Paperback Reader » Children’s Lit

Claire's Corner

Paperback Reader — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:32:31 +0000

Thank you all for celebrating my first blog birthday with me; I appreciated your warm and thoughtful comments. I was also interested in seeing which books I have highlighted over the past year were selected should you win my give-away; I was delighted to see so many of you coveting my favourite Persephone book, Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary. Alas, nobody will be receiving a copy of that title from me this time as the lucky winner is Tony who opted for I Am a Cat by Sōseki Natsume. Congratulations, Tony! Please email me your address and I’ll send you a copy via The Book Depository (can’t beat the worldwide free shipping).

As for my own progress with the read-along of I Am a Cat, hosted by Tanabata of In Spring it is the Dawn, I am a month behind in the reading of the third and final volume. I have been in a little bit of book slump recently and have a number of unfinished books around me, that being one of them, but I hope to present my concluded thoughts soon. The saving grace is that the delay will allow me the opportunity for something Sōseki Natsume related, which I will post about at the same time.

You may have read my negative review of An Elegy for Easterly last week so imagine my humiliation when the author, Petina Gappah, also read it. What is more, she linked to it on her own blog. Gappah’s grace and dignity shamed me because I was entirely negative; I do try and balance any negative reviews that I write but, for the most part (I did mention that I liked the emotionally-charged title story and The Cracked, Pink Lips of Rosie’s Bridegroom”), I was harsh. I have no issues with voicing my opinions but I do forget that on the internet nothing is private and in the age of Google Alerts and social networking sites, some things come back to bite you. As it was, Petina Gappah was exceedingly gracious and we shared a few messages back and forth; I am thrilled that she was so complimentary about my blog and her humble attitude and constructive use of criticism more than persuaded me to read her first novel, The Book of Memory, when it is published early next year. The author’s pleasant attitude reminded me that there is such a thing as tact and that I could exercise it more often; I’ll always be honest (as I am in all of my reviews, not just the negative ones) but I will try to be less brutal about it, a lesson that applies to life just as much as it does to writing. I now have something of a literary crush on Petina Gappah as she is incredibly cool! I mean that, really, not just because she didn’t respond to my post nastily: have a look at her biography.

Today in The Guardian there is a gallery selection of the best (and naughtiest) heroes from children’s literature. Anne Shirley (of Green Gables fame) is my favourite character from children’s fiction and one of the best heroines in literature as a whole, so I am delighted that she made the cut; pray tell why, though, in the photograph she looks as if she is a brunette as opposed to flaming red-head?! Gilbert would be less than taken, I feel.

The Babysitters Club

Paperback Reader — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:30:00 +0000

My Friend Amy is hosting a week’s events in honour of The Babysitters Club series of books written by Ann M. Martin. I signed up to post today as the series of books were integral to my reading experience as a child. Between the ages of ten and twelve I devoured all of the books that were then published, which added up to seventy of the core series (funnily enough, they were ghost-written from just before that time) and ten of the Super Specials, which I adored. The only other series that I was likewise addicted to was the Sweet Valley Twins series by Francine Pascal, which I read at the same time, before I moved into my teens and onto Point Horror and the logical progression into Stephen King novels and my adult reading.

Regrettably all of BSC books that I owned as a child were left in a huge box in the attic of my old family home when my parents moved house along with almost all of my other books from childhood; if I had had any to hand I would have reread a couple in preparation for this week but I suspect that they would have lost the magic they held for me and perhaps it is better to cherish the memories. I read the books at a formative time but gradually grew out of them although I will always be attached to them.

I came across this fascinating article dedicated to the books on Mental Floss a few months ago, which was a lovely trip down memory lane and quite intriguing. I pity the poor intern/editorial assistant at Scholastic who had to create each handwritten BSC notebook entry for each individual member! For a while I too dotted my “i”s with hearts like Stacey to the chagrin of my teacher that year.

