I must say, I have enjoyed reading When You Reach Me. Obviously, being a Newbery, it is well written. The thing I like about Newbery awards is that they do not necessarily highlight the most popular "culture" of reading or the most "in demand" books (something like Twilight could never become a Newbery for reasons I will not say). A Newbery has a certain underlying message that is elegantly stated by distinct writing. Sometimes, the focus is not clear until late in a book. A Newbery is something of a puzzle. The latest Newbery I read was The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
Gaiman is an extraordinary storyteller. His adult books include Anansi Boys, American Gods, Neverwhere and others. Plus, he has written The Sandman graphic novel series, many short stories and a couple of other Teen/Juvie books (Coraline, Stardust and Interworld). Reading Graveyard was almost like interpreting a painting. I didn't feel as if I were reading words; I am really not sure what it evoked. I think he painted such a beautiful story. The subject matter is a bit morbid (boy named Bod grows up in a Graveyard) but the themes are so mature. I found some of them paralleling some of my own recent experiences.
As far as When You Reach Me is concerned, I am happy with the style of writing and the mixture of L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. I feel like Stead is trying to keep the reader on his/her toes. The direction is clear but not and each page offers a new twist. I was planning on being finished with it today, but I have a few other plans tonight. I will come back to it later and try to wrap it up. I have to be careful to begin Brom's The Child Thief by Monday.
Today at Barnes, we all had an "oh shit!" moment. A Clifford The Big Red Dog Storytime was scheduled for 1PM. Did any of us know about it? No. Who had to read? Me. Who dressed up like Clifford. Not me. Angie did. She was a good sport. The kids loved her. Teens even wanted to dance with her and take pictures.
Other than that, there were the typical "Do you work here?" when one can CLEARLY see my name tag. Over Christmas, I was wearing reindeer antlers for work to promote gift cards. A woman (mom) came up to me (I had my name tag on and antlers with gift cards from B&N glued to them) and asked "Do you work here?" Her kid was like "No mom, he doesn't. He likes to come to Barnes and Noble and wear their name tags and those antlers just for fun." PCKU. Mom: 0 Kid: 200
:)
Pics of Clifford reading will be posted!
Gaiman is an extraordinary storyteller. His adult books include Anansi Boys, American Gods, Neverwhere and others. Plus, he has written The Sandman graphic novel series, many short stories and a couple of other Teen/Juvie books (Coraline, Stardust and Interworld). Reading Graveyard was almost like interpreting a painting. I didn't feel as if I were reading words; I am really not sure what it evoked. I think he painted such a beautiful story. The subject matter is a bit morbid (boy named Bod grows up in a Graveyard) but the themes are so mature. I found some of them paralleling some of my own recent experiences.As far as When You Reach Me is concerned, I am happy with the style of writing and the mixture of L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. I feel like Stead is trying to keep the reader on his/her toes. The direction is clear but not and each page offers a new twist. I was planning on being finished with it today, but I have a few other plans tonight. I will come back to it later and try to wrap it up. I have to be careful to begin Brom's The Child Thief by Monday.
Today at Barnes, we all had an "oh shit!" moment. A Clifford The Big Red Dog Storytime was scheduled for 1PM. Did any of us know about it? No. Who had to read? Me. Who dressed up like Clifford. Not me. Angie did. She was a good sport. The kids loved her. Teens even wanted to dance with her and take pictures.
Other than that, there were the typical "Do you work here?" when one can CLEARLY see my name tag. Over Christmas, I was wearing reindeer antlers for work to promote gift cards. A woman (mom) came up to me (I had my name tag on and antlers with gift cards from B&N glued to them) and asked "Do you work here?" Her kid was like "No mom, he doesn't. He likes to come to Barnes and Noble and wear their name tags and those antlers just for fun." PCKU. Mom: 0 Kid: 200
:)
Pics of Clifford reading will be posted!
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