A Lesson in Narrative Voice

I have survived another holiday season. I apologize for my self-imposed blogging silence. I have tons of posts to write and have not settled down to write them.  Until now.

I finished a book, way back in December, called, The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch (I have to look up how to spell Pseudonymous every single time I write it).  The book is quite enjoyable (a great first book to the series). It follows two  precocious children, Cass and Max-Ernest. The book (I will refer to it as “the book” because it has a long title) is about kids solving a mystery and saving the day but it is also about the existence and even intrusion of narrative voice.

In general, the narrator in a book can blend so perfectly into the storytelling that you have to remind yourself someone or something is telling the story and it is NOT the author.  Sometimes the narrator is a character, well the narrator is always a character, but sometimes it is a character in which the action is happening directly to.  And sometimes the narrator is just there, hovering and watching the characters from above.  Understanding the importance of the narrator was key in my literature education. The Name of This Books is Secret is a wonderful example of narrative voice and specifically unreliable/ridiculous narration. The narrator is simply hilarious (even when s/he does not mean to be).

Cassandra (also known as Cass), the survivalist enthusiast, and Max-Ernest, the non-stop talker, join forces to discover the secret hidden in a box called The Symphony of Smells, or at least they try to discover the secret. The box leads them to discover the evil workings and diabolical plans of Ms. Mauvais and Dr. L. The book is filled with adventure, intrigue, and a great sense of humor. Read it and be prepared to get hooked.

Age Group: 8/9 and up
Genre: Middle Grade Books / Fantasy / Mystery
Themes: Magic, Friendship, Discovery, Secrets
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, imprint of Hachette Book Group

Adventure, Fantasy & Jim Dale = The Emerald Atlas

 

I love listening to audiobooks (as you may have discovered from a previous post, Listening to Words). When I found out that Jim Dale, the reader for the Harry Potter audio series, narrated a new book called The Emerald Atlas, by John Stephens, I practically squealed with excitement. I had heard great things about The Emerald Atlas (especially from Erin at Random Acts of Reading). I was excited to read the book, but learning of the audiobook I became even more excited. I was not disappointed.

The Emerald Atlas is delightful. Maybe delightful is not quite the right adjective. “Delightful” makes it sound unassuming and “nice.” The Emerald Atlas is exciting, intriguing and wonderfully written.

The Emerald Atlas is about three precocious siblings who are whisked away from their parents at a very young age to protect them from a merciless evil. Kate, the oldest, is the only one to remember their parents. Michael, the middle, is quite nerdy and loves everything that has to do with dwarves. Emma, the youngest, will be the first to bully her brother and the last–if anyone else tries to bully him then they will have to talk to her fists. The three kids are passed from orphanage to orphanage until finally landing in a mysterious town called Cambridge Falls. There they find an enchanted book, a kind of emerald atlas. This book transports them to a past time in Cambridge Falls where they must defeat a wicked Countess. The world of The Emerald Atlas involves dwarves, giants, wizards, and witches. It is a great fantasy book and if you have enjoyed the Harry Potter books then you must pick this one up. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Non and I had the privilege of meeting John Stephens at The Why Chromosome Event, hosted by Bridge to Books. Stephens was delightful; and this time “delightful” is exactly the right adjective. I told him that the audiobook is fantastic (as if he needed my validation). We spoke briefly about how amazing Jim Dale is as a reader. Stephens described a dinner outing with Jim Dale in which Dale would order food using various Harry Potter character voices. I only wish I could hear Dolores Umbridge order a burger with fries (I’m sure this is not what Jim Dale ordered).

Age Group: 9 and up
Genre: Middle Grade Books / Fantasy
Themes: Family, Siblings, Time, Magic, Dwarves
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, imprint of Random House

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Side note: Audiobooks in general are amazing. If you haven’t tried listening to one then get some recommendations from friends or myself so that you start the experience out right. There have been times when a reader has not captured the world or voices correctly (or at least in my opinion). Neil Gaiman has started an amazing audiobook production called Neil Gaiman Presents, which can be downloaded/purchased from Audible.com.  He matches readers with books and understands the importance of a well-read audiobook. See a review of one of the adult titles, The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel (from Bookriot.com).

