Tom McNeal’s just out Far Far Away is getting some well-deserved buzz so I figured I would post my brief goodreads comments, written after reading it a few months back.

A very unique read, sort of spooky, definitely creepy as it goes on. With one notable exception, the characters are-not-quite Grimm characters, but nearly. The book is filled with Grimm tropes and you think the author is going to take you in somewhat predictable fairy-tale directions and he doesn’t. McNeal really knows how to make food sound really scrumptious and also various characters twinkly and fun until…they are not. It probably would have given me nightmares as a kid. That is, I was the sort of kid who always freaked out around clowns and there is a character in this book that reinforces just why they freaked me out. Can’t say more without spoilage.

Yesterday on a whim I got a ticket for the matinée of Pippin (which took home a clutch of Tonys last Sunday) and it was money well spent. In particular, Patina Miller and Andrea Martin were fantastic as were all the acrobatics and other circus-centered actions. (I was especially impressed with a very casual-in-passing-knife act in the middle of one number and…Andrea Martin….boy oh boy!). There was even a Lucy-like-dog* at one point.

The original production was playing when my family moved to the NYC area from the Midwest and I vividly remember the following television ad with Ben Vereen and so shed a sentimental tear when the familiar music began.

Here’s Patina’s version (followed by “Glory”):

*Little black poodly-like thing.

I’ve just come across the organization blank on blank that “…take journalists’ raw interviews and transform them with music, sharp editing, and storytelling.”  Yesterday, to honor Maurice Sendak’s 85th birthday, they pubished the the following animation of an interview he once did. Have to say, I’m not wild about the juxtaposition of their drawing with Sendak’s –-what do you all think?

I’ve just come across the organization blank on blank that “…take journalists’ raw interviews and transform them with music, sharp editing, and storytelling.”  Yesterday, to honor Maurice Sendak’s 85th birthday, they pubished the the following animation of an interview he once did. Have to say, I’m not wild about the juxtaposition of their drawing with Sendak’s –-what do you all think?

Donalyn Miller’s post “Let My People Read,” is about the sad reality of assigned summer reading that so many kids get. I’m with her 100% on the need to leave kids alone to read whatever they want over the summer. In fact, I’m happy to see more media attention given to the research indicating that the best way to keep kids reading over the summer is to give them books. Next week is our last of the year and I’ve got a book handpicked for each of my students to read (or not as they chose) over the summer.  Where Donalyn and I appear to differ is on the idea of  reading a book together as a class during the school year.

Don and I expressed dismay that another slew of great works will be slowly destroyed for our daughter during months-long novel studies next year.

Sigh. Now I understand the hatred many have for this approach to books and literature in school because it is often done badly. Billy Collins’ poem “Introduction to Poetry” makes me wince every time I read it. For I think that exploring a piece of great literature together can be wonderful, that it can be as fabulous a way to enjoy a poem as any other, that it is celebrating the work, not torturing it. Certainly I had my share of boring novel studies throughout my schooling, but I also had some amazing ones. I remember the excitement of reading The Iliad and Odyssey together with my 8th grade English teacher and an incredible college class where we delved into Goethe’s Faust. And so I feel strongly that we teachers should do the occasional novel unit — one where the class becomes a community, helping each other in an exploration of a particular work of literature.  

Turn the class into a book club like the ones we participate in as adults. The kids can then experience the book together, responding to it in real time, exclaiming, becoming choked up, being surprised when someone he/she doesn’t know has the same response to a particular moment, gaining insight from another peer, and so forth. Reading the same book for school is, to my mind, a social experience not one done in solitude. I do this with the books I read aloud, but I also do it with books the kids read. This year we started the year reading Charlotte’s Web together and ended in literature circles with The One and Only Ivan. Loving each book by itself, finding wonderful images and pieces of writing, seeing connections between the two — all of this and more made both experiences exhilarating ones.  

I believe in giving kids ample choice in what they read, but I also believe in the power of shared literary explorations.  To me close reading, whole class book study, and so forth can be a joy not a horror.

