Help Readers: Part Two

The Giver Movie Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 12:45:00 +0000

Recently on her blog, Lois Lowry gave more insight into the process of making a movie for The Giver. The on-again/off-again movie adaptation of The Giver is totally on. Again.

I'm not against movies being made from children's books. Really. I understand that books simply cannot be translated to film exactly as they appear in text. I'm not one to stand up and scream, "That's not the way the book goes!" in theaters. (As one student did when we saw The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. "Where's Giant Rumblebuffin?!?!" he screamed. "I love that part! How can you cut Giant Rumblebuffin?") In her announcement Lois Lowry says that Jonas and Fiona and Asher are all older teenagers in the film. Certainly a major change, and Lowry states she has no problem with it. So who am I to complain? (Note: I'm not.)

I will admit that I generally like the books better than the movies, and more often than not, it's because the images in my imagination don't match what's on the screen. But what annoys me is this: In my experience the movie has a tendency to take the book out of the hands of students.

During the 1999-2000 school year (I remember it distinctly because it was my first year in a new school) I had students reading Harry Potter books like crazy. Siblings were reading Harry Potter. Parents were reading Harry Potter. For the entire year no fewer than half of the students in my class would have Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, or Prisoner of Azkaban on the corner of their desk awaiting even the slightest moment of downtime.

This past school year I can name two students school wide - two - who read Harry Potter books. And it's not for lack of trying. The books are in classroom libraries and the school library and I recommended them often enough, but they didn't get read. "Why? I've seen the movie," is the overwhelming response I hear. You and I know plenty of legitimate answer to "Why?", but it's an uphill sell to kids.

It's happened with Holes and Because of Winn-Dixie and The Lightning Thief and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about The Giver. Go-to books that can motivate readers, books that are attractive across demographics, no longer work like they once did because kids have seen the movie and therefore feel there's no need to read the book.

At least we know that books come out before the movies, and that Hollywood can never adapt every book for the screen. There's always a steady stream of great books that can take the place of the ones movies have taken away. And of course I can name plenty of kids who read plenty of books who still had various favorites sitting on the corner of their desk awaiting a minute of free time. It's not like five movies get made and suddenly we're out of good book options.

Probably it's . . . I just miss my favorites.

The Importance of Stories

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 16:25:00 +0000

In November I'll be giving a presentation called "The Importance of Stories" about how books and stories can be used outside reading class. The main focus will be in content areas, but it will also include how to help students relate to characters, situations, events, and topics using books and stories.

Without going into the entire presentation, I'll just use a quote from A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness: "Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?"

And that's the gist of the presentation. If we let loose stories in Social Studies or Science class, if we allow students to experience history through narratives, if we encourage students to make judgments about a character's words and actions, if teachers can hook students on something like potential and kinetic energy through the story of two boys rolling down a hill in a barrel, then who knows what other havoc stories might wreak in our classrooms?

This is where I need your help. I want to sprinkle quotes about stories from children's books throughout the presentation. What quotes about stories (or about words or books or literature) do you know from children's books, either picture books or novels? Quotes can be funny, inspiring, hopeful, or encouraging - anything to do with stories.

Leave your favorite quotes in the comments below, email them to me at HelpReaders at gmail dot com, or tweet them to me at @HelpReaders. I will compile all the quotes I receive and put them into one post in the future.

"Stories are important," the monster said in A Monster Calls. "They can be more important than anything. If they carry the truth." So thanks, everyone, for your help, it is greatly appreciated. And that's no story. That's the truth.

Really? A New Post? Seriously . . . Yes, and Here's Why

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:13:00 +0000

It's been a while. And by "a while" I mean "a stupid long time." Like two years, eleven days since my last post on this blog. So what brings me back to this nearly forgotten site? Is it something vitally important, something of such major significance that I simply must post about this immense issue? Well, um . . . no.

Last summer a number of us teachers and librarians on Twitter had a little problem. If you are enjoying a good book, and you are enjoying a good snack, how does one eat said snack without getting sticky, melty, powdery, chocolaty, and/or juicy fingers all over said book?

Ah, the answer is obvious - or it was to us after some thought. And a little silliness.