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Another side note:

Don’t forget about the Giveaway Schmiveaway! Win a signed Andrew Smith book! The giveaway ends December 10th at midnight, PST.

   

Enter to win by subscribing to Read Schmead and by posting comments. Every current and new subscriber is entered into the contest automatically. If you happen to leave comments on posts then those will count as additional entries. Winners will be picked randomly.

Wonderstruck & The Giveaway

I read Brian Selznick’s newest book, Wonderstruck, in a matter of days.  I could have read it in a sitting but I happened to have a lot on my plate that weekend.  Selznick creates a wonderful new book.  This time he experiments with the idea of telling two different (but in many ways parallel) stories: one in text and one in pictures.  The story told in all words is set in 1977 and is about a young boy, Ben, searching for his father.  The story told in all illustrations follows a young deaf girl named Rose, set in 1927.  The two kids, at different times, runaway to The Museum of Natural History in search of meaning, answers, and most importantly, family.  The illustrations are amazing and captivating.  Reading/understanding a story in illustration about a deaf girl forced me to listen to the silence.  I don’t know if that makes sense so let me try to explain:

When I read I tend to listen to words being said in my head.  This might be why I read so slow, but I can’t help it – I just read that way.  When I look at images, specifically ones that come together to tell a story, I hear nothing in my head.  There is silence.  I discovered this to be the case with the amazing illustrative story The Arrival by Shaun Tan.  By reading a story through illustration, completely void of words, I was able to inhabit the mind and world of the deaf, specifically of one deaf girl, Rose.  I saw the museum and the city the way she did and it was quiet.

Rose and Ben’s stories merge together in an unforeseeable twist that speaks of family, redemption, and love.  I really enjoyed this book.  Brian Selznick is a gifted illustrator and his research into Deaf Culture created a realistic story.  I only have one concern when it comes to Brian Selznick and his storytelling, specifically in Wonderstruck, and that is with his text.  I love the parallel stories in this book, but I did gravitate towards the illustrative story.  I felt quite sympathetic towards Ben, but looking back I felt Ben and the characters (literally) written fell a little flat.  Just a little!  I wanted more character from these characters.  I already cared about their story and so I wanted Ben to have a bit more personality.  Sometimes I felt like I wanted to rush to Rose’s story and perhaps Selznick wanted to rush to her story as well.  I actually would have loved an entire book about her life and about Deaf Culture all told in illustrations.  I am being a little hard on Wonderstruck, but that is only because I did enjoy it so much and, therefore, I scrutinized the parts I wanted more from.

It could also have been because I was listening to an audiobook about two other museum runaway kids — From the Mixed-Up FIles of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg.  Oh, man, was this book fantastic!!  Konigsburg is a master storyteller and she creates some darn wonderful characters.  The kids in this book are smart, hilarious, and complicated.  The book came out in 1967 and, aside from some outdated references to the cost of goods, it has held the test of time.  I adored the brother, Jaime, and sister, Claudia, relationship.  The two were smarter beyond their years.  They run away and live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art where they sleep in antique beds and bathe in the fountain.  If you have not read this book yet, then you really, really must!!  You should also read Wonderstruck!  Other than that one, tiny minor critique, I adored Selznick’s newest book.  I also can’t wait to see the movie Hugo.

Speaking of the movie, Hugo, it is time for me to announce the winner of my first Giveaway Schmiveaway!!!  All contestants were placed in a hat and then one lucky individual was chosen at random.

And the winner is………

Erik!  The blogger of This Kid Reviews Books!

Erik, please email me at readschmead@yahoo.com with your address so that I can send you the signed Hugo poster.

Thank you so much to everyone who left comments and subscribed!  Don’t worry if you didn’t win because I have a bunch of other goodies to giveaway for the next few months.  Giveaways to come in no particular order: an Oliver Jeffers book, signed copy of Maggie Stiefvater’s book The Scorpio Races, signed books by Andrew Smith, and many more!!

