Children's Fiction Message Board

What are you reading now?

Hi,

Have you read Hundred Doors by Tom LaFarge? Did you think it was as good or better than Crimson Bears?

I am reading Because of Winn Dixie

I just started The Seagulls Have Landed by Colin Bateman, sequel to Bring Me The Head of Oliver Plunkett and Reservoir Pups.

sumerlandgurl wrote:
"I am reading Because of Winn Dixie"

Have you seen the film?

I just finished Howl's Moving Castle which I liked a lot. It turned out much different than the movie that inspired me to read the book but unlike many books that have been turned into movies I enjoyed both versions of this story equally well.

Next up I will be reading Louise Rennison's book, Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants. I love her books because they ALWAYS make me laugh.

I have just finished Howl's Moving Castle too, and it was quite good. And very different from the film, I think. At least at the end.

After this I will probably go back to crime for a while, or maybe some more adult fantasy. I do have a few Diana Wynne Jones books waiting for me. I think The Magicians of Caprona is next in line by her, unless I go for Deep Secret instead. So far my favorite book by her is Dark Lord of Derkholm and the sequel Year of the Griffin, but they may not be properly children's fiction. I tag them as 'young adult' at least.

BoPeep wrote:
"I just started The Seagulls Have Landed by Colin Bateman, sequel to Bring Me The Head of Oliver Plunkett and Reservoir Pups."
You'll enjoy it. It's probably the best in the series.

I'm reading Eragon aloud to my family and I just started reading Life of Pi for myself.

demonlover wrote:

"Next up I will be reading Louise Rennison's book, Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants. I love her books because they ALWAYS make me laugh."

What other books by Louise Rennison have you read?

Just her other Confessions of Georgia Nicolson books; Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging, the sex god one I can never get the title right on and Knocked out by my Nunga-Nungas. I don't even know if she's written anything else.

On my way out of a paper review this morning, I noticed we were having a book sale! .25-.50 a book is justification for buying 10 books with my laundry money, right? Anyway, two of the books are Understood Betsy and Just So Stories, which I'm looking forward to reading.

Hi,

I haven't read Understood Betsy but you'll love Kipling's Just So Stories.

Anything written by John Lithgow!

Has anyone else read The Thief of Always by Clive Barker? Good stuff.

Understood Betsy is one of my favorites. It, and Canfield's book The Home-Maker, have had a lot of influence on the way I think about raising children. Canfield was a remarkable woman, wise and humane, and unusual among hber contemporaries in thinking of children as people worthy of respectful treatment.

Hi - thanks to shelagh for the invitation to join the group.

I adore anything by Diana Wynne Jones and have just bought and devoured The Pinhoe Egg which is the latest in the Chrestomanci series. I liked it very much.

The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl Series) by Eoin Colfer. It was good, too.

I've started Scott Westerfeld's sequal to Peeps called The Last Days. So far I'm finding this novel to be just as great as the first.

I am reading and enjoying Wintersmith Heinlien said somthing about having to write better when writing for children, and Prachett seems to have taken this to heart.

Hi Tardis,

Glad to have you here.

Simon,

I agree with Robert A. Heinlein. I write for children and I feel obligated to write well in a way that I don't if I am writing for adults.

~Shelagh

I'm reading the St Clare's series by Enid Blyton, but I can never have just one book on the go so I'm also reading Little Dorrit, and The Great and Secret Show.

Opinicus, I'll keep an eye out for The Thief of Always, I love Clive Barker, particularly Weaveworld which I read at least once a year.

I've just finished reading the Alex Rider books by Anthony Horowitz. I wanted to read Stormbreaker before I took my godson to see the movie and found them quite enjoyable (if not a little formulaic). I might give the Raven's Gate series a go at a later date.

At the moment I'm reading, for the first time, Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. I'm not sure what children's book I'll read next. Probably The End
by Lemony Snicket.

I just started Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, which is not a children's book, but a true story of a man who quit his job at Microsoft and founded Room to Read an organization devoted to literacy and bringing books to children in the poorest parts of the world.

rsps-That sounds like a fabulous story. I've never heard of Room to Read before, but I would be interested in reading about it.

