tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post2364449370377283898..comments2024-01-02T20:31:43.915-06:00Comments on In Medias Res: Once More Into the Breach...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-44249056765094207862010-04-19T08:52:50.825-05:002010-04-19T08:52:50.825-05:00Thanks for commenting, Elizabeth (and I hope you d...Thanks for commenting, Elizabeth (and I hope you don't take my snarky tone personally; all in good fun, you know). If <i>Taran</i> really was that close to making it, I'll take the blame for the result; Melissa had told me about the poll, but I never thought of voting myself, and I should have. (She should have encouraged me more!) Melissa also told me that the Greek myths books wouldn't have made the qualifications. But would the Encyclopedia Brown books? They aren't chapter books; just collections of little mystery-short stories, without any consistent plot or character development through them. Oh well, I still loved them.Russell Arben Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03366800726360134194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-35191868831012836882010-04-19T08:38:30.054-05:002010-04-19T08:38:30.054-05:00Indeed. I was a little shocked at how low Encyclo...Indeed. I was a little shocked at how low Encyclopedia Brown came too. Not that the D'Aulaire's book would have counted, of course. That's a collection of myths, not a novel. But with your vote Taran Wanderer might have made it. Lackaday.<br /><br />Magic School Bus wouldn't have made it either, actually. Those aren't chapter books. You see the difficulty.Fuse #8http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/fuse8noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-20457743135769670192010-04-15T14:09:25.299-05:002010-04-15T14:09:25.299-05:00So, next time she does something like this, I'...So, next time she does something like this, I'll let you know so you can have a say.Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00217383813263874657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-49953875447135461232010-04-15T08:19:28.546-05:002010-04-15T08:19:28.546-05:00Melissa,
No, actually, I'm going to blame her...Melissa,<br /><br />No, actually, I'm going to blame her! I mean, if she's going to mess with the list to make sure that elementary school votes for various Magic School Bus sequels don't overwhelm everything else, then the least she could have done was check with me to make sure all <i>my</i> favorites were included.<br /><br />David,<br /><br />That's fascinating; I would have never thought that myself, because I kind of see <i>Taran Wanderer</i> as being the real linchpin for the series. (And, if you're correct, than he would have had to go back and rewrite <i>High King</i> after finishing <i>TW</i>, because so many characters from that book end up becoming key soldiers in Taran's little army.) I never really compared Prydain and Harry Potter at the time I was really deep in HP mode, and I should have. You're correct that the parallels and contrasts between them are instructive. (I would argue that Rowling isn't actually all that better--if at all--when it comes to character growth, but I'll definitely give to nod to her when it comes to plot details.)<br /><br />Matthew,<br /><br /><i>Phantom</i> is, indeed, awesome. Frustratingly, I haven't been able to read it to any of our younger kids yet; they keep getting bored. Maybe it's just one of those books that has be discovered on its own.Russell Arben Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03366800726360134194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-24725598794076961112010-04-15T00:15:31.795-05:002010-04-15T00:15:31.795-05:00I love The Phantom Tollbooth - that book had a rea...I love <i>The Phantom Tollbooth</i> - that book had a really profound effect on my childhood; like you, I really enjoyed the wordplay and the punning (the Whetherman, the Spelling Bee and the Humbug, Canby, the Not-So-Wicked Which). I also loved its playful morality-tale aspects, both in the opening chapter with Milo rushing home from school and in the penultimate rescue of the Princesses from the Daemons of Ignorance.<br /><br />Now I'm going to have to go back and read it again!<br /><br />- MattAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-74123886294349220272010-04-14T19:26:07.351-05:002010-04-14T19:26:07.351-05:00Did you know Taran Wanderer was an afterthought? ...Did you know Taran Wanderer was an afterthought? After he turned in High King, the publisher came back and said that Taran needed more character development, so her cranked out Taran wandered in something like 2 months. Recently reread Prydain with the eldest daughter (7) and she made it through the first 4, but wouldn't start the High King because she thought it was too scary. The contrast between Alexander and Rowling is really interesting. Alexander is the better sentence level writer, but Rowling wins on plot and character growth over time. (Nobody except Taran really changes). Dialogue is a draw. <br />Western DaveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-17120776508136093172010-04-14T17:42:40.189-05:002010-04-14T17:42:40.189-05:00Bah. Her list isn't something she came up with...Bah. Her list isn't something she came up with, it was a compilation of lists people nominated. It's not our fault that you have an eclectic taste in books. :-PMelissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00217383813263874657noreply@blogger.com