Children's Books discussion

Come join us to discuss the Medal Winner,
Missing May by Cynthia Rylant

and/or the Honor books:
What Hearts by Bruce Brooks
The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia C. McKissack
Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers

I had to use paperbackswap for The Dark-Thirty and Somewhere in the Darkness. What Hearts and Missing May are both Little Free Library finds that I've been holding onto for years.

I hope you can find at least some of these at your library!

I have read Missing May and The Dark-Thirty many years ago, and so do not remember a whole lot about either one. I don't have any interest in reading the other two books.

First of all, the "Paw Prints" edition of Missing May has this isbn Missing May but a new cover, not on GR. But I'm glad I read it because it has all sorts of back matter, including Rylant's Newbery acceptance speech.

Second, there was stuff to like in this. I can see why it was lauded. But I don't like that we have no clue why/how Ob came to understand how to carry on without May. And I don't like how sophisticated the children's understandings are... kids are sharp, and not to be underestimated, but not as wise as these.

Cletus says to Summer: "... drop some of them bricks you keep hauling around with you. Life just ain't that heavy."

But then there's this:

"That's got to be one of the benefits of heaven--never having to act normal again."

Really? Maybe Summer isn't as wise as she could be all the time.

Anyway, I particularly like the praise of libraries in the acceptance speech. "They are free in the most democratic and humane way. Both the poor child and the wealthy child are privileged with free libraries...."

Could definitely lead to lots of discussion in a classroom, if the teacher could manage to encourage civil exchange of ideas with children who are being raised not to question their faith (of any variety, or their lack thereof) .

Overall an odd book that I liked, but didn't love.

I really liked MISSING MAY and wish to read more of Rylant's fiction (esp. THE ISLANDER), but I'm sure she never wrote anything nearly as perfect as THE OLD WOMAN WHO NAMED THINGS.

Probably my favorite book by Rylant is Mr. Putter And Tabby Pour The Tea or one of the others from that series. I love all her leveled readers.

Her most famous, the stand-alone picture-book The Relatives Came, is also wonderful.

The novel A Fine White Dust is more sophisticated than one might think, if only familiar with her picture-books. I did appreciate it more than Missing May.

I loved the first MR. PUTTER book, and need to delve into it.

I remember liking THE RELATIVES CAME, and will read A FINE WHITE DUST.

I gave The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural 4 stars. My review:

Ok, wow. These are not your average campfire horror stories that I personally find boring. They have real strong roots in the horrors that afflict those people affected by racism (white and black both). They are not so raw that they are unreadable, but they do remind us of history, and of the lessons we all need to learn from it.

I enjoyed so much of the writing, too much to try to share. But I do have to bring to you one quote. A proverb from Benin culture of West Africa, "Fear is the parent of monsters." Think about that when you're reading about, or being affected by, our current 'culture wars.

Turns out I've enjoyed a few picture-books by Patricia C. McKissack and will look for more. Goin' Someplace Special looks particularly interesting and is avl. locally.

Ok this is interesting. I just enjoyed the New Kid trilogy, the first of which is a 2020 Newbery Medal winner*, and one of the themes of the stories is how out of touch with the concerns of African-American children many adults are. Very well-meaning adults at the private school assumed that they were doing well to recommend 'gritty urban' stories about 'poor black kids in trouble' to their students. Craft called his example text something like "The Gritty Streets of South Uptown" (but much funnier).

Well, I've noticed that there are no shortage of gritty stories in the Newbery lists, including Somewhere in the Darkness in which our boy is on his way to being a delinquent because he skips school so much, has to navigate past junkies to get outside in the first place, only family is a friend of his mom, and the story is about his father who shows up one day out of the blue, grabs the boy, and splits, leaving a trail of lies behind him.

And then, finally, it ends, with us not learning anything about the mom, or anything about what Jimmy is going to do now that the adventure is over. Is he going to start taking school more seriously? Is Mama Jean going to tell him more of his family history? I can just hear the white teacher telling the almost all white classroom of students "What do you think? Discuss."

I don't feel bad about skipping the author's "Scorpions," a previous Newbery honor book.

(*We will be discussing New Kid when we get caught up to 2020 in this group. I look forward to the reread!)

Cheryl wrote: "Ok this is interesting. I just enjoyed the New Kid trilogy, the first of which is a 2020 Newbery Medal winner*, and one of the themes of the stories is how out of touch with the con..."

I have enjoyed Walter Dean Myers' poetry but his prose tends to leave me rather cold and feels too one sided.

Cheryl wrote: "Ok this is interesting. I just enjoyed the New Kid trilogy, the first of which is a 2020 Newbery Medal winner*, and one of the themes of the stories is how out of touch with the con..."

Yes, the point is that all these gritty stories about Black youth reinforce the stereotype. The hysterically funny YouTube series "Black Girl in a Big Dress" addresses some of those stereotypes.

We need stories like that to showcase that side of life but we also need books where people of color go about their ordinary lives.

I look forward to the discussion on New Kid. I really liked it and Class Act. School Trip not so much.

yes, exactly, thank you for saying it better than I did

Cheryl wrote: "yes, exactly, thank you for saying it better than I did"

He spells it out in School Trip when the kids confront the big issues head-on with the bully, Andy and the teachers.

Reinforcing stereotypes is at best problematic. I certainly are keeping increasingly away from books (as well as TV shows, and movies) geared towards children that either show Germans (or Brits) as either eccentric/strange or as evildoers and war criminals just because of their background.

Manybooks wrote: "Reinforcing stereotypes is at best problematic...."

? But this book is about confronting stereotypes. The white people, too, parents & teachers & staff, are shown as individuals, grappling with what racism means and how to behave respectfully.

Cheryl wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "Reinforcing stereotypes is at best problematic...."

? But this book is about confronting stereotypes. The white people, too, parents & teachers & staff, are shown as individuals,..."

I have not read the book, but I do stand by not really enjoying books that are too stereotypical (even if there are also stereotypes being confronted).

Well, I hope you read the trilogy with us when we get to it in a few years. I do believe you'll appreciate what Craft did, how he handled things.

I read What Hearts in a different edition.

I had a different cover that I like significantly less than this one. I only read it because of this club.

Turns out the stepfather isn't as awful as some blurb descriptions imply, baseball is a metaphor, Asa is wiser* than any child could be, and the mother should be on the cover somewhere prominent.

It is beautifully written, in a voice & style more often found in books for adults.

*I don't underestimate children. They are bright, clever, often surprisingly insightful. But there's no way Asa could be so in touch with the inner lives of adults when he's in kindergarten, for example.

So, my favorite this month is The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural. I also think it's the most valuable.