Monthly Archives: July 2010

Oldies but Goodies: Great Books for Sixth Graders

My oldest is soon off to Middle School, so today’s focus is on classic titles that are appropriate for eleven- and twelve-year-olds. The links below will take you to Amazon.com, where you can see the descriptions and reviews, but please support your local library if possible.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

A Little Princess,
by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A Little Princess (Unabridged Classics)

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet
by Eleanor Cameron

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet

The Mysterious Island
by Jules Verne

The Mysterious Island (Modern Library Classics)

The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden: Centennial Edition

The Swiss Family Robinson
by Johann David Wyss
The Swiss Family Robinson (Signet Classics)

Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O’Dell
Island of the Blue Dolphins

The Cay
by Theodore Taylor
The Cay

Anne of Green Gables
by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables, 100th Anniversary Edition

The Book of Three
by Lloyd Alexander
The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain Book 1)

Eight Cousins
by Louisa May Alcott
Eight Cousins [8 COUSINS]

Around the World in Eighty Days
by Jules Verne

Around the World in 80 Days

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Filed under Gifted, Miscellaneous, Reading, Recommended Reading, Uncategorized

Hunting Wabbits – A Cautionary Tale

Man’s development of a robust cerebral cortex and making use of it to create symbols for objects, converting them into language and eventually writing them down, is largely what separates us from the apes.

The long attention span responsible for creativity and deep thought formed over time as people became more civilized, and the focus of life went from hunting rabbits to the more intellectual tasks of art, literature and diplomacy.

I recently read a study suggesting that the internet has the negative effect of reducing people to a stone-age mentality, thanks to the short attention span typically needed to multi-task and process information quickly while online.

For some reason, this phenomenon brings to mind the fable of the rocket ship that traveled to a destination so distant that it took more than one generation to get there and back. There were so few complexities to life that the children of the astronauts only needed to push the right button to operate the ship. When they got back to earth, that’s all they were capable of doing.

This makes me think of modern kids and their X-boxes, PS2s and Wiis. I am as guilty as anyone else of allowing my relatively intelligent kids to become comatose in front of these devices, in part because it frees up time that I would normally spend parenting, and I can spend a few minutes longer online.

Do we want a future of Platos, or Elmer Fudds? The choice might be ours.

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See You Tomorrow

I was busy working on today’s post when my internet provider mysteriously went down, and I wasn’t able to complete it during the time I had allotted.

Things are back up and running now, though — I’ll post it tomorrow.

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Return the Heart: Follow-up Review

Return the Heart by T.K. Richardson: Book Cover

I stayed up late last night to finish Return the Heart, the YA debut novel by T.K. Richardson. It was a good story filled with adventure, intrigue and a dash of romance, and I liked it a lot. The action was fast paced, the characters easy to identify with, and there were some clever plot twists. I particularly liked the way the author seamlessly worked in a little Russian history and folklore.

Ms. Richardson co-opts the teen angst of no one understands, and puts Lilly, the protagonist, into the Utopian situation of discovering peers who not only “get” her, but are so in tune that they don’t need to use words. Their parents exist, but are largely incidental, the five friends enjoying the freedom and self direction that teenagers only dream about. While combatting kidnappers, double agents and Russian prophesies, the romance between Lilly and Seth blossoms, as does her friendship with his sister, Claire.

I ended up with the feeling that the Fantastic Five will soon be involved in another Russian adventure, with Lilly’s connections to the past proving more complex than first thought. I hope so, anyway, because I want to read it. 🙂

Click here to see the Middle of the Book Review (including summary)

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Middle of the Book Review: Return the Heart

Return the Heart by T.K. Richardson: Book Cover

TK Richardson’s debut YA novel, Return the Heart, was released by Yorkshire Publishing in May 2010. I happily won a signed copy through her blog contest, and am enjoying it so much that I decided to write a review — in two parts, as is my habit:

Seventeen-year-old Lilly Paige has always been a loner, because it’s hard to relate to people when you have the gift of instantly knowing everything about them. When her parents go overseas for a year, she moves in with her aunt and uncle, and discovers some new friends with special gifts of their own. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with, but when Lilly becomes the target of an international kidnapping plot, will Seth and the others be able to save her?

