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This super cutie book showed up in the post the other day, and I promptly snagged it to take it home. I constantly on the look-out for all things super hero, and when there is a girl power theme, I'm all for it. Plus, Lisa Yee? I'm all in.
Wonder Woman has lived on Paradise Island with her mother her whole life, and she has been happy there. But Wonder Woman actually goes behind Hippolyta's back and applies to Super Hero High. It's not that Wonder Woman wants to leave home and her mother, but she does want to spread her wings and figure out who she is.
Wonder Woman is ecstatic when she finds out she is accepted, and is even more thrilled when her mother lets her go.
The thing is, Wonder Woman hasn't exactly been around the block. Have you ever met someone who takes everything literally? Well, that is Wonder Woman to a "t"! When she is told to get a clue she goes looking for one! Imagine moving from Paradise Island to being roomies with vlog obsessed Harley Quinn?
Permeating the school are the regular high school cliquey concerns, but what is on the minds of everyone is the upcoming team selection for the elite Super Triathlon Team. Whispers around the hallways say that Wonder Woman was recruited for this very task, and that she's a shoe in. Wonder Woman is starting to believe it too, because someone is leaving her nasty notes encouraging her to leave the school. Can Wonder Woman live up to her mother's standards while figuring out the ropes of high school?
Readers meet so many characters along the including Beast Boy, Bumblebee, Star Sapphire, Cheetah, Frost, Golden Glider, Katana, Green Lantern, Red Tornado, Crazy Quilt, Hawkgirl among others. I was grateful for an internet search or two to figure out who is who. Perhaps a back-matter listing of characters and attributes would be helpful.
Overall, this is a super fun start to a series that will fill a gap. While the characters are over the top in a comic book way, their larger than life characteristics obviously fit the occasion. Even though the books are branded as DC SuperHero Girls, boys will pick up these titles as well. The pages are filled with plenty of action and drama, and I can't wait to see what comes next!
0 Comments on Wonder Woman at Super Hero High, by Lisa Yee as of 3/13/2016 9:56:00 PM
We’ve noticed a welcome trend lately: excellent graphic novel memoirs (or fiction that feels an awful lot like) written by women about their adolescence. Here are a few to enjoy. (Thanks, Marjane Satrapi, for breaking ground with Persepolis, and to the Tamaki cousins for Skim and This One Summer! Also Katie’s girl-crush Lucy Knisley, who has a new book out — An Age of License — described by the publisher as “an Eat, Pray, Love for the alternative comics fan.”
The November/December 2014 Horn Book Magazine includes three graphic novel memoirs by women. At the age of four, in 1975, author Cece Bell contracted meningitis, leaving her severely to profoundly deaf. The wonderful El Deafo is a characterful, vivid, often amusing graphic novel memoir that recaptures the experiences of her childhood — adapting to deafness, to others’ attitudes toward it, and to the technology of the Phonic Ear, a cumbersome assistive device. At the heart of her story is an experience relevant to most children: the finding of the “True Friend,” a falling out, and a reunion. Bell combines great humor and charm (her characters are all anthropomorphic bunnies) with emotional complexity and seriousness.
Fans of Raina Telgemeier’s 2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Book Smile will be smiling all the way through this companion book — Sisters — an often bittersweet but amusingly told story about Raina’s relationship with her younger sister, Amara. The summer before Raina starts high school, she and Amara, their younger brother, and their mom take a road trip from California to Colorado for a family reunion. As in Smile, sepia-toned pages mark the frequent flashbacks, which fill readers in on the evolution of this battle of the sisters. The story ends with a solidly believable truce between the warring siblings, who, one suspects, will continue to both annoy and support each other.
I Remember Beirut by Zeina Abirached (companion to her 2012 book A Game for Swallows, is the author’s memories of the Lebanese civil war, in a loosely connected series of sobering vignettes and impressions, each beginning with the phrase “I remember.” Black-and-white geometric illustrations capture both the enormous scale of the war (with motifs of falling bombs, helicopters, and stranded cars) and its personal repercussions.
Two new ones that recently came into the office:
Tomboy by Liz Prince: “A memoir about friendship, gender, bullies, growth, punk rock, and the power of the perfect outfit” [from flap copy].
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson (roller derby name “Winnie the Pow”), a graphic novel (fiction) about a teen derby grrl.
Have you noticed a trend? Do you have other books to recommend?
Luisa May, known to her family and friends as Lu, loves to play games with her Grandma. When she’s bullied at school, Grandma has a special puzzle for Lu to help her see how valuable she is—no matter what others say, or how much doubt she feels within herself. Soon after, Grandma has to go to the hospital, and Lu finds out Grandma needs help recovering. Then it’s Lu’s turn to help Grandma see how valuable she is—no matter how much doubt she feels within herself. It’s a beautiful parallel for young and old alike, as each age learns from the other.
Written and illustrated with loving hands, this delightful children’s story offers a heartfelt message that unites and bonds generations. From the award-winning pen of Fay A. Klingler, I Am Strong! I Am Smart! provides to women of all ages a reminder of the tremendous gift of “girl power.”
