The Newbery books of 1975- M.C. Higgins, the Great - D&A December 2021

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Come join us to discuss the Medal Winner,
M.C. Higgins the Great by Virginia Hamilton
and/or the Honor books:
Figgs & Phantoms by Ellen Raskin
My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier
The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope
Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe. by Bette Greene

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

All of these are available on openlibrary.org, as scanned discarded copies, thus preserved and made available free of charge.

I'll imagine that I'll probably be reading Greene's and Raskin's first, as those are the ones that I actually own.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

It really is quite the assortment this month; I hope you each find at least one you enjoy!

By the time these were promoted in the schools, I was already of an age to be outgrowing juvenile fiction. When I was in teacher training, we were still discussing My Brother Sam Is Dead, but the others are only vaguely familiar titles to me.

Do you remember any of them?

[QNPoohBear]

Blast from the past. I sure do remember all these except Figgs & Phantoms from the library. Whether I read them all is another story... I DID read The Perilous Gard but not until adulthood and I think I read it twice without remembering it. I PROBABLY read Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe.. I know the title but I can't think of the story.

I did not read My Brother Sam Is Dead. My class read April Morning but I believe Sam was required reading in my younger siblings' classes or maybe one of the other classes in school.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I am def. interested in all of these. Unlike most years, in which there has been at least one book I chose to avoid.

[Phil]

MC Higgins is one of those really weird Newbery winners that I kind of respect for its creativity but would never recommend to a child. I do appreciate that Virginia Hamilton was a pioneer of African-American children's literature.

On that topic, Philip Hall Likes Me was an important book for a while, but probably not anymore. There was a time when it was one of the only books with an African American girl on the cover. Given that Bette Greene is white, a lot of people nowadays would decide that a book by an African American author is more authentic. Personally, I thought the book was pretty good and I have used some of the short stories instructionally, especially the one about the turkey thieves.

I have a special memory of My Brother Sam Is Dead. My 5th grade teacher would sometimes allow me to do the read-aloud because I loved it and she could go grade papers or something. I read a bloody part of the book out loud (I think it described a decapitation or something) in a very exaggerated voice that disgusted the other fifth graders. My teacher took over the read aloud again after that...

I'd like to have a look at Figgs & Phantoms soon, and I've always wondered what a Gard is and what makes it Perilous.

[Beverly, former Miscellaneous Club host]

When I read MC Higgins, I disliked it thoroughly. Besides being weird, i found it extremely tedious and boring.
I loved Perilous Gard, but its been many years since I read it, and I am planning to re-read it, though perhaps not this month.
I have never read Figgs and Phantoms, but am a fan of Raskin, so I hope to have time to read that sometime.
I also have never read Philip Hall and don't plan to.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I can't appreciate Figgs and Phantoms. Young me wouldn't have been able to, either. But I've always been more literal & logical, never a fan of the absurd. I dunno, maybe if you like Hitchhiker's Guides or Monty Python you'd like it more?

Hope to start the others soon.
(Several big good Books of the Month in my various groups!)

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Just starting My Brother Sam Is Dead. I'm finding it interesting that the narrator is the younger brother who is very naive about the confusing claims and ideas leading up to the revolution.

Sam is of course a rebel/patriot. Father yells at him for being a traitor. We 'know' the Patriots were the good guys, and that Freedom was the right choice. But Father's arguments seem to make sense. "[Y]ou never get rid of injustices by fighting. Look at Europe, they've had one war after another for hundreds of years, and show me where anything got any better for them."

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Cheryl wrote: "Just starting My Brother Sam Is Dead. I'm finding it interesting that the narrator is the younger brother who is very naive about the confusing claims and ideas leading up to the revo..."

I have not read My Brother Sam is dead, but I definitely totally agree with the father’s arguments, and his allusions to Europe are spot on. And let’s face it, violent revolutions lead to countries that promote and celebrate violence and anger (and more revolt and revolution, I mean look at the US Civil War and what happened after the French and the Russian Revolutions).

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I've finished, and it turns out to be a very challenging book. There is back matter, which ends on the question of whether the US could have gained freedom without so much violence, and an invitation to the readers to try to think hard about it.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Halfway through M.C. Higgins' story. I do not appreciate the default cover, but prefer the one I got: . So far I am bored to the point of fatigue, except when I am disturbed.

I am not disturbed so much by the rough 'games' he plays with his father; I see his father's point that the kids need to be raised to be tough. But I am disturbed that this big tall boy "hunts" a girl (young woman) as she explores the wilderness, to the point where he cuts her and almost rapes her. And that he doesn't want his friend to skin a rabbit, because he prefers to slice it and peel it off himself.

I guess the way that they are raised, mother working very long hours as a housekeeper, father day labor, kids alone all day most days, under a mining spoil, etc... would have an effect on their outlook.

I find it interesting that they lie to the "dude" from the city who comes to record mother's singing. I understand lying to anthropologists, but dude is Black, and M.C. at least has high hopes he'll help them get what they do want.

