Once Was Lost
YA fiction
"...Dad must know that the gossip could wind up worse than the
truth if he doesn't tell them. And for a moment his mouth opens and
his shoulders tense up and I know he's about to confess. That we're
not perfect, that he's not perfect, that our family has problems, too,
and we've covered it up for too long and that's not right when the
church is supposed to be your second family.
The moment passes and he's lifting his hands to give the
benediction."
We tend to have two stereotypes for preacher's kids: the goodie-
two-shoes offspring that take all parental dictates and beliefs as
lugged down from the mountains on tablets of stone and the Hell raiser
rebels headed toward eternal damnation, possibly by way of cops and
courts. We tend to forget it's a lot more complicated than that.
When family life, under the pressure cooker of high expectations, goes
off course, any family member coming of age can be in for quite the
challenge. That's the message spelled out quite eloquently in Sara
Zar's Once Was Lost.
As the story begins Sam (15) feels that everything in her home
is falling apart: the television one day, a ceiling fan the next.
Bills need to be paid. Meals come out of the microwave and cans. Oh
yeah, and her mother is in rehab following an accident and a DUI
conviction.
Her minister father always promises to sit down with her and
iron things out. But somehow he never gets around to it any more than
he gets around to telling the congregation where his wife is.
Then the church is hit with a potential tragedy. A youth group
member disappears--probably kidnapped. Suddenly Sam's father is
practically living with the bereft family: helping them hang on and
being their media spokesperson. He thinks Sam should stay with her
best friend's family til the ordeal is over...which goes to show how
little he knows about her.
And isn't Erin, the youth pastor, getting too intimate with her
dad? Is she maybe setting her sights on becoming a pastor's wife?
Will her family ever be whole and happy again?
This poignant coming of age narrative is very much worth reading.
On a personal note, right before the end of the semester Dean Robert
Q. Dana gave an ice cream social that was the total cat's pajamas.
A great big shout out goes out to Dean Robert Q. Dana and his most
excellent team of colleagues.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, May 30, 2016
Fast into the Night
Fast into the Night
Adult biography
"There is an uncanny resemblance between running the Iditarod
Trail Sled Dog Race and completing a memoir. Both projects require
passion, dedication to learning, and an immense amount of patience;
each requires the collaboration of many beating hearts. In the midst
of each journey, I questioned the wisdom of taking on such a project
and wondered if it would ever come to conclusion. While running
Idotarod and writing this memoir, I have vacillated between daring and
doubt."
Are you a dog lover? Would you enjoy behind the scenes
knowledge about a fascinating outdoor sport? Are you a fan of real
life adventure? If you fall into even one of those categories, you'll
find Debbie Clarke Moderow's Fast into the Night to be a must read.
The Iditarod is an annual extreme sport race. A musher on a
sled must get up to sixteen good size dogs to run one thousand miles
under extremely challenging conditions. An incredible amount of
supplies have to be sent to points along the route ahead of time.
Most sleeps are limited to a few hours under very primitive
conditions. Fatigue can lead to hallucinating or falling asleep on
the sled.
I think most of us shudder to even contemplate such an
undertaking.
Fortunately Moderow is not one of them. In 2003 she
participated in this famous race. She had a far more modest goal than
winning: crossing the finish line with her dogs in good shape. That
was not to be. Less than 200 miles from the end her dogs refused to
go any further. She had to scratch (drop out).
"The truth is, I've rarely failed at anything; the territory is
lonely. Pulling out of the race isn't the crux of my problem. After
all, I only wanted to complete Iditarod with healthy and happy dogs.
To lose my connection with the team--that is my definition of failure."
In 2004 Moderow's husband and and finished. (Previously her son
had.) In 2005 it was her turn to try again.
Apart from her participation in a very demanding sport, Moderow
is Everywoman. In Fast into the Night she also shares the choices
that shaped her life and its joys and heartbreaks very thoughtfully
and candidly. So even non dog lovers and people who could care less
about sports would probably get a lot out of this captivating memoir.
On a personal note, at the end of every semester at UMaine the
unclaimed items from the lost and found in the Union are put out on a
table. If you see something you like you can take it. I had my best
find yet: a black cowboy hat that fits me perfectly. I'd never
thought to want one but now I can't imagine not having it. People say
I look awesome in it.
A great big shout out goes out to whomever left that hat.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult biography
"There is an uncanny resemblance between running the Iditarod
Trail Sled Dog Race and completing a memoir. Both projects require
passion, dedication to learning, and an immense amount of patience;
each requires the collaboration of many beating hearts. In the midst
of each journey, I questioned the wisdom of taking on such a project
and wondered if it would ever come to conclusion. While running
Idotarod and writing this memoir, I have vacillated between daring and
doubt."
Are you a dog lover? Would you enjoy behind the scenes
knowledge about a fascinating outdoor sport? Are you a fan of real
life adventure? If you fall into even one of those categories, you'll
find Debbie Clarke Moderow's Fast into the Night to be a must read.
The Iditarod is an annual extreme sport race. A musher on a
sled must get up to sixteen good size dogs to run one thousand miles
under extremely challenging conditions. An incredible amount of
supplies have to be sent to points along the route ahead of time.
Most sleeps are limited to a few hours under very primitive
conditions. Fatigue can lead to hallucinating or falling asleep on
the sled.
I think most of us shudder to even contemplate such an
undertaking.
Fortunately Moderow is not one of them. In 2003 she
participated in this famous race. She had a far more modest goal than
winning: crossing the finish line with her dogs in good shape. That
was not to be. Less than 200 miles from the end her dogs refused to
go any further. She had to scratch (drop out).
"The truth is, I've rarely failed at anything; the territory is
lonely. Pulling out of the race isn't the crux of my problem. After
all, I only wanted to complete Iditarod with healthy and happy dogs.
To lose my connection with the team--that is my definition of failure."
In 2004 Moderow's husband and and finished. (Previously her son
had.) In 2005 it was her turn to try again.
Apart from her participation in a very demanding sport, Moderow
is Everywoman. In Fast into the Night she also shares the choices
that shaped her life and its joys and heartbreaks very thoughtfully
and candidly. So even non dog lovers and people who could care less
about sports would probably get a lot out of this captivating memoir.
On a personal note, at the end of every semester at UMaine the
unclaimed items from the lost and found in the Union are put out on a
table. If you see something you like you can take it. I had my best
find yet: a black cowboy hat that fits me perfectly. I'd never
thought to want one but now I can't imagine not having it. People say
I look awesome in it.
A great big shout out goes out to whomever left that hat.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Corrupted
Corrupted
Adult fiction
"...She'd been working late when the call came in, from a time
she didn't want to remember and a place she didn't want to revisit.
Still she'd said yes. She couldn't assign the case to an associate
either. Nobody paid her debts but her. And she wanted redemption."
Honestly, is it possible to put a book down that contains that
in its first paragraph?
Fans of Lisa Scottoline's finely crafted novels are in for a
real treat. Corrupted pairs up a ripped from the headlines issue with
a gripping mystery.
Bennie Rosato heads up her own law firm. It's been a long time
since she took on a murder case. But this one is personal.
Jason Lefkavick has been indicted on a homicide charge. He's
allegedly stabbed a long time nemesis, Richie Grusini, to death in a
dark alley after a barroom confrontation. It's not the first time
he's been in trouble with the law. Under his school's zero tolerance
policies, as a twelve-year-old who still crafted with Legos, he was
arrested and jailed for a cafeteria incident that would have resulted
in detention or suspension in a pre 9/11, pre Columbine
world...cafeteria incident in which he stood up to the bully who had
taunted him about his recently deceased mother. Not so coincidentally
the bully was Richie Grusini.
Bennie represented Jason in his first brush with the law. His
father had contacted her, desperate to get him home for Christmas, a
daunting task made all the more difficult by a judge who regular
promised to put all kids who make trouble in juvie and his less than
cooperative colleagues. She had uncovered a waiver of counsel form
that seemed to violate Jason's constitutional rights and was working
her way through the Common Pleas Court when...
...Jason's father fired her after learning that she was sleeping
with Richie's uncle.
Fast forward ten years. Bennie has signed on to defend Jason
once again. She has no idea how she will. The story he's sticking
with sounds totally implausible. If she fails he will be sentenced to
life without possibility of parole.
But somehow she has to pull off a miracle to atone for the past.
Anyone who enjoys a riveting mystery, needs a good book to take
on vaca, or is seeking a book club read and discuss could not do
better than Corrupted. But please do not read it and set it aside.
We live in a world where zero tolerance policies and the school to
jail pipeline destroy many young lives and for profit prisons share a
mandate to stay full with hotels. We must be angry on behalf of
victims of this injustice and raise our voices.
On a personal note, I'm running on much too little sleep. I'm in the
middle of a reelection campaign where there are three people running
for two school committee places. After 11 years on committee, almost
half of them as vice chair, I am finally chair and able to implement
programs that can really help the school. People tell me not to worry
but I have seen chairs voted out. And I am vulnerable as a liberal in
a conservative town.
Oh, yeah, and in the middle of this six week ordeal I learn my only
child to home is probably moving out.
A great big shout out goes out to those who fight to protect
vulnerable youngsters from the judicial system and zero tolerance
policies.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult fiction
"...She'd been working late when the call came in, from a time
she didn't want to remember and a place she didn't want to revisit.
Still she'd said yes. She couldn't assign the case to an associate
either. Nobody paid her debts but her. And she wanted redemption."
Honestly, is it possible to put a book down that contains that
in its first paragraph?
Fans of Lisa Scottoline's finely crafted novels are in for a
real treat. Corrupted pairs up a ripped from the headlines issue with
a gripping mystery.
Bennie Rosato heads up her own law firm. It's been a long time
since she took on a murder case. But this one is personal.
Jason Lefkavick has been indicted on a homicide charge. He's
allegedly stabbed a long time nemesis, Richie Grusini, to death in a
dark alley after a barroom confrontation. It's not the first time
he's been in trouble with the law. Under his school's zero tolerance
policies, as a twelve-year-old who still crafted with Legos, he was
arrested and jailed for a cafeteria incident that would have resulted
in detention or suspension in a pre 9/11, pre Columbine
world...cafeteria incident in which he stood up to the bully who had
taunted him about his recently deceased mother. Not so coincidentally
the bully was Richie Grusini.
Bennie represented Jason in his first brush with the law. His
father had contacted her, desperate to get him home for Christmas, a
daunting task made all the more difficult by a judge who regular
promised to put all kids who make trouble in juvie and his less than
cooperative colleagues. She had uncovered a waiver of counsel form
that seemed to violate Jason's constitutional rights and was working
her way through the Common Pleas Court when...
...Jason's father fired her after learning that she was sleeping
with Richie's uncle.
Fast forward ten years. Bennie has signed on to defend Jason
once again. She has no idea how she will. The story he's sticking
with sounds totally implausible. If she fails he will be sentenced to
life without possibility of parole.
But somehow she has to pull off a miracle to atone for the past.
Anyone who enjoys a riveting mystery, needs a good book to take
on vaca, or is seeking a book club read and discuss could not do
better than Corrupted. But please do not read it and set it aside.
We live in a world where zero tolerance policies and the school to
jail pipeline destroy many young lives and for profit prisons share a
mandate to stay full with hotels. We must be angry on behalf of
victims of this injustice and raise our voices.
On a personal note, I'm running on much too little sleep. I'm in the
middle of a reelection campaign where there are three people running
for two school committee places. After 11 years on committee, almost
half of them as vice chair, I am finally chair and able to implement
programs that can really help the school. People tell me not to worry
but I have seen chairs voted out. And I am vulnerable as a liberal in
a conservative town.
Oh, yeah, and in the middle of this six week ordeal I learn my only
child to home is probably moving out.