My thoughts:
This is a beautifully written and illustrated book I can whole-heartedly recommend to parents--and especially grandparents--to read with children. It has a vital message: the power of words and self language and the effect it can have on our self esteem. Also, how everything is a matter of perception and how words can only hurt if we allow them to. I Am Strong! I Am Smart! is a sweet, heart-warming story about an 11-year old girl and her grandmother, and how they each help each other at their times of need. A lovely addition to any library shelf. Since the girl in the story is eleven, and there's quite a lot of text, this picture book is geared toward older ages as well. The illustrations are beautiful and perfectly complement the story. Highly recommended!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fay A. Klingler, author and illustrator, is an award-winning creative and technical writer, as well as a sought-after motivational speaker for women’s groups. Her expertise includes successful patterns for life, betrayal recovery, and effective grandparenting. Her previous publications include We Are Strong! Mothers and Daughters Stand Together;A Woman’s Power: Threads that Bind Us to God; Shattered: Six Steps from Betrayal to Recovery; Daughters of God, You Have What It Takes; The LDS Grandparents’ Idea Book; My Magnificent Mountain; The Complete Guide to Woman’s Time; Our New Baby; and A Mother’s Journal.
The Klinglers have twelve children and thirty-five grandchildren in their blended family. They reside in Draper, Utah.
My lovely friend, and brilliant artist and author Lauren Stringer tagged me for “The Next Big Thing,” and so after a bit of confusion, I’m doing it again with a different book. Lauren wrote about her When Stravinsky met Nijinsky - now isn’t that a title you just have to pick up!
So here is my ‘next big thing’: The Nim Stories.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Nim’s Island was inspired by a story I wrote when I was nine. We were on the ferry to Vancouver Island, to visit my grandparents, and passed a tiny little island. As soon as I saw it I thought, “I wish I lived there!” When we got home I started writing “Spring Island,” about a girl who runs away from an orphanage to live on an island. I think the orphan inspiration came from Anne of Green Gables, which I’d just read.
One week many years later, I received two letters from girls asking me to write a book about them. I said that I couldn’t do that, but I started playing the writer’s game of “What if?” “What if a girl wrote to an author and said “Could you please write a book about me?” and the author said, “No, because I’m a very famous writer who writes very exciting books, and since you’re just a little girl your life would be much too boring.”
But what if the girl’s life was more exciting than the author’s? And why was it more exciting?
The answer was, “Because she lived on an island.”
After many false starts I remembered the story I’d written when I was nine, and Nim’s Island came to life. (Yes, my mother still has the original. I scanned the cover when I visited my parents after the Nim's Island Hollywood premiere - it was quite a strange feeling finding it!).
I’d always wanted to write Nim at Sea to find out after the end of the story, but one of the inspirations was a letter from a girl named Erin, who said that she wished she could be Nim’s friend. I thought, “Yes, Nim needs a human friend her own age!” That’s why I named her Erin.
Then my publisher was inspired to put the two books together to celebrate the movie Return to Nim’s Island, which is loosely based on Nim at Sea.
What genre does your book fall under?
Children’s fiction – fantasy adventure.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Interestingly, since I’ve been truly thrilled with the different actors who’ve played the characters in the two movies, it brings me back to my truth that everyone who reads a book owns it by interpreting it in their own way. Abigail Breslin and Bindi Irwin are very different actors, but they have both been perfect as Nim. Both Gerard Butler and Matthew Lillard were wonderful as her dad Jack. And of course the inimitable Jodie Foster, who even looked like the Alex Rover in my head…
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Two books in one: Nim's Island and Nim at Sea, the stories of a girl who lives on an island in the middle of the wide blue sea, with her father, Jack, a marine iguana called Fred, a sea lion called Selkie, a turtle called Chica and a satellite dish for her email.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
I think the first draft of Nim’s Island took about nine months, (or 34 years, depending on which way you look at it.) The first draft of Nim at Sea probably took six months, but I think went to even more drafts over the following year.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Anne of Green Gables!
What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
from Nim at Sea; illustration by Kerry Millard
I didn’t think about them being ‘girl power’ books, but they’re often seen that way because Nim is strong, independent and resourceful. On the other hand, adventures with a sea lion and a marine iguana would certainly pique my interest, so I hope they would other readers as well.
They'll be posting in a week's time - it’ll be great to see what their Next Big Things are! But you can have a look at their blogs now anyway: lots of interesting stuff there.
1 Comments on Nim Stories in the Next Big Thing blog tag, last added: 2/15/2013
A trio of picture books about feisty gals who aren't afraid to get their slippers wet.
Princess in Training, by Tammi Sauer, pictures by Joe Berger, Harcourt, 2012, $16.99, ages 4-8, 32 pages. Princess Viola throws herself into life like a comic book hero. But is that any way for a princess to behave? Her parents, the king and queen, think not and send her off to princess camp to make her prim and proper. But poor Viola only wants to run and leap. Rather than master waving at the wrist, she karate chops the air -- and soon she's dived into a moat in her taffeta gown and skateboarded up a drawbridge. By the end of the day, Viola feels like a total flop. But hey, what's a giant, fire-breathing creature doing at the princess dance? Could all of Viola's wild moves come in handy after all? Sauer's story shouts girl power, while Berger's art bursts on the page. Lichtenstein-style explosions (vibrant colors and Ben-day dots) and bold, superhero sound words (Hi-Ya! and Zip! Zup! Zoom!) convey Viola's unstoppable spirit. Best part: The energy -- it's hypnotic. Words and pictures are equally charged and together, deliver a one-two punch.