Some silly summer fun. #Chompsticks https://t.co/G0vZXeIlQp
— Brian Wilhorn (@HelpReaders) July 30, 2013

So there it is. Tweet pictures of your book, your snack, and your chopsticks, or #chompsticks as the case may be. Here's the official rules, copied from Mr. Etkin's blog:

BASIC GUIDELINES:

Include chopsticks and any type of treat! Include your current read, and anything else you want to add your own flair to the fun.
Tweet a photo with the tag #Chompsticks and be sure to mention @davidaetkin
If you are on Instagram (use #Chompstick and post to Twitter) or tumblr or another SM service, feel free to share your photo there, too! Maybe we’ll get more folks to join in the silly.
If you are not on Twitter and want to get involved (or know someone else who does), you can send your pic to the extra special email address: chompsticksweek@gmail.com
If you are feeling super ambitious, gather up all your photos at the end and blog ‘em! Hey, there are more serious things you COULD post on your blog – but sometimes silly needs to win out. Help yourself to the #chompsticks badge above. (And let us know when you post–we’d love to see.)

Oh, and one more thing. Happy Birthday, Harry Potter, today on July 31. Amazing that I just happen to be rereading the series now.

Thoughts on Okay for Now and The Wednesday Wars

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:41:00 +0000

Like many children's literature enthusiasts, I read and loved Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt, and my review says as much. Okay for Now is a companion novel to The Wednesday Wars, which I also liked. So after reading Okay for Now for a second time, I went back and reread The Wednesday Wars as well.

I quickly fell back into Holling Hoodhood's story, but numerous times I found myself thinking "Doug Swieteck" instead of "Holling Hoodhood" as I read. I thought the books shared the same tone and pacing. Both books feature a smart, somewhat sarcastic main character who often holds back what he really wants to say. Why the similarities? I wondered. Is it just the author's style? Was Doug so memorable that I'm transplanting him into someone else's story? [Spoilers Ahead]

But when Holling said, "Do you know how it feels...?", a phrase used repeatedly by Doug Swieteck, I started paying more attention to the similarities. Here's what I jotted down as I read:

Holling shares a "brand-new bottle of Coke" with Meryl Lee and Doug shares "a really cold Coke" with Lil.
Both refer to people as "chumps."
Running is important to both characters. Holling runs on the cross country team and Doug runs when he skips gym class.
Holling and Doug both might lose their girlfriends. Meryl Lee might move away because of her father's job, and Lil fights a sickness.
Both speak to the reader using the phrase "You probably remember..." or a similar phrase to recall significant events.
Doug's father is physically abusive. Holling's father is emotionally abusive, ignoring his children or quickly dismissing their feelings and opinions.
Both Doug and Holling fear they will be forced down their father's path, whether it's as an abusive drunk or a career-obsessed architect.
Both families have stressful silent dinners.
Both Holling and Doug have antagonistic older siblings who show their true feelings in the end.
Both stories feature soldiers who return home.

Reader Mike left a comment on my original review of Okay for Now and asks an interesting question. He said that while Okay for Now is like The Wednesday Wars, he describes it to his students as sadder. He comments, "The Really Bad Things happen around Holling, but not necessarily to Holling. In Okay For Now, The Really Bad Things happen to Doug. Is it because Holling's life is almost a charmed life? And Doug is just charming?"

That's an interesting question that seems to fit my comparison. No, Holling and Doug are not exactly alike, and Doug's life is certainly more difficult, but there are similarities. Could it be as Mike suggests, that Holling lives a charmed life where things just seem to work out and Doug is simply a charming character?

Finally, on a completely different note. Whose hat did Doug get? In Okay for Now he insists it belonged to Joe Pepitone, but in The Wednesday Wars it's not so clear. After Horace Clark and Joe Pepitone play catch with Doug, Danny, and Holling, it says on page 98

"Afterward, they signed our baseballs and signed our mitts. They gave us each two tickets for Opening Day next April. And they gave Doug and Danny their caps."

It could go either way. However, two days after Opening Day, Mrs. Baker, Doug, Danny, and Holling have their picture in the Home Town Chronicle surrounded by Yankees players. Then on page 198 Holling tells readers

"I wore Joe Pepitone's jacket to school, and Danny wore his hat, and Doug wore Horace Clark's hat."

