Monica Edinger's Blog, page 61
June 17, 2013
Tom McNeal’s Far Far Away
Tom McNeal’s just out Far Far Away is getting some well-deserved buzz so I figured I would post my brief goodreads comments, written after reading it (and liking it quite a lot) a few months back.
A very unique read, sort of spooky, definitely creepy as it goes on. With one notable exception, the characters are-not-quite Grimm characters, but nearly. The book is filled with Grimm tropes and you think the author is going to take you in somewhat predictable fairy-tale directions and he doesn’t....
June 16, 2013
Pippin Now and Then
Yesterday on a whim I got a ticket for the matinée of Pippin(which took home a clutch of Tonys last Sunday) and it was money well spent. In particular, Patina Miller and Andrea Martin were fantastic as were all the acrobatics and other circus-centered actions. (I was especially impressed with a very casual-in-passing-knife act in the middle of one number and…Andrea Martin….boy oh boy!). There was even a Lucy-like-dog* at one point.
The original production was playing when my family moved to th...
June 15, 2013
Reading Literature Makes Us Smarter and Nicer
Gregory Currie, a professor of philosophy at the University of Nottingham, recently argued in theNew YorkTimesthat we ought not to claim that literature improves us as people, because there is no “compelling evidence that suggests that people are morally or socially better for reading Tolstoy” or other great books.
Actually, there is such evidence. Raymond Mar, a psychologist at York University in…
June 13, 2013
June 11, 2013
Blank on Blank’s Animation of a Sendak Interview
I’ve just come across the organizationblank on blankthat “…take journalists’ raw interviews and transform them with music, sharp editing, and storytelling.” Yesterday, to honorMaurice Sendak’s 85th birthday, they pubished thethe following animation of an interview he once did. Have to say,I’m not wild about thejuxtaposition of their drawing with Sendak’s –-what do you all think?
June 9, 2013
In the Classroom: Reading Together and Alone
Donalyn Miller’s post “Let My People Read,”is about the sad reality of assigned summer reading that so many kids get. I’m with her 100% on the need to leave kids alone to read whatever they want over the summer. In fact, I’m happy to see more media attention given to the research indicating that the best way to keep kids reading over the summer is to give them books. Next week is our last of the year and I’ve got a book handpicked for each of my students to read (or not as they chose) over th...
June 7, 2013
More about the Mysterious New Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical
I have been following closely the development of the newCharlie and the Chocolate Factory musicalin London. So far the publicity has been very limited: a vague teaser trailer, others featuring the talk of creators, some of their prep,and preview audiences, some costume sketches, and interviews.
A few weeks ago there was somenegative media attentionto their casting call for a non-white actor which has now been removed, but they are clearly stilllooking for kids with particular characteristics....
June 6, 2013
Nice SLJ Write-Up of Last Week’s Candlewick Preview
Lastly, we got a special treat: one of our own, Monica Edinger, Dalton School teacher and blogger atEducating Alice, spoke about her new book,Africa Is My Home. Telling the little-known story of the real-life children aboardAmistad, this labor of love was thirteen years in the making for Edinger. She uses primary source materials and archival images to drive the story home; accompanied by illustrations from Robert Byrd, this is an emotional and rich book. The room was so supportive of Edinger...
June 5, 2013
Coming Soon: Kathi Appelt’s The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp
Unlike the somber tone of Appelt’s previous two novels (Keeper and The Underneath — I’m a fan of both), The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp has a much lighter sensibility along with her signature folky and entertaining third person omniscient storyteller. This is the tale of a swamp in peril of being paved over by a couple of nefarious types who made me think of Carl Hiaasen’s, of a son and mother with a small cane sugar pie business threatened by those aforementioned meanies, some charmi...
June 2, 2013
Bunnies ‘n Tiaras
So let’s start with the bunnies. While Battle Bunny (my review here) isn’t yet out, its fiendish villain has already received a movie treatment thanks to the always brilliantPink Me.
As for tiaras, dust yours off for this year’s Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet where everyone who is anyone will be heading down the red carpet all decked out in attire celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Caldecott Award. Need a little help figuring out what to wear? No need for Stacy and Clinton — there’s Bet...
