Louis Sachar and Small Steps

I found out from a library bulletin that Louis Sachar, winner of the Newbery medal for his book Holes, will be at the Multnomah County Central Library in a few weeks. He will talk about Small Steps, the sequel to Holes. The date is Saturday, April 17; the time is 1:00 pm. The library announcement is here. You might also be interested in the world premiere of the play Small Steps, which the Oregon Children’s Theater will perform in April and May. Rejoice!

Not When But Will You Reach Me?

I began my blog, in part, to chronicle my adventures reading all the Newbery medal–winning books. You may be wondering where that lofty goal went. It is still here, in my heart! I have simply gone through several ups and downs. For one thing, my friends keep suggesting and lending very good books to me: right now, I’m reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Also, lately I’ve been feeling uninspired when it comes to writing book reviews; this is why it is taking me forever to write about Graceling, which I finished a month ago. But I still have Newbery winners in my sights. Indeed, I am halfway through Caddie Woodlawn, a book I read once before in my girlhood. And I started Tales from Silver Lands but had to return it to the library.

Yes, I know that this is all just talk and that I need to deliver. But I wanted to type out a note to let you know where I’m at.

ps. Bonus points if you know what the title of this blog post alludes to.

Congratulations to Rebecca Stead

I have a new book to add to my list!

As those of you who cover the Newbery beat will know by now, the 2010 medal winner has been announced. Congratulations to Rebecca Stead, author of When You Reach Me. The American Library Association has posted the winner and honor books here.

I am crazy eager to read When You Reach Me. I found the reviews from Book Shop Girl and IndieBound were just enough to whet my appetite: I do not want to read anything more about the book until I finish the genuine item.

On a side note, Book Shop Girl is a former colleague of mine from the graduate program in Book Publishing. She is well read in young adult literature and writes with candor and enthusiasm.

Best of the Blog, 2009

Caught up in the general retrospection that comes with the end of each calendar year, I began to think about my blog and all that I have posted upon it. It occurred to me that I could do a sort of “best of” or “author’s choice” for 2009. I have mixed feelings about this, for sure, as I’m not one to place special emphasis on my work or parade it around. “Publish it and let it speak for itself: anything else is hubris”—that’s kind of my philosophy. All the same, I am often interested in learning from other artists (editors, authors, painters, musicians, and so on) what they consider their best work or their favorite work. Thus maybe my favorites will be of interest to some reader out there.

So here you go. These are the 2009 posts that I love most and of which I am most proud. My blog hasn’t even existed for a year, but it has passed the six-month mark, which is a small achievement.

My all-time favorite:
Life Lessons from Bella and Meg
I struggled for a long time to get this one right. It was hard to find the right tone, and I almost gave up trying. I’m glad that I persisted, because the lessons are worthwhile.

My favorite in the publishing category:
Life with Ligatures
For weeks if not months, this was my most popular post. Maybe people liked the examples. I certainly do—typography is a beautiful discipline.

My favorite in the science category:
Is this a stimulating conversation or just a clever simulation of one?
This post has a photograph of lunar soil simulant. What more do I need to say?

My favorite in the Newbery category:
The Dark Frigate, 1924
It is no masterpiece, but I enjoyed this one. “Curb your Arrrs and your mateys” was a fun sentence to write.

My favorite in the “about me” category:
Переводчица в России. A Translator in Russia.
This simply brings good memories.

Runners-up:

A Wrinkle in Time, 1963
I love this post mostly for the quotations from the book!

The Colophon
I like colophons. I like the word colophon. Good times.

Price Wars and the War for Independents
I’m not keen on this one because of my writing. It’s more that I feel the subject matter is important.

So in conclusion, I’d say: have you thought over your creative endeavors this year? What works are you most proud of? Consider sharing them with someone.

Life Lessons from Bella and Meg

Today, Bella Swan and Meg Murry are here to offer us some important lessons. Thanks, ladies.

