Monthly Archives: December 2010

Library events

Grant funding

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I received great news in the mail the other day: the local Cultural Council approved grant funding of the January program in almost the full amount requested!  I had made a modest request this year, knowing that the state cultural council funding has dropped quite a bit, and I was very, very pleased to learn that our local Cultural Council is willing to support the program that I chose for this year.

The program will be a Magic Show by Bonaparte, on an early release Wednesday in January.  Bonaparte is terrific (he has done one other show at the library in my tenure), and I’m thrilled that he’ll be returning in January.  Many, many thanks to the Cultural Council, and to the Friends of the Library, for supporting this great event!

Book groups, Children's book reviews

Regarding the Fountain

Just finished reading Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise, the book that we’ll be discussing in this Tuesday’s meeting of the fifth grade book group – and I’m very, very pleasantly surprised.  The book is fresh and funny and clever, with just enough mystery to keep the reader fully engaged (and feeling a little intelllectually superior to the slow-to-figure-things-out characters).

The book was chosen for the group by one of its members, a well-read young lady with an old soul.  She promised us, quietly and with a sly smile, that we’d really like the book, and several times when she’s been in the children’s room she has said to me, with a twinkle in her eye, that she can’t wait to discuss the book she chose.  All a bit cryptic, but now I get why she was being so coy about the book.  It’s unique, a rare thing these days in children’s literature.

Without giving too much of the book away, because I’m sure I enjoyed it ever so much more for knowing absolutely nothing about it, I’ll share a few tidbits about it.  As the subtitle tells us, this is “A Tale, in Letters, of Liars and Leaks.”  The letters are an assortment of faxes, memos, notes, and friendly letters, and the reader would be well-advised to pay attention to all the details of the letters as they read.  Letterheads, names (oh, especially the names), and dates all matter in this story.  A group of fifth grade characters write many of the letters, as does their teacher, the school secretary, and the principal.  Also writing are our two villains, and the mysterious fountain designer Florence Waters (Flo for short).  As I mentioned above, there’s a touch of mystery, which I won’t give away, and lots of friendships forming and flourishing via the pen. 

You’ll have to trust me when I say it’s delightful, and that you should read it.  As an extra incentive, there are fabulous illustrations by the author’s sister, M. Sarah Klise, that remind me at times of Edward Gorey’s illustrations (though Klise does have her own cool style, and I don’t want to degrade that).   You have your assignment.  Read the book.  And I’ll let you know what the fifth graders say about it on Tuesday.

Book groups, Children's book reviews

The Alcatraz Conversations

I’m afraid I’ve waited a bit too long to write about the discussions that the 5th and 6th grade book groups had about Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson, and the details of the discussions have been lost in the haze of a couple of weeks of other book groups and lots of storytimes.  But I do want to mention in general that, surprisingly, the kids agreed with me.

In my previous post about this book, I confessed that I pretty much hate this book.  To quote myself, “It’s all a little too cute, too self-conscious, too adult – it’s impossible to get lost in the story, because the narrator keeps butting in with comments about the book or himself.  And the narrator, Alcatraz, is supposed to be a thirteen year old boy, but his rants and complaints sound more like a forty year old cranky grownup.”  There’s a sense that Sanderson is glorying in his own wit, celebrating how much smarter and funnier he is than his readers, and that really rubbed me the wrong way.

The 5th graders discussed the book first, and except for an initial whispered agreement with one girl who started off the discussion by saying that she hated the book, other than that I kept my mouth shut for twenty minutes or so and listened to them half-heartedly talk about the characters and the plot.  Finally, though, I mentioned that I hated the intrusiveness of the narrator, and the whole book group, in unison, said, “I HATED that!!!!”  Turns out the kids were as put off by the wise-aleck narrator as I was, and they spent the rest of the book group talking about how annoying the writing style was to them.  And in the next week’s book group discussion, the 6th graders didn’t wait for me to bring up the topic of the narrator, nor did they find much at all to love about the book.  One 6th grader had read several of the sequels, but she didn’t want to commit to being a “fan” of the series.