Donalyn Miller’s post “Let My People Read,” is about the sad reality of assigned summer reading that so many kids get. I’m with her 100% on the need to leave kids alone to read whatever they want over the summer. In fact, I’m happy to see more media attention given to the research indicating that the best way to keep kids reading over the summer is to give them books. Next week is our last of the year and I’ve got a book handpicked for each of my students to read (or not as they chose) over the summer.  Where Donalyn and I appear to differ is on the idea of  reading a book together as a class during the school year.

Don and I expressed dismay that another slew of great works will be slowly destroyed for our daughter during months-long novel studies next year.

Sigh. Now I understand the hatred many have for this approach to books and literature in school because it is often done badly. Billy Collins’ poem “Introduction to Poetry” makes me wince every time I read it. For I think that exploring a piece of great literature together can be wonderful, that it can be as fabulous a way to enjoy a poem as any other, that it is celebrating the work, not torturing it. Certainly I had my share of boring novel studies throughout my schooling, but I also had some amazing ones. I remember the excitement of reading The Iliad and Odyssey together with my 8th grade English teacher and an incredible college class where we delved into Goethe’s Faust. And so I feel strongly that we teachers should do the occasional novel unit — one where the class becomes a community, helping each other in an exploration of a particular work of literature.  

Turn the class into a book club like the ones we participate in as adults. The kids can then experience the book together, responding to it in real time, exclaiming, becoming choked up, being surprised when someone he/she doesn’t know has the same response to a particular moment, gaining insight from another peer, and so forth. Reading the same book for school is, to my mind, a social experience not one done in solitude. I do this with the books I read aloud, but I also do it with books the kids read. This year we started the year reading Charlotte’s Web together and ended in literature circles with The One and Only Ivan. Loving each book by itself, finding wonderful images and pieces of writing, seeing connections between the two — all of this and more made both experiences exhilarating ones.  

I believe in giving kids ample choice in what they read, but I also believe in the power of shared literary explorations.  To me close reading, whole class book study, and so forth can be a joy not a horror.

I have been following closely the development of the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical in London. So far the publicity has been very limited: a vague teaser trailer, others featuring the talk of creators, some of their prep, and preview audiences, some costume sketches, and interviews.

A few weeks ago there was some negative media attention to their casting call for a non-white actor which has now been removed, but they are clearly still looking for kids with particular characteristics. (Given the four American Matildas currently on Broadway doing British accents I have no problem with this).

CHARLIE BUCKET

8 – 12 yr old boy, under 4ft 8in

A talented actor with innocent appearance, lean frame and natural singing voice

VERUCA SALT

9 – 12 yr old girl, under 4ft 8in

A charismatic actress and excellent ballet dancer (grade 4 or above)

VIOLET BEAUREGARDE

9 – 12 yr old girl, under 4ft 8in

A skilled rapper with good rhythm and a brash attitude. Able to do an American accent

MIKE TEAVEE

9 – 12 yr old boy, under 4ft 8in

A highly physical street dancer with lots of energy. Able to do an American accent

AUGUSTUS GLOOP

9 – 12 yr old boy, under 5ft

A corpulent boy and a good singer. Able to do a German accent

And now, hurray, they’ve released a few photos of the production itself!

I have been following closely the development of the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical in London. So far the publicity has been very limited: a vague teaser trailer, others featuring the talk of creators, some of their prep, and preview audiences, some costume sketches, and interviews.

A few weeks ago there was some negative media attention to their casting call for a non-white actor which has now been removed, but they are clearly still looking for kids with particular characteristics. (Given the four American Matildas currently on Broadway doing British accents I have no problem with this).

CHARLIE BUCKET

8 – 12 yr old boy, under 4ft 8in

A talented actor with innocent appearance, lean frame and natural singing voice

VERUCA SALT

9 – 12 yr old girl, under 4ft 8in

A charismatic actress and excellent ballet dancer (grade 4 or above)

VIOLET BEAUREGARDE

9 – 12 yr old girl, under 4ft 8in

A skilled rapper with good rhythm and a brash attitude. Able to do an American accent

MIKE TEAVEE

9 – 12 yr old boy, under 4ft 8in

A highly physical street dancer with lots of energy. Able to do an American accent

AUGUSTUS GLOOP

9 – 12 yr old boy, under 5ft

A corpulent boy and a good singer. Able to do a German accent

And now, hurray, they’ve released a few photos of the production itself!

