Children's Books discussion
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Reader Chat II (Feb 2015....)
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As Lasky says in the dedication: "In celebration of children, whose boundless curiosity gives them a right to know their history on Earth."
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I am reading A Hitch at the Fairmont, a very cute, somewhat humorous children's mystery featuring Alfred Hitchcock assisting a tween boy find his kidnapped aunt.
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www.bartleby.com
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We have done quite a bit of reading this summer, especially together. We have in particular been reading from the list, and then mostly the older books. Some of these were childhood friends of mine already, others were books considered classics among the English speaking, but which I was not familiar with, including Edward Eager's Half Magic, Nesbit's Five Children and It, and Roald Dahl's Matilda. Among the ones I knew as a kid already were the Little House on the Prairie books and Mary Poppins. When I read Mary Poppins as a child (and I read it several times, plus the two following volumes a couple of times), I always felt a little detached from it, as if I couldn't quite penetrate the book. Picking it up again so many years later I was still stunned by the coldness of the narrator's voice, but this time I was able to put it into the context of what I have learned about P.L. Travers since then. It doesn't make me like the book any less, but - and expecially when compared with the Walt Disney movie - it's really not always a jolly, nor loving, "feel-goody" book, yet it contains a lot of insights into both children and parents. Very interesting.
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I always felt that the Disney version of Mary Poppins was a bit too jolly and feel-good for my tastes, especially considering that the book is not thus, and in my opinion, much more realistic in that respect.
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I'm still not sure how much I like the Mary Poppins books, but I have always thought the movie much too treacly except for the dancing.
Of course, Disney studios made just about everything more sweet & jolly than the original intent. Winnie-the-Pooh, Peter Pan, Cinderella... :sigh:
Sorry. I shouldn't rant here. :)
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I'm still not sure how much I like the Mary Poppins books, but I have always thought the movi..."
I think what annoys me most is the fact that P.L. Travels specifically asked Walt Disney himself to not make the movie sickly sweet, to also incorporate some of the darker elements of Mary Poppins' character, but he did not listen and simply ignored her (kind of rude and presumptive, since she was the author, and it supposedly also really soured her not only on Disney but also the United States).
message 61:
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Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs
(last edited Sep 07, 2015 10:24AM)
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We've also started on the Moomin books. I did that a bit half heartedly, because I'd never read them in English and I was concerned they wouldn't translate well and thus ruin the experience for my son. Indeed, it took some for me to get used to the flow and cadence of the English translations we got at the library. I also wasn't sure in which order to tackle the series. As a child I read them in non chronological order, starting with #3, that's how the series are usually translated. And the Comet (#2) is a bit dark and ominous. Didn't matter in the end, we read Comet in Moominland (#2), immediately followed by Finn Family Moomintroll (#3) and my son loved both equally. The latter is more lighthearted, but they are both earnest and serious, and funny at the same time, just the way I remembered them. Some of the characters in the series are positively annoying, such as Sniff, the Muskrat, Hemulen, the Snork just for starters, but they are always met with such forgiving attitudes and kindness by the rest, that it eventually starts rubbing off on you. And the books are permeated with unmatchable matter-of-fact optimism. A very rewarding re-read for me.Ultimately the stand out books for my kid this summer have been the Moomin, Half Magic (which he liked intensely), Matilda and his newly discovered Asterix series, which he is gobbling up at the rate of 1-2 volumes a day …
Gundula wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "I'm so happy for you that you've been able to have special time together catching up on some classics!I'm still not sure how much I like the Mary Poppins books, but I have always t..."
I enjoyed the movie Saving Mr. Banks with Tom Hanks as Disney and Emma Thompson as Travers. The actual recorded voice of Travers making her thoughts known in no uncertain terms over the end credits was a delight.
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I'm still not sure how much I like the Mary Poppins books, but..."
I hope that is available on DVD.
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I want to like the Moomin stories, but I just couldn't get into them. Perhaps it's something better appreciated if read for the first time when young. In previous discussions here and elsewhere I've learned that The Secret Garden, The Phantom Tollbooth, and The Neverending Story are more likely to be enjoyed if the reader is young....