I don’t know yet – I’m only on page 145, and she just got kidnapped. So far, I’m enjoying Lilly’s first-person adventure and her sweet romance with the tall, muscular and handsome Seth Vail.

Tune in to my next post for the critique.

Layinda’s Blog Mid-Point Rating: ¶¶¶¶

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Time and Place: The Importance of Setting

The two main aspects of setting, time and place, form a matrix that ranges from the time of day to the outer reaches of the universe. Some books, such as The Road, Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz, are inescapably tied to their settings. Other novels could be set anywhere or anytime and it wouldn’t affect the story much at all. No matter what the genre, care needs to be taken to create a believable atmosphere that will keep the reader engaged.

Fictional settings take advantage of the reader’s willing suspension of disbelief. If desired, an author can move back and forth between actual events and embellishment of the facts. The whole genre of Steampunk, for example, is based on taking a generally accepted stereotype of nineteenth century England and molding it to the writer’s will, an “alternative history.” When seamlessly done, the reader is immersed in another world.

Research is important for realistic fiction, because obvious inconsistencies will distract the reader. Authors Rosamund Pilcher and her son Robin use businesses and factories as settings, and their authentic portrayals of whiskey distilleries and woolen mills hook the reader on an intellectual level that lends credibility to their novels.

Historical fiction is largely built on facts, but the author is free to mix them up if the story calls for it. In the final pages of The Help, Kathryn Stockett notes that she moved the existence of Shake-n-Bake ahead a few years to advance some characterization in her novel. (These twists on the facts should be subtle for the best results. If Sacagawea is snacking on Twinkies, it’s going to pull the reader out of the story.)

Fantasy, paranormal and science fiction rely more heavily on a reality created by the author, but whatever the genre, the characters need to be consistent with their surroundings to fully connect the reader. The language used, clothes worn and social conventions of the time are all extensions of the setting. “Young ladies taking exercise by the shore” supplies a completely different image than “babes in bikinis at the beach.”

Setting is not just a backdrop to the storyline. When well constructed, it is the framework supporting a world that the reader can get lost in.

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True or False?

Yesterday, I took on the challenge of The Bald Faced Liar “Creative Writer” Blogger Award, given to me by Cat Woods of “Words from the Woods.” A condition of accepting the award was to list seven facts about myself, the catch being that six of them had to be lies and one true, or six true and one a lie. Commenters were invited to guess which way I decided to go with it, and determine the odd one out.

Lots of people read yesterday’s post, but only three elected to guess which stories were true or false. Were they right? Here’s the recap, answers included:

1. I wrote my first manuscript when I was seven. It was a mystery, entitled, “The Adventures of Powder Puff Pig.” I made a nice little booklet and drew a rather straggly pig with a fluffy back on the cover. I couldn’t think of anything to say past the first page.
True We were vacationing at my aunt’s house in Denver, and there was nothing else to do.

2. I used to love selling Girl Scout cookies door to door (when I was little, you could still do that relatively safely). People were always giving me extra money, but instead of putting it into the troop fund, I would use it to buy more cookies, for myself.
False Great idea in retrospect, but I was rather shy. Selling door to door was the last thing I was interested in.

3. I am the proud owner of an Australian shepherd, three cats and a gerbil. The Gerbil’s name is Hank. The dog is Max, and the cats are Sam, Henry, and Sally. The next pet I have my eye on is a chinchilla, so that I can use it as a lap warmer for those cold nights in front of the TV. When it dies of old age, I can have a hat made out of it, and not feel guilty.
False We did have a miniature schnauzer, but he died of old age in December. We didn’t make a hat out of him. My sons got to pet a chinchilla at a nature center last summer and have been begging for one ever since, but since rodents can’t be potty trained, they’re out of luck.