That seems pretty clear, unless Danny and Doug decided to trade hats for the day. I'm curious why Horace Clark was switched for Joe Pepitone, especially when it's Pepitone's jacket, not the hat, that plays a role in Okay for Now.

Give This Christmas Away - More Information

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:35:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone visiting the site for more information about Give This Christmas Away by Matthew West and Amy Grant. Here are a couple videos, a couple links, and to prove it really took me a year to hear the song's message, a bonus video featuring Matthew West's 2010 Christmas song.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for taking the time to learn more about the song.

Here is the original video. Give This Christmas Away was written for the children's video VeggieTales: Saint Nicholas - A Story of Joyful Giving, which, for those of you new to VeggieTales, will explain the tomato with a stocking cap and the cucumber wearing a wool jacket.

This next video features interviews with both Matthew West and Amy Grant. They tell the story behind the song including how Matthew West was initially approached about writing it, how Amy Grant came to involved with the performance, and what the song means to them. Near the end of the video, Matthew West says, "If somebody is out there asking that question, how can I make December look different this year, you don't have to look very far to find somebody who's in need."

To go with the song, Matthew West also wrote a book entitled Give This Christmas Away: 101 Simple and Thoughtful Ways to Give This Christmas Away.

As I searched online for more information on Give This Christmas Away, I discovered that I really was a year behind. Matthew West has written a new Christmas song called One Last Christmas. At first glance it may seem very different from the first, but both songs show how simple, thoughtful actions can make a gigantic impact on the lives of those around us.

For more information about Matthew West and his music, including the incredible true story of his latest Christmas song, you can click here to visit his website.

Katherine Paterson on Censorship

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 03:11:00 +0000

I've spent a bunch of time recently talking, thinking, reading, and writing about It's a Book by Lane Smith over on the main site, Help Readers Love Reading. Should the book be read in classrooms? Should teachers edit the book when reading? What could happen if a teacher uses a book and a parent or principal or concerned citizen disagrees with the teacher's decision?

I had additional thoughts, but I can't say it nearly as well as Katherine Paterson did in Places I Never Meant To Be: Original Stories by Censored Authors edited by Judy Blume.

Lite-Brite, Love, and DC*B: An Explanation

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 22:31:00 +0000

So, yeah. Lite-Brite. Anyone who ran across the previous post on my minuscule piece of the blogosphere are probably muttering one of several, simple questions or phrases:

What?
Why?
How?
Are you serious?
There's no way they actually plugged all those pegs into a Lite-Brite to make six frames per second for over three minutes of music just because they thought it would make a good video. These people are certifiably insane.

Most of the above is answered in David Crowder's blog ... located here. After posting a video like that, I thought an explanation was only fair. (And I'm thankful Mr. Crowder posted one.)

Lite-Brite, Love, and DC*B

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:32:00 +0000

I was thinking that I generally don't post stuff not book related, but then I remembered that Help Readers Too is for miscellaneous posts at infrequent intervals. Posts certainly have been infrequent, and the combination of Lite-Brite, Love, and David Crowder*Band is nearly the very definition of miscellaneous. So here's another post.

David Crowder*Band is one of my personal favorites. In addition to making music, they apparently are skilled music video directors, as evidenced below. Watch closely for a couple of my favorite parts like the band and the rice at the wedding, the water flowing out of the Lite-Brite, and the piano mysteriously playing itself.

Will Earth Be Conquered by ... the Boov?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:02:00 +0000

We may or may not be facing a good, swift conquering at the hands of the Boov in 2013. Just in case, it'd be good for you to read this review of The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex and watch Human Training Video #42, kindly created for us by the generous and mighty Boov.

What I Learned This Summer - Wrigley Field Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:20:00 +0000

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New newspaper column today all about the education my kids got at Wrigley Field this summer. We've been to numerous Brewers games at Miller Park, and when the Cubs are in town, we (eh-hem) generously welcome our (cough) friendly guests from the south.

This summer we decided to be the ones cheering the visitors, so we planned a trip to Wrigley Field when the Brewers were in town. And let me add, for the record and for all the Cubs fans who may read this, it wasn't our fault the Brewers won 18-1 the night we were there.

So what did our kids learn? Read here.

Thanks for visiting.

