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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Robin McKinley, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 8 of 8
1. Required Reading: Books That Changed Us

We tend to think of reading as a cerebral endeavor, but every once in a while, it can spur action. The following books — ranging from inspiring biographies to evocative fiction to instructional guides — motivated us to step out of our comfort zones and make significant, lasting changes in our lives. ÷ ÷ ÷ [...]

0 Comments on Required Reading: Books That Changed Us as of 1/16/2015 2:07:00 PM
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2. Fusenews: “The Hardy boys were tense with a realization of their peril.”

So I’m reading through my weekly edition of AL Direct and I notice that no matter what worldwide occurrence takes place, librarians are always there. Whether it’s damage to two libraries in Egypt, stories from the librarians in Christchurch, New Zealand, or how the Wisconsin Library Association delayed Library Legislative Day due to the protests, the profession is there.  That last story was of particular interest to me, since I had wondered whether any school librarians were amongst the protesters in Wisconsin lately.  According to the article, they most certainly are.  You go, guys!!  Seriously, I want to hear more about it.  If any of you know any school librarians marching in WI, send them my way.  I’d love to do a full post on them.

  • Speaking of folks in the news, I have to give full credit to author/illustrator Katie Davis for consistently locating the hotspots in children’s literature and convincing folks to talk to her about them on her fabulous podcast.  In the past she’s managed to finagle everyone from the editor who wanted to replace the n-word in Huckleberry Finn to James Kennedy on the 90-Second Newbery.  Now she’s managed to get Bruce Coville to talk about what went down when he and fellow children’s author Liz Levy got stuck in Egypt during the protest period.  That Katie.  She’s got a nose for news.
  • I’m having a lot of fun reading How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely these days, and I can’t help but see echoes of the plot in this story about the man behind the Hardy Boys novels.  We hear about the various Carolyn Keenes all the time, but why not the Dixons?  After reading this old piece in the Washington Post from 1998 (The Hardy Boys The Final Chapter) I feel vindicated.  I reread some of my old Three Investigators novels not too long ago and they STILL held up!  I always knew they were better than The Hardy Boys.  Now I have proof.  I was going to save the link to this essay until the end of the Fusenews today, but it’s so amusing and so delightfully written that I just have to encourage you, first thing, to give it a look.  Thanks to The Infomancer for the link.
  • Fun Fact About Newbery Winning Author Robin McKinley: She’s learning to knit.  Related Sidenote: She also has a blog.  Did you know this?  I did not know this.  And look at the meticulous use of footnotes.  McKinley should write the next Pale Fire.  I would

    10 Comments on Fusenews: “The Hardy boys were tense with a realization of their peril.”, last added: 2/25/2011
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3. What’s Hot in November, 2010? Author Events, Best Selling Kids’ Books, and More …

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: November 2, 2010

Here’s the scoop on the most popular destinations on The Children’s Book Review site, the most coveted new releases, the bestsellers, and kids’ book events.

THE HOT SPOTS: THE TRENDS

Fall Books for Kids: 2010

Interview with Lian Tanner, Author of The Keepers Trilogy

2010 Children’s Choice Book Awards Nominees

Where to Find Free eBooks for Children Online

20 Sites to Improve Your Child’s Literacy

THE NEW RELEASES

The most coveted books that release this month:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth

by Jeff Kinney

(Ages 9-12)

Hero Hero

by Mike Lupica

(Ages 9-12)

Pegasus Pegasus

by Robin McKinley

(Young Adult)

Crocodile Tears (Alex Rider) Crocodile Tears (Alex Rider)

by Anthony Horowitz

(Ages 12 and up)

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fables to Read Together You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Fables to Read Together

by Mary Ann Hoberman

(Ages 4-8)

THE BEST SELLERS

The best selling children’s books this month:

PICTURE BOOKS

Llama Llama Holiday Drama Llama Llama Holiday Drama

by Anna Dewdney

(Ages 0-5)

It's a Book

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4. New to Me: Beauty

Fairy tale retellings often feel like a dime a dozen.  Whether they’re modernized or grounded in the past, gender flipped or boundaries blurred, the heart of the fairy tale must remain.  Otherwise, the retelling feels cold and disconnected, lacking all the magic of the original story.  But sometimes, a retelling gives the fairy tale a new complexity and shading.

