I'm not kidding when I say that Louis Sachar is one of my favorite authors. I liked him when I was a kid; I've found a deeper appreciation for his worI'm not kidding when I say that Louis Sachar is one of my favorite authors. I liked him when I was a kid; I've found a deeper appreciation for his work as an adult. Sideways Stories from Wayside School is pure joy and zaniness for a child to read, but it's a metafictional delight for an adult to read to a child. Holes shows a greater depth to an author who could have just stuck to silliness. It's a story with twists and turns and important themes like generational trauma and guilt; it's like Dickens for young readers.
But I wasn't emotionally prepared to read this book aloud to my son. It's about the bully Bradley Chalkers, who is an absolute pestilence at the outset. He torments his classmates, he's never done a lick of homework, and he seems to revel in his villainy. But then you start to see his inner life; his imaginary friends; his yearning to be "normal"; glances of how he came to be this way, his fear of abandonment. Sachar shows that a bully isn't a rotten apple, but something that we could all become, given certain circumstances.
Sachar shows that bullies deserve sympathy, or at least empathy. But more importantly, he shows that they are not lost causes. It takes awhile for even Bradley to realize it, but he doesn't want to be a bully. He doesn't want to be a loner, or to be shunned by teachers; he actually has a curious mind, he wants to have friends, but he doesn't have the tools for it.
But along comes Carla, an absolutely incredible school counselor. I don't know if there are many Carlas out there in the real world, but I'm convinced that with enough Carlas, we could solve all the world's problems. In Bradley's world, she served as a nonjudgmental someone who accepted him as he was, who didn't tell him "the right" thing to do or demand that he get his act together. She just showed him what unconditional friendship is. And it's not really a surprise that, given some time, Bradley started modelling that behavior as well.
This may not be Louis Sachar's funnest book, but it is the only one to make me cry. And it may be his most important....more
Thematically, I like the book, but it's the least interesting Wayside School entry (an opinion held by both my son and me.) Apparently, the titular clThematically, I like the book, but it's the least interesting Wayside School entry (an opinion held by both my son and me.) Apparently, the titular cloud of doom was a manifestation of Louis Sachar's anxieties related to the rise of Trump as well as climate change.
But after 25 years, it seems some of the magic was lost. The students didn't seem quite as alive, their situations not as relatable, the backwards logic a little less un-nonsensical? I just want to hear about Paul trying to resist pulling Leslie's pigtails!...more
The second wonderfully charming entry into the Wayside School series. As weird as the first book was, this one gets way weirder. A lot revolves aroundThe second wonderfully charming entry into the Wayside School series. As weird as the first book was, this one gets way weirder. A lot revolves around the nineteenth floor, which of course doesn’t exist, and Miss Zarves, who’s the teacher on the nineteenth floor, who of course doesn’t exist. But there are some really trippy scenes involving the floor and the teacher and the class who don’t exist.
But the characters are just the best. All of Mrs. Jewls’s students are back from last year, and there’s the addition of Benjamin Nushmutt, who’s too embarrassed to admit that his name is not actually Mark Miller… and what happened to the real Mark Miller?
These books are just the best. After reading the first book in the series, I thought about my love for postmodern and metafictional novels and thought that it makes a lot of sense that I liked these when I was a kid. But not I think that these books are the reason I now love metafiction and postmodern literature. If you want to raise your kids right, read them weird stuff like this!...more
I must admit it feels a bit uncomfortable reading this book as a 36 year old man. The experience is, in essence, snooping into the diary of an eleven I must admit it feels a bit uncomfortable reading this book as a 36 year old man. The experience is, in essence, snooping into the diary of an eleven year old girl that details her thoughts on boys, bras, menstruation, religion, et cetera. In these pages, Margaret tries out Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, she buys her first bra, she finds and flips through a Playboy with her friend. She and her friends appeal to an unnamed higher power for bigger breasts with chants of "we must, we must, we must increase our busts!"
Some books give you entertainment. Some books increase your knowledge. My favorite books demand and increase your empathy. I can't say that I understand how a young girl feels as they start to go through puberty, but this book put me in that mindset for a little while, at least, and that can't be a bad thing.