Right now I'm reading Then he Ate My Boy Entrancers by Louise Rennison. I just love her Georgia Nicolson books.

After that I will be reading Tinker (can't get the touchstone to work) by Wes Spencer and I also have out Ghosts I have Been which looks good.

Hi everyone,

I noticed that quite a few posts on this thread have been flagged. I've asked one of the moderators to remove these flags. I think someone might have been trying to add a post and forgot to log in first and, without a "Post a message" link to click on, the flag might have been clicked instead. Hopefully, these flags will disappear.

The flag has appeared in a lot of places, in various groups. Either is it a glitch or someone is playing some kind of unpleasant prank.

Thanks Paola! That was our 100th post!

I started reading Sweetblood by Pete Hautman today. It's due next week at the library. So far it's pretty good and very unusual.

I recently finished Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy - fabulous - I cannot recommend it strongly enough
And if you like audio, I actually recommend listening to it - Simon Jones does a wonderful job with the characters, particularly Bartimaeus, his voice is just perfect.

Also just finished Gail Carson Levine's latest, Fairest. It's no Ella Enchanted, but definitely worth the read.

I read Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist yesterday. It was okay, I'm still mulling over my feelings about the book.

Today I'm starting Tinker which I've had out from the library for an extended time and really need to read.

Ooo, a second on the Bartimaeus Trilogy! I've gotten through the first two so far, and I knew I'd be enjoying the first one when the opening paragraphs made me laugh so hard I almost dropped the book. Good stuff.

I like Anything of Pratchett that features the witches or Feegals.

I;ve got Wintersmith waiting for me.

Army Angel1986 wrote:

On my way out of a paper review this morning, I noticed we were having a book sale! .25-.50 a book is justification for buying 10 books with my laundry money, right? Anyway, two of the books are Understood Betsy and Just So Stories, which I'm looking forward to reading.

Hi Angela,

Did you enjoy reading the Just-So Stories? Kipling told these bedtime stories to his daughter Josephine (Effie), who died at the age of six.

If you were wondering about the title of the stories, “Just-So”, this quote explains how they were named:

“…in the evening there were stories meant to put Effie to sleep, and you were not allowed to alter those by one single little word. They had to be told just so; or Effie would wake up and put back the missing sentence. ”

It helps me, as a writer, to understand the importance of listening to the listener -- even if the listener is a child!

Hope you enjoyed the books!

Wow! I love that explanation for the title "Just So Stories". I've never read them, but now I'd like to get a copy to read to my sons.

I loved Just So Stories, and I loved Understood Betsy even more! Being a member of the group "Books, Cats, Life is Good," my favorite story was of course, "The Cat Who Walked By Himself" (from Just So Stories).

"I am not a friend, and I am not a servant. I am the Cat who walks by himself, and I wish to come into your cave."

And I carried Understood Betsy around with me everywhere, reading it whenever I got a chance. Absolutely delightful story!

I'm going to be doing a book reading for my son's elementary school tomorrow night and wanted to find some fun ones. My son and I picked out Tacky the Penguin, The Foot Book, The Dog Who Had Kittens and Underwear. My husband said that Underwear is inappropriate so I put it back. But, it is a kids book, I thought the kids would think it was funny. Anybody have experience doing these kind of readings? I'm curious if other people think it would be inappropriate.

No I don't think It inappropriate.

demonlover, it sounds like fun and good for getting the kids giggling.

Thanks for the underwear support LOL I did bring the book, but since I only wound up reading one I chose Tacky the Penguin. It went over pretty good, I got a couple giggles and they clapped at the end :-)

Eragon (read Eldest a few weeks ago), The Third Reich in Power (and I know I'll have to dig for the first volume and wait for the third one), and Building Extreme PCs. Just finished Catilina's Riddle.

diosnel, I have a question.

The Third Reich in Power (and I know I'll have to dig for the first volume and wait for the third one), and Building Extreme PCs. Just finished Catilina's Riddle

Are these books for children? I don't believe so. Perhaps you should go to the group where you list what you are currently reading, don't you think so?
This is only for children's fiction...