It does make me wonder how many lies were spread irl to John and Alan Lomax, the WPA, Foxfire, and other preservationists.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Ok, closer to done. Now the author is lying to us about hoop snakes and milk snakes. Both myths! (There is a milk snake, but it doesn't steal from cows. Just mis-named.)

I see that some reviewers call this 'weird' and imply that it's a difficult read. I do agree that the part where the boy is remembering a birthday isn't clearly marked off as a memory and it did confuse me for a bit. But other wise it's clear enough. It just takes place in such a limited timeframe, and place, and mostly inside M.C.'s head, too. So it's different. Enlightening? Maybe.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Done. Terrific for the right audience. I may have been that, at another time... perhaps when I was studying to be a teacher, or when I was home with my first-born son. Now, well, I just couldn't click with it.

We have already read The Planet of Junior Brown by her, and will be reading some more by Hamilton later. Her work is valued. My memories of what else I've read before are too vague to say anything except that I have tried... I look forward to doing so again.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Finally starting The Perilous Gard (on openlibrary.org). The Perilous Gard is an old but remodeled castle, and the setting is Derbyshire, England, in the mid 16th century.

At first I thought it was going to be court intrigue/historical fiction, but at about 1/4 in it seems to be more of a mystery with some vibes of the supernatural (though our heroine is very logical and thinks of the superstitions as nonsense).

I'm still not sure that I'll finish, but I will read further.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Well. Done. Not sure what to think. I think maybe that young me would have loved it. Quite a bit of *Tam Lin*, some New Testament, and a smidge of *The Taming of the Shrew.*

The girl rescues the boy, you see, and the whole land in the process. And learns to be more graceful and ladylike, as well as brave and intelligent. And the boy seems worthy, I think.

I actually do recommend this, even to you and your students, Phil.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Cheryl wrote: "I've finished, and it turns out to be a very challenging book. There is back matter, which ends on the question of whether the US could have gained freedom without so much violence, and an invitati..."

I remember My Brother Sam Is Dead from my youth; lots of homeschoolers back then read it, though I didn't. It sounds like it's still quite worth reading. Not of interest to me right now, but will keep it in mind, especially when my kids get older.

I've had The Perilous Guard on my to-read list for ages. I'm not feeling compelled to read it just now, but your review makes me interested to pick it up eventually, Cheryl. The old castle and supernatural elements make me think it might be a good read around October.

I don't recognize any of the others on the list.

As usual, I appreciate the comments on this thread, even when I'm not participating in the group reads. Thanks!

[Beverly, former Miscellaneous Club host]

Cheryl wrote: "Finally starting The Perilous Gard (on openlibrary.org). The Perilous Gard is an old but remodeled castle, and the setting is Derbyshire, England, in the mid 16th century...."

As I mentioned above, I remember loving this story. I am hoping to have some time to re-read it soon.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I think my vote for Winner would have gone to My Brother Sam is Dead. Perilous Gard is great fun & somewhat educational, but it is, after all, set in England, so is not "American" nor "exotic."

(Yes, I know that the Newbery criteria says only that author must be American, but I would, if I were on the committee, opine that we don't need even more English historical fiction.)

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Cheryl wrote: "I think my vote for Winner would have gone to My Brother Sam is Dead. Perilous Gard is great fun & somewhat educational, but it is, after all, set in England, so is not "American" nor "exotic."

(Y..."

So why should the winner be American themed or exotic themed but not European themed? What matters for me with a novel is how said novel is written, if the author does a good job and often not really where the novel is set (but yes, I personally do have a soft spot for historical fiction set in the British Isles or in Western Europe, but they do have to feel authentic).

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Well, it's an award for American authors, so I think of it as an award for American books, for American children. Other countries have their own awards. I know not everybody will agree with me, of course. And I'm not saying PG isn't a good book. I just have a certain opinion and I hope that others can recognize it, even if they don't agree with it. That's all.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Cheryl wrote: "Well, it's an award for American authors, so I think of it as an award for American books, for American children. Other countries have their own awards. I know not everybody will agree with me, of ..."

I was just saying what my own preferences are.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Manybooks wrote: "...So why should the winner be American themed or exotic themed but not European themed? .."

Sorry, I saw a question mark and assumed an answer was requested.

[QNPoohBear]

I skimmed Figgs & Phantoms . It's definately weird but I can see why it was a hit with the Newbery committe. You have teen angst/not feeling like she fits in with her eccentric family. That's something I could relate to - still can. I swear I'm the only normal person in my family. More importantly it deals with the issue of grief, extreme grief and what happens when we die.

So far I don't find the characters likable. I don't approve of Florence and Mona's method of aquiring new books and some of the language should have been corrected in this later edition. Chapter 2 can still get the point across without using the word "midget." (One of my best friends has a daughter who is a little person and she absolutely HATES that word.) Joseph Conrad's book has an unfortunate title but at least Mona recognizes that word isn't appropriate to say and feels bad saying it but it didn't have to be written out.

I have yet to read the entire thing in detail. I'll be reading more in just a minute.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Oops, I just realized that I never reported in on Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe., nor did I write a review for it.