Beauty
Robin McKinley
Published 1978

The youngest daughter of a shipping merchant, Beauty is happiest with books and horses.  Neither of those care how you look, and Beauty knows she’s plain, especially compared to her beautiful older sisters.  But when their father has a catastrophic business failure, the whole family must leave the city and move to a small village.  Everyone works hard to survive, in the little house by the dark enchanted forest.  No one should go into this forest, but during a snowstorm, while taking a shortcut, their father gets lost in the woods.  In the middle of the forest, he finds a magnificent castle.  He is served by invisible servants who provide clothing, food, a warm bed.  But at the end of his visit, he decides to pick a single rose for Beauty.  And that one action will change Beauty’s life.  For in exchange for the rose, the Beast that lives in the castle demands that either her father, or one of his daughters, come to live with him.  And Beauty cannot let her father do this.  Staying with the Beast, Beauty is exposed to a life of luxury, of learning.  And although she comes to have a friendship with the Beast, she wishes that he wouldn’t ask her the same question after dinner every night:  “Will you marry me, Beauty?”  She can only say no to him, and she can tell how much it hurts him.  It’s only after disaster and heartbreak that Beauty is able to give him a different answer.

McKinley’s first novel takes the time to lay the backstory of Beauty and her family.  While it is only forty pages before the traditional beginning of the story–the father’s encounter with the Beast–those forty pages does much to establish not just Beauty, but her whole family.  We see that Beauty’s sisters are not stereotyped as beautiful but shallow and mean; in fact, they’re both kind, generous women, very willing to help shoulder the household tasks that the three girls have to perform.  We learn that Beauty’s father is kind and devoted to his family, although perhaps a bit too fond of business risks.  Even characters that are briefly seen are sketched vividly.

An intriguing aspect of McKinley’s retelling is that Beauty’s nickname is an ironic one.  Beauty describes herself as plain, with light brown hair and brown eyes.  Compared to Grace and Hope, her beautiful sisters, Beauty knows that she will have to make the most of her other talents.  And while her nickname stings at times, at least it’s better than her given name of Honour.  While her sisters reassure her that she’s just a late bloomer, Beauty doesn’t believe them.  Once she lives with the Beast, she dismisses his compliments as well.  It’s not until the end of the novel, when Beauty can see herself in a mirror for the first time in years, that she realizes that they were right: she is beautiful.  Because she never considered herself as pretty, Beauty instead focused on her brains because it allowed her an escape from the superficial world of the city.  Once the family moved to the village, she worked so hard that she was too tired for reading, yet this was also another skill that she developed.  Beauty, by the time she goes to stay with the Beast, is an intelligent, sensitive young woman, unafraid of hard work.  It’s just as much these qualities as her appearance that makes the Beast fall in love with her.  And it proves that Beauty’s nickname reflects more than her physical aspects, but her character.

Touches of the fantastic highlight the world of the Beast.  There are magic roses that are in perfect bloom for a month, and rose seeds that can grow and bloom a week after being planted.  There are invisible servants that serve every wish of the Beast or anyone in the castle.  And there is a very large library, that contains many books: some of them not yet published.  For someone like Beauty, a bookworm denied, the library holds great appeal, and not just for the books for the future.  As she is able to read and study, she has the chance to develop her mind even more.  It’s the library that allows Beauty and the Beast to start building their friendship.

A retelling that will strike familiar chords with teens, thanks to the use of similar ideas in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, McKinley’s additions to the original story are welcome ones.  By removing the unrealistic sweetness of the fairy tale’s heroine, Beauty features a strong, well-rounded young woman, one who is able to see past the exterior of the Beast and fall in love with his soul.

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5. AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Tamora Pierce; Part 1: The Awesome Quotient

I'm trying something a little different for my last post in AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT week.  I received an email from a blogging buddy who is also a librarian:

I think I checked out seven Pierce books today to patrons, plus put one back in the mail from Interlibrary Loan. Can you give me a rundown on why she's awesome and recommend first books? Not that I need any more to read, but I know you're a fan.
For anyone who doesn't know (and if you don't, I pity you), Tamora Pierce is a writer of books that are technically categorized in Young Adult fantasy (at least, that's where you'll find them at the bookstore or the library.)  Like the works of Robin McKinley, however, Pierce's stories are appealing not only to teenage audiences but to adults as well. 

