Comments on: On Telling Stories

By: Kristi

Kristi — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I have read out loud five of the Lemony Snicket series to my seven-year-old. And I have enjoyed it because an authorial voice or “story-teller” is part of the book and therefore, makes the book a little bit about the art of narrative. For one, the narrator kills the big suspense — will it end happily or not? — by telling us that it will end badly. For two, there are enough times when the author interrupts the plot (to define a word, to relate a sad story from his own “life,” to caution the reader about getting too hopeful that things will end well) to simulate an oral story-telling experience. Which is what my daughter is getting when I read to her. So, the net result is thinking about story as a construction of some other mind, not something that is “true.”
Anyway, this series hooked her and made her think that reading might be an enjoyable pasttime. And, even though these books are above her reading fluency level, she has just finished reading the first book on her own (without any encouragement from me).

Go David Handler (aka Lemony Snicket). There must be other good writers of children’s fiction out there.

By: Farangi

Farangi — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

CM does not stop. EVER.

By: Sumana

Sumana — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

“Any of you have a recommendation for an incredibly literate 10 year old?”

Mark Twain’s “The Innocents Abroad”

Fitzgerald’s Gatsby and then Gordon Korman’s retelling “Jake, Reinvented”

Or you could just ask Brad DeLong to send you the books his kids finish reading.

Watch out for the books I read when I was too young to understand them (homepage link).

By: Jonathan Dresner

Jonathan Dresner — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’m not sure if it’s entirely 10-year old material, but Robert Heinlein’s juvenalia is quite fun (“Have Space Suit, Will Travel” or “the Rolling Stones” for example.

Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain stuff is probably more 13-year old material, as is LeGuin’s Earthsea, and McCaffrey’s Dragonriders is really older still. that’s not helping….

My nieces have really enjoyed the “Magic Treehouse” series, which takes students into historical episodes (and there are now companion volumes explaining the historical background in depth).

By: sepoy

sepoy — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Sumana: Innocents Abroad is great. And, can we do a survey of how many desi kids read Art Buchwald because their fathers had that? You are the fourth person so far – including me.

Jonathan: The Magic Treehouse series sounds really interesting. Reminds me of Enid Blyton’s magic tree…anyone read her anymore?

By: wanderer

wanderer — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

reecommendations for the literate 10 year old (and semi-literate 20-somethings)
-The Westing Game (Ellen Raskin)
-A Wrinkle in Time (Madeline L’Engle)and her other books as well
-Roald Dahl’s Omnibus of short stories (assuming she has already read his great novels)
- The Belgariad & The Mallorean series (David Eddings)
-Tuck Everlasting, The Eyes of Amaryllis, The Search for Delicious (Natalie Babbitt)
-Phantom Tollbooth (Norton Juster)
-From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E.L. Konigsburg)
-oh and i was about 10 when some relatives from the subcontinent gave me the obligatory ‘jeeves’ by wodehouse. have enjoyed it ever since.
good luck. merry solstice!

By: s¬Ønee

s¬Ønee — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Congratulations on the 250 milestone. (out of which only 27 posts are ‘NON’ *shibrum-shibrum*)….keep up the good work !!

By: Nitin

Nitin — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Sepoy, When I was ten years old, I used to love this Indian comic book series called Amar Chitra Katha. They now have an online store.

By: sepoy

sepoy — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Nitin: Yes, I like the series a lot and have the Jataka Tales – thanks for the heads up on the website!
Sonee: Whatever. the shibrum-shibrum posts are clearly marked for you to avoid.
Wanderer: many thanks for that list.

By: Sumana

Sumana — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

ACK! I have about a hundred of those, including the entire 42-issue Mahabharata set. If/when you visit San Francisco let me know and you can see the Birbal issues!

By: sepoy

sepoy — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

sumuna: will be in berkeley mid-feb. love to see the Mahabharata set.

By: Sin

Sin — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Madeleine L’Engle works, as do Ursula LeGuin, and (of course) Neil Gaiman (I’d suggest “Stardust”, and “Coraline”). Personally, I was reading PG Wodehouse and John Irving when I was 9, and loving them, so my opinions may be semi-skewed.

And Terry Pratchett’s not so bad either ;) Try “Good Omens”, or one of the more light-hearted Discworld novels (“The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents” comes to mind).

By: sepoy

sepoy — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The movie lacks wit, life and a coherent narrative. In case anyone wondered.

By: dods

dods — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Do you mean Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree???

I very much so DID read them… as well as the Wishing Chair!

Then I found out she was racist and prejudice and wasnt my fav author no more

as for suggestions…
I remember reading
H G Wells – The Invisible Man
Charles Dickens – Great Expectations

or maybe it was just condensed versions of those stories…?? hmm
that dad’gum British glossed curriculum had to have those books
i remember enjoying them though

: \

By: Dhananjay

Dhananjay — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Hi Sepoy

I really enjoyed your Berkeley SAC paper. Couldn’t get to meet you, so was googling you :) and stumbled on this fascinating blog. Have been lost in it ever since. Great posts. May you get all your wishes- including that tenured job.

As the father of a fairly literate eight year old- who is just gotten hooked on to Lemony Snickett- I fully second all of the above suggestions.

I have found these websites useful in hunting down books with my kid (usually at the local public library)

http://www.kidsread.com

http://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/kidsbooks.html

http://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/catalist.html

Cheers,

Dhananjay