Monica: Readathon Update 2

Hi friends!

Are you all having a fantastic day so far!? I love that we've got this awesome excuse to sit around reading. It's fairly brilliant.

I'm still plugging away at Seeker by William Nicholson -- stopping to do Mini Challenges has slowed me down somewhat. I'm still really enjoying it -- Wildman, especially, is both hysterical and kind of endearing. I'm interested to see how the book will resolve itself; I know it's the first in a trilogy, but I'm hoping at least *some* of the more overarching plot lines will get tied up before the end.

I *hate* being left hanging....

Now, I'm sorry to say, I must vanish for an hour or so. I've received an invite to go get a massage, and while I will of course try to read at the same time, there's a fairly good chance I'm going to curl up in a happy ball of bliss and purr.

I wanna play too! Book Mini-Challenge Book Title Sentence

Here is my response to this mini-challenge.  Awesome fun!  I may have to make up sentences from book titles more often...

Vegan Virgin Valentine, startled by his furry shorts, repossessed the goats, the rain catchers and George Washington's breakfast.

Monica: Readathon Mini Challenge ("Book Title Sentence")

Ooh, I do love Mini Challenges. Usually about halfway through the day I burn out on them, though, so I figure I'll pack as many in now as I can, while I'm still motivated.
This one, from Bart's Bookshelf, is tricky, because it makes me want to spend long hours coming up with the perfect phrase.
But no.
Instead I just whipped three books off the shelf and called it good.
Voila!

"The virgin and the dinosaur, trespassing, set this house in order."



(Those are the best kind of trespassers, obviously. The ones who clean at the same time.)

In unrelated news, Shel, your idyllic reading spot seems nicer than mine. I'm perched on a pile of laundry, fending off the dog and trying to type and read at the same time.....

Shel: #Readathon Update Two

Here's the idyllic spot where I've been spending the morning reading:

And you may not even believe this is possible, but one of my cats also jumped up to lie on top of the chair.  She has been looking out the window and keeping me company.  And by "keeping me company" I mean that every now and then she loosely wraps her tail around my neck in a vaguely homicidal fashion.  It tickles.  


But despite the potential homicidal intentions of my wee-little cat, this, my reading buddies, is a key page in book heaven.

Also, I've moved on to make some progress on Will Grayson, Will Grayson.  I'm reading a John Green chapter.  Since he's one of the authors I would marry with no questions asked (alas, he is already taken!  John, why didn't you wait for me?!) it's adding to the enjoyment of the moment.

Hope all-ya-alls are having an equally awesome reading moment.

Monica: Readathon Mini Challenge ("And the Nominees Are....")

Throwing Seeker to one side, I figured I'd leap in on a Mini Challenge.
This one comes courtesy of Til We Read Again, and I found it far more difficult than it should have been, due to the way I wanted to list really awesome, classy books, and found myself coming up with nothing but fluff.

I suppose we can see where my reading tastes lie, eh?

Listed below is a series of questions. Please put your nominees for the following categories. Please list the books in which the characters reside;)

Favorite Female Character in a book: Deerskin (née Lissar) from Robin McKinley's Deerskin

Favorite Male Character in a book: Oh, you *know* it's Richard from any one of Terry Goodkind's books.

Favorite Side Kick in a book: That would be Bess Marvin, from The Secret at Shadow Ranch, or any one of Carolyn Keene's Nancy Drew books. She's always described as being pretty, and easily-frightened... and slightly plump. I relate. ;)

Favorite Couple in a Book: Aaron and Darvish from The Fire's Stone = omg twoo luv!!

Favorite Book Series: Redwall, by Brian Jacques. Even though I haven't kept up with the more recent books, the countless (and countless and countless) hours I spent reading the first six or seven definitely place the series as my number one. (What? I can't recite all the poems from them, or anything... no....)

Favorite Author: I am a Mercedes Lackey girl through and through--anyone who can keep me busy reading over two decades rocks pretty solid.

Favorite Book Cover: Planet X, Michael Jan Friedman. Guys, this cover is EPIC.