I enjoyed the diversity of the characters and although I couldn’t compare myself in entirety to any of them, I most identified with Claudia and Stacey, who were my favourite characters. I think that the appeal of the babysitters was their universality; there were attributes of each that one could recognise in oneself and I don’t think that any of them was solely a “type”. Claudia Kishi’s artistic creativity and her funky wardrobe were things I aspired for myself but not her atrocious spelling! Another fun BSC-themed Mental Floss feature is this diverting quiz: Kishi Creation or Fashionista Flop? I did quite well, even sixteen years on from reading the books!

By far I enjoyed the extended Super Specials more than any individual book and I reread these over and over. Oh how I wished to be an American middle-schooler from Stoneybrook, Connecticut, going to summer camp and ski lodges! The Babysitters Club books undoubtedly began my long obsession and love affair with Disneyworld and New York City; last year I finally visited Disneyworld for the first time but NYC still remains destination number one (the first special featured the babysitters on a cruise to Florida and the Bahamas and the sixth, New York! New York!, saw them visiting Stacey’s father in her home-city).

I noticed recently that Graphix, a division of Scholastic, have produced graphic novels of four of the earliest TBC titles. Apparently these are contemporary yet faithful illustrated versions of the books, beginning with Kristy’s Great Idea. This modern update of a series that defines part of my childhood intrigues me; I approve of attempts to bring the series to the bookshelves and library loans of a new generation of young girls.

One last point: I LOVED the UK cover-design of the books! The logo for which I had included above but here is a link to one of my favourite Super Specials (the quality is quite poor, otherwise I would have included it in post); each of the covers provided the window-glimpse into a scene from the novel, whether it be the group or the individual babysitter the book revolved around.

Were you a fan of The Babysitters Club or were your children or siblings? What was your favourite aspect of the series?

Blueberry Girl

Paperback Reader — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:30:00 +0000

Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman is a poem illustrated beautifully by Charles Vess. Ostensibly a picture-book, the poem was originally written by Neil for his friend Tori Amos and her daughter, Natashya (Tash), Neil’s god-daughter. Written the month before she was born, when she was known as “Blueberry”, Neil was asked to write her a poem and/or prayer, the hand-written version of which was hung by her bed once she was born; Neil kept a copy that many friends requested and which he copied out for them. He never intended to publish it, he intended to keep it private but the Blueberry Girl took on a life of her own and became “a book for mothers and for mothers-to-be. It’s a book for anyone who has, or is, a daughter. It’s a prayer and a poem, and now it’s a beautiful book” (a quote from Neil’s online Journal).

It is a truly wonderful book, beautiful and inspirational and something to cherish. As a daughter I appreciate that. There a couple of imminent babies entering my life and if either of them happen to be a girl then I will be gifting the proud parents and their new daughter with a copy of this book. It is uplifting and it makes me happy, as does this video of the illustrations from the book with Neil Gaiman reading his poem and lyrically lulling us into peacefulness with his dulcet tones .

Blueberry Girl is rich in wonder and dreams for the future daughter, who should be blessed with the freedom to pursue her dreams.

Grant her the wisdom to choose her path right,
free from unkindness and fear.

Whimsical, sweet and moving, this is a book for blueberry girls everywhere. May we be free to fulfill our dreams.

Blueberry Girl is published by Bloomsbury in the UK and I thank them for sending me a copy for review.

I am considering this my first book read for the Women Unbound Challenge as I cannot think of a children’s book more hopeful of equality and the fulfilling of potential.

The Children of Green Knowe

Paperback Reader — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0000

I have embraced my inner child again this weekend, despite the disappointment of revisiting What Katy Did, by picking up a copy of The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston, following an absence of at the very least fifteen years. Like the Chronicles of Narnia, Anne of Green Gables, A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, Black Beauty, The Worst Witch, and The Borrowers, what makes The Children of Green Knowe so vivid in my recalled imagination is the powerful adaptation for television that was made in by the BBC in 1986 (I believe that I must have watched a repeat viewing of it as in 1986 I was only five years old). It was a cherished and beloved book of mine and the revisit reminded me how good a children’s novel it is.