Lastly, we got a special treat: one of our own, Monica Edinger, Dalton School teacher and blogger atEducating Alice, spoke about her new book, Africa Is My Home. Telling the little-known story of the real-life children aboard Amistad, this labor of love was thirteen years in the making for Edinger. She uses primary source materials and archival images to drive the story home; accompanied by illustrations from Robert Byrd, this is an emotional and rich book. The room was so supportive of Edinger, and we all can’t wait for this one to come out in October.

From Laura Lutz’s SLJ piece on last week’s Candlewick Fall Preview.

Lastly, we got a special treat: one of our own, Monica Edinger, Dalton School teacher and blogger atEducating Alice, spoke about her new book, Africa Is My Home. Telling the little-known story of the real-life children aboard Amistad, this labor of love was thirteen years in the making for Edinger. She uses primary source materials and archival images to drive the story home; accompanied by illustrations from Robert Byrd, this is an emotional and rich book. The room was so supportive of Edinger, and we all can’t wait for this one to come out in October.

From Laura Lutz’s SLJ piece on last week’s Candlewick Fall Preview.

Unlike the somber tone of Appelt’s previous two novels (Keeper and The Underneath — I’m a fan of both),  The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp has a much lighter sensibility along with her signature folky and entertaining third person omniscient storyteller. This is the tale of a swamp in peril of being paved over by a couple of nefarious types who made me think of Carl Hiaasen’s, of a son and mother with a small cane sugar pie business threatened by those aforementioned meanies, some charming raccoon bros with quite an appreciation for art, snakes (one is mystical — a far relative perhaps to the one in The Underneath?), a tall tale-larger-than-life (truly) figure, and some quite outrageous hogs — just to get started. Over-the-top improbable, full of wild contrivances, absurd, and great fun to read indeed.  One I could definitely see reading aloud to my fourth graders come fall.

Hope the publisher plans to have some of those sugar cane pies around when the book comes out. I’m craving one of them something fierce!

Unlike the somber tone of Appelt’s previous two novels (Keeper and The Underneath — I’m a fan of both),  The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp has a much lighter sensibility along with her signature folky and entertaining third person omniscient storyteller. This is the tale of a swamp in peril of being paved over by a couple of nefarious types who made me think of Carl Hiaasen’s, of a son and mother with a small cane sugar pie business threatened by those aforementioned meanies, some charming raccoon bros with quite an appreciation for art, snakes (one is mystical — a far relative perhaps to the one in The Underneath?), a tall tale-larger-than-life (truly) figure, and some quite outrageous hogs — just to get started. Over-the-top improbable, full of wild contrivances, absurd, and great fun to read indeed.  One I could definitely see reading aloud to my fourth graders come fall.

Hope the publisher plans to have some of those sugar cane pies around when the book comes out. I’m craving one of them something fierce!

So let’s start with the bunnies. While Battle Bunny (my review here) isn’t yet out, its fiendish villain has already received a movie treatment thanks to the always brilliant Pink Me.

As for tiaras, dust yours off for this year’s Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet where everyone who is anyone will be heading down the red carpet all decked out in attire celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Caldecott Award.  Need a little help figuring out what to wear?  No need for Stacy and Clinton — there’s Betsy and Jim to the rescue!

So let’s start with the bunnies. While Battle Bunny (my review here) isn’t yet out, its fiendish villain has already received a movie treatment thanks to the always brilliant Pink Me.

As for tiaras, dust yours off for this year’s Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet where everyone who is anyone will be heading down the red carpet all decked out in attire celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Caldecott Award.  Need a little help figuring out what to wear?  No need for Stacy and Clinton — there’s Betsy and Jim to the rescue!

So let’s start with the bunnies. While Battle Bunny (my review here) isn’t yet out, its fiendish villain has already received a movie treatment thanks to the always brilliant Pink Me.

As for tiaras, dust yours off for this year’s Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet where everyone who is anyone will be heading down the red carpet all decked out in attire celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Caldecott Award.  Need a little help figuring out what to wear?  No need for Stacy and Clinton — there’s Betsy and Jim to the rescue!