Favorite Book of 2009: Stitches by David Small. I actually read this during the last Readathon, and it is still haunting me.

What about you guys?
What are your fave books?
Head on over to Til We Read Again and answer the questions for yourself!

Monica: Readathon Update 1

Hi all!

I hope you're enjoying the Readathon so far!

I definitely am -- I'm nose deep in Seeker by William Nicholson, and despite the fact that it's book one of a trilogy and heaven knows I'm usually loathe to pick up a new series... I'm loving it!

It does, however, make me think that there are too many people named Seeker. Harry is a Seeker. Richard Rahl is a Seeker. My new bestie from this book is Seeker. Come on, guys -- It's all well and good to Seek, but don't we ever have a Finder?

Shel: #Readathon Update One

Good morning other readathon-ers and cheerleaders!

I have to admit it's been a slow start to the morning, mainly due to two evil beasties who are fond of chasing one another up and down stairs and onto my bed had replaced my adorable, somewhat-calm cats.

Kitty high-jinks ensued.  But that's okay.  Because I'm going to be awake for 24-hours.  I'll be able to cause my own high-jinks within that time.  Hahaha!

After I type this, I'm going to start in on the Columbus dispatch.  Then I'm going to hit up some picturebooks I have to read for my class:

I want to get that out of the way before my brain becomes addled.

I'm also making sure to start out with both coffee and water.  I figure if the caffeine won't keep me awake the need to pee will. I'm a thinker like that.

Happy reading to you all!

Readathon Round Two: So So Close!

Okay, y'all.
I've got a six-pack of Red Bull.
I've got two bags of Bugles.
I've got half a basket of Easter candy.
I've got a stack of YA lit as high as my knee.
Who's ready to rock out this Readathon?
Oh, you know we are!

Readathon: Prepare for Round Two!

Last year Monica and I participated in a 24-hour readathon.  And now we're gearing up to do it again tomorrow.

Oh yeah!

Last time, my readathon was fraught with unplanned naps, a visit to a bookstore to attend an author talk and a couch covered in cat pee.

I'm hoping that at least two of those three events won't be repeated this time around.  Of course, if I'm denied my naps, can't leave the house and am left alone in a pool of cat pee, there would be more potential for my blog posts covering my progress to have a higher tinge of crazy.  I'm sure that'll mean more entertainment for you, dear readers.

I'm plotting my approach now.  I think I'm going to mix it up and read some more short books, including a graphic novel or two.  That way I can feel like I'm making more progress throughout the day instead of focusing on getting through one 400 page book.  Somebody  somewhere gave that exact bit of advice last year.  And I ignored it.  Hahaha.  But not this time.

So, caffeine up, ladies and gentlemen!  The reading and postings will begin tomorrow morning. And Monica and I will host a readathon challenge late Saturday night.  So be sure to check back for that action.

P.S. If your interested, you can join the readathon as well.  If you don't think you can handle 24 hours of reading, you might like the thought of becoming a cheerleader.  Check it out!

P.P.S.  I will not be reading in a bikini/underwear while cooking.  I lack the necessary skills to avoid burns.  I may however read in a bathtub, while blowing bubbles and pretending to be a mermaid.  Cause, we all have to have fun somehow.  The tub, of course, will be empty of water.  I can't endanger a book!  That won't be fun.

Literary Feast Discussion: Eternal (pp.234-307)

Hi everyone! We've reached the final course of our Literary Feast -- Eternal, by Cynthia Leitich Smith.

Brace yourselves -- it's a chatty discussion. Ready? Let's go!

Shel: I really like when Joshua says, "I'm bored. What is this, intermission?" (p. 235). Mmmm. Just the right hint of meta for my tastes.

Monica: I feel bad, but I sort of grew weary of the angels by the end of the book. Not Zachary, obviously, but the rest of them seemed all… manipulative and somewhat unhelpful. “Mwaha, we’re not going to tell you what you’re actually supposed to do.” “Blahaha, now you have to kill your girlfriend.” “Hee hee hee, well done, have your powers back.” And so on.