The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas, by Tony Wilson, pictures by Sue deGennaro, Peachtree, 2012, $16.95, ages 4-8, 32 pages. In this adorable twist on the Princess and the Pea, a woodsy prince finds true love by challenging his best friend to rough it. Prince Henrik could have any gal. Every time he leaves the castle, girls scream, toss him tulips and wilt, "Oh my goodness, it's him!" But how does a prince like Henrik find a real princess? A girl with a nice smile? Who loves camping and playing hockey? Henrik's brother Hans thinks Henrik should use the old pea-in-a-mattress trick. But that's if Henrik wants a wife like Hans's -- one that's fussy and demanding. What Henrik wants is a girl who can take what she gets. So, he comes up with special bed to weed out sensitive gals: an old sleeping bag over a thin camping mattress atop a bag of frozen peas. Though many girls visit his palace, none of them appreciate the accommodations. In fact, most wake up bent out shape and toss frozen peas in his face. Then one day, Henrik's old friend Pippa comes for a stay and after a rough-and-tumble day of play, he's smitten. So he sets her up in the guest room and waits for morning. But why would any girl want to sleep with a freezing bag of vegetables in her bed? Wilson's wry humor makes this a delight, while deGennaro's delicate drawings make it playful. Best part: DeGennaro's depiction of Henrik's groupies: girls with paper-thin bodies and legs jointed like jumping jacks'.
Olivia and the Fairy Princess, by Ian Falconer, Atheneum, 2012, $17.99, ages 3-7, 32 pages. Olivia the pig is in a tizzy over what she should be some day. Her father says she'll always be his little princess -- but come on. A princess? That's what every other girl (and some boys) want to be. And if there's one thing Olivia is, it's authentic, beyond compare -- and befuddling. In this funny sequel to the Olivia books, Olivia spends an entire day getting worked up over why anyone would want to be a princess. She reminds her mother of how bravely she resists the pressures to wear pink and act dainty. When other girls dress in ruffly skirts, Olivia wears a snappy sailor shirt. When other girls twirl like ballerinas, she makes dramatic poses in a black fabric tube (an avant-garde number without sleeves). By the end of the day, Olivia's so fired up that she's indignant. Her mother begins a bedtime story in which a beautiful maiden is rescued by a prince and Olivia can't believe where it's headed. Not another prince making a girl his princess! Her mother swiftly ditches the book and opens The Little Match Girl instead. But being a freezing little match girl doesn't sound like fun either. As Olivia tries to settle down for the night, she imagines doing something valiant with her life… Or should she just find a nice pedestal to put herself on? Witty as ever, Falconer writes to all those girls who'd rather go on an adventure than be rescued. Best part: Olivia's inspiration to ditch the tutu -- a photo over her bed from Martha Graham's "Lamentation."
0 Comments on Holiday Gift Idea #1: For a Little Princess as of 12/1/2012 12:31:00 PM
The Girl Effect Blogging Campaign is a collaborative effort of hundreds of bloggers coming together to write about The Girl Effect from October 4th to October 11th, 2001. Thanks for visiting today and being a part of it!
GIRL EFFECT DATA: WHY SHOULD WE PAY ATTENTION TO GIRLS?
Little research has been done to understand how investments in girls impact economic growth and the health and well-being of communities. This lack of data reveals how pervasively girls have been overlooked. For millions of girls across the developing world, there are no systems to record their birth, their citizenship, or even their identity. However, the existing research suggests their impact can reach much further than expected.
* The total global population of girls ages 10 to 24 — already the largest in history — is expected to peak in the next decade. (Ruth Levine et al., Girls Count: A Global Investment & Action Agenda [Washington, D.C.: Center for Global Development, 2008].)
* Approximately one-quarter of girls in developing countries are not in school. (Cynthia B. Lloyd, ed., Growing Up Global: The Changing Transitions to Adulthood in Developing Countries [Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2005].)
* Out of the world’s 130 million out-of-school youth, 70 percent are girls. (Human Rights Watch, “Promises Broken: An Assessment of Children’s Rights on the 10th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child,” www.hrw.org/campaigns/crp/promises/education. html [December 1999].)
* One-quarter to one-half of girls in developing countries become mothers before age 18; 14 million girls aged 15 to 19 give birth in developing countries each year. (United Nations Population Fund, State of World Population 2005, www.unfpa.org/swp/2005.)
WHY I CARE
In 2008, I made the first of several life-changing visits to southwestern Uganda. While there I saw firsthand how key girls and women were to the well-being of their village community. Those communities I visited who invested in the education of girls and women were far better off economically than those who did not. Unfortunately, I also saw firsthand how devastating life can be for girls and women who were either overlooked or deemed too valuable and necessary for work at home to be able to attend school.