A great big shout out goes out to those who fight to protect
vulnerable youngsters from the judicial system and zero tolerance
policies.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Reproductive Rights
Reproductive Rights
YA nonfiction
I think you will agree with me on this, no matter what side of
the issue you come down on. A lot of contrversy swirls around
reproductive rights. Vicki Oransky Wittenstein's Reproductive Rights
Who Decides gives us a lucid and multi-faceted history of this topic.
Beginning with ancient times where women used birth
preventitives such as crocodile dung (you can tell that wasn't in
Maine) and fermented dough and going right up through today's world in
which technologies seem to outstrip our ability to envision ethical
aspects, the book provides us with information on topics such as:
*bans on contraception;
*the pill and its legacy;
*Roe V. Wade and attempts to overturn it;
*and the "brave new world" we inhabit.
The writing is comprehensive and concise. Illustrations are
well chosen. What I like best about Reproductive Rights, however, is
its cultural inclusiveness. A number of issues are brought up that,
while relevant, can be easy to overlook. (Involuntary) sterilization
laws in place right up til the 1970s, under which society made people
considered genetically undesirable unable to reproduce, are discussed
under the chapter on Margaret Sanger. In the last chapter we are
reminded of the serious dangers of too early pregnancy for child brides.
I believe Reproductive Rights is a must own for public and
school libraries and a wise acquisition for families of teens and
preteens. It can add accurate information to a debate all too often
dominated by emotion.
On a personal note, at the lavendar graduation I almost fell out of my
chair. Meredith got her masters in higher education: student
development. THEY HAVE A PROGRAM FOR THAT? I love working with
students to help them achieve their goals and potentials. Imagine if
I could make that a vocation and be forever safe from the perils of
retail Hell!
A great big shout out goes out to my friends who I now know are in
that program.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA nonfiction
I think you will agree with me on this, no matter what side of
the issue you come down on. A lot of contrversy swirls around
reproductive rights. Vicki Oransky Wittenstein's Reproductive Rights
Who Decides gives us a lucid and multi-faceted history of this topic.
Beginning with ancient times where women used birth
preventitives such as crocodile dung (you can tell that wasn't in
Maine) and fermented dough and going right up through today's world in
which technologies seem to outstrip our ability to envision ethical
aspects, the book provides us with information on topics such as:
*bans on contraception;
*the pill and its legacy;
*Roe V. Wade and attempts to overturn it;
*and the "brave new world" we inhabit.
The writing is comprehensive and concise. Illustrations are
well chosen. What I like best about Reproductive Rights, however, is
its cultural inclusiveness. A number of issues are brought up that,
while relevant, can be easy to overlook. (Involuntary) sterilization
laws in place right up til the 1970s, under which society made people
considered genetically undesirable unable to reproduce, are discussed
under the chapter on Margaret Sanger. In the last chapter we are
reminded of the serious dangers of too early pregnancy for child brides.
I believe Reproductive Rights is a must own for public and
school libraries and a wise acquisition for families of teens and
preteens. It can add accurate information to a debate all too often
dominated by emotion.
On a personal note, at the lavendar graduation I almost fell out of my
chair. Meredith got her masters in higher education: student
development. THEY HAVE A PROGRAM FOR THAT? I love working with
students to help them achieve their goals and potentials. Imagine if
I could make that a vocation and be forever safe from the perils of
retail Hell!
A great big shout out goes out to my friends who I now know are in
that program.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Going Where It's Dark
Going Where It's Dark
Juvenile fiction
"He awoke in total darkness and was completely disoriented. The
only sound he heard was his own breathing, that and the intermittent
growling of his stomach. He had never seen the world so black.
Blacker than black..."
Juvenile fiction
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has to be one of the most prolific
authors in the pantheon of children's lit. She has over 140 books to
her name. The ones I've read are really excellent. Recall the Shiloh
series? She has the ability to put her likeable but flawed characters
into very challenging situations and getting us to care whether they
sink or swim. Going Where It's Dark is no exception.
For Buck (13) something like a phone he has to answer is
torture. His stutter means he has to work really hard to force words
out. It doesn't help that bullies torment him every chance they get
and that David, the only friend who didn't get bothered by his speech
pediment, the only peer he did things with, has just moved.
Even Buck's parents seem not quite as accapting as they could
be. His mother, for example, takes him to a faith healing session
where just about any teen would have been mortified. Later he
eavesdrops on his family discussing his problem.
Buck does have one escape from the stresses in his life. He's
an avid caver. He and David had explored together. Now he yearns to
discover a cavern noone else has ever set foot in. In fact he may
have found an entrance at an overgrown, abandoned property. He plans
to explore it when he finds the perfect day...
...a day none of his family would learn of his plans. Solo
caving is very dangerous. Even a small slip could less to death.
This excellent coming of age story combines a highly suspenseful
plot with sensitive insight into personal growth and family dynamics.
This is another excellent summer read that will captivate even some of
the kids who would rather put books aside until September.
On a personal note, I went to the UMaine lavender graduation. It was
awesome!
A great big shout out goes out to all those who won awards and
graduated. Way to go!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
"He awoke in total darkness and was completely disoriented. The
only sound he heard was his own breathing, that and the intermittent
growling of his stomach. He had never seen the world so black.
Blacker than black..."
Juvenile fiction
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has to be one of the most prolific
authors in the pantheon of children's lit. She has over 140 books to
her name. The ones I've read are really excellent. Recall the Shiloh
series? She has the ability to put her likeable but flawed characters
into very challenging situations and getting us to care whether they
sink or swim. Going Where It's Dark is no exception.
For Buck (13) something like a phone he has to answer is
torture. His stutter means he has to work really hard to force words
out. It doesn't help that bullies torment him every chance they get
and that David, the only friend who didn't get bothered by his speech
pediment, the only peer he did things with, has just moved.
Even Buck's parents seem not quite as accapting as they could
be. His mother, for example, takes him to a faith healing session
where just about any teen would have been mortified. Later he
eavesdrops on his family discussing his problem.
Buck does have one escape from the stresses in his life. He's
an avid caver. He and David had explored together. Now he yearns to
discover a cavern noone else has ever set foot in. In fact he may
have found an entrance at an overgrown, abandoned property. He plans
to explore it when he finds the perfect day...
...a day none of his family would learn of his plans. Solo
caving is very dangerous. Even a small slip could less to death.
This excellent coming of age story combines a highly suspenseful
plot with sensitive insight into personal growth and family dynamics.
This is another excellent summer read that will captivate even some of
the kids who would rather put books aside until September.
On a personal note, I went to the UMaine lavender graduation. It was
awesome!
A great big shout out goes out to all those who won awards and
graduated. Way to go!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Outsider In The White House
Outsider In The White House
Adult Biography
"...Imagine. Black and white, Hispanic and Asian, straight and
gay, middle class and low income, native and immigrant coming together
to create an economy that worked well for the majority, not just the
rich; a health care system that guaranteed health care for all, not
huge profits for insurance and pharmaceutical companies; federal
funding for education, not B-2 bombers; a tax system that favored
workers, not the wealthy and multinational corporations. People
coming together for the common good..."
If there was ever a political embodiment of The Little Engine
That Could it's Bernie Sanders. In a nation saddled with a Hatfield/
McCoy bipartisan political system he has gotten himself elected into
the United States House and Senate. Now he's proving highly
competitive in the presidential campaign, giving many of us hope that
come November we won't have to chose between a reality show host with
antipathy toward anyone who isn't native born, white, CIS, wealthy,
and masculine and the big business owned wife of the guy who ended
welfare as we know it.
Outsider In The White House, by Bernie himself with Huck Gutman,
weaves two strands together brilliantly. The first is Bernie's
political path from initial loss to winning a Senate seat. It shows
how he managed to pull this off with selling out to big bidness and
their media. The second strand analyzes what he sees wrong with
America today and what we need to do to rectify it. He even shows
how, despite claims of his critics, it makes total fiscal sense.
Outsider In The White House is a must read for anyone who
realizes that implementing timid incremental changes to solve the
crises that face America is like trying to cure cancer with bandages.
Whoever takes the White House we need this mandate. I fear that in a
Trump presidency or the second coming of Clinton all but the wealthy
and well connected would be outsiders in government and our nation.
On a personal note, I felt understood. Bernie writes, "In the middle
of a campaign it seems like everything comes to the fore. All your
neuroses, all your fears, all your weaknesses. You're ON all the
time, and you're often tired, stressed out, prone to make mistakes.
And a mistake in a campaign can be very costly." Lest anyone say I'm
just campaigning for school committee reelection, Bernie himself
started at the municipal level.
A great big shout out goes out to Bernie. I hope to God you give us
reason to celebrate in November.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult Biography
"...Imagine. Black and white, Hispanic and Asian, straight and
gay, middle class and low income, native and immigrant coming together
to create an economy that worked well for the majority, not just the
rich; a health care system that guaranteed health care for all, not
huge profits for insurance and pharmaceutical companies; federal
funding for education, not B-2 bombers; a tax system that favored
workers, not the wealthy and multinational corporations. People
coming together for the common good..."
If there was ever a political embodiment of The Little Engine
That Could it's Bernie Sanders. In a nation saddled with a Hatfield/
McCoy bipartisan political system he has gotten himself elected into
the United States House and Senate. Now he's proving highly
competitive in the presidential campaign, giving many of us hope that
come November we won't have to chose between a reality show host with
antipathy toward anyone who isn't native born, white, CIS, wealthy,
and masculine and the big business owned wife of the guy who ended
welfare as we know it.
Outsider In The White House, by Bernie himself with Huck Gutman,
weaves two strands together brilliantly. The first is Bernie's
political path from initial loss to winning a Senate seat. It shows
how he managed to pull this off with selling out to big bidness and
their media. The second strand analyzes what he sees wrong with
America today and what we need to do to rectify it. He even shows
how, despite claims of his critics, it makes total fiscal sense.
Outsider In The White House is a must read for anyone who
realizes that implementing timid incremental changes to solve the
crises that face America is like trying to cure cancer with bandages.
Whoever takes the White House we need this mandate. I fear that in a
Trump presidency or the second coming of Clinton all but the wealthy
and well connected would be outsiders in government and our nation.
On a personal note, I felt understood. Bernie writes, "In the middle
of a campaign it seems like everything comes to the fore. All your
neuroses, all your fears, all your weaknesses. You're ON all the
time, and you're often tired, stressed out, prone to make mistakes.
And a mistake in a campaign can be very costly." Lest anyone say I'm
just campaigning for school committee reelection, Bernie himself
started at the municipal level.
A great big shout out goes out to Bernie. I hope to God you give us
reason to celebrate in November.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Writing Magic
Writing Magic
Juvenile nonfiction
"This is a book about writing fiction. But it should help you
write anything: e-mails, essays, greeting cards, love letters,
skywriting."
I am in a writing class that meets seven weeks twice a year.
Each member, in turn, reads her/his pieces to the rest of us who
critique. Barbara, our teacher, facilitates. Not all of us aspire to
have published books. Some pursue equally valid objectives such as
perserving family narrative for younger generations. All of us,
however, know the power and beauty of words.
When Gail Carson Levine (quoted above) became a full time writer
she felt, "like the luckiest person on the planet." Her great good
fortune motivated her to volunteer teach creative writing to
youngsters. Over those years of mentoring she has gained insight into
her own writing and inner life. Her Writing Magic: Creating Stories
That Fly is a logical extension: her way of sharing her life learned
wisdom with as many kids as possible. It world beautifully on at
least three levels:
1) It gives a lot of very worthwhile instruction on topics like coming
up with ideas, creating interesting details, and developing a voice
for narratives. There are plenty of exercises to make these
techniques one's own.
2) There is also emphasis on the psyche--on developing the self
confidence, willingness to take chances, and persistence a writer
needs. One chapter is devoted to shutting down the chatter (that
sucks, you're no good) that spins in an endless loop in many people's
heads.
