December 2007

REMEMBER TO INCLUDE “THE CALL TO SHAKABAZ” ON YOUR HOLIDAY GIFT LIST

“THE CALL TO SHAKABAZ” WAS RECENTLY RECOGNIZED BY USA BOOK NEWS WITH A BEST BOOKS 2007 HONOR IN THE CHILDREN’S FICTION CATEGORY

MORE ABOUT “THE GOLDEN COMPASS”

Yesterday I went to the movie of “The Golden Compass.” It was terrific fun with wonderful visuals and special effects. The acting was excellent. But to fit the story into two hours, they chopped it up and spit it out mangled. I’m wondering how anyone who didn’t read the book could get what was happening in the movie, which probably should have been six hours long. The truncated movie version lacked that edge-of-your-seat, page-turning tension that made the book such a terrific ride. So much was missing that I recommend you read the book before you see the movie (or see it again).

Evangelists continue to slam Pullman for being “anti-church.” Even though in book three of the trilogy, a character (Dr. Malone) actually says that Christianity was a mistake, I wouldn’t quite characterize Pullman as anti-Christian. His books reflect Christian values, whether he cares to admit it or not. The bottom line is that Pullman is opposed to all organized religion. But he has compassion for the misguided followers of organized religions. He also has a good share of disgust for the dogmatic, the proselytizers, and the hysterical self-righteous. He is certainly an atheist in that he doesn't believe in a one god, but his spiritual life is rich and full nonetheless. His concept of spirit permeating the world we see and worlds we don't see is very African. I think that many people who adhere to the beliefs of indigenous cultures that have not been infiltrated by the organized religions of the "civilized" world would be right at home in Pullman's cosmology. Perhaps he will inspire young readers to question their beliefs and how they apply all the good teachings of their religious persuasion in their everyday lives. And that, I believe we would agree, would be a good thing.

WHY BOYS DON’T READ AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

Shelf Awareness e-zine ran the following (October 25, 2007) about boys and reading: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (see http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/336617_reading24.html) reported on the difficulty of getting boys interested in reading. "I would say there is a crisis," said children's author Walter Dean Myers. "Too many parents have walked away from this idea . . . that education is a family concept, is a community concept, is not simply something that schools do." According to Pamela LaBorde, children's librarian at the Seattle Public Library's Ballard branch, "A lot of times, when boys get to middle school they are feeling sort of disenfranchised from the educational experience." Publishing more titles specifically for the market is suggested as one solution. "The real requirement is that there is a male protagonist," said John Martin, a novelist who started www.boysread.org. "Boys will not read books that have a girl protagonist."

THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP COMES TO VERMONT

Now in its second year, the Intercollegiate World Cup Quidditch Tournament, started by students at Middlebury College, has captured the imagination of students at a number of colleges in Vermont. Last year a dozen teams at Middlebury College vied to take on Vassar College in the first Tournament. The players were required to keep their broomsticks (the $59 Scarlet Falcon model) between their legs, and run in lieu of flying in pursuit of a human Snitch (dressed in yellow). The student who plays the role of the Snitch (Rainey) apparently practices many hours a week for the Tournament. Beaters throw red playground ball Bludgers at the other players, who must toss a deflated volleyball Quaffle through a gold-painted hula hoop. With the home court advantage—Middlebury students wrote the rules, which have been posted on Facebook. This year the Vermont College Mollywobbles won. Next year the competition will be stiffer as other schools, including the University of Vermont, plan to get in on the action.

TIPS TO BOOKSELLERS ABOUT HOLIDAY DECORATIONS

In his book “Holiday Hero: A Man's Manual for Holiday Lighting,” Brad Finkle offers holiday decorating tips for booksellers in the form of his “Booksellers Creed” as follows:

I am a responsible light hanger and will not embarrass my customers and co-workers with a theme of purple lights just because I found them in the stock room.
I will not shine floodlights into the store next door, unless their mascot continues to dance around and scare our customers.
I will meticulously wrap my extension cords so that they won't end up in knots only an Eagle Scout could unwind.
I will not put red-and-white hats on my co-workers, because co-workers are not elves.
I will not ignore the warning label and use the top rung of my ladder as a step.
I will not incorporate Santa Claus into a nativity scene or have him dancing on a dreidel.
I will resist the temptation to light my store so that on a clear night it's visible from the moon.

The Bookaneer is produced by Amy Wachspress (© 2007). Feel free to reuse any part of this e-zine, but give credit either to Amy or to the original source for all material used. Visit www.wozabooks.com for more information.