The Flower Garden Wiffle Ball Field

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:39:00 +0000

Welcome to readers visiting Help Readers Too from the EXCURSIONS Journey To Health Wiffle Ball Newsletter. I hope you enjoyed reading Two Boys at the Bat.

Here’s a quick tour of The Flower Garden, the backyard field where the story took place, as well as a challenge for careful readers later in the post.

Here's the view of home plate from the pitcher's mound followed by a close up of the batter's box. There used to be a fire pit where home plate is, but we replaced it with landscaping bricks for the batter's box. (You know ... priorities.) Now we have a portable fire pit, so the bricks serve as both batter's box and a campfire location. The backstop is a bit off center since pretty much everyone who plays here is right handed.

Here's the view from the batter's box down the right field line. Off the back wall of the house or in the landscaping is a triple. On the patio or roof is a home run, but woe to anyone who messes up the DirecTV dish. Too bad we don't have more lefties. It's a short porch wasted.

Now here's the left field line. The home run line is at the bottom of the ditch. The swing set is foul, but the slide is in fair territory and just behind the doubles line which runs behind both trees. Any hit ball that touches either tree is playable, but if it drops it's only a single. The telephone pole, wires, and cables are also in play. Every once in a while a ball will reach the road.

The pitcher's mound is just an eight foot piece of leftover particle board, and I'm open to suggestions for a more aesthetic solution. We don't want anything permanent in the middle of the yard so the landscaping bricks aren't an option ... yet.

Here are three pictures from the patio in right center field. The second and third images show the triples line which runs from the patio around the telephone pole and the home run line in the ditch. The home run line is very deep in dead center field, then runs down the lowest part of the ditch. It's been raining a lot lately, so most of it is under water. Not good for seeing the line, but great fun for outfielders on deep fly balls, sort of like a squishy warning track.

So that's the field, but here are a couple other parts that make it unique. We named the field The Flower Garden in honor of Mom. It originally was going to be called The Brickyard because years ago there used to be a brick factory across the road. We decided on The Flower Garden instead since Mom has some awesome flowers around the house and to honor of moms everywhere who tell their kids, "Stay out of the flower garden!" At least we won't have to.

The ball bucket was decorated by neighborhood kids. We hang it on a shepherd's hook simply because there are flowers like that around the house and we thought it would be funny. The scoreboard is home made. In this picture it shows no outs in the bottom of the seventh with the score 15 to 8. The green clothes pin used to mark the inning is kind of hard to see.

We keep all the bats in a plastic tub along with all the ropes used to line the field. We always used regular bats before this summer. We knew Wiffle Ball bats would be light, but when they arrived we were surprised just how light they really were. We knew that taping them up makes them heavier and more durable, so we decided it we might as well have fun with the taping.

All the kids in the neighborhood have their own bat, and when people from outside the neighborhood come over to play, the kids take great pride when their bat is chosen by someone else. Here's a close-up of a couple bats.

Most of the bats have a color pattern or design of some sort, basically whatever the owner felt like at the time. This Fourth of July bat is the only one intentionally designed around a specific theme.

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by after reading Two Boys at the Bat in the EXCURSIONS Journey To Health Wiffle Ball Newsletter. If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear them. Leave a comment below or send me an email.

And here's the challenge. Did anyone notice the inconsistency between the poem and the pictures? Leave a comment or send me an email if you think you know, and I'll post what it is - along with picture evidence - sometime in the near future.

Where's the Continuity?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:59:00 +0000

Last month I wrote a newspaper column about going outside. Getting the kids from the neighborhood together, running around, making up the rules as you go, faking injuries to trick Dad. You know, playing.

I just realized that the topic of this month's column might be the exact opposite of last month's. How can a writer focus on the joys of playing outside one month and follow that up with video games the next?

Let's just blame winter in Wisconsin. I did shovel snow three times the other day. Does that count?

Let me know. In the meantime, here's the column and here's the printable version.

Dream Life

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:06:00 +0000

I'm not complaining, so don't get any misconceptions about me being some malcontent coasting through life. Not at all. I just find it funny that the cartoons my kids watch strike me as hilarious. I've liked SpongeBob since I first learned he lived in a pineapple under the sea. I even thought Dora was sort of cool with her type-A personality forcing my children to think everything through in three simple steps. Over the bridge, through the forest, up the mountain! (I wish they'd extend those preschool lessons to elementary school. Unload the backpack, do the homework, repack for tomorrow!)

