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Watermark Teacher Feature – October 24, 2007
In this issue:
BOOK NEWS
Newsflashes: Gordon Parks book wins award; National Book Award finalists named
Fresh Titles: Good manners, polar bears, Sardine in Outer Space
UPCOMING EVENTS
Margaret Hathaway Reading & Signing: Friday, October 26. 7:00 p.m.
Annette Wood Book Signing: Sunday, October 28. 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Brock Clarke Reading & Signing: Tuesday, October 30. 7:00 p.m.
FEATURED BOOK REVIEW
* Nick Hornby’s first novel for young adults
READ PRO QUO
* Free books and advance galleys on offer
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This and previous issues of Teacher Feature are available on the Watermark Web
site. You can read on-line, complete with pictures and clickable links, here:
http://www.watermarkbooks.com/teach.html
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Greetings and salutations,
I think that more of a good thing is, well, more goodness—and that’s great! This
issue of Teacher Feature celebrates the ideal of "extra" by featuring a few new
books in several fine series. The "Newsflash" section also highlights titles
receiving the extra-special recognition of major awards and award nominations.
And in the spirit of More, I have several copies and advance galleys of featured
books to give away, too. (There was such strong interest last time in copies of
Edward Bloor's "Taken" that I thought we should keep things going!)
There's a bit of catch—a fun one, I think: to request one of the free books or
advance copies on offer, please send me a quick note, just a line or two, about
a book you're reading, one you've recently finished, or something that your
students or kids have read—and include a bit about what you enjoyed (or didn't)
or to whom you think the book would appeal. They can be books for adults or
young readers, whatever catches your eye. It's as easy as that!
To see what books are currently on offer, check the "Read Pro Quo" section at
the bottom of this issue. (And language teachers, feel free to shake a fist at
my butchery of the Latin language.)
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NEWSFLASHES
Gordon Parks biography wins national social studies book award:
The National Council for the Social Studies recently awarded the 2007 Carter G.
Woodson Book Award to the youth biography “Gordon Parks, No Excuses” by Kansas
author Ann Parr and Kansas illustrator Kathryn Breidenthal. November 30 will be
the birthday of Parks, now deceased, a celebrated Kansas photographer,
journalist, musician, poet, film director, and author. (Earlier this year, his
novel “The Learning Tree” was chosen as the first reading selection of “Kansas
Reads!” a One-Book One-State program sponsored by the State Library of Kansas.)
Plan now to celebrate Parks’s birthday using “Gordon Parks: No Excuses” in your
school or library. Read a review here:
http://www.watermarkbooks.com/review0107-013.html
For previous winners of the Carter G. Woodson Award, visit this Web site:
www.socialstudies.org/awards/woodson
Finalists announced for the National Book Awards
The National Book Award Foundation recently released its list of finalists for
this year’s awards. Here are the contenders in the category of Young People’s
Literature:
* "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
* "Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic, Book One" by Kathleen Duey
* "Touching Snow" by M. Sindy Felin
* "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick
* "Story of a Girl" by Sara Zarr
I’m reading Alexie’s book now and laughing insanely (between moments of
heartbreak), so expect to hear more about it soon. I read “Story of a Girl” back
in July and found it honest and uncommonly powerful. Both have been very popular
among both teens and adults. You can read a review of Sara Zarr’s book here:
http://www.watermarkbooks.com/review0707-015.html
Award winners will be announced November 14. For lists of all this year’s awards
finalists, visit: http://www.nationalbook.org
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FRESH TITLES
Picture books for preschool to age 8
"Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf" by Judy Sierra, illus. by J. Otto Seibold
(Alfred A. Knopf, 9780375835322, $16.99) Watermark’s Carolyn Kretzer calls this
story of good manners, library skills, and slightly burpy songs a perfect
read-aloud book. Read her review to find out what makes Judy Sierra’s take on
the Big Bad Wolf such a delight:
Read review
“Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World” by Craig, Juliana, &
Isabella Hatkoff (Scholastic Press, 9780545047166, $16.99) From the authors
of the beloved “Owen & Mzee” books comes this nonfiction story of a polar
bear cub nurtured by the care and kindness of a dedicated zookeeper. It’s a
photo-illustrated picture book of real-life lessons on animal growth and the
possible effects of global warming on habitats:
Read review
Middle-grades fiction: ages 8 to 12
“Sardine in Outer Space 4” by Emmanuel Guibert & Joann Sfar (First
Second, 9781596431294, $13.95) This is the latest in a French series of youth
graphic novels filled with gooey, quirky laughs and out-of-this-world pirate
adventures. Shiny robots, weird monsters, and other odd critters crowd the
pages, and each planet visited by Sardine’s loyal crew is a place of wonder.
Kids love these offbeat books!
Read review
"Main Street: Needle & Thread" by Ann M. Martin (Scholastic,
9780439868808, $6.99) The “Main Street” series offers comforting and familial
stories about two young girls living with their crafty grandma in a close-knit
New England town. This second installment takes Ruby and Flora through Halloween
and Thanksgiving; surprisingly smart and affecting, it’s a perfect seasonal read
that speaks right to young kids’ interests in navigating friendships and big
life changes. Read
review
Young adult fiction: age 12 and up
“Drama! Everyone's a Critic” by Paul Ruditis (Simon Pulse, 9781416933922,
$8.99) This light comedic novel continues the very funny series of high-school
theatre stories begun in “Drama! The Four Dorothys.” These clean, harmless books
about cutthroat thespians are a smash hit with theatre kids and with legions of
avid “High School Musical” fans. This time around, Bryan and company compete
tooth-and-nail for choice spots in an exclusive acting program, and the results
are, shall we say, SO DRAMATIC!