Girls everywhere deserve and have the right to be able to attend school, learn to read, and play with other kids their age in a safe and healthy environment. No matter where you live there are challenges for girls. Often men and dads are silent on many issues related to girls and women. It’s time for men and dads to speak up about letting the world’s girls be girls.
Let’s Help Girls Be Girls | Books in the News said, on 10/3/2011 11:54:00 PM
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Sarah Davies lives with her family in Syracuse, New York. She earned a degree in American Studies at Cornell University. Happy to be Girls was inspired by her nieces, Arianna and Kara, and is her first children’s book.
About the illustrator:
Jenny Mattheson was born and raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She earned her BFA in Illustration at the Art Institute of Boston. Her previous books include: The Mouse, the Cat and Grandmother’s Hat by Nancy Willard, and This Is Christmas Morning by Cheryl Ryan Harshman. She currently lives and works in Berkeley, California, and is very happy to be a girl.
About the book:
Do you know a great girl? A wild girl, a free girl? A happy as can be girl? As this fresh, funny take on girl power attests, being a girl is all about being whoever you want to be. A girl can be athletic or artistic, thoughtful or silly or bold. And she can be just as fierce painting a mural as climbing a mountain.
With an energetic rhyming text and luminous illustrations that showcase the diversity of girls at work and play, this is a book to make any girl happy just to be herself, and makes a perfect gift for a favorite girl, whether little or all grown up.
My take on the book:
My wife found this book on our first visit to the our new hometown library and it’s been a constant part of our bedtime reading ever since.
I love the book’s concept of countering the stereotypes many have about girls. The book shows girls being smart, brave and strong while engaging in all sorts of activities such as skateboarding, unicycling, tree-climbing and even misbehaving.
The illustrations are fantastic and do an excellent job of portraying all different types of girls. I thought any young girl looking at this book could find a girl in the book which resembles how she looks or what she likes to do.
I really liked how the book ends with this: “Loud girls, Proud girls, Stand out in the crowd girls. Being just themselves – JUST GIRLS!!”
This is a terrific book to help build self-confidence in girls because it shows girls being whatever they want to be. I would also highly recommend this to teachers/librarians/counselors as a resource as well.
We’ve had a lot of fun at home with the book. My daughter, Tessa, loved it immediately because the cover had two of her current obsessions: a girl with a soccer ball and a girl riding a bike. After a few reads, she got to taking the book out of my hands to study the pictures and look at all the colorful illustrations depicting the girls in action. My wife and I had to give in one night because Tessa insisted on taking it to bed with her. That was a battle we were both too tired to fight and we found Tessa sleeping facedown on the book an hour later. If that’s not a ringing endorsement for a book I don’t know what is!
1 Comments on Review: Happy To Be Girls!, last added: 7/18/2011
What a great post! Love the image of little Tessa sleeping facedown on the book. Too cute. We have two little girls, so this book sounds especially appealing to me. I love rhyming books and love the concept of “girls can do anything.” Will have to check it out. Congrats on completing your move, by the way. Hope you are settling in well!
This is Elizabeth Bunce’s second novel and the first in a new series. I loved her first book, A Curse Dark As Gold, an intriguing interpretation of the Rumplestiltskin folktale, and I eagerly looked forward to her next book. A genre, fantasy series, usually less favored by me, Star Crossed nevertheless delivers on many of the same levels: a strong, resourceful, true-hearted heroine; a diverse cast of interesting characters; vivid description; and the entertainment of life’s deeper questions.
Set in a fantasy world that atmospherically parallels eastern Europe in the late middle ages, this tale is narrated by a girl who has had to make her way into a hostile world at a very young age. She is on a singular mission—to stay alive. She becomes a very good thief, forger, and spy. But a near brush with death from a failed caper at the beginning of the story propels her into a mountain castle. Here she will sit out a snowbound winter with a cast of characters at the center of a budding rebellion.
Celyn, as she calls herself, is afraid of nothing. She uses her talents to find out everything there is to know about the castle and its inhabitants, slowly flushing all mysteries into the light. The reader comes along on her journey, flinching at her every daring move, as each of the characters slowly but inevitably reveals the clarity of their position in the central conflict.
Celyn is tough, resilient, and clever; she knows and protects good whenever she sees it. Readers of all ages who have enjoyed the Bloody Jack books will also like this book. The plot is tightly wovern and requires the reader to pay attention and work things out, but there is nothing inappropriate for the youngest of accomplished readers.
Set in ruralnineteenth century England, this book relates the story of girl on the cusp of womanhood who gets a good look at the pre-ordained life spreading out in front of her and makes the decision to run–with her horse and her uninvited misfit of an adopted younger brother who has reasons of his own to run. She makes the choice to suffer hardships, as long as they are of her own making, rather than be less than what she thinks she can be. And suffer she does; though a reader might expect reward to come from all the suffering, this book does not take the expected turns–this young woman who wants to control her own destiny learns the difference between when she owes her attentiveness to others in her life and when she does not. She has to become ever stronger.
