Monica Edinger's Blog, page 69

Heavy Medal Guest Post: Jonathan Hunt on SECOND CHANCES

Another guest post from Heavy Medal blogger, Jonathan Hunt:

Did we discuss a book before you had the chance to read it? Or maybe we covered it, but didn’t give it its just due? Well, here’s your second chance to chime in on some of the books we’ve mentioned earlier.

CROW by Barbara Wright . . . We lumped this book with THE LIONS OF LITTLE ROCK and WE’VE GOT A JOB for a civil rights-themed post, but perhaps this one wasdeserving of its very own. It remains the hardest luck title in terms of best...

Jacqueline Kelly’s Return to the Willows

I was very dubious. I’m such a fan of Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows with Ratty, Mole, and Toad and their adventures. The book has always seemed a sort of old boy’s adventure, “old boy” in the sense of those of a particular class and who went to British boarding schools and messed around in the countryside just as those delightful characters do on the riverside. So when I heard that Jacqueline Kelly was working on a sequel my immediate reaction was why? Those original characters ar...

Heavy Medal Guest Post: Jonathan Hunt on UNDER THE RADAR

When I saw that one of my favorite seasonal blogsHeavy Medalwas having an emergency hiatus,I invited them over here until they were able to resume operations. They liked the idea and so here is Jonathan Hunt with his latest:

December can be an interesting monthbecause you might get the impression that we think there are only a dozen books worthy ofdiscussion as we go back through our shortlisted titles. But, not to worry, there are still many booksout there that we have not taken the opportuni...

The BEST Way to Teach Classical Writers and Books

I love today’s Nerdy Book Club post, Melissa Williamson’s “Tales of Adoration $ Appreciation.” In it, Melissa describes her passion for Edgar Allen Poe and how she successfully communicated that passion to her students. While as teachers we want to encourage our students to find their own passions as readers I feel there is a place to also model and share ours with them just as Melissa did with her students. She used her own enthusiasm, comics, visuals, public speaking, and more to excite her...

Really, really, REALLY interesting piece on narrative nonfiction

“Three R’s of Narrative Nonfiction” over atthe New York Times today, by a writer of adult narrative nonfiction, addresses the same issues we grapple with when considering narrative nonfiction for youth (and are especially considering it over at Heavy Medal). Be sure to read the comments.

NYT on ‘Fairy Tales From the Brothers Grimm,’ by Philip Pullman – NYTimes.com

“Fairy Tales From the Brothers Grimm,” then, is effectively an album in which a gifted contemporary composer covers classic songs. As Mr. Pullman notes, an enormous relief and pleasure “comes over the writer who realizes that it’s not necessary to invent: the substance of the tale is there already, just as the sequence of chords in a song is there ready for the jazz musician.” And his repertory is undeniably first-rate. These stories, honed through generations of tellers, are the survivors of...

What to Tell the Children

My heart goes out to everyone affected in the horror that happened yesterday in Connecticut. Like others I feel a profound sadness, a sickness of the spirit.

Seeing discussion about what and how and if this should be discussed with children elsewhere I wanted to provide my perspective for I’ve had a couple of firsthand experiences helping my 4th grade students through something unfathomably horrible. The first was 9/11 and the second was when a high school student jumped out of a 12th floor wi...

Thank You, Scaredy Squirrel!

Likesome others I was the fortunate recipient of a Scaredy Squirrel gingerbread house kit and thought it would be fun for my afterschool club of Book Bloggers. And so last week those 5th and 6th graders, long time fans of the cautious rodent, took a stab at it. Sadly, their results while tasty were not quite as…er..attractive or long-lasting as others. Check out their post to see what happened, their resourceful alternative, and their review of the new bookhere. Thank you, Scaredy and Kids Ca...

Great Elizabeth Wein Interview

‘So in order for Julie to believe, I had to make the reader believe it, too.’

From UK blogger Bookwitch’s interview with Cody Name Verity authorElizabeth Wein – Careless Talk Costs Lives. (Warning: read the book before the interview.)

A Secret Society’s Code Cracked

Today I came across a fascinating article about the breaking of a real-life ancient secret society’s code: “They Cracked This 250-Year Code, and Found a Secret Society Inside” and it made me think of a book I recently finished,Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Book Store.