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Welcome back to Upcoming Titles, our monthly feature where we highlight books releasing this month. As always, this is by no means a comprehensive list of forthcoming releases, just a compilation of titles we think our readers (and our contributors!) would enjoy.
Summer is in full swing and two of our PubCrawl contributors have books coming out this month, including our very own Jodi Meadows and Julie Eshbaugh! Julie’s debut will be coming out this month and we are so, so, so excited for her book to finally be out in the world!
Elizabeth Marshall, a former elementary schoolteacher, has a terrific article on the Rethinking Schools site. Titled "Marketing American Girlhood" she makes excellent points again and again about what this well-marketed series hides or glosses over. Here's a paragraph about Josefina:
Josefina's story takes place on a rancho near Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1824 before the Mexican-American War. The nonfictional "Looking Back: America in 1824" at the end of Meet Josefina dilutes this colonial history by limiting discussion to two sentences about the Mexican-American War and pointing out that when it ended in 1848, America "claimed most of the land that is now the southwestern United States" (Tripp, 1997, p. 83). The author of this history then moves on to describe the benefits of this war. "Although Josefina would never have imagined it when she was 9 years old, she would one day be an American — and the cultures and traditions of the New Mexican settlers and their Pueblo neighbors would become part of America, too" (p. 83). It is important to note that this loss of sovereignty was especially significant for New Mexican women, who had many more rights as Mexicans than they had as Americans — like the right to own their own property. The creators at American Girl favor a whitewashed version of this history, and Josefina's narrative reads as a melting pot story in which difference is assimilated into a larger American girlhood identity. Like Meet Josefina, each of the historical fictions takes place in the past and in this way allows issues such as racism, colonization, and war to be presented as things that America has overcome.
During our visit, Jean and I wondered about the stage performance they do there but didn't want to rearrange our visit to see it. There is, however, a review in Theatre Journal [to read the entire review, see Theatre Journal 60.2 (2008): 303-306]. The author of the review is Matt Omasta from Arizona State University. Do click on his name to read about him. He's doing some fascinating work, including a stage adaptation of Lois Lowry's Gathering Blue. Here's some excerpts from his review of the American Girls production. He begins with:
I believe that Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) is a cultural pedagogue. As corporations further their reach into today's world, I am interested in interrogating what these companies "teach" young people vis-a-vis their popular performances like The American Girls Revue. Viewing the production confirmed my suspicion that children would be indoctrinated into consumer identities and encouraged to avail themselves of the plethora of American Girl products available in the adjoining shop. More surprising and perhaps more troubling for me was the Revue's implicit yet deeply embedded hegemonic discourse that prescribed social roles based on children's race, class, and gender.
In the Revue, a group of girls show another how to play American Girl. Each one picks her favorite girl and acts out a scene. Omasta described three of them-- Felicity, Josefina, and Addy--and the scenes they act out. Then, he writes:
I see a troubling dichotomy when I consider these stories: affluent white people are encouraged to break free from their hegemonic roles, while impoverished minorities should rely instead on inner peace, since attempts at material social change will prove futile.
Of the males in the production, he writes:
With the exception of one kindly avuncular figure, males appeared only in apathetic or aggressive/hostile roles: a confederate soldier, a cruel animal-abuser, a drum-beating Native American who paid no heed to the troubles of his tribe.
Thank goodness, the shows are shutting down. The economy is probably the reason. Wouldn't it be great if they were going dark due to objections from the public? From teachers?
Omasta concludes his review saying that the Revue is the rule, not the exception, in theater for young audiences. Sounds a lot like children's and young adult literature. While some say American Girl is invested in diversity, we have to pay attention to what that diversity is. If it is just decoration, it's not real. It just lets people feel like they're living a liberal or progressive politic.
In short, in "American Girls" there's a lot to think about.
0 Comments on Rethinking Schools article on AMERICAN GIRLS as of 1/1/1900
Lisa Yee's first novel, Millicent Min, Girl Genius, is an absolute riot. At the tender age of eleven, Millicent completed eleventh grade. Over the summer, she plans to take college courses and (unhappily) tutor Stanford, a boy who drives her up a wall. Her mother, thinking she needs more of a social life with kids her own age, enrolls her in a summer volleyball team. There, she meets a girl who recently moved to town and does not know of Millicent's collegiate status. What's a smart girl to do?
This hilarious book reminds readers of all ages that it is okay to be smart. Millicent may feel much older than she is, mentally, but chronologically, she is still a kid. By the end of the summer, she is a little more comfortable in her own skin and proud of who she is and what she's accomplished.
Pop culture tidbit: The audio book of Millicent Min is read by Keiko Agena, best known for her role as Lane on the Gilmore Girls television series.
When I originally read and reviewed Millicent Min upon the book's release in 2003, I said, "I hope that Yee writes more tales, if not of Millicent, then of others. She has a real knack." Happily, Yee DID write more tales, two of which are connected to Millie: Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time and So Totally Emily Ebers.
Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time parallels the events of Millicent Min, Girl Genius, retelling things from Stanford's point of view. He would much rather play basketball than study, so he's super upset when he has to go to summer school instead of basketball camp. He also doesn't want to be tutored by Millicent, but he relishes the opportunity to make her look silly when she pretends that SHE is the one being tutored.
I've known many real-life Stanfords, kids who have struggled with school and excelled in sports. I want to give this book to all of them, even if they are grown up now. Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time will hopefully encourage readers to see the value in both education and athletics.
Millie's volleyball teammate tells her own story in So Totally Emily Ebers. After her parents get divorced, Emily has to move across the country with her mom. The bulk of the book is a letter to her father, filling him in on everything that goes on that summer. She tells him all about volleyball, her new friend Millie, and her crush Stanford. She misses her dad like crazy, but she finally clicks with her mom and enjoys making a new start in their new town.
Emily is a truly nice kid. Rather than act out in an angsty, cliched way after the divorce and the move, she remains perpetually optimistic and eternally kind. Emily is charming and sweet, and her story wraps up the trilogy with the smile.
Lisa Yee has also written for American Girls. Their line of Julie Albright books written by Megan McDonald introduced Ivy, Julie's best friend. Ivy then got a book all her own called Good Luck, Ivy, and Yee got to write it.
Between regular grammar school Monday through Friday, Chinese school on Saturdays, homework, and gymnastics practice, Ivy's plenty busy. She's looking forward to an upcoming gymnastics meet, but she's worried about her routine on the balance beam, having fallen off of the apparatus in an earlier competition. When she learns a family reunion is scheduled for the same time as the meet, Ivy has to decide which event to attend . . . or figure out a way to go to both!
The book takes place in 1976, so Ivy references the 1972 Olympics and Olga Korbout's balance beam routine, which won her the gold medal. Even though the book takes place over twenty years ago, the theme of appreciating your family's culture is timeless. Readers will hopefully be moved to consider the struggles and traditions of their own families.
The vignettes at the end of the book details real-life events in the lives of Chinese immigrants. This section also includes photographs of Lisa Yee and her relatives. How cool is that?
Author Megan McDonald and illustrator Robert Hunt have created a memorable character in Julie Albright, a smart, passionate young girl who is ready to make changes and take changes as they come. Julie reminds me a bit of Dawn from The Baby-Sisters Club by Ann M. Martin, with her California cool, her compassion, and the way she is illustrated by Hunt.
Julie Albright is one of the American Girls, books which offer realistic glimpses into America's past through the eyes of young girls. The Julie books begin in 1974, when Julie is nine years old, and end in 1976. There are six Julie books in all.
Meet Julie: After her parents get divorced, Julie moves to another part of San Francisco with her older sister Tracy and her artsy mom, who opens up a shop called Gladrags below their apartment. Although Julie gets to see her father (and her rabbit Nutmeg, and her best friend Ivy) every other weekend at her old house, things just aren't the same.
Shortly after Julie starts fourth grade at Jack London Elementary School, she learns that they don't have a basketball team for girls so she asks if she can join the boys' team. The coach initially refuses her request, but Julie sticks to her guns. She learns about Title IX and turns in a petition with 150 signatures on it. The coach still refuses to hear her out, so she works up the nerve to talk to her principal about the situation and earns a spot on the team.
By the end of the book, Julie is a little more confident and a little more content. Though still sad about the divorce, she settles nicely into a pattern with her parents, and she enjoys her new home and her school.
Julie Tells Her Story: At Jack London Elementary School, Julie loves being part of the basketball team (in fact, she's the only girl on it!) and she likes her fourth grade teacher. If only she didn't have this "Story of My Life" project looming over her head!
After her father surprises her with a tape recorder, Julie conducts mini-interviews with her father and her mother, records silly songs and sound effects with her best friend Ivy, and eavesdrops on her older sister Tracy. Julie has a little accident while plant-sitting Tracy's science project, and an even bigger accident on the basketball court. Her melancholy passes when she confesses the truth and realizes that she rather likes the story of her life.
Happy New Year, Julie: Christmas is here, but it's different this year. For the first time, Julie and her older sister Tracy will be celebrating Christmas twice: once with their mother and once with their father. The girls are still getting used to their parents' divorce, but it's proving especially hard for Tracy. She initially doesn't want to go to their dad's house - their old house, which now looks and feels empty and strange - and even though she eventually goes along, she ends up leaving early. Shortly thereafter, Julie gets involved in preparations for Chinese New Year with her best friend Ivy and her family.
Throughout the series, Julie has grown more optimistic and thoughtful. This book shows how she always finds things to celebrate and appreciate, including her family.
Julie and the Eagles: After finding a baby owl in the park, Julie and Ivy give it to a local wildlife rescue center. There, Julie meets Robin Young, a graduate student at Berkeley, and four beautiful eagles: Shasta, Sierra, and their two eaglets. Shasta has an injured wing and cannot be released back into the wild until he recuperates, but if the center doesn't raise enough money soon, the eagles will become too dependent upon their human caretakers to ever be released.
