Children and Books

The past two summers, I’ve sent out emails to friends and family members, asking for people to sponsor my summer reading and make a donation to the library’s summer charity.  I didn’t do that this year, though, partly because it seems gauche to constantly hit up the people I most care about for money, and partly because, well, times are tough and I know that most people are struggling financially these days.

So this year I’m just publishing a general call for donations.  The summer reading charity this year is the World Wildlife Fund, and we will be donating money to sponsor either a manatee, a mountain gorilla, or a polar bear.  The kids in town who are participating in the summer reading program have been voting for their choice of animal (1 vote for every 1 hour of reading), and so far the race is too close to call.  (The library donation to the World Wildlife Fund is generously donated by the Friends of the library.)

I have been keeping track of my reading hours, too, and am currently at 20 1/2 hours.  My goal is to reach 30 hours total.  I have made a personal pledge of 2 dollars for every hour that I read, so if I am able to reach my goal I will make a donation of $60.00 to the World Wildlife Fund, which will be in addition to the money donated by the Friends of the library. 

If anyone would like to make a pledge and sponsor my reading, that would be wonderful.  You needn’t even donate through me or the library; if you feel inclined to make a donation on your own to the World Wildlife Fund, and simply leave a comment here saying that you have done so, that would be terrific too.  Thank you so much for any and all support!!

I’ve been waiting to write this post until Lisa emails me the photo of Coco and me, but Lisa is on vacation next week, and it’s looking like it will be a while until the photo arrives, so…

Last week the library hosted a terrific show, Hurdy Gurdy, Monkey and Me, with Tony Lupo and Coco the Capuchin monkey.  Tony and Coco are both true professionals, and the show was SO much fun - Lisa and Alyson and I laughed our heads off in the back of the room, and the packed house of kids and parents obviously had a great time, too.

After the show was over, Tony invites kids to come up and have their photo taken with him and Coco (Tony stands between the child and Coco, of course, for Coco’s safety and sanity).  Lisa had brought her camera with her, but we decided that we should hang back and wait for all the children and their parents to get their photos taken before we went up to get ours.

But we waited too long.  Just as Lisa and Alyson and I sidled our way up to the stage, Tony signaled to Coco that the show was over, they were done, time to pack up.

“Oh, wait!” I said, “Can we get our photos taken?  We were waiting until all the children were done…”

“Sure,” said Tony, and he started to refasten Coco’s leash onto her tiny collar.

Coco looked at me with pure, unadulterated hatred, and started to scream her little monkey head off while waggling her tongue out at me.

“Ummm…that’s ok…we can skip the photo,” I said, with more than a little fear.

“No, no, no,” replied Tony, “it’s ok.  She just thought we were done, but it’s ok.”

Coco stopped screaming, but she still shot eye daggers at me.  The photos that Lisa took are evidence of Coco’s hatred of the librarian who  1) couldn’t manage to throw the ball well to Coco earlier in the show - ten feet off target for one throw, and 2) interrupted Coco’s happy routine of being done with work and getting to settle in for a nice nap in her wheeled carrier. 

When Jim heard the story later that night, he grinned devilishly and said, “Ah, you shocked the monkey.”

(But thanks to Tony and Coco for the absolute best show of the summer.  It was a blast, and maybe when I meet Coco again in the spring I can win her over…we’ll see!)

Amazingly, though summer is only mid-way done, I’m in the midst of scheduling all of the library’s children’s programs for the coming school year: storytimes, book groups, craft programs, and outside performers.

And I just spoke on the phone with my number one choice for a performer for this year, Alex the Jester, and he has officially inked us in on his calendar.  For those of you who have never heard of Alex, take a look at his website, especially the video of him performing, and you’ll see why children’s librarians all over the state of Massachusetts write rave reviews about his shows.

Since I know we’ll quickly be at capacity for Alex’s show, I won’t be revealing the exact date and time yet…and registration priority will be given to residents of the town in which I work.

Those technical details aside, I am THRILLED that we were able to book Alex!

My brother has just posted an excellent entry on his blog that summarizes a presentation that he attended on teenagers and how they communicate and use media.  As a children’s librarian in a library that often swarms with teenagers in the after school hours, I found his post to be enlightening and helpful. 

