Talk about the kidlit you're reading!

MsJudy · Nov 2, 2009

Re: INKHEART...yeah, it is such a challenging read. The third, INKDEATH, is a good book, but it is NOT a kids' book. The young characters don't even get to DO anything. It's really an adult fantasy, or YA at the lowest, but because the first in the series is MG...the kids want to read it. But it's too much work!

Re: WIMPY KID: Well, I just got home from my second job in a tutoring program for struggling students. And WIMPY KID is one of the few books that truly struggling readers not only enjoy reading, but also understand and remember well enough to pass a quiz on it. I was checking their Accelerated Reader progress, and if it weren't for the MAGIC TREEHOUSE series and the WIMPY KID, some of them wouldn't have passed a single quiz.

So, yeah, neither of those two series would count as Literature. but they serve a purpose, and fill a need, and they do it very well. Plus WIMPY KID is less disgusting than CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS...

MsJudy · Nov 7, 2009

Come on, you guys, you're gonna have to read faster than that if you're gonna keep up with me and my son!

As of Friday, Kevin has now passed the million-word mark. Since the beginning of school in August, he has read more than 1,000,000 words! He's in third place in his class, though. The girl in first place has read 2,500,000 words in that time...

I just finished ALABAMA MOON by Watt Key. Fabulous book. A 10-year-old boy who's been raised in the forest by a survivalist father must learn to cope with the outside world... The kid can make his own shelter, bring down a deer with a handmade bow and arrow, but he's never tasted a Dorito. A really memorable character, and a lovely meditation on loneliness.

Viking Horse · Nov 8, 2009

After reading some of the things here, curiosity got the better of me and I grabbed a copy of The Graveyard Book. While I was poking around, I saw another book I thought I'd ask about - has anyone here read 100 Cupboards?

SheilaJG · Nov 9, 2009

JudScotKev said:
Come on, you guys, you're gonna have to read faster than that if you're gonna keep up with me and my son!

As of Friday, Kevin has now passed the million-word mark. Since the beginning of school in August, he has read more than 1,000,000 words! He's in third place in his class, though. The girl in first place has read 2,500,000 words in that time...

I just finished ALABAMA MOON by Watt Key. Fabulous book. A 10-year-old boy who's been raised in the forest by a survivalist father must learn to cope with the outside world... The kid can make his own shelter, bring down a deer with a handmade bow and arrow, but he's never tasted a Dorito. A really memorable character, and a lovely meditation on loneliness.

Wow, I am so impressed with your son. What have been his favorites? How great that his class has a reading competition!

I loved Alabama Moon, too, and so did my son. Really great book.

I decided to take a break from kid lit and I started reading The Time Traveler's Wife and now I know why I enjoy kid lit. I just can't finish this book. Everyone loves it, I know. And I enjoyed it to begin with. Oh, well.

timp67 · Nov 9, 2009

I tried to read Cornelia Funke's Dragon Rider, but I couldn't get into it. Just thought it was dumb, dumb, dumb. And I LOVE mg books. Right now I'm reading The Secret Garden again. It really does convey a liveliness of heart and soul, just like a living garden. No wonder it has stood the test of time!

Southpaw · Nov 9, 2009

I haven't read any kid literature recently. I got sucked into a grown-up series. But one of my favorite's kids series is the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books.

Oh ya, and I loved Coraline too, but I read everything by Gaiman.

MsJudy · Nov 9, 2009

SheilaSeeGee said:
Wow, I am so impressed with your son. What have been his favorites? How great that his class has a reading competition!

I loved Alabama Moon, too, and so did my son. Really great book.

I decided to take a break from kid lit and I started reading The Time Traveler's Wife and now I know why I enjoy kid lit. I just can't finish this book. Everyone loves it, I know. And I enjoyed it to begin with. Oh, well.

Favorites: Harry Potter, Percy Jackson/Lightning Thief series, Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan (I had to sew a ranger's cloak so he could be one for Halloween), TIGER by Jeff Stone (first of the Five Ancestors series, chinese martial arts series), Skulduggery Pleasant series, MORIBITO GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT (Japanese fantasy).