I thought I would do a two-prong post to answer this friend (particularly because I want to secure my nomination for assistant dictator of the southern hemisphere.)  First, I've been making notes to analyze Tammy's "awesome quotient."  Then, I want to share my own personal journey from Tammy-novice to Tammy-worshipper.

I don't have an actual interview with Tamora Pierce.  However, the fantastic Malinda does, over at the Enchanted Inkpot.  Also, the Tamora Pierce website makes a good place to start.

Now, for the Awesome Quotient Analysis.

1. Pierce is Prolific:  Her first book, Alanna: The First Adventure was published in 1983, the year after McKinley's Blue Sword.  Both books feature strong, red-haired characters who wield swords and save kingdoms.  While Harry's tale ends in Blue Sword, however, Alanna and her children and friends go on to inhabit fourteen more books.  Add to the the Alanna stories the Circle Opens series (plural), and Pierce has published, at present, twenty-six novels, in addition to multiple short stories or anthology collaborations.  Just the numbers assure that Pierce will be a much-checked-out library author.

A long bibliography doesn't tell the whole story, of course.  Pierce is prolific in effective writing.  Her dialogue is snappy and well-executed; her descriptions are sensory but not overdrawn.  Pierce's plots are believable, and she includes roadblocks and how they're overcome: you'll find not even a whiff of deus ex machina.  And her imagination soars.  From the Jade Pavilion to Daine's Immortal parents, Pierce's books are fresh and deeply engaging.

2. Pierce and the Lake Wobegon Effect:  "All the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average." Somehow, Pierce writes characters that are real (see below) but still hugely attractive: strong, attractive, smart, clever, funny, wise, and all the while fallible.  Reading about these people makes me want to be a better person.  And to be Daine, just because of Numair.  But anyway. 

3. Pierce keeps it Real:
  • Action Scenes Blood is blood, muscles hurt, breathing strains, waste smells, and we can feel the blisters of the sword on our fingers.  Pierce's visceral descriptions are particularly important for her female characters, since women in fairy tales (all right, princesses) usually don't sweat.
  • Evil Pierce doesn't gloss over the costs of battle; refugees whose homes have been destroyed play prominently into her works.  Lack of crops or drinking water are realities in war-stricken Tortall.  But there's evil, too, that mirrors the worst of  human history. (For example, a wizard whose fighting machines are fueled by the souls of children - so, of course, he has to kill the children to capture their souls.)
  • Romance & Sex Sometimes it's love (like my feelings for Numair) and sometimes it's hormones (Alanna explores sex & love), but Pierce never makes romance gushy or sappy, even when someone's in love with a crow.  ("I want to always have the taste of you on my lips," Nawat whispered...Trickster's Queen, page 345.)  Pierce also makes a point to have characters talk about birth control, if necessary.
In Part 2 of AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Tamora Pierce, I'll share my own experiences with her books, and give more in-depth examples. 

In the meantime, I'd love to hear what any of you think about Tammy's Awesome Quotient.   Do share!

8 Comments on AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Tamora Pierce; Part 1: The Awesome Quotient, last added: 5/31/2009
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6. How Well Do You Know Me answer key

1) What country would I like to live in?
a) the United States

b) Australia
c) Belize
d) New Zealand
e) Ireland

2) Who would I most like to meet?
a) Tamora Pierce
b) Stuart Neville
c) Brendan Fraser
d) Pete Dudley
e) Little Miss Zarin

3) I secretly would like to be ________ for a day?
a) a movie director
b) a professor
c) single
d) a librarian
e) multi-lingual

4) What is my favorite store to shop at?
a) Hallmark
b) Target
c) Papyrus
d) Old Navy
e) Nordstrom

5) If I was running out of my burning house, what item would I grab?
a) my signed copy of Robin McKinley's BEAUTY
b) my baby book
c) my cell phone
d) my laptop
e) the box in which I keep my children's artwork

6) What do I like most about myself?
a) my sense of humor
b) my intelligence
c) my faith
d) my hair
e) my parenting style

7) What is my middle name?
a) Rose
b) Michelle
c) Ditzler
d) a, b & c
e) a & c


8) What would be the perfect present for me?
a) a Barnes and Noble gift card
b) jewelry from Sundance Catalog
c) an ARC of Kristin Cashore's FIRE
d) time away to write
e) an iMac

