Login or Register for free to create your own customized page of blog posts from your favorite blogs. You can also add blogs by clicking the "Add to MyJacketFlap" links next to the blog name in each post.
Blog Posts by Tag
In the past 30 days
Blog Posts by Date
Click days in this calendar to see posts by day or month
So you want to build a library that stands a reasonable chance of tempting your Reluctant Reader. Good for you! But what if you want more than a reasonable chance? Are there any guidelines to help you do that?
Yes!
Here are your rules. Reluctant Readers love books that are:
1. Funny 2. Filled with Action 3. Full of Freaky Shizzle
If you can find a book with all three, you're gold.
Okay. 1 and 2, those are pretty straight forward. But 3? What's Freaky Shizzle?
Freaky Shizzle means anything paranormal, scary, horrific, gross and/or likely to induce vomiting. This includes tales of unbelievably over-the-top child abuse. Especially includes.
Kids eat up stories where other kids are forced to endure physical and psychological trauma that would make a Green Beret break down and cry for his mommy. A mommy that, in one of these books, would arrive on the scene just in time to beat him senseless then yell at him to stop his x#@&*!@ crying.
Back when I taught middle school, A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer (and its sequels!) passed through my class like Ebola. I had to replace that set of books four times in one year because they were being checked out and read so often the paperbacks were disintegrating.
Personally, I didn't get it. Every time I heard the title, I thought of Charles Addams and The Addams Family.
How I wish the book could have been A Cousin Called It! THAT I would have read!
Which leads me to Rule Number 4 in your 3 Rule set.
4. These books aren't for you
They are for the Reluctant Reader. You need to turn off your inner snob and not pass judgment on these books. Oh! I hear you say. I can't let my kids read junk!
Why not? They're reading. Isn't that the point?
And besides. Who says the books are junk? To you maybe. But these books aren't for you. They're for that Reluctant Reader. The one who started out the school year telling you he hates reading. The one who just enjoyed that "junky" book so much he's gone back into your library to see if you have any more books just like it.
You should consider that a success.
0 Comments on Rules of Engagement or 3 Paths to Derelunctize the Reluctant Reader as of 1/1/1900
A friend of mine just found out he'll be teaching three periods of reluctant readers this fall. Not something he was expecting. Or prepared for.
He asked me if it was possible to find a book that a non-reader will actually read. Are there any books so enjoyable, a reluctant reader will buzz through it -- then consider reading a second book?
In short, are there any books that will kick-start a Reading Nuclear Reaction in a kid who hates reading?
My short answer -- Yes!
Longer answer -- each kid is different, so the book that starts that reaction will be different for each kid. Which means filling a library (school, classroom or personal) with as many books as possible in order to reach as many kids as possible.
According to a recent report from Google, there are about 129,864,880 books in the world. That's a lot to choose from.
My friend wondered if I could narrow that down a bit. I said yes.
Then it dawned on me. This is my chance to give my blog the semblance of semi-coherency! At least temporarily.
After all, I know a lot of teachers and parents. Many of them have asked me this very question. Why not post my suggestions here?
So that's what I'll be doing. For the next couple of whiles, but especially over the next few weeks as students start back to school, I'll post titles of various graphic novels and books I recommend to reluctant readers. In fact, I'll tag these entries Reluctant Reader Recommends. That should help anyone who's interested find the entries.
Now if you're thinking why should I listen to him? I first say, Woo-Hoo! Someone who doesn't know me is reading my blog! At last!
Then I say, OK. If you insist on a Justification Bio, here it is:
In my not-so-distant past, I taught both middle school and high school Language Arts. My specialty was working with reluctant readers. I've also written a few books for Stone Arch Books, a publisher with a reputation for hooking reluctant readers. Basically, I at least know enough about the subject that I was able to help out a panicked friend.
I hope my recommendations prove useful to you as well.
If you haven't seen it yet, here's your chance to catch Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story. For free!
Click HERE to visit EpixHD.com and click on "Get an invite code." They'll send you a code by email that will allow you to stream the movie for free.
But act fast. I think this offer is only good for a few days.