While I can’t show you Robert Byrd‘s gorgeous interior art for Africa is My Home, I can show you the cover in the following book trailer. (And if you are at BEA, do stop by the Candlewick Press booth for a more comprehensive look or, even better, come to my Thursday 3:30 signing of F&Gs of the complete 64 page book.)

I was one of the fortunate 100 who recently received a brown paper packages tied up with string and was completely charmed by both the handmade nature of the mailing and the enclosed book, Matthew Loshan and Sophie Blackall‘s The Mighty Lalouche.  A longtime fan of Blackall (going all the way back to her  hilarious collaboration with Meg Rosoff, Meet Wild Boars) I was delighted with this elegant Cinderella story of a mild mailman who became a celebrated boxer.

Yesterday I read it aloud to my 4th grade class and was pleased that they enjoyed it too. So first of all, to those who wonder if it is a book with a too adult sensibility, I can say that these ten-year-olds were captivated by the story and the art. But sometime else occurred to us as we enjoyed the story — something no doubt very particular to us.  And that is how much the images and verbal descriptions of the small and speedy boxer Lalouche reminded us of Charlie Chaplin (with whom, for those who don’t know, I’m a bit…er.. obsessed). Chaplin was incredibly capable on his feet too. He could dodge, feint, and dance around his opponents with an elegance and speed that seems not unlike that of the Lalouche of Blackall and Loshan. Not only did he do that in just about every one of his silent comedies, but he actually ended up in a few boxing rings. Perhaps most famously in City Lights, but also in an earlier short, The Champion.  Take a look below and see if you can see any similarities between the Little Tramp and the Little Lalouche.

I had an excellent time at SLJ’s Day of Dialog yesterday. First of all, it was held at Columbia University’s Faculty House, a place familiar to me as my father was a professor at Columbia. And, another plus is that I live within walking distance. (Though it felt a very l-o-n-g distance walking home with a large bag o’ books at the end of the day.)

Secondly, and most importantly, all the speakers were outstanding.

The day opened with a keynote by the distinguished Kevin Henkes. Moving, smart, and  great start to the day.  And because I have already marked Penny and her Marble as one of my Newbery druthers (as Kevin nails the emotion in absolutely pitch perfect prose) and because his new book is The Year of Billy Miller*, I tweeted (as did others as it wasn’t particularly original):

• @medinger Is it the Year of Kevin Henkes?

The first panel of the day was on Informational Picture Books, moderated by my old friend Kathy T. Isaacs (who has a great book on information picture books) with Jim Arnosky,  Jennifer Berne, Elisha Cooper, and Jonah Winter. (A couple of my tweets:

*Keep calling it The Year of Billy Martin. Sigh.

** To be brutally honest I misspelled it as Weisner. Double sigh.  (Managed to misspell another author’s name earlier yesterday as well.)

Africa is My Home isn’t out till October, but marketing and publicity for it revved up yesterday with Candlewick featuring it at their NYC fall preview and having me do a signing of advanced copies at BEA.

I’ve been going to various publisher previews for years, but not as a featured author!  It was strange and wonderful.  They saved Africa for last and my editor Sarah Ketchersid did a wonderful job presenting it. After that I spoke a bit, several attendees who have been part of my long journey to publication did too and there was applause and a few tears, not all of them mine. I will say again, it has been a very long road to get here and I will never be able to thank enough all those who were there along the way.

Sarah and I then zipped over to the Javits Center. She went to meetings and I went to wander the exhibits until it was time for my signing. I’d been to BEA a few years ago, but it sure has changed since then in that most of the bigger publishers no longer have any books on display. That was mighty strange, but I’m not a bookseller so perhaps this works better for them and the convention is for them, after all, not for the likes of me. I happily spent time at some smaller publishers who DID have physical books on hand.

And then it was time for my signing. I arrived at Candlewick’s booth to discover this big poster:

They asked me what sort of pen I wanted to sign with and provided me with an assortment to choose from. Then the line began to form and I began to sign. And sign. And sign. I was incredibly touched by those I knew who came, but the majority were people I didn’t know at all. And many of them said such kind things about the book and the idea of the book. I so didn’t expect many to come to this signing so I was overwhelmed and very, very happy! (Candlewick did a great little Vine video of the signing you can view here as I can’t seem to embed it for some quirky wordpress-only-knows reason.)