I remember that it was mostly fun, which is refreshing in historical fiction, esp. that focused on such topics as "The Black Experience" etc. I especially like how Beth and her father dealt with the turkey thieves. And as for the main theme, I hope girls don't play dumb to let boys that they're interested in feel superior anymore. I guess I'm giving it four stars.

[QNPoohBear]

Figgs & Phantoms is an odd book and for sure one that adults would want kids to read. It holds up aside from some fat shaming and sizeist bullying. It has a message in the end about the importance of friendship and community and not being so obsessed with one person. The relationship between Mona and Uncle Florence was very sweet and touching. I relate to Mona, being the only normal person in my family of high drama crazy people and being socially awkward and not fitting the conventional mold, looks-wise. I feel for her very much and my heart just broke for her as I began to understand what was going on.

I'd like to know what the books mean. How did Fido interpret them so quickly? He didn't get all the way through before Mona became sick. Is Capri just a dream/figment of her imagination or is it real? Is it a figment of Uncle Flo's imagination? It seems to be whatever a person makes it and in Uncle Flo's mind, he's normal sized, more handsome and has the simple, loving life he always dreamed of. There's no place for the living in Capri, nor should there be.

This book is heavy stuff and worth a read, perhaps in the classroom for discussion.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I agree that it would be fun to discuss Raskin's odd creation with others irl, in real time... it's got a bunch of symbolism and subtlety, but even more it raises a lot of questions.

[QNPoohBear]

Cheryl is busier irl atm. wrote: "I agree that it would be fun to discuss Raskin's odd creation with others irl, in real time... it's got a bunch of symbolism and subtlety, but even more it raises a lot of questions."

Maybe in a philosophy class! At miniumum an honors English class 8th grade or 9th grade. I can't see kids reading it for fun though.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I certainly see your point!

I can imagine a few kids just giggling at the absurdity of it though. I know that there are books that I loved as a child even though I had no idea of any depths in them... one of the things that can make a work great is that it can appeal to superficial readings as well as careful ones. Not that I think Figgs &.. is great, though, I will admit.

[Phil]

Cheryl is busier irl atm. wrote: "Sam is of course a rebel/patriot. Father yells at him for being a traitor. We 'know' the Patriots were the good guys, and that Freedom was the right choice. But Father's arguments seem to make sense. "[Y]ou never get rid of injustices by fighting. Look at Europe, they've had one war after another for hundreds of years, and show me where anything got any better for them."

This book was published in 1974. Everyone at the time was processing the Vietnam War. That probably explains the ambivalence that you noticed.

[QNPoohBear]

Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe.

I liked this story enough to read the whole thing in one sitting. I probably did read it as a kid but have no memory of it. It was tough to read at first with country dialect and a bit of sexism. I hated the way Beth sought Philip's attention all the time. He's a typical tween boy! Of course he behaves hot and cold to her. I liked Beth better once she had a goal in mind and stopped obsessing about being second best. I liked that the sexism was confined to the kids and no adult ever told Beth that she couldn't because she was a girl. The understanding she came to with her sister was interesting too and reminded me of Mary and Laura Ingalls (beautiful vs. smart).

The problem with this novel is that it's written by a white woman about Black characters. There's an absence of racism. While it's nice to see a thriving Black community, I HIGHLY doubt that was the reality in small town rural Arksansas in ... whenever the book takes place. It felt period to me but when I'm not sure. 1950s or 60s maybe?

This is a pleasant book but not what I would call Newbery worthy. Not even Honor worthy. It's forgettable.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Phil reminds us to think of the context of the times it was written. I wonder if that casual little story about Beth was simply one of the first to show "colored" people that "white" kids could relate to. And to let cocoa and caramel and coffee children see that they counted, that they deserved representation in books, too.

And significantly not in gloomy or hard-luck stories, which we have seen an awful lot in Newbery books until now. The heroes are white, the victims are black, in much of the older literature. That's not necessarily accurate to all experiences. Some did thrive, facing smaller & less frequent incidences of racism than we sometimes are shown.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Interesting article from Tor.com
https://www.tor.com/2022/04/27/the-bo...
The Books We Read as Children Always Change Us — Let’s Embrace It by Kali Wallace

from her comments about The Perilous Gard:
"But this is not a story about court politics. It’s a story about fairies and how strange and terrifying they can be....

At the very end of the novel, after Kate has escaped the fairy realm, rescued her very grumpy Tam Lin, and returned to the mundane world, she does not expect a romantic happily-ever-after, because romances don’t like look whatever she and her love interest have going on. She didn’t save him with fierce devotion alone, after all; she saved him by making fun of him so much that his annoyance broke the fairy spell (#couplegoals). And the Queen of the Fairies, who has been thwarted but not defeated, takes advantage of this, as fairies as wont to do, by offering Kate a love spell.

Kate refuses, because she knows that love must be freely given to be genuine,..."

Wallace also writes about The Grey King, Dealing with Dragons, A String in the Harp, and A Wrinkle in Time.