Does anyone know what the male-equivalent book to this might be? I don't just mean a good male-centric young adult novel, because there are hundreds of those. I mean one that takes everything about being a young boy and plops it right out there on the page, all the awkward and painful and scary stuff, one that every boy or once-boy can identify with. What book would that be?...more
I read this aloud to my seven year old as a bedtime story over about a week. This was perfect for a readaloud book; it piqued my son's macabre sensibiI read this aloud to my seven year old as a bedtime story over about a week. This was perfect for a readaloud book; it piqued my son's macabre sensibilities without scaring him too much right before he went to sleep. And it was perfect for me, because it's got all these references to classic literature, like Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. It doesn't pander to a young audience at all; it's got all sorts of "big" words that I know he didn't understand, but he never had to ask me to explain anything, because the context was always enough.
If this isn't already a classic, it needs to be....more
I read this to my six year old son at bedtime over the course of a week or so and it was incredible. Both of us were riveted and when we reached the eI read this to my six year old son at bedtime over the course of a week or so and it was incredible. Both of us were riveted and when we reached the end of a chapter, he'd beg me to keep reading, and it was hard for me not to keep going.
It's about a group of kids who ride their bikes after a group of floating lanterns, part of an annual tradition their town does. They make a pact to never turn back for home and to follow the lanterns until they find out where they ultimately end up. This is the type of thing that I absolutely would have done when I was a kid, and the adventures they get up to are what I would always imagine was possible.
Things get weird as talking bears and underwater creatures and capitalist wizards take the stage; things get emotional as the bond between friends get stretched to the breaking point. The dialogue feels genuine and the art is beautiful and haunting.
This gets my highest recommendation for kids and adults alike!...more
I read this aloud with my six year old son. The art is fantastic, charming, and at times weird. I thought it was going to be a story of a couple bugs I read this aloud with my six year old son. The art is fantastic, charming, and at times weird. I thought it was going to be a story of a couple bugs on a treasure hunt, but it turned out to be a Ray Bradbury-esque portrait via vignettes of childhood summer. The titular bug boys get up to some mischief, they get into fights with each other and make up, they experience anxiety and what I'm pretty sure was a mushroom-induced drug trip that opened their minds up to arcane symbols hidden in the landscape around them.
This book was far deeper and stranger and more wonderful than anyone would expect it to be, and it was great....more
Read this aloud to my six year old son, and this is exactly the kind of book I would have loved when I was a kid... and to be honest, I loved it as anRead this aloud to my six year old son, and this is exactly the kind of book I would have loved when I was a kid... and to be honest, I loved it as an adult. It's a medieval fantasy story of a kid trying to save his mom from the White Warlock, but it's also the story of two kids writing that story together. Metafictional delights ensue, and yes I am adding this to my "metafiction" shelf, right next to If on a Winter's Night a Traveler and The Princess Bride....more
A curious book that straddles adult and children's literature/comics and children's picture books. It's sort of like when I was watching Inside Out wiA curious book that straddles adult and children's literature/comics and children's picture books. It's sort of like when I was watching Inside Out with my four year old the other night. He was watching a movie about a silly cotton candy elephant, while I was enjoying (and allegedly crying at) a touching story about a young girl coming to terms with uprooting her life and moving across the country. In reading this book, a child will appreciate a girl's midnight meetings with carious wild animals—frog, mouse, etc.—and the adult reader will witness a young girl trying to deal with her parents' separation and having to move from the city to live with her grandmother in the country.
What's great about stories like this and Inside Out is how appealing they are to all ages. They don't dumb down anything for the kids, and even if they don't realize they're witnessing a deeply emotional journey of the characters, they are. This is the kind of story that respects all of its readers, and is truly for everyone....more
This book engaged and entertained my kid more than any other book I've ever read him. Hands down, not even close. The basic idea is that there are no This book engaged and entertained my kid more than any other book I've ever read him. Hands down, not even close. The basic idea is that there are no pictures, but it's still a cool book because the reader has to say whatever is written in the book, and those things can get pretty silly. My kid loved hearing me say things like "My only friend in the whole wide world is a hippo named BOO BOO BUTT!"
What I've learned from this is that my kid loves metafiction. Another of his favorites is The Monster at the End of This Book, which has Grover commenting on the turning of the pages and begging the reader not to torture him. In this book, the reader says things like "BLuuRF.", followed up with "Wait a second—what?! This isn't the kind of book I wanted to read! And I have to say every word the book says? Uh-oh..."
