tomorrow.  My Lewis Carroll Society pals are getting quoted all over the place, Barnes & Noble's g...

A Matter of Life or Death

Today, over at the Battle of the Kids' Books,  we opened the Undead Poll.  One book gets to come back from the Underworld to fight another day in the finals.  Be sure it is your favorite — go on over and vote now!