The little girl was mean. She enjoyed being mean. She cussed. She picked fights. She bossed adults around. She was everything a girl is not supposed to be. Girls are supposed to be sugar and spice and everything nice, but this child? Zero grams sugar. Absolutely nothing nice. Spice factor? 100% cayenne pepper. I’m talking… Continue reading Bad Girls in the New Age of Wonder Woman
Tag: celebrate adolescence
Two First Amendment Books by Yours Truly
At a time when our national attention sits securely, sometimes obsessively, on the goingson of Washington, D.C. and our national leaders — be they elected, electoral, or judicial — young viewers and readers deserve thoughtful texts exploring the roots of our rights. For parents, teachers, and librarians seeking such books for the voracious omnivorous reader,… Continue reading Two First Amendment Books by Yours Truly
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
Murray, Paul. Skippy Dies. London: Penguin, 2010. Print. Genre: literary fiction (for adults) (I argue: YA contemporary) Summary: Howard (the coward) returns to teach at his alma mater, Seabrook College. Howard never achieved the fame and fortune that is expected of Seabrook graduates. Instead, he muddles through his life and relationships burdened with the secrets… Continue reading Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
Block, Francesca Lia. Weetzie Bat. New York: Harper & Row, 1989. Print. Genre: YA novella Summary: Weetzie Bat is just your ordinary skinny California girl until she coaxes a genie out of lamp and makes three wishes that will make all her dreams come true…sort of. Critique: You know how Dirty Dancing (1987) used all that… Continue reading Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Nelson, Jandy. I’ll Give You the Sun. New York: Dial Books, 2014. Print. Genre: YA Summary: This story about twins, Noah and Jude, is told through their alternating perspectives from different points in time. Jude tells the “future” when she and Noah are 16 and totally estranged. Noah tells the past, when they are 13… Continue reading I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Jenny Mason On Point Writing 