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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Lauren McLaughlin, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 2 of 2
1. Video Sunday: Awesome Amateur Actor Night

Yep.  A good old-fashioned bit of library/musical theater parody.  Joyce Valenza got some students to explain curation things Broadway style.  They do a good job.  I was trying to think up other Fiddler-inspired MLIS songs but it’s tough.  20 points if you can come up with another.

I like to say that writing a really good picture book can be far more difficult than writing a YA novel at times.  But seriously, why choose?

It really doesn’t matter what movie I watch sometimes.  Whatever it might be, there’s always a children’s literature connection lurking in the shadows.  Last night the resident husband and I watched Nobody’s Fool (1994) starring Paul Newman.  At one point Newman’s grandson is seen reading the Tintin adventure The Blue Lotus, which is timely.  After all, we’ve got a Tintin movie on the horizon so librarians everywhere?  Stock your shelves!!!  Little Brown has put out some great kid-friendly versions of his stories (now with less racism!) that you’ll probably want to get your hands on before the film comes out (though their smaller print size is unfortunate).  Here, British author/illustrator John Fardell (The 7 Professors of the Far North) discusses Hergé’s style, why we like it so much, and how it has influenced his own art.

For this next book trailer . . . paging, Vivian Alcott.  Alcott, party of one?

When lessons are taught on quality cheap book trailers, I hope this is used as an example.  Thanks to Playing By the Book for the link.

Entertainment Weekly, of all places, had a really top notch interview with The Pigeon Man the other day.  Along the way they showed off his Don’t Let the Pigeon Run this App app.  Durn.  I may actually have to shell something out and get this one.

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2. YA Review of Lauren McLaughlin's CYCLER, by DL Larson

The cover caught my attention. The front has a young woman in a pretty pink bra and boy's boxers, while the back cover is a young man wearing said boxers. The two look as if they could be twins. They are not ... they are the same person. Four days of the month Jill turns into Jack, a full fledged male, with male thoughts, male actions and a male temper for being confined in Jill's girly bedroom with nothing to do but think about his own miserable life that only exists four days every month.

Cycler is a unique book and a fast read. Jack squeezes into Jill's thoughts but Jill self-hynotizes herself so she doesn't remember his thoughts. It's a dangerous game she plays and pretends her world is normal as any teenage girls. McLaughlin does a superb job creating her main characters Jill and Jack and she brings Jill's BFF, Ramie, in to make a tangled triangle of friendship and love. Jack loves Ramie while Jill doesn't realize he knows her BFF.

Wanting to be normal is a strong thread for all the characters in this book. Each character struggles with awkward situations, many darn right humorous and something all of us can relate to. Some graphic sex talk may raise a few eyebrows but it also comes across as natural just as the strong ties of friendship between Ramie and Jill.
Secondary characters seem a bit cardboardish. Jill's parents have a hint of creepy about them; the mom is overbearing and robotic while the dad is a limp noodle hiding out in his basement in inappropriate clothes for any generation. Perhaps her sequel will explain the weird parents.

For those who are looking for a diversion from vampire fever, I recommend Cycler. It's a good first book and could be an interesting topic for discussion at a teen book club. The sequel, (re)cylcler, came out in 2009 to great reviews, and Scored will be out in October 2011. I'll probably purchase both books since I enjoyed the first so much.

Til next time ~

DL Larson

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