In The May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture, given on April 15th 2011, Lois Lowry shared the following exchange:
She was texting with one of her grandsons, who was on a long drive home with his family. She asked him if he had a good book to read for the drive and he said, “I don’t need one. I have my iPod Touch.”
I just can’t stop thinking about her reflection on this comment, which I will quote:
“I wanted to text back: ‘Yes, you do need a book. You need lots of books in order to become a literate, intelligent member of society.’ But this is not a child I worry about. He lives in a world filled with books. He reads. His brother reads. His parents read….But I do worry about other children out there. I worry about the ones who are raised in homes without books. Whose dads are in prison. Whose moms are working two jobs. Who are living in shelters. Who are angry and frightened and poorly served by our system. I worry about those children whose schools no longer have libraries. Whose towns have curtailed the hours of their public libraries, those structures of sanctuary for so many children.”
I have these same worries, too. I think Lois Lowry nailed it.
Ms Laura Reads
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The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin
I charged through this book over the weekend - what an exciting ride! Lots of action and adventure - and a little wry humor too. One of my favorite passages covers the period between May 10-May 15, 1775, when, after taking Fort Ticonderoga, Arnold reports to his commanders at the Massachusetts Committee of Safety and then:
“There were no further orders. Leaders from Massachusetts and Connecticut had independently decided to take Fort Ti, but neither colony really wanted to be in charge of it. Down in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress had just begun meeting. Members needed time to talk things over, many being far from convinced the American Colonies should fight a war with mighty Great Britain….He waited for further orders, but heard nothing. Benedict Arnold never could stand inaction. So he decided to invade Canada.” pp. 38-39
I knew I had to read the book after reading Steve Sheinkin’s speech accepting the 2011 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction.
Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine
I was completely transported…and I don’t even LIKE circuses!
Thanks to Fuse #8 Video Sunday for this!
Brian Selznick talks about Wonderstruck
The Wilder Life wins MBA Adult Nonfiction Award
I just finished Wendy McClure’s The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie while on vacation. Really sweet & funny - and I loved reading about another Laura Ingalls Wilder fan. So happy to see this book win this year’s annual Midwest Booksellers Choice Award!
Oh my, have I been busy with Summer Reading! There’s hardly been any time for me to read much for myself. This past week, I did fit in Zita the Spacegirl, which is lots of fun.
This beautifully drawn graphic novel has likeable characters and a Wizard of Oz plot. I look forward to book #2 down the road!
Summer Reading
After reading a bunch of heavy (but great!) books, I remembered, “Hey, this is summer! I should be reading some light & fun stuff!” So I did.
Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright. I adore Enright’s Melendy Quartet, but somehow never got around to reading her Newbery Award Winner from 1939. This is a sweet story about Wisconsin farm life - waiting for rain, building a barn, and going to the county fair. She wrote from memories of her summers spent on her uncle’s Spring Green farm…her uncle Frank Lloyd Wright!
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall, the third Penderwick adventure. Birdsall writes good, old-fashioned family stories, much like Enright and my other favorite, Eleanor Estes.
I can’t believe how perfectly paired these two books were - and perfect for reading in a shady place in the backyard with a cool drink. Happy Summer!
Heist Society movie news
Heist Society was one of the most popular books at my fifth grade book talks. I am excited to see what the Whip It team does with this book!
12 Top Crossover Authors
Scroll to the bottom of this article from Library Journal and you will find a great book list.
If you are still puzzling over what to read this summer, this should give you more than you need to fill July & August!
About Ms Laura Reads