3) There is a generous sharing of her own life experiences that can
help starring writers look at their own from a different perspective.
In short, this is a wonderful book for fledgling young and not
so young writers.
On a personal note, the best workshop (in my mind) was the one on
using theater to create change. The Out And Allied Youth Theater did
two skits. Then we divided into small groups to do improv. I was
with two high school students. We did a skit about a student having
to go to the principal about bullying because the teacher won't do
anything. I was the burned out one-year-from-retirement prejudiced
teacher who also spoke in asides to God. It was so easy to make up a
part and not have to worry about blocking, messing up lines etc. And
people were really touched by the skits. YOWZA!
A great big shout out goes out to the Out And Allied Youth Theater. I
really think they're onto something.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
"This is a book about writing fiction. But it should help you
write anything: e-mails, essays, greeting cards, love letters,
skywriting."
I am in a writing class that meets seven weeks twice a year.
Each member, in turn, reads her/his pieces to the rest of us who
critique. Barbara, our teacher, facilitates. Not all of us aspire to
have published books. Some pursue equally valid objectives such as
perserving family narrative for younger generations. All of us,
however, know the power and beauty of words.
When Gail Carson Levine (quoted above) became a full time writer
she felt, "like the luckiest person on the planet." Her great good
fortune motivated her to volunteer teach creative writing to
youngsters. Over those years of mentoring she has gained insight into
her own writing and inner life. Her Writing Magic: Creating Stories
That Fly is a logical extension: her way of sharing her life learned
wisdom with as many kids as possible. It world beautifully on at
least three levels:
1) It gives a lot of very worthwhile instruction on topics like coming
up with ideas, creating interesting details, and developing a voice
for narratives. There are plenty of exercises to make these
techniques one's own.
2) There is also emphasis on the psyche--on developing the self
confidence, willingness to take chances, and persistence a writer
needs. One chapter is devoted to shutting down the chatter (that
sucks, you're no good) that spins in an endless loop in many people's
heads.
3) There is a generous sharing of her own life experiences that can
help starring writers look at their own from a different perspective.
In short, this is a wonderful book for fledgling young and not
so young writers.
On a personal note, the best workshop (in my mind) was the one on
using theater to create change. The Out And Allied Youth Theater did
two skits. Then we divided into small groups to do improv. I was
with two high school students. We did a skit about a student having
to go to the principal about bullying because the teacher won't do
anything. I was the burned out one-year-from-retirement prejudiced
teacher who also spoke in asides to God. It was so easy to make up a
part and not have to worry about blocking, messing up lines etc. And
people were really touched by the skits. YOWZA!
A great big shout out goes out to the Out And Allied Youth Theater. I
really think they're onto something.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Paper Wishes
Paper Wishes
Some of the loudest voices in the current political "dialogue"
are calling for excluding from our nation large groups of people in
peril on the basis of nationality and religion. I wonder if we are so
immune to learning from the past that we will repeat its injustices in
the present and future. An example we should take to heart from our
nation's recent history is what we did to Japanese Americans during
World War II. When the West Coast was declared a military zone in
1942 over 100,000 law abiding citizens, half of whom were children,
non of whom were ever charged with espionage, were basically
imprisoned in relocation camps. Their homes and the businesses they
had created through hard work were taken from them.
Lois Sepahban's Paper Wishes is the story of a child's
experience of this confusing and frightening journey. Manami lives
with her parents, grandfather, and dog on a peaceful Washington State
island. An older sister and brother are away at college. When we
first meet her she and her grandfather are walking on their beloved
beach with their dog, Yujiin.
Times have become scary. Soldiers who fear that America will be
betrayed by people with Japanese faces and names have arrived. One
day Manami and several classmates are told not to return to school.
Soon she and her family, with only the possessions they can carry in
four suitcases, are taken to a bare basics relocation camp in the
desert called Manzinar.
Manami has lost more than her home, school, friends, community,
and the part of the world that feels like home to her. The family had
planned to leave Yujiin with a pastor. Manami tries to smuggle him to
their new home. Unfortunately he is discovered. The last she sees of
their beloved family pet is him pushing his nose through a gap in a
crate.
This poignant and powerful coming of age novel serves up complex
issues within a manageable for young readers context. It can help
students gain understanding of not only history, but, unfortunately,
current events.
In her author's note Sepahban tells us how, nearly fifty years
after its detainees left, Manzaner was reincarnated as a National
Historic Site. "...Today, visitors can walk the grounds, look at
photos, and read first person accounts of those who lived there. Many
of the relocation camps were torn down, but according to the National
Park Service, the mission of the site is, 'to serve as a reminder to
this and future of the fragilities of American civil liberties.'"
Like I said, we are not good at learning from the past. Right
now, when those who wish to lead us are outdoing each other in
eagerness to shred those already endangered civil liberties, Paper
Wishes and other books like it should be required reading for all
Americans age 8 to 108.
On a personal note, recently I had the wonderful opportunity to
represent Veazie Community School (as School Committee chair) at a day
long conference held at UMaine on advocating for LGBTQ youth in schools.
I learned so much! It was a delight to be with so many other people
who recognize the importance of protecting and gaining civil rights
for this increasingly precarious segment of our society.
A great big shout out goes out to the presenters and my fellow
attendees at this conference!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Some of the loudest voices in the current political "dialogue"
are calling for excluding from our nation large groups of people in
peril on the basis of nationality and religion. I wonder if we are so
immune to learning from the past that we will repeat its injustices in
the present and future. An example we should take to heart from our
nation's recent history is what we did to Japanese Americans during
World War II. When the West Coast was declared a military zone in
1942 over 100,000 law abiding citizens, half of whom were children,
non of whom were ever charged with espionage, were basically
imprisoned in relocation camps. Their homes and the businesses they
had created through hard work were taken from them.
Lois Sepahban's Paper Wishes is the story of a child's
experience of this confusing and frightening journey. Manami lives
with her parents, grandfather, and dog on a peaceful Washington State
island. An older sister and brother are away at college. When we
first meet her she and her grandfather are walking on their beloved
beach with their dog, Yujiin.
Times have become scary. Soldiers who fear that America will be
betrayed by people with Japanese faces and names have arrived. One
day Manami and several classmates are told not to return to school.
Soon she and her family, with only the possessions they can carry in
four suitcases, are taken to a bare basics relocation camp in the
desert called Manzinar.
Manami has lost more than her home, school, friends, community,
and the part of the world that feels like home to her. The family had
planned to leave Yujiin with a pastor. Manami tries to smuggle him to
their new home. Unfortunately he is discovered. The last she sees of
their beloved family pet is him pushing his nose through a gap in a
crate.
This poignant and powerful coming of age novel serves up complex
issues within a manageable for young readers context. It can help
students gain understanding of not only history, but, unfortunately,
current events.
In her author's note Sepahban tells us how, nearly fifty years
after its detainees left, Manzaner was reincarnated as a National
Historic Site. "...Today, visitors can walk the grounds, look at
photos, and read first person accounts of those who lived there. Many
of the relocation camps were torn down, but according to the National
Park Service, the mission of the site is, 'to serve as a reminder to
this and future of the fragilities of American civil liberties.'"
Like I said, we are not good at learning from the past. Right
now, when those who wish to lead us are outdoing each other in
eagerness to shred those already endangered civil liberties, Paper
Wishes and other books like it should be required reading for all
Americans age 8 to 108.
On a personal note, recently I had the wonderful opportunity to
represent Veazie Community School (as School Committee chair) at a day
long conference held at UMaine on advocating for LGBTQ youth in schools.
I learned so much! It was a delight to be with so many other people
who recognize the importance of protecting and gaining civil rights
for this increasingly precarious segment of our society.
A great big shout out goes out to the presenters and my fellow
attendees at this conference!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
In Our Mothers' House
In Our Mothers' House
Picture book
It takes a very wise and sensitive writer to create a picture
book on a hot button topic that doesn't end up being didactic or
having the issue overwhelm plot and characters. Patricia Polacco is
one such author. Her In Our Mothers' House is a gem in this genre.
The narrator of this lovely story is the oldest of three children
adopted by two mothers. She leads us through the family life from her
arrival on the scene to the death of her parents within a year of each
other.
The family is very lively and well liked by most of their
neighbors. Many pitch in to help build a tree house. Almost all
participate when the family initiates a block party that goes on to
become a tradition.
There is one woman, Mrs. Lockner, who never lets her children
join in on the fun. Usually she just looks crabby. At one point she
tells the mothers, "I don't appreciate what you two are." Fortunately
she is not allowed to steal the show.
The heart of the narrative is the traditions that strengthen the
glue that holds the familiy together (telling stories in front of the
fireplace, creating Halloween costumes, celebrating holidays with
extended family) and the stand out experiences (involving the
neighborhood in building a tree house, adopting two puppies to cheer
up all three children who are getting over the flu) that will be
passed down over the years...
...in other words, what you or I would put in our family
narratives. Which is the point this delightful book shows rather than
telling.
Polacco's dynamic artwork is perfect for her story. The
expressions on people's (and dogs') faces and their postures convey
their emotions and relationships with each other in a way more
conventional artwork wouldn't.
No matter how your family is made up I believe you will find the
celebration of love embodied in In Our Mothers' House to be joyous and
uplifting.
On a personal note, my writing class that meets at the Orono Public
Library is going really well. The highlight (at least for me) is that
my friend Erin Rhoda joined us to talk about a special project she had
done for the Bangor Daily News. Everyone was fascinated by what she
had to say. It was the most attentive I have ever seen the group.
Erin had a good time too. I was especially pleased because I had come
up with this idea and instigated it's being carried out.
A great big shout out goes out to Erin and the inspiration and ethics
that go into her writing and to my writing classmates and our teacher,
Barbara, for our lively and unpredictable learning from one another
sessions.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
It takes a very wise and sensitive writer to create a picture
book on a hot button topic that doesn't end up being didactic or
having the issue overwhelm plot and characters. Patricia Polacco is
one such author. Her In Our Mothers' House is a gem in this genre.
The narrator of this lovely story is the oldest of three children
adopted by two mothers. She leads us through the family life from her
arrival on the scene to the death of her parents within a year of each
other.
The family is very lively and well liked by most of their
neighbors. Many pitch in to help build a tree house. Almost all
participate when the family initiates a block party that goes on to
become a tradition.
There is one woman, Mrs. Lockner, who never lets her children
join in on the fun. Usually she just looks crabby. At one point she
tells the mothers, "I don't appreciate what you two are." Fortunately
she is not allowed to steal the show.
The heart of the narrative is the traditions that strengthen the
glue that holds the familiy together (telling stories in front of the
fireplace, creating Halloween costumes, celebrating holidays with
extended family) and the stand out experiences (involving the
neighborhood in building a tree house, adopting two puppies to cheer
up all three children who are getting over the flu) that will be
passed down over the years...
...in other words, what you or I would put in our family
narratives. Which is the point this delightful book shows rather than
telling.
Polacco's dynamic artwork is perfect for her story. The
expressions on people's (and dogs') faces and their postures convey
their emotions and relationships with each other in a way more
conventional artwork wouldn't.
No matter how your family is made up I believe you will find the
celebration of love embodied in In Our Mothers' House to be joyous and
uplifting.
On a personal note, my writing class that meets at the Orono Public
Library is going really well. The highlight (at least for me) is that
my friend Erin Rhoda joined us to talk about a special project she had
done for the Bangor Daily News. Everyone was fascinated by what she
had to say. It was the most attentive I have ever seen the group.
Erin had a good time too. I was especially pleased because I had come
up with this idea and instigated it's being carried out.
A great big shout out goes out to Erin and the inspiration and ethics
that go into her writing and to my writing classmates and our teacher,
Barbara, for our lively and unpredictable learning from one another
sessions.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Good Night Truck
Good Night Truck
Picture book
Young children are not always eager to settle down to sleep when
parents want to tuck them in. I know from experience. Maybe you do
too. Sometimes the just right night time story makes a world of
difference. Sally Odgers' Good Night Truck would be an excellent
choice for youngsters enamoured of big machines.