I know what you mean about adult lit. My gosh, some of those writers spend 1000 words saying nothing! Just get to the point, already!!!

kellion92 · Nov 9, 2009

I just loved Well Witched by Frances Hardinge. I thought Fly by Night was too complex though. I'm about to finish The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo, and it's beautifully written and succinct but not really my thing.

SheilaJG · Nov 9, 2009

JudScotKev said:
Favorites: Harry Potter, Percy Jackson/Lightning Thief series, Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan (I had to sew a ranger's cloak so he could be one for Halloween), TIGER by Jeff Stone (first of the Five Ancestors series, chinese martial arts series), Skulduggery Pleasant series, MORIBITO GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT (Japanese fantasy).

I read Tiger a while back because I thought my then 11 year-old would like it, but the decapitation early on put me off. They are action-packed, though. Has he read the Alchemyst series by Michael Scott? Those would fit right in on that list. I'm going to have to check out the Ranger's Apprentice series, I've heard a lot of good things about it.

SheilaJG · Nov 9, 2009

kellion92 said:
I just loved Well Witched by Frances Hardinge. I thought Fly by Night was too complex though. I'm about to finish The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo, and it's beautifully written and succinct but not really my thing.

I love, love, love Frances Hardinge. I think she is just brilliant. Her latest book, The Lost Conspiracy, is a little bit more Fly By Night than Well Witched, in that she's unleashed her imagination to create a new world, rather than base her story in a familiar one. When she creates a world, she really pays attention to every little detail.

MsJudy · Nov 10, 2009

SheilaSeeGee said:
Has he read the Alchemyst series by Michael Scott? Those would fit right in on that list.

Haven't read it, so we'll check it out! He was getting a little worried about running out of books to read... Silly kid.

fringle · Nov 11, 2009

I just read The Magician's Elephant. It was a nice little read with some beautiful prose, but I like her other works better. This one doesn't feel as personal as her other books.

sissybaby · Nov 12, 2009

I enjoyed The Magician's Elephant when I read it a while back.

Last night I stayed up until 1:00 and read Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree. I laughed, and I cried. It's a lovely book.

It really surprises me that I liked it so well. When it first began, I wasn't sure I liked the style of her writing. But it is stunning and simply amazed me. I was sorry when I finished it, but I couldn't put it down.

So real, so real, the way she portrayed the girls in seventh grade. I knew some of each kind back in the day.

I guess some things in life never change.

Now I'm on to the next in my list. It's called The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu. I think I've read something by her, but I can't recall now what it is.

Anyone familiar with this who can tell me if I should read it or not? I've also got A Crooked Kind of Perfect waiting on my nightstand.

Sissy

SheilaJG · Nov 13, 2009

Hi Sissy,

You're in luck - Emma Jean has a sequel, called Emma Jean Fell In Love. I haven't read it, but it's on my list.

I have read the Shadow Thieves. A while back my son devoured anything even remotely related to Greek Gods (thanks to Rick Riordan). We both liked it, but not enough to run out and get the sequel. What I remember liking about it was the humor and the suspense. Oh, and Philonecron is a great villain. It's always refreshing when an author adds a little something extra to your basic megalomaniacal evil guy, and Ursu does that well with Phil.

Kitty Pryde · Nov 13, 2009

I just finished "Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key" at JudScotKev's suggestion. Loved it! What a powerful story. It's about a kid with a lousy homelife who has ADHD, and how he's trying to pull his life together. It was powerful because his episodes of doing bad stuff are written so they're kind of exhilarating and horrifying at the same time, which is sort of how the MC feels about it--really fun stuff that he knows he's a 'bad kid' for doing. Wow. I would definitely recommend it. Great strong voice too. It was also a great portrayal of a kid with a disability--everything that I thought was terribly wrong with Percy Jackson/The Lightning Thief, this book got exactly right.