I'm a fan of Eddie's, so it's no surprise I liked the film. (Though that's not a universal rule -- witness the recent Runaways film) Here's the thing. Even if you don't know who this guy is, this film's still definitely worth your time. It's much more than an Eddie Izzard bio-pic.
If you're a professional dreamer, a late-bloomer or human in any remote or tangental way, you'll enjoy this film. Struggling to keep yours dreams alive and make them real? Need to recharge the batteries? Watching this film is like getting an Espresso/B-12 Speedball injection. It will turn you into Gloria Gaynor.
It'll remind you dreams do come true. You've just got to believe in yourself. Even when no one else does. Even when common sense says give up and you begin to suspect that not even you believe in yourself anymore... that's the time to really believe in yourself.
Yes, life's a conundrum. Believing in yourself when you don't believe in yourself will make you believe in yourself for real. It's as simple as that.
Oh, and work very, very hard. Dreaming's good. Elbow-grease is better.
For more on the film or Eddie, check out the links below...
Attention one and all! But especially Teachers, Children's Librarians and School Librarians lucky enough to still have a job!
Copies of Monster Speller, Book 4 in my Monster and Me series, are now sitting in my publisher's warehouse ready to ship. Schools and libraries can place orders HERE.
Click on the photo above to enjoy a preview of the book.
If you like what you see you can thank Tom Percival, the talented artist who makes Dwight lovable, huggable and slightly dangerous. Seriously. Click HERE to see more of his work (which includes ZOMBIES!), then click HERE and send him some fan mail!
For people who aren't librarians but want to own a library-bound book that will last till our sun implodes, ask your local bookseller to order you a copy of Monster Speller. As always, I suggest my favorite booksellers, Mark and Cindy Ziesing. You can find their website HERE.
0 Comments on Monster Speller Unleashed! as of 1/1/1900
This Vimeo video is well worth 17 minutes of your time. Made by Kent MacKenzie as a student film at USC, I found it fascinating on several different levels.
1. It's a great resource for anyone writing a piece of Los Angeles Noir.
2. It's astounding to see that poor people in 1956 dressed better than rich people do in 2010.
3. The faculty advisor on this film was William S. Mehring, a name I didn't expect and one I recognized. His wife was Margaret Mehring -- the woman who dreamed up the Filmic Writing Department at USC.
I never knew William S. Mehring, he died shortly after this film was made. But Margaret. Margaret and her dog Tati I knew well. It's thanks to her that I have a college education. She's the one who admitted me into the fledgling Filmic Writing program -- a few decades after this film was made. So thank you, Margaret. RIP. And rest in peace to you as well, Tati.
0 Comments on Video Time Travel Back to LA's Bunker Hill circa 1956 as of 1/1/1900
Somebody figured out how to put pie and cookies together into one dream dessert. The combined fat may bring your heart to an untimely halt, but its final beat will be a happy beat.
Since we've all gotta go sometime, why not go with a mouth full of Pookie! And I'm not talking about the secret, gut-churning, pet-name you use in private with your beloved Pookie-Ookums -- or worse, Snugly-Wuggums. Pookie from now on means only one thing: Pie on the inside, Cookie on the outside. Sweet, sweet Pookie.
That Reuter's story about a comically lovelorn llama chasing his prospective mate into heavy traffic took a sinister turn today.
According to witnesses, the two llamas were involved in a heated argument just before Luisa's mad dash onto the freeway. Police now believe Helmut purposefully pushed Luisa into oncoming traffic. He is being held for questioning.
Luisa told Der Spiegel this morning that Helmut had been taking anger management courses, but they didn't appear to be working.
If you're in need of a pick-me-up, check out this video of 'daddy's dime' from Paul Loren and The Well-Informed. It's bright and fun. You could even say it sparkles. Plus it features a uke front and center. Nothing like the strumming of a uke to lift the spirits.
If you like this song (and who wouldn't?), you can currently nab it as a free download from Paul Loren's Bandcamp page.