In the first part of the book the cast is introduced: a truck
hauling a load, a digger making a hole for a swimming pool, a boat
sailing in the harbor, and a rocket zooming through space. After a
day of work they all retire contentedly for a well earned rest...
...the truck tucked in beside a sleeping child. Text and
pictures combine to form a lovely tribute to that time of day right
between wakefulness and slumber.
On a personal note, the Veazie Community School just had its spring
buy one/get one free Scholastic book sale. I have such precious
memories from all the years I had kids in the school...like the year
my son won a contest and bought me a cat poster. The sale was going
on the night of school committee. I bought a couple of sweet angel
cat journals which I will surely be able to put to good use.
A great big shout out goes out to Gail Harrison, Veazie Community
School's very talented librarian, year book advisor, and book sale
hostess with the mostest. You go, Girl!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Young children are not always eager to settle down to sleep when
parents want to tuck them in. I know from experience. Maybe you do
too. Sometimes the just right night time story makes a world of
difference. Sally Odgers' Good Night Truck would be an excellent
choice for youngsters enamoured of big machines.
In the first part of the book the cast is introduced: a truck
hauling a load, a digger making a hole for a swimming pool, a boat
sailing in the harbor, and a rocket zooming through space. After a
day of work they all retire contentedly for a well earned rest...
...the truck tucked in beside a sleeping child. Text and
pictures combine to form a lovely tribute to that time of day right
between wakefulness and slumber.
On a personal note, the Veazie Community School just had its spring
buy one/get one free Scholastic book sale. I have such precious
memories from all the years I had kids in the school...like the year
my son won a contest and bought me a cat poster. The sale was going
on the night of school committee. I bought a couple of sweet angel
cat journals which I will surely be able to put to good use.
A great big shout out goes out to Gail Harrison, Veazie Community
School's very talented librarian, year book advisor, and book sale
hostess with the mostest. You go, Girl!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Strongheart
Strongheart
Picture book
Recently I stopped by Veazie Vet. We were out of coffee.
YIKES! Lucky for me, they are very generous with their java. I was
fixing my cup I realized I was under surveillance. A large black lab
that bore a striking resemblance to a black bear was eyeing me
solomnly. Then he was cuddled up to me, seeming quite happy to be
scratched behind the ears.
Dogs! Gotta love them!
If you love a good true dog story, Emily Arnold McCully's
Strongheart: The World's First Movie Star Dog will be just your cup
of tea.
Strongheart was born Etzel von Oeringen during World War I in
Germany. His life was all work no play. After the war he was sent to
an uncertain future in America.
By a lucky coincidence Larry Trimble, a silent movie director,
had decided to try a new concept: a film with a canine hero. He saw
the clever canine's excellent training. And the rest is history.
Strongheart is purrrfect for clans with canine companions...or
even feline's families...basically all who love the creatures who add
so much to our lives.
On a personal note, Joey cat seems to be enjoying the warmer weather.
He engages me in play with his balls and other interactive toys. It's
like he's waking up from semi hibernation. And he gets a great kick
out of watching the birds through his favorite window.
A great big shout out goes out to the Veazie Vet folks who know how to
treat dogs, cats, and their caffeine craving human companions.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Recently I stopped by Veazie Vet. We were out of coffee.
YIKES! Lucky for me, they are very generous with their java. I was
fixing my cup I realized I was under surveillance. A large black lab
that bore a striking resemblance to a black bear was eyeing me
solomnly. Then he was cuddled up to me, seeming quite happy to be
scratched behind the ears.
Dogs! Gotta love them!
If you love a good true dog story, Emily Arnold McCully's
Strongheart: The World's First Movie Star Dog will be just your cup
of tea.
Strongheart was born Etzel von Oeringen during World War I in
Germany. His life was all work no play. After the war he was sent to
an uncertain future in America.
By a lucky coincidence Larry Trimble, a silent movie director,
had decided to try a new concept: a film with a canine hero. He saw
the clever canine's excellent training. And the rest is history.
Strongheart is purrrfect for clans with canine companions...or
even feline's families...basically all who love the creatures who add
so much to our lives.
On a personal note, Joey cat seems to be enjoying the warmer weather.
He engages me in play with his balls and other interactive toys. It's
like he's waking up from semi hibernation. And he gets a great kick
out of watching the birds through his favorite window.
A great big shout out goes out to the Veazie Vet folks who know how to
treat dogs, cats, and their caffeine craving human companions.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Fort
Fort
Juvenile fiction
"I felt bad about Gerard not having any friends. I would never
torture and tease him, like J.R. and Morrie, or call him rotten
names. But did I want to be his friend? I had a sudden fear, not of
him, exactly, but of being responsible for him, even for a night..."
Wyatt, narrator of Cynthia DeFlice's Fort, and his chum, Augie,
have realized that their summer is rapidly drawing to a close. In two
weeks Wyatt and his dad are going home. They'd better build the fort
they've been talking about.
A friend of Augie's great uncle gives the boys materials. They
end up with a decent structure and start spending nights there.
Supplementing provisions from home with sling shot slain squirrel and
fresh caught fish, the boys are having the time of their lives.
Trouble arrives in paradise. Two bullies who make a habit of
harassing Wyatt and Augie partially trash the place while they're
away. It turns out the older boys also torment Gerard, a
developmentally delayed boy who desperately wants to be like his peers
and have friends.
Wyatt and Auggie make a pact. The mean boys are going down.
They are the ones who will make this happen.
Fort is a perfect summer read, especially for anyone who enjoys
the kids take down bumbling bad guys genre exemplified by the Home
Alone movies.
On a personal note, my poem, Black Lives Matter, was published in the
Maine Peace Action Committee Newsletter. I was quite pleased and
proud that it was included.
A great big shout out goes out to Antonia and her crew for putting out
this most excellent publication.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
"I felt bad about Gerard not having any friends. I would never
torture and tease him, like J.R. and Morrie, or call him rotten
names. But did I want to be his friend? I had a sudden fear, not of
him, exactly, but of being responsible for him, even for a night..."
Wyatt, narrator of Cynthia DeFlice's Fort, and his chum, Augie,
have realized that their summer is rapidly drawing to a close. In two
weeks Wyatt and his dad are going home. They'd better build the fort
they've been talking about.
A friend of Augie's great uncle gives the boys materials. They
end up with a decent structure and start spending nights there.
Supplementing provisions from home with sling shot slain squirrel and
fresh caught fish, the boys are having the time of their lives.
Trouble arrives in paradise. Two bullies who make a habit of
harassing Wyatt and Augie partially trash the place while they're
away. It turns out the older boys also torment Gerard, a
developmentally delayed boy who desperately wants to be like his peers
and have friends.
Wyatt and Auggie make a pact. The mean boys are going down.
They are the ones who will make this happen.
Fort is a perfect summer read, especially for anyone who enjoys
the kids take down bumbling bad guys genre exemplified by the Home
Alone movies.
On a personal note, my poem, Black Lives Matter, was published in the
Maine Peace Action Committee Newsletter. I was quite pleased and
proud that it was included.
A great big shout out goes out to Antonia and her crew for putting out
this most excellent publication.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Dimestore
Dimestore
Adult biography
"...I was my daddy's girl through and through, a mountain girl,
a born tomboy who loved Grundy and everything about it, especially in
the summertime when I was part of a wild gang of neighborhood children
who roamed from house to house, ran the mountains as we pleased, and
generally enjoyed a degree of freedom that is almost impossible now to
imagine. Summer spread out all around us like another country, ours
to plunder and explore. Aside from chores and one week of compulsory
Bible School (red Kool-Aid, Lorna Doone cookies, lanyards) we were on
our own."
Place can be as much of a character in a novel as any of the two
and four legged beings that inhabit it. I think that's especially
true for that genre known as Southern literature. The Appalachian
South in which Lee Smith grew up really comes to life in her novels.
In Dimestore: A Writer's Life she lets the reader look at her sources
of inspiration through a series of 15 essays including:
*Lady Lessons (source of the above quote) which dilineates Smith's
mother's futile efforts to teach her wild child proper etiquette;
*Kindly Nervous, a very candid exploration of the mental illnesses
which required regular hospitalizations for both Smith's parents and
the many ways neighbors and kin took up the slack during their absences;
*and Dimestore, a exploration of the geography of Smith's childhood
years.
Whether you, like Smith, grew up in a world of dimestores in
downtowns not deserted in favor of malls, summer days punctuated only
by meals and bath and bedtimes, drive in movies where parents combined
meals and entertainment and children wore pajamas, porches and front
steps where people sat out on pleasant evenings, and treasured files
of recipe cards, many in the fancy script of long gone kin or came
along too late, you will find Dimestore an excellent read...
...especially if you are a writer trying to define for her/
himself what home is.
On a personal note, the last spring semester Wednesday night at Wilson
Center was more personal than usual. Instead of a formal program,
after our scrumptious supper we told each other stuff like what we'd
do over the summer and what we wanted to take with us from the
center. We blessed each other with green glitter. It did get all
over my pillow. But I wasn't about to wash my hair and then stay up
to let it dry.
A great big shout out goes out to all the members of my Wilson Center
family. Wilson Center surely is part of the geography of my heart.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult biography
"...I was my daddy's girl through and through, a mountain girl,
a born tomboy who loved Grundy and everything about it, especially in
the summertime when I was part of a wild gang of neighborhood children
who roamed from house to house, ran the mountains as we pleased, and
generally enjoyed a degree of freedom that is almost impossible now to
imagine. Summer spread out all around us like another country, ours
to plunder and explore. Aside from chores and one week of compulsory
Bible School (red Kool-Aid, Lorna Doone cookies, lanyards) we were on
our own."
Place can be as much of a character in a novel as any of the two
and four legged beings that inhabit it. I think that's especially
true for that genre known as Southern literature. The Appalachian
South in which Lee Smith grew up really comes to life in her novels.
In Dimestore: A Writer's Life she lets the reader look at her sources
of inspiration through a series of 15 essays including:
*Lady Lessons (source of the above quote) which dilineates Smith's
mother's futile efforts to teach her wild child proper etiquette;
*Kindly Nervous, a very candid exploration of the mental illnesses
which required regular hospitalizations for both Smith's parents and
the many ways neighbors and kin took up the slack during their absences;
*and Dimestore, a exploration of the geography of Smith's childhood
years.
Whether you, like Smith, grew up in a world of dimestores in
downtowns not deserted in favor of malls, summer days punctuated only
by meals and bath and bedtimes, drive in movies where parents combined
meals and entertainment and children wore pajamas, porches and front
steps where people sat out on pleasant evenings, and treasured files
of recipe cards, many in the fancy script of long gone kin or came
along too late, you will find Dimestore an excellent read...
...especially if you are a writer trying to define for her/
himself what home is.
On a personal note, the last spring semester Wednesday night at Wilson
Center was more personal than usual. Instead of a formal program,
after our scrumptious supper we told each other stuff like what we'd
do over the summer and what we wanted to take with us from the
center. We blessed each other with green glitter. It did get all
over my pillow. But I wasn't about to wash my hair and then stay up
to let it dry.
A great big shout out goes out to all the members of my Wilson Center
family. Wilson Center surely is part of the geography of my heart.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
Adult fiction
"Momma started wearing those tattered old prom dresses several
days a week. The more she wore them, the more of a spectacle she
became in our town. Even the nicest of our neighbors couldn't stop
themselves from standing in their front yards bug-eyed and slack-jawed
whenever she'd parade down the sidewalk in a rustle of taffeta. And
who could blame them? With a neighbor like Mamma, who needed TV?"