9) Which of the following is not one of my nicknames?
a) Sunny
b) RoseyPosey
c) Charlie
d) Queen Aerin
e) Addy


10) What would I dress as for Halloween?
a) trick question - I don't like Halloween
b) Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty
c) Wendy from Peter Pan
d) Belle from Beauty and the Beast
e) Elphaba from Wicked

11) What is the number of schools I attended from Kindergarten thru Sr. Year?
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6
e) 7

12) What is my favorite movie?
a) Willow
b) Batman Begins
c) Aeon Flux
d) Sliding Doors
e) Mulan


13) What did I want to be when I was little?
a) a lawyer
b) a microbiologist
c) an actress
d) all of the above
e) none of the above

14) Which of these people have I not had a crush on?
a) Enrique Murciano
b) Cindy Pon
c) Brendan Fraser
d) Neil Gaiman
e) Craig Parker

15) What's my current favorite show on TV?
a) Bones
b) Fringe
c) Legend of the Seeker
d) House
e) Criminal Minds

16) Who is my favorite Disney character?
a) Mickey
b) Lilo
c) Mulan
d) Belle
e) Gurgi

17) What am I most scared of?
a) aging
b) snakes
c) spiders
d) yellow jackets
e) small spaces

18) What city was I born in?
a) Champaign, IL
b) Urbana, IL
c) Savoy, IL
d) Smyrna, TN
e) Murfreesboro, TN

19) What is my favorite wild animal?
a) chinchilla
b) giraffe
c) elephant
d) leopard
e) spider monkey


20) My favorite specialty drink is ________.
a) Pepsi
b) a chocolate martini
c) water
d) Starbucks sweet iced tea lemonade
e) Riesling



How'd you do?

4 Comments on How Well Do You Know Me answer key, last added: 5/27/2009
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7. Amusing Mondays: How Well Do You Know Me?

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for Author Spotlight week!

Hurrah, it's a holiday Monday here in the states!   If you goof off on Facebook at least an hour a day, you have seen the quiz going around "How Well Do You Know Me?"  (If you don't goof off on Facebook at least an hour a day, why the heck not?)  I thought I'd share the quiz I made with you.  Answers to be posted later today.  
(Why don't you make a similar quiz and put it up on your blog?  Leave a comment with the permalink so we can spread the word!)

1) What country would I like to live in?
a) the United States
b) Australia
c) Belize
d) New Zealand
e) Ireland

2) Who would I most like to meet?
a) Tamora Pierce
b) Stuart Neville
c) Brendan Fraser
d) Pete Dudley
e) Little Miss Zarin

3) I secretly would like to be ________ for a day?
a) a movie director
b) a professor
c) single
d) a librarian
e) multi-lingual

4) What is my favorite store to shop at?
a) Hallmark
b) Target
c) Papyrus
d) Old Navy
e) Nordstrom

5) If I was running out of my burning house, what item would I grab?
a) my signed copy of Robin McKinley's BEAUTY
b) my baby book
c) my cell phone
d) my laptop
e) the box in which I keep my children's artwork

6) What do I like most about myself?
a) my sense of humor
b) my intelligence
c) my faith
d) my hair
e) my parenting style

7) What is my middle name?
a) Rose
b) Michelle
c) Ditzler
d) a, b & c
e) a & c


8) What would be the perfect present for me?
a) a Barnes and Noble gift card
b) jewelry from Sundance Catalog
c) an ARC of Kristin Cashore's FIRE
d) time away to write
e) an iMac

9) Which of the following is not one of my nicknames?
a) Sunny
b) RoseyPosey
c) Charlie
d) Queen Aerin
e) Addy


10) What would I dress as for Halloween?
a) trick question - I don't like Halloween
b) Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty
c) Wendy from Peter Pan
d) Belle from Beauty and the Beast
e) Elphaba from Wicked

11) What is the number of schools I attended from Kindergarten thru Sr. Year?
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6
e) 7

12) What is my favorite movie?
a) Willow
b) Batman Begins
c) Aeon Flux
d) Sliding Doors
e) Mulan


13) What did I want to be when I was little?
a) a lawyer
b) a microbiologist
c) an actress
d) all of the above
e) none of the above

