What I've Been Reading

For Storytime yesterday, I shared Mathew McElligott's new book, Even Aliens Need Snacks.  I thought it was just as amusing as his Even Monster's Need Haircuts, and the kids all seemed to enjoy it. 

I've started to make my way through the books the middle school students need to read to participate in the Jeopardy game show which will culminate the 100 Days of Reading.   Not only do I want to be able to "talk up" the books to the kids, but we need to formulate the questions for the quiz show, and it's a good chance to read some great books.

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I've started with Anything but Typical by Nora Baskin, the story of an eleven-year old boy with autism.  Jason doesn't communicate well verbally but he loves to write and participating on Storyboard, a web site where aspiring authors share their short stories.  When Jason is online no one sees the manifestations of his autism, such as his "flying hands" or odd facial movements, and he feels accepted by the Storyboard community.  Through it he becomes friends with another young writer who signs herself PhoenixBird.  This is exciting to Jason, since he has few friends, until he realizes that he may well meet PhoenixBird at the upcoming Storyboard conference, which Jason is attending with his father.  When he meets her, and she sees the real Jason, will she reject him?   I don't know since I haven't gotten that far and I've made a point of not reading any reviews or book blurbs that might give away the story!

I had read Our Town by Thornton Wilder some time ago, but it was good to review it and remember some of the wonderful lines from this play. 

There's Emily's great speech at the end when she looks down on the living, sees her husband, and is struck with the understanding that: 

 "Oh, Mother Gibbs, I never realized before how troubled and how... how in the dark live persons are. Look at him. I loved him so. From morning till night, that's all they are--troubled." 

Soon thereafter, there's this exchange between Emily and the Stage Manager: 

EMILY: "Does anyone ever realize life while they live it...every, every minute?"

STAGE MANAGER: "No. Saints and poets maybe...they do some.” 

And another dead towns person, Simon Stimson, tells Emily:  

 "...That's what it was to be alive. To move about in a cloud of ignorance; to go up and down trampling on the feelings of those about you. To spend and waste time as though you had a million years. To be always at the mercy of one self-centered passion, or another.” 

So much said in so few words.