2012 Summer Reading Challenge

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Thanks!!

[Debbie]

Ann wrote: " (I didn’t have any books or authors that I’ve read and enjoyed that fell under X—sorry."

If you have read the Orson Scott Card Ender series, one of the books in it that I enjoyed was Xenocide. For the expanded challenge this summer, I suffered through a book called The Xanadu Adventure by Lloyd Alexander. It's a YA book so a pretty fast read. I don't recommend it for anything other than getting an X.

If you need a Z, read Zorba the Greek by Kazanzakis. I read it many years ago in college and enjoyed it.

[Mary]

I finished the summer reading challenge. My list:

V - Vanderpool, Clare - Moon Over Manifest
E - Edenbrooke - Julianne Donaldson
R - Roth, Veronica - Divergent
S - (the)Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Han
E - Evans, Richard Paul - The Road to Grace

[Debbie]

Mary wrote: "I finished the summer reading challenge. My list:

V - Vanderpool, Clare - Moon Over Manifest"

What did you think of Moon Over Manifest? I really enjoyed it.

[Mary]

Debbie wrote: "
What did you think of Moon Over Manifest? I really enjoyed it."

I also really enjoyed it and thought that it was a worthy winner of the Newbery Medal. I only wondered if it would be as well received by the audience that it was meant for (children). It seems like a book that might be more appreciated by older readers.

[Ann]

Just a heads up: I've posted September's Reading Challenge for those of you who like to get a jump on things, but the Summer Reading Challenge will still run through August 31.

[Debbie]

Mary wrote: "Debbie wrote: "
What did you think of Moon Over Manifest? I really enjoyed it."

I also really enjoyed it and thought that it was a worthy winner of the Newbery Medal. I only wondered if it would..."

In libraries, "children" covers a wider range of ages than you and I mean when we say "children". I think, although librarians can correct me, that it might include through Junior high and maybe even into high school "children". I know teens are included to at least some extent in the definition of "children". For instance, in 1978 the Newbery winner was Bridge to Terabithia. Its subject matter is certainly Jr High or higher reading level.

[JoAnn]

JoAnn wrote: "My August Challenge: Finish the alphabet based on books read already this summer:

A - Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey.
Anderson, Hans Christian. The Snow Queen.
B - The Black Tulip. Dumas
..."

I finished the alphabet today!!!!!

Now to check out the September Challenge!

[Mary]

Debbie wrote: "Mary wrote: "Debbie wrote: "
What did you think of Moon Over Manifest? I really enjoyed it."

I also really enjoyed it and thought that it was a worthy winner of the Newbery Medal. I only wondere..."

That is certainly true that children's literature can be interpreted to cover all ages until adulthood. However, the Newbery medal is generally(not always) given to books written for a grade school audience, and there are seperate awards for Young Adult fiction (Printz award). As a general rule of thumb, children and teenagers prefer to read books where the protagonists are their age up to a few years older. In Moon Over Manifest the protagonist is twelve years old, and thus the target audience for this book is children 12 and under(roughly 4th-7th grade). While I was reading it, I couldn't help but wonder if this book would appeal to the many children I know who are in the target age group for this book. I may be wrong, but I felt that this book would probably be too deep and slow-paced for most children that I know in that age group. It doesn't take away from the beauty of the book at all, and hopefully I am underestimating children of that age! That is all that I was trying to say.

[Debbie]

Mary wrote: "However, the Newbery medal is generally (not always) given to books written for a grade school audience, and there are seperate awards for Young Adult fiction (Printz award)."

True. For me, by the time I was in 6th grade, I had read all the books in my small town library's Children's Department that held any interest at all for me. The library was an old Carnegie Library and that department was in the basement. We were not allowed to be up in the adult section until high school, which in my town was 10th grade. So I stopped reading. So glad those stupid rules are gone now. But take heart, I made up for it. In my senior year in high school (1969-70) I read War and Peace. Took me the whole year but, even after all this time, I still remember pieces of the story. That was before I learned that War and Peace is unreadable!