Several other people have listed non-children's books. I don't think shelagh clearly defined whether this thread is for people to talk about children's books they're reading or for people who are generally interested in children's books to discuss whatever they're reading. In another group I'm in, Canadian Bookworms, there's a similar thread, and we list whatever we're reading, not just Canadian books.

This group was set up to discuss Children's Fiction but it was also set up for readers of all ages. I set up this thread very early on inviting members to share what they were reading with other members. I didn't expect everyone to only mention children's books.

However, I am pleased, impressed and delighted that so many members used the touchstones whenever they mentioned a children's book.

I think the members here are a great group of people who never cease to amaze me by their friendliness and willingness to help other members.

I am an adminstrator of a Children's Fiction forum, moderator of another Children's Fiction board and moderator of several boards on the WritingWise forum for published and unpublished authors, songwriters and illustrators.

This group is by far the most rewarding of all these forums.

Please continue posting and sharing your reading habits -- whatever you read.

~Shelagh

My Favorite book is Because of Winn Dixie

I'm reading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld but I'm having a hard time staying with it, it's just not holding my attention. It's such a popular book I'm wondering if it's only me. I absolutely loved his story Peeps.

I just finished reading The Lightning Thief, which was a lot of fun- it shares several common elements with Harry Potter, but is completely different in tone and feel. I can't wait to pick up the sequel!

I'm reading Got Fangs? by Katie Maxwell. What I find very interesting is that Katie Maxwell and Katie MacAlister are the same author, it's just that her YA books are under Maxwell and her romances are under MacAlister.

Got Fangs? is also interesting because it continues along with a story line that I was introduced to in MacAlister's vampire romance books. I'm not sure if she wrote the YA books first, or the romance ones.

Just finished Firegirl by Tony Abbott and Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks. I highly recommend both. Currently rereading The Watsons Go to Birmingham- 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis.

I just finished Two Steps Forward and am now reading an adult book, The People's Republic of Desire. Tomorrow I think I'll go to my local library (which is not the library I work at!) to get Green Glass Sea as my work-library doesn't have it yet and it looks good.

Anyone else excited for next week's release of the next Traveling Pants book?

(51) You know, I resisted reading The Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963 for quite a while because ... well, imagine what a story about an african-american family going to B'ham in 1963 would be about! And wouldn't that be fun to read about - NOT! But Curtis fools you. He starts out in a Bill Cosby-ish mode telling funny stories about kids and he totally sneaks up on you with the serious stuff. I read pieces of this to my husband (cornering him in the kitchen). I recommend it to anyone. It's a great ... opener for serious discussion.
I used to wonder why Curtis didn't get the Newbery for this book, but it turned out he was up against Holes by Louis Sachar (not a Brief History of Time, which came up with the Touchstones ... grrr!). Okay, I'll concede that was a really good book too, and another one I was reluctant to read, thinking it was gonna be a, ew, boy book. Wrong again!

52> LOL Or a top shelf magazine.

I recommend Curtis's books to students who are reluctant readers. They are almost always an instant hit!

Just got finished with The book of story beginnings by Kristin Kladstrup. Am now reading The Magic City by E. Nesbit. I have Gossamer by Lois Lowry standing by. I just checked - the links to The Magic City and Gossamer are wrong here. If you click on the authors' names, you'll see the books listed among their others.

I'm reading Esther Friesner's Wishing Season to my kids (and my wife) at the moment and we're all really enjoying it. I'd never heard of the book or author before but someone recommended it in the Fantasy group here on LT and I'm glad I was able to track it down.

great!!!! i've just ordered peeps on amazon.

have you also read the risen empire and the midnighters trilogy?