Shel: I was still pretty okay. I mean, how often does anyone get a clear message from god or his angelic minions? I liked that the guardian angels were trying to help through the other humans. I thought that was a nice touch. Not nice touch, though -- A spa? That's where Harrison's been? Really? I mean, I get the joke, but I'd have thought there should be more of an adjustment period to the vampire lifestyle.

Monica: I definitely just *stared* at the book when he said that. Not that I was hoping he was running crazed through the woods, eating small children and hiding from men with pitchforks, but hanging out at a spa just seemed too… tame. Seriously, though, I was under the impression that Miranda had taken a much longer time to Vampire It Up. Maybe Harrison adapted more easily because he had planned on it happening?

Shel: I'm with you! That transformation is not an easy process. And I'm guessing this is a small plot hole that we stumbled into. And how about that angel's blood? I bet Buffy could have used some of that. I still wonder if it would have tasted sweet.

Monica: Dude, that was AWESOME! Who saw that coming? I… should have seen that coming, but totally didn’t. I assume that it was the best tasting blood on the planet, and probably *almost* worth combusting over.

Shel: I like Freddy. He as good timing.

Monica: And he’s fun! And sassy! It’s nice that we’ve sorted out the Good Guy?/Bad Guy? issue, though, because that was confusing me back when he was introduced.

Shel: Plus, since I paused between readings for our postings, I totally forgot who he was for a few moments there. But than he amused me. Which is all I ask.

Monica: No lie, I totally want a werebear for a friend, now. Shel? Back me on how awesome this would be? (It does show that the vamps were getting pretty cocky over who they were eating – given the destruction Mama Bear and Papa Bear caused, you’d think they wouldn’t be the best enemies....)

Shel: If you find a werebear to be friends with, I will so want cuddle privileges! And to repeat werebear, werebear, WEREBEAR over and over again. Oh, and look, more stalker action. "Shower time was one of my favorites" (p. 290). And of course, it's closely followed by an implied "if you love me, you'll kill me." Do you think that'll skew anybody's sense of romance?

Monica: Yeah, you’d think being a Creepy Stalker would be frowned upon by Zachary’s boss, but… apparently not? I seriously do find it a little weird, because it opens up all sorts of moral pseudo-religious questions, like about the fact that except for having wings, Zachary seems pretty much completely human, lust and all. I almost wish he’d been a little more… Angelic. But then I suppose the fun of the book might have been nixed.

Shel: Yeah, I see what you mean. I think I'm going to have to go down as anti-lust for angels. Mostly because I don't want to worry about peeking tom shower angels. I don't have time for that batch of crazy.

Shel: Wait. My comment again. Does this story feel a little rushed to you? Like all the pieces are there, but instead of tensions building gradually I feel like sometimes we're getting dumped on and told key points that I would have preferred to learn myself. Like that Sabine would be willing to rebel against Drac. Does that make sense?

Monica: Yes. 100% perfect sense. The entire last section, including where Miranda is making allies and there’s this undercurrent of War and Takeover... it definitely was racing along breakneck. And then BOOM Drac is dead. And then BANG Miranda is dead. And then WHAM Zachary is… just going to sit and wait until he gets to see her again? (Oh, Miranda. If you thought it was bad being a virgin, and then bad being undead and a virgin, think how desperate you’ll be when you’re formerly-undead now-really-dead and a virgin.)

Shel: *Snort* The poor poor girl. Even her would-be boyfriend an ANGEL OF GOD has gotten WAY more action than her. Hmm. So I know this book wasn't quite what we had expected. But overall, whadidya think?

Monica: I give it three and a half out of five stars. I liked the idea, and the author writes beautifully, *and* there was a DS9 shout-out. Heart. But the ending especially, as we mentioned, seemed sort of OMG CAN’T SLOW DOWN!!!1, and I couldn’t quite recover from thinking this would be a ditzy fun book, only to realize it was actually a blood-stained pseudo-tragedy. That’s not the fault of the book, of course, only of my own original perception, but it still definitely impacted the way I read the thing.