4. I love 3-D movies. Give me a pair of those glasses, and I am in another world for ninety minutes. I can’t wait until they start selling the new 3-D televisions, and I’ll be able to watch everything that way.
False 3-D is neat for about five minutes, but then the glasses start to bother me, and I get nauseous.

5. I only wear skirts or dresses. I am so manly looking that whenever I wear pants, I am frequently mistaken for George Stephanopolous.
False I do like skirts and dresses, but I wear pants or shorts most of the time. While some have likened me to a young Meryl Streep and Caroline Kennedy, I have never been mistaken for Mr. Stephanopolous. I do think he’s kind of cute, though.

6. I was such a fast swimmer in high school that I went all the way to the State Championships when I was a junior. I almost won first place in freestyle, but right before I touched the wall, someone’s little sister jumped from the deck into my lane and landed right on my head. My coach actually had to jump in and save both of us. They declared the heat invalid, but it affected me so badly that I didn’t even place when we reswam it.
False I know how to swim, but I’m more the Marco Polo type.

7. One of my old boyfriends is a famous movie star, but I won’t mention who, to protect his anonymity. Let’s just say that Demi wasn’t his first cougar.
False Although Ashton Kutcher has his charms, I have never had much interest in younger men.

Sorry, Ashton.

My final obligation in accepting the award is to pass it on to six creative liars writers, post links to them, and let them know they’ve been nominated. (There is no pressure to accept, so don’t panic if you see your name):

MarcyKate Connolly – writer, composer, arts administrator

JEAN ORAM (.COM) (Jean is posting from her cross-Canada vacation this week.)

Lisa & Lisa Write a Book (And yes, I’m counting both of them…)

A. Victoria Mixon, Editor (Dispenser of Literary Wisdom)

TK Richardson – My Writing Masquerade (TK’s debut novel Return the Heart was released in May, a YA thriller about a gifted girl with ESP.)

Thanks again for thinking of me, Cat! This was a lot of fun. 🙂

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And the Liar Is…

Whew! I had just gotten my breath back from all of the work involved with accepting The Versatile Blogger Award, when I was gifted with another one! With more conditions. (Where are all those awards that only require you to sit back and say ‘thank you?’ I want one of those.)

Lesa’s Bald Faced Liar “Creative Writer” Blogger Award was given to me by my friend Cat Woods from over at “Words From the Woods.”

The conditions to accepting the “Creative Writer” Award:

1. Thank the person who gave me the award and link to her.
Thank you, Ms. Woods. It was fun to discern your lie from your truths, and I hope that am as successful at confounding people as you were.

2. Add the award to my blog.
See above.

3. Tell six outrageous lies about myself and one truth OR tell six truths and one outrageous lie. YOU get to guess which I chose, as well as which statement is the truth or the lie. (Mwa ha ha.)
See below.

4. Nominate six creative liars writers and post links to them.
See tomorrow’s post.

5. Let the nominees know they have been nominated.
Ditto.

Here are my seven statements – mostly truths, or mostly lies? You decide:

1. I wrote my first manuscript when I was seven. It was a mystery, entitled, “The Adventures of Powder Puff Pig.” I made a nice little booklet and drew a rather straggly pig with a fluffy back on the cover. I couldn’t think of anything to say past the first page.

2. I used to love selling Girl Scout cookies door to door (when I was little, you could still do that relatively safely). People were always giving me extra money, but instead of putting it into the troop fund, I would use it to buy more cookies, for myself.

3. I am the proud owner of an Australian shepherd, three cats and a gerbil. The Gerbil’s name is Hank. The dog is Max, and the cats are Sam, Henry, and Sally. The next pet I have my eye on is a chinchilla, so that I can use it as a lap warmer for those cold nights in front of the TV. When it dies of old age, I can have a hat made out of it, and not feel guilty.

4. I love 3-D movies. Give me a pair of those glasses, and I am in another world for ninety minutes. I can’t wait until they start selling the new 3-D televisions, and I’ll be able to watch everything that way.

5. I only wear skirts or dresses. I am so manly looking that whenever I wear pants, I am frequently mistaken for George Stephanopolous.

