7 posts tagged “children's literature”
This morning while waiting for the plumber, I finished The Amber Spyglass, the third book in the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, by Philip Pullman, the series which started with The Golden Compass.
I was, unfortunately, mildly disappointed with this ending to the imaginitive series about multiple worlds and an eternal struggle between control and freedom. This book was imaginitive and did tie up the loose ends, but somehow dissatisfying. It is perhaps because after much anticipation, some of the solutions seemed a little too easy, a little too pat, and a little too much like Pullman was tired of his own material.
That also seems evident in how scattered this book was, running in different directions and not really sticking to the central story.
Still, overall I enjoyed the series and would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy or science fiction.
So, being a fan, I did do the midnight book release thing. Strix read it first, since she's a faster reader than I, and now I've finished it.
[Spoilers! If you haven't read it, yet, run away! Okay, you've been warned.]
It's a good end to the series, and Rowling has kept up with her reputation. There were some rough spots:
- Harry, Hermione, and Ron spend an inordinate amount of time hiding out in the woods, trying to figure out what to do next. I can't help but wonder if the author was the one who was really trying to figure out what to do next during the scenes.
- I have a problem with the "good guys" using the Unforgiveable Curses so frequently. These are supposed to be the good guys, right?
- The Deathly Hallows were as much a distraction to the reader as they were to Harry. Horcruxes, Harry! It's all about the Horcruxes!
I was also very sad to see so many of my favorite characters die, but I understand why she did it. While this is ostensibly a children's series, it is also a story about tyranny, bigotry, fascism, and the act of fighting against such forces. In the real world, when we fight against fascism, people die. Rowling didn't want to gloss over this fact, and as a result, this cap in the series is full of death.
Who else would like this book: children, teenagers, adults, the very old, ghosts, animated portraits, trolls (provided they can read), half-giants, centaurs, house elves, goblins, werewolves, merepeople.
Mary-Lynn got some favorites on this photo of bunnies on the march, which is how I saw it, and it inspired me.
The Bunnies Come Marching
The bunnies come marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah.
The bunnies come marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah.
The bunnies come marching one by one,
They bring along marshmellowy fun,
We'll all be sticky when they're done, hurrah, hurrah!
The bunnies come marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah.
The bunnies come marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah.
The bunnies come marching two by two,
They come for me and they come for you,
We'll all be sticky when they're through, hurrah, hurrah!
The bunnies come marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching three by three,
They come for you and they come for me,
They'll cover the land from sea to sea, hurrah, hurrah!
The bunnies come marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching four by four,
They'll soon be knocking at your door,
First you'll see one, but then you'll see more, hurrah, hurrah!
The bunnies come marching five by five, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching five by five, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching five by five,
We'll all be lucky to stay alive,
It won't be long before they arrive, hurrah, hurrah!
The bunnies come marching six by six, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching six by six, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching six by six,
They're armed with choc'late and cinnamon sticks,
How did we get into such a fix? Hurrah, hurrah!
The bunnies come marching seven by seven, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching seven by seven, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching seven by seven,
They out number the stars up in heaven,
They can't be stopped, film at eleven, hurrah, hurrah!
The bunnies come marching eight by eight, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching eight by eight, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching eight by eight,
Close the windows and bar the gate,
What did we do to deserve such a fate, hurrah, hurrah!
The bunnies come marching nine by nine, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching nine by nine, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching nine by nine,
They'll take what's yours and they'll take what's mine,
They're beady black eyes do glitter and shine, hurrah, hurrah!
The bunnies come marching ten by ten, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching ten by ten, hurrah, hurrah
The bunnies come marching ten by ten,
They come for women and they come for men,
They've done it before and they'll do it again, hurrah, hurrah!
Paxton Daryl Branson
Originally posted on my old blog on November 29th, 2004:
What can I say, except that there seems to be no limit to the lengths Count Olaff will go to get his hands on the Baudelaire fortune. I am a little disappointed in Violet's supposed mechanical abilities. They always seem a little less than mechanical genious (a grappling hook? a lockpick?). In this one she goes one step further by doing something mechanically impossible. I hope too many kids aren't disappointed when they finally concede that they cannot start a fire by focusing a moonbeam through a nautical telescope.
Originally posted on my old blog on November 20th, 2004:
This is the second edition in this unconventional children's series. As with the first book, I listened to this one in audio format to and from work. Also, as with the first book, I found it somewhat frustrating. The author, using the fairly silly pen name of Lemony Snicket, has a refreshing writing style that does not talk down to his readers, making the books enjoyable for adults as well as children. Unfortunately, the story lives up to its name - its a series of unfortunate events. One would like, just once, for something nice to happen to the Baudelaire orphens.
Originally posted on my old blog on Sept 30th, 2004:
A Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket, is just that - a bad beginning to a series of bad stories. That is not to say that the writing is attrocious, a word which here means extremely bad, because on the contrary, the writing has many endearing qualities. It is only that the plot of the book is very disheartening, a word which here means to cause one to feel devoid of hope. The author warns the reader several times throughout the book that it does not have a happy ending, so I am giving nothing away by saying that the book, indeed, does not have a happy ending. It is worthwhile to note that it likeways has no happy middle or beginning. Those portions of the book that are between the beginning and the middle, and also between the middle and the end, are also unhappy. It is about three children who at the beginning of the book lose their parents in a horrible, consuming fire, which simultaneously (a word which here means "at the same time") robs them of their home. They then have to go live with a distant relative that they didn't even know they had, Count Olaf, who is a very unpleasant man who lives in an equally unpleasant abode, a word which here means house. It becomes quite clear early on that Olaf is only after one thing - the fortune that the childrens' parents left for them in trust. To get at this money, he does a number of things that are quite despicable, a word which here means detestable, and frankly surprising to find in a childrens' book.
I have to admit, I actually had trouble finishing this book. If you like the writing style of the paragraph above, you'll probably like the writing style of this book, since I was mimmicking the author's little signature turns of phrase. However, it is very difficult for me to read (or in this case hear, since I was listening to the audiobook version of this) about children being mistreated and abused. It really seems that there is enough of that going on in the world, as it is, without listening to fictionalized accounts of it, as well. I knew, from the author's warnings, that the book did not have a happy ending, so I knew that while I listened to accounts of Count Olaf's dastardly deeds, I would probably not be able to look forward to him being slowly devoured by fire ants or disolved in a vat of sulfuric acid at the end of the story. Therefore, it was only the captivating writing style that brought me through to the end.
The audio book was read by Tim Curry, which also helped me through. I can't imagine anyone else doing better.
Bookcrossing rating: 8 of 10.
Originally posted on my old blog on September 28th, 2004:
I am currently listening to an audiobook of A Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket (no, not his real name) on the way to and from work. This isn't an official review, yet, because I haven't finished it. I'm actually debating whether or not to finish it. I happen to know that Count Olaf (the bad guy of the story) is still very much the bad guy by the end of the book. I'm not giving anything away, because the author states repeatedly in the story that this book does not have a happy ending. What I want to know is why would anyone want to read a book about children being mistreated where the bastard doing it doesn't get roasted on a spit or something at the end? Doesn't the world have enough cruelty and injustice in it?
The writing itself is very inventive and excellent, but the story, frankly, makes me want to take a swan dive off of a cliff into a gravel pit.