Five stars, good job, Ryan from The Office!...more
I shouldn't like a children's horror novel this much, but it's great. It's a perfect Stephen King setup: a kid finds a camera in an abandoned house anI shouldn't like a children's horror novel this much, but it's great. It's a perfect Stephen King setup: a kid finds a camera in an abandoned house and when he takes pictures with it, they come out wrong. His dad's brand new station wagon looks wrecked in the photo, and then the next day his dad has a terrible accident. In a group photo, one of his friends disappears, and then... his friend disappears.
In my opinion, these books are just as good as Stephen King. They're basically the same exact thing, except Stine's are short and don't have gore or sex. I'm going to buy a heap of these for my son's ninth or tenth birthday....more
I read a medium amount of Goosebumps when I was a kid, but I somehow never got to this one. Yet somehow, this is the quintessential Goosebumps in my mI read a medium amount of Goosebumps when I was a kid, but I somehow never got to this one. Yet somehow, this is the quintessential Goosebumps in my mind, and I have memories of being terribly frightened by the dummy's face on the cover of this book.
I found it while glancing through a list of available audiobooks to download from my library, and I'm happy I did. I thought it would be a silly little traipse down Nostalgia Lane, but it was a fun time on its own merits! I would definitely let my kid read this when he gets a little older. To an adult it seems pretty formulaic and predictable, but it's a friendly introduction to horror for a kid....more
This is the pinnacle of the “newer” children’s literature that I’ve discovered while reading to my son. It’s a perfectly illustrated, perfectly cleverThis is the pinnacle of the “newer” children’s literature that I’ve discovered while reading to my son. It’s a perfectly illustrated, perfectly clever rhyming story about a mouse who outwits a fox, an owl, a snake, and the terrible Gruffalo.
And there’s a wonderful adaptation of the story on Netflix, too.
See also: The Gruffalo’s Child and Stick Man, which are both nearly as good. ...more
A wonderful introduction to pessimistic philosophy and nihilist literature for little ones.
I hadn't read this since I was a kid, but I knew what to exA wonderful introduction to pessimistic philosophy and nihilist literature for little ones.
I hadn't read this since I was a kid, but I knew what to expect. Alexander was going to have a bad day, but on the last page he would go to bed and dream sweet dreams and wake up to a better tomorrow. "It's okay to have bad days. We will have a better one tomorrow." That's not what I found; the ending shook me to my very core.
I cracked it open with my two year old son last night and to my surprise, even though the illustrations are black and white and it takes awhile to flip the pages, he sat rapt the whole time. Alexander woke up with gum in his hair, he tripped on his skateboard, and he dropped his sweater in the sink. He got the worst seat in the car on the way to school, and the school day was more of the same: suffering, drudgery, and existential pain. He lost his best friend, his mom forgot to pack him dessert, and after school he went to the dentist, who discovered a cavity.
Throughout all this, Alexander had hope, and his hope had a name. Australia. When something terribly horrible happened to Alexander, he'd think to himself, "Tomorrow, I'm going to go to Australia." It's a refrain he repeated to himself often throughout the day, and it's the only way he got through the torment. Australia was his land of milk and honey; no matter how bad this is right now, I can always go to Australia where everything will be alright.
But at the end of the day, after he's tucked himself into his bed of sorrows, his mother pecks him on his cheek and delivers this final blow: some days are like this. Some days just kick you in the pants, over and over again. "Even in Australia."
You can imagine Alexander's psyche shattering at this point. Australia is supposed to be the one place that is safe! Australia is the escape from the terror, the horror, the no good, very bad slog of daily existence! But pain permeates everything and knows no bounds. It is all.
The final image of the book is Alexander in his bed, inexpressible anguish on his face, as if an invisible hand is wrapped around his neck. This is the bed that has been made for him, and he must lie in it.
When I was a wee lad I started this book several times but always stalled out before, let's say, page twenty-five. What an idiot I was. This book is aWhen I was a wee lad I started this book several times but always stalled out before, let's say, page twenty-five. What an idiot I was. This book is amazing....more
Christopher
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