04.23.09
Posted in Random at 8:59 pm by Janet
Remember that letter I got from Judy Blume that wasn’t really from Judy Blume? I got another one! This time it was from John Grisham. He wants me to give money to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Well, he doesn’t, the Southern Poverty Law Center wants me to give money to the Southern Poverty Law Center. And they are using John Grisham to manipulate me! Ah well, it doesn’t tug at my heartstrings like that fake letter from Judy Blume did. I don’t love John Grisham that much. But seriously, who is sending me these letters? Have you gotten one, too?
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04.16.09
Posted in Geography at 9:20 pm by Janet
First and foremost, I’m happy that Bridget posted. It’s great to see her back here.
Second, I’m stuck on this geography thing. I’m trying to think of kids books about various places that I’ve lived. I hope Bridget can weigh in about Portland sometime. Ramona! I’m still pondering Chicago, Milwaukee, and some other places. Any ideas, anybody out there?
I recently read a middle-grade book set in Minneapolis, Julia Gillian (And the Art of Knowing) by Alison McGhee. Speaking of Portland, I’ve seen Julia Gillian compared to Ramona–she’s a pretty normal kid from a pretty normal family, not always happy, having random every-day adventures. These adventures take place during a slow summer spent worrying and walking her St. Bernard around my old neighborhood of South Minneapolis. She goes to Bryant Hardware to use the claw machine, Our Kitchen for breakfast, and Quang for Vietnamese food. The neighborhood is a really important part of the story. Julia Gillian learns to confront her fears with the help of her neighbors, the people she meets on her walks, and the simple freedom she has to wander. Julia Gillian is a sweet story. I think it really captures the flavor (even if it is Minnesota Mild, which I happen to appreciate) of being a kid in a fun-walking-area of Minneapolis.
Check out this blog to see photos of the neighborhood in question.
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04.13.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:24 pm by Bridget
You can hear all about the misadventures of my last month on my blog, but to make a long and less than fun story short, I have been out of commission. I’m now sort of in commission and hope to be back to blogging more frequently in May. It’s a dream. It may be out of reach, but we all need to have dreams, right?
I have been listening to oodles of books on tape lately due to the whole going-temporarily-blind-on-top-of-everything-else thing and I have to comment on what a different experience it is listening to a book compared to reading it. I read Suite Scarlett when it first came out and would have said that it’s a funny romance. Listening to it on tape (thanks for sending, Janet!), I’ve discovered that it’s way more of a family drama/eccentric old lady friendship sort of a book. It’s been fascinating delving into the story at the slower-than-I-could-ever-force-myself-to-read pace of the narrator.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Bridget
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04.11.09
Posted in Geography at 12:03 pm by Janet
I just started reading Gods of Manhattan by Scott Mebus. That got me thinking about my favorite kids books set in New York City. A number of my favorite books as a child were set in NYC, even though I had never been there. I found a lot of the details related to the setting to be mysterious. What’s the difference between Brooklyn and the Bronx? What is a tenement? And what on earth is an air shaft? To a girl in the Midwest, the stories seemed exotic and therefore appealing and important.
Eventually, as a young adult, I visited NY and learned the geography. I even figured out what an air shaft was, most likely to my detriment. The incident where I rented a sketchy apartment in Minneapolis JUST BECAUSE it had an air shaft was probably unnecessary, but it does speak to the fascination the Big City held and still holds for me.
Here is a list of my ten favorite books about New York City that are read by children.
1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn–Betty Smith. Air shafts! A handsome, shiftless father! A pervert in the hallway! This is as good as it gets! If you still don’t know what an air shaft is, go read this book! Now!
2. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler–E.L. Konigsburg. The Metropolitan Museum tells you that you can’t actually stay there overnight: http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/FAQ/htm/franken.htm
3. Knuffle Bunny–Mo Willems. I think Mo Willems has left Brooklyn, but you can still enjoy his neighborhood.
4. The Cricket in Times Square–George Selden. Great animal story in a very busy place.
5. All-of-a-Kind Family–Sydney Taylor. I loved this whole series about a Jewish family on the Lower East Side in the early 1900s, even though I didn’t know Uptown from Downtown from Coney Island. A little lighter than A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
6. Harriet the Spy–Louise Fitzhugh. If only I could find a place with a dumbwaiter. That would be way cooler than an air shaft.
7. Catcher in the Rye–J.D. Salinger. I am convinced that every book about teens running around NY owes something to this book.
8. So Yesterday–Scott Westerfeld. Teens running around NY, not being angsty but hip and inquisitive. The bit about the Cool Hunting is very appropriate to the setting and its fashion-conscious inhabitants.
9. Chains–Laurie Halse Anderson. Shows interesting aspects of NY’s history that I for one didn’t know much about. A slave girl is stuck in lower Manhattan during the American Revolution. Can she escape?
10. The Lightning Thief–Rick Riordan. Yeah, yeah, the whole book isn’t set in NY, but some of the most important action takes place there. Who knew that Mount Olympus has moved to the 600th floor of the Empire State Building?
What are your favorite books about New York City? What about your own city?
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