CeeCee, the protagonist of Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee
Honeycutt, spent the first twelve years of her life in the kind of
hellish existence that these days would culminate in a Children's
Protective Services intervention. Her mother's defining life moment
was being crowned the 1951 Vidalia Onion King. (The book is set in
the 60's). She's always trying to reclaim her former glory, usually,
in the process making herself the laughingstock of the neighborhood.
CeeCee's father, frustrated by his wife's refusal to take her meds,
has distanced himself from his little family with beer and working
away from home, not to mention another woman. Basically he's been
leaving an underage child to take care of a perpetually teetering on
the edge psychotic adult.
This all comes to an end when a policeman arrives at CeeCee's
home with bad news. Her mom, clad in tiara and party dress, ran out
in front of a truck and was struck and killed instantly. The day
after the funeral a mysterious woman driving a fabulous convertible
arrives. She turns out to be CeeCee's great-aunt Tallulah who is
going to take CeeCee back to Georgia with her for good, not just a
vacation.
Now you might imagine a woman old enough to be a great aunt
would lead a pretty bland life for a preteen. If so, you couldn't be
more wrong. Tootie (Tallulah) and her girls are as joyous and
eccentric as it's possible to be. They may be just what CeeCee needs
to come fully alive for the first time in her existence.
This brilliant debut novel is impossible to put down from the
very first sentences: "Mama left her red satin shoes in the middle of
the road. That's what three eyewitnesses told the police..." Reading
it cover to cover is like devouring a quart of your favorite flavor
ice cream right out of the container with a plastic spoon, a practice
I'm sure Tootie and her chums would highly approve of.
On a personal note, there are three people running for two positions
on school committee. Aaarrrggghhh! Just when, by being chair, I can
get my ideas implemented.
A great big shout out goes out to the Veazie voters whom I surely hope
will vote for me.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult fiction
"Momma started wearing those tattered old prom dresses several
days a week. The more she wore them, the more of a spectacle she
became in our town. Even the nicest of our neighbors couldn't stop
themselves from standing in their front yards bug-eyed and slack-jawed
whenever she'd parade down the sidewalk in a rustle of taffeta. And
who could blame them? With a neighbor like Mamma, who needed TV?"
CeeCee, the protagonist of Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee
Honeycutt, spent the first twelve years of her life in the kind of
hellish existence that these days would culminate in a Children's
Protective Services intervention. Her mother's defining life moment
was being crowned the 1951 Vidalia Onion King. (The book is set in
the 60's). She's always trying to reclaim her former glory, usually,
in the process making herself the laughingstock of the neighborhood.
CeeCee's father, frustrated by his wife's refusal to take her meds,
has distanced himself from his little family with beer and working
away from home, not to mention another woman. Basically he's been
leaving an underage child to take care of a perpetually teetering on
the edge psychotic adult.
This all comes to an end when a policeman arrives at CeeCee's
home with bad news. Her mom, clad in tiara and party dress, ran out
in front of a truck and was struck and killed instantly. The day
after the funeral a mysterious woman driving a fabulous convertible
arrives. She turns out to be CeeCee's great-aunt Tallulah who is
going to take CeeCee back to Georgia with her for good, not just a
vacation.
Now you might imagine a woman old enough to be a great aunt
would lead a pretty bland life for a preteen. If so, you couldn't be
more wrong. Tootie (Tallulah) and her girls are as joyous and
eccentric as it's possible to be. They may be just what CeeCee needs
to come fully alive for the first time in her existence.
This brilliant debut novel is impossible to put down from the
very first sentences: "Mama left her red satin shoes in the middle of
the road. That's what three eyewitnesses told the police..." Reading
it cover to cover is like devouring a quart of your favorite flavor
ice cream right out of the container with a plastic spoon, a practice
I'm sure Tootie and her chums would highly approve of.
On a personal note, there are three people running for two positions
on school committee. Aaarrrggghhh! Just when, by being chair, I can
get my ideas implemented.
A great big shout out goes out to the Veazie voters whom I surely hope
will vote for me.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Take Shelter
Take Shelter
Juvenile nonfiction
What images pops into your mind when someone says shelter? A
house? A McMansion? An apartment in a duplex or skyscraper? Maybe a
mobile home? If you're anything like me you'll only conjure up a
fragment of the possibilities.
Lucky for us there's Nikki Tate and Dani Tate-Stratton's Take
Shelter: At Home Around The World. In words and colorful photographs
it gives the reader a real magic carpet ride. You get to see:
*the dwelling places of troglodytes whose homes are constructed in
caves;
*converted school buses;
*residences crafted of native materials including snow;
*colorful Romany caravans;
And so many other fascinating abodes.
The quickly growing world population makes it really hard for
many people to have any kind of shelter. This problem and possible
solutions are discussed.
This would be a wonderful book for future engineers, policy
makers, public servants, and visionaries.
On a personal note, I had a wonderful Mothers Day. Eugene and I drove
out to Belfast. The fog was so thick everything looked like it was
packed in cotton. At Renys Gene got seeds for himself and a pack of
mechanical pencils based on the movie Frozen (which I'd seen with the
commuter lounge crowd awhile back on a movie and pizza for me. I got a
free scented candle just for being a mom. At Goodwill I got a lovely
50s style dress, a diary, and a carousel horse music box for only $7!
Eugene treated me to Mickey D's for lunch.
I got to talk to all my three children and play with Joey cat. What
more could a mom ask for?
A great big shout goes out to the three wonderful children I am so
proud to be the mother of.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
What images pops into your mind when someone says shelter? A
house? A McMansion? An apartment in a duplex or skyscraper? Maybe a
mobile home? If you're anything like me you'll only conjure up a
fragment of the possibilities.
Lucky for us there's Nikki Tate and Dani Tate-Stratton's Take
Shelter: At Home Around The World. In words and colorful photographs
it gives the reader a real magic carpet ride. You get to see:
*the dwelling places of troglodytes whose homes are constructed in
caves;
*converted school buses;
*residences crafted of native materials including snow;
*colorful Romany caravans;
And so many other fascinating abodes.
The quickly growing world population makes it really hard for
many people to have any kind of shelter. This problem and possible
solutions are discussed.
This would be a wonderful book for future engineers, policy
makers, public servants, and visionaries.
On a personal note, I had a wonderful Mothers Day. Eugene and I drove
out to Belfast. The fog was so thick everything looked like it was
packed in cotton. At Renys Gene got seeds for himself and a pack of
mechanical pencils based on the movie Frozen (which I'd seen with the
commuter lounge crowd awhile back on a movie and pizza for me. I got a
free scented candle just for being a mom. At Goodwill I got a lovely
50s style dress, a diary, and a carousel horse music box for only $7!
Eugene treated me to Mickey D's for lunch.
I got to talk to all my three children and play with Joey cat. What
more could a mom ask for?
A great big shout goes out to the three wonderful children I am so
proud to be the mother of.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, May 9, 2016
Fish In A Tree
Fish In A Tree
Juvenile fiction
I've seen plenty of kids who start out in school wanting to
learn how to read and falling further and further behind. What works
for their peers falls short for them. In our standardized test
obsessed school systems their non standardized learning methods can be
easy for cash strapped schools to not provide. Sometimes after a few
years they've decided they'd rather be pegged as bad than dumb and
make great efforts to hide their areas of weakness. Ally, protagonist
of Lynda Mullaly Hunt's Fish In A Tree would be in great company if
she stepped out of the pages of a book into the real world.
Ally, a military dependent with a father on a tour of duty, has
been in seven schools in as many years. Wherever she goes it's the
same story. She can't stop getting in trouble or really connect with
her classmates.
Early on in the book Ally has been sent to the principal's
office, an all too familiar destination. She can't understand why.
The class is having a party for her very pregnant teacher. Choosing a
card by the picture on the outside, lovely yellow flowers, she's given
the woman a sympathy card. People can't seem to comprehend that she
was trying her best.
"No matter how many times I have prayed and worked and hoped,
reading for me is still like trying to make sense of a can of alphabet
soup that's been dumped on a plate. I just don't know how other
people do it."
When Ally gets to the restaurant where her mother waits tables
she finds out Mom's had a call from the school. The two peers who
torment her the most drop by to get ice cream and invite Ally to sit
with them. Her mom, desperately eager to see her happy, thinks they
want to reach out and be friends. Ally knows better. But even she is
horrified to learn that they have figured out her secret.
What Ally doesn't know is that her life is going to take a turn
for the better. Her new teacher is an out-of-the-box thinker. He can
see strengths and intelligence beneath the surface she presents to the
world and perceive her limitations as fixable.
On a personal note, when Veazie was still part of RSU probably our
best accomplishment was the creation of an alternate high school--a
safe harbor for kids in danger of drowning in a traditional
pressurized academic setting. They had a head teacher who worked
flexibly and tirelessly to meet their safety and growth needs. I knew
some of those kids personally. What they accomplished, those
youngsters who could have so easily been written off, with his
guidance and mentorship is nothing short of amazing.
A great big shout out goes out to that truly remarkable teacher, Andy,
who was a treasured friend. He left us much too young. Gosh, do I
still miss him.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
I've seen plenty of kids who start out in school wanting to
learn how to read and falling further and further behind. What works
for their peers falls short for them. In our standardized test
obsessed school systems their non standardized learning methods can be
easy for cash strapped schools to not provide. Sometimes after a few
years they've decided they'd rather be pegged as bad than dumb and
make great efforts to hide their areas of weakness. Ally, protagonist
of Lynda Mullaly Hunt's Fish In A Tree would be in great company if
she stepped out of the pages of a book into the real world.
Ally, a military dependent with a father on a tour of duty, has
been in seven schools in as many years. Wherever she goes it's the
same story. She can't stop getting in trouble or really connect with
her classmates.
Early on in the book Ally has been sent to the principal's
office, an all too familiar destination. She can't understand why.
The class is having a party for her very pregnant teacher. Choosing a
card by the picture on the outside, lovely yellow flowers, she's given
the woman a sympathy card. People can't seem to comprehend that she
was trying her best.
"No matter how many times I have prayed and worked and hoped,
reading for me is still like trying to make sense of a can of alphabet
soup that's been dumped on a plate. I just don't know how other
people do it."
When Ally gets to the restaurant where her mother waits tables
she finds out Mom's had a call from the school. The two peers who
torment her the most drop by to get ice cream and invite Ally to sit
with them. Her mom, desperately eager to see her happy, thinks they
want to reach out and be friends. Ally knows better. But even she is
horrified to learn that they have figured out her secret.
What Ally doesn't know is that her life is going to take a turn
for the better. Her new teacher is an out-of-the-box thinker. He can
see strengths and intelligence beneath the surface she presents to the
world and perceive her limitations as fixable.
On a personal note, when Veazie was still part of RSU probably our
best accomplishment was the creation of an alternate high school--a
safe harbor for kids in danger of drowning in a traditional
pressurized academic setting. They had a head teacher who worked
flexibly and tirelessly to meet their safety and growth needs. I knew
some of those kids personally. What they accomplished, those
youngsters who could have so easily been written off, with his
guidance and mentorship is nothing short of amazing.
A great big shout out goes out to that truly remarkable teacher, Andy,
who was a treasured friend. He left us much too young. Gosh, do I
still miss him.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Took
Took
Juvenile fiction
Mary Downing Hahn's new books are few and far between. So when
I discover one it is a true cause of celebration. She has an uncanny
ability to combine modern day narratives with chillingly believable
back stories and legends to create impossible to put down stories of
eeriness and high suspense. Her Took: A Ghost Story is a prime
example.
Daniel, his little sister, Erica, and their parents have just
moved all the way from a ritzy Connecticut suburb to a falling apart
at the seams isolated famhouse in West Virginia. The dad has lost his
job. It's all they can afford.
Almost from the beginning things start falling apart. Erica
becomes withdrawn, spending more and more time with her little Erica
doll whom she believes can speak to her. Daniel's parents can
scarcely be in the same room and remain civil. The classmates with
whom they attend a backwards public school bully the children
relentlessly and torment them with a lurid tale they believe...