6. I was such a fast swimmer in high school that I went all the way to the State Championships when I was a junior. I almost won first place in freestyle, but right before I touched the wall, someone’s little sister jumped from the deck into my lane and landed right on my head. My coach actually had to jump in and save both of us. They declared the heat invalid, but it affected me so badly that I didn’t even place when we reswam it.

7. One of my old boyfriends is a famous movie star, but I won’t mention who, to protect his anonymity. Let’s just say that Demi wasn’t his first cougar.

One is true, or one is a lie. Let me know your guesses in the comments, and I’ll post the answers tomorrow, along with the nominees. (Accepting the award is optional, of course – it’s just for fun.) 🙂

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Everyone’s a Critic

Yesterday, I was researching a Dickens passage for another post I’m working on, and went to Amazon.com to see if I could “search inside this book” for Great Expectations. Much to my amusement, I noticed that out of 260 reviews, it had only received four (out of five) stars.

Great Expectations is a classic, assigned to generations of high school students on the strength of its literary merit. Dickens’ thirteenth novel, it was first published in 1860 as a newspaper serial. The hardcover edition was released in July of 1861, and enjoyed immense popularity at home and abroad. 149 years later, it has never gone out of print, and has been adapted for stage and screen nineteen times.

Of its Amazon reviewers, 129 gave it five stars, 61 four stars, 25 three stars, 18 two stars, and 27 one star. Curious as to the calibre of the one star ratings, I clicked on the first, entitled, “One of the Worst Books I Have Ever Read.”

Interestingly, the critic suggests that he/she might have liked the story, had it not been for the poor quality of the writing — specifically, Dickens’ irrelevant descriptions of trees and rivers. As a result of this and other intellectual tedium, the writer confesses to not actually having finished the book, convinced (although claiming to have seen the movie) that nothing worthwhile would take place. If fact, the first chapter was deemed to be so terrible that the critic recommends no one even attempt to read it. (3 out of 9 people found this review helpful.)

The moral of this story is that no matter how well you think your manuscript is written or how clever the plot, or how many of your beta readers/critique partners think it is worthy of five stars, someone is always going to hate it.

Don’t worry – you’re in good company.

References:

Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Expectations-Penguin-Classics-Charles-Dickens/product-reviews/0141439564/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Expectations

Charles Dickens – Gad’s Hill Place
http://www.perryweb.com/Dickens/work_list.shtml

BBC Historic Figures
ht
tp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/dickens_charles.shtml

Penguin.com (USA)
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/great_expectations.html

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Friends with Freedom

I once framed a pretty card that read, “A true friend is one who overlooks your broken down gate and admires the flowers in your window.” At first glance, this seems trite, but it makes sense. It does not suggest that the friend doesn’t notice our flaws, or pretends that everything is fine and then goes off to talk about it with the neighbors. A friend recognizes our faults but looks past them to appreciate our good points.

That is how I feel about the United States. Although I am frequently dismayed by decisions made at all levels of government, I live in freedom. I can say and write what I think without fear of arrest (or worse). I can pass through its borders at will, travel anywhere, and live in any neighborhood that I can afford. In an emergency, I can call for the police, firemen or an ambulance and know that help will arrive within minutes. Grocery stores are bursting with food, and potable water flows out of almost every faucet. Dependable electrical current powers my lights and refrigerator, and I heat my home in the winter with the flick of a switch. If I can’t afford it, there are programs that will provide assistance. When I’m dissatisfied with something, I can contact my councilman, congressman, senator and even the president, and if the results are unsatisfactory, I can vote them out of office.

People in the United States do not crouch half-naked on street corners begging for food. Heavily armed soldiers are not a part of daily life, and abandoned orphans don’t sleep in the gutters. Things are not perfect, and no one would deny that there are flaws in the system, but they are outweighed by the positives that make our country what it is.

A friend sees our gate dragging in the grass, but looks past it to appreciate the beauty of our yard. Sometimes, they’ll even try to help fix things.

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