The Bride’s Farewell is a good book for high school girls. It is of a reading level that middle school girls can handle, but though there is no graphically inappropriate content for younger girls, there are themes underlying the main one of making one’s own way in a difficult world that are fairly mature, like the importance of knowing when a man will be a good one to trust your heart to. It has the added attraction of having lots of horse lore in it, thus also making it appealing to lovers of horses.
This is a well-written story that is compelling and fun to read. It is of value to young women on the cusp of their mature lives. It delivers both good entertainment and worthy illuminations–the kind of book I like to recommend.
After the Romans left the British Isles in the fifth century A. D., there were many centuries of pillaging and plunder by one tribe or clan upon another until it became a unified country. It must have been excruciatingly painful to try to raise crops and families. One legend gave them hope, and indeed continues to give hope to this day. That legend was of Arthur, the king who, with the help of a somewhat magical destiny, created a golden island of peace for a short period of time. The legend said it could be done once, so it could be done again.
Well, Philip Reeve has exposed that legend for what it was–a really good story. But no matter, it is the story that everybody needed anyway. Best not to go by the truth on the ground for historical inspiration–we humans are much better at story than we are at deeds. And Philip Reeve is an excellent writer who tells a really good story about an orphaned slave girl who was there and who may have been the only one with any common sense. So in this book, we get hope renewed by trading the ancient story of a legendary and peace-loving king for the modern story of a sensible and strong-willed girl.
Fans of Reeve’s Mortal Engines series will like this book as will upper middle school and high school readers who enjoy stories of historical fiction with strong girl characters.
Exiled to Siberia. After several weeks on a train, “enemies” of the Russian state have been dropped off to be forgotten in this nearly empty five million square miles for four hundred years. Ten-year old Esther Rudomin’s parents and grandparents are accused of being capitalists by the occupying Russians in 1941. They are yanked from their life of luxury and privilege in Vilna, Poland one morning and thrown into cattle cars with nothing but what they can carry. They end up being “lucky” for they are Jewish and the Germans who invade soon after did not practice the art of exile.
Esther spends the next five years in Rubtsvosk, Siberia. Extreme cold, constant hunger, filth, and fear are her constant companions. Yet she can still fret, like any young adolescent, about fitting in with her peers to the point that she will sacrifice food if it means she will belong. She creates, through pure force of will, the early teen years that she desires and when it is time to leave, she experiences the separation anxiety any teen feels when they must leave the first world they have created for themselves.
This is a story of resilience, pride, and determination, an intimate portrait of one slice of a significant time in relatively recent history. Girls from about fifth grade up to early high school will appreciate this story.
A good part of being a teenager is the uncovering of mysteries about one’s own self. Lucy has more of a task with this than most teenagers since she is the target of an ancient curse, one based on the song Scarborough Fair. In a contemporary teen setting, Lucy must first discover the nature of a curse that threatens to irrevocably determine an unacceptable fate. Then, with the help of foster parents and a loving boyfriend (as well as the modern advantage of technology) she must try to break the curse.
A little of the supernatural really makes this story of strength, courage, and love sparkle. The obstacles are powerful, the drive for resolution is intense, the strength of love is thrilling. Teenage girls in my eighth and ninth grade classes last year were thrilled with this book. While there is some violence and moderately inexplicit sex, including a slightly surreal rape scene, the overriding theme is the power of love and resolve in overcoming adversity.
That article is out now in the Feb/March issue of Tallahassee Woman. Big thanks to Justin for interviewing me. I appreciate it!
I'd typed this light-hearted silly blog, but I deleted it. Instead, I've been thinking a lot about this post at Stephanie Kuehnert's blog. Steph, hope you don't mind that I'm linking to it. But I couldn't ignore it and not comment on it. Steph, my fellow Teen Fiction Cafe sister, is a brave, amazing woman. Just go read her post and you'll see. I'm just so impressed with Stephanie for going for it and blogging about something intensely personal that she'd been through. Her post will no doubt help girls and women going through similar situations.
And I because I'm not as brave as Steph, I'm moving the rest of this post over to LiveJournal and am locking it. I was squirming too much to write it here. Sorry! If you're on my super f-locked friends list, you'll be able to read it. I hope to unlock it later.
Thanks!
2 Comments on Article in Tallahassee Woman and being brave, last added: 2/8/2009
I read Stephanie's blog and I'm moved by her openness. It's never easy to open up like that. Enjoyed the Tallahassee article on you, Jessica. You are amazing to have sone so much, so young.
Finally is right.But what is it then? My son's 6th grade advanced math class is almost all boys. The kids had to take a test to get into it, and I know that at our elementary school, at least, every kid in the class took the test--even those not going to that school! Are some schools not doing that--letting teachers, parents, and kids decide whether a student even tries the test? I'm so lousy at
I've been forced to reflect more on math now that I'm HSing all three of my kids. We use a math program that emphasizes the "complex problem solving" those researchers found lacking in today's school math and it has really improved MY math skills. Still, I find it very disheartening when we're at a store and the clerk can't do the math when I say "Here, can I give you a quarter and you give me
This is so cool. Randy Pausch, Professor of Carnegie Mellon University started The Alice Project at Carnegie Mellon University to help teen girls learn to program. All in a 3D programming environment so teens can learn how to create animation to tell a story or play an interactive game while learning introductory computing.
