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As a long-time student of politics I have often found myself assessing various kinds of attempts to create new democratic processes or arenas. From citizens’ juries through to mini-publics and from area panels to lottery-based procedures the scope of these experiments with ‘new’ ways of doing politics has taken me from the local ward level right up to the international level.

The post Raw politics: devolution, democracy and deliberation appeared first on OUPblog.

Lately, many of my pictures are kind of illustrated rants, which don’t feel appropriate for this blog full of children’s illustrations and stories. So…ahem…welcome to my other place, where I can rant freely, offensively and obnoxiously about some of the glaringly obvious ridiculousnesses (a new word) in this brave new world. To visit, just click on the pretty queen…

A little repetitive,yes,
but a powerful
read nonetheless.


Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppernan. Greenwillow, 2014, 128 pages.

Raises tons of questions,
answers almost none -- and
does so beautifully.

How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon. Holt, 2014, 352 pages.

A different story
of internment, with
complicated characters.

Gaijin: American Prisoner of War by Matt Faulkner. Disney, 2014, 144 pages.

A story of wartime
bravery, tainted by
shameful racism.

The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks. Broadway Books, 2014, 272 pages.

A turtle for our time:

Gamer girl figures
out the rules aren't always
black-and-white. Hardcore smarts.

In Real Life/IRL by Cory Doctorow, illustrated by Jen Wang. First Second, 2014, 192 pages.

A fair bit of stiff
exposition, but you
can't help liking Stella.

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper. Atheneum, 2015, 336 pages.

A infuriating story,
masterfully told.
Justice not served.

The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin. Roaring Brook, 2014, 208 pages.

For Armistice Day,
a look at a truly pointless,
horrible war.

Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood: A World War I Tale (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales) by Nathan Hale. Abrams, 2014, 128 pages.

Freedom Summer as
you haven't seen it before.
Pair this with Delphine.

Revolution by Deborah Wiles. Scholastic, 2014, 544 pages.

Origami Yoda
turns Andrew Clements, sort of.
Their only hope!

Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue by Tom Angleberger. Amulet, 2014, 208 pages.

If all you know
about Sanger is the Pill, you
don't know anything.

Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story by Peter Bagge. Drawn & Quarterly, 2013, 104 pages.

Halse Anderson
does it again: takes my heart and
rips it wide open.

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. Viking, 2014, 304 pages.

A convoluted plot
concocted by short-sighted
criminals. Cool.

Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin. Scholastic, 2013, 224 pages.

Classic tale of P.K.
Gone Bad, with added pressure
of coming out.

Rapture Practice by Aaron Hartzler. Little Brown, 2013, 400 pages.

Desperate times, desperate
people; yet somehow, they still
find a shred of hope.

The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer. HMH, 2013, 304 pages.

Turmoil within and
without, but Delphine stays grounded.
Surely she does.

P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia. Amistad, 2013, 288 pages.

A day late on this, I know,
but what a ridiculously
good time.

Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger. Amulet, 2012, 208 pages.

Fascinating portrait