Wow.
Just finished Ghost Medicine, by Andrew Smith.
Did I mention, “Wow” ?
This is YA Guylit for manly men. As the cover promises, the story is about friends, enemies, heroes and blood. But it’s…so…mindful. It’s downright…now don’t take this the wrong way…lyrical.
Wait! Come back here! I didn’t say it was sappy. Or girly.
It’s thoughtful. Andrew Smith [...]
Posts Tagged ‘book report’
book report #11: letting boys be boys
Posted in book report, childrens' literature, tagged andrew smith, book report, boys, childrens' literature, ghost medicine, guylit, manly men, YA literature on January 30, 2009 | 2 Comments »
book report #10: evolution of a fairy tale
Posted in book report, childrens' literature, tagged book report, childrens' literature, fairy tale, red riding hood, wolf, writing on January 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
We all know the story of Little Red Riding Hood.
Girl goes into the woods to bring her poor grandmother some sustenance, wolf tries to eat her…
But there’s a whole book about that “yadda yadda yadda”.
Little Red Riding Hood UNCLOAKED: Sex, Morality and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale by Catherine [...]
book report #9: writing disasters
Posted in book report, mind, writing, tagged 9/11, book report, disaster, surviving, The Unthinkable, writing on August 21, 2008 | 1 Comment »
No, this isn’t about garbled dialogue or a 200,000 word manuscript.
Or typing a hilariously scathing reply to an inane memo from your boss, and instead of sending it to your cubicle buddy you hit “reply all”.
We’re talking actual, matter-of-factual horrors. I’ve found the perfect book for writers of action-adventure-tragedy, middle-grade, YA or adult. (I love obscure but useful reference tomes.) It’s [...]
book report #7: where the wild things are, and aren’t
Posted in book report, childrens' literature, tagged book report, children's books, klaatu, wild things, wonderboy, writing on July 2, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
If you’ve never heard of this book, let me be the first to welcome you to earth:
As a child, I read this book. Once. I hated Max. I thought he was a naughty little boy. He scared me more than the Wild Things did. [...]
book report #6: nerds are real characters
Posted in book report, childrens' literature, writing, tagged book report, character, nerds, research, writing, young adult on June 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
If you’re going to write a YA novel with a less-than-popular teen character, you’ve got to read the book American Nerd: The Story of My People by Benjamin Nugent.
Nugent confesses to being labeled a nerd in high school. But he doesn’t rest his expertise on his personal experience. He looks at the nerd in scholarly studies, interviews, popular culture, and [...]
book report #5: what’s so dang funny?
Posted in book report, writing, tagged book report, dumb, humor, writing on June 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I can only afford so many conferences a year, so when I saw The Portable Writers’ Conference, edited by Stephen Blake Mettee, I drooled a little.
There’s a lot of jewels in here:
Unforgettable…Creating memorable characters…by Sara Ann Freed
Can These Bones Live?…Writing good period dialogue…by Leonard Tourney
Slice Yourself a Piece of Mud Pie…Writing for the children’s book market…by Andrea [...]
book report # 4: off the road
Posted in book report, mind, tagged apostrophes, book report, the road on June 10, 2008 | 2 Comments »
The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
One of those books that you finish reading and think, I KNEW I SHOULDN’T HAVE READ THIS.
Of course, the fact that I read the last third of it by booklight in the middle of a 12-hour blackout from a never-ending thunderstorm probably contributed to the aura of despair.
I remember the glowing [...]
book report #3: the importance of suffering
Posted in book report, hero's journey, tagged book report, edward tulane, hero's journey, love, myth, suffering on June 2, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Who would you ask for advice; a spoiled rich prince who has never left the grounds of his estate, or a man who has walked barefoot in the dust, gone hungry, slept in fields, felt pain, and dealt with death? The first man is Siddhartha, the second, Buddha. Same person, pre- and post- suffering.
Look at David Letterman. First, [...]
Book Report #2: Researching in the darndest places
Posted in book report, writing, tagged book report, cockroach, research, writing on May 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The Cockroach Hall of Fame and 101 Other Off-the-Wall Museums by Sandra Gurvis* may not seem like a helpful book for children’s writers at first blush, but stick with me. I’m awfully persuasive.
Four ways this book could be useful to you:
1. You are writing a non-fiction piece for Cobblestone magazine about toys of the past. Turn to your [...]
Book Report #1: Advice with a Bite
Posted in book report, writing, tagged book report, writing on May 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Walking on Alligators: A Book of Meditations for Writers, by Susan Shaughnessy
The usual setup: spiffy quote, usually an author…brief reflection…pithy marching orders.
While this book isn’t written specifically for children’s authors, it’s chock-full ideas about personal psychology and the Human Condition. Everyone should find something that resonates with where they are in life. It was a quote from Anais [...]
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