14) Which of these people have I not had a crush on?
a) Enrique Murciano
b) Cindy Pon
c) Brendan Fraser
d) Neil Gaiman
e) Craig Parker

15) What's my current favorite show on TV?
a) Bones
b) Fringe
c) Legend of the Seeker
d) House
e) Criminal Minds

16) Who is my favorite Disney character?
a) Mickey
b) Lilo
c) Mulan
d) Belle
e) Gurgi

17) What am I most scared of?
a) aging
b) snakes
c) spiders
d) yellow jackets
e) small spaces

18) What city was I born in?
a) Champaign, IL
b) Urbana, IL
c) Savoy, IL
d) Smyrna, TN
e) Murfreesboro, TN

19) What is my favorite wild animal?
a) chinchilla
b) giraffe
c) elephant
d) leopard
e) spider monkey


20) My favorite specialty drink is ________.
a) Pepsi
b) a chocolate martini
c) water
d) Starbucks sweet iced tea lemonade
e) Riesling

6 Comments on Amusing Mondays: How Well Do You Know Me?, last added: 5/27/2009
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8. A Fantastical Passion - Lucy Coats


I have a passion for fantasy—both reading it and writing it. There, I’ve admitted it—stood up to be counted, stuck my head above the parapet, ready to defend myself against any verbal bullets and brickbats. I too am a purveyor of lies (see previous post), as well as a traveller into the arcane worlds of the imaginary, and I am proud to say so. My childhood was full of hobbits, fauns with umbrellas, and weirdstones, but I discovered almost all my favourite children’s fantasy authors well after I had grown up and, perhaps, might be thought by some to be too old for such indulgences. I find, looking in my bookshelves, that most of them are women, and I would like to pay tribute to the sisterhood of ‘sheroes’ here—they are the ones whose work encouraged me in my fledgling desire to create and write about fantasy worlds of my own.

I was in my early twenties and a very junior editor at Heinemann when I came across the indomitable Damarian heroines of Robin McKinley, then published by Julia Macrae. I’ve just received her new book—Chalice—and am hoarding it like a dragon does its treasure until I have proper leisure to savour what I know will be its joyously sardonic humour. Something in Robin’s very particular style of writing spoke to me—showed me that it was possible to dance to a different fantasy drum. We have corresponded sporadically over the years, and have found that both of us like the discipline of creating gardens and pruning roses—and getting the nature bits in our books right, even if they are made-up bits of nature sometimes.

Diana Wynne-Jones was a latecomer to my bookshelves too—most of my editions of her works are American hardbacks, bought in the ‘80’s from the chaotic but lovely Books of Wonder in its old home in New York on 7th Avenue. I visited its new incarnation a few months ago, and was delighted to be able to discover new fantasy authors and eat cupcakes at the same time. Wizard Howl sets my teeth on edge at times with his arrogance, but I love Sophie in all her incarnations—and most of the Chrestomanci books are works of fantasy genius. It was a delight to discover a new one—The Pinhoe Egg—last year, and to renew my accquaintance with the Chant family.

How did I miss out on Ursula le Guin’s Earthsea trilogy for so long? I suspect that I was too involved with the high-flown works of literature I had to read for my degree when they first came out. Again, it was a delight when more novels in the series appeared fairly recently, and I could find out what happened to Ged later in his life, and to all the inhabitants of those myriad islands which are as real as the Cyclades or Sporades to me.

Last, but by no means least for me, came Tamora Pierce and her Lioness. What she has created in Tortall is a saga ranging back and forth over several generations. There is always a danger of disappointment when authors write about their characters’ forbears or descendants, but Pierce manages the transition from main teenage hero or heroine to parent of the next generation with deft grace. It is wonderful to meet old friends from previous books and to hear what has gone on with them in the intervening years. I can’t wait for the next.

All of the above is why, having vowed I wouldn’t do it because I couldn’t see how, I am now writing a sequel to my own fantasy novel, Hootcat Hill, at the urgent request of many of my readers. I feel all those admired and looked-up-to ‘sheroes’ at my shoulder urging me on. Besides, I understand only too well the position of the reader who wants to know ‘what happened afterwards’—and I want the huge excitement of finding that information out for myself as I enter into yet another world of my own creation. So far it’s already quite a journey!

8 Comments on A Fantastical Passion - Lucy Coats, last added: 10/8/2008
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