Writing is powerful. Writing changes peoples minds. Writing changes society. Have you ever heard of the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. That one book did more to convince Americans that slavery was wrong and had to be abolished. It might not be too strong to say that it lead to the American Civil War. That’s powerful writing!
People didn’t read the book because they agreed that slavery was bad. Many people didn’t really care that much. Some felt slavery was good. But as readers followed Eliza’s escape from slavery with her child. Harriet Beecher Stowe allowed people to connect with a mother’s love and the cruelty of slavery. But the book didn’t change everyone’s mind. Many read the book with minds made up.
When we read, we bring our whole life with us as we read. If we have a pet we love, we hurt when we learn that Sky was killed by the blue car in Love That Dog. Someone who hates dogs or is afraid of dogs might not feel so sad. Sharon Chreech wants us to feel sad, but she can’t control the feelings we already have. Heck, if someone has never seen a dog, how could they understand this?
As you read Nothing But the Truth, you already have ideas about school, fairness, rules, justice, and grades. Avi is careful not to take sides in this powerful story. He allows your own beliefs to shape how you feel about the main characters, Philip and Miss Narwin. So, let’s find out where you stand. I put together a a survey to see what you think about issues from NBT.
So many powerful stories begin with hardship. When characters struggle to overcome adversity we get it. Hard times are part of being human. As readers we understand when a character has a hard time because we have been through our own rough experience. Maybe we are having a hard time right now. So when we read about a character overcoming adversity, we connect. We celebrate their victory as if it were our own.
Annemarie helps hide her friend Ellen from the Nazi's in WWII.
But sometimes we read about situations that we can only imagine. Take Number the Stars by Lowis Lowry. This story is about Nazi’s coming to take away Jews in Denmark during World War II. It’s not a true story, but is based on real events from Denmark. While other countries submitted to German demands to send Jews to concentration camps, the people of Denmark protected Jews. They took great risks to hide them. Books like this allow us to feel the pain of little Ellen hiding for her life, but also we admire the bravery of Annemarie and her family. Risking their lives to save another is something to admire.
So many books offer us characters to admire as they struggle to overcome adversity? What characters do you admire because of how they handled adversity? What did you learn from them?
Do you know the author of A Series of Unfortunate Events? If you answered Lemony
Photo by Ron Hogan
Snicket you’d be wrong. I know that’s the name on the cover of the books, but there is no one with that name. The author of these books is Daniel Handler. Lemony Snicket is the narrator of the series. He’s as fictional as the rest of the characters. Handler’s editor thought it would be a good idea to pretend the narrator was the author, too. Using a fake name as an author is called a pseudonym.
Ron Hogan interviewed Handler in 2000. In the interview Handler explained how and why he created Lemony Snicket. He made it rhyme with a Disney movie character, Jiminy Cricket. He wanted to use a fake name when he wrote prank letters to newspapers. He’d pretend to be upset about some small issue. He’d also use the name to get information from organizations he thought were stupid or offensive. His friends thought this was a wonderful idea. They even made Lemony Snicket business cards for Handler to pass out.
Handler is not the most famous person to write under a pseudonym. Have you heard of Mark Twain? The author’s real name is Samuel Clemens. He died 100 years ago. A new book is being released this year. Clemens wrote the book, but didn’t want it published until 100 years after his death. He didn’t want anyone he wrote about in the book to be alive.
Spoiler alert! This video clip summarizes the first 12 books in A Series of Unfortunate Events in only 2 minutes.
I can’t think of a great book that wasn’t filled with wonderful characters. I enjoy plots with lots of action, but I remember books with characters that take the plot to another level. It’s Harry Potter and gang that brings Hogwarts to life. Sherlock Holmes has facinated readers and movie-goers for over a century solving mysteries. And how many remember Charlotte the spider from Charlette’s Web.
How does a memorable character take an average plot to a higher level? I believe this happens when an author creates a character that I can connect with. I’d like to be as smart as Sherlock Holmes. Wouldn’t you? But how did E. B. White get so many to fall in love with a spider and a pig?
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card follows eight year old Ender as he is taken from his family. He forced to train to become a soldier with other boys in a military school in orbit around Earth. I cheered as this small boy, beaten and picked on, becomes a leader. I feel the pain of his isolation, too. We all have times when we feel the world is out to get us. That’s why I celebrated Ender’s victories.