Shel: I'm with you there. And I think your misguided perception may be based on my misguided perception that I shared with you. It just...seemed like goofy fun for those first two pages.... But looking at the jokes that I couldn't bring myself to laugh at due to all the horrendous imagery surrounding them, I do think I may have to give this book a second try. In a few years. Now now. And when does Blessed come out?!

Monica: I might have to read whatever her first one is, before I tackle Blessed. I’m wondering if she talks more about the werecritters in that one, since they seemed weirdly tacked-on in Eternal.

Shel: Yep, as far as I can tell, it will have a lot of werewolves. But alas, my copy of it hasn't arrived in the mail yet.

Whoo! Well, that's all for Eternal, friends! Hope you enjoyed the ride. Give us a moment or two to recover, and we'll have a new book picked out and ready for the next Feast. It'll be a good one. A really good one. A really, really really good one. Because, you know, I'm letting Shel pick it out. ;)

REVIEW: I'd Really Like to Eat a Child

Donnio, S.  (2007).  I'd Really Like to Eat a Child.  New York:  Random House.

9780375837616


Let me repeat.  The title of this book is "I'd Really Like to Eat a Child."  That alone made me want to read it.

I wasn't disappointed.


Appetizer:  Achilles, a baby crocodile, is tired of eating bananas for breakfast.  He doesn't even want sausage.  So, he refuses to eat until he gets what he really wants and he would really like to eat a child.  And when he sees a girl on the river's edge, all by herself, he tries to get his meal.

Kay, so this is a young children's pictureboook.  While I don't want to specifically spoil the ending, I promise you, this is not a gory story.  It's funny, with a bit of potential to make its readers uncomfortable.

Personally, I was very entertained.

When I first began reading the book, I was so amused with the little crocodile and the folkloric tone of the story, I HAD to start reading it out loud.

To my cat.

She didn't seem impressed.  She may have been thinking, "what is that crazy mommy-creature doing now?" or maybe she was developing a taste for baby meat, I don't know.  But after I'd finished reading it to her, I started looking over my syllabus for the quarter, asking myself when exactly I could tie in a book on wanting to eat a person to one of my lessons.

Shockingly, there was no perfect fit.

But even though it's a busy week, I'm going to start the class in which we'll be discussing The Hunger Games with I'd Really Like to Eat a Child.  Cause...you know, both involve fights...and food.  At some point.  So, it's a stretch, but I'll go around the room and ask the students what their favorite food was as a child, ask them how often they actually got to eat it and call it good.  We will all be entertained and amused and that is what matters.

Of course, I'm teaching undergrads.  Students who, for the most part, aren't prone to fearing crocodiles in the well-tilled wilds of central Ohio.  That may not be the case for younger readers.  To help battle irrational fears of crocodiles that the text might trigger, a teacher could focus on sharing scientific information about the beasties.
I just wouldn't start with this news article.  Or this one.  Eep.

But seriously, few but dear readers, this book is very much focused on the theme of nutrition.  A teacher could easily pair this book with a lesson on foods that can help to make wee little kids feel awake and strong.


Dinner Conversation:

"Every morning, Mama Crocodile would bring tasty bananas to little Achilles for his breakfast, and each time she said in wonder, "What a big boy you are getting to be, my son!"

"But one morning, Achilles refused to eat.  This worried Mama Crocodile.  "Don't you want a tasty banana for breakfast?" she asked.
"No thanks, Mom," Achilles answered.  "Today, I'd really like to eat a child."

"Achilles was beginning to feel strange and rather weak all over--which is exactly what happens when you haven't eaten your breakfast."

"There on the riverbank, was a little girl playing by herself.  "Yippee!  Finally, I'm going to eat a child," Achilles whispered to himself.
He crept up slowly and bared his beautiful teeth, like a ferocious beast ready to pounce."



Tasty Rating:  !!!!

REVIEW: What Will FAT CAT Sit On?

Guys, I have a serious question.  What WILL Fat Cat sit on?  I mean really?  In the book, Fat Cat will only sit on one particular thing.  But my experience is that cats--fat or skinny-are prone to sitting on just about anything that will stay still long enough.  Especiaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyy mmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyy comput33423er keeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyboarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd.erklwjekn;kdjeksj;29.