The one weird thing was the plot arc--the kid tries really hard all the time, but nothing changes until a doctor gives him new medicine. And then all his trying he's been doing finally pays off. I thought it was unusual because usually the MC has to try a lot harder and summon inner strength and such building up to the climax. He just kind of lucked out. It worked though. The alternative character arc is really interesting to me. I've read a few other kid books with similar weird arcs as well.

Smish · Nov 13, 2009

Kitty Pryde said:
The one weird thing was the plot arc--the kid tries really hard all the time, but nothing changes until a doctor gives him new medicine. And then all his trying he's been doing finally pays off. I thought it was unusual because usually the MC has to try a lot harder and summon inner strength and such building up to the climax. He just kind of lucked out. It worked though. The alternative character arc is really interesting to me. I've read a few other kid books with similar weird arcs as well.

I like how realistic Joey Pigza is. Yes, he needs the medicine to calm down. Lots of kids (and adults) do. No matter how hard they try, they simply can't control their actions without medication. I like that Gantos is so honest about that.

The next Joey Pigza book (I think it's called Joey Pigza Loses Control) is also worth reading. I haven't read beyond the second book.

Smish

C.J. Rockwell · Nov 17, 2009

I'm getting through a few longer books and some shorter ones.

On the PB front I read Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett. Nice story with good art. Good for nighttime reading or during the day.

I'd recommend it to anyone who's got a kid with new sibling anxieties and frustrations.

In the realm of beginning readers (Typing Easy Readers just makes my blood boil) I read almost all of the stories in Rats on the Roof by James Marshall.
Enjoyed them a lot. I've always liked his illustrations, but his writing's great too. It's easy to read, yet it conveys more than simple texts in the vein of
"See Spot Run" or "The ball was red."

I just don't get how he does it.

I'm so glad it came in the mail today to cheer me up, as I'm coming down with a cold.

In terms of novels (My first love, from a writer's standpoint)
Still getting through The Daring Adventures of Penhaligon Brush, and still loving it!

I ordered the sequel The Curse of the Romany Wolves knowing I'd want to read it soon after, and it came last week. The second one has a really cool cover.

C.J. Rockwell · Nov 17, 2009

Smish said:
I like how realistic Joey Pigza is. Yes, he needs the medicine to calm down. Lots of kids (and adults) do. No matter how hard they try, they simply can't control their actions without medication. I like that Gantos is so honest about that.

The next Joey Pigza book (I think it's called Joey Pigza Loses Control) is also worth reading. I haven't read beyond the second book.

Smish

Speaking as someone who needs medication for my mental shortcomings, I know better than anyone that even when you need medicine, it's NOT going to fix everything.

It won't stop you from blowing up sometimes.

It won't stop you from being easily annoyed with certain things.

I can't stop you from having a short temper.

It helps, but YOU still have to take responsibility when you lose it.

Also, no matter what mental barriers you've got, sometimes you just have a bad day, period. Your particular mental barriers may make it worse than it normally would be, but I find that's a serious misconception with people who don't have these issues or know someone who does.

I like books are talking about these issues, but I wish people could see us as individuals and not just part of a larger problem.

Not everyone who's depressed is suicidal. Not everyone who's got mental barriers is certifiably insane and can't take care of themselves. I'm living proof of that.

Didn't mean to step on you Smish, and I debated whether or not to reply, but I'm very emotionally vocal on this subject.

mbroadway · Nov 17, 2009

I just started reading IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT by Cormier. (It's YA, but I'm mentioning it anyway.)

I've only read the prologue, but it floored me. He talked about himself and his sister and how they're going to a theatre to watch a magic show. The last sentence of the prologue reads: Ten minutes later, Lulu was dead.

Now that's a pager-turner.

Smish · Nov 17, 2009

C.J. Rockwell said:
Speaking as someone who needs medication for my mental shortcomings, I know better than anyone that even when you need medicine, it's NOT going to fix everything.

It won't stop you from blowing up sometimes.

It won't stop you from being easily annoyed with certain things.

I can't stop you from having a short temper.

It helps, but YOU still have to take responsibility when you lose it.