So it’s true – sometimes the kids and I do have the same opinion about a book.  Many times I’m far harsher on a book than the kids are, but in this case I think the kids were actually harsher than I.  I respect that the author was trying something new, edgy, and different, because there is too much “safe” children’s literature these days.  But I’m glad that the kids in the book groups could clearly articulate their thoughts and criticisms of this book, and I think they gained a new perspective on literature as a whole through their discussions.

Blog administration

Update…update…need to update…

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Now that my silly brother lives so far away (California??  ugh), I’m suffering from the lack of my WordPress advisor to help me update my blog.  I don’t know why I’m so lame and clueless when it comes to backing up and updating my blog, because I’m not a techno-phobe, and I’m not an idiot (at least, not a *total* idiot).  But I’ve been steadfastly ignoring the note that appears in a yellow bar at the top of the screen every time I log on to my blog these days:  “WordPress 3.0.2 is available.  Please update now.”

Ah, Dan, Mr. California, whatever shall I do?!?!?!?

Book groups, Teens, Young adult book review

Wolf Brother

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This week, the Teen Book Group (which is grades 7 to 9) discussed Michelle Paver’s Wolf Brother, the first in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series.  This was a book nominated by a group member, and voted on by all members of the group, which definitely boosted the conversation about the book (as opposed to the book I chose  for them at the beginnning of the year, Mortal Engines).  Interestingly, though, we spent a good amount of meeting time not discussing this book in specific, but rather addressing one of my pet concerns about contemporary children’s and young adult literature.

I will admit that I was less than inspired for this meeting of the book group, having just gotten over last Thursday’s stomach bug – just in time to get this week’s sore throat and cold.  But I think that my less-than-healthy physical state actually helped to inspire a slightly different type of conversation than we usually have.  At first, I kind of sat back in a stupor and let the kids have at it.  They kept looking at me from the corners of their eyes, utterly astonished that I wasn’t complaining about the fact that they were comparing Wolf Brother  to Harry Potter (usually, I vociferously enforce my anti-Harry Potter ban in all book group discussions).  But as I sat listening to them take the discussion in this direction, I decided to ask them to talk more about why so very many children’s and young adult books are part of a series, and why so very, very few are stand-alone works.  Why do kids and teens prefer to read books that are a part of a series?  What is the appeal? 

The group members replied that a series is better because you learn more about the characters – the plots are better able to be described and fleshed out – and the reader isn’t left with a cliff hanger; all plot issues are worked out in full over the course of a series.  One member commented that he read a stand-alone novel once that ended with a cliffhanger, and he would have much preferred it if there was a sequel, since the book ended in an unresolved manner.  To my mind (something I didn’t say to the group), I prefer a book that leaves something to the imagination at the end.  I love finishing a book, then going to bed and dreaming about what might happen next to the characters.  I love getting so involved in a story that I can continue it for myself, in a myriad of possible directions.  But I didn’t say that to the group, though in hindsight I wish that I had.

Instead, I asked them the following: do the reasons that they stated for the value of series books mean that most children’s and young adult literature is about plot, not quality of writing?  And they immediately agreed, and said yes, most books they read are about plot.  One clever young lady raised her hand very high, looked me in the eye, and said, “Abby, I’d like to ask you: what is your definition of quality literature??”  Ouch.  Tough question to be asked as you’re sinking down in your chair, under the influence of a mega-sore throat.  But I replied that I love Jane Austen’s works (groans from the peanut gallery), and that I also love some books by contemporary authors, like Gabrielle Zevin’s Elsewhere.  I also said that the definition of “quality literature” is obviously subjective, and that we each might have a different opinion.  But I thought that we could all agree that the Twilight saga is plot-driven but terribly (terribly!) written.  Thank goodness, they agreed, and then we tried to rank the book of the day’s discussion, Wolf Brother. 

We all agreed that the strengths of Wolf Brother lie in the relationship between Torak and Wolf, and most especially in the meticulously researched details about life as a hunter in Europe 6,000 years ago.  We all finished reading the book with the feeling that we had a sense of what life was like all those thousands of years ago, which is a big plus for the book.  But the writing is neither great nor terrible: it furthers the plot, but doesn’t excite the reader with its use of language.  I’d say that 90% of the group agreed that the book was a good diversion, but not our favorite, and that we wouldn’t bother to read the rest in the series (there are currently six sequels).  It should be noted that the book has one very big fan in our book group, who has read all seven of the books multiple times – and who was the group member to nominate it for discussion.  So of eight readers in attendance, Wolf Brother  has one very devoted follower, and seven readers who see its worth but don’t adore it.  That, actually, is not all that bad for a book.  And it did lead us to an excellent discussion, which I appreciate.  This teen book group is a smart, well-read, incredibly cool bunch of kids, and it was great fun having such a deep conversation with them.