...tales of a centuries old ghost named Auntie with a wild hog/
bear familar who comes for a girl child who lives in Daniel's new
house every fifty years and makes her her slave.
It's been fifty years since the last little girl disappeared.
On a personal note, the weather is finally warming up enough to give
me more reading time outside with my daffodils and the bees. Since
it's Mothers' Day weekend and I'm not sure if I'll see any of my kids
I'm celebrating myself with more reading time.
A great big shout out goes out to all my readers who are also mothers.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
Mary Downing Hahn's new books are few and far between. So when
I discover one it is a true cause of celebration. She has an uncanny
ability to combine modern day narratives with chillingly believable
back stories and legends to create impossible to put down stories of
eeriness and high suspense. Her Took: A Ghost Story is a prime
example.
Daniel, his little sister, Erica, and their parents have just
moved all the way from a ritzy Connecticut suburb to a falling apart
at the seams isolated famhouse in West Virginia. The dad has lost his
job. It's all they can afford.
Almost from the beginning things start falling apart. Erica
becomes withdrawn, spending more and more time with her little Erica
doll whom she believes can speak to her. Daniel's parents can
scarcely be in the same room and remain civil. The classmates with
whom they attend a backwards public school bully the children
relentlessly and torment them with a lurid tale they believe...
...tales of a centuries old ghost named Auntie with a wild hog/
bear familar who comes for a girl child who lives in Daniel's new
house every fifty years and makes her her slave.
It's been fifty years since the last little girl disappeared.
On a personal note, the weather is finally warming up enough to give
me more reading time outside with my daffodils and the bees. Since
it's Mothers' Day weekend and I'm not sure if I'll see any of my kids
I'm celebrating myself with more reading time.
A great big shout out goes out to all my readers who are also mothers.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
The Worst Class Trip Ever
The Worst Class Trip Ever
Juvenile fiction
"If I got sent home my parents would kill me. Especially my
mom. She would kill me, then she would rush me to the hospital so the
doctors could miraculously bring me back to life, and then she would
kill me again.
Not to mention the problem of the two weird guys who were
holding Cameron prisoner and planning to blow up the White House."
Most of us have enjoyed or suffered through class trips. Many
of us have handled them from the authority side as teachers or parent
chaperones. We know that, although often they don't go off quite as
planned, national security is usually not involved. In The Worst
Class Trip Ever Dave Barry pulls off an exception to this rule
convincingly and amusingly.
Wyatt's expectations for his class field trip to Washington DC
(from Florida) are quite a bit short of stellar. The girl he has a
crush on exists in an entirely different social strata and is dating
an A lister. As a self described nerd, he knows that she's out of his
league. But he still talks to her whenever the opportunity presents
itself. Perhaps he can say something that will impress her...or at
least not make too much of a fool of himself.
The trip, however, is destined to be anything other than
ordinary right from the flight. Wyatt and his friend Matt are seated
in front of a couple of very suspicious acting men. They have a carry
on bag about the size of a missile and they're studying aerial maps of
the White House. Somehow Matt manages to steal a mysterious looking
electronic device from one of the men's backpacks.
It's a device the men will do anything to get back. This leaves
Wyatt and Matt in the unenviable position of having to thwart the
men's evil plans while keeping the teacher and parent chaperones
totally in the dark. And in Wyatt's case not making too much of a
fool of himself in front of his crush.
This book is a perfect summer read, especially for kids who want
to take the no more books part of an ageless chant too literally. It
combines suspense and humor and throws in the clueless adult authority
figures most intermediate and middle school readers really enjoy
encountering in literature.
On a personal note, I had the very worst drag show ever. I was
already to bring down the house. Only when I arrived at the Rec
Center Sylvester said there had been a mandatory rehearsel that nobody
had bothered to tell me about. So I just went home. I've stored that
under the category of stuff happend. Just wait til next year.
A great big shout out goes out to Sylvester who is about to get his
masters degree. Way to go, Dude!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
"If I got sent home my parents would kill me. Especially my
mom. She would kill me, then she would rush me to the hospital so the
doctors could miraculously bring me back to life, and then she would
kill me again.
Not to mention the problem of the two weird guys who were
holding Cameron prisoner and planning to blow up the White House."
Most of us have enjoyed or suffered through class trips. Many
of us have handled them from the authority side as teachers or parent
chaperones. We know that, although often they don't go off quite as
planned, national security is usually not involved. In The Worst
Class Trip Ever Dave Barry pulls off an exception to this rule
convincingly and amusingly.
Wyatt's expectations for his class field trip to Washington DC
(from Florida) are quite a bit short of stellar. The girl he has a
crush on exists in an entirely different social strata and is dating
an A lister. As a self described nerd, he knows that she's out of his
league. But he still talks to her whenever the opportunity presents
itself. Perhaps he can say something that will impress her...or at
least not make too much of a fool of himself.
The trip, however, is destined to be anything other than
ordinary right from the flight. Wyatt and his friend Matt are seated
in front of a couple of very suspicious acting men. They have a carry
on bag about the size of a missile and they're studying aerial maps of
the White House. Somehow Matt manages to steal a mysterious looking
electronic device from one of the men's backpacks.
It's a device the men will do anything to get back. This leaves
Wyatt and Matt in the unenviable position of having to thwart the
men's evil plans while keeping the teacher and parent chaperones
totally in the dark. And in Wyatt's case not making too much of a
fool of himself in front of his crush.
This book is a perfect summer read, especially for kids who want
to take the no more books part of an ageless chant too literally. It
combines suspense and humor and throws in the clueless adult authority
figures most intermediate and middle school readers really enjoy
encountering in literature.
On a personal note, I had the very worst drag show ever. I was
already to bring down the house. Only when I arrived at the Rec
Center Sylvester said there had been a mandatory rehearsel that nobody
had bothered to tell me about. So I just went home. I've stored that
under the category of stuff happend. Just wait til next year.
A great big shout out goes out to Sylvester who is about to get his
masters degree. Way to go, Dude!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saturday, May 7, 2016
House Arrest
House Arrest
YA fiction
"Adjudicated delinquent.
I had to look up how to spell that.
Three times.
I don't feel like a delinquent
and I don't know what adjudicated means
(even after looking it up).
Sounds like a Kung Fu move.
I adjudicated you in the face.
HI-YA"
Nine months (that feel like nine years) ago Timothy, protagonist
of K. A. Holt's House Arrest, went out with his dad for pepperoni
pizza and root beers to celebrate the birth of his brother. The
waitress gave them free ice cream. That night he was woken up to go
to the hospital in case his very sick brother died so he could say
good-bye.
Levi did not die then or the many times he was on the verge of
doing so. But he came home extemely frail and in need of constant
supervision. He breathes through a trach (plastic tube) that makes
him susceptible to infection. He chokes frequently.
It wasn't long before the boys' father took off for parts
unknown, leaving Timothy, his mom, and a part time day nurse to care
for an infant who could go into medical crisis and time day or night.
They never can get enough sleep. And medical expenses trump other
stuff like food.
One day after a sleep deprived night Timothy saw a man,
distracted by a car crash outside the store they were in, take his
eyes off his wallet. He took the wallet and used a credit card in it
to pay for--are you ready for this?--a months worth of medicine for
his baby brother.
[I now interrupt this review to bring you a political message.
ONLY IN AMERICA!!! In the civilized world Timothy would not have been
in this dilemma because Levi's medicine would have been covered. When
will we ever learn?]
Back to the review. For a year Levi is on house arrest, meeting
regularly with a counselor and a probation officer. He is mandated to
keep a journal to show that he is learning his lesson. Written in
free form verse, it gives an up close personal look at a young man who
has to deal with a lot more than anyone his age should. It's a
thought provoking read for kids and adults.
If this book seems super authentic, maybe it's because the
author knows whereof she speaks. Her son needed five years of
operations for a medical problem similar to Levi's.
On a personal note, being the healthy sibling of a fragile child/teen
can be a heavy and sometimes overwhelming challenge. When Harriet
suffered severe brain damage due to spinal meningitis and my dad
checked out in a lot of ways though staying physically present I had
more responsibility than I could handle.
A great big shout out goes out to the author of this fine book for
drawing on very personal experiences to speak the truth to life.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
"Adjudicated delinquent.
I had to look up how to spell that.
Three times.
I don't feel like a delinquent
and I don't know what adjudicated means
(even after looking it up).
Sounds like a Kung Fu move.
I adjudicated you in the face.
HI-YA"
Nine months (that feel like nine years) ago Timothy, protagonist
of K. A. Holt's House Arrest, went out with his dad for pepperoni
pizza and root beers to celebrate the birth of his brother. The
waitress gave them free ice cream. That night he was woken up to go
to the hospital in case his very sick brother died so he could say
good-bye.
Levi did not die then or the many times he was on the verge of
doing so. But he came home extemely frail and in need of constant
supervision. He breathes through a trach (plastic tube) that makes
him susceptible to infection. He chokes frequently.
It wasn't long before the boys' father took off for parts
unknown, leaving Timothy, his mom, and a part time day nurse to care
for an infant who could go into medical crisis and time day or night.
They never can get enough sleep. And medical expenses trump other
stuff like food.
One day after a sleep deprived night Timothy saw a man,
distracted by a car crash outside the store they were in, take his
eyes off his wallet. He took the wallet and used a credit card in it
to pay for--are you ready for this?--a months worth of medicine for
his baby brother.
[I now interrupt this review to bring you a political message.
ONLY IN AMERICA!!! In the civilized world Timothy would not have been
in this dilemma because Levi's medicine would have been covered. When
will we ever learn?]
Back to the review. For a year Levi is on house arrest, meeting
regularly with a counselor and a probation officer. He is mandated to
keep a journal to show that he is learning his lesson. Written in
free form verse, it gives an up close personal look at a young man who
has to deal with a lot more than anyone his age should. It's a
thought provoking read for kids and adults.
If this book seems super authentic, maybe it's because the
author knows whereof she speaks. Her son needed five years of
operations for a medical problem similar to Levi's.
On a personal note, being the healthy sibling of a fragile child/teen
can be a heavy and sometimes overwhelming challenge. When Harriet
suffered severe brain damage due to spinal meningitis and my dad
checked out in a lot of ways though staying physically present I had
more responsibility than I could handle.
A great big shout out goes out to the author of this fine book for
drawing on very personal experiences to speak the truth to life.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sweet Home Alaska
Sweet Home Alaska
Juvenile historical fiction
Back in the 1930s President Roosevelt came up with a number of
innovative programs to help people in dire financial straits due to
the great depression. One of the lesser known ones, the Palmer
Colony, has been largely forgotten. Lucky for readers, when Carole
Estby Dagg's son bought a home in Palmer, Alaska, she learned about it
and shared her discovery with us in her spirited Sweet Home Alaska.
Terpsichore's father has lost his job as a mill bookkeeper.
Even though the family has planted vegetables in every bit of their
yard they never have enough to eat. One night at supper he announces
a government resettlement project. Each family moving to Palmer,
Alaska will receive forty acres of land and a $3,000 loan to start a
farm.
That idea goes over like a lead balloon. Terpsichore's mom says
they don't have to do something quite so drastic. They can apply for
relief or move in with her mother. Her dad rejects both suggestions.
It's his job to provide for his family. Ultimately he prevails.
The reality of Alaska is harsh. Families must live in tents
while their homes are being built. Terpsichore's family wakes one day
to find snow weighing down their tent. Cots must be netted to keep
out large, blood thirsty Mosquitos. A hospital is lacking. Young
children die in a measles epidemic.
Terpsichore's mother becomes more and more eager to return to
civilization and her mother. She's only agreed to stay until the
first real harvest. Then she has the power to insist that the family
return to Wisconsin.