1. Be yourself. Like who you are.

If you feel like a stupid lamb, or if you feel inclined to hate yourself, take some time out and remember that you are unique and worthy. You may not be flesh nor fowl nor good red herring—but, as Calvin O’Keefe will tell you, “you’re Meg, aren’t you?” And that is plenty good!

2. If life doesn’t go your way, accept it and be strong.

Your boyfriend might not want to turn you into a vampire, or your father might not solve all your problems for you. Don’t lose heart. There will be something important that only you can do, and you will do it well. The “weak things of the world confound the things which are mighty,” and the right does prevail.

3. Love others for the right reasons.

He might be unbelievably gorgeous, but remember that “people are more than just the way they look.” As Mrs. Murry might say, it is important to love people for who they are “in essence.”

4. Be careful in your choice of boyfriend.

If your boyfriend tends to chuckle at you, or he has a habit of following you around all the time, or he blames you for nearly getting assaulted, you might consider dumping him. If he does all three, dump him for sure. On the other hand, if your boyfriend likes to spend time with you, loves your family, and says that you are the nicest thing that’s happened to him in a long time, he may very well be a keeper.

5. Think for yourself.

Do you find yourself “mesmerized” by, for example, your boyfriend? Uh-oh. Whether it’s a stunningly handsome young vampire or a giant, pulsating alien brain, you have to say no and stand up for yourself. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] are created equal.” Mesmerism is slavery. Think and act for yourself; don’t let anyone take away your independence.

6. When you find yourself in danger or discouragement, remember that you are loved.

And remember your capacity to love others.

Thanks again, Meg and Bella. We sure can learn a lot from you.

. . .
L’Engle, Madeleine. (1962) A Wrinkle in Time, Square Fish, an imprint of Macmillan; originally published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, New York.

Meyer, Stephenie. (2005) Twilight. Little, Brown and Company, New York.

A Wrinkle in Time, 1963

“We want nothing from you that you do without grace,” Mrs. Whatsit said, “or that you do without understanding.” (page 215)

Dear to my heart, A Wrinkle in Time is a book of substance and inspiration, eloquently underscoring the importance of selflessness, wisdom, patience, and a healthy dose of impatience and stubbornness, as well. If, in these past few weeks, I have dragged my feet about posting a review, it is because I struggle to find the right language to talk about the book. I can toss adjectives all over the place, but I don’t have the words to do A Wrinkle in Time justice. Madeleine L’Engle has written those words already! Forget me; go directly to the book.

However, I will do my job and write. A Wrinkle in Time introduces us to Meg Murry, a smart but troubled girl who fights for and worries over her family. Meg’s father, a scientist, has disappeared. Meg’s brother, Charles Wallace, is misunderstood. Townsfolk pry and gossip and tease, and everything is just all wrong. Then the mysterious Mrs. Whatsit comes calling; and Meg learns that she, Charles Wallace, and friend Calvin O’Keefe are the only ones who can save her father. But doing so means confronting the oppressive force of IT.

Why do I love this book so much? See that quotation above? A Wrinkle in Time brims with statements of that sort—ideas that I find both surprising and natural. I want to act with grace and with understanding. I would never have known to put that desire into words, yet now I have those words to help guide me.

Father said it was all right for me to be afraid. He said to go ahead and be afraid. And Mrs. Who said—I don’t understand what she said but I think it was meant to make me not hate being only me, and me being the way I am. And Mrs. Whatsit said to remember that she loves me. That’s what I have to think about. (p 226)

As I read the book, I feel close to Meg Murry and learn from her. Since my first reading of A Wrinkle in Time, many years ago, I have sympathized with Meg, “the snaggle-toothed, the myopic, the clumsy” (p 107). Her struggles and faults are real, which makes her achievements more meaningful. In fact, I chose to read this book directly after I read Twilight because, when I searched in my mind for an antidote to Bella, Meg Murry came immediately to mind. Brave Meg, sweet Charles Wallace, and unassuming Calvin. Indeed, apart from IT and its minions, I would like to meet every character in this story and get to know each one better.