Wonderstruck:

Age Group: 9 and up
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary Fiction
Themes: Family, Friendship, Loss, Deaf Culture
Publisher: Scholastic

From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler:

Age Group: 9 and up
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary Fiction
Themes: Family, Friendship, Discovery
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Brian Selznick and My First Giveaway Schmiveaway!

On Thursday, October 20th, I worked the Brian Selznick book event for A Whale of a Tale Children’s Bookshoppe.  Selznick was wonderful!  He gave a captivating presentation about his writing process, specifically in regards to his latest book Wonderstruck (review to come soon).  The entire event was loads of fun.  If Brian Selznick is EVER in your area and you have a chance to listen to him speak about books and writing then I INSIST you go!!  One audience member asked Selznick, “What is your favorite book?”  He answered, “Fortunately” by Remy Charlip.”  He then began quoting the book and the entire audience, including myself, could see why he loves this book — it sounds hilarious.  Here is an excerpt:

Fortunately, Ned was invited to a surprise party.

Unfortunately, the party was a thousand miles away.

Fortunately, a friend loaned Ned an airplane.

Unfortunately, the motor exploded.

Fortunately, there was a parachute in the airplane.

Unfortunately, there was a hole in the parachute.

Selznick also showed us a quick behind-the-scenes/trailer for the movie Hugo.  It looks so amazing.  It actually gives me chills.  I know.  I am a weirdo.  But just watch it and tell me you don’t get all tingly when that thematic song plays in the background and the images of Hugo Cabret come to life!  You are made of steel and cold-hearted if you don’t get chills.

I was able to have Brian Selznick sign both of my books along with a Hugo movie poster.  This leads me to my first GIVEAWAY!!!  I will be selecting one lucky individual to receive the Hugo movie poster signed by Brian Selznick!

I have already started accepting entries into the Giveaway.  You can enter by subscribing to Read Schmead and by posting comments.  Basically every subscriber is automatically entered into the contest.  For every comment you post I will enter your name into the contest again.

Here are some more photos from the event:

Most the seats were full at The Murray Center in Mission Viejo, CA

Myself, Brian Selznick, and Alex

 

Also, don’t forget you can buy signed copies of Brian Selznick’s books at A Whale of a Tale Children’s Bookshoppe!  Call us at 949-854-8288!!

Rick Riordan – God of the Little People

On October 8th A Whale of a Tale Children’s Bookshoppe and the Mission Viejo Library hosted Mr. Rick Riordan (writer of the Percy Jackson Series, The Kane Chronicles, and The Lost Heroes).  It was glorious.  First, let me just say this, Rick Riordan is incredibly average looking.  I don’t mean this as a slight.  All I mean is that he looks like my 5th grade elementary school teacher, or perhaps, anyone’s 5th grade elementary school teacher.   It was the most surreal, hilarious, and exciting thing to see over 1,200 kids screaming and whooping for this elementary school teacher.  To all those kids (and to me), Rick Riordan is a god.  He has written some fantastic books and truly reinvigorated Greek, Egyptian, and Roman Mythology.  I mean, mythology is amazing, but Riordan has added to an already fascinating story world.  I remember my older sister being obsessed with D’Aulaires Book of Greek Myths.  And of course she was–Poseidon, Titans, Zeus, all those guys/gals are pretty dang interesting and now there are even more stories about malevolent and benevolent gods thanks to Riordan.  All this being said, it was truly a joy to watch Riordan speak up on the stage and it was even better getting to meet such a genuinely nice guy.  Enjoy the pictures I took at the event!

Rick Riordan and Alex

The Whale of a Tale staff, Togas and all!

Rick was here promoting his newest book, The Son of Neptune

Riding the chariot

Entering the "arena" to screaming fans

You can still buy some autographed copies of Rick Riordan’s book at A Whale of a Tale Bookshoppe!  Call us at 949-854-8288.   For more awesome pictures of the event go to Read Schmead’s Facebook page.  Also, if you don’t want to purchase a book from A Whale of a Tale directly then click on the book covers to find another independent bookstore online.

