100 Scope Notes
July 31, 2007 by Betsy Bird
Off I go to get a jolt in the arm of culture via the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario. Sure, I may live in New York City, a place rumored to have theater of its own. But why hang about there when there’s a whole nation above us to view and enjoy? The spirit of […]
July 30, 2007 by Betsy Bird
Things have calmed down and shuffled two steps closer to normal. The To Be Read piles in our homes are starting to lower. We’re all beginning to get some interesting 2008 ARCs for consideration (always nice to have some in reserve for when the new year comes in). It’s the final days of July 2007 […]
July 29, 2007 by Betsy Bird
We begin with a tip of the hat to Cheryl Klein. Nightline interviewed her in the midst of the Harry Potter nuttiness and I was pleased to find that the video is on YouTube. I’m convinced that the other infotainment shows were kicking themselves when they found out that Cheryl is the most photogenic woman […]
July 28, 2007 by Betsy Bird
The Owl and the Pussycat By Edward Lear Illustrations by Stephane Jorisch Part of the Visions in Poetry Series. KCP Press (an imprint of Kids Can Press) I’ve no beef with Edward Lear, but I’ve no particular love of him either. Best known for his sweet nonsense poems, Lear often comes off as a slightly […]
July 28, 2007 by Betsy Bird
We’re in a goofy mood today. Must be something in the water. Brita water filters last for ten years or so, right? To business! Now it is rare that I meet someone with children’s literary tastes that mimic my own. Half the fun of working at the Central Children’s Room is that of the five […]
July 27, 2007 by Betsy Bird
Why It Didn’t Work It had seemed a reasonable idea, to paint herself as this modest tributary in late March, frozen, but flowing under the ice. A crumbling bridge, some discreet graffiti underneath, not easy to see but enough to forestall criticisms of prettiness, to suggest disruption, tension. But subtle, subtle. She […]
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July 27, 2007 by Betsy Bird
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. Bloomsbury (British edition). $34.99. Big honking multi-pronged spoiler alert. But you knew that anyway, did you not? I’ve known Harry Potter for eight years now. Eight years is a long time to know anyone, fictional or not. Since I first met him, Mr. Potter has remained […]
July 27, 2007 by Betsy Bird
(CONTINUED FROM PART ONE) Rowling has suggested that someday she may return to the world o’ Potteria. She certainly leaves that door open with this book, and I’m okay with that. If it means following the adventures of Albus Severus Potter (are the initials "ASP" a parseltongue coincidence?) then I’m happy to do so. I […]
July 26, 2007 by Betsy Bird
*cracks neck* *shakes out shins* *elicits a rather disturbing POP from upper left-hand clavicle* Yes, I have finally finished the last Harry Potter book. I’d write a review of it here and now but I’m at the wrong computer at the moment. Consarn it. Until then, let’s bone up on various points of interest out […]
July 24, 2007 by Betsy Bird
No Talking By Andrew Clements. Simon and Schuster. $15.99. For ages 9-12. Not all Andrew Clements novels are created equal, and that’s a fact. I mean, don’t get me wrong. This is true of most children’s authors. But sometimes I feel that with Clements, he’s always readable. Even if you feel that one book of […]
Good Comics for Kids
by J. Caleb Mozzocco
Politics in Practice
by John Chrastka
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