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Would you like to win a new hardcover copy of Tamora Pierce's newest short story collection, Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales?  If so, you're in luck.  There's still a month left to sign up to participate in the Tamora Tamora Pierce Reading Challenge.  You only have to read one book to qualify as long as you write some sort of wrap up when you have finished your challenge. 

For those of you who have signed up, how are you doing?  Are you going to make your goal by the end of Decemeber? 

I have three books left, Terrier, Bloodhound, and Tortall and Other Lands (on my Kindle).  Now if I can just finish them with all the other reading I have to finish by January...

A new linky will be up soon for those of you who are finished and want to write your wrap up posts. 

Tomorrow starts A Shady Glade Christmas, so don't forget to come back and check in for that. 

Happy reading everyone!

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So I have some good news for some of you. A couple weeks ago some of my readers stumbled across my Tamora Pierce Reading Challenge, only to express disappointment that they had discovered it so late.

I figured why not spread the joy, so the challenge has been extended until the end of the year! Which is good for me too, since because of other commitments (*cough* Cybils *cough*) I didn’t meet my goal yet, but am on track to finish by the end of the year. The challenge will now finish on December 31, 2011.

I’ve also found a prize for us. At the end of the year, one participant in the challenge will be randomly selected to receive a brand new hardcover copy of Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales, Ms. Pierce’s new book that came out last February.

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Read Around the World Challenge

May Link-Up

The Details:

• Make sure that before you link-up your reviews, you sign up for the challenge on the challenge post

.

Anyone, even non-bloggers can participate. Open worldwide. If you don’t have a blog, just link to your Amazon, Good Reads or other review posting.

Link as many reviews as you’d like throughout the month. Each link to an actual review will earn you an entry in the drawing.

April’s Winner: I’m thrilled to tell you that Amy from Delightful Children’s Books

won the April contest and won a copy of Lucky’s Little Feather.

This month’s prize drawing will be done at 11:59 pm EST on May 31st so you have until that time to make entry/reviews counting for March’s prize drawing.

May’s prize: An assortment of ARCs (at least 3 books)

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Resistance (Book 1) by Carla Jablonski (Illustrated by Leland Purvis)

Review by: Chris Singer

About the author:

Carla Jablonski is a novelist, performer, and playwright. She has written dozens of best-selling books for teenage and middle-grade readers.Her fiction has been translated into ten languages, and her plays have been performed in New York, Philadelphia, and Edinburgh, Scotland.  Her most recent books Thicker than Water and Silent Echoes were selected for the New York Public Llibraries “Books for the Teen Age” list.

About the illustrator:

Leland Purvis is a self-taught comics artist and writer. His major works include the anthology VOX, a creator-owned series called PUBO, and a graphic-novel biography of physicist Niels Bohr, Suspended In Language, written by Jim Ottaviani. Recent works include graphic novels in the Turning Points series from Simon & Schuster. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife, a cat, and a turtle.

About the book:

Fighting on a secret front of World War II, Paul and Marie’s bucolic French country town is almost untouched by the ravages of WWII, but the siblings still live in the shadow of war. Their father is a Prisoner of War, kept hostage by the Germans. When their friend Henri’s parents disappear and Henri goes into hiding because of his Jewish ancestry, Paul and Marie realize they must take a stand. But how can they convince the French Resistance that even children can help in their fight against injustice?

Resistance is the first voulme of a trilogy written by acclaimed teen author Carla Jablonski and illustrated by Leland Purvis.

My take on the book:

This is a really good introduction for middle school readers about life during the Nazi occupation of France. The beauty of the story is Jablonski’s choice to tell the story from the point-of-view of children. She does an excellent job of portraying the characters of Paul, Marie and Henri. Though often brave in their participation with the Resistance, you also see them squabble, bicker, complain and cry — just like your average kid. It’s the realistic portrayal of the children which I really appreciated. Although the children become part of the Resistance and are taking part in dangerous activities, you don’t see them acting like mini-adults. You see their weaknesses but also see the skills they bring to the Resistance (For example, Marie has an excellent memory and is very observant while Paul is a talented artist).

Jablonski also does an excellent job of portraying the underlying tensions of life under occupation, where you’re never exactly sure who you can trust and once-trusted friends may now be your enemy. This aspect of the book is particularly compelling and I think a really good introduction for students about the idea of what exactly living under occupation is and how different lif

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Well, here it is at last, this year’s PaperTigers Reading the World Challenge. I know some of you have been on tenterhooks but there’s one advantage to announcing it a little late. All your other challenges should be well assimilated by now, and adding one more shouldn’t be too much of a trial… Anyway, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it

The Challenge for the last two years has revolved around geographical boundaries, as is perhaps to be expected of a World focused challenge – however, following deep consultation with Little Brother (9), we have come up with an extra geographical consideration this year. We have also decided to make the time factor as flexible as possible, in the hope that some teachers/librarians might be tempted to engage children in the Challenge during school term time. So without further ado, we present the PaperTigers Reading the World Challenge 2011:

1. Choose six books from/about/by or illustrated by someone from different countries anywhere in the world, 3 of which must be in different continents.