"Bob Saget’s Strange Days. In the [seven-part] series, Saget travels around the country, immersing himself in unusual cultures including mail-order brides, survivalist cults, biker gangs, Amish teenagers and, of course, Bigfoot." Wasn't Full House and America's Funniest Home Videos enough? Must the Luckiest Man in Showbiz barge into our homes once again?
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for TV bringing us more Bigfoot, biker gangs and mail-order brides -- especially if it's all combined into one show. Think of the TV Guide description: "Mail-order bride Bigfoot shows up COD one day on the doorstep of One-Eyed Tommy, the lonely leader of a biker gang. Hijinks ensue." Now that's great TV.
With luck, Saget will get eaten by Bigfoot. If there's a God, he'll be eaten by Amish teenagers.
Click on the picture below to link to the original story.
And yes, this is the most recent picture of Bob Saget. Legal Disclaimer: Not really. That's a joke. Please don't sue me, Mr. Saget.
0 Comments on He's Baaaaaack! as of 7/10/2010 5:18:00 PM
Okay, not certain if this will make my fellow writers and/or musician friends feel inspired -- or if it will make them want to bang their heads against the desk.
But here's a little clip to show how easily Elton John writes songs. Sir Elton is rumored to be able to write music to anything. Any piece of writing. Hand him the phone book, and he could turn it into a song. Let it be rumor no more. In this clip, Elton is handed an oven manual. In other words, the directions to using an oven. He places it on the piano and proceeds to turn out a song. On the spot.
Feel free to use this clip as a cure for writer's block. Sir Elton doesn't need a special room to write. Or a special pen. Or a special piano. He just sits down and gets to it. And as soon as I post this blog entry, I'm going to do the same.
0 Comments on Let It Flow as of 7/1/2010 9:44:00 AM
The cover for Monster Speller has just been released! Cover only -- the book itself comes out in August.
I'm a big fan of Tom Percivial's art. Notice how Dwight's shirt is reflected in his thick glasses? Nice touch.
Dwight as a brainiac and/or nerdling. I love it.
Here's the descriptive copy from the publisher:
Gabby's pet monster is supposed to compete at the district-wide spelling bee. But how can Dwight be a champion speller when no one understands him? After speech therapy fails, it seems the only answer is an interpreter. But if Vice Principal Burns has anything to say about it, there won't be an interpreter or a monster speller.
What fun! I can't wait to see the complete graphic novel.
I'll let you know when the book is released.
0 Comments on New Book's Cover! as of 6/10/2010 11:47:00 AM
Man -- those black out curtains really work! I put them up a month ago and woke up today to find I'd Rip-Van-Winkled a month away.
If only that were true. Sleep would be nice, but it doesn't look like I'll have time for it until sometime in September. For now, I'm looking forward to a life brought to you by espresso.
Hard at work on the main project. Spending spare time on a handful of second tier projects.
So while I work, here's a Helpful Household Hint for all my readers who are either felons or deviants:
0 Comments on Rip-Van-Winkled as of 6/4/2010 9:37:00 AM
Have you ever come home to find out your landlord stole two stadium lights from Wrigley Field -- then installed one of them right outside your bedroom window?
Okay, I don't have proof about the stealing from Wrigley Field part. But if Wrigley isn't missing lights then some airport somewhere is having difficulty bringing its pilots in at night.
I mean, these lights are Bright. Capital Insert-Your-Curseword-of-Choice-Here Bright. I guess they're for security. The second light is at the back of the apartment complex, and illuminates the entire parking area. And the parking area of the coffee house next door. And the entire parking lot of the church that is behind the complex, but actually on the next street over. Plus the church itself. The first night it was installed, the priests came rushing out thinking God had arrived.
That's the first new security light. The second is now right outside my bedroom window. And it uses the same Visible-From-The-Space-Shuttle lightbulb to illuminate the tiny 6 foot wide walkway between the two apartment buildings. I can now get a nice tan from sitting outside my apartment at night. But really, who needs to go outside for that special night tan when you've got a Klieg light for a night light -- and just two feet from your pillow!
Blackout curtains arrive Friday. I'm looking forward to sleeping without the sunglasses this weekend.