Also, no matter what mental barriers you've got, sometimes you just have a bad day, period. Your particular mental barriers may make it worse than it normally would be, but I find that's a serious misconception with people who don't have these issues or know someone who does.

I like books are talking about these issues, but I wish people could see us as individuals and not just part of a larger problem.

Not everyone who's depressed is suicidal. Not everyone who's got mental barriers is certifiably insane and can't take care of themselves. I'm living proof of that.

Didn't mean to step on you Smish, and I debated whether or not to reply, but I'm very emotionally vocal on this subject.

I certainly didn't mean to imply that medicine fixes everything, CJ. I don't think Jack Gantos implies that in his books, either. Even with medication, it's often a struggle for Joey (the MC) to be calm. But without medication, it's damn near impossible. Have you read the Joey Pigza books? It'd be interesting to see what your thoughts are.

And you should never hesitate to respond. This is a discussion forum.

Smish

Kitty Pryde · Nov 27, 2009

I just finished reading "Odd and the Frost Giants" by Neil Gaiman. It started off so great, but I felt it fell off later on and I was disappointed. It's by far the weakest of his kid books. Weird use of random British expressions in ancient Norway, lousy writing, and a climax that wasn't nearly as exciting as the set-up. Also, I felt cheated because there was only one frost giant. I thought it was weird that there was a lot of talk about drinking beer (including a vague implication that binge drinking is bad), and a lot of talk about how some women are really difficult for their men to deal with, which I wouldn't think belongs in a kids book, but perhaps I am mistaken.

The biggest let-down was that he had a really strong main character with a disability (shattered leg, can barely walk, needs a crutch). The character accomplishes really difficult things despite this fact, and seems to be extremely competent in the way a good fantasy child protagonist can be...so at the end he was randomly cured of his disability, which is an ending that I hate with the fiery rage of a thousand burning suns. It really served no purpose in the narrative, and the ending would have been equally triumphant without it. More so, even. I don't understand why he didn't just leave it that the character was both heroic and disabled. Bogus.

A few good things: the good old Gaiman humor was definitely present. The illustrations were beautiful.

Smish · Dec 5, 2009

Southpaw said:
But one of my favorite's kids series is the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books.

I had to spend two days last week at a boring law conference... so I got lots of reading done.

I read the first three books in the Percy Jackson series and LOVED them. I can't wait to pick up books 4 and 5. And I plan to buy the series for both my father and my brother for Christmas. We all loved the HP books and still talk about them lots; I'm sure they'll both love this series, as well.

Viking Horse · Dec 6, 2009

I've been meaning to pick up one of the Percy Jackson books for awhile, especially since there's a movie coming out soon (which means I'll likely end up reviewing the game, if there is one). I'll also be reading through the Artemis Fowl books again (I think I only got to the first three before), since there's that FLIPS Nintendo DS compilation in the U.K. now - I mean, whenever I can combine work and entertainment, I'm going to.

MsJudy · Dec 6, 2009

SheilaSeeGee, thanks for recommending THE ALCHEMYST! Kevin just finished it, and he really enjoyed it. Now it's my turn!

SheilaJG · Dec 7, 2009

Awesome! The next two in the series are just as exciting.

My son just finished Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (of Uglies fame), and he said it was really good. A MG steampunk book. I'm about 3/4s into it, and it's a fun book.

Talk about the kidlit you're reading!

MsJudy

MsJudy

Viking Horse

Devil in the Top Hat

SheilaJG

timp67

Guinea pig in the laboratory of God

Southpaw

The squirrel apocalypse is coming!

MsJudy

kellion92

A cat may not look at a king

SheilaJG

SheilaJG

MsJudy

fringle

always abroad

sissybaby

SheilaJG

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

Smish

Reads more than she writes.

C.J. Rockwell

Not so new, really

C.J. Rockwell

Not so new, really

mbroadway

Owned a Monkey — Once

Smish

Reads more than she writes.

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

Smish

Reads more than she writes.

Viking Horse

Devil in the Top Hat

MsJudy

SheilaJG