tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post3565020030914874861..comments2023-10-25T05:30:54.507-04:00Comments on Oh Get A Grip!: The Sky Is Falling Ashe Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390519279886657608noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-6931170555248889362016-06-29T23:21:31.103-04:002016-06-29T23:21:31.103-04:00Sacchi, if your granddaughter likes fantasy/magic ...Sacchi, if your granddaughter likes fantasy/magic stories, suggest the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede. Written in the 70s, it's a clever take on the princess genre, where the princess volunteers to live with a dragon because she prefers that to an arranged marriage. She bakes cherries jubilee, knows how to fence, and is a tomboy. Then in the second book, she meets the king of the Enchanted Forest, who is also a big unconventional. A rousing good story!<br /><br />I'm reading 3 middle-lit books now for my tutoring job, since they'll be having a Battle of the Books next Thursday, and as the "English teacher expert", I've been asked to be there, to cheer them on. As long as I'm paid, I'll go. I was surprised at how quickly I read the first book, "Number the Stars." Only took me a little over an hour. We'll see about the other 2.Fiona McGierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13495707848048468428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-83940943930958027602016-06-25T00:26:43.866-04:002016-06-25T00:26:43.866-04:00Some famous author, I forget who, said that a good...Some famous author, I forget who, said that a good story will beat beautiful writing any time. Keeping you reading because you want to know what comes next is probably as good a definition of a good story as any.<br /><br />I read books from the library voraciously when I was a kid, and then later I read other newer books out loud to my sons, mainly science fiction and fantasy. All of Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders of Pern books, Ursula LeGuin's Wizard of Earthsea books,The Lord of the Rings trilogy, a seemingly endless series of books derivative of Dungeons and Dragons games--my younger son refused to admit he could read until it was made clear that nobody was going to read his brother's D&D rule books to him, so he read them himself. <br /><br />I loved historical books as a kid as much as I did sf&f, and I read Sherlock Holmes as much for the Victorian era setting as for the mysteries. I wonder whether there's much of a market for YA historicals these days, when everything seems to be futuristic and apocolyptic. The WII book you mention sounds interesting; maybe I could interest my ten-year-old granddaughter in that, but maybe not. As an almost-teenager, she chooses her own books and isn't much influenced by adult suggestions.<br /><br />Sacchi Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10801164916418570059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-38675644139005887342016-06-24T20:53:24.190-04:002016-06-24T20:53:24.190-04:00I read a YA book, "Lockerboy" about a te...I read a YA book, "Lockerboy" about a teenager who had been issued a locker at school, through the back of which is the entrance to an alternate universe. I read the book because it was written by a friend, but it took a good third of the book before I realized it was pretty simple and not very nuanced. Momma X had to tell me it was YA. I still finished it. Guess if you come up with a good enough scenario, the very uniqueness of it comes through.Daddy Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12927663248424944119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-39271299762990586622016-06-24T11:34:45.077-04:002016-06-24T11:34:45.077-04:00I remember reading The DaVinci Code, maybe fifteen...I remember reading The DaVinci Code, maybe fifteen years ago. At that point I hadn't published much and had done no fiction editing, so I wasn't as sensitive to poor writing as I am now. Still, the flaws in the book were glaring. But I couldn't put it down. When I'd finished, I kept recalling more and more implausible and ridiculous aspects of the novel, but that didn't stop me from devouring (and enjoying) the book. Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-64376348503064151772016-06-23T19:38:12.080-04:002016-06-23T19:38:12.080-04:00The antagonist (in the bad book) was really irrita...The antagonist (in the bad book) was really irritating, so I guess it was well-written in the sense that I got annoyed by this character. There was also a lot of weird-ass imagery that reminded me of Labyrinth. <br /><br />The climax and resolution weren't very satisfying, but you have to read all the way to the end to find that out. And I did read to the end, which is more than I can say for a lot of books. Giselle Renardehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15955755448116234634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-39359291472043025262016-06-23T12:31:29.641-04:002016-06-23T12:31:29.641-04:00I didn't know kids went to Canada from England...I didn't know kids went to Canada from England during the war, either. That's really interesting. <br /><br />I think a lot about what's going on when I can't put down a book that's objectively bad in a lot of ways. I almost feel like reading books like that and trying to figure that out is more valuable than anything else. For me, it always comes down to something like what you said. There are questions I really want to know the answers to, and when I'm curious that way I'll put up with a lot.Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.com