I read Mutiny's Daughter recently by Ann Rinaldi because she has a rep as a good and popular author and I thought I should read one. This was on our local state's book award list and ... it might not have been a good choice for a first Rinaldi read. I was actually driven to finish it, though, because I couldn't believe it was so lame. It simply had to get better, but it didn't.
Most of it seemed a poor imitation of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (my favorite book as a child), an impression confirmed by an amazon.com review I read later, and the rest was larded with improbabilities.
Saying that, a kid who thinks she's in the wrong family might find it riveting: "What's this? A whole boarding school full of girls of famous people who aren't allowed to let anyone know? Maybe that's what's going on! I'm the illegitimate child of ... of Brad Pitt being raised in this stifling middle-class home!"
Is there a better choice for a Rinaldi read?

>58 Optinik: I've requested the first of the Midnighters books from the library. I'm looking forward to it :-) I'd love to hear what you think of Peeps, I thought the story was really original.

YOU HAVE TO CHECKED OUT "The Misadventures of Inspector Moustachio"
By Wayne Madsen. It's a younger, up and coming Potter.

Jenson, earlier post you mentioned Sweetblood by Pete Hautman. I haven't read that, but I really enjoyed his book Rash. I'll look for Sweetblood too.

That was some bump!

I have read the first two books in the Bartimaeus Trilogy and really enjoyed them. I also enjoyed Fairest.

Kids love the word "underwear" along with other certain words that adults sometimes might find impolite. There are so many awesome books that are great for read-alouds that I would avoid reading something that you aren't sure about. If you feel comfortable in your book selection, go for it.

My favorite read-aloud right now is Grumblebunny by Bob Hartman. The little bunnies beg for an audience.

I hope that you had fun reading!

see www.rosemarysutcliff.wordpress.com for any Rosemary Sutcliff fans......and do contribute

A further message to 'message 66', for all lovers of Rosemary Sutcliff's work.

I seek comment and even help from readers and fans. Especially those of you knowledgeable about historical fiction for children and young adults. I am a relative and fan of Rosemary Sutcliff. Stimulated by the coming film of The Eagle of the Ninth - in September this year 2010 - I am interested in gathering information about what people enjoy about her work, thoughts about favourite titles (with reasons) and any leads to interesting material related to her. This is in part because I am developing a blog-based website about her and her work, for anyone who is interested in or enthused about her. And frankly for myself!

I am an amateur at this, and it is a labour of love not work. I would like to create something which at least some people use, and of course would be delighted if I made it such that lots of people visited used it and were informed, entertained and enthused by it - and of course contributed. So I would welcome any advice about www.rosemarysutcliff.wordpress.com, and any relevant contributions.

I am also trying to build a comprehensive library of Rosemary Sutcliff's books here on Library Thing, with all editions and all translations. And with the right cover attached to the right book and edition and translation, which seems rather tricky. Again all contributions and advice (and reviews) very welcome.

Can you help? And anyway what is your favourite Rosemary Sutcliff book and why? Are there any your really do not like, and why? Me - I love them all, my critical faculties dulled by the family relationship although I have tried to be a little discriminating in my ratings on this site; and if appropriate can you cross post this request on relevant groups or other blogs? And forward to fans you know?

Thank you

Anthony (Lawton)

We are reading Twice Freed with our history studies and will begin reading Savage Sam tomorrow.

Norman Lindsay’s The Magic Pudding (1918) is one of the most robustly masculine of all children’s classics, full of fussin’ and fightin’ and foodin’ and feudin’. It is perhaps that as well as its intense Australian-ness that has kept it from the global popularity that it deserves (it is scarcely known at all in the United States). There is tutting disapproval of its rambunctious, knockabout Gestalt even to be found in some current reviews. SMDH.

The pudding of the title, which is a steak-and-kidney type pudding rather than a smooth dessert pudding, can be eaten over and over by its sailor, penguin, and koala owners without ever diminishing. The pudding doesn’t MIND being eaten, but is grumpy about everything else. He is the perpetual target of two rascally pudding thieves, a possum and a wombat.

The book romps along at a rollicking pace, interspersed with some really funny nonsense verse. I love these two legal bits:

Obey the mandate of our chosen lawyer,

Remove that hat, or else we’ll do it faw yer.

———-

To win your case, and save your pelf,

Why, try the blooming case yourself!