Thomas, J.  (2007).  What Will Fat Cat Sit On?  New York:  Harcourt, Inc.

9780152060510


Appetizer:  Using a repetitive question and answer format, What Will Fat Cat Sit On? asks readers just that.  Since the questions are all whether or not the cat will sit on certain animals, the book also helps young kids to work on identifying cows, chickens, pigs, mice, etc. and the noises they make.

The illustrations are simple and fun.  Thomas does an excellent job of showing the characters' worry or joy in their expressions.

As the reader is asked whether fat cat will sit on the various animals, the answer is always no.  While kids will probably love shouting out "NOOOOooooooooOOOOOO!" and all of noes do provide tension for a possible "yes" at the end.  As a preschooler, I would have totally wanted to yell out yes to Fat Cat sitting on a cow, chicken or pig.  While a teacher can negotiate those moments for kids who are fans of the absurd like I was, it was a little frustrating that the text always disagreed with what I wanted it to say.


Dinner Conversation:

"Will Fat Cat sit on...the cow?"

"No! Fat Cat will not sit on the cow!"

"Sit on the pig!  Sit on the pig!"


To Go with the Meal:


Oh, Jan Thomas, you are so good at writing simple stories that will encourage young little children to interact with stories physically.  This would be a good book for a read aloud story.  Children can repeatedly shout back "yes" or "no" to the text.  Plus a teacher can easily go off the script of the story and ask more questions, like whether a cat will sit on a skunk, in a bath or on a lap, etc.  A teacher can also use this book as an opportunity to encourage kids to describe some of the places where they have seen cats and other animals sit.

I could see some teachers freaking out about the use of the adjective "fat" in the cat's name.  It could lead to a teaching moment in which a teacher will have to remind wee little kids that it's not nice to call one another fat.

It's also worth noting that Jan Thomas has a very simple website that reflects the illustrations of her picturebooks that a teacher could encourage new internet users to navigate.  (But at the same time, the site does lack information for a blogger might want to construct a useful author bio.  Just saying....)


Tasty Rating:  !!!

Literary Feast Discussion: Eternal (pp. 153-233)

Howdy cool cats!  We are back again with the third installment of our Eternal discussion.  What an interesting read.  Let's get straight to it.

Shel:  Harrison has been a very bad submissive man servant!  Alfred and Igor will have to school him.

Monica:  But how awesome was that scene?!  I was sure Zachary was a gonner, but instead it turns out there's a muscley dude with a busted jail cell and a heart of almost-gold there to rescue him!  The plot thickens... why hasn't he escaped yet... who the heck turned Harrison... doesn't muscley dude know you can fix a unibrow with just a little bit of tweezing? 

Shel:  Perhaps while he had the mad skills to break a lock, he lacked the talent to tweeze.  On another note, I do feel a little bad for Miranda.  She's going to be in deep dookie when psycho daddy-dearest gets home.  I'm surprised she's not doing more to figure out who's trying to ruin her life.  I mean, some of the baddies are obvious.

Monica:  It's all the sexual tension.  It has obviously been too distracting.  But now that she's gone dancing with Zachary, snuggled in bed with Zachary, fought with Zachary, had a storm off with Zachary, and murdered some poor helpless were-Antelope... maybe NOW she can focus on the big bads who are out to get her?  

Shel:  I doubt it.  I'm entertained by the description of the lives of those who serve the eternals:  "lifestyle built on fear, ambition, caffeine, and five-star cuisine" (p. 177).  My lifestyle is built on devotion, ambition, caffeine, and one-star cuisine.  Not so different.

Monica:  Ooh, and mine is giddiness, fatigue, caffeine, and Fruits Basket!  It's... okay, actually, it's pretty darn different. I obviously would be an epic failure serving the vamps.  Eternals.  Whatever.

Shel:  You're too bubbly for the vamps.  You'd ruin their images by making them crack smiles.  On a darker note, Um...choking down a body in wolf form?  ICK!