Though Julie enjoys hanging out with Robin and helping feed the baby eagles, she wants to do something more. After her teacher brings up Earth Day, Julie eagerly tells her class all about her feathered friends. Before she knows it, Project SAVE - Save All Vanishing Eagles - has taken flight. On Earth Day, she and her classmates set up booths at Golden Gate Park to help raise awareness and money for the center and for the eagles. The event is a huge success, but they still don't make enough money to create a new habitat for the eagles. Some more quick thinking and unexpected visitors help them make their goal - just in time for Julie's tenth birthday.
In the fourth Julie book, readers will learn about eagles, Earth Day, conservation, and endangered species. This book will definitely inspire readers to take a look at the world around them and get active in their schools and communities. Let's celebrate Earth Day every day!
Julie's Journey: The summer after fourth grade, Julie gets packing. She makes sure to include all of her Little House books alongside a pioneer dress and other stuff. It's 1974, and Julie and her older sister Tracy are getting together with their cousins, aunt, and uncle to take part in the wagon train that's celebrating America's bicentennial. Julie doesn't mind roughing it on the trail. In fact, she's fairly wide-eyed and happy on the journey, writing in her journal and bonding with her sister and her cousin April - that is, until she is thrown from a horse. She's pretty much unharmed, but pretty shaken up. She must build up the courage to literally get back on the horse in order to retrieve a vital piece of history in the making.
This book acts as a nice bridge between Julie and an earlier American Girl, Felicity, whose stories are set in 1774. Readers can easily compare the two series and discuss the differences between the two time periods.
Changes for Julie: The sixth and final book in the Julie series considers communication and politics. Now in fifth grade, Julie befriends a hearing-impaired classmate named Joy who loves dogs and has a lot of good ideas. Unfortunately, not all of their peers understand Joy, and Joy can't always lip read fast enough to understand them or their teacher. Some of the other kids make fun of Joy's voice, and both Joy and Julie get in trouble for passing notes when Joy's confused by what the teacher's saying. Though Julie tries to tell her teacher that she was just trying to explain the lesson to Joy, both of the girls get detention.
After having to write "I will not pass notes in class" and "I will not talk back to the teacher" one hundred times each, Julie gets a hand cramp - and an idea. Why not get kids to do something more active or beneficial to the school, like picking up litter, instead of writing and rewriting such things? Then it's time for the school election for student body president, and Julie decides to run, even though the position typically goes to a sixth-grader. Joy plans to run alongside Julie for vice president, and they create some groovy posters with the help of Julie's best friend Ivy. Julie's classmate T.J. decides to be their campaign manager, and he has no problem supporting the girls, unlike some intolerant kids who scribble on the posters and say mean things about Joy. Julie almost backs out of the election, but after realizing what - and who - she's really campaigning for, she sticks it out and makes her friends and family proud.
Now I'm happily picturing a grown-up Julie working in politics or education, and wishing there were more books in this delightful series.
Like the other American Girls books, each of the Julie books includes vignettes explaining and depicting real-life events that happened in that girl's time period. The vignettes in the Julie books were written and compiled by historians and writers such as Susan McAliley and Nika Korniyenko.
Author Megan McDonald also writes about contemporary girls. Check out The Sisters Club, which is also an American Girls book, and the Judy Moody series, which is illustrated by Peter Reynolds.
Some of my products have shown up in some rawther nice magazines lately:
Holy cow, Cool Jewels was in Oprah’s O At Home Winter 2007 magazine!
And check out the February 2008 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine- they featured two of my items this month:
You can see some of the development sketches for these items on my Giftware Page on my website.
You can also visit the FRED blog and see lots more product sightings…woohoo!
0 Comments on Magazine Roundup! as of 2/12/2008 8:20:00 PM
One of my recently designed products has been added to the new 2008 collection at RISDWorks! There’s a press release here.
This lovely piece o’work is called Foot in the Door, because, well-
it’s a doorstop. And it’s shaped like a shoe.
It’s FOOT IN THE DOOR!
Visit the FRED site for more stuff like this, or for a fun retail experiece, shop RISDWorks in person or online. They carry a bunch of my products: MonKeys, Chopstick Kids, Pony Tales, etc.
Me and some of my stuff at RISDWorks a few weeks ago.
For the record, I have never owned a high-heeled shoe in my life.
No, wait. I take it back.
I have a doorstop shoe now.
That counts, right?
At least I don’t have to walk on it!
3 Comments on Everyone needs a Foot in the Door…, last added: 11/14/2007
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The shoe is a riot!
Great idea.
Eric
What a clever idea! Of course… what else for a doorstop?
But I’m shocked that you’ve never worn a pair of high heels! lol!
:0)
And I never will, John- they have always seemed like torture devices to me!