You can download versions for middle school and high school/college
4 Comments on The Alice Project...Helping Girls Learn to Program in a 3D Environment, last added: 4/10/2008
We downloaded the version for middle schoolers, Storytelling Alice, for my 9-year-old. She took the tutorial and was able to create a short movie very quickly, maybe in two hours total. It's a great program.BTW, Pausch is dying of pancreatic cancer and has a very popular video available on the web: The Last Lecture. You can find the link on his home page, which you linked to in your post.
lori said, on 4/10/2008 9:04:00 AM
Oh, and of course I just saw your previous post where you talk about Pausch's last lecture video. Sorry I didn't see it sooner!
HipWriterMama said, on 4/10/2008 9:21:00 AM
Hi Lori,Thanks for visiting. I am awed by Randy Pausch and all he has accomplished. His interview with Diane Sawyer last night was quite poignant. His book, The Last Lecture, was also released yesterday. Actually, I'll link his video to this post so it'll make it easier for people to see. Glad your daughter liked using the program. If your 9 year old liked this, I'll see if my 9 year old
Patty P said, on 4/10/2008 10:58:00 AM
I've seen bits and pieces of his lecture. It makes you see things more clearly, doesn't it? Just catching up on your blog posts...love it all.
courtneywrites said, on 4/10/2008 6:41:00 PM
I can't stop thinking about Professor Pausch -- what an amazing person. I read the transcript of the speech this morning.
Anonymous said, on 4/11/2008 3:42:00 PM
Thanks so much for posting the link to the Alice Project. I heard Randy Pausch speak about it at the end of his interview on PrimeTime Live, and concluded that if he was involved in it, it would be worthwhile to check out. My daughter and I have been playing around with it, and it is very cool. Thanks!
Kim said, on 4/11/2008 10:48:00 PM
I have been sick, so I watched the whole video in bed yesterday. Wow!I added you to my LJ friends list. Not sure if you actually read your blogs through that, but added you just in case so you can get the f-locked posts :-)
This post is a reprint from May 25, 2007. There were so many incredible comments and tips from the original post I thought you'd like to read. I know I loved them. I've also included a few Tips of my own, some book recommendations and a short commercial in this reprint. ---------------------------------------------------
It's tough being a girl in today's world. Personally, I believe girls deal with so much pressure at a young age. The pressure to be smart. To be strong. To be capable. To be athletic. To be beautiful. To be thin. To be Everything.
Now my husband thinks I'm a bit too outspoken on certain matters, so I don't want everyone jumping down my throat with this post. I'm just interested in a discussion, in an exchange of ideas, because I'm quite curious for the sake of research on what people think.
I'm just worried about today's girls. How are they going to handle the pressure to Be Everything? I'm not sure whether all this pressure to succeed is a result of the women's movement and the fight to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, which incidentally is still not an official part of the U.S. Constitution. Or maybe it's a result of a technologically advanced world and the incredible opportunities just waiting to be embraced. Or maybe, it's just the way of the world and I just need to learn to deal with it.
Some women might remember the famous television commercial of the early 1980's with a beautifully coiffed and dressed woman who does it all -- takes care of baby, has a great job, cleans, cooks and more -- "I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan. And never let you forget you're a man, cause I'm a woman..."
Of course the message of this commercial was quite clear to my college friends and I. While our moms had to make choices of whether they stayed at home with the kids or had an incredibly successful career, my generation would be able to have it all. Oh yes. This commercial promised us we could have it all, quite effortlessly, mind you. All because countless amazing women had paved the way for us to have it all. So we better go for it baby, because women have fought for our rights. And we better do them proud.
Numerous women of my generation have proved that women can accomplish so much and be so much more than any of our mothers have dared to dream. We can survive, with or without a man. We can live our own dreams without waiting for Mr. Right. We don't need to be married to have children. We don't have to get married right out of college. We're not considered hopeless spinsters if we're still single in our 40's. We don't have to have children if we don't want to.
Women run businesses and run for political office. Women can be plumbers or electricians. Astronauts. Professors. Policewomen. Doctors. Surgeons. Principals. Mechanics. There are so many capable women who are intelligent, brave, courageous--simply amazing. We are survivors. We are women. Hear us roar.
Sure there are sacrifices and lots of angst. But the achievements have been extraordinary. And this is the incredible gift my generation gives to the next generation. The ability to know they are capable of and deserve so much more. We paved the way so the next generation of girls could have it easier. Forget the sacrifice. Forget the struggles. We can do anything. We are women. Hear us roar.
But with this special gift comes a price. Some women are so competitive, they put down other women who don't have the same edge. We have the Mommy Wars and the Best Career Wars. Instead of uniting, mentoring and helping each other, we women are so determined to prove we have the better life, so we end up attacking one another. Obviously this isn't true of every woman, but when it is noticed, it is plain disturbing. Sadly, this all rubs off on our daughters.