Thank you, Candlewick, for my day as queen!

Africa is My Home isn’t out till October, but marketing and publicity for it revved up yesterday with Candlewick featuring it at their NYC fall preview and having me do a signing of advance copies at BEA.

I’ve been going to various publisher previews for years, but not as a featured author!  It was strange and wonderful.  They saved Africa for last and my editor Sarah Ketchersid did a wonderful job presenting it. After that I spoke a bit, several attendees who have been part of my long journey to publication did too and there was applause and a few tears, not all of them mine. I will say again, it has been a very long road to get here and I will never be able to thank enough all those who were there along the way.

Sarah and I then zipped over to the Javits Center. She went to meetings and I went to wander the exhibits until it was time for my signing. I’d been to BEA a few years ago, but it sure has changed since then in that most of the bigger publishers no longer have any books on display. That was mighty strange, but I’m not a bookseller so perhaps this works better for them and the convention is for them, after all, not for the likes of me. I happily spent time at some smaller publishers who DID have physical books on hand.

And then it was time for my signing. I arrived at Candlewick’s booth to discover this big poster:

They asked me what sort of pen I wanted to sign with and provided me with an assortment to choose from. Then the line began to form…

and I began to sign. And sign. And sign. I was incredibly touched by those I knew who came, but the majority were people I didn’t know at all. And many of them said such kind things about the book and the idea of the book. I so didn’t expect many to come to this signing so I was overwhelmed and very, very happy!

Thank you, Candlewick, for my day as queen!

I had an excellent time at SLJ’s Day of Dialog yesterday. First of all, it was held at Columbia University’s Faculty House, a place familiar to me as my father was a professor at Columbia. And, another plus is that I live within walking distance. (Though it felt a very l-o-n-g distance walking home with a large bag o’ books at the end of the day.)

Secondly, and most importantly, all the speakers were outstanding.

The day opened with a keynote by the distinguished Kevin Henkes. Moving, smart, and  great start to the day.  And because I have already marked Penny and her Marble as one of my Newbery druthers (as Kevin nails the emotion in absolutely pitch perfect prose) and because his new book is The Year of Billy Miller*, I tweeted (as did others as it wasn’t particularly original):

• @medinger Is it the Year of Kevin Henkes?

The first panel of the day was on Informational Picture Books, moderated by my old friend Kathy T. Isaacs (who has a great book on information picture books) with Jim Arnosky,  Jennifer Berne, Elisha Cooper, and Jonah Winter. (A couple of my tweets:

*Keep calling it The Year of Billy Martin. Sigh.

** To be brutally honest I misspelled it as Weisner. Double sigh.  (Managed to misspell another author’s name earlier yesterday as well.)

I was one of the fortunate 100 who recently received a brown paper package tied up with string and was completely charmed by both the handmade nature of the mailing and the enclosed book, Matthew Olshan and Sophie Blackall‘s The Mighty Lalouche.  A longtime fan of Blackall (going all the way back to her  hilarious collaboration with Meg Rosoff, Meet Wild Boars) I was delighted with this elegant Cinderella story of a mild mailman who became a celebrated boxer.

Yesterday I read it aloud to my 4th grade class and was pleased that they enjoyed it too. So first of all, to those who wonder if it is a book with a too adult sensibility, I can say that these ten-year-olds were captivated by the story and the art. But sometime else occurred to us as we enjoyed the story — something no doubt very particular to us.  And that is how much the images and verbal descriptions of the small and speedy boxer Lalouche reminded us of Charlie Chaplin (with whom, for those who don’t know, I’m a bit…er.. obsessed). Chaplin was incredibly capable on his feet too. He could dodge, feint, and dance around his opponents with an elegance and speed that seems not unlike that of the Lalouche of Blackall and Olshan. Not only did he do that in just about every one of his silent comedies, but he actually ended up in a few boxing rings. Perhaps most famously in City Lights, but also in an earlier short, The Champion.  Take a look below (start at 2:58 for his ring performance) and see if you can see any similarities between the Little Tramp and the Little Lalouche.