A ghost story for children, the novel revolves around Toseland (Tolly) Oldknow who goes to live with his great-Grandmother in the ancestral family home, Green Knowe, that has been known as Green Noah for centuries. Tolly and his Grandmother see ghosts of their ancestors, primarily three siblings -an earlier Toseland (Toby), Andrew, and Linette- who lived during the reign of Charles II and died in the Great Plague. There was a curse placed upon a large (green) topiary of Noah in the garden by a witch, the resulting tree demon affecting the Oldknow males and the topiary is left to become overgrown ever since, and another supernatural element in the protective stone St Christopher who becomes animated.

The novel is supernaturally evocative; the reader is caught up in the magic and its charm was not lost on me as an adult. The more ominous, frightening, tension was less effective now but that is only to be expected. The writing is beautifully depictive, the descriptions poetic, and I found this line wonderfully expressive:

He heard no thunder. It was even unnaturally quiet. Perhaps it only seemed unnatural because he himself was brimming with excitement. He heard the weir pounding at the end of the garden. It only made the quietness quieter. It was rather like a heart that is only heard when it beats too loud.

Another favourite passage, a poignant one:

He must have known of course that the children could not have lived so many centuries without growing old, but he had never thought about it. To him they were so real, so near, they were his own family that he needed more than anything on earth. He felt the world had come to an end.

I remember the book being longer as a child! Although Puffin classics probably were shorter and thicker.

What Katy Did

Paperback Reader — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:15:00 +0000

So embracing my inner child at the weekend wasn’t entirely successful. Re-reading What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge I was wishing that I hadn’t. Much as Hilary Mantel did I found Katy’s story to be pious and moralising. Is this really the Katy Carr I loved as a child? Post accident she is so saintly saccharine that I felt the need of a visit to the dentist.
I was a good child and I am sure that I looked to Katy as I did Anne Shirley and Mary Lennox and Pippi Longstocking as a means of escape. I certainly preferred the Katy Carr who got herself into scrapes earlier in the children’s novel and not Saint Katy that she later became.

What Katy Did at School was my favourite of the What Katy Did trilogy (What Katy Did Next I can barely recall) and I approach re-reading it with trepidation … what if all my wonderful childhood memories of reading and re-reading it are shattered? It is a school story, one of my favourite children’s literature genres, and therefore full of promise but I am still nervous. I don’t think I’ll be able to bear the disappointment of now hating it.

Far more successful were re-readings of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Although not a revisit to childhood memories for me as I first read about Harry Potter and -at that time- four of his magical adventures in 2002, it is certainly embracing my inner child. I am an unashamed and avid fan of the Harry Potter books and films and I am still waiting for my letter to say that I am going to Hogwarts.

Embracing my Inner Child

Paperback Reader — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:09:00 +0000

Even though I have a TBR pile longer than the cumulative length of all of my limbs and then some, I cannot resist embracing my inner child this weekend. Who needs an excuse to revisit comforting childhood reads? I don’t.

I love Children’s Literature. I read so many great books as a child that are beloved and were an informative part of my reading. I also enjoy discovering new (and classic) children’s books.
Some of my favourites have made it onto my Children’s Lit bookshelf above although I am dismayed to notice that Anne of Green Gables isn’t there and am annoyed to realise that I have inadvertently left it in my parents’ home in Glasgow. Leaving one’s packing for a move to London until the last minute and having books everywhere will ensure that one’s book packing is haphazard -and often nonsensical- to say the least. Case in point: I have the first two and the last Harry Potter books here and the middle four at home. Sigh. I do, however, have them on audio (read by the wonderful Stephen Fry) and I am listening to Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as I write.

Due to another moving oversight a few years ago (not mine this time) most of my books from childhood were left in a huge box in the attic so I have desperately tried to replace the ones that are most sentimental to me. Borders 20% student discount days whilst I was at University were mainly spent in the Children’s department.

This weekend is forecast to be fairly miserable and we have no plans other than the weekly grocery shop at Sainsbury’s and watching the F1 in Turkey so I think spending it curled up with a cosy read is an ideal way to spend the remainder. Besides, I feel the need for some heartwarming comfort and escapism in childhood innocence. I plan to listen to the remainder of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and read What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge and then possibly its sequels or Roald Dahl’s Matilda.

What are your childhood favourites? What makes you embrace or become nostalgic for your inner child?