Terpsichore, however, has really taken to Alaska. She's started
a library with donated books from many states. She's discovered the
potential for growing giant vegetables provided by the long summer
days. How can she persuade her mom that Palmer is where they really
belong?
Terpsichore's pumpkin oatmeal cookies (recipe included) are the
cat's pajamas--especially with pecans and golden raisins. I'm not
exactly eager to try to whip up some jellied moose nose (recipe also
included) though.
What a great summer read aloud for a family on a camping trip!
On a personal note, I read that Portland Press Herald was looking for
regular opinion writers. I sent in the required piece. I learned
that wasn't what they were looking for. I said, well I'm not good
enough for Portland. My editor said Portland doesn't know what
they're missing.
A great big shout out goes out to my Bangor Daily news readers who
seem plenty happy with what I dish out.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile historical fiction
Back in the 1930s President Roosevelt came up with a number of
innovative programs to help people in dire financial straits due to
the great depression. One of the lesser known ones, the Palmer
Colony, has been largely forgotten. Lucky for readers, when Carole
Estby Dagg's son bought a home in Palmer, Alaska, she learned about it
and shared her discovery with us in her spirited Sweet Home Alaska.
Terpsichore's father has lost his job as a mill bookkeeper.
Even though the family has planted vegetables in every bit of their
yard they never have enough to eat. One night at supper he announces
a government resettlement project. Each family moving to Palmer,
Alaska will receive forty acres of land and a $3,000 loan to start a
farm.
That idea goes over like a lead balloon. Terpsichore's mom says
they don't have to do something quite so drastic. They can apply for
relief or move in with her mother. Her dad rejects both suggestions.
It's his job to provide for his family. Ultimately he prevails.
The reality of Alaska is harsh. Families must live in tents
while their homes are being built. Terpsichore's family wakes one day
to find snow weighing down their tent. Cots must be netted to keep
out large, blood thirsty Mosquitos. A hospital is lacking. Young
children die in a measles epidemic.
Terpsichore's mother becomes more and more eager to return to
civilization and her mother. She's only agreed to stay until the
first real harvest. Then she has the power to insist that the family
return to Wisconsin.
Terpsichore, however, has really taken to Alaska. She's started
a library with donated books from many states. She's discovered the
potential for growing giant vegetables provided by the long summer
days. How can she persuade her mom that Palmer is where they really
belong?
Terpsichore's pumpkin oatmeal cookies (recipe included) are the
cat's pajamas--especially with pecans and golden raisins. I'm not
exactly eager to try to whip up some jellied moose nose (recipe also
included) though.
What a great summer read aloud for a family on a camping trip!
On a personal note, I read that Portland Press Herald was looking for
regular opinion writers. I sent in the required piece. I learned
that wasn't what they were looking for. I said, well I'm not good
enough for Portland. My editor said Portland doesn't know what
they're missing.
A great big shout out goes out to my Bangor Daily news readers who
seem plenty happy with what I dish out.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Mama's Nightingale
Mama's Nightingale
Picture book
If the Statue of Liberty ever came to life I believe she would
be horrified to see how the welcoming of newcomers to this country she
personifies has been, to a large extent, replaced by fear based
rejection. When a leading presidential candidate talks about building
big walls, you know things are changing and not for the better. Even
the youngest newcomers aren't spared. Preschool children are expected
to represent themselves without benefit of lawyer--a feat very few
adults can pull off.
Edwidge Danticat's Mama's Nightingale: A Story of Immigration
and Seperation puts a lovely little face on the widespread heartache
being caused by these changes.
Saya gets out of bed to listen to her mother's voice on her
family's answering machine. She misses her terribly. Her mom is in a
prison for women who don't have papers.
Saya's father writes letters to people in high places. They are
never answered. He is heartbreakingly unable to tell his daughter
when (or if) her mother will come home to live with them.
But then Saya writes a letter of her own. Things start to happen.
Leslie Staub's paintings are expressive and evocative. Reality
and fantasy are intimately entwined as they are in the mind of a very
young child. Pink pajama clad Saya lies in bed asleep clutching her
toy monkey while above her in her dream her mother flies free,
accompanied by a nightingale holding a key.
Most of us can imagine what it would have been like as children
to live separated from a beloved parent. Danticat did not have to.
For most of her youth she lived apart from her parents who resided in
the United States and could not send for her due to lack of papers.
With the USA jailing and deporting over 70,000 parents who have
children born in America there is a lot of unnecessary heartbreak.
Danticat dedicated this book to those children. We can dedicate time
and effort to changing out nation's family breaking policies. We owe
them nothing less.
On a personal note, my daffodils are blooming beautifully. The only
problem is it's still too chilly to sit outside much. I am stubborn.
I bundle up sometimes and pull out a shed chair to read near my
precious flowers and watch with gratitude the bees that flit from
flower to flower sorta like students at a pub crawl.
A great big shout out goes out to all who work to keep parents and
children together.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
If the Statue of Liberty ever came to life I believe she would
be horrified to see how the welcoming of newcomers to this country she
personifies has been, to a large extent, replaced by fear based
rejection. When a leading presidential candidate talks about building
big walls, you know things are changing and not for the better. Even
the youngest newcomers aren't spared. Preschool children are expected
to represent themselves without benefit of lawyer--a feat very few
adults can pull off.
Edwidge Danticat's Mama's Nightingale: A Story of Immigration
and Seperation puts a lovely little face on the widespread heartache
being caused by these changes.
Saya gets out of bed to listen to her mother's voice on her
family's answering machine. She misses her terribly. Her mom is in a
prison for women who don't have papers.
Saya's father writes letters to people in high places. They are
never answered. He is heartbreakingly unable to tell his daughter
when (or if) her mother will come home to live with them.
But then Saya writes a letter of her own. Things start to happen.
Leslie Staub's paintings are expressive and evocative. Reality
and fantasy are intimately entwined as they are in the mind of a very
young child. Pink pajama clad Saya lies in bed asleep clutching her
toy monkey while above her in her dream her mother flies free,
accompanied by a nightingale holding a key.
Most of us can imagine what it would have been like as children
to live separated from a beloved parent. Danticat did not have to.
For most of her youth she lived apart from her parents who resided in
the United States and could not send for her due to lack of papers.
With the USA jailing and deporting over 70,000 parents who have
children born in America there is a lot of unnecessary heartbreak.
Danticat dedicated this book to those children. We can dedicate time
and effort to changing out nation's family breaking policies. We owe
them nothing less.
On a personal note, my daffodils are blooming beautifully. The only
problem is it's still too chilly to sit outside much. I am stubborn.
I bundle up sometimes and pull out a shed chair to read near my
precious flowers and watch with gratitude the bees that flit from
flower to flower sorta like students at a pub crawl.
A great big shout out goes out to all who work to keep parents and
children together.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
On Writing For Children & Other People
On Writing For Children & Other People
YA nonfiction
"Why does anybody tell a story? It does indeed have something
to do with faith, faith that the universe has meaning, that our little
lives are not irrelevant, that what we chose or say or do matters,
matters cosmically." (Madeleine L'Engle quoted in On Writing For
Children & Other People).
Anyone with a serious grasp of children's and YA literature is
familiar with the work of Julius Lester. We're a lot less cognizant
of the back story of his work, the perceptions and choices that shaped
his books. For instance, a defining moment in his childhood was
seeing his father throw out a brochure from a company offering to (for
a price) research the Lester family tree.
"Daddy laughed dryly. 'I don't need to pay anybody to tell me
where we came from. Our family tree ends in a bill of sale. Lester
is the name of the family that owned us.'"
Not surprisingly, Lester's first published children's book was
his Newbury Honor book To Be A Slave, a rich combination of historical
information and archived narrative.
Anyone desiring instructions on how to create a publishable
manuscript will be sorely disappointed. Along with autobiographical
information, Lester presents a philosophical discourse. In his mind
the difference between a Stephen King and a mother telling drowsy
children a bed time story is one of degree, not absolutes. Both
endeavor to know and be known through this act of sharing. Optimally
either can get beyond the race, gender, politics and the divisions we
make so much of and touch on the common heart of humanity.
"So, this book has three dimensions. The first is the text
itself, the theme at the center of contrapuntal lines. The second is
the quotations that begin each section...My work does not exist in
isolation but is part of a continuum comprised of men and women for
whom it is a sacred task to offer to children books that care about
story and language.
"The third dimension is the images, primarily of children into
whose faces I have gazed, faces that have probed mine with far more
intensity than any adult would dare..."
On Writing For Children & Other People is a wonderful read for
writers (both those aiming for publication and those with more modest
personal goals), readers, and anyone who has pondered the nature of
the human soul.
On a personal note, I recommended this book to my writing class
classmates who so generously and trustingly share their work.
A great big shout out goes out to kindred spirits who believe that the
universe has meaning, our little lives are not irrelevant, and that
what we say and do matters.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA nonfiction
"Why does anybody tell a story? It does indeed have something
to do with faith, faith that the universe has meaning, that our little
lives are not irrelevant, that what we chose or say or do matters,
matters cosmically." (Madeleine L'Engle quoted in On Writing For
Children & Other People).
Anyone with a serious grasp of children's and YA literature is
familiar with the work of Julius Lester. We're a lot less cognizant
of the back story of his work, the perceptions and choices that shaped
his books. For instance, a defining moment in his childhood was
seeing his father throw out a brochure from a company offering to (for
a price) research the Lester family tree.
"Daddy laughed dryly. 'I don't need to pay anybody to tell me
where we came from. Our family tree ends in a bill of sale. Lester
is the name of the family that owned us.'"
Not surprisingly, Lester's first published children's book was
his Newbury Honor book To Be A Slave, a rich combination of historical
information and archived narrative.
Anyone desiring instructions on how to create a publishable
manuscript will be sorely disappointed. Along with autobiographical
information, Lester presents a philosophical discourse. In his mind
the difference between a Stephen King and a mother telling drowsy
children a bed time story is one of degree, not absolutes. Both
endeavor to know and be known through this act of sharing. Optimally
either can get beyond the race, gender, politics and the divisions we
make so much of and touch on the common heart of humanity.
"So, this book has three dimensions. The first is the text
itself, the theme at the center of contrapuntal lines. The second is
the quotations that begin each section...My work does not exist in
isolation but is part of a continuum comprised of men and women for
whom it is a sacred task to offer to children books that care about
story and language.
"The third dimension is the images, primarily of children into
whose faces I have gazed, faces that have probed mine with far more
intensity than any adult would dare..."
On Writing For Children & Other People is a wonderful read for
writers (both those aiming for publication and those with more modest
personal goals), readers, and anyone who has pondered the nature of
the human soul.
On a personal note, I recommended this book to my writing class
classmates who so generously and trustingly share their work.
A great big shout out goes out to kindred spirits who believe that the
universe has meaning, our little lives are not irrelevant, and that
what we say and do matters.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
28 Days
28 Days
Picture book
Author Charles R. Smith Jr. admits to having a love/hate
relationship with Black History Month. He loves celebrating black
culture that month but hates ignoring it the rest of the year. And he
gets tired of always celebrating the same people. He wanted to praise
some of the less well known black achievers, particularly modern day
ones. Fortunately his editor write a Black History Month book focused
around the number 28. This fortuitous idea resulted in 28 Days:
Moments In Black History That Changed The World.
Beginning with Crispus Attaks whose murder by British soldiers
started the Boston Massacre (Day 1) and ending with Barack O'Bama's
inauguration (Day 28) Smith presents readers with defining moments in
black history. This is not, however, a book to skim. The form of
each narrative is shaped to perfectly compliment its subject.
The verses celebrating Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe have the
rapid fire cadence of a tennis match.
"Althea progressed
from paddle to racquet
and learned to chase
the ball and smack it."
The biographic information on astronauts Guion (Guy) Bluford and
Mae Jemison comes in the form of a pre launch countdown.