Front burner project chosen and rolling along. Back burner projects in place. I've even worked out the line-up for future projects.
With that said, it's time for me to get back to work. But before I go, here's your video ditty for the week...
MUSIC MONDAY
The much harder rocking, original version of John Lennon's "I'm Losing You."
Harder rocking thanks to Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos. They worked with John on three songs before Yoko gave them the boot. I believe this is the only one of those three songs to be officially released. There's mystery and controversy surrounding why Nielsen and Carlos were "let go." When asked why, Nielsen often supplies a diplomatic response, while Carlos points to Yoko with an unflattering and blunt description.
Whatever the reason, it sure isn't that the musicians failed to come together and jam. This track rocks! And offers a tantalizing glimpse of a few harder-edged Lennon tunes that might have been.
Compare the tracks for yourself and see which you like most. For me, the second one is good, but the rocker version blows it away. By the way, there's a Cheap Trick video version with much cooler visuals than the one below, but the sound's not as good on that video as the one I'm posting here. To check out the cool visuals video, go HERE.
For the auditorially inclined, just click below...
Lennon/mit Cheap Trick "I'm Losing You"
Lennon/sans Cheap Trick version "I'm Losing You"
0 Comments on Got It And Going as of 5/10/2010 10:37:00 AM
While I'm largely avoiding the web and typing away on my keyboard, here's a song from Peter Frampton's new LP, Thank You Mr. Churchill. The song's called "I Want It Back!"
It's got a great, snarly guitar riff. In other words, it rocks!!
Project Whittle continues. Down to 6 most likely. Meaning most itchy -- the projects itching at me the most.
How far do I have to whittle? Didn't Asimov always have a few projects going at the same time?
Constantly writing and making progress. That's what counts. Right?
What's the best way to pick a project when you have several eating away at your brain?
Coin flip? The I Ching?
Cash?
Call me crass, but cash definitely speeds up my selection process. Throw wads of cash my way and suddenly I've got razor sharp focus. The path is clear!
But I figure I need to keep busy while waiting on that offer of filthy lucre. So I'm unplugging from the net and getting back to The Whittle.
Or better still -- figure I've whittled enough and just dive into writing one of those projects.
0 Comments on Another Day Unplugged as of 1/1/1900
Lost a day. These things happen when you give a shut-in a car for the day. My schedule is inked and sacrosanct. But sometimes… not so much so.
I had to break from routine yesterday for a visit to my doctor. It was just a yearly physical, but since it's been five years since my last yearly physical, I thought I should probably keep this appointment. It got off to an alarming start when I stepped on the scale and the nurse called out my weight. Loudly. "196 pounds!" 196?!
My response, and I quote: "Holy crap! You're kidding."
The nurse assured me that's what the scale said. A number a good 30 pounds over what I just told the DMV they should put on my driver's license. But then the receptionist offered these encouraging words, "Don't worry. That thing is way off."
Ah, good. That made me feel better. Until I realized that means my doctor knowingly uses a scale that makes his patients feel like ginormous, fatty fats. What's up with that? Some sort of cruel psychological experiment designed to rattle those with low self-esteem?
My doctor is one of the kindest people I've ever met, so I can't quite see that. Maybe he's trying to gently nudge his patients towards exercising and eating right. If so, time to reevaluate. I stopped by the grocery store on the way home and picked up a couple pints of Haagen-Dazs. Midnight Cookies and Cream. Oh, sweet chocolate-soother of shattered self-esteem! (If you click on the link, don't look at the nutritional facts. Just don't. Haagen-Dazs is for eating, not reading!)
Honestly, if I'm shooting for a new target weight and starting at 196 pounds, 200 is a lot easier to hit than 165. Thank you, Haagen-Dazs. You make changing weight so easy! Provided you don't care about terms like "gain" or "loss."
Okay -- now it's back to work on choosing my Batter Box Project. I've whittled the top 20 down to the most likely 9. Time to concentrate on more whittling. And to sticking to my new, cream-based diet.
0 Comments on Whittling And Special Diets as of 1/1/1900
Brief posting today. And then I'm disconnecting the hose that connects me to the InterTubes. Temporarily.