As a mother of young girls, I worry about my children's generation, who will soon wonder how they can dare compare or how they can achieve everything without losing a part of themselves. Girls are exhibiting unethical behavior, worried about their smarts and their beauty(podcast), and bullying one another. And this is all before the teenage escapism in weight control, plastic surgery, drugs and alcohol.
I worry about my generation and the expectations we have for our children. Because as we all know, there are parents who will take the expectations a bit too far. There are parents who will want their daughters to be friends only with the popular kids in school. Some parents want their girls to always be on the winning team. And there are the parents who constantly put pressure on their talented child because they want her to be the next superstar.
A number of girls in my town (boys too for that matter) are overscheduled with activities, starting in kindergarten or first grade. They are enrolled in sports teams, music and/or dance lessons and special tutoring classes too. Playdates need to arranged a couple weeks in advance. Some parents even keep their child behind a year in kindergarten for the sole purpose of giving them an edge the next school year over the other children in the class. I find this plain disturbing.
Part of me is worried because I'm not exposing my children to all of these wonderful opportunities. Sure my kids are involved in activities, but I limit them to 2 activities rather than the typical 5-6 commitments, so they can have kid time. I want my kids to be kids for as long as possible, and enjoy life. Another part of me is trying to be understanding because most parents only want the best for their children and to give them what they didn't have a children. I am left to wonder whether all this overscheduling is part of what is causing the tantrums, the talking back, the bullying, and even the attitude of some of my childrens' friends. This gives me much sorrow.
I find it interesting how we now expect our girls to be stronger and tougher, while our boys are taught to express their feelings. Isn't it sad our girls are losing their ability to be empathetic and caring? Most girls feel imprisoned by all the expectations and pressure to surpass what women have already accomplished. Is it any wonder they feel the stress and the worry? How do we set them free so they can Be what they want to be? What can we do to ease the burdens of the next generation of exceptional girls, before we end up destroying the hope of our future?
Here are some Tips: 1. Children will learn from their parents. Practice what you preach. 2. Involve children in something they love--sports, music, reading, science, etc.--rather than something you want them to do. 3. Allow your child the ability to enjoy a hobby, even if it doesn't involve a competition or a medal. 4. Don't overschedule your children. Allow them to use their imagination and play. And let them have time to just be. 5. Be a good role model and find good role models for your child. 6. Spend some quality One-on-One time with your child. Let your child know it is safe to talk to you...about anything.
What Tips can you share? --------------------------
-------------------------- In case you wanted to read the incredible Comments and Tips from the original post, here they are. --------------------------
HWM, I love this post! I applaud you for limiting your girls' activities to just two. I think some parents underestimate the stress they put their kids under with the overscheduled life. We all need down time. Quiet time. Time to feed our imaginations. Where will the next writers, painters, poets, philosophers, etc. come from if these kids don't have time alone with their thoughts?
Alkelda the Gleeful said, on 11/27/2007 9:02:00 PM
HWM: I signed my daughter up for ballet lessons next semester, and then a week later, cancelled them. I decided to wait until after school let out for the year when there would be more time to explore theatre and dance. During the year, school seems to be enough.
HipWriterMama said, on 11/28/2007 8:32:00 AM
Thanks, Robin! My eldest is actually the only one in two activities--dance and swimming--which sucks out enough time as it is. The middle one has one activity with dance. And the youngest is home with me and gets plenty of play time.
But I really want them to have time to play, create, do their homework, and have time to relax.
I loved your comments from the original post about the Circle of Influence. Good, good stuff. -----------
Alkelda, Nothing wrong with cancelling out an activity when you know in your heart it doesn't work for your child.
Of course I have to say this since my youngest is a pre-school dropout. I took her out of school earlier this month because of all her hysterics and stress about going to school.
m. thompson said, on 11/28/2007 10:18:00 AM
I can't believe you found that commercial! I remember that. Great post.
Little Willow said, on 11/28/2007 7:09:00 PM
You. are. awesome.
Nowheymama said, on 11/29/2007 5:17:00 AM
Great post! We've been trying to find ways to encourage K's interests without formally scheduling activities. For example, she is really focused on learning to play the piano right now, so my musical husband has been giving her little 5-minute "lessons" on some evenings. Hopefully this will encourage her interest without causing burnout.
HipWriterMama said, on 11/29/2007 9:56:00 AM
M. Thompson, I laughed when I saw this commercial again. I just remember being so impressed with it as a college student. ---------
LW, Thank you. Ditto to you.
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Nowheymama, That is a great way of letting your little one learn and appreciate music.
I had several bookish friends growing up (Big surprise, I know), it was never just me sitting alone in a corner reading—not unless I wanted it to be. When we weren’t outside playing or composing soap operas with our dolls and My Little Ponies, we’d be draped across one another like puppies on the floor or on my bed; have staged a takeover of a table in the library, propping our elbows up on our backpacks to achieve the most comfortable reading position; or be smashed together in the bus seats, tuning out the world with words. When we were done with this book or that, we’d trade, discuss or recommend something else. Series titles, stand alone, historical, fantasy, science fiction, contemporary: it didn’t matter. We read widely and eclectically. We read because we could. Because in books you can be anyone—anything—and not have to worry about limitations.