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I want to like the Moomin stories, but I just couldn't get into them. Perhaps it's something better appreciated if read for the first time when young. In previous..."
I have always loved the Moomin stories (in German translation, I wish I could read Swedish to read them in the original). However, when I tried reading them in English, I could not get into the rhythm of the writing style, and found even some of the wording and vocabulary did not fit, or rather, did not feel that they fit for me.
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I want to like the Moomin stories, but I just couldn't get into them. Perhaps it's something better appreciated if read for the first time when young. In previous..."
I find that I get differnt aspects and insights out of The Neverending Story as an adult. For me, having read the book when it first appeared and before the movie (which I absolutely hated), helped a lot (I also have never read the book in English, which I should perhaps do).
I decided I'd wait on the Gayle Forman book and read an old favorite instead. So far, Wonder is still as good as I remember.
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I just read Journey from Peppermint Street. This is, at least for me, the opposite of the books I mentioned above. I doubt very much if I would have liked it if I'd read it when I was a child, but I found it moving and engaging now.
I'm now reading Ramona Quimby, Age 8. It doesn't seem like the type of book that usually wins prestigious awards.
I do like it, but it seems like a weird choice for Newbery.
I do like it, but it seems like a weird choice for Newbery.
Steve wrote: "I enjoyed the movie Saving Mr. Banks with Tom Hanks as Disney and Emma Thompson as Travers..."I would heartily recommend it as well. It aptly describes the enormous clash between Travers' vision and Disney's. It's out on DVD, in fact I borrowed it from my public library a few weeks ago.
Cheryl wrote: "I want to like the Moomin stories, but I just couldn't get into them. Perhaps it's something better appreciated if read for the first time when young..."
Interestingly, I developed a much deeper appreciation for them as an adult. I reread them in my early twenties. I had moved abroad, but back at my parents house sifting through my old books I came upon them and ended up reading the five that I had all back to back. By then I perceived them both as more thoughtful and as more funny. And now, as a parent, I'm probably catching even more details. I feel closer to Moominmamma and I emphasize better with poor little Sniff.
One of the books tho I really struggled with as a child. I made several attempts at Moominpappa at Sea before I managed to finish it. As an adult I however loved it and even wondered if it might be the best of the bunch. So, I actually don't think there is an age limit on them. As for getting into them or not, I think one obstacle might be the language, another might be the culture. You may need a leap of faith to appreciate the candidness of the books which are "light" fantasy, with hints of "scary", the main themes being friendship, kindness, tolerance and contentedness, and the type of homely contentedness expressed in the books is, I believe, very fundamentally Scandinavian, when compared with for instance the American culture of "go getters" (which I don't mean to use as offensive in any way, of course).
Cheryl wrote: "I just read One Beetle Too Many: The Extraordinary Adventures of Charles Darwin and enjoyed it even more than I hoped I would. Good for science reports and biographies ..."By the way, we had this one at home a few months ago, and when I first opened it I was a bit daunted by the amount of text. I sneakily pushed it into my husband's hands, for him to read aloud, because honestly between the two of us he is the bigger nature/science nerd. But when he started reading it to my son I couldn't help but listen. It was so interesting, and told in such an engaging way. So, yes, despite the lengthiness of it I would absolutely recommend it to anyone with interest in Darwin, or evolution, or biology ...
I recently read both The Secret Garden and The Neverending Story and enjoyed them very much. I must admit I never saw the film of NES, which probably helped. Haven't re-read Phantom Tollbooth since I was a kid (I enjoyed it then, but it's never been an all-time favorite), but I just got the annotated version: The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth and am looking forward to exploring that soon.
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A lot of people really enjoyed the film version of NES, but it only covers the first part of the novel, deviates quite a lot from the same, and the author (Michael Ende) really really despised the movie version as well. If you are ever interested or tempted to watch a movie version of The Secret Garden, the only one, that in my opinion, comes even remotely close to the novel, is the 1975 BBC version, which is available on DVD (the more recent American version, I totally despised).
Yes, I have heard good things about the 1975 Secret Garden, but I haven't seen it yet. The decision to do only the first half of NES for the film kind of destroys the whole concept of the novel, so I'm not surprised that Ende got turned off. A shame, because I would have loved to have seen a good faithfully adapted film version of Momo. After NES, he probably put a clause in his will that no films whatsoever are to be made.