The Penderwicks

        

Jeanne Birdsall has created a great series of middle reader books featuring the Penderwick family.  The characters Birdsall creates are intriguing, adorably quirky, and just plain lovely.  The first book, The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, introduces the captivating Penderwick sisters:  Rosalind, the oldest and most responsible, Skye, whipsmart and a bit rough on the edges, Jane, the storyteller, and Batty, the youngest and whose best friend is a dog named hound.  You instantly love them.  The first book is all about their summer adventure with a young boy, Jeffrey.  The Penderwick girls save Jeffrey from the unrealistic expectations of his controlling mother and show him how to stand up for himself and follow his passion for music.

The second book, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, focuses much more on the interpersonal relationship between each family member.  We finally discover how their mother passed away and the emotions surrounding that traumatic event but it doesn’t take over the book.  Birdsall does a great job at showing and not telling how this event affects the girls and their quirky father.  From the insistence of Mr. Penderwick’s sister, Mr. Penderwick begrudgingly begins the dating process again.  It is a struggle for him and the girls do not much like the idea of their father dating.  This second book tackles the topic of coping with loss, even if that loss occured years earlier.  This description makes the book sound much heavier than it is.  Birdsall’s gifted storytelling deals with this difficult issue of loss without focusing the entire book on it; instead, the book is about growing up, even coming of age, and how every person deals with loss and love in very different ways.

The third Penderwick book, The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, was released in May 2011.  I have yet to read this book, but I am certain it will be fantastic.  I have it on my list and you should too!

Check out this interview with Jeanne Birdsall:  Author Interview

Age Group: 8 and up (A great series for younger kids reading above their grade level without getting into adult-ish content!)
Genre: Middle Grade Reader
Themes: Relationships, Family, Adventure
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, imprint of Random House

Orange County Children’s Book Festival 2010

The Orange County Children’s Book Festival was AWESOME!  I mostly hung around the young adult stage and was given the task of escorting authors from the check-in to the stage.  It was fantastic.  I got to speak with so many great Middle Grade/YA authors like: Gitty Daneshvari, Robin Benway, R.L. LaFevers, Amber Benson, Nancy Holder, Becca Fitzpatrick, Lauren Kate, Heidi Kling, Cecil Castellucci, Joanna Philbin, Jessica Brody and Maria V. Snider !  I was able to get a few pictures here and there.

 

School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari

 

Gitty Daneshvari, author of School of Fear, was hilarious.  She shared some of her childhood fears, like spraying Raid in her hair to keep away spiders!  If there is ever an author to meet in person it is Gitty.  She is just so very funny.

Another compelling author to watch was Amber Benson, Among the Ghosts. She explained that her over-active imagination is what drew her to acting and writing.  Her energy on-stage was infectious and she knew just how to draw the audience in!

 

Among the Ghosts by Amber Benson

 

 

Non, Sina Grace (the illustrator), Amber Benson, & Me

 

The rest of the authors were also great.  Here are some of the pictures I managed to snap:

 

Robin Benway, author of Audrey, Wait! and The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June

 

 

Heidi Kling, author of Sea, and Becca Fitzpatrick, author of Hush, Hush and Crescendo

 

 

R.L. LaFevers, author of the Nathaniel Fludd and Theodosia series

 

 

Signing at the Mysterious Galaxy Booth

 

 

Joanna Philbin, author of Daughters, and Jessica Brody, author of The Karma Club

 

Note:  If you would like to purchase a copy of the book signed by the author then contact Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego.

The Books of Elsewhere

Summer is coming to an end while school days, a Southern California fall (that means just hot wind), and Halloween begin creeping back into every child’s and parent’s psyche.  What better way to end a summer and head into the fall than with Jacqueline West’s book, The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!  The Shadows features a young girl named Olive.  When Olive’s family move into their newly bought home she starts noticing strange shadows that move across the paintings.  Her parents, who are quite mathematical in every aspect, accuse her of having an over-active imagination.  Olive explores the old home, which still contains all of the previous owners belongings (the paintings included).  Eventually, Olive discovers a pair of spectacles that allow her to travel into the paintings!  Morton, a boy from one of the paintings, tries to convince Olive that he is a real person and not part of the painting.  Her mission in the story is to discover the truth behind the house, the paintings, and the three talking cats.

