The Rights of the Reader
Monday, July 18th, 2011 Posted in In the Classroom, Readings, The Gender Gap in Reading | No Comments »"What we need to understand is that books weren't written so that young people could write essays about them, but so that they could read them if they really wanted to." -- Daniel Pennoc. - A note from my pal, Lewis Buzbee, ...
When Keith Sings: The Ultimate Keith Richards/Rolling Stones Mix
Monday, June 20th, 2011 Posted in A Pirates Guide to First Grade, Music, Readings | No Comments »I recently finished reading the Keith Richards biography, Life, which I largely enjoyed. It's not a great book, huge gaps, not particularly well organized or written, and it suffers from a classic case of the unreliable narrator (this is Keith ...
The Stack of Books on My Night Table: Summer Reading
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011 Posted in Interviews & Appreciations, Readings | No Comments »Many of us have a big stack of books that we hope to read. Sometimes there's a plan, often it's a spur of the moment grab. Here's some of the titles I currently hope to get to -- soon, someday, ...
My Family, Getting Their Bronze On
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011 Posted in Family, Readings | 1 Comment »Lisa sent along this snap from Florida -- while I stayed home in the cold, damp, gray Northeast to work. No, no skin cancer for me! I've neatly avoided that trap by working in a windowless basement. Clever, eh? Lisa ...
Writers Just Keep Digging
Thursday, December 2nd, 2010 Posted in Readings, the writing process | No Comments »I came across a terrific photo in the December 2010 issue of GQ magazine. No, it wasn't of Scarlett Johansson. There's an article on "Writer of the Year" Jonathan Franzen, written by one of my favorite pop culture writers, Chuck ...
Thanks, and so on and so forth
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010 Posted in A Pirates Guide to First Grade, Fun Clips, Readings | 1 Comment »I came across this quote on a school visit during some down time. I loved it immediately and copied it down: "IF OUR LIVES DON'T FEEL SIGNIFICANT, SOMETIMES IT'S NOT OUR LIVES, BUT OUR RESPONSE TO OUR LIVES, WHICH NEEDS TO BE ...
100 Things About Me as a Reader
Thursday, October 21st, 2010 Posted in Readings | 2 Comments »I stole this idea from Franki Sibberson, who blogged about it here. Like Franki, I'm not going to reach "100" until later, or maybe later in this case means never. But it's been an entertaining, thoughtful exercise to ruminate about ...
Don’t Look! We’re Celebrating Banned Books Today
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010 Posted in Current Events, Readings, bullying | No Comments »"I believe that censorship grows out of fear, and because fear is contagious, some parents are easily swayed. Book banning satisfies their need to feel in control of their children's lives. This fear is often disguised as moral outrage. They ...
An Appreciation: SKELLIG by David Almond
Monday, September 27th, 2010 Posted in Interviews & Appreciations, Readings | 2 Comments »I enjoyed a remarkable school visit to Sudbury, MA, last Friday. It was for a "One School, One Book" program, where approximately 1,000 students, grades 6-8, all read my book, Bystander, over the summer. I gave three presentations in a ...
“Super Sad True Love Story” — A Vote Against Book Trailers
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010 Posted in Around the Web, Fun Clips, Readings | 2 Comments »It used to be the author photos on the flap jacket. That's what killed some books for me. I'd pick up a novel, feel its heft in my hand, survey the cover design, read the front flap copy, then turn to ...