Storytime

Mini baby boom

Last year, the Infant Storytimes were full to bursting, with up to 40 adults and kids attending each of three separate storytimes each week.  In a very small town, mind you.  The Storytime for 2’s & 3’s, on the other hand, was small to miniscule, with sometimes frustratingly low enrollment. 

This year, the Infant Storytime has calmed down significantly, but the Storytime for 2’s & 3’s keeps growing…and growing…and growing.  In a great example of how libraries must always be fluid and flexible with their programming, I’ve decided to eliminate the Wednesday morning Infant Storytime and replace it with at least one (perhaps two, we’ll see) Storytime for 2’s & 3’s, which will be in addition to the 2 sessions of 2 & 3 year old storytime that is already taking place on Monday mornings.

One challenge in dealing with this mini baby boom of mostly two year olds is that the format of the Infant Storytime is significantly different from the format of the 2 & 3 year old storytime.  The younger storytime is a drop-in format, and quite active and loose in terms of behavior expectations.  No child under the age of two can be expected to sit completely still for a whole forty five minutes, and thus the only behavior rule in that storytime is that children cannot cross the once invisible, now visible (long story) line that runs across in front of me and my storytime supplies.  Gradually, as they get older, the kids in this youngest storytime learn how to be in a group, and by the time they reach the age of two they’re ready for a new challenge.

Which is why the struture of the Storytime for 2’s & 3’s is very different.  It is theme-based, and much more instructional and storyteller-focused.  The kids are expected to stay in the laps of their caregivers, and to be attentive to the stories and fingerplays.  There are still many interactive segments, and the kids do get to have some activity mid-way through the storytime, but in general this storytime feels much more like a class, and, indeed, I’m trying to accomplish more direct teaching of concepts in this storytime.  Obviously, this storytime is much shorter than the infant storytime, since the demands are higher on the children, and this storytime is only twenty to twenty-five minutes.

In order for the Storytime for 2’s & 3’s to succeed, though, I do require pre-registration, and I do limit the number of pre-registrants to twelve children per session.  Ideally, the number would be only ten, but it’s unrealistic to expect perfect attendance from all families each week, so I bumped the number up to twelve.  Only one problem this fall:  we ended up with sixteen children in the first session and fourteen in the second.  Yikes.  It’s incredible the difference that those extra bodies have made in the room.  With more bodies crammed (yes, indeed, crammed) into the story room, the children are much more distracted and much less at ease than they tend to be in a smaller group.  I haven’t been able to do many of the coolest parts of my lesson plans, because there are simply too many children and the cumulative attention level is far lower than I would like.

So, the solution is:  add one more, or perhaps two more sessions of this storytime (I know there are a lot more children who are on the cusp of turning two and will be eligible for this storytime come January).  I’ll ask for volunteers to switch to the new time(s), and if that doesn’t work, I’ll hold a totally democratic lottery.  I think that once the group size has been diminished, the parents attending will be truly astonished at the difference in their children’s attention span and at how much their children are able to take away from each storytime.  And, of course, I’ll have much more fun presenting the storytime, too.  My boss has asked if it’s too much on my plate to be doing this, and I keep reassuring her that it’s not – that I’ll enjoy the process infinitely more if the groups are smaller.  And there’s also a lot to be said for me repeating the presentation of a storytime, since practice does make perfect, and no practice is better than the practice in front of an actual group.  (Which is a good reason to switch to the Wednesday group!)