2. Choose one book from/about your city/district – as local and as relevant to your geographical setting as you can find.

3. You should choose at least one book of each of the following: fiction, poetry and non-fiction.

4. Have the books read aloud to you or read them yourself; share them as part of a book-group or in class. Combine your choices with other reading challenges.

5. There is no time limit for this year’s Challenge, apart from completing it by the end of the year.

Do join us, and keep us posted as to how you’re doing – we love reading all your posts. You can find lots of ideas in the PaperTigers Reviews and Reading Lists sections, as well as in many of our Personal Views – or do let us know your own suggestions.

Happy Reading!

And P.S. If anyone would like the code for adding the button to their blog, please email me – marjorie(at)papertigers(dot)org.

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One of the things I love so much about children’s books is how they help children (and adults!) learn how to experience the world through the perspectives of others. With that in mind, one of my goals for Book Dads this year was to review more multicultural and ethnically diverse books. To help achieve this (and because I couldn’t find a current challenge elsewhere), I’ve decided to create the Read Around the World Challenge.

THE BASICS:

The objective of the Read Around The World Challenge is to read to or with your kid(s) books written by authors from different countries.

Books read must be picture books, chapter books, and/or YA lit.

Print or eBook format is acceptable.

This is a Read Around the World Challenge and therefore is open to ANYONE worldwide.

You can join at anytime. Deadline to join is November 30, 2011 and the challenge runs from January 24, 2011 to December 31, 2011.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
* Decide which challenge level you’ll be taking on (see below).
* Make sure you grab the button above (right click to save it to your computer)
* Write a post to let all your readers know you’re taking part in the challenge and at what level. Make sure to link back to this page with the button and/or text link.
* If you have a blog, please use the Mr. Linky form below to enter into the challenge by entering the direct url/link to your challenge post url and either your name, blog name, or both in the form. Please only use the comment section to participate if you do not have a blog.
* Submit your reviews as you complete them on the designated monthly post (Generally will be on the first Sunday of each month).

CHALLENGE LEVELS:
The Passport Reading Challenge — Read to or with your child a picture book, chapter book and/or YA lit book by an author from another country (Exclude your own of course).

- Set a goal according to these levels:
* Intercontinental Level — Read 10 or more books by authors from countries on 2 or more different continents
* Savvy Traveler Level — Read 20 or more books by authors from countries on 3 or more different continents
* Marco Polo Level — Read 35 or more books by authors from countries on 4 or more different continents
* National Geographic Level — Read 50 or more books by authors count

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Just a reminder that those of you who signed up for my verse novel challenge have one month to finish your novels.

What's the verse novel challenge? I'm glad you asked! Honestly, I started this challenge to become more well versed (sorry, couldn't help it!) in novels written as unrhymed poetry. My goal was to read a minimum of five novels-in-verse by the end of 2010. I've read seven novels so far, and plan on reading two more.

A number of you signed up to read along with me. One luck participant will win a future copy of my verse novel ARC, MAY B., once its printed (and things are more clear with the future of my book).*

If you're interested in participating, there's still time to join! Just sign up here.

And if you'd like to learn more about verse novels in general or are looking for some recommendations, stop by Valerie Geary's Something to Write About. She'll be focusing on verse novels all month.



*By the contest's end, I will know what's going on. If for some reason MAY B. isn't to be released sometime soon, I will happily send the winner a verse novel of her choice.

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I'm participating in the Story Siren's Debut Author Challenge for next year. Participants must read twelve middle-grade or young adult books by debut novelists by the end of December. This will be especially fun as almost all of the debuts are written by fellow Elevensies and members of The Class of 2k11.

While I'm not listing the titles I plan to read ahead of time, I aim to tackle many more than the required twelve. Some novels I plan on purchasing, some I've downloaded to read through Simon and Schuster's e-galley* program, some I know will be so big they'll be easy to find at the library (even with our dismal local book purchase numbers), and some I'll borrow through the Class of 2k11 ARC* exchange.

I'd love to be able to read everything coming out next year, but with close to 100 debuts, I know I won't make it. I will, though, share what I'm reading here. Please consider joining in!

*Galleys and ARCs (advanced reader copies) are uncorrected proofs sent out to reviewers.