Read review
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UPCOMING WATERMARK EVENTS
Margaret Hathaway Reading & Signing: Friday, October 26. 7:00 p.m.
Wichita-born author Margaret Hathaway will be at Watermark to read and sign
“The Year of the Goat: 40,000 Miles and the Quest for the Perfect Cheese.”
Former manager of Manhattan's celebrated Magnolia Bakery, Hathaway left the
workaday world to travel in search of peace, pastures, and perfect goat cheese.
Annette Wood Book Signing: Sunday, October 28. 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Wichita author Annette Wood will sign copies of her book, “A Different Kind of
Kin: For Relatives of Persons with Autism.” Wood grew up in the 1950s with a
sister who had autism. In 1958, when Jan was diagnosed, only one in ten thousand
was known to have the developmental disability. Today, one in 150 will be
diagnosed with some form of autism, and the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention has called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and
cure remain unknown. This book, intended as a support for family members, is
based on personal experience and interviews with parents and other family
members of persons with autism in eight states and Canada. It will be an
enlightening resource for educators, students, and family members of persons
with special needs.
Brock Clarke Reading & Signing: Tuesday, October 30. 7:00 p.m.
Brock Clarke will be at Watermark to read and sign his new nlove, “An Arsonist's
Guide to Writers' Homes in New England.” Clarke is a visiting writer with
Wichita State University’s creative writing program. He’s the author of three
previous books, “The Ordinary White Boy” and two story collections. His works
have appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, OneStory, the Believer, the
Georgia Review, and the Southern Review and have appeared on NPR's Selected
Shorts. He lives in Cincinnati and teaches creative writing at the University of
Cincinnati. You can visit the Web site for his new book here:
http://www.arsonistsguide.com/
For a full listing of Watermark events, including book clubs and art openings,
visit the Events page of our Web site at:
http://www.watermarkbooks.com/events.html
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FEATURED REVIEW: Nick Hornby’s first novel for young adults
"Slam" by Nick Hornby (Putnam Juvenile, 9780399250484, $19.99)
Nick Hornby aims for teenagers and adult readers alike with his first
young-adult novel. In previous books "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy," he wrote
about men who act like kids; in "Slam," he tells the story of a London guy who
suddenly needs to grow up fast. Sixteen-year-old Sam is a skater and the son of
a young single mom. Now, having just broken up with his first serious
girlfriend, Sam discovers that he's about to become a father. Propelled by the
engine of Sam's utter cluelessness, comedy and drama ensue.
Hornby starts with infatuation, i.e., how Sam and Alicia's troubles began, and
he follows their relationship through its brief heat and quick decline. Along
the way, we meet Sam's superwoman mom and learn how she managed to right her own
life and finish her education after having had Sam way too young. The threat of
family history repeating itself weights the punch that comes when Alicia gives
Sam the news that she might be pregnant: it happens in a Starbucks, of course,
and after buying coffees, the two kids can barely scrape together ten pounds to
buy a home pregnancy test.
"Slam" is a teen problem novel, a very funny one that incorporates a sly fantasy
element: Sam turns to a poster of his hero, skateboard legend Tony Hawk,
whenever things look dire, and his poster talks back. "T.H." as Sam calls him,
dispenses cryptic advice on life, love, and skating, and on more than one
occasion, T.H. sends Sam whizzing a year into the future for glimpses of what
the life of a boy, interrupted, looks like. Sam meets his own son and gains
long-term perspective on his new-found status as a teenage dad.
As time goes on, Sam realizes that his life isn't over, just powerfully
different, and he chooses, despite setbacks and stumbles, to do everything he
can to be the sort of present, dependable father he himself never had. Hornby
balances Sam's brave, funny, naive narrative with the tough humor of Sam's
mother and the gutsy pluck of his sometime-girlfriend Alicia. They're enjoyable
characters caught together in a tight jam, trying to find a way through. "There
is such a thing as a right age, isn't there?" Sam says, "And sixteen isn't it,
even if you try to make the best of it when it's happened."
"Slam" tells teens an important story that's personal and relatable, and it
helps adults remember how bright and loud it feels to be young, thoughtless, and
scared. It's a great book for parents and teens to read in tandem and discuss
together; it's also just the sort of flat-out enjoyable story one expects from
Nick Hornby.
Recommended for adults and teens age 13 and older.
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READ PRO QUO: Free books for a song!
Here are the books currently on offer:
* One signed copy of "Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf" by Judy Sierra
* One copy of the original "Owen & Mzee" picture book by the Hatkoffs
* A 2-in-1 advance galley of the first two "Main Street" book by Ann M. Martin
* An advance galley of the first "Drama!" book "The Four Dorothys" by Paul
Ruditis
* An advance galley of Nick Hornby's new YA novel "Slam"
To request a book, send an e-mail with a quick bit about one of your recent
reads (see description above), along with your name and contact info, and the
title or titles of the book or books you're requesting to me at:
markdbradshaw@hotmail.com
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Past reviews and archived issues of Teacher Feature can be read on-line on the
Watermark Web site at:
http://www.watermarkbooks.com/teacharchives.html
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Later educators,
Mark David Bradshaw
Click here for the Teacher Feature Archives
Peruse
back issues of teacher feature since its inception in April
2003.
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