Time to build the reading list
I need to add a few more titles now to my official reading list for the discussion on the 10th (over there on the sidebar). I need your help. I finished Bella at Midnight and American Born Chinese, and as much as I love both, neither seems quite like a Newbery. I'm currently re-reading Year of the Dog. I have yet to put my hands on Bread and Roses Too or Victory or Yellow Star, but those sound like possibilities. Nothing much else rises in the field, so I'm shuttling those to lower priority.
Here's books I'd like to consider adding to our list, those none seem sure-fire. Please let me know what you think. I'll decide in a week.
A nonfiction title to or two. Freedom Walkers seems strongest to me. Dear Miss Breed and Team Moon not quite as much.
Octavian Nothing or King of Attolia for the sake of the sequel issue...though everyone argues with me about age range on this. I do think King of Attolia is probably too old (fuse#8 tells us why); and I really think Octavian is for 10-14 year old history buffs more than for any teenager: but everyone looks at me like I'm crazy when I say so.
Penny from Heaven or The Loud Silence of Francine Green. Both exhibit great writing, but both fail a little for me. They do both have the recent-historical fiction thing going on--could compare with Weedflower.
Gossamer. Could be interesting for discussion--is it or isn't it an adult book?
Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen. For fun!
Any of the three aforementioned I haven't read yet if you can convince me why: Yellow Star, Bread and Roses Too, or Victory.
Here's books I'd like to consider adding to our list, those none seem sure-fire. Please let me know what you think. I'll decide in a week.
A nonfiction title to or two. Freedom Walkers seems strongest to me. Dear Miss Breed and Team Moon not quite as much.
Octavian Nothing or King of Attolia for the sake of the sequel issue...though everyone argues with me about age range on this. I do think King of Attolia is probably too old (fuse#8 tells us why); and I really think Octavian is for 10-14 year old history buffs more than for any teenager: but everyone looks at me like I'm crazy when I say so.
Penny from Heaven or The Loud Silence of Francine Green. Both exhibit great writing, but both fail a little for me. They do both have the recent-historical fiction thing going on--could compare with Weedflower.
Gossamer. Could be interesting for discussion--is it or isn't it an adult book?
Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen. For fun!
Any of the three aforementioned I haven't read yet if you can convince me why: Yellow Star, Bread and Roses Too, or Victory.
posted by Nina Lindsay at 5:39 PM
5 Comments:
Here's my answer to your question about GOSSAMER:
http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2006/10/newbery-ramblings.html
Thanks for that. I always love it when someone else can make a cohesive argument that I can just copy. I added the link to the post...as well as fuse#8's on Megan Whalen Turner. Continue to post your arguments--either by commenting here, or feeding me a link.
Would you take into consideration a book of poetry? Maybe, perhaps, Joyce Sidman's BUTTERFLY EYES AND OTHER SECRETS OF THE MEADOW? I think it's on a par with her award-winning SONG OF THE WATER BOATMAN & OTHER POND POEMS, which was published in 2005.
BUTTERFLY EYES is a combination of fine poetry and factual prose paragraphs like SONG OF THE WATER BOATMAN. (It was illustrated by Beth Krommes.)
Yellow Star is the best book of the year, that's why.
Based strongly on a true story (ie, the author almost wrote it as non-fiction, but wanted to use dialogue and the narrative of a girl), it is both horrifying and ultimately uplifting. What keeps this book from being completely depressing, is the character's point of view. Since she is hidden, she can't describe what she sees (which isn't much) or hears (which makes it more distant). Also interesting is the way the verse changes in tone from the concerns and wording of a five year old to that of a ten year old. Unbelievable book.
I thought Victory was excellent. The prologue had me hooked in terms of calling up history in such a way that you feel the emotions of the characters - even though you haven't 'met' them yet. That said...I didn't think the book carried nearly the same punch as something like Attolia. It wasn't as focused as A True & Faithful Narrative. But I would include it on a list of contenders, on par with Francine Green.
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