Ted and Emma

What is about these characters? After thinking on it for some time, it seems as though the comforting aspect of these spectrum(ish) characters is their extremely literal and mostly practical outlooks on life. For tweens, who are suffering through the most confusing and challenging times they've ever faced, Ted and Emma offer solace. Ted and Emma don't really have friends, and that's ok. Ted and Emma don't really care what people think about them. Can you imagine, being in middle school and NOT CARING WHAT PEOPLE THINK??? Ted and Emma rarely second guess themselves. Sometimes the way that they interpret the world gets them in trouble, but mostly it helps them get by.

KNUCKLEHEAD

I was very surprised to find that some people did not like Knucklehead and even more surprised to find that some people thought that kids wouldn't like it! I found it hilarious and that kids, especially boys, would agree. It is well-written without being pretentious OR speaking down to younger readers. It is thoughtful without being sickly sweet and it seems to paint an accurate picture of the era, doing so without being nostalgic or overly sentimental. As a teaching tool there is also a lot one could do with the book. It is an accessible introduction to the memoir style, the photos and the fact that it is "mostly true" makes it a good source for understanding the time period and it would make a fabulous read-aloud. Loved it!

Big Splash makes a big....well.... splash!

I wanted to blog this week about the book The Big Splash. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, but, like many of my classmates was left unsure about whether actual kids would enjoy the subtleties and the noir-esque vibe. Well, my uncertainties were soon thwarted! My fiancee, a fifth grade teacher, shared part of the book with his students. This week he had a bunch of their stories home for grading and I poked through them, always curious to see what sort of creative stuff these kids are coming up with. I was happy to see that many of them seemed to be inspired by The Big Splash. The stories were full of all-powerful bullies, mature and descriptive vocabularies and the noir-esque vibe. So cool! These kids not only enjoyed the book, but we able to recreate the tone and mood. What a useful teaching tool. And it's fun!