Dear Ms. Sage,

I have used your book Magyk in three of my book groups here at the library (so far!), and all of the book group members have LOVED the book!!

The first thing each book group member comments on is your style of writing - they all love the way you use words and the multiple (and unpredictable) layers of the plot.  Inevitably, there have been comparisons with the Harry Potter books, but you’ll be pleased to know that your books always come out the winners in those comparisons.

As an adult reading your books, I am so pleased by your creative use of language.  So many children’s books today go against the old writing adage of “Show, don’t tell,” but your books are a wonderful exception to that.  In the most recent book group discussion here of Magyk, one fifth grader commented at length on the scene in which Boy 412 finds the ring.  This student especially loved that you don’t simply say, “Boy 412 found a ring,” but that you draw the scene out, and thus the suspense, and that you show what’s happening without overstating it. 

I could go on and on about how much I love your books, and about how much I’ve enjoyed the multiple book group discussions that we’ve had about Magyk.  Rather than do that, I’ll just end with a heartfelt “thank you” for bringing such great books into the world.

Sincerely,

Abby Kingsbury, Children’s Librarian

Dear Angie Sage,

I think you are a very talented writer and a good driver of words in your book.  My favorite character is the Boggart because he is a very interesting and mysterious character.  On the cover is very interesting way to have a cover look.

The book is very mystical and unexpected scenes and chapters and ideas.  My favorite scene in the book is when Silas gets into the Quake Ooze because it was like a cliffhanger in ways and it was very descriptive in many ways.  I also like the details you put into the chapters.

I like the way you make the words stand out I think that it was very clever in all different kinds of ways.  It is very interesting the kinds of details you put into your writing.

Your best reader,

~ Signed by a fifth grade book group member

P.S.  Please write back please!!!!!!!!!

Dear Angie Sage,

How are you?  Busy, I bet, because you are probably writing so much and being interviewed.  Hey, I am reading your first book of Magyk for the third time because I love it so much.  I really love how you create all of your characters and how you made them up.  I think you have one of the best imaginations an author could have, I think it’s cool that everything in the book fits just right in the mysteries during the book. 

5 out of millions of things I like about your book…

• Love the Hunter and his crew
• Love the mystery of Septimus Heap
• Love the Boggart
• Love how Boy 412 doesn’t talk at first
• Love the details throughout the whole book

Anyway, I am really excited to read your whole series and I hope you write back!!

~ Signed, one of the fifth grade book group members

The fifth grade book group met this week.  This is a new group (there were no takers for the fourth grade book group last year), and so for our first meeting we had two members, and now a third member has signed up for the October meeting.

Our book was Angie Sage’s Magyk, and it met with enthusiastic response from the two girls in the group.  We discussed, we agreed the book is fabulous, and then we all wrote letters to Angie Sage that I will be mailing to HarperCollins in hopes that Angie will actually receive them. 

Since the letters were terrific, I have decided to post them here.  Tune in tomorrow for the first letter, and the next day for the second letter.  If I get ambitious, I’ll also post my letter to Ms. Sage…

Overheard, in a doctor’s office waiting room:

An older couple, sitting side by side.  He’s reading a magazine (probably People).

He leans over to his wife, holding out the open magazine.

“Do you know who this is?”

“Jennifer Aniston.”

“Are those her boobs?”

“No.”

“Is that her nose?”

“No.”

“Hmmm.  She’s had a lot of work done.  Why would she do that?”

“To get Brad back.”

Writer’s block.

I can’t remember ever having it before.  But I have it now.

Now that it’s summer, and I have plenty of time to write blog entries, it has become ridiculously hard to write those blog entries.

Everything that I write comes out stiff, forced, painful, yucky.  It takes me four times as long to write something that I’m one-quarter as proud of.

And on top of the awkward writing, I’m haunted by the voice of Cathie Mercier:  “Never use the word is in your writing!!”  Cathie used to circle every is on our papers in red ink, and I swear I can see red circles all over my blog entries.

Wicked annoying.  I hope this passes soon.