The official time slot request papers will be available starting on the morning of December 13 at that day’s Storytime for 2’s & 3’s.  Once all papers have been submitted, I’ll review them and see how the groups work out, and whether we will need to resort to a lottery.  I have a feeling that it will all be ok, though, and that the groups will form naturally and happily via the time slot request sheets…

Children's book reviews, Children's literature

Recently read…

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It’s winter, the wood stove is cranking, and book groups are in full swing – which means that I’ve been doing some reading.  Here are a couple of my recent reads:

Halt’s Peril by John Flanagan 

Though I really love the Ranger’s Apprentice series, of which Halt’s Peril is the ninth book, the series is just very well done bestsellers for kids.   They’re very well done because (unlike Harry Potter and some other series) each book has its own antagonist and its own dilemma, and each ends in a different place.  In other words, the reader isn’t forced to rehash the same plot trajectory in each of the books; unlike the good ol’ Harry series, we don’t start at the same time of year in the same place, then face a battle royale with the same villain, then end up relatively happy in the same place at the same time of year (a formula that I find to be extremely boring).  Instead, the main characters travel around the countryside from one book to the next, not always ending up in their home territory at the end of each installment.  We get to see them face different opponents in almost every book, and the characters do experience a certain amount of growth and change over the course of the series.  But the books are still bestsellers, not fine literature.  Sometimes the writing can be a bit clunky, and sometimes the reader has to really suspend disbelief over certain plot elements in order to move forward with reading.  But I still love ’em, and am very glad that Flanagan continues to push on with new books in the series.  They are great books to recommend to middle grade readers, both boys and girls, and every child that I have steered towards these books has gotten hooked and eagerly read every available book (and then they each gently – or not so gently – remind me of the exact date when the new book will be available in this country).

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

This book was repeatedly recommended to me by an older library patron who doesn’t often frequent the children’s room (except when her grandchildren are visiting in the summer, when I see her almost every day).  I have the utmost respect for this lady, as she is one of the most well-read people I have ever met, and I decided to heed her advice and add this book to our collection, and then, finally, to read it myself. 

Though War Horse might be seen by some as a mere revisitation of Black Beauty, as I’ve seen from some of the reviews posted on Goodreads, it’s really far more than that.  Yes, there is focus placed on the humane treatment of animals, and that point is driven home in several heartbreaking moments.  But I see this story as a book about war more than a book about animal welfare.  It takes place in World War I, and the War Horse in question, Joey, starts life as a simple English farmhorse with a very caring young master.  The young master’s father must sell Joey to the cavalry in order to pay off debts, and Joey finds himself with a new master, a caring captain, who talks to Joey about the insanity of sending cavalry units into the new technology of machine gun battle.  Sure enough, we witness the brutal destruction of most of Joey’s cavalry unit, both human and equine, as they are either cut down by machine gun fire or impaled on barbed wire.  Joey and his best horse friend then move on to the care of a gentle French girl and her grandfather, and we get to see the effect of war on the civilians before Joey is once again moved on to a  German division.  Morpurgo skillfully moves Joey from one side of the battle to civilian life to the other side of the battle before putting Joey smack dab in the middle of No Man’s Land, which leads to a very poignant scene that empasizes the brutal ridiculousness of wars that pit soldiers of different cultures but similar outlooks on life against each other.  The soldiers are but pawns of their governments, and the horses in WWI were the slaves of the pawns. 

It’s all very, very sad, and I shed many tears as I read the book.  Yes, I did feel more than a bit emotionally manipulated, but I still think War Horse is a worthwhile read.  Some of the Goodreads reviews that I read question whether this is a children’s book, and that makes me sad.  Shouldn’t children learn of the vast expense of war?  What good are we doing for them or for the world if they don’t grow up with a full understanding of how evil war is?  I really do worry about the current generation of children, and the extent to which many of them are overly protected against reading books that are sad or distressing or otherwise challenging.  Books are a very safe place to feel these tough emotions, and then to talk about those emotions with trusted adults or other child readers.  And if a child is never exposed to a sad book, what happens when sadness hits their own lives?  How prepared are they to deal with it?  And, in the case of a book like War Horse, what happens when children grow up without having to consider the gravity of war and destruction?  How long will the world survive if it is led by people who grew up without knowing of those things?

Two good books, not great books, but both worth reading for different reasons.  Read Halt’s Peril some evening when you want some action adventure before bedtime; read War Horse with a box of tissues by your side.  And then let me know how you liked them.