Likewise, the worlds explored in the story (there are several) are vivid and distinct. The language used to describe them is not necessarily sophisticated, yet the author creates a clear sense of otherness. Landscapes both beautiful and repulsive are inhabited by beings unique not only in appearance but in the very way that they live, think, and understand the Universe.

“What is this dark? What is this light? … They have told us that our atmosphere is what they call opaque, so that the stars are not visible, and they were surprised that we know stars, that we know their music and the movements of their dance far better than beings like you who spend hours studying them through what you call telescopes.” (p 199)

Most of all, at the core of A Wrinkle in Time is love. I have thought much about this recently, but I am not articulate enough to make profound conclusions fit for a blog or anyplace. Suffice it to say that, in this book, love is not merely felt. Love is proven. Love is a summons that must be answered, and love is the answer to that summons. Is that profound enough?

I would not say that A Wrinkle in Time is the book to end all books. It may seem outdated to some. It gets a little cerebral. It may have other faults as well. But it is a literary luminary, for sure.

. . .
L’Engle, Madeleine. (1962) A Wrinkle in Time, cover art by Taeeun Yoo. Square Fish, an imprint of Macmillan; originally published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, New York. ISBN 978-0-312-36754-1

A Short Note about a Short List

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) released its book awards short list. And it looks great—time to add to your reading list! Among the many worthy titles, one catches my eye for a particular reason: All in a Day is written by Cynthia Rylant, who won the Newbery medal in 1993 for Missing May.

Dress to Impress: Newbery Costume Ideas

For Halloween, how about dressing as your favorite character from a Newbery medal–winning book? The possibilities are vast and delightful. Here are some I have come up with:

• Ladies, go as the Warden from Holes. Gentlemen, dress as Mr. Sir—chew plenty of sunflower seeds!
• Be your favorite character from The Witch of Blackbird Pond (I would love to do this).
• Go out as the Old One from The Dark Frigate (unleash your inner pirate).
• Become Doctor Dolittle—wear a top hat and make plenty of animal noises.
• Be Lincoln from The Higher Power of Lucky—but you have to tie lots of knots.
• Dress as Leigh’s father from Dear Mr. Henshaw (always a favorite of mine).
• Become Mr. Henshaw himself—I’ve always wondered what he would look like!
• Wear medieval garb as one of the children in Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
• Go out as one of the mice or rats (or the cat!) from Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
• Choose any character from A Wrinkle in Time—that would be purely awesome.

What character would you choose to be?

Speaking of book reviews

Do you read the blurbs on the back covers of books? You know, the compliments from authors and the press, who say “This will knock your socks of.” “Best book ever!” I remember, early in my publishing studies, we were having a class discussion about the reasons why readers choose to buy books. A colleague remarked, “You don’t look at the back cover—you look inside the book. No one looks at the back cover! It’s all going to be praise; everyone knows that.”

Actually, I do read the back covers of books, but to my colleague I admit that what I find on the back doesn’t affect my decision to buy. I suspect many people in and out of the industry, but especially publicists and book marketers, peek at the blurbs out of an interest in how each book is promoted.

One afternoon, I happened to have my copy of The Once and Future King on my bookshelf back cover forward. I began to read the blurbs and got to thinking of trends in back cover copy: what works, why it works, when it works. This is a subject worthy of much study. For today, I thought I would just include some of the interesting blurbs that I have found.

Praise for my copy of The Once and Future King is quite effusive.

“From the glorious jungle of Malory, T.H. White has carved a dramatic, human and even Freudian story. He has treated it with the inimitable extravagance of THE SWORD IN THE STONE and yet has struck a tragic note where this is needed…” — Basil Davenport, Book of the Month Club

I find the vocabulary interesting; we don’t expect to see the words “Freudian story” and “inimitable” on the backs of modern works. (Do we?)