Monica:  Dude, do you know how long that would take?  She must have been seriously committed.  They could make a Food Network Challenge out of it, for reals.

Shel:  I don't know if I could watch that...I need a new thought to distract my brain from that image.  Yay!  Gender equality in the Eternal population.  There's a cause I can get behind.  Where are my markers?!  Let's make a poster!

Monica:  ::: LAUGHS :::  This book is really messing with my head, because I can't keep the good vs. bad characters straight (Freddy, anyone?), and some of the Eternals don't actually seem all that bad!  Plus, what about Nora?  She has a legit reason for being there -- how unexpected was that?

Shel:  The line between good and evil is complicated?  Who'd have thunk?  Oh shiz, kidnapping Geoff!  I should have seen that coming.  But didn't.  At all.  But then, I was disappointed that Miranda was so nice to him.  Pesky guardian angel love corruption!

Monica:  I definitely didn't see it coming either, and I *certainly* didn't see it going so well.  Silly Miranda.  You're going to turn all Light and Good if you're not careful.

Monica:  Seriously, can we pause for a moment and reread page 198?  "So she's seen all the Star Wars movies.  She knows her Doctor Who.  She thinks that Deep Space Nine is the best Star Trek series and that Firefly is sorely underappreciated by the masses."  I had a little fangirl seizure when I read that page, Shel, no lie.  Not that I don't mad love me my fantasy, but it's nice that scifi got a chance to represent.  (SISKO!  CALL ME!)  Plus, it makes me like the author a bit more too.  ;)


Shel:  OMG!  I loved that moment too.  I starred it in the margin.  DS9 is my favorite ST.  And you know well of my love for Firefly.  We're going to have to pick up an Eternal friend.  Sure our DVD-a-thons will have to be held later after she joins our group, but it'd be worth it to hang out with another like-minded cool person.


Okay, on that note of awesomeness, we're going to cut off our discussion for the time being.  But we'll finish up Eternal and our discussion on Thursday.  As always, we would love to hear what all-ya-alls have to say about the book.  We know you're out there!  

REVIEW: Hans Christian Andersen: His Fairy Tale Life

Varmer, H. (2005).  Hans Christian Andersen:  His fairy tale life.  (T. Nunnally Trans.).  Toronto:  House of Anansi Press.

088899690x


Today is technically Hans Christian Andoerson's birthday.  If he were still alive, he'd be super old!!!!!!!!!  Yay for being born over 200 years ago in 1805!

PLOT SUMMARY:  This is a longer (111 pages) picturebook that shares the complete biography of author Hans Christian Anderson.  The book does emphasize his youth and the fact that he was often ostracized by...oh, EVERYONE.

While this is a text-heavy book that's split into eleven chapters, there are still highly-stylized illustrations on just about every page.  Also, portraits of Andersen are incorporated here or there.

I found this biography to be an engrossing narrative of Andersen's life, with lots of details.  I felt like I got a good idea of who Hans was as a child, dreamer and artist.  As with many of Andersen's fairy tales, it was hard not to root for him since he was such a pitiable and rejected figure.


ACTIVITIES:

This is a good recommendation for a student who has to write a biographical sketch on Andersen or for a student who is interested in learning about the man who created some of western culture's classic stories.  A few pages here or there could be incorporated into a lesson on the history of Denmark.

Aside from being used as a straight forward biography, chapters of His Fairy Tale Life could be read aloud to emphasize the fact that, like Hans, students can overcome rejection, having few resources, being ostracized by others, having lost a parent, dealing with a parent who drinks, etc.

But seriously all of the obstacles Varmer shows Andersen overcoming and all of the perseverance he showed throughout his youth is SUPER-DUPER-TIMES-1,000 inspiring. For reals, I've been dealing with email rejections on my stories, but reading this book helped me remember that I can endure.  The same could happen with students who feel like they don't fit in, are applying to advanced school programs or college.  This is also a good book to encourage a love of literacy, since Andersen prioritized reading and getting books above unnecessary stuff like, you know, eating food.  Why ingest food when there ideas afoot?