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So I participated in the 2010 Debut Author Challenge (I set a goal of 15 books and right now I'm at 24!) I love reading Debut books so of course I'm going to participate again next year! The challenge is hosted by The Story Siren and you can find more info on her site. Be sure to join in-the prize packs each month are very cool and you get to read lots of awesome YA!

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How's it going, verse novel challenge participants? I have quite a treat for you today.

I'm thrilled to share with you an interview with Lisa Schroeder. Stick around and enter to win a signed copy of her book, FAR FROM YOU.



Can you tell us about FAR FROM YOU?

It’s a book about 16 year-old Alice, who is struggling to come to terms with her step mother and new half-sister, as her dad has been able to move on after her mother’s death while Alice is still missing her terribly.


What inspired you to write this story?

With each of my stories there is usually a seed or two that sparks the book. And until I start writing, I’m not sure if it will work as a book or not.

I had been thinking about the wonderful verse novel OUT OF THE DUST, by Karen Hesse, and how she did such a great job conveying the heat and the dust through her verse, and I thought, I bet a snowstorm would be a great thing to write about in verse as well. Especially since lots of dialogue doesn’t work well in a verse novel, and someone being trapped in a storm would allow for lots of inner reflection.

I had also wanted to write a story about a girl who was a singer/songwriter, and a book with Alice in Wonderland elements had appealed to me as well. So I combined those three things and a book was made!

How does verse serve this story best?

For me, verse is all about atmosphere. I don’t know why other authors choose to write in verse, but I choose to do it because it helps me to create an atmosphere I can’t get with regular prose. After my agent read my first novel, I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, she wrote in her e-mail back, asking to set up a time to talk, that “the verse created such a unique atmosphere for the story.”

It also allows me to get to the emotional truths of the story, and to accentuate them.


You have successfully published three novels-in-verse. What is it about this technique that attracts you? Challenges you? Feels like the right fit for your writing?

My strength is not beautiful, flowery prose. At times, I wish it were. I read Laini Taylor’s work, and the way she puts words and sentences together, and I’m in awe.

I seem to do well trying to convey scenes, thoughts, emotions, etc. in a sparse, poetic way. I have always loved music, and in some ways, writing a novel-in-verse feels like writing a giant song to me. The rhythm and the flow and trying to say a lot in a few words – it’s challenging, absolutely, but my brain works well that way.

I fought it, at first, when I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, my first verse novel, wanted to come out in verse. I thought, what am I doing? I don’t know how to write like this. But I decided to give it a try, and the novel poured out of me and I had a draft written in about six weeks. That little book, which my agent and I had a hard time placing because no one seemed quite sure what to do with it, is now in its 9th printing and over two years after it released, I st

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For the five books I'm reading for my verse novel challenge, I'll not post reviews. Instead, I'll leave you with a feel for the work itself.

ALEUTIAN SPARROW by Karen Hesse (Margaret K. McElderry, 2003)

From the dust jacket:

In June of 1942, seven months after attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese navy invaded Alaska's Aleutian Islands. For nine thousand years the Aleut people had lived and thrived on these treeless, windswept lands. Within days of the first attack, the entire native population living west of Unimak Island was gathered up and evacuated to relocation centers in the dense forests of Alaska's Southeast.

With resilience, compassion and humor the Aleuts responded to the sorrows of upheaval and dislocation. This is Vera's story, but it is woven from the same faric as the stories of displaced people thoughtout history. It chronicles the struggle to survive and to keep community and heritage intact despite harsh conditions in an alien environment.

In a luminous novel of unrhymed verse, Newbery winner karen Hesse brings to light this little-known episode from America's past.

A peek inside:

THINKING AHEAD
Most of us dreamed of going Outside, hungry for a taste of
         life beyond the Aleutians.
Few of us truly meant it, few of us ever really intended to
         leave the fog and the wind, the sun and the rain, the
         hunting and trapping and fishing, the easy welcome
         of neighbors.
We never thought who we were was so dependent on where
         we were.
But when we settle back into the quiet villages along the
         Aleutian beaches, who will we be after this?

SEA CHANGE
After three years of promises we are back
Where the sun emerges from the galloping clouds,
Where one moment the rain ices our hair and the next a
         rainbow arches over the volcano.
Where early grass ripples in the wind and violets lead an
         advance of wildflowers across the treeless hills.

It all comes back so quickly, the particular quality of the air
        where

1 Comments on Verse Novel Challenge: ALEUTIAN SPARROW, last added: 6/16/2010

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Irene Latham said, on 6/16/2010 2:56:00 PM

I love this book. I use it as an example when I teach historical fiction. I love to be transported by a book --- and this one did just that. Thanks for sharing.

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