“If I ever read a book that, in my belief, is destined to outlive the triviality, the vulgarity and the tawdriness of our time, to lighten our darkness and redeem our faults in the eyes of our far-distant posterity, it is this great work of Mr. White’s…” — John Connell, London Evening News

Wow. I like that one.

“What a noble achievement…a near-masterpiece; and the ‘near’ is put in only as an antidote to reviewers’ rash (blurbitis vulgaris).” — John Davenport, the Observer

Pretty clever there. This one, in particular, strikes me as a blurb from a bygone era.

The sources of these quotations are also interesting. In our time, we hear of subscription book clubs diminishing and newspapers disappearing. How many of these organizations are still around?

Here are some blurbs about my most recent read, The Book Thief.

“The Book Thief is unsettling and unsentimental, yet ultimately poetic. Its grimness and tragedy run through the reader’s mind like a black-and-white movie, bereft of the colors of life. Zusak may not have lived under Nazi domination, but The Book Thief deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel’s Night. It seems poised to become a classic.” — USA Today

“Zusak doesn’t sugarcoat anything, but he makes his ostensibly gloomy subject bearable the same way Kurt Vonnegut did in Slaughterhouse-Five: with grim, darkly consoling humor.” — Time Magazine

“One of the most highly anticipated young-adult books in years.” — the Wall Street Journal

In the first two reviews, note the name dropping, as it were: the connection of The Book Thief to valuable and highly respected works about World War II. “Poised to become a classic” strikes me as going overboard, but it sounds very exciting.

I wanted to include a Newbery-winning book here, so I picked up Dear Mr. Henshaw.

“A first-rate, poignant story…a lovely, well-crafted, three-dimensional work.” — the New York Times Book Review

“Cleary succeeds again. Her sense of humor leavens and lightens.” — School Library Journal

I love this reviewer for his or her refined use of words in the alliteration and rhythm of “leavens and lightens.” It is amazing what a talented reviewer can accomplish in very few words.

“Capably and unobtrusively structured as well as valid and realistic.” — Kirkus Reviews

A more practical, less poetic review is this. Yet it touches on qualities that seem generally valued in young adult literature.

Wise book marketers and publishers know that every inch of the front and back cover can—and should—be used to make a sale. Even a book’s spine is important! When readers browse the shelves of a book shop, what do they see first? Indeed, I knew a book designer who made a special study of trends in spine design and used what she learned to great effect.

This is one reason why books never cease to fascinate me. They are admirable works within and without: both their content and physical form are valuable.

. . .
Cleary, Beverly. (1983) Dear Mr. Henshaw, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. HarperTrophy, New York.

White, T.H. (1958) The Once and Future King. Book Club Edition, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York.

Zusak, Markus. (2005) The Book Thief, illustrated by Trudy White. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.

Challenging Times

We find ourselves in the midst of Banned Books Week—a week that the American Library Association (ALA) sets aside to “highlight the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.”

The ALA Banned Books Week website has much information to read and ponder. See their pages About Banned & Challenged Books and Frequently Challenged Books. As the latter website demonstrates, the most frequently challenged books vary from year to year. There are also geographic variations. Back in 2007, Amanda (the librarian) shared a list of the Newbery-winning books that were challenged in Texas: see her report on The Newbery Project website. Among the frequently challenged Newbery winners are A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, 1963; Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George, 1973; Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson, 1978; and The Giver, by Lois Lowry, 1994. Have you read any of these books? (I read Wrinkle in Time and Terabithia very, very long ago.) What is your take on them?

Of course, children’s and young adult literature are targets for censorship, as so often concern surfaces about protecting young minds. Yet it is so important for young minds to learn about the world. Moreover, young people are highly sensitive to issues of fairness and freedom, so there is a need to be honest and just with them.

Not being a parent, I can only go so far in my exploration of this issue. However, having been a child, I can say that I’m grateful for the ALA and all those who stand up for the freedom to read.