I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I felt like the artwork was not overly colorful, and the line art was great and consistent.

The story itself was a strong lesson on finding ones own identity while dealing with other’s finding their own too. It deals with jealousy, identity, forgiveness, and acceptance. Overall, this is a great book, and I would totally recommend it to girls 10-14.

I read the book Inside Out and Back Again. Initially I was a little skeptical about how much I was going to enjoy the book, but I was intrigued about the background of the author. I was curious about how the use of poetry as a vehicle to demonstrate a series of memories. Although I have read similar styles of poetry, rarely is it an entire book depicting a chronological series of events in a child’s life. I was also a bit worried about the effectiveness of poetry when it is supposed to be recollections of a child.

All of the issues I thought I’d have with this book were quickly quelled. The structure of the poetry, although a little rough for a refined adult, was melodic and incredibly accurate for the memories of childhood. The short, burst-like lines forced me to focus on certain aspects of the events she was describing. I ended up really liking this aspect of the poetry style. As I read, I found myself thinking back to school memories from that time period, and the parts I remember were short, almost sporadic descriptions, not unlike how Thanhha Lai created her memories.

Since I am not intending on being a teacher, it is difficult for me to attempt to ponder how I would use a text such as this in a classroom. As an older student who does enjoy writing, I can make only one assumption, and that it is an example of how to use structure as a mode to clarify memories. Perhaps I would, in theory, have the class read sections of the book, analyzing the structure and language, and discuss how that structure affected the way the poems were read. I would have to find other works that complimented this use of poetry. Using that discussion, I would have students construct memories of younger childhood in poetry form. I think this would be a fitting exercise for older children, perhaps 6^th grade plus, or even junior high/high school age kids.

I read my cento in class, but here it is again. All of the lines I drew from my book, and I did retitle it as a new, standalone poem that is unrelated to the original text.

The First Dance

Our lives will twist inside out

            The chant is long,

                        The voice low and sure.

            I love him.

                        I shiver with hope.

We glide

            And I feel

                        That I am floating.

I wanted to play with the line structure a little, to slow down the pacing of the poem. The lines themselves, because of the style of the book, were fast paced, and I wanted to slow it down to match the idea of a dance at a wedding. I actually really like how it turned out.

Sorry I am so late! Had family stuff come up, so please forgive me, here we go!

The Wishing Spell has been a great book so far. I am still in the first quarter of the book, so I am a little behind. I can say that, had this book been available to me when I was in the age range this book was aimed at, I would have eaten it whole by now. It is a great story and moves smoothly and convincingly. The characters are very real, and the language used in the book reflects the mentality and language used by children in the age range the book was intended for.

The story reflects a situation I know now to some extent; my dad committed suicide and left my mom with the four of us kids, two of us still living at home. My twin brother and I had a similar dynamic to the twins in the story, except I was the poor student, and my brother was the smart one.

I really like the fantasy characters in the story. I am early in the book, as I said before, but I really liked the personality of the Frog, and I am looking forward to meeting others later in the story. I also love the whole idea of falling into a book. It is a daydream I always had as a kid. Alex putting random objects into the book is sooooo what I would have done!

As for Miller, I agree with most of what she says. Mostly, allowing children to pick what they read seems to be the strongest point I have come across thus far. Kids who are forced to read things they don’t like will, to some extent, feel that all things they read later are ‘forced’ and therefore not fun. The few times I can recall having a choice with books, there was only a few, and they were all the same type, and none of them interesting. I recall reading an article lately about a girl back east who was tired of reading about ‘white boys and their dogs’ because she cannot connect to the characters in the books she was reading. She later went to collect 1000 books about African American children and donated them to local schools in her area. I bring this up because it is the opportunity to see what giving kids the books they like and can connect to can do.

Kids who may have hated reading because it is simply not interesting can find interest, and therefore read more. Even later, when they are forced to read books they don’t like as young adults or full adults in school, can learn to bear it a little better. On the other hand, I can also say that kids will tend to pick ONLY things they like, and it may, to some degree, lessen their willingness to try new things.

Just saw this on one of my favorite sites. Thought I’d share it!

http://shirt.woot.com/?ref=aw_gh_sh_9