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The decision to do only the first half of NES for the film kind of destroys the whole concept of the novel, ..."
I am glad that I found out that the film covered only the first half before the movie came out. I refused to see it, because, as you have pointed out, only covering the first half destroys the entire concept of the novel.
I think there is a relatively good film version of Momo, but I don't know it it was ever released in North America or Great Britain (dubbed or with subtitles).
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Did you find Momo? Suspense is killing me :-)
I loved The Neverending Story movie as a child....watched it over and over. Read the book while in college and loved it even more than the movie. I am sure it helped that I saw the movie first...as a little girl I didn't realize there was a book.
I think I am still looking for the right category to post a review request. I don't want to break any rules so wanted to ask this.Steve
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Steve"
Steve, the author section is toward the bottom of the group home page, if you scroll down. It is called Authors'/Publishers Promotional. There you can create your own topic about your book and that you would like to request reviews.
But remember, that any kind of review swaps are not allowed according to group rules (which means that while you can request reviews, you are NOT allowed to swap reviews with others, like a positive review for another positive review, or offer any kind of payments and the like or gifts for a review). I would actually seriously consider rereading the rules for self promotion before creating your topic just to make sure you are abreast of all of the rules, as going against the rules will most likely cause your topic to be deleted and could create friction (rules are posted at top of the authors' section).
Just click on group home page and then scroll down slowly until you reach the author's section. Create your own topic about your book and that you want readers to read the book and post a review. When you click on the title of the section (authors/publishers promotional), you will see a list of all of the topics so far, and to create your own topic, click on the green new topic icon and proceed.
Also, if you have any questions regarding the process and the rules for self promotion, I would simply send a PM to one of the moderators.
Gundula wrote: "Steve wrote: "I think I am still looking for the right category to post a review request. I don't want to break any rules so wanted to ask this.Steve"
Steve, the author section is toward the bo..."
Thanks Gundula!
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Steve"
Steve, the author section ..."
I hope my explanation worked for you. If not, I would definitely suggest posting a PM to one of the moderators.
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message 88:
by
Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs
(last edited Sep 17, 2015 08:35PM)
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I'm reading
The Thing about Georgie by Lisa Graff and I expect to recommend it highly to fans of
Wonder.
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I'm reading Salvage. The writing seems to move between "normal/understandable", "hillbilly", and
'stereotypical dystopian". But I like the plot. :)
'stereotypical dystopian". But I like the plot. :)
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I'm reading What the Birds See by Sonya Hartnett. Intense. The MC is nine, but the story is disturbing enough I wouldn't recommend it to younger than 13 I think.
I just read Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Librarywhich I thought was a really enjoyable read. It pays homage to a lot of great books, incorporates puzzles and was just a lot of fun. If you like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this might be one you enjoy. (I am not a huge fan of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but I really enjoyed this book.) My 5th grade daughter is reading it right now and really liking it. Apparently, one of the 6th grade teachers at my school read it to her class last year and they LOVED it. I'm reading A Tale of Highly Unusual Magicright now and so far it is quite enjoyable as well.
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Other children's SF (fairly recent):
The Search for WondLa
A Hero For WondLa
The Battle For WondLa
The Lost Planet
The Stolen Moon
I have read all of these and can vouch that they are very good.
I have read almost all of William Sleator's books; I really liked "Interstellar Pig," "Green Futures of Tycho," and "The Boy Who Reversed Himself."
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Boom!
Earthling! (graphic novel)
The Arctic Code
The Fourteenth Goldfish
Stepsister from Planet Weird
What We Found in the Sofa and How it Saved the World
The Wells Bequest
SPHDZ (this is a series with about 4 books in it)
Happy Reading!
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Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Arctic Code (other topics)The Fourteenth Goldfish (other topics)
Earthling! (other topics)
Stepsister from Planet Weird (other topics)
Boom! (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Monica Hughes (other topics)William Sleator (other topics)
Adam Rex (other topics)
Michael Perry (other topics)
Sonya Hartnett (other topics)
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I'm glad (but not surprised) that your presentation went well. I bet the audience was glad to get something a little different, too.