Antsy and Ally

As I made clear in class, I loved The Schwa was Here and felt "ehhhhh" about Every Soul a Star. I think it mostly came down to the personalities of each main character. I related to Antsy. I found him to be very funny, slightly self-conscious, selfish yet generous, non-judgmental, and, ultimately likable yet flawed. Ally was just so..... perfect. She reminded me of a girl from high school who used to smile to herself as she took tests in class. It made me feel like being violent! And also made me wonder, who is she?? I found Ally's personality to be unrealistic. That being said....

I hate to admit it but in middle school I think I would have loved this book. I used to be completely anxious about conflict and would make my mom stop reading Little House on the Prairie when I thought Pa might be mad at Laura. I used to fantasize about a book being written where there wouldn't be any overt drama. No one was at risk of getting in trouble, or hurt. So Every Soul a Star may not have appealed to my 25 year old sensibilities, but I just may have liked it when I was 12.

Graphic novels

I LOVED our guest speaker's presentation on graphic novels. For someone (me) who didn't exactly enjoy this week's readings (Rapunzel's Revenge and Into the Volcano) it was enormously helpful to have a passionate expert illuminate the subject matter for me.

I am not sure what it is about the genre that I have a hard time relating to, but I can certainly appreciate the value for children, tweens, teens and adults. Ascertaining developmental vocabulary was also beneficial as I plan to continue to promote graphic novels in my library as both viable works of literature and of art.

And perhaps the most important "thing" that graphic novels represent to readers of all ages is FUN. Showing parents and students that reading is fun can permanently change entire attitudes toward the subject, which, in the end, can change one's personal and academic experiences.

These kids are cool and I THINK they set a good example

My title refers to the books Blue Lipstick and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Both books are funny and honest. (I personally think Blue Lipstick might have been more of a success if it had been marketed as fiction rather than poetry). Both books have a believable tone. Both protagonists are intelligent and self-conscious. In this last way I believe they are especially realistic and in the same way they set good examples. I think part of the challenge of being a tween (and teen and adult for that matter) is feeling like it isn't OK to be unsure about things. Feeling like the whole world has "it" figured out and you are the odd ball out for questioning yourself. These books and characters exemplify these challenging circumstances and bring comfort, humor and perspective to them.