The Internet is a useful tool, but I find it sometimes turns me into a click-happy vegetable. Maybe the Internet really is nothing more than a giant Skinner-esque experiment designed to keep the masses busy clicking their way towards irreparable repetitive stress injuries.
And there you have it. My pathetic attempt to get my blog noticed by the conspiracy theorists out there.
But for those of you interested in how writers use the internet, here's the secret: sometimes we don't. Writing requires isolation from time to time. A stillness and focus of the mind that isn't possible with the constant bombardment of the Internet. So when I have a task requiring focus, I turn off all the software connecting me to the Internet. And since I'm weak, I have another software program called Concentrate. It makes sure I can't simply turn my internet programs back on with a simple click. I'm considering getting yet another program to make sure I can't change the settings on that program. Have I mentioned that many writers suffer from OCD?
So today's focus-necessary task? Sift through the several projects I'm currently working on and decide which one gets moved to the front burner. As in the primary project. The one that gets focused on and seen through to completion first. I usually juggle several projects at once. I like the way it makes my brain feel. Alive.
It makes me feel like I'm visiting one of those giant Las Vegas buffets. The kind with 10,000 different items of food to choose from. Only instead of food, I'm at the Idea Buffet. In Vegas, you can spend hours moving along, filling up your plate with twelve different entrees and and a growing mound of side dishes. But eventually, you have to take that plate back to your table and eat what's on it. All of it. Because if you don't, you'll feel guilty when you get up to hit the desert line. And you know you're going to hit that desert line -- several times. So you have no choice but to focus on the task at hand. Loosen your belt and eat your way through to a clear table. Then head back to the buffet's desert selection with a clear conscience.
That's the plan. Which I'll get to right after I have something to eat. I'm suddenly hungry.
0 Comments on Unplugging From the InterTubes as of 1/1/1990
So what's my blog going to be about? Is there a goal -- other than chronicling my meteoric, 40-year rise to the top?
What makes a good blog?
From what I've seen, a blog is a place to tell the world what you think of it. A platform for calling the good great and the bad despicable. No problem. I'm highly opinionated. I can manage that. But is there something more to it?
According to the many blogs on blogging, I should have a niche, a topic, something to say. Above all, be positive. However, a recent article in New Scientist Magazine reported on a study finding the single most important key to blogging success is to post often. The more one writes, the more successful the blog. Regardless of whether you're a happy-go-lucky Mr. Rogers or an angry old man screaming at the neighbor kids to get off your property.
What matters is bulk. The more words you spit out, the more successful you are.
Which I guess applies not just to blogging, but to writing in general. If you want to be a successful writer, you have to spit out the words. The more words you spit, the more you can sell.
Don't get me wrong. Quality spitting is important. But you're only going to reach quality through quantity. Like Strother Martin's character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He's always spitting tobacco, trying to get that perfect, straight stream. Sometimes it's a misfire and it sprays out or dribbles down his chin. But every third time or so, he gets that straight, clean shot. Bingo!
That's writing. A lot of time spent perfecting your spitting skills. Working your way through those messy misfires on the road to more and more of those perfect straight streams. Bingo!
Which brings me back to the main question -- what exactly will my blog about?
I don't know. But my guess is it will involve a lot of spitting.
Now, on to...
Music Monday
Today's Music: "What Do You Want From Life?" by The Tubes.
One of life's great Getting-To-Know-You Questions is: What was your first concert?
For me, it's The Tubes. Orpheum Theater, Omaha, '79 -- the tipper-most top row in the balcony. And they were LOUD. Like Rock should be. My ears rang for a week. Excellent! I was hooked for life.
Their 80s stuff is great, but I have a real fondness for their more free-flowing songs from the seventies. I'm posting two versions of my favorite Tubes tune: "What Do You Want From Life?"
The sound is better on the first version, but I enjoy the live version most. The live video looks like it was shot from a seat high in the balcony -- so it's like I'm time traveling, peering into my past through the viewfinder of a barely functioning chronoscope.
Enjoy!
0 Comments on What Do You Want From Life? as of 1/1/1990