But now it's been Phineas and Ferb, and it has been at least since summer. This morning was my favorite episode, the one where Phineas and Ferb get Love Handel back together for their parents' anniversary. My favorite scene is the song I Ain't Go Rhythm when Phineas and Ferb go to the library to convince Swampy to rejoin the band. He swears he has no rhythm, despite the sound being made as he checks in book.

Sherman, as Swampy is now known, declares "Look, I got a sweet deal going on here, I got all the books that I can read, all these sweet old ladies and this carpet from the 80's, what more could a librarian need?" What more, indeed?

A song breaks out, very rhythmic of course, and Sherman decides to rejoin the band. As a bonus, it ends with a scene reminiscent of the Blues Brothers as they wheel Swampy and his drum set out the door.

Sherman/Swampy. Lived the life of a rockstar. Now lives the life of a librarian. That's a sweet gig if you can get it.

Thank You for Favorite Things

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:14:00 +0000

The auction has been completed, and I'd like to offer a big THANK YOU to the person who found it in their heart this Christmas season to purchase the copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe featuring an autographed letter from C. S. Lewis.

I know, I know, $9,200 is a substantial sum of money for a book, but compared to the $115,000 for the original Alice's copy of Through the Looking Glass and What She Found There or the $92,000 for Beatrix Potter's personal copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit it's a steal.

So again, to the kind-hearted soul who purchased that special copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in the recent auction, thank you. After my recent post about the auction, I just know you did it for me. But don't worry, mum's the word - wink, wink - your secret's safe with me.

I'll act all surprised when I pull that wonderful package out from under my tree on Christmas morning.

More Favorite Things!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:26:00 +0000

A couple weeks ago I posted on the unlikely combination of two of my favorite things - children's books and NFL football. Not long after I read of this upcoming auction.

Pat McInally played in the NFL for 10 years, from 1976 - 1985. He scored the only verified perfect score on the Wonderlic Test, which football geeks like me recognize as an intelligence test taken by prospective NFL players and discussed at length leading up to the NFL draft in April.

McInally has also collected children's books for over 20 years. And now, he's decided, it's time to sell. So check the couch cushions, take the hammer to the piggy bank, and someone, somewhere, please, get me that copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Take a look at this collection and tell me if you don't start drooling. (I'm assuming card-carrying children's book enthusiasts are reading this.) The copy of Through the Looking Glass owned by the real Alice. A first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a signed copy of The House at Pooh Corner, numerous copies of inscribed Harry Potter books, and the guest register from Boston's The Old Corner Book Store with signatures upon doodles upon signatures upon sketches of some of the most famous names in children's literature.

Really, what are going to do with that extra $100,000 you got lying around, anyway?

Remember When We Just Played?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:16:00 +0000

I must be getting old because I remember when play involved other kids, outside, and usually a ball of some sort. We made up rules, changed them to our own advantage, and sometimes quit and took our ball home with us, or at least threatened to.

Now, too often, play involves other kids via wireless connections, inside, and something that must be plugged in, or at least recharged. The rules are embedded into the game's code, and if you threaten to go home, there's always someone else in cyberspace able to take your place.

My latest column is all about the former kind of play and how I introduced it to the kids. Actually, they were already well versed, but a refresher course is always good, especially for a kid getting old like me.

Click here for the column or here for the printable version.

Parents, Vacation, and the Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:46:00 +0000

Have you walked into a room and realized that you still had something from the previous activity that has nothing to do with the present one? Something like grabbing the milk out of the fridge and realizing you still hold the dirty spade from working in the flower garden? Once I sat down behind the wheel of the van and noticed I was still holding the book I had been reading.

Gentlemen - I wouldn't think to ask the ladies this question - ever walk into the bathroom and realize you still have the TV remote in your hand?

My wife and I recently enjoyed a childless weekend together. A childless getaway, and we somehow took the children.