QUOTES OF NOTE:

"In the spring of 1805 a baby boy named Hans Christian Andersen was born in the kingdom of Denmark.
For the first few days after his birth his mother, Anne Marie Andersdatter, lay in bed while his father read aloud to her.  Whenever the newborn child cried, his father would say, "Go to sleep now, or listen quietly" (p. 6).

"He lived in the world of his imagination, where there was always plenty of food and everything was radiant and abundant.
But when he walked down the street with his eyes closed, the neighbors started to talk.  "That boy must have bad eyes," they said.  They couldn't understand what was the matter with Hans Christian.  He wasn't like other children" (p. 13).

"But Hans Christian had other plans for his future.  He was still reading a great deal, and he especially liked reading about men who had grown up poor and then became rich and famous.  He was convinced that his own life would turn out the same way" (p. 36).

"At long last he managed to have the first scene printed in a magazine.  Seeing his name in print was a much greater even than seeing his name on a theater handbill.  Hans Christian Andersen--author!" (p. 60).


TASTY RATING:  !!!!

REVIEW: Nasreen's Secret School

Winter, J.  (2009).  Nasreen's Secret School:  A true story from Afghanistan.  New York:  Beach Lane Books.

9781416994374


Appetizer:  Told in the voice of Nasreen's grandmother, this picturebook is based on the true experience of one of the many young girls who disobeyed the Taliban by attending a secret school while they were in power in Afghanistan.

I thought it was a very unusual and interesting choice to narrate the story from the point of view of Nasreen's grandmother.  Since Nasreen is still very much the focus of the plot, I kids will still be willing to read or listen to the book.  But at the same time, part of the point of the story is for Nasreen to find her voice and "speak again" and because she's not the actual narrator, she's kinda-sorta denied a voice in her own story.

Am I being too picky?

Let me play devil's advocate then.  The start of the story also reveals how Nasreen's father was taken away by the Taliban and how her mother broke the law by going in search of him.  I suppose an argument could be made that Nasreen's character was in too dark of a place to narrate her story.  Yes?  Maybe?  Am I reaching?

I really liked the colorful illustrations.  Each one was contained in a frame and almost all of the pictures included patterns of dots or other shapes.

My one critique is that the story just kind of ends....

Sure, Nasreen seems to have gotten through the worst of her mourning and has begun to speak again.  But as readers, we never find out what happens to Nasreen's parents.  (Although, one illustration could be used to imply that her parents are in heaven looking down on her.)  We also never find out if Nasreen would be able to continue her education.  Young readers may want to imagine what would happen to Nasreen after the story ends.  A teacher could let them act out some of the possibilities.

The book is published by and includes information about The Global Fund for Children.  There is also a facebook fan page for the book, but the majority of the content is links to other reviews.


Dinner Conversation:

"My granddaughter, Nasreen, lives with me in Herat, an ancient city in Afghanistan.
Art and music and learning once flourished here.
Then the soldiers came and changed everything."

"Poor Nasreen sat at home all day,
because girls are forbidden to attend school.
The taliban soldiers don't want girls to learn about the world"

"I heard whispers about a school--
a secret school for girls--
behind a green gate in a nearby lane.
I wanted Nasreen to attend this secret school.
I wanted her to learn about the world, as I had.
I wanted her to speak again."

"Nasreen no longer feels alone.
The knowledge she holds inside
will always be with her,
like a good friend."


To Go with the Meal:

While this picturebook is an excellent window into a girl's experience under the Taliban rule, it can also serve as a mirror for children who feel like they have lost a loved one.  As Nasreen continues to attend school, she slowly makes a friend, shares about losing her parents and begins to smile again.

In terms of assignments to go with the book, students could write or talk reflectively about how it would feel to be denied an education (a teacher should also be ready to debate with those two or three children who will undoubtably think never being allowed to go to school is the coolest thing ever).

A teacher could also focus on how important education is.  In the story, knowledge is described as being a friend and clearly Nasreen's imagination blooms as she learns.


Tasty Rating:  !!!