Jacqueline West marries the mystery and the ghost story perfectly in The Shadows without it being too scary for younger readers.  The book includes awesome illustrations, by Poly Bernatene, which help to entice the more reluctant readers and contribute to the overall story.

Age Group: 8 and up
Genre: Middle Grade Reader
Themes: Haunting, Fantasy, Magic, Ghost Stories
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers, imprint of Penguin Group

The Gospel Truth, Evolution, and a Ten-Year-Old Girl

Trilobite Fossil

Mary Mae, in Sandra Dutton’s Mary Mae and the Gospel Truth, is delightful!  I cannot help but hope that I have such a tenacious and ever-questioning kid like her some day.  This book follows a brief period in Mary Mae’s life in which she learns about the existence of fossilized trilobites, an extinct marine arthropod.  Mary Mae is enthralled with science, especially fossils.  Her mother is far from thrilled.  Her mother insists that the existence of fossils contradicts the Bible and therefore is not right.  Dutton balances the existence of God and the existence of fossils very well without putting any ideology or science into question.  The story focuses on Mary Mae’s inquisitive mind and the fear such a mind might cause adults.  Mary Mae asks her mother and Sister Coates questions about the Bible and Noah’s Ark, but her questions are met with frustration and annoyance.  Mama explains to her, “There are things you should not question.”  Sister Coates refers to Bible scholars as “knowing the answers” but Mary Mae wants to understand things for herself.  Her Mama says, “All you need to know is right on that sticker we put up, John 3:16.  You do not need to know about generations.  You do not need to know why the Lord done anything.  He has his reasons.  If you’re learning things at school that don’t mesh with the Bible, you got to tell your teacher you ain’t allowed to hear it.”  But Mary Mae sees the Bible differently from her mother.  She is confused by the existence of fossils versus the Earth’s age according to her Church.  Mary Mae is not satisfied with just believing without understanding.  This pleasant story shows the importance of fostering a critical mind.  That does not mean that Mary Mae should not believe in God, but that it is important to encourage discussion and articulation even when it comes to religion.  I loved this book and think it is well worth reading for any and all religious denominations.

Age Group: 8 and up
Genre: Middle Grade Reader
Themes: Christianity, The Bible, Evolution, Fossils, Education, Relationship
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Making Lists

Making lists are difficult.  I’m talking, in particular, about making lists like, “Top Ten Songs,” “Fab Five Movies from the 1990’s,” or “8.5 Awesome Artists.”  The difficultly with these kinds of lists is that they are finite — captured in a moment in time — as soon as these lists are created they are obsolete.  Also, the judge or list-maker may find themselves far too busy to accurately assess and create such a list.  This topic comes up because I am attempting to create a list, “Ten Terrific Young Adult Books.”  It has been a struggle just deciding what the criteria will be for such a list.  For example, I think I will limit this list to only newer books, published within the last two years.  However, my biggest problem is the fact that I have in no way read all of the books released in the last couple years.  So how am I to give an accurate list!?  The answer is I cannot.  But this is difficult to come to terms with.  I want the list to be great and all encompassing.  But that is just not possible.  This also brings me to my newest book review:

The newest addition to the 1001 family of books, 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up edited by Julia Eccleshare, is fun to look through, but falls a bit short.  In fact, it is missing one of my favorite young adult books, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (I will talk about this book in another post, but just know — it is good).  To not include this book seems truly like a travesty.  Another problem with this list is that it includes quite a bit of foreign publications, which I have noticed are difficult to purchase and may not even be translated into English.  Arg!  Some looked adorable and I would have loved to order them for the bookstore but they were unavailable through our major distributor.  The book did offer some helpful suggestions for books that have a related theme.  It also gave a nice brief synopsis about the books it recommends.

All and all 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up is not awful.  It is quite enjoyable to flip through, but I can’t quite get passed the horrendous exclusion of Hunger Games.  I realize lists are difficult to create for this very reason.  There will always be some book left out no matter how hard you try to patch up the cracks.  When I finish my list, “Ten Terrific Young Adult Books,” I hope it will endure at least a little bit of scrutiny.  I think it will need to be an “ammendable” list.