New column in the local newspaper today. Click here to read how it happened or click here for the printable version.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:02:00 +0000

From the "Oh-Do-I-Wish-I-Had-Thought-of-This-First" Department comes the combination - the collision, if you will - of two of the greatest parts of life. As John Madden would say, "Here, see, we got a football game. There's the eleven guys and this big, green field and everything and they're playing football. And then - BOOM! - there's a pigeon and, y'know, that pigeon, he's gonna play football in the National Fooball League."

Read all about it, including what I believe is an exclusive interview with the pigeon and his spokesman, Mo Willems, at Football Outsiders, a site highly recommended by yours truly.

Football. Children's books. My basement is a shrine to both at once. How many people can claim that? (I'm counting hands ... let's see ... there's me ... and, uh ... the resident seven-year-old's got his hand up ... so that's ... two. Me and the boy, and we share the same basement.)

And really, honestly, if the pigeon was going to play in the NFL, what other team would he join? (I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be too happy with that video's caption, either.)

The Autumn Wind is a Pigeon
Blustering in from sea
With a rollicking song he sweeps along
swaggering boisterously
His face is weather beaten
He wears a hooded sash
With his silver hat about his head
And a bristly black moustache
He growls as he storms the country
A villain big and bold
And the trees all shake and quiver and quake
As he robs them of their gold
The Autumn wind is a Raider
Pillaging just for fun
He'll knock you 'round and upside down
And laugh when he's conquered and won.

North! Or Be Eaten - The Ain't It Creative Angle

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:55:00 +0000

One of the components of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness that immediately drew me to it was, simply put, its uniqueness. Sure, it shares character traits with traditional fantasy, but there are aspects I'd never seen before. Which of course brings us to...

The Ain’t It Creative Angle

All of the quirks readers quickly came to love (or love to hate) in Book One are back. The toothy cows of Skree are still toothy and vicious. Totaters are still a vegetable of choice. Horned hounds still haunt the forest. Now added to the mix are Bomnubbles and snickbuzzards and quill diggles and a gargan rockroach.

Footnotes are still used, although less than in Book One. This time the footnotes offer complimentary information to events, characters, or places in the story. There aren't as many invented sources and Skreean publishing houses, but if it's included in the footnotes, it must be important to know that the "unknown areas beyond the edges of the maps were referred to as 'the places beyond the edges of the maps.'" And any reading would be incomplete if the reader wasn't told that Alma Rainwater was considered a revolutionary poet because her style "rhymed and followed a strict form called ba-dum-ba-dum pentameter."

And rest assured that Janner, Tink, and Leeli still study their T.H.A.G.S., the "Three Honored and Great Subjects: Word, Form, and Song. Some silly people think that there's a fourth Honored and Great Subject, but those scientists are woefully mistaken."

At least the mathematicians have some company.

North! Or Be Eaten - The Darkness Angle

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:48:00 +0000

I loved how On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness made me smile. The smiles don't disappear completely with North! Or Be Eaten, but the crease between my eyebrows grew more predominant. I can't stay this way throughout the series. It can't. That doesn't mean it can't get worse before it gets better, but in order to have a satisfying victory at the end - which I'm hoping there is - readers must have a true understanding of how bad the situation for the characters has become. It's now much clearer, which brings us to...

The Darkness Angle

It was easy to think and hope, as Tink does, that it would be much easier to quietly go back to the cottage and live peacefully and quietly without drawing any undue attention from Fangs, Gnag the Nameless, or even a stray garden thwap. But as details of Gnag’s rule are revealed, it becomes clearer how repressive his rule truly is. There is no chance of quiet peacefulness anymore.

The Stranders living on the banks of the River Blapp live self-sufficiently, relying on grit, determination, and a good amount of wickedness. Children taken on the Black Carriage are simply “tools” working in the cruel Fork! Factory! making Fang weapons. Children and families, when given a seemingly obvious choice of freedom or joining Gnag, repeatedly choose the latter. The homeless and desperate adults of Dugtown are willing to do all manner of evil to reclaim their stolen children.

And Podo. Oh, Podo.

North! Or Be Eaten - The Bigger Picture Angle

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:43:00 +0000

My post title calls this "The Bigger Picture Angle," but the working title for me has been...

The “I’m Being Set Up For Something Bigger” Angle

Remember the moment you discovered that the name Sirius Black first appeared in Sorcerer’s Stone? That I-cannot-believe-it’s-been-there-all-along moment when you began to understand, just a bit, how the entire tapestry was being woven, yarn by unbelievable yarn, right from the start and you began reading more carefully, determined not to let another clue slip by?