[Myra]

Velde, Vivan Vande : Heir Apparent - finished 8/6
Erebos : Poznanski, Ursula - finished 8/5
Resnick, Laura : The White Dragon - on hold at the library
Scalzi : Old Man's War - finished 8/12
Epic : Kostick, Conor - finished 8/21

[Jennifer]

Debbie wrote: "Mary wrote: "Debbie wrote: "
What did you think of Moon Over Manifest? I really enjoyed it."

I also really enjoyed it and thought that it was a worthy winner of the Newbery Medal. I only wondere..."

It's been a while since library school, but I believe that the Newbery covers books for kids up to age 14 and the Printz is for teens 14 and up. I've often thought that the Newbery is really aimed at middle-aged librarians who love children's lit (and that's who picks the winners) but that's just me. I was pretty thrilled when The Graveyard Book won, because I thought that was a book that most kids would actually want to read. However, I've know kids who loved each of the different Newberys. Even I, Juan de Pareja. :-)

[Ann]

Our Summer Reading Challenge is drawing to a close. Congratulations on all the awesome reading you have all been doing this summer.

If you have completed the ‘verse reading challenge just let me know by Friday, August 31, to be included in the drawing. (Make sure that your account settings allow me to see your profile and send you a message. Also, it is helpful if you indicate in your profile whether you live in or near the Salt Lake area so I know whether you are able to come in and pick up your prize book at one of our libraries.)

[Jenny]

I've finished now. Here is my list, spelling out Universe (but obviously including verse).

U--Underwood, Deborah...The Quiet Book, COMPLETED
N--Nelson, Kadir... Heart and Soul, COMPLETED
Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folk Tales, COMPLETED
I--Isop, Laurie. How do you hug a porcupine, COMPLETED
V--The Vacation by Polly Horvath, COMPLETED
Verne, Jules The Mysterious Island, COMPLETED
E--Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Mariel Barbery--COMPLETED
R--Raiders Ranson, by Emily Diamand, COMPLETED
Rubin, Gretchen, The Happiness Project, COMPLETED
S--Sijie, Dai. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, COMPLETED.
Sweet Dates in Basra. Jessica Jiji. COMPLETED.
The Submission. Amy Waldman. COMPLETED.
E--Elephant Scientist. Caitlin O'Connell. COMPLETED.
Eight Keys. Suzanne LeFleur. COMPLETED.

[Debbie]

Ann wrote: " it is helpful if you indicate whether you live in or near the Salt Lake area"

I'm already on the "completed" list. I am frequently at the Taylorsville (formerly Park) library.

[Mandy]

I'm done!

V - Divergent, Veronica Roth
E - Fifty Shades of Grey, EL James
R - The Radleys, Matt Haig
S - The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
E - Angelfall, Susan Ee

I live in Draper and I'm at our Draper library every week :)

[Mandy]

PS - I agree that the "E" was FAR more difficult than I would have thought!!! It's amazing how you never notice that some letters just aren't used that much for the beginning of words and/or titles!

[Jana]

I am on the completed list, and I go to the Magna library weekly (at least). Thanks!

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Done! I ended up rereading Eats, Shoots and Leaves for my second E.
(Of all the letters, you wouldn't have thought E would give us trouble!)
I go to the Magna Library too. :)

[Debbie]

duz we haz a winnerrrrr? my biped is kureus.

Signed,

Ariela, queen kitteeeh

[Jackie]

I am sure it is not me, as my luck was all used up in my book club drawing, ;0) but I would love to know who won....

[Ann]

Sorry for the wait on the winner everyone. I have not forgotten. I was out of town.

Our winner for the Summer Reading Challenge is Jana. She read:

V - Villette by Charlotte Bronte
E - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
R - Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
S - The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
E - Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie

[Jackie]

OOOH! So close.

[Jackie]

Congrats, Jana!

[Jana]

Oh my gosh! I am so surprised and so excited! Today happens to be library day for us, so it's perfect timing! Thank you!!

[Debbie]

Congrads, Jana!!