So, what book characters stick out for you? Share one (or two) and explain why you feel strongly about this imaginary person. Do you see something of yourself in the character? Does the character behave in some way you’d like to be able to do? Maybe by sharing this, someone else will find a book to love.
There is so much to admire about Avi, the author of Nothing But the Truth. His full name is Avi Wortis, but he just uses his first name as an author. His books really gets readers to think about powerful ideas. What I admire most is his determination.
The man became a writer even though everyone around him said he couldn’t do it. Even though Avi read lots of books, he had problems writing. Only later did Avi find out that he had a learning disability called disgraphia. This caused him to reverse letters. He was a terrible speller. Avi once said, “One of my aunts said I could spell a four letter word wrong five ways.” This lack of support is the reason Avi only uses one name as an author. He refuses to put his family name on his books because they didn’t support his writing!
Avi was forced to get a tutor to learn how to write during the summer of his junior year in highschool. He says thats is when he learned to want to write. He continued to show his writing to others, but only recieved encouragement from professional authors. They’d point out ways to improve, but would encourage him to keep working at his writing.
I love Avi’s determination to go against the crowd and prove them wrong. Don’t you?
There are lots of stories about heroes. Not so many about cowards. Cowards are generally used as supporting characters in a story. You know, like the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz. But the story of one cowardly boy sure makes for a wonderful legend.Polynesians tell the story Mafatu, a 12 year old boy who is terrified of the sea.
Now this isn’t a problem for us in the Midwest, but Mafatu lives on an island in the Pacific Ocean. His village lives by fishing. A hurricane hits the island when Mafatu was a young boy. His mother dies while saving his life. His fear of the ocean drives his life. He can’t become a man and learn to fish. He must stay and do “women’s work” such as repairing the fishing nets. The irony is that Mafatu means “Brave Heart.”
Armstrong Sperry dramatically retells this legend in his novel Call It Courage. We follow the boy as his shame drives him from the island and into the sea that terrifies him. The careful reader will realize that Mafatu survives. It’s a legend of his struggle to overcome his fear.
We all have fears that we must face. It’s how we face our fears that make us heroes. How we face our fears makes for powerful story telling- even when we fail. I hope you try reading Call It Courage for your next read. If you do, let me know what you think. Maybe you know of another story about someone who struggles to overcome a fear.
It is time to see what books your classmates thought were the best reads from the last semester. Check out the comments from the last post to see if anyone else suggested books you read. Maybe you will find some good reads for the last half of the year!
The end of the year brings out all kinds of “Top Ten” lists. So I thought it would be fun for us to create our own mini list of favorite books we’ve read since we started sixth grade. Later we can use this list for book ideas in the 2nd semester.
But I’m going to do something different. I’m not going to approve anyone’s comments on this post until January. I may even wait until we return for the 2nd semester. Why? Well this way we won’t be influenced by what other’s list. I’ll reveal everyone’s comments at once. We can see if any books are repeats or books we read that we didn’t include in our top three!
So, here are my top 3 books.
Dog’s Don’t Tell Jokes by Louis Sachar Woodsong, by Gary Paulson Dragon’s Blood, by Jane Yolen
There are so many wonderful Christmas stories. The British author, Charles Dickens, is famous for his story A Christmas Carol. I’m sure many of you are familiar with this wonderful tale of the miserly businessman, Scrooge. The ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future visit Scrooge to show him the error of his ways. The movie Scrooge is based on this novel.
I suspect I am most fond of children’s Christmas stories. Many of these have been made into movies or TV specials. The classic picture book How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss is such a fun book to read, especially to a young child. So is the poem Twas the Night before Christmas. It captures that special excitement of Christmas eve. I especially love when someone takes this poem and uses the rhyme scheme to create another Christmas story.
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg has become a new Christmas tradition. I know. Any book written in 1985 can’t be considered a new tradition. You weren’t even born then. But it’s not easy to become a Christmas classic.
I hope you find a good read this winter break. What character from a Christmas story stands out for you? Why do you connect with the character? I bet we have a wide range of Christmas stories to share.
Writing is powerful. Writing changes peoples minds. Writing changes society. Have you ever heard of the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. That one book did more to convince Americans that slavery was wrong and had to be abolished. It might not be too strong to say that it lead to the American Civil War. That’s powerful writing!