Is it possible for an author to have that same feeling while writing? I’m guessing it is. I’m guessing Andrew Peterson is enjoying his yarn spinning so much that when he pulls a character, mentioned once, from page 8 of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, it’s impossible for him not to tell you – which he does in the footnotes on page 191.

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness is full of foreshadow and unanswered questions and facts planted, not as throwaway details, but as foundational blocks upon which the entire story is being built. Many are revealed in North! Or Be Eaten – Podo skipping the Dragon Day Festival, Leeli’s music, the mysterious sea dragons, Oskar’s weapons cache, Peet’s talons – and, I’m guessing, plenty more are right there in plain sight, waiting to be discovered.

North! Or Be Eaten - The Character Angle

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:09:00 +0000

It’s taken me a while to complete my review of North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson, mostly because I couldn’t decide which angle to take. I'm still not sure I chose the correct one. So over the next couple days I’m presenting all of them here. My official review can be found over at Help Readers Love Reading!

Ultimately I went with...

The Character Angle:

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness introduced us to the Igibys, but North! Or Be Eaten delves much deeper in the characters. Janner begins to understand the responsibility that comes with the title of Throne Warden and the difficulty of achieving the standard expected of him. While he deals with each lapse in responsibility, he sinks a bit closer to what Peet has become because of his own perceived failures, even while Peet soars, newly refreshed, into his new responsibility of protecting the Jewels of Anniera.

Tink’s act-first, think-later personality hasn’t changed, but the stakes have grown. As dangerous as it was for him to leave Janner to run into the forest alone in Book One, now that Gnag the Nameless is aware of the Jewels’ presence, Tink’s actions have him facing something more deadly than a toothy cow of Skree.

Leeli displays maturity and calm when others are on the verge of panic. Her musical ability becomes more than music, but contains within it the power to encourage and uplift her siblings.

Podo’s pirate history is a far cry from innocent seafarer. He was a pirate, in the true sense of the word.

Oskar N. Reteep is … well, he’s still roly-poly but his experiential knowledge is quickly catching up to his book knowledge.

Nia, as circumstances demand, becomes more queen-like with each passing chapter. She leads forcefully when necessary and lovingly when needed but always remains a mother who loves her children, who wants to protect them, all the while allowing them to grow and become the leaders their kingdom needs.

So that's the angle I went with for my review. Check back over the next few days as I offer a few more thoughts about North! Or Be Eaten.

There's 104 Days of Summer Vacation...

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:45:00 +0000

...and school comes along just to end it.
So the annual problem for our generation
is finding a good way to spend it.

I hate to break the news to everyone out there, especially the teachers, but the summer is winding down. How's the summer been going? I've been running over my checklist, courtesy of my children and their new-found friends Phineas and Ferb, and things aren't going so well.

Building a rocket - I built a graduate portfolio. Does that count?
Fighting a mummy - I don't recall even a disagreement with my mother, let alone a mummy.
Climbing up the Eiffel Tower - How about the stairs up to the back door of the cottage?
Discovering something that doesn't exist - Still looking for the motivation to repaint the bathroom.
Giving a monkey a shower - I get the boy to bathe once or twice a week, how's that?
Surfing tidal waves - Floating on a air mattress in a gentle breeze?
Creating nanobots - I got nothing.
Locating Frankenstein's brain - Not exactly, but getting my own brain focused on graduate work during summer is sort of the same.
Finding a dodo bird - The crow that shows up outside my window at 4:55 each morning is gonna wish he was extinct!
Painting a continent - The bathroom still ain't painted.
Driving your sister insane - The boy's got a handle on this one for me.

And, of course, one more:

Making a title sequence - All I gots is a blog, but maybe I'll start watching iCarly and produce my own web show...

Public Enemies - A Reader's Response

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:21:00 +0000

Before I saw Public Enemies, I wrote in my book review (since revised), “It will be interesting to see how a film can pack all the facts neatly into 140 minutes. Equally interesting will be if the film can keep the facts away from fiction, unlike many films of the past, as Bryan Burrough frequently states. For example, will Anna Sage, the ‘woman in red,’ be wearing an orange skirt (fact) rather than a red dress (fiction)?”