"Guy is one of five astronauts on board the space shuttle Challenger.
Age five, Mae declares she wants to be a scientist when she grows up.
'Don't you mean a nurse,' her kindergarten teacher asks.
'No, a scientist,' Mae says."
(Gotta love her persistance.)
Shane W. Evans' collage like illustrations mirror this
expressive variety. World War I hero Henry Johnson races across an
explosive warscape. Rosa Parks, handcuffed, is a study in
determination and dignity. The intricate snow flakes in the
background of the portrait of North Pole explorer Matthew Henson
convey the bone deep cold in the air.
Again this is a picture book of real value for children older
than preschool. Each of the individuals profiled is worthy of in depth
study. I think very few kids walking the face of this earth who
wouldn't be curious about at least one of them. Maybe a future Black
History Month class or club project could involve kids singly or in
groups studying different people and reporting back. Add some jazz
music or spirituals and traditional foods and you can have a party.
Think I'll spring this idea on my book club for next year.
BTW there is a day 29 focussed on the reader, encouraging her/
him to make a difference in the world.
"will your questions change laws,
will your words inspire others,
will your name be passed on
by fathers and mothers?
Will the fire in your spirit
spark a revolution,
will your actions advance
humanity's evolution?"
YOWZA!
On a personal note, I had three chances this past week to read my
poetry aloud: a writing workshop on Monday where I won a prize, an
open mic on Thursday, and a coffee house on Friday. It's always so
wonderful to be in a space where people are really into each other's
work and there's enough safety and support for some of us to try for
the first time and others of us to try new ideas and material.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who made these events
possible, especially my friend, Dylan Cunningham, who did an
exceptionally good job of running a coffee house for the first time.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Author Charles R. Smith Jr. admits to having a love/hate
relationship with Black History Month. He loves celebrating black
culture that month but hates ignoring it the rest of the year. And he
gets tired of always celebrating the same people. He wanted to praise
some of the less well known black achievers, particularly modern day
ones. Fortunately his editor write a Black History Month book focused
around the number 28. This fortuitous idea resulted in 28 Days:
Moments In Black History That Changed The World.
Beginning with Crispus Attaks whose murder by British soldiers
started the Boston Massacre (Day 1) and ending with Barack O'Bama's
inauguration (Day 28) Smith presents readers with defining moments in
black history. This is not, however, a book to skim. The form of
each narrative is shaped to perfectly compliment its subject.
The verses celebrating Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe have the
rapid fire cadence of a tennis match.
"Althea progressed
from paddle to racquet
and learned to chase
the ball and smack it."
The biographic information on astronauts Guion (Guy) Bluford and
Mae Jemison comes in the form of a pre launch countdown.
"Guy is one of five astronauts on board the space shuttle Challenger.
Age five, Mae declares she wants to be a scientist when she grows up.
'Don't you mean a nurse,' her kindergarten teacher asks.
'No, a scientist,' Mae says."
(Gotta love her persistance.)
Shane W. Evans' collage like illustrations mirror this
expressive variety. World War I hero Henry Johnson races across an
explosive warscape. Rosa Parks, handcuffed, is a study in
determination and dignity. The intricate snow flakes in the
background of the portrait of North Pole explorer Matthew Henson
convey the bone deep cold in the air.
Again this is a picture book of real value for children older
than preschool. Each of the individuals profiled is worthy of in depth
study. I think very few kids walking the face of this earth who
wouldn't be curious about at least one of them. Maybe a future Black
History Month class or club project could involve kids singly or in
groups studying different people and reporting back. Add some jazz
music or spirituals and traditional foods and you can have a party.
Think I'll spring this idea on my book club for next year.
BTW there is a day 29 focussed on the reader, encouraging her/
him to make a difference in the world.
"will your questions change laws,
will your words inspire others,
will your name be passed on
by fathers and mothers?
Will the fire in your spirit
spark a revolution,
will your actions advance
humanity's evolution?"
YOWZA!
On a personal note, I had three chances this past week to read my
poetry aloud: a writing workshop on Monday where I won a prize, an
open mic on Thursday, and a coffee house on Friday. It's always so
wonderful to be in a space where people are really into each other's
work and there's enough safety and support for some of us to try for
the first time and others of us to try new ideas and material.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who made these events
possible, especially my friend, Dylan Cunningham, who did an
exceptionally good job of running a coffee house for the first time.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Inside Out & Back Again
Inside Out & Back Again
Juvenile fiction
Today's politically turbulant world is the scene of massive
immigration. Looking at the sheer numbers can overwhelm us and blind
us to the reality that these crowds are composed of individuals as
distinct as we are, often frightened and bewildered young people who
travel from native lands in turmoil to hugely different host
countries. Thanhha Lai's Inside Out & Back Again, based on the
author's own childhood experiences, told in sparse and evocative free
verse, helps personalize the kids we see on tv and the challenges they
face.
Ha lives with her mother and three aggravating brothers in
Saigon. Her Navy father vanished nine years ago when she was a baby.
Soldiers are everywhere. She can't play outside at night. Alarm
sirens require her to hide under her bed. The war is getting very
close to home.
School closes early. There is never enough to eat. People who
can manage to do so flee, convinced that the end of the South Vietnam
they call home is at hand. Ha's mother decides they too must leave.
"I've lived in the North.
At first, not much will happen,
then suddenly Quang
will be asked to leave college.
Ha will come home
chanting the slogans
of Ho Chi Minh,
and Khoi will be rewarded
for reporting to his teacher
everything we say in the house."
In very poignant moment as they prepare a meager supper, with tears in
her eyes, she tells her daughter:
"You deserve to grow up
where you don't worry about
saving half a bite
of sweet potatoe."
After a dangerous and arduous boat voyage and a layover at a
tent city in Guam a new life in Alabama presents its own challenges.
American food is very strange. English is a challenging language to
learn. There are bullies at school and in the community. Ha has
moments when she would choose to be in war time Saigon rather than
peace time Alabama.
This poignant coming of age story is a great read for
intermediate grade students, especially those in schools that receive
new immigrants.
On a personal note, this week UMaine has been celebrating Pride Week.
From the flag raising and tee shirt tie dying Monday through the tea
party and open mic and all the other activities it has been nothing
short of amazing.
A great big shout out goes out to all the fine folks who made this
year's pride week such a success.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
Today's politically turbulant world is the scene of massive
immigration. Looking at the sheer numbers can overwhelm us and blind
us to the reality that these crowds are composed of individuals as
distinct as we are, often frightened and bewildered young people who
travel from native lands in turmoil to hugely different host
countries. Thanhha Lai's Inside Out & Back Again, based on the
author's own childhood experiences, told in sparse and evocative free
verse, helps personalize the kids we see on tv and the challenges they
face.
Ha lives with her mother and three aggravating brothers in
Saigon. Her Navy father vanished nine years ago when she was a baby.
Soldiers are everywhere. She can't play outside at night. Alarm
sirens require her to hide under her bed. The war is getting very
close to home.
School closes early. There is never enough to eat. People who
can manage to do so flee, convinced that the end of the South Vietnam
they call home is at hand. Ha's mother decides they too must leave.
"I've lived in the North.
At first, not much will happen,
then suddenly Quang
will be asked to leave college.
Ha will come home
chanting the slogans
of Ho Chi Minh,
and Khoi will be rewarded
for reporting to his teacher
everything we say in the house."
In very poignant moment as they prepare a meager supper, with tears in
her eyes, she tells her daughter:
"You deserve to grow up
where you don't worry about
saving half a bite
of sweet potatoe."
After a dangerous and arduous boat voyage and a layover at a
tent city in Guam a new life in Alabama presents its own challenges.
American food is very strange. English is a challenging language to
learn. There are bullies at school and in the community. Ha has
moments when she would choose to be in war time Saigon rather than
peace time Alabama.
This poignant coming of age story is a great read for
intermediate grade students, especially those in schools that receive
new immigrants.
On a personal note, this week UMaine has been celebrating Pride Week.
From the flag raising and tee shirt tie dying Monday through the tea
party and open mic and all the other activities it has been nothing
short of amazing.
A great big shout out goes out to all the fine folks who made this
year's pride week such a success.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
The Grand Mosque of Paris
The Grand Mosque of Paris
Picture book
These days when powerful politicians stir up prejudice against
Muslims and work hard to keep families in dire peril in their nations
from entering our country by playing the terrorist card Karen Grey
Ruelle's The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued
Jews During the Holocaust is a book whose time has come.
In 1940 Nazi Germans brought their antisemetic, genocidal agenda
to France. Collaborating with the Vichy government, they began
sending Jews (including 11,402 children and babies) to death camps.
Not all French citizens cooperated. In the countryside Jewish
children were hidden in places like convents and farms. In thickly
occuppied Paris, however, the situation was a lot more dire.
Smuggling Jews to safety would require a place of refuge viewed as
above suspicion...
...The Grand Mosque was such a place. Built in 1926 on land
donated by France in gratitude for the 500,000 Muslim solidiers who
had aided France in WWI, it served the spiritual and community needs
of its congregants. During WWII, at serious risk to those who worked
and worshipped there, it became a hub for rescuing Jews and delivering
them to safer locales. The Grand Modque of Paris tells this amazing
and largely forgotten story.
Deborah Durland DeSaix's illustrations are spell binding.
Street scenes starkly show a very scary place and time. Nazi soldiers
march grimly past the Arc de Triomphe. A yellow star wearing woman
tries to shield her baby and young son from a police officer. In
contrast those in and around the mosque are rich in calm and beauty.
The Grand Mosque of Paris is one of the new nonfiction books
useful to children much older than the toddler and preschool set.
Looking at this historical event can give older children and even
adults a fresh way of looking at the dangerous religious prejudices of
our own time.
On a personal note, Penobscot County is experience some pretty strange
weather. We have bright sunshine combined with unseasonable chill.
Still the flowers, including my front yard daffodils, are bursting out
all over and the returning robins are fascinating Joey cat by their
food seeking antics.
A great big shout out goes out to all who work on behalf of persecuted
and endangered minorities.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
These days when powerful politicians stir up prejudice against
Muslims and work hard to keep families in dire peril in their nations
from entering our country by playing the terrorist card Karen Grey
Ruelle's The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued
Jews During the Holocaust is a book whose time has come.
In 1940 Nazi Germans brought their antisemetic, genocidal agenda
to France. Collaborating with the Vichy government, they began
sending Jews (including 11,402 children and babies) to death camps.
Not all French citizens cooperated. In the countryside Jewish
children were hidden in places like convents and farms. In thickly
occuppied Paris, however, the situation was a lot more dire.
Smuggling Jews to safety would require a place of refuge viewed as
above suspicion...
...The Grand Mosque was such a place. Built in 1926 on land
donated by France in gratitude for the 500,000 Muslim solidiers who
had aided France in WWI, it served the spiritual and community needs
of its congregants. During WWII, at serious risk to those who worked
and worshipped there, it became a hub for rescuing Jews and delivering
them to safer locales. The Grand Modque of Paris tells this amazing
and largely forgotten story.
Deborah Durland DeSaix's illustrations are spell binding.
Street scenes starkly show a very scary place and time. Nazi soldiers
march grimly past the Arc de Triomphe. A yellow star wearing woman
tries to shield her baby and young son from a police officer. In
contrast those in and around the mosque are rich in calm and beauty.
The Grand Mosque of Paris is one of the new nonfiction books
useful to children much older than the toddler and preschool set.
Looking at this historical event can give older children and even
adults a fresh way of looking at the dangerous religious prejudices of
our own time.
On a personal note, Penobscot County is experience some pretty strange
weather. We have bright sunshine combined with unseasonable chill.
Still the flowers, including my front yard daffodils, are bursting out
all over and the returning robins are fascinating Joey cat by their
food seeking antics.
A great big shout out goes out to all who work on behalf of persecuted
and endangered minorities.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)