I wish that my teachers had done more with that, shown us what opportunities were out there by telling us where to try and submit writing and teaching us the finer arts of book discussion at a younger age. Not that they were bad by any means, in fact, comparatively speaking I got a better education than my brother did despite there only being four years between us. My teachers did what they could, but with each successive year trying to make up for the failings of the last they were fighting an uphill battle as curriculum requirements, teaching styles and classroom sizes changed. While I was lucky in that I came into grade school knowing how to read—all the children from my co-op kindergarten did—I never would have become the reader I am today without the help of Miss Cleo.
Cleo volunteered for our grade school, and in my mind I always see her as this very grandmotherly woman. I have no idea if she’d had children come up through our school, or if she was a retired teacher looking for something to do, but she believed in education and the power of reading. Looking back on those years, I can’t think of a time that she wasn’t in the classroom, reading to us or with us in individual or small group sessions. She helped us build our vocabularies and ran through our flash cards. She gave us the one on one attention that we needed as we struggled over how to sound out the big words and divine their meaning through context. She loved reading, teaching, and most importantly us, which came through in every action and word. There were no “can’ts” with Miss Cleo, just “coulds” and “woulds” because all we had to do was try hard enough.
I wonder if she knew how many lives she helped and changed. I like to think she did. The volunteer award for the district was created in her honor and to this day bears her name. Because if you’re going to win that award, you’d better measure up to the standards Miss Cleo set.
I think that readergirlz, a website dedicated to celebrating Young Adult books and strong female characters and encouraging discussion with other teenage girls, would be a site that Miss Cleo would be proud to recommend. Justina Chen Headley, Dia Calhoun, Janet Lee Carey, and Lorie Ann Grover have a created a website for teen girls to “encourage teen girls to read and reach out with community service projects related to each featured novel. As well, readergirlz will host MySpace discussions with each book's author, include author interviews, and provide book party ideas, including playlists, menus, and decorations.” Each month will also have a topic—this month’s being Tolerance—and girls are encouraged to visit the links provided to learn more about what they can do to help improve their own social and physical environment.
Reading is not a solitary activity, it never has been. As soon as your laughter at a phrase or joke causes someone to ask what’s so funny or you open your mouth to tell your sister/brother/mother/father/friend about this plot or that, you’ve left the solitary act of reading words on a page behind. This need to discuss, to share creates a group activity, and is why we’ve seen the proliferation of reader blogs and sites. It’s why the entire country can go gah-gah over a book whose plot and writing—while not complex—made people feel smart and gave them something in common to talk about on the train or in the office. Reading, we’re discovering once again, is fun.
And, gosh darn it, people like it!
And they like to talk about it, finding different perspectives and thoughts. They like that they don’t necessarily have to be an expert in theory or be able to tell the difference between a Post-Modern piece and a Romantic one. They like that they can learn information while not feeling like it’s being jammed down their throats in an academic setting.
I have high hopes for readergirlz. I want to see this work and allow young women to connect across racial, religious and borderlines and celebrate their love of reading. I want to see them grow the idea and expand by offering girls links to where they can try submitting their own writing, providing a little how-to on creating your own ‘zine, and highlighting girls who personify the readergirlz ideal when these authors meet them during tours.
So on this most Suessical day, I think it’s only right to look forward to the places these woman will go and the girls they’ll take with them. I’m sure that the spirit of Miss Cleo will be along for the ride.
7 Comments on Oh, The Places You Will Go, Girls, last added: 3/13/2007
I love your ideas for growing readergirlz. We'll be talking about them this coming week.
~Justina, readergirlz diva
Robin Brande said, on 3/3/2007 7:43:00 PM
What a great post! Thanks for your own sweet story, and for the info about readergirlz. Love any organization who helps girls grow stronger, smarter, more self-confident. Great idea.
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The November/December 2014 Horn Book Magazine includes three graphic novel memoirs by women. At the age of four, in 1975, author Cece Bell contracted meningitis, leaving her severely to profoundly deaf. The wonderful El Deafo is a characterful, vivid, often amusing graphic novel memoir that recaptures the experiences of her childhood — adapting to deafness, to others’ attitudes toward it, and to the technology of the Phonic Ear, a cumbersome assistive device. At the heart of her story is an experience relevant to most children: the finding of the “True Friend,” a falling out, and a reunion. Bell combines great humor and charm (her characters are all anthropomorphic bunnies) with emotional complexity and seriousness.
Fans of 
I Remember Beirut by Zeina Abirached (companion to her 2012 book A Game for Swallows, is the author’s memories of the Lebanese civil war, in a loosely connected series of sobering vignettes and impressions, each beginning with the phrase “I remember.” Black-and-white geometric illustrations capture both the enormous scale of the war (with motifs of falling bombs, helicopters, and stranded cars) and its personal repercussions.
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Fantastic interview, Wendy! I love that the NIM Stories are together at last. What a fantastic series it is! And thanks for the tag. ;)