The answer is an emphatic … kinda. Yes, Anna Sage was in an orange skirt, but why was she one of the first people in the movie? Her apartment was the last place Dillinger lived. At best it made most of the movie an unclear flashback. At worst it was a purposeful alteration of the facts.

No, the movie isn’t a documentary, but after reading the remarkably well-researched book, it’s easy to see embellishments are not necessary.

Well, maybe embellishments are necessary for Hollywood, but not for the story itself. The episode at Little Bohemia Lodge is a great example. Here are a few notable Hollywood adaptations:

Hollywood-ization #1:
Book (Fact): The gang arrived on Friday afternoon and enjoyed two days of rest, planning to stay until Monday morning. Growing restless, they decided to leave Sunday night instead, not knowing the FBI was on their way for a raid that night. When the raid started, the gang was already preparing to leave the lodge.

Movie (Fiction): The gang arrived, divvied up their money, and had just laid down to rest, when the shooting started. By all appearances the FBI is a well-oiled, fast-acting, crime-fighting machine.

Hollywood-ization #2:
Book: Dillinger, Homer Van Meter, Red Hamilton, and Tommy Carroll all jumped out the back windows and quickly disappeared into the woods after the FBI’s initial shots on the lodge. The FBI mistakenly believed their shots had driven the gangsters back into the lodge and the agents kept the now empty lodge surrounded until dawn believing gang members remained inside.

Movie: Shooting, shooting, shooting. Daring leap out the windows. FBI pursuit. More shooting. High speed chase. Some more shooting. Car wreck. Shooting. Bloody death.

Hollywood-ization #3:
Book: Baby Face Nelson escaped on his own, stole one car which stalled, then shot two FBI agents and stole their car which subsequently threw a rod. Nelson traveled 20 miles on foot to the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation where he met Ollie Catfish and his wife Maggie. Pretending to be a game warden, Nelson stayed until the following Friday when he finally made his escape.

Movie: Melvin Purvis gave chase and killed Baby Face Nelson who had joined Dillinger and Red Hamilton in the great (nonexistent) Little Bohemia Chase. (Nelson wasn’t actually killed for another seven months on November 27.)

My wife hadn’t read the book but offered two great observations. First, she said the movie was high on shooting, low on plot. Second, she said it was like they made a four hour movie and then cut out 100 minutes of back story. Simply adding headings like Miami: December, 1933 or even June, 1934 on the screen would have helped. Having read the book, I knew all the characters and events and explanations. Without that, I’d have been lost.

One thing the movie nailed on the head was the feeling readers/movie-goers have toward Dillinger. As frustrated as it made me, as I read, I continually found myself on the side of the criminals, just as many people in the general public did at the time. After all, Dillinger once told a bank customer who’d placed his money on the counter, “You go ahead and take your money. We don’t want your money. Just the bank’s.” During the Great Depression, that sort of attitude placed gangsters in the public’s corner facing off against a banking system and government that had let them down. I turned to my wife halfway through the movie and asked, “Whose side are you on?” She just smiled and shook her head.

Why the movie started with Melvin Purvis shooting Pretty Boy Floyd is beyond me. This actually happened three months after Dillinger was killed. All it did was portray Purvis as an FBI hero, cool, calm in the face of the most wanted, when in actuality, he allowed more gangsters to escape under his watch than were captured. J. Edgar Hoover grew increasingly disappointed with Purvis’s leadership. Due to his rare successes, Purvis could more accurately be described as a blind pig who occasionally found an acorn. (BIG acorns, but nonetheless...)

People who make movies know what they’re doing, apparently. The movie is a success. It’s unfortunate that a nonfiction book has been made into a historical fiction movie. Bryan Burrough did a magnificent job researching and detailing the exploits of numerous gangs of 1933-1934, sometimes down to the minute. The movie was entertaining. The book, however, was fascinating and educational.

Pack It Up and Move It Out

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:20:00 +0000

I've got a new newspaper column today all about vacation. Actually, it's about getting ready to go on vacation. Check the list, pile it up, and pack it in. Make sure you have everything and make